Great sneak peek. I look forward to being able to read the book in its entirety ASAP!! I love being introduced to authors I wouldn’t have otherwise known.

Content Warning: Emotional abuse

I’m conflicted because the author includes resources to seek help for abusive relationships and mental health treatment. However, I thought that the story was a bit hypocritical in its execution. Maybe too much happens at once to focus on a central theme but it felt like watching a CW show like Riverdale where nothing makes sense. It’s theatrical and sacrifices authenticity which should accompany these sensitive topics.

For example, gender matters when it comes to stalking apparently. When Sasha breaks and enters, puts in hidden cameras, or privately installs a tracking device on a phone she is painted as unhinged. Crazy even. This is rightly so as no one is allowed to be manipulative and controlling. Yet, when Gabe persistently talks to a girl who initially seems uninterested, he doesn’t take the L and bow out. Instead, he’s always on the look for her, secretly follows her home to see where she lives, texts her ‘half a dozen times’ even though she doesn’t reply, and spies into her privacy.

Of course, there really is something up and it’s all justified. Gabe is caring, worried, and heroic. It’s all done in the name of love despite how eeriely similiar his behavior is. I know we want to defend him since in the end, he was in the right and manages to be there like the savior he is depicted as. But this isn’t always the case as many stalkers convince themselves that they are a benevolent protector to unsolicited victims. The logic states that “she doesn’t know she loves him yet” so all it takes is a little nudge. Granted, the main difference is that Kat eventually asks for his help after he proves that he doesn’t have malicious intent (although he’s extremely nosy). Just for the record, a red flag was raised the first time Gabe explains he absolutely has to trail Kat without her consent because she’s not giving him the answers he wants. I want to point out victims have the complete right to decide what happens even if it means waiting to come forward. It’s frustating to see the people you love hurt, but it has to be on their terms.

Anyways, rant aside, Lies You Never Told Me is like watching a car wreak. Specifically the victim falls in love with the hit and run driver. Hmmmm. It’s one thing to have flawed characters, but it’s another to label their actions differently. I’m not sure how I feel about Kat trading in one questionable guy for another. Gabe didn’t make it hard to come across as a creep.

What I liked are few and far in between. The drama did stir up my emotions and there were valid points. Gabe is brown so his testimony is less credible than a white person’s unfortunately. I wanted the story to go in a direction to highlight the ways in which we readily believe lies because they’re beautiful. Elyse is more than happy to accept these inappropriate feelings from someone she respects. She’s never been the center of attention so what better person to fulfill that than a literal stalker or child predator. It’s tone deaf to call that romantic when victims of abuse already struggle explaining how intrusive it is to their rightful privacy. I’ll link a video called Stalking for Love by Pop Culture Detective that goes into depth about why this is problematic narrative as it always rewards the stalkers and undermines the victim’s experiences.

P.S. So you're telling me that a single teenager can:
✓ hire actors to orchestrate a scripted illicit rendezvous
✓ deep fake video footage/audio recording
✓ wipe all fingerprints
✓ leave no witnesses behind
✓ steal a house key, make a copy, and slip it back before you notice
✗ and almost get away with it only to confess?!?

I recommend this for fans of ‘edgy’ high school drama without the emotional investment it requires to develop characters who have to face the consequences of their actions.

Cover Review:
Gorgeous. Thank you for left aligning the title instead of the standard centered. I love how the type seamlessly weave in and out of the smoke. The black background offers a stark contrast to the font which seems to illuminate. Yellow is a fantastic choice with a rounded serif. I don’t know why but it works.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange of a fair review!

I received the sneak peek into this book in exchange for my honest review. As far as the sneak peak allows it's a fatal attraction theme. Jennifer Donaldson leads you into a twisted form of "love" by the rich girl Sasha with the poor boy Gabe who quickly finds her manipulations getting tiresome. However, Sasha isn't one to trifle with she can be deadly and doesn't lose nicely.

Thank you Netgalley for the Advanced Copy in exchange for my honest review. I enjoy reading YA book every now and then. This didn't disappoint. A gripping tale about mind games, very suspenseful! Lots of twist and turns--keep you guessing! Look forward to more from this Author!

Good twists and turns, kept my attention and made me want to read this into the early morning! Excited to read more from this author!

I did not realize a "sneak peek" was a sampler. I did read it, but I can't really review or rate based on just a few chapters.

I was given an excerpt of the Lies You Never Told Me. I would love to continue reading the rest of this book. I found this book to be very engaging and the character's interesting. I think this would be a quick read.

I download a sneak preview of this book and after finishing it I went on Amazon and ordered the book. It was that good. I was only able to read the first few chapters so my review is not complete but there is already so much intrigue and mystery that I am excited to uncover. I will post an updated review once I read the full book.

4 stars

I received a free sneak-peek of the first few chapters of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is an interesting and intriguing YA book. The story follows two main characters that have never met, but share a similar misfortune in falling for the wrong people.

Quiet, shy Elyse is cast as the lead in the school play. She is not used to the spotlight and her insecurities make her vulnerable. Gabe is dating a headstrong popular girl that treats him poorly. He tries to break up with her, but she's having none of that. Just when the story was heating up, I ran out of chapters.

I'm definitely intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the book. I will complete this review once I do.

I did not want this sneak peek to end! This story has a way of sucking you in and leaves you wanting more. So far, Elyse and Gabe's stories are full of suspense, of feeling for them, of wanting to see them suceed. I can't wait for this book to release for the full story!

I was unsure what to expect of this book, especially given the fact that it was just a sneak peek. However, I devoured it within an hour. Lies You Never Told Me explores the lives of two high school students, Gabe and Elyse, through alternating perspectives. Gabe is an average high school student stuck in a relationship with a popular, yet nasty girl named Sasha. He struggles to have a voice in their relationship and questions why they're even together in the first place due to the obvious red flags present. Following a hit and run accident that left him with a mild concussion, Gabe becomes drawn to the mysterious girl that saved him, although the girl would rather remain a mystery. Elyse is a teenage girl from a broken home, with a father in prison and a mother addicted to painkillers. Due to the circumstances, she takes on household and adult responsibilities to keep their family afloat, all awhile recently scoring the lead in the school play.
From what I've read so far, I've already been pulled into both of the characters' lives. I'm interested to see what will really happen between Gabe and Sasha, as well as how Elyse will fare as the lead role. Donaldson's writing is enticing and exciting and left me desperately gripping the pages for more. Her main characters are likable, yet flawed, and captivating enough to catch a reader's interest. I look forward to purchasing this book soon and reading the full version, but from what little I've read, I'm already hooked!

I loved the "sneak peek" of this book so much, I ordered it on Amazon and just finished. Good book! I was shocked at the ending. I look forward to reading more from Jennifer Donaldson!

This read as though the author wrote two short stories and combined them into one book using alternating narratives. Looking through the lenses of teenage immaturity, both lead characters make bad choices which immeasurably alter their lives. The fallout from those choices led to an conclusion I did not see coming. Albeit, a bit melodramatic, the ending blew me away.

Really liked this book and would love to see more from this author.

Thanks NetGalley for opportunity to read and review.

Wow! I am really liking the excerpt to this book. And I’m going to have to buy the book and read the rest because I’m hooked!

I just reviewed SNEAK PEEK: Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson. #SneakPeek:LiesYouNeverToldMe #NetGalley
Such a good book! Can’t wait to finish it. It was a very easy read.

From reading the sneak peek, it's unclear what is going to happen but it does leave one tense with anticipation of what the seemingly unstable and controlling Sasha will do to Gabe who has just broken up with her and how Elyse will play into it. This seems like it's going to be a psychological drama like Gone Girl or Big Little Lies but with high school as its backdrop and I'm intrigued to see where the author will take it but it's hard to rate it or recommend it without getting all the way through- which I do plan to do based on the preview.

I feel very strange trying to review a Sneak Peak is a book.

Reading about high schoolers takes me back to those days, and stirs up a lot of bad feelings. So that’s kind of hard to deal with. However I also found myself becoming invested in these characters, for the short time I’ve had them. Well, not Sasha, I’m hoping she gets killed off in the full length novel.

I wasn’t sure if I was going to read the full book once it’s available, but I almost feel like I have to after the way the sneak peak ends.

I’m very up in the air with this one.

Holy crap. What a tease. I CANNOT I repeat CANNOT wait to buy this book so I can know what is happening. This is such a well written thrill of a book and I haven't even finished it.

I really enjoyed reading this excerpt and was so disappointed when I reached the end of it! Lives You Never Told Me is told in two contrasting point of views - Gabe and Elyse - and both of them have unique stories to tell. While their situations and lives seem vastly different, there is an underlying similarity to their innocence and the shortcomings they have to deal with.
Supposedly both characters have major secrets to reveal and I have a inkling of what that big secret might be. But I will definitely read the entire book to find out if my suspicions are true.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced sneak peek!

Enjoyed this sneak peek, intrigued enough to want to read the rest of the book! Not sure what Sasha is up to and how the stories will connect in the end, but would love to find out!