I love a good dual perspective story. Filled with drama, secrets, and who to trust. Toss in a who-done-it and you have This Is Why We Lie.

I vaguely remember liking this book. I just don’t remember a lot of the smaller details enough to leave a proper review. (2024 review goal — review in a timely manner after reading).

A small town YA thriller where a girl is found dead. With dual POVs from Jenna at Preston prep for girls and Adam from the Rockwood reform school for boys we get an interesting story about the schools, town and people who could possibly all be suspects in this possible murder case.
Predictable and a little slow but a lot of twists and turns to keep you engaged.

I don't know that this one was ever properly engaging. It certainly wasn't deep in it's exploration of human nature. The concepts here are a bit too obvious. I mean, a girl's private school and a boy's reform school in the same town? We're bound to be looking a privilege and public perception.

This Is Why We Lie was a quick read. I liked how the story was told from two different points of view. Jenna attends Preston Prep School and Adam attends Rockwood Reform School. One early morning, while Jenna is out on the beach taking pictures, she see Adam struggling in the water. She goes to help him and sees he's carrying the body of one of her classmate, Colleen. There are lots of twists and turns as they try to figure out who killed Colleen.

I bought this one as soon as it came out. YA suspense is hitting on all cylinders right now and my students are lining up for all of the thrillers they can get their hands on. Combine prep school privilege with a mystery & I am as eager as my students to crack open a spine. The twists were delightfully unexpected & thoroughly entertaining. I feel certain the audio is also a good listen. It’s just that engaging!

This Is Why We Lie is a fast-paced murder mystery perfect for fans of Karen M. McManus. The story is told from both Jenna and Adam's perspectives who found Colleen's body floating on the edge of town. When police begin to suspect Jenna's best friend, she decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate. When her investigation leads her to Rookwood reform school, she enlists Adam's help who will do whatever he can to protect his friends. The mystery is unpredictable and provides plenty of twists. The characters are well-developed. Highly recommended! Be sure to check out This Is Why We Lie today.

A murder mystery in a small town with boarding schools, absolutely sign me up! I had so much fun with this mystery! I can not wait to read more from this author.

A great YA thriller!! Well written and easy to get lost in the story and hope to solve the mystery.

The main characters were very classic — good girl meets bad boy. The setting was very classic — prep school, reform school, rich town. The plot was very classic — two strangers find a body.

The depth that this book took to rewrite the “bad boy” narrative was especially enjoyable. The characters really broke the stereotypes they were set up into and even those the reader would love to hate grew up and were able to break the typical thriller mode.

I would recommend this to those who are reading the rising popularity of YA thrillers.

This was a flat, generic YA thriller that hits familiar beats but lacks strong characterization or unique twists to stand out in a crowded genre.

A great YA mystery! This was a very fast read, with quick chapters that make you want to keep going for "just one more chapter."

DNF - Did not finish. I did not connect with the writing style or plot and will not be finishing this title. Thank you, NetGalley and Publisher for the early copy!

Great for fans of Maureen Johnson or Karen McManus. You get two perspectives in back-and-forth chapters. There are police interviews and newspaper articles throughout the book as well. Definitely didn't see the ending coming, but it could be believable. Can be for 7-12.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for this advanced copy of This Is Why We Lie.

I enjoyed the dual-narrative pov in this twist on the classic "whodunit" trope. The private/prestigious school setting is seeing a resurgence in popularity this year, and I was delighted to find that one of the narrators is not an uber privileged white child, but a student in a probationary school.

I think my students will find this novel as fresh and fast-paced as I did and will need to add more copies to my classroom library.

Thank you Netgalley and Inkyard Press for this advanced copy of This Is Why We Lie. This whodunit mystery follows high school seniors Jenna and Adam. Jenna attends the rich prep school in the high society part of town and Adam attends Rookwood. A reform school for boys who are sent there instead of juvenile detention centers. Jenna's friend Colleen is found dead by her and Adam on the beach. Rumors swirl if it was an accident or murder. After the police question many suspects, Jenna and Adam must comb through all the lies and secrets to uncover the shocking truth. At no point in this book did I guess what would happen or who would be connected to which lie or secret. This was a good quick YA mystery.

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I don't think I was the right audience for this book. In theory it had a lot of elements that I typically enjoy but this just didn't work for me.

Jenna and Adam couldn't be more different. Jenna attends a prestigious girls academy and Adam attends a school for delinquent boys. When Adam finds the body of Colleen, Jenna's classmate, on the beach, the two become intertwined in a murder investigation. Turns out that their lives are more closely linked and everyone has secrets. Told in short chapters, transcripts, and texts, this thriller will keep readers guessing til the end.

This was a very fun and fast paced read. I really like that there were dual narrators, and both Adam and Jenna had very distinct voices. I liked all the twists and turns throughout the book, although for me it was a little predictable. This is great for fans of boarding school murder mysteries, but isn't anything too different. I still had a great time reading it and will recommend to thriller fans.

This book was very engaging and twisty. I loved the character development. i couldn't put the book down.

I do enjoy small town YA mystery/thrillers.

After Jenna sees Adam pull Colleen's body out of the surf, the two are thrusted into a murder case that shakes their small coastal town. Witnesses pinpoint Jenna's best friend Hollie as a potential suspect so Jenna puts all her energy into proving Hollie's innocence.

I enjoyed the use of alternating perspectives between Jenna and Adam as well as all the flashbacks. Through these flashbacks, we are able to get a clear picture of these two friend groups—Preston Pep girls and Rookwood boys—who they really are and what they have to do with one another. There were great twists, red herrings, and some real high tension. Fun, entertaining, and fast moving mystery!

ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Good YA mystery told in dual perspectives of Adam, a student at a “second chance” school for boys and Jenna, a student at a school with many who are well off. They are both present when a body is found and so the mystery begins. Each perspective makes you think differently of who may have committed the crime. Many twist along the way as well as various back stories to understand our characters. Solid YA mystery. Highly recommend.

This book is a mystery meets pseudo “star-crossed” lovers with a whole bunch of teen angst thrown in.

Jenna’s aunt is a cop, Adam is a “rebellious” teenage boy from a boarding school for troubled teens. Even though, Jenna’s a little bit of a loner and Adan’s not really what he seems, their paths cross when they find a dead body.

This book was fine. It has teen appeal and the premise is definitely something that a YA reader would be interested in, but the mystery ultimately falls flat. The characters outside of the main two seem to be caricatures of teens which…okay, it’s a book, but when it’s so painfully obvious that the characters don’t exist in the real world, it does pull you out of the story.