I was a big fan of the original Truly Devious trilogy but not as much of The Box in the Woods. This one felt like a return to the earlier storytelling style and I really enjoyed it. There were many moments where I was frustrated with Stevie, who seems stuck in many ways when she doesn't have a mystery to solve, but then I had to remind myself that she's like a 17 year old high school senior and I needed to cut her some slack. It's not her fault that her friends all seem to have their shit together more than she does. I have really mixed feelings about David but that's not new, and I feel like he's kind of supposed to be that way as a character.

This story takes Stevie and her Ellingham crew international. David, her boyfriend, is studying in England and encourage Stevie to seek a short-term (week-long) study abroad to see cultural sites and stuff. Mostly it's just an excuse for Stevie to see David and her friends to be supportive. And also to go to England. But of course, when they get there, David's English buddy Izzy reveals that she has a mystery for Stevie to solve. Her aunt Angela, a former Cambridge student who was part of a close group of friends who were all in a comedy group together called The Nine, was at a country house party with the rest of the group in 1995 during which two of the members were brutally murdered. While Izzy was caring for Angela after a surgery, Angela revealed that she thinks the murder wasn't as random as they made it out to be. I really liked how things unfolded in the past storyline (though it was very intense at times), but the present-day stuff with Stevie started off a bit slow. In the end, the two storylines caught up with each other in a way that I thought worked well. I thought the mystery was satisfying (and much more believable than The Box in the Woods), and I found the whole story compelling overall. I definitely hope there are more to come in the series.

Another great mystery with Stevie Bell. I thoroughly enjoyed this one just as the previous one. Johnson’s switch from series to stand alone is transitioned so well. I hope to see more of Stevie in future stand alones.

Nine liars was fantastic with the puzzles and clues, I really enjoy seeing how Stevie tries to piece things together, even though at times I’m yelling at her “it’s right there!”
I really enjoyed the cha ge of scenery again, going to a new place and a new “cast” of characters.

Johnson is creating a new YA era of Agatha Christie with Stevie Bell and I love it. I’m looking forward to the next installment.

I've not read a Stevie Bell book before but I see she has a lot of fans! I'll want to check out the previous books as the chemistry between the characters def seems to have been set up in those books and here it coasts a little on know who is who and how the pieces fit together to really get a feel for it. The author clearly loves London and delving into its history. The mystery has a definitive Agatha Christie feel to it, As a standalone murder mystery it's good but I know those with a connection to the series will enjoy it more.

I was SO EXCITED to receive an ARC of Nine Liars by Maureen Johnson! I LOVED the Truly Devious series and thought it was a perfect young adult mystery. Nine Liars does not disappoint and is a great addition to the Stevie Bell saga.

In Nine Liars, Stevie has returned to Ellingham Academy for her senior year, but she is grappling with the uncertaintity of where she wants to go to college and also missing her boyfriend, David. David invites Stevie and her crew to come visit him for a short "study abroad" program and, as usual, shenanigans ensue. David's new friend Izzy has an aunt whose friends were mysteriously murdered back in the 90s. With David talking about Stevie's amazing crime solving abilities, Izzy asks Stevie to step in and help investigate the suspicious murders. As the story progresses we see Stevie push the limits of her friendships. While Stevie solves the mystery, Maureen Johnson leaves us with a relationship cliffhanger and I was ABSOLUTELY not ready. But you bet your bottom dollar I will be first in line for the follow up!

As previously mentioned, this is a young adult novel - so don't go in expecting brutal murders and love affairs. As Stevie is growing older, I can tell the books are growing with her, but they are still relatively tame. This lighter nature of the series makes them quick reads and I can usually finish them in a day or two. Sometimes in one sitting! Though - Nine Liars did seem a bit longer than the rest.

I enjoyed the change of scenery from the first few books. Being a home-grown New Englander I am very familiar with the areas of Vermont and Massachusetts, so having the characters travel out of country was great! I enjoyed the descriptions of Merryweather and the English country side, but there were a TON of settings in this book and sometimes it was hard to remember them all.

I appreciate the author's dedication to diversity. There are characters of various races and sexualities and Johnson makes it seem like no big deal - EXACTLY how it should be in real life. I appreciate the representation and, for that alone, I think these books can be impactful for young adult readers.

I am a little bit salty about the ending. I just want Stevie to be happy, especially in a time of such turmoil, so I am interested to see where Maureen Johnson goes with the next book.

4/5 stars from me!

I *love* this series and when I heard there was another one coming out, I rushed to Netgalley to see if I could read it early. I'm so glad I was able to, and I read this book all in a single sitting. Maureen Johnson is just so good at crafting these mysteries and tying together the two storylines of past and present.

Also, a couple minor spoilers: I was excited to see ace representation! And oh my gosh the endinggggg.....it's not a cliffhanger in terms of the mystery, but it's a cliffhanger all the same. The only time I regret reading books early like this is I can't even go on Twitter to beg the author for a sequel, not when this book literally hasn't even come out yet haha.

Tl:dr: I loved this book and can't wait for the next Stevie Bell mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins for the chance to read and review this ARC.

I'll admit, I was a little wary about this series being expanded beyond the original trilogy because sometimes when authors do that, it feels like the characters are just dragging on. But this didn't happen with this book; I feel like I can't get enough of Stevie and her friends (other than David. I could do with a little less David, but that's another conversation). Maureen Johnson just does such a good job of creating an atmosphere of suspense and a mystery that is so different from the others yet similar enough that there is a cohesive theme between all of the books.

This mystery was so compelling; I liked it slightly less than the one from the original trilogy, but I liked it a lot more than the one from Box in the Woods, and I loved watching Stevie put clues together. Although I will say that I feel like there wasn't that much piecing together of the mystery; it felt more like there was one moment and one clue that helped her out, and the rest of the sluething took the back burner to Stevie's relationship problems.

I feel like nine characters from the 90s was a few too many - it was hard to keep them all straight and felt unnecessary, since they were the secondary group of people. I also didn't really like the cliffhanger ending with David (but that could be because I am a David hater to my core), but overall, the positives FAR outweighed the negatives. I am looking forward to the next adventure of Stevie and her friends!

I love Maureen Johnson, and I love Stevie Bell. I'm so invested in these characters, and I really loved the setting on this installment.

I am so honored for the opportunity to read and review this book. I absolutely love this series, and this book did not disappoint. I see so much of myself in the main character, and I love his world that Johnson has built

I discovered the Truly Devious series during the start of the COVID pandemic and read the first three books within a week.I fell in love with Stevie Bell and her friends from the beginning. I was shocked to see that the series was continued and it was being taken to London and let me say, I'm happy it was! I would love to see more books in this series, whether or not some of the characters return or not and would love to see it continued into Stevie's college years and if not, then another book or two. If you love a good mystery, I highly suggest this for you and if you have yet to read the Truly Devious series from the start, I highly recommend you start there.

Stevie Bell is a student at Ellingham Academy, who with the help of her friends, solved two cold cases. When Stevie's boyfriend David, who is studying in London, invites her and her firends to visit, they jomp at the chance, but when they arrive, Stevie is in for a ride. Stevie is given the chance to look into a double-murder cold case that rocked the close knit group known as the Nine in 1995. Will she solve it in the small amount of time she has in London?

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the free copy in exchange for my honest review!

Nine Liars brings back Stevie Bell, a high school detective who has solved multiple murders that no one else has been able to crack, and this time is no different. Shortly after arriving in London to visit her boyfriend, David, Stevie and her friends meet Izzy and her aunt, Angela. When Angela goes missing, Stevie sets out to find her. Enter the Nine Liars, Angela’s college friends who experienced the murder of two of their best friends 25 years before. As Stevie pieces together Angela’s disappearance, she also begins to solve the murders of her friends.

Nine Liars did not disappoint…ok, it did just a little, but by the time I got to Stevie solving the murders, it had redeemed itself. Unfortunately, the pacing was a bit slow, and most characters haven’t changed since the start of the Truly Devious series. That being said, the book left on a cliffhanger that has left me waiting for the next book.

I enjoyed Stevie Bell when she was a part of the action, namely in the Truly Devious series. (disclaimer: I did not read The Box in the Woods!) However, this book, that pulled me out of the main mystery by having Stevie struggling with her relationship, friendships, and post graduation blues, was not my favorite.

It's still well written because it's Maureen Johnson, but it's way too scattered to be fun, thrilling, and suspenseful. I wanted to skip any chapters about Stevie's life because it simply wasn't what I signed up for when reading a Stevie Bell novel-- not like this. It's different when her life decisions affect a murder case; it's not nearly as much fun.

The. Best. One. This is my favorite so far in the Truly Devious series. Growing up for Stevie, Janelle, Nate, Vi, and David is getting series. They're trying to figure out their futures and, as usual, murder finds them. This one kept me guessing and guessing. Every time I thought I had it- NOPE! This book was a blast and yet it still managed to put me in my feels, too. Wonderful balance of fun and deep feelings.

I absolutely loved this book! I never wanted it to end. I’m a huge fan of the entire Stevie Bell series and it’s hard to pick a favorite, but Nine Lives is definitely up there. A lot of times with books that have alternating timelines you’re bummed when you switch away from one, but not so here. I was invested in the Nine, and of course, invested in our Ellingham friends. The mystery is super compelling and combined with the subplots, this is a perfect moody, cozy read. Anything by Maureen Johnson is an instant read for me.

I’m so excited to return back quirky, peculiar, cold case solver Stevie Bell’s intriguing universe! The entire gang is back and they are on board for a special trip to England. Hurray! I love the series so much! Let’s dive into it without thinking any further!

Before meeting with the gang, we get introduced THE NINE: bunch of comedy writer teenagers who have complex relationships, dating with each than breaking up and dating the rest of group members ( story takes place in 90s so it’s understandable that their relationship patterns remind us Aaron Spelling’s young adult series like Beverly Hills 90210 and Melrose Place) Pretentious Sebastian, free spirited Sooz, Irish joy Rosie, vintage styled Noel, natural athlete Peter, comedy nerd Yash, heartbreaker Julian, aspiring history student Angela, medical student Theo are the group members. They are vivid, interesting characters and as soon as I got introduced with them I wished they had their own book instead of being part of Stevie Bell mystery drama. Amount of the character numbers is already too much. I got a little exhausted to concentrate on the nine and gang of Stevie including David’s new British friends!

So many names, so many back stories confused my mind a little.
A quick confession: I all wanted to read more about is Nate Fisher who is my favorite character and thankfully he was so brilliant in this book as always he was!

I cannot say same for David. From the beginning of the series, I keep getting irritated by his pretentious manners and in this book… when I was reading the chapters related with him, I wanted to jump into the book and punch him in the face.

Let’s focus on the plot line because if I write more about my feelings about the characters, I can blurt out something and I’ll hate myself if I ruin your reading experience.

After being introduced to the nine, we go back and see how our gang is doing at Ellingham Academy. Janelle and Vi are doing great, focusing on their projects and their college applications. Dear Nate is punching his fingers too hard to the keyboard like a maestro working on his latest composition. He’s writing again but his dedication to his project never stop him to take a break to listen Stevie’s ongoing drama.

Stevie is frustrated because she keeps getting weird messages from the people who think their neighbors are murderers ( at least Broaddus family from New Jersey didn’t ask her services to find the WATCHER! ) She cannot concentrate on the articles she has to read and she cannot make plans for college because even though she can get scholarship for education, she still needs to pay for accommodation and daily expenses which she cannot afford by working at grocery store. She also suffers from long distance relationship with David. Being away from her pretentious douche boyfriend ( okay, my emotions for David affected my judgment again) correction: her dear boyfriend makes her question their relationship. She feels extra vulnerable.

When David calls and arranges a place for the entire gang to visit him in England, Stevie gets so excited! And as soon as her trip starts, she finds herself involved into another cold case investigation: the mystery of nine!

I have to say Agatha Christi- esque vibes of the mystery: claustrophobic whodunnit with And Then There Were None and Clue themes made me love the story more.

The characters’ evolving were realistic. The insecurities of Stevie changed her. Her obsession of solving the case pushed her to make more mistakes, lying to her friends, harboring trusting issues about David.

The conclusion of the mystery was good. The cliffhanger at the end made me scream a lot!
As I mentioned before the storyline about the Nine could be another standalone but it was still great to return back to Truly Devious universe and embracing the entire gang ( or wanting to strangling David )

I’m giving my four mysterious, exciting, intelligent thriller stars! I cannot wait to read the sixth book! I’m truly devoted fan! I hope we can read more about Nate Fisher in near future!

So many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins’ Children Books/ Katherine Tegen Books for sharing this amazing digital and physical reviewer copies with me in exchange my honest opinions. I absolutely loved it!

This is the 5th book in the Truly Devious series and like the Box in the Woods, it could be considered a stand alone but in my opinion the overall experience is better if you’re familiar with the series.

This book has all the Clue-like and And Then There Were None vibes and I loved it! This is just as amazing as her other books in this series.

⚠️Possible Sp0ilers Ahead⚠️

Things I Loved:
❤️ same great characters
❤️ fast paced
❤️ flawed MC
❤️ lots of twists
❤️ setting & history

Things I Didn’t Love:
💔 wanted more of the side characters
💔 cliffhanger ending
💔 direction of the characters
personal lives

Thank you to NetGalley & Harper Collins for this ARC to review!! It’s been on my TBR since it was announced and it did not disappoint! ❤️

The latest installment of the Truly Devious series was fun! Set in England, the newest mystery revolves around the murder of two friends from a larger friend group in the Nineties. Part of this was set at an English manor and the who dunnit nature of the mystery was fun and quick. The romance struggles in the book seemed a little surface at best, but I still found the characters to be endearing. I look forward to reading more books in this series.

Thank you so much Net Galley for the arc! I couldn’t believe that I got approved to read this! Now Maureen…….I love your big genius brain! But that cliff hanger….we’re going to fight lmao! This series has NEVER failed me, The growth these characters experience is so real and relatable that it makes me think about where I was at their age applying for colleges and last night with high school friends. The inner struggle Stevie was having I felt so bad for her because solving mysteries became her purpose and we got to go through the motions with her including her relationship. I still hate David and that hate has only grown with this book! Lol! Just seeing these babies grow so serious and mature has been an absolute pleasure I feel like I’m watching my kids grow up! and I can’t WAIT, to see what she comes up with next! Also Maureen somebody and you know who I’m talking about needs to BEG…and I mean BEG! Crawling back I want to see it all! You’re absolutely fantastic and I adore you!

The murder in this one is convoluted, with far too many characters at play--characters who feel bland, with the most expression coming from Julian, whose personality is "is a slut (affectionate)". Time in between working the case was slow, but if you can sludge through it, you get to a gross mis-characterization of David!

Nine liars is phenomenal! I highly recommend the Stevie Bell series as a teen mystery series. I wish I had the books when I was a teen to read. I really enjoy that the books in the series revolve around cold cases that Stevie solves. I will be using this in my book club. This is a great mystery for teens or adults who enjoy classic murder mysteries. This one pays homage to Agatha Christie with the classic country house murder. It was great to tag along with Stevie and the gang in London and throughout England.

I'm glad I finally read a book in the Truly Devious series. I had my eye on The Box in the Wood for so long.
Nine Liars is a funny, modern YA version of Nancy Drew, with lovable Stevie as the detective heroine.

Thank you HarperCollins Children's and NetGalley for the digital review copy.