Stevie Bell is back and on the case in the this next installment in the Truly Devious series. Stevie and her friends get an opportunity to study abroad in London, and Stevie can't wait to see her boyfriend David, who is also there studying. It's a welcome distraction from trying to figure out what she is going to do with her life after she graduates from Ellingham Academy. While they are sightseeing and trying to stick to a carefully monitored schedule, they get caught up in a murder mystery that took place in 1995. Nine friends were at an English manor house and two were murdered with an axe. The killer was never caught. But that's never stopped Stevie before. A fast-paced whodunnit that will leave you guessing.

Lost a star for a disappointingly slow start, complete with anxiety and uncomfortablenessosity. But! She really brought it back around by the deeply satisfying conclusion.

This was, unfortunately, my least favorite book in the series so far. There was too much focus on Stevie and David's relationship drama (complete with a cliffhanger ending that is meant to be upsetting but that fell flat for me.)

3.5 stars. So excited to read this because I absolutely loved book 4. This wasn’t as good. First of all, Nate is my favorite character in this series and he’s barely in this book. And he gets an orientation label which is just woke overkill for me in this series. I am royally pissed about this. Why does everyone need a label?!?! Also, David is garbage, in all books in this series, and especially in book 5. What is the appeal? Another big issue is how much time is spent playing tourist. Just really unnecessary. But, the mystery is excellent. Recounting what happened and Stevie’s wicked mind figuring it out. Stellar. Johnson really shines with this. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC!

Thanks to Maureen Johnson and NetGalley for this digital ARC.

Stevie Bell is back and I couldn't be happier! Back for her 5th novel - Stevie travels to London with her friends in tow to visit David. As is her style, she gets wrapped up in a murder mystery with an intriguing storyline. The flashbacks outline what led to a double murder in a woodshed - good thing Stevie is there to put the puzzle together. Be warned... the cliffhanger is epic! Glad this ensures Stevie will be back for #6.

Previous to picking up the Stevie Bell books, I had never read any Maureen Johnson - I was aware of her, but she was primarily publishing YA in a time I felt I had outgrown it as an audience. However, listening to her talk about her books on her podcast, Says Who, around the time The Box in the Woods was coming out, finally got me to pick them up. I started with Box in the Woods and then moved back to Truly Devious. It's possible to go this way, but I don't recommend it.

This is the 5th Stevie Bell book, and the second stand alone novel, although characters and more importantly relationships between characters develop from book to book. So while you could pick this up without reading any other Stevie Bell, you'll might get a little lost as to who's who.

Without spoilers for this book, or character dynamics for other books, this was a fun murder romp, told in Johnson's now consistent style for these mysteries, part flashback/transcript, part present day. I read it in one sitting, about 4 1/2 hours (Sorry Maureen, I know it took a very long time to write and edit), on a rainy Sunday afternoon, which was the perfect setting to read it in. Personally, I'm quite happy about the very end of the book, although I think I might be in the minority on that one.

It was a little slow for Stevie to start getting involved in things, because we had to get to the setting first, but once things picked up, they went along at a good clip. I'm enjoying seeing the character growth between each book, and I'm glad we got some more time with Nate, although more Janelle and Vi please! I especially liked the red herring/not red herring put in about a classic mystery, which foreshadowed part of what happened, without giving the whole thing away.

Looking forward to Stevie Bell 6!

Another fabulous mystery featuring Stevie Bell! The English setting, fast pace, and fantastic side characters were all a hit! Didn’t entirely love some of Stevie’s character this time around (her friends are very forgiving). However, a solid addition to one of my favorite series of all time! Brutal cliffhanger, but overall a must read!

I received an ARC of this title from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and were not affected by the free copy.

Stevie Bell is at it again, but this time, she's going international! Stevie is having a rough semester; she has no new cases, she can't decide where she's applying to college, and her boyfriend is studying in London. But when David asks Stevie and her friends to come to London, she jumps at the chance to see him again. David's friend Izzy, introduces Stevie to an unsolved double murder, where two college students were killed with ax while playing a game of hide-and-seek.

I've been on a big murder mystery kick lately, so I finally decided to read this series. So far, I've enjoyed it enough that I read straight through and requested this ARC. I do like these standalones better than the original three books.

So, for the good. I enjoyed the mystery portion. It was engaging, interesting, and kept the plot moving forward. I appreciate the portrayal of Stevie's anxiety, it's nice to see some accurate representation.

Unfortunately, I liked most of the side characters more than I liked Stevie. I did not enjoy her character regression. She went from being a very independent person, to being dependent on David, so much that she can't even focus on homework long enough to read a full paragraph and begins lying to her friends. David was also irksome. However, I love Janelle and Vi, and I deeply connected with Nate's revelation.

All in all, I still enjoyed the book, and with that cliffhanger, there will definitely be another book, which I will likely read.

I've been loving this series, so I'm always happy to see another installment. Nine Liars presents a new mystery for Stevie to solve, as well as a host of anxieties for her to deal with. Not only is she dealing with her first long distance relationship, it's also time for college applications (and Stevie has no idea what she wants to do with her life). When David calls and invites Stevie and her closest friends to do a week long "study abroad" in London, she jumps at the chance to get away.

If you've been enjoying Stevie's adventures so far then you'll likely be happy with Nine Liars as well. For me, this one was a little less fun to read then the previous book since Stevie is mostly a big ball of anxiety who can't stop obsessing about David (and to a lesser extent, the future). This is completely realistic and understandable, just a little less fun for me, personally.

One warning, Nine Liars ends on a bit of a cliffhanger. On the plus side, this means we're definitely getting another Stevie Bell book. Of course reading the ARC means I have even longer to wait before I get to the resolution! Overall this continues to be a great YA mystery series, and I'll be happy to stick with it as long as Johnson wants to keep writing.

This was on par with the first Truly Devious in terms of how much I enjoyed it- I have such a book-hangover now!
I do not understand why the publisher has put the pub date In the wild timeless zone of the week before the new year. This book deserves all the love and hype and would have been the perfect autumnal read.

If you’ve already been reading the Truly Devious series I know I won’t have to convince you to read this one. But I can tell you that it crackles with mystery and charm. Stevie and her friends serve up more earnest awkwardness, love, unbridled joy, navigating the transition out of high school, and of course murders to be solved.
A bit of a warning- this ends on a cliffhanger. I may have screamed internally for a good fifteen minutes once I finished the book.

Another fun mystery featuring Stevie Bell. Unpredictable and twisty and a moody, manor setting, make this the perfect book for fall. And the cliffhanger was brutal!

I don’t even know what to think?? I am thrilled that we have another mystery with Stevie and the gang and that we got a chance to travel to London for all of the British mystery vibes. It was a good fast-paced read like we have come to expect. However, I thought the mystery was a little bit less developed than the previous books. It felt squashed into such a short time period (1 week) and was never fully explained. This left the ending not quite as satisfying as the others. And the last couple pages just has me mad! All of that being said, it was still a fantastic book and everything we hoped for out of another Truly Devious mystery. Thanks to NetGalley for the super early ARC!

I’m a Truly Devious addict so I will read anything put out by Maureen. I was so excited to see more of the story continuing. Stevie is a senior this year and having a tough time feeling like she is the only one not sure what she wants to do with her life. David studying over in London isn’t helping the situation at all. When they come up with a plan for all of them to go for a quick study abroad. Once she gets there David has set up a surprise for her. Another murder mystery, this time a double. Murder in a woodshed. Nine friends went to a country estate but only seven came back. Someone is lying and years later it’s time for the truth to come out. Stevie does what she does best and sets out to figure things out. For fans it’s going to be yet another book you love that leaves us on a cliffhanger too which means more books!!!

Thank you so much for the chance to read this new release in one of my favourite series early!!!!

Unfortunately, it was not my favourite installment. I still enjoyed it and read it very quickly, but it did not live up to the previous four books for me. The central mystery that Stevie is solving, the murder of 2 friends in a country home in England, was atmospheric but not particularly compelling, and sometimes difficult to follow given there were nine different people involved and we're very rapidly introduced to them all.

Aside from that, David continued to irk me deeply and I would like to punch his face. Stevie also felt a little bit less sympathetic here, normally I feel teary about how much I connect with her but something felt a bit missing here.

Again - I still love the Truly Devious series and this was not a bad book - it just could have been better.

Thanks to NetGalley for giving me an ARC of Nine Liars by Maureen Johsnon. I have read all of the other books in the Truly Devious Series so I was very excited to read this installment. Just like the other books in her series, Nine Liars is a witty page turner that lets the reader into the mind of Stevie as she works to solve a set of new murders. We will definitely be adding this book to our school library.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 rounded up to 5 stars!

No huge spoilers ahead. I will not reveal anything big - most of the review vaguely alludes to plot, structure, and characters.

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Stevie Bell is back at it again with another cold case, this time drawn across the pond by Boyfriend David and entangled in the case from there. Non-spoilery review: if you like the Stevie Bell books, you will like Nine Liars. Stevie is very Stevie, the murder is very murdery, and the setting is new and fresh. The interpersonal conflict of the teens are pretty sparingly interspersed throughout the plot, which prevents the book from feeling too capital-T Teen. The setting, which takes American readers far from their comfort zone, is rendered in vivid and beautiful detail. The historical asides are not only fun-fact detours, but also weave into the plot nearly seamlessly. With all that being said, I would have liked to see more of the investigation all throughout the novel - more of Stevie connecting those dots and more details from the original investigation. However, I understand that we are deep into Stevie Lore at this point in the series, and her being able to piece things together totally in her mind - all while not divulging the process to those around her, including the reader - is a part of her charm.

Overall, I found Nine Liars to be a very enjoyable read, as someone who is a fan of the Truly Devious series. I’m giving it a solid four out of five stars because it delivers everything you expect from a Stevie Bell mystery, but I wanted to see a little more. A little more detail would have pushed it beyond the formula I think we’re starting to see with these books. Still fun, still wasn’t able to guess the ending, still very much worth the read.

Again, thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!