Between the Lies

4 stars for this brisk thriller for teenagers.

Judith Tremayne, a 14-year-old girl from Port Glasgow in Scotland, has gone missing. The consequences of this are explored through the viewpoint of classmate Abbie Knox. This novel explores bullying, the power and hold of social media, family relationships, school life and the media, all without slowing down the thrilling plot of twists and turns. There are shocking revelations, moving scenes and some moments of real creepiness. The story is told in simple language in short, punchy sentences and the writing effectively interweaves newspaper reports, texts and tweets in Abbie's narration. This is a book for teenagers (and older) to devour with real enjoyment - and if they manage to savour the book more slowly there are nice touches, such as the amusingly authentic social media names, to appreciate.

I received this ebook free from NetGalley and the publisher Floris Books.

Between the Lies totally delivered on the promise of sensational twists. At more than one point in the story, I had no idea what would happen next. I’m kind of a sucker for an unreliable narrator, which Abbie absolutely is. I’m not sure how I’d score her in terms of likeability, though. She’s deeply flawed, but she also knows it for the most part, and there was something soft and vulnerable about her despite her scrambling and lying and keeping people at a distance, and I couldn’t help liking her for that vulnerability.

I kept hoping for a bit of romance or at the least the development of an unexpected friendship. Between the Lies really isn’t that kind of story, though. It’s much more psychological and focused on Abbie unraveling the truth surrounding Jude’s disappearance and the strange harassing text messages she receives.

If you’re into psychological mysteries or unreliable narrators, check out Between the Lies. It’s a super quick read—I think I finished it in about two hours—and will keep you guessing even up to the last few pages. Add it to your list if you liked We Were Liars by E. Lockhart, especially that topsy-turvy storytelling feeling.