Two things about The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager.
1. Read it until the VERY LAST SENTENCE. Don’t skim the last chapter. In fact, before you read the last chapter, take a break, pour a drink-of-choice, light up something, make sure the distractions are quiet or gone for at least 5 minutes, and prepare yourself.
2. Even if you THINK you know the ending, you don’t really know the ending until you’ve had time to soak this one in. Even after you read the last sentence, you won’t really understand the ending until after you’ve gone back over it in your head.
15 years ago, 4 girls shared a cabin at an exclusive camp for children of the privileged and affluent. Before the summer was over, only one girl went home. Three girls are still missing. The one survivor, Emma, along with the some former camp owners and staff return to Camp Midnight 15 years later. This time, Emma is part of the staff and there are new campers on the grounds for the first time since Vivian, Natalie and Allison disappeared. Emma knows there are clues to secrets on those grounds and she’s going to find out, once and for all, what happened that night.
I LOVE BOOKS LIKE THIS! This is one that will not get lost in the myriad of forgettable thrillers. It has everything. Think 80’s campy horror flick without gore (because really, we loved getting scared out of our pants by the bad guy jumping out, not the gross dismembering). It has the most basic of human emotions mixed in with massive trickery. Just when I thought I had something figured out, a new twist appeared to confuse me all over again.
The ending was fantastic. I won’t dare give a hint, but just remember to read to the very end.
The Last Time I Lied is available July 3 at all major booksellers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Dutton-Penguin Group for the copy for the purposes of my honest opinion.