Where the Truth Lies Review

Where the Truth Lies by Jessica Warman

Publisher: Walker Books for Young Readers

Release date: September 28, 2010

Source: Publisher

Other books by this author: Breathless

On the surface, Emily Meckler leads the perfect life. She has three best friends, two loving parents, and the ideal setup at the Connecticut prep school where her father is the headmaster. But Emily also suffers from devastating nightmares about fire and water, and nobody knows why. Then the enigmatic Del Sugar enters her life, and Emily is immediately swept away—but her passionate relationship with Del is just the first of many things that aren't quite what they seem in Emily's life. As the lies she's been told start to unravel, Emily must set out to discover the truth regarding her nightmare; on a journey that will lead her to question everything she thought she knew about love, family, and her own idyllic past.

This companion novel to Warman's critically acclaimed Breathless proves that sometimes the biggest lies are told to the people you love the most.

Review:

Wow, I had no idea, at all, what to expect from this novel. The summary was pretty vague as were the reviews I'd read. From the first page I was awed by this novel. The characters, the writing, the plot... everything was presented so beautifully and each page always introduced a new plot twist that never ceased to surprise me and make me want to keep reading. Where The Truth Lies was a tangled, and amazing, read that proved that no one is ever as they seem and how one wrong choice can change your life forever.

Emily is a character unlike any other. She is sweet and kind, but also careful and exclusive. She doesn't open up to just anyone. I really liked reading about her friends. Each of them was going through a lot and it helped that they had each other to lean on through the hard times. Emily, especially. Her life was a roller coaster of secrets. Never knowing who to turn to, Emily opened up to Renee. Renee was definitely one of my favorite characters in the book. As a child of two celebrities, Renee didn't let all the fame go to her head. She was down to earth and understood Emily like no one else did.

The plot of this is fast paced and intense. Emily deals with a lot and I was completely thrown when some of her secrets were uncovered. Although Emily made some bad choices, I was constantly hoping for the best and wanting things to just be okay for her in the end. Every page contained some new twist and turn and I never knew what was going to happen next. It all starts when Del Sugar arrives. From there Emily's life changes drastically and will never be the same again.

Where The Truth Lies was a story of family and friendships and how important it is to not only stay true to them, but to yourself. This is the second boarding school novel I've read in a row, but I never cease to learn something new and interesting about what life is like there.

This was a fantastically written and heart wrenching sophomore novel that left me eager to read her debut, Breathless. This is definitely worth picking up this fall!

Overall: 4.5 out of 5 stars