Name: The Best Liars in Riverview
ISBN: 9780316276726

Lin Thompson

While searching the woods that used to be their personal sanctuary, twelve-year-old Aubrey recalls the events and incidents preceding their best friend's disappearance and quietly questions their own gender identity.

The Best Liars in Riverview

Latitude Tamarind

I received this book ahead of publication from NetGalley at no cost to me.

I love books about nonbinary kids who have supportive families — wish fulfillment for a lot of us, I think! — but sometimes you’re not so lucky. Aubrey and Joel are both growing up in a world where their family and community is not so supportive, and I think that’s really important. This book takes place during the summer, and while I was reading it during the false spring of February, I really felt that. I read this in one or two sittings — it’s very short! — and it was honestly quite hard to put down.

Not to be kid-lit on main, but this book is full of heart. If it interests you at all, you should read it, or share it with a kid who might be interested in it. It’s worth it. Five stars.

Paige Green

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Book: The Best Liars in Riverview

Author: Lin Thompson

Book Series: Standalone

Rating: 5/5

Diversity: f/f parents, Black characters, Latinx character with anxiety, Trans questioning character, Trans character mentioned, Non binary character mentioned with they/them pronouns, Black gay character.

Recommended For...: middle grade readers, mystery, contemporary, LGBT+

Publication Date: March 8, 2022

Genre: MG Mystery

Age Relevance: 8+ (child disappearance, religion and religious trauma, sexism, toxic masculinity, bullying, homophobia, running away, gender identity, racism, anxiety attacks)

Explanation of Above: The book deals with the disappearance of a child who has run away and later on shows another character who runs away. There are a lot of issues that the children deal with including bullying, homophobia, sexism, toxic masculinity, and racism. There is religion in the book, but also some pieces that show some religious trauma. The book also shows characters questioning their gender identity and sexuality in a very beautiful and age appropriate manner. There are also small anxiety attacks shown.

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Pages: 336

Synopsis: Aubrey and Joel are like two tomato vines that grew along the same crooked fence—weird, yet the same kind of weird. But lately, even their shared weirdness seems weird. Then Joel disappears. Vanishes. Poof. The whole town is looking for him, and Aubrey was the last person to see Joel. Aubrey can’t say much, but since lies of omission are still lies, here’s what they know for sure: 
For the last two weeks of the school year, when sixth grade became too much, Aubrey and Joel have been building a raft in the woods.
The raft was supposed to be just another part of their running away game.
The raft is gone now, too.
Aubrey doesn’t know where Joel is, but they might know how to find him. As Aubrey, their friend Mari, and sister Teagan search along the river, Aubrey has to fess up to who they really are, all the things they never said, and the word that bully Rudy Thomas used that set all this into motion.

Review: I really loved this book so much! The book spoke so much about identity and finding who you are and acceptance. The book had also had a lot in it about the outdated expectations of gender norms and falling into traditions that the characters parents expect them to fall into. The characters are all well developed and, while it doesn’t look like it in the first few chapters, the book has a great amount of diversity in it. The book has amazing world building and pacing as well. The book is gorgeous and so impactful and I can’t wait to see kids get this book and read it.

The only issue I had with the book is that I wished that the adults had more of a reckoning when all was said and done. The adults had some issues that weren’t resolved in the book, which directly affected their own children who were the main characters, and it feels a bit incomplete for some of the adults to not do more at the end of the book to condemn the wrong they did.

Verdict: It was excellent! Highly recommend!


The Best Liars in Riverview

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