Ruth Ware

A Novel

The Lying Game

The text message arrives in the small hours of the night. It's just three words: I need you. Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her. At school Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game. They competed to convince people of the most outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of secrets, something terrible has been found on the beach. Something which will force Isa to confront her past, together with the three women she hasn't seen for years, but has never forgotten.

The lying game

Pretty good! My first Ruth Ware book. 1 star docked because I was a little confused by the last chapter/page of the book/what it was implying. 

I wish we’d heard the alibi/story the 3 women told the police after the fire - that would make the end less confusing. And that we’d gotten the reconciliation conversation between Owen and Isa - that would make the last few lines hit harder/make more sense. 

I also don’t really love that Isa almost slept with Luc, and that she “felt no guilt in that moment”. That was lame and I feel like there was another way to have Isa figure out Kate loved/was in love with her half-brother. 

Overall though, I enjoyed the twists and turns a lot. 

Harlee K

Pretty good! My first Ruth Ware book. 1 star docked because I was a little confused by the last chapter/page of the book/what it was implying. 

Spoiler: 

I wish we’d heard the alibi/story the 3 women told the police after the fire - that would make the end less confusing. And that we’d gotten the reconciliation conversation between Owen and Isa - that would make the last few lines hit harder/make more sense. 

I also don’t really love that Isa almost slept with Luc, and that she “felt no guilt in that moment”. That was lame and I feel like there was another way to have Isa figure out Kate loved/was in love with her half-brother. 

Overall though, I enjoyed the twists and turns a lot. 



Def recommend if you like a good thriller/mystery/page turner type of book. Needless to say I somehow managed to read the last 100 pages at work bc I was that intrigued lol 

Amanda aguirre

Alexa M

*3.5/5 stars* This was definitely interesting. I’m so happy it didn’t end the way I thought it would lol. But also I feel like I’m still confused

Rachel Kanyid

alyssa b

i absolutely loved the woman in cabin 10, so i was excited to read another one of wares books but this just didn’t work for me. the first 200 pages was just way too slow and uneventful that i found myself struggling to get through it. it was also very predictable, to the point where it wasn’t a mystery/thriller but rather a series of events just happening. disappointed by this book but despite the uneventful plot, i still love wares narration and style of writing so i will keep reading more of her novels.

Barbara Williford

Four high school friends create the Lying Game as a joke and amusement at their boarding school. When they have to suddenly leave to avoid a scandal, they don’t see each other for almost two decades.

When they all get a text “I need you,” they drop their lives and meet up. From there, there are twist, turns and suspense around a twenty year old murder that could ruin all their lives.

**strong language, adult sexual content, alcohol and drug use.

Melissa Clark 

It was better than I expected but still very slow and dragged out. The last 5 chapters really saved the book for me. 

'I could not put this book down' Reese Witherspoon' IT ISN'T A GAME WHEN SOMEBODY DIES The text message arrives in the small hours of the morning: I need you. Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her. Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game, competing to convince people of outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of hiding the truth, something terrible has been found on the beach. The friends' darkest secret is about to come to light... ______________________ Praise for THE LYING GAME: 'Atmospheric, mysterious, gripping' Marian Keyes 'Surprising twists' Daily Mail 'Another heart-stopping belter of a thriller from an epic talent' Heat 'A gripping, unpredictable narrative that shifts like sand underfoot' Erin Kelly

Fellowes Cynthia

This book was amazing!!! I have read all three of her books and can see the progress in her writing talent as each book is published. Plus, my enjoyment has increased with each read! This was my favorite - I read them in order of publication, although they are not part of a series.

I found the writing to be tantalizing, beautifully written in terms of phrasing and description, and very compelling. The plot was mesmerizing, suspenseful and unfolded in a perfect way.

It is about four friends and their enmeshment into events from the past and how that translates into current problems/entanglements.

I don't like to give a lot away, just as I go into reading books knowing just enough, but not too much.


I love psychological suspense and highly recommend this book!!! 5 stars which is rare for me!!!

Will

Started off a little too slow for my liking, but when it picked up, I couldn’t stop reading. Ended off really strong. An intricate, well-developed story that any thriller-enthusiast can appreciate.

Samantha Kalany Hughes

A little confusing from the jump, but good enough to keep me coming back for me with every new chapter that unveiled itself.

Elise Harris

I love her books but this one was not near as good as The Woman in Cabin 10! I still would reccomend though.

Mariel Adrianna de la Garza

Slow burn. Good, but didn't enjoy it as much as In a Dark, Dark, Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10.

From the New York Times bestselling author of the “twisty-mystery” (Vulture) novel In a Dark, Dark Wood, The Woman in Cabin 10, and The Turn of the Key comes Ruth Ware’s The Lying Game. Isa Wilde knows something terrible has happened when she receives a text from an old friend. Why would Kate summon her and their two friends to the seaside town where they briefly attended the Salten House boarding school together seventeen years ago? The four friends had quickly bonded over the Lying Game—a risky contest that involved tricking fellow boarders and faculty with their lies. Now reunited, Isa, Kate, Thea, and Fatima discover that their past lies had far-reaching effects and criminal implications that threaten them all. In order to protect their reputations, and their friendship, they must uncover the truth about what really happened all those years ago. Atmospheric and twisty, with just the right amount of chill, The Lying Game will have readers at the edge of their seats, not knowing who can be trusted in this tangled web of lies.

Jemima Scott

A fast-paced thriller that I struggled to put down!☺️📚

'To read The Lying Gameis to have your nerves slowly but inexorably shredded as, over and again, the tension builds and then evaporates until the final, unexpected denouement' Metro'A gripping, unpredictable narrative that shifts like sand underfoot, and a plot that turns like the tide.' ERIN KELLY bestselling author of HE SAID SHE SAID'Thank goodness for Ruth Ware... The Lying Gameis gripping enough to be devoured in a single sitting' IndependentFour friends. One promise. But someone isn't telling the truth. The twisting new mystery from bestselling phenomenon Ruth Ware.The text message arrives in the small hours of the night. It's just three words- I need you.Isa drops everything, takes her baby daughter and heads straight to Salten. She spent the most significant days of her life at boarding school on the marshes there, days which still cast their shadow over her.At school Isa and her three best friends used to play the Lying Game. They competed to convince people of the most outrageous stories. Now, after seventeen years of secrets, something terrible has been found on the beach. Something which will force Isa to confront her past, together with the three women she hasn't seen for years, but has never forgotten. Theirs is no cosy reunion- Salten isn't a safe place for them, not after what they did. It's time for the women to get their story straight...

Kirsty

I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters and the story kept me hooked the whole time.

Katie

Ruby Huber

I just did not believe any of this not the characters or their motivations or any of the things that happened I don’t know what else to say or why it is like that but it is.

Dorian Avers

After all the hype I've heard about Ruth Ware and "The Lying Game", I'm pretty disappointed. We were given an unlikeable narrator and there was no real suspense developed. So much potential with a private boarding school and beautiful setting, but it didn't even fizzle for me. I did realize that I didn't like the way Ware writes only a couple pages in, I'd be willing to give her another go though.

Ruth Ware has the ability to take an exciting plot and ruin it with outlandish twists that disconnect the reader. I loved Woman in Cabin 10 despite it, and In a Dark, Dark Wood was not terrible but not a favorite of mine. This just missed the mark about half way through. 

I feel bad too, because I wanted to love it so much. I heard warning bells when Ware began withholding information and creating a false sense of panic in the introduction phase. I doubted the direction of the book as it became clear what the ultimate lie was, and the return to something that was just a long nostalgia trip. I began to bore of the continual effects of lying explained, again and again. It's even mentioned by many side characters that they knew the group of girls lied as kids, and they were 15, so what is the big deal? Why is there such a lasting impact years later, as characters are married and successful and have children and/or jobs?

What nailed the coffin was the conclusion and the protagonist ranting about how she will be act this point. I simply did not connect with the characters, could barely remember the call-backs to them, and felt that many could have been cut with little change to the tone. 

I also am not sure what Ware is angling at with her focus on the Muslim woman. It felt more like an agenda to point out reactions from others instead of a simple "this is how she dealt with the horrible lie," that the alcoholic had. Kind of sad when an author makes it sound like the better choice when seeking solace is alcohol and not religion. Its a popular route for those looking for forgiveness to continue their lives.

Paige Green

Rating: 2.5/5



Genre: Mystery



Recommended Age: 17+ (lies, deceit, language, and confusion)



Pages: 370



Author Website


Amazon Link


Synopsis: On a cool June morning, a woman is walking her dog in the idyllic coastal village of Salten along a tidal estuary known as the Reach. Before she can stop him, the dog charges into the water to retrieve what first appears to be a wayward stick, but to her horror, turns out to be something much more sinister...

The next morning, three women in and around London—Fatima, Thea, and Isabel—receive the text they had always hoped would NEVER come, from the fourth in their formerly inseparable clique, Kate, that says only, “I need you.”

The four girls were best friends at Salten, a second rate boarding school set near the cliffs of the English Channel. Each different in their own way, the four became inseparable and were notorious for playing the Lying Game, telling lies at every turn to both fellow boarders and faculty, with varying states of serious and flippant nature that were disturbing enough to ensure that everyone steered clear of them. The myriad and complicated rules of the game are strict: no lying to each other—ever. Bail on the lie when it becomes clear it is about to be found out. But their little game had consequences, and the girls were all expelled in their final year of school under mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the school’s eccentric art teacher, Ambrose (who also happens to be Kate’s father).



This is the month where I don’t like mysteries for some reason. This one is from what Amazon dubs the “Agatha Christie” of our time (which already isn’t good for Ruth Ware since I just DNF-ed Murder on the Orient Express this month). So as always I’ll start with the good, which will be short. I thought the plot was intriguing and the pacing, overall, was good.



However, I had a lot of negatives about this book. I thought the character development was poor and the whole story confusing and very boring. The story that was told felt very unrealistic and it was slightly contradicting. Finally, the ending was very unsatisfying for me.



Verdict: If you like slow burners, this might be the one for you.

Nash

This book... This is not my favorite book. At all. It was a roller coaster the whole time. I can honestly say that while I liked a few chapters, I despised the rest of the book. I cannot being to understand what in the world is going through the characters mind. I get that they have a Lying Game, but come on... It is just plain stupidity. I get that you can build an indestructible bond with a best friend but the audacity of the women in this book is beyond compare. They had many opportunities to come clean to one another and to everyone else, but they chose to keep lying. Talk about playing a game until you're dead. 

It felt like I was watching Pretty Little Liars the whole time and I felt sad for the three women that didn’t know that the “best friend” they bury a body for, believing every word that came out of her mouth, was lying the whole time. They very first thing they swore to each other they would never do.
 
I just don't think it Ware's best work.

Megan Leprich

Wasn't one of the best books I've read by Ruth Ware. A little slower compared to her other books and honestly not as interesting to me. It had a good mystery to it just not enough to completely grab my attention and enjoy it. The ending was a surprise which is why I gave it 3 stars.

Corrie White 

Well this was a slog and a half. I trudged through over half the book and it took me weeks. The last third was a lot more enjoyable to read - less nitpicking about the writing issues I dealt with - as I wanted to know the ending. But it was... anticlimactic? Silly, even? 

I found myself waiting for a twist that would actually make sense and piece together the information in an interesting way but this book seems more like a drama than a thriller. When we reach the end all I was thinking was... so? I had really wanted more of an unreliable narrator perspective as the whole premise of the book is four girls who get away with lying but the book focused so heavily on the menial tasks of walking, feeding her daughter, explanations of what the city looked like, that when actual plot happened I was underwhelmed. The pacing was really off and the very very end just left me rolling my eyes. So much for character development.

I'm hoping Ruth Wares other books are a lot better than this as this was an unfortunate way to get introduced to a new to me author.

Anna Adams

Had some issues with the ending, but still...

The Lying Game A Novel

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