The lying game

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

*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

Ahhhhhhhh. I love.

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.

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.

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

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!!!

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.

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

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

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

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

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

This was so freaking boring.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

3.5