The Lying Game 5
            
                Lying Game

Geoffrey Froggatt

When Sutton died two months ago, her killer told her twin sister to become Sutton, or else. Now Emma has it down near perfectly. She tosses her hair with the signature Sutton Mercer flip and can lead a Lying Game prank with the best of them. She's even repairing Sutton’s relationship with her adoptive family. The only thing she hasn't done is solve Sutton’s murder. Then their birth mother, the woman who abandoned them, showed up in Tucson. Emma hasn't seen Becky in twelve years, but Becky recognizes Emma immediately, as Emma. Is it mother's intuition, or does Becky know Sutton is already gone? This is the second to last book in the series, and probably my favorite book in the series (so far). I love the premise and the return of Emma and Sutton’s birth mother, Becky Mercer. I loved the revelation of the twins’ true family tree and how that shakes up all the character dynamics going into this book. While I understand the characters’ less than knowledgeable understanding of mental illness, I do still think that Sara Shepard has a bad habit of depicting mental illness poorly. Even if the author likes to explore the idea of dangerous neurodivergent people, it often never feels nuanced or complex enough to be justified and ultimately boils down to “they’re just crazy!” as a cheap plot point. I did like how Nisha tries to explain to Emma that people have all kinds of problems that land them in the psych ward and that calling them crazy isn’t something she would say, but the moment is briefer than it should be. There are more quasi-supernatural elements in this book in the form of a tarot card reading from Celeste (a new age girl with a strong intuition), but Celeste’s scenes feel half-baked, much like many other quasi-supernatural elements in Sara Shepard’s books. I understand wanting to make this series have the tiniest pinch of pseudo supernatural flavor to have some spooky ambiguous moments, but it just never feels like it’s done right. This also applies to Sutton’s perspective as a narrative tool. I expected this series to have many unique moments through Sutton’s ghost’s perspective, but by the fifth book in a six book series, there aren’t as many as I’d like. It makes the choice to see things through Sutton’s eyes feel like a cheap gimmick. There were many moments that I wanted Sutton’s thoughts and feelings on what Emma was feeling or doing but it is never explored further or if it is, it’s very briefly. I was also confused at how the reader knows Emma’s inner thoughts if Sutton’s ghost POV hasn’t shown that Sutton could hear Emma’s thoughts. I feel like if Sara Shepard wanted to include Sutton’s ghost, she should have leaned into it just a little bit more while trying not to go too far with it. I may feel differently by the end of the series though, if it’s used effectively at the end and the story is wrapped up well. I loved Becky’s inclusion in this book, but I would have loved if it had explored her a bit more. The death at the end of this book felt random but it definitely raised the stakes going into the final book in the series.

Hannah Yang

Consistent with aforementioned formula, Cross My Heart, Hope to Die is another sparkling addition to the Lying Game series. This time, we learn more about Emma and Sutton's freaky family history as their birth mother, Becky, is back in town.

I have only one thing to say about this one. I AM 89.68204% SURE THAT THE KILLER IS ETHAN I MEAN THAT KID'S GOT PROBLEMS. He keeps getting angry over teensy things and Emma even saw that ginormous file on him. Please, please, knock some sense into your lovesick brain and investigate!!

Oh, and another thing. (view spoiler)[I wish Nisha didn't die! (Unless she's not actually dead? PLL-style?) I was really starting to like her character. (hide spoiler)]

The Lying Game 5 Lying Game

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