The Last Time I Lied

Ummmm.......wooahhhh! I was not expecting to love this book as much as I did! I have been in a reading slump lately because of life things and decided to pick up the last Riley Sager book that I have not read yet and all I can say is that I was not disappointed. I am pretty sure I've said it before but this cements the fact that Riley Sager is one of my favorite thriller authors of all time. I mean, come on! Even though this book isn't my favorite of his, the fact that I still gave it five stars and ended with a stupid shocked look on my face should say wonders. For the first time I thought I knew who the bad guy was and what the big reveal would be and Riley Sager does it again, humbly reminding me that I know absolutely nothing. Well done, Sir, well done.

To begin with, The Last Time I Lied is about a girl named Emma, who went to a summer camp fifteen years ago but after her three camp roommates disappeared and were never seen again, she is struggling to deal with what might have happened to them. In the present day, she is called back to the same camp to work at as an art teacher and she takes the job with hope that it will help her to find some closure only to find out that she's in well over her head and that closure isn't all she might find. This is my first camp thriller and I have to say, this one was absolutely amazing. Not that I'm all that surprised, it is Riley Sager after all. But the atmosphere, along with all the little mysteries leading up to the big reveal, they just absolutely knocked my socks off. I have never been to summer camp and this book makes me simultaneously want to attend to see what I have been missing and also makes me want to stay away at all costs. And let me tell you, you might think you know where this book is heading but you have no idea, none whatsoever.

Secondly, the characters jumped off the page and I really got to know them intimately, even the secondary characters that I usually don't care for at all. They were all dark people doing dark and messed up things and I'm always there for that in Sager's novels, because it doesn't get anymore human than that. It's like the author takes the worst traits of human beings possible and makes extraordinary novels out of them, that is a rare gift I haven't encountered in many novels before. This novel is almost just as character based as it is action based and I am here for it.

Finally, the writing didn't disappoint, as I didn't think it would. As much of a reading slump as I am in right now, this book was just what I needed to reignite my love of reading and a lot of it had to do with the effortless way that Riley Sager gets the story across by weaving beautifully orchestrated sentences together that don't overwhelm or underwhelm. They are the perfect combination and make for a killer novel, all the aspects coming together to paint a masterpiece of a story.

In conclusion, if you love thrillers and you haven't read this one, you are missing out! If you want to be transported through time and space and attend a summer camp, this novel is for you. I seriously can't wait to see what other things Riley Sager might have up his sleeve and have already preordered his latest novel that hasn't come out yet. I am a relatively new reader and yet I have read all of his books, that should tell you something because they are just that good.