Review: Lies You Never Told Me

★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

From Goodreads:

Gabe and Elyse have never met. But they both have something to hide.

Quiet, shy Elyse can't believe it when she's cast as the lead in her Portland high school's production of Romeo and Juliet. Her best friend, Brynn, is usually the star, and Elyse isn't sure she's up to the task. But when someone at rehearsals starts to catch her eye--someone she knows she absolutely shouldn't be with--she can't help but be pulled into the spotlight.

Austin native Gabe is contemplating the unthinkable--breaking up with Sasha, his headstrong, popular girlfriend. She's not going to let him slip through her fingers, though, and when rumors start to circulate around school, he knows she has the power to change his life forever.

Gabe and Elyse both make the mistake of falling for the wrong person, and falling hard. Told in parallel narratives, this twisty, shocking story shows how one bad choice can lead to a spiral of unforeseen consequences that not everyone will survive.

I had no idea what the book was about when I turned the first page. I remember picking it up on a layover because it had a store recommendation on it, then I put it on my shelf only to pick it up a full year later. The Lies You Never Told Me falls into the same category as E. Lockhart's We Were Liars, it'll blow your mind with the truth you never expected.

Gabe wants to escape the relationship he has with Sasha. At first, he loved her, then the relationship took a turn for the worse. Gabe was standing too close to realise Sasha was controlling him, denying when his friends brought it up. But when he tried to end it things got ugly. Sasha worked in the shadows, ruining anything and everything Gabe touched. If Shasha couldn't have him, no one could. 

Elise didn't have the confidence her best friend did, so when she finally gets a shot to be better than Brynn at something she jumps the gun. She falls in love with someone she definitely shouldn't in the process. The lies she feeds to her family and friends are growing in size the further into the relationship she dives. She just can't let go of the dream she thinks she is living and it just might lead her through hell. 

Both the characters have their struggles they can't escape. At first, because they chose to be in the situation, then later on because they can't escape it anymore. These are two separate horror stories coming to life without a clean way out. You'll keep on turning the pages until there are none left. 

The best part of the book is the mystery. All these crazy theories were floating around my mind the entire time I read the book. I guessed the right one quite close to its revelation, and then I realised all the clues I missed earlier in the book. The ones I didn't think significant enough to remember. I really recommend reading this one if you want your mind to be blown.