I devoured Final Girls last year and fell in love with Riley Sagar’s writing style. This guy knows how to write a thriller and keep you hooked. I have to admit that when I started The Last Time I Lied, I wasn’t that sure about the storyline. It didn’t grab me from the start. However, the deeper I got, the more hooked I became. It really does keep you guessing about what happened all those years ago.

When Emma goes to Summer Camp she ends up bunking with 3 older girls. They while away the time by playing 2 truths and a lie and soon all become quite adept at lying. Then the 3 girls go off into the woods and never come back. They just seem to disappear.

15 years later, Emma is an obsessive painter and spends her whole life thinking about the 3 girls, especially Vivian. She paints their disappearance over and over and can’t seem to shake them. When she is asked to return to Camp Nightingale as an art tutor she reluctantly agrees to go. She says she’s going for closure but in reality, she’s going to solve a crime. However, is Emma as innocent as she makes out?

The story switches between the present and 15 years ago. Instead of being confusing the style of writing is enlightening. All the questions that come up in the present are answered by going back to the past in the next chapter. As the story evolves we get a better picture of what happened all those years ago. However, it is not until the very end that all is revealed and I wasn’t quite expecting the ending. I was suspicious but I definitely didn’t have all the answers. Once it had gathered speed I was hooked until the very end.

If you love a thriller but hate gore then I highly recommend this book.

Thanks to NetGalley for the copy in exchange for a review