The Last Time I Lied
Table of Contents
The Last Time I Lied
The Last Time I Lied from author Riley Sager is the latest novel to be checked off my constantly growing to be read list. It is over four hundred right now. So needless to say, I have choices!
I own every single book that Riley Sager has published so far, yet hadn’t actually taken the time to read any of them yet. Going down the black hole of social media groups recently, someone posted a picture of their Kindle with an excerpt of this book and it was catapulted to the top of my reading list.
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I had been in a bit of a reading slump lately, with so many other things to do and feeling overwhelmed, my reading took a backseat for a little while. But I’m here to tell you that The Last Time I Lied is exactly what I need to get me out of that reading slump and excited to read again.
Have you read The Last Time I Lied? Come on in and let me tell you about it!
About The Last Time I Lied
From the author of Survive the Night and Final Girls comes a tense and twisty thriller about a summer camp that’s impossible to forget—no matter how hard you try.
Two Truths and a Lie. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and Emma played it all the time in their cabin at Camp Nightingale. But the games ended the night Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out into the darkness. The last she—or anyone—saw of the teenagers was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips….
Fifteen years later, Emma is a rising star in the New York art scene, turning her past into paintings—massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches over ghostly shapes in white dresses. When the paintings catch the attention of the wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale, she implores Emma to come back to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor.
Despite her guilt and anxiety—or maybe because of them—Emma agrees to revisit her past. Nightingale looks the same as it did all those years ago, haunted by a midnight-dark lake and familiar faces. Emma is even assigned to the same cabin she slept in as a teenager, although the security camera pointed at her door is a disturbing new addition.
As cryptic clues about the camp’s origins begin to surface, Emma attempts to find out what really happened to her friends. But her closure could come at a deadly price.
Thoughts on The Last Time I Lied
“All hours wound; the last one kills.”
Riley Sager, The Last Time I Lied
I decided to read this book with my wife. It isn’t her normal style, but we gave up early and did not finish the last one she picked, so it was my turn and I went with something totally different from her normal style. Plus I had been wanting to read this one for a while, so it seemed like the perfect time.
This book was really slow going in the beginning. My only consolation for a bit was that it wasn’t repetitive. Which has been a theme in a couple of the books I’ve read recently, and one of my biggest complaints. So at least that wasn’t a problem here. A win already.
But the first ten percent of the book felt like it took forever to get through. I was worried we would be reading this book for a month just to get through it all. But it does pick up and the pace speeds up. Be patient with the first part though, as it may feel like you’re treading water and not actually going anywhere. It’s labeled a thriller, and my thought was, there is nothing thrilling about this book yet. When does that part happen?
“If I cry, it’s because I’ve been put in here with you bitches.”
Riley Sager, The Last Time I Lied
Halfway through the book, I’m ready to binge the entire thing in a single night because I want to know what happens next. It is a struggle not to do so because I also have other things to do with my time than stay up all night reading. But it is really, really tempting. Because it is so good. A little bit of a slow burn to start, but now I’m on the edge of my seat.
One of the things I absolutely love about The Last Time I Lied is there are hints and questions about what happens and what the answers are throughout the book. It wasn’t predictable, and I had absolutely no idea what the answers were. That is what kept me on the edge of my seat and continuing to read. Because I didn’t know the answers, I needed to find out. I absolutely had to know the answers.
The other thing I have huge respect for was there were no outrageous and stupid plot twists. I’ve read some books where the twists are just so far outside the box that it borders on silly and stupid. I found none of that here, and I love that. I appreciate and respect Riley Sager for the fact he didn’t write a book for shock value. He wrote to tell one hell of a good story.
The Last Time I Lied kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire thing and I still had no idea how it was going to end. Every prediction that I made about this book was dead wrong, and I love that.
Final Thoughts on The Last Time I Lied
The Last Time I Lied may be the very first Riley Sager book I’ve read, but it certainly won’t be the last. I am now looking forward to reading more of his writing, which has certainly moved up much higher on my to be read list now.
Discussion
Have you read The Last Time I Lied or any other novels from Riley Sager? Are you a fan? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!
About the Author
Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of six novels, most recently Home Before Dark and Survive the Night. His first novel, Final Girls, has been published in 30 countries and won the ITW Thriller Award for Best Hardcover Novel. His latest book, The House Across the Lake, will be published in 2022 by Dutton Books.
A native of Pennsylvania, he now lives in Princeton, New Jersey. When he’s not writing, he enjoys reading, cooking and going to the movies as much as possible. His favorite film is “Rear Window.” Or maybe “Jaws.” But probably, if he’s being honest, “Mary Poppins.”
Purchasing The Last Time I Lied
If you are interested in buying the paperback version of The Last Time I Lied, click here.
For the hardcover version, click here.
Click here for the Kindle version.
Click here for my favorite Kindle I currently own.
More From Riley Sager
Did you enjoy my review of The Last Time I Lied? Need another great Riley Sager novel? Here are my favorites!
Lock Every Door
The House Across the Lake
The Only One Left
Middle of the Night
Home Before Dark
Final Girls
Survive the Night
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