Blog Tour Review—Tell Me No Lies by Adele Griffin

Publisher: Algonquin Young Readers

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary

Synopsis:

A riveting novel about secrecy, complicated friendships, and heartbreak, set against the iconic backdrop of the late 1980s.

Lizzy Swift is a senior in high school, emerging from her nerd chrysalis to become a social butterfly. She starts dating popular Matt Ashley, whom she’s been pining for since freshman year. She’s delighted when rebellious new girl Claire Reynolds introduces her to Center City Philadelphia—clubs, street life, and the eye-opening art scene. As Lizzy begins to question her own long-held dreams, the changes in her life mirror the upheaval of a decade marked by a drug epidemic and the AIDS crisis. She’s no longer sure of her Ivy League ambition. While she has a special connection with Matt, something’s missing. And Claire carries around a mysterious sadness and talks about a breakup so bad she changed schools—but she won’t tell the whole story. Lizzy wants Claire to confide in her, even as she keeps her own embarrassing secrets.

Before too long, the heady thrill of her new life starts to crumble under insecurities and deceptions. When the truth emerges from the wreckage, will it be too late for Lizzy, Claire, and Matt to save their love and friendships?

Review-

This is a poignant story about acceptance, love, and growing up. Bonus that it’s a book set in the 80s—I unfortunately didn’t grow up in the 80s, though I wish I did. Lizzy’s character is easy to indenting with, as was Matt and Claire.

In this unique and fun-filled book, we follow Lizzy as she navigates her senior year. The book deals with some topics that are have the characters scrambling to survive. The story started off a little bit slow, but once you get the ball moving, it starts getting interesting.

Tell Me No Lies is a realistic look that had me more than a little engrossed in Lizzy’s life. I enjoyed watching her grow as a character, even if some of her actions were a bit problematic. Readers who enjoy deep and meaningful books, that also have a light undertone, will love this novel.

*Thank you to the publisher for providing a copy for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

About the Author:

Adele Griffin is the highly acclaimed author of almost thirty books for Young Adult and middle grade readers.

Her works include the National Book Award Finalists Sons of Liberty and Where I Want to Be, as well as the popular Oodlethunks series for younger readers. The Unfinished Life of Addison Stone was a YALSA Best Book of 2015, an Amazon Best YA Book of the Year, a Booklist Top Ten Arts Books for Youth, a Junior Library Guild selection, a Romantic Times Finalist for Book of the Year, and a School Library Journal Top Fiction pick. Her latest novel Tell Me No Lies is publishing in June 2018 with Algonquin Books.

Adele serves on the Board of Directors of the MacDowell Colony, and is on the advisory board of 826NYC. She lives with her husband, Erich, their two young children, and their dog, Edith, in Brooklyn, New York.