Liars, Inc.

Maybe something terrible had happened, and I was making it worse by covering things up.Imagine this scenario. Your best friend tells you that they met someone on the internet and want to go meet up with that person in Vegas. They ask you to cover for them. So you pretend to be camping out and surfing with them. Then, the next day, it turns out that your friend never came home. They've disappeared. And even though you know they're always glued to their phone, they don't answer your call. The cops [...]

As I plummet through the crisp night air, I think about whether things might have been different if I had just told the truth from the beginning.A few weeks ago, there was a trending topic on Twitter, to my great amusement. For those who missed, it, here's a fantastic (and absolutely hilarious) summary of the highlights. buzzfeed/danieldalton/#veryrealisticYA sums up what a book's plot would be, if the inconvenient (and boring) reality of life had occurred, instead of the highly improbable event [...]

NOTE TO REVIEWERS: FYI--I made a lot of changes/additions to the ARC. For more info, check out this blog post.I first had the idea for LIARS, INC. back in 2010, but I sat on the idea for almost a year because although I knew the plot and twists, I was struggling with the character motivations. I started writing in 2011 and finished in early 2012. This is absolutely a standalone, though there are all kinds of companion novel ideas floating around in my brain. I hope you like Max Cantrell and his [...]

Well, well. Two good YA thrillers in one year! This one is full of nice twists, believable male POV (very fun being in Max's head), and diverse, interesting characters, most notably an atypical girlfriend who's sexually confident and would be described as anything but nice. Very much enjoyed.ew to come.

*3 Stars*The cover of this novel is brilliant. Spot on. Intriguing, haunting, and perfectly represents a vital and very creepy aspect of this story. While the cover gets an A+, the story, for me, never exceeded the confines of ordinary. But it very nearly almost did! And that’s what kept me reading…Don’t get me wrong: This plot is fairly original and offers many sharp twists and turns. I found myself flipping through the pages rather quickly and the “mystery” certainly packed a punch. [...]

Instead of doing my usual review, I'll tell you why you need to read this book in a different way. I'm going to compare Liars, Inc. (and its characters, plot, etc.) with various people and objects. ;)1. If Liars, Inc. would be a dessert, it would be dark chocolate. Rich, "creamy" in a way, with a touch of darkness and sweetness2. If Max (the main character) was an animal, he would be a dog. He's helpful (even if he's not completely moral), protective (over his family, friends and girlfriend), a [...]

Actual Rating: 3.5/5 starsIt was just another day of school and hanging out to Max, Parvati and Preston when somebody approached Max to forged a permission slip and paid him afterwards. Then they came up with a really weird idea. They realized they could actually make so much money out of forging signatures, making up covers for other people lying. So then Liars, Inc. was born."Who knows lying could be so lucrative?"But things started getting out of hand when a friend disappeared then a body was [...]

Check out the full review HERE!"To me, Mother Nature isn't nearly as scary as human nature."What a crazy, wild, compelling read! Liars, Inc is one of those books that sucks you in just by the summary itself. Compared to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, Liars, Inc messes with the reader's head in every way possible. If it looks like a predictable plot twist, be prepared to have the rug yanked out from under your feet, because you will not see the other twist coming.Seventeen year old Max Cantrell is ad [...]

Paula Stokes is a friend of mine. In fact, she's my roommate from book tour together, last summer, when our YA books first came out. But I tell you that, to tell you this: even though I seem biased with this reviewI swear on every book ever written, that I'm not! Even if I didn't know Paula Stokes, I'd still say that LIARS INC was a super fun book, with a super surprise ending. I love murder mystery books. I'm a big fan of Pretty Little Liars (the books), Veronica Mars, and basically anything th [...]

Here’s a fair warning: don’t start reading Liars Inc. right before bedtime or when you have other, more important things to do. That will not end well. This book is a thrill ride that demands your attention non-stop from start to finish, and what’s more, it absolutely deserves it. That’s not to say that Liars Inc. is free of flaws, but for the life of me, I can’t force myself to care. The important things are covered: a wonderful, believable protagonist, a well-built story, an interest [...]

Paula Stokes' latest literary endeavor is an expertly plotted, thoroughly engrossing, devilishly convoluted, clever and truly surprising YA thriller / mystery for the more mature crowd (older teens and adults). This book falls somewhere between Gretchen McNeil's thrillers and Gillian Flynn's mind-benders. It's intelligent and intense, and thanks to Stokes quality writing style, it makes other YA thrillers look rather silly and far-fetched by comparison.Max, Preston and Parvati are close friends. [...]

Crap This wasn't supposed to get this good. I have work in the morning. Damn it, I can't stop reading.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***Liars, Inc. by Paula StokesPublisher: HarperTeenPublication Date: March 24, 2015Rating: 3 starsSource: eARC from EdelweissSummary (from ):For fans of Gone Girl, I Hunt Killers, and TV's How to Get Away with Murder.Max Cantrell has never been a big fan of the truth, so when the opportunity arises to sell forged permission slips and cover stories to his classmates, it sounds like a good way to make a little money and liven up a boring senior year. Wit [...]

“You ever feel like you don’t know anyone?” He looked out at the water again. “Or like no one knows you?”So, this book really cannot be trusted. I had many theories about the ending and, unfortunately, I could decipher the main villain-protagonist way before it. I wouldn`t say that this book is for fans of Gone Girl, because the latter obviously stands on the upper level. While Gone Girl takes you by surprise because of its thoroughly planned crimes, Liars, Inc. is more of a book where [...]

If you're looking for a YA mystery with an interesting premise and cast of characters, you need not look far because Liars Inc pretty much distinguishes itself from the rest effortlessly. I mean, look at the following factors and I dare you not to get excited, because I'm pretty sure you will:✓ A male hero that actually feels like an authentic male hero✓ A half-Indian love interest who is so comfortable with her sensuality✓ A premise that revolves around lies and covering one's ass with [...]

An Electronic Advanced Reader Copy was provided by the publisher via Edelweiss for review. Quotes have been pulled from an ARC and may be subject to change.Warning: swear words are found in the book.Blew through this book and stayed up until 2:38am to finish it. So much craziness So many liesI was thoroughly invested in the story straight from the beginning. You just know that these characters are going to be making very bad decisions one right after the other. And the repercussions just add up [...]

I could NOT put this book down. I was told there was a twist, and though I fancy myself good at figuring ol' twists out--I was dead wrong this time. That alone made me give this book five stars. But there was so much more to love--complicated characters, spot-on pacing, and humor at all the right moments. I'm looking up Paula's next book right after I submit this review. Don't miss this one!

***This review has also been posted on The Social PotatoThis book is special indeed. After all the hype surrounding this book, I dived in expecting to be thoroughly charmed but I wasn’t. At least not at first. I liked it, I enjoyed it but I didn’t see why everyone loved it so much until a certain moment near the end. That's what made this book so brilliant and awesome and fantastic and I am running out of adjectives since my vocabulary is limited. So now I find myself in a dilemma. I cannot [...]

Check out my review and fan-art for it at The Sound of YA BooksMy rating: 4.5 stars."When you care about someone, you can’t just turn that off because you learn they betrayed you."For me, the whole meaning of this book in this quote.That’s why I liked this story. The story of three friends, which is entirely built on lies. Like a mirror in front of another mirror. One liar lied to another. Lie in a lie, in a lie in even more lies. I really love such stories, but I was afraid to know what the [...]

This thrilling YA mystery will shock you in the most surreal way. Comparing suspects and crossing family lines, Stokes keeps readers guessing who killed whom until the last pages. My only negative came from the characters' sometimes fake-feeling emotions; I never fully connected with Max, Parvati, or Preston. Overall 3/5 stars; a quick, suspenseful stand-alone.

Oh the tangles webs we weave when first we try to deceive. Is it wrong that I actually really liked this book? I mean, considering it is all about lying? I couldn't help it though, I loved the premises and I even liked devious Max.This is one of those stories that you don't have to connect in anyway to the characters, in order to be invested in the rest of the story and while that would sometimes bother me, it really worked for the theme of the story. After all, in this story, no one is who they [...]

This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews! Liars, Inc. is one of the more diverse YA thrillers and romances that I've read in a while. Although it offered a lot of diverse character backgrounds, family situations and circumstances, it was the thriller part that I was really interested in, which I ended up being slightly disappointed with.It kind of sucks having nothing to lose, but it sucks even worse having everything good taken away from you. Or to realize it was n [...]

I love a good mystery and Paula Stokes certainly delivers with Liars, Inc. Max Cantrell is being set up. For the murder of his best friend.Preston and Parvati are the only people Max has really let into his life. Preston is his best friend and Parvati is the girl of his dreams, and when the three realize that they could put their talents and skills to good use by providing fake excuses, permission slips and cover stories for their classmates for a fee, and hopefully liven up a boring senior year [...]

I've been following Paula Stokes' career for a while now. She started off with the ambitious historical thriller romance trilogy (Venom) that just got better from book to book, then the absolutely sweet and endearing Art of Lainey that just makes you want to jump up and hug the book (okay I hugged it, sue me). Now she comes roaring back with Liars, Inc. a clever YA whodunit that I didn't even see coming. One thing I really look for in authors is that they take risks and try something new. Stokes [...]

I was spoiled by Paula and got to read an early MS of this book and absolutely loved the fuckery. I'm pretty sure the ending of the arc is different from what I first read I'm going to have to check, but either way, it's satisfying. I love boy POV so much and Max's head is fun to be in. It sounds authentic. Which means we're hearing all about how hot his girlfriend is and other boy-parts centric thoughts. I don't want to give anything away, but know that even with reading it before, Paula stil [...]

Hay libros que a veces no sabes como hacerles una review que pueda expresarlo, pero haré mi mejor intento:Este libro fue un interesante viaje a pie, en la selva, sola.Liars, Inc viene, gracias a todos los reinos, desde la perspectiva de un chico sencillo,clase media, relajado, con familia adoptiva, con un amigo super popular y una novia irreverente, ambos ricos. Primer acierto de Paula Stokes: 1- No hay protagonistas rosas que vomiten arcoiris, inseguras, con frases típicas de "me sonrojé cua [...]

I had Stokes stop by on the blog a few weeks ago to talk about the diversity in her latest novel, a thriller, and was incredibly moved by her discussion of not only racial diversity--with Parvati, the female love-interest of the novel--but also of Max, the protagonist. From the surface, there doesn't seem to be a lot of diversity to offer with Max--after all, he is a Causasion, heterosexual male. But, Max isn't your typical male protagonist. Not only does he struggle academically, but he also is [...]

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thanks Edelweiss and HarperTeen!This was pretty thrilling, if I hadn’t guessed the murderer in the beginning. It was definitely a lucky guess – I mean, I had no reasoning to back it up. But since I stuck with that theory throughout the book and it proved right, it kind of brought the excitement down. Or maybe up, since I was laughing too hard. SERIOUSLY. I’m too proud of guessing the murderer I’m just going to ignore the fa [...]

¿Cómo empiezo?El libro al principio parecía ser un buen libro, tenía personajes distintivos y una historia que era misteriosa, pero al llegar la página 100 todo se volvió tan predecible y tan cliché que olvidé por completo que era un thriller.El libro no es del todo mal, hay algunas cosas que sorprenden, pero también hay cosas que son ridículas.Mi teoría fue correcta, supe desde la página 100 que es lo que iba a pasar.

"Sometimes I think I'm the worst sheep of all."I don't know - this one just did not connect with me. I thought I'd be wrapped in the mystery. I found Max's ability to stumble into the Liars club type thing they set up interesting. Also the weekend plans and even Preston all tied me in and kept me reading.But somewhere after the first interview, I started losing interesting. I noticed my mine was wandering and I found reasons to put the book down rather than read it. As I read it small chunks ins [...]