The Lying Game – Ruth Ware | A Book Review

Title: The Lying Game

Author: Ruth Ware

Genre: Mystery

About the book: It’s a standalone novel that follows Isa Wilde who gets a text from an old friend that says “I need you”. At boarding school, Isa, Kate, Thea, and Fatima participated in The Lying Game, where they lied to teachers and other students. But their lies are coming to light, and they have to discover the truth of what happened seventeen years ago.

First impressions: I’ve read In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10, enjoying them both. I love a good thriller as much as anyone, so I was looking forward to reading this novel. The author builds tension in the beginning by withholding information, slowly revealing details of the past.

Characters: I like that Isa, Kate, Thea, and Fatima are all unique individuals with their own flaws. There’s a bit of diversity with Fatima being a person of colour. I enjoyed Ware exploring friendships between women, especially looking at how relationships change over time.

Quote:

“I don’t want anyone to live in a prison of guilt, so go on: live, love, be happy, never look back.”

Writing: It’s a little over 400 pages long with the book divided into five sections with different rules of The Lying Game: tell a lie, stick to your story, don’t get caught, never lie to each other, know when to stop lying. Some twists and surprises caught me off guard.

Final thoughts: I didn’t predict some events of the ending, so for me, it was fun to find out what exactly happened. If you are a fan of suspenseful mysteries about female friendships, consider checking out The Lying Game.

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