There are no spoilers in this review.
Little White Lies, Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Publishing on November 6th, 2018 by Freeform.
Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother’s “society” might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father’s identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn’t expect to find is friendship, but as she’s drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn’t the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother’s glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer’s search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.
Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off.
I ENJOYED…
☂️
- If you’re a fan of stories like Pretty Little Liars and Gossip Girl, the kind of stories filled with mysteries, big dresses, rich families and lies and secrets woven in between it all, you should love Little White Lies. I found these themes I was very fond of back in this story and I loved it.
- Sawyer, the main character in the story, was so much fun to read about. She’s witty and sarcastic and smart and I really liked her voice. She’s determined to find her father and to make it all right and I loved that about her, too.
- The relationships slowly growing between the characters were wonderful, too. I especially loved seeing the growth of the relationship between Lily and Sawyer, from strangers to what-the-hell do I have in common with her, to actual friends knowing they can count on each other and will save each other from hell, if necessary.
- ALSO! There was no romance in this first book and I AM PUMPED. I know I’m a marshmallow and love a good romance, but I feel like this first book was perfect without it: focused on the mystery, on the relationships building up between the characters, giving us hints of romantic feelings that might develop later on, but that’s it.
- The mystery kept me on edge from beginning, until the very end. I took wild guesses at what was happening multiple times and I still got surprised by the twists and turns and reveals and I loved it.
- The writing, simple but engaging and the art of finishing off every chapter on cliffhangers, small or big, as well as the storytelling going back and forth at times, just made me want to binge this book and made this an even more efficient mystery.
I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…
☂️
- One thing that made me a little disappointed in this book, was the lack of exploration of some side characters. I really liked Sadie, for instance and thought she had so much potential, but by the end of my read, she still felt like a very one dimensional character to me. Maybe she won’t be in the second book though!
- I also with there were a little more diversity in the book, as the cast of characters isn’t that diverse, unfortunately.
OVERALL
☂️
If you’re looking for a good, twisty and fun mystery book set in a Debutante world, I’d definitely recommend Little White Lies. An addictive read with plenty of moments to make you smile, to keep you guessing and to surprise you, until the very end.
Final rating: 4 drops!
Trigger warnings: blackmailing, mention of hit and run, kidnapping, scenes at the hospital, mention of teen pregnancy and teen drinking.
Did you read Little White Lies? Do you want to?
What was the last mystery book you’ve read? Let me know in comments!
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I have it sitting on my shelf and I really want to read it! I loved Jennifer Lynn Barnes The Naturals series, but I became a huge fan when I read her book The Long Game (the second book in The Fixer doulogy). Now that I read your review, I really want to read it as soon as possible!
Are you planning on reading the second book?
Ahh, I haven’t read The Fixer duology but it has been on my TBR for a while, would you recommend it? 😀
I hope you’ll give this one a try, it was such an entertaining read overall! I think I’ll pick up the second book sometime, yes!
Thank you so much, Zoey! 🙂
Last mystery I read was A Woman To Blame by Vincent Panettiere. It was good and different but not best I read.
Oh no! I’m sorry to hear that, I hope your next reads have been better!
I really like Jennifer Lynn Barnes, so when I saw that she had released this book, I knew this was a book I was super interested in reading! I’m so glad to hear that you enjoyed it! Now I definitely want to get my hands on it! Great post xxx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
Ahhh, I hope you’ll give this one a try! Do you have any favorite books by this Jennifer Lynn Barnes? I want to read more from her for sure, now! 🙂
thank you!! xx
I loved her entire naturals series! It’s like teen crime, so while it’s centered around crime, it’s not…so intense? I really like all the characters, it’s funny at times, anddddd has romancee!
I also read the fixer by her, which I also really enjoyed. It’s a solo book, which is good if you don’t want to get into another series. It’s kind of a fantasy/alternate reality type of book, but was super interesting! I feel like she’s just a really good writer, so I’ll enjoy almost anything she puts out!
ahhh that’s good to know! I just looked up the fixer and added it to my tbr, it sounds really good! 😀
when you get to it, let me know how you like it 🙂 ! x
Will do for sure! 😀
Great review! I enjoyed this one, too.
Thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed it as well! 😀
You’re welcome and thanks!
This sounds amazing <3 I've been wanting to read it because of the blurb and now I think your review made me want it even more!!! I tried to listen to the audio once but I quit in five minutes because I couldn't really understand what the narrator was saying (I am not that good at listening to accents)…I probably should have been more patient but I think I'm going to read a hard copy of it.
Ahhh yay! I’m so glad I could convince you a little more and hope you will love it! 🙂 <3
Great review! I haven’t read this book but heard good things about it! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Thank you! 🙂
That sounds like a good book. I love the cover. Great review!
It was a really great read, I hope you’ll give it a try!
Thank you so much! 🙂
I love your review! ?
Oh thank you so, so much Carol! 🙂
Oh this sounds really good as it sounds like Rebel Belle, which I really enjoyed. I’m really looking forward to read this one!
Ahhh really? I’ve had Rebel Belle on my TBR for AGES, seems like I need to get to this one now 😀
Thank you so much! <3
I saw the words “scandalous” and “debutante” in the synopsis and immediately thought “I must read this.” ? It is unfortunate that some of the characters remained one dimensional. It’s always the worst when that happens because there’s so much more potential for characters who are more fleshed out and *real*. Great review Marie!! ??
AH YES if these themes appeal to you, I’m certain you’ll love that one! I’m hoping that the sequel has its side characters a little more developed… fingers crossed 😀