The Lying Game by Sarah Shepard

Book review #65
The Lying Game by Sarah Shepard
Rating: Four stars

Summary:

I had a life anyone would kill for.

Then someone did.

The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. No more kisses. No more secrets. No more gossip. It’s enough to kill a girl all over again. But I’m about to get something no one else does—an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.

Now Emma’s desperate to know what happened to me. And the only way to figure it out is to be me—to slip into my old life and piece it all together. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Pretend to be a happy, carefree daughter when she hugs my parents good night? And can she keep up the charade, even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?

The Lying Game is down right creepy, entertaining, and will have you on edge at all times. As most Pretty Little Liars fans, I was extremely excited that Sarah Shepard was coming out with another series. I'm happy to say it was just as good. The plot was so innovative, that it  provokes  lingering thoughts long after finishing the last few pages.

The story unfolds with Emma's "normal" life, living with her foster family, trying to get by. Quickly, Emma stumbles across her long lost twin, Sutton. She decides to pack up and meet up with her, hoping for a heart-warming reunion. Emma never gets to actually meet Sutton, she gets something way more personal. Sutton is dead and it's Emma's job to live her in shoes, hopefully unraveling the mystery of her murder. 

I really liked how readers were told that Sutton was dead right off the bat; even though that was one of the few things you were sure of. I actually enjoyed  how I was kept guessing the whole way through. What did help quite a bit, was the intertwining of thoughts between Emma and Sutton.  Shepard did a wonderful job and creating a distinction between the two, although it did take time to get used to. They are complete opposites of each other, which allows readers to see the twos perspective of the other's life. 

Drama, lies, and mystery fill each and every page. At times, it became dangerous, which definitely helped kept me intrigued. One thing is for sure, no one does a mystery quite like Sarah Shepard. I have a feeling each book is going to get better and better. Regardless, Pretty Little Liars fans will fall in love with this book.  The Lying Game was a great start to one dangerous, suspenseful series.