The Lies We Tell

4/5 stars

Anna is heading off to college. She may only be moving across town, but she’s in for a wild first year. She hasn’t told anyone, but the reason she chose Brookings University wasn’t for the prestige or academics, but because her childhood babysitter was murdered there. In an unlikely turn of events, Anna must team up with her middle school rival and fellow freshman, Chris, to solve the murder and save herself too. 

Katie Zhang delivers again with The Lies We Tell. I was immediately drawn into the story and connected with Anna. The pacing was quick and I couldn’t stop turning the pages. I thought this was more plot-driven than character-driven. There was some character development, but for the most part, I found that Anna had already had her coming-of-age moments and was now on a path towards justice. 

Because this was plot-driven, I was skeptical about how so much would be packed into one book. There were two major themes that needed to be addressed, a murder and anti-Asian racism on campus. Meanwhile, Anna is also dealing with the fact that her parents’ bakery has slower business due to new competition from Chris’s family. Zhao did manage to wrap up all the storylines, but some felt a bit underdeveloped. The mystery resolution felt rushed and I predicted the plot twist. 

Despite some underdeveloped storylines, I still related a lot to this book. I had similar experiences to Anna in college and even tabbed a page because my parents cautioned me about the same dangers as hers did. It was refreshing and raw seeing my experiences as an Asian woman being reflected on the pages. 

Overall, this was an adventurous story that covered friendship, family, racism, and pursuing justice. The Lies We Tell is a really solid young adult fiction that readers can relate to. It will keep you turning the pages and definitely pull you out of reading slump as it did for me.