The First Lie

By Sara Shepard

Featuring Sutton Mercer before her tragic death, this stand-alone digital original novella from #1 New York Times bestselling author Sara Shepard is an exciting, must-read companion to the Lying Game series.

Back when she was alive, Sutton kept a million secrets. But how she got together with Thayer is her juiciest one of all. . . .

It's the summer before junior year and Sutton Mercer and her friends rule Hollier High. Then Thayer Vega returns home from soccer camp. In two short months he's gone from being her best friend's scrawny younger brother to a hot soccer god with a major ego—and a bone to pick with the Lying Game girls.

To bring him back down to earth, Sutton's friends convince her to string Thayer along so she can publicly reject him. But as she gets to know the real Thayer, Sutton starts to wonder: Is flirting with Thayer still just a game to her? Or is the queen of the Lying Game lying . . . to herself?

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperTeen
• Release date: Dec 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062240149

Sara Shepard

Sara Shepard is the author of two New York Times bestselling series, Pretty Little Liars and The Lying Game, as well as the series The Perfectionists. She graduated from New York University and has an MFA from Brooklyn College.

Book preview

  1  

FACEBOOK HACKING IS SO SOPHOMORE YEAR

It’s a typical Saturday afternoon, and my best friends Charlotte Chamberlain and Madeline Vega and I are sitting outside La Paloma Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, where we all live. It’s the last few weeks of summer before we start our junior year and we’re not losing a second of tanning time. We’re all wearing our brand-new Missoni bikinis that are sort of matchy-matchy but not quite, the air smells like Banana Boat sunscreen and freshly cut limes in the neighboring moms’ cocktails, and the high-pitched squeals from the kiddie pool off to the left carry across the neatly landscaped stone patios. As we sip Perrier through skinny red straws—this place is super-strict about underage drinkers—Char takes a breath. So I have an idea for the next prank for the Lying Game, Sutton, she says, turning to me. We go on Facebook, and—

No, no, no, I cut her off, lowering my copy of Us Weekly to my chest. "We’ve done the Facebook thing to death, Char. It’s too easy. The Lying Game is about originality, remember?"

Charlotte flushes, which just makes her freckles stand out more. It was a variation on a theme, obviously. She pushes her Chloe aviators to the top of her head and offers a very well-practiced careless shrug that almost has me convinced she doesn’t care about my opinion. The thing is, though, she does. She and Madeline both … as well as everyone else at Hollier High. Not that I’m trying to boast or anything. That’s just the way it is.

Variation on a theme … how? I prompt.

Such as … changing Nisha Banerjee’s profile picture to Lindsay Lohan’s latest mug shot? Char suggests, snickering.

From my left, Madeline, whose dark hair is gathered back into a messy knot, adjusts the ties on her crocheted bikini’s halter top. It’d be an improvement on that tennis team group shot she’s got now. She looks totally deranged in it.

I cross and uncross my long legs, which are more muscular than Mads’s lithe ballerina ones. "She can’t help it. Nisha is deranged. Nisha Banerjee is a tightly wound, quasi-popular girl who’s also my biggest tennis rival. I sit up. It’s too small-time, though. The first Lying Game prank of the year has to be big. No exceptions."

My best friends reflect on this for a moment, knowing I’m right. Mads, Char, and I started the Lying Game back in sixth grade during a sleepover, wanting to prank all of the cute guys in our class. We were the most popular girls in school and we could do something like that, knowing they’d just fall over us even more. After that first prank—water-ballooning them from the school roof—we pulled other small-time pranks, like gluing Lori Sanchez’s locker shut or slipping a love letter from Darien Holbrook, the biggest heartthrob from that year, into the desk of Miranda Foos, a hopeless dork. The pranks have escalated since then, some of them downright scary and illegal. Still, we get away with most of it. And everyone at school expects us to push the boundaries. Which means we can’t do something lame like switch a Facebook profile picture.

That reminds me, Charlotte says, changing the subject. The Twitter Twins want to know if we’re going to Nisha’s back-to-school party on Thursday.

I roll my eyes. Not if they are. Gabriella and Lilianna Fiorello, and their constant addiction to their phones and all forms of social networking, are annoyance personified. Their desperation to get in on the Lying Game reeks worse than the latest Viktor and Rolf Flowerbomb perfume, which, fittingly, is their signature scent this summer.

Not that I blame them for trying so hard to get in, of course. Everyone wants to be in our clique. But I told the Twitter Twins the same thing I tell everyone: Membership is strictly limited to three, Madeline, Charlotte, and me. No exceptions for anyone.

Now Charlotte sits up to face Madeline and me, adjusting the strap of her one-shoulder swimsuit. I haven’t said anything yet, but since Char started dating Garrett Austin, she’s put on a few happy pounds around her middle, surely from all the ice-cream outings and fancy dinner dates they’ve gone on. Char eats when she’s in love; that I know for sure.

We kind of have to go to Nisha’s, Charlotte insists, chewing thoughtfully on her lower lip. She’s invited the whole tennis team, including the seniors. You know how the team eats that stuff up. If you want to be captain over her, you should at least put in an appearance.

I sniff. I don’t have to do anything. But then I shrug. Oh, whatever. I’ll go. She’ll definitely have a way better turnout if people know we’re going, and Laurel’s been whining about wanting me there.

At that, I glance toward the snack bar. Laurel, my adoptive sister, is leaning against the window, repeating the order we gave her, her brow furrowed in concentration. We’d given her a ton of stuff to remember—the bread had to be the club’s signature gluten-free variety and the fruit salad could contain only grapes, pineapple, and star fruit—no melon or strawberries. I’m sure she sees it as a test, but I just wanted a few extra minutes of privacy so we could talk Lying Game pranks. Laurel practically invented the phrase hanger-on. She was so thrilled that I’d begrudgingly said she could join us at the pool today that she immediately posted it as her status on Facebook. I suppose a lot of girls would be thrilled that their little sisters admired them so much, but for me, it’s a little suffocating.

Madeline’s cheery voice interrupts my thoughts. So it’s settled. We’ll go. Nisha’s lame, but we’ll make it fun.

Fine, great. I wave my hand in front of my face. We’ll go to Nisha’s. It’ll be like community service. But way more important than that is the inaugural Lying Game prank. I drum my watermelon-tipped fingernails against the iron arm of my chaise. Who should the target be? I grin wickedly in Charlotte’s direction. Garrett?

Charlotte sets her mouth in a line, her cheeks turning as red as her hair. Don’t you dare, Sutton.

Okay, okay, I say, deciding to go easy on her. Garrett is, after all, Char’s first Big Boyfriend.

What about boys of the non-boyfriend variety? Madeline suggests. Boys of the dirty, evil-scumbag-douche-lord variety?

I raise my eyebrow. Are we talking about a certain lifeguard, Mads? I glance over at Finn Hadley, the tanned, muscled, blond-from-the-sun boy who sits atop the lifeguard stand near the diving well. Finn was Mads’s intended summer fling, and he seemed to be into her, too, texting her regularly, putting his arm around her whenever he saw her, even bringing her treats from the snack bar. But then we caught him in a … private lesson with an off-duty au pair on the tennis courts after hours a week ago. Enough said.

That’s not a bad idea, I say, narrowing my eyes on Finn. I can’t let guys go around thinking they can screw with my friends. Especially not for nannies whose idea of personal style is faux-hipster Keds.

But I still don’t think he’s a big enough target, I say after a moment. I pat Mads’s leg. "How about this—we report him to the management for smoking pot

Reviews for The First Lie

[y2ash · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The First Lie: A Lying Game Novella is very short. I read it in a span of an hour. It really doesn't give anything to the overall Lying Game series point of view with Emma as this one takes place entirely from Sutton's point of view. The main reason for this novella's existence is to show the beginnings of the Sutton and Thayer romance.

I liked it because it was nice to see Sutton as Sutton: a corporeal, fully intact of mental capabilities Sutton and no misleading flashbacks. It was interesting that Shepard chose to point out that maybe Sutton remembers Becky, her birth mother and quite possibly Emma based off that nightmare Sutton had. I wish it was a little longer and that it somehow connected to the larger mystery.

[Maria Z · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

CRIES I CRY because Sutton and Thayer are the cutest couple that deserved to be together forever and ever and THEN SHE HAD TO DIE LIKE SHSKISJ. Anyways this novella is amazing and cute.

[leftik_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Emma has just discovered she has a long-lost twin sister. An Identical twin sister. An Identical twin sister, Sutton, who appears to have disappeared – or been killed. Now Emma is trapped playing Sutton to solve the mystery of her sister’s disappearance. But when your sister was the head of The Lying Game, truth and fiction blur, leaving Emma with no idea who to trust.

The Lying Game sets us up for a new series from Sara Shepard (Pretty Little Liars series), one that is bound to give twists, thrills and chills if the first book is any indication. While I had a few problems with the set-up of the story, The Lying Game was intriguing and left me with so many questions – which is always good with the first book in a mystery series.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fast-paced, suspenseful, and ultimately unsatisfying due to the need to make this an ongoing series, so this first installment ends with a huge number of loose threads.

[scote23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I liked this one, although not as much as the Pretty Little Liars series.

Also, why is the TV show done so differently?

[calibrary1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book review by Ashley L., posted by CA Library:"The Lying Game by Sara Shepard is told in an interesting way. The narrator is Sutton Mercer and also her point of view and her past memories. The book is fiction, but told like it were nonfiction.Spoiler Alert: The story starts with Sutton waking up in a bathroom. Emma Paxton walks in, and Sutton tries to reach out to her. Sutton is completely ignored. She starts to realize that she died and is now a ghost. She now follows around Emma in hope of finding out how she died and why she is still here.Emma is shown a video with Sutton in it, and notices that they look exactly alike. She goes onto Facebook and messages Sutton that they should meet. Sutton replies that they should and gives Emma her address. But Sutton knows she didn’t send the message. On her way to meet Sutton, she is kidnapped by Sutton’s friends and taken to a party. Emma doesn’t stay at the party too long, before she is taken by to Sutton’s house. The next morning she finds a note telling her that Sutton is dead, and she has to continue pretending to be Sutton or else.I loved this book and am excited to read the rest of the series. There is a cliff hanger at the end that will make the reader want to read more of the series. Overall, I give this 5 out of 5 stars."

[tlhelen · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Lying Game is a thrilling book, you don't know what's around the corner. The book is about a girl, Emma, who does not realise that she has a long lost sister, who leads a life completely different to her. When she finds out that she had a sister she always longed for, she was determined to find her, secretly hoping to be able to live with her sister like she had always dreamed of. But fate had a different idea, Emma does find her sister, she does get to live in her sister's world but not as she had hoped for. Emma realises with shock that her sister was dead. Murdered. She then gets mysterious notes saying that she must become her sister, live her life and pretend to be her sister. Emma tries to find out who killed her sister. She doesn't realise that her every move is being watched. This series is exceptionally interesting and mysterious. This book is retold by her dead sister, Sutton. MUST read

[jolerie · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tossed from foster home to foster home, Emma has always longed for that normal family and is utterly in shock when she discovered that she has a long lost sister. The only problem is that this twin sister has been murdered and Emma finds herself thrown into the middle of the charmed life she has always dreamt of. Underneath the perfect family, close circle of girlfriends, and doting boyfriend, Emma finds a sinister secret - someone knows that her sister has been murdered and that very person is now watching over her every move. To solve the mystery of her sister's death, Emma must question everything about her newly acquired life and the truth of it all may hit closer to home that she could have ever imagined. The Lying Game is a perfect summer read. A quick and suspenseful story, filled with a who dunnit mystery that keeps you wanting to find out what happened. There are a lot of unanswered questions and plenty of areas that could be explained in more depth, but I figure that is why it was not written as a stand alone novel. Not your typical boy meets girl YA fare, but that is what makes it intriguing and worth reading.

[sarahmcy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A mysterious book on finding your twin sister and relizing she is dead, then being threatened by the person who killed her. How would you do if you had to life your sister you have never met before's life.

[_lily__1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

* Paperback: 336 pages * Publisher: HarperTeen; Reprint edition (December 6, 2011) * ISBN-10: 0061869716 * Author:Sara Shepard * Cover art: I really liked the cover art. * Overall rating: **** out of 5 stars * Obtained: My personal bookshelf.The Lying Game by Sara ShepardReviewed by Moirae the fates book reviews.I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did.I may not remember much, but I know I led a charmed life. Even in death I’m getting something no one else does: an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never got to meet. Now, in order to figure out what happened to me, Emma needs to become me. But can she laugh at inside jokes with my best friends? Convince my boyfriend she’s the girl he fell in love with? Hug my parents good night like she’s their daughter? And can she keep up the charade even after she realizes my murderer is watching her every move?Let the lying game begin. (Synopsis provided by goodreads)This was the first book I have read by this author. As a fan of the tv shows based on her work, I decided to pick up a copy of the first book in each series. I opted to read this one first.It should be stated that the book is way different then the show. I was stunned when I read the first page and found out just how different the book is to the show. In the book from page one Sutton is dead. (Not a spoiler it's in the synopsis.) Like the show Emma has to get everyone to believe she is Sutton, and like the show she has very little information on the twin she has never met.I really like Emma's character in the book. She feels very real and the reader can really relate to her. Mads and Char are pretty likable to, I really like how different "The Lying Game" is in the book verses what it is in the show.Shepard is a fantastic author with a fertile imagination. I really liked the touch of Mads having stickers all over that say Swan Lake Mafia. That made me smile each time I saw it in the book. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series and the next season of the show. I like them both separately.Ethan is the only character whom I like better in the show then I do in the book, but with the ending of book one, I think I might like him more in book two then I do now as it seems like his character will get more face time in the next book.I would recommend this book to fans of the show and to fans of the Pretty Little Liars series and show.

[mistycliff · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Imagine Princess and the Pauper told in the modern day American South West.Sounds pretty neat.Sounds neat until you add murder and then it just sounds awesome.Emma Paxton isn’t sure that “awesome” is the right way to describe her life when, right before her 18th birthday, her life as a foster kid goes from bad to worse thanks to a lovely little internet video. The video, found by her scummy foster brother, shows Emma being strangled on camera, possibly to death.With a few short clicks of her mouse, Emma discovers that it isn’t her in the video (duh) but her twin sister, the universe somehow forgot to mention she had. Since her life isn’t exactly honey and roses, Emma ditches her last few golden days in the foster system and gets sucked in to a life she couldn’t have imagined, days before.Her sister, Sutton, was living the good life with tennis, friends, school council and other perks of being her high school’s queen bee. Hard as it might be for a runaway foster kid to play the part of “it girl”, her life (and Sutton’s vengence) hangs on her ability to do so. Though her life was pretty peachy, Sutton’s past quickly reveals to Emma that the A-lister was not exactly the sweetest chickie at school and even those in her inner circle might have wanted to see her pushing daisies.Watching her step and her back, Emma has to race against the clock to solve the mystery before someone calls her out and she loses access to Sutton’s life and the cause of her sister’s death forever.The is one more tiny twist. OK, maybe it’s not so tiny. While we are watching Emma solve Sutton’s murder, we are watching with Sutton herself who is somehow, spiritually tethered to Emma. Emma doesn’t know she’s there but Sutton is getting a first hand recap of the nasty things she did when she was alive. Her memory evaporated with her last breath so she’s no help aside from the occasional flash back, added into the mix enough to confuse things a bit. It’s a neat twist and I definitely like the idea. Sometimes it makes it hard to follow who is speaking but after a little bit it gets easier.This is the first book in a four part, mega-mystery. When I first picked it up, I was expecting it to be solved in the first book as most mysteries are. I was sort of bummed that the killer won’t be revealed until the fourth and final book (due out this summer) but, I think it’ll be worth it. The story is well done and tends to follow, for all of its modern teen angst, a very classical murder plot. I’m almost done with the second, now, and loving it, just as much. This is probably one of my favorite young adult books, at least recently. It’s a little bit silly but it’s also pretty dark and twisted so it passes in my book.

[annesanse · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My awesome mom-in-law recommended this book to me, and I'm soooo glad she did! I loved it!! The Lying Game had just about anything you could want in a book. I could barely put it down. I feel so bad for Emma being thrown into this situation, but I almost feel worse for Sutton. What an excellent story! Now I'm in a rush to finish the other book I'm reading so I can move on to the sequel, Never Have I Ever. While I have my own ideas about what's going on, I hope that Sara Shepard has lots more surprises in the next book. This is my first of her books, and I'm definitely going to move on to her Pretty Little Liars series when I'm done.

[annakay21 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The perfect combination of suspense and humor. I loved the twin-switch, murder mystery element to this plotline. Surpasses Pretty Little Liars by far!

[cleoppa · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Wow. Not totally sure what to make of this book. I definitely cannot give it my "average" marker of three stars. It's either above average or below average... not sure which. I can see why this is popular, but can't decide if I like it or not. Bizarre for certain. Narrated by the dead twin who doesn't know herself who her killer is. Not original... Lovely Bones did something similar... For certain it leaves you wanting more. Whether you love it or you hate it, you want to know the truth behind all the lies. For this reason, I'm almost tempted (but still undecided) to read the sequel.The themes in this book are common to so many popular teen books--catty, fighting best friends. Girl who is thrust into the limelight as the "it" girl... But it's definitely original, as well.

[bookspot · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Sutton Mercer lives a privileged life: loving parents, beautiful sister, tight group of best friends, hot boyfriend, expensive clothing, her own car, she has it all. But Sutton Mercer's not around to live that life anymore, she's dead.Emma Paxton's lived in foster care since she was five years old: no real parents, no boyfriend, no expensive anything. Emma believes herself to be biologically an only child until she sees a video online of a girl who looks exactly like her. After sending the girl a message on Facebook they make plans to meet.Soon, with ghostly Sutton accompanying her (unbeknownst to Emma), Emma finds herself forced to fill in for the missing Sutton. Can she fool Sutton's friends and family, who don't seem to know Sutton's missing, into believing she's her twin while she unearths what happened? (And keep herself safe?!)The Lying Game is more than a little bit like Pretty Little Liars, Sara Shepard's other series, with death/murder (that I want to say like mehdehr), backstabbing, treachery, and tons of twists and turns.Having, in essence, one and a half main characters, with Emma doing everything but usually as Sutton and Sutton taking part as sort of her subconscious (that she couldn't hear) made for a very interesting telling. Usually when there's a 'dead' character in a book that is a part of the story someone else can hear them or they're more separate from everything, but with Sutton participating in everything, but also really removed, it made for a unique reading experience.I'm really inters ted to see if this style, with Sutton and Emma continues for the rest of the story or if Sutton gets more involved.This first book in the series was really an introduction to the series and ending without resolving much, but it definitely got me hooked on the story enough that I really cannot wait for the next installment(s) to find out more about the both Sutton and Emma and their lives and have more of the mystery unfold.(NB: The prologue of The Lying Game was a little confusing, but things really picked up (and made more sense) once the first chapter started--so if you pick it up to see if you're interested, I'd suggest reading at least that far! )

[graceschumann · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I picked up The Lying Game because I had thoroughly enjoyed Sara Shepard's other series Pretty Little Liars. I was a bit apprehensive thinking it might be exactly like that series in plot-line and form. However, I tried to go into this book with an open mind and not expect anything too standard from Shepard's previous writing. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book.Emma is a foster child abandoned by her mother at a young age. She's been shuffled around from family to family, never really feeling comfortable in any set place. She has always hoped that one day there would be something more in her life, that maybe her mother might show back up and she could have the family she so desperately longed for. But Emma is in for a rude awakening. One day she is shown a video of a girl who looks exactly like herself online, right down to the very last detail of her appearance. What's even more disturbing that the girl's exact resemblance to herself, is the matter in which the video takes place. Emma watches helplessly while the girl on the video is strangled with her own locket necklace. Did Emma just witness a murder? She can't believe her eyes so she sets out on a journey to find this other girl. When she finds her on facebook and sends her a message, she immediately receives one in response from the supposed twin girl with a plan to meet up. However Emma is unaware that the entire time she is looking for her, the girl in question is with her already. Because the other girl, her long-lost twin sister Sutton IS dead...and she's a ghost. As Emma uncovers the truth that Sutton is no longer alive, she is thrown into a viscous game of cat-and-mouse where nobody is who they seem and everybody has a secret. But how far are any of them willing to go to keep their secrets and at then end of the day who is Sutton's killer? How far will they go to ensure that Emma doesn't uncover the truth about what really happened to her twin sister? Let the Lying Games begin!When I first started this book, I still wasn't sure whether I was going to honestly like this story as much as I did Pretty Little Liars. The beginning was a bit iffy for me. The plot-line didn't really take hold until a couple chapters into the book and the characters were a little flat at the beginning. I didn't really like how Sutton was the main narrator at the beginning of the book but after a while I got used to it and wasn't so bothered that she was narrating while the story revolved around Emma's actions. The characters started to develop more toward the middle of the story and after the halfway point I didn't want to put the book down. The suspense and intrigue of the story started to accelerate at that point and drew me in to the point where I was completely engrossed in the story and scrambling to try and predict what was going to happen next. The key word right there was "try" because as much as I did attempt to figure out the future prospective happenings in the novel, I couldn't because it was unpredictable which kept me hanging on the edge of my seat guessing what would occur next. I loved the cliffhanger ending and can hardly wait until the next book comes out in August. I have my ideas about who the killer is but with new findings coming to light in every subsequent chapter until the end, I was hesitant to commit one person to that position. I think Shepard is a superb writer and really knows how to weave the perfect story about mystery.

[littleton_pace · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I don't really know what to say about this book except that I've never felt such irritation and annoyance at an author before. For starters, the long-lost twin idea has been flogged to death in books, film and TV. Not only that, but this author already jumped the shark with it in her Pretty Little Liars series. Now to do it again with her next series right after it? Desperate much? I also am becoming fed up with how superficial all her characters are. In Pretty Little Liars and in this new series, the importance of high fashion clothes, popularity and boyfriends is so over the top it makes me sick; and screams of an author who was a total nerd in high school and is now trying to make up for it by writing "the popular girls". All the characters are stereotypes and written as such. And none of them have any depth. And to top that off, as well as the long-lost twins, she's made two of the friends twins. That along with the fact you're reading a ghost's POV just adds to the complete question mark of this book.I don't understand how her publisher/editor and everyone in between gave this the go ahead when it is clearly the same subject matter recycled, down to characters having stuffed animals with stupid names (Emma with Socktopus and Aria with Pigtunia). Even the weird, no-name text messages are back. And aside from the completely unbelievable fact that Emma would just take over Sutton's life, Sutton's views on her own life are skewed, as if she can't believe she was a bitch. Yawn. Who cares? I could hardly finish the book and definitely won't be reading the series. I don't recommend it, you get the same story in Pretty Little Liars. For all I know; this series will merge with PLL and Emma and Sutton will wind up being Alyson and whoever her long-lost twin was. Unlikely and I'm past caring.

[sithereandread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

THE LYING GAME, by Sara Shepard, is an amazing start to a great new series. Sara Shepard is the author of the series, Pretty Little Liars (which I admit I still have not read, bad me!). Going into this new series with no previous stigma, I absolutely LOVED it! Shepard definitely has a way with words and she kept my fingers clinging to the pages until the very end.This contemporary young adult novel weaved elements of suspense and utter creepiness into it. Emma never had the dream family and when she stumbled upon her long-lost twin, Sutton, she was desperate to start again. After her Sutton's family only recognizes her as Sutton and a mysterious person tries to keep her real identity quiet, Emma puts together the pieces and realizes how much danger she is facing.Emma was truly a fantastic MC and along with the 'ghost' of Sutton, they made a dynamic duo. I am excited for the continuation of the series to find out more about what happened to Sutton and why she is connected to her twin in this way. And I have to say I developed a crush on Ethan. Even though he was such a small part in Emma/Sutton's life, I hope that he will have a bigger part in her future in this series.Overall, this was a pretty phenomenal book. I was disappointed that it ended before I got many questions answered but I still loved it!

[christianr_899499 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I don't normally read these types of books, so the fact that I didn't like it much doesn't mean that others won't either. Emma lives in foster homes, but learns that she has a long-lost twin sister who she tries to meet. However, it turns out that her sister, Sutton, has disappeared but no one knows it. Everyone thinks Emma actually is Sutton. Things get really strange from there. Sutton appears to be dead (and her ghost follows Emma around but only the reader is aware of her and she has very little information to add) and Emma is trapped, not knowing who killed her sister. The ending leaves things completely up in the air.

[kurlykee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I am a fan of the Pretty Little Liars series on TV and didn't want to start that series because I didn't want it to ruin the suspense of watching the show but when I saw Sara Shepard was starting a new series I jumped into it right after it was published. I am a huge fan of PLL but I find this plot much more intriguing. The idea of having a twin you don't know about until your late teenage years and innocently trying to meet her for the first time and being swept up into a mystery surrounding your twins death is an interesting idea. Shepard does an excellent job of making Emma and Sutton relatable to. You may not be able to relate personally to Sutton's cruelness and Queen of the school personality but you can relate to knowing someone like that in your own school and even if you can't personally relate to being in Emma's exact position, jumping from foster home to foster home, you can probably relate to her feelings of helplessness and low self-esteem. The rest of the characters can be a bit confusing at times, Shepard often refers to twins Gabriella and Liliana as the twitter twins and uses the names interchangeably which along with twins Emma and Sutton can get a little bit confusing to keep the whole group of friends straight from one another. It was dissapointing that there were no major plot twists but the cliff hanger ending has kept me on the edge of my seat and I can't wait for the next book in the series to be published!

[mrsteemae · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Why I wanted this book was because I LOVED the PLL series. If I could give this book 3.5 stars I would. The book for me started out sort of slow. It reminded me a lot of the PLL series too. I loved the story and the plot, but the story didn't really grab me until the end. Why I would give it 4 stars is because of the ending. The ending of the book definitely made me want to read the next one. I really can't wait for the second book. I can't wait to see where Emma and Sutton and Ethan end up. I'm not great on reviews without really spoiling what happens, but I'd say read the book because I bet the next one is going to get a lot better!

[shellypya · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Emma has always dreamed of having a real family. Kicked out of her latest foster care home, she's amazed to discover that she has a twin sister, so she travels to meet her, only to discover that she's dead and someone wants her to take her place. Now everyone believes Emma is Sutton. Emma slowly begins to realize what kind of person Sutton was, a prankster who started something called The Lying Game. Was her death a prank? Meanwhile, the ghost of Sutton can't remember who murdered her, and she's counting on Emma to figure it out.

[callie923 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book! The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because it wasn't nearly as good as the pretty little liars books but it was still good. It definently kept me guessing. I always thought I knew what was going to happen next but I was never right! Lots of twists and turns :)

[pacey1927 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"The Lying Game" is a winner and I am more than a little surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. The book starts out with the ghost of a teen named Sutton waking up, out of sorts, in a mysterious bathroom. She soon realizes she is dead, and then finds out she is in the home of a girl she has never met before named Emma...and Emma looks exactly like her. Some interesting things happen to move Emma along to Sutton's hometown and quite innocently at first, Emma begins to impersonate Sutton. Then she must continue to do so or risk meeting a fate similar to Sutton's. What Emma finds out is that Sutton maybe wasn't very nice. Even her friends and her sister seemed to hate her. But who killed Sutton and why? Emma is VERY likeable. She is a good girl who has grown up in foster homes. Seeing her living the life of spoiled, (mean?) Sutton is interesting. We see her relationships with these people and her thoughts about these people, with the spirit of Sutton looking over her shoulder and adding commentary as she tries to remember her past. What turned me off? Not much really. I was more than happy with this book. However, the cliffhanger is more than just a cliffhanger. Nothing is resolved. I don't like that in a book. I don't mind when plot threads are left open so we continue to want to read the next books in the series, but readers want some resolution...we stick with a book for 300 pages and we deserve some answers. Now this neither positively nor negative affected my review and rating but I really think I know who killed Sutton. Every piece fits and I will be SHOCKED if I am wrong. I don't have the 'why' answered yet though. I don't know if I am hoping to be right so I can say I was right or if I would rather be utterly delighted that the author pulled one over on me. Heck, maybe this person is a decoy. Parental Warning: Cuss words appear often. There is a scene of an alcohol drinking game. Sutton and friends are known for their "Lying Game"...a game where they pull over the top (sometimes dangerous) practical jokes on one another. The author does add a note in the back of the book encouraging readers not to be stupid and act out the pranks from the game.

[folkeb_2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sara Shepard shows once again that she is capable of producing an astounding plot line in The Lying Game, making fans of her previous series Pretty Little Liars proud. Readers follow foster child Emma as she goes on a journey to meet her long-lost twin sister Sutton. After seeing a startling video of her twin online, Emma sends her a message and soon gets a response inviting her to come to Arizona. Once there, Emma is thrust into a confusing and complex web of deceit and lies when Sutton never shows up. Emma discovers that Sutton has been murdered and is herself being threatened by the killer that she must stay and pretend to be her sister, or risk a similar fate. As the story develops Emma begins to believe that Sutton’s murderer may be right beside her, one of Sutton’s closest friends or even her sister. She believes the key to figuring everything out is to learn what exactly the girls’ Lying Game is all about, trying to keep herself alive long enough to find the answers.Shepard’s language is perfect for the story, very trendy and relatable to her teen audience, with a good deal of pop culture references thrown in. While some characters in the story seem a bit unnecessary and distracting, Shepard’s ability to compose such a complex plot with that much ease and grace is a testament to her writing abilities. She paints each scene perfectly and emanates the fear and confusion that Emma feels flawlessly, allowing readers to submerge right into the story, anxiously waiting to uncover more clues in this gripping mystery.Paige

[thelostentwife · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to "modern" teenage books is the sheer plethora of names. Every main character, it seems, has to have at least three other friends and numerous acquaintances, siblings, boyfriends/ex-boyfriends etc. Then, the first book of any series spends all this time setting up friendships, enemies and it's overwhelming and utterly exhausting to read.Unfortunately that's how I felt with The Lying Game. Now, I wouldn't say that this was a bad book, it was written in an easy to read, good-by-today's-standard, guilty pleasure way. It was full of drama, 90210ish-type stuff that I would have simply gushed over in high school. But, I think maybe my memory is going a little bit because I just found all the names hard to keep straight. So this is ultimately a story about twins, separated at birth, one dead, one alive. Think.. The Prince and The Pauper but with a bit of a twist (as in, eliminate the Pauper position). There's also lots of name dropping (items, modern technology) which make the story feel a little more real then it's very improbable set-up would normally do. However, another thing got to me...If you are wanting a read with a good resolution, I highly recommend you steer clear, however, no matter how interesting the premise may be, until the next few books in the series are out. However, if you don't mind cliffhangers and are interested in reading for readings sake, then I'm sure this is a book that will interest you.I'm fairly middle of the road on this. It was interesting enough to keep me reading, but not so interesting I couldn't put it down (and actually had an easy time setting it aside to go do things like..math).

[pandaris_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I blasted right through this book. Took me two days, but that was only because I had to work. I loved Emma. I felt so bad for her when she finds out about her long lost twin sister, only to discover once she arrives in Tucson that she has been murdered. I find it hard to believe however that once she inserts herself into Sutton's life to find out who killed her, Sutton's friends and family don't even think to question why "Sutton" would be so different all of a sudden.The friends and sister all have some kind of motive, and each time a clue is dropped in your lap you start thinking you know who was behind Sutton's death, until another clue turns up pointing in some other direction. This book kept me guessing until the very end, and even then I'm still guessing. I cannot wait to devour the next in this new series by Sara Shepard.

[sgcallaway1994 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"I had a life anyone would kill for. Then someone did."Summary: Emma Paxton has been in and out of foster homes ever since her mom, Becky, deserted her when she was five years old. Now she's soon to turn eighteen and on the verge of getting kicked out of yet another home. All because her foster brother stumbles upon a strange snuff film where oddly enough, the girl being attacked looks identical to Emma herself. After some digging around on Facebook, Emma discovers she shares the exact same birth date with this girl, Sutton Mercer. Could Emma have a long lost identical twin sister? Desperate to have a connection with a blood relative, Emma sends Sutton a Facebook message. A short time later she receives one back from Sutton saying she was also adopted, they should meet at a park in Arizona, but be careful because its dangerous! So Emma heads out to Tucson, Arizona on a greyhound bus, when she arrives Sutton is no where to be found. Instead, she bumps into one of Sutton's friends who mistakes her for Sutton. Just like that, Emma gets pulled right into the middle of Sutton's life. Emma wants to straighten everything out. Then she receives a mysterious note, "Sutton is dead. Tell no one. Keep playing along... or you're next!". Unsure of how to proceed, Emma reluctantly assumes Sutton's life desperately hoping to find her sister's murderer, knowing all along her killer is watching her every move.Ramblings: Sara Shepard is best known for her Pretty Little Liars series. The Lying Game kicks off her second, non-related series. The book is narrated by Sutton, Emma's dead twin sister. At unexpected times during the book, Emma also gives her perspective. Some readers may find this difficult to follow, but others may enjoy seeing a different point of view. Sutton and Emma are polar opposites. Emma is sweet, frugal and tenderhearted while Sutton is evil, frivolous and downright mean. As the the novel progresses, at times one may begin to feel just a twinge of sorrow for Sutton and her situation. Most of the time, the reader will be appalled at everything Sutton has done, believing she probably got what she deserved. The story is filled with suspense and mystery. A real thriller with an underdog heroine who's easy to root for. Small clues help piece the mystery together. Unfortunately, after turning the last page, not much had been resolved. Guess we will all have to wait for book two Never Have I Ever due out in August 2011 for some type of closure.Recommendation: I would recommend this book to all readers 14 years and older who like a good mystery with a unique twists and turns along the way. There are a few sexual references PG13 at the worst. Plus the book does use some forms of curse words like "Bee-otch". Girls may relate to this type of book more than boys. I do feel there is enough action, mystery and suspense though to capture a boy's interest. Don't read this book if you are tired of cliffhanger ending because this is one of "those" types. If you enjoyed the Pretty Little Liars series you'll see some similarities, parallels and common themes. This could be a plus or a minus, I'll let you decide.

[bibliophile9brouhaha · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Where have I been?!?! Why in the hell have I never read anything by Sara Shepard before? I’m usually a lot more technical and not as emotional with my punctuation, but this book was seven shades of awesome!Yeah, I know, I usually am all about the depressing ‘issue’ books! So, maybe this book was a breath of fresh air. And that air smells de•li•cious, as if it was laced with Auntie Anne’s cinnamon ‘n’ sugar pretzels and Chanel No. 5. The Lying Game is that kind of yum! See, I’ve never even watched Pretty Little Liars. Ever since Dawson left the creek and Felicity graduated, I just haven’t been able to look at teen/young adult shows the same. Sigh. Does anyone else hear The Boys of Summer playing? Oh, that’s just me? Sorry, I’ll return to the point.So, as you can tell from the synopsis, Twin A, Sutton Mercer, is dead. Murdered, in fact. Twin B, Emma Paxton, has been stuck in foster care her whole life and finds out she even has a twin through the evil creepiness of her foster mom’s bio-son-spawn. So, Emma is more that thrilled and excited to greyhound it to Arizona from Vegas to meet the rich, long-lost sister she’s never known. When she arrives, however, she falls into her twin’s murderer’s plans, and through a strategically placed note and other freaky events, is made to understand that Sutton is not only dead, but that she is to take her place. Unfortunately, Emma soon learns that Sutton makes Regina George look like Anne Shirley, and she has to quickly learn the ropes of playing an overly privileged, self-centered mean girl to A) protect herself from her sister’s murderer; and B) find out who the murderer(s) is/are.This was such a fun, high school who-dunnit thriller. I wasn’t bored once throughout reading it. Twists, turns and maddening intrigue kept my attention the entire time. There is a very small part of me (both in size and pettiness) which genuinely enjoyed seeing the rich girls squirm and Sutton show regret for her living transgressions. The stance from which the story is told is also very interesting. I’ve seen reviews where readers think that the point-of-view switches between Sutton’s post-mortem first-person narrative and Emma’s third-person limited. I disagree – it’s Sutton the entire time. Sutton is in an in-between state from what I can surmise, and her death has somehow left her dependent on and attached to her twin, both in body and mind. So, when the book describes Emma’s actions, it’s actually Sutton observing Emma, and when the you are reading what Emma thinks, it’s Sutton telling you that. You can tell it’s not third-person because Sutton directly comments and reacts to what Emma thinks at times, particularly towards the end. Through Sutton, we learn about Emma’s abandonment by their mother, her life in foster care, her hopes for a family, her opinion of Sutton, her friends and their lifestyle, and her attraction to a certain, brooding high school hottie, who is so not Sutton’s boyfriend, the guy who Emma has to pretend-be with. Equal parts dreaminess and awkwardness ensue. The best part? You really don’t know who did it. Anyone and everyone is a suspect. The Lying Game is an actual creation of Sutton and her friends, and they treat it like a high school version of Fight Club. It literally makes it impossible to for Emma to trust anyone. Also, death conveniently has rendered Sutton an amnesiac. Her memories ebb and flow throughout, but they’re spotty to say the least. At times, she is as surprised and horrified as Emma is to learn what she did to others when she lived, and you soon learn that any number of people may have wanted her dead. The facts of what Sutton did are mostly only alluded to and vaguely referenced, though, which frustrates both sisters and impedes Emma’s investigation. It ends in a grand manner, and you are not much closer to the truth than Emma was when she first arrived in Arizona. Never have I ever read a mean girls thriller more fun that this. I can’t wait for the sequel.I’m hooked. Game on, Ms. Shepard. Game on.

[girlaboutbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first Sara Shepard novel I've read and I must admit that I do love the TV series, Pretty Little Liars like every one else. I haven't read the books, though, I'm planning to.*There's a teenie-tiny bit of spoilery in this review, just a teenie-tiny bit.I kept on saying how much I love a good mystery novel and Shepard brought me The Lying Game. The Lying Game is a fast-paced, bloodcurdling story. I was hooked by the first page and I knew it's a kind of book I would want to read.The plot is full of drama, secrets, lies and never-ending twist and turns. Along with Emma, I kept on guessing and guessing throughout the whole story but I think none of my guesses were right, but then we'll see. The writing was superb. I just love how Shepard thought of making Sutton as the narrator who is a ghost in the story by the way. I thought it was very innovative and refreshing!However, there were some characters that were a bit off. They appear to be a little bit unreal or exaggerated for me. But then, of course, a little bit of exaggeration adds a spice into the story. I enjoyed Emma, though, as the lead protagonist. She's not one of the "unreal" or "exaggerated" that I was talking about. She's got lots of common sense.Nevertheless, I enjoyed The Lying Game more than I ever thought. I'm rating this 4 out of 5. The story left a huge room for the next book, Never Have I Ever which will be out this April 2011 and I cannot wait to read it! I highly recommend this to those who enjoy a gripping mystery and thriller!Cover Thoughts: 4.5 out of 5 I think it's simply charming, with the black background and with Emma and Sutton's inviting stare, it'll make you grab the book and wonder what it's all about. Plus, it gives the readers a little bit of hint on what the story is all about.*I received this free e-galley from publisher, HarperCollins via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you so much!