Review of THE LIAR SOCIETY with a SIGNED ARC GIVEAWAY

What a long day I had today--actually Wednesday! Got a call at 6 AM--my baby brother's wife was in labor, and I headed up to Chicago not long after to greet the little one. But baby was not born until 12:55 AM Thursday.

Oh gawwwd that was exhausting!!! I still haven't been to bed, and I'm dead on my feet. (Little brother and Sis-in-law are a little tired, too. That's what they hinted at, anyway...) So, I didn't get a chance to post as I'd wanted to--I'll bump that post to Friday. I'll try to have a winner drawn for the Signed copy of XVI on Friday as well. Which reminds me:

1. Today is the last day to enter to win a Signed copy of XVI by Julia Karr!! Please GO HERE to enter! This giveaway is international. You have until midnight to get your entries in with tweets and FB and blog posts, etc. Which reminds me:

2. Today begins my giveaway for a Signed ARC of THE LIAR SOCIETY by Lisa and Laura Roecker!! Please see details below! Which reminds me:

3. I'll be reviewing THE LIAR SOCIETY today for the Bookanistas! Yahoo!! Which reminds me:

4. Welcome, Rosemary Clement-Moore ! Our newest member! We're so glad to have you join the Bookanistas! Which reminds me:


5. Please be sure to check out what the other Bookanistas are recommending today. Don't forget to stop by Myra McEntire's blog to check out her COVER REVEAL!!!!!!!!!

• Christine Fonseca freaks for THE FAMILIARS
• Elana Johnson loves THE LOST SAINT
• Jen Hayley and  Scott Tracey swoon over ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS
• LiLa Roecker dies for DESIRES OF THE DEAD with a fabulous giveaway!
• Shannon Messenger gushes some cover love for HOURGLASS
• Shelli Johannes-Wells is over the moon for ACROSS THE UNIVERSE
• Shana Silver has fallen for FALL FOR ANYTHING
• Kirsten Hubbard is blown away by BLOOD MAGIC
• Myra McEntire reveals her amazing cover for HOURGLASS
• Carrie Harris celebrates XVI
• Jessi Kirby is mesmerized by A BLUE SO DARK
• Rosemary Clement-Moore marvels over MATCHEDWhich reminds me: Check out my review, too:

THE LIAR SOCIETY
by Lisa and Laura Roecker



Goodreads summary: Kate Lowry didn't think dead best friends could send e-mails. But when she gets an e-mail from Grace, she’s not so sure. 

To: KateLowry@pemberlybrown.edu
Sent: Sun 9/14 11:59 PM
From: GraceLee@pemberlybrown.edu
Subject: (no subject)
Kate,
I'm here…
sort of.
Find Cameron.
He knows.
I shouldn't be writing.
Don't tell.
They'll hurt you.


Now Kate has no choice but to prove once and for all that Grace’s death was more than just a tragic accident. But secrets haunt the halls of her elite private school. Secrets people will do anything to protect. Even if it means getting rid of the girl trying to solve a murder...


MY REVIEW
You know, I don't really read a lot of YA mystery. None, actually...which is weird. Because I love mysteries. It's the mystery part of every novel that really sucks me in, that entertains by challenging me to think. I used to devour Nancy Drew books as if they might disappear before I could finish reading them--and my first reading love was Encyclopedia Brown. So what the heck happened? Is it because there aren't a lot of straight up mysteries in YA that I don't read them any more?  Did I get sidetracked by Romance and my unquenchable hormones? Um. Perhaps. It may also be the flash of vampires and dragons and falling-apart future worlds that beckons me like tiny gym shorts for Richard Simmons. Who can say for sure? But I do know one thing: if I can find any more YA mystery books like THE LIAR SOCIETY, I'll be reading every single one of them--and I can't wait for the next one by the Roecker sisters'...

THE LIAR SOCIETY is like Nancy Drew, but way cooler, sassier, and a thousand times funnier--with language that is reflective of REAL teenage voices. And Kate Lowry is the girl we all wish we could be--good looking with a biting wit, razor sharp intelligence and mega attitude. Nobody rocks a set of pearls quite like Kate Lowry. The only problem is she's an outcast forced (by necessity and pity) to rely on the biggest nerd in the school (who nearly pooped his pants at one point, which OHMYWORD, had me cracking up so badly, I nearly po...well.) And the setting couldn't get any cooler either: Pemberly Brown, an elite private school set in...Cleveland. Not Beverly Hills, not Boston. But freaking Cleveland. Now how refreshing is that? You should see what Kate thinks about it...

Which reminds me. Let's get back to Kate for a minute.  I mean, the mystery was great. LOVED the whole premise--the clues, the twists, the danger, and the who-dun-it-what's-gonna-happen questions that drive you forward hunting for answers. There's also a romantic element that adds a lovely degree of tension and intrigue. But I'll be honest--Kate totally made this book. Her voice is so distinct and appealing. She's one of those people you wish you had in your life, just because she would make everything sparkle a little bit brighter...the kind of person that makes you laugh until you pee at everything you probably shouldn't laugh at simply by stating her slightly slanted, unfiltered view of the world. I laughed in much the same way that I laughed reading ANNA AND THE FRENCH KISS or even WILL GRAYSON, WILL GRAYSON--both of these being stories that were taken to the next level of AWEsome by the voices of the protagonists.

But Kate's voice is one that alters, too--not the sarcasm or the wit, which is just a natural part of her--but her view of those around her as well as her self-confidence. It's seeing this progression and  subtle maturation that keeps her dynamic and fluid, a being capable of change, and thus someone we can care about beyond the laughs. And for me, a book is all about the characters. But lucky for you, THE LIAR SOCIETY has a plot that will leave you guessing and reguessing as well, just as any fabulous mystery should.

********************

To Enter to win a Signed ARC of THE LIAR SOCIETY, please fill out the embedded form below which will be emailed to me (mainly so you don't have to expose your email in my comments section).

Thank You!  Giveaway ends February 6, 2011. Open Internationally!