To say I have complicated thoughts about this book would be an understatement. This is a book that I absolutely should have given 1 star, based on how I have previously rated books. Somehow, though, this book managed to entertain me enough to give it 2 stars. 

 

Let me explain. This book has a lot of cheap plot twists that come out of nowhere and make no sense. There is absolutely zero character development and there is not a single character to like. Also, the ending is ridiculously unrealistic and comes out of left field. That being said, it still charmed me and shocked me enough for me to give it a semi-decent rating. 

 

That was a lot of information, so let’s unpack it. First, the plot twists. Of course, unexpected plot twists can be fantastic, when they are done right. The plot twists in this book generally have nothing leading up to them and are completely out of line with what we know about the characters so far. This is probably the biggest reason that this book did not get a higher rating from me. 

 

Now, the characters. A good portion of the beginning of this book is told in flashbacks that, for anyone else, would be life altering; and while these events may have changed the life of the character, they did not change the personality, habits or thinking patterns of the characters at all. It is as if the characters experience these major events and just move on with their day. From the beginning to the end of this book, these characters are the exact same people. 

 

Finally, the ending. I try my best to keep these reviews spoiler free, and I will do the same with this review, while simultaneously trying to explain why the ending of this book made me so mad. The ending of this book is so totally out of character, undoes any progress that the characters may have started towards, and should have way more consequences than there actually were. 

Despite all of this, I did like the writing style and overall plotline enough to give this book 2 stars. Would I read another book by this author? Maybe. It would have to be a really intriguing premise though. Honestly, there is not much else to say about this book without spoiling anything. I would probably not recommend this book overall, but I did kind of have a good time reading it. ⅖ stars to The Perfect Liar by Thomas Christopher Greene.