The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager

Looking for a summer-themed read? Look no further than this book! This one will throw you right back to your childhood summer camps days. Only, this book is way more intense than any camp you’ve ever went to.

Thanks Dutton Books for allowing me to read this in exchange for my honest review.

This book has two stories taking place at once. One story follows Emma as a little girl attending a prestigious summer camp. She becomes close with her bunkmates until one night, all the girls except her leave wihtout a trace. Emma thinks it has something to do with a boy she saw hooking up with one of the girls (Vivian), but does she really have enough proof? The other story follows Emma as an adult. She has been invited back to the camp (the camp is being re-opened for the first time since the dissapearance of the girls during her time spent there). Emma because the artistic camp counselor and bunks with the girls she’s watching over. Of course, the unthinkable happens…..(read to find out!) Now Emma has some more clues to try to figure out what’s really been happening at Camp Nightingale.

The first part of the book had me hooked. Once Emma got to camp, I felt like it slowed down a little for me. I felt like it dragged out the story line, although I was probably just more anxious to find out what she was going to find out by returning to camp. The point of the long backstory was to really paint a picture for the surprise twist in the end, which was surprising! I’ve seen other reviews where people have complained about multiple characters, but that added so much depth to the story which made you feel like you were right at camp with them.

What a twisted ending, in more ways than one! I will say that I’m not a huge fan of two stories going on at once. I probably would’ve appreciated reading each story separately. Nevertheless, it was a perfect summer read and it left me with goosebumps! A chilling tale for sure!

4/5 Stars