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Seven Ways We Lie
Seven students. Seven (deadly) sins. One secret.
Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—from Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage, to Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.
When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the seven unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.
Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. And like every high school, every student has something to hide—from Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage, to Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal.
When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. For the seven unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.
343 pages, Hardcover
First published March 8, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,219 reviews
June 10, 2017
HOLY CRAP I LOVED THIS BOOK WAY MORE THAN I THOUGHT I WOULD. I picked this one up on a whim and my goodness, it's one of the best debut novels I've ever read. I legitimately could not put this book down and it was all I thought about during the days I was reading.
I love the fact that each protagonist represented one of the seven deadly sins. Originally, I was afraid these characters would ONLY be lust, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, wrath, and pride, but they really were individual characters that were so much more than just an archetype. I also felt that this is probably one of the most accurate groups of high school students that I've seen in YA. There are characters that drink, and characters that don't. There are characters that smoke, and characters that don't. There are characters that have sex, and character's that don't. It was a really well-rounded cast of characters that accounted for a lot of high school experiences.
Olivia - MY TEEN FEMINIST QUEEN. I really really loved her character. I aspire to have her level of confidence and compassion. I'm so happy to find a girl who is not ashamed of expressing her sexuality and wears it with pride. I'm all for women embracing their sex lives and not tolerating sexist shit.
Matt - WHAT A CUTIE. Matt is your high school's stereotypical stoner, but he's got so many more levels to his character. He truly cares about those in his life and goes through a lot of character development through some difficult situations.
Kat - Olivia's could-not-be-more-different twin sister. I love that we get a thespian character because theater is such a huge part of high school for some, and we rarely see teens performing in plays in YA! She's also a gamer, which was a nice addition too. Kat's hard to love sometimes, being constantly pissed off by everything, but watching her soften up was such a pleasure.
Lucas - PANSEXUAL BB. Lucas is the effortlessly likeable kid (though that may be attributed to his side business, if you know what I mean) but I think he's an extremely genuine character. He's nice to everyone, he's anything but judgmental, and I loved getting to know him in this story.
Claire - My least favorite character of the story. Clarie is so unbelievably envious and judgmental of everyone in her life, and it was a PAIN to read. In my opinion, she's really difficult to like but nearing the end of the story, she was more tolerable.
Juniper - I feel I didn't get to know her as much as the rest of the cast. I felt she had much fewer chapters in her perspective, and I believe they're also the only ones written in verse? (I could be wrong about it being in verse per say, but her POV is absolutely more flowery, shorter, and it's not written in paragraphs like most novels.) I would have liked to get to know Juniper more because she just sort of sits to the side of the story despite being an extremely crucial character.
Valentine - ANOTHER PRECIOUS BABY. If I am correct, Valentine is somewhere on the autism spectrum and spends the novel discovering that he is aromantic/asexual. (None of this is explicit on the page, but I'm referencing this interview from the author where she confirms this). That being said, I think there is enough on the page alluding to these parts of Valentine's identity that most readers would be able to pick up on it. Valentine is a straight up cutie and I gained a lot of respect for him throughout the novel.
There are a few warnings I want to put on this book.
1. There's a TON of slut-shaming. Olivia doesn't hide her active sex life, which (unfortunately and undeservingly) invites a lot of hurtful comments from her classmates, and even her friends. I do believe this book doesn't condone those comments, but they serve as a very obvious point as to WHY slut-shaming isn't okay. Certain narrators in the book often condemn these remarks, so I was satisfied with how this topic was handled.
2. A character is outed by another character in this book, which can be a really upsetting scene for some to read. Again, this act is definitely not condoned in the book by multiple characters, though still extremely uncomfortable. If you've read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the reactions of the person being outed are fairly similar in these two books if that helps you put into perspective what to anticipate.
Overall, I LOVED this book. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun yet intense YA contemporary with a more diverse set of characters!
I love the fact that each protagonist represented one of the seven deadly sins. Originally, I was afraid these characters would ONLY be lust, greed, envy, sloth, gluttony, wrath, and pride, but they really were individual characters that were so much more than just an archetype. I also felt that this is probably one of the most accurate groups of high school students that I've seen in YA. There are characters that drink, and characters that don't. There are characters that smoke, and characters that don't. There are characters that have sex, and character's that don't. It was a really well-rounded cast of characters that accounted for a lot of high school experiences.
Olivia - MY TEEN FEMINIST QUEEN. I really really loved her character. I aspire to have her level of confidence and compassion. I'm so happy to find a girl who is not ashamed of expressing her sexuality and wears it with pride. I'm all for women embracing their sex lives and not tolerating sexist shit.
Matt - WHAT A CUTIE. Matt is your high school's stereotypical stoner, but he's got so many more levels to his character. He truly cares about those in his life and goes through a lot of character development through some difficult situations.
Kat - Olivia's could-not-be-more-different twin sister. I love that we get a thespian character because theater is such a huge part of high school for some, and we rarely see teens performing in plays in YA! She's also a gamer, which was a nice addition too. Kat's hard to love sometimes, being constantly pissed off by everything, but watching her soften up was such a pleasure.
Lucas - PANSEXUAL BB. Lucas is the effortlessly likeable kid (though that may be attributed to his side business, if you know what I mean) but I think he's an extremely genuine character. He's nice to everyone, he's anything but judgmental, and I loved getting to know him in this story.
Claire - My least favorite character of the story. Clarie is so unbelievably envious and judgmental of everyone in her life, and it was a PAIN to read. In my opinion, she's really difficult to like but nearing the end of the story, she was more tolerable.
Juniper - I feel I didn't get to know her as much as the rest of the cast. I felt she had much fewer chapters in her perspective, and I believe they're also the only ones written in verse? (I could be wrong about it being in verse per say, but her POV is absolutely more flowery, shorter, and it's not written in paragraphs like most novels.) I would have liked to get to know Juniper more because she just sort of sits to the side of the story despite being an extremely crucial character.
Valentine - ANOTHER PRECIOUS BABY. If I am correct, Valentine is somewhere on the autism spectrum and spends the novel discovering that he is aromantic/asexual. (None of this is explicit on the page, but I'm referencing this interview from the author where she confirms this). That being said, I think there is enough on the page alluding to these parts of Valentine's identity that most readers would be able to pick up on it. Valentine is a straight up cutie and I gained a lot of respect for him throughout the novel.
There are a few warnings I want to put on this book.
1. There's a TON of slut-shaming. Olivia doesn't hide her active sex life, which (unfortunately and undeservingly) invites a lot of hurtful comments from her classmates, and even her friends. I do believe this book doesn't condone those comments, but they serve as a very obvious point as to WHY slut-shaming isn't okay. Certain narrators in the book often condemn these remarks, so I was satisfied with how this topic was handled.
2. A character is outed by another character in this book, which can be a really upsetting scene for some to read. Again, this act is definitely not condoned in the book by multiple characters, though still extremely uncomfortable. If you've read Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the reactions of the person being outed are fairly similar in these two books if that helps you put into perspective what to anticipate.
Overall, I LOVED this book. Would definitely recommend to anyone looking for a fun yet intense YA contemporary with a more diverse set of characters!
February 15, 2021
✨ AVAILABLE NOW! ✨
Seven Ways We Lie took me by surprise, because if I'm being completely honest, I didn't expect to enjoy it so much. 7 POVs? So many issues dealt with? I was so ready for the train wreck. It didn't happen.
I'm not gonna lie, arcs can be so stressful. There's just something inherently intimidating in being one of the first to review a book : what if I missed something? What if my rating make people want to read this story only to be disappointed? But then I remember what every reader knows : no matter how hard we try, a review is only the reflect of an opinion. Here's mine.
As I said, usually I can't stand multiple POVs (except in Fantasy), but here I was never confused and Riley Redgate managed to create an original voice for every one of them. This is huge. Each and every one of them is fucked-up in some way or another. Their flaws make them all unlikeable at times, but above that, realistic, genuine and yes, strangely endearing.
► Olivia who has to face tons of shitty comments because of her sexual choices. I can't deny that she was my favorite and I really, really liked her. I don't know, the way she wore her loneliness and how strongly she cared about her sister got to me.
► Matt who's been trying to numb himself for years and nurtures a crush on Olivia without even having talked to her : if you think that's not believable, well, you didn't spend the same adolescence as me >.<
► Juniper whose perfect life is slowly eating at her.
► Claire who endlessly needs to compare, compare, compare herself to others. Oh, Claire, you make it so hard to love you. Jealous. Anxious. But so realistic as a teenager whose self-esteem is always challenged and lowered by people around her : her friends, boys. Yet she rambles a lot about her achievements and we get the impression pretty fast that she thinks her treatment/image is unfair. Frankly, she made me feel... uneasy more often than not.
► Lucas whose smile hides so many fears. Lucas who needs to collect both friends and things.
► Kat who doesn't know how to let her anger go. I feel as if I should have been annoyed by her, but I can't. I know how it is to spend whole days gaming to forget real life.
They all have something to add to the story, whether their role is predominant, as Olivia, or mostly used to move the plot. To be honest, I thought I would be annoyed by this convenient way to handle twists but weirdly I wasn't : their apparition did serve a purpose and were short enough to avoid breaking the flow of the story, and in the end, I cared for every one of them, even if I didn't agree with all their choices, by far.
Indeed I really appreciated the different voices and in that sense I was pleased by the writing : nothing spectacular, yet it has this compelling quality I often fail to find in high school stories because they're so cliché. However, I didn't quite understand the need for Juniper's POV to be written in a poetry fashion (it wasn't annoying per se, but so random, now who am I to judge?) and Riley Redgate's writing sometimes felt contrived (not necessarily in a bad way - I enjoyed most of these sayings - but I did notice it). Anyway, I was hooked from the beginning, so what more could I want?
There's no denying that Riley Redgate tried to deal with so many issues that it was a little overwhelming at times and that fatally some of them were not completely tackled. This being said, isn't it how life works? When judging whether the number of issues is believable or not, we have to take into account that we follow seven characters. Do I think that seven teenagers can know each other's, every one of them having to face different problems in life is realistic? Definitely. Of course I do. I genuinely wonder how readers will welcome this, though. So many issues blended together that I can clearly see how it could be seen as weak and poorly treated. Yet it worked surprisingly well for me. Some parts were predictable, others made me grind my teeth, and I had to suspend my disbelief a few times. I still really liked my read, and that's something I'm not willing to dismiss.
Before I let you go, I have to talk about the student-teacher relationship.
1) First of all, I read somewhere that people were baffled by the fact that the teacher in question isn't suspended right away but I'm not sure I understand what's the deal. Nobody knows who did what during most of the book, therefore indeed the teacher in question is not suspended. Which seems pretty understandable to me. Because. Nobody knows it's him/her. So. Obviously.
2) To be completely honest, I'm not sure of what I think about the way it's treated. While the way the head of school is announcing the rumor to the students appeared really unbelievable to me, I never lived that kind of situation so I can't really judge.
3) As for the relationship in itself, do I think it's unhealthy? Yes, but especially because of the way they NEED each other. Need isn't love. This being said, I can't ignore the big elephant hiding in the room and you're probably thinking WTF, ANNA? ISN'T THE TEACHER STATUS THE MOST DISTURBING THING? And yes, of course it is. Though from the way the story unfolds, it's pretty clear there's no abuse of a teacher position towards a student at first, but... See, when you are a teacher you become so accurate in a Guess the age of this child! game. As an elementary teacher I'm rarely wrong with 4-10 yrs old I meet. You are around children so much, you notice the subtle differences. That's why I have a hard time believing that the teacher in question didn't guess that the teenager was under 18 and then possibly his/her student. I can't deny that I felt manipulated into rooting for the teacher at times, and perhaps I'm judgmental, but I don't want to. Whatever happened before, you're the responsible adult and in my book, you'll always be guilty.
Anyway, all of that is to say that I wasn't really convinced on that particular aspect and that I wasn't sold on the ending, which was generally way to positive to be completely believable and acceptable.
► I would still recommend this book to every reader who wants to think about what it is to be a teenager these days. On that note, I'll leave the last word to Matt (I have a soft spot for him, I have to admit) :
"Sometimes you go a long time having fooled yourself into thinking that you're as grown-up as you'll ever be, or that you're more mature than the rest of the world thinks you are, and you live in this state of constant self-assurance, and for a while nothing can upset your pedestal you've built for yourself, because you imagine yourself to be so capable. And then somebody does something that takes a golf club to your ego, and suddenly you're nine years old again, pieced together from humiliation and gawky youthfulness and childlike ideas like, Somebody please tell me what to do, nobody taught me how to handle this, God, just look at all the things I still don't understand, and you can't muster up the presence of mind to do anything but stand there, stare, silent, sorry."
Aw, Matt. That never stops, even when you're a grown-up. Life never stops challenging us and the most important knowledge is the fact that we can't know everything. But we have to try anyway.
*arc kindly provided by Amulet books through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*
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May 1, 2020
This was such a fun idea for a book! Seven deadly sins, seven narrators, each embodying a different sin - but not in an obvious, spelled out or gimmicky way. Each character definitely had a well rounded personality and their own storyline going on. I didn't find the 7 narrators confusing to keep track of, but did find each segment to be written with basically the same writing style (besides Juniper), and therefore didn't feel that each character had their own distinct voice. Don't get me wrong though, you could for sure differentiate who was who, and I did have my favourite narrators (Matt was a stand out) but I could see how maybe the author favoured certain characters over others, putting more effort into how their chapters were written, and leaving the 4 others with a very similar tone.
February 10, 2017
Seven Ways We Lie was purchased and thrust into my unwitting hands by the lovely Sass, one of my favourite book pushers, as an early Christmas present. Despite the fact that I don’t read contemporary. Despite the fact that I have no interest in Teacher/Student relationships, despite the fact that I’m a miserable miser who hasn’t properly picked up a book in almost a year.
Everyone needs a Sass in their lives. Apparently, I needed this book too.
Reading this world set in Paloma Heights was like a breath of fresh air. Feminist, flawed characters, real pain, and secrets. So many secrets. There we some characters I liked right away (Olivia) and some characters I took a long time to like (Claire). And some I just plain never understood (Juniper). But I could never say I walked away from this book being a lesser person. Despite not liking Claire, I felt like I learned the most from her, felt her pain the most. So even in the parts that made me maddeningly angry, I found something to take away from in this book.
So, the book is about seven students – and one of them is having an affair with a teacher. Each student represents one of the seven deadly sins and most characters, in the end, over come their sin and find a way to heal.
Let me tell you though, that there were things I definitely loved about this book – and one of them was the rep.
First of all, we have a feminist kick ass main character who does not apologise for who she sleeps with, when and where. It was amazing. Then we have a pansexual character which just filled my heart with joy. It’s on the paper, btw. That’s how he ID’s – as pansexual. I could sing with joy.
There is a character who pretty much sings to being Ace but never actually says it on page, this also made me happy for all my Ace friends out there who could do with the rep.
There’s also cultural diversity a little bit which is, not going to lie, much needed to break up the otherwise white bread fest that this book would have been without it.
I thought the book was very well plotted and executed with enough meat to keep it going, unlike a common pitfall of contemporaries where there’s just not enough plot. Yet it still carries the best aspects of a contemporary by making its characters shine, and being character driven.
Over all, I loved this book and highly recommend you put it on your radar.
This review and others like it can be found on my blog .
Everyone needs a Sass in their lives. Apparently, I needed this book too.
Reading this world set in Paloma Heights was like a breath of fresh air. Feminist, flawed characters, real pain, and secrets. So many secrets. There we some characters I liked right away (Olivia) and some characters I took a long time to like (Claire). And some I just plain never understood (Juniper). But I could never say I walked away from this book being a lesser person. Despite not liking Claire, I felt like I learned the most from her, felt her pain the most. So even in the parts that made me maddeningly angry, I found something to take away from in this book.
So, the book is about seven students – and one of them is having an affair with a teacher. Each student represents one of the seven deadly sins and most characters, in the end, over come their sin and find a way to heal.
Let me tell you though, that there were things I definitely loved about this book – and one of them was the rep.
First of all, we have a feminist kick ass main character who does not apologise for who she sleeps with, when and where. It was amazing. Then we have a pansexual character which just filled my heart with joy. It’s on the paper, btw. That’s how he ID’s – as pansexual. I could sing with joy.
There is a character who pretty much sings to being Ace but never actually says it on page, this also made me happy for all my Ace friends out there who could do with the rep.
There’s also cultural diversity a little bit which is, not going to lie, much needed to break up the otherwise white bread fest that this book would have been without it.
I thought the book was very well plotted and executed with enough meat to keep it going, unlike a common pitfall of contemporaries where there’s just not enough plot. Yet it still carries the best aspects of a contemporary by making its characters shine, and being character driven.
Over all, I loved this book and highly recommend you put it on your radar.
This review and others like it can be found on my blog .
May 10, 2018
RATING: 4.5/5
This needs to be more popular! It’s truly amazing. There’s so much character development and it really makes you reflect on the seven sins, specially envy and lust.
Plot-wise, not much happened but I never felt like it was stuck. Every chapter was griping; the author did a fantastic job at making each POV unique and recognizable. I tend to get overwhelmed when reading books with multiple perspectives but this one was super easy to get through. Also, the slut shaming was handled very well.
Definitely recommend this! I’m so glad I saw this book while watching Booktube☺️
This needs to be more popular! It’s truly amazing. There’s so much character development and it really makes you reflect on the seven sins, specially envy and lust.
Plot-wise, not much happened but I never felt like it was stuck. Every chapter was griping; the author did a fantastic job at making each POV unique and recognizable. I tend to get overwhelmed when reading books with multiple perspectives but this one was super easy to get through. Also, the slut shaming was handled very well.
Definitely recommend this! I’m so glad I saw this book while watching Booktube☺️
October 1, 2015
Such amazing characterization. I've never seen multiple viewpoints handled more deftly.
September 12, 2017
Definitely prefer Redgate's second novel, Noteworthy!
July 13, 2023
4.5 stars
Brilliant ... and polarizing.
You will love it ... or you will hate it.
I loved it.
Brilliant ... and polarizing.
You will love it ... or you will hate it.
I loved it.
August 19, 2016
This is one of those books people might have mixed feelings about overall, but will find a lot to appreciate within. Seven POVs are a lot, and I didn't need all of them, but I think everyone brings something to the table at points. The most standout things for me were that a character actually IDs as pansexual ON THE PAGE, complete with frustration about people not understanding the label, trying to label him bi rather than pan, etc., and that another character can definitely be read as aromatic asexual. (No label used there, but both one character knowing his label and another not is very consistent with the characters.)
The big question with 7 POVs is always "Did the author actually differentiate their voices well?" and I think for the most part the answer is really yes, here. Matt's rambling speech when he's high, Juniper's chapters being told in verse, Valentine having his own stiff quirks (there's a line about him only recently learning sarcasm that made me wonder if he's supposed to be read as an aspie, but I feel like that would be in the text?)... I think all those things work. We don't get to know the characters as well as we would with fewer POVs, which feels unfortunate, but I also appreciate that it feels unfortunate because it means I actually liked/was interested in them, if not as invested as I would be if they'd each gotten more focus. There's a lot of stuff in here - drug dealing, binge drinking, video game addiction, promiscuity - and I think it's all stuff that would've benefited from more time and attention. (Though I don't say that with a tone of "the author should've been more sensitive to this stuff"; I think she did a good job with the space allotted each character. Just makes me think how much more she could've done with each individual one.)
I come out firmly on the side of rec-ing this one to readers who like upper YA content, which is obviously my crack. And I really, really hope everyone who's been looking for the word "pansexual" on the page knows to pick this book up so they can finally see it.
The big question with 7 POVs is always "Did the author actually differentiate their voices well?" and I think for the most part the answer is really yes, here. Matt's rambling speech when he's high, Juniper's chapters being told in verse, Valentine having his own stiff quirks (there's a line about him only recently learning sarcasm that made me wonder if he's supposed to be read as an aspie, but I feel like that would be in the text?)... I think all those things work. We don't get to know the characters as well as we would with fewer POVs, which feels unfortunate, but I also appreciate that it feels unfortunate because it means I actually liked/was interested in them, if not as invested as I would be if they'd each gotten more focus. There's a lot of stuff in here - drug dealing, binge drinking, video game addiction, promiscuity - and I think it's all stuff that would've benefited from more time and attention. (Though I don't say that with a tone of "the author should've been more sensitive to this stuff"; I think she did a good job with the space allotted each character. Just makes me think how much more she could've done with each individual one.)
I come out firmly on the side of rec-ing this one to readers who like upper YA content, which is obviously my crack. And I really, really hope everyone who's been looking for the word "pansexual" on the page knows to pick this book up so they can finally see it.
September 28, 2018
Oh hey look it's me coming at you with a review nearly six months after I finished this book...I'm sure this will go well.
So this is going to be short and sweet hopefully! I really did enjoy this book but I#m going to struggle to be specific. Sorry!
This was a really interesting look at highschool life. I loved the characters and spent a lot of time trying to decide who was each specific sin before coming to the conclusion that although some were more one than the other, most of them were a combination of all of them.
I had no idea the person having the affair with the teacher was the person it turned out to be but it did kind of make sense. And it was nice that, even thought sleeping with your student is all kinds of wrong, they genuinely did care about each other. It was nice that they left that door open and he moved away and gave her space, but there was the potential for themto come back together later down the line. Her parents allowed that door to remain open which is an interesting take on it and different to the usual representation. Don't get me wrong, what they did was wrong, but it was nice to think that maybe, even though it started in the wrong way, it could grow into something later down the line.
I have no more to add because it's been so bloody long but yeah, I enjoyed it :)
* * * * * * * *
Thoroughly enjoyed this. RTC
So this is going to be short and sweet hopefully! I really did enjoy this book but I#m going to struggle to be specific. Sorry!
This was a really interesting look at highschool life. I loved the characters and spent a lot of time trying to decide who was each specific sin before coming to the conclusion that although some were more one than the other, most of them were a combination of all of them.
I had no idea the person having the affair with the teacher was the person it turned out to be but it did kind of make sense. And it was nice that, even thought sleeping with your student is all kinds of wrong, they genuinely did care about each other. It was nice that they left that door open and he moved away and gave her space, but there was the potential for themto come back together later down the line. Her parents allowed that door to remain open which is an interesting take on it and different to the usual representation. Don't get me wrong, what they did was wrong, but it was nice to think that maybe, even though it started in the wrong way, it could grow into something later down the line.
I have no more to add because it's been so bloody long but yeah, I enjoyed it :)
* * * * * * * *
Thoroughly enjoyed this. RTC
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 20, 2016
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Beware spoilers ahead!
I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids in exchange for an honest review.
I had first heard of this book through Anna's review . Click on her name to read her review! When I read her review I liked the sounds of the plot. But I didn't think much of it afterwards. I went through Netgalley and saw it there. At that point I forgot what happened in it and what was mentioned in the review I read. On a whim I requested it. I am very happy I did so because this book was lovely!
This book is written in first person and it switches between seven people's point of views. I know that is sounds like a lot to take in but the author pulled this off.
The first point of view we get is Olivia. All the students are being called for an assembly. The vice principle announces that the school has received word through an anonymous person that a teacher is having an affair with a student. The students are in shock and the assembly is dismissed.
Olivia and one of her best friends Juniper exit the assembly in a trance. They have no idea who the teacher and student could be. They meet up with their other friend Claire and they agree to see each other in a bit.
Claire has convinced them to run for student president along with herself. Olivia has no interest in doing so but agrees because it is what Claire wants. When they reach the room the other candidate Matt has not shown up. Olivia is sexually active and Claire tends to get into a fight with her about it. Which is what happens the minute they see that Matt hasn't shown up.
Juniper disrupts the two and they all agree to leave. Lately Olivia and Claire have been arguing a lot. It started some time after Claire broke up with her long time boyfriend Lucas. Olivia has tried calmly explaining to her that it is her choice to be sexually active but Claire doesn't seem to get it. Juniper and Olivia hope that this will all work itself out so that they can go back to being good friends.
I am going to stop right there. There are seven different characters so instead of focusing on the point of views I'll tell you a little bit about the characters.
Like I mentioned earlier Olivia is sexually active. She is not ashamed of being so in fact she's quite comfortable with it. The way she sees it it's her body and she can make her choices based on that.
I was surprisingly comfortable with reading Olivia's point of view. I would say that she was one of my favorite point of views to read about. Which lead to me loving her character!
Matt has had this crush on Olivia for a very long time. Even though he hasn't talked to her once. He thinks it doesn't make any sense but can't stop himself. When his best friend Burke signs him up for student president he actually has a chance to talk to her. To help things even more the two are partnered up for an english assignment. Now all he has to do is make decent conversation with her without offending her.
Matt was sweet. And I liked how despite the fact that he has this huge crush on Olivia he doesn't kiss up to her. He speaks his mind.
Kat (Olivia's twin sister) would much rather play games and perform in theater rather than do anything else. She skips school whenever she feels like to stay at home and play games. She isn't the best sister or daughter but she does not care. She is drained every single day. And it doesn't help that her sister keeps trying to talk to her about her problems. As far as Kat's concerned their family has never been the same since their mother left and does not contact them.
I was surprised yet again that I grew to love Kat's character! I didn't like her at first because she was so mean to Olivia but she grew on me. As I continued to read I understood her better.
Lucas (Claire's ex-boyfriend) is Mr. Sociable and Mr. Smiles. He's nice to everybody and very sociable. He collects friends like a reader would collect books. He doesn't seem to like being alone. He is also the school's drug dealer. There's more to his break-up with Claire than anyone knows.
To be honest I didn't like Lucas. I was put off with his friend collecting habit. I did start feeling bad for him later on but that's about it. Although I can't deny that he wasn't realistic.
Valentine's mother is the school's guidance counselor. He was the one who reported the student teacher affair. He was passing by one day and overheard a conversation. A girl was explaining that she was being very careful about their relationship. He got scared and ran before he could find out who the girl was as well as the teacher she was talking to. He is not good with people. He would much rather read books or do his homework then interact with his fellow peers. As far as he's concerned the people he goes to high school with are all stupid.
I found myself liking Valentine! While I like interacting with people there are times when I would much rather be home and just relax. Other times I have no interest in leaving my house. His point of views was by far the most interesting to read about!
Claire has been a mess since her break-up. She has started feeling insecure about her looks after the break-up. She has a feeling that Lucas had feelings for someone else. Which would explain his line when he was dumping her "You can't compare..." She also feels like her friendship with Olivia and Juniper won't last very long. They seem to keep secrets from her and tell each other.
When I first started reading Claire's point of view I actually liked her. It wasn't mentioned that she compared herself to Juniper and Olivia, just that she was insecure about her looks and where she stood with her friends. Then it switched gears and she was jealous of Olivia and Juniper. I also felt that her character was for the sake of a plot device. I think that the author could've done more with her character. Despite this she was very realistic.
Juniper may look like she has it all together but she does not. Lately she's been feeling depressed, and lonely. She has also started drinking a lot. It seems to make her forget what's bothering her. She also starts focusing on her school work to avoid everything that's making her upset.
Junipers point of view was weird to read about. It seemed to be written like a poem. Her character remains a mystery for the majority of the book. You do get to understand her which was nice. She had a lot of depth. She was also very understanding. I liked her!
Everything about this book was realistic! Even some of the smallest things like how the students reacted to taking a survey about the student teacher affair. All of the main characters are someone you have met in your life. Even if they aren't appealing.
I loved how the author was able to create a distinct voice between the characters! Some of the chapters were written differently to show us the character. The student teacher affair was also very well done. I liked how it wasn't romanticized but instead acknowledged as unprofessional. You do find out who the student and the teacher is. I found that the characters reactions to this revelation were realistic.
Overall this was a fantastic book! I recommend this to everyone because there is something in it that you will all like and relate to!
Fafa's Book Corner (Blogger)
Beware spoilers ahead!
I received this E-ARC via Netgalley and ABRAMS Kids in exchange for an honest review.
I had first heard of this book through Anna's review . Click on her name to read her review! When I read her review I liked the sounds of the plot. But I didn't think much of it afterwards. I went through Netgalley and saw it there. At that point I forgot what happened in it and what was mentioned in the review I read. On a whim I requested it. I am very happy I did so because this book was lovely!
This book is written in first person and it switches between seven people's point of views. I know that is sounds like a lot to take in but the author pulled this off.
The first point of view we get is Olivia. All the students are being called for an assembly. The vice principle announces that the school has received word through an anonymous person that a teacher is having an affair with a student. The students are in shock and the assembly is dismissed.
Olivia and one of her best friends Juniper exit the assembly in a trance. They have no idea who the teacher and student could be. They meet up with their other friend Claire and they agree to see each other in a bit.
Claire has convinced them to run for student president along with herself. Olivia has no interest in doing so but agrees because it is what Claire wants. When they reach the room the other candidate Matt has not shown up. Olivia is sexually active and Claire tends to get into a fight with her about it. Which is what happens the minute they see that Matt hasn't shown up.
Juniper disrupts the two and they all agree to leave. Lately Olivia and Claire have been arguing a lot. It started some time after Claire broke up with her long time boyfriend Lucas. Olivia has tried calmly explaining to her that it is her choice to be sexually active but Claire doesn't seem to get it. Juniper and Olivia hope that this will all work itself out so that they can go back to being good friends.
I am going to stop right there. There are seven different characters so instead of focusing on the point of views I'll tell you a little bit about the characters.
Like I mentioned earlier Olivia is sexually active. She is not ashamed of being so in fact she's quite comfortable with it. The way she sees it it's her body and she can make her choices based on that.
I was surprisingly comfortable with reading Olivia's point of view. I would say that she was one of my favorite point of views to read about. Which lead to me loving her character!
Matt has had this crush on Olivia for a very long time. Even though he hasn't talked to her once. He thinks it doesn't make any sense but can't stop himself. When his best friend Burke signs him up for student president he actually has a chance to talk to her. To help things even more the two are partnered up for an english assignment. Now all he has to do is make decent conversation with her without offending her.
Matt was sweet. And I liked how despite the fact that he has this huge crush on Olivia he doesn't kiss up to her. He speaks his mind.
Kat (Olivia's twin sister) would much rather play games and perform in theater rather than do anything else. She skips school whenever she feels like to stay at home and play games. She isn't the best sister or daughter but she does not care. She is drained every single day. And it doesn't help that her sister keeps trying to talk to her about her problems. As far as Kat's concerned their family has never been the same since their mother left and does not contact them.
I was surprised yet again that I grew to love Kat's character! I didn't like her at first because she was so mean to Olivia but she grew on me. As I continued to read I understood her better.
Lucas (Claire's ex-boyfriend) is Mr. Sociable and Mr. Smiles. He's nice to everybody and very sociable. He collects friends like a reader would collect books. He doesn't seem to like being alone. He is also the school's drug dealer. There's more to his break-up with Claire than anyone knows.
To be honest I didn't like Lucas. I was put off with his friend collecting habit. I did start feeling bad for him later on but that's about it. Although I can't deny that he wasn't realistic.
Valentine's mother is the school's guidance counselor. He was the one who reported the student teacher affair. He was passing by one day and overheard a conversation. A girl was explaining that she was being very careful about their relationship. He got scared and ran before he could find out who the girl was as well as the teacher she was talking to. He is not good with people. He would much rather read books or do his homework then interact with his fellow peers. As far as he's concerned the people he goes to high school with are all stupid.
I found myself liking Valentine! While I like interacting with people there are times when I would much rather be home and just relax. Other times I have no interest in leaving my house. His point of views was by far the most interesting to read about!
Claire has been a mess since her break-up. She has started feeling insecure about her looks after the break-up. She has a feeling that Lucas had feelings for someone else. Which would explain his line when he was dumping her "You can't compare..." She also feels like her friendship with Olivia and Juniper won't last very long. They seem to keep secrets from her and tell each other.
When I first started reading Claire's point of view I actually liked her. It wasn't mentioned that she compared herself to Juniper and Olivia, just that she was insecure about her looks and where she stood with her friends. Then it switched gears and she was jealous of Olivia and Juniper. I also felt that her character was for the sake of a plot device. I think that the author could've done more with her character. Despite this she was very realistic.
Juniper may look like she has it all together but she does not. Lately she's been feeling depressed, and lonely. She has also started drinking a lot. It seems to make her forget what's bothering her. She also starts focusing on her school work to avoid everything that's making her upset.
Junipers point of view was weird to read about. It seemed to be written like a poem. Her character remains a mystery for the majority of the book. You do get to understand her which was nice. She had a lot of depth. She was also very understanding. I liked her!
Everything about this book was realistic! Even some of the smallest things like how the students reacted to taking a survey about the student teacher affair. All of the main characters are someone you have met in your life. Even if they aren't appealing.
I loved how the author was able to create a distinct voice between the characters! Some of the chapters were written differently to show us the character. The student teacher affair was also very well done. I liked how it wasn't romanticized but instead acknowledged as unprofessional. You do find out who the student and the teacher is. I found that the characters reactions to this revelation were realistic.
Overall this was a fantastic book! I recommend this to everyone because there is something in it that you will all like and relate to!
January 10, 2016
This book. Wow. This book was surprisingly good. Like what I keep saying over and over again, Contemporary is the least genre I like but ironically, this is also one of the genre I've read that hasn't angered and disappoints me(I hope I don't jinx my luck by mentioning it). Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I've not read that many books in this genre. But right now, I'm just so glad I've got the chance to read Seven Ways We Lie. I regret that I wasn't able to read it right after getting a copy from Netgalley.
One of the best thing about this book that captured my interest was the fact that it is narrated in not 2 or 3 but 7 POV's. And mind you, it was done wonderfully well. The author has given them different and unique personalities that made them remarkable and realistic. You would've probably guess(with its striking cover) that each character represents the 7 deadly since, a fresh take in this genre if you ask me, made it more unique and interesting. Although the book didn't actually broaden the sins as I expected it to be, it still didn't disappoints as the problems and issues included were crazily good and relatable AF.
Now, let's get to the part that messed this book up for me that I ended up giving it a 3 star rating after my love for this book. It wasn't because of the scandal that was tackled in the book. I think it was perfectly Ok and handled with sensitivity that I don't think it was a big deal at all. It was mostly because I felt robbed! I was enjoying the book so much, devouring the words per pages, then all of sudden, everyone seems to have realized their mistakes so fast. It's like someone slapped reason to their faces that they suddenly realized where they doing it wrong.
But regardless of my problems, I still enjoy this book a lot and I definitely recommend it to everyone. If I, who don't usually read contemporary YA book liked it, I'm betting those who loved this genre will loved this book even more!
P.S My favorite POV was from Matt! The guy's deep, or was it the pot?
One of the best thing about this book that captured my interest was the fact that it is narrated in not 2 or 3 but 7 POV's. And mind you, it was done wonderfully well. The author has given them different and unique personalities that made them remarkable and realistic. You would've probably guess(with its striking cover) that each character represents the 7 deadly since, a fresh take in this genre if you ask me, made it more unique and interesting. Although the book didn't actually broaden the sins as I expected it to be, it still didn't disappoints as the problems and issues included were crazily good and relatable AF.
"Sometimes you go a long time having fooled yourself into thinking that you're as grown-up as you'll ever be, or that you're more mature than the rest of the world thinks you are, and you live in this state of constant self-assurance, and for a while nothing can upset your pedestal you've built for yourself, because you imagine yourself to be so capable"Ha! You said it buddy.
Now, let's get to the part that messed this book up for me that I ended up giving it a 3 star rating after my love for this book. It wasn't because of the scandal that was tackled in the book. I think it was perfectly Ok and handled with sensitivity that I don't think it was a big deal at all. It was mostly because I felt robbed! I was enjoying the book so much, devouring the words per pages, then all of sudden, everyone seems to have realized their mistakes so fast. It's like someone slapped reason to their faces that they suddenly realized where they doing it wrong.
"I should have realized it before, realized that I spend every second trying to escape myself. I'm all I've got anymore, and I don't even want me."It would have been touching, if not because of the fact that everyone realized their mistakes at the same time, and I'm not just talking in a literal matter. I mean, the trigger wasn't that believable and besides, I think it's anticlimactic.
But regardless of my problems, I still enjoy this book a lot and I definitely recommend it to everyone. If I, who don't usually read contemporary YA book liked it, I'm betting those who loved this genre will loved this book even more!
P.S My favorite POV was from Matt! The guy's deep, or was it the pot?
July 30, 2017
Trigger warnings: Parental abandonment, outing of LGBTQIA+ characters, student/teacher romantic relationship, slut shaming, alcohol abuse.
3.5 stars.
I sped through this in a couple of hours. Aaaand I have kind of mixed feelings about it...
THE GOOD:
- Characters who represent the Seven Deadly Sins.
- Pansexual representation.
- Matt. He was an adorable little cinnamon roll and an amazing big brother and I loved him.
- The friendship between Lucas and Valentine. Bless.
- The seven different narratives cutting back and forth.
THE BAD:
- Claire. Holy fuck, I hated Claire. I wanted to punch her judgemental face every damn time she was on the page.
- The student/teacher romantic relationship. I FUCKING HATE THAT SHIT. STOP ROMANTICISING IT. I don't give a flying fuck how young the teacher is. It's still disgusting and I don't want it in what I read.
- It took a long ass time to get started.
So yeah. I liked it. But I haaaaaaaaated certain elements and certain characters. And it probably didn't help that I'd done the update for my mandatory reporting child protection and safety training on the day I read this...
3.5 stars.
I sped through this in a couple of hours. Aaaand I have kind of mixed feelings about it...
THE GOOD:
- Characters who represent the Seven Deadly Sins.
- Pansexual representation.
- Matt. He was an adorable little cinnamon roll and an amazing big brother and I loved him.
- The friendship between Lucas and Valentine. Bless.
- The seven different narratives cutting back and forth.
THE BAD:
- Claire. Holy fuck, I hated Claire. I wanted to punch her judgemental face every damn time she was on the page.
- The student/teacher romantic relationship. I FUCKING HATE THAT SHIT. STOP ROMANTICISING IT. I don't give a flying fuck how young the teacher is. It's still disgusting and I don't want it in what I read.
- It took a long ass time to get started.
So yeah. I liked it. But I haaaaaaaaated certain elements and certain characters. And it probably didn't help that I'd done the update for my mandatory reporting child protection and safety training on the day I read this...
August 18, 2017
5 / 5
read this in a matter of a few hours, and loved every second. perhaps not as 'omg #dramatic' as i assumed it would be from the blurb (think dawson's creek level drama as opposed to gossip girl, u feel), but i didn't mind one bit.
the different POV's were all distinctive and relatable, and I legit love all of the characters (especially valentine, he stole my heart. ((perhaps not claire tho, bc her dick move was p damn dickish)))
full review (with proper grammar) to come maybe when i get to a computer... then again perhaps not bc apathy has taken over my life and publicly posting my opinions on things always gives me anxiety, so who knows my dudes
read this in a matter of a few hours, and loved every second. perhaps not as 'omg #dramatic' as i assumed it would be from the blurb (think dawson's creek level drama as opposed to gossip girl, u feel), but i didn't mind one bit.
the different POV's were all distinctive and relatable, and I legit love all of the characters (especially valentine, he stole my heart. ((perhaps not claire tho, bc her dick move was p damn dickish)))
full review (with proper grammar) to come maybe when i get to a computer... then again perhaps not bc apathy has taken over my life and publicly posting my opinions on things always gives me anxiety, so who knows my dudes
May 24, 2016
An excellent debut with witty dialogue and complex characters. Each of the seven perspectives was unique and original, which is a ridiculously amazing feat. The ending was satisfying and this book had a lot to say about adjusting social opinions with a lot of important messages. Basically, I highly recommend this book!
February 28, 2016
I was so intrigued by the idea behind this book. Seven different perspectives, each embodying one of the seven deadly sins? And one secret binding them all? It’s such a brilliant, ambitious concept, and I was so excited to see how Riley Redgate would pull it off.
Well, pull it off she did. This book gripped my attention from the first page and didn’t get go. I swear, the pages had teeth. As a writer, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to differentiate between different perspectives and make each character’s voice unique. This book took on seven characters and executed each voice brilliantly. My personal favorite was Juniper, the golden girl who isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks. Her voice is pure poetry, dynamic and lyrical, strong and fragile. Some of her lines were so shockingly exquisite that I underlined them to revisit when I need to feel inspired.
The story centers around a scandal at Paloma High—a student-teacher relationship, although the identities of the student and teacher aren’t known at the beginning of the story. I won’t give anything away, but watching the events unfold through seven different perspectives was fascinating. I loved being able to jump from one point of view to the next and interpret things differently depending on the character.
I don’t want to give anything else away about the plot or how each character is involved, but I highly recommend this book—it’s a testament to how a difficult concept can be carried out brilliantly. It’s an example of a writer taking risks and having them pay off. Riley Redgate is the kind of brave writer whose work I’ll definitely keep reading!
Well, pull it off she did. This book gripped my attention from the first page and didn’t get go. I swear, the pages had teeth. As a writer, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to differentiate between different perspectives and make each character’s voice unique. This book took on seven characters and executed each voice brilliantly. My personal favorite was Juniper, the golden girl who isn’t as perfect as everyone thinks. Her voice is pure poetry, dynamic and lyrical, strong and fragile. Some of her lines were so shockingly exquisite that I underlined them to revisit when I need to feel inspired.
The story centers around a scandal at Paloma High—a student-teacher relationship, although the identities of the student and teacher aren’t known at the beginning of the story. I won’t give anything away, but watching the events unfold through seven different perspectives was fascinating. I loved being able to jump from one point of view to the next and interpret things differently depending on the character.
I don’t want to give anything else away about the plot or how each character is involved, but I highly recommend this book—it’s a testament to how a difficult concept can be carried out brilliantly. It’s an example of a writer taking risks and having them pay off. Riley Redgate is the kind of brave writer whose work I’ll definitely keep reading!
February 5, 2016
Original Review: The Daydreaming Bookworm
*I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *
*4.5 stars!*
When a scandal hits Paloma High School, it forever changes the lives of seven individuals as try to figure out whose to blame, while all at the same time having to deal with issues of their own.
I was a little put off by this book at first because of the seven POVs. I wasn’t really sure that it was going to work, but it turned out better than I expected! Each character had their own distinct voice so there was no overpowering of POVs. They were each unique and diverse in their own way. These characters were so dimensional, the LAYERS! Chapter after chapter, we got to know a little bit more about each character and even though they all had their separate issues, these issues also connected them and strengthened their bond with one another as they helped each other tackle their problems.
The writing was great. Simple, easy to read and at times, even poetic. From slut-shaming, to dysfunctional families, this book tackles and number of issues. There is a teacher-student relationship in this book and while I was not a fan, it did make for a crazy PLOT TWIST!
By the time I reached the 50% mark, there was a lot of hyperventilating and use of explicit language because SH!T HIT THE FAN! I could not put this book down and I was just hoping that everything worked out in the end!
♥ Olivia: FAVORITE character out of the bunch! Olivia is not only tying to keep her family from falling apart, but she also has to deal with being slut-shamed by her peers. I have to say, Olivia is one TOUGH cookie! Even with everything that is going on in her personal life, she still finds a way to help her friends with their issues. She is also the character I related most to.
♥ Matt: Hoping to end the non-stop fighting between his parents, Matt struggles to find a way to tell his parents how their constant bickering is affecting both him and his little brother. I wanted to write Matt off as your typical “stoner-boy” at the beginning, but I’m glad that I didn’t because there is more to him than meets the eye.
♥ Kat: Still harboring feelings of hate after being abandoned by her mother, Kat isolates herself from reality and spends most of her time in the gaming world. The only time she feels like herself is when she is on stage, playing the role of someone else. Kat’s attitude seriously PISSED me off throughout this book, but at the same time, I understood why she felt that way. I loved reading about the moment where she realizes that people DO care for her and that even though she doesn’t have her mother, she still has a family.
♥ Lucas: Comfortable in his own skin, but not comfortable enough to let others know who he truly is, Lucas tries to find a balance between “being who others perceive him to be” and “being who he really is" . I REALLY liked Lucas. His personality was my favorite thing about him. I’m really happy with how things turned out for him, even though it may not have been how he wanted things to happen in the first place.
♥ Valentine: OMG, a character with Asperger! LOVE IT! A loner at the beginning of the book, Valentine is on his own path to self-discovery. He ends up developing a strong bond with Lucas and realizes that there ARE good people out there and he even stands up for himself a few times.
♥ Claire: Probably the character I was most annoyed by, Claire is a very selfish person throughout most of the book. She does redeem herself by the end of the book, but I still think she has a long way to go when it comes to being confident in her own skin.
♥ Juniper: Juniper’s POV were probably the hardest for me to read because they are ROUGH! They are written in verse and it’s like she is an outsider looking in on her own life. She has detached herself from reality because she feels so alone and doesn’t know who she can turn to, which eventually leads to self-destructive behaviors.
The only issue I had with this book was the getting started part. It’s SEVEN POVs! I had to get used to each character’s voice, but once I figured them all out, it was smooth sailing from there!
Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend checking this book out! With its diverse characters and issues, everyone will find something, or someone, to relate to in this little debut! I know I SURE did!
*I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. *
*4.5 stars!*
When a scandal hits Paloma High School, it forever changes the lives of seven individuals as try to figure out whose to blame, while all at the same time having to deal with issues of their own.
I was a little put off by this book at first because of the seven POVs. I wasn’t really sure that it was going to work, but it turned out better than I expected! Each character had their own distinct voice so there was no overpowering of POVs. They were each unique and diverse in their own way. These characters were so dimensional, the LAYERS! Chapter after chapter, we got to know a little bit more about each character and even though they all had their separate issues, these issues also connected them and strengthened their bond with one another as they helped each other tackle their problems.
The writing was great. Simple, easy to read and at times, even poetic. From slut-shaming, to dysfunctional families, this book tackles and number of issues. There is a teacher-student relationship in this book and while I was not a fan, it did make for a crazy PLOT TWIST!
By the time I reached the 50% mark, there was a lot of hyperventilating and use of explicit language because SH!T HIT THE FAN! I could not put this book down and I was just hoping that everything worked out in the end!
♥ Olivia: FAVORITE character out of the bunch! Olivia is not only tying to keep her family from falling apart, but she also has to deal with being slut-shamed by her peers. I have to say, Olivia is one TOUGH cookie! Even with everything that is going on in her personal life, she still finds a way to help her friends with their issues. She is also the character I related most to.
♥ Matt: Hoping to end the non-stop fighting between his parents, Matt struggles to find a way to tell his parents how their constant bickering is affecting both him and his little brother. I wanted to write Matt off as your typical “stoner-boy” at the beginning, but I’m glad that I didn’t because there is more to him than meets the eye.
♥ Kat: Still harboring feelings of hate after being abandoned by her mother, Kat isolates herself from reality and spends most of her time in the gaming world. The only time she feels like herself is when she is on stage, playing the role of someone else. Kat’s attitude seriously PISSED me off throughout this book, but at the same time, I understood why she felt that way. I loved reading about the moment where she realizes that people DO care for her and that even though she doesn’t have her mother, she still has a family.
♥ Lucas: Comfortable in his own skin, but not comfortable enough to let others know who he truly is, Lucas tries to find a balance between “being who others perceive him to be” and “being who he really is" . I REALLY liked Lucas. His personality was my favorite thing about him. I’m really happy with how things turned out for him, even though it may not have been how he wanted things to happen in the first place.
♥ Valentine: OMG, a character with Asperger! LOVE IT! A loner at the beginning of the book, Valentine is on his own path to self-discovery. He ends up developing a strong bond with Lucas and realizes that there ARE good people out there and he even stands up for himself a few times.
♥ Claire: Probably the character I was most annoyed by, Claire is a very selfish person throughout most of the book. She does redeem herself by the end of the book, but I still think she has a long way to go when it comes to being confident in her own skin.
♥ Juniper: Juniper’s POV were probably the hardest for me to read because they are ROUGH! They are written in verse and it’s like she is an outsider looking in on her own life. She has detached herself from reality because she feels so alone and doesn’t know who she can turn to, which eventually leads to self-destructive behaviors.
The only issue I had with this book was the getting started part. It’s SEVEN POVs! I had to get used to each character’s voice, but once I figured them all out, it was smooth sailing from there!
Overall, I would HIGHLY recommend checking this book out! With its diverse characters and issues, everyone will find something, or someone, to relate to in this little debut! I know I SURE did!
January 13, 2016
What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.
SEVEN WAYS WE LIE is such a gorgeous tapestry of words, full of drama, pathos, and satisfying (yet unpredictable) resolutions. All seven character arcs are perfectly woven together with delicious emotional ups and downs. and each distinct voice draws you in as their stories unfold. I felt like I was actually there with these 7 friends as they navigated the various slings and arrows of high school life. I kept thinking I had a favorite character but then I would read the next chapter and change my mind..."No, YOU'RE my favorite, really."
I would recommend reading this book both for pleasure and for the craft of creating a seamless story with seven points of view. The book also has a diverse cast, including a biracial character and a pansexual one. And I know I'm a nerd but I loved the literary hell references. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's one I know I'll be returning to again and again.
SEVEN WAYS WE LIE is such a gorgeous tapestry of words, full of drama, pathos, and satisfying (yet unpredictable) resolutions. All seven character arcs are perfectly woven together with delicious emotional ups and downs. and each distinct voice draws you in as their stories unfold. I felt like I was actually there with these 7 friends as they navigated the various slings and arrows of high school life. I kept thinking I had a favorite character but then I would read the next chapter and change my mind..."No, YOU'RE my favorite, really."
I would recommend reading this book both for pleasure and for the craft of creating a seamless story with seven points of view. The book also has a diverse cast, including a biracial character and a pansexual one. And I know I'm a nerd but I loved the literary hell references. I can't recommend this book highly enough. It's one I know I'll be returning to again and again.
March 8, 2016
I think two stars might be too high...
I loved the premise of this and I was quite eager to get into it. Sadly, it wasn't what I was expecting.
First off, there are 7 POVs and that's a lot. For me, none of the voices sounded different, it was like the same whiny character just put in different situations. And Juniper's POV is in a sort of disjointed poetry that left me confused more often than not.
While the plot was interesting, the execution didn't work. There were vague hints and the actual reveal doesn't happen until 200+ pages into the book. My main thing is that it didn't feel like there was any build up or urgency that this topic sort of requires.
There is a lot of potential, perhaps it would have felt more fleshed out of there had been less of something. Overall, I kept reading, but I'm not entirely sure why. I can see how people will like it, but it wasn't really for me.
**Huge thanks to Amulet and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
I loved the premise of this and I was quite eager to get into it. Sadly, it wasn't what I was expecting.
First off, there are 7 POVs and that's a lot. For me, none of the voices sounded different, it was like the same whiny character just put in different situations. And Juniper's POV is in a sort of disjointed poetry that left me confused more often than not.
While the plot was interesting, the execution didn't work. There were vague hints and the actual reveal doesn't happen until 200+ pages into the book. My main thing is that it didn't feel like there was any build up or urgency that this topic sort of requires.
There is a lot of potential, perhaps it would have felt more fleshed out of there had been less of something. Overall, I kept reading, but I'm not entirely sure why. I can see how people will like it, but it wasn't really for me.
**Huge thanks to Amulet and NetGalley for providing the arc in exchange for an honest review**
March 29, 2016
2.5/5
I DID IT. I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK.
The first half of Seven Ways We Lie was painful to get through, but I flew through the last half. I marked this book as DNF for a few hours, but I decided to give it another chance and I'm glad I did. I actually did enjoy the second half of the book because it started to get more exciting and intense.
I am still not a fan of seven different POVs. It was difficult and confusing for me to keep up with all the different characters and POVs.
Overall, Seven Ways We Lie is a decent book. If the first half of the book was more exciting and interesting, I would have given it a higher rating, but it just wasn't for me.
{I will post a more in depth review on my blog}
I DID IT. I FINALLY FINISHED THIS BOOK.
The first half of Seven Ways We Lie was painful to get through, but I flew through the last half. I marked this book as DNF for a few hours, but I decided to give it another chance and I'm glad I did. I actually did enjoy the second half of the book because it started to get more exciting and intense.
I am still not a fan of seven different POVs. It was difficult and confusing for me to keep up with all the different characters and POVs.
Overall, Seven Ways We Lie is a decent book. If the first half of the book was more exciting and interesting, I would have given it a higher rating, but it just wasn't for me.
{I will post a more in depth review on my blog}
April 30, 2019
I’m going on a weird roundabout way of reading Riley Redgate’s novels: I read her second book first, her third book second, and now her first book third. But no matter the order I read them, they’re all pitch-perfect illustrations of the complexities of youth, and Seven Ways We Lie is no different.
Final read of the month for #aroaceapril
Final read of the month for #aroaceapril
August 9, 2018
“We are always moving forward--I can see it now. We are hurtling through our lives. We are never standing still.”
I absolutely loved this novel. It was everything I didn't know I needed. It was a perfect little surprise.
The seven deadly sins play heavily into the plot. I initially thought each seven characters were a manifestation of the sins. I kept trying to figure out who represented what sin. But as I got further into the story, I realized that wasn't the case. Each of the seven characters have more than one sin. One character is not strictly lust or envy or the other five. But this is also a reflection of society. We all have had thoughts of lust, envy, greed, sloth, gluttony, wrath, or pride. I really liked how these characters reflected that and made the readers understand that.
Out of all the characters, Valentine, Matt, and Lucas were my favorites. I liked seeing Valentine learn what friendship was. I liked seeing Matt open up to someone. And I liked seeing Lucas so optimistic and caring. There was also a pansexual (and possible asexual, but I'm not entirely sure since the book doesn't say it) rep in this book. I don't see too many books with a pan character so it was nice seeing it.
Though I did like majority of the characters, there was one character who I hated throughout the book. And that was Claire. Now, I completely understand feeling left out and comparing yourself to others. That's literally my entire life. I deal with that everyday. But Claire did a few things that iriked the hell out of me. There was some development of her character. She did realize that her actions and words were extremely harmful to the people around her. I was glad that she did finally realize that.
This book not only depicts teenagers realistically, but also issues realistically. Issues like slut-shaming, drinking, drugs, etc. Not alot of books that take place in high school depict these issues (or high school in general) realistically but this one manages to do that.
Seven Ways We Lie was a quick-paced, very realistic novel. It manages to have characters were relatable, their problems were relatable. Though who the student-teacher relationship was predictable, it was still a good book.
May 27, 2017
2.5 stars
The idea of seven narrators made me hesitate reading this (because let's be honest, seven POVs is a LOT), but I finally decided to give in after passing by this multiple times on the library shelf. I was also intrigued to see how Redgate's debut would compare to NOTEWORTHY, seeing as it's one of my more anticipated reads. I feel kind of let down, because on the one hand there's SO many things going on here (student/teacher relationship, pansexual & asexual characters, tons of teenage angst, etc.) that none of the ideas fully flush out. But on the other hand, I never thought the characters were interchangeable & each had their own distinct voice & in a book with that many POVs it's difficult to pull off.
So in the end I'm going with only 2.5 stars because while it's an easily digestible read (consumed in 1 day), it was mostly because I had time to kill & not because I was thoroughly engrossed by the story. Such a disappointment because there was a lot of potential for the character's growth- I especially was underwhelmed by Jupiter's & Valentine's outcomes. I do think it was possible to cut a couple of the POVs, specifically Claire's & Matt's, which in doing so would have let in more room to dive deeper into the other themes. Regardless, SEVEN WAYS WE LIE does do its job of acknowledging teenage issues & would recommend if angst is your sort of thing.
While I halfway agree with other reviewers who said this book just seems like a checklist for "how many themes can I throw in together?", I feel that the characters at least don't remain stagnant & each go through their own thing so it never felt like a soapbox-y novel, if you get what I mean. There's action behind the themes (true, not to the extent I would have hoped), but it's not a "just talking, no doing" kind of thing.
Redgate's prose was probably the best thing doing for this- I really appreciate the realistic dialogue- & can only hope that NOTEWORTHY will resonate with me better.
The idea of seven narrators made me hesitate reading this (because let's be honest, seven POVs is a LOT), but I finally decided to give in after passing by this multiple times on the library shelf. I was also intrigued to see how Redgate's debut would compare to NOTEWORTHY, seeing as it's one of my more anticipated reads. I feel kind of let down, because on the one hand there's SO many things going on here (student/teacher relationship, pansexual & asexual characters, tons of teenage angst, etc.) that none of the ideas fully flush out. But on the other hand, I never thought the characters were interchangeable & each had their own distinct voice & in a book with that many POVs it's difficult to pull off.
So in the end I'm going with only 2.5 stars because while it's an easily digestible read (consumed in 1 day), it was mostly because I had time to kill & not because I was thoroughly engrossed by the story. Such a disappointment because there was a lot of potential for the character's growth- I especially was underwhelmed by Jupiter's & Valentine's outcomes. I do think it was possible to cut a couple of the POVs, specifically Claire's & Matt's, which in doing so would have let in more room to dive deeper into the other themes. Regardless, SEVEN WAYS WE LIE does do its job of acknowledging teenage issues & would recommend if angst is your sort of thing.
While I halfway agree with other reviewers who said this book just seems like a checklist for "how many themes can I throw in together?", I feel that the characters at least don't remain stagnant & each go through their own thing so it never felt like a soapbox-y novel, if you get what I mean. There's action behind the themes (true, not to the extent I would have hoped), but it's not a "just talking, no doing" kind of thing.
Redgate's prose was probably the best thing doing for this- I really appreciate the realistic dialogue- & can only hope that NOTEWORTHY will resonate with me better.
September 15, 2022
(tw in this review for discussion of a teacher/student relationship, spoilered)
this is the second time i've read this book, and going in i didn't remember much, as i read it for the first time freshman year when i had no critical thinking skills! i have now read it again and... i have very mixed feelings!
first of all, kudos to this book for being the only one i've ever read to have a canonically aromantic/asexual character. he never explicitly says the words on page, but it's made pretty clear and confirmed by word of god, which is rad! also confirmed by word of god is his autism, and like... is he kind of a stereotypical depiction of neurodivergency. maybe. but i also genuinely love him a lot & whoo boy did the Feelings Of Alienation come through.
second of all, "cast where each character represents one of the seven deadly sins" is a cool as fuck concept! ...the problem is that it just... doesn't work as well as it could. i wish it had gone further; i wish redgate had done more with it. & then of course there is the issue of seven deadly sins = seven main characters. seven pov characters, specifically. and in a 300-ish page book, that is just... too many. i'm sorry! it's too many. i get it; i have a project of my own that has 9 pov characters! but that project is much much longer than this book. squashed into 300 pages, these characters don't get enough time to grow & for the reader to get legitimately attached to them. i adored valentine, because of course i did (valentine simmons my fucking beloved). i related to kat for mental health reasons & lucas for lgbt-high-school-kid reasons. i fucking loathed claire. the others i just... didn't have strong opinions about, and that hurt my investment in this story.
probably the biggest issue i have, though, is... the impetus of the whole story, which is a teacher/student relationship. obviously i'm not saying No One Is Allowed to write about such topics; exploring complex issues in fiction is important. but the resolution of this plotline is
also the writing style & plot are just... all right. just all right. there's no real climax, it just sort of rises to a midpoint and then... stops (though i will say the midpoint scene is effective & the most memorable part imo!).
tl;dr: good idea; i loved some of the characters; but the rest of it fell very flat for me & the handling of the main issue felt Weird. (the more i think about this book, the more i want a cut that's specifically just the scenes with valentine in them. that name + nd character = instakill for me i guess. love him dearly)
this is the second time i've read this book, and going in i didn't remember much, as i read it for the first time freshman year when i had no critical thinking skills! i have now read it again and... i have very mixed feelings!
first of all, kudos to this book for being the only one i've ever read to have a canonically aromantic/asexual character. he never explicitly says the words on page, but it's made pretty clear and confirmed by word of god, which is rad! also confirmed by word of god is his autism, and like... is he kind of a stereotypical depiction of neurodivergency. maybe. but i also genuinely love him a lot & whoo boy did the Feelings Of Alienation come through.
second of all, "cast where each character represents one of the seven deadly sins" is a cool as fuck concept! ...the problem is that it just... doesn't work as well as it could. i wish it had gone further; i wish redgate had done more with it. & then of course there is the issue of seven deadly sins = seven main characters. seven pov characters, specifically. and in a 300-ish page book, that is just... too many. i'm sorry! it's too many. i get it; i have a project of my own that has 9 pov characters! but that project is much much longer than this book. squashed into 300 pages, these characters don't get enough time to grow & for the reader to get legitimately attached to them. i adored valentine, because of course i did (valentine simmons my fucking beloved). i related to kat for mental health reasons & lucas for lgbt-high-school-kid reasons. i fucking loathed claire. the others i just... didn't have strong opinions about, and that hurt my investment in this story.
probably the biggest issue i have, though, is... the impetus of the whole story, which is a teacher/student relationship. obviously i'm not saying No One Is Allowed to write about such topics; exploring complex issues in fiction is important. but the resolution of this plotline is
also the writing style & plot are just... all right. just all right. there's no real climax, it just sort of rises to a midpoint and then... stops (though i will say the midpoint scene is effective & the most memorable part imo!).
tl;dr: good idea; i loved some of the characters; but the rest of it fell very flat for me & the handling of the main issue felt Weird. (the more i think about this book, the more i want a cut that's specifically just the scenes with valentine in them. that name + nd character = instakill for me i guess. love him dearly)
June 27, 2020
It took me a little while to really get into Seven Ways We Lie by Riley Redgate, but once I got into the swing of the narrative and the voices of each narrator I became invested. Lucas is a delightful character and it's rough to see what he ends up going through. I believe he's also the first pansexual character I've had the opportunity to meet in a YA Contemporary novel. It was also good to see some ace representation even if it isn't directly stated on the page. I'm going to have to read more from this author in the future.
January 9, 2016
I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You know those stories that are built brick by brick with words and phrases and paragraphs that create this entire world inside you? The kind of stories where you’re nodding your head and saying yes, YES, this is exactly what comprises the cells and atoms making up the entirety of my being. I am forged in these very thoughts, wired in these emotions, I know and remember and have felt this way before and will probably feel this way again. That’s the kind of story SEVEN WAYS WE LIE is. It’s beautifully written. The language and the word choices and descriptions, and the seamless way they crept up to this impossibly brilliant crescendo — it’s a symphony for your brain.
Riley Redgate is a hell of an authorly force to be reckoned with — I cannot believe this is her debut novel, it’s absolutely stunning. I love her writing and the real, gorgeous, flawed, understandable, likable, believable, characters she’s created. What a unique take on the seven deadly sins! Each character nailed those aspects and characteristics of the sins in a way that felt natural and unforced. I was completely blown away by Redgate's ability to pull off seven different POVs and handle each of them so masterfully.
This is an author to watch out for. Among contemporary YA giants like John Green and Stephen Chbosky, Riley Redgate stands equally tall in my book. Calling it now: readers will be quoting from these passages, and there’ll be fangirls and boys who’ll cheer loudly to anyone who will listen. This is a book that’s going to be huge. I want to see it made into a TV show or movie. I'm definitely interested in seeing these characters on the screen. Cannot wait to see what’s next from this author! I know I am a fan for life.
You know those stories that are built brick by brick with words and phrases and paragraphs that create this entire world inside you? The kind of stories where you’re nodding your head and saying yes, YES, this is exactly what comprises the cells and atoms making up the entirety of my being. I am forged in these very thoughts, wired in these emotions, I know and remember and have felt this way before and will probably feel this way again. That’s the kind of story SEVEN WAYS WE LIE is. It’s beautifully written. The language and the word choices and descriptions, and the seamless way they crept up to this impossibly brilliant crescendo — it’s a symphony for your brain.
Riley Redgate is a hell of an authorly force to be reckoned with — I cannot believe this is her debut novel, it’s absolutely stunning. I love her writing and the real, gorgeous, flawed, understandable, likable, believable, characters she’s created. What a unique take on the seven deadly sins! Each character nailed those aspects and characteristics of the sins in a way that felt natural and unforced. I was completely blown away by Redgate's ability to pull off seven different POVs and handle each of them so masterfully.
This is an author to watch out for. Among contemporary YA giants like John Green and Stephen Chbosky, Riley Redgate stands equally tall in my book. Calling it now: readers will be quoting from these passages, and there’ll be fangirls and boys who’ll cheer loudly to anyone who will listen. This is a book that’s going to be huge. I want to see it made into a TV show or movie. I'm definitely interested in seeing these characters on the screen. Cannot wait to see what’s next from this author! I know I am a fan for life.
February 16, 2016
Full review to come :)
July 19, 2016
It's not every day that I willingly pick up a contemporary, but I was intrigued by the concept of Seven Ways We Lie. I was thrilled when I got approved for an eARC (whooo!!), and I saw a handful of my friends giving it pretty glowing reviews. So, how did it turn out? I had some issues, but overall, I enjoyed reading it.
I didn't really look at the blurb much before I started reading, so I was pleasantly surprised by the actual plot of the book. I'm a sucker for a mystery, and I like reading about student-teacher relationships when done right. I was a little bummed out that I figured out the mystery almost immediately; there wasn't really an air of mystery like I wanted. Maybe it's because I'm just so used to fantasy, but I feel like nothing really exciting happened in the story. It wasn't boring, but it wasn't 100% engaging. Now that I'm writing this review and thinking back on the entire book, I can't really remember any of the characters doing something that was really exciting to read about. But in a way, it worked for this story. If something was happening 24/7, it would feel wrong. So, there wasn't much to the plot, but it wasn't terrible.
There were 7 characters, and each of them got their own POV. In the beginning, it was very hard for me to wrap my head around all of them and try and distinguish between their voices. It got better as the story went on, but honestly, it was just too much. Some of the voices inevitably blended together, and other characters annoyed the shit out of me--namely, Claire and Juniper. I hated Claire as a character, but I didn't like Juniper's chapters because they were written in prose and they were confusing as hell.
As for the 5 other characters, I thought they were a diverse bunch. Matt is half Mexican, Lucas is pansexual (I've never read a story with a pansexual character, so this is a first for me!), Kat suffers from a mental illness, etc. It's one of the best ensemble casts I've ever read about, and the author does it much better job than This Is Where It Ends when it comes to doing justice to the characters. My favorite is a toss up between Matt and Olivia, who I both thought were great characters. I could also easily tell Matt's chapters apart from the rest--he has a tendency to think in great, long runoff sentences. As a whole, the characters were very well done, but there were some that I thought could use a bit more development.
There's a bit of romance in the story, and I won't say anything in fear of spoilers, but I will say that I enjoy two couples that are from the main cast. One didn't work out the way I wanted it to *cries* but the other one did, so I count that as a success. The romance wasn't overwhelming, but it was pretty prevalent--not to mention that the student-teacher relationship hung over the entire story, so there's that. I thought it had a nice balance within the novel.
Overall, I enjoyed Seven Ways We Lie as much as I thought I would. There were too many POVs and sometimes the plot floundered, but I thought most of the characters were well developed and the story was interesting. It wasn't an amazing story, but I enjoyed it. Seven Ways We Lie was a quick and entertaining read, and I'm sure you'll like it much more than I did if you enjoy contemporary.
I didn't really look at the blurb much before I started reading, so I was pleasantly surprised by the actual plot of the book. I'm a sucker for a mystery, and I like reading about student-teacher relationships when done right. I was a little bummed out that I figured out the mystery almost immediately; there wasn't really an air of mystery like I wanted. Maybe it's because I'm just so used to fantasy, but I feel like nothing really exciting happened in the story. It wasn't boring, but it wasn't 100% engaging. Now that I'm writing this review and thinking back on the entire book, I can't really remember any of the characters doing something that was really exciting to read about. But in a way, it worked for this story. If something was happening 24/7, it would feel wrong. So, there wasn't much to the plot, but it wasn't terrible.
There were 7 characters, and each of them got their own POV. In the beginning, it was very hard for me to wrap my head around all of them and try and distinguish between their voices. It got better as the story went on, but honestly, it was just too much. Some of the voices inevitably blended together, and other characters annoyed the shit out of me--namely, Claire and Juniper. I hated Claire as a character, but I didn't like Juniper's chapters because they were written in prose and they were confusing as hell.
As for the 5 other characters, I thought they were a diverse bunch. Matt is half Mexican, Lucas is pansexual (I've never read a story with a pansexual character, so this is a first for me!), Kat suffers from a mental illness, etc. It's one of the best ensemble casts I've ever read about, and the author does it much better job than This Is Where It Ends when it comes to doing justice to the characters. My favorite is a toss up between Matt and Olivia, who I both thought were great characters. I could also easily tell Matt's chapters apart from the rest--he has a tendency to think in great, long runoff sentences. As a whole, the characters were very well done, but there were some that I thought could use a bit more development.
There's a bit of romance in the story, and I won't say anything in fear of spoilers, but I will say that I enjoy two couples that are from the main cast. One didn't work out the way I wanted it to *cries* but the other one did, so I count that as a success. The romance wasn't overwhelming, but it was pretty prevalent--not to mention that the student-teacher relationship hung over the entire story, so there's that. I thought it had a nice balance within the novel.
Overall, I enjoyed Seven Ways We Lie as much as I thought I would. There were too many POVs and sometimes the plot floundered, but I thought most of the characters were well developed and the story was interesting. It wasn't an amazing story, but I enjoyed it. Seven Ways We Lie was a quick and entertaining read, and I'm sure you'll like it much more than I did if you enjoy contemporary.
February 9, 2016
When news about a rumored student-teacher relationship broke, Paloma High School students had their suspects. Seven lives were somewhat affected, seven unlikely allies had their lives entangled and messed up.
Seven Ways to Lie takes you on a rollercoaster ride, each with twists and bumps, ups and downs. Told in seven different points of view, each with distinct voice and personalities that are representations of our feelings and those seven deadly sins. This book gutted me 7 times, bewildered me seven times more. In the end, I didn't know who to pity or understand, who to admire or to condemn.
There's lustful Olivia, branded as the school slut who slept with every boy she liked and then there's her angry twin sister Kat, who snapped at everything and mad at her parents. We also meet the proud Juniper with a dark secret, but hid behind alcohol and parties.
Matt Johnson, a glutton for punishment and craved for the attention of the girl unlikely to fall for him. The jealous Claire Lombardi, who always needed to compare herself to others, who envied even those who had treated her like sister. And then there's everyone's friend, Lucas McCallum, who wanted everybody to like him and accept him for whoever he was.
And finally, the timid Valentine Simmons, who never made an effort to get in touch with the student body, who thought he was better off alone because he was undesirable.
But wait, there's more.. The scandalous teacher in question. Who would have thought that this person could do such a thing?
See, everyone was at fault, every character had insecurities and defect, and any one of them could be the subject of the scandal. Realistically speaking though, I wasn't prepared with how it all ended. It was just too good to be true. And sudden.
However, I liked how Riley Redgate was able to tell the story with seven perspectives. Matt's voice was like, "hey dude, I was like, are you even real? and he's like, yeah, totally".. Juniper's voice was like spoken poetry, Kat was full of angsts. Valentine's standpoint was lonesome while Lucas, oh my.. I thought Lucas was the most authentic among them all. He was colorful, interesting and definitely flawed. The author has a lot of potential and tricks up on her sleeves, and i can't wait to witness them all.
Seven Ways to Lie takes you on a rollercoaster ride, each with twists and bumps, ups and downs. Told in seven different points of view, each with distinct voice and personalities that are representations of our feelings and those seven deadly sins. This book gutted me 7 times, bewildered me seven times more. In the end, I didn't know who to pity or understand, who to admire or to condemn.
There's lustful Olivia, branded as the school slut who slept with every boy she liked and then there's her angry twin sister Kat, who snapped at everything and mad at her parents. We also meet the proud Juniper with a dark secret, but hid behind alcohol and parties.
Matt Johnson, a glutton for punishment and craved for the attention of the girl unlikely to fall for him. The jealous Claire Lombardi, who always needed to compare herself to others, who envied even those who had treated her like sister. And then there's everyone's friend, Lucas McCallum, who wanted everybody to like him and accept him for whoever he was.
And finally, the timid Valentine Simmons, who never made an effort to get in touch with the student body, who thought he was better off alone because he was undesirable.
But wait, there's more.. The scandalous teacher in question. Who would have thought that this person could do such a thing?
See, everyone was at fault, every character had insecurities and defect, and any one of them could be the subject of the scandal. Realistically speaking though, I wasn't prepared with how it all ended. It was just too good to be true. And sudden.
However, I liked how Riley Redgate was able to tell the story with seven perspectives. Matt's voice was like, "hey dude, I was like, are you even real? and he's like, yeah, totally".. Juniper's voice was like spoken poetry, Kat was full of angsts. Valentine's standpoint was lonesome while Lucas, oh my.. I thought Lucas was the most authentic among them all. He was colorful, interesting and definitely flawed. The author has a lot of potential and tricks up on her sleeves, and i can't wait to witness them all.
March 27, 2018
"You don't realise how alone you are until you let yourself out of your cage, or until someone finds a way inside."
This is one of those books that everyone should read, no matter what. The characters aren't the absolute best, the writing isn't super special and the plot twist is easy to predict. But I think everyone should read it because Riley Redgate created seven flawed and diverse characters and, in less than 400 pages, made them feel real and relatable.
The seven protagonists are:
- Juniper (Gluttony), the star of the school who's kind and a literal ray of sunshine.
- Olivia (Lust), she was my favorite. She's Juniper's best friend and she's sweet and always ready to fight for those she loves.
- Kat (Wrath), Olivia's sister, my second favorite. Her character development was amazing and I'd love to read a whole book about her.
- Claire (Envy), I think she's the most relatable out of the seven protagonists. I think at least 80% of teenagers have felt like her in their lives and, even if one thing she does in the book is irredeemable, I'm happy she wasn't supposed to be the villain of the story
- Matt (Sloth), Olivia's love interest. I didn't care much about him but I have to admit that he's interesting. He's mexican.
- Lucas (Greed), the guy who's friend with everyone at school and who wears expensive clothes and who's full of secrets. He's also Claire's ex boyfriend and he's pansexual.
- Valentine (Pride), the "weird guy", the one who doesn't eat at the cafeteria because he can't stand people his age. I have to admit I pretty much hated him at the beginning, he was so full of himself and always looking down to others. But he got character development, too, and it begins when he develops an amazing friendship with Lucas. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he's asexual.
This is one of those books that everyone should read, no matter what. The characters aren't the absolute best, the writing isn't super special and the plot twist is easy to predict. But I think everyone should read it because Riley Redgate created seven flawed and diverse characters and, in less than 400 pages, made them feel real and relatable.
The seven protagonists are:
- Juniper (Gluttony), the star of the school who's kind and a literal ray of sunshine.
- Olivia (Lust), she was my favorite. She's Juniper's best friend and she's sweet and always ready to fight for those she loves.
- Kat (Wrath), Olivia's sister, my second favorite. Her character development was amazing and I'd love to read a whole book about her.
- Claire (Envy), I think she's the most relatable out of the seven protagonists. I think at least 80% of teenagers have felt like her in their lives and, even if one thing she does in the book is irredeemable, I'm happy she wasn't supposed to be the villain of the story
- Matt (Sloth), Olivia's love interest. I didn't care much about him but I have to admit that he's interesting. He's mexican.
- Lucas (Greed), the guy who's friend with everyone at school and who wears expensive clothes and who's full of secrets. He's also Claire's ex boyfriend and he's pansexual.
- Valentine (Pride), the "weird guy", the one who doesn't eat at the cafeteria because he can't stand people his age. I have to admit I pretty much hated him at the beginning, he was so full of himself and always looking down to others. But he got character development, too, and it begins when he develops an amazing friendship with Lucas. I'm not 100% sure, but I think he's asexual.
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