Review Detail

A LIE FOR A LIE by Jane Buckingham is the first YA thriller in the @revenge series. At Milford High School, there’s an Instagram account that gets back at the people who deserve it. Sabrina Richards never paid much attention to it until it became possible that she could go down for it. To exonerate herself, she will need to figure out who the real person is behind the social media account, but that could be physically dangerous. If she doesn’t though, she could lose her best friend and any college prospects. Without a mom to turn to for advice, Sabrina has to decide what to do on her own before it’s too late.

The best part about this book is the pacing. The story moves so fast and gives us everything we need to know, and nothing more, which I really appreciate. It falls at just over two hundred pages, so by all accounts, it’s a quick read. What makes it especially successful as a thriller is the number of surprises and misdirections. Buckingham keeps readers guessing throughout the whole story and I truly didn’t know where she was going to take it— even up to the last sentence of the book!

I also really enjoyed the romance. Jake is such a sweet character, and I appreciate how he approaches Sabrina, looks after her, and is upfront with her. I’m excited to see how their relationship evolves over subsequent books. In fact, I’m curious to also see what happens between Sabrina and Brooke, Kaye and Parker, and even Charlie and Emily. Overall, the relationship dynamics are the driving force of this story.

Anyone who is looking to be totally sucked in by a novel should pick this book up. It will especially appeal to fans of PRETTY LITTLE LIARS or GOSSIP GIRL.