Review Detail

What I Loved:

Non-stop action and a conflict that grows page by page make this a fast-paced story readers will have a hard time putting down. The plot is often smart, the heroine is interesting and relatable, and the spy aspects feel authentic. The book is also very clean with regards to profanity and swoony scenes so younger readers or readers more sensitive to those things will enjoy this story.

The plot twists and turns with every chapter, constantly keeping the reader off guard. Every scene feels fully realized--from the setting to the action to the characters--so the reader is never lost. While this story stands alone, there's definitely groundwork laid for a sequel, and I can see readers who love thrillers, action movies, and fast-paced contemporary stories gravitating to this series.

What Left Me Wanting More:

My only complaint is that a few of the secondary characters feel like stereotypical outlines of stock teenage characters. The jock. The party girl. The nerd. I was especially off-put by other characters calling the "party girl" a slut or a ho simply for the way she dressed or for her focus on fashion and boys. In an otherwise smart book, using demeaning language without addressing the damaging stereotype was a disappointment.

Final Verdict:

Entertaining, fast-paced, and impossible to put down, TWO LIES AND A SPY is a fun thrill ride of a book.