YA Buddy Readers' Corner ♥ discussion

A weekend retreat in the woods and an innocent game of three truths and a lie goes horribly wrong in this high-octane psychological thriller filled with romantic suspense by a Lambda Award–winning author.

Deep in the forest, four friends gather for a weekend of fun.

Truth #1: Rob is thrilled about the weekend trip. It’s the perfect time for him to break out of his shell…to be the person he really, really wants to be.

Truth #2: Liam, Rob’s boyfriend, is nothing short of perfect. He’s everything Rob could have wanted. They’re perfect together. Perfect.

Truth #3: Maia has been Liam’s best friend for years…long before Rob came along. They get each other in a way Rob could never, will never, understand.

Truth #4: Galen, Maia’s boyfriend, is sweet, handsome, and incredibly charming. He’s the definitely of a Golden Boy…even with the secrets up his sleeves.

One of these truths is a lie…and not everyone will live to find out which one it is.

Chapter 1 (view spoiler)[ Yeah, brilliant plan already on the opening pages of getting a matching tattoo with someone you've only been going out with for three months, good thing the guys showed up. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 4 (view spoiler)[ I'm definitely a city girl... I can't help but think ick, swimming in a lake and not being able to shower off after and then the thought of driving an hour for a pizza?? No, thanks. LOL (hide spoiler)]

Carrie wrote: "Chapter 1 [spoilers removed]"
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Carrie wrote: "Yeah, brilliant plan already on the opening pages of getting a matching tattoo with someone you've only been going out with for three months, good thing the guys showed up."

ha ha ha! too true! I was thinking the same thing.
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Chapter 1 (10%)
I am interested. The four characters are distinct and each is interesting in his/her own way. Action right from the start -- that's my kind of book! I definitely want/need to know more...

Chapter 9 (view spoiler)[ Funny Rob says they've seen too many horror movies when I'm thinking it's starting to sound like a horror movie, The Hills Have Eyes or something. I'd be packing and heading right out myself. The outhouse was bad enough even though there's a slim chance it fell but someone obviously had to start that fire. I've got a theory already but I'm hoping it's not that easy to figure out. (hide spoiler)]

Chapter 10-12 (view spoiler)[ The car is actually the first thing that I wouldn't suspect sabotage... they were dragging the bottom all the way to the cabin so it makes sense. I almost think I'd just keep walking out though, not sure I'd have the patience to sit and wait for Mia's parents to show up even if it is logical that they would worry. (hide spoiler)]

Ending thoughts (view spoiler)[ Finished this one and I loved it! Of course I'm a fan of campy horror movies and this book reads just like a horror movie with a really good twisted ending. (hide spoiler)]

Carrie wrote: "Chapter 4 [spoilers removed]"
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Carrie wrote: "I'm definitely a city girl... I can't help but think ick, swimming in a lake and not being able to shower off after and then the thought of driving an hour for a pizza?? No, thanks. LOL"

ha ha ha! I'm a nature girl myself. My friends and I used to go backpacking for weeks on end in the wilderness with just our backpacks, sleeping bags, tents, and food (even in rain and snow). Haven't done it since the birth of my daughter, but I will again. :D
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Carrie wrote: "Chapter 9 [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[
Carrie wrote: "Funny Rob says they've seen too many horror movies when I'm thinking it's starting to sound like a horror movie, The Hills Have Eyes or something. I'd be packing and heading right out myself. The outhouse was bad enough even though there's a slim chance it fell but someone obviously had to start that fire. I've got a theory already but I'm hoping it's not that easy to figure out."

Well, there's definitely something very strange going on here. I'd say Maia is behind it, but Rob heard a cough outside, so there is definitely someone else out there.

The satellite phone thing is too weird. How could Maia hide it behind the food in the cupboard "accidentally"? Either she hid it on purpose or she didn't hide it at all -- which would mean someone else was in the cabin and hid it.

And the story that Maia might have killed someone was also strange. I, like Rob, think she blurted it out as one of her truths and then reconsidered telling them about it. Could that "might have killed someone" have something to do with the strange things that are happening to them? Is it the person she might have killed who is spooking them? Maybe she didn't actually kill him/her, but he/she is damaged somehow and he/she lives in the woods?

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Chapter 10 (48%)
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Oh man. Phone destroyed. Car doesn't work. Now they may be trouble...

I thought they should have gotten out of there the first time the satellite phone disappeared... But I don't know. When I was a teenager I used to do things to put my courage and strength to the test. Not letting myself get spooked by someone outside the cabin might just have been my style back then.
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Finished
Carrie wrote: "Ending thoughts [spoilers removed]"
(view spoiler)[
Carrie wrote: "Finished this one and I loved it! Of course I'm a fan of campy horror movies and this book reads just like a horror movie with a really good twisted ending."

It was definitely exciting and it had me guessing the whole time. I did suspect Liam, but I kept jumping around with my suspicions. There were time that I suspected Rob as well, but he seems so genuine in his narration, that I kept discarding my suspicions.

Of course when I thought Liam had been killed, I suspected Rob -- I also thought of split personality. I just read a YA-thriller 2 months ago in which the narrator was also the culprit, but didn't know it (split personality), so I always had this at the edge of my mind. Too bad, otherwise the ending might have been more of a shocker. But I liked this better -- the two presented as two separate characters. I didn't notice that Rob and Liam never spoke to each other when the other two were around. I'll have to go back and check that out.

...and those detailed sex scenes? What a fantasy. I guess that just verifies the point Maia made when she said that people often add more details to their lies to make them sound credible...

When Rob saw the heron near the pond, which turned out to be a pile of logs, he ponders on how the mind fills in the blanks with it's own interpretation.

I have a problem with the four truths in the book description. It turns out that 3 of them are lies and only one is true. ;)

This was a good read -- very suspenseful, the characters were interesting and well-defined. The writing was smooth, using lots of colorful metaphors.

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Here's my review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

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Restarting September 20th 2016. Happy Reading ☺

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Opening chapter-really odd mix of characters for a friendship group. Interesting dynamic.

22%-arrival at the cabin is a curious mix of tension/humour. Dynamics of the group are odd.

46%-wow! Got a rather worried feeling.

60%-changing my ideas about who/what. Desperate to keep reading...

85%-okay (long intake of breath)...now I'm confused.

Well, that didn't quite end up where I expected! Twists and turns...