Every Single Lie – Rachel Vincent – Bloomsbury YA – Published 12 January 2021

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Synopsis

Nobody in Beckett’s life seems to be telling the whole story. Her boyfriend Jake keeps hiding texts and might be cheating on her. Her father lied about losing his job before his shocking death. And everyone in school seems to be whispering about her and her family behind her back.

But none of that compares to the day Beckett finds the body of a newborn baby in a gym bag-Jake’s gym bag -on the floor of her high school locker room. As word leaks out, rumors that Beckett’s the mother take off like wildfire in a town all too ready to believe the worst of her. And as the police investigation unfolds, she discovers that everyone has a secret to hide and the truth could alter everything she thought she knew.

My thoughts

What is the truth? Can you find it? I love YA mystery novels and while this one feels more like a contemporary novel, Every Single Lie is a compelling mystery that has many half-truths and twists.

Beckett knows something is wrong. Her boyfriend is hiding text messages from her. She knows better than to trust men who tell her things – her father lied about many things before he died. His death was a massive shock to Beckett and extremely traumatic. This thread underpins the story, as does Beckett’s working through of her grief and reaction to her father’s death and the rumours that surround it. It is just one of the mysteries that Beckett starts to unravel.

Then, Beckett finds a dead baby in the girl’s locker room. She calls it in and the case is given to her mother – their town’s police detective. Things spiral out of control when Beckett learns that it was her boyfriend’s gym bag the baby was wrapped in and a Twitter account starts to spread rumours that is was Beckett’s baby.

Beckett becomes the target of some horrific online, and in person, bullying. The bullying becomes consuming, but it is just one more thing Beckett has to deal with. It is different from the way her boyfriend is treated by the community and highlights the difference in how people treat women. Beckett doesn’t take anything at face value and while the police – including her mother – investigate, Beckett starts her own investigation. Starting with questioning her boyfriend.

Beckett is a really strong main character. While she is shaken by the bullying and harassment, which escalates to threats, she doesn’t back down. Nor is she afraid to challenge her friends and family to find the truth. The more she digs, the more she uncovers, and it’s not all pleasant.

Every Single Lie is an addictive novel that challenges society and the way women and teenage girls are labeled. A fantastic mystery novel that will appeal to readers who love strong, emotional contemporary novels.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

More information

Category: Young adult fiction

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Themes: Death, grief, babies, teenagers, mothers, friendship, romance, relationships, families, women and girls, online bullying.

Reading age guide: Ages 14 and up.

Advisory: References to death, dead baby. Drug use. Overdose. Sexual references, references to sexual relationships, references to teenage pregnancy. Online bullying, harassment and threats. Coarse language, f*** (6), sh** (26), wh*** (1), bi*** (4), pi** (9), as***** (11). 

Published: 12January 2021 by Bloomsbury YA

Format: Hardcover, ebook. 336 pages.

ISBN: 9781547605231

Find it on Goodreads