And suddenly, in this wild and beautiful place that generations have called home, no one feels safe and the hysteria begins to rise. But three islanders—Catrin, her childhood best friend, Rachel, and her ex-lover Callum—are hiding terrible secrets. And they have two things in common: Hardcover , pages. Falkland Islands Falkland Islands malvinas. To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up. To ask other readers questions about Little Black Lies , please sign up. This question contains spoilers… view spoiler [I guess it was Ben who was the killer.
My question here is did Rachel know about it or did she figure it out in ? I interpreted her lack of shock as she knew about Ben, maybe had even seen him kidnap the boys around the anniversaries of Ned and Kit's deaths. Also, there was no indication that she was gonna approach the cops with this information. I don't care how much you love someone-who lets them go on …more I, too, had to re-read the last page, and, unfortunately, it took away from the book. I don't care how much you love someone-who lets them go on killing children.
Think it would have been much better if an "outside narrator" disclosed that last bit of info and left the characters unaware. Is this a stand lone novel or part of a series? Anthony James It's actually her fourth stand alone book! See all 6 questions about Little Black Lies…. Lists with This Book. I was definitely late to the party with this one, as it was released last year, but undeterred, I delved straight in and didn't want the party to end!
The Falkland Islands is the setting chosen for this psychological thriller, a thriller that will leave you thinking about it long after you close the book. Children are going missing in a relatively small community, but everyone knows everyone else - surely it can't be one of their own who's responsible could it? Maybe it's an outsider who's made th I was definitely late to the party with this one, as it was released last year, but undeterred, I delved straight in and didn't want the party to end!
Maybe it's an outsider who's made this place their home - or even a passenger from one of the many cruise ships that visit these islands? Whoever is responsible, it's making this one heck of a scary place to live. Seen from the perspectives of three of the islanders - Catrin, her lifelong friend Rachel, and Callum, Catrin's ex lover and former soldier, who made his home here after fighting in the Falklands War.
All of them have secrets, all with something to hide, and when it comes right down to it, can ANY of them be trusted? This story was so well crafted, and the location added much to the sombre mood of the theme. The main characters were all emotionally damaged, each of them suffering dreadfully, and the author portrayed this beautifully. As the book neared its ending, I just couldn't see how it could be brought to a satisfactory conclusion - well silly me!
This has to be one of the best endings I've come across, it was akin to a smack in the face! That's how shocked I was.
Little Black Lies by Sharon J. Bolton
I'd liken the story to being cast adrift on a stormy sea, tossed first this way, then that, never knowing where it's all going to end - and it was the very last sentence that revealed what I never saw coming. Now that's what I call clever Ms Bolton! View all 66 comments. A Traveling Sister Read with Kaceey!
We have read quite a few thrillers lately and this one definitely left us feeling totally elated and gasping in awe when we were finished because of how awesome we both thought this book was! To sum it all up it was unpredictable, suspenseful, and a fast-paced read with an ending that was absolutely brilliant which we both found to be totally satisfying. We already have our next Sharon Bolton novel picked out. All of our Traveling Sister reviews can be found on our sister blog: View all 41 comments.
Apr 21, Christine rated it it was amazing Recommended to Christine by: Martin's Press, and Ms. It has been over a year since I read Ms. I cannot understand why it has taken me so long to get back to this author. What a magnificent story she has constructed in Little Black Lies. This stand-alone psychological thriller has it all: The novel takes place in the Falkland Islands located in the South Atlantic Ocean; it is a place I knew little about before reading this book. The setting itself plays a major role in the story, and Ms. Bolton effectively transports us there with her luminous descriptive passages.
The tale is told from the points of view of each of the three co-protagonists, giving us three different angles on the story. There is a strong emotional element in Little Black Lies. I do not think it is possible for character development to be any better than what Ms. Bolton has done in this book. To say the plot is ingenious is an understatement. There are so many facets to it and so many possible ways the story can go.
The twists and turns practically induce vertigo. I was sure at one point that I had it all figured out. Bolton, wondering how she was going to get herself out of this complex situation. I was totally enthralled with how the plot played out, and it took till the very last sentence of the book to do so. I do have to admit that though I was totally surprised by virtually all aspects of the ending, the clues are all there to figure everything out if you are smart enough.
In summary, this book is riveting and a must read for all thriller fans. It baffles me why so many readers are unaware of this author.
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In my opinion, she is in the upper echelon of the finest thriller writers in the world. Give her books a shot. You will not regret it. View all 81 comments. A Traveling Sister Read with Norma! A heart-wrenching, dark and emotional read. Sharon Bolton does it again! You are quickly drawn into a deeply tragic tale of two lifelong friends, torn apart by a sudden, horrid event that leaves them both emotionally fragile and psychologically damaged.
One looking for revenge, the other barely hanging by a thread. Catrin and Rachel grew up together on the Falkland Islands. Both married with two young sons. Soon each is pregnant and thrilled to have a third son on the way. Then, on a day like any other, everything in their lives change.
The pain both Catrin and Rachel feel is palpable. Witnessing them in their desperate struggles is heartbreaking.
The layers to this book are wonderfully intricate, as Sharon Bolton weaves her web to deliver the perfect thriller. The twists kept coming, keeping me guessing and gasping right up to the very last line. Already looking to pick up another Sharon Bolton novel!
View all 62 comments. Sep 17, Andrew Smith rated it it was amazing. I'd managed to sidestep war - or rather, I was lucky. I was born 3 years after food rationing ended, following WWII. That war was something that happened to another generation — my parents and grandparents. Then the Falklands War came along. But here we were sending troops down to battle with the Argentinians over this piece of land hardly anyo I'd managed to sidestep war - or rather, I was lucky.
But here we were sending troops down to battle with the Argentinians over this piece of land hardly anyone lived on. It was fascinating…and bizarre. Until the fighting started, that is. Then it became horrifying as nightly news bulletins showed footage of soldiers jumping off boats and running ashore and of planes taking off from an aircraft carrier. Then it got worse. The bombing of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels Sir Galahad and Sir Tristram and the television pictures that showed the aftermath were my first real experiences of the horror of war — played out in front of us in our living rooms.
So when this novel was being rated by everyone as four or five stars, I resisted. But eventually the tide of opinion got to me and I succumbed. I recognized some of the place names and some of the details of the conflict came back to me as I read the book. Goose Green and Port Stanley are imbedded in the minds of everyone who bore witness to the nightly news updates. And this actually helped give vision to this wild and barren place where everybody knows everyone else — and their business. View all 37 comments. Ever since I finished this book yesterday I have been debating whether to give it four or five stars, but since after a certain point I couldn't pit the darn book down, five it is.
The setting was unusual, the Falkland Islands, and the writing is so wonderfully descriptive, I could feel the wind, pi true the rocks and cliffs, the mine field, all the wild life, actually felt like I was there. Same with he characters, we get a glimpse of village life, those who run the newspaper and the police. The Ever since I finished this book yesterday I have been debating whether to give it four or five stars, but since after a certain point I couldn't pit the darn book down, five it is. The three main character each tell their stories and we get to know them pretty well.
We even get a little picture of the war on the islands told through flashbacks of one of the main characters. Children are going missing on the island and this is where the story starts, with a missing boy and then it just hooked me, the story goes places I didn't expect, many twists and turns. Suspense, tension and wanting to know what happens. And no this is, another one I had no clue until the end and I love when an author can do that. The final twist at the end really surprised me. Bolton has become one of my favorite authors and this stand alone did not disappoint.
ARC from Net Galley. View all 18 comments. Jul 03, Linda rated it it was amazing Shelves: I had to "sit with" this book by Sharon Bolton afterwards and feel the grit of its words and close my eyes tightly to the deep impact of the character of Catrin Quinn. Sharon Bolton places her finger on the pulse of Catrin and reveals the inner workings of a woman who has suffered the unspeakable loss of two sons in a horrific accident.
Only Bolton knows where deep in her soul this c "But the woman Ben had married wasn't there any more and neither he nor I knew where to find her. Only Bolton knows where deep in her soul this character resides. The Falkland Islands provides the setting with a craggy landscape ripe for questionable happenings. Bolton even provides a thread of the war fought there and the fissures of the scars left behind. Catrin and her husband Ben have divorced after losing their sons Catrin embraces a weakened lifeline to being a marine biologist and becomes immersed in the darkened waters off the coast of the archipelago.
She breathes tainted breaths within the shattered remnants of her former life. She is hollowed out and dying a slow death in the brutal rays of daily life. You see, her childhood friend, Rachel, is responsible for the deaths of those two little boys. And forgiveness is as elusive as the horn of a unicorn. They have not spoken for three years and avoid being anywhere near each other. Rachel walks in the aftermath of this loss as well. It has imprinted a stain upon her heart for which there is no cure.
Callum Murray takes up residence near Catrin. He suffers from PTSD after the war and the effects weigh heavy on him. There is a connection between these two that remains unbreakable in the years before and the time after the accident. Tragedy strikes again when young boys go missing in this small community. Bolton weaves the story with a snake-like grip on the lives of these three characters. How are they interconnected and what will be left on the doorstep? Some have questioned the ending of this story. But it conjures up thoughts of the "pound of flesh" in The Merchant of Venice.
Is there ever a means to complete restitution for our deeds? The suffering soul has a profound willingness to fall upon the sword for the supreme sacrifice. Yet, it is never enough. Sharon Bolton presents a story that is so deeply character driven. She lays out the frailty of the human mind and spirit like no other.
You walk within the weight of each step taken by these individuals. This is a remarkable read if you are open to lifting aside the dark shadows that overcast truth. And truth is an elusive bird here that takes flight when the winds are stirred. View all 27 comments. This is highly recommended for all thriller fans!
I just loved it! I just loved this book. It deserved a lot more stars than 5. This book is so hard to review to give it the justice it deserves. I could vision in it, and could even smell it. I love when the author description of a place is so well done that it felt like I just visited it. I love to visit places in my books. I also loved the characters in this This is highly recommended for all thriller fans!
I also loved the characters in this book. If you have not read this book, I feel you are missing out if you are a thriller fan. This one I think is my favorite for the year. Here is a short summary of the book. Why would her goal, her passion, lie in nursing a plan to kill her former best friend, Rachel Grimwood?
The answer unfolds in three strands. As Catrin glides among the fur seals and pilot whales, she reveals the unending source of her pain: Her ex-husband, Ben, has moved on, remarried, and started a second family. Only her former lover Callum Murray, a Scottish soldier who came to defend the Falklands during the Argentine invasion, understands who Catrin has become.
In his narrative, he tries to woo Catrin back into the world. In the end, what might have been a searching look into the fine line between mishap and crime ends in a cascade of improbability. View all 48 comments. I wanted to see what all the hubba-hubba was about. Thank You to many Goodreads friends! I loved the setting —Stanley, Falkland Islands I enjoyed reading about the land - the history of the whales - while at the same time the the characters - and plot were the driving force.
Catrin and her dog Queenie , first begin this story. Author Sharon Bolton - is quite ingenious with the plot and characters. A young boy is missing It was easy to make a case for none of the characters being a reliable. No graphic or extreme violence- kudos to Bolton View all 7 comments.
Sharon Bolton is the author of the bestselling Lacey Flint series. Little Black Lies is her first standalone thriller since Blood Harvest. This standalone mystery is about a mother who, three years after her two young children disappeared, is plotting revenge…to kill someone. The novel is set in the Falkland Islands, and the writing instantly draws you into the book, with descriptive scenic passages that provide food for thought.
It is about a tragic story of death, guilt and trying to move on, in the midst of pain. The novel is divided into three parts, and the three co-protagonists; Catrin, Callum and Rachel, take part explaining in detail their perspective of the events. This allows the reader to broaden their scope of the dynamics of the situation, past and present, and get to know the characters in greater detail. Catrin Quinn lost her two young sons, three years ago, in a terrible accident.
Whether I can look a living creature in the eye and take the one irreversible action that ends a life…I have no difficulty in killing. Now all that Catrin wanted was Revenge! And then another child goes missing! Three young boys all disappear in the last two years, all near water. But were they connected? In this fast-paced suspense novel, the author keeps the reader guessing right until the very end, and boy what a surprise Brilliant ending!
A definite 5-Star plus rating from me. Now I am totally intrigued to make the time to read all her books in the series. View all 96 comments. Even her dead ones. This is the second truly amazing book I have read this year, and I cannot speak highly enough of it. I became emotionally entangled with the characters in this spellbinding story of friendship, love, lust, death, guilt, anger, grief and revenge.
Often I found myself going back and re-reading passages, rolling their black beauty around in my mind, dwelling, wondering And then there was the most mind-blowing ending Set in the Falkland Islands, this book focuses on the lives of 3 people, who each take a turn at narrating, in the aftermath of a tragedy. Two young boys, Ned and Kit, are killed in an accident resulting from a combination of lust and carelessness. In the following three years, three children go missing, all bearing a strong resemblance to the two dead boys.
Is this the work of the dead boys mother? She has been but a mere ghost of herself since their death. Or perhaps it is her lover, and ex-Falklands war soldier who suffers Post Traumatic Stress Disorder complete with blackouts. Or is it someone else entirely? All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions. Please refer to my Goodreads. This review and others are also published on my blog sandysbookaday.
View all 25 comments. Someone is not telling the truth View all 16 comments. View all 24 comments. I'm in a daze, I don't even know where to begin The novel is told from three viewpoints and begins with Catrin. Catrin is struggling, grieving from the tragic accidental death of her two children three years prior. Not that she really sees their deaths as accidents, she blames her childhood friend Rachel who was looking after them that day.
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And Catrin has a plan for revenge. However when a child goes missing, the third in two years, she g Wow However when a child goes missing, the third in two years, she gets dragged into a web of secrets and lies and finds her plan of revenge is not going to be as simple after all. Callum and Rachel tell the remainder of the story, but I don't want to give away any more information about them or the story because I don't want to spoil anything!
I have made no secret about my admiration for Bolton's novels. Especially the Lacey Flint series, which is my all time favourite series. There is something about the atmosphere she creates in her books that resonates with me. I get sucked into the darkness of it, and love every word of it. I'm not even sure exactly why this book captured me so. Perhaps being a mother now, books about dead and lost children strike a particular chord with me now.
A chord that has not always been there. Like a new level of emotion. Catrin's grief is so real. So palpable, that it made me feel sick to my stomach. But don't let that put you off this book!!! It's not all doom and gloom Well a lot of it is But not in a bad way!! If you are a fan of books such as gone girl, sharp objects, the girl on a train etc etc I have no doubt you will enjoy this book, or any of Bolton's novels.
Although there is just no comparing them Bolton blows them out of the water! I'm not exactly sure why she isn't more popular, here in Aus anyway I know she is getting more popular but I hadn't heard of any of her books until the Lacey Flint series was auto recommended to me on Goodreads and I thought I would give it a go thank you Goodreads! I will be very surprised if she doesn't make it to the top 10 here is Aus very soon. My daze still continues.
This is absolutely my favourite book of the year And that ending is so fresh that right now, I am having a lot of trouble thinking of a book that I have liked more. You won't regret it!!! For this and more reviews check out my blog www. View all 33 comments. Apr 03, Christine rated it it was amazing. Sharon Bolton takes a break from her Lacey Flint series and brings us a fantastic standalone novel set in the Falkland Islands. Bolton takes us on a dark journey of friendships lost, of pain and despair, grief and anger and missing children.
Narrated by three lonely and lost characters, Catrin, Rachel and Callum, we slowly get to know them and how they see the world. Two children were accidentally killed, leaving behind them a mother, Catrin, buried in her pain and her best friend Rachel, guilty Sharon Bolton takes a break from her Lacey Flint series and brings us a fantastic standalone novel set in the Falkland Islands. Two children were accidentally killed, leaving behind them a mother, Catrin, buried in her pain and her best friend Rachel, guilty of not paying attention for a second. Added to this is Callum, a man connected to Catrin who fought in the Falklands and is still having flashbacks.
Her mom was there and her old best friend mandy was there too. She will keep those lies to herself and hope everything was just how it use to be. This book was not as exciting as Shattering Glass, but i still liked it, because after all it was more understandable, because i can connect to girls easily. Also i find Sara really funny, because she connect math with anything in her life, making equations counting and even graphs.
She is so interesting, because Sara as a character is very dynamic and she was changing through out the story, until the end she became the person she was before. It is easy to connect with, because it is about a highschool and teenagers tend to change to suit their surrounding. People change to adapt, so do we. We dont change as much, because we are suited into this enviroment, because we been living in NYC for a long time. I can connect with Sara becase i love math too, its just that i'm not smart enough to be called a math genius: I would love to be friends with Sara, she looks like a very humorous and friendly person.
I loved this book: Oct 30, Lindsay Frost rated it really liked it Shelves: Egmont USA of pages: Won from a contest Synopsis: When I first got this book, I didn't know if I would like it or not, but I ended-up enjoying this book. It was very believable and realistic, everyone seem like real people. And with Sara, you could sympathize with her, after all, her mom left her, her Dad, charlie's OCD is destroying him and she had to move to a new town and go to a new school. So there is alot of pressure of wanting to fit in so What harm can one little black lie do?
I really like how the author made Sarah like a real girl, even when she has told alot of lies, she is not happy about it and she has a good heart.
- Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin.
- Black Lies?
- A Darkness Descending (Sandro Cellini series Book 4).
- Theory after Derrida: Essays in Critical Praxis.
- Our Solar System Unit Study.
- Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen;
- Empireal.
I also really like Sara relationship with her Dad, in alot of books, I don't see that at all. I felt so sorry for poor Charlie, with his OCD that's hurting him. There wasn't alot of romance in here but the romance that they did have, it was cute. D The plot was very nice, it's kind of like those books that have school and popular girls that enjoy hurting other girl except that this book was clean, it's a book that I would give to younger girls to read.
I really enjoy this book and I think that you will enjoy it too. I give it 4 stars. Oct 21, Karmen rated it really liked it. Sara Black brings another shade of colour into her kind of white lies. Little Black Lies, a novel from Tish Cohen, tells the journey of a domino-effect of fibs told by Sara in an attempt to create a past she never got to have.
OCD is like a puffy dandelion wishie…They will find a place to burrow and, sooner or later, will sprout again. Little Black Lies deceives us with its stereotypical synopsis of a chain of lies for self-benefit, and the inevitable result of the truth that is exposed. Taking from this, Tish Cohen presents a reality-oriented main character, result of a teen pregnancy, living with the knowledge that she was born ten years too early.
It kept me guessing which character Cohen could have been referring to. A novel of deceit and family, self-realization and search for identity, Little Black Lies painted a world that draws to a complete and realistic conclusion. The characters are brought to life in their interactions, and the lies are but a trigger to the events that occur. Feb 07, Canadian Children's Book Centre added it. Reviewed by Lisa Doucet As Sara begins her new life in Boston, attending a very exclusive and academically intense private school for only the most gifted of students, she has a lot on her mind.
Then there is her father and what appears to be a flare up of his obsessive-compulsive disorder. On top of all of that is the arduous workload at Anton High and the awkwardness of trying to make new fr Reviewed by Lisa Doucet As Sara begins her new life in Boston, attending a very exclusive and academically intense private school for only the most gifted of students, she has a lot on her mind.
On top of all of that is the arduous workload at Anton High and the awkwardness of trying to make new friends and find a place for herself in her new surroundings. When popular girl Carling takes a sudden interest in Sara and welcomes her into her elite circle of friends, Sara thinks things may be looking up for her.
Unfortunately, even though she sees what Carling is all about, she still feels the need to hide the truth about herself and her life in order to feel she belongs with this crowd. But as her steady stream of half-truths and lies start hurting the people she loves, she finally comes to realize what really matters to her. And although things work out for Sara in the end, she still suffers the consequences of her unwise decisions.
The author also uses lovely turns of phrase and vividly descriptive passages to make this more than just another teen problem novel. May 06, Lauren rated it really liked it Shelves: After hearing some mixed thoughts on this one, I wasn't really sure what to expect. Would I love it or hate it? In Sara, Tish created a character that is complex and easy to relate to in the fact that she's dealing with fitting in along with peer pressure, the affects of her parents separation, the typical stress of school, and other teen problems. While I did like Sara, I had a bit of hard time accep After hearing some mixed thoughts on this one, I wasn't really sure what to expect.
While I did like Sara, I had a bit of hard time accepting how she treated her father for most of the book. Though, now that I think about this, maybe Tish is trying to show that while anyone can make mistakes you have to make a bigger person out of yourself by learning from them which Sara had by the end. I also really enjoyed reading about Sara's neighbor, her best friend from back home, and the guy she liked whose names I can't remember currently. The plot was also pretty great. Since it was basically a Gossip Girl like novel but instead of having drugs, sex, and swear words it switched all of them out with a far better thing: One of my favorite parts was reading the little facts about Ants that related to Anton High students and seeing what it would be like going to a school as prestigious as Anton was.
Also, it did have the tendency to throw in a random twist and turn at times that I also enjoyed. Overall, Little Black Lies is yet another great novel by Egmont even with the few flaws it had, and I know for a fact that not only will I be reading more of Egmont novels, but Trish's too! I received this book from RS at Egmot in exchange for a honest review. May 30, Christina added it Shelves: By Tish Cohen Pages: She doesnt know anyone at that school so she has to start off by making friends.
So she starts talking to the "popular kids" and she starts telling them about how her life used to be before she came to this high school. She thinks that her life is boring and that people wouldnt like her if she told them some of the real things that happen in her life so she makes up lies t By Tish Cohen Pages: She thinks that her life is boring and that people wouldnt like her if she told them some of the real things that happen in her life so she makes up lies to try and seem "cool.
She then apologizes them but they still cant trust her because she lied already but she still has friends that stick by her. Sarah learned that she could have told the truth about her father being a janitor and then she wouldnt have to have lied about other stuff. She also learned that you dont have to lie to people to be cool and excepted and you just have to be yourself. This book was a good book to teach people that they dont need to lie to be accepted they just have to be themselves. She had moved from another town to this new school and was embarrased that her father worked as a janitor, but she was very concerned about what people thought about her.
She would do anything to have friends and to not be that kid that just sits alone at lunch by themselves. Overall i enjoyed reading this book. Oct 27, Bianca rated it liked it Shelves: Little Black Lies was a wonderful read! It wasn't that hard to get into at all and by the time your halfway through with it, it's hard to put down! First off, I'd like to mention that one of the reasons I was drawn to this book because it takes places in Boston, one of my favorite places and it has to do with a private school -well, technically this school isn't one, but it might as well be.
And Tish Cohen does this neat little thing with the chapters, she starts them all out with a quote about Little Black Lies was a wonderful read! And Tish Cohen does this neat little thing with the chapters, she starts them all out with a quote about ants, which the students at Anton High calls themselves. Sara Black never planned on lying, but soon one lie leads to another and pretty soon she's dug herself into a pretty deep hole that she's having a lot of trouble getting out of.
I felt that the book was realistic and it was easy to see where she was coming from. In the end, there are consequences for everyone and I was glad to see Sara coming clean of all her lies. I loved the relationship between Sara and her dad. I admired Sara's dad, Charlie, was always there for her especially when her mother isn't. I'm glad that this book talked a lot about what Charlie had go through with his OCD. I wasn't expecting Little Black Lies to talk about the seriousness of the disorder, but I'm glad it does!
Another thing that I really, really liked about the book is that it actually talks about the hard work that students actually get. I relate to Sara so much when she spent a lot of her time studying to maintain her grades. But, unlike Sara, I am no mathwhiz! The ending of the book was really good. I liked the bit of relationship that Sara has, its a nice touch.
Jul 21, Sara Grochowski rated it it was amazing Shelves: I absolutely loved Little Black Lies! The main character, Sara, takes lying to a whole new level, and, while I don't think I could take it as far as she did, Tish Cohen mades it easy for me to understand Sara's actions. I really appreciate that the author incorporated OCD into the plot.
OCD is one of those conditions that everyone knows about, but many people haven't experienced first hand.
Little Black Lies
I could imagine how debilitating it could be for the individual with OCD, but I never really considered the impact it could have on his or her family. Reading about Sara's father having OCD and the reactions of her high school classmates really made me think about how I would react in a similar situation as a onlooker or as a family member. It was actually really emotion and a lot more serious than I'd anticipated - I came very close to crying during a couple of passages. She seems to be a great girl with a lot going for her, but her low self-esteem and focus on what her peers think of her drive her to lie and do other horrible things.
However, when Sara's past and her home life was revealed as I progressed through the book, I found myself sympathizing with her - even as she hurt the people that cared about her the most, and ultimately, herself. By the end of the book, I was proud of Sara's growth, she really came into her own! Of course, I must mention the romance! There is a minor romantic plot line that I really enjoyed. It wasn't a main theme by any means, but it tied in well. I felt like the romance could have been explored a bit more, as the boy has a bit of a history that would have been nice to explore more.
His story ended up being a lot less dramatic than I felt was originally implied. Jul 17, Steph Su rated it liked it Shelves: We can feel for Sara as she navigates life without her mother, in a new school full of classmates who would do nearly anything to beat their friends. I mentioned earlier that I thought it was a watered-down version of Gossip Girl. There are definitely still bitchy girls who manipulate, blackmail, and hurt one another.
Mar 14, Kelsey rated it it was amazing Shelves: So Little Black Lies? What can I say but that I loved it. It was well written, funny, sad, loveable, it was everything a terrific book should be. The characters were great- well developed with strong personalities and it was hard not to like the main character, even with her lies. Also, she was always sucking up to the most popular girl. Her father was a great character. His OCD was something that really opened my eyes to how horrible the disease really is.
Lying is a difficult subject, but Tish Cohen perfectly dealt with it. Sara learned some important lessons and Little Black Lies showed how important it is to be honest, and never to abandon the people you love most. The ending was perfect and Leo and Sara are a great couple. I loved how in the end they both opened up about their pasts.
All in all, I would highly recommend Little Black Lies. Also, I really like the cover. The vintage car is so cute, and the different pictures are great. Dec 28, Jessica Lawlor rated it really liked it Shelves: I found it really interesting that the author chose to set this story at a school for geniuses, where the stakes are a bit higher and its each student for themselves as they compete to get into the best colleges. One with brains, money and power. Charlie has OCD and Sara struggles with helping him through it, especially since her mom skipped out of town to move to Paris with her lover.
Sara was fiercely protective over her dad Charlie, although we do see her struggle with finding the balance between her loyalty to him and her desire to fit in with Carling and her friends. Sara is ashamed to tell her friends that her dad works at Anton has a janitor, so she lies and says he is a surgeon. Sara feels obviously guilty, but still struggles to tell the truth, especially after all of the other lies she has told. Each plot line served a purpose and Cohen expertly told the story in a way that kept the reader engaged.
Jun 18, Katie rated it it was amazing Shelves: I could tell from the very beginning that I was going to like Little Black Lies. It kept me hooked right until the last sentence and even after that it stuck with me. The first thing I really liked about the book was Sara. She may have been a huge liar and kind of selfish in some of her acts but I still liked her.
She was also really funny. She was super clumsy and always tripping over something or running into someone. And usually it was a very cute senior boy. Also, the story was just really entertaining. I kept reading because I really wanted to know what crazy thing Sara would do next and how she would manage to get herself out of it. And the girls were insane. I felt so bad for him with his OCD and I just wanted to hug him. He had so many things going on with his life but all he ever cared about was Sara.
Overall, I guess you can clearly see how much I liked the book. Definitely see if your local bookstore has a copy of this because it is super worth it. Sep 17, Erica rated it really liked it. Little Black Lies was a light read that a wide range of teens will enjoyable. That was one reason I enjoyed it so much, there was never a moment where you were thinking, "That'd never happen. I thought that was so unique! Tish Cohen created a main character you can sympathize for and also connect with, but I found myself frustrate Little Black Lies was a light read that a wide range of teens will enjoyable.
Tish Cohen created a main character you can sympathize for and also connect with, but I found myself frustrated at Sara at times. One lie would build into another, and she was a character that had nothing but great things for her. Though I do understand her struggle to balance school and family life. The other characters really grow on you as the novel goes on. There were a few characters I was not crazy about in the beginning, but were my favorites by the end. I loved the underlying romance throughout the entire novel. I would have liked to see a little more of it, as I fell in love with the boy and would've liked to know a bit more about him.
I liked the involvement of OCD with Sara's father. It really makes you understand how living with someone with ODC can affect your life. Little Black Lies ends with an ending to make you go "Awww" Little Black Lies was a novel I really enjoyed reading, and should Tish Cohen decide to continue Sara and the other characters story, it'd be a book I'd be first in line to buy. Oct 01, Stephanie rated it liked it Shelves: A very interesting setting - a nerd elite public school - one that I would not have though of at all.
Little Black Lies is filled with the seemingly never-ending high school drama and ordeal. I had heard a lot of mixed reviews about this book so I wasn't really sure what to expect when I first started it. Needless to say, I did enjoy it but it was one of those books that you had to read a few chapters to get in to. Sara started out to me as a nice girl who unfortunately got sent out of her hometow A very interesting setting - a nerd elite public school - one that I would not have though of at all.
Sara started out to me as a nice girl who unfortunately got sent out of her hometown because of her father's new job at Anton High. I felt for her, really. You were really able to sympathize with her until she started to spin some lies and deceived the people around her. That was when I lost my respect for her.
She had so many chances to tell the truth but she kept avoiding it until it finally came out from the wrong mouth. And not only that, she became so obsessed with being with the popular girls that she started to avoid her best friend back at home, someone who needed her in her times of need but unfortunately, Sara was too busy for that. She had a lot of ups and downs. I never actually thought that OCD could get that bad so it was refreshing to read a new outlook on this commonly used phrase.
Overall, I found Little Black Lies to be a pretty good book though I would have enjoyed it better if there was just a little more oomph to it. Jul 09, Aileen rated it liked it.
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Sara Black has just been enrolled in on of the most prestigious public high school, Anton High, no one gets in after their freshmen year and it's almost impossible to pass the test, she got in as a junior. Which helps her stick out more then she usually would riding in her dad's old VW bus. When her new classmates mistake her coming from Lundon, Massachusetts, for London, England, she doesn't correct them. She rather likes this new found popularity she has started to develop, until another girl Sara Black has just been enrolled in on of the most prestigious public high school, Anton High, no one gets in after their freshmen year and it's almost impossible to pass the test, she got in as a junior.
She rather likes this new found popularity she has started to develop, until another girl at Anton becomes jealous of Sara's social climbing. When the girl is close to discovering the truth behind Sara's lies one little slip up could ruin Sara's reputation and blooming romance with one super hottie, Leo, the guy who also happens to be dating her new found friend Carling.
Sara doesn't want to hurt her new friend Carling, especially since Carling knows a bit to much about her, but also because she just doesn't want to become one of those obnoxious boyfriend stealing girls she hates. This is a story that is filled with real life situations like divorce, OCD, honesty, lies, and starting over.
All these things happen every day whether we deal with them or not, and it all fit together very well in the story. Everything seemed to really connect and the way the story progressed was done excellently in my opinion. Jul 12, Jennifer Wardrip rated it really liked it Shelves: The school she'll be attending is also the school that is hiring her father as the new janitor.
Her mother has run away with one of Sara's former high school teachers to France.
Sara is very embarrassed about her father, especially since he suffers from OCD. He also drives old VW buses. Her new school is one full of gifted students and snobs. Sara is tired of having a life that is ruined by her parents. She decides that she will invent a new persona. She gets entangled in a web of lies that threatens to destroy not only herself but her father, as well. Sara is a believable character, and by the end of the book you know that she would make a good friend.
She learns important lessons about the value of a good parent, the love of a friend, and the importance of honesty. This is the second book by Tish Cohen that I have read and I really like her writing. She likes to write about issues that are in the news but are those that we really don't know much about.
This book focuses on OCD. I enjoyed that it wasn't by the sufferer but by a family member who has to live with the person with the condition.
This is a very good book, well-written and also entertaining. Jan 06, Camille rated it it was ok. Water dribbles down his face, drips from his chin. Instead, I squint in the brightening light, halfway between my old life and my new and smile. She comes from a janitorial father who takes pride in his duties as a cleaner, and a French cuisine mother who seemed to abandon her duties as a mother. Sara finds herself in a new area and a new school with her father. He Water dribbles down his face, drips from his chin.
Her father, Charlie takes the janitorial spot at the high school, and soon has to deal with his OCD on a major level. Sara must learn what she really values in her life and whom she wants to keep in it before she losses the most important piece of who she is. This novel was a good read. The story line is very predictable but Cohen writes it remarkably well for the subject matter.
I understand using it for reference, but in using it as a put down, quite frequently, made the novel less desirable in my eyes. If you enjoy a predictable book that tells the tales of high school drama amplified, then do read it! Oct 11, Yan rated it liked it. Little Black Lies start out a bit dull for me but developed into something interesting towards the end.
In the end this was a good book with a few twists and adorable scenes. A few white lies, turning to black, and bam, all hell goes loose. This is what Sara goes through. There are consequences for every Little Black Lies start out a bit dull for me but developed into something interesting towards the end. There are consequences for every action and Tish Cohen did an excellent example of that through this book. I also loved how the author incorporated random facts here and there.
Doctors squeeze the gaping wound shut and deposit ants long the gash. In defense, each ant grabs hold of the edges of skin with its mandibles, or jaws, and locks it in place. Doctors then slice off the head, leaving the mandibles in place to secure the cut until healed. A nice debut book. Would have liked something more.