A review of Laurie Flynn’s latest YA novel: The Last Girl Lied To – from Kirkus Reviews

In The Last Girl Lied To, readers only see Trixie through the eyes of others, especially Fiona. There seems to be little to admire in the girl who went missing after a party and who apparently killed herself: Trixie betrayed one best friend after another and was unkind to her devoted father. But if Fiona is right, she also faked her suicide and just walked away from the mess she created.

Fiona’s present-tense narration is interspersed with frequent recollections of Trixie that gradually reveal what led up to her possible death. Fiona, almost incapable of making decisions for herself, drifts from one controlling friend to another, never quite realizing a relationship with Beau, her emotionally troubled soul mate. Her infatuation with Trixie motivates her to search for evidence that she isn’t dead, while Jasper, another domineering figure, insinuates himself into her life.

Much of the treachery among this group of older high school students takes place at alcohol-drenched parties as the cast of white teens fall in and out of love, behave badly, suffer emotional whiplash, and then, eventually, move neatly on. 

Laurie

A page-turner of love and passion that features a slew of unadmirable characters. (Fiction for ages  14-18)

Note: along with Erin O’Connor, senior editor at Scholastic Books, Laurie will be my guest speaker at one of the two  Writing for Children and for Young Adults workshops I'm leading: Sunday, May 5, in Toronto and Saturday, May 12, in Brampton. Details here. ~Brian

Also: You’re invited to Laurie’s launch party for Last Girl Lied To on April 28 in London, Ontario (details here). But if you miss that and don’t pick up a copy at her workshop with me, you can buy a The Last Girl Lied To online from Amazon.ca here, from Chapters here, and in bookstores everywhere.

See my full schedule here, including Saturday writing workshops, weekly writing classes, and weekend retreats in Algonquin Park, Alliston, Bolton, Barrie, Brampton, Burlington, Caledon, Collingwood, Georgetown, Georgina, Guelph, Hamilton, Jackson’s Point, Kitchener-Waterloo, London, Midland, Mississauga, New Tecumseth, Oakville, Ottawa, Peterborough, St. Catharines, Sudbury, Toronto, Windsor, Woodstock, Halton, Muskoka, Peel, Simcoe, York Region, the GTA, Ontario and beyond.

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