What do you think?
Rate this book
Dead Girls Don't Lie
Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text.
Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth.
In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.
Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth.
In the follow-up to her powerful debut, Jennifer Shaw Wolf keeps readers on their toes in another dark, romantic story of murder and secrets.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published September 17, 2013
About the author
Jennifer Shaw Wolf
6 books294 followersJennifer Shaw Wolf grew up on a farm in the tiny town of St. Anthony, Idaho. She spent cold Idaho mornings milking cows in the dark and attended a school where Hunter’s Education was part of the sixth grade curriculum. She’s always been a writer, whether it was sewing together books to read to her little brothers or starting an underground newspaper in sixth grade. She met the love of her life at Ricks College, (now BYU Idaho), after he dropped her on her head. She graduated from Ricks and then Brigham Young University, Provo with a degree in Broadcast Communications. Now she lives in beautiful, green, (rainy) Lacey, Washington with her husband and four kids. She loves to produce videos, ski, ride horses, and read, but really all she has time for is chasing kids and writing.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 635 reviews
September 10, 2013
Review originally posted on Queen Ella Bee Reads
THE REVIEW
Rachel's murdered the same night Jaycee ignores her call in favor of starting up a relationship with Skyler. But when Jaycee sees the text Rachel sent her the night she died, Jaycee can't help but feel like there's more to her friend's death than gang related violence. Then other clues pop up and it turns out that there really is more to this whole thing.
Let's break this down:
I really thought I was going to like is book.
You all know how much I love Veronica Mars (hi, Watch-Along). So a book about a girl's best friend dying and then said girl trying to figure out who dun it? Well, what wouldn't I love?
It turns out the answer is: A lot.
I'll admit to having some personal issues with this book. The setting - small church-based town with a lot of migrant workers and far too much racism - didn't really suit me. I don't generally like when a plot is heavily based on religion or when the main character is a goody-two-shoes mostly based on that religion. Leaning on those stereotypes kind of rubs me the wrong way.
But even when I remove the personal, I still feel like this book lets the reader assume a lot based on the setting. Like, obviously the migrant workers are all bad and in gangs and the church-going Caucasians in the town at all angels (I'm not entirely sure why the Mexican population - legal or otherwise - didn't seem to go to church but I don't think they did). This whole thing is such an insane red herring that you almost can't believe that a migrant worker - whether with gang connections or otherwise - committed the murder in question.
I think this setting would have been fine if 1) the dividing line between the two sides wasn't drawn so clumsily an 2) the main character, Jaycee, wasn't so steadily on one side of the fence at the beginning of the story.
I feel like a lot of the scenes in this book were about the different sides of the lake, the gossip and who could been seen talking to who but its overemphasized to the pon t where I was honestly rolling my eyes. I feel like this constant reinforcement was meant to explain why Jaycee couldn't trust Eduardo even though Rachel told her to. But that doesn't really work for me because Rachel was her bestie and Rachel's mom was like her mom for years. I don't think a couple of months of distance could convince Jaycee to stop trusting her surrogate family. And yeah, she's a strict law abider, which I feel is why she would be inclined to go to the cops, but she hardly even does that. Instead she randomly chooses to trust a boy who kissed her the night Rachel died.
Now, speaking of this boy, the summary of this book makes it sound like there was some kind of relationship between him and Jaycee before this book started but the book kind of goes back and forth on that. Also, this book has a lot of: "I live in a small town and go to a small school but I don't know the name of a lot of the kids in my grade, especially that kid who's a jock a goes missing for 6 months of a random school year." Which doesn't make ANY SENSE AT ALL. The town described is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone and all of their business, not the kind of town where a girl could realistically not know the name of a guy like Skyler. Hell, I went to a school with 115 kids per grade and I knew the names of everyone in my grade and most of the names of the kids in the two grades above and below. I'd also know if any one of those kids went missing for 6 months. There'd also be a million theories as to why and we'd all know the real reason within a week.
Honestly, if Jaycee were my friend I shove her in a closet and lock the door before letting her spend any time with this boy. I honestly think her father did a good job, even though he wasn't the slightest bit honest with his daughter, nor did his concern over this situation appear to differ from his usual strict-father concern. And then he conveniently disappears at the end of the book. I don't even know what's happening here.
Now, Jaycee's stupidity is not limited to who she decides to tell about her sleuthing, her dating choices and her inability to listen to her father (which Jaycee DOES have in common with Veronica Mars). She's honesty the worst detective in the entire world. I'd say there's a total of 5 scenes were she does any real analytical thought. The rest of the book she's just kind of messing around with a guy she hardly knows, getting called stupid by a boy Rachel told her to trust and making a mess of her relationship with her father. And the clues she picks up? I still don't totally understand how they string together to make up the answer to "who dun it". I skimmed the last 40 pages, so maybe I missed something, but I don't think so.
Also, speaking of this boy who Rachel told Jaycee she could trust (Eduardo), well... he's kind of lame. I think he could have been a really interesting character but he turned out pretty flat. He's this tough guy who was hardly even present and really has no characterization beyond having a chip on his shoulder.
I dunno. I feel like a lot of this book didn't work for me because of the setting and played up stereotypes (that might be accurate but I just can't relate at all) but a lot of it didn't work because the characters fell into those stereotypes and didn't really have much else to them. Except maybe Rachel. But she's dead from minute one, so I'll never really know, will I? I will say that the solution to the mystery is pretty insane. The thrill came in there a little. But not even close to enough to redeem this book for me.
The long and short of it?
Plot: Sounds promising from the summary but the actual story is insanely unconvincing and flat.
World Building: Stereotypes to the max. And maybe the world is like this in some places, but I feel like it's kind of derivative and insanely dull.
Character Development: Jaycee doesn't DO anything. Things just keep happening to her. Oh, and everyone else in this story just kinda stands there. Snooooozefest.
Prose: The actual words told the story clearly enough, I just felt like some of the events in the story contradicted other events and JUST when I felt like I/the story was making progress, everything falls back to contradictory-town.
Would I Recommend This Book?: Nope. I mean, if you can get past the stereotypes and like small town stories, maybe you'll do better with this book than I did. But this is not a remarkable or memorable mystery by any means.
THE REVIEW
Rachel's murdered the same night Jaycee ignores her call in favor of starting up a relationship with Skyler. But when Jaycee sees the text Rachel sent her the night she died, Jaycee can't help but feel like there's more to her friend's death than gang related violence. Then other clues pop up and it turns out that there really is more to this whole thing.
Let's break this down:
I really thought I was going to like is book.
You all know how much I love Veronica Mars (hi, Watch-Along). So a book about a girl's best friend dying and then said girl trying to figure out who dun it? Well, what wouldn't I love?
It turns out the answer is: A lot.
I'll admit to having some personal issues with this book. The setting - small church-based town with a lot of migrant workers and far too much racism - didn't really suit me. I don't generally like when a plot is heavily based on religion or when the main character is a goody-two-shoes mostly based on that religion. Leaning on those stereotypes kind of rubs me the wrong way.
But even when I remove the personal, I still feel like this book lets the reader assume a lot based on the setting. Like, obviously the migrant workers are all bad and in gangs and the church-going Caucasians in the town at all angels (I'm not entirely sure why the Mexican population - legal or otherwise - didn't seem to go to church but I don't think they did). This whole thing is such an insane red herring that you almost can't believe that a migrant worker - whether with gang connections or otherwise - committed the murder in question.
I think this setting would have been fine if 1) the dividing line between the two sides wasn't drawn so clumsily an 2) the main character, Jaycee, wasn't so steadily on one side of the fence at the beginning of the story.
I feel like a lot of the scenes in this book were about the different sides of the lake, the gossip and who could been seen talking to who but its overemphasized to the pon t where I was honestly rolling my eyes. I feel like this constant reinforcement was meant to explain why Jaycee couldn't trust Eduardo even though Rachel told her to. But that doesn't really work for me because Rachel was her bestie and Rachel's mom was like her mom for years. I don't think a couple of months of distance could convince Jaycee to stop trusting her surrogate family. And yeah, she's a strict law abider, which I feel is why she would be inclined to go to the cops, but she hardly even does that. Instead she randomly chooses to trust a boy who kissed her the night Rachel died.
Now, speaking of this boy, the summary of this book makes it sound like there was some kind of relationship between him and Jaycee before this book started but the book kind of goes back and forth on that. Also, this book has a lot of: "I live in a small town and go to a small school but I don't know the name of a lot of the kids in my grade, especially that kid who's a jock a goes missing for 6 months of a random school year." Which doesn't make ANY SENSE AT ALL. The town described is the kind of town where everyone knows everyone and all of their business, not the kind of town where a girl could realistically not know the name of a guy like Skyler. Hell, I went to a school with 115 kids per grade and I knew the names of everyone in my grade and most of the names of the kids in the two grades above and below. I'd also know if any one of those kids went missing for 6 months. There'd also be a million theories as to why and we'd all know the real reason within a week.
Honestly, if Jaycee were my friend I shove her in a closet and lock the door before letting her spend any time with this boy. I honestly think her father did a good job, even though he wasn't the slightest bit honest with his daughter, nor did his concern over this situation appear to differ from his usual strict-father concern. And then he conveniently disappears at the end of the book. I don't even know what's happening here.
Now, Jaycee's stupidity is not limited to who she decides to tell about her sleuthing, her dating choices and her inability to listen to her father (which Jaycee DOES have in common with Veronica Mars). She's honesty the worst detective in the entire world. I'd say there's a total of 5 scenes were she does any real analytical thought. The rest of the book she's just kind of messing around with a guy she hardly knows, getting called stupid by a boy Rachel told her to trust and making a mess of her relationship with her father. And the clues she picks up? I still don't totally understand how they string together to make up the answer to "who dun it". I skimmed the last 40 pages, so maybe I missed something, but I don't think so.
Also, speaking of this boy who Rachel told Jaycee she could trust (Eduardo), well... he's kind of lame. I think he could have been a really interesting character but he turned out pretty flat. He's this tough guy who was hardly even present and really has no characterization beyond having a chip on his shoulder.
I dunno. I feel like a lot of this book didn't work for me because of the setting and played up stereotypes (that might be accurate but I just can't relate at all) but a lot of it didn't work because the characters fell into those stereotypes and didn't really have much else to them. Except maybe Rachel. But she's dead from minute one, so I'll never really know, will I? I will say that the solution to the mystery is pretty insane. The thrill came in there a little. But not even close to enough to redeem this book for me.
The long and short of it?
Plot: Sounds promising from the summary but the actual story is insanely unconvincing and flat.
World Building: Stereotypes to the max. And maybe the world is like this in some places, but I feel like it's kind of derivative and insanely dull.
Character Development: Jaycee doesn't DO anything. Things just keep happening to her. Oh, and everyone else in this story just kinda stands there. Snooooozefest.
Prose: The actual words told the story clearly enough, I just felt like some of the events in the story contradicted other events and JUST when I felt like I/the story was making progress, everything falls back to contradictory-town.
Would I Recommend This Book?: Nope. I mean, if you can get past the stereotypes and like small town stories, maybe you'll do better with this book than I did. But this is not a remarkable or memorable mystery by any means.
August 20, 2015
My Actual Rating: 1.8
This book annoyed the crap out of me! The only thing this book had going for it was the mystery of Rachel's murder and trying to find out what really happened.
The stereotypes and gang related drama was so ridiculous and I could have predicted the *answer* lied in the opposite stereotype as you would assume. I was right. The good guys were the bad guys and vise versa.
Jaycee was annoying and her dad was so shady but I think that was the authors attempt at leading us down the wrong path towards the answer. There was absolutely not character development. She was dumb in the beginning, middle and end. When we finally got the answer to "who killed Rachel" I couldn't care less. I was shocked or surprised I was just like oh good this is almost over.
Slow paced, boring, stereotypical, stupid. The end.
This book annoyed the crap out of me! The only thing this book had going for it was the mystery of Rachel's murder and trying to find out what really happened.
The stereotypes and gang related drama was so ridiculous and I could have predicted the *answer* lied in the opposite stereotype as you would assume. I was right. The good guys were the bad guys and vise versa.
Jaycee was annoying and her dad was so shady but I think that was the authors attempt at leading us down the wrong path towards the answer. There was absolutely not character development. She was dumb in the beginning, middle and end. When we finally got the answer to "who killed Rachel" I couldn't care less. I was shocked or surprised I was just like oh good this is almost over.
Slow paced, boring, stereotypical, stupid. The end.
June 26, 2014
One of the best mysteries I've read in a while. I have been having luck with this genre of book so far this year. Another golden pick here and I must say I was little creeped out reading this at 1am in the morning it felt like i was in Lake Ridge being hunted down.
Jaycees best friend is killed in her own room days later she receives a text and a video on her phone of her decrease bff. Jaycee believes there is a lot more to her death. Jaycee starts to look into her death with the help of Eduardo one of the people she was closes to before she died. Her bff has left clues along the way that only Jaycee would notice and understand, as she continues to dig, she becomes the new target of the people who killed her bff.
Jaycee also doesn't know who to trust Eduardo the gang banger with a pass or the town's people she's grown up with her whole life.
One of the things that had me constantly banging my head was how gullible and naive Jaycee was. She ability to believe what everyone says was really frustrating. Another thing that I thought that was sad was the segregation between the Mexican migrant workers and the towns people but this is sadly a reflection of reality in some places.
The authors writing through the whole book makes you think you know who the killer was and to suspect every character. I didn't think the killer would be someone so close to Jaycee I was thrown off. One of the last people I expected was the killer and because of this I had to give the book 5 stars because usually mysteries I can figure out pretty early who the guilty person is.
Jaycees best friend is killed in her own room days later she receives a text and a video on her phone of her decrease bff. Jaycee believes there is a lot more to her death. Jaycee starts to look into her death with the help of Eduardo one of the people she was closes to before she died. Her bff has left clues along the way that only Jaycee would notice and understand, as she continues to dig, she becomes the new target of the people who killed her bff.
Jaycee also doesn't know who to trust Eduardo the gang banger with a pass or the town's people she's grown up with her whole life.
One of the things that had me constantly banging my head was how gullible and naive Jaycee was. She ability to believe what everyone says was really frustrating. Another thing that I thought that was sad was the segregation between the Mexican migrant workers and the towns people but this is sadly a reflection of reality in some places.
The authors writing through the whole book makes you think you know who the killer was and to suspect every character. I didn't think the killer would be someone so close to Jaycee I was thrown off. One of the last people I expected was the killer and because of this I had to give the book 5 stars because usually mysteries I can figure out pretty early who the guilty person is.
August 14, 2015
This was a YA contemporary mystery story, about a girl who was trying to discover her best friend’s murderer.
Jaycee was an okay character, although sometimes she would have benefitted from putting her brain in gear a bit. Most of the guys in this were a bit creepy though!
The storyline in this was about Jaycee trying to find out why her best friend Rachel was shot and killed, but the pace was way too slow for me, it felt like it took forever for anything to happen, and that bored me a bit.
The ending to this was okay, but I wasn’t really happy about who the murderer turned out to be.
6 out of 10
February 9, 2017
Genre: YA Mystery (standalone)
:: 3.5 Pretty Little Stars ::
This was a good book. A tad bit slow for me but an overall decent YA book. I like the whole idea surrounding the mystery (the main characters best friend is killed and she's searching for answers as to what actually happened to her), and there is a major plot twist that will leave readers gasping. Fans of this genre will probably like this one a bit more than me as it's not my "typical read".
:: 3.5 Pretty Little Stars ::
This was a good book. A tad bit slow for me but an overall decent YA book. I like the whole idea surrounding the mystery (the main characters best friend is killed and she's searching for answers as to what actually happened to her), and there is a major plot twist that will leave readers gasping. Fans of this genre will probably like this one a bit more than me as it's not my "typical read".
September 17, 2013
The first thing I noticed about his book was its setting. It seemed like such a quiet farming community which made Rachel’s murder all the more shocking to Jaycee and everyone else. As the story progresses, the layers of the town are peeled back until your impression of almost everyone and everything has changed. That is one of the reasons I love books set in small towns, precisely because there is always more going on than you think. Jaycee and Rachel’s falling out settles in Jaycee’s heart and her guilt over it weighs on her. It’s that guilt that motivates her to figure out what really happened. As a sleuth, Jaycee was smart, determined, and fun to read. One thing that I thought was unusual was that her father remained very involved in the story and in Jaycee’s life. I always joke that the first rule of writing YA is to get rid of the parents. (Think about it – it’s true.) Jaycee’s father is religious (as is Jaycee) and tries to stay involved in her life while gently communicating his beliefs. Add that to every parent’s concern over Rachel’s murder, and Jaycee has to do some creative research since her access to cell phones and the internet is restricted. It was an interesting twist in this story, but it did not take away from the mystery at all. It made it seem a little more realistic, in my mind.
Being a fan of all things Law & Order related, I was thrilled when I picked up that same vibe from this story. While it definitely had a great way of taking the puzzle pieces of the mystery and moving them slowly together in a very methodical way, there was also a definite emotional element to it. I thought it was very interesting the way that people’s assumptions about who commits crimes were influenced by the racist beliefs that many held. Being a community that utilizes migrant workers, there were people who were more than happy to blame this on “gang bangers” and Hispanics. Jaycee’s determination to find the truth ended up exposing how people’s assumptions can be very wrong and damaging to a community. I liked the idea that seemed to run throughout the story, as it seemed to say it’s never too late to make amends and don’t assume you know someone because of what they look like or where they are from. In the end, things did not end up the way I thought they would at all. The plot twists threw me at every turn, so it was really fun to get involved in the story. It was extremely suspenseful and very creepy. If you like mysteries with plenty of plot twists and a healthy dose of eeriness, you will love Dead Girls Don’t Lie.
Being a fan of all things Law & Order related, I was thrilled when I picked up that same vibe from this story. While it definitely had a great way of taking the puzzle pieces of the mystery and moving them slowly together in a very methodical way, there was also a definite emotional element to it. I thought it was very interesting the way that people’s assumptions about who commits crimes were influenced by the racist beliefs that many held. Being a community that utilizes migrant workers, there were people who were more than happy to blame this on “gang bangers” and Hispanics. Jaycee’s determination to find the truth ended up exposing how people’s assumptions can be very wrong and damaging to a community. I liked the idea that seemed to run throughout the story, as it seemed to say it’s never too late to make amends and don’t assume you know someone because of what they look like or where they are from. In the end, things did not end up the way I thought they would at all. The plot twists threw me at every turn, so it was really fun to get involved in the story. It was extremely suspenseful and very creepy. If you like mysteries with plenty of plot twists and a healthy dose of eeriness, you will love Dead Girls Don’t Lie.
October 26, 2013
Jaycee's best friend Rachel is dead. She and Rachel had been inseparable since they were little, but for the last year Rachel changed and the girls grew apart. Jaycee received a call from Rachel the night Rachel was murdered, but Jaycee ignored her. Now Jaycee wants to find out what happened to Rachel and what Rachel really saw that last night she and Jaycee hung out. Jaycee gets help from an unexpected source but will the truth be what she really wants.
I was really excited to read this book. I expected a murder mystery with supernatural elements like a message from beyond from Rachel, but I was sadly mistaken. Maybe that is why I didn't like this book because I had lofty beliefs about what I was getting into.
The mystery aspect of the book was just blah. About 40 pages into the book I knew what had happened and who was responsible and why. There was no mystery. I could put the book down and not think about it again, and nothing caused me to want to pick it back up. It was not compelling.
I did not really like Jaycee as a character. She was pretty much a wallflower who went with the crowd even when she was against it. She never fought for what she wanted, and she was weak willed. At the end of the book, she almost grew a backbone, but it was only a little and she knew her father approved. I never really rooted for her.
I thought the book was too religious for me as well. The underlying theme of the story seemed to be if you go to church on a regular basis then you will be a good person and are not capable of anything bad. The plot broke down into good vs. evil, but not well executed. And shockingly, the story ended in church, the same place it started. Jaycee's dad I found to be super creepy. He was so restrictive of her every action, and always threw some religious thing out at her. I expected him to be a child molester or something. Ok, maybe an over exaggeration, but I really did not like the dad. And the love interest Skyler, I really felt for him, but I never liked him. He was so moody all the time...Rachel was the only character that I really liked, but she was already dead when the story began.
Any way, this was a fast paced read and maybe someone else would like it. For me it was too much blah and not enough mystery.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
I was really excited to read this book. I expected a murder mystery with supernatural elements like a message from beyond from Rachel, but I was sadly mistaken. Maybe that is why I didn't like this book because I had lofty beliefs about what I was getting into.
The mystery aspect of the book was just blah. About 40 pages into the book I knew what had happened and who was responsible and why. There was no mystery. I could put the book down and not think about it again, and nothing caused me to want to pick it back up. It was not compelling.
I did not really like Jaycee as a character. She was pretty much a wallflower who went with the crowd even when she was against it. She never fought for what she wanted, and she was weak willed. At the end of the book, she almost grew a backbone, but it was only a little and she knew her father approved. I never really rooted for her.
I thought the book was too religious for me as well. The underlying theme of the story seemed to be if you go to church on a regular basis then you will be a good person and are not capable of anything bad. The plot broke down into good vs. evil, but not well executed. And shockingly, the story ended in church, the same place it started. Jaycee's dad I found to be super creepy. He was so restrictive of her every action, and always threw some religious thing out at her. I expected him to be a child molester or something. Ok, maybe an over exaggeration, but I really did not like the dad. And the love interest Skyler, I really felt for him, but I never liked him. He was so moody all the time...Rachel was the only character that I really liked, but she was already dead when the story began.
Any way, this was a fast paced read and maybe someone else would like it. For me it was too much blah and not enough mystery.
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.
March 7, 2016
"I know I'll miss her every single day, but the memories she left won't haunt me anymore...I'll remember girls who loved and trusted each other, protected each other, and sometimes even hurt each other. I'll remember a friendship that will never go away."
This is my very first YA mystery book and I’m pretty sure I’ll be reading more from this genre and this author. This book will keep you guessing up until the very last pages of it. You never know who to believe and trust. Who’s actually telling the truth. Who’s being him/herself and who’s just putting on a facade.
Jaycee, our main girl is a character I actually like. Some may find her too much of a goody-goody and sometimes really annoying for her naivety but I find her character realistic. She’s always been a follower, either of Rachel’s or her father’s. Speaking of her father, I liked that in this book parents are present and they do actually care for their kids! LOL At the end of this book, I was proud to see Jaycee mature and be the girl she never thought she could be. She may have not become like Rachel who's fearless in every way but she did grow up. I also like the friendship between Rachel and Jaycee. It wasn't perfect. They have different personalities yet they go along just fine. Their friendship was rocky but even after Rachel's death, even after all the rumors she's heard regarding her friend, even after everything Jaycee has found out about Rachel their friendship held strong. Another thing I like about this book is how the author shows how people can easily put the blame on someone based on how he/she looks, his/her race or where he’she’s from. It can narrow our judgment and distort the way we see things. Therefore, it makes it harder for us to find out the truth.
The journey to discovering the truth was fun and full of twist and turns that will keep readers entertained and at the edge of their seats. The anticipation was crazy. This book has the right amount of mystery, suspense, creepiness and romance. It was hard to put this book down.
This is my very first YA mystery book and I’m pretty sure I’ll be reading more from this genre and this author. This book will keep you guessing up until the very last pages of it. You never know who to believe and trust. Who’s actually telling the truth. Who’s being him/herself and who’s just putting on a facade.
Jaycee, our main girl is a character I actually like. Some may find her too much of a goody-goody and sometimes really annoying for her naivety but I find her character realistic. She’s always been a follower, either of Rachel’s or her father’s. Speaking of her father, I liked that in this book parents are present and they do actually care for their kids! LOL At the end of this book, I was proud to see Jaycee mature and be the girl she never thought she could be. She may have not become like Rachel who's fearless in every way but she did grow up. I also like the friendship between Rachel and Jaycee. It wasn't perfect. They have different personalities yet they go along just fine. Their friendship was rocky but even after Rachel's death, even after all the rumors she's heard regarding her friend, even after everything Jaycee has found out about Rachel their friendship held strong. Another thing I like about this book is how the author shows how people can easily put the blame on someone based on how he/she looks, his/her race or where he’she’s from. It can narrow our judgment and distort the way we see things. Therefore, it makes it harder for us to find out the truth.
The journey to discovering the truth was fun and full of twist and turns that will keep readers entertained and at the edge of their seats. The anticipation was crazy. This book has the right amount of mystery, suspense, creepiness and romance. It was hard to put this book down.
Read
April 19, 2013I loved this book. Coming of age and mystery are my two favorite genres, and this book combined them so well. At the start, Jaycee is naive, scared, angry, confused. She's delicate. I loved her growth throughout the story, and I also thought the level of "detective" work that goes on made sense with her being a teenager. Recommended.
February 8, 2017
This book is really interesting because its like girl's drama and friendship.
January 7, 2018
Like others are saying, overall, a great mystery/whodunnit with some pretty suspenseful parts. It is a little slow, but there are parts that move quickly. Readers will definitely keep guessing about the killer up until almost the end. Struggling readers might get frustrated with the book in the beginning as there are unmarked flash forwards and flashbacks that are a little confusing.
October 20, 2013
Jaycee's best friend Rachel just died. They haven't spoken to each other in six months and yet Rachel tried to reach out to Jaycee just before her death. Jaycee hasn't told anyone that Rachel asked her for her help, and that just maybe had she not ignored the text, Rachel's fate could have been different. Rachel and Jaycee were just hanging out, Rachel wanted to go to an old abandoned house when they stumbled upon a gruesome site, a boy dead. Did someone see them? Does it have something to do with what happens to Rachel or is it something more? The police are saying that it is gang related but with the cryptic messages that Rachel left behind for her, Jaycee decides to take the investigation into her own hands, hoping to get real justice for her friend. Rachel left warnings not to trust anyone but as Jaycee digs further she may have put herself in real danger. Dead Girls Don't Lie will definitely keep you intrigued as you try to figure out just what happened, who done it, and why? A very well put together y/a mystery. If your a fan of Pretty Little Liars, you are sure to enjoy this book.
September 13, 2015
This was a slow read. In pretty typical fashion in these books, the teenage heroine is better qualified than the police and the FBI to solve a murder. I couldn't relatd to the characters nor the plot, and I could't care less about the resolution of the crime. When the culprit was revealed, I was meh, this is finally over.
July 31, 2017
It was really crap, I hated the gangs and the murders and everything.
Yet it was strangely intriguing. The plot line so gripping, tense, and I stuck out (perhaps stupidly) right to the end.
Yet it was strangely intriguing. The plot line so gripping, tense, and I stuck out (perhaps stupidly) right to the end.
February 12, 2018
I'll remember. There are three of them in the last paragraph of the book. But the last "I'll remember" really made me think.
"I'll remember a friendship that will never go away."
Which friendships will I always remember? To be honest, I don't even know which friendships I will remember. In the book, Jaycee, whose best friend, Rachel, was murdered, had many different friends and trusted people very easily. She wanted to find out who killed Rachel, and why. But trusting everyone, who were all going against each other, was difficult. But when she figured everything out, she realized who was the person she had a true friendship with.
"I'll remember a friendship that will never go away."
Which friendships will I always remember? To be honest, I don't even know which friendships I will remember. In the book, Jaycee, whose best friend, Rachel, was murdered, had many different friends and trusted people very easily. She wanted to find out who killed Rachel, and why. But trusting everyone, who were all going against each other, was difficult. But when she figured everything out, she realized who was the person she had a true friendship with.
September 1, 2022
I love this book! At first I wasn't very sure if I would like this but it's really good!
April 13, 2022
This book was ok. I felt like it was more about Jaycee than about Rachel’s death and what happened to her. Also for some reason, it kind of annoyed me how on the back it says Skylar, but throughout the book it said Skyler. But, there was something about it that I liked so I gave it four stars.
September 13, 2013
3.5 stars
After reading Jennifer Shaw Wolf's first book, Breaking Beautiful, last year I wasn't totally sold on her. In that review I said I wanted to give the book more than three stars because I really enjoyed the writing, but there were just issues I couldn't get past. Part of me feels the same way about Dead Girls Don't Lie, but overall I do think it's a better book.
When I first started reading I was kind of confused. There's Jaycee, the narrator and main character who doesn't seem to have much of a personality. She's quiet and she follows the rules and she used to be friends with Rachel until Rachel starting heading down a different (more dangerous in Jaycee's eyes) path. Rachel has just died and the police blame her murder on a gang problem in their small Washington town, but Jaycee thinks someone else might be behind Rachel's death. The night Rachel died Jaycee missed several phone calls from Rachel and got a text from Rachel telling Jaycee she was scared and asking Jaycee to come over.
This is the part of the book that was difficult for me to really buy into. Jaycee is a pretty sheltered, rule-following girl. She misses all these calls from her former best friend and gets a text message from her now dead best friend saying her death wasn't a random gang shooting, but Jaycee doesn't go to the police! I know Rachel told her not to trust the police, but still. I know it's not an uncommon method of storytelling in stories like this, but it still drove me nuts.
Beyond that I really only have positive things to say about the book. I thought that the way the author depicted the struggle between the white townspeople and the Mexican migrant workers who work on the farms in the town and who the town blames for the gang problem was really interesting. Jaycee and her father are pretty religious and I thought the juxtaposition between these very pious women attending church and preaching about following God's laws and then judging Rachel and other Mexican immigrants was pretty accurate and interesting to read about. (I grew up in a town with a big migrant worker community so I feel like I know this type of scenario well.)
I especially liked how I never figured out who the murderer was. About maybe a quarter of the way through the book I really thought I knew and I thought Jaycee was a complete moron for not figuring it out, but then there was this crazy twist at the end that just shocked me! And I loved that there were no red herrings, even though we don't find out the murderer until the end we're always being led in the right direction, there are no real false guesses or accusations. I found that very refreshing.
Bottom Line: Even though I had some issues with the story I still think this is a winner. Jennifer Shaw Wolf's writing is great and she came up with a mystery that had me on the end of my seat and then stunned at the resolution. If you're looking for an entertaining, smart, YA thriller you should definitely consider giving this one a try.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
After reading Jennifer Shaw Wolf's first book, Breaking Beautiful, last year I wasn't totally sold on her. In that review I said I wanted to give the book more than three stars because I really enjoyed the writing, but there were just issues I couldn't get past. Part of me feels the same way about Dead Girls Don't Lie, but overall I do think it's a better book.
When I first started reading I was kind of confused. There's Jaycee, the narrator and main character who doesn't seem to have much of a personality. She's quiet and she follows the rules and she used to be friends with Rachel until Rachel starting heading down a different (more dangerous in Jaycee's eyes) path. Rachel has just died and the police blame her murder on a gang problem in their small Washington town, but Jaycee thinks someone else might be behind Rachel's death. The night Rachel died Jaycee missed several phone calls from Rachel and got a text from Rachel telling Jaycee she was scared and asking Jaycee to come over.
This is the part of the book that was difficult for me to really buy into. Jaycee is a pretty sheltered, rule-following girl. She misses all these calls from her former best friend and gets a text message from her now dead best friend saying her death wasn't a random gang shooting, but Jaycee doesn't go to the police! I know Rachel told her not to trust the police, but still. I know it's not an uncommon method of storytelling in stories like this, but it still drove me nuts.
Beyond that I really only have positive things to say about the book. I thought that the way the author depicted the struggle between the white townspeople and the Mexican migrant workers who work on the farms in the town and who the town blames for the gang problem was really interesting. Jaycee and her father are pretty religious and I thought the juxtaposition between these very pious women attending church and preaching about following God's laws and then judging Rachel and other Mexican immigrants was pretty accurate and interesting to read about. (I grew up in a town with a big migrant worker community so I feel like I know this type of scenario well.)
I especially liked how I never figured out who the murderer was. About maybe a quarter of the way through the book I really thought I knew and I thought Jaycee was a complete moron for not figuring it out, but then there was this crazy twist at the end that just shocked me! And I loved that there were no red herrings, even though we don't find out the murderer until the end we're always being led in the right direction, there are no real false guesses or accusations. I found that very refreshing.
Bottom Line: Even though I had some issues with the story I still think this is a winner. Jennifer Shaw Wolf's writing is great and she came up with a mystery that had me on the end of my seat and then stunned at the resolution. If you're looking for an entertaining, smart, YA thriller you should definitely consider giving this one a try.
I received an electronic review copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley (thank you!). All opinions are my own.
This review first appeared on my blog.
September 15, 2013
I'd heard AMAZING things about Breaking Beautiful, Jennifer Shaw Wolf's debut novel, but I haven't actually read it (I did pre-order the paperback, so this should be remedied soonish), which meant that I went into Dead Girls Don't Lie without expectations that were insanely high. And guys, it totally worked for me!
Since I started my new residency, I have a LOT less free time to spend on reading and because of the bits and pieces I could snatch over the span of a couple of days, I struggled a bit at first. Because the book wasn't gripping me right from the start and there was all this information and rigidity and things I couldn't make sense of. But when I picked it up again on the weekend and just spent hours reading it: TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY! I finally connected a bit to Jaycee and started getting into the story and the creepiness of it.
Jaycee was a bit too much of a goody-goody for me, but in the end I started to like her. Though what Eduardo called her sounded about right to me: boba (which according to the book translates to naive, stupid, silly), focusing mostly on naive for me. She was so ready to trust everyone! I mean, at one point I was just screaming at her to try and see what was right in front of her and GAH!!
But I sort of get that she didn't see it, I mean, it's always easier when you're on the outside, right? I did like that she genuinely cared about people. And I respected that she was determined to be worthy of Rachel's trust in figuring out what had happened. I mean, she didn't necessarily go about it in the best way, but she did commit to it and I liked that.
Jaycee's dad REALLY annoyed me at times. I mean, ok, he wants to protect his daughter, but seriously dude, we live in the 21st century. The whole thing with her not having access to a computer at home and not being allowed to do pretty much ANYTHING a girl her age would want to do aside from school and taking away her cellphone and everything... That just bugged me. I'm a firm believer that you should just talk to your kid about the stuff you want to protect them from and not try to lock them up or something. I definitely felt that both her parents failed at parenting.
The small-town vibe that echoes throughout Dead Girls Don't Lie is something that I SO recognize! Everybody knows everybody's business, or at least they THINK they do. Don't get me wrong, small towns are cute, but they do have their disadvantages, especially when people living in it are scared of things and people that are different, or not from there. And Dead Girls Don't Lie showed this perfectly.
After the rocky start, I really got into the story and the pace went up and the stakes got higher and everything got creepier and I didn't trust anyone anymore and that was awesome! I'm not much of a mystery girl, but Jennifer Shaw Wolf definitely did it right with this one! I did figure out who had done it way before Jaycee did, mainly because I started to feel uncomfortable every time the killer was mentioned or in a scene.
I blew through the second half of the book and I'm really excited to get my hands on Breaking Beautiful as well soon!
My rating: 3,5 stars
Since I started my new residency, I have a LOT less free time to spend on reading and because of the bits and pieces I could snatch over the span of a couple of days, I struggled a bit at first. Because the book wasn't gripping me right from the start and there was all this information and rigidity and things I couldn't make sense of. But when I picked it up again on the weekend and just spent hours reading it: TOTALLY DIFFERENT STORY! I finally connected a bit to Jaycee and started getting into the story and the creepiness of it.
Jaycee was a bit too much of a goody-goody for me, but in the end I started to like her. Though what Eduardo called her sounded about right to me: boba (which according to the book translates to naive, stupid, silly), focusing mostly on naive for me. She was so ready to trust everyone! I mean, at one point I was just screaming at her to try and see what was right in front of her and GAH!!
But I sort of get that she didn't see it, I mean, it's always easier when you're on the outside, right? I did like that she genuinely cared about people. And I respected that she was determined to be worthy of Rachel's trust in figuring out what had happened. I mean, she didn't necessarily go about it in the best way, but she did commit to it and I liked that.
Jaycee's dad REALLY annoyed me at times. I mean, ok, he wants to protect his daughter, but seriously dude, we live in the 21st century. The whole thing with her not having access to a computer at home and not being allowed to do pretty much ANYTHING a girl her age would want to do aside from school and taking away her cellphone and everything... That just bugged me. I'm a firm believer that you should just talk to your kid about the stuff you want to protect them from and not try to lock them up or something. I definitely felt that both her parents failed at parenting.
The small-town vibe that echoes throughout Dead Girls Don't Lie is something that I SO recognize! Everybody knows everybody's business, or at least they THINK they do. Don't get me wrong, small towns are cute, but they do have their disadvantages, especially when people living in it are scared of things and people that are different, or not from there. And Dead Girls Don't Lie showed this perfectly.
After the rocky start, I really got into the story and the pace went up and the stakes got higher and everything got creepier and I didn't trust anyone anymore and that was awesome! I'm not much of a mystery girl, but Jennifer Shaw Wolf definitely did it right with this one! I did figure out who had done it way before Jaycee did, mainly because I started to feel uncomfortable every time the killer was mentioned or in a scene.
I blew through the second half of the book and I'm really excited to get my hands on Breaking Beautiful as well soon!
My rating: 3,5 stars
August 25, 2013
*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review*
Dead Girls Don't Lie is part mystery, part suspense/thriller with a dash of romance thrown in. It's definitely a page turner; at times I couldn't read quite fast enough to keep up with my curiosity. This book is sad, which is obvious from the synopsis. We meet main character Jaycee on the day of her best friend Rachel's funeral. Though she had been estranged from Rachel for six months, Jaycee is devastated by Rachel's death. The night of her death, Rachel texted Jaycee begging for help, and Jaycee ignored the text. Poor Jaycee worries that she may have been able to prevent Rachel's death and delves into her own investigation of the murder.
The book is set in a small town in rural Washington state where there is a strong divide in the community between the migrant workers and the rest of the town. When Rachel's death appears to be gang related, the police are satisfied and close the investigation. But things in this small town aren't all what they appear to be. As Jaycee continues her investigation, it leads her away from gangs to a hazing ritual among the local high school football team.
Skyler is Jaycee's romantic interest. He agrees to help her in the investigation into Rachel's death. I liked Skyler quite a bit; his relationship with Jaycee is sweet. There are several peripheral characters, including two catty girls who are more concerned with their appearance than Rachel's death. Claire and Taylor are somewhat the stereotypical, stuck-up popular girls.
This book is not all sunshine and lollipops. If you can't handle a gritty ending, you may want to pass on this one. Endings don't surprise me very often, but this one did. I guessed the whodunit about 2/3 of the way through, but I really didn't think Jennifer Wolf Shaw would do it. She did and it was a bombshell. I can't say I liked the ending, it actually pissed me off and I threw my Kindle. The ending was incendiary, raw, and very emotional.
Dead Girls Don't Lie is full of twists and turns that will keep you reading until late into the night. If you like a gritty contemporary mystery/suspense, add this one to your to-read list. I was up in the middle of the night last night thinking about this story, turning it over in my head. In the end I just keep shaking my head at a senseless tragedy that should have been avoided.
Dead Girls Don't Lie is part mystery, part suspense/thriller with a dash of romance thrown in. It's definitely a page turner; at times I couldn't read quite fast enough to keep up with my curiosity. This book is sad, which is obvious from the synopsis. We meet main character Jaycee on the day of her best friend Rachel's funeral. Though she had been estranged from Rachel for six months, Jaycee is devastated by Rachel's death. The night of her death, Rachel texted Jaycee begging for help, and Jaycee ignored the text. Poor Jaycee worries that she may have been able to prevent Rachel's death and delves into her own investigation of the murder.
The book is set in a small town in rural Washington state where there is a strong divide in the community between the migrant workers and the rest of the town. When Rachel's death appears to be gang related, the police are satisfied and close the investigation. But things in this small town aren't all what they appear to be. As Jaycee continues her investigation, it leads her away from gangs to a hazing ritual among the local high school football team.
Skyler is Jaycee's romantic interest. He agrees to help her in the investigation into Rachel's death. I liked Skyler quite a bit; his relationship with Jaycee is sweet. There are several peripheral characters, including two catty girls who are more concerned with their appearance than Rachel's death. Claire and Taylor are somewhat the stereotypical, stuck-up popular girls.
This book is not all sunshine and lollipops. If you can't handle a gritty ending, you may want to pass on this one. Endings don't surprise me very often, but this one did. I guessed the whodunit about 2/3 of the way through, but I really didn't think Jennifer Wolf Shaw would do it. She did and it was a bombshell. I can't say I liked the ending, it actually pissed me off and I threw my Kindle. The ending was incendiary, raw, and very emotional.
Dead Girls Don't Lie is full of twists and turns that will keep you reading until late into the night. If you like a gritty contemporary mystery/suspense, add this one to your to-read list. I was up in the middle of the night last night thinking about this story, turning it over in my head. In the end I just keep shaking my head at a senseless tragedy that should have been avoided.
August 29, 2013
I love a good mystery and I also love the young adult genre but sadly there are very few mysteries in the YA genre, so when I do find one, I make it a point to read it.
This definitely was right up my alley. Never knowing who to believe, who to like or even whom to trust. I love a book that can make me pause and think and question everything around me.
Who killed Rachel and why? Which one of the three boys in Jaycee's life is to blame and how much do they know that they are covering up? And most importantly, will the messages that Rachel left Jaycee help her solve the mystery once and for all or will it just put Jaycee in even more danger than she already is?
Did I mention that I love a good mystery? This had so many different possibilities, so many twists and turns and deceit and deception that I couldn't help but lap up every single delicious minute of it. Never knowing if my gut instinct was right or if I was so completely wrong it was laughable.
Jaycee was the perfect heroine. She was timid and shy and very self conscious of what she looked like and how she acted. She was a follower, not a leader. Never one to be outspoken or to stand up for herself. I know, I know, you are asking yourself right now why any of that makes her the perfect heroine but wait, I'm getting to that part.
You see, that shy, timid little girl grows up and she grows up a lot. Into someone bold and daring and strong. Someone determined to right the wrongs and to make a difference. Someone with a mission.
I really did enjoy constantly guessing whodunit and waiting to see if I was right or wrong and what new twist or clue in the story would show up and change everything I thought I had figured out.
I really do think the YA genre really needs more mysteries because this was so much fun and I can't wait to get my hands on another one. Wolf really outdid herself and created something that I really think anyone would enjoy and I really hope she writes more of.
This definitely was right up my alley. Never knowing who to believe, who to like or even whom to trust. I love a book that can make me pause and think and question everything around me.
Who killed Rachel and why? Which one of the three boys in Jaycee's life is to blame and how much do they know that they are covering up? And most importantly, will the messages that Rachel left Jaycee help her solve the mystery once and for all or will it just put Jaycee in even more danger than she already is?
Did I mention that I love a good mystery? This had so many different possibilities, so many twists and turns and deceit and deception that I couldn't help but lap up every single delicious minute of it. Never knowing if my gut instinct was right or if I was so completely wrong it was laughable.
Jaycee was the perfect heroine. She was timid and shy and very self conscious of what she looked like and how she acted. She was a follower, not a leader. Never one to be outspoken or to stand up for herself. I know, I know, you are asking yourself right now why any of that makes her the perfect heroine but wait, I'm getting to that part.
You see, that shy, timid little girl grows up and she grows up a lot. Into someone bold and daring and strong. Someone determined to right the wrongs and to make a difference. Someone with a mission.
I really did enjoy constantly guessing whodunit and waiting to see if I was right or wrong and what new twist or clue in the story would show up and change everything I thought I had figured out.
I really do think the YA genre really needs more mysteries because this was so much fun and I can't wait to get my hands on another one. Wolf really outdid herself and created something that I really think anyone would enjoy and I really hope she writes more of.
August 28, 2013
Dead Girls Don't Lie is an epic story. If you love murder, mystery, and a guess who done it no way in hell that person did it this is the book for you. I mean right from the beginning I was pulled into this story of a friendship gone bad and one friend ending up dead and the other friend wanting no needing to find out who the killer is.
Jaycee and Rachel are best friends. They share everything and do everything together.Then one night they go to this old house and Rachel sees something and soon Rachel is acting strange. Soon things started to go south for the girls and Rachel shuts out Jaycee so Jaycee moves on. She tried talking to Rachel but Rachel just froze her out and started acting weird and doing weird things. Then on the most important night of Jaycee's life Jaycee gets a text from Rachel asking for help but Jaycee ignores it because they haven't spoken in six months. The next day Jaycee finds out that Rachel has been murdered.
Jaycee is devastated because she feels guilty for not answering Rachel's text. As Jaycee finds out the details of Rachel's death she is determined to get to the truth. The police thinks it is gang related but Jaycee is not so sure because Rachel has left her clues. Together with Eduardo Jaycee starts to uncover that the high school football team may have something to do with the death of Rachel. But Jaycee will have to figure out who she can trust and who she shouldn't trust in order to solve her best friends murder.
Jaycee and Rachel are best friends. They share everything and do everything together.Then one night they go to this old house and Rachel sees something and soon Rachel is acting strange. Soon things started to go south for the girls and Rachel shuts out Jaycee so Jaycee moves on. She tried talking to Rachel but Rachel just froze her out and started acting weird and doing weird things. Then on the most important night of Jaycee's life Jaycee gets a text from Rachel asking for help but Jaycee ignores it because they haven't spoken in six months. The next day Jaycee finds out that Rachel has been murdered.
Jaycee is devastated because she feels guilty for not answering Rachel's text. As Jaycee finds out the details of Rachel's death she is determined to get to the truth. The police thinks it is gang related but Jaycee is not so sure because Rachel has left her clues. Together with Eduardo Jaycee starts to uncover that the high school football team may have something to do with the death of Rachel. But Jaycee will have to figure out who she can trust and who she shouldn't trust in order to solve her best friends murder.
August 10, 2015
Source: I own an ebook copy of this book.
Cost: Free
Title: Dead Girls Don't Lie
Author: Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Genre: YA, Mystery
Overall Rating: 3.9 stars
I really liked this book, it was such an interesting plot.
Rachel and Jaycee have been friends since, basically the womb, and when Rachel is murdered; Jaycee is sent into shock. Murdered at 3am, an hour after Skyler kissed her for the first time and six months after the girls friendship ended for good. But her death is more than meets the eye when Jaycee starts to uncover a world of gangs and secret circles.
The writing in this book keeps you hooked, the chapters are short enough not to bore you to death. But they're also long enough to keep you hooked.
Plus that cover is beautiful.
The only thing that bothered me was Jaycee's dad, he was so annoying. I kind of wanted to kick the screen every time he was mentioned. Sigh. Always that one person.
Cost: Free
Title: Dead Girls Don't Lie
Author: Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Genre: YA, Mystery
Overall Rating: 3.9 stars
I really liked this book, it was such an interesting plot.
Rachel and Jaycee have been friends since, basically the womb, and when Rachel is murdered; Jaycee is sent into shock. Murdered at 3am, an hour after Skyler kissed her for the first time and six months after the girls friendship ended for good. But her death is more than meets the eye when Jaycee starts to uncover a world of gangs and secret circles.
The writing in this book keeps you hooked, the chapters are short enough not to bore you to death. But they're also long enough to keep you hooked.
Plus that cover is beautiful.
The only thing that bothered me was Jaycee's dad, he was so annoying. I kind of wanted to kick the screen every time he was mentioned. Sigh. Always that one person.
August 14, 2015
This was a very good realistic murder mystery in the YA genre, Which is not all that easy to find. I really like all the characters and really was guessing until the end who the murderer was. My main problem with this book was a stereotyping most Migrant farmworkers aren't gang members, and as a rule when you live in a culturally diverse Area most people tend to all get along. I don't know where the author grew up, or what her background is, but this part of the book really bothered me. So, while I like the book, the stereotyping just really rubbed me the wrong way.
September 6, 2015
This wasn't what I expected. I kind of knew what was going on and who killed her friend and I was just waiting for the MC to figure it out. I didn't really know anyone or feel connected with any character other than Jaycee and Rachel. I wish there was more to the story because there's so much I feel is left out.
October 6, 2015
Actual Rating: 4.25
The cover is beautiful. I really liked this book. The plot was very interesting. The writing made me think a bit. Mostly because there were many stereotypes in the book. The chapters are short and simple to grasp understanding. The characters were well developed and very complex. I thought the ending was good. Overall, an enjoyable read.
The cover is beautiful. I really liked this book. The plot was very interesting. The writing made me think a bit. Mostly because there were many stereotypes in the book. The chapters are short and simple to grasp understanding. The characters were well developed and very complex. I thought the ending was good. Overall, an enjoyable read.
July 2, 2015
I absolutely loved it!! Mrs. Kidd you have to read it!!
November 17, 2020
Dead Girls Don’t Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf is told from the perspective of Jaycee Draper in the small town of Lake Ridge. Jaycee and Rachel had been best friends for years until they drifted apart after Rachel started to make changes to her appearance and the people she hung out with. After not speaking for months, Jaycee gets a text from Rachel telling her that she’s in trouble and to meet her at her house ASAP. The text told her to not tell anyone, including the police. Jaycee then gets the news that Rachel had been murdered in her own home in a drive-by shooting soon after. Rumors started to spread around the town that her death was somehow related to the recent changes in her behavior. While the cops suspect gang violence, though Lake Ridge has never seemed to have a problem with it, Jaycee knows her best friend and suspects otherwise. Rachel’s text would be Jaycee’s first clue to finding out what really happened that night. Jaycee rushes to find out what happened to Rachel before she herself suffers the same fate. This thrilling novel leaves you at the edge of your seat, eager to find out the truth. Jaycee portrayed a lot of character development throughout the story. She started off as this innocent girl and constant rule-follower who was always overshadowed by her best friend, but as the story continues she becomes more brave and confident in herself. This book is intended for a teenage audience because of its high school relationships and young love but is also diverse enough that anyone who likes the genres it falls under could enjoy it. I think Shaw does a good job incorporating different genres into one storyline, and keeping it interesting and relatable to the readers. The book contains elements of suspense, mystery, drama, and romance. The climax of the story is intense and the ending is a major plot twist. This fiction book was intended to entertain and I think one of the objectives of this story was to show that you can’t trust everyone you meet because, throughout the story, Jaycee struggles with trying to figure out who she can trust and who is telling the truth. When Jaycee goes to talk to someone close to her about what happened to Rachel, she starts to piece everything together, “Everything about him seems dark, like he’s a completely different person” (Wolf, 326). In the end, the person she trusted the most was the person guilty of the murder. The story also shows that maintaining friendships is far more important than some petty high school drama. During Jaycee and Rachel’s fight, Rachel said to her,” Grow up, Jaycee. There are more important things going on here than your stupid crush on Evan Cross. If you can’t get that, then maybe you should just stay out of my life” (Wolf, 6). It shows how you shouldn’t leave off on bad terms with someone over something small because you never know when will be the last time you see them. I would give this book 4/5 stars because the storyline is extremely interesting and with unexpected twists. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys suspense, mystery, drama, and romance, and anyone who is looking for a story that will keep you on your toes.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 12, 2018
Okay so let’s be honest, I truly do not favor picking up a book and reading at this current point in my life. It is truly hard for me to find a book that I can invest myself in. I believe this is due to never being able to selectively read. Most of the book I’ve read over the years have been assigned so I typically don’t enjoy them.
This book didn’t completely change my aspects on reading but I can say I did invest myself in the book. When I picked up the book and read the title I judged it thinking it was boring and basic. I read the back of it and the words “Rachel was found dead” I was slightly open to giving it a chance and I’m glad I did.
The author did start this book of pretty slow in my opinion but then when the mystery of Rachel’s death began to unravel I was enveloped with interest. The author Jennifer Wolf made me feel the emotions that Jaycee felt and I love when an author is capable of doing such things. I was not only mad at Jaycee for ignoring the text Rachel sent her before her death but I also felt sympathy for her. When you have a friend, a best friend that you suddenly or gradually come to ends meet of the relationship it can hurt. Rachel changed into a different person and Jaycee and her found new crowds, it’s life. However, if my friend was to ever text me an urgent message, I would never ignore it just to spend time with some girl who’d simply become a fling and not go anywhere. Why chose a fling over a long lasting friendship.
Anyways, I was in love with this book because it held the aspects that Pretty Little Liars had and that is one of my favorite shows (highly recommend). All the clues Rachel left behind to bring us closer an closer to figuring it out held the anticipation. It just kept on building until she’d run into the bumps in the road and continue searching. The way Wolf describes the people’s outlook on Rachel can and may make you believe that she was the girl they say she was, that happened to me. I thought Rachel was just some lol tart who honestly couldn’t find her place in the world so she did anything she could to fit in and left behind whomever would interfere (Jaycee). Rachel wasn’t that girl at all. Yes she got herself into the wrong crowds and when you’re dating someone with the background her boyfriend had you’d expect to get shot up in your own bedroom that you consider your safe place, your sanctuary.
I’m too lazy to proof read so if it’s dyslexic sorry. But I highly recommend this book to someone who loves a good murder mystery and some teen drama. I feel like this could be a movie but it’s literally like Pretty Little Liars to me so yeah.
This book didn’t completely change my aspects on reading but I can say I did invest myself in the book. When I picked up the book and read the title I judged it thinking it was boring and basic. I read the back of it and the words “Rachel was found dead” I was slightly open to giving it a chance and I’m glad I did.
The author did start this book of pretty slow in my opinion but then when the mystery of Rachel’s death began to unravel I was enveloped with interest. The author Jennifer Wolf made me feel the emotions that Jaycee felt and I love when an author is capable of doing such things. I was not only mad at Jaycee for ignoring the text Rachel sent her before her death but I also felt sympathy for her. When you have a friend, a best friend that you suddenly or gradually come to ends meet of the relationship it can hurt. Rachel changed into a different person and Jaycee and her found new crowds, it’s life. However, if my friend was to ever text me an urgent message, I would never ignore it just to spend time with some girl who’d simply become a fling and not go anywhere. Why chose a fling over a long lasting friendship.
Anyways, I was in love with this book because it held the aspects that Pretty Little Liars had and that is one of my favorite shows (highly recommend). All the clues Rachel left behind to bring us closer an closer to figuring it out held the anticipation. It just kept on building until she’d run into the bumps in the road and continue searching. The way Wolf describes the people’s outlook on Rachel can and may make you believe that she was the girl they say she was, that happened to me. I thought Rachel was just some lol tart who honestly couldn’t find her place in the world so she did anything she could to fit in and left behind whomever would interfere (Jaycee). Rachel wasn’t that girl at all. Yes she got herself into the wrong crowds and when you’re dating someone with the background her boyfriend had you’d expect to get shot up in your own bedroom that you consider your safe place, your sanctuary.
I’m too lazy to proof read so if it’s dyslexic sorry. But I highly recommend this book to someone who loves a good murder mystery and some teen drama. I feel like this could be a movie but it’s literally like Pretty Little Liars to me so yeah.
November 11, 2020
Finished reading: November 11th 2020
"Everyone is equal, right? Just some people are more equal than others."
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 635 reviews