796 books
—
2,957 voters
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Lies Like Poison” as Want to Read:
Lies Like Poison
by
Riverdale meets Kara Thomas’s The Cheerleaders in this electrifying, twisted thriller about estranged friends who reunite when someone commits the murder they’d planned—but didn’t go through with—and leaves one of their own to take the fall.
Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at t ...more
Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at t ...more
Hardcover
Published
November 10th 2020
by S&S/McElderry
(first published September 3rd 2020)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Reader Q&A
To ask other readers questions about
Lies Like Poison,
please sign up.
Popular Answered Questions
Paige
Trans female to male, gay, lesbian
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30

Start your review of Lies Like Poison

29 Nov. '20
Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
A quick read with easy prose. Excellent blurb. Made the book sound 100% much more intriguing than it actually was. Sadly the plot itself was weak and hinged upon many conveniences designed specifically by the author:
(1) The most useless police force in town
From the unsolved robbery of Raven's biological mother, to the now murder of his step-mother. The police have been a negligible force, entering the story only when the plot requires it to be rel ...more
Spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.
A quick read with easy prose. Excellent blurb. Made the book sound 100% much more intriguing than it actually was. Sadly the plot itself was weak and hinged upon many conveniences designed specifically by the author:
(1) The most useless police force in town
From the unsolved robbery of Raven's biological mother, to the now murder of his step-mother. The police have been a negligible force, entering the story only when the plot requires it to be rel ...more

Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Honestly, I really enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. I loved how it was based around this mystery of who murdered someone, but also about four queer best friends who would do absolutely anything for each other. We have Belladonna, Poppy (Jack), Lily, and Raven who we get a perspective of and for the first half of this book they are completely unreliable characters. So, you don’t know who to believe and who is actual ...more
Honestly, I really enjoyed this book much more than I was expecting. I loved how it was based around this mystery of who murdered someone, but also about four queer best friends who would do absolutely anything for each other. We have Belladonna, Poppy (Jack), Lily, and Raven who we get a perspective of and for the first half of this book they are completely unreliable characters. So, you don’t know who to believe and who is actual ...more

Like Like Poison was a twisted contemporary fairytale with exciting twists and centring around the friendship between four kids who would do anything for each other.
Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was an exciting thriller with four queer main characters, a m/m and f/f romance and discussing abuse, trauma and other topics. It was full of exciting reveals, morally grey characters and most importantly queer found family!!
The first two thirds of Lies Like Poison, were a little messy. The pac ...more
Overall I really enjoyed this book, it was an exciting thriller with four queer main characters, a m/m and f/f romance and discussing abuse, trauma and other topics. It was full of exciting reveals, morally grey characters and most importantly queer found family!!
The first two thirds of Lies Like Poison, were a little messy. The pac ...more
![M. [storme reads a lot]](https://images.gr-assets.com/users/1618092339p2/11748214.jpg)
Another book tour book. Review coming soon.

Years ago there were three best friends and a stepsister - Poppy, Raven, Belladonna, and Lily. Poppy and Bella both cared deeply for their friend Raven and then when tragedy struck and he lost his mother, they thought he would be happy - that was until he got an evil stepmother Evelyn and then a stepsister Lily. The stepsister was a little odd but not as bad as Raven's stepmother whom Poppy and Bella were convinced she was abusing and trying to get Raven to kill himself. During this time, the th
...more

“The wickedest monsters know better than to leave footprints.”
~ Full review to come. ~
☁ THE CRITERIA ☁
🌼 Blurb:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
🌼 Main Character:⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Significant Other: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Support Characters:⭐☆☆☆☆
🌼 Writing Style:⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Character Development:⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Romance: ⭐⭐⭐☆☆
🌼 Pacing: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Ending: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Unputdownability: ⭐⭐☆☆☆
🌼 Book Cover:⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
☁FINAL VERDICT: 2.45/5 ☁

❐ Overall Rating 2 | Narration 5
❐ YA Mystery
❐ LGBTQIA
How can a book have such wonderfully atmospheric narration and rate so low with me.??? Good question. I wanted to like this and I really tried to do so but it missed the mark for me, story-wise. I really found most of the story to be rather unbelievable and very reminiscent of the show Riverdale...basically a hot mess.
❐ Libby Listen through my Library
❐ Length ➯ 7H 54M
❐ YA Mystery
❐ LGBTQIA
How can a book have such wonderfully atmospheric narration and rate so low with me.??? Good question. I wanted to like this and I really tried to do so but it missed the mark for me, story-wise. I really found most of the story to be rather unbelievable and very reminiscent of the show Riverdale...basically a hot mess.
❐ Libby Listen through my Library
❐ Length ➯ 7H 54M

3.5 Rounded to 4 Stars
Four friends, one person dead, and a recipe of murder. Chelsea Pitcher’s new YA Mystery Lies Like Poison will keep you on your toes.
This mystery is told in 4 POV’s. When Poppy, Belladonna, Raven, and Lily plan the murder of Raven’s step-mother three years earlier they’d never thought it’d actually happen. So much has changed in three years and now all of them are suspect.
The pacing was a little slower than I was anticipating and the plot was confusing for the first half of ...more
Four friends, one person dead, and a recipe of murder. Chelsea Pitcher’s new YA Mystery Lies Like Poison will keep you on your toes.
This mystery is told in 4 POV’s. When Poppy, Belladonna, Raven, and Lily plan the murder of Raven’s step-mother three years earlier they’d never thought it’d actually happen. So much has changed in three years and now all of them are suspect.
The pacing was a little slower than I was anticipating and the plot was confusing for the first half of ...more

Aug 24, 2020
Karen Barber
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
august2020mmc_yabuddyreaders,
netgalley
What a tangled web of lies and deceit these pages revealed...thank you to the publishers, Simon Schuster, and NetGalley for letting me read this prior to publication.
Poppy, Lily and Belladonna are our focus for this story and everything hinges on their relationship to Raven, their best friend. It isn’t immediately clear how this group formed or the reason for the dynamics between them - but we know they have a shared history, and would do anything to protect each other.
Our story opens with a bod ...more
Poppy, Lily and Belladonna are our focus for this story and everything hinges on their relationship to Raven, their best friend. It isn’t immediately clear how this group formed or the reason for the dynamics between them - but we know they have a shared history, and would do anything to protect each other.
Our story opens with a bod ...more

provisional rating: 3.5 stars? might change to 4 after some contemplation. loved the queer rep ofc but the plot wasn't the strongest, a bit predictable for my tastes. the writing is gorgeous at times - crushingly poignant - but the characterisations fall flat for the majority of the book. full review to come.
...more

Triggers: loss of a parent, mention of neglect, abuse, mentions of self harm and wanting to commit suicide, inpatient treatment, substance abuse, being kicked out for being gay
“The wickedest monsters know better than to leave footprints”
Okay I definitely wasn’t planning on reading this book all in one go but I could not put it down, I was intrigued from the start and just had to know what happened and I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it.
I thought the characters were so complex and interes ...more
“The wickedest monsters know better than to leave footprints”
Okay I definitely wasn’t planning on reading this book all in one go but I could not put it down, I was intrigued from the start and just had to know what happened and I’m glad I did because I really enjoyed it.
I thought the characters were so complex and interes ...more

It took three months to receive but I understand the circumstances. Quite possibly the worst book I have ever read. It was supposed to be for young adults, 14 and over. The story was way too weird for any age group. It was a murder mystery. By the time I finished, I couldn't care less who did it. The characters were hidious. I hated everyone in this book. I won't even pass it along to others. Maybe just put it in a Little Library.
...more

Nov 15, 2020
PinkAmy loves books, cats and naps
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
DNF
I don’t know what LIES LIKE POISON was pretending to be, but it missed the mark by a long shot for me. Chelsea Pitcher’s blurbs always sound more interesting than my enjoyment of them.
I don’t know what LIES LIKE POISON was pretending to be, but it missed the mark by a long shot for me. Chelsea Pitcher’s blurbs always sound more interesting than my enjoyment of them.

Nov 08, 2020
Brianna:)
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-with-cool-covers,
anticipated-2020
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an ARC!
I’ve read very few murder mystery books, despite having a decent amount on my TBR. “Lies Like Poison” was fantastic! I enjoyed how the author used flashbacks as a way of displaying the characters’ relationships. Lilly, Belle, and Jack each had their own reasons for wanting to murder Raven’s grandmother and it gave depth to the story.
My favorite character was probably Poppy, who goes by Jack and uses female pronouns. She was quirky but ...more
I’ve read very few murder mystery books, despite having a decent amount on my TBR. “Lies Like Poison” was fantastic! I enjoyed how the author used flashbacks as a way of displaying the characters’ relationships. Lilly, Belle, and Jack each had their own reasons for wanting to murder Raven’s grandmother and it gave depth to the story.
My favorite character was probably Poppy, who goes by Jack and uses female pronouns. She was quirky but ...more

I was really excited to read this book, having read Chelsea Pitcher's previous mystery novel. She has an amazing ability to come up with fascinating plots built around great concepts, and this is really indicative of that.
Lies Like Poison follows four... acquaintances, who's relationships are really too complicated to be called friends! There's Raven, the prince in need of saving; Belladonna, the wild and unruly witch; Lily, the princess who's own need for saving goes overlook; and Jack (or Popp ...more
Lies Like Poison follows four... acquaintances, who's relationships are really too complicated to be called friends! There's Raven, the prince in need of saving; Belladonna, the wild and unruly witch; Lily, the princess who's own need for saving goes overlook; and Jack (or Popp ...more

Dec 30, 2020
Kiele McKinney
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
almost-favorites
This book was so good. Absolutely amazing. I was expecting to like it, but this definitely exceeded expectations. The characters were fabulous, and so was the plot.
Jack. I didn't know how to feel about Jack. She was good at times, and I loved her relationship with her brothers. She was a good character, but she got on my nerves at times. At the end, when they were starting to figure things out, I started to like her more and more. I was actually convinced she was the one who had done it up until ...more
Jack. I didn't know how to feel about Jack. She was good at times, and I loved her relationship with her brothers. She was a good character, but she got on my nerves at times. At the end, when they were starting to figure things out, I started to like her more and more. I was actually convinced she was the one who had done it up until ...more

"Lies Like Poison" reminded me of a mix of a Sherlock Holmes short story I read a while back and The Haunting of Hill House only YA and much, much, much gayer.
At one point I hated and distrusted every single one of these characters and I mean that in the best way possible. The way the Chelsea Pitcher was able to create believable relationships between people that had reasons not to trust each other, hurt each other, and had to pick and choose who to save, who to lie to, who to trust was a deligh ...more
At one point I hated and distrusted every single one of these characters and I mean that in the best way possible. The way the Chelsea Pitcher was able to create believable relationships between people that had reasons not to trust each other, hurt each other, and had to pick and choose who to save, who to lie to, who to trust was a deligh ...more

I received this book from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you, Simon and Schuster Children's Publishing and Margaret K. McElderry Books, for the chance to read Lies like Poison.
TW; abusive relationships, beating, anorexia, suicidal thoughts
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
Poppy, Lily and Belladonna are ready to do anything to protect their friend, (in Lily's case, stepbrother= from Evelyn, his stepmother, who is abusing and torturing him. So they came up with a plan: petals of lily, poppy ...more
TW; abusive relationships, beating, anorexia, suicidal thoughts
POSSIBLE SPOILERS AHEAD
Poppy, Lily and Belladonna are ready to do anything to protect their friend, (in Lily's case, stepbrother= from Evelyn, his stepmother, who is abusing and torturing him. So they came up with a plan: petals of lily, poppy ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

This is one of them YA books that has you guessing who did it, while trying to pin it on everyone else.
There's LGBT+ themes throughout which I think is well-written.
The plot was full of twists and turns, it will hopefully keep people guessing throughout.
It was a fairly quick and easy read for me, and I did enjoy it. This would be a good read for someone who wants an read to help them from a slump. ...more
There's LGBT+ themes throughout which I think is well-written.
The plot was full of twists and turns, it will hopefully keep people guessing throughout.
It was a fairly quick and easy read for me, and I did enjoy it. This would be a good read for someone who wants an read to help them from a slump. ...more

[ARC Provided by NetGalley, my review is unbiased]
Wordpress Blog | Twitter | Pinterest
📗 I was expecting this story to be much like the many other murder mystery books I've read, with contemporary characters and high school secrets. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this this is actually a dark, gothic story about two boys, two girls, obsession and family secrets.
📘 I really liked the LGBT rep in this story, with queer and transgender characters represented extremely well. This is as much a st ...more
Wordpress Blog | Twitter | Pinterest
📗 I was expecting this story to be much like the many other murder mystery books I've read, with contemporary characters and high school secrets. So I was pleasantly surprised to find this this is actually a dark, gothic story about two boys, two girls, obsession and family secrets.
📘 I really liked the LGBT rep in this story, with queer and transgender characters represented extremely well. This is as much a st ...more

I would give this book a solid 3.5 ⭐️, rounded up
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and author for an upcoming tour with Pride Tours. Got it for free in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this queer, found-family story. I loved the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. And the topics were handled very delicately and well done. I applaud Chelsea Pitcher for respecting the LGBTQ+ culture and doing her characters justice.
The story is about three teens who come up wit ...more
I received a copy of this book from the publisher and author for an upcoming tour with Pride Tours. Got it for free in exchange for an honest review.
I really enjoyed this queer, found-family story. I loved the representation of the LGBTQ+ community. And the topics were handled very delicately and well done. I applaud Chelsea Pitcher for respecting the LGBTQ+ culture and doing her characters justice.
The story is about three teens who come up wit ...more

This book was dark, and gritty, and had me hooked from the beginning. Between the lies and the secrets and the shady characters, I wasn't sure who to believe or where to look. It was captivating and revealing in so many ways.
I think what I loved most about this book was how guilty each character seemed. Each of them did have secrets they were holding onto, things they had done wrong in their lives, but finding the big secret, who killed Evelyn, was the hard part. Pitcher masked the true story of ...more
I think what I loved most about this book was how guilty each character seemed. Each of them did have secrets they were holding onto, things they had done wrong in their lives, but finding the big secret, who killed Evelyn, was the hard part. Pitcher masked the true story of ...more


[Blog]::[Youtube]::[Twitter]::[Instagram]::[Pinterest]::[Bloglovin]

What a creative YA mystery this turned out to be!
Firstly, I enjoyed the four main characters. While Jack steals the show, I also liked Belle, Raven, and Lily. Each of them is unique in their manner. The author wonderfully highlighted the LGBT theme with queer and transgender people. It was interesting to see the characters develop over the mystery plot. Initially, it took a while for me to learn the gender role because of th ...more

Full review available October 19th: https://inkandplasma.com/2020/10/19/l...
Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, neglect, psychological torture, disordered eating, diet control, inpatient treatment, substance abuse, mentions of self harm and suicidal ideation, grief.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book, it has not affected my honest review.
The beginning of this book wasn't the best, I found it to be a bit confusing in some places and it had a confusing habit of leaping around f ...more
Trigger warnings: murder, child abuse, neglect, psychological torture, disordered eating, diet control, inpatient treatment, substance abuse, mentions of self harm and suicidal ideation, grief.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the eARC of this book, it has not affected my honest review.
The beginning of this book wasn't the best, I found it to be a bit confusing in some places and it had a confusing habit of leaping around f ...more

Disclaimer: I received this e-arc from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Book: Lies Like Poison
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: LGBT+ rep, transgender characters
Recommended For...: mystery lovers, thrill seekers, LGBT+ rep!
Publication Date: November 10, 2020
Genre: YA Mystery
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 304
Synopsis: Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Rav ...more
Book: Lies Like Poison
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Book Series: Standalone
Rating: 3/5
Diversity: LGBT+ rep, transgender characters
Recommended For...: mystery lovers, thrill seekers, LGBT+ rep!
Publication Date: November 10, 2020
Genre: YA Mystery
Recommended Age: can’t recommend, dnf-ed
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Pages: 304
Synopsis: Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Rav ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Young Adult Fantasy. Poison aspect, three sisters and ones in danger? One sister is being framed. Cover: black with 3 different flowers vertically lined up. Title: incl. Lies or Poison? Saw in 2020. [s] | 7 | 17 | Jan 09, 2021 09:08AM |
Chelsea Pitcher is a karaoke-singing, ocean-worshipping Oregonian with a penchant for twisty mysteries. She is the author of THE S-WORD, THE LAST CHANGELING & THE LAST FAERIE QUEEN.
Watch for her new YA thriller, THIS LIE WILL KILL YOU, coming December 11, 2018 from S&S/McElderry!
Agent: Mandy Hubbard
Watch for her new YA thriller, THIS LIE WILL KILL YOU, coming December 11, 2018 from S&S/McElderry!
Agent: Mandy Hubbard
Related Articles
Author Casey McQuiston took the romance world by storm with her 2019 debut, Red, White & Royal Blue. A double Goodreads Choice Award winner...
316 likes · 44 comments
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“They'll try to hurt us if we're beautiful. They'll try to hurt us if we're ugly. But you know what, baby? They're the ones who are ugly. It doesn't have anything to do with us" -Belle”
—
1 likes
“The wickedest monsters know better than to leave footprints" -Lily”
—
0 likes
More quotes…