ARC Review: Lies I Told by Michelle Zink

I became so interested in grabbing Lies I Told because of the title. The pretentious teenager marking its way to lies, truth and everything in between. I was ready for that one. But the beginning had so much more than what I expected. It sparked me with curiosity and jealousy as well. I was curious from the way the characters, Grace, Parker, Cormac and Renee were able to live and switch in different places. Adjusting and adopting themselves to the new people, places and plans. Nothing more fascinates me than that. I felt jealous as well because to me, they look so definitely reserved and tough. But being tough also has its flaw when emotions comes through. The characters became vulnerable and confused. This is what I genuinely love when I was reading Lies I Told, the transition of their feeling is tremendously wonderful.

It wasn't a full-blown-spy-and-thief kind of book. But it did mesmerized me on how the book started on plotting their plan for every chapter, discovering the in and outs of Fairchild's secured and guarded house up until discovering the location of what they're looking at. The character of Grace Fontaine is like reading a determined and fully focused student concentrating to an experiment. All senses are on alert, her eyes skimming around but not giving in too much so no one can recognize. It was incredible to read how the author was able to made Grace like that exactly. But even though she was made like that, I'm delighted the way her mind and heart changes like an innocent teenager wanting to have freedom and break free and also falling in love. Like how deep inside, she wanted to assure herself that somehow her life shouldn't be a series of stealing and escaping.

Cormac and Renee were like chameleons. They can adapt themselves in just a click. It wasn't described like they are trained to be like that, but it was natural with them to deceive people. Both of them were like a couple ready to lure people with the use of decoys, which are Grace and Parker. It even felt like these couple never had any true friends or comrades at least in their past. It is because the way I read it, their minds were only set for stealing, emotions are something else that's a hindrance on the plan.

Of course, a girl wouldn't break the rules not just because of wanting her freedom to live, but also a freedom to choose and stay for the boy she loves. One thing that moves me in every book that I've read is how authors describe freedom and betrayal in several ways. In Lies I Told, there are a series of restraining of what's wrong and right, and I loved the fact how different characters have their own visions of it. Logan and Grace really did a magnificent job on handling their feelings well at some point, they know their limits of the relationship. I love that kind of thinking. Absolutely loved it.

Lies I Told is incredibly legible in spite of its complex and almost-dangerous parts, I was completely consumed and surprised in every pages. This is one of the engaging, evolving and gripping novel I will definitely recommend to anyone. It is, needless to say, that Lies I Told manipulated from beginning to end and I am craving for more for the characters to see how their emotions will clash.

Just be mindful of the ending though - consider this as an early warning from me. You'll definitely flip the pages over and over again.