Title: Lies Like Poison
Author: Chelsea Pitcher
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Publication date: November 10th, 2020
304 pages
4/5 stars
Goodreads Synopsis
Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at the hands of his stepmother, they came up with a lethal plan: petals of poppy, belladonna, and lily in her evening tea so she’d never be able to hurt Raven again. But someone got cold feet, the plot faded to a secret of the past, and the group fell apart.
Three years later, on the eve of Raven’s seventeenth birthday, his stepmother turns up dead. But it’s only belladonna found in her tea, and it’s only Belladonna who’s carted off to jail. Desperate for help, Belle reaches out to her estranged friends to prove her innocence. They answer the call, but no one is prepared for what comes next.
Now, everyone has something to lose and something equally dangerous to hide. And when the tangled web of secrets and betrayal is finally unwound, what lies at its heart will change the group forever.
Review
The concept of this book truly intrigued me, which is why I requested it and wanted to read it. I think the execution could have used some work, but Lies Like Poison is a solid YA Mystery that delves into the tangled web of 4 teenagers, friends who have many secrets…
Poppy, Belladonna, and Lily got together one day to plot to kill Lily’s mother, because they believed she was torturing their best friend, Raven, by causing him to want to commit suicide after his mother died. The create the recipe for the perfect murder, intending to carry it out, until one of them backs out at the last minute. Flash forward 3 years, and Evelyn has been murdered – but no one knows who. The four friends must reunite to clear their names, and discover the truth about what happened to her, as well as what was going on 3 years ago.
I overall found this book to be very enjoyable. The mystery element here was good, the characters were unreliable, allowing the big reveals not to be seen a mile away. The characters are great as a group, but only okay individually. Some more development could’ve been helpful. Also, prepare for some suspension of disbelief around the police procedural scenes. I had a good idea of the ‘whodunnit’ piece of the plot, and ended up being right. But, it took awhile to get the guess right.
Lastly, there is queer representation in a lot of the characters, which is always great to see.
Thank you to Margaret K. McElderry Books and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.
Happy reading, folks!
Baltimore Bibliophile 