The Darkest Lie, by Pintip Dunn

The Darkest Lie, by Pintip Dunn

Note! I received this book from the author, Pintip Dunn, through Kensington Publishing. This does not affect my review in any way

Note 2.0: This book is YA, but contains several Trigger warnings. This relates to more controversial topics, such as suicide, inappropriate affairs, or harassment. 

Hey all! 
I just finished reading (my first physical ARC ever and it was so good!) The Darkest Lie, by Pintip Dunn! 

Goodreads Blurb:
“The mother I knew would never do those things.
But maybe I never knew her after all.”
Clothes, jokes, coded messages…Cecilia Brooks and her mom shared everything. At least, CeCe thought they did. Six months ago, her mom killed herself after accusations of having sex with a student, and CeCe’s been the subject of whispers and taunts ever since. Now, at the start of her high school senior year, between dealing with her grieving, distracted father, and the social nightmare that has become her life, CeCe just wants to fly under the radar. Instead, she’s volunteering at the school’s crisis hotline—the same place her mother worked.

As she counsels troubled strangers, CeCe’s lingering suspicions about her mom’s death surface. With the help of Sam, a new student and newspaper intern, she starts to piece together fragmented clues that point to a twisted secret at the heart of her community. Soon, finding the truth isn’t just a matter of restoring her mother’s reputation, it’s about saving lives—including CeCe’s own…”

Ok so I started reading this not really knowing what to expect. Actually, I just received it knowing it was a YA mystery, which I honestly haven’t read many of, so I was excited to try it out! 

This really, really surpassed my expectations. By a lot. 

Cecilia, or CeCe, is the victim of her mom’s controversial suicide. People constantly make fun of her, and she can’t go by unnoticed anymore. One day, she meets a newspaper intern, Sam, who tells her that he doesn’t think her mom’s death was self-inflicted. This starts off an investigation in which they track down what actually happened. 

It was put together so so well!!! Pintip should write more mysteries, because this was that awesome. 

What was great was that once you thought one thing would happen, the story would go in a totally opposite direction, leaving you like ‘well okay then I’ll just follow!’. 

The pacing of this book made it compulsively readable. The chapters were short and packed with elements that just made you need to read the next chapter. It’s the easiest thing to just say ‘just one more chapter’ before having to do something! 

Every element was carefully placed - nothing seemed out-of-place (Although I must admit that I thought the janitor was the culprit for a chapter or two... oops!) The characters are realistic and stick with you to the end. 

CeCe’s had it tough, but she is an awesome character. I mean just her thought processes are pretty relatable, where she thinks one thing several times then just continues. A lot of what she says/thinks is in small segments and sentences, which is, at least to me, pretty close to reality. She is bullies and goes out of her way to go unnoticed, which doesn’t always work for her. I like how she just wanted things to be simple, yet everything about her and around her was so complicated. Lastly, she’s really brave. She puts up with so much and still does things that could totally destroy her if she let it. 

Sam is amazing. He’s your typical cute-nerd type, a newspaper intern, and a guy who is kind to the core. Let me just say him and CeCe are perfect. He’s super helpful and really honestly smart and logical about the whole situation. 

Makenzie’s awful I can’t stand her! She’s the main bully and a real pest. 

Liam is the first one CeCe feels like she can relate to as far as parent-problems go. He’s there when he should be, and is always ready to talk to her. 

I won’t say much about the plot because, well, it’s a mystery and saying much would give away some huge spoilers. But just trust me when I say the intrigue is awesome, and that curiosity sticks with you until the very last chapter. 

I’m giving this a 5/5 feathers, because it’s honestly worth the read. 

This book comes out in July, 2016. Make sure to get a copy! :D