Lisa RoeckerBesprekingen

This was more of a 2.5 since three chapters in I knew who had killed Willa, guessed at the motive and thus the book lost a lot of the tension. It wouldn't be fair to say that the Roeckers gave away too much so much as they followed some very predictable tropes.

Willa was the most interesting part of the story in my opinion. The brief moments from her (third person) view and the stories told by the girls all paint a picture of girl who was struggling just as much as everyone else to figure out what's important to her. That's a bit hard to remember at times as what people say about her outside of the group varies from "She deserved it" to "Poor poor innocent lamb". You'll be vilified or martyred in death no matter who you are, remember that.

Here's the thing: the living really should have at least been memorable. I read this book (at the time of this review writing) a little under three weeks ago. I can't remember anyone's names but Sloane's and I did not like Sloane (I'm never a fan of girls who pretend themselves into stupidity).

Part of my absentee memory may be that the set-up is a little outlandish. Even being a (semi) devotee of the ABC show "Revenge" I found it utterly unrealistic that the Gregory Family is so very influential that they're practically dictators. Its one thing to get away with murder, that unfortunately happens to the rich, poor, young, old. Its totally another to apparently have everyone so cowed that the police can do little more then nod sympathetically at the victim's parents when the Gregorys are involved.

But hey I don't hobnob with the rich and the ultra rich, so maybe I'm wrong and this is common place. The point is that the Roeckers don't make it seem a natural part of the world the story exists in. Which brings me to the next point, the girls are out for revenge against James Gregory as the killer of their friend. Sort of. It gets a bit murky as the girls each recount ways the Gregory family rubbed them the wrong way.

In the end this wasn't as satisfying or as tension filled as I hoped. The ending is anti-climatic (though the last chapter, which reveals what really happened to Willa that night, is interesting...it would have been moreso if the identity of the killer had been more ambiguous or the motivation less cardboard) and there's a false sense of 'change'. Decent for the Gossip Girl crowd, mystery or suspense fans won't be as entertained.

I refused to put this book down. I started reading it Saturday before I came to work, read it during work, and finished around 2AM Sunday morning. I fell in love with Kate and Liam, and reveled in a mystery I didn't figure out by page 20. The Sisters Roecker have a fabulous flair for teenage voice and know how to spin a story. I'm stoked for the next book in the series!

My reasons for requesting this book were two-fold. One, Soho Teen has amazing titles and two, the premise sounded so deliciously creepy. A country club that covers up lies? Definitely sounds like the perfect place for a thrilling mystery! Luckily, This is W.A.R. dove right into the mystery of Willa's death. I found myself anxious to figure out why Willa died, and who the culprit was. I was hooked, and you couldn't have stopped me from finishing if you'd tried.

The characters were really what made this story so much fun for me. Each had their own unique personality that really contributed to this vigilante battle. We have Lina, who is bold and brutally honest, Sloane who is lost, Madge who is bossy, and Rose who is just trying to fit in. It's no surprise that I loved Rose the most. I always cheer on the underdog , and I loved watching her grow from an outcast into someone who was able to take charge. Best of all, every character has a secret that they are hiding and I found myself eagerly waiting to find out what they were.

That being said, there was a lot I loved about the mystery in this story. The clues are well laid out. Willa's mystery unravels at a nice, even pace and expertly ties into each character's life. No one is ever what they seem at Hawthorne Lake, and it creates delicious tension. Still, I have to admit that I just didn't feel the excitement that I usually feel with mysteries like these. I wanted to see more sleuthing and more plotting for revenge. The girls have plenty of resources on their side, but I honestly felt like they didn't always use them as well as they could have.

Still, I can't deny that This is W.A.R. was a book that kept me reading until the very end. Despite slight issues I may have had with it, the story itself drew me in and the vivid characters sealed my reading fate. I had no choice but to read ravenously, and I had more than a few moments of intense emotion as the story unfolded. This was a story that I ended up loving, and I have a feeling that you will too.

This is W.A.R My reasons for requesting this book were two-fold. One, Soho Teen has amazing titles and two, the premise sounded so deliciously creepy. A country club that covers up lies? Definitely sounds like the perfect place for a thrilling mystery! Luckily, This is W.A.R. dove right into the mystery of Willa's death. I found myself anxious to figure out why Willa died, and who the culprit was. I was hooked, and you couldn't have stopped me from finishing if you'd tried.
 
The characters were really what made this story so much fun for me. Each had their own unique personality that really contributed to this vigilante battle. We have Lina, who is bold and brutally honest, Sloane who is lost, Madge who is bossy, and Rose who is just trying to fit in. It's no surprise that I loved Rose the most. I always cheer on the underdog , and I loved watching her grow from an outcast into someone who was able to take charge. Best of all, every character has a secret that they are hiding and I found myself eagerly waiting to find out what they were.
 
That being said, there was a lot I loved about the mystery in this story. The clues are well laid out. Willa's mystery unravels at a nice, even pace and expertly ties into each character's life. No one is ever what they seem at Hawthorne Lake, and it creates delicious tension. Still, I have to admit that I just didn't feel the excitement that I usually feel with mysteries like these. I wanted to see more sleuthing and more plotting for revenge. The girls have plenty of resources on their side, but I honestly felt like they didn't always use them as well as they could have.
 
Still, I can't deny that This is W.A.R. was a book that kept me reading until the very end. Despite slight issues I may have had with it, the story itself drew me in and the vivid characters sealed my reading fate. I had no choice but to read ravenously, and I had more than a few moments of intense emotion as the story unfolded. This was a story that I ended up loving, and I have a feeling that you will too.

Really fun secret society mystery, but there were a few continuity issues, probably because there were two authors.

Kate's life turned completely upside down when her best friend Grace died in a terrible fire. She never believed it was an accident. She always knew there was something more. Her parents sent her to a therapist because she had changed so much, her attitude and her look, but she didn't ask for everyone to stop talking to her including her former friend, Maddie, who was also friends with Grace. She didn't ask to change. She didn't ask for her best friend to die. Grace was the center of their group so when she died Kate could no longer think of anything else. She's been consumed by her death. It was a turning point in her life and she's not going to stop until she finds out the truth and is able to seek her own form of justice. So when she gets an e-mail, an e-mail she's been hoping for, from her dead best friend she knows it's time to find out what really happened a year ago and how to save her best friend once and for all.

This was a perfect book after reading Two Truths and a Lie. They both have great mysteries and keep you wondering what is going to happen next. A lot of what Kate goes through reminds me of Veronica Mars. It may have been because over the winter break I watched two days nonstop of the first season of Veronica Mars nonetheless there are similarities. She's abandoned by her friends and treated like an outsider. Kate doesn't do anything or say anything to deserve this. The way it's described everyone looked at her like it was her fault or she was the enemy. She literally did nothing. You could tell there was something going on because of the way she was treated. She changed her image and has this tough, sarcastic attitude but not in an annoying way. Her friend works in the school office for Pete's sake! He helps her get files which is exactly what Veronica Mars friend did for her. These comparison's make me love the book even more because I really like Veronica Mars. There are also secret societies, conspiracies, and the way Grace was a central force in her and her former friend, Maddie's, life. She was this loud, carefree, hang out with the bad boy type. There were all young and naive. None of them were prepared for what High School was going to bring them.

Kate's drive and determination to find where Grace is and what has kept her in hiding leads her to discover some very shady things going on in that school. Her school is filled with a bunch of rich kids who think they are better than you. She gets cast aside a lot. She goes to Cameron, the bad boy ex-boyfriend of Grace, because Grace told her to. Cameron has always been possessive and Grace likes to flirt so nothing good could have come out of that relationship. Nevertheless she needs him and that leads her to Liam, another loner. He's the love interest in this story. It took me a while to warm up to him. I liked Liam a little bit more towards the end but he needs to start standing out more so I can completely believe Kate and his connection. A lot of guys suddenly grew interested in her when she began snooping around and I had to think "what is this a love pentagon!?" Which sounds ridiculous but it felt true at the time. Of course most of them had ulterior motives but still. It was pretty amusing at least to see her reaction to these boys. Kate's best friend is one of the people I consider to be in her pentagon. He's always there for her and asking her questions. Seth is this very goofy and hilarious next door neighbor who's so in love with Kate but he's just too silly to take seriously. He provides the comedy relief in this otherwise nail biting story.

I know that this trilogy is going to make me very anxious. I needed to know what happened next so it's good that I was able to read the other book right after reading this one. I love that she changed her hair from pink to blue too. She obviously realized blue is better. Kate is such a likable character that you want to see her find happiness again. You want her to set things right but it's never that easy. She faces so much in this book and confronts realities that she doesn't want to face. Although I compared her a lot to Veronica Mars she has her own personality and story that has its own individual feel. Her life's completely messed up and her parents refuse to listen to her because they want their Kate back claiming that when Grace died they had lost their daughter too. That's such a messed up thing to say. I hate it when parents in books are as frustrating as hers. She really faces so much and having read the second book already I can tell you that it doesn't get better but she does become stronger and asks more questions. She fights for the truth and I am in love with this trilogy! It's only going to get better.

I was so surprised when I found out that the first book in this trilogy, The Liar Society, was so unbelievably amazing. It reminded me so much of Veronica Mars that I just fell in love with the characters and plot line instantly. I luckily can say that Lies That Bind, is as amazing as the first book. You get so much more Seth in this book than the last and oh my goodness I LOVE him. He's such a stalker which sounds bad but if you haven't met him then you don't know how awesome he is. He has the funniest moments ever.

Nothing goes right for Kate. It's seriously giving me anxiety. I can't see it ending well in the next book because everything bad that could happen has happened. Also, her parents are annoying me to the max. They need to actually listen to their daughter. I wish she would tell them what she has had to experience but no. She can't trust them. Her best friend died a year ago. YOU move on.

I wanted her to curse out a lot of people to just get to the truth already or just kill someone... That sounds bad but sheesh. The authors are tormentors and cruel people... So happy it kept up with the awesomeness of the last book. They had me fooled again. This book had the same intense, on the edge of your seat feel as the last one. I loved every minute of it.

Best author blurb I have read in a long time. The book was good too.

When Kate receives a mysterious e-mail from her dead friend Grace, she must prove that Grace's death was not an accident, but finds that her elite private school holds secrets so big people are willing to kill to protect them.

I received an ARC from a GR giveaway.

This was an enjoyable adventure story involving young girls growing into women, figuring out themselves and the world and what justice means, while also learning to define and redefine friendship.
All is not what it seems, and there were a few nice surprises along the way.
The climax was a bit weak, but overall, the 16-year-old in me liked this read.
I particularly enjoyed the sections in Rose's and Sloane's points of view.
3.5 stars.

Kate has had a bad year full of psycholists and pills as she tries to cope with the death of her best friend, Grace. When she starts getting emails from Grace, Kate is determined to find out if Grace's death was an accident or not. Her private school is full of rituals and secrets. Could it hold the secret of Grace's untimely death?

Got to love Kate. She is trying to her parents from thinking she is heading to crazy town and solve a mystery. Her geeky neighbor, Seth, is so in love with her that he would do anything for her. He is very endearing if a bit paranoid. The wild card maybe boyfriend, Liam is a mystery in himself. The mystery is good and there is plenty of action. I think teen girls and boys can find something to enjoy although maybe a bit more on the girl side.

Not sure why I grabbed this one. Young girl dies; entitled country club folks tsk-tsk and then continue with their martinis; plucky girl gets determined to figure things out.

2.5 hearts

This is W.A.R is a story about revenge and a mystery of who really did it. Willa has drowned been murdered and now her friends are out for revenge for the one who they blame and want justice. Family with money, gets away with murder. This is what got my attention, I am always up for a good revenge plot. Sadly, that isn’t what I really got.

These are very different girls, who come together with a scheme of “revenge”. Rose is the daughter of the Country Club event planner, she is the shy one, and seemed to have a things for one of the suspects they have for Willa’s murder. Sloane is the girl trying to live up to what her parents expect her to be. Lina is the rebel of the group, she does everything she can to be different. And then ther is Madge, who is Willa’s step-sister. I believe she really care for her sister. All of these girls have their own secrets and their own reasons for wanting revenge against the Gregory boys.

In this there are several different POV’s, each from the girls and their flashbacks and the present. The flashback did give some insight into the the events that lead up to the night that Willa drowned but I found myself scratching my head wondering why these girls acted the way they did. Where were their parents in all of this? This Country Club is one place that was filled secrets, people being paid off to keep quiet, to drugs being sold. There was talks of date rape drugs and the girls took them. And willingly. Yes willingly. There wasn’t much romance other than teenage lust. The plot of this moves at a slow speed and at times I was just waiting for somethings to happen. They planned “silly pranks” as part of the revenge plan to get the killer. They didn’t work very well, and I saying to myself, “Nail the killer already!”. There were some part that I enjoyed, like Willa’s flashback, and finding out who really did drown her. This is one of the things I liked and so I kept reading, I wanted to know if my hunch was right on who did it.

Overall, this wasn’t a bad book, just not what I was expecting and looking for. I hope you’ll check out some other reviews. Predictable yes, but the mystery was pretty good. Fans of murder mysteries will enjoy it.

Enjoyable read.
Review to follow :)

RATING: 3.5 stars

I seem to be saying this a lot lately, but there is not that much to say about this book. It was a quick read filled with mystery and suspense but that definitely needs work in the romance department.

Kate Lowry lost her best friend in a tragic accident in the beginning of her junior year. A year later she still grieves the loss of Grace and she still feels like something was wrong with her death. But what?

When e-mails from Grace start appearing in her mailbox containing cryptic clues, Kate finds the strength she needs to start investigating... problem is, someone wants the details of Grace's death to remain hidden.

"The Liar Society was a real page-turner; I read the entire book in a few hours, captivated by the mystery plot and aided by the engrossing writing style (and the short chapters). The story had a nice pace, it was interesting and the urge to see the mystery solved kept me reading chapter after chapter.

Of course the plot is not very original as it is the usual mix of ancient private schools, rich kids and secret societies. Bit overused but still fun.

The characters didn't particularly stand out. Liam was very one-dimensional, Seth was the perfect stereotype of the "dorky best friend" and Kate wasn't all that interesting. She was very mild and while she seemed to want to solve the mystery I didn't feel her determination and fierceness throughout the book.

The romance felt pretty flat and unrealistic but as it wasn't the focus of the book I didn't really mind that much.

Still, overall, "The Liar Society" was a good read, entertaining read. A nice enough mystery story that is underdeveloped in most other aspects (romance, characters, etc). Not sure if it was entertaining enough for me to want to read the second book in the series, though.

Review on the 11th

THE LIAR SOCIETY is a mystery, as told by private school student, Kate Lowry, a snarky teen determined to find out what happened the night her best friend died.

The book starts a while after the death, which is revealed to the reader in flashbacks, and follows Kate as she deals with her grief over the loss of her friend and the impact it had on her whole world. Kate reads as a teenage girl, not two adults pretending to be one, which is always appreciated.

I’m not sure why, but I somehow expected this book to be more light and fluffy than it is. Maybe the pink hair on the cover? It had its fun and easy going moments, but is, at heart, a story about a girl dealing with a loss and fighting for justice for her closest friend.

Kate’s nerdy neighbor was an enjoyable addition, with just the right skills, and enough of a crush, to help her when she needs it. And of course there’s a cute boy, who may or may not be a part of the mystery. In the bad way.

I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, as it left some things wide open. Without book two in the future, I would’ve felt shorted. Still, I would’ve liked to feel a bit more settled after the last page. I’d read the next one for Kate’s wit and tenacity alone.

Fans of Veronica Mars, Pretty Little Liars and Nancy Drew should give this one a go! I’m on the hunt for more YA mysteries, straight up with no otherworldly funny business, after this one!

As soon as I read the book description, I was intrigued. I’m a fan of the television show Revenge as well as Pretty Little Liars, and I thought that this book sounded like something I would enjoy. In the end, I didn’t love it, but I did have fun listening to the audiobook. I can definitely see the teen appeal in this dark and intense mystery.

While reading a story from four different points of view was cool, I never really connected with any of the characters, probably because this novel is more plot-driven than character-driven. Nevertheless, it was entertaining to put the pieces together as more and more plot details were revealed about what really happened the night of Willa’s drowning.

I have no complaints about the audiobook production. The sound was clear and the narrator had a pleasant voice. I was impressed with her ability to differentiate between the four main characters’ voices as well as many secondary characters. I always knew who was speaking. Plus, I loved that it was a really quick listen—sometimes I have a short attention span when it comes to audiobooks, and this one was the perfect length! I’d recommend this to teen readers who enjoy fast-paced mysteries.

The main reason I wanted to read this book was because I really enjoyed the Roecker's first book, The Liar Society. (They also write really hilarious blog posts, just FYI). I knew very little about the story but thought I would enjoy anything the two wrote. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

The story begins with Willa's thoughts on death right before she drowns. The book is then divided into five parts, each told from the perspective of one of Willa's friends who have banned together to take down her killer.

The Setting- Hawthorne Lake Country Club, a place where the rich can basically do whatever they want to whomever they want, no questions asked, no consequences. This was the first thing that bothered me. Money is not everything. You can't just throw money at people to make things go away. Especially when that "thing" is murder. The fact that all the characters were so easily paid off to keep quiet was beyond frustrating. Does no one at this club have any morals? Apparently not.

The Characters- The story is broken up into five parts each focusing on a different one of Willa's friends, their secrets, and memories of the night she died. Neither Rose, Lina, Sloane or Madge were likable characters. They were all spoiled rich brats, disillusioned about the real world and very stereotypical. The worst was Sloane a.k.a. "the dumb one" whom often got annoyed with herself for being so dumb. Her part was definitely the hardest to tolerate. None of the girls had any self respect, which was hard to take.

There isn't even a strong enough word to describe my disgust of the Gregory brothers, who were basically club royalty. Alcoholic, drug dealer, rapist, murderer, all of these words apply to at least one of the Gregory boys. Trip Gregory treated girls like objects, drugging them to "relax" them (practically knock them unconscious) and have sex. I wanted to vomit!! The thing is, most of the girls were dumb enough that they took the pill no questions asked! Seriously?!?

I feel bad writing such a negative review, but I honestly didn't enjoy a single aspect of this story. If the points mentioned above don't make you want rip your hair out or throw up then go ahead and give it a try. I'm sure some people will like it. I'm also sure a lot of people won't.

REVIEW~ 5-STARS ***** Well this led to TWO sleepless nights :) This book was so much fun and I'm going to head straight in to book two. The characters were amazing and witty :) I can't say enough about this book and the plot outstanding... The writing style was fantastic- Simply a fun read. These two Authors have headed straight into my favorites.

Lies That Bind picks up where The Liar Society ends. After solving the mystery of Grace's death everything should settle back down with Kate, right? Well, where's the fun in that? Kate's life get's turned upside down again when she receives another message from 'Grace'. After a classmate goes missing, Kate vows to not let the same thing that happened to Grace, happen to this other kid. However Kate learns that the situation is even bigger than she thought. Once again Kate has to use her deducing skills to solve this mystery before it's too late.
Once again I fell in love with the second book of this series. Lisa and Laura Roecker are great story tellers. The secret societies that run the private school are back with a vengeance. Kate is not about to let the societys get away with anything. However, they have friends in high places. Kate is caught in a web, and she doesn't know who to trust. This is a great second book to a series. I don't always like the second book in series because they lack the same 'wow' factor as the first. I didn't lose interest in Lies That Bind at all. The story sucked me in from the beginning, and it had a great twist at the end. This is one of those books that you don't want to end, but you do because you want to know the outcome. If you're a fan of mystery and suspense, I believe you'll like this book.
Read more at http://www.2readornot2read.com/2013/02/review-lies-that-bind-by-lisa-and-laura.h...

When I first came across The Liar Society, I asked some of my friends what they thought of it. It was said that if you like Veronica Mars, you'll like this book. I'm a huge fan of the show, so that statement alone sold me on this book.
I was immediately invested in the plot from the first chapter. The story revolves around Kate who is trying to uncover the mystery behind the death of her best friend. She knows some people are hiding something, and she won't rest until she uncovers it. She enlists some unlikely help along the way. Some of it reminded me a little of Scooby Doo, but not in a corny way. I really like Kate's character, pink hair and all. She has a hard time letting go of the past, but she also is not willing to just accept anything thrown at her without question. She refuses to be a cookie-cutter version of the kids who attend her school.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It had the right amount of mystery, intrigue, and humor. This book was paced really well. The characters were great, even the jerks. I loved that the authors kept you guessing throughout the book. This is a definite 'To Read' to add your reading pile.
Read more at http://www.2readornot2read.com/2013/01/review-liar-society-by-lisa-laura.html#Ab...

Have I mentioned how much I love a good mystery?!? This book is full of complex characters, and great mysteries that will draw you in from the very first page.

Kate Lowry is a brave, sassy, and complex main character. I didn’t always agree with the decisions Kate made but I could understand where she was coming from when she made them. Seth, it was impossible not to like him, even if he was a little weird (carrying pickles in his pocket for a snack. Ew!) But he was always there for Kate without fail, to help her break into school property, steal student files, or drive her places in the middle of the night. When she needed him, he was there, even if she didn’t deserve it. He was a very loyal friend and just an all around great guy. Liam, I wasn’t sure what to think about him at first, and it took me over half of the book to decide whether I trusted him or not (I did).

The plotline of this book was very well thought out and perfectly executed. I loved that it wasn’t easily predictable. The reader is constantly kept guessing, and whenever I thought I had figured it out, I was wrong.

Great characters and great plotlines= a great read! I’ll definitely be keeping a close eye out for the next book in this set.

THE LIAR SOCIETY, by Lisa and Laura Roecker, is a fast paced mystery that brings a new light to a female detective remnicent of Nancy Drew.

I love that this book was co-written by two sisters, but while reading it you would never know. The chapters are seamless and keep the suspense until the very end. There has been a lot of early buzz about this book and after reading, I have to say that this one is well worth it. Even though it is a YA contemporary book, the mystery aspect makes it stand out among the rest. It was refreshing to read a book that I literally could not put down without thinking how it would end. I went back and forth so many times wondering who was the 'bad guy/girl' and I had no idea who to trust.

Kate was a really fantastic character, she was definitely a great role-model for teen girls the way that Nancy Drew was for an earlier generation. Her faithful sidekicks, Seth and Liam, both vying for her attentions were dedicated and incredibly cute. Next door neighbor Seth was always honest with his feelings for Kate even when she constantly turned him down. His intelligence and connections within the school made him a valuable asset to the crime solving team. And typical bad boy Liam (swoon), with his valuable information from the night in question and faithfulness to Kate completed the trio. I loved the awkwardness and budding romance between Kate and Liam and I hope to see more of them in the future for this series.

I'm not going to spoil the ending, but I have to say I was shocked. The secrets and lies that surround Pemberly Brown was definitely disturbing. The Roecker sisters ended the book enough to keep me satisfied but I anxiously await the next book to give me more answers to the startling questions I was left with.

The Roecker sisters have a great talent for writing. They pulled off co-writing a book, creating amazing characters, and keeping up the suspense of this thrilling mystery. I look forward to anything they put out in the future. Fantastic book!!

A fast-paced mystery involving secret societies, hidden tunnels, and code breaking. The Liar Society is a great mystery that will keep everyone guessing until the very end!½