Monday, December 4, 2017

Blog Tour: The Truth Beneath the Lies




















The Truth Beneath the Lies
Amanda Searcy
Series: n/a
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Goodreads
Fight or Flight.

All Kayla Asher wants to do is run. Run from the government housing complex she calls home. Run from her unstable mother. Run from a desperate job at No Limit Foods. Run to a better, cleaner, safer life. Every day is one day closer to leaving.

All Betsy Hopewell wants to do is survive. Survive the burner phone hidden under her bed. Survive her new rules. Survive a new school with new classmates. Survive being watched. Every minute grants her another moment of life.

But when fate brings Kayla and Betsy together, only one girl will live.
Whew! That was a wild ride, and I loved every second of it. Searcy did an incredible job setting the tone for this gritty mystery-thriller starting from the very first page, and she kept me in a constant state of anticipation from that point forward.

The book followed two girls, Kayla and Betsy, who were separated by geography, but shared one common goal - survival.

Kayla was trying to adjust to life back with her finally clean and sober mom. She was working a dead-end job as she kept her eyes on the prize, which was escaping her downtrodden life for one with possibilities. Her POVs sort of broke my heart, because she lost so much, when she was returned to her mom. I admired her keep-your-head-up attitude, but my heart ached for all she could have had.

Betsy was more of a mystery. Taunted by the burner phone, and the person on the other end, who held her life in their hands, she was in a constant state of distress, always looking over her shoulder. My curiosity was piqued, and I was compelled to keep reading in order to get some answers. Betsy's chapters were the ones that really got my heart pumping. Her harried mental state was well written, and her emotions and fear jumped off the page. There were times that her stress was so palpable, I found myself actually biting my nails.

I really enjoyed searching for the clues and assembling the truth behind this story. My first objective was to figure out the connection between Kayla and Betsy, which I did. Then I needed some answers regarding the serial killer, and I was also right there (but it was very close to the end of the book). However, there were several major reveals that left my mouth slightly agape, as I just didn't see those parts coming.

I really loved the ending, because Searcy did so many things right. Most importantly, she gave me answers. I don't think there were any loose ends by the last page of the book. She also gave me hope. Hope for Kayla and Betsy, and that is my one requirement when I read a darker book. I can walk on the dark side, as long as I am given some hope for the future of the characters, and Searcy definitely left me in a positive state.

Overall: A fantastic thriller, where Searcy masterfully wove Kayla and Betsy's lives together seamlessly, and drop us piece after piece of this complex puzzle.

**I would like to thank the publisher for the advanced copy of this book. Quotes are from an ARC and may change upon publication.

FAVORITE QUOTES
"I pull the corner of the sheet over my exposed chest. I'm the mouse. The cat has my tail. My legs spin and slide and scrabble, but there's no getting away."
"She knows. She can sense it. I'm here to rain plague and ruin upon her household"
"My eyes glide over to her. My face feels blank. I don't know how to respond to this strange greeting. Hi! I'm a ticking time bomb."
"I can't draw attention to myself. I can't have him wondering about me, talking to people, making phone calls. Bringing the black monster to life under my bed."
"The doorbell rings. My heart beats in my ears like a freight train. I've thought about my death every day for seven months, but now that it's here, all I can think is I don't want to die."
"I don't think he's flirting. It's more like he wants to protect me from the big bad world. No such luck, dude. It's way too late for that."
GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

BOOK LINKS

GOODREADS | AMAZON | BOOK DEPOSITORY | B&N  | KOBO | INDIEBOUND

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amanda Searcy has a BA from New Mexico State University and an MA in human rights from the University of Essex in England. She works in collection development for a public library system and loves chocolate, cats, and curling up with a good book. She lives in New Mexico.

Visit her online at amandasearcybooks.com and follow her on Twitter at @aesearcy.

FOLLOW THE TOUR

December 4th: The Unofficial Addiction Book Fan Club & Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post
December 4th: Life of A Simple Reader - Review + Favourite Quotes
December 4th: We Live and Breathe Books - Review + Favourite Quotes
December 5th: Belle's Bookish Reviews - Review
December 5th: A Dream Within A Dream - Review
December 6th: Literary Meanderings - Guest Post
December 6th: Books, Boys, and Blogs - Review + Dream Cast + Favourite Quotes
December 7th: Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf - Review
December 7th: Buried Under Books - Review
December 8th: Wishful Endings - Interview
December 8th: Here's to Happy Endings - Review
December 11th: Everywhere and nowhere - Review
December 11th: Confessions of a YA Reader - Review
December 12th: A Bookish Abode - Guest Post
December 12th: YA Obsessed - Review
December 13th: Booked J - Review
December 13th: MetalPhantasmReads - Review + Playlist
December 14th: Kindle and Me - Review
December 14th: Reading for the Stars and Moon - Review
December 15th: The Clever Reader - Interview
December 15th: Hauntedbybooks13 - Review








Do you like mystery-thrillers?
Do you have a favorite mystery-thriller book?
Let us know in the comments!

18 comments:

  1. This sounds utterly utterly cool and also TOTALLY riveting! Love the review, Sam.

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    1. It was really good. I love a good thriller and this one a great creep factor too.

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  2. I had not heard of this before today, but this sounds like a whole load of fun. I've read a couple of really great YA thrillers this year, so I'm definitely interested in this one now. I need to know what that ending is!

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    1. I mostly read contemporary romances (let's be real), but I have been really happy with the mystery/thrillers I have read. I really liked the way Searcy wove the pieces of this story together, and I definitely felt the characters' fear through the page.

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  3. Oh this is new to me but definitely a book that seems like I would like it. Great review!

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    1. I really enjoyed it, and looked forward to more from Searcy

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  4. Oh wow, this sounds unnerving and completely captivating. There aren't many mysteries around in young adult at the moment and this sounds as though it's completely surprising and unpredictable. Brilliant review Sam, looking forward to grabbing a copy <3

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    1. I stretched myself a little and read several mystery/thriller YA titles this year. Some were good, some were great, some were ok. This one goes in the great group for me.

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  5. I love reading thrillers and mysteries so this book sounds so exciting for me to read.

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    1. I thought the book was written really well, in a way to amplify the fear and anxiety the characters were experiencing, and thus, leaving me with all these feelings too.

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  6. Why haven't I heard about this book before?! This sounds like my kind of book. I may have to see about getting my hands on this one.

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    1. I love reading debuts and this was a solid start for Searcy.

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  7. This definitely sounds like something I would like, thanks so much for introducing me to it!

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    1. I hope you get the opportunity to read it, because I really loved it.

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  8. This is one I would enjoy. You had me at gritty.

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    1. This one leads dark for me with all the murders, blackmail, and crime, but there are some really bright spots in there too.

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  9. This book sounds really exciting! I loved that it kept you guessing!

    Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction

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    1. I don't read a lot of thriller/mystery type stories, so I loved the change of pace. I thought Searcy did a great job planting the hints and weaving the story.

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