YA Review: Little Black Lies

Little Black Lies by Tish Cohen

Published: October 2009 by Egmont USA
Genre: Contemporary YA
Binding: ARC
Page Count: 305 in my copy, goodreads says 320 in the paperback.
Part of a series? I believe it's a standalone.
Amazon link.

Summary (from goodreads): Sara Black is tiptoeing across a fraying tightrope.

As the new eleventh grader at Anton High – the most elite public school in the country – she sticks out like an old VW bus in a parking lot full of shiny BMWs. But being the new kid also brings a certain advantageous anonymity.

In Anton High’s world of privilege, intelligence, and wealth, Sara can escape her family’s tarnished past and become whomever she wants. And what’s the harm in telling a few little black lies when it can lead to popularity? That is, until another it girl at Anton becomes jealous of Sara’s social climbing.

With her balance evaporating, one small push could bring Sara crashing down.

Review: Never ever judge a book by its cover. I have to admit I did with this one, kind of like I did with Paisley Hanover Acts Out. I have issues with pink... I kind of put off reading this one because I thought it might be kind of Gossip Girly (not my thing) - and boy, was I ever wrong. Little Black Lies rocked! It was so much deeper than that, at times heartbreaking, and sometimes utterly hilarious. It's written in first person present tense, and is an excellant example of how to do that right.

Plot (in my words): Oh, good god, do I have to? It's 8am (and I've been up since 4). Basically... Sara's dad's OCD is spiralling out of control, her mother is in France, she starts hanging out with people she shouldn't, and all that, plus the huge amounts of homework she has to do, starts making her crack a bit. If you want a better idea of the plot, read the book. Thank you. :)

Characters: Sara is utterly awesome. I have a couple of notes in my review notebook that are just "I love her!" She's smart (a total math geek and admits it), quirky (before her mother left for France, she stole her mother's favourite sweater), and just really, really awesome. Her relationship with her father is also really, really interesting.

And of course there was a hawt boy. Leo. I really liked him, I thought he was a cool character, and Sara's relationship with him was really sweet.

Cons, complaints, bad stuff, etc.: There's a few mention of things, like iPods, Myspace, Lindsay Lohan, that might eventually date the book... but then again, I suspect Lindsay Lohan is going to be a trainwreck for a long time.

PG-13 stuff: Um... yes? The back of my book says ages 14 and up, so it is a book for older readers and the subject matter echos that.

Cover comments: I love VW bus on the cover. I want one :P But pink isn't really my colour, and I think I judged it a lot by the cover. Bad Laina.

Conclusion: I really, really liked this one. I got totally lost in it, read for like three hours straight and probably would have gotten a major sunburn if it wasn't for my hair. I seriously recommend this. Four and a half roses.



Other notes:

- There are ant facts at the beginning of each chapter. (Anton High... get it?)
- Um... there's a note that just says, "Old muscle cars. VROOM. Yuuuuuum." I'm going to blame that one on the fact that it's hard to write in a floppy notebook outside.
- "Freaking wind." It got windy on one of the days I was outside and my umbrella kept taking off on me.

Peace and cookies,
Laina