Lying About Last Summer

Product Information

Kłamstwo minionego lata” to pasjonujący, emocjonujący kryminał dla młodszej i starszej młodzieży, dzieciaków, którzy szukają dreszczu emocji, ale wciąż jeszcze nie są gotowi na brutalne, bezlitosne powieści detektywistyczne dla dorosłych.

Sky's sister drowned last summer and her parents think that sending Sky to a camp for the bereaved might help her process the terrible tragedy better. The book begins in the past at Yew Tree House, last summer, where we catch a glimpse of what happened to Luisa, Skye's sister and how Skye was involved. We follow Skye's journey of grieving for her sister, the guilt she feels and the secrets that surround her from the past and in the present. The supporting characters are equally believable and three dimensional, each with a detailed backstory that explains their behaviour and attitudes. But when she arrives, Skye starts receiving text messages from someone pretending to be her dead sister.It’s, therefore, not surprising that she welcomes the opportunity to escape – even if it is on a holiday for bereaved teens. Every aspect of daily life is monitored for optimal health, and there are strict rules for everyone. A simple, sweet, creepy story, a little scary in the starting but fully entertaining with a wonderful story.

Not only, Skye has to contend with her new roommates Fay and Danielle, and that comes with its own set of issues, but she now is receiving text messages from Luisa, from beyond the grave. Lying About Last Summer tells the story of Skye who after losing her sister, Luisa, in a swimming pool accident is sent to a camp for troubled grieving teens. There she meets an assortment of characters, including shy and retiring Fay, and strange, angry Joe. Skye starts receiving messages from her supposedly dead sister and she must find out where her sister is.Yes, pleasant, breezy summer nonsense is always welcome, but a little bit of darkness now and again is most welcome and Lying About Last Summer explores a safe amount of darkness without becoming inappropriate for younger readers or betraying the nature of the story.

I liked the choice of setting too, a bereavement camp for grieving teens allowing to put several teens in one place making each one a possible suspect. All of the kids at the summer camp have lost someone close, but the last thing Sky wants to do is think about the past. It's a quick fab read that is soaked with tense suspense, realistic characters, sun drenched in mystery and shines brightly with beautiful writing.

Fast forward one year and Skye’s mother is packing her off for a summer getaway at Morley Hill Activity and Adventure Centre for six days and five nights of back-to-back activities all fully-funded by a charity for bereaved kids. Not only is it super gorgeous (and as author Sue Wallman said the reddish glow on the cover could be sunshine in the water or blood, dun dun dun) but it has a super awesome finish which makes it feel all special and I couldn't stop stroking the cover while reading. Supposed to be Skye’s opportunity to gain ‘closure’ she sees it more as an escape route from being hassled by her overcompensating parents and a grateful distraction from the memory of Luisa’s death. Just as Skye is getting to grips with the touchy-feely ethos of Morley Hill whilst simultaneously trying to be blasé about her phobia surrounding water, a series of strange text messages sent from a private group chat app that only she and Luisa have access to appear on her mobile phone. The idea behind it was very good, but given that it plays such a big role in the book, it is a shame that it did not feel especially well realised.

In January 2007 I decided to stop faffing about and take seriously the one thing I'd wanted to achieve all my life. While I do wish that it had been a little longer, so there would have been more time to explore the characters in-depth, the pages were jam-packed with a pacy plot and unexpected revelations to keep me completely enthralled from start to finish. It's quite difficult to explain, you get lots of snippets into what's happened before the death, and you can already see what's happened, the building up to it was slow, and I honestly felt bored reading it.I would loved to have seen more of Toby, who appears mainly in flashbacks, but who in just a few short scenes made me smile and maybe swoon a little, but don't tell anyone. It is a mixture of harsh reality and poignancy, and I found this aspect of the book to be very believable and well-written, tying in smartly with the concept as a whole. What really made this book amazing is where I was having trouble trying to work it all out, and the outcome came so unexpected and for me that's what a thriller is all about! We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others.