The Lying Game
“I had a life anyone would kill for, then someone did. The worst part of being dead is that there’s nothing left to live for. But I’m about to get something no one else does; an encore performance, thanks to Emma, the long-lost twin sister I never even got to meet.”
Emma Paxton hasn’t always had the best life. After her mom abandoned her when she was young, Emma had been passed around from foster home to foster home, never becoming too comfortable or finding a real family. When Emma’s foster brother shows her an online video of a girl being strangled, who oddly looks identical to Emma , Emma is shocked. She immediately searches for more information about this mysterious girl. Emma arrives in her sisters hometown to look for her, but Sutton is nowhere to be found. Emma receives a note telling her that Sutton is dead and Emma should play along or she would be next. Who is this girl who looks completely identical to her? Could Emma have a sister she never knew about?
I love how the story was told. Sutton, Emma’s long lost twin, narrates the story and suspects that she is dead but has no idea what happened. She doesn’t remember anything about her life at all. Sutton’s spirit follows Emma around and as Emma takes over Sutton’s old life and slowly gains her memory back along the way. It was very clever for Sara Shepard, the author, to write from Sutton’s perspective because without it, all we know is that Sutton is a very mean girl who I would probably have no sympathy for. But instead I felt that I was on the same page as Sutton and as if she were reading the story with me. I also loved Emma as a character. She’s had such a rough past, but she has an amazing attitude. It’s extremely entertaining watching her try to fit into Sutton’s shoes. There are a couple funny moments where Emma is nice to someone who Sutton wouldn’t normally be nice to, and Emma has to backtrack and say something mean to turn back into Sutton’s character. The Lying Game by Sara Shepard is a suspenseful novel, great for teens today.
