Lies In The Darkness
Title: Lies In The Darkness
Author: Amanda J. Clay
Publication Date: May 9th 2016
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 5 Stars
It’s senior year at Pacific State University and all-night parties, cheap hookups and regrets are the ruling pastimes.
Sophie DeLuca used to be a nice girl—but that was before Luke Lamanuzzi tore her heart to shreds. Now she’s a walking trail of vodka-soaked destruction, something her sexy, smooth-talking coworker Davis won’t let her forget. He might have a secret crush on her—but his playboy reputation would never let him admit it. His best friend Blake’s own love of all-nighters and debauchery comes crashing to a halt when a one-night stand backfires. Level-headed Cassie seems like she’s the one who has it all together, but she’s just better at hiding her skeletons.
Ungracefully pirouetting in and out of love triangles, drug addictions and unwanted pregnancies, four friends stumble their way through their last year of study and try to grasp the realities of the world on the other side.
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My Review
This book almost brought me to tears. Seriously!
I started and finished this book in less than 5 hours. Literally. It was addictive, absolutely remarkable, and so so special. I sped through this book like a champ, eating up the words and becoming so addicted to the story, the characters and the writing. It was utterly brilliant, and I can't get enough.
Lies In The Darkness tells the story of four friends, each struggling with their own problems, some harder to deal with than others but were still problems either way. We get to meet Sophie, Davis, Blake and Cassie, and I fell in love with each and everyone of these characters. The first time I got to meet Sophie, I was on the fence of being interested or being bored of the story. Often, when a book doesn't hook me at the 10% mark, then I'll more than likely become bored later on. But this one? I got hooked at 2%, and goddamn it was one of the best 5 hours of my life spent reading it.
Sophie was amazing. She was this complicated and broken girl that struggled with life and coping with the stress of growing up, school, friends and relationships. Her struggles were so real because they were normal stress that everyone in life goes through. I felt connected to her the most, mainly because I've had experience in her field and therefore can link to her feelings and emotions. She goes through this brilliant character development throughout the book, and you could see her transformation by the end of it. And to be honest, I was so so happy for her at the end, you could not believe how hard and wide I was smiling.
And Davis? What can I say? I think 5 words can pretty much sum up how I feel about Davis, and they are:
I. Love. You. Davis. Thompson.
Pretty much that.
Davis is the boyfriend I wish for, that crush you can't seem to let go of because he's just so amazing, trustworthy, funny, charming, strong, charismatic, rough in all the right edges and obviously: ridiculously h.o.t. Seriously, I have never loved a Southern drawl, but with Davis, I want to set it as my alarm tone every morning.
Cassie Likewise. She is this fantastic friend that I would love to have. She is strong, even though she faces her own problems that could be seen as much more important than Sophie's, but deals with it very maturely. I loved Cassie, her characteristics and her actions. I love her relationship with her friends, especially Sophie, how she's always there for her. The only thing I would like to see more of is maybe more depth and detail about her problems and the way she deals with it. I know the book was mainly in the point of view of Sophie, but I think providing the story behind Cassie would give the book a much deeper complexity and development. I'm also on the same field with Blake. I loved that guy and adore his HEA. I'm so glad he got his happy immediate future, but would've loved to see more about him dealing with the problem that just sprung up in his face as well as the future.
Not only were the characters were amazing (I love love love the friendship depths in this book. Absolutely stunning), the writing was also exquisite. Many authors who focuses on the characters more than the book itself tends to forget to how to write up this amazing whirlwind of words that create their world. But Ms Amanda Clay did not do that. Her writing was beautiful, and I love the descriptive language she used to describe the scenes and characters, especially with Sophie. It was all just astonishing, and I loved every single second of it.
Overall, this book was amazing. I loved it, and I seriously want more (I'm sad that this is a standalone). But I think with the way it ended, it was perfect for the characters as well as the world they were set in. Ms Clay, you did a brilliant job, and I absolutely loved this book.
Giveaway
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OPEN INT
- 2x print copies of Lies In The Darkness
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About The Author
Amanda J. Clay is a California native with a resume of clichéd Cali traits, like a love of breakfast burritos, yoga and red wine. She had a fantastic time studying English and Journalism at Chico State University and then a very serious time slaving away for a Master’s degree in Communications from California State University, Fullerton. She currently lives in the charming city of Berkeley, CA. When she’s not staring at a computer screen, she spends most of her spare time plotting world adventures. She currently has one published Young Adult novel, Rebel Song. Watch for her next release, an offbeat New Adult contemporary, out in 2016.
Author links:Website Goodreads Facebook Twitter
Wow this sounds like such an amazing and addicting read! I love it when you get so into a book you just fall in love with it! Lovely review, June!
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