The Darkest Lie By: Pintip Dunn ARC Review

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for providing an ebook copy in exchange for an honest review. 

I enjoyed The Darkest Lie. I really did. However, I think it strayed a bit too far into predictability land for me. I really love the first half of the book, but then it lost me when everything became too obvious and unsurprising. I got really annoyed with the fact that CeCe was extremely oblivious to obvious things. I found that to be a bit unrealistic and odd. It's a shame because the first half was SO GREAT. 

#ItStartedOffStrong

I was really intrigued by the fact that this teacher accused of having sex with a student is a WOMAN.  Usually that plot line is reserved almost exclusively for men. So KUDOS to the author for that because I haven't read many (or many even any??) books where it was a female and not a male accused of that. That's really what drew me into this story in the first place and so I was hoping that the rest of the book would be just as different. It wasn't. I thought of something though that could have made this a way more intriguing novel, but I can't say what because that would include a spoiler. If you've read it and are curious then feel free to message me on Twitter about it!

#WomenCommitCrimesToo

Another thing is that the last half or so of the novel tried too hard. It tried too hard to mysterious and not hard enough on being unique. I can't stand when that happens and all the answers are so obvious to the reader and should be to the main character as well. Something else that irked me a little bit was that I didn't feel FEAR for CeCe. I don't know why that was, but I never really felt suspense about her well being. Hmm...that's usually a good thing for a mystery/thriller to have. :x

#ObviousPlotIsObvious

I did really like CeCe as a character though. I don't think she had the best personality or anything, but she was likeable. Also, I did really feel for her character emotionally. After all this that happened with her mother and then with the way she was treated at school I just felt really bad for her, but I didn't think she was whiny. As I'm writing this review I'm realizing even more that I feel really split about the book. Half of The Darkest Lie I liked and half of it I didn't. I don't think there's been a time that a three star rating has ever been more appropriate for me. 

#BookBiPolarDisorder

Overall The Darkest Lie wasn't a bad book. Basically it comes down to something simple: I wanted more thrills and mystery in this mystery/thriller. It was good, but not mindblowing or different enough. The plot was predictable, but I can't deny that it was an entertaining read. I read the entire thing in practically one sitting. It was a nice and fast read perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon.

#EntertainingButPredictable

I recommend The Darkest Lie to mystery/thriller fans that don't mind a bit of predictability and mediocrity. Hey, that's not necessarily a bad thing either. I think those are fun ones to read sometimes in between heavy reads!

#Don'tSayMediocreLikeItsABadThing

Expected Publication Date: June 28, 2016