Trust Me, I'm Lying - Mary Elizabeth Summer

Began Reading: 14.2.2015
Completed Reading 18.2.2015
Overall Rating: 3 stars 

Julep Dupree is a second generation grifter, or con artist, studying at St. Agatha’s. The private school costs the students of prestigious families a large amount of money; money in which Julep cannot afford. Julep uses her grifter skills to earn her tuition by charging her clients for her business, as well as calling in favours. When Julep returns from school one day, she finds her apartment ransacked and her father missing. With a gun and a note, Julep seeks the help of her friends to find clues that her father has left for her. Her grifter abilities come into use when she attempts to find her father, and uncover a dark secret about her father’s kidnapper.

Trust Me, I’m Lying by Mary Elizabeth Summer is a novel with traces of mystery, action and a hint of romance. Personally, I was excited about reading this book. I love the intensity of the blurb:

I reach in and grab the envelope. As I rip it open, I have this strange sense of doom. I ignore the feeling, but when I pull out the contents, I’m even more unnerved. In one hand, I hold a note: Beware the field of miracles. In the other, I hold a gun.

I’m in love with the theme of espionage, action and drama. I enjoyed reading this book; however, there were some problems with parts of the book that bugged me. Julep had mentioned numerous times that her dad was the best grifter, and he taught her the art of being a grifter. Since Julep is a second generation grifter, I had expected her to be better at the job. However, she had trusted Tyler Richland and some other individuals too soon. Tyler Richland had not seemed to notice Julep before he began spending time with her and this confuses me. Throughout the story, Julep questions herself as to why she includes Tyler in her secret tasks. Therefore, repetition was also an issue for me.

The descriptions of characters were not in detail, which made it difficult for me to stay focused on the novel. For example, Tyler’s appearance was not described until almost halfway through the book. I tend to enjoy books a lot more if descriptions of people and places were in more detail.

Romance is not a focal point in the book, which I was disappointed with. I adore stories about spies which have been mixed with a bit of romance. I suppose that the small amount of romance in this novel creates a sense of emotion towards the end, which worked for me.

I really liked that there was no time lapse between chapters. Most books don’t continue the story immediately at the beginning of a chapter. Usually, there is a certain amount of time that passes before the narrative continues. This usually irritates me, as I don’t have any idea about how much time has passed, or what has happened between each chapter.

The novel was very creative, which kept the plot interesting enough for me to continue reading. There were various plot twists, secrets, lies and betrayals that made the story a whole lot more entertaining. It created mixed feelings, which is what I take pleasure in.

Finally, I really enjoyed the writing itself. There were many quotes that had summarised the emotion in a particular scenario. For example, “Anger is almost always based on fear, and fear is the easiest emotion to manipulate” (p. 267). I had taken a rather motivational quote from the book, which I hope to use in everyday life: “You can’t do anything about what’s already happened. Adapt” (p. 257). It may already be a widely used quote, but I had never heard of it before now. I love it a lot!

Dani was definitely my favourite character! I thought that Julep would be my favourite character, as I usually like the protagonist. I found that Dani was the type of woman I would love to become. She is fiercely protective and loyal, as well as a total badass, haha! In the beginning of the book, she did not seem to be respectable or decent as other characters. Because of this, I think she may be overlooked by other characters, such as Julep’s best friend, Sam. When I came across the GIF below, it somehow reminded me of Dani. Total badass!

Now, it’s time for recommendations! Unfortunately, I haven’t read many books that contain espionage, but I have seen other readers recommend Ally Carter’s Heist Society series. I think I’ll need to read this series, haha. I recommend this book to anyone who likes action and deception with a hint of romance. If you liked Ocean’s Eleven, James Bond or Deceptive Innocence, you will love this book!

Overall, I give Trust Me, I'm Lying a rating of 3 stars. While the book was entertaining in some areas, the majority of the book was a bit of a disappointment. However, I'll be looking out for book #2 Trust Me, I'm Trouble, and hopefully, I'll be able to review that one too! 

Happy reading!

Buy the book: http://www.bookdepository.com/Trust-Me-Im-Lying-Mary-Elizabeth-Summer/9780385744133