Paula Stokes (1)

There's a subtle, but powerful pull to many forms of mental illness. For MaGuire, this is particularly true. It began when she was the sole survivor of a horrible car crash that killed her father, brother and uncle, but left her relatively unscathed. Her sense that she was a carrier of ill fortune was reinforced not long after when she was in a roller coaster accident and, again was the only one uninjured. Then her candle may or may have not been the cause of her neighbor's home burning. In show more any event, she's so spooked and convinced that any and every bad event is her fault, that she has literally no life and is a prisoner of multiple and repetitious rituals. There's also some resentment toward Mom who found someone to love and remarried. Maguire now has a stepdad and two step siblings and feels at times, like she's being left out.
When she's set up with a new therapist following a move to a new city and a new high school, it's the beginning of a sea change. Not only does her therapist convince her to take on seven challenges with the goal of freeing herself enough to fly to Ireland for a memorial service, but the cute guy whose appointments follow hers starts up a conversation.
Jordy has issues of his own, but their shared interest in tennis, one of her first challenges being to try out for the school team that Jordy helps coach, is the beginning of healing for both of them. It's their journey that involves that pull, much like the tide coming in and then receding. Following it can be frustrating at times, but ultimately, thanks to a surprise ending that benefits them both, they emerge, better and stronger. It's a very satisfying story. show less

Really liked the thought put into the portrayal of Maguire’s mental health. Maybe there could have been a few more sessions at length with the doctor, but really it was a great thing to see any sessions included and to see it normalized for the teens in this story rather than treated as some shame to be hidden.

I also enjoyed the chemistry between Maguire and Jordy, I liked his patience and that he’s more insecure than the usual jock stereotype. I also loved that even though Jordy is a show more support and a help in Maguire’s journey this isn’t one of those books that makes it seem like if you just find romantic love that’ll heal everything in you, getting a boyfriend is not presented as a cure-all here, instead we see Maguire doing the work in trying to reach a healthier mindset and being able to forge a connection with Jordy is shown as a side-benefit of that work she’s doing.

I was really pleased with the tennis aspects of this one since that’s one of my favorite sports to watch, I thought the author captured the sport really well, however, if you aren’t a fan, don’t worry, this doesn’t go too overboard with the amount of tennis in the story.

If I could have changed anything here it would have been to add more family moments. Those interractions were really good and I would have welcomed more, in particular there’s some time with the stepdad and time with the mom later in the book that I was a little disappointed to just be told about afterwards (and not told very much) rather than experiencing those moments alongside Maguire.

Overall, this is a solid choice if you’re craving a sweet young adult romance seamlessly woven into a girl’s courageous mission to get her life back on track. show less

Max is a surprisingly sympathetic character in a book filled with rather depressing ones. He is simply a boy looking to find love and belonging after a childhood that would destroy almost anyone. There is a profound vulnerability beneath his tough exterior that reinforces his young age and inexperience as an adult. This vulnerability makes it easy to like Max and forgive him for his childish actions.

Unfortunately, Max is alone in being likable. The rest of the story of Liars, Inc. by Paula show more Stokes includes almost every teen stereotype, something Max also fills but in which a reader’s insight into his thoughts and emotions helps overcome the negative aspects of it. In addition, Max lives very much in an adult versus teen world in which all adults are stupid and therefore deserve the lies being told to them. Meanwhile, teens are much more knowledgeable about life’s truly important things and therefore are the more trustworthy of the two factions. It does not help that the adults in the novel do fall into every adult parent stereotype, from the massively overbearing to the neglectful.

In fact, the adult-teen dichotomy does not just provide motive for Max to forge his own path and start his own investigation into Preston’s disappearance. This us-versus-them mentality fills the book and negatively distracts readers from Max’s growing problems. While the subsequent lessons Max learns about adults, of which he is now one since the book occurs on and after his eighteenth birthday, provide readers with a more palatable working relationship between the two sides, it is unfortunately too late to mend the damage done by such forceful demonstrations of it.

All of this negativity and lack of understanding or respect by both sides towards the other drives a reader’s focus away from the mystery. This is unfortunate as the mystery is quite intriguing. There is obviously more going on than Max initially understands, and every discovery of his leads to more questions. This makes for a fast-paced story that twists and turns, albeit somewhat predictably.

Liars, Inc. is a twisty, nerve-wracking story that becomes a cautionary tale for anyone who thinks a little white lie is harmless. Unfortunately, it also subscribes to the idea that parents and teenagers have opposing aims and therefore can never get along. While the story is interesting and suspenseful, the fact that the entire premise of Max’s and his friends’ big idea is to make money from directly defying an adult’s authority is bothersome, particularly so for adult readers. For this reason, Liars, Inc. is probably best left for its target audience, although it could potentially create a great discussion between a parent and his or her teen. show less

This book is pretty much…
PERFECTION.
I honestly have nothing critical to say about it.

First, let me say thank you to Jamie for buying it for me when I couldn't get hold of it in the UK. Also, a big thank you to Paula Stokes for the signed bookplate!

There are so many things I loved about this book. The story opens up several years after a car accident that killed Maguire's father, brother and uncle, yet left her unscathed. Soon after, she experiences other accidents that affect everyone but show more her. This leads Maguire to believe that she is cursed, and that it’s safer for everyone if she stays away from them. After moving to San Diego, Maguire begins seeing a therapist, which leads to her meeting incredible people and achieving more than she believed she could.

So let’s list the ways that this book kicked butt.

ONE. This book handled mental health issues in a positive and understanding way that I don’t think I’ve ever seen in a book before. It was hopeful, but it was also realistic. What I particularly loved is that it didn’t feel like Stokes had picked A Diagnosis and then ticked the boxes of symptoms. Yes, there were several labels mentioned, but Maguire’s experiences were treated as unique to her, and she wasn’t That Girl With ABC. I also loved how all of her behaviours had believable rationalisation behind them. They weren’t just behaviours for the sake of behaviours. Maguire truly wanted to get better, and while she made progress, she also stumbled and regressed. The book acknowledged that, while people can learn and cope better with mental health, it’s not a straightforward, linear process, and mental health issues don’t just go away; you simply learn to live with them better.

TWO. Maguire made some amazing friends who supported her without being overbearing, and who didn’t think of her as a “freak” or “crazy”. While they didn’t push her or say she was being silly, they also didn’t ignore the issue. Personally, I find that completely ignoring an issue is almost as bad as only focusing on it. They acknowledged her feelings and didn’t make her feel lesser for them, and that is just AMAZING. I’m actually a little envious of how amazing they were!

THREE. Maguire’s family dynamics were so well done. I loved how they all so clearly loved each other, and they wanted to help one another. Sometimes, they didn’t know how to best do that, but the intentions were pure. It was also great to see Maguire learn that she wasn’t alone in her grief, and that others were going through their own processes.

FOUR. None of the characters were stereotypes. Some of them seemed that way at first, like Kimber, but they all turned out to be humans. Individuals. All doing the best they could. Some of the tidbits that made them come alive included a certain girl loving cars and basketball, another person taking an interest in an activity their other half loved to simply understand the one they loved more and Maguire being academic, a big reader AND sporty. People can be more than one thing and have more than one type of interest, and this book shows that!

FIVE. BEST FOR FREAKING LAST. Jordy. Oh my lordy, Jordy. (No, I am not ashamed of that.) Ok, yes, he did have that cocky charm that I unabashedly fall in love with in books, but I don’t think he was a stereotype. He had his two sides, and I could completely relate. I also refer to myself in different parts. But even under the famous facade, he was so genuinely wonderful. He wanted to make people happy, but like Maguire, he needed to balance that with his own happiness. Plus, the two of them were so freaking good for each other! Their relationship was so sweet, and it progressed in a glorious slow build with stumbles that I could relate to.

Side note: my mom would be ridiculously happy if I dated Jordy. She loves tennis.

The ending was beautiful, and I wish I could keep living as Maguire. And with Jordy. Why can’t this book go on forever? It got me out of a funk of my own, but now I don’t know how I’m supposed to read anything else. This is definitely going on my favourites shelf, and I will likely reread my favourite parts many times over.

Basically? READ THIS BOOK. show less