Lies My Girlfriend Told Me

I just received this book in Friday afternoon's mail and was finished by Saturday morning. I just couldn't put it down!

Alix is a 17yo girl who goes to bed one night and wakes up the next morning to find that her world has changed irrevocably. Her girlfriend Swanee unexpectedly died while running. What follows is a twisted tale of sadness and grief, frustration and confusion, lies and betrayal, loss and change, healing and love. At first, Alix is lost in denial, unable to believe that her girlfriend is dead. Then the secrets begin to be revealed and she is torn between grief and anger.

One of the things I loved most about this book was that it was, at it's heart, about all of those emotions that surround loss and betrayal, love and show more forgiveness. Yes, the main characters were lesbians, but (other than a few rather minor moments) that wasn't the focus of the book. It was just who they were. It was refreshing to read a story that featured lesbian characters without making that the most important thing about the characters. I often feel that sometimes so much attention is paid to that aspect of the characters that it creates a divide. This is a story with themes that are entirely universal.

One of the other things I loved was the growth of Alix's character. At the beginning, she made some questionable choices, both before and after Swanee died. By the end, she has grown considerably. One of her most important lessons was that the grass isn't always greener in other places. She looked at Swanee's life and family through rose-colored glasses, not ever really seeing the truth that lay beneath the surface. This realization led to some self-discovery for Alix, which I really loved.

There was a sweet smaller plot line that made my heart sing, too, the story of Alix and her baby brother. There was so much I couldn't understand about that relationship, seeing Alix as a bit of a brat when it came to him. As the book progresses, we learn so much more about that and suddenly it all becomes clear. I loved the story!

Things to love...

--The fact that sexuality was a part, but not the whole, of the story.
--The emotional journey that comes with grief, especially when combined with anger and betrayal.
--The subplot of Alix and her brother.

My Recommendation: I really loved this book! I thought that the story was beautiful and touching, with universal themes that touch us all! I gave it 4.5 mugs! show less

(I got this book for free from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program in exchange for a review.)

This is a moving novel of grief, growing up, romance and self-discovery. The book's protagonist, Alix, is devastated when her girlfriend, Swanee, dies suddenly of a previously unknown heart condition. She had been Alix's first love and Alix was awed by her and thought they'd be together throughout high school and college, perhaps however. After Swanee's death, though, Alix learns that she had been seeing another girl, Liana, throughout the time she was also seeing Alix. The two girls get to know each other and wind up falling in love with each other, but Alix is keeping secrets from Liana that could ruin their budding relationship.

I liked show more this book because I thought it showed grief very realistically, as Alix has to both deal with her loss and cope with the dawning realization that Swanee wasn't the person she thought she was, that she was controlling and jealous, that she lied about many things, and that her "cool" family is actually very dysfunctional. The subplot involving Alix's attempts to help Swanee's troubled younger sister kind of petered out, but I actually liked that because it seemed more realistic that way -- a lot of times in real life, your attempt to help someone comes to nothing and you wind up giving up.

There are a couple of other young adult novels I can think of that have a similar plot to this (that is, losing your first love, then finding out you never really knew them); Samantha Schutz's You Are Not Here comes to mind. I think Lies My Girlfriend Told Me is the best of the bunch, though. show less

Good realistic novel about grief and love and trying to move on, learning that the one you thought had loved you was keeping so many secrets and telling so many lies that you hardly knew her. When Alix's girlfriend Swan dies suddenly, Alix is overcome by grief, but soon discovers that Swan was seeing another girl, and lying to them both. Alix meets Liane, the other girl, and they move from resenting each other, to friendship, to more as they help each other get over Swan and see that what they'd had with her wasn't real love at all. Alix also has other family issues to contend with, but I liked her supportive but firm parents. Nice story, juicy drama, f/f romance. Some f-bombs, maybe for 8th grade and up.

When her girlfriend Swanee dies suddenly, Alix thinks her life is over. They were in love! They had plans to go off to college together! They hadn't even had sex yet! Her grief is so all encompassing and so immature at the same time. Alix's parents' response, that she should give it time but also move on, teenage romance not being the be all and end all of life, is well meant and spot on. But their wish for Alix to get on with her life is part of what leads her to dwell, which is how she ends up with Swanee's phone and in contact with Liana.

Once Alix and Liana (finally) meet, things really start moving and this becomes just another cutesy romance novel. With serious complications of course, seeing as Alix and Liana were both dating show more Swanee at the same time. But the fact that they are two (three if you count Swanee) girls is never the complication that causes problems. As Alix gets to know Liana and their mutual crushes grow, each of them sees how their relationships with Swanee were flawed and not just because she was cheating on them. The contrast between how each of them was treated by Swanee and how they treat each other is stark, but Peters does not beat the reader over the head with the abusive relationship stick. We are left to make those conclusions ourselves.

Swanee's family and parents' issues are a kind of sensational side story throughout the book. I'm a little disappointed with how they are portrayed and how their lifestyle choices are shown to affect their children. At the same time, they're pretty icky people. Still, I wish Peters hadn't painted them and Swanee with the same brush and/or hadn't made Swanee's siblings so incredibly damaged.

Another note about Alix's parents. They never liked Swanee. Alix assumes that is because they aren't comfortable with her being queer. When they meet Liana and she starts spending time with both Alix and her parents, it becomes clear that her parents are FINE with Alix's sexuality. They just weren't fine with Swanee. It's really sweet.

Overall I loved this book. Alix is a very likeable and relatable character. Liana is swoon-worthy and adds much needed humor to some dark parts of the plot. Alix's family is like icing on the cake. And it's not a coming out story! Progress!

Book Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers show less

There is something about a Julie Anne Peters novel that makes me keep on reading. Lies My Girlfriend Told Me is soft and sweet. It is, in some ways, innocent and in some ways not. It's got great characters and a good plot.

Alix's mother wakes her up with really bad news. Her girlfriend, Swanee, died of cardiac arrest in the middle of her daily run. How can that happen to a 17 year old girl? They had only been going out six weeks. It wasn't long enough. Now it will never be long enough. Alix is devastated.

While in Swanee's room, after her death, Alix hears Swanee's phone ping with a text message. It's from L.T., whoever that is. There are dozens of texts: where are you, why didn't you meet me, i love you..... Alix forces Swanee's sister, show more Joss, to tell her who L.T. is. And it turns out, she'd rather not know, because Swanee was dating her at the same time she was dating Alix.

Alix steals the phone and, for two weeks, texts L.T. back, as if she was Swanee. But then she realizes that L.T. would want to know what happened and they meet.

That's enough of the story to get you going. Lies My Girlfriend Told Me is tender. It's realistic. It's romantic. So, if you're a Julie Anne Peters fan, if you're a romantic, if you like a good story, then read Lies My Girlfriend Told Me. I couldn't put it down.KeepingYouASecret

And let's not forget my all time favorite Julie Anne Peters book, Keeping You a Secret. So, pack them both in your bag as you leave for vacation or the beach. show less

When Alix's charismatic girlfriend, Swanee, dies from sudden cardiac arrest, Alix is overcome with despair. As she searches Swanee's room for mementos of their relationship, she finds Swanee's cell phone, pinging with dozens of texts sent from a mysterious contact, L.T. The most recent text reads: "Please tell me what I did. Please, Swan. Te amo. I love you." Shocked and betrayed, Alix learns that Swanee has been leading a double life--secretly dating a girl named Liana the entire time she's been with Alix. Alix texts Liana from Swanee's phone, pretending to be Swanee in order to gather information before finally meeting face-to-face to break the news. Brought together by Swanee's lies, Alix and Liana become closer than they'd thought show more possible. But Alix is still hiding the truth from Liana. Alix knows what it feels like to be lied to--but will coming clean to Liana mean losing her, too? show less

This young adult LGBT novel takes a realistic look at the difference between toxic and non-toxic relationships. Alix is devastated by the sudden death of her girlfriend, Swanee. But their relationship was not what it seemed. When Swanee’s family offers Alix the opportunity to select keepsakes from Swanee’s room, Alix accidentally learns some unhappy truths. Most upsetting is evidence that Swanee was engaged in another relationship, a serious one.

The book really takes off as Alix struggles with the decision of whether to notify her rival, Liana, about Swanee’s death and how to do the right thing while dealing with her own loss and pain. Alix and Liana become closer as they discover disturbing things their relationships with Swanee show more had in common. It becomes obvious that Swanee was a troubled girl. Anyone who was ever a teen will remember this inexperienced stage of life when it’s all too easy to miss these signs and to let “love” carry you away … from common sense, your old friends and any sense of who you are – if you even know. The revelations and the loss in common bring Alix and Liana together in a way that is ultimately more positive than either of their experiences with Swanee.

In a real sign of progress, there is little conflict in the story over the girls’ sexuality. The story is simply one of two teens learning to cope with romance in all its tragedy, glory and all the things in between. The book is a fast, absorbing read for both teens and adults. show less