Summary
Emma Davis vividly remembers her last night spent at Camp Nightingale as a teen. She was roomed with the three oldest campers, Vivian, Natalie, and Allison. All of whom vanished that night without a single clue to their whereabouts. The camp was shut down and out of business for years. But now, Emma’s invited by the camp director to return for the summer as an art teacher.
Because she has earned her fame through her paintings of dark forests with hidden figures dressed in white. When she returns to camp, she finds herself roomed in the same cabin as her last summer there, with three other girls. Unexplainable events begin to happen and Emma feels on edge. Is there a chance she could find out what happened to her three roommates years ago? Or will someone stop her before she can find the truth?
Review
If you’re looking for a quick recommendation, yes, I would definitely recommend this book!
You probably already know I’m a huge Riley Sager fan, so you can probably guess how much I enjoyed this book. The idea is already so intriguing, and Sager does a wonderful job of keeping the end a total mystery right up until the last minute. I love that his books are always unpredictable, it’s what I think makes for a great mystery. Sager also does a great job with character development.
Each of the girls who stayed in that same cabin has their own personality. They aren’t just the three girls who went missing years ago, but the main character knew them. And so do we as readers. Sager doesn’t cheapen the story by making the main character an alcoholic or constantly sleep-deprived, but she certainly has a haunted past.
Another part I enjoyed is the writing. Sager has a great way of keeping the language simple, but he leaves the reader with a sense of disquiet. That not everything is what it seems. Hence, the importance placed on lying. And boy are there layers upon layers of lies and secrets to get through! Which all leads to the end where it might feel like the rug was pulled out from right underneath. Sager has talent for lulling readers into a false sense of security in their own theories and then changing everything at the last second.
I think this is an especially wonderful summer read, since the setting is at a summer camp, but it could be read any time of the year. Overall, I would absolutely recommend this book to a busy mom. Especially if you’re in a reading rut and need to find a good mystery/thriller to get you out of that rut and reading again.
Rating
Five out of five stars
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If you enjoyed my review of The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager, you might also like Final Girls also by Riley Sager. Check out my review!
If you’re interested in purchasing The Last Time I Lied, here are some quick links to buy the book on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. And, if you’re interested to see what others think, here’s the link to the book on Goodreads.
