There are some books that you don’t expect to be something that will pull you in, and then they do. Every Single Lie was definitely one of those books for me. It isn’t a mystery per se, however there were many times where I thought I knew who the “guilty” party was in the story and then something would happen where I would question my certainty. I’m sure there will be those who nitpick the storyline or the writing style, but for me, this book was a hit and I will try not to spoil any of the mystery by giving too much away in my review.

These days it doesn’t take long for lies and rumors to spread like wildfire, making it somewhat impossible to suss out what is fact and what is fiction. Beckett’s life hasn’t really been easy lately, with her dad losing his job and then dying not long after. Then a breakup with her boyfriend who is probably cheating, or at least hiding something from her. And now, the icing on the proverbial cake: Beckett discovers a dead baby in her school’s locker room and of course everyone suspects she is the mother. It’s not like she can really blame them, especially when more of the story starts coming out. Honestly, I was even suspicious of Beckett at one point, even though as a reader, I felt as though she was a pretty reliable narrator.

Beckett’s mother happens to be on the town’s police force, and is one of the officers in charge of the case. She works long hours and sometimes that leads to her breaking down and trusting Beckett with information that is sensitive, especially if Beckett really is the mother of the baby. Beckett feels powerless against the rumors and hate that are surrounding her; she knows she’s not the mother, but more and more, all evidence is pointing to her. Eventually, the town will move on and lay the baby that an anonymous Twitter profile has named “Lullaby Doe” to rest. But will Beckett ever be able to escape the reputation that she’s built? And will her family and classmates ever stop looking at her with suspicion?

If you’re a fan of drama and mystery, even if YA isn’t your age bracket, you’ll want to read this book. Like me, you might find that your suspicions lie with a certain person in the end, but it’s still hard to come to that being a reliable conclusion. This book is modern and deals with some tough subjects, and it is realistic in all of the right ways. I will definitely be keeping my eye on the author’s future books!

Review of a Digital Advance Reading Copy

This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Bloomsbury Children’s Books

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  22 religious exclamations; 30 mild obscenities; 1 religious profanity; 4 derogatory names; 19 scatological words; 11 anatomical terms; 1 offensive hand gesture; 5 F-Word derivatives.

Violence/Gore:  A minor is accused of trying to steal a car when she is breaking into it; a minor sees blood in a locker room, and then discovers a deceased newborn baby has been left in a duffle bag; death threats are made to a minor as well as other violent threats suggesting she should harm herself; a man is mentioned to have been injured in Afghanistan when a roadside bomb detonates, he is reported to have sustained multiple injuries and three of his fellow soldiers died in the accident; a minor recalls a scene where she discovers her father not breathing and assumes he is dead; a bomb threat is reported to have been made at a school; drawings of a dead baby are reported to be seen on signs of protesters; a report is made of injuries and arrests occurring at a protest; minors are chased by protesters in one scene; rumors about a man are spread that he is to blame for the death of soldiers in Afghanistan.

Sex/Nudity:  A minor suspects her boyfriend has been cheating on her; a mention is made of a book called “sex for dummies” and a minor recalls looking through it with her boyfriend and laughing at it; a minor imagines what she might find as evidence if her boyfriend were cheating on her, condom wrappers are mentioned; a minor girl tells her friend she was about ready to prove she hasn’t been pregnant recently by pulling her waistband down so fellow students can see her flat stomach; minors embrace in one brief scene, mention of boy holding a girls hips; a teen boy is reported to have received a picture of his girlfriend in lacy underwear and he shows it to his sister, this picture is later referred to again; minors kiss several times in brief scenes; a minor girl overhears her brother admit that he and his girlfriend had sex in her car; a mention is made of a possible extramarital affair resulting in a pregnancy; a minor girl is mentioned to be sexually active and is prescribed birth control; a minor thinks about the possibility of sleeping with her ex.

Mature Subject Matter:

Teen pregnancy; stillbirth; addiction; loss of a parent; burglary; infidelity in teen and adult relationships.

Alcohol / Drug Use:

A mention is made of a parent getting high off of prescription drugs; a man is mentioned to be mixing medications and alcohol; a girl realizes her father is an opioid addict; a man is rumored to have been arrested for stealing prescription drugs; a rumor is spread of a man dying from overdosing on painkillers and alcohol; a girl observes a nearly empty wine bottle and a glass of wine on her mom’s nightstand; a girl observes the smell of wine on her mom’s breath; a fifth of whiskey is mentioned in one scene.