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Jessie Weaver’s Lie Until It’s True is part thriller, part trauma recovery, and part scathing look at the true crime industrial complex. We follow Everly, a college student whose life has already been split into before and after. She’s a survivor. Of what, she doesn’t always want to say. She’s also a college radio host with a shaky voice and a deep obsession with truth—especially when it comes to a decades-old unsolved murder that feels too close for comfort.

As Everly dives deeper into the mystery behind this case for her true crime show, she starts to unravel both the investigation and herself. Because behind her carefully constructed persona, she’s also holding a secret—one that might make her the next victim.

What Worked:

🔹 An Honest Portrayal of Trauma
Weaver doesn’t romanticize survival. Everly isn’t magically healed, she isn’t constantly “strong,” and the book never asks her to be. Her reactions—panic, avoidance, hyper-vigilance, even the desire to disappear—feel painfully real. This isn’t trauma as plot device; it’s trauma as lived experience.

🔹 Meta-Critique of True Crime Culture
The novel smartly interrogates the genre it participates in. Everly’s radio show starts out with that familiar thrill—mysterious murder, unsolved case—but quickly morphs into a critique of how stories like these get told about victims rather than for them. It asks: Who gets to be the storyteller? Who gets to be believed? And what happens when the line between audience and participant blurs?

🔹 Atmosphere: Academic Gothic Realness
The campus setting is moody, unsettling, and cloaked in secrets. It’s giving The Secret History meets Sad Girl Autumn. Dorms feel like traps, hallways echo with silence, and every friendly face could be hiding something. Weaver captures the emotional claustrophobia of trying to heal in a space where you're also trying to survive.

🔹 Voice and Structure
Told in a blend of first-person narration, podcast transcripts, and flashbacks, the book plays with format in a way that enhances the storytelling rather than distracting from it. It’s immersive without being gimmicky.

What Could Be Stronger:

🔸 Side Characters Feel a Bit Distant
While Everly is sharply drawn, some of the supporting characters (roommates, love interests, professors) felt more like set pieces than fully developed people. They serve the plot well, but occasionally lack emotional resonance—though that may reflect Everly’s own detachment.

🔸 The Ending Is Rushed
Without spoilers: the final reveals and resolution hit fast. Some readers might crave a little more unpacking after the emotional and investigative build-up. The thematic payoff is solid, but the final scenes could’ve lingered longer for impact.

Big Themes & Takeaways:

✨ The Performance of Being Okay: Everly constantly performs “fine.” For school, for her friends, even for her audience. The novel explores how survival often looks like lying—until it doesn’t.

✨ The Violence of Curiosity: True crime lovers might see themselves in the mirror here. What does it mean to consume someone else’s trauma? What does it mean to tell it?

✨ Believability and Power: Who do we believe? And why? What happens when the victim doesn’t act like the “perfect” one?

Favorite Quotes (No major spoilers):

“People like their survivors silent, smiling, and preferably in the past tense.”

“Sometimes I think the only thing more dangerous than being hurt is having to explain how you were.”

“Telling the truth and being believed are not the same thing. I’ve learned that the hard way.”

Final Thoughts:
Lie Until It’s True is a genre-bending, emotionally raw exploration of girlhood, grief, and the stories we tell to stay alive. Jessie Weaver has crafted a slow-burn campus thriller that feels both timely and timeless—perfect for fans of Sadie by Courtney Summers or If I Disappear by Eliza Jane Brazier. But make no mistake: this isn’t a murder mystery with a cute podcast side plot. It’s a haunting look at the stories survivors aren’t supposed to tell—and what happens when they finally do.

Rating: 4.25/5
Content Warnings: Sexual assault, PTSD, panic attacks, stalking, grooming, emotional abuse, mentions of suicide
Age Range: Older YA / New Adult (16+)

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An engaging exploration of deception and self-discovery, "Lie Until It's True" is sure to resonate with readers who enjoy complex characters and intricate plots.

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I was not aware that this was a sequel, instead thinking it was just the author's second book. I feel that I cannot adequately review it without reading the first.

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While the first in this series wasn't my favorite book ever, I knew I had to dive right back in when this was announced. There is just something about YA mysteries that involve social media that always captivate me. I also really enjoyed the change in perspective of this book.

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Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read and review an advanced copy of this novel. I highly enjoyed it and will be recommending it to others.

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Haunting or homicide?

Two separate murder suspects are on Amanda’s mind, her exonerated sister Cora and her art teacher from kid camp. Cora was a suspect in the murder of a social media influencer. The art teacher is the suspect in the murder of a very rich man at the Summit hotel. Amanda visits her friends in Summit. She wants to be a better sister to Cora and spend more time with her best friends, Cole, Mallory, and Vince. Cole and Mal are dating and Vince is dealing with the fact that his mother, the art teacher, has been arrested as a suspect in the murder of an art dealer.
Cole shows his true colors by manipulating his friends to go ahead with approving the haunted or homicide show for the hotel that will televise the investigation and publicize everything about their lives, which turns the situation into a disaster.

Likes/dislikes: I liked the double mystery storyline that grew into a possible haunting. The dynamic characters were interesting. The buildup and unraveling of the mysteries were fun to read.
Mature content: PG for kiss.
Language: R for 98 swears, no f-words.
Violence: PG-13 for bloody death.
Ethnicity: Vince has brown skin. Amanda, Cole and Mallory fall to white.

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As soon as I heard about this book I was excited. I LOVED her first one. But while reading it, I knew it just wasn’t going to hit the same. It definitely reminded me to stop building things up in my head. It wasn’t a disappointment, but it just wasn’t what i thought it was going to be.

Especially the haunted angle. Y’all know I’m a horror girlie through and through, so I was expecting to find some of the like ghost or something. Like make it scary. But no, it was some weird like theory about slipping through time. And while it sounded cool, it didn’t really scratch the itch for the horror part if that makes sense. So because that was a wash, I was hoping for a great mystery.

And I’m glad the mystery was actually good. I loved the way it was a historical mystery as well as a modern one. It wasn’t really a great distinguisher, but it was so much fun to read. I also loved the way Weaver framed the hotel. I’m a HUGE fan of settings in books, but even more so when it’s haunted lol And this old hotel with no updated anything sounded amazing. I would have loved to go and look through the rooms and find all the connections.

The last thing I didn’t actually care for was the ending. In the last one it ended and then we find out everything we thought we found out was a lie. This one isn’t the case. And it drove me crazy. It was so like plain lol I don’t really get it I guess. The last one was SO GOOD. But this one ended and it was just done. There didn’t seem like there was actually a lie. And that was when I thought it wasn’t exactly what I thought it would be. I hope there’s more in this series. (Also, I listened to this, so if I zoned out and someone caught something I didn’t, please tell me. I’m still in denial that this one didn’t end the way I wanted it to lol)

This book wasn’t what I expected, but it wasn’t bad either. I wanted more than this. Even the TikTokers weren’t enough for me to love this book. I usually love social media in thrillers, but this one wasn’t as involved as the last one, so it was really just like eh for me. But even still, would I read it again? Yes. And I just might, if nothing else to see about that ending one more time lol

Real rating 3.5

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Growing up in a generation raised on True Crime has given Amanda Pruitt the background she needs to become a tik-tok star. Too bad for Amanda, her most popular posts cover her own sister’s trial for murder. After her sister’s acquittal, Amanda, needing space from her immediate family and her guilt, travels back to the idyllic mountain resort she frequented as a child. Not so coincidentally, The Summitt is also under the pall of a recent murder and Amanda has ties to the accused here as well. This young adult thriller has an ever increasing body count, motives aplenty, and a long-harbored romantic crush. Add in a touch of the supernatural (with the supposed haunting of the hotel) and Weaver has ticked every box in the genre.

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Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

I was not drawn in nor did it keep my interest.

Rating: 2/5

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I love a good YA story. I do.

This one however ran a little to juvenile for a YA. I think it was a written a little to immature for my HS readers but wasn’t captivating enough my middle grade readers.

Amanda, the mc, was way too self involved and didn’t seem to carry about anyone until she did.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

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I loath TikTok so I'm not sure why I thought I personally would like this book. I do like to check out new YA Mysteries because they're highly sought after in my library. If you like most YA murder mysteries then you'll probably like this one. I know it will be a hit with my patrons.

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This was a decent follow up to the first book. It lacked a lot of the compelling character arcs the first book had. This book is about a younger sibling, and the characters and storyline read as less developed and mature than those in the first book in the series. The supernatural elements and plot lines really didn’t add to the story in an effective way. This is a very average book

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Amanda has been anonymously documenting her sister’s murder trial, convinced she is guilty. However, when evidence comes out her sister is innocent, Amanda just wants to get away. She ends up in Colorado, with friends she has spent summers with before. One of them, Vince,‘s mother has been accused of murder. Amanda decides to make amends for her past behavior by agreeing to help look into the case.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book! It was fast-paced, with some good suspense in there. I think some of the end felt a little anticlimactic, but most of it was good. I also wish we had a little more info about Cora’s case, but I also understand it was not of the most importance!

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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A must-read for anyone who loves mystery, thrills, a touch of the supernatural, and a well-crafted narrative. There is a lot going on in this book, sometimes it feels like too much, but the author always leads you back to a place where it all feels connected. Jessie Weaver told another great story.

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This story had good twists that I didn’t see coming and it was fast paced, making it easy to stay hooked in the book. I enjoyed the way that Weaver told the story, and thought that it was well-executed. There were a few parts that were a little cliched but that didn’t bother me. I look forward to reading her next book.

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This is one the first book I've read where social media is really incorporated into the plot. I honestly thought I wasn't going to enjoy it because of that element but I was pleasantly surprised. Great plot, great character development. All around a fun read!

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Amanda Pruitt is an influencer on Tik Tok - but only her best friends know. She has been posting about her sister's murder trial - literally, her sister on trial for murder. But Amanda is the one who gave them the evidence to convict her - when her sister was innocent the entire time. Now Amanda feels the need to atone for her behavior, and decides to find the real murderer of an eccentric billionaire because the accused is her friend's mom.

The police consider it case closed - but Amanda decides to use her Tik Tok account to change that. She stays in a haunted hotel in the mountains where the murder happened, and tries to reconnect with her estranged bestie, Vince. But the plan doesn't go as planned....

I had trouble with this book because I got tired of hearing how awful a person she was (she would tell herself) and how guilty she felt, when her sister was completely unaware of what happened. Teenage angst is real, but it just gets to be too much sometimes.

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This is an interesting story. Amanda is a strong character, one looking for redemption after having pointed the finger at her sister for a murder. So, when her close friend’s mother is accused of a murder, Amanda wants to help him figure out what really happened. Yet upon arriving in Colorado, she is wrapped up in a mystery that is even bigger than she expected. This is a fast-paced book that integrates the past and present beautifully to help the reader figure out what really happened that fateful night. While this is the second book in the series you do not have to read the books in order to enjoy this book. I think teens will love the intrigue and the twists that accompany this tale.
Thank you to Disney Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this title.

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This book was so well written. The characters are real and raw, and I really cared about what happened to them. The possible haunting added a spooky vibe to an intriguing mystery. There were twists and turns I didn't see coming. And just when I thought I had it figured out, I didn't! The story kept me guessing right up until the end. This was such a great story and Jessie is such a talented author! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next!

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What do you get when you cross a haunted hotel, connected with a couple of deaths, with a group of teenagers and a reality show? The Summit has been the gathering place for Amanda, Vince, Cole, and Mallory ever since they were 5 years old. Now that they’re 16 and have had their own issues to contend with (a mom in jail for murder, a sister being proven innocent from murder, and striving to be rich and famous) they reconvene for a final time for one last hurrah. Unfortunately, yet another death occurs at the Summit and instead of a carefree summer together, the group is thrown into a murder investigation, which they need to solve before they are accused themselves. Multiple suspects, multiple murders, multiple lies. This story will keep you guessing until the very end. Highly recommend for readers who enjoyed One Of Us Is Lying and Truly Devious.

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