ARC, 390 pages
Release Date: November 6,2018Published by: Freeform
Read from: November 20-27, 2018Debutantes, #1Source: Publishers (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.)TW:
For fans of: Action, Southern Charm, Thrillers, Mysteries, YA“I’m not saying this is Sawyer’s fault,” the prim and proper one said delicately. “But.”
Eighteen-year-old auto mechanic Sawyer Taft did not expect her estranged grandmother to show up at her apartment door and offer her a six-figure contract to participate in debutante season. And she definitely never imagined she would accept. But when she realizes that immersing herself in her grandmother’s “society” might mean discovering the answer to the biggest mystery of her life-her father’s identity-she signs on the dotted line and braces herself for a year of makeovers, big dresses, bigger egos, and a whole lot of bless your heart. The one thing she doesn’t expect to find is friendship, but as she’s drawn into a group of debutantes with scandalous, dangerous secrets of their own, Sawyer quickly discovers that her family isn’t the only mainstay of high society with skeletons in their closet. There are people in her grandmother’s glittering world who are not what they appear, and no one wants Sawyer poking her nose into the past. As she navigates the twisted relationships between her new friends and their powerful parents, Sawyer’s search for the truth about her own origins is just the beginning.
Set in the world of debutante balls, grand estates and rolling green hills, Little White Lies combines a charming setting, a classic fish-out-of-water story, and the sort of layered mystery only author Jennifer Lynn Barnes can pull off.
*MY THOUGHTS*
When I first heard about this one, I was a bit iffy. A book about debutantes, mystery, and Southern belles and gentlemen doesn’t seem like a “me” thing, so I wasn’t exactly chomping on the bit about it. But then I realized it was by Jennifer Lynn Barnes and all those worries went away. It doesn’t matter what it is, any mystery by Barnes I’ll give a shot.
“He’s nice. But the senator’s daughter…” Sadie-Grace almost started rond-de jambe-ing again, but she caught herself. “His daughter?” I prompted as the senator and his wife began making their way toward Lily. Sadie Grace crossed herself, even though I was fairly certain she wasn’t Catholic. “The senator’s daughter is the devil incarnate. “pg. 39
Just as Sawyer gets off work something she least expects happens…. Her grandmother comes out of nowhere and offers her 6 figures to come and live with her and be a debutante. She expects the big dresses and tradition, but not the family and acceptance that comes with it. She really doesn’t expect the friends and scandals they brought with them. Its a whirlwind of debutante balls, Southern belles and gentlemen, and southern charm mixed with some mystery and thrills to make a story to put the reader on the edge of their seat.
“Secrets are like bandages,” I told Sadie-Grace. “Just rip it off.“pg. 85
This isn’t something I thought I would really enjoy, but once I started reading it and fell into Barnes’ familiar storytelling, I couldn’t stop. Her writing style can always pull me in. The humor and wit and Sawyer’s sarcastic nature was my absolute favorite part. Barnes is a master storyteller and this one was no different. She told it alot differently than her other stories that I’ve read, but for this one it worked. And it worked really well. The story goes back and forth between a couple hours before the debutante ball (time does a countdown to the debutante ball over those chapters) and when Sawyer first got to her grandmother’s world. It sounds like it might be confusing, but once you get to reading it, you start to understand the timeline more.
“An insult doesn’t count as an insult if you phrase it as a question.“pg. 120
And for a book that had so many characters, it seems as if it’s hard to have all of them be so well developed. Not for Barnes. I really enjoyed every character that she introduced and everything they brought to the story. Sadie-Grace had to be my favorite and I can only hope that the next book is gives us a little more back story or detail about her. Lily was interesting to learn about as well, with everything that is revealed in the end of the book, it will be interesting to see how things end up in the next book.
“Nature can be bloodthirsty, can’t it?” Lillian let her fingertips hover over a rose thorn. “I suppose there are those who would argue that people aren’t much better. Your mama, for one.“pg. 133
As for the setting, I LOVED the Southern atmosphere in this one. My mom was a debutante and she told me all her stories and we’re from the South, so I kind of had a feel for it. I’ve always felt like they would be in a world all their own and Barnes really portrayed that.
“If you didn’t expect things of people, they couldn’t disappoint you. I knew that, but a part of me would never stop expecting her to……….. To what? I asked myself. .“pg. 243
The twists and turns were my absolute favorite part of this book though. No matter what it seemed like I knew, I didn’t. It got REALLY messed up in the end. As things started clicking into place and secrets came out, this story got really weird lol It was completely different than what I was expecting and I really enjoyed that. As much as I read, thrillers aren’t really a surprise for me anymore, but this one was and it made it 90% more enjoyable than the others.
“Quite frankly, if what you say about […] relationship with […] is true, I’m surprised […] hasn’t taken care of you” Well didn’t that sound ominous?.“pg. 299
The only thing I didn’t care for was the ending. For something they had been working on for the entire book, it was a little non-existent in the end. It was talked about, but I wish Barnes had given us something from that point of view instead of just skimming over it. It would have been nice to get in on all the secrets.
“A tiger doesn’t change its stripes.“pg. 353
Although I still haven’t given up on campaigning for more of her Fixer series, (see what I did there? lol) I will definitely be wanting more of this series as well. I already have so many questions and I can’t wait to get the next book in my hands. I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait an entire year! Barnes opens up readers to a new world in this book that will have them wanting to set into the debutante world themselves.
Overall, I give this
