Lies Like Poison is a compelling young adult mystery with great LGBTQ representation, bringing old friends together to form their own family.

Family

The story’s core is about finding and making one’s own family with their fails to love them. Belladonna, Raven, Lily, and Jack (Poppy) all come from complicated homes.

Each of them has parents who abuse them in various ways. From emotional to mental abuse, these kids come from fractured homes.

It speaks volumes about society today how people are starting to form their own families because their “blood” is toxic. This story encourages readers to do that. To make your own family with people who love you inside and out, respect you, and love you down to your core.

I loved this message because you always hear “or they are family” as an excuse to condone toxic behavior, and that is not okay. No one should ever let themselves be brought down emotionally, mentally, or physically by “family” because of their relation to them. Nope, not okay, so to see these four friends bind themselves together to form their own family is incredibly empowering.

Storytelling

As far as the story goes, it was very engaging. Lily’s mother, Raven’s stepmother, is murdered, belladonna petals in her tea. Of course, Belladonna is the immediate suspect, arrested, the recipe for the murder they wrote as children to get rid of the woman torturing Raven found on the kitchen table.

These four estranged friends are brought back together, forcing them to face their past and come to terms with their identities. None of them trust one another since they have not seen one another for years, but they come together, in the end, to solve the murder and save Belladonna from prison.

Also separated into three parts, each perspective drives the story forward. The reader is learning more about who these kids are through their perspectives, experiences, and mindset. It also keeps the reader guessing. Any of them could be a suspect for murder. They all had a motive as Lily’s mother was a truly horrible and delusional person, so to see each part as “The Truth According to…” gives the story some range and depth to keep the ending unpredictable and unsuspecting.

Final Thoughts

Overall, Lies Like Poison is a compelling young adult mystery. It has emotional depth to make the characters engaging, and the pacing allows the plot to remain compelling and unpredictable, offering readers an engaging read.

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Product Details:

Pub Date: November 10, 2020	Page Count: 304pp	Age Range: 14 & Over
ISBN: 978-1-5344-7095-8	Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books	List Price: $18.99

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