The Lies They Tell

Book: The Lies They Tell
Author: Gillian French

Everyone in Tenney’s Harbor, Maine, knows about the Garrison tragedy. How an unexplained fire ravaged their house, killing four of the five family members. But what people don’t know is who did it. All fingers point at Pearl Haskins’s father, the town drunk, who was the caretaker of the property, but she just can’t believe it. Leave it to a town of rich people to blame “the help.”

With her disgraced father now trying to find work in between booze benders, Pearl’s future doesn’t hold much more than waiting tables at the local country club, where the wealthy come to flaunt their money and spread their gossip. This year, Tristan, the last surviving Garrison, and his group of affluent and arrogant friends have made a point of sitting in Pearl’s section. Though she’s repulsed by most of them, Tristan’s quiet sadness and somber demeanor have her rethinking her judgments. Befriending the boys could mean getting closer to the truth, clearing her father’s name, and giving Tristan the closure he seems to be searching for. But it could also trap Pearl in a sinister web of secrets, lies, and betrayals that, once untangled, will leave no life unchanged . . . if it doesn’t take hers first.-Goodreads
Review: When the wealthy Garrison family is killed in a suspicious home fire, their teenage son is lucky to have been out of town surviving the flames. Pearl's father was manning the gate that night and swore he didn't see anything, but that doesn't stop him from losing work over the suspicion he had something to do with it. Six months later, Pearl finds herself hanging out with a group of wealthy boys, including Tristan Garrison. Can she figure out what happened and salvage her father's reputation?

I really wanted to love this book but it was so slow and boring. There was no mystery who set the fire, it was clear from the first chapter. Overall, a disappointment. 

Grade: 2/5