Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Release Date: January 3rd, 2017
398 Pages
Synopsis: A teenage misfit named Hawthorn Creely inserts herself in the investigation of missing person Lizzie Lovett, who disappeared mysteriously while camping with her boyfriend. Hawthorn doesn’t mean to interfere, but she has a pretty crazy theory about what happened to Lizzie. In order to prove it, she decides to immerse herself in Lizzie’s life. That includes taking her job…and her boyfriend. It’s a huge risk–but it’s just what Hawthorn needs to find her own place in the world.
By the time I finished The Hundred Lies Of Lizzie I was completely exhausted, but in a good way. The story is told in the first person POV of Hawthorn and being inside her head is a bit like being in an arcade pinball machine where the ball, or in this case the reader, is sent wildly careening around, completely at the mercy of of the player. I know how strange that must sound, but it’s the closest thing I can come up with that describes the way I felt reading this book. To be honest, I think Hawthorn is someone that readers are either going to fall in love with, or wind up incredibly annoyed with. For me it was a mix. During the first few chapters I found myself laughing out loud at many of her antics. But then there came a point where she’s so self-absorbed and immature that she started getting on my nerves. But my annoyance didn’t last long, because it becomes clear that Hawthorn is a lonely girl, bullied by most of her peers, who feels as though she’s unlovable. Her parents love her, and although her popular older brother, Rush and she have a strained relationship, it’s obvious as the story proceeds, he cares about her. And then there’s her best friend Emily, who to be honest is a much better friend to Hawthorn, than Hawthorn is to her. Yet Hawthorn still feels alone and isolated. I think the biggest issue is that she doesn’t know where she fits in, and as a result she pushes away people who care about her and could help her. She also has an overactive imagination which gets her into trouble on more than one occasion. While the mystery centers around the disappearance of Lizzie Lovett, a girl Hawthorn barely knew, she becomes obsessed with not only discovering what happened to her, but also obsessed with the girl herself. Why was Lizzie so popular? Why did everything seem to come easy to her? Everyone loved her, including Rush. After meeting her once, Hawthorn had even dreamt of Lizzie taking her under her wing and offering her guidance, and when this didn’t happen Hawthorn never got over it. Because of this, the mystery actually takes a backseat to the drama around Hawthorn, but that doesn’t make the story any less engrossing. One thing that did bother me a little was Hawthorn’s developing relationship with the older, self-involved Enzo, Lizzie’s boyfriend who was there the night she disappeared. I understood why Hawthorn became fascinated with him, but I never really bought into why he became interested in her as much as he did. There are many secondary characters that come and go, including a caravan of hippies, but instead of taking away from the story, they add color and flavor to it. The ending is about as near to a perfect conclusion as you could ask for, and wraps everything up satisfactorily. I don’t think The Hundred Lies Of Lizzie Lovett will be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like quirky characters, and you can relate to being an outsider, I highly recommend this. Due to some sexual scenes though, I wouldn’t recommend this for younger teens. Sedoti’s writing is witty and refreshing and I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.
YAandWine said:
So glad you liked this one! I’m starting it this weekend!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Oh! I can’t wait to hear what you think!💁🏻
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ashley said:
I read this one too, I didn’t love it.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I can definitely see why this won’t be for everyone.
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Jay said:
I thin it’s not for me – I’m annoyed just by the synopsis!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
To be honest Jay, I think this would definitely drive you NUTS!
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Eve Messenger said:
What a thoughtful review. You’re making me rethink my original take on this book, which was that I wasn’t terribly fond of it, partly because of what you mentioned about being annoyed with Hawthorn and partly because I thought the plot was weak. My favorite part was probably the relationship between Hawthorn, her brother Rush, and Rush’s best friend.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks so much Eve! To be honest there was a point that if I wasn’t reading this on my Kindle, I probably would have chucked it across the room, but then somehow she really grew on me and the story became more about her and less about the mystery surrounding Lizzie. Does that make sense?
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Eve Messenger said:
Yes, that really does make sense, and I’m glad you didn’t throw your Kindle, haha.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Me to! I would have been so upset!😕
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Books, Vertigo and Tea said:
First of all, this is a fantastic review! I have been reading a lot of mixed reviews and concerns centering around this title and to be honest, yours was one of the more positive. It is always so great to see contrasting thoughts and compare. I think I am guilty of removing this from my TBR recently, but now after reading your review, I almost feel like some of the lower ratings may have been a case of readers expecting this to be something different than what it is 🙂
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you so much Danielle! You really made my whole day! And I think you’re right about people’s expectations. I was expecting more of a mystery/suspense type story, but it’s really more about Hawthorn maturing and breaking free from this cocoon she’s wrapped herself in. If you do decide to read it, I’d love to know what you think.💁🏻
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Books, Vertigo and Tea said:
I will definitely let you know if I end up picking this one up 😊
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
🤗
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Birdie said:
I’m reading this now, and I feel good that you rated it so high. I’m somewhere around 30% and liking it so far.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Yay! I’m so glad you’re enjoying it!😊
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yourdaughtersbookshelf said:
Your review is fabulous, as always, but I am not sure this book is for me. Oddly, it is the last 2 lines of the synopsis that turn me off.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank you Stefanie! And believe me, I totally understand why those two sentences alone would be off-putting. I’m actually surprised at how much I wound up liking this. But it definitely isn’t for everyone.😊
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JJAzar said:
What sick analogy (with the reader being the pinball)! As usual, I found your review to be engaging and refreshing. Thank you for sharing!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Sorry J.J. You wouldn’t believe how hard I tried to come up with one that fit! Then that image popped into my head and the bell went ding, ding, ding!😁
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JJAzar said:
Clever! 😀
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beetleypete said:
Another good review, Kim. Lots of unusual names and crazy antics. Maybe not my thing, but I wish good luck to Chelsea with her new book.
Best wishes, Pete.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Pete! I definitely don’t think this is for you!😊
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Diana said:
Great review.I’ve been seeing this book around.Unfortunately,I couldn’t get the ARC.I plan to buy it though after release date.I like the sound of Hawthorn.She sounds complex but intriguing at the same time.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
She’s definitely a character that sticks in your mind Diana! I do hope you like the book. Happy New Year!💁🏻🤗🎉🍾
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Lisa said:
I just started this last night! So glad to see you thought so highly of it — makes me even more enthusiastic about reading it. Happy New Year!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I hope you continue liking it. Happy New Year!💁🏻🎉🍾
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Lisa said:
Well, just finished, and I grudgingly gave it three-stars rather than just two. I guess I was too annoyed by Hawthorn to ever find the story compelling. She strikes me as her own worst enemy, so awkward but not really making much effort to connect with others. Her relationship with Enzo really bothered me. The writing is good (it went so fast!), but I just couldn’t buy so much of the premise. 😦
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
That’s too bad. I absolutely agree with you about Hawthorn being her own worst enemy, but I wound up enjoying the way she developed. I kept wondering through much of the story if she had a mild form of autism. And I definitely agree her relationship with Enzo was creepy. To be honest, I think she’s one of those polarizing figures readers will either love or hate.💁🏻
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Lisa said:
I was wondering too if something was a bit off about Hawthorn, beyond lacking social skills. For someone at her age to seriously believe what she believed about Lizzie just seemed so out there to me.
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vinnieh said:
That description of her mind being like a pinball machine was inspired Kim.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thanks Vinnie. It really was the only analogy I could come up with!😏
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vinnieh said:
The character sounds very twisted but extremely enthralling.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
I’m still surprised by how much I wound up liking her.😊
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vinnieh said:
I found that as well with Amy Elliot-Dunne in Gone Girl.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Well, while I think Hawthorn is definitely more of a lovable kind of misfit, I get your meaning.😊
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vinnieh said:
Yes, from what you’ve said, she sounds a bit more grounded than Amy. Amy was a whole other complex person, who really played so many parts.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Charm with a dash of psycopathic tendencies thrown in!😏
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vinnieh said:
An interesting combo. I forgot to say, Happy New Year sister. I have posted a few things today.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Happy New Year to you to Vinnie! I’ll be sure to pop over.
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vinnieh said:
You’re a star Kim.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😊
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vinnieh said:
Gotta love those smiley faces gifs.
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
😁
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vinnieh said:
That’s what I love to see.
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Jen said:
I’m so happy you enjoyed this book! It definitely sounds like there were some quirky characters lol. Wonderful review, Kim!
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Thank Jen! It was decidedly different!
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Transhaan said:
Great review! What an interesting plot. I like your analogy to a pinball machine; it definitely underlines the singularity of the tale! 😀
– Lashaan
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
To be honest I think this is going to be a book that you either love or hate. I really thought I was going to be in the latter category until suddenly I realized Hawthorn had a piece of my heart!😊
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ihaveabadsenseofhumor said:
Urgh, all of these reviews make me want to use all of my money to buy books, but I can’t since I’m saving up I guess I’ll have to settle with the ones I have 😛
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
Aww. But there’s always the library!😊
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ihaveabadsenseofhumor said:
That’s true, unfortunately here in Denmark we have, what I would call, a pretty limited selection of English books, and I prefer to read them in English, (unless it’s written by a Danish author), so they’re not that easy to get ahold of… Which is quite sad, ’cause I love the library and being able to rent books for free 😛
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By Hook Or By Book ~ Book Reviews, News, & Other Stuff said:
That does make things difficult. I’m sorry.😕
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