I really loved this story, I'm a big fan of the DUFF so I knew I was going to like this book however sometimes the lies that Sonny told could get a little annoying. I loved that characters from the DUFF were in this novel and we got to know what they were up to. I also love how Kody Keplinger always has morals to her stories and makes her characters relatable in some ways.

I do not like liars. I do not like people manipulating other people. And, for most of the book, I did not like Sonny. I could relate to her at some level, but not the way I could relate to Bianca, the main character of Keplinger's The Duff.

Sonny doesn't have a reason to lie. She doesnt need to lie. She does so because she is good at it, because she enjoys it, and because she is unable to face the consequences of her own actions, so she escapes them by lying over and over again. She lies to everybody and it's only when shit really hits the fan and she's called out on it that she tries to fight her compulsion. As a reader, I am to believe that Sonny is trying to reform herself, that she has redeemed herself, that she's suffered enough. But to be honest, I ended the book still not liking her. I was actually more interested in Amy than in her.

I'm giving this three stars because Kody Keplinger has the weird ability of making me read superfast; her books are always entertaining, quick to read, and enjoyable.

And also, the return of Wesley Rush.

Do you want a fast, easy and quick read? Sarcastic characters mixed in with the lovable “I can’t do anything wrong because I will get a rash if I do” personalities? Family dramas and already familiar characters from “The Duff”? Did you love “The Duff”? Then this book is for you.

What made this book for me are the completely different characters and their backstories. Nobody is really perfect, nobody is what they seem –at least not exactly. I enjoy that you get to know the characters the more you read, and that you get a better understanding of them and why they behave the way they do the more you read.

And while most of this book is quite enjoyable there are aspects of it that I did not like – at all to be honest.

The first and most important one for me is the rather compulsion behavior of the main girl, Sonny: the lying. Yes I know the book title is “Lying out Loud” but really, that does not mean that the character should feel the need to lie… well just about everything and then get a bit defensive when she does tell the truth and people don’t fall all over themselves believing her.

For many situations I just did not understand why she saw the need to lie instead of just tell the truth. Or why so many people just took her lies, accepted them as the truth and never questioned what she said. Or how fast many of the characters overlooked all her lies and accepted her back without a problem.

I know that Sonny does not has the easiest live. And I understand the lies to some extent. I just found it very unrealistic that she lied to her best friend –more or less constantly at some point- or that she thought that lying was easier then just telling what really happens.

Also, I have to say that I found the “love-story” unrealistic. How many people fall in love with a person that they say they hated before after a handful conversation –actually after the first chat really- especially if they notice that the person they fall in love with thinks that you are someone else. And if you really in love with that, why make it all complicated and lie about every single thing, instead of just coming out and saying what really happened?

Am I to practical? Am I a person that is to honest and I don’t understand how someone can think that lying is easier then just telling the truth? Maybe.

I just found the way Sonny treated the people around her rather brutal in some ways, and the complete and utter extremes of the lies were just too much for me to truly enjoy and love this book.

Still if you are not someone that reads this type of book to get a fast relationship, read about cute friendships and loves a bit overdone drama? Perfect. This book will give it to you. It is a quick and easy read, and the sarcastic comments and snarky replies Sonny dishes out are really something that pushes this book up to an enjoyable level.

It is a good book, for people who are looking for a quick and easy read and want something fun and something that they don’t have to think about while reading or after finishing the book. Just don’t go into this book expecting groundbreaking new material and completely different story from “The Duff”.

Still if you love Keplinger, if you love “The Duff”, or if you just want a quick read, try this and see if it is too your liking. You mind find a book that offers you something new.

I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.
This review was also posted on Amazon.com.

I enjoyed Duff, but I wasn't completely sold on the story. I didn't really enjoy a few of the aspects, but I decided to give Lying Out Loud a chance. I am glad I did, because I enjoyed it a lot more than Duff.

Likes:
I think the story is very relate-able. High school is that time where we all feel like we need to fit in, we need to impress and feel as though we are the same as our classmates. As sad as this is, it is still as true as when I was in high school. Sonny definitely feels she needs to hide her rough family life and lack of income.
I enjoyed Sonny, I liked her witty personality and the "real" her when she decided to show it. She loved 90s grunge, she was funny and honest. But that was only when she let her guard down.
The side characters, Ryder and Amy a lot. I can understand Ryder's POV and how he is reacting to his new home. Sometimes when we don't understand the full picture, it is easy to make assumptions that distance us from our families. With the drama going on within Ryder family, he felt like he was in the wrong, when his own mother was actually protecting him.
Amy was so wholesome. I loved her gentle, honest personality. She was such a caring friend, but she did have to learn to stand up for herself. As much as the book was about Sonny, I really think that Amy's progression and growth in the book made her my favorite character.
Amy's parents were amazing in the book, they were caring and present. I know I bring this up a lot, but I do think that it is a great addition to a young adult story. Families are so important, especially parents or guardians who are present and care about their children.

Gripes:
No real gripes, the book was interesting and had great pacing, but didn't move mountains or anything like that. It was enjoyable, but I probably will not re-read it.

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A Flurry of Ponderings

I liked that characters from Kody Keplinger's other books were brought into this one.

This was great (Wesley Rush, seriously) until I got to the ending and I didn't I got to the ending because there were like two pages left but then I realized its the ending and the pages left were acknowledgments.

I HATE IT WHEN BOOKS DOES THAT.

But honestly, this is a great companion without that seriously nerve-wrecking ending. I was really disappointed at the unresolved conflict with the two protagonists. And I had to say that it was written well because both the protagonists weren't exactly likable and even with that I could get past it and actually root for them.

It was humorous and deal with serious problems instead of juvenile ones and I liked that about it. All in all it was well rounded and a page flipper except for the less than gratifying ending.

Loved Wesley & Bianca in it by the way, I just had to add that in because seriously I love their interactions so much. Certainly up the rating of this book for me. Wouldn't think anyone would pick it up if they didn't read The DUFF, and I think it will be worse if they didn't. The fun parts are the cameos from Kody Keplinger's other books. As a standalone, it's great but lack the wow-factor.

I would have given this four stars but the ending was too abrupt and didn't end properly in my opinion. 4,75 stars!

I am really enjoying keplingers writing, I love
That she looks at real characters in
Realistic or difficult situations. I am able to empathise with the characters quite easily. I
Really enjoyed this one,
For me the mention of Wesley and Bianca was something I was a bit nonplussed about,
It was nice but I was definitely more interested in the main storyline.
Keplinger writes about friendships, families and relationships and how they all interact with each other and how honesty is really important in building these relationships.
And that even though life can get pretty shitty sometimes there is always a way for
Things to get better even when they seem like they won't :)

Interesting to read how lies can affect oneself and others.

I truly liked this book, it has everything, love, friendship, family and most important Wesley and Bianca! hahaha no, but for real I loved how the characters of The Duff were included in the story, and I did really liked the story, at first I was a little unsure because lying it's a topic that can be done very wrong, but this book I think achieves the goal of learning what a simple lie can do to your life.

Sigh. I had such high expectations for this book since I loved the duff and it was a spin off but it didn't give me what I needed. Don't get me wrong I LOVED that the thought of Ryder. (Mainly because he's black with green eyes and I really enjoy that name.) problem was that I HATED Sonny. Usually I'm fickle with female characters over silly things but she legitimately gave me a reason so dislike her. As a matter of face she provided many reasons for me to dislike her. I wanted the book to end differently since it gave me so much grief but never the less it was anti-climatic. Sigh