“It All Started With a Lie” by Denise Brown is a psychological young-adult drama that I found page turning, realistic and entertaining to read. 

 

Sixteen year old Pearl discovers a newspaper article hidden in her father’s study, that clearly shows a story involving her dad she knew nothing about. With the involvement of her friends, they discreetly investigate the news story, ending up deeper and deeper into memories best left in the past. Using a dual timeline of the present and purely text messages between two sisters from when things started, it’s clear to see how the rumour and events snowballed. 

 

This is a well written young-adult novel that portrayed typical teenage curiosity and the desire to know your family history. I liked Pearl, she was down to earth, a good friend and a nice person. It was interesting to see the family dynamics of the characters involved and the strength of teenage friendships. I wasn’t expecting the conclusion to the past events and after some twists and turns, the denouement was satisfying and made complete sense. 

 

It All Started With A Lie - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️