Review: Dead Girls Don't Lie by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Title: Dead Girls Don't Lie
Author: Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Release date: September 17th 2013
Pages: 352
Genre: Young Adult contemporary mystery
Source: Bought
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Rachel died at two a.m . . . Three hours after Skyler kissed me for the first time. Forty-five minutes after she sent me her last text.
Jaycee and Rachel were best friends. But that was before. . .before that terrible night at the old house. Before Rachel shut Jaycee out. Before Jaycee chose Skyler over Rachel. Then Rachel is found dead. The police blame a growing gang problem in their small town, but Jaycee is sure it has to do with that night at the old house. Rachel’s text is the first clue—starting Jaycee on a search that leads to a shocking secret. Rachel’s death was no random crime, and Jaycee must figure out who to trust before she can expose the truth. 

My rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Dead Girls Don't Lie is one of those books where I can't really think of anything to say other than, "Ehh. It was okay." I guess I enjoyed reading it, but I wouldn't be sad to have missed out on it. The premise sounded promising, and I don't have any huge complaints, but there also wasn't anything that would make me really love this story.

I know a lot of people complained about the main character, saying she was too naïve, but that didn't really bother me because it's realistic: the story acknowledges that she's naïve, and I know we'd all like to think we'd be smarter in a situation like this, but I'm pretty sure I'd be oblivious too, so I can't really fault Jaycee for that. But while that didn't really bother me, I wasn't a huge fan of Jaycee, either; not because there's anything wrong with her, but because she's just kind of boring. She's the stereotypical good girl that does no wrong and goes to church every week (the religion aspect was a bit much for me, too). She was okay, but I just wish there had been something more to her.

The mystery was pretty good, but for some reason, I didn't get as into it as I usually do with murder mysteries. I think part of that is because Jaycee doesn't actually find out anything at all; she's really not much of a detective. Things just kind of happen to her, and people tell her what happened. While there is definitely an element of danger, it didn't feel as real as in mysteries where the main character was actually actively figuring things out.

I still don't know how to feel about the solution. I had kind of already figured it out early on, but then I thought that would be too obvious... but it did turn out to be true. I thought the revelation wasn't a hundred percent in accordance to the way the person who did it was acting throughout the novel, even if it is explained at the end. The solution is also kind of drawn out: we find out who did it, but then it takes a whiiile for Jaycee to really understand what happened and for anything to be resolved, and the final action scene seemed kind of staged. I think this ending was an interesting solution, but the psychology behind it was too complex and not actually explored enough for this to work.

In the beginning of the novel, the story tries really hard to be about race. I think this was a good attempt, but it wasn't done thoroughly enough, and the way Jennifer Shaw Wolf went about it just made me feel kind of icky. The novel is set in a small, white town that has some Mexican immigrants, and there's a lot of racism towards these "outsiders." So of course, when Rachel gets murdered, everyone assumes it was one of those Mexican gangbangers, and Jaycee tries to relieve some of those racial tensions. But as much as it's trying to criticize the Mexican gangbanger stereotype, the story doesn't really do all that much to disprove it: honestly, the portrayal of the Mexican characters is pretty stereotypical, along with the bad Spanglish dialogue that was so obviously written by a white person. It also made me feel really weird how Jaycee is supposed to be the one "good" white person, as if she should get brownie points for crossing to the other side of the river and talking to the Mexicans. The whole topic just kind of goes away towards the end, without any more exploration. Really, it was a nice try, but it just doesn't go in-depth enough to really do anything. 

That's basically all I have to say about Dead Girls Don't Lie; it's an okay novel all around. If the story sounds interesting to you, go for it - there's nothing horribly bad about it. But there was also nothing that would make me really love it. All in all, it was just a very underwhelming read. 

Multicharacer Interview with the Cast from Breaking Beautiful (Breaking Beautiful Blog Tour)

Today we have the cast from Breaking Beautiful interview! This post is part of The Teen Book Scene's blog tour for Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf. You can find out all about the tour here. Make sure to visit all the other stops if you'd like to know more about Breaking Beautiful!

Allie

Tell us three things about yourself (almost) no one else knows.

1. I still sleep with my silky, a piece from the edge of the blanket I had as a baby.

2. I’ve kept everything Trip ever gave me.

3. Sometimes I wish I lived anywhere else but Pacific Cliffs.

If you had to describe yourself as a color, which color would you be?

Green, vibrant emerald green, like my eyes.

What's a major pet peeve of yours?

People who are fake.

What would you do if you had just one day left lo live?

Gather up everyone I’ve ever wanted to say something to, good or bad and just say it. If I’m going to be gone, what’s the point of keeping it all in?

How has Trip's death affected or changed your life? be?

Trip was my first love, so I was devastated when I found out about the accident. We’ve always had a kind of connection, you know, you never fall out of love because you never stop caring. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what might have been.

Andrew

Tell us three things about yourself (almost) no one else knows.

1. I probably know more gossip than anyone else at school. When you’re stuck in a chair all the time, people forget that you can hear.
2. I keep a tell-all blog under an assumed name. (Look at the first question, again. Are you scared?)
3. I’m a pretty good liar, but since I have a hard time talking, I guess lying is easy, because no one asks too many questions. (But knowing I’m a great liar, are you wondering about question one and two now?)

If you had to describe yourself as a color, which color would you be?

Steel grey. Analytical, precise, and useful. Seems like I should throw something warm and fuzzy in their too, but right now that’s all I’ve got.

What's a major pet peeve of yours?

When people look over and around me and won’t look me in the eye. Like they don’t know how to act around me so they pretend I’m not there.

What would you do if you had just one day left lo live?

Say good-bye to everyone I loved and then do something incredibly insane like skydiving, with or without a parachute.

How has Trip's death affected or changed your life?

I don’t have to worry so much about Allie every time she walks out the door, I still worry because mentally she’s kind of a mess, but at least I know she won’t be trying to hide a bruise or something when she gets home. At least I know physically she’s safe.

Mom (Mrs. Davis)

Tell us three things about yourself (almost) no one else knows.

1. Even though I was “popular” I never felt like I fit in when I was in high school.

2. I loved moving around all the time, meeting new people and learning new things, but I wanted more stability for my kids. We moved to Pacific Cliffs for them, not me.

3. I wish I’d gotten some kind of college degree, but getting married so young and all the moving around and then having twins with one very sick little boy, I never got the chance. I feel like I have to be super woman in my job to make up for the fact that I’m not educated.

If you had to describe yourself as a color, which color would you be?

How about dark blue. It’s kind of no nonsense and practical because it hides stains and goes with almost everything.

What would you do if you had just one day left lo live?

My tendency would be to clean the house and make freezer meals for my family and make sure the finances were all in order at home and at work, but I hope I would be willing to let all that go and just spend a day at the beach with my family. (The beach in Hawaii, not Pacific Cliffs, it is my last day after all.)

How has Trip's death affected or changed your life?

I worry about Allie all the time now. His death has completely destroyed her. When Trip was around I felt like she was taken care of. I know moving around was hard on her and that she didn’t have very many close friends. I was so happy that she found him. She and Trip were together all the time and I know he had lots of friends at school. It was nice to see her fitting in around her. The other thing that’s hard is I’m so relieved and grateful that Allie is alive, but I work all day with Trip’s family and I see how them struggling with their loss. Knowing that my child is still alive and theirs isn’t is difficult.

Thanks for the great answers, Jennifer!


Make sure to check out all the other stops of the tour, and keep your eye out for Breaking Beautiful, which has already been released!

Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

(Amazon | Goodreads)

Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a tragic car accident—including her memory of the event. All she has left are the scars and a sneaking suspicion that the crash wasn’t an accident after all. When the police reopen the investigation, it quickly turns on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around their small town. As the threats begin and the survivor’s guilt sets in, Allie’s memories collide with a dark secret about Trip she’s kept for too long. Caught somewhere between her past and her future, Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free?