Friends and Other Liars

April 2, 2018
A group of five childhood friends are brought back together with explosive results in Coble’s riveting, assured debut. At a gathering after the funeral of Danny Deuso, who committed suicide, Danny’s mother gives each of his best friends a letter containing a secret unique to each, a betrayal of the pact of honesty that they made to each other. The letters threaten to reveal the secrets in another way if they don’t voluntarily share with one another. This is mainly Ruby’s story; she relates growing up with the crew, finding intense first love with Murphy, and the surprising secret she’s kept from him for a decade. Interspersed are sequences in Danny’s troubled voice, and Ally, Ruby’s closest friend, tells her story as well, offering a point of view from someone who stayed in tiny Chatwick, Vt., while Ruby left. Coble’s story adeptly addresses domestic violence, drug addiction, suicide, and the pain of young love. The revelations in the last half are genuinely surprising and satisfyingly devoid of pat solutions, but the real draw is the ensemble cast, which anchors this memorable novel.

May 1, 2018

What does it mean to lie to the ones who love you best? Friends Emmett, Murphy, Ally, and Ruby have all carried the burden of a secret that they have withheld from the others. Angry and shattered, Danny dies by suicide. Before he does, he records his friends' secrets in letters to be read aloud at his wake. Reunited for the first time in 10 years for Danny's funeral, the friends must grapple with his death and the realization of his vindictiveness. His rule is simple: fess up to everyone in the crew or be outed by an accomplice. Faced with the horror of exposing their deepest secrets, one chooses to lie again, another decides to avoid it altogether, and two try to coexist, hoping an old spark won't ignite. Readers willingly journey with the quartet on this roller coaster of emotions as all are forced to confront their deepest fear. Although the secrets, when divulged, are a disappointment, it is the relationships and how they are forever changed that will be of most interest to readers. There are scenes of a sexual nature that are better suited for older teens. VERDICT An additional purchase where new adult titles are popular.-Michelle Foster, North Caroline High School, Ridgely, MD

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