{Review} Lying Out Loud by Kody Keplinger.

Posted by Donna
Release Date: April 28th, 2013
Finished Date: April , 2015

Publishers: Scholastic
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Romance
Source: For Review
Format: eARC

Pages: 405
Buy: Amazon UK / Amazon US / The Book Depo

Kody Keplinger returns to the world of The DUFF in this brand-new companion novel!

Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.

Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with -- secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.

Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand -- a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.

But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually like him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?

The Review: I love Kody Keplinger's books. The DUFF of course being my favourite. So when I heard about her writing a companion novel for The DUFF I simply couldn't wait. 

Sonny Ardmore lies - all the time. She lies to everyone around her because it makes her feel better about her life. Even everyone at schools knows she lies so whenever Sonny has a real problem, it's hard for anyone to believe if she's telling the truth or just crying wolf again. But when Sonny starts connecting with the new guy - Ryder, it's here that she tells one of the biggest lies of all. Sonny is actually pretending to be her best friend Amy - the one Ryder really likes, but as Sonny talks more to Ryder, she realises she likes him. But how can she get out of the mess she's put herself in? It's time Sonny realises that telling lies will get her no-where in life. 

Heading into Lying Out Loud I was so excited. I was expecting the same sort of emotional bust that The DUFF provided and here lies my problem, I definitely went into this book with far to many expectations and unfortunately, Lying Out Loud just didn't have the same feel. Mainly that's because I found the characters from The DUFF much more relatable. I hate comparing the two books but it's impossible not to.

If I'm honest, I didn't really like Sonny as a character. I felt she never helps herself by telling the lies and that she just puts herself in harder situations. I just wanted her to tell the truth. I understand she's a teenager and sometimes they have trouble explaining how they really feel but Sonny's life wasn't pretty, you'd think she'd do anything for a little bit of help. I actually enjoyed Amy Rush - Sonny's best friend and yes, she's Wesley Rush's sister - more than Sonny. But Amy was only a secondary character. I possibly think I may have enjoyed this story more if it was Amy's story rather than Sonny's.

The plot of the story was fun though. The banter between Sonny and Ryder was quirky and enjoyable - definitely my favourite part of the story. And although the ending was predictable it was still lovely to see a good ending to the story. 

In all, I may have had some issues with Lying Out Loud but this will not stop me seeking out more books (when she writes them) by Kody Keplinger. 

Thank you to Scholastic for giving me the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review.