Lies Like Poison

Product Information

The man pulled up to the station, then climbed out of the car. Belle counted heartbeats as he strode to her door. Five. Ten. Fifteen. She managed to get to seventeen, the exact number of years she’d been on this earth, when the door swung open and the man reached for her. “Why would there be other flowers?” he asked, guiding her out of the darkness. “Belladonna killed her.” The first two thirds of Lies Like Poison, were a little messy. The pacing and reveals were kind of disjointed, and I wasn’t fully enjoying it. But the last third really saved the book, where it got so exhilarating and full of reveals I didn’t expect!! This was where we really saw the soft queer found family content I had been craving, and more of my favourite characters. I really wish the whole book had been more like the last third. Taking a shaky breath, she hurried to the first floor. Opened the front door. Blinked up at the officer and said, Hello? Is everything okay? I didn’t. I swear. But Edwin was passed out in his bedroom all night, and no one can account for me.

He… What? Her eyelids fluttered closed, and behind them she could see soft hands and ebony curls. Bright eyes. Raven’s coming home? Also for a lot of the book everyone is kind of plotting against each other anyway? I will say that I can guarantee you that you will not solve the mystery, at the very least not in the first half. Unexpected is nice in a mystery/thriller but it doesn’t always equal smart. The story follows 4 childhood friends: Poppy, Lily, Belladonna and Raven. But while they all felt like they were the best of friends, it turns out there were secrets upon secrets that only carried over into their present day lives. And when Raven's stepmother ends up dead, a long ago murder pact shines an unfortunate light on the group. Being caged and trapped is one of the main theme in Lies like poison and each character feels that in his/her own way. This would have worked if the characters had a reason to be lying to each other and hiding facts from each other. Unfortunately, they did not.While this was focused on the murder mystery, it also dealt with mental health and had such amazing queer characters with huge depth to them all. We see them overcome what society expects them to be and being their own person, and they all have a story to tell in this book. I had so many emotions while reading this because I became connected to all of the characters and felt for what a horrible life they have all had growing up. How they rely on each other for strength to get through their toughest days. It was a very powerful book and the characters were all so deeply written. I didn’t. I swear. But Edwin was passed out in his bedroom all night, and no one can account for me.” Then let’s hope you have an alibi, he said, gesturing to the gaggle of officers standing by the door. They were going to wake her father, but he couldn’t account for her. He’d been snoring in his bedroom for hours. There was only one person in the world who could account for Belle’s whereabouts that night, and that person was long gone by now. You’re under arrest for the murder of Evelyn Holloway. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used—”

Ye-yes,” she said, managing to stumble over one word. Great. That didn’t bode well for the rest of the conversation. But she could lie about who’d been tangled in her arms that night. She’d gotten very good at keeping secrets. Just… not from the cops. She sat at the police station, stuffed into a plastic chair, waiting for Detective Frank Medina to return from the field. She’d been there since eight in the morning. When he finally strode through the doors, well after noon, he took one look at her and sighed. Miss McClain.

The story . . . was dark and full of conflict and passion and so many twists. No one is who they seem and everything was captivating' NetGalley user

Listen, you don’t know how much this means to me,” Belle began as the officer stepped toward her. He wanted her to hang up the phone. But she needed to say this before she ended the call. “I thought I understood what happened three years ago, but I never asked you—” Three years later, though, Evelyn is found dead, with belladonna found in her tea and Belladonna is arrested. Desperate to prove her innocence, Belladonna reaches out to her estranged friends. But when they start to uncover the truth, they won't be ready to face what will they discover. I was going to give this 3 stars when I was 2/3 in bc the pacing and reveals were kinda disjointed and it was all a bit messy but the last third saved the book, it was wonderful and exhilarating and exciting and full of reveals and I finally got the lilybella content I needed, and it was so soft and found family-ish MMMM I would have given the last third five stars!!!!Poppy, Lily, and Belladonna would do anything to protect their best friend, Raven. So when they discovered he was suffering abuse at the hands of his stepmother, they came up with a lethal plan: petals of poppy, belladonna, and lily in her evening tea so she’d never be able to hurt Raven again. But someone got cold feet, the plot faded to a secret of the past, and the group fell apart. Everybody knows that in the death of a spouse, the first place to look is at the current husband/wife, any existing lovers, and previous exes. The fact that the police did neither in both cases and went for the immediate arrest of a teenage girl based on a conveniently placed "murder recipe" left at the scene of the crime . . . I mean, you don't get more gullible than that.

This was lying on the table in Evelyn’s kitchen, the detective said, his voice quiet now. Tentative. He was trying to coax a confession out of her, but the confession wasn’t about her. There are two names on it: Poppy and Belladonna. But I don’t think you’re responsi— But the night before the murder, one of us got cold feet and ruined everything. We all had to poison her together. That’s what I thought, the spring we made flower garlands. The spring we spread them out on the table, where she drank her tea. Listen, you don’t know how much this means to me, Belle began as the officer stepped toward her. He wanted her to hang up the phone. But she needed to say this before she ended the call. I thought I understood what happened three years ago, but I never asked you— From the unsolved robbery of Raven's biological mother, to the now murder of his step-mother. The police have been a negligible force, entering the story only when the plot requires it to be relevant. Book Genre: Contemporary, Crime, Fiction, LGBT, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Romance, Thriller, Young Adult, Young Adult ContemporaryWho you gonna call?” the man asked, in this jovial tone that made her think he was going to start humming the Ghostbusters theme song. Everything about this was absurd. Belle wanted to tell herself it was a dream, because none of this could be happening, except . . . the rest of the night had been incredibly vivid. Those lips, trailing across her skin. Those hands, warm and familiar. Bright eyes. Mischievous smile. They’d hardly touched over the past few years, and yet, everything was exactly the way it had been the first time they’d held hands. I…” How much should she say? These conversations were probably recorded. But even if they were, they couldn’t be used in a court of law without her permission. Right? You had to agree to be recorded or it was inadmissible. She knew this, because three years earlier, she’d studied her rights. She’d prepared to be arrested after she put her plan into action. But the night before the murder, someone had gotten cold feet. It had such a pretty name, the man said, catching her eye in the mirror. You have any guesses, Belladonna?