Initial Impressions 3/3/15: Somewhere around 3.5 stars I think... 
 I had a hard time getting into Liars, Inc. The beginning and I didn't get along but I was interested to see where the story went once it started picking up (since the beginning was a lot of set-up, which is fair enough). It took about 35-40% and then I started to get into the book. It never really reached a level of greatness for me though. I didn't start to feel the "realness" of the characters until the very end, and really only with Max. I kind of didn't care for anyone else. 
 Maybe I need to stop reading mysteries? I keep craving them and craving them but then I sort of build this amazing book up in my mind and things don't normally seem to pan out. 
 There was a very nice twist and unlike We Were Liars, I did NOT guess it so that was great! I was super curious to figure out what would happen at the end and it was much more complicated than a simple one-sentence answer. 
 Some parts were a little darker than I expected and others not dark enough for my tastes (is that weird? I mean the ending was messed up but for some reason I wanted it to end on some ridiculous note. Maybe I was feeling hostile towards the characters by the end...) 
 All in all it was enjoyable but nothing really knocked me over. There was a moment where I was about to get really upset (Was that a statement being made? Maybe.) but it wasn't a big focus so I kept reading and moved on. 
 Sigh. I wanted to love this one but it just never really happened. Still a good read and it seems like others are really enjoying it but maybe hole in my heart for YA mysteries wasn't quite filled. 
 Full review originally posted HERE on The Book Addict's Guide 3/23/15: I'm always looking for more YA mysteries and thrillers so when I first heard about Liars, Inc, I was VERY excited! I was finally in the mood for a good mystery read so I picked it up right around its release date, hoping to instantly get hooked on another exciting book. The beginning started off well, reminding me of Dangerous Girls by Abigail Haas, which I loved and inhaled last year, but shortly thereafter, I felt my mind drifting as I read and was having a hard time staying focused. 
 Long story short, LIARS, INC is a murder-mystery and for some reason I just have a very hard time finding young adult books that properly capture the essence of a great murder-mystery. I think it's just because of the age range. Obviously we're reading about mostly teenagers in YA and there are too many times when it's illogical to have a teen involved in a crime investigation so in order to work that angle in properly, I feel like compromises have to be made and there are too many YA mysteries that just feel forced. I only felt it slightly with LIARS, INC but it was noticeable enough for me that the transitions from scene to scene and overall path of the plot just didn't quite sit right with me for some reason. 
 The plot revolves around three main characters -- Max (the MC), Parvati (his girlfriend), and Preston (their mutual friend). They have a sort of weird sexual tension between the three of them and I'm definitely not against sex in YA books at all but the role that their sexually-charged, jealousy-ridden non-love triangle played just felt like it would have been more natural in an adult book than young adult. Maybe that's just a personal thing since I was fairly conservative in high school but it was just enough for me to notice and feel just a smidge turned-off since it was an ever-present thing and a driving force of the novel. 
 I also had an issue connecting with the characters. I liked Max a lot but it wasn't until literally the VERY end that I felt like the walls came down and I got to see a more personal side of him. I can understand that he's a guarded person and doesn't easily let people in but it really prevented me as a reader from really connecting with him. I just wasn't really a fan of Parvati or Preston at all though. The both seemed a little static for me and I also had a hard time connecting with them. I really liked the idea of how these three became friends and I also really liked the idea of their Liars, Inc plan (something I wish I had gotten to see more of), but the murder-mystery took the stage and that was okay too. 
 I actually really enjoyed the ending! Paula Stokes definitely devised a great mystery. I've had a few issues where I've guessed the ending before and it kind of ruined the book a little bit, but I really did not know how LIARS, INC was going to end! I even tried guessing -- several times -- and didn't even come close so I was so happy to see a unique ending that had me confused and excited until the very end! I also really loved how you can't even describe the ending in one sentence. The answer to "whodunit" is far more complicated than "the butler did it" and I think that also really prevented me from guessing how everything came together! 
 All-in-all, the ending really pulled everything together for me but I still had issues with the flow of the book. I just really wish I had connected to it more before the ending. It seems like a lot of people are really enjoying it which is a great! There's a chance I just may be too picky about my mysteries so this one didn't quite do it for me.