This Is Why We Lie by Gabriella Lepore is a book focused on a young adult murder mystery. Along with an incredible plot, it has excellent character development and diversification of themes. The story takes place in a mysterious community known as Gardiner’s Bay, and the characters of the story come from the Rookwood Reform School for Boys and the Preston Prep school for girls. It is a story filled with wondrous pivotal moments as well as an exciting plot recommended for teens as well as adults. In Gardiner’s Bay, everybody holds a secret. Whether it be the girls or the boys. The author starts the story off with the tragic death of a female teen named Collen O’ Donell, who apparently dies due to drowning. Though this is believed to be suicide by the police, the main characters, Adam Cole and Jenna Dallas, soon discover the dark intent of it being something even more . . . something worse. The story takes place using two perspectives, one of Adam’s and one of Jenna’s. This type of formatting very well fits the story and proves the uniqueness of it by helping the reader view two sides. Jenna, who is a smart and brave girl with an aunt who works for the police, decides to take on the case herself and realizes that there is more to this than meets the eye. More importantly, there seems to be someone at Rookwood who is keeping a deadly secret, and that someone is also in an intimate relationship with one of Jenna’s friends, Serena. By using shreds of evidence from this relationship, and discovering previous text messages and relationships as well, Jenna begins her case. Along the way, the discoveries turn out to be wild, though hints of these discoveries are given by the author throughout the story. The question that the author introduces is clear: What was the true past of Collen O’ Donell? Was she really as innocent and friendly as she seemed? Adam Cole, on the other hand, is a boy from Rookwood, one of whom is friends with the secret-keeper there known by the name of Max. As the book progresses, the author lets the reader know of these secrets and their importance through specific word choices and phrases. Following the plot, the author develops each and every character, unravels mysteries, and even includes a twinge of romance. I think that this book would be best for those wanting something to exercise their mind on since it is a great mystery book. Every page will keep you anticipating the mystery behind the book and how the solution came to be. It would be recommended to people who are both teenagers or adults, as it includes some scenes of sensitive language and substances. I personally enjoyed the thrill of reading this book and was extremely awed at the plot twist in the end. The overall exploration of the different characters, as well as their development truly makes it an intriguing book to read, and it gets a well-deserved five stars.