Hiding Lies

It was so fun to read about Eleanor and Miles back at it again! I highly recommend that you read these books in order starting with Chasing Truth. Eleanor is a reformed (sorta) con artist. Miles is her boyfriend who happens to be a teenage FBI agent. When trouble from her past comes knocking, Eleanor finds herself in the middle of something that will have Miles flipping his lid. Don't miss this great YA read that's filled with mystery, romance, and a whole lot of fun. I recommend it.

WARNING – Spoilers Ahead for Book 1 It’s been over 18 months since I read CHASING TRUTH by Julie Cross, yet the characters and story were still so vivid in my memory, I didn’t need any refreshers. HIDING LIES picks up where CHASING TRUTH left off, with life returning to relative normal, considering Ellie’s past and Mile’s future. With Miles returning to his military academy after spending the holidays with his family abroad, Ellie fills her time with her sister, Harper, Harper’s former Secret Service boyfriend, Aidan, and her classmates from Holden Academy. When Miles fails to meet her as planned after returning from overseas, and Miles’s CIA Agent father makes an unusual request of Ellie, she can’t help but worry about Miles. Things get more interesting when Ellie’s past confronts her in her present, setting up an opportunity to undo the damage from one of the biggest regrets in her short life. With one twist after another, this was the first page-turner I’ve read in a while. I’m a huge fan of Julie Cross, and HIDING LIES reminds me why. Plot The plot is flawless. Everything flows with important information is sprinkled throughout so when something unexpected happens, you realize the hints were there all along. This is a “stay up late and read until your eyes blur” kind of story. While some of it on the surface seems implausible for teens, the author always explains it in a believable fashion. And if if she didn’t, I wouldn’t care, because it’s just that good. The Characters I have so much love already for former con-girl, Ellie, straight-laced Miles, flakey Harper, and G-man Aidan, but in HIDING LIES, Ellie spends more time with Dominic, the moody secret love interest of Ellie’s tragic friend, Simon. Dominic and Ellie forge an almost friendship and I grew to love him in this book. A number of new characters are also introduced who add a lot to the story, and I also got to know and respect Justice just a little bit more. All the characters are deeply drawn and realistic. Top Five Things I Loved About HIDING LIES 1. Miles. He drove me nuts with his conflicted feelings, but he totally redeems himself in the best possible way. 2. Ellie. She’s changed by the events in the first book and is less confident, leading her to make choices I might not have expected before, but given everything she’s been through, they are completely within character. I loved seeing a more vulnerable side of her. 3. Surprises. There were so many unexpected twists, I couldn’t put this book down. 4. The ending. Well done and even more exciting and satisfying than the first book. 5. Teen angst. While different this time around, there is no less drama surrounding Ellie and Miles’ romance. Bottom Line Julie Cross upped her game and wrote one of my favorite young adult novels ever! Disclaimer I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars — Oh dude!! This book took me through the ringer. I swear, my poor hubby. I was about to start reading again, and gave a huge anxiety induced sigh and my hubby made the mistake of asking me what’s wrong…and after I finished explaining how I wasn’t sure of this person’s motive, and I’m worried about this and that, he just blankly looked at me. I stumped him!!! HA! *snort* The joys of being married to a book nerd. ANYWAYS. This was a solid follow-up to the first book. Even though it picks up super quickly after book 1 (which I wasn’t expecting, I was thinking it would be a few months later or something), I still feel like this was a solid sophomore book if that makes sense. It’s like, we’d already gotten to know our major players, and had connected with them, so it was easier to get sucked down the rabbit hole with them. Ellie was delightful as always. That girl does sarcasm like no other. I feel like she went through even more tough emotions in this book than the other. Maybe because Miles had broken through her wall? I’m not sure. But there were quite a few emotional tolls being placed on her head, and it was hard to watch her go through that. Honestly, I thought the way Ms. Cross showcased how many directions Ellie was being torn into was done perfectly — I totally got the whys of it all, but it’s like, jesus, what else?? I just wanted someone to hug that girl. I had a MUCH harder time deciding whose motives I could trust and not trust in this one. I don’t want to give anything away, but I will say I doubted some good guys, and didn’t appropriately suspect some bad guys. I was totally surprised by Dominic’s bigger role in this book…in a good way. He brought a lot of interesting elements to the table. I loved that we got a satisfying conclusion at the end of this one. Does it stop me from wanting another book? Heck no! But I won’t be rolling around on the floor dying if there isn’t one (which I’m suspecting there won’t be). Ellie is a great character, and there are a lot of amazing side characters in this world that it’s easy to want more and more and more… Either way, I’m so glad I finally got to this book to find out what was next for our plucky heroine.