So we start off We Told Six Lies with a guy named Cobain and a girl named Molly. It’s not my most favorite trend to write names that a reader stumbles over when reading, and while I could easily read the name Cobain, I didn’t care for it in a main character’s name. (and then the parts of the book are broken up and titled with a different Nirvana song and I’m not sure what the author was trying to achieve with this). But then we get to some of our side characters, Nixon, Jet, Rhana and such, and that’s when I think the author had too much fun naming characters and didn’t put much thought into the fact readers don’t necessarily like complicated and out there names in books that aren’t fantasy.
But I’ve gone on enough about the names, let’s get to the heart of the story. We’re led to believe that Molly is something special from the start. Especially when she first sees Cobain she grabs his face and says “There you are.”, and I admit, I was pulled in from the feelings that Cobain was feeling when it comes to Molly. But was disappointed to learn it was all an act, that we don’t even know who the real Molly is. In typical teenage fashion, Cobain falls hard, but it’s for someone he doesn’t even know.
The twist at the end was interesting and I liked how that was done. The way the story unfolded, via Cobain recalling his relationship with Molly because he was being questioned by police on her disappearance, was an interesting way to learn about their relationship. I’m left confused about a few things with the book, which 6 lies is the author referring to in the title? Because Molly lied all the time, so it’s hard to discern which of her lies come into focus enough to be the title. Her reasoning for lying about her relationship with Cobain never gets resolved and is such a crappy thing to do, that she doesn’t deserve him. Why a guy would stay with a girl who essentially is the reason your being questioned by the police is bizarre to me.
But I found myself unable to put down the book, drawn in by the story unfolding, from Cobain’s heart exploding with love for this utterly unlikable character. And unlikable as she was, the parts of the story that were told from her point of view when she was captured were good. Because often times, a kidnapping tends to get glossed over in YA books, and the author made that central to the storyline. I think Cobain’s character, despite his awful name (and I say this as a true Nirvana fan who was with them from the start), his intense feelings and the way the author has written them, which is really well done, is the reason I rate this book as highly as I do.
You can read my review on Amazon, Goodreads, and Bookbub, and if you’ve enjoyed it, give it a “like”. You can purchase We Told Six Lies on Amazon for $7.99.
Rae's Reading Lounge 