Hamilton High: Lying Out Loud
(The DUFF companion novel)
by Kody Keplinger
What they say: Revisit Hamilton High in this MUST READ for all fans of The DUFF - co-starring Bianca and Wesley.
Sonny Ardmore is an excellent liar. She lies about her dad being in prison. She lies about her mom kicking her out. And she lies about sneaking into her best friend's house every night because she has nowhere else to go.
Amy Rush might be the only person Sonny shares everything with - secrets, clothes, even a nemesis named Ryder Cross.
Ryder's the new kid at Hamilton High and everything Sonny and Amy can't stand - a prep-school snob. But Ryder has a weakness: Amy. So when Ryder emails Amy asking her out, the friends see it as a prank opportunity not to be missed.
But without meaning to, Sonny ends up talking to Ryder all night online. And to her horror, she realizes that she might actually 'like' him. Only there's one small catch: he thinks he's been talking to Amy. So Sonny comes up with an elaborate scheme to help Ryder realize that she's the girl he's really wanted all along. Can Sonny lie her way to the truth, or will all her lies end up costing her both Ryder and Amy?
The DUFF is a New York Times Bestseller and a major motion picture starring Bella Thorne, Robbie Amell, Mae Whitman and Alison Janney.
Hodder / Hachette Children's - ISBN: 9781444928174
Buy links:
Amazon * Amazon UK
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Author Links:
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I received a copy from the publisher (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review!
What I say: Like The DUFF, Lying Out Loud is set around the students of Hamilton High, but this time the focus is on Sonny, Ryder and Amy. If you've read The DUFF you may remember Amy as Wesley's younger sister. Sonny is Amy's lifelong best friend, and Ryder is the cocky new guy in town.
Sonny is a liar and an exaggerator. She deals with the bad parts of her life by either pretending they don't exist or by lying about them. Her home life is so terrible that she has secretly been staying at Amy's house and avoiding her problems. I liked Sonny, her inert sarcastic nature made me smile. Every time she'd tell another lie I'd find myself willing her to come clean and ask for help. The main problem for Sonny is her pride. She doesn't want people to feel sorry for her but she has very limited options, so she lies her way in and out of trouble.
Ryder is a transfer student who arrives at Hamilton High to finish his senior year before leaving for Uni. Ryder is rude, judgemental and a real downer. The only thing he likes about the town is Amy, who is completely oblivious to his interest and charms - cue lots of scheming from Sonny.
An accidental case of mistaken identity leads Ryder to think he's talking to and wooing Amy online, but it's actually all Sonny. Online they both open up to each other and become good friends (albeit as Ryder and Amy) but they hate each other at school and Ryder is still oblivious to Sonny's deceit.
I have to admit there were certain times when I got really cross with Sonny for not coming clean and telling him it was her. She causes a lot more pain by continuing the lie and hurts Amy and Ryder in the process - but I still really liked her.
Sonny doesn't have it all together, but she's a teenager and so she doesn't have to. It was an interesting contrast to see Ryder as the guy with lots of money still have his own problems. The same goes for Amy and her wealthy family who seemed a lot more of a family unit than the absentee parents from The DUFF.
Despite all the lies (and there were many) I felt bad for Sonny. I didn't like how she treated Amy at times and I loved seeing Amy finally standing up to her and her schemes. It was fun getting to catch up Wesley and Bianca. Bianca is still all kinds of awesome-sauce, whilst Wes is as smutty as ever. LOL is a short and fun YA story with real depth and creativity.
4 Stars in my Sky!
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