Literature & Fiction
![Amelia Kahaney - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_a_amelia_kahaney.jpg)
All the Best Liars: A Novel
Amelia Kahaney's All the Best Liars is a dark, modern psychological thriller and coming-of-age story about obsession, manipulation, and the intensity of those first friendships that take hold of you and never let go
Tic-tac-toe, three girls in a row. Nine years old and inseparable. Friends for life, or so they think . . .
Best friends Syd, Rain, and Brie grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the stifling California desert, desperately wishing for a way out.
When a deadly fire is set two weeks before the end of high school, nothing will ever be the same. In the end, each of them will escape―but not in the way any of them expects. One will do it by dying, another by lying, a third by taking the fall.
With gorgeous, taut prose and twists to the very last page, All the Best Liars alternates between the present and the past to unravel the truth behind the fire and the cost of the secrets at the heart of their friendship.
Tic-tac-toe, three girls in a row. Nine years old and inseparable. Friends for life, or so they think . . .
Best friends Syd, Rain, and Brie grew up on the wrong side of the tracks in the stifling California desert, desperately wishing for a way out.
When a deadly fire is set two weeks before the end of high school, nothing will ever be the same. In the end, each of them will escape―but not in the way any of them expects. One will do it by dying, another by lying, a third by taking the fall.
With gorgeous, taut prose and twists to the very last page, All the Best Liars alternates between the present and the past to unravel the truth behind the fire and the cost of the secrets at the heart of their friendship.
Editorial Reviews
"A searing and provocative exploration of friendship, desire, envy and obsession, of girls pushed to the very edge. Amelia Kahaney has written a beautifully twisted and unsparing thriller that will have readers holding their breath until its fiery conclusion."
―Courtney Summers, author of I'm the Girl
"Haunting, propulsive, and totally sinister. With stunning prose and gut-punch twists, All the Best Liars is a moving portrayal of the desperation that comes with being a girl trying to make a better life for herself."
―Jessica Goodman, author of The Counselors
"All the Best Liars opens with the slow burn of intense teen friendship and accelerates into a roaring blaze that will consume you in the best―and darkest―way. I'm still shaking!"
―Kit Frick, author of Very Bad People
"An atmospheric, richly drawn thriller about the complex nature of friendship. Amelia Kahaney unflinchingly captures the obsessive intensity of our earliest relationships, where trust is hard to come by, resentments simmer and burn, and whole friendships can go up in flames―literally."
―Kass Morgan, author of The Ravens
"Insanely addictive and gorgeously written. With vivid characters and a plot that keeps twisting, All The Best Liars took me right back to those early, intense female friendships and kept me reading through the night."
―Laura Sims, author of Looker
"Kahaney has penned an intimate, suspenseful mystery that burns slowly until its surprisingly explosive ending. Underneath the surface is a commentary on the stark disparities between the rich and the poor.
. . . A prescient read for young people living in economically turbulent times."
―Booklist
"A fast-paced, suspenseful, and thoroughly dramatic thriller . . . Older teens and fans of Pretty Little Liars and Riverdale will devour the dark drama."
―School Library Journal
"A dynamic, suspenseful tale of friendship and betrayal."
―<...
―Courtney Summers, author of I'm the Girl
"Haunting, propulsive, and totally sinister. With stunning prose and gut-punch twists, All the Best Liars is a moving portrayal of the desperation that comes with being a girl trying to make a better life for herself."
―Jessica Goodman, author of The Counselors
"All the Best Liars opens with the slow burn of intense teen friendship and accelerates into a roaring blaze that will consume you in the best―and darkest―way. I'm still shaking!"
―Kit Frick, author of Very Bad People
"An atmospheric, richly drawn thriller about the complex nature of friendship. Amelia Kahaney unflinchingly captures the obsessive intensity of our earliest relationships, where trust is hard to come by, resentments simmer and burn, and whole friendships can go up in flames―literally."
―Kass Morgan, author of The Ravens
"Insanely addictive and gorgeously written. With vivid characters and a plot that keeps twisting, All The Best Liars took me right back to those early, intense female friendships and kept me reading through the night."
―Laura Sims, author of Looker
"Kahaney has penned an intimate, suspenseful mystery that burns slowly until its surprisingly explosive ending. Underneath the surface is a commentary on the stark disparities between the rich and the poor.
. . . A prescient read for young people living in economically turbulent times."
―Booklist
"A fast-paced, suspenseful, and thoroughly dramatic thriller . . . Older teens and fans of Pretty Little Liars and Riverdale will devour the dark drama."
―School Library Journal
"A dynamic, suspenseful tale of friendship and betrayal."
―<...
Readers Top Reviews
WayneEyedocca Kat
Once I picked up this story of three high school girls in Southern California, I couldn’t put it down. There are seemingly ordinary tensions that escalate bit by bit—about misunderstandings among friends and emotional manipulation, about a boy and apparent betrayal, about parents who aren’t quite up to the task of parenting, about class and what happens when one friend has more money than another. But before long, this ordinary tension builds to a horrible, deadly crescendo. We know from the start—this is revealed in the prologue—that one of the three is going to die before the book is over. But as I got closer to the end, hoping to find out what happened and to whom, I still didn’t see it coming.
Kristen HeylWayne
Told using alternating viewpoints and timelines which helps to build the suspense. The characters are excellently written and the relationships are perfectly weaved to carry along the story and make it a fast paced thrilling read. I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book.
MicKristen HeylWa
A young adult novel which I only read because I received an ARC of from Goodreads. The was quite a good story and so well written. You could really step right into all three main characters. Lots of twists and turns. I figured out what happened with the fire by page 157 but the book was so amazing that I loved watching it all unfold with even more surprises. When the final copy of the book comes out you bet I am going to go buy it. Amelia Kahaney is a gifted author.
Bianca LMicKriste
Read all: Synopsis: Three childhood bffs, Syd, Rain and Brie, from the poor side of the tracks are now grown up high school seniors. Bries had moved to the rich side of town with new money and friends years ago. Rain and syd were left in the dust and were inseparable until senior year When Rains mother wins the lottery. Rain promises nothing will change between her and syd but slowly it does. Brie and Rain reconnect and Syd is left all alone. I felt so much for syd. So much so as if I wished I could give her a hug! The story unravels the months leading up to a fire where one of the 3 girls dies. It is told from all 3 povs which I loved. I sort of had an idea about half way through the book what happened but if you knew or didn’t, the ending was explained perfectly! Most thrillers only leave 10 pages to wrap up the “who done it/ behind the scenes of why and how” and this one gave more but just enough back story told from the person who set the fire. I HIGHLY recommend this read. Especially if you loved these: In my dreams I hold a knife Gone Girl Then she was gone/ we were liars -@bookingwithbee (bookstagram)
Kindle Bianca LM
Young adult book about fractured friendships? Yes, please. Multiple POVs? Oh yes. Nonlinear storytelling? Mmhmm. Wrap it all in gorgeous prose and root it strongly in a vivid locale, and I am one happy reader. Will be thinking about this for a long time.
