Review: Liar & Spy, by Rebecca Stead

Liar & Spy by Rebecca Stead
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Liar and Spy had me fooled. In a good way. Yes I know that sounds completely weird. So let me explain myself. This is the story of Georges (the S is silent) who said goodbye to a comfortable life with his family in a house and moved into an apartment, in a building housing a boy named Safer who considers himself a spy. Georges is handling the change of lifestyle like a pro and Safer is about to bust a criminal with his help. Or so it seemed.

The story was captivating from page one thanks to the way Georges viewed the world. His world. At times he sounded smart-lipped but it was just him being a very observant and smart kid. However he also got fooled.

Let's talk characters. I disliked Safer from the beginning and when everything fell apart I still didn't like him but I understood where he came from. He was such an intriguing and persuasive kid I gobbled everything he said. His family was eccentric but also pretty cool. His sister Candy, even though she didn't play a major role stood out just with her personality. I loved how Georges finally decided to handle the bullies at his school since choosing to ignore or do nothing can only go so far.

I mean I could summarize the book down to I got fooled by a character who himself got fooled by another character. Although there was a much serious reason behind one versus the other. The story of a family going through a tough time. The author did an amazing job at plotting things in such a way that the very little that you know makes such perfect sense you don't even question or suspect anything.

This book is high on my most favorite list. I have a burning need to dissect the book and learn how the author plotted it so well that I saw nothing coming. I love books with plot twists that take my breath away and get me to look like this at the end. ---> O.O

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-- Akoss