Lies My Girlfriend Told Me

June 9, 2014
After Alix's track star girlfriend, Swanee, drops dead of sudden cardiac arrest, the high school junior is devastated. When a mysterious girl keeps texting Swanee's phone, unaware she has died, Alix learns she was not the only girlfriend Swanee left behind. Once Alix starts spending time with beautiful and grounded Liana, her father worries that it is a rebound, but Alix becomes convinced they were "always meant to find each other." This book tenderly explores themes of loss and forgiveness, but Peters's descriptions of Swanee as uncaring and possessive (after Alix's baby brother nearly chokes to death, Swanee immediately wants to "pick up where we left off" making out) make it difficult to understand why Alix or levelheaded Liana would be so devoted to her. Supporting characters, such as Swanee's troubled younger sister, can come off as contrived, but the two central protagonists have believable chemistry, and Peters (It's Our Prom ) capably addresses teen LGBT relationships without making them the story's sole preoccupation. Ages 15âup. Agent: Wendy Schmalz, the Wendy Schmalz Agency.

May 1, 2014

Gr 9 Up-Alix's world is turned upside down after falling for popular and confident Swanee, so much so that ditching her friends and playing by her love's rules seems almost too easy. When her mom breaks the news that Swanee has suddenly died of an unexpected cardiac arrest, Alix has a hard time accepting that her vivacious and seductive girlfriend is really gone. In Peters's newest offering, questions of love and honesty abound. After Alix gets ahold of Swanee's cell phone, she discovers texts revealing that Swanee had been carrying on an affair with another girl. To find out more about the mysterious L.T., she sends her a message, pretending to be Swanee, before ultimately tracking her down and giving her the news of Swanee's death. Alix finds out her name, Lianna, and that they share more than just a girlfriend in common. They begin spending more and more time together, and despite her best intentions, and the fact that she's falling hard for her, Alix can't bring herself to tell Lianna that she had sent the texts pretending to be Swanee. This dilemma, which naturally resolves itself into a happy high school love affair, is the largest conflict in the plot. Questions about Swanee's controlling nature arise, as do the effect her neglectful parents had on her and her sister, but the majority of the book leaves readers with what is largely a love story with a small mystery thrown in. The book does not focus on sexuality, and it's a pleasure to read a typical teen romance that just happens to be between two girls. Romance fans of any persuasion will be swept up in this slow-paced but ultimately sweet story.-Joanna Sondheim, Columbia Grammar & Preparatory School, New York City

Copyright 2014 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 1, 2014
After her new girlfriend dies unexpectedly, Alix discovers that the relationship was not all she had thought.The unlikely nature of Swanee's death-a sudden collapse while running despite a lack of known health concerns-receives oddly little attention. Instead, the focus is on her double life. In her grief, Alix finds Swanee's cellphone and discovers text messages that lead her to Liana Torres, whom it turns out Swanee was dating in secret alongside Alix. There is dramatic potential between Alix and Liana as the two uncover Swanee's many lies and manipulations, but it doesn't really deliver. In fact, the story feels phoned in. A subplot involving Swanee's troubled sister is poorly fleshed out. A series of text messages Alix sends Liana from Swanee's phone are regrettable but too seemingly small a transgression for the amount of emphasis placed on them. Alix moves-with very little explanation to readers-from just barely feeling ready to have sex to initiating it almost without thinking. Most unsatisfying is the unquestioned premise that head-over-heels serial monogamy is the only imaginable approach to dating for lesbian teens. Swanee's mom's suggestion that her daughter "was too young to be serious about just one person" is treated with as much knee-jerk horror and disgust as Swanee's deceptions.Enjoyable as a romance but lacking in substance. (Fiction. 14-18)

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May 15, 2014
Grades 7-12 So many lies. When her girlfriend Swanee dies suddenly, Alix is devastated to discover that Swanee has been secretly dating another girl, Liana. For complex reasons, Alix feels it is her responsibility to tell Liana of Swanee's death. But in so doing, she creates a web of lies that will come to haunt her as the girls meet and bond over their mutual experience of betrayal. The bond quickly turns into friendship and then into love. Alix knows she must finally tell Liana the truth, but will it strengthen their relationship or destroy it? Peters has written another insightful, absorbing novel of relationships that is both emotionally and intellectually satisfying. Alix and Liana are multidimensional characters with whom readers will identify and empathize. Peters' thematic treatment of lies and truth is nicely realized and never pedantic. This will have widespread appeal to both gay and straight readers and is another strong offering from a well-established, popular author.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2014
Alix's grieving process is cut short when she discovers that her recently deceased girlfriend, Swanee, had another girlfriend, Liana. Alix slowly makes peace with the idea that while she loved Swanee, Swanee may not have loved her back; a budding romance between Alix and Liana is sweet and healing. A fresh and interesting take on grief, unhealthy relationships, and self-discovery.

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

May 1, 2014
When Alix's girlfriend Swanee dies from sudden cardiac arrest, Alix is overwhelmed by grief. Her grieving process is cut short, however, by the discovery that Swanee had a whole life she'd kept hidden from Alix -- including another girlfriend, Liana, a cheerleader from a neighboring town. Comparing experiences with Liana and observing Swanee's parents and sister in the aftermath of the tragedy, Alix slowly makes peace with the idea that while she loved Swanee, she only knew a tiny piece of her -- and Swanee may not have loved her back. Meanwhile, complex family dynamics add context to Alix's (sometimes poor) choices, especially the lies surrounding her early meetings with Liana. Despite the soapy setup, there is an odd lack of tension between Alix and Liana; rather, their budding romance is sweet and healing, refreshing in its functionality but a seeming mismatch to the volume of baggage that launched their relationship. Nevertheless, this is a fresh and interesting take on grief, unhealthy relationships, and self-discovery, delivered with fully developed characters and a high-interest hook. claire e. gross

(Copyright 2014 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)