Review: Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman

Title: Beautiful Lies
Author: Jessica Warman
Publisher: Walker Childrens
Age Group: Young Adult
Category:  Mystery
Release date: August 7th, 2012
Pages: 422 (e-galley)
Rating: 5 out of 5
Source: Netgalley
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Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins-so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they've lived with since their parents passed away, can't tell them apart. But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces: when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress. So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong-especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her. As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth. But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect? And ultimately, can she even trust herself?

Beautiful Lies will shock and mystify readers with its suspenseful story and the author's eccentric way of telling it.  My mind is completely shaken and I'm still not sure if I can differentiate what's real and what's not.  That's how I know I've read an incredible book.  Seeing things from this girl's perspective, who may or may not have inherited her grandmother's mental illness will leave you completely confused for hours, maybe days after reading the book.  Is she really getting glimpses of her sister, or is it just her mind playing tricks on her?

When Rachel and Alice switch places for the night, neither of them think anything of it.  It's not the first time and there was no reason for them to think it was the last...until Rachel goes missing.  Alice knows that running away is something her sister would never do, but no one takes it seriously because it is, however, something Alice would do.  She takes it into her own hands to find Rachel, all while pretending to be her in front of her family, friends, and peers at school.

This is one book that holds so many unexpected twists and turns that you are forced to keep reading if you want to find out what is really happening.  One concern may be that the author will leave things unclear or unanswered, but there's no need to worry about that.  By the end you find just about everything that you need to know.  The twin phenomenon is also completely intriguing.  Reading about Alice and Rachel's unique connection to each other captivated me, and it's definitely the main reason I was drawn to this story in the first place.

Jessica Warman surely knows how to tell an incredible story.  From start to finish, my mind was spinning with all of the information I was thrown along the way.  There were many scenes that will stay with me for a long time and I know that some of them will even make other readers go "WTF did I just read?".  Of course, being a lover of anything psychological, Beautiful Lies has made its way to my favorites list, ensuring that I'll be reading more of the author's work in the future.