Review: The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer

The Secrets of Lily Graves by Sarah Strohmeyer
304 Pages
Release Date: May 13th, 2014
Publisher: Balzer and Bray
Genre: Mystery
Source: Publisher via Edelweiss
Rating: 4 STARS

Goodreads Summary:
With the intrigue of Pretty Little Liars and plenty of romance, bestselling author Sarah Strohmeyer weaves a story of secrets and lies—set in a funeral parlor.

Growing up in a house of female morticians, Lily Graves knows all about buried secrets. She knows that perfect senior-class president Erin Donohue isn’t what she seems. She knows why Erin’s ex-boyfriend, hot football player Matt Houser, broke up with her. And she also knows that, even though she says she and Matt are just friends, there is something brewing between them—something Erin definitely did not like.

But secrets, even ones that are long buried, have a way of returning to haunt their keeper.

So when Erin is found dead the day after attacking Lily in a jealous rage, Lily's and Matt’s safe little lives, and the lives of everyone in their town of Potsdam, begin to unravel. And their relationship—which grew from innocent after-school tutoring sessions to late-night clandestine rendezvous—makes them both suspects.


As her world crumbles around her, Lily must figure out the difference between truth and deception, genuine love and a web of lies. And she must do it quickly, before the killer claims another victim.

MY THOUGHTS:
 
       I wasn't sure what to expect when I first stumbled upon this book. The summary gave the book this intense, deep, and dark kind of aura when it really wasn't as intense as told. It was actually quite funny at moments even though it had a serious vibe to it. This is the first mystery I've in a while and I am so glad I was able to read it! Twisted, unique, and intriguing The Secret of Lily Graves had me hooked from the very first page.  The mystery: For generally most of the book, a lot of the suspects were part of the expected. the killer wasn't exactly a total surprise but it also wasn't super predictable. However, as simple as the mystery and plot was, the one twist that occurs at the end just takes you entirely off guard and wide-eyed.

      The most unique and my favorite aspect of this book was Lily Graves herself. Although she appeared to be eccentric, she was quite normal. Reading through her point of view really didn't show any irregularities except for maybe the way she dressed but hey if you live with and have been raised by morticians something unusual was bound to occur. I loved her determination to find the killer and prove her and Matt's innocence. It was great that the book subtly dealt with issues like prejudice and judgment.

     I also loved seeing her relationship Matt progress through the flashbacks and how everything ends up connecting together. Matt was a super chill and fun character. Though his character does change once Erin is found murdered, he is still adorably cute. Like Lily I wasn't the greatest fan of Erin nor did I want her dead. She was just a super irritating brat who needed to calm down and just get over her relationship.

     Overall, I think The Secret of Lily Graves is definitely worth a read. Cute and set against a panic frenzy small town, it delivers a mystery that will make time pass by. I mean how could you resist a book with a girl whose last name is "Graves" and lives with morticians? It's just not possible ;D Happy Readings!