If I Lie by Corrine Jackson

Title: If I Lie
Author: Corrine Jackson
Format: Hardcover, 276 pages
Pub. Date: August 28th 2012
Source: Winterhaven Books blog

★★★★★

Five stars.

Minor spoilers below.

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Slut. Traitor. Whore.

These are the words that Quinn hears every day in her small military town. Because she broke an unspoken rule- she kissed a boy that wasn't her Marine. Shunned, outcasted, and bullied because of a photograph taken of her kissing an unidentified boy, she's accused of cheating on her overseas boyfriend, Carey. But things aren't always what they seem, and the secret she clings to explains everything. Then Carey goes missing, and old hatreds are stirred, and Quinn must fight herself and the ones that she loves, and decide what secrets are worth keeping, despite the damage they'll cause.

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Oh my god, this book is incredible. The writing is simply stunning. Each word is put into place like an intricate puzzle, depicting (flawlessly) an emotion layered so deep that this book brought me to tears, multiple times. Quinn is relatable- we all have a secret that's eaten away at us, that wasn't ours to tell. I know personally, I have felt that alone, that insecure. That secretive. I am LGBT. This book effected me in tremendous ways because of this fact, and having just set the book down, I can't really process all of the emotions I felt. Sadness, empathy, heartache, grief. This book is stunning.

The only complaint that I have about this book, is that it alternates seamlessly between past and present. More than once, I had to reread to see what time period I was in.

I recommend this book for everyone, but especially those in/attached to those serving our country, LGBT readers, and fans of YA. On that topic, if you're reading this review and you are serving the USA in the military- thank you. You don't hear that enough, and I'm sorry for it. Thank you for being brave so that I don't have to be.

Thank you to Winterhaven Books blog for the copy I received.