Title: The Secrets of Lily Graves
Author: Sarah Strohmeyer
Series: Standalone
Genre: YA Mystery, Thriller
Format: Paperback, 304 pages
Release Date: May 13th 2014
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Source: eARC received from publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review

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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.


I have been reading a lot of mysteries lately and to be honest they have not been getting old at all, and I will say that The Secrets of Lily Graves was a great book! I loved this book a lot more than I thought I would, and I am so glad that I decided to pick it up because I would have missed out a on some great characters and a great mystery.

The one thing that I loved the most about this book was Lily herself. She was such a breath of fresh air as far as character go because she was so different and unique, but not in a way that makes her unrelateable. She was funny, dark and a little weird but that made me love even more. I loved that she was in stark contrast to Erin, the murder victim who was the bane of Lily's existence and the girlfriend of the boy she liked. Every character in this novel was perfect. I loved that they were all labeled as "stereotypes" by those around them but when you got to know then throughout the book you figured out that there was more to them then was originally thought possible.

There is a love story in this book but what made me love it was the fact that it was not the center of attention. It was a big part of the overall story and what happened to Erin but it was sweet and sensitive and secretive (the best kind right?). I thought that Lily and Matt were a great pair and the fact that they were so different made it all better.

Erin was a character that never really got to tel her own story because she dies very early on in the book. And I think what I loved most about this book is that we still got to know her through those that knew her, and we did not get to see only one side of her, we got multiple sides that made you realize that maybe you didn't know them as much as you though. And I loved that surprise.

The reveal at the end was probably my favorite part because it not only revealed who the killer was, who I did not see coming by the way, but it also revealed many other things about other characters that you never saw coming. The only issue I had with this book was how quickly everything happened after the reveal itself. I felt like it was information overload and then the book ended. I wanted a little more time to come to grips with what I was reading and gradually get to the end but it felt like it all happened all at once.

Overall this book blew me away. I loved the mystery and the characters especially because they were the glue that held this book together. If you love Pretty Little Liars or any kind of mystery at all you will love this book, and I am now a Sarah Strohmeyer fan for life!