Her Last Lie by Kyla Sharp is a twisty psych thriller that has the reader guessing about what’s going on as much as the heroine.
The trope is familiar – an amnesia patient wakes up in the hospital and doesn’t remember anything but feels like something isn’t right.
(I just realized I made a joke in the previous paragraph. Sorry!)
The first half of the book sort of meandered. Naomi is an interesting character. It’s easy to feel sorry for her, but I didn’t exactly trust her for a lot of the book.
I think maybe that has to do with my general dislike of influencers and the focus on clicks and likes.
Because that does play a part in this story. It’s clever, and I’m sure it is a method of storytelling that will gain traction in the future. Some people live their lives online.
So, I guess, what better way to figure out your past than to look at your Instagram or TikTok – it’s all right there for you, right?
However, as Naomi wonders, is it all real? Or is it lies that make her look good?
Honestly, I know this is supposed to be a psych thriller about a woman with amnesia who is threatened for some reason and her race to figure everything out to protect those she loves.
But I found myself musing more about how social media is not a good indicator of life. People only put the best things out there – whether it’s to brag or make themselves look better than they are.
Influencers peddle in unreality, often hiding “real life” from view. I think this contributes greatly to Naomi’s confusion.
The second half of the book has more action, but there are moments where one has to suspend disbelief. I think that’s okay in a psych thriller. It just has to stay reasonably plausible.
Anyway, I know my review meandered, but it’s not like I was going to tell you if she gets her memory back, or discovers what’s really going on in her life, right? I don’t do that.
For a psych thriller, Her Last Lie is a solid middle-ground story with some good moments. But what I liked most was Kyla Sharp’s thought-provoking perspective on social media.
