As an aromantic asexual, to read a story with a character who read as one was not only a breath of fresh air, but a little like finally coming home. From drugs, to a student-teacher relationship, to parental divorce, to sexism, to friend jealousy, it has a bit of everything, and everything is very well dealt with. And they all had big issues to deal with. They were flawed, they were perfect, they were human. Every thought that crossed their mind, no matter how terrible, was laid bare on the page. Personally? I found five.ĭespite age differences, I could relate to these characters more deeply than in many books. What’s more, they are all so rounded it’s only too easy to find at least one with whom you are similar in non frivolous ways. However, all of them have ample screen time and time to develop, and all are important for the plot.

You may be thinking something along the lines of “that’s all well and good, but isn’t seven characters too much?” In most circumstances, I’d be tempted to agree. There are seven PoVs, each with an unique voice, take on life, thoughts, hobbies, and, of course, their own share of problems. You see, Seven Ways We Lie is a highly relatable book. Yet, while I did come for those, I stayed for the rest of the cast, the prose, and, well, every word in this phenomenal story. It’s rare to see characters of either sexuality, let alone of both, so I had to give it a try. What made me pick it up exactly? Knowing it features a pansexual character and one who reads as aromantic asexual. I am nothing but thankful to the wonderful Dahlia Adler for talking so much about the book on Twitter. More often than not, it’s simply not my kind of story. Unless it comes as highly recommended from friends or has diverse in characters and/or story, chances are I won’t look at the book.

I’ve always shied away from high school contemporary stories. For the unlikely allies at the heart of it all, the collision of their seven ordinary-seeming lives results in extraordinary change.

When that scandal bubbles over, and rumors of a teacher-student affair surface, everyone starts hunting for someone to blame. And like every high school, every student has something to hide-whether it’s Kat, the thespian who conceals her trust issues onstage or Valentine, the neurotic genius who’s planted the seed of a school scandal. It’s got the same cliques, the same prejudices, the same suspect cafeteria food. Paloma High School is ordinary by anyone’s standards.

Seven ways we lie book