The Lies We Steal
Hollow Boys #1
By Monty Jay
*Do not recommend reading as a standalone*
TheStory
Moving to a new town and starting at a prestigious college would bring its own set of trials. But after witnessing a murder, Briar’s worst nightmare comes to life - and it is the Hollow Boys. The Hollow Boys don’t want to be found out. Briar wants to get away unscathed. And everyone is willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want.
Will the monsters in the night be brought to light or will everyone be dragged into the shadows?
TheReview
Rather than running from their monsters they FELL IN LOVE WITH THEM?! GAH <3 <3 <3
NOW, let’s get into it.
First, I have to note that for this particular book in the series, the trigger warnings were way overdramatic (in my opinion, because this is my blog). There was very detailed torture and murder but no horrible rapey stuff and mostly just references to the other stuff mentioned in the trigger warnings. So if the trigger warnings were a hindrance for you, I don’t think you have to worry about it.
All around, this is a good old fashioned murder mystery. It’s a slow burn, enemies to lovers, BULLY romance. Often times, readers will confuse a bully romance for a rape trigger. It’s just a bully romance. So if bully romances aren’t your yum or you don’t know the difference, you should move right along. Most of the negative reviews I saw for this book were based on that assumption or misunderstanding.
But onto the actual book…
Briar and Alistair have instant chemistry. Yum! The sass. The dick-holishness. The banter. I’m drooling over here. I LOVE the back and forth between our two MCs.
And the enemies to lovers vibes?! Alistair truly wants absolutely nothing to do with Briar other than to make her life miserable and try to get her to keep their secret. But he’s still attracted to her fear, so it’s just all complex and psychotic. And I am HERE FOR IT!
The characters and found family vibes are EVERYTHING! Briar is pretty dope but she came across a little childish to me. Alistair is straight up evil with no excuses but he has a moral compass - loyalty above all else. I found him to be a fairly complex character. The side characters slapped, as well.
The writing was soooo good. You get a complete and vivid picture of everything going on.
Most importantly and overall, this whole book is fire. On. All. Fronts. It was utterly captivating from start to finish. And it has a super solid ending, so… Highly recommend.
TheRating
Storyline: 5/5
Characters: 5/5
World Building: N/A
Writing: 5/5
Overall: 📘📘📘📘📘
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Hollow Boys Series
The Lies We Steal
Hollow Boys #1
The Truths we Burn
Hollow Boys #2
The Blood We Crave: Part One
Hollow Boys #3
The Blood We Crave: Part Two
Hollow Boys #4
The Oath We Give
Hollow Boys #5