Throughout If I Lie, Sophie T. Quinn gets bullied, teased, and a bad reputation while withholding the truth, to protect her ex-boyfriend. Meanwhile Carey, the same ex-boyfriend and Sweet-haven, North Carolina, town hero, goes MIA in combat. Sophie endures more abuse from her high school peers while praying for Carey to come home and tell the truth. It doesn’t help that their best friend is also involved with their lies, but he only knows part of the truth. With a little help from her friend, George, Sophie realizes that keeping a secret isn’t always the best for her or others.

The author, Corrine Jackson, writes young adult books. She has written three other books. If I Lie is listed on ALA’s 2014 Rainbow List, Mashable’s 11 Young Adult Books Sure to Make You Cry list, and has been named one of the Best Teen Books of 2012 by the Los Angeles Public Library. VOYA Magazine described If I Lie as, “ A strikingly poignant portrayal of a young woman’s struggle to be right in the face of persecution from, not only her peers, but her entire community.”

If you like a strong-minded and loyal female character, If I Lie is for you. Sophie endures so much for Carey, and manages to hold it together till the end. Corrine Jackson does a good job of representing the thin line between the right and wrong of our actions. In my opinion, the events of this book are common in today’s generation. I made a lot of connections to my own experiences while reading. Some parts were confusing though, and they left me a little unsatisfied. I enjoyed this book because there wasn’t as much romance as I expected; the author focused on the theme of the book, sacrifice and its consequences, instead of all the romance. All in all, this Coming of Age book is thought provoking, and you should definitely read it.