Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman

The blurb:

Rachel and Alice are an extremely rare kind of identical twins -- so identical that even their aunt and uncle, whom they've lived with since their parents passed away, can't tell them apart.  But the sisters are connected in a way that goes well beyond their surfaces:  when one experiences pain, the other exhibits the exact same signs of distress.  So when one twin mysteriously disappears, the other immediately knows something is wrong -- especially when she starts experiencing serious physical traumas, despite the fact that nobody has touched her.  As the search commences to find her sister, the twin left behind must rely on their intense bond to uncover the truth.  But is there anyone around her she can trust, when everyone could be a suspect?  And ultimately, can she even trust herself?

Review:

In Beautiful Lies we read about identical twins, Rachel and Alice who share a rare link.  Not only are they identical but they shared the same placenta when in utero.  Since their childhood, they've literally felt their twin's pain and their bodies reflect the hurt and damage that their twin suffers. While the twins look exactly alike, their temperaments are distinctly different, possibly a reflection of the trauma that they suffered during the car crash that killed their parents.  Alice was conscious of the entire trauma while Rachel had been rendered unconscious.  Now, in their teens, Alice is the gifted artist, the emotional, troublemaker, and less stable twin.  Rachel is more solid both in school, in her friendships, in dealing with their aunt and uncle who serve as their guardians, and in accepting "reality".

In early October, Alice and Rachel spend the evening with friends in the local carnival.   Alice skips out on the group but never arrives home.  Rachel is certain that something has happened to her sister but after Alice's many escapades it is difficult to convince her family and the police that there is something wrong.  As Rachel desperately tries to find her twin, we begin to wonder who to trust and what is true.

I loved Beautiful Lies - it begins as a well written, engrossing Young Adult novel.  As the tension mounts and the novel progresses, I began to realize just how carefully crafted and masterfully written it is.  Some novels have twists and turns but in Beautiful Lies, Jessica Warman delivers a rare gift of a mystery.


ISBN: 978-0-8027-2338-3  Hardcover $17.99
Walker & Company (Aug. 21, 2012), 416 pages.
Review copy courtesy of the publisher.

About the Author:
Learn more about Jessica Warman at http://jessicawarman.com