Written by Chelsea Pitcher, Lies Like Poison is a complicated romance and mystery story. Belladonna, Lily, and Poppy would do anything to protect Raven, their best friend. After realizing he was being emotionally abused by his stepmother, the three of them thought of a deadly recipe: petals of belladonna, lily, and poppy in her tea as poison. Not long after, the group disbanded; the plan became a secret lost and buried in the past. On the night of Raven’s seventeenth birthday, his stepmother is found dead in the kitchen. Only belladonna petals are found in her evening tea; as a result, Belladonna gets sent to jail. Belle gets a hold of her estranged friends to try to prove and demonstrate her innocence. They answer her call, but no one is prepared for the mystery, chaos, and heartbreak that follows. 

The complexity and overlap of the romance in this novel are exciting and unique. As the story progresses, the characters start to become more accepting of themselves and others. The plot itself is quite intriguing as well, as every character has their own version of the “truth” to tell. While reading the book, readers quickly come to realize the characters themselves are unreliable narrators and lie, hide, or completely omit crucial information. The variety of different perspectives offered causes readers to constantly question what really happened. I was quite shocked at who the killer was in the end, as it was rather unexpected, making the novel very thrilling to read and enjoy.

I really loved how Pitcher incorporates this murder secret with the narrative style of a classic fairytale through references from some of the most well-known childhood tales such as Snow White, Jack and the Beanstalk, and Beauty and the Beast. She creates a pastiche story where reality and fantasy collide, as four kids strive to retrieve the recipe for the perfect murder they had planned. 

Although the novel was very fascinating, at times I disliked how the story is a bit unrealistic. Throughout the book, the town’s police force rarely shows up to help; they are only a part of the story at specific moments. The police’s lack of attention to detail and ignorance of the situation led to massive confusion and misunderstandings. The novel also fails to incorporate the parents of the main characters into the plot. The constant absence, lack of responsibility, and extreme immature behavior resulted in unnecessary things taking place. 

I would recommend this book to other teen readers that are interested in mystery and romance genres. There are many dark and disturbing themes mentioned, such as abuse and neglect. All the characters struggle to cope and deal with a form of trauma, filled with messed-up family situations affecting their mental health. After reading Lies Like Poison, I learned that family is not necessarily people you are blood-related to, but rather those you love and fight for.