Why Would I Lie?

Summary

Viveca North has always done her best to be perfect. She runs three miles every morning before arriving early to school where she volunteers as a peer tutor. After school, she prioritizes studying. On weekend mornings, she reads classic literature and the newspaper—a habit she developed to help prep for the SATs and then never dropped. Her classmates consider her a bit of a know it all. So it’s no surprise doesn’t have many friends, but she feels she’s earned her spot as valedictorian. Too bad Jamison Clifton is trying to take it from her. . . Jamison doesn’t need to try to be perfect. Everything seems to come so easily to him. He’s charming, funny, and has the ability to make anyone feel special. And he’s been through so much—cancer in his family, a car accident on the way to a final exam sophomore year—the list goes on and on. He has his pick of glowing college recommendations. And it doesn’t hurt that his grades are perfect. When Viveca sneaks a peek at Jamison’s recent English essay, she realizes it’s shockingly similar to one of her own. But when she brings it up, everyone just thinks she’s jealous that Jamison has finally pulled ahead of her in the race for valedictorian. And when she starts digging into things, she finds a web of lies and deceit that she struggles even to fathom. What kind of person would lie about a parent with cancer?! And what kind of sociopath would fake a car accident just to get an extension on a final?! Will Viveca be able to take down her school’s golden boy and reveal him as a fraud? Or will she go down as just another “bitter, paranoid, angry girl”?