The Lies we Steal (The Hollow Boys) Paperback – September 10, 2021

Even though this book was plot heavy and the romance felt like it was mostly on the backburner, I still really enjoyed it. Would I have bothered to read it, knowing that upfront? No. And that would've been a mistake.The romance doesn't pick up until around the 300-page mark. Prior to that, it's scarce and very fleeting when the mc's interact. That is this book's biggest problem, imo. There were not nearly enough meaningful interactions between Briar & Alistair. The lack of interactions caused the believability of their affections towards each other to suffer. That is a darn shame because, had that aspect not been lacking, the story would have excelled.Regardless, the plot is there, and it's very intriguing. Gave off lots of mysterious vibes. The atmosphere complimented the storyline and the characters. I was absolutely engaged. I've seen a lot of recommendations for this series for those seeking something comparable to The Devil's Night series. I disagree. I would say this series is more akin to The Crooked Sinners series (Riot House).As well, I'd venture to say the writing style of this author reminds me, very much so, of Callie Hart. The poetic inner monologues... the whitty character dialog. I kept thinking this writing style has that kind of promise. While this author is not at that level quite yet, the potential is definitely there. I do feel this could have used another simple read-through to catch a few remaining editing mistakes. However, there wasn't enough of them to distract from getting lost in the story.I've, also, seen a lot of reviews claiming the writing was bad. It's not - not at all. Take that from a person (me) whose biggest problem with a book is ALWAYS bad writing. I've read some books from romance authors on The New York Times best seller's list that are not as well written as this book is. Don't let some overly critical grammer related reviews detract you from it. Again, those errors are few - and should not detract you from reading this book.I went ahead and ordered the rest of the books in this series. I'm excited to find out more about the other characters. There is something special about this group of guys that I don't find in this type of series too often. I'm hoping the author perhaps got some feedback on this book, enough to make some adjustments in the romance department, for the next installments. Guess I'll find out. I have to continue with this series. I'm hooked in. Fingers crossed the romance is giving more as this series is marketed to dark romance readers. This has the potential to be a top favored series of mine if that happens.

The Lies We Steal is book one in the Hollow Boys series.This book grabbed me from the beginning. You meet Briar, a new scholarship-type student at Hollow Heights University. Her uncle, who is a professor there was able to get her in. Hollow Heights, however, while it is full of wealth, it also holds lots of secrets, as does the town of Ponderosa Springs where it’s located. One of those secrets is the mystery behind a girl named Rosemary. The guys set on uncovering the mystery are Alistair and his crew [Thatcher, Rook, and Silas].On their path to finding out what really happened to Rosemary [who also happened to be Silas’s girlfriend and a good friend of the whole group], they meet Briar…and not in the best way. Let’s just say Briar and her new friend Lyra see something they’re not supposed to and the boys immediately try to keep the girls in line. What Alistair doesn’t expect, however, is to fall so deeply for Briar’s fire and resistance. And what Briar doesn’t expect? To fall so hard for one of the ‘darkest’ men at school.This story has twists and turns. It gives off gothic vibes and dark academia vibes, but also haunted and just plain messed up. This town, the parents who run things…I can’t even begin to put into words. Monty Jay has so beautifully captured so many dark situations and emotions. My melancholic heart just could not stop turning the pages. It’s so well written and I fell in love with each of the characters. And, since I’m a sucker for happy endings, I greatly enjoyed seeing how Briar and Alistair’s love story came together.This book, while it wraps up Alistair and Briar’s story, it also end on a cliffhanger, propelling you into Rook and Sage’s story in book 2 — a book I immediately downloaded and began to dive into . I give this book 5/5 stars.

3.5 ⭐️3 🌶️Briar is a loner who has grown up on the other side of the tracks. She knows how to pickpocket, crack safes, and pick locks, all learned from her doting, albeit criminal father. When her father gets sent back to prison, her uncle somehow gets her admission to the prestigious Hollow Heights University in Ponderosa Springs. He is excited about a fresh start to prove she isn’t a nobody because of where she comes from, however she doesn’t get the chance before she is pulled into a murder, a murder investigation and becomes the toy of one of the Hollow Boys.Alistair and his friends Rook, Thatcher, Silas come from the most prolific families in Ponderosa Springs. Known as the Hollow Boys, they get away with whatever they want due to their families status. When Silas’ girlfriend Rose is found dead in a party house over the summer before Freshmen year, the Hollow Boys set out for revenge against those responsible.Alistair is the leader of the Hollow Boys. When he lays eyes on the new student Briar at the beginning of the year party, it is obsession at first sight. He will have her. Unluckily for her, she falls prey to the boys by witnessing a murder they commit and is forced into helping them in their investigation. Will she fall for him despite all he puts her through?I really enjoyed this book and have the whole series waiting for me. This is definitely a bully, enemies to lovers dark romance. Briar may have come from nothing, but she has no shame and I love that about her. At first she wants to hide it because everyone else is rich there but once she embraces it, she really flourishes as a character.Alistair may be rich but he has had it rough. His family ignores him unless they need something from him and he has never really experienced that familial love. The only people he has are his boys. It so heartbreaking to have someone feel as if they have no place in the world.I was definitely engrossed in the story and can’t wait to read more. I agree that it gives Devil’s Night vibes. I rated this 3.5⭐️instead of 4⭐️ because there are many spelling and grammatical errors which made parts of the book really difficult to read. I am hoping that will be different in the rest of the series.

4.25 ⭐️ The spare & his little thief.« That sounds an awful lot like love, Alistair Caldwell. »« It’s yours. Every warped part of me. It’s yours, Little Thief. I hope you like playing in the shadows, we will be staying here for a while. »This definitely worked for me as a series debut, I want more of these boys. And I really do hope we get to see Lyra Abbot some more.

Foi um ótimo início de série e um universo bem criado e que me prendeu do início ao fim! Louca pra ler Sage e Rook saber mais sobre esses dois!

I enjoyed this book; it is a great beginning for a series. The plot was engaging, and I appreciated that it didn't start with the main characters meeting each other, making everything revolve around them. The loner society is the best. I love Lyra and Briar's friendship. I also love the Hollow Boys Brotherhood. The chemistry between Lyra and Thatcher is giving good signals, and I can’t wait to read their story! But first things first I would read Rook and Sage's book.

So goood love it

Start was a little hard for me but after that it was a good read. I loved Ali and Briar❤