Review of What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell

Book:  What I Saw and How I Lied
Author:  Judy Blundell
Published by:  Scholastic Press
Pages:  281

From Goodreads:  In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family forever.

This is a great coming-of-age story about a girl vacationing with her family on Palm Beach post WWII.  Evie is fifteen years old and wants to be an adult.  She's desperate to be grown up, but her mother just wants to keep her this sweet innocent little girl.  Evie meets a young man her stepfather had served with and instantly develops a crush that leads her into the deception, deceit, prejudices, and lies of the adult world where she so wants to belong.  Now that she stuck in the middle of all the drama she needs to try and figure out what happened and what her story is. 

Evie definitely grows a lot throughout this novel.  She starts out as this immature, naive little girl and grows in to a women with difficult choices to make.  Her relationships with all of the people she cared about in her life change drastically and she realizes that people are not always who you thought they were.   

This is a beautifully written novel that deals with some series issues.  It was nicely paced and very engaging with a touch of mystery.  

Overall I'd give this book ★★★ and 1/2