“This may only be a dream….” Evie, a teenage girl, relates to the song as she slow dances with a mysterious handsome 21 year old named Peter. Why would a man take such startling interest in a young teen? In the book What I Saw and How I Lied, a bewildered Evie tries to put the pieces together and keep her family out of her suddenly secret love life in West Palm Beach. Despite her efforts, a connection is discovered between Peter and her stepfather, Joe. The past is relived in this exciting novel which is well written and has an unexpected plot. Judy Blundell’s amazing novel is exactly the kind of heart racing book I look for.


What I Saw and How I Lied, by Judy Blundell, is a novel that combines romance, mystery, and historical fiction all into one very emotional and heartfelt story. The book begins in Queens, NY right at the end of World War II. Evie, the main character, lives with her grandmother and mother, Beverly. Evie and her family have just been reunited with her stepfather, Joe who served in the war. With her family back together, life seems normal for a change. Then, unexpectedly, Evie’s seemingly normal life reveals its true colors when Joe proposes a seemingly- harmless trip to West Palm Beach for a relaxing vacation. Evie and her mother can’t refuse and just like that they head to Florida. The trip takes a turn for the worse though when Evie meets her true love Peter and secrets from the past begin to unravel right in front of her when Peter is introduced to the rest of her family. After noticing and watching the strange relationship between Peter and Joe, a very confused and stubborn Evie is then forced to choose between love and family. Will she believe the rumors about her prince charming started by her father, or ignore her family and save her relationship? These questions will be answered if you read What I Saw and How I Lied.


I think this book could fall into many different genres, but if I had to choose one it would be romance. Most of the book is about how Evie feels and her relationship with Peter, so it would most likely be categorized as a romance novel. Also, the author did a great job writing about Evie’s romance with Peter because she explained her feelings the way a teenage girl would. She wrote it the way I would explain my feelings, which made this book more enjoyable for me because I could understand Evie’s emotions. One thing I didn’t like about this book was the way it started. Judy Blundell started it at a moment near the end of the story, and I thought it was a very confusing way to begin an understandable book.


After reading this remarkable novel, I took away many different themes, like follow your heart, or always be truthful. However, the one theme I thought was the most persistent was always be yourself. In the book, a lot of the time Evie tries to be like her glamorous mother, and is always envious of her. In the end though she realizes she’s perfect the way she is and that changes her outlook on the world and the people around her. This theme was a particularly good one for this story because too many people think they aren’t good enough and they are jealous of others. This is how Evie was before she realized she was perfect the way she was. After reading this book the reader should discover this message and apply it to their own life.


You most likely have realized by now that I have rave reviews for What I Saw and How I Lied. Just in case you haven’t this book should be next on your list of must reads. Judy Blundell did a great job of bringing the past to life, and making it interesting. The best part is that it is from the perspective of a teenage girl, someone I can relate to. I recommend this book to girls, but boys can read it too if they are interested in romantic mysteries. It’s a great read for young teenage girls because they can make a connection in more than one way to this story.


In conclusion, What I Saw and How I Lied is the kind of heart-racing novel I like. It has my favorite kinds of genres; romance, mystery and drama, all in one well written book. The plot has multiple elements that make it exciting; love, secrets from the past, and a family that’s almost torn apart. Who? What? And why? Are three questions that constantly come to mind when reading this book and all three are answered. Read this book and you will know how it feels to have your entire life changed while on vacation!