“The Lies We Steal” by Monty Jay

This review is for the Devil’s Night lovers but not only. What you used to love in the world of Thunder Bay – the tension, the adrenaline, the loyalty and the craziness – just grew stronger and stronger in Ponderosa Springs. Get ready for a déjà-vu, but far more than that.

Author: Monty Jay

Series: “The Hollow Boys” #1

Recommended age: +18

Genre: dark romance

Trope: enemies (deadly) to lovers

Star rating: 5/5

The trigger warnings include:

Source: “The Lies We Steal” by Monty Jay

• Sexual assault
• Human and sex trafficking
• Self-harm
• Animal cruelty
• Child abuse
• Kidnapping
• Torture
• Murder
• etc.

I am one of the many readers who fell in love irreparably with the “Devil’s Night” series by Penelope Douglas such a long time ago. I highlighted its resemblance with “The Hollow Boys” due to the unique loyalty driven action, the inner turmoil of the protagonists and the “made-family” concept. I loved both series just as much, but experienced their reading at different ages. Therefore, I warmly recommend you reading this series if you are an old “Devil’s Night” fan. 🙂

Common for the two series, the four protagonists – Horsemen or Hollow boys – were untouchable due to their family names. Each one with their own traumas and motives, they all occupied a special and unique place in the group. The Hollow boys believed mostly, like the four Horsemen, in a made family, unlinked by blood, but linked by loyalty.

“They are the Black Death of this town.”

The characters of “The Lies We Steal”

• Alistair Caldwell (the male protagonist and a Hollow boy) – the leader
• Briar Lowell (the female protagonist)
• Lyra (Briar’s best friend)
• Silas Hawthorne (a Hollow boy) – the quiet one
• Thatcher Pierson (a Hollow boy) – the danger
• Rook Van Doren (a Hollow boy) – the funny & crazy one

Multiple love stories promote the closeness of love and hate. Nevertheless, this series proves it. The transition from hate to love in this volume is, therefore, as intense as it is direct, the change of heart coming naturally as a response to the course of events.

My favorite parts of “The Lies We Steal”

Attention! The following content might include spoilers!

I am always head over heels over a story with outstanding details. The four Hollow boys don’t only have a dark past, but also very contrasting backstories. In other circumstances, they might not ever fit together, but, in these circumstances, they form the perfect group – revengeful, complementary and loyal. From the apparent ungrateful old money heir to the son of a serial killer, this story continues surprising me with its puzzles – because, for me, this volume… each chapter… was a puzzle whose pieces just fell perfect together, making me not even doubt their match.

“Each of them so different, yet they look like they meshed so well. Like knives and blood.”

I think it’s great how the reader is able to acknowledge each of Briar’s revelations and emotions. Therefore, she is a very expressive character, just as Alistair is. She expressed so emotionally the difference between the two Caldwell brothers – the difference between “the hero” and the villain in appearance, highlighting even more the way society builds characters and destroys “humans”.

It’s always the people in glass houses that throw the most stones.

“The Lies We Steal” marches for the idea of a love based on accepting not only the person next to you, but mainly your true self. It speaks about the hidden self that makes people more alike then they would like to accept. Believing this book was “inspired” by shadows and bitterness, I was excited to discover the author’s out of the ordinary way of SHOWING how love was not about bringing light within, but finding company in the shades of gray.

We can do whatever we want inside of the shadows. It’s where I belong. Our invisibility doesn’t make us weak, little thief. It gives us power.

Nothing breaks a reader’s heart like a character’s unfortunate destiny. Going back to the night of Rosie’s death, the author knew perfectly well how Silas’s innocent and honest reaction would get fast to our hearts. We have all seen at least once this famous quote on social media (read it below), but “being” there and “seeing” Silas’s grieve is incomparable.

“I just wanna carry her one more time. Her feet get cold when she doesn’t wear shoes outside.” Nobody, not a soul, tried to stop him as he scooped her up into his arms.

With a great beginning and a blunt ending, this first volume of “The Hollow Boys” series made me avid of reading more about the four troubled and troublesome Hollow boys. In a complete symmetry, the ending concluded the incipit and Alistair’s original hypothesis – that we are all thieves in the end, stealing time. In connection with the incipit and her backstory, Briar’s second tattoo only gave the action a surplus of personality and emotion, making it even harder for the readers not to wait impatiently for the next chapter.

“We are all thieves.“

The story goes through numerous funny or sarcastic moments until the end. The way Alistair “marked his territory” was no exception. So, if you’re looking for a funny dark romance in which you can’t know who’s more determined and crazier – her or him – you’re going to love this book! Their love is born from the wish of destroying each other, but love and hate are pretty close, right?

My recommendation

“The Lies We Steal” feels almost completely as an adrenaline driven experience. Sometimes astonishing your senses and seeming almost like too much. I’ve read it breathlessly, the reading time seeming too short. It’s definitely one of the books you can’t help but binge-read.

The reading order of “The Hollow Boys” series

1. “The Lies We Steal”
2. “The Truths We Burn”
3. “The Blood We Crave #1”
4. “The Blood We Crave #2”
5. “The Oath We Give”

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