Good Guys Don't Lie (The Boys #4) by Micalea Smeltzer

I've been nothing but a failure to my parents my entire life. I know I'll never live up to their level of perfection, but it doesn't matter. Especially, when I'm about to fail the same class twice.

It seems like I'm doomed until my professor tells me he knows the perfect guy to tutor me—if he'll agree.

Cree Madison is the star player on the hockey team, bound for NHL superstardom, and my last hope. I'm willing to do almost anything for his help.

When I meet up with him, his eyes light up and he says, "I've been looking for you."

 

Only I don't know him, and I've never met him before now.

I'm willing to pretend to be whoever he wants me to be if it means I pass this class.

But lies have a way of getting out of hand and neither one of us is prepared for the fallout when everything comes to light.  

This book caught and held my attention from page one; I was unable to put it down and devoured it in a single sitting. As a fan of The Boys series I love each individual story dealing with characters who are so authentic, realistic, and well defined. Their thoughts (especially here) felt like my own and their relationship is magical from go.  GOOD GUYS DON’T LIE is the perfect mix of a great character development, great storyline, and great chemistry.

This book brings a character who was there since the beginning but in the background to center stage, one I couldn’t be happier to learn more about. The setting is the same as the rest of the series but felt like readers were in a different bubble, and in a sense we were. Yes we are still at Aldridge University, we still see the characters from the past that we love, like Kenna, Rory, and Teddy, and yet we see it all from Cree’s world. The way this world has been built in previous books is to have been told dual POV, through each main character’s eyes in the featured relationship, and this is no different. I also like the use of the different sports in the series as well (here it’s hockey but we’ve had baseball and basketball previously). This gives the friendships a little more meaning and making them more well rounded characters branching out of their designated team. 

Cree Madison is an extremely talented hockey player who described as having dark hair, ice blue eyes, and is extremely handsome. Cree has a house off campus with a couple friends, and his sister, and could be deemed the "reserved" type. He minds his business, works hard, is a good brother and friend, and yet he has a playful, youthful side that likes to build legos and read Percy Jackson novels. He’s a kind character (who is hot as hell in bed) and is extremely similar to my current significant other. However that wasn’t the alarming part, it was the fact that I felt so seen when I was reading Ophelia’s thoughts. As someone who has struggled with social norms and not understanding what to say or do in certain situations (not to get TOO deep here) I resonated strongly with this character trying to find her way and find happiness. Hell my answer to EVERY INTERVIEW EVER is “I just want a happy comfortable life.” She is a strong, spirited female character that has trouble seeing that it's okay to be different and it's what makes her so awesome to all the characters around her.

As far as the relationship goes, it is so so important. There is patience and understanding in excess and I loved how they treated one another fairly even when they disagreed. There was a high level of respect they paid one another that most relationships lack. I also admire the friendship they nurture throughout the book and the support they show for one another during difficult moments, especially when Ophelia’s anxiety acts up. The sexual chemistry is off the charts also, and extremely satisfying to read/imagine... I mean let's be real here, Smeltzer describes the scenes with great detail and you can't help but to feel hot after reading!!!!! And now one of my all-time favorite intimate scenes EVER is in this book. 

The underlying story, and the reason for the book name, is so well done and exciting to see unfold. I love when characters possess real human flaws. Them each telling little white lies is a very common one that makes the book relatable. The lies and tension build throughout the story and when the facade of it all comes crashing down readers are left to see what happens when the person you thought you loved isn't who you thought... Or rather they aren't who they said they were. 

Rating: 5/5