Love & Lies: Marisol's Story    by Ellen Wittlinger Order:  USA  Can Simon & Schuster, 2008 (2008) Hardcover     Reviewed by Lyn Seippel Marisol Guzman defers her enrollment to Stanford University for one year so she can write her novel. She moves into an apartment with her long time friend Birdie, finds a job as a waitress at the Mug, and signs up for a class at the learning annex called How to Write Your Novel. Living with Birdie takes more patience than Marisol thinks she has. He can't seem to help bringing home strays. After taking in a dog and cat, Marisol draws the line at a ferret. The next thing she knows Birdie brings home a human stray. Although Birdie and his new friend Damon attend Emerson, she's never home alone. Writing in their shared apartment is impossible. Marisol's writing class has a few surprises. First of all, Gio - a male friend who fell in love with Marisol last spring, despite knowing that she is a lesbian - is also enrolled. She's missed Gio who was once her best friend, but they haven't seen each other since she broke his heart. Marisol is in awe of their beautiful writing instructor, Olivia Frost. She compliments Marisol's on her writing. Marisol isn't sure whether or not Olivia is gay, but she seems to be flirting with her. Wittlinger is an award winning novelist whose books include What's in a Name, Sandpiper, and the Printz Honor Book, Hard Love. Love & Lies is a companion book to Hard Love which tells the story of Gio's unrequited love for Marisol. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Teens books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews