TELL ME EVERY LIE

An 18-year-old lies his way through a summer romance, but little does he know that the girl he likes is lying, too.

John Paul “JP” Reyes is trying to cope following his father’s sudden death and his forced move from Queens to Manhattan, where he’s living with Tita Dali and Tito Alvin, his wealthy maternal aunt and uncle. Now they’re going on a family vacation to a fancy resort in the mountains, where he’s supposed to see his mom, a traveling nurse who’s rarely around. JP meets resort employee Mia Malik and decides to try to impress her by pretending to be “new-school JP. Cool, smooth, rich.” Mia is trying to earn money to escape to California for a photography program. So when another staff member, who insists the rich guests don’t see the staff as real people, dares her to get a guest to fall in love with her by the end of the week—in exchange for his tip money—Mia takes the bet and sets her sights on JP. The lies between them flow easily, but there’s truth in the emotions behind their interactions. As their feelings deepen, neither teen believes they can reveal the truth without ruining everything. Told from both JP’s and Mia’s points of view, this romantic comedy filled with fun summertime antics moves quickly but also deals with heavy topics, including grief, poverty, and addiction. JP is Filipino American, and Mia is white and Assyrian American.

A sweet, whirlwind summer romance.