The Lies We Steal

Hollow Boys, Book 1

By: Monty Jay

Narrated by: Lucy Rivers, Grayson Owens

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

It's been months since the day we stood above that empty grave that stunk of burnt flesh and secrets. All of us were dressed to the nines, one of us wearing a wedding dress, a day that was supposed to mark the beginning of a new adventure. It marked the bitter end of our vengeance.

We have done things that have marked our souls for eternity. But before we get there, we have to go back. Back to where it all started. The place I could find in my sleep.

Hollow Heights University in the macabre, somber seaside town of Ponderosa Springs. A college for prestigious, wealthy children to receive the highest education. A town drowning in treachery and secrets that became our damnation. But it wasn't the forest surrounding the grounds or even the mysterious hidden mausoleum that haunted me.

It was them. The ones that lurked in the night, things so wicked, so twisted, so evil, they would become the rulers of my nightmares. The Hollow Boys. One wrong move and I landed myself directly in their line of fire.

This is not a story about love, it is not a story of happy endings. Love just happened to blossom in our sorrows, in our pain, our fear, our blood.

Every terrible thing they ever did, we watched, we helped, we loved them anyway. Some run from their monsters, we fell in love with ours.

Contains mature themes.

©2021 Monty Jay (P)2024 Tantor

Academia Feel

If you like “bad boys” and “secret society” style books this might suit you. The storyline was good and kept me entertained. The narrators performance was amazing, both Lucy and Grayson both hit the nail on the head with their performaces.

Grayson did an amazing job!

I love Lucy but she read this is a very whiny tone which was a struggle for me to listen to. I had never heard Grayson before and I really liked him! The story was great and I really look forward to reading the series!

the tiez

this was such a great read the fmc was a strong one love ❤️ that

Love Lucy and Grayson together!

The narrators were amazing choices for this story and I enjoyed jumping back into Dark romance with this one. I love that we didn’t get some perfect cookie cutter ending as well. This was my first experience with Monty Jay and I know I’ll be using credits to listen to more of this series.

Found family <3

The plot for this was so freakin’ good! I love that it was four friends who were so close they were essentially brothers & would do anything for one another. I loved this couple in this first installment in the series, but I’m really excited for the next books in the series!

Wow

I had this book on my TBR for the longest time, always seeing rave reviews for it. I am so glad I procrastinated on reading it because the way Grayson narrates these characters is amazing. He creates these slight differences in the 4 main MMC’s voices all of them having this deranged quality. Elongated words and a dip in tone to depict a darker feeling. The story itself was fantastic. A great bully story but nothing too over the top for bully. These guys are truly morally grey characters. Their actions are depraved but the reason behind it is honorable. I got hit in the feels when Alistair talked about his childhood and the reason for being born but then also his love for his found family. Lucy also did a great job voicing Briar and depicting her strength, fear and love. I am so happy book 2 is out now bc I can’t wait to see what Rook and Sage bring.

Great story, dark setting, a little angst

I read this originally in April 2023 and loved it and now I am re-reviewing it because I listened to the audio as a reread and I love it even more. Monty J has truly created something beautiful in this book and in the entire series, I loved every moment of briar and Alastairs journey. The narrators did a phenomenal job, bringing the characters to life and did an amazing job with some of my favorite quotes.

Like reading for the first time again!

I have already read this series twice and when I heard it was coming to audio I got so excited! Especially when I learned Lucy and Grayson were performing it.

It truly was like reading this book for the first time again and experiencing all the feels over. I adore their performance of Monty’s fantastic words. They brought this to life in the most perfect way.

I lived for the suspense

If you love dark romance with a lot of suspense and mystery to the plot, then this book was everything. The audiobook was so amazing with a dynamic duo of narration by Grayson Owens and Lucy Rivers. I ate it up in a day and then forced three of my friends to listen too because I am just obsessed. There's not a ton of spice, but with the mysterious alpha hole friend group of boys I just at up the suspense. The angst and the tension was top tier between these two, and the pacing in this book was just spot on. I can't wait to read the others story.

*Duel Narration*

What to expect:
Bully
College Romance
Fear / primal play
Suspense

🖤🖤🖤

Diving back into this world feels like a warm hug! I devoured this book ages ago, and let me tell you, this audiobook is the real deal! It's like stepping into a thrilling rollercoaster ride set in a dark, twisty college romance world. Briar is a total rockstar with skills that will blow your mind, and she's as sharp as a tack and as bold as they come. The Hollow Boys might seem like they're too cool for school, but once you meet Alistair, Thatcher, Silas, and Rooks, you'll see they're anything but. When Briar wanders into their turf in the forest, Alistair make it his mission to turn her world upside down. The plot twists and secrets in this book are top-notch! It's the perfect moment to jump into this series, with the next generation hitting the shelves soon!
Don't just read about the adventure, let the enchanting voices of Grayson Owens and Lucy Rivers take you on a thrilling audio escapade!