In this terrifyingly timely tale for fans of The Eye of Minds, a teen and his group of friends find themselves on the run after using a genius lie-detector contraption to expose their corrupt government.

In a Putin-esque near-future America, the gifted and talented high school has just been eliminated, and Sam and his friends have been using their unexpected free time to work on a tiny, undetectable, utterly reliable lie detector. They’re all in it for the money–except Theo, their visionary. For Theo, it’s about creating a better world. A BS-free world, where no one can lie, and the honest will thrive.

Just when they finish the prototype and turn down an offer to sell their brainchild to a huge corporation, Theo is found dead. Greedy companies, corrupt privatized police, and even the president herself will stop at nothing to steal the Truth App. Sam sets his sights on exposing all lies and holding everyone accountable.

But he and his friends quickly realize the costs of a BS-free world: the lives of loved ones, and political and economic stability. They now face a difficult question: Is the world capable of operating without lies, or are lies what hold it together?

The idea of a Truth App makes for a thought-provoking plot, and the author does an admirable job of going beyond the initial benefits, exposing corrupt government officials, greedy companies, etc., and exploring the darker ramifications of such an invention.  Outcomes that don’t immediately spring to the surface when considering what a truthful society would look like.  For me, this was the best part of the book.

What didn’t work as well for me was the underdevelopment of the characters.  Although Sam undergoes a change in his overall arc, most of the characters feel one-dimensional.  In some cases, I had to double check who was talking because they seemed interchangeable at times.

This is a quick read with some cool sci-fi elements (bionic limbs!) and intriguing ideas and concepts, but the characters prevented me from being totally invested in the story.  The Future Will Be BS-Free is scheduled for publication July 24th, 2018.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC.