Liza Cole is a novelist who has been less successful after her breakout debut thriller novel that spurred a film adaptation. Struggling to write the next big thing, Liza's also struggling with infertility, which has put a bit of pressure onto her marriage. Her husband, David, is an attorney whose best friend and law partner has disappeared, making him stressed out and less interested in the expansion of their family.

In an effort to distract herself from her writing and family woes, Liza immerses herself in the world of her most recent heroine, Beth. Beth is a new mother of a little girl who recently found out that her prosecutor husband is having an affair with a police officer. Blinded by hurt and anger, Beth attacks the mistress and kills her, dumping her body into the East River.

Told in alternative points of view, you wonder how much life is presented in her writing. I was unsure what was happening the entire time and even at the end I wondered. It was a great read!

4.5 out of 5 stars.

Another really good read, thanks NetGalley! Quite confusing for the first few chapters with different characters and working out who was telling the story, but it didn't take me long to get really invested in the characters. I think at times it was a little predictable, but I loved the story line and thought it was quite different to similar books I've read. Would recommend!

I really enjoyed the book. Loved the story plot and twists. Approachable characters, realistic situations. Some descriptions or story „fillers” were tiny bit too long, but in overall - very good book and I’d read more by the author. Thank you, great job!

Interesting but I think it tried to do too much without enough delivery on the twists and turns. A good read for any thriller fan.

This was very confusing with the chapters constantly switching between Beth and Liza but the storylines being so similar. To be honest I got lost in all the chapters. Not a lot happened for the first half of the book and then it just seemed to go from boring to ridiculous in the second half. Not for me.

I revisited this one now and ended up reading it.

Lots of twists and suspense.

I did find it a bit confusion at first to keep the author and the character she was writiing straight, but after a while it fell into place for me.

Definitely blurs the lines between reality and fiction.

Another book I finished in a day! It was a great twisted thriller that hit it out of the ballpark for me. I don't know why I waited so long to pick this one up.

I need to remind myself that I just do not find psychological thrillers exciting or surprising anymore. I figured out the ending to this long before I finished the book. It was a quick read and I think many will enjoy it, but this one was just not my cup of tea.

Omg talk about a roller coaster read wow this book kept me on the edge of my seat threw out I just couldn't put it down this writer keeps you hooked and once your hooked your not letting go I found this book thrilling the characters were fantastic and well thought out and the little clues all the way threw keep you guessing until the end this book stays with you long after you close the book this book is well worth the read I promise you wont be disappointed

An enjoyable thriller with a good plot. There were parallel stories running throughout the book that gave it more depth. I enjoyed the writing and the plot was unique in my opinion.

Lies she told by Cate Holahan.
Liza Cole, a once-successful novelist whose career has seen better days, has one month to write the thriller that could land her back on the bestseller list. Meanwhile, she’s struggling to start a family, but her husband is distracted by the disappearance of his best friend, Nick. As stresses weigh her down in her professional and personal lives, Liza escapes into writing the chilling exploits of her latest heroine, Beth.
A really good read. I liked Liza. She was my favourite. Read in one sitting. Couldn't put it down. Brilliant read. 5*.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this reader's copy. In exchange, I am providing an honest review.

Liza Cole is a once-upon-a-time successful author. Maybe she was a one-hit-wonder, maybe she just hasn't found her next great story. She's struggling in her professional life and in her personal life she and her husband, Nick, are trying to get pregnant and Nick's business partner has disappeared without any clues. So things are a bit stressful at home. Liza's been working on a story that she thinks has potential and the more she works on it to escape the realities of her professional and personal life, the more it comes to life. She's certain her editor is going to like this one. Liza is writing a story of love, loss, and betrayal. She always, as she tells readers, includes bits and pieces of her life and people she personally knows into the characters and storylines she creates. But at some point do her stories and her real-life ever meet and if so, what's fiction and what's real?

This story highlights a question I have often about authors creating crime for their books. Is it ever based in real life or is it all just a great imagination and ability to create intricate plots? I'm always slightly terrified of crime authors, are they vicariously living through their characters and books so they don't act out in real life? Well, regardless this story by Holahan was super good and edge-of-the-seat, nail-biting good.

Holy crap this book was a ride! I can't believe I sat on it this long, because by about 25% in I couldn't put it down. The alternating perspectives between the author and her novel in progress are a real mind game for the reader, and I found myself blurring the stories toward the end. Fantastic!

I read this book in 1 day it totally captured my interest and attention from the start. It was like two great books with surprising twists in one and the set up was very creative. Will be looking for more from this author!

Surprising and had me guessing until the very end of the book, which I love !

I generally like books that swap POV, but for some reason this one was confusing in the beginning. Maybe because the story lines were so similar? Once I got used to it and used to who was who, it was a good read. Some twists near the end I didn't see coming, but it wasn't anything super shocking.

Thank you to Netgalley, Crooked Lane Books and Cate Holahan for letting me read this book.

I massively enjoyed this read. It was everything I could ask for from a book. A unreliable narrator thriller that had me hooked from the first page. At some points it did confuse me and ruin the flow but the characters and plot without spoilers were exceptional.

If you want a book that questions your reality this is it!

This was a unique thriller. I love that the parallel storylines within the book are an author and her main character. It added a more dynamic feel to the story. The writing was strong and engaging which was another great part of this book. It kept me interested throughout and was a very quick read for me!

One of my Go to authors. from the cover to the twists on the pages I cant put her books down! Holahan will be a must read thriller author for me and I will recommend her books to all my friends.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review this book and to be an early reader via NetGalley! However, I will not be writing a review for this title at this time, as my reading preferences have since changed somewhat. In the event that I decide to review the book in the future, I will make sure to purchase a copy for myself or borrow it from a library. Once again, thank you so much for providing me with early access to this title. I truly appreciate it. Please feel free to contact me with any follow-up questions or concerns.

An interesting story, if a little predictable at times. Even with its predictability, it was an enjoyable read and worth recommending too.