I enjoyed the dual writing (as the author and her characters developed) but I found the story to be forced much of the time. The relationships on all boards were hard to relate to.

I'll start by saying I'm unsure on how to even review this book. The description made it sound like it would of been a book I'd love. However, I did enjoy some of it but not enough to rate it a 5 star read. I felt lost and confused in this one. The author goes back and forth between two stories in this book. That was a bit tough to follow along and remember to keep them straight. I would say if your someone that doesn't get confused by two stories in one book then you'll love this one as it does have a good storyline. It's just not for me and I generally try to avoid these type of books when I can.

This one was difficult to review. I had a love hate relationship with this story. I loved the writing and the concept. This could have been one of those stories that light up a reader’s brain and resonate forever. Unfortunately, it turned dark and depressing.

Liza is an author…Beth is a character she’s writing into a book. We read both Liza’s story and the story she’s writing about Beth. It was a little confusing here and there due to lack of definition between the two stories, something that should be fixed in the final edit before publication. Reading the little details of Liza’s life that turned up in Beth’s story was fun! I loved that part. And Beth “talked” to Liza, something I have heard is fairly common for authors. I was enchanted through the first half of this book. When Liza’s very dark and painful past is revealed, it all fell apart for me and I was left with just one more story with an unreliable narrator…a trope that is wearing very thin.

The possibilities for this book were so good. If Liza had been trying to solve a mystery in her life while writing about a mystery Beth, her fictional character was solving, this could have been entertaining from beginning to end. What we get, though, is way more information about an overwhelming desire to become pregnant from Liza, who then writes Beth as a new mom. Then we get the back story. Sigh. Depressing. I read for entertainment. To me, this is not entertainment. If this wasn’t so well written, I would have given it 2 stars.

Beware!

2shay

The first part was a touch confusing. Alternating back and forth from Liza to Beth in each chapter, this book was a pretty good read. It's a bit cat and mouse chasing the murderer, following two stories in one novel.

There is of course the following the lies that were told, and each part comes into view and is unraveled. The ending was a bit of a let down though.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance review copy (ARC) of Lies She Told.

Romantic suspense author Liza Jones has thirty days to write a bestselling novel while helping her husband David deal with the disappearance of his long-time friend and law partner, Nick, a man with whom she shares a tense relationship. Liza’s marriage is already strained by failed attempts at getting pregnant, and she suspects infidelity based on her husband’s emotional unavailability and time spent with a particular co-worker.

Seeking to cope with the possible betrayal, Liza spins her personal life into a fictional one, into the story of a new mother, Beth, whose husband is cheating with a police officer witness in one of his cases. Enraged Beth takes matters into her own hands, killing Officer Colleen and then working to get away with it.

When Nick is discovered, murdered, fact and fiction lines blur.

This book opens with a hard enough punch, Liza’s husband presumably reading her manuscript and seeing the places where her fictional story is inspired by their recent tragedy. It continues in alternating viewpoints between Beth and Liza’s stories. I liked that when push came to shove, Liza channeled Beth to react in the way her subconscious tells her character to behave, but Beth’s is the more gripping character. Overall, Lies She Told is a decent execution of a mediocre idea.

I prefer twists and turns, unexpected character behavior and devious motivations. I ask a lot from any mystery/thriller author, and this one falls short on delivery. It feels as though this author, herself, had a month to put together a book and a couple of weeks to make major editorial changes. The premise feels underdeveloped.

Liza’s headaches and potential forgetfulness read as repetitive, but the bigger issue is the reveal that Liza will never have children because she’s a sexual trauma survivor having sustained fertility-robbing scarring through incest. This comes from out of nowhere and feels dropped in for shock’s sake. Without a thread of tie-in, this is probably the point I became fed up with this book. Apparently Liza’s friend Christine knows about this, but neither Liza nor her doctors do? And it mimics endometriosis?

And maybe she killed Nick and hid the gun?
And maybe it gets blamed on David (who at no point feels invested in marriage or having a child, which makes Liza the most clueless character on earth)?

David is, in fact, gay for Nick (a ridiculous attempt at a twist). So gay for Nick he claims to “love” him and to have wanted to be with him instead of Liza. There’s her motive, though she pretends not to know either of them are homosexual. Really? They’ve known each other forever. Liza’s editor has even seen them kissing at a party (but doesn’t say anything because maybe they have an “arrangement”). Did I mention she’s dense? Yet still this seems like the perfect marriage to bring a new baby into.

There’s a lot of “maybe I did it!” “maybe it’s the hormones!” and a doctor who claims she won’t remove implants that may be driving an already mentally fragile patient over the edge because you know, it’ll affect the study’s outcome. In medicine this would be part of the study, and the side-effect would be noted. No drug company would risk liability for Liza’s actions under the influence of their treatment. If mania is truly a complication, and if it happened to other patients, the drug delivery system shouldn’t make it to market. That’s the point of human trials. Not to placate people into enduring torture.

And when Liza realizes her Ruger is missing. According to her she has either been at the range (or not based on lost memories caused by experimental hormones) and has left her handgun in a locker? Ranges apparently exist where lockers can be rented, but I (and others I asked about this who are avid shooters) have never been to one of these places nor would we store a weapon we’re responsible for so far out of reach. It’s just not standard. It’s one of a dozen conveniences included in this book for ease of explanation. More to the point, I guess, is Liza’s on treatment to become pregnant, enduring hormone implants that are giving her hellacious migraines and memory gaps, and she’d be at a range? Risking lead poisoning? Yes, lead is a consideration at a range, particularly an indoor one. She also drinks. This feels out of character for someone desperate to be a mother.

A lot about Liza (backstory, the execution of the crime and cover-up) feels half-baked. I would hope with time and distance the author might have found cleverer ways to move her story along without relying on the reader constantly suspending belief. I am surprised developmental editing didn’t call this out. Or a beta reader. Or anyone. When a mystery writer relies solely on unreliability and forgetfulness, a reader is robbed of the experience of solving the crime. Overall, this book started promising and fell apart. The more I read, the less I liked it, and it’s a shame because the writing itself is good. The author is descriptive, the sentences flow, but she spends more time focusing on breastfeeding and child-rearing than on anything to do with the crimes that should be the heart of this novel.

It's well past 2 am here but I wanted to write down my thoughts about this novel.

Of course the 'lies' and psychological fiction instantly gripped my attention and I knew I have to read. I also love stories about writers and writing, and this book happens to be about an author, Liza who has to write a novel in 30 days. As the story unfolds similarities between her writing and her life start to occur and soon the line between really and fiction blurs.

It's a fast paced and well written psychological thriller. I have to say it's very well structured, sometimes it even felt like it's been edited to have the perfect formula. The writing is like that as well at some places, it had a creative writing class feel.

It was very easy to read and held my attention to the end. Only the main character seemed to developed and her book's protagonist but I suppose that made it so fast flowing.

It kept me guessing for quite a while, always bringing a different character to be the suspect but I'm kind of disappointed with the last 30 pages because it wanted to tell too many things at once and at the same time it left me with an empty feeling, I did expect something more I think, a 'bigger deal'. But then maybe I've been reading too many books like this lately and the ways to craft it is not infinite.

But overall I still liked it, it was exciting and entertaining. Perfect for a quick read on the beach.

Wow! The synopsis wasnt kidding when it said the lines will blur between fiction and reality! What a thought provoking book. It started out a bit slow, but I think so the reader can get to know the characters Liza, the writer and a Beth, the character Liza creates in her own story. As the story goes on it really picked up and kept me turning pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Quite enjoyable!

Lies She Told is a gripping mystery/thriller that follows Liza and Beth as they deal with some horrible things that are going on in their lives. Liza is trying to start a family with her husband who is dealing the disappearance of his best friend. Beth just had a baby and is suspicious that her husband is cheating on her. But the catch is that Beth is a fictional character in a book that Liza is reading. Which reminded me of Inception except it was a book within a book instead of a dream within a dream within a dream.

I have read books like that before and they have always fallen short of the mark for me. But with Lies She Told, I was very impressed with how the author handled both stories. I mean, Beth’s story was completely different from Liza’s but they were the same (need to read the book). Which impressed me. The scene where everything was tied together kind of blew my mind because I honestly didn’t connect the two stories until then.

I did think that Liza was a bit flaky throughout the whole book. But I blamed it on the experimental hormones that she was taking. But the more I got into the book, the more I realized that there was more to her story than what the author was letting on. So when the author did her first plot twist, I wasn’t really surprised (I was expecting it) but I wasn’t expecting the other plot twists (yes, there are more than one).

Beth’s storyline was really good too. Again, I kinda saw what happened coming but I was pretty shocked at how her story ended.

The ending was not what I expected and I loved it. So many secrets were revealed that my head was spinning but in a good way.

How many stars will I give Lies She Told: 4

Why: A great mystery that keeps you guessing until the end of the book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Cate Holahan knows her suspense/ Thrillers..This book was an exhilarating read from start to finish. Kudos!

This book has a lot of ups and downs that keep the page turning and the back and forth between the 'fictional character' and the main character was an interesting concept. I've never read a book done like that before and it did take me awhile to catch on what was going on. This has the potential to become a great movie if the movie gods so see fit. If you are looking for a suspense filled book, pick this one up, the stories will have you involved before you know it. The ending could have been a little more dramatic but it did bring a closure to the book as most psych thrillers leave you hanging. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this in exchange for a free copy.


Review will be posted on blog on Thriller Thursdays in September near publication date.

No spoilers contained in this review - read at will!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers, Crooked Lane Books, for allowing me to read this advance copy in exchange for my honest review. And thank you to Cate Holahan for writing such an engrossing book.

Addictive and riveting, this is one book that will keep you on the edge of your seat, just reading "one more chapter" just to find out what is happening in one of the two storylines running through this book. This is a book within a book and it's so satisfying to read - especially if (like me) you consume books at such a pace that you HAD to buy a kindle as your "bookcase" has become a "book-room". I have been struggling for an apt word to use to describe the book... the best I could come up with was "juicy". It is something that you can really sink your teeth into, it leaves you feeling satisfied, and definitely makes you want more.

The characters were all so well written. Perhaps a bit stereotypical in places (wonderfully British Trevor - I'm looking at you!), but I felt that that added to the charm of the book. I didn't need to spend too much time and energy working out each of the characters, and their motivations. It left me the time and space to focus on the two female protagonists that Holahan had decided to centre her book on.

The story line is very engrossing. And because Holahan decided to use the method of alternating chapters for each of the main storylines, it meant that it was very hard to put down because you finished a chapter and wanted to quickly check on Liza (protagonist 1) or Beth (protagonist 2). Sometimes when a book is written in that format it becomes hard to follow or engross in either plot, but this worked perfectly and I connected with each one from the very start until the very end. I couldn't put the book down and devoured it in one sitting.

I will say that I did manage to figure out what was going on quite a while before the "big reveal" but to be honest, there was so so much going on in this book that it didn't matter that I had "solved the case" there were still plenty of twists and turns. And knowing what happened earlier than the author intended didn't tell me how it would be resolved - which was one of the key things I wanted to know! And was absolutely brilliant! I honestly couldn't see a way out but the ending was really excellent.

So, like I said thoroughly enjoyable, ridiculously exciting, and very very moreish!

As requested, I will hold off on publishing this review across the normal platforms (goodreads, Amazon) / my blog (www.judgingyou.co.uk) until the month of release.

5 stars. Five big stars, I loooooved this book. It hooked me instantly and never let go. Liza is an author struggling to get pregnant. She is writing a book about a woman named Beth who catches her husband cheating on her. In this book, you get to read chapters of Liza's book as well. I loved that, but wouldn't have if Beth's story wasn't equally as intriguing. I am 100% going to be recommending this book to every reader I know!!

An interesting concept: Liza is a novelist dealing with an attack of writers block and a distant husband. Her chapters are intercepted with those of Beth, the character in her novel, who is also having issues with her unfaithful husband. The lives of the two women become more complicated as the novel goes on until the final "reveal"....a twist I have to say, I was not expecting.

Its a very unusual premise and works well as Holohan doesn't confuse the reader....you know exactly whose narrative you are following. I found this a promising novel, if a bit predictable in parts, and although it was a bit slow, especially in Liza's story, I enjoyed it

Awesome book. Hope to see more of this author. Do you another book in the works? I hope so.

Enjoyed this book, twisty turn plot, kept you guessing till the very end and beyond!

See review on goodreads

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

I love the idea of characters in a book taking on lives of their own. Do they really exist, or are they merely the product of an author's fertile imagination? This one will make you ponder. The parallels are striking. Might it be a variation on the theme of the truth, or is it all just out-and-out fiction?

A great many of us have complained loud and long about what seemed to be a lifetime of books with "Girl" in the title. Now we seem to have segued into the era of the great personal pronoun, most particularly titles containing "He" or "She". Although that doesn't automatically discount a book, it does give one cause to sigh.

<b>Wanted: Books With Original Titles!</b>

Such a high intensity gripping read , in all honesty I could not put this cleverly gripping novel down it was read in one sitting.
A five star read which comes very highly recommended.

Lies She Told starts out like a typical romantic suspense novel but by the end I was hooked because the plot was intriguing and I cared about the characters.
Liza is a writer married to a busy husband who is stressed out because his law partner is missing. To make matters worse, Liza is on an experimental treatment for infertility. As she writes her new book and tries to manage her life with her husband. Liza begins to learn that nothing is as it seems.
The plot, at it's base, is a typical women's novel: woman has problems with her marriage escapes to some other house that become available to her and there she is able to figure herself out. The story quickly escalates and breaks from the stereotypical story as Liza has to come to gripes with her past, present and her future. The novel is layered with the chapter the main character is writing. At first it seems like a neat device to break up the story and get the reader invested, but these chapter become important as the plot moves along as the character realizes she is blurring the line between fact and fiction.
I have one huge issue with this book and it's why I only gave it four stars: I ends too soon. while there is a resolution to the plot, it stops at the best part. I wanted to know more about Liza and about how her choices and life events would shape her psychologically. I wanted more.

Many thanks to the author and Netgalley for the advanced digital copy of this novel.
This book hooked me in from the first page. This intriguing story appears to be about a writer who’s struggeling with her wish to get pregnant, and her main character in the book she is writing, who only five weeks ago fave birth to a beautiful baby daughter.
Very cleverly and very well written, this story will keep you up late because you just can’t put the book down. And just when you think you know what will happen, the story takes another turn and it get even better.