Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this novel in exchange for an honest review!

This was my first read from Catherine Ryan Howard and I was blown away! She can have ALL the stars!

I loved the main character in this novel and the twists in this book-oh my! Every time I thought I knew what was happening, I was wrong!

My favorite thriller for 2018!! This one is a must read!

The Liar's Girl
by Catherine Ryan Howard published but Blackstone Publishing was a book I really didn’t see coming but I enjoyed every second of the ride. First thank you to Catherine Ryan Howard for writing this novel second thank you to Netgalley the publisher and the author for allowing me the chance to review it you have definitely made a new fan in me. This was an edge of your seat page turner from start to finish. Once I actually started it I felt like it was one I just had to finish. I felt that the details were beautifully placed and the story moved well the author does an amazing job keeping the reader engaged from page one to the last page. The story is so good I do not wish to spoil it for anyone what I will say that the bulk of the story is written in the point of view of Alison and goes back and forth from Present to the past. I feel that Alison Matured well as the story progressed and it was a story that connected the dots well and while some parts kept you on your toes others the author let you figure out making this read an awesome journey. My apology for the delayed review I ended up being sick and didn’t get a chance to express how I loved this one in a timely manner. I however have recommended to a few people who love thrillers already. I look forward to reading more from the author in the future.

The Liars girl tells the story of Alison Smith who when we catch up with her is living and working abroad after the events that occurred at Dublin's elite St. John's College.
Alison's First love Will Hurley was arrested and incarcerated as the prolific serial killer terrorising the college campus.
His last victim being none other than Alison's best friend Liz.
Causing young Alison to flee in distress and disbelief abroad.
She hasn't set foot over here since.
Fast forward ten years, all has been quiet since will's arrest until a new young girl is found.
Is it a copycat or is the real Canal killer back to continue his spree of ten years previous.
Will now locked up in a hospital claims to have new evidence to help the police.
But he will only speak to Alison.
So this was a fantastic read that I really enjoyed It kept you guessing throughout and had many twists and turns that I never saw coming.
The Liars girl is one of them stories that sucks you in and is impossible to put down until the bitter end.
The book was played out in a now and then perspective giving us a great insight into the events of ten years previous.
This also really helped me to understand and empathise with Alison
We also get to experience the present killer's thoughts this was a really nice touch which I loved.
There was also a brilliant twist at the end that blindsided me so Bravo, really didn't see that one coming.
So to round this up "The Liars Girl" is a totally engrossing tale that I cant recommend enough.
I was provided with an ARC of "The Liars Girl" By Netgalley of which I have reviewed voluntary.
All opinions expressed are entirely my own.

This is a great book ! The storyline centers around Alison Smith that's attending college in Dublin . She meets Will and they are practically inseparable . Her best friend Liz becomes the fifth victim of the Canal Killer and Will confesses to the crimes . Secrets , mystery and intrigue !! Well crafted plot with sharp characters ! Catherine Ryan Howard is a remarkable storyteller ! Thanks to #Netgalley and #BlackstonePublishing for the digital copy in exchange for my honest review ! #TheLiar'sGirl

Allison is only 19 when she falls in love with Will. And she falls hard and fast. Then girls begin to die. They find them in the canal, head injury and drowned. Then Will is arrested and Allison's world completely changes. She moves out of the country to live her life away from the stigma of her boyfriend's past. Then, cops show up and her door and she is pulled back in.

Allison is tougher than she comes across. I enjoy that about a character. You never know exactly what she is feeling when it comes to Will. Is she falling under his spell again? I like to be kept guessing! And Will, he is an enigma as well. Did he do it? If he didn't, how did he spend 10 years in a psyche ward?

This started slow but then the mystery hooked me. I love how the author keeps the reader guessing all the way till the end. I did figure part of it out, but not all of it.

There are a few storylines not completed so I am thinking there may be a sequel in the works.
I received this novel from Netgalley for a honest review.

Imagine that your college boyfriend, Will, turned out to be a serial killer and has been locked away in the Central Psychiatric Hospital for the past 10 years. He, at age 19, confessed to the murders of four young women -- and was dubbed "the Canal Killer". Alison Smith barely survived the emotional trauma and hasn't returned to Dublin since she fled both Will and St. John's.

Flash forward 10 years -- another college girl has been killed in the same manner. Alison is asked to return to Dublin to meet with Will -- who may be innocent after all. Along with the Garda detectives Malone and Shaw, Alison visits the CPH and all of the feelings she thought she had long buried come again to the light. Can Alison make up for the past and help free Will now even though she feels responsibile for helping put him where he is?

Well written but predictable drama with a time shifting first person narrative as Alison goes back and forth between "then" and "now". There is another voice that appears in the story line every so often. Alison isn't the most sympathetic character nor did I identify with her nor understand most of her reactions and actions. The Garda detectives and other characters are fairly one dimensional with the main focus on Alison and only vaguely on Will. This wasn't action packed but more of a plodding expose with the revelations coming slowly as Alison is supposedly drawn into the investigation. Will she be able to prove that Will is not the Canal Killer? And has he now, finally, told her EVERYTHING?

This is the second book by this author that I've read and I'll look out for another by her. Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing Company for the e-book ARC to read and review.

I want to start by saying that this isn't your typical fast-paced thriller, so if you're expecting that, you're going to be disappointed. But that's not to say that it isn't worth a read for suspense lovers. The Liar's Girl is a slow build suspense, with a sort of crime solving aspect that is very easy to get overly involved in - just the way I like it! There are twists, yes, but they're not constant - but they are worth it. You'll become invested in the characters, in the crime, and in solving the murders.

I absolutely love a book that can make you hate a victim and sympathize with a criminal, and The Liar's Girl does that well. You become invested in and form opinions about all the characters, which is largely due to Catherine Ryan Howard's brilliant characterizations of them.

I definitely recommend The Liar's Girl - especially if you're a fan of Dublin. It's so fun to read a book that references place you know, and Catherine Ryan Howard is sure to point out some popular spots in Dublin, in addition to making the Grand Canal the focal point of the book.

( 4.5 stars )

The description of The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard promises everything I love in a book; a serial killer, secrets from the past coming back, intrigue and suspense! It’s also set in Dublin, which is another weakness of mine. Even though the book description seems to give a lot of details about the story that seem kind of spoiler-y, this really sounded like it could be a unique, twisty read.
I was pretty much hooked by the first few pages. I really liked the perspective the story began from, I really liked the scene it was setting and how the pieces were coming together. It was something new for me and I found that really refreshing. Throughout the rest of the book, the timeline shifts from Now and Then, a favourite format of mine. It works really well here and there is enough happening in each time to keep the reader intrigued.
The further I read, the more it pulled me in. Not only was it written well with lots of little details, but there was also this undertone raging against the machine and technology and social media that I can’t help but relate to. (Is it bad that I’m relating to one of the prime frustrations that drive the killer? Let’s not dwell too much on that, shall we?) Not to mention how dangerous it is to put all this information out there. We hear that all the time, it’s almost common sense, and yet we rarely heed the warning. I liked how this built the foundation for the book; such a simple, droned about concept blowing up into such and awful situation.
I liked the character development; Alison was very self aware, she knew herself well and the book took the time to explore and defy a lot of go-to situations that you see pop up a lot in books, but are used just as one-liners to sort of fill in gaps or set a scene. I found that Howard often took these little tid-bits a step further. It’s not a huge gesture, but I love little details like that and frankly, a lot of these inner dialogue moments with Alison reminded me a lot of conversations I’ve had myself, which drew me really close to the character. And Will, despite what I knew about him, or thought I knew about him, I could not help but feel charmed by him. That is the beauty of this story, from the beginning I could not believe that a character like this could be the character he was being described as. So many conflicting feelings.
But I especially loved the relationships between the characters. The mother/daughter relationship, which can often seem like a one dimensional stereotype (ooh, she doesn’t get along with her mom!) really showed the disconnect, but also a lot of hurt and misunderstanding. Alison’s relationship with her best friend Liz brought back high school nightmares with how accurately it portrayed the complications of female friendships that are dripping with resentment and jealousy. Even Alison’s relationship with Will, their connection seemed so passionately deep without that cheesy desperate insta-love and given the complications of how things turned out for them, and the rainbow of feelings that exist between them now, I found it really interesting to witness that dynamic. The chemistry and anger and betrayal and that teeny tiny lingering thread of hope.
Sadly, I know those sordid female friendship far too well and once I got a hint of it, I could see the direction that story was going to go in, or at least the direction a tangent was going in, and could decipher a huge part of the twist in the end. But Howard did it eerily well, this complicated, conniving, girl vs girl frienemy relationship.
Pretty much the entire book, I was kept on my toes, no idea at all about what was up or down, happened or didn’t happen. I liked how Will had charmed me over, even though a part of me kept repeating that he could be a liar – it’s calledThe Liar’s Girl, after all. But I also really liked that I had no idea what outcome I preferred, what would leave me satisfied. Did I want him to be the good guy or the bad guy? I had no idea.
I just really enjoyed so much about this book. The reason I’m not giving it a full five stars is because I wasn’t totally taken by surprise in the end and another very small part of the book that blossomed between Alison and the young Gardai who was tending to her. That just annoyed me, frankly. But those were minor details in what was otherwise an enjoyable, unique and thrilling read that had my interest right from the start.

Let me start out by saying, this is not a fast-paced, twisty thriller - but it doesn't masquerade as one. Instead, we're treated to a story about love, loss, and moving on, along with a side order of slow burning suspense and intrigue. I loved it.

The blurb was what drew me in. I was fascinated by the concept of a young Ali being forced to reconcile what is supposed to be the purity of her first love with the knowledge of the evil he's responsible for. How traumatic would it be to process that, bury it, and then have it all surface again ten years later, when she has found a new normal?

The split timeline narrative thrilled me. It's a perfect fit for this story since it quickly becomes clear that Ali never truly moved on, too wracked by shame and guilt. Part of her has always been trapped in the past, and as much as Will's summoning terrifies her, it also opens the door for the closure she'd stopped believing was possible. Catherine Ryan Howard is so wonderfully deliberate with her diction, and she paints a vivid picture of Alison, then: a bright-eyed, untouchable college freshman with the world as her canvas, contrasted against Alison, now: hesitant to trust or forgive anyone, including herself.

I was equally enamored by both storylines and the relationships within them. It's so easy to feel the butterflies of young love as we unpack the beginning of Ali and Will's relationship, and I was fascinated by their reunion in the present and how much weight it holds for both of them. But just as intriguing is Ali's nuanced friendship with Liz in the past and budding trust in Malone in the present. The characters and their dynamics are easily the strongest part of the novel, and Howard excels in breathing life into them.

My only real complaint has to do with the execution of the ending. Too much felt jammed into the last fifth of the book, especially after the unhurried, character-focused nature of the beginning. When the dust settles, the pacing tries to again even out, but to me, it falls short and the characters' conclusions seem rushed and inconsequential next to the attempted Big Bang of a climax.

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoyed The Liar's Girl and Ali's search for the truth. Beautifully descriptive prose and realistic characters color the story the whole way through, and even with my opinions of the ending, I walked away satisfied and hungry for more of Howard's writing. 4 stars!

ust when you thought college was hard enough, imagine your boyfriend admitting to being a serial killer who killed your best friend.

Welcome to Alison’s nightmare 10 years ago. She is trying to put the past behind her, but one day 2 policeman want to speak with her and tell her that her ex, Will, wants to talk to her and only her. Turns out that there are murders happening in Dublin in the exact same way that Will killed 4 young women 10 years ago. Alison goes to see Will and ends up on a journey that puts her life in danger and brings up horrible memories of the past.

The concept of The Liar’s Girl intrigued me so much. It’s hard to image dating someone who turns out to be the city’s worst serial killer. And he evens admits to it too! It has ruined Alison’s life and even 10 years later she can’t come close to trusting another man.

The book is told mostly by Alison, but also by an unnamed man who is super creepy and most likely the serial killer. I liked how the book went back in time too and developed the relationship between Alison and her best friend, Liz, as well as Alison and Will. I found myself enjoying the past timelines more because you knew how things were going to end, but didn’t know how it got there.

Present day Alison’s perspective was a bit boring and had her working with the detectives to try to find the serial killer. I found myself getting a bit bored with the present day and wanted them to focus more on the past. I liked Alison as a main character, but didn’t love every move she made. I loved the creepy guy! I really enjoy reading it from the killer’s perspective and how he targeted the woman. The author did a great job making him super creepy and a true villain.

Even though by the end, you have a feeling on who the mystery man, there was still some suspenseful parts and some parts that I didn’t see coming at all! I would recommend this book to those who are looking for a mystery that balances both the past and present very well and doesn’t mind knowing who the bad guy is around the mid point of the book.

I must be reading too many thrillers right now. This was just an okay read for me. It didn't keep me guessing or have lots of twist and turns. It's average and quick. It's between a 2.5 and a 3. Thanks to net galley for giving me this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard was a great read. Alison Smith was so excited, she was chosen to attend college at St John’s in Dublin. This was her first choice and she was excited. The fact her best friend Liz was also going to attend was a bonus. After a minor housing crisis, the girls began college situated in a large dorm on campus. It was then that Alison met Will and they became friends and lovers. Until he was arrested and jailed for being a serial murderer of five girls and drown them in the Grand Canal.

The story is told in multiple viewpoints with the majority of the story’s voices being Alison in the past and Alison in the present. Woven into the story the unknowns continue to haunt you as more and more information trickles out.

I really enjoyed the story and found the book quite compelling (Translation: Didn’t want to put it down at all!) The author’s method of letting out some pieces of information and moving between the past and the present allowed me to feel fully involved in the story. The end: Well it was a kick!

The Liar’s Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard was a great read.

This novel could have ended several chapters before and could have done away with less unnecessary descriptions but was so damn good, I couldn’t have cared less! What an interesting twist of fates, one could say.

Wow! Imagine you found out you were sleeping with a serial killer. How would that make you feel? Were there signs? Is there something you could have done? Why couldn’t you see this person for who and what they really were? What will people think of me? How on earth could I love someone so despicable? What did I miss? How could I let this person touch me? And even worse yet, how dare cupid make me fall in love with a monster? Oh yes, this is exactly what nineteen-year-old Alison was thinking. It was her dream to go to St. John’s in Dublin and be a part of the happening crowd and enjoy college life. It also helped that her best friend, Liz, was tagging along for the ride.

Umm, yeah, for almost a year life was good for Alison. She was fresh out of high school never having had a boyfriend before, so when Will Hurley showed up in her life at St. John’s they immediately became inseparable. She fell so hard for Will, her grades began to slip a little, until she got her mind right.

Liz was happy for Alison having found a boyfriend, but she was also like a little sister and a bit jealous of Alison’s new found happiness. After all, Will was now taking up the time that was occupied for Liz. While the besties were trying to iron out their differences, a rather sinister plot begins to take form where neither Alison, Liz nor Will could have possibly foreseen. Alison and Liz were hanging out and had a small argument, as friends do, but never in Alison’s wildest imagination could she ever have known that those would be the last parting words she’d ever speak to her dear best friend. Liz would now become the fifth victim for the Canal Killer to claim. Losing Liz was the hardest thing for Alison to get past. She ends up leaving the Netherlands vowing never to return until a couple police officers seek her out to ask her a rather interesting question. Well…not necessarily a question but more of a request. They believe the Canal Killer has struck again. Oh, but wait a minute, how can that be? Will Hurley was charged with five murders a decade ago. Alison’s homey, lover, friend. He’s still in a psychiatric ward, so how in the hell has the Canal Killer struck again? Alison’s past was catching up to her present and it threatened to unravel what normalcy she now possessed. Will has asked to speak with Alison after a decade. He has something to tell her and refuses to tell it to anyone else but her. What was Alison to do?

Readers, if that doesn’t entice you to read this story, I don’t know what will? My goodness this was a damn good book!!! I couldn’t get enough. However, having said that, Howard is one of those writers that gives great detail to the point it nearly killed me. She doesn’t let your imagination do much work at all, so get ready to delve into each character’s mind, body and soul. I felt the novel could have ended five chapters before it had, but it didn’t change the outcome of the story. In fact, the ending is quite interesting. By the time I reached it, my mind was going in a hundred different directions, but eventually, some of my theories were correct, and one major one was way off base. Wow…this was a damn good book!!!! I definitely want to see this book turned into a motion picture.

Mello & June gives The Liar’s Girl five truthful stars! Oh my, my, my, Intellectual Minds, this was one of those books that keeps your interest from the first page until the last. And that ending!!!! Oh wow, the ending is something else! The Liar’s Girl goes on sale Tuesday, February 27, 2018. Pick up a copy wherever books are sold. Until next time, my lovelies, keep on reading.

I loved this book!

Thank you to net galley for the ARC.

This book was so fun to read. I loved the twists and turns and the suspense without it being overly violent or aggressive. The characters were great and at times you didn't know who to like or not like or to trust.

I read the book in one day because I just couldn't put it down. I've read other books by the author, but think this may be my favorite so far!

Alison was 19 when she started college in Dublin, and practically from the moment she met Will, they were inseparable. Then her best friend, Liz, became the fifth victim of the Canal Killer, and the search for the culprit led detectives to Will, who confessed to the crimes. Ten years later, the bodies of co-eds are being dumped in the same canal, in eerily similar fashion. But Will has been behind bars for a decade, so are these latest murders the work of a copycat, an accomplice that got away, or has Will been serving a life sentence while the real killer roamed free to strike again? And if so, why did he confess?

The police want to interview Will about what he knows about the latest murders, which he says he has information about, but insists he will only speak to Alison.

Following Will’s confession, and reeling from grief and shock, Alison dropped out of college, fled to the Netherlands, and has never returned, not even to visit her parents. But when Irish detectives show up at her door, asking for her help, Alison reluctantly agrees.

The book is largely told from Alison’s perspective, with chapters alternating between “Alison then”, a young woman moving out of her parent's house for the first time, establishing the dynamics of her relationship with her childhood best friend, and the blossoming romance with Will; and “Alison now”, a woman destroyed by her past, with dredged-up feelings of guilt about what happened to Liz and torment for being so blinded by love and not seeing Will for the monster he was. It starts as a slow-burning thriller however, halfway through the book, chapters told from the point of view of an unknown and shadowy figure begin to slip in from time to time, ratcheting up the suspense and resulting in a conclusion with a surprising twist.

I read the author’s first psychological thriller Distress Signals and found it absolutely riveting, and Catherine Ryan Howard once again proves she is a skillful storyteller. I’m mystified how she’s remained so underrated, but doubtful that will last much longer. She has a tremendous talent for tautly written psychological narratives involving well developed characters with emotional depth, and I can’t wait to read what she comes up with next!

NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing kindly provided me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading the blurb for this one, I was hoping for an edge of your seat thriller, but to say that the story moves at a snail's pace is an understatement. As if that weren't enough, the switches from past to present and back again, as well as those moving from Alison to the killer were abrupt enough to be distracting. Other than a couple of mildly creepy scenes with the killer, there's little in the way of action until the end when we do get a couple of pages of what I would consider gripping and fast-paced. By that time, we have our big reveal on the killer's identity, and while they weren't completely new to the story, they were darn close. Enough so that it was next to impossible to make an accurate guess, which is one of the things that draws me to a mystery/thriller. In my opinion, the best part of the whole book was the last couple of pages where we do get an interesting twist in the story, but since that twist is only revealed to the reader, it has zero impact on anything else that's happened. In the end, this was a disappointing story with an even more disappointing conclusion.

Alison moved to Dublin with her best friend Liz to attend the elite St Johns College and soon after arriving met and fell head over heels in love with Will, who seemed to be the perfect boyfriend. He was kind, gentle, caring, and handsome. That is until he confessed to being The Canal Killer and killing five young woman, including Alison's best friend.
Ten years later, after hearing about a new murder on the radio, Will claims that he has something new that he would like to confess, but he will only speak with Alison. Alison fled the country immediately following the death of her friend and never looked back and the last thing she wants is to be drawn back into the case again.
When detectives show up at her door in the Netherlands she reluctantly agrees to assist because of the new murder but must now come face to face with the man she once loved and the killer of her best friend.
The story is told in alternating time lines, past and present, slowly showing what happened ten years ago with the original murders and what is currently happening in present day. I felt that this was a really fun way of telling the story, slowing peeling back the onion and revealing the whole story.
Throughout the story I really enjoyed the relationship between Alison and Detective Michael Malone. They worked well together on the case and there was good chemistry between them. I hope to see Malone again in the future.
I really enjoyed The Liar's Girl by Catherine Ryan Howard and I would have given it a 4.5 rating, but it was rather slow going in the beginning. However, once it got going it was very good and I was very surprised and even sad by the ending.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the advanced copy of this book in exchange for my fair and honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Blackstone Publishing, and Catherine Ryan Howard for the opportunity to read her latest book - it's a great one!

Allison is anxious to leave home for college in Dublin with her best friend, Liz. She soon meets Will, another student at school who becomes her first real boyfriend. Peace is shattered at the college when young girls' bodies are found dead in the nearby canal. Liz becomes the next victim and soon after Will is charged with all 5 murders and sent to a psychiatric facility. Fast forward 10 years and Allison is living in the Netherlands. She has a new life and never thinks about what happened and how she couldn't have known that her boyfriend was a serial killer. Then police show up at her door saying that there has been another murder, they've been to see Will who says he has something to confess but will only do so to Allison. The police take her back to Dublin and she's soon immersed in the nightmare again.

An addictive read, told in paragraphs from Allison Now and Allison Then, so we learn the backstory. Interwoven are chilling paragraphs from the serial killer. Lots of twists and turns in this one - highly recommended!

Freshman Ali Smith was having the time of her life during her first year in college. She was living away from home. Her childhood best friend,Liz went to the same school. She had her first serious boyfriend, Will Hurley. But her world imploded when her best friend became the latest victim to a serial killer and the police arrest her boyfriend who confessed to be the Canal Killer. Sentenced to life imprisonment when he was just nineteen, Will is locked away in the city's Central Psychiatric Hospital. Ten years later, a young woman's body is found in the canal. Is this a copycat killer or did they arrest the wrong man? Will tells the police he has information about the latest killing but he will only tell it to one person, Ali. Reluctantly, she returns to the city she hasn't set foot in for more than a decade to face the man who murdered the woman she was supposed to become.

The Liar's Girl was a slow burner psychological thriller. The climax was kind of a let down and left me disappointed. It had a great build up but it felt rushed. Other than that, it had an interesting plot with a twist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for supplying me a copy of Catherine Ryan Howard's "The Liar's Girl" in exchange for an honest review.

It had been a while since I read a Thriller and I am really glad I got to read this one via ARC from NetGalley!

This book follows Alison, she has been living in the Netherlands after a traumatising experience at college in Ireland. Her boyfriend was convicted of murdering 5 of their fellow students. 10 years later, there seems to be a copy cat killer. Will (the boyfriend), says he has information, but will only speak to Alison about it, so she is dragged back to Ireland.

Sleuthing and drama ensues.

I really enjoyed this! It was an easy read, but exciting and engrossing. The story jumps back and forth between present day and 10 years prior. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the back and forth, but it ended up being pretty interesting.

The ending I did not see coming! Definitely leaves you thinking!