On the eve of her best friend and former roommate’s wedding, Lucy Albright is nervous because for the first time in years she will see her ex, Stephen DeMarco. As the moment Lucy will see Stephen draws near, author Carola Lovering takes readers back to the beginning. Through Lucy and Stephen’s points of view, Lovering demonstrates how their tumultuous and toxic relationship began and then ultimately came to an end.

I found the parallel POVs to be interesting because the way Lucy and Stephen viewed their relationship, if you could even really call it that, was vastly different. At first, Lucy wasn’t all that interested in Stephen, however as soon as Stephen saw Lucy he knew she would be his next conquest, because Stephen, unfortunately for Lucy, is a sociopath who doesn’t know how to be in a real relationship. And I don’t call Stephen a sociopath in a joking manner, I mean it was eventually deemed by a psychiatrist that Stephen is actually a sociopath, though I’m confident readers could come to that conclusion on their own. Unfortunately, Lucy could not.

I know that people, particularly women, can often be blinded by love, but Lucy’s tunnel vision when it came to Stephen was so extreme it was a little hard for me to believe. For most of the novel, Stephen was in a relationship with someone else while sleeping with Lucy, a fact Lucy was well of aware, but was able to look past, convincing herself that one day Stephen would just want to be with her. Honestly, Lucy’s POV was very hard to read because I often just wanted to shake her and tell her, “Stephen is honestly the worst and you deserve way more than what he’s giving you.” Thankfully, her friend Jackie was there to say all the things I was thinking, not that Lucy listened.

On the flip side, Stephen’s POV was hard to read because he was just so callous and had such a disregard for everyone’s feelings. Again, he’s a sociopath, but still. He was terrifyingly detached and a horrible person. While I understand why having Stephen’s POV was necessary for the story, I felt like I could’ve done without it. He just infuriated me so much, and while I know he’s not supposed to be a likable character it was just too much for me and I didn’t enjoy reading his POV at all.

There were two things that really saved this novel for me. The first was the great way Lovering used Lucy and Stephen’s Long Island history to tie their pasts together. I thought that was really well done and added another layer to this book that made me more interested. The second was Lucy’s relationship with her mother, CJ. While I found Lucy referring to the reason for her tenuous relationship with her mother as “The Unforgivable Thing” a bit irritating at first that was simply because I just wanted Lucy to tell me what her mother did, which was obviously Lovering’s goal. The mystery of it made me keep reading and I really liked seeing Lucy’s relationship with her mother evolve.

Overall, my frustrations with Lucy and my total dislike of Stephen really pulled me out of this story so I didn’t enjoy as much as I wished I’d had. That said, Lovering told an interesting story and while I can thankfully say I’ve never let a guy take advantage of me the way Lucy let Stephen take advantage of her, I know this story will be relatable to a number of people. So though this wasn’t the book for me, I would argue that it’s definitely the book for someone else.

Tell Me Lies is an unflinching, brutally honest coming-of-age story of college, insecurities, and falling in love with Mr Wrong.. Lucy’s journey is intense, and frustrating, and so devastatingly accurate. College can be great for some; a toxic, insecurity-and-cocaine-fueled dumpster fire for others. Spoiler alert: Lucy’s experience is the latter. She’s not always likable; I cringed more than once at her superficial, self-absorbed perspective. I groaned as she drowned her issues in booze, drugs, and eating disorders, jeopardizing her future, her friendships, and her health. The girl was a hot mess of bad decisions and self-inflicted misery. But oh, oh, oh, did I empathize with her relationship with Stephen.

A lot of women have a Stephen in their past. He’s charming, intelligent, electrifying. Manipulative. Withholding. Unfaithful. Being the center of his attention is an unrivaled, heady rush. Being ignored by him is agonizing. Whatever hold he has over you, it keeps you coming back again and again, even once you’ve opened your eyes to the lies. He beckons, you go, like a moth to flame. Even though you hate yourself for it.

Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s POV, Tell Me Lies is the book you wish you’d read before your own misadventure in unhealthy relationships. It’s ugly, and distressing, but wading through Lucy’s self-destruction and heartache is so worth it to see her triumph in reclaiming her self-worth by the end. I was rooting for her with the sage benefit of hindsight, and watching her heartache and subsequent personal growth was like re-experiencing my own. And being inside Stephen’s head was a real yucky portrait of narcissistic assholery. He’s probably a bit more extreme than most bad boyfriends, but the insight into his sociopathic brain is morbidly, horribly fascinating.

So read Tell Me Lies, and take a walk down the haunted Regrettable Relationship Lane to revisit the Ghost of Crappy Boyfriend Past. And then kick him in the nuts. It’s surprisingly nostalgic.

*I received an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. My thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley.

4 Stars.

Have you ever met someone who is completely and utterly bad for you? It’s something you know and feel from the moment your eyes meet theirs - yet you are like a moth to a flame? Consumed.

When Lucy meets Stephen, his green eyes, piercing into her, she knows it from the start. She can feel it in every fiber of her being. He is no good for her, and yet she needs him, wants him and has to have him. When Stephen wants something, he gets it. For now, he wants Lucy, at least some of the time. He also likes controlling, manipulating and deceiving women. The best part? They always come back for more.

In this instance however, the stakes are higher than just a little broken heart.

This is a novel that takes you back to that day, that time, when you were looking to someone else to make you feel whole and when, they ended up doing the exact opposite. There are parts of this novel that can’t get anymore real. You might remember exactly what its like and you can almost feel that someone’s eyes on you and then the air around you starts filling with tension and then whoosh!.. it’s not your reality, at least not now.

“Tell Me Lies” by Carola Lovering is both entertaining and horrifying. Basically, I am oh so glad it’s not my reality! That said, I hope you’ll enjoy reading this wicked novel, as I sure did!

Thank you to Atria, NetGalley and Carola Lovering for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads, Twitter and Amazon on 6.16.18.

As Lucy watches a couple hanging out together, she observes somewhat scornfully that they are "pressed close together like Twizzlers in a pack." What she can't see - what she won't see - is that she is as entwined with Stephen as one of those ropes of Twizzlers. 

Carola Lovering dedicates this book to those of us who have had a Stephen in our lives. Lovering draws the relationship of Lucy and Stephen sharply, insightfully, and even respectfully. She understands the power that Stephen wields and the dangers it poses for Lucy and other victims. She also understands that Lucy, like others of her ilk, is a somewhat willing victim. Lucy chooses her actions, and she is aware of this. She knows that what she does with Stephen is sometimes wrong, but she can't quit him. She tries, but she is powerless, just as Stephen plans. He is a man who cultivates power (at one point he says that when you compliment a woman, it doesn't make her love you, it makes her addicted to you) and hoards it. 

You will not always like Lucy. At times, you will find yourself tiring of her antics, wondering how she can be so malleable, so easily manipulated. Carola Lovering is too smart of a writer, though, to craft Lucy without nuance. She shows you Lucy's weaknesses and how easily Stephen can exploit them. She shows you why Lucy is, essentially, an unwitting plaything for him. 

The ending of this book is PERFECTION. If Carola Lovering had taken a different route, it would have completely undone all that she established about her characters. The only weakness in this book is that an ailment of sorts of Lucy's is never as fully addressed as it should be. 

Lucy all but begs Stephen to tell her lies. But it turns out that the most destructive lies are the ones we tell ourselves. I loved this book. Read it, come back and comment, and let's discuss.

Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering is told in dual timelines (during and after college), and the two narrators are the horribly flawed main characters Stephen and Lucy.  From the start, it is clear that Stephen is a womanizer. He is the classic predator—always valuing his prey during the hunt, but not once it has been caught. Readers are supposed to assume that his obvious disregard for women stems from his feelings toward his mother.  I felt that Stephen’s behavior is more likely a result of mental health issues than an outcome of his less than perfect parents.  After all, who among us has or is the perfect parent?  Yet, parents, especially mothers, are all too often depicted as the root of all problems in YA and NA novels.  On a similar note, the other main character, Lucy, may not suffer from narcissism, but she is self-absorbed and ridiculously judgmental toward her family from whom she has all but estranged herself.  She does not have a good track record in terms of relationships either.  While neither of the main characters is particularly likable, I found myself absorbed in their toxic relationship. 



“She expected honesty the way you expect water to flood from a faucet, and around her I sometimes felt shady and deceptive.” --Lucy 



The story of Stephen and Lucy’s college experience is filled with alcohol, drugs, eating disorders, longing to fit in, social insecurities, casual hook-ups, and serial cheating.  It is not uncommon for college students to take advantage of their new-found freedom, however, the drug of choice in this book felt like the time period should have been late 20thcentury instead of early 21stcentury.   Post college, Stephen and Lucy’s lives are equally filled with bad decisions and bad behavior.  If Lucy had honestly pursued dealing with her anxiety and her issues with her family, she might have been an empathetic character.  My interest in Tell Me Lies quickly became about the secondary stories regarding Lucy’s college girlfriends, her family, the mystery surrounding Stephen’s horrifying, recurring nightmare, and a hope for a karmic denouement. 

If Tell Me Lies was a fashion magazine, Stephen and Lucy would be the unaware targets of the “fashion don’t” spread with a little black band across their upper face to hide their identity.  They are the epitome of  how not to behave in a relationship and society in general.  Don’t read the book looking for romance.  Pick it up for a dark, twisted, pseudo-psychological thriller that is filled with dysfunctional characters, heartache and desperation.

I was disappointed in the quick relationship fixes, and I was unsatisfied with the ending. However, the writing was good, the dialogue felt organic, and the pace was perfect.  Ms. Lovering's messages of honesty and trust will strike a chord with everyone.

I will just be honest right out of the gate…. I did not like this book. I almost never write a review and actually despise the book and main characters the way I have for this novel.

I thought things would get better. When I began to feel the hate rising, I thought surely there would be some maturing, some self discovery, some growth, ect… but no. It literally never happened. In the end, Stephen – the ACTUAL WORST MALE MC I HAVE EVER ENCOUNTERED – hadnot changed at all. And Lucy, for goodness sake, did not grow A DAMN BACKBONE.

I have nothing good to report here. I just do not know what to say. This type of novel had the potential to be a great NA to Adult growth story, finding and losing love, finding ones self worth…. but no. The only thing that healed was the relationship with her mom. Even her eating disorder was still prevalent through the end. While the conditions in this book can be very realistic, it doesn’t change the fact that they were never overcome. Grow up. Mature. Recognize bad behaviors, for fucks sake.

I just do know what more to say. Terrible characters, irredeemable. No plot line to save the day. It felt like actual torture to finish this. I hate them so much. I’m just repeating myself now. Maybe we were meant to hate them, but I did not expect to hate them straight through to the last pages. I don’t know if the author achieved her goal or not. I found nothing to like here, however I thin the author weaves a story well, and I would be open to reading something else from her. I wont deny someone the opportunity if decent writing is there. But I just cant get with this.

Girls always love the bad guy. Isn’t that what they say? Lucy definitely loves the bad guy. The bad guy in this story would be Stephen. I have to say that I detested him from beginning to end. There is not one redeeming quality about him. Not one single one. That is not a bad thing when it comes to this story. It makes for a fully thought out life for our Lucy, who at times, was hard to like too. They meet in college. He is with another girl but they have a sexual attraction that they don’t fight. (There is sex in this book just so you know) He plays with the girls’ emotions. He plays with everyone’s emotions. He seems devoid of any emotion. Lucy has changed since an “unforgivable thing” with her mom. It has left her depressed and not herself. I wanted so many times to shake her and say that she was so much better than this. This is how this book works; it leaves your emotions all twisted up in a knot. You so want her to realize her full potential without this loser and yet she keeps going back to him. I think we all have met someone like him in our lives. He is the walking definition of a narcissist.

I think I am still trying to understand the depth of emotions I felt while reading this book. I was angry. I was sad. I was genuinely happy. I was in tears with a scene between Lucy and her mother CJ. That was written so beautifully. The ending, well, I won’t give it away, but you will not be disappointed. You will not be disappointed in anything in this little gem. This is not a typical boy-meets-girl story but we have plenty of those. Every once in a while, you need one that is twisty and dark. This definitely fits the bill. Thank you Carola Lovering for sending this story out into the world.

Thanks to Netgalley and Atria for a copy of this book.

Tell Me Lies was one of the most intriguing books that I’ve read in recent months. Mainly for that fact that you go into Lucy and Stephen’s story, knowing that Stephen is NOT the one. He’s not the kind of guy that the heroine should end up with, he’s not necessarily even her type, but Stephen had game. He could be sweet, he took his time getting to know you, he could make any girl feel special, and he was just the epitome of manipulative. No, he's not the kind of guy that you should go for but I think most woman know a guy like him.

The story starts off in the present. The reader is able to meet Lucy in her present life, and while she’s working and living her life, it’s not the life she necessarily wants. When Lucy has to leave for the weekend to be part of for college best friend's wedding, she knows she’s going to see HIM. The one that changed her life and the one that was wrong for her, but who was hard to let go.

The story is told from both Lucy and Stephen’s POV. It goes through the 4 year course of their relationship throughout college. This story digs into college life and relationships.  It was during the time that Lucy had a new found freedom from her preppy and put together life. Being away from the complex relationship with her mother, CJ, was something Lucy desperately needed. College life was the time where she was learning about herself and was learning to never settle again. There was a certain naivete to her character.  When her and Stephen meet, there wasn't any major spark between them, but she was definitely intrigued. Stephen's character was just really an ordinary guy. I'm not sure what made him so intriguing, he wasn't very likable, but he could make someone feel special.

Their relationship started off almost like a cat and mouse game. Lucy was hesitant, but Stephen was persistent and nonchalant all at the same time. Their relationship was intense, they built a spark, and there were definitely a few twists and turns. Their relationship was as imperfect as they were. There was complexity to this novel. I don't think the character's were necessarily meant to be likable, but their characters were relatable. The story kept me interested but I do wish I had seen more growth and finality. I would be interested to see what Ms. Lovering writes next.

Tell Me Lies is a story about a girl who falls in love with the wrong guy in college. It's a continuous cycle of on again off again and if I am honest I was a bit bored with it.

I think the author could have taken this story in so many different directions and done way better with the story line. This is my first time reading Carola Lovering and although this was not my favorite book I will give her another try.

This book does the impossible. It manages to be compelling despite the absolute atrocious actions displayed by the characters.

When I signed up to review this, I honestly thought it was a typical second chance romance. Girl and boy fall in love. Girl and boy break up. Years later, girl and boy rekindle their love and live happily ever after. But this book is bigger than that. The story has so many facets.

Also, I have to admit this isn’t an easy read. While I found it hard to put down, I also sometimes needed a break because Stephen and Lucy were unbearable. In a bad way. This might just be the best example of a toxic relationship that I have ever read. I’m usually rooting for couples to get together/be together/stay together. In this case, however, I wanted to slap Lucy and give her a wake up call. And Stephen: I absolutely loathed him. I found nothing about him redeemable.

The story bounces back and forth between past and present. It also gives us both characters’ points of view. Which typically HELPS since then we at least know for sure what everyone is thinking. This time, I wanted OUT. I don’t remember every being so angry with a character—even the worst villains in fantasy novels. Stephen encompasses the worst parts of men and dating/love/relationships. As for Lucy, she has her own issues that go beyond Stephen. Severe mother problems that she’s left unresolved for years. Body image issues. Just...a lot. So it’s easy to see how she became vulnerable to Stephen and his “charm.” BUT—it was absolutely maddening to see her repeat a cycle which was so clearly never going to change.

Even still, I devoured this book. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely a trainwreck and we all know it’s impossible to look away. Ultimately, you have to know how it all ends. I’m sure at some point, most people have been in a relationship that seemed like the problem was bad timing. And we’ve glorified it, or changed our perception in order to believe that person was our soul mate. This is what makes this book relatable.

When I first saw this cover I was smitten from the colors to the font to what it said alone. Then I read the synopsis, and I was done for. I was sold and couldn't wait to read this beauty! Unfortunately it was pushed back due to some other deadlines but as soon as I started reading I couldn't put this down! I am not one to always bring my iPad Mini with me when I go places to read if I get a few minutes but I definitely did for this one!


This book starts in the present with Lucy's POV then alternates between her and Stephen and I absolutely loved the alternating POV's so that you can get a bigger picture of what is going on. Especially from someone else's eyes!

Lucy moved across the country from New Jersey to get away from everything she was scared she would become to go to college in California at Baird. She meets Stephen but immediately doesn't want anything to do with him until she goes to a party and has had too much to drink does she go to Stephens room to sleep it off after telling him she wasn't ready to do anything sexually.

I don't want to say much about their relationship because it is such an up and down relationship you just have to experience! Lies, Secrets, betrayal and the toxicity of this relationship is so much more than I ever expected to read about. But I enjoyed it. Yes I am a toxic relationship reader, but I do love to hate a character!

Stephen had an interesting thought process that I found quite hilarious in its own rights, but when Lucy was going through her thoughts I couldn't help but feel anxious for her!

This story started really well from the beginning!I find the story captivating and interesting.I loved how the story was told, we have two viewpoints, Lucy and Stephen’s.It starts in 2017 then switches back to 2010 and works it’s way forward until the timelines merge. Which was perfect for me because it makes me understand a lot of things.The author did an amazing job a great job weaving these two characters and their lives together.

The ending left me with some questions and I'm wondering maybe we will have another book at some point?Overall, it was a compelling,dark and intense story!

Wow talk about a roller coaster of emotions.  This book is unbelievably relatable and not in the best way.  Instead it's a journey too many of us have taken when we were younger and thought we knew everything and could conquer all obstacles.  Where love is seen through rose colored glasses and consequences be damned.  We've all had a Stephen in our life or at the very least had a friend who did.  And we've all been Lucy in one way or another.  Tell Me Lies is like taking that walk of shame back through your college memories.  There's no sugar coating this story, it's dirty, it's raw, and it's so very real.  Once I started I couldn't stop and when it was over, all I could think was "tell me more" there has to be "more" it can't possibly be over.

In some ways Lucy and Stephen deserve each other. Both of them are shaped by a cataclysmic event in their childhood.  An event that irreparably changes who they are.  They may not realize why they're drawn to each other in the beginning but it does become obvious as the years pass.  Honestly, I guess lots of relationships are messy though especially when we're young. The naivete of young love is really appealing.  Lucy can't get far enough away from home, and once gone she's something changes within her.  Looking for love, wanting to be seen, needing those assurances that's she thin enough, pretty enough, loved enough.  Lucy allows herself to be used, convinced it's exactly what she needs, that it's love. Through her despair she spirals out of control and loses grasp of not only reality but herself.  This is Lucy's story of redemption, climbing up from a place of darkness and learning to love herself.  

I hated Stephen from the moment he appeared.  He embodies so many of my exes.  It made me super itchy while reading.  My own embarrassment, my own regret came to the surface way too many times. He so selfish, self absorbed, entitled, and ugh he's just gross.  Yet I saw what Lucy saw.  At least in my college years.  I totally understood why she picked him.  He was easy and smooth.  He preyed on the emotionally weak and she was a perfect target.  In many ways he was a typical college guy but as he gets older you begin to realize just how incredibly messed up he is.  He's never changing either.  It's at that point, you want so desperately for Lucy to stay away from him.

Interestingly as I was reading I found myself not really liking this story.  Again, it made me uncomfortable at times, knowing I literally lived certain aspects of this life.  But it was also hard to read about characters that were so damaged, so wrong for each other.  The only happy ending I wanted was for both of them to stay far away from each other.  Above all though, and this is where the author deserves many kudos, I found so much of this story relatable to me a 40 something female, and also to the youth of today.  Her writing is relevant just as much today as it was for me 20+ years ago.  

TELL ME LIES wasn't anything like what I expected.  It wasn't like anything I've read before.  Carola Lovering told a disturbing, twisted story about two people who should never have gotten together, yet for Lucy, she needed this relationship in order to find her way out of the darkness.

* I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader’s Copy of this book *

I never read reviews before picking up books I’m excited about. I like to go in without any knowledge about the story except what I get from reading the synopsis and sometimes not even that. With this book I couldn’t resist reading a review before I started it, a not very favorable review I might add, and… I got a little scared. I was so scared of reading this book and hating it that I thought about not reading it at all. But I did, I went into it thinking I was going to hate the characters and I would finish reading it no matter what. And it worked. Or Carola Lovering is an amazing writer who can make me enjoy reading a story that contains pretty much everything I hate like lies, drinking, drugs, secrets and characters who can’t make up their mind.

When I read I usually put myself in the character’s shoes. I become the characters for however long it takes me to finish reading their story and that’s why a lot of times I end up getting frustrated when things don’t go the way I wish or expected, because I AM the characters and I want a happy and unproblematic story. This time I didn’t put myself in the character’s shoes. I was an spectator. I read Lucy and Stephen’s story as if they were friends of mine telling me their story and I only listened without judging them or the decisions they took. I read all the ups and downs in their relationship from both of their perspectives without getting frustrated… okay, I got a little frustrated but Rome wasn’t built in a day. It wasn’t pretty or fun, it was ugly, messed up and definitely toxic but it was an enlightening journey. It had me biting my nails and my stomach twisting from the anxiety of imagining how everything was going to end and I wouldn’t have had it any other way.

I don’t think this book is meant for everyone. If you hate reading about characters that are bad for each other but keep coming back to each other’s arms time and time again despite how obviously bad they are for each other, then maybe you should stay away from this one. Although, look at me now, I didn’t think I would end up enjoying it one bit and here I am, giving it four out of five stars.

Thank you BookSparks, PopSugar, and Atria Books for the gifted copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. All Opinions are my own.

I rate this book a 4 out of 5 Stars.

Let me start by saying, I've done the toxic relationship before, I was "in love" with a guy who made me feel beautiful, and special, and important, but beneath all the charm and flatter, he was a terrible guy. Reading this book, I felt like I was reading chapters based on my own life. I've been  both versions of Lucy (minus the drug choices). Also, for those with sensitivity to drug use, cursing, and sexual scenes, proceed with caution.

I loved Lucy, Jackie, Pippa, and Bree. They were such a realistic group of friends, I think everyone needs people like this in their lives. Stephen was a scumbag, just a vile narcissistic, sociopath, and I couldn't wait for Lucy to pull her head out of her a$$ and realize that. That was what drove me nuts in this book, is that Lucy was a doormat and she never had an issue with it, she just kept on waiting for the fairytale.

There are a couple little plot twists in this book, and I think they were so well-balanced, and I loved where they occurred, there was legitimately no dull moments while reading it.

I loved Lovering's writing style, and her character development. I also kind of loved and hated that a character in this book got away with something really terrible. It was a unique choice, and not something many authors would do, I am curious what other readers felt about this.

I cannot wait to read more of Lovering's books, and this was a fantastic debut, I look forward to what she comes up with next!

** 2.5 Star Review **

This is one of those books I wanted to read based mostly on its genre classification. With that being said, if you are expecting a psychological thriller or any kind of thriller at all, look the other way. This book is in NO way any of those things. Other than just a fictional story about two horrible people, this book has no other classification.

To put this book in a nutshell, this book is about two characters who either have no redeeming qualities and the back and forth games they play with one another without caring about the destruction they cause in their wake.

This book moves painstakingly slow from start to finish. If I am being honest, this book would have been much better had half of it been taken out. I get that the author was trying to show the toxicity between these characters spanning a few years time, but there was too much of it. It really would have been much better without so many cases in point.

Back to the thriller aspect. That is the only reason I wanted to read this. So to say I am highly disappointed that it is in no way a thriller would be putting it mildly. This book is about a playboy and a naive girl and their on and off again relationship. That is just not a thriller. It's not even the least bit of a romance.

I am sure some people might love this book. Some people love the drama and the back and forth and the destruction. Those of you that seek that out in your reading, this is most definitely the book for you.

TELL ME LIES is a mind blowing read that will pull you in from the very first page and never let you go. Carola Lovering grabs the reader by the throat and reminds us all what dating was like back in college. Once I started reading, it was very hard to stop. I was flipping the pages like a woman on a mission. I had to know what was going to happen to Lucy! Will she ever let go of her past with Stephan and move on?


TELL ME LIES is told in two POV, Lucy and Stephan, who go back and forth between the past and the present but mostly in the past. Stephan is a total jerk and I hated him from the very first meeting! I really wanted to reach into the pages and slap the hell out of him! Lucy and Stephan are both from New York but go to college in California. I wish I could have reached out to Lucy and let her know what a total ass Stephan was and shake some sense into her but she just keeps going back to him.......... I just couldn't understand why she would do that over and over. How could something so unhealthy and toxic be good for Lucy?


If you are in a reading slump, TELL ME LIES will pull you right out! It is not a cute, love filled kind of book! It's crazy and messed up and that is exactly why I loved it! TELL ME LIES is without a doubt one of the craziest books I've read in 2018 so far! My emotions were all over the place and I had a very hard time liking any of the characters. They both are very selfish and behave like idiots most of the time. As sad as it is, I think many of us have acted like Lucy when we were young, in college and trying to figure life out. TELL ME LIES is insanely good! More like a train wreck where you know that looking at it isn't going to be good but you can't tear your eyes away!


I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Intense...I have to be honest and say this book was extremely frustrating for me. Definitely not your conventional romance or even a dark romance. It is a twisted, emotional ride on the toxic relationship roller coaster, with unbelievable highs and devastating lows.

It is a raw, gritty and honest look at young girl's journey to self-discovery, college life, partying, falling for the wrong guy and getting wrapped up in the angsty, heartbreaking drama. He loves me, he loves me not. He wants me, he wants me not. My head was spinning. I wanted to shake Lucy. At the same time, I understood her.

Lucy's character is an exaggerated form of most girls at one time or another, looking for love and validation. My heart broke for her and all the things she went through that fed her insecurities and made her easy prey for Stephen. Stephen had no redeeming qualities at all, except maybe knowing exactly who he was. He is a great anti-hero. I liked that it is told in alternating POV. Being in Stephen's head was definitely enlightening.

Tell Me Lies is a story of being at the wrong place at the right time. It is a realistic look at the harrowing effects of falling for the wrong person.

If you enjoy reading about destructive and toxic relationships and like yelling, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" at fictional characters—I have your next read.

TELL ME LIES by Carola Lovering is a compulsively readable drama that feels almost uncomfortably realistic.

So, warning: You're going to get mad. Stephen and Lucy aren't particularly likable characters by themselves, let alone together, and their decisions are even more frustrating. They're clearly horrible for each other and the fact that they keep returning to each other had me at the end of my rope. But after sitting with this book a while, Stephen and Lucy's actions aren't just plausible—they feel completely accurate of a dependent relationship.

You know that saying, "The real world is ugly"? Well, TELL ME LIES is ugly. In the best way. You're not going to come out the other side of this book and feel good. But you will have a better understanding of why people stay in their safe little boxes even when they know something isn't healthy for them. There are millions of Lucys and Stephens out there. And their stories aren't the most romantic, but are necessary to tell.

MY RATING: ✰✰✰
RECOMMENDED READING: What Girls Are Made Of by Alana K. Arnold

**CONTENT WARNING: Lucy struggles with weight issues and there are some fairly detailed descriptions regarding her body and food.

I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you how real, honest, and raw Tell Me Lies is. Lucy Albright, young Long Island twenty-something year old has moved across the country to California to enroll in college. Embracing her new chapter at life, Lucy makes new friends, enjoys the college lifestyle of partying while balancing school work, and venturing into romance. Lucy stumbles across Stephen DeMarco one night and the duo's chemistry is magnetic. While Stephen isn't as physically attractive as the stunners that Lucy typically dates/hooks up with, she is intrigued by Stephen and his charm.

Stephen begins investigating into Lucy's life—in hopes of tailoring his personality to match hers and win her over. (I can't even hate because I've definitely done that in college as well). Stephen's antics end up winning Lucy over and the two forge a romantic relationship. The duo's relationship, at best, can be deemed problematic. Lucy knows that Stephen isn't the right man for her, but she just can't let him go.

The one aspect of why Tell Me Lies is such a profound and shockingly (I typically don't read romance) compelling story for me is because it's so relatable, while also maintaining it's entertainment factor. We have all been in Lucy's position before; dating the wrong person, knowing how bad the match is, but refusing to let go. As the token gay best friend in many of my friends' lives, I have seen my girlfriends date horrendous excuses for boyfriends countless times. I have tried time and time again in helping them ditch these losers to no avail. Seriously ladies, what's in the water?! #LoveYou #GotYourBack #GBFF

Tell Me Lies should be introduced to young women everywhere (either as a summer reading for High Schoolers or promoted on college campus book clubs) because this all too real situation between toxic men with serious personality disorders. Carola Lovering, I am buying a copy for my younger sister and telling her to learn from Lucy's mistakes so they don't happen to you.

I resonated with both Lucy and her friends so much because I used to be them. Partying, hooking up, dating the wrong person—this coming of age story is not too unfamiliar for me. The likability of these characters is hard, because at some point of another you've been them. I ended up finishing Tell Me Lies , questioning myself as a person, but also how to work on myself and learn to prevent missteps in the future.

Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I've just launched my blog at www.scaredstraightuplate.wordpress.com if you'd like to see my latest reviews.