Had high hopes for this book but it just was not up to par for me. I felt there could of been so much more to the story to make it a smash hit.

For a few weeks now I haven't been too impressed with the books I've read, with the exception of one. That book was good but it also wasn't amazing. After months of procrastinating, I finally picked up The Truth in My Lies by Ivy Smoak. When I read the blurb back then, I immediately knew that I was going to really like the story and I did, but what I didn't know was what I had signed up for. This story was absolutely nuts and I still can't fathom the craziness of this thriller.
*
Blurb:

My name is Adeline Bell. I’m a suburban housewife. Period. My husband has always kept me on a tight leash. I’m not even supposed to leave the house.

My husband leaves every Monday morning for business and comes back Friday night. I have the weekdays to myself. And I always leave the house every morning. What my husband doesn’t know won’t kill him. I wake up, run, clean the house, wish for a better life, repeat. It’s best when I have a routine. And every day is exactly the same.

Except for Thursdays. I live and breathe for Thursdays. It’s when he comes. You know the type. The guy that is the epitome of escape from your wretched life. The one who embodies the strength and freedom you don’t have. I watch him from a distance. I can’t help myself. But I was never supposed to talk to him. I was never supposed to fall for him.

I know what you’re thinking. But you don’t know my story. You don’t know the kind of monster my husband is. And trust me, you have no idea who I am.
*
Now, what do you think after reading the blurb? I'm pretty sure that your thoughts on how the story is going to unfold is something like this: The husband is a terrible human being; Adeline gets saved by the mystery stranger; they are going to live happily ever after. And obviously there a few twists and turns along the way because it's a thriller after all. Well... Think again because this novel is nothing you would expect. And I mean nothing! The plot is totally and without a single doubt insane!

I usually don't mind predictable endings in New Adult and/or Contemporary Romance books. It's obvious that the guy gets the girl (or the guy the guy and the girl the girl) and I'm kind of hoping for it because I am a sucker for happy endings. The path they go, however, to get to their happily ever after is a different story. I expect there to be some small twists and turns to keep it exciting.
Thrillers, if they are plotted well, shouldn't be predictable at all. They should make you gasp, they should captivate you from the very first page, they should blow you away. All of this happened while reading The Truth in My Lies. However, I figured out the plot twist of the thriller. At least I thought I did because as it turned out it was only a minor plot twist and the big one was yet to come and that one was shocking! Now imagine my surprise when I found out! I never saw this coming. And then the ending! I am really impressed with Smoak's plotting.

Adeline was one of the most unreliable characters I've ever read about. Honestly, that made the book even better and more intriguing in my opinion. It was oftentimes difficult to tell if Adeline was telling the truth or if she only told lies. On top of that, she didn't seemed to know herself if the things she did, said and thought were true or not. I got very confused throughout the book because I didn't know what to believe anymore. I really liked this concept here.

"Don't be fooled by what you see. It's the things you don't that really matter."

There were a few scenes in the middle of the book that dragged a little and they didn't seem to fit properly in the story. But the pace which picked up again after the halfway point and the shocking ending to the story totally made up for the dragging part.
The Truth in My Lies was definitely a surprising but brilliant read. I enjoyed every minute of it. This thriller is definitely going to be on my 'Favorite Books of 2018' list.

I couldn't finish it. Sorry. I just could not care about the characters.

Liar, Liar Stars
What threw me off initially is this book is tagged as a thriller… it is not it is more of a suspense book. Or may I think of thriller too literally like a bad guy with a knife and that’s just not what the book is.

This book is about Addy Bell who is a 30 year old housewife who is abused by her husband and is not allowed to leave the home but he works out of town Monday through Friday and Addy tries to have a life outside of it.
But I knew him too. I knew he got off on belittling me. Threatening me. Hurting me. And I prayed that this would be over soon. Not just this moment or this night. But us. Us and all the lies our relationship was built on. One of our hearts needed to stop beating. I just prayed it would be his.
She meets Ben who mows lawns and falls in love with him without ever speaking to him for months.
“All I had wanted for the past decade was to get away from my husband. It's the only thing I dreamed of. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Ever since I had first seen Ben mowing lawns, I had dreamed of him.”
So you figured out the book didn’t ya… she is totally going to cheat on her husband with ben.. a little affair to read about…

WRONG!!! Can you believe it!!!
This book is a super cute story of second chances, trying new things and falling in love.
But the last chapter of this book…. Will ruin your entire reading experience.. and by ruin I mean it gets amazinggg and you realize the book is not a series and you are just like OHHHH DAMNNNN

3.5*

This is a strange read.....it's from the perspective of a women who appears to be being abused by her husband and who fantasises about a local landscape gardener as her escapism. However, it's much more and definitely had me hooked throughout. I read this is just over a day.
It is weird though, purposefully vague and ambiguous, which keeps you guessing, but, is so frustrating in parts.
Despite guessing various endings as I read, there were still twists and turns to be had. A solid 3.5 stars from me.

Many thanks to netgalley and Weapenry Co-Op for the opportunity to preview this good read.

Wow!! My whole perspective of this book was completely wrong! This book will keep you guessing the whole time! I was thinking something completely different from the time I started this book to the time I finished it! With unbelievable twists, and an even more unbelievable ending!

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

'The Truth in My Lies' concerns Adeline, who is not supposed to leave the house, and so during the week when her husband is away, she gets herself into a routine. Same routine, every day. Except on Thursdays, when something slightly different happens. We quickly find out that we should be doubting whether Adeline is someone that can be trusted, given that she appears to suffer from mental health issues, which leads to an entire book of second-guessing what she's up to and whether anything she says can be believed. What we do know from the start, however, is that Adeline's husband is a monster.

The great thing about this book, is that although you think it's predictable, you'll soon find that it turns in various different directions, leaving you wondering whether you've interpreted the story all wrong. It's difficult to say too much without giving away the entire story, but if you're looking for a book that will leave you guessing, suspecting every character of the worst, and utterly desperate to uncover the truth, then read this book!

I've never read anything by Ivy Smoak before, but boy was this a good read. Her writing style is fantastic, full of suspense, just enough detail to keep you guessing, and every page left me wanting more. The only reason I avoided a 5-star rating because as the plot twist unravelled, I found the storyline became so complicated that I struggled to make sense of it all. Yes I completely had to suspend disbelief here, but somehow it worked. I had to re-read a few chapters a second time in order to ensure I really understood what was going on, but on the whole this was a BRILLIANT book.

At first, I thought I understood what this book was about, but discovered I was wrong. The story starts out one way, and looks pretty straightforward.
However, reading along, things didn't seem to add up- the oppressor isn't quite as bad he may seem, the good girl is not quite as good as she may seem.
In an effort to right wrongs, to save the the beaten, someone goes off the trail a bit. It is not who you think, and for that the book is worth the time.
It surprised me ---

<b> Love? what a preposterous thought. I didn't love anything. I didn't believe in love. But addiction? I believed in that. </b>

WHAT THE WHAT DID I JUST READ?
The entire book had me guessing, creating theories, and pretty damn sure that I had figured it all out. I was wrong. Wrong about everything.
Adeline waits alone all week, every week for her husband to come home from business for the weekends. She scrubs the house on Fridays and loses her yoga pants and tank tops for floral dresses and pearl button cardigans. Her husband is home every Friday at the same time and he expects all of this. A clean house and a wife in a dress who takes her pills like a good girl and obeys his every word.
Adeline is also addicted to the lawn care boy next door. Its a dangerous addiction and could cost her and the lawn boy their lives if her husband finds out. Her husband is a bad man. Adeline tells us so. Adeline tells us a lot. And its realllllly really good. I suggest you hang on to her every word.....

I can't give any more of this story because I'm afraid I will spoil it for others. I really enjoyed how the author made Adeline so likable and made me want to protect her.
I like the author's writing style as well. There were many conversations that really had me laughing out loud.
I would recommend this book to friends and I will leave you with my 5 stars. FIVE BRIGHT SHINY OMG stars! #CrazyAssHousewife #Truth #Lies #HotLawnBoy #TwistyHallofFame

<b>**Thank you #NetGalley for my free ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review posted on both Netgalley and Goodreads.**</b>