Member Reviews

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Susanna is a counsellor who is taken by surprise when a young patient tells her that he has dark fantasies about hurting someone. What troubles Susanna is that she can't shake the feeling that she has met this young man somewhere before...
I absolutely loved this story. It maintains a sense of foreboding throughout and finishes neatly.Five star!

Was this review helpful?

You have a secret that is so bad that if it ever came out the repercussions would be devastating to family and friends. You change your name, move away and make a new life.
One day you have a visitor at your place of work and the wall you have built up all those years comes tumbling down and someone is out for answers and REVENGE. This author is new to me and I will definitely be looking out for more of his books.
I would like to thank the author Simon Lelic and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I am a huge fan of Simon Lelic and his latest novel does not disappoint. He is back on the familiar territory of troubled teenagers. It is a compelling and sinister read.

The story takes place over an afternoon and an evening. Susanna is a counsellor and has a new client a young man called Adam. As the reasons for Adam’s visit become apparent we are drawn into the secrets in Susanna’s past and her desperate wish to keep them from her daughter Emily.

Tension and suspense are maintained throughout this fast paced and dark novel. Well worth reading.

I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley and publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you.

Was this review helpful?

Susanna Fenton is running from her past, she has started a new life as a counsellor, in a new town where no one knows her.
She is very protective of her daughter Emily, who is beginning to find her mother’s behaviour claustrophobic.
Susanna takes on a new client, Adam Geraghty, he appears to know some things about her, although she is sure that she does not know him. As the consultation continues Susanna comes to fear for her daughter’s safety but is unclear why Adam would wish her harm.
This is a beautifully written and well constructed thriller with some clever twists to keep you guessing. It’s quite disturbing in places, very atmospheric and a must read for lovers of psychological thrillers.

Was this review helpful?

Wow wow wow this book was a roller coaster. I wasn't sure what to expect but it hooked me straight away and i love the complexities of Adam. I could read stories about characters like that all day long. The twists were great and while i did guess one of them, it didn't spoil the brilliance of the story at all.

Was this review helpful?

The story is set in One room over a few hours. This makes for an intense page turning read, that you will not look up from the pages book very often.

Clear the decks before you start reading. It’s a great one sit read...

Thanks for the arc #gift

Was this review helpful?

I loved this book, I don’t want to give too much away on the storyline as it’s not out yet!!

What I can say is I love the way that the story unfolds and you don’t quite know where it’s going... I certainly didn’t expect the outcome - having the realisation at the same time that our lead character did in the book!

It was brilliantly written and kept me reading until late at night as I needed to finish and find out the truth!

Was this review helpful?

The Liar’s Room on paper should work in every detail but for me it lacks a sense of reality to the proceedings on the page. The premise is exciting and well put together but when it comes to its tense conclusion, it seems a little out of sorts with the overall narrative.

The characters are interesting and the plot carries forward in a very fast pace that pushes the reader forward. The plot jumps from the past to the current and it feels a bit too surreal to be taken as realistic in some cases. There are some nice touches with the diary entrees of the daughter, Emily and the overall lead up to what Susanna goes through in her previous life before she undertakes her new life.

The overall problematic plot I personally experienced is the character of Adam. At times, he feels like a character that was not fully fleshed out but a characterisation of someone that doesn’t seem to be true to his sense of being.

The novel runs at a good pace but when the pieces come together, this for me is where things seem to be pushed and pulled to fit the confines of what came before. Without giving too much away within the plot, I felt that the reasoning behind Adam was a bit too course and felt that in order to get a satisfying conclusion, we have to put reasoning and understanding to the side to ensure we get an exciting finish.

The ending is the main problem from my point of view, with characters all of sudden reacting differently than before and was a slight let down for me. From the acknowledgment and the author notes from the end, I wonder if this may have something to do with his own personal trauma that may have thwarted his plotting which may have stood in the way.

This is a well written book and one that I would say is an interesting read but let down from an unrealistic ending that didn’t quite meet the sum of its parts.

Was this review helpful?

Extremely atmospheric novel which seems almost claustrophobic at times due to the story being set in one room. Very dark and tense but in the best possible way! These are the types of books I could read all day, after a few unsatisfactory books I've read recently this one has got me back into reading!

Was this review helpful?

When Adam walks in Susanna’s counselling office she thinks it will be a routine appointment but what follows is anything but as 2 liars battle to discover the truth…

The Liars Room is a claustrophobic psychological thriller set in an office. The main story is told through flash-backs, letters and diaries and often switches perspective. I enjoyed this mechanic and thought it worked well. This does, however mean that it’s not exactly full of action, but the suspense builds and leaves you wanting to find out aspects of Susanna’s past.

I can’t really discuss any of the themes of the book without giving out any spoilers but I have to admit that the reveal didn’t really hit me as hard as I thought it was going to. I think this is mainly down to the fact that the entire plot has been building up to it which perhaps over-hypes your expectations. I have read a few other books with similar themes recently as well which probably didn’t help.

It’s a fast-paced read – I thought it must have been quite short until I realised it was 400 pages! It is engaging writing and keeps you wanting to pick it up to read. I did find Jake’s letters quite hard to read as they seemed to finish mid-sentence in places and jump around. I’m not quite sure if this was deliberate choice as to his writing style or because Susanna is struggling to read them and just skimming but I had to go back on them several times to make sense of them which brought me out of the story.

Overall The Liars Room is fast-paced and suspenseful reading and recommended. Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin UK for the chance to read the ARC is exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

A cracking, psychological thriller from fellow Brightonian, Simon Lelic. A very clever plot. The writer holds the reader spellbound with a riveting plot that revolves around just three main characters. That takes great skill. Susanna, Adam and Emily, Susanna's daughter. Add Jake to the mix, Susanna's long dead son and you have a complex storyline with plenty of shocks in store.

Susanna is a counsellor and thinks she has escaped a dark past. Horrendous events that involved her son Jake. But has she? Does her previous life remain concealed? Adam Geraghty has made an appointment to see Susanna. Who is he? Does Susanna know him? There is something about him.... Does Adam know Susanna? Does he have a dark motive for their meeting? A meeting that takes place in Susanna's office. A meeting full of menace as disturbing facts are revealed. There are chapters where I found myself unable to turn pages quickly enough, breathless...

The Liar's Room is a compelling read, with a final momentous twist. Highly recommended.

My thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Books and Simon Lelic for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Was this review helpful?

After a few years of really great thrillers, I wasn’t sure there was anything left to excite me but WOW. After a slow start, this story had more twists and turns than a rollercoaster. Any ideas I had about the ending were soon batted away and my feelings towards the main characters changed with every chapter. This book is a true definition of a page turner

Was this review helpful?

I really enjoyed this book. The action all takes place over a few hours with flashbacks and occasional input from other characters. It’s amazing how the tension and suspense builds as well as it does over such a short time frame.
Susanna is one of those characters that you hate one minute and sympathise with the next. Having ran away from her previous life, her new one is thrown into turmoil when events and the past finally catch up with her.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for this copy.

Was this review helpful?

Not my usual kind of read as I like books with a keen sense of place and this book only has one - but it's a heck of a setting and a brilliantly twisty story to boot! I felt dizzy by the ending switching from one side to another and jumping all those obstacles and red herrings in my way but what a read!

It was very violent and disturbing in places though which is brilliant for a thriller but not something I really liked reading about. No spoilers but beware.if you love cats.

Was this review helpful?

An enjoyable read that kept me guessing throughout. I read this book in two sittings and will look out for more from the author.
This tells the story of a counsellor, Susannah and her new client Adam. Set in her consulting room, this fast paced read is full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing.... a dark read perfect for summer.
Thank you to netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read in return for a review.

Was this review helpful?

Overall this is a good read. There is a lot to it and it is surprising in places. I feel however that I have read better thrillers which have gripped me more.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

Was this review helpful?

This was the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last. It's a long conversation between two seeming strangers who share a past unknown to one. Gripping as it unfolds.

Was this review helpful?

Completely thrilling!! I devoured this in one sitting as it I just wanted to keep turning those pages to find out what happens. I cannot recommend this book enough.

Was this review helpful?

I had a bit of a Simon Lelic binge last month when I discovered The House and then proceeded to read all of his back catalogue and it is safe to say this new novel is of the same standard as everything else I have read from him. The different POVs kept things interesting and I liked how the backstory was drip fed throughout. Definitely recommend. Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin and the author for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

♥I got an ARC from the publisher through NetGalley and this is my honest uninfluenced review♥

Rating: I won't rate a book that I didn't finished, but if I must, I would say 3 of 5

This is basically the first time I've ever stopped reading a book in more than like the first two or three chapters. The point is. I just don't give a shit. I'm not interested or curious about what happened and what will happen. For the first time I just didn't finish a book. That's not a bad book. That's not a crappy book. It just didn't hook me up. And I'm like the most curious person in the whole world. I actually describe me as pathologically curious. But this book didn't interest me. It really hurts my feelings - and my pride - that I didn't finish this book, I just couldn't keep going through a book that didn't interest me. I'm not sure if it was the way the book is written - I was at 47% and basically all that happened was the two main characters talking. Also, I don't know it that was a problem with my device (despite the fact it was the first time it happened) but the whole book wasn't the way it should be - like paragraphs starting out in the middle of a sentence. I have another book from this author on my tbr list and I strongly hope that I'll like it.

Was this review helpful?