Member Reviews
After reading Watching Edie a year or so ago, I was eager to get my hands on this one, so thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read it! I honestly don't remember Watching Edie very well, but omg.....The Lies We Told is such a topsy turvey book that I will be sure to remember for awhile!
Clara's boyfriend Luke has gone missing and unfortunately for his parents, this isn't their first rodeo with a missing kid. Twenty years ago his sister Emily also disappeared without a trace. When Emily suddenly comes back and wants to help Clara find Luke, Clara is ecstatic with the thought of reuniting the family. Clara is convinced Luke had a stalker and with the help of Luke's best friend Mac, they soon realize they may not know everything about Luke.
However, little does she know....everyone.. and I do mean EVERYONE has a secret they have been keeping. Who can she trust, is she just going mad, and where is Luke? This book is told in different time friends, by different narrators and normally I have a I hard time keeping track of things, but this was easy. I absolutely loved the characterization of the main villian! So chilling! There are so many twists and turns, and even though some you could figure out early on, it still made for a thrilling ride!
I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!
I received a copy of THE LIES WE TOLD on Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the publisher and author.
5 stars and here's why:
It’s an emotional roller coaster ride the whole book. A psychological thriller that kept me up all night reading until I got to the very end – total book hangover! The book is told from 2 perspectives which keep the pacing going so fast, I kept saying one more chapter. One more page and before you know it – I stayed up all night to finish it! It’s basically a story about a woman, Clara, who thinks she knows her boyfriend Luke until he disappears. Then suddenly, the clues start to fall into place and there is twist after twist after twist. Loved it! Highly recommend!
Review: THE LIES WE TOLD by Camilla Way. Great read. This story started out like two different stories that I was reading simultaneously and I kept wondering how they would come together to evolve into one. Plenty of twists, awesome author. ⭐⭐⭐⭐Four Stars
This is looney, just how I like them. Quick read, read it in two sittings and the pacing was to my liking too. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Camilla Way owns the psychological suspense genre. This book regrettably kept me entertained for only a day because I just couldn't put it down. It was that addictive.
When Clara's boyfriend Luke goes missing and the police can't make any progress on the case, she enlists Luke's best friend, Mac, and her best friend Zoe to undertake their own investigation. The man she thought she knew, the man she hopes to spend the rest of her life with, isn't who she thought he was. His parents, Rose and Oliver, people she also thought she knew and loved, couldn't be further from the truth.
To find Lucas, Clara must delve into his past, understand the relationships he had with previous girlfriends, understand the impact of his sister Emily’s unresolved disappearance in his youth, and even question whether her idyllic relationship with Lucas is real or a sham.
Meanwhile, many years earlier, another couple, desperate for a child, are given an opportunity to raise a beautiful young girl they name Hannah. Six years later, Beth and Doug are blessed with another child, Toby, but their earlier ‘pact with the devil’ seems destined to haunt their future lives. Hannah is a difficult child who displays sociopathic tendencies. Beth fears for Toby’s safety. But, after letting a secret slip in front of Hannah, seeking professional help for her daughter is impossible.
Switching back to London, 2017, Clara and Mac are meeting with Lucas’s parents to keep them informed of their investigative developments. Rose and Oliver’s impeccable, cheery façade is completely shattered. Their sumptuous estate is looking neglected, as are they, and there’s a palpable sense of tension between them. Returning to London, Clara finds her apartment has been trashed. Out of the blue, Lucas’s long-lost sister, Emily reaches out to Clara. Mac is then attacked in his flat and Lucas’s surly and evasive older brother, Tom, seems to be conveniently dropping by at the same time these mishaps are occurring - even though he rarely has business in London. The plot doth thicken...
Putting the pieces of this puzzle together is half the fun. I never knew what was coming around the next corner, which is rare. When will the stories coincide? Who’s dead? Who’s alive? Will Clara find Lucas with the help of her mates? Whose lies are justified? Whose aren’t? Is justice achieved for anyone? Do you agree with the decisions that were made? What constitutes a good life and are some people more deserving than others? Is revenge an appropriate response? And can forgiveness ever be achieved? I enjoyed this book immensely, and immediately dove into Camilla Way's previous books. I hope other readers do, too!
This is a very intriguing thriller. It is fast paced with lots of twists. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance reader copy.
I was gifted this book to read and review. This is my opinion of the book.
This is a psychological thriller. It is written from two main perspectives. However, all the characters have an opportunity to voice their perspectives is a smaller, but no less important way. Clara is the person that the events are happening to. She and her boyfriend, Luke are happy in their relationship. Then Luke disappears. While she is trying to contact people who have known him throughout his life, she begins to see that the person she thought she knew may not be that at all. Trying to find clues she begins to discover disturbing events about his whole family. The family she loved and admired. The family that everyone knew as the perfect family.
This is an exciting work of fiction, that can probably be actually happening in one way or another. The characters are real, with problems of their own. The storyline is exceptional. Great read.
5 stars for this intriguing mystery thriller that holds your attention throughout the book. From the very first page it grips your attention and keeps you turning the pages to find out what happens next. The narrative is told in alternating points of view by Beth, past, and Clara, present; each narrator leads you through an intriguing story that is disturbingly intense. How does Beth handle her child, Hannah, when she is fearful.of her? What does Clara do when her boyfriend, Luke, disappears? As you turn each page, a piece of the mysterious tale is revealed and it just gets more interesting as the story progresses until you reach the climatic ending.
I really enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it for sale in the bookstore as well as on my social media review page and blog group.
Wow! This is a great mystery that keeps you guessing. There are two stories being told and the author does a fabulous job of meshing them together so the story flows. From Luke’s disappearance which sets off the chain of events to the last little twist revealed at the end, I found myself riveted.
Fast paced, I had a hard time putting this one down. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a great mystery/thriller.
Many thanks to the publisher for a review copy via NetGalley.
Thank you for the early copy.
I picked this up because of the plot and it was enjoyable read. A interesting and well done novel. I recommend this for fans of mysteries or thrillers.
A great many people will enjoy this book. Many will find interesting the tortuous buildup of its dark nature. The numerous twists and turns will make this a psychological thriller for a wider audience than this reviewer.
I do not generally enjoy books that take place in more than one time, that is, when the past is inserted rather than blended. Although some are masterfully done, this is not one. I also do not care to read disconnected bits and pieces of different and apparently separate stories, except as separate stories in a collection. Here, they are dissonant in time and content. One simply assumes the connection is part of the to be revealed thrill. I found it so bothersome that it was difficult to push through the book. Neither story on its own was particularly gripping. In each there was a gloss of unreality coating the behaviors of those involved. Skipping from one to the other across time and action did not enhance.
I am giving it three stars because my personal bias against the writing style is sufficient to distort the content. I've read far, far worse
Wow what a book!! Can’t wait for everyone to read this one! It will keep you up way into the night do have a pot of coffee ready for the morning! Must read!
LIES, LIES EVERY WHERE!! What a story!! I got caught up in the story and at every turn I was wondering what happened next! I was come up with one explanation, and later it was shown to be wrong!! So suspenseful! Great read!!
Two stories years apart that keep you on the edge of your seat. The author does an excellent job of bringing the characters to life and sending chills down your back.
When I started this book it was pure excitement....it grabbed me by the throat and I was unable to put it down. So why only 3 stars? Because, sadly, once we got to he "big" reveal... it was like a giant pin came along and burst my balloon. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, it was anti-climactic for me. Almost like no big whoop. I just thought it was going to be so much better. Sigh.
Wow! OMG! What a story! It was hard to put this book down, I read it in one afternoon. It had lots of twist and turns! I really enjoyed it and thought it was really good!!
This was a solid 4.5 stars raised to a 5. Clara and Luke are living together when he disappears. Clara reports it to the Police and they soon learn that he, when leaving work, got into a van that had previously been stolen. The van was eventually found but Luke was not around. Clara and Mac, their best friend, begin to look into Luke’s past to see if it gave some clues about what happened to him. They also spent time with his parents and brother, Tom. A sister, Emily, had left home when she was 18 and never contacted her family again. While this story was being told, a secondary story about Hannah and her family was also being told in every other chapter. I will not go any further into the story because of spoilers, but will say the reader will find themselves reading more than they intended because of a strong desire to learn what happens next. Everyone is hiding truths and no one is telling why. The ending is imminently satisfying and also worrisome. Thanks to Net Galley and Berkley for an ARC for an honest review.
It's not a god sign when you're reminded to review a book and you can't remember what it was about.I actually had to read the first chapter again, and when I said aloud "Oh, right, this one." The writing was good, but the reveal was obvious. The author relied on too many tropes, which I found disappointing. I want to be surprised when I read a mystery and not be able to figure it out at all.
Strap in, because you're not putting this book down.
"The Lies We Told" is a psychological thriller in every sense of the word. You think you know where the story is going? You don't. Oh, but now you've figured it out? You haven't
One of my favorite elements of this story is you don't know who to trust. The reader ends up on this journey guessing and second-guessing every word.
I really don't want to give too much away because this is such a compelling read I think one needs to go into it with minimal information in order to get the most out of this brilliant novel.
I was provided an egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.