This is the first book by Jody Sabral that I have read but judging by how much I enjoyed reading ‘I Never Lie’, it certainly won’t be the last book by this author that I read. I really did enjoy reading this book but more about that in a bit.
I can honestly say that I did not like nor take to the character of Alex South one bit. The beginning of the book sees her waking up to another of her one night stands. It transpires that she is desperate to become pregnant and doesn’t care who is the father. She is also a journalist, whose career nosedived when she went on screen drunk and had an epic rant into the camera. Alex is an alcoholic, who has relapsed several times over the years. She drinks alcohol with the same frequency that I eat cake and sweets (that’s a lot in case you were wondering). She trots out the same excuse that she will cut down or she will stop but she never seems to actually do just what she says she will. It wasn’t until further on in the book that I realised that part of her alcohol addiction is her way of coping with the fact that she suffered a miscarriage and the break up of her relationship. That said that doesn’t wash with me. I am a bit hard in that respect. Alex wants to get her career back on track and when a body is discovered in a park nearby, she sees it as her way of getting her career back. The crimes begin to throw up some startling coincidences or connections that Alex just can’t explain. Not surprising for a woman, who drinks like a fish, gets hammered (drunk) and she literally has gaps in her memory. Now that is frightening for me because literally anything could happen to her in her drunken state and she wouldn’t know. On more than one occasion Alex has woken up next to a strange man in her bed and she doesn’t even know their names, let alone their histories. She seems to play Russian Roulette with her health but it doesn’t seem to bother her because she certainly doesn’t change her behaviour.
I have to say that this is one of the most original books that I have read in a fair while because it deals with a character who has memory lapses and so she has no idea if she has committed an awful crime or two or if she is innocent. I was hooked on this book from the moment I got to the bottom of the first page. I had no idea which direction this book was going in and it certainly kept me guessing all the way through. I became addicted to reading this book and the pages just flew past in a blur as I wanted to learn much more about Alex, if she carried on on the path to self destruction and if she really was guilty of a crime. The twists and turns just kept a coming and there were certain moments that I was so unexpecting.
This is a really well written book. The author has a writing style, which catches your attention and draws you in like a fisherman reels in a fish. The chapters are written in two different ways. There are chapters written about events as they happen in the present day and there are chapters written in the style of diary entries of the previous year, which go a long way to explaining why or how Alex is the way she is. The chapters interlink really well and the story flows seamlessly.
In conclusion I have to say that I really enjoyed reading ‘I Never Lie’, even if I wasn’t too keen on the main character. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I can’t wait to read what comes next from Jody Sabral. The score on the Ginger Book Geek is a well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Jody Sabral has given us a really clever book, with a completely different angle. Her protagonist is Alex South, a TV journalist whose career is at rock bottom thanks to an on-air rant because Alex is also an alcoholic. High functioning, but an alcoholic nonetheless. Then one morning a woman’s body is found in a park and the park is in the vicinity of her East London home – which enables Alex to be there fast, and to report on events together with her producer and cameraman. This is the third body to be found. As these events unfold more bodies are discovered and Alex (and her team) is the go-to girl for TV reports.

The plot unfolds from Alex’s point of view present day and diary entries from the previous year. What is fascinating about this is that we are able to witness her struggle with alcohol; her conviction that she is dealing with her drinking; her vows to ‘detox today’; and her belief that she is hiding her problem. She is not dealing with the memory loss or her memory lapses, blackouts and panic attacks. She is not coping but is required to be alert and functioning on camera.

It is like a manual for self-destruction but so sad to witness.

I don’t want to call it brilliant (it doesn’t feel enough). It is heart-rending in a way but it is compelling reading and I cannot recommend it highly enough.

Many, many thanks for this book.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This is a disconcerting, unnerving book which covers the unfolding events of several murders from the viewpoint of Alex a TV news journalist and an alcoholic.

You are soon drawn into her world of one night stands, drink and how she struggles to keep control so that she can prove what a top journalist she is, she deserves to make it big because she is good; she just made one stupid, awful mistake.

She wants to be a mother and ‘the clock is ticking’ she’s obsessing, the drinking isn’t helping, so she’s been using on-line dating it’s much simpler.

Then there’s a murder, the third in a few weeks, just up the road from where she lives. There are similarities but the police won’t confirm it’s a serial killer. This is it, this is the break Alex needs, this is how she can prove to everyone that she is back and better than ever. If she can just keep the drinking under control but of course she can, can’t she?

We follow the murder investigation from this unique viewpoint of TV news reporting. It’s insightful and interesting how Alex, and her producer Audrey, take what information they have and make news from it.

This is a gripping story which keeps you turning pages and keeps you readjusting your thoughts on what is happening and why. It’s the why that drives the storyline. Although the focus may seem, at times, to be too much on alcoholism it is necessary for the storyline. It’s a twisty plot that moves along at a fair pace with an intensity that will keep you thinking, speculating and will astonish you with it’s conclusion.

It’s a well written book, knowledgable and well researched with characters that are, in the main, quite likeable. Perhaps surprisingly so, as alcoholics are not generally written with the empathy and understanding that Jody Sabral manages, you can engage with what’s happening and why. It is well worth reading.

The layers is this book would make for a terrific book club read. Whether that, your own personal enjoyment or chatting about it with friends I Never Lie will make for plenty of interesting deliberation.

I am thrilled to be part of this Blog Tour and would like to thank the author, publisher and Ellie Pilcher at Canelo for bringing me on board.

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I started this book really not knowing what to expect. But I do like myself a thriller on the odd occasion and hadn’t read one for a while so figured this was my chance. I loved the fact that this book brought alcoholism to the readers attention. I know in a roundabout way you read a lot about wanting the next drink or Alex wondering when she was going to get her next drink, but that in a nutshell, this is the way an alcoholic thinks so it was only natural.

This had me hooked from page 1 and I couldn’t put it down, I felt myself wanting to follow Alex’s journey and really hoping that she will get sober, (don’t panic no spoilers). For this fast-paced psychological thriller I’m giving it 4/5. I thoroughly enjoyed it and will definitely read another of Jody’s novels.

Initially I thought this book was a crime novel however it tells the story of a journalist struggling with an addiction to alcohol & the consequences of some of her actions
I was a little disappointed in the ending however look forward to Jody’s next book.

I was completely gripped by this book, I couldn't put it down. Never quite sure where the story was leading you it kept me guessing until the end. It also gave an interesting insight into addiction and denial of said addiction. A really great read.

I was really looking forward to reading this one after I saw the blurb and the cover!

I thought that the storyline was really gripping and whilst at times it did focus heavily on alcoholism, it is needed for the story, although I do agree with some of the other reviewers that are times this did take the focus over the rest of the storyline when it should possibly have had more of a back seat at times.

The characters were strong and you can see the research that the author has done in the topic. It is well written and it really had me hooked at times and I was desperate to see how it would end and
we find out - right at the very last minute!

It also teaches a valuable lesson about the dangers of drinking excessively as well as the dangers from online dating and what could potentially happen- it is a scary to think having friends who have used this and do still now - plenty of food for thought there!

I really enjoyed the ending 4 stars from this one for me!

Wow! A refreshing story showing how different life can be when you are trapped in an addiction. This is one that has lots of twists and turns and keeps you enthralled.

Excellent story line which was gripping from start to finish. Great characters. I would highly recommend this book.

I received this book in exchange for an honest review from Netgalley,

I sort of felt cheated by this book - you know the ending when it's like 'and it was all a dream'. This felt similar 'and she was drunk and didn't remember any of it'.

I did like how it addressed the issue of alcoholism, and I did like the twists, but the ending was disappointing to me.

This book for me was a book of two halves. The first half had me intrigued and I liked the main character and was interested as to where this story was going to go. The second half I felt dragged on to long and the ending happened in the last 3 pages. . The character, in the second half of the book I found quite annoying, and self pitying. The time spent in police custody is not accurate which I found disappointing. On the whole the book was OK but spoilt by the hurried ending and the decline in the writing of the main character. Good story but I'm sad to say slightly disappointing for me.

This was a story of alcoholism told against the back drop of a series of murders of young ladies which were linked to a dating app.
I feel quite ambivalent about this book. It is told from two viewpoints, one a barely functioning alcoholic and the second, an obsessive, damaged personality. Neither makes for comfortable reading. The ending didn’t work for me either and I felt somehow disappointed with it.

I Never Lie is an intelligent and thought provoking thriller that I read in one sitting so engrossed was I in the characters and the premise.
Alex South is an alcoholic who manages to function just, her life is spiralling out of control. She has black outs and is only just managing to hold her job down as a journalist, relying on alcohol to make it through the day.
News breaks of a murdering spree. Alex South is on the scene as the lead reporter. Is this the opportunity she needs for her colleagues to restore their faith in her or something much sinister. All of the women murdered have been using the same dating app, one that Alex also uses.
I Never Lie is full of mystery and intrigue. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. Flawed but dynamic characters give the story depth and left me with so much to think about. I cannot get this book out of my head, it has got under my skin.
I Never Lie is a story for the social media age, an exploration of using apps to secure dates, it puts under the microscope how safe all of that is and the risks that some people take without a thought for their own personal safety. It is also a well researched spotlight on the destructive nature of alcoholism which made for difficult reading.
I Never Lie is the sort of book that would appeal to many and it is one that I will be recommending as I can't stop thinking about it.

Alex is an alcoholic in denial whilst trying to hold down a job as crime reporter. She thinks she has it under control but clearly she doesn't. She's called to report on a murder and soon there are more. A young woman appears to be involved and Alex knows her. Can she try and put it all together and stay sober long enough to learn the truth?

This was a good read but I must admit I was a little disappointed with the ending. I had already figured out what had happened but a part of me hoped there would be a big twist at the end. That being said it was quite an interesting story though and I did like Alex's final part. It's quite a slow and steady pace.

I really struggled with Alex but her struggles were very real and you could feel her wanting to fight her addiction but being unable to.

the main character of this book is Alex South an investigative journalist and desperate to be a mum. alex is also an alcoholic and this addiction is having a detrimental effect on her career, chaances of becoming pregnant and her health. her alcohol consumption is causing her to have massive memory loss. a string of murders of local females revives Alex’s career but the persistent blackouts. are proving dangerous.

whilst i enjoyed this book and felt for alex with her struggles i found the ending disappointing.

many thanks to netgalley and the publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent read, keeps you guessing right to the end about who is responsible for the murders. One person, copy cat murder . A realist tale of a functioning alcoholic Alex, whom holds down a job and struggles to recall her actions. Leading to serious consequences. Thoroughly enjoyed reading this and recommend it as a book not to be put down !

I really had high hopes for this thriller. It sounded exactly my thing but I’m afraid that, for me, it didn’t live up to expectations. Rather than focusing on the murders it focussed primarily on the narrator (and someone else’s) dysfunctional relationship with alcohol. Riveting reading it’s not. Quite sordid and depressing read.

Alex South is 39, a functioning alcoholic working a successful career as a television news journalist.

Her job is high profile, her position precarious after a drunken on air rant. She has tried her very best to keep her head down after that fateful day and has largely succeeded.

When a young woman is brutally murdered (almost literally) on her doorstep, Alex seizes her opportunity to get back into the limelight. The woman is the third to be murdered in similar circumstances in a short time, the press have enough to believe a serial killer is on the loose.

Alex is quickly thrust back into the limelight.

She copes with this by drinking wine with or sometimes instead of her morning coffee, and sipping vodka from a water bottle throughout the day. Her daily goal is to detox, but as part of such a high profile media campaign she finds herself unable to relax enough to do so most days.

The days where little is happening and Alex is allowed time of work though are the scariest. Each time she tries to detox she does practically the opposite. She finds small bottles of vodka and wine in her bag that she can’t remember buying, and worst still she experiences episodes of black outs where she wakes not being able to remember anything.

I Never Lie is a gripping account of how very ordinary people can slide from a seemingly perfect life into something not so perfect and how we can so easily push away those we love, and draw close to those we think we know, but infact know nothing about.

Alex is a TV reporter approaching 40. Although she's still denying it to herself, Alex is also a high functioning alcoholic.

Having left behind her home town of Manchester, and the radio show she presented there, Alex has headed for the bright lights of London and is teetering on the edge of a glittering news career. However she might have just messed up big time by having a very public, drunken rant on live TV. She has hasn't been sacked yet, so she's holding on to the hope that she's going to get another chance to prove herself...but she's still drinking. Way too much.

When a woman is murdered in a park just down the road from her home, Alex jumps at the chance to be there on the scene almost immediately and bamboozles her dubious editor into letting her bring the story home.

She throws herself into this new opportunity, and is exactly what the channel wants from a news anchor - determined, control and authoritative - the numbers on her Twitter account goes through the roof, delighting her employers and making her really feel like she's dodged a bullet. More murders are happening and Alex is literally on the doorstep of all the action, getting lots of air time and a great reception from the public. Reports are linking the victims to a dating site - one that Alex has been meeting men on for quite some time, even meeting one on the night the first murder happened. But in the background her drinking is getting even further out of hand - as the days progress she's even subconsciously stealing booze from people's houses, shops, anywhere she can get her hands on it, she is drunk more often than she is sober and she keeps having these blackouts where she wakes up with no idea where she is, or how she got there

Resigned to the fact that she does need help to escape from her alcohol dependancy, she keeps telling herself that tomorrow will be the day she will go sober -but tomorrow always seems to be a day away.

The story is told between the present day and diary entries written in 2017 by someone we don't know, a year or so before. The diary entries are intense, and scary, and we don't know where or how they fit into the story other than they seem to know Alex, and be virtually obsessed with her. The chapters are short and this leads to you wanting to keep reading, just one more, before turning the light out (or switching off the kindle!). Oh that way madness lies!

In terms of the plot, Alex is an unreliable narrator - we don't know where she's been or what she's been up to, apart from the gaps that are filled in by her various friends and colleagues. I really enjoyed the way Alex's character was written. I wanted to grab hold of her and shake her, stop her doing what she was about to do, and I was nervous of the person writing the diary entries, as they were clearly not quite right in the head due to the terribly sad life events they had experienced.

The only criticism I would have is nothing to do with the actual book, but the strap line - it set me thinking down a plot direction I wouldn't have even considered had I not read it, so it seemed an odd choice to me when promoting a book with a 'twist'.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publishers & Netgalley in return for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological thriller and read it within two days. The story is told through the eyes of the main character Alex who is a just functioning alcoholic working as an investigative reporter. The books chapters switch between her role in the investigation of a number of female murders, whilst struggling with her love life and her addiction, to the diary entry of a recovering alcoholic. The plot twists and turns with a sinister undertone and you question every character’s innocence right to the last few chapters.
I enjoyed the subject matter, the view into the world of an addict and the descriptions. The book is very current and deals with a lot of modern issues like online dating. I would definitely recommend this to fans of psychological thrillers and will definitely seek out more of this author