I couldn't get on with this book so gave up halfway. I started reading it with anticipation but once into it I just found that on the whole it didn't really grip me in the way I wanted it to.
Just not for me I'm afraid.

This is an original plot, compelling read and quite uncomfortable at times. The story is one of addiction woven through the case of a serial killer. For those of us fortunate enough not to have experienced addiction it is an insight into the self destruction and self denial that seems to ring so true. As a reader you want to shout 'get yourself sorted' but of course the truth of addiction is that this is what cannot be done. The story is written primarily in the first person both in the present by Alex and in the past in diary entries by Sarah. It is a good story, interesting and well written plot with a satisfying ending. Highly recommend

An interesting read with a great insight into the world of alcoholism. Plenty of twists and with a fantastic ending that will leave you thinking long after the book is finished.

'I promise myself that today, if it's the only thing I do, I will detox'.

Alex makes this promise to herself day after day only to find an excuse to delay this promise - usually blaming someone else. Being an alcoholic is a major theme in this book. So many of us do things to excess - drink, take drugs, eat too much, exercise too much - so this book is not just about excess of alcohol.

Cleverly crafted with false leads this is a very interesting book and worth adding to your reading list. 3 1/2 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley/Jody Sabral/Canelo for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A well written psychological thriller centred aroubd alcoholism and it’s dangers. A very enjoyable read with well formed characters and a good flow to the book. A book that leaves you wanting to read more.

It’s easier to deny to yourself that you don’t have a problem with alcohol when you’re (mostly) successful at your career (except for that one time that Alex appeared on the news, wasted). She’d been relegated to the desk after that fiasco, but when murdered women’s bodies show up not far from where she lives, she manages to get herself back on camera at key news-breaking moments.

The novel flashes back to a year earlier where we get posts from someone who knew Alex from Alex’s attempts at AA (to get her long-term boyfriend off her back about her drinking). They are diary entries which we know because they all begin with the words, “Dear Diary.” I’ve kept a journal since I was nine years old and every entry begins with the day of the week and the date. Do real people actually write “dear diary”?

Alex tells herself she’s drinking all day just to stave off detoxing so she can function, at least sort of. As she tries to get scoops, she realizes she has some knowledge of the people who died or the men being interviewed as possible suspects in their deaths.

You could see the ending well before things were revealed, and while there was some good stuff in this book, actively living through the lenses of two people who talk endlessly of simultaneously wanting another drink while also wanting to get sober is repetitive.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this novel.

I Never Lie by Jody Sabral sounded like it was a book that was right up my street. Unfortunately it didn't quite live up to the expectation. It wasn't bad, just not as good as I hoped.

Alex is an alcoholic in denial. She is a journalist on the downslide and desperate to have a baby. She has numerous one night stands with the intention of falling pregnant. When a number of bodies are found in her local area of East London she sees a way to redeem herself and get back on track. But the drinking leads to holes in her memories.. is she a danger to others as well as herself? Alex was not a likeable character at all.

Thanks to Candelo Books and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book to read in exchange for my honest opinions

I almost gave up as found it difficult to get into but I persevered. The main character was difficult to like and the ending was a bit disappointing.

I Never Lie makes for an enjoyable read, with short punchy chapters that will have you thinking "Just one more chapter" and as we all know that leads to sleep deprivation. But it's well worth every lost hour. The book is written between two characters - Alex and diary entries from Sarah. This adds to the intensity and need to keep turning the pages.
Alex South is a journalist, whose personal and professional life suffers because she is an alcoholic. This is the differentiating factor, to other psychological thrillers I have read. The author increases the awareness to the dangers of alcoholism, addiction denial and the extent someone such as Alex goes to, to feed the need for alcohol. It's definitely increased my awareness.
As Alex reports on a local suspected murder case, we learn that due to her addiction she suffers with memory loss and blackouts. This doesn't help the pressurised environment of her reporting live. But the cases, aren't all that they seem. A fourth body is found , and Alex soon begins to recall that she is connected to the individuals who have been murdered and those who are wanted for questioning.
This novel also increases awareness of the use of online dating sites, Alex is currently registered and dating men through the site under question. Are any of the men Alex had met recently responsible for the murders? Has she met the killer? Will she be the next one killed, or is she the killer? It's a real twisty read, and when Alex has a blackout, so do we as that part of the story is omitted. This gives a real feel for what Alex goes through.
As always no spoilers! If you like an easy reading thriller, with twists and turns then this one may be for you.
Thank you to Jody Sabral and Ellie (happy birthday for yesterday) at Canelo for our advanced review copy and invite to join the book tour.

Loved this book. Lots of twists and turns, lot of suspense throughout, a good read and good easy read to as it keeps you going.
Loved the characters and loved the flow of the book.

I quite enjoyed this book and its originality but it did take a while to get into it. Good storyline and suspense kept me turning the pages trying to find out what happens next. Without giving much away if you like murder mystery with a dysfunctional main character then you won't go wrong with this.

This book has me really torn about my reaction to it. In some ways it was great, very topical and thought-provoking and different to a lot of psychological thrillers I have read recently. In other ways it was really frustrating and a couple of things about it have left me downright furious.

This is the story of Alex, a journalist and high-functioning alcoholic whose drinking has torn both her personal and professional life apart. When a series of murders take place close to her home, she sees a way of redeeming her career, but cannot get control of her alcoholism. The book is told mainly from the first person viewpoint of Alex, as she reports on the story, and also through a series of diary entries of a third person, who we gradually find out more about as the book unfolds, which is an interesting set up and works reasonably well.

There are lots of aspects of this book I enjoyed. The writer sets the scene well, and the small area of London where the murders take place is made to feel claustrophobic and menacing, so we can understand how such awful crimes happening in a normally pleasant area can have an affect on a whole community. The character of Alex is well established, although she is not at all sympathetic, being selfish and unaware, but this is important to the plot development and does not detract from your investment in the story. Her need for alcohol overrides everything and the author very clearly demonstrates how alcoholism controls a person’s life, decisions and personality to the exclusion of everything and everyone else to the extent they will lie and deceive to get it and to hide their drinking. In the end, the constant quest for alcohol becomes pervasive to the extent that it is annoyingly repetitive, but I guess this is reflective of the reality for people living with this issue. The author does not pull any punches as to the character’s behaviour and parts of the book make uncomfortable reading.

I enjoyed the insight into the way new stories are put together, and the urgency of that gave the book a real dynamism which kept me turning the pages. The murder story involves the use of social media, not only as a way for the killer potentially to find victims via dating apps, but also as a way for the news team to track updates in the story which I thought was fascinating. It is amazing to me how the rise of social media has changed the dynamic of how we receive information so drastically that news channels are now playing catch up, instead of being the leading method of us gaining information on big stories and it is great to see this being reflected in current fiction.

On to the less positive side, parts of the book were repetitive, particularly the constant retelling of how her life is imploding. I understand that the author is trying to emphasise the cycle that alcoholics constantly go through by I wish she had mixed up how it was presented a little more. This book is advertised as ‘a gripping thriller with a twist you won’t see coming’. Unfortunately, I did see it coming long before the end and I think this was partly due to the strapline on the cover which is ill thought out in my opinion. The ending, and the explanation of some of the issues that had been brought up felt rushed to me, done as they were in a few pages of diary entry at the end.

The main problem, and the one that had me screaming in frustration at the book came in the final pages and, if I hadn’t been reading it on my Kindle, I think I would have thrown it. In a single sentence in the final chapter of the book, the author chooses to completely reverse a basic and central tenet of English criminal law to suit her story. This is unacceptable and had me totally enraged. There can be only two reasons she did this. Either, firstly, it is a mistake and she has simply not bothered to research the point of law involved. I find this hard to believe because a) it is such a basic premise that most lay people will know it and b) the author is a BBC journalist of long-standing. Alternatively, she does know it’s wrong but has decided that it doesn’t matter because her readers either won’t know or won’t care. I find this insulting to me as a reader and it completely ruined the book for me at the end. Maybe that is just me being a pedant but, for a crime writer to decide to re-write English law to suit her preferred story ending is just lazy. We’re not talking about a small licence in detail here and it really bugged me.

Due to my mixed reaction to this book, I can’t say whether I would recommend it or not. It has a lot going for it but it could have been so much better. Ultimately, my over-riding feeling was one of frustration.

Fantastic narration and storyline throughout. Loved the different viewpoints angle and a powerful message contained within

Alcoholism, murder, lies, intrigue are all found in this book. I loved the two person commentary. Following the life of a reporter and how she tried to find out who the murderer was. Very intriguing and exciting story. Thoroughly enjoyed this and would happily recommend.. Will be looking for more books by Jody Sabral.

I found this to be a cracking read.

It's a very unusual storyline and an ending I didn't see coming.

Alex is the functioning alcoholic protagonist who is a TV journalist embroiled in a murder mystery. She blunders through each day in a way I found frustrating, sympathetic and intriguing, all in equal measure.

The writer is excellent at building suspense and I found it was one of those books that, even when I wasn't reading it, never really left me.
I recommend this murder mystery, whodunnit, with a difference and wish the author much future success.

Many thanks to net galley and Canelo for the opportunity to preview in exchange for this honest review.

I'm not sure if it was intentional, but I thought this carefully crafted novel sent out a powerful message about the dangers of alcoholism especially those in denial and also the need to be vigilant on dating sites. Certainly, it gives an amazing insight into alcoholism. Alex Smith is a journalist, but because of her obsessive drinking problem, with vodka, she becomes unreliable absent-minded and disorganised. She stresses about losing her job. She lives from one drink to the next as she tries to "manage" drinking by detoxing. Deep down I think there is an underlying theme of isolation, loneliness, running out of childbirth years, and other factors prevalent in our modern society which is saddening. I learnt the shocking facts about the agonising grip alcohol has on Alex - fighting hard against her need and also on Sarah Wilcox who wanted the oblivion of gin to block out pain and memories but becomes a recovering alcoholic. Sarah tries AA and goes onto Rehab. Is it really SO expensive!!!? It crossed my mind several times that Alex was not too kind to everyone in a bid to escape herself. Was that her dilemma side-effect of the evil drink? Sobriety must be hard to maintain. The slightest thing and you are so vulnerable to hit the bottle. I was fascinated by the job of a journalist. A mix of excitement and nerve-wracking! There was humour, four dead bodies and loads o suspects. It's a food-for-thought novel. Thank you to NetGalley and Canelo.

This book had me hooked but I did work out some of the twists before they were revealed.
Alex is a high functioning alcoholic and is currently off work following an on air drunken incident. There’s a murder just round the corner from her home so she calls the producer and asks to be the live reporter. She’s given a chance and makes it work - most of the time.
Alex needs her vodka with her each day and more in the evenings when the day has not gone to plan.
Soon four women have been murdered and it seems those closest to Alex are suspects. She can’t get her head round this and soon the situation spirals out of control.
There’s also chapters written in the form of a diary from a woman called Sarah, who Alex met many years ago when she was drinking more heavily.
This is a gripping read.
Thanks to Canelo and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

An interesting and informative insight into the life of an alcoholic and the importance of The AA for those people affected. Needless to say a very interesting storyline about investigative journalism, thoroughly good and engrossing read, leaving the reader wanting more.

A story told through up to date details of a news reporter and a diary of someone she met and friended the year before. Who's the killer and is one of them to become a victim of the serial killer.

A well told, interesting story, which gives an insight into the world of the alcoholic, with the results of both drinking and the hard found sobriety following it.

I'm glad I read it.

This was a pacy, entertaining read and the main character's alcoholism was skilfully dealt with, engendering both sympathy and frustration. I found it harder to engage with the Dear Diary writer and her story arc felt slightly less convincing, but switching between the two narratives worked well.

Although the second half of the novel was a real page turner, the ending felt a little abrupt to me and I also found myself wondering about the title after I'd finished. It felt like a slightly odd choice for the story. But certainly an enjoyable read overall with a memorable main character and a fascinating insight into the world of crime journalism.