A fantastic book. I especially liked that the main character was very dysfunctional, but more than that, the author chose not to put in some soppy superhero to save her and fill the pages with silly love scenes! A very gritty read that kept it real throughout. Excellent.

Interesting take on a psychological thriller . I liked the way that it intersperses diary entries ( you quickly work out who’s diary it is) with the narration of Alex,a journalist who is also high functioning alcoholic in denial about her problems. How reliable is her recollection of the events surrounding the murders of women in her locality that she is reporting on ? Her lack of honesty about her past life and her drinking to others and herself actually make her more endearing and human than I at first thought . You end up willing her to sort herself out ,unlike Sarah the other alcoholic who I found it hard to warm too. Believable account of modern day life pressures and enough to put you off internet dating!

Enjoyable read that keeps you guessing to the end. Alex main character is realistic and found myself routing for her to have. a happy ending.

Alex South is a high - functioning alcoholic wh is teetering on the brink of oblivion. Her career as a television journalist is hanging by a thread since a drunken on - air - rant.

When a number of murders occur in the area where Alex lives, she has been given a second chance to prove herself. She thinks she can control her drinking, but she can't. She's done things she can't remember doing. There are entries in her diary from an unknown person who seems to know Alex very well.

I found this books pace to be very slow and that is also how I read it. Normally I would read this type of book is a day. This was more a book on alcoholism than being a crime thriller. The plot is split between current day and diary entries from a year ago. There is a bit of suspense and a few twists but nothing that really kept my attention. I'm sure there will be many other readers who will enjoy this book.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Canelo and the author Jody Sabral for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read. A real page-turner that kept me gripped throughout.

I would recommend this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

I enjoyed the story behind this book, it just didn't flow very well for me at all, which unfortunately ruined the enjoyment of it for me.

This is a suspenseful thriller about murders of women in the Hackney area. It’s told from the perspective of an alcoholic journalist that ends up being involved in the story.
I enjoyed this but did guess the ending. I didn’t feel like it was a huge twist or massive shock, but I found myself wanting to find out what happened.
It’s an easy read and enjoyable, but not ground breaking and shocking in my opinion.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review

I loved this book. It definitely transcends genre conventions with character development, and gives a wonderfully accurate picture of high-functioning alcoholism, even though the ending was a bit obvious. Better read as a novel than a thriller

I got an advanced copy through netgalley. I thoroughly enjoyed this book which had me gripped me very quickly. This was a proper page turner reminiscent of The Girl on the Train.

Like TGOTT, this book is about a functioning alcoholic, devastated after a miscarriage and the end of a relationship. Alex is also a TV journalist, reporting on a potential serial killer.

I agree with a previous reviewer about the cover/blurb highlighting a potential plot twist in a somewhat pointless manner.

I would definitely read books by this author again.

Alex a former DJ with her own radio show in Manchester has now moved to London and is becoming a respected news reporter for a major broadcasting network. Well she would be if she could get control of her drinking issue which is part of the reason she had relocated on the back of a miscarriage and also breaking up with Greg her former finance, this was a year ago. Now it's about turning her life around which has already had one epic fail when she was making a live report whilst under the influence and started ranting on about the government hence she had been working at a desk making and researching reports rather than airing them. However the finding of a body just around the corner from her home opens the door to a live report that begins to open doors to prime time reports she just has to get her drinking under control long enough to do her work and make a name for herself but as anyone suffering from alcoholic addiction will know that is not a easy task.
This is a extremely well written and informed book that treats its subject matter incredibly well it's about a series of murdered girls with connections to on-line dating sites and a date rape drug but you need to read the rest so i won't say any more about the story line. It is another of those books you won't want to put down but makes you uncomfortable as a true thriller must to fulfil its requirements but this does so much more as the twist build and turn you upside down and you will never truly know what's next until it's finished and then you can breath again.
This book is a highly recommended book in my view and if you like your thrillers to feel real with truly believable characters and plausible plots then this is for you. Obviously you don't expect that many murders around the corner to you but sometimes the facts or possibilities just happen. I was given this copy of Jody's book from NetGalley and here is my honest review I hope you enjoy it as much as i have.

Alex is a high functioning alcoholic, after a miscarriage she flees her Home town to start afresh. When a serial murderer starts to strike in the area she lives, she uses this to try and boost her failing career as a tv crime reporter.

I have to admit, I struggled a little with this, which is the reason for only giving 3
Stars. Great story idea but it just didn’t flow for me, and it was a little bit predictable.

With thanks to Netgalley and Canelo for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

High functioning alcoholic Alex South had her own radio programme in Manchester. After suffering a miscarriage she left her fiance Greg and moved down to London . Alex now works in television but her career is in freefall after a drunken rant on TV.

The story begins on Alex's birthday when she wakes up in bed with a hangover from hell, laying beside her is Neil who she the night before over the internet. Later that day Alex discovers that the body of a unknown female had been found in a park close to her home. The body could be linked to the unsolved murders of Jade Soron and Maggie Horrocks. Seeing this as a chance to redeem her she rings the newsroom and volunteers to go straight to the crime scene.

Alex finds out that next to the body was a gym membership card in the name of Sarah Wilcox. The police try to trace Sarah but cannot find her. The body is later identified as Alice Fessy who regularly met dates on the internet. As Alex reports on the crimes her drinking increases causing her to blackout and waking hours later with injuries.

The story was told from the POV of Alex and Dear Diary excerpts from an unknown person from 2017 to the present day. I Never Lie was more about Alex's descent into alcoholism then the murders, I would of liked the POV of DI Brooks the detective in charge of the investigation.

I did not like Alex but but I was sorry she depended on alcohol to get through the day. My favourite character was her friend and next door neighbour Charlie who tried to look after her. The story went at a steady pace with plenty of red herrings. I was sure I guessed the cliff hanger to this tale but I only got it half right. The ending was clever but I would of liked a more cut and dried ending instead of leaving it to make my own conclusions.

Overall I did enjoy this book and look forward to reading more from this author.

Story of Alex, a permanent drunkard, struggling to do her job of reporting through a drunken haze. When murderers occur of local women in her neighbour, she gets herself on the story. The latest victim is known to Alex and she is determined to solve the murder mystery. Story is told from Alex's view with excerpts from a diary of an unknown person. Gripping story with Alex's drink problems well described, great characters and a shock ending makes this a must read!

Alex South is a functioning alcoholic who's career as a TV journalist has taken a turn for the worse after her on-air rant fuelled by alcohol. A number of murders then occurs in the area in which she lives, and she is given the chance to prove her worth. But, is Alex a danger only to herself or to others, too?

I NEVER LIE is a book that highlights the problems that come with being addicted to alcohol. It is not something I know a lot about as I drink very little. I can easily go 2/3+ years without a drink but this novel has given me an insight into what an addict goes through and the inevitable consequences of that addiction. It must be really difficult to wake up and the first you 'need' is an alcoholic beverage.

Sabral writes extremely well and knows exactly how to develop her characters so that they are realistic and believable. The story skirts the line between a character study into an alcoholic's lifestyle and a crime thriller.

I am not sure how well the book has been edited but I did spot a major error in the text, unfortunately. It was a tad offputting, I don't know how it could've gotten through the editing process but I certainly don't know enough about it to comment on that side of things. The error is only on one page - basically, it mentions squashing a fly, then a few sentences later, squashing a mouse which gives the impression that it has been changed but that someone has forgotten to delete the draft version sentence. This doesn't alter the reading experience, it's just a little confusing and you are left wondering how it is still there!

I would like to thank Jody Sabral, Canelo and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Canelo in exchange for an honest review.

I am literally so baffled. I genuinely loved reading this book. It is extremely well-written, the characters are interesting and I was definitely invested in the story. So why am I only giving it three stars? Because the only 'twist' of the book is mentioned on the cover and the blurb.

Let me make this clear-I am not going to spoil anything about the plot of this. But both the blurb and the cover hint strongly that Alex (the protagonist) might be the one behind the serial killings. The very possibility of this is not mentioned until well over 80% of the way through the book and I am dumbfounded. Again, I am not saying for definite whether Alex is behind it or not and therefore am not going to spoil the ending. But the fact that she may be behind it is treated as a twist in the plot and it's so stupid when it's mentioned on the cover and in the blurb!

If it weren't for this one major flaw, I would absolutely be giving this book 4 stars. Alex is a developed and fascinating protagonist, the side characters all feel like they could be real people and the general plot is very good. I've read thrillers about journalists and I've read thrillers about alcoholics before but Sabral's writing style means that it all feels pretty fresh and new.

There's also a pretty major editing mistake in one of the 'Dear Diary' chapters. The mystery POV character describes crushing a mouse and then a few sentences later, talks about squashing a fly instead. This was very distracting as it was clearly a fly in the original draft and was changed to make it more dramatic.

Overall, I would still recommend this book for a good read but don't expect to be surprised by anything. It's not the kind of thriller with a lot of twists (or any twists really) which is such a shame because it could have been so much better.

Overall Rating: 3/5

I found this book quite slow to start with and the story really is based on alcoholics. Alex is a functioning alcoholic so the story is all about her addiction and the consequences of it .There is crime involved so I expected it to be more of a crime thriller There are red herrings thrown in and the ending was brilliant though I was left a bit to make my own final conclusions .Many thanks to the Publisher ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .

I have a few reservations about this book. Firstly, I’m a little confused about the title, which I still can’t quite work about its relation to the content of the novel. Secondly, a lot of the book is centred around alcoholism, which isn’t a topic that excites me to read about. However, with that out the way, I did really enjoy this book.

We all know I love a thriller and although some plot points were predictable, overall it was a good read that I finished within two days.

I’m a sucker for a good twist and this definitely had a few to keep momentum, but not one of my favourite books this year.

Alex South is an alcoholic. She suffers blackouts and memory loss. A key element of the story with constant reminders that I found tedious:

”I’m going to start my detox tonight, after I’ve had my last fix.”

“I’m pissed off that I wasn’t able to detox yesterday. It sucks, actually…”

“As normal as one can be when in the midst of a detox.”

*I’m desperately in need of alcohol this morning, just to get going.”

Besides being an alcoholic, Alex is a TV journalist who left her long-time boyfriend Greg in Manchester after suffering a miscarriage. In London she regains some notoriety until a drunken rant on air puts her career on hold. She is given another chance to cover a series of murders occurring in East London, close to where she lives. But the demon drink continues to ravage her every day; carrying vodka around in a water bottle, chugging wine by the bottle at home and suffering huge hangovers…

The plot is split between current day and diary entries (in italics) from the previous year. Entries that become more embittered as the story moves on. Who is writing the diary? There is a link here with Alex that keeps the suspense going as Alex not only struggles with her alcoholism but online dating, which happens to be a key element in the murder investigations.

I Never Lie is well written and the pace does pick up towards the end. But were all the references to detoxing and binge drinking really necessary? It became a major irritation for me.

My thanks to NetGalley and Canelo for the opportunity to read this ARC.

A twisted tale of addiction and denial. Easy to read, fast paced and as addictive as it's content. A thoroughly modern thriller, with a satisfying conclusion. I read this in one sitting. Excellent book

I started out really enjoying this book, I found it intriguing and exciting. But the further in to it I got, I found myself desperate for it to end. It was a bit silly in places and I found the ending far-fetched and disappointing. However I loved Jody's style of writing and would definitely look into reading others.