Waking up and not remembering who you are can be terrifying. In "Between the Lies" by Michelle Adams, Chloe Daniels experiences just that after a car accident. She doesn't recognize her family and suspects they are withholding the truth. As Chloe tries to regain her memory, she unravels a web of lies and deception. The story is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps you hooked. Chloe's character development is unique, as we learn about her life alongside her. The novel explores her moral compass and the discrepancy between who she was and who she is now. Overall, "Between the Lies" is a suspenseful and captivating read that fans of thrillers will enjoy.

Thank you to the publisher for allowing me to read and review this ARC. Full review to be found on Goodreads and on my website.

A MUST for your TBR list! Fast-paced! Riveting! Exciting! Addictive! Chilling! Not only is this a very well-written book with wonderfully-interesting characters, but the suspense builds at just the right pace as the story unfolds. It was an artful melding of twisted thrills and heart-pounding action that kept me hanging on every word the whole way!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

A good thriller, albeit predictable. Chloe is in a car accident and wakes up with no memory of her past or who she is. Between her dysfunctional and manipulative family and her isolation from most everyone except her dad’s colleague (both psychiatrists), Chloe struggles to find the truth of what happened that night and who she was before. Not everything is as it seems and the more she remembers, the more she realizes there’s a lot she doesn’t know.

Thank you St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a very similar dejavu feel to it, there are way to many stories out there that are alike. This wasn't too original and it started to fall flat. The beginning was a great start, but halfway through I wasn't too invested anymore. I didn't feel like it was keeping my attention to see what was happening. It would be an okay book for those who are just beginning to read this genre, but to me this storyline has been played out a bit much.

This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Chloe wakes up from a coma surrounded by a family she doesn't recognize and an accident she doesn't remember. As she recovers at home under the watchful eye of her father, a doctor who specializes in memory loss, Chloe struggles to piece together the sequence of events that have brought her here. If she can't trust her own memories, who can she really trust?

This book had me going crazy, questioning everyones actions and motives! I too, like Chloe didn't know who could be trusted. This was such an entertaining, thoroughly gripping page turner, with twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing a digital copy in return for un honest, unbiased review.

Enjoyable and intriguing story. First book I have read by this author but wouldn't be the last, great style of writing

Unfortunately this book was not for me, it was a bit slower than I would like and it just didn't hold my attention. I am sure other people will love it!

Great thriller that kept me turning the pages, a great story with intriguing characters that kept me guessing. Highly recommend to others!

Between the Lies is one of those figure out what in the world happened, and what's going on along with the main character. Classic accident and memory loss figure out the tragic event and what doesn't the family want her to know novel. Enjoyable, but slight feelings of dejavu throughout.

Great thriller that kept me turning the pages, a great story with intriguing characters that kept me guessing. Highly recommend to others!

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Between the Lies by Michelle Adams.

When Chloe wakes up, she remembers nothing. Not her family, no past memories, not even her name. Her parents slowly begin to tell her about her life and her past, but Chloe is convinced that they are holding something back. Something is off, there is much more to her past then what they are telling her.

This was an okay read. I admit to not totally loving memory loss books. First off, they are way more common than what I believe actually occurs, and never near as sexy as the books are. But also because I tend to get lost between timelines. And with this one, not only was I lost, but a bit sleepy. It was easy to fade in and out of this one. Nothing mind blowing, but not terrible either.

A CRASH COURSE IN REALITY.

Thirty-two-year-old Chloe Jameson (née Daniels), the star of this sinister tale, once had it all: a successful career as an attorney, a fabulous home only a stone's throw from the sea, and the best of everything money could buy. But it all came crashing down after the violent accident that nearly ended her life.

As the plot of this mysterious narrative begins to unravel, in slow motion, I might add, Chloe is stuck somewhere between two worlds: the conscious and the subconscious. She can hear a voice speaking to her, but she cannot comprehend the individual to whom that voice belongs. Chloe can grasp the rain, and her nerves can feel the pain—so much pain. Her head is on fire, and she can barely move. She can see; her eyes have their vision. And what they perceive horrifies her: blood everywhere. There is blood on her face. Blood caked in her hair—matting it to her face. A man appears and speaks to her: Can she hear him? He wants to know. Chloe can, but she cannot tell him so. The man is a paramedic, and he's there to help her. They need the Jaws of Life to remove her from the vehicle. It was a horrible accident. And the car nearly became her coffin.

MISTY WATER-COLORED MEMORIES.

When Chloe awakes in the dingy room with the dreadful wallpaper, dusty walls, and flimsy, threadbare curtains, she has no idea who she is: for according to the on-call nurse, Chloe was in a coma for over a month. She only knows that her name is Chloe because the three people who claim to be her family told her so. There is the man who says he's her father. And the woman who claims to be her mother, and the younger girl named Jessica (called Jess on these pages), her sister. They may very well be her family, but Chloe doesn't recognize any of them. And the massive estate? Well, she can't remember too much about it either. They are very wealthy, that much is obvious, but Chloe has no memory to conjure.

The ravages from her accident are still quite evident: there is the dressing on the left side of her head covering a wicked scar, not to mention her legs which can hardly carry her without the assistance of a walking stick. And there is amnesia. Chloe tries to remember, but her damaged brain won't trigger too much except for the water. The misty visions of water—and drowning. A voice speaks in her mind, but whose voice is it? Wet visions. Water, mist, and drowning. Who is she? And what happened before the near-fatal accident? What happened to her? Why won't they tell her anything?

FATHER KNOWS BEST (I)

Dr. Thomas Daniels is a highly-regarded psychiatrist and the father of Chloe and Jess. Dr. Daniels has taken it upon himself to assist his eldest daughter, Chloe, on the road to recovering her memory. Or at least he appears to be. Dr. Daniels avoids telling his daughter anything about her past life before the accident. He only tells her that it's for the best; it was a terrible accident. What is her father hiding? Why doesn't he allow her to go outside for a bit of fresh air? He knows best. And he informs Chloe of that in no uncertain terms. No one challenges his authority—least of all his wife and two daughters.

Chloe has no idea about her identity, or where she once lived, who her friends were. And she feels as though she is a prisoner in the vast house. Her father has placed her on medications for seizures—due to her head injury and all. And fear is beginning to envelop her: she fears that her family doesn't want her to remember.

What happened before the accident? Who was she?

PHOTOGRAPHS AND MEMORIES.

Left alone in the family home, once again, Chloe stumbles on an old family photo album. In it, she sees pictures of herself, the woman she was before the accident. Nothing unusual about her former life until she sees the band of gold circling the ring finger on her left hand in one of the photos. Was she married? Is she married? Where is her husband? Desperate to find answers to her many unanswered questions, Chloe—a woman who loved to swim in the sea before her accident—continues looking through the old picture album. And then she sees him, them, the man and the little boy. Her husband and her son, as she will soon learn.

Her mother and sister confirm the relationship between Chloe, the man, and the boy: Chloe had a husband, Andrew, and a son, Joshua. That's right, she had. The two are dead now.

BUT ALL I REMEMBER ARE THE DREAMS IN THE MIST.

Chloe is hard-pressed to remember what happened on the night of the accident. She keeps dreaming of a dark, misty night - the cold, rainy night on which her son, Joshua, died. In spurts, her memory is returning; but the visions are always misty, visible but barely. Now, her memory has taken a turn: she can remember certain things. And she believes they're important enough to share with the authorities. The man, Damien Treadstone, is a suspect in the fatal accident. Someone seems to want to pin it on him. But who? Damien says he was not at the scene. He has an alibi, but his car was there. That, he cannot explain. So who tried to kill Chloe Daniels? And why?

THE REVIEWER'S INTERMISSION.

There are many questions but few answers. And when one is stricken with amnesia, those who do evil are at liberty to have a field day at their expense.

The analysis will now resume.

BEING DECEIVED.

A woman fighting to regain her memory is Chloe Daniels. But there is one who does not want her to remember, one who would prefer her weakness. This person knows the answers to all of her questions, but they will not oblige Chloe's pleas. Her young son is dead, murdered? Her husband is dead, courtesy of suicide? And the three people Chloe trusted the most are content to withhold the truth from her: Dad, Mom, and Jess. They know something but they aren't revealing it. And the frustration is not at peace with Chloe's head injury. Sure, Chloe wants to play Nancy Drew, but how can she when she can't even remember where she once lived with her family? She feels like a prisoner in her parents' home, and now the walls are starting to close in. Poor Chloe. Everyone seems to be out to get her. And the lies? Oh, the lies they tell!

But is Chloe as innocent as she appears? Or was Chloe the complete opposite before the accident knocked her brains into a wrinkly mush?

A THIN LINE BETWEEN LOVE AND HATE.

Dr. Thomas Daniels is nothing short of a control freak. A power-hungry man who wants nothing more than to control every aspect of the lives of the three women in his life: his wife Evelyn, and their two daughters, Chloe and Jess. Thomas Daniels hated his eldest daughter's husband. He had forbidden Chloe to marry Andrew, but did she respect his wishes? No, she did not. Andrew was Chloe's first love(r). The overbearing Thomas knows this because he caught the two in their first act of intimacy years before. And since that day, the smothering doctor has had it in for Andrew, preferring to play mind games with Chloe concerning the troubles in her marriage to the man.
Try as she may, Chloe can never obtain an honest answer from her father about what happened to Andrew. Why did (and does) Thomas Daniels hate her husband so much? What did Andrew ever do to the bearish Dr. Mindbender? Even in death, Andrew crawls—like a corpse maggot—beneath her father's skin. Why?

Chloe loved her husband, regardless of their alleged marital troubles and Andrew's drinking problem. But she is beginning to hate her father.

FATHER KNOWS BEST (II)

Dr. Thomas Daniels only wants what's best for his family. Is that too much to ask? Chloe knows her father has been lying to her—about everything. He keeps telling her that he has her best interest at heart, but does he? He seems caring enough. But is Dr. Thomas Daniels a sadist? Is he a murderer? A control freak, yes, but a murderer?

The only ones who know for sure are the good doctor himself and Andrew — who, as it turns out, is not dead at all. Or is he?

SEEKERS OF THE TRUTH.

With time, Chloe sets out to learn the truth about who she once was, the life she once lived, the man with whom she once lived it. And she is joined by an unlikely candidate: Dr. Guy Thurwell, a colleague of her father's. Guy Thurwell is a gorgeous man for whom Chloe is developing (intimate) feelings. He is a good man and a great friend in one's time of need: but like Chloe, he has his demons to battle. Like Chloe, he has a great deal of emotional pain.

Yes, Dr. Guy Thurwell is right there at Chloe's side, keeping her as safe as he can from those who wish her harm. But his strength is only so much against a more powerful—and volatile—opponent that none would suspect.

Someone doesn't want Chloe to learn the truth. And they're willing to kill—again—to keep it that way.

AN ENSEMBLE OF FRIENDS AND FRENEMIES.

The old expression, Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer, rings true among the cast members on the pages of this literary script. And while not the most gifted performers, these render acceptable portrayals and hold their own throughout the plot. Joining Chloe Daniels Jameson on the long, dangerous journey to find herself are none other than the following:

• Ben Riley is the groundskeeper, the gardener, the man who works for Chloe's father. Ben cares for the massive Daniels estate—and he also once cared for Chloe. But does he still?

• Dr. Gleeson is not on a first-name basis on these pages. But he does play a bit part as the neurosurgeon who brings an end to the bleed on Chloe's brain.

• Damien Treadstone. Guilty? Or innocent?

• Detective Sergeant Gray and Detective Constable Barclay are the good cop/bad cop team investigating the fatal crash that claimed the young life of Joshua Jameson.

AN ENIGMATIC—AND SOMETIMES SLOTHFUL—PERSONALITY.

On the pages of this relatively engaging but somewhat slow mystery, lies, cold-blooded murder, revenge, regret, recklessness, madness, obsession, blackmail, stalking, and deceit dare to stand their ground despite a sometimes monotonous storyline. It took me that much longer to complete this title due to its snail-like pace. But in all fairness, the tale had its moments. Sure, there is plenty of puzzling mystery here, but little suspense and even fewer thrills at times.

RENDERING CREDIT—WHERE CREDIT IS DUE.

The writing here is good, to say the least: for this is the vision of Michelle Adams, and she tells her story with an impressive pen. The mingling of her words fascinated me, taking me up on the kind of high that words, when they are well-written, do. And I admired the sentences enough to appreciate her tale.

Although Between the Lies is not the most gripping mystery into which I've ever delved, the same is still one I would recommend: however slow its pace, the story—at times deeply emotional—warrants such respect. On these pages, Adams weaved her plot in and out of consciousness to steer it to an explosive conclusion that the reader will never be able to predict. And for that, she deserves applause, regardless of how long it took her to get there.
The biggest cons of this narrative are its pace (too tedious for my taste) and its character (not spectacular enough to leave a lasting impression long after the final page turns, unless, of course, the reader is kindred in spirit to certain characters). But its pros are spotlit in the writing style of its author and the beautiful setting: if you're like me and love seaside towns and cold, rainy, and dreary days, then you are sure to love the brisk, foggy, and rain-soaked English environs of Between the Lies.

With that, I am happy to have made the acquaintance of Michelle Adams through my reading of her fiction here. And again, especially if you enjoy English mysteries, consider it pleasantly recommended.

Happy reading, all.


• REVIEWER’S NOTE: It is my kind pleasure to thank St. Martin's Griffin, as well as NetGalley, for the advanced review copy of Between the Lies in exchange for my honest review.

Analysis of Between the Lies by Michelle Adams is courtesy of the Reviews by Cat Ellington book series.

Date of Review: Monday, October 4, 2021
©2021 Quill Pen Ink Publishing. Reviews by Cat Ellington. The Cat Ellington Literary Collection. All rights reserved.

2.5/5 - Unreliable Memory Thriller

Advanced Reader Copy from NetGalley and St Martin's Press

Summary:
A woman wakes up with no recollection of her previous life. Living with her parents she tries to piece together her life, trying to uncover secrets and find out more about what happened to her and the crash that caused this event all while dodging a minefield of lies and deceit from those she trusts most.

Review:

It was slow, pacing was off. Events didn't seem to flow, I often thought maybe a scene I was reading was actually a flashback purely because I didn't understand how it led from the scene before.

Although the plot is quite simple, it got a bit clunky towards the end with different characters confronting her about different things, the lies become really messy to the point that I was just blindly consuming information unable to piece my own version of the truth together. That took a bit of the fun from this book since instead of trying to guess along I was just waiting to be told what to think.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters either, the more I found out about the protagonist Chloe, the less I liked her and that was hard for me to read. Having no character to root for or enjoy the experience of reading about them really takes away from the book overall.

I probably wouldn't recommend this to many people, I enjoyed the use of language and speech is this book, the style of writing was definitely nice and easy to read, but the story itself was wanting.

Chloe Daniels wakes up from a coma and has no memory of how she got there. There are people visiting her who say they are her family, she has no memory of them, she doesn't recognize her name, if she had a career, where she lived, etc.

As Chloe slowly starts to recover, her family begins to give her little spinets of information about her life, where she lived and that she was involved in a car crash. But even with no memory, Chloe knows that something isn't right. Something doesn't feel right. Can she trust what they are telling her? Could they be lying to her? She is having dreams and wonders if what she is dreaming could be real. As she continues to make improvements, she becomes determined to know the truth.

The story is mainly told from Chloes point of view. I found the book extremely interesting as it went on and Chloe recovered more memories. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found myself fully immersed in the story.

This book was such a surprise!

Chloe wakes up in the hospital not knowing who she is or who anyone else is. She’s been in a horrible car accident. Her parents rake her home to take care of her. She’s hoping to get her memories back but it seems impossible when she finds out that everyone has been lying to her about her life before the accident. Will she ever find out exactly what happened and why?

This book really pulled me in. I had no idea where we were going to end up until the end of the book. Great characters. Great story!

I was provided this book in exchange for my honest review

Thank you Netgalley, the publisher and author
Thriller with lots of twists and turns. First read fro this author.
Recommend

Unfortunately I didn’t love this one as much as I was hoping to. I liked the idea behind it and the storyline, but it fell flat for me. I can see why some people love this one, but it just wasn’t for me.

I love books with short chapters and this one fit the bill! It’s great for a summer read when you’re out and about and have time to grab the book and read a chapter or two in between errands. This was an entertaining read. Not the best book I’ve ever read, but the story seemed to lose power about halfway through the book. I felt like the ending was not as exciting as I was lead to believe and figuring out who was part of the accident/trauma was easy. So not a wonderful thriller, but an okay read.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Griffin Publishers for my advanced review copy. All opinions and thoughts are my own.