Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this free ARC for my honest opinion.

There are plenty of twists and turns in this novel that keep you on your toes. It is a quick read and definitely will keep you guessing until the end.

Am amazing woven story of loss and tragedy etched so deep into your very core all come together to create who we are as a whole. Christina McDonald creates such an intriguing story and has such a talent of unraveling the story line. I've enjoyed this book as thoroughly as all her other books!!

Nope ... couldn’t get into it. Maybe next time.

I would like to thank NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

The story starts of with a terrifying bang! Eva wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightening and cannot remember anything. Even after being told she was found covered in blood and her mom was dead. And as the title states, we begin to discover lie after lie as Eva searches to find out what happened to her mother, and if she really had something to do with it. It was an entertaining read for sure, but it really had a lot of plot twists and craziness thrown in so you kinda wanted to get to the end and just figure it out. So maybe just a bit too much thrown in....could have been a bit less chaotic ride to the finish. 3.5 stars

Christina McDonald's sophomore novel Behind Every Lie is just as good as her debut novel The Night Olivia Fell. If you loved or enjoyed her debut, you would be just as captivated once again. However, be advised that the writing style that we all enjoyed in The Night Olivia Fell is not precisely what you will encounter with Behind Every Lie. This novel is more of a suspense, thriller, with dark issues. Her characters once more grab you and take hold of you throughout the story. Overall it's a great second novel, and I can not wait to see where and what Ms. McDonald brings to the table with her next book. This is a must for your 2020 tbr pile. Much appreciative of NetGalley and Ms. McDonald for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. Be sure to mark your calendars for Behind Every Lie's February 2020 release. 4.5 Stars

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Book for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Eva wakes up in the hospital lucky to be alive. She was hit by lightening, but her nightmare is just beginning. Shortly after she wakes up she finds out that her mother was murdered, but she can't remember anything from that night. What happened?


As she begins to look into it, she keeps flashing back to that night. However, Liam is going out of his way to make her feel crazy? If her fiance doesn't trust her, how can she trust herself?Then she finds a letter from her mother that just makes everything she thought she knew turn upside down.



I think there was a lot going on in this book, maybe too much. However, that being said I still couldn't put this down. I read every bit of it in one sitting. This is told in alternating chapters, one in the past from her mom's pov and Eva's in the present as everything is unfolding. I will say I wasn't totally shocked by one of the reveals I didn't like that chapter from the first moment I read about them.

An emotionally gripping mystery that tears at your heart strings while simultaneously ripping them out of your chest.

Wow. I am so happy that THIS was my first read of 2020 I am really hoping it’s a sign of all the amazing books to come. The whole book was so beautifully written with so many twists and turns, suspense, murder, family secrets, an insane mother-daughter relationship. Really it had it all and more. There is almost an art to how the story was intertwined. I really did not want to put it down. I highly recommend it ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.

“Behind Every Lie” drops February 4th and that you netgalley and gallery books for providing me with an advanced Copy for a fair and honest review.
Synopsis (taken from good reads)

Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street, but she can’t remember what happened. And then she learns the police are suspicious of her.

Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

This is the sophomore novel by the author of the wildly popular 2019 book The Night Olivia Fell. While that one felt a tad YA due to the dual timeline told in part by the teenage daughter, Behind Every Lie didn’t have any of those vibes. It is also dual timeline told by two narrators but had a more adult feel to it. This was a domestic suspense that felt very reminiscent of books I’ve ready by Hannah Mary McKinnon and Sally Hepworth. While I figured out a few of the twists, this was a quick, fun read with some fun surprises at the end. I highly recommend for fans of this genre.

Thank you Netgalley and Gallery Books for the advance egalley of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald has a lot going on in it but I can't say too much without giving away some major plot twists. Eva wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning. At the same time that she is recovering in the hospital, she also learns that her mom has been murdered. She begins to have flashbacks that have her wondering if she was somehow involved in the murder. As was previously mentioned there are many twists and turns to keep this story moving along at a brisk pace. Read and enjoy!

Christina McDonald has done it again. Her debut novel, The Night Olivia Fell, was an amazing, emotional, thought-provoking story. With Behind Every Lie, she has proven herself to be a gifted storyteller, giving readers a twisty, psychological thriller that is compulsively readable and absorbing.
Behind Every Lie is told from alternating perspectives: Kat and Eva, a mother and daughter, in alternating timelines. Eva wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning, to discover her mother has been found murdered. Eva can’t remember anything that happened that night...but she is now a suspect in the murder. How can she prove she is innocent—when she can’t remember what happened?
This novel delves into complex mother/daughter relationships, drama, and long-kept family secrets—all strung together into a neatly woven domestic thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.
Behind Every Lie gets 5⭐️ from me, and Christina McDonald has been moved on to my “automatic purchase” author list. She is amazing—if you haven’t read any of her work, put it on your TBR! Behind Every Lie publishes February 4, 2020!


Thank you to Simon and Schuster/Gallery Books and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book I’m exchange for an honest review.

“Behind Every Lie” is a compelling psychological thriller that I just couldn’t put down! Boasting an intriguing premise that drew me in right from the get-go, this riveting story continued to hold me captive right up until the very end.

Alternating between past and present and offering up different point-of-views, this murder mystery unfolds slowly, revealing a multi-layered plot spun from a complex web of secrets and lies. So, while “Behind Every Lie” begins with Eva Hansen waking in the hospital after being struck by lightning and learning of her mother’s murder, the TRUE story actually started many years before.

As the puzzle pieces started to fall into place, some of my early suspicions proved not a perfect fit, but I was at least riding along the right track. That said, nothing delights me more than a mystery that I can’t quite figure out. Christina McDonald delivered a story that did just that.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Pocket books for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book will definitely top the list of my mystery and thriller books. We start with an unreliable narrator who wakes in a hospital and but has no memory of what brought her there and the events that will change her life forever.
A well written storyline that will keep your attention until the end. I enjoyed the whole of this book, sometimes having to get through a bit of story development, but well worth it.
I felt for the main character and found myself cheering for her by the end not knowing if she was guilty or not. Great twists and recommended for those fans of thrillers and murder mysteries!

I read The Night Olivia Fell so I knew I had to read this one when it came on netgalley! This was a rollercoaster ride of a ride with lots of twists and turns. Eva has to figure out if she really killed her own mother, who she really is, and if someone is out to get her. One line sums up this self discovery well, "We aren't defined by our tragedies, by our history, by our mistakes, but by pieces of love and sadness and happiness."

Behind Every Lie is a fantastic read! Told from multiple perspectives - Eva & Kat - the past and present collide in this dark, twisted novel about family, love, loss and betrayal. The book kept me guessing and the end is both unexpected and completely satisfying.

This was a riveting read. There were twists and turns but not so many that you can't keep up. I would say it was a mix of drama and suspense which made for a really good read.

This was a decent thriller with lots of surprise twists, but I didn't feel like any of the characters were fully formed. Some of the things characters said or did didn't make a whole lot of sense to me and I felt like they were doing things solely because a "bad guy" is supposed to act that way. Overall, an interesting premise and some real surprises at the end, but I felt like it could have been even better with a few tweaks.

Many thanks to Gallery Books & Netgalley for an early copy of this novel.

I fell in love with Christina McDonald's writing style when I read The Night Olivia Fell early in 2019. I appreciated her ability to weave emotional writing into her suspenseful storytelling. I'm thankful to see she hasn't deviated from this unique style in Behind Every Lie. Her debut novel was a hit, but I have to say, I loved her sophomore novel even more!

I love it when a novel starts out with plenty of questions but leaves me with a firm enough grasp on what's happening in the story. I didn't feel lost when I started reading, just eager to find out more. I especially loved the family dynamics in Behind Every Lie because they kept me guessing throughout the story. There were some truly unforeseen twists! I think these qualities made me enjoy it more than The Night Olivia Fell. It seems Christina McDonald has nailed down the suspenseful style that was slightly lacking in the last book. 

I especially loved how the main character, Eva, had to prove herself throughout the story. As readers, we were wondering if she would turn out to be an unreliable narrator since she couldn't even seem to trust herself. It was a great ride following along with her from Seattle to London on her quest to uncover her history.

My only issue with this book was the believability of the storyline. There were several coincidental moments and some downright far-fetched scenes which made the story feel a little too fictional. 

Nevertheless, I thoroughly enjoy Christina McDonald's writing and will continue to read anything she writes in the future. She has a very specific knack for making me feel empathy for her characters and hope for the best, amidst stressful situations.

It's not this book, it's me. i tried to read this book but couldn't get into it. I just want to read more romance again it's me not this book. I may pick it up again when I am looking for a thriller. I know this would be a good one.

This book draws you in from the first. Keeps you guessing till the end. This is the first book by this author that I have read but will be looking for her others

I have never had any type of accident that would cause memory loss - knock on wood - so reading this book was such an experience for me because I was on the edge of my seat trying to hurry and read the book in order to "help" her discover the truth about that dark and stormy night. The web of lies and deceit were so intricacy woven - it took me some time to figure out who had done what to whom. This is the type of book I adore! This was a great read that blended past and present expertly to deliver an amazing novel. 5 Stars for sure! :)