First of all Christina McDonald is a master with descriptions. Her words painted a great visual for every scene that had be involved in this read. There was so much going on with Eva that unfolds as the story progresses. I loved the different POV and the fact that we got to see moments from the past and present and how they all come together. I enjoyed this read. Thank you #Netgalley

I read this book in one sitting. She had me from page one! So many emotions with this book.
I have always enjoyed alternating POV's. I feel that it just keeps the book flowing and you get to basically read more than one story...and in this book, we get to read about the past and the present.

Christina McDonald has a wonderful gift of writing and weaving a story together and keeping you on your toes. Certainly makes you think the did she or was it someone else? Fueled on by the fact the main character wakes up one day and she can't remember what happened to her or her mother. She must go searching through the past in order to get back to the present and it's a long and windy road to get there. I thought it was a fantastic written journey!!

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for the ARC! Thank you to Christina McDonald for another wonderful story!! Looking forward to more!!

Behind Every Lie is a psychological thriller that is a fairly good read from the start and will keep your interest till the end. It is not the most realistic book, starting with Eva getting struck with lightning immediately following the murder of her mother which coincidently wipes out her memory of the whole event. The book is of course a who done it, and it is a surprise ending. I haven't read a book by this author before and while this book wasn't bad, it wasn't great either. I want to give it a 3.5 stars. Thanks Netgalley for the ARC!

I feel... underwhelmed. This is my first by this author and based on this experience, I’ll be reluctant to try her again.

I didn’t buy the bad guys’ motives, I found the relationships incredibly shallow and contrived, everyone was a bit blasé about the major secret, and the secret at the end was way too obvious and on the nose. Overall it just felt really unoriginal.

The writing was fine, the characters were fine, I didn’t hate any of them but they didn’t make me feel anything which is the cardinal sin for me. I want to relate to hero characters and loathe the villains and I just didn’t get any of that here. It was a page turner but I kept turning pages thinking, there has to be more to this than meets the eye, and sadly there wasn’t.

I didn't care for the author's prior book, The Night Olivia Fell, but I thought I'd give her another chance. Sadly, I wasn't crazy about this one, either.

I did enjoy the two female leads and the multiple POV's. But, overall, it just felt like the author attempted to do too much, making things seem a bit too busy, too coincidental, too ... a lot of things. There were some good twists that I wasn't expecting, which was nice.

The author's writing is okay, but things just fell a bit flat for me. I never felt much of a connection to any of the characters. With so much going on, however, things felt a bit forced.

A bit of tightening, edit-wise, could've helped things a bit. There was an abundance of adjectives and exclamation points, the latter to the extent that it caused them to lose their impact.

I'm not sure I'll check out books by this author in the future.

Enjoyable page turner that will grab you from the first page. If you like Psychological thrillers you will love getting into this one.
This novel alternates between the characters points of view and will have you flipping pages to solve the story
Thank you Gallery Books and NetGalley for the ARC !

Behind Every Lie is the sophomore effort from Christina McDonald. I really enjoyed her first book, The Night Olivia Fell and knew I had to read this book as soon as I was offered it. Right off from the prologue, I was hooked. The question and the intrigue just bounced right off the pages. What was this "murder mystery" going to bring me? A main character that has no memory of what happened. Is she a killer? Or is there more to her story??

After the prologue, we are introduced to our characters from before the incident happened. Eva and Liam are a newly engaged couple living in Whidbey Island, Washington. They seem like a normal successful couple. But then we get a taste of Eva's mother, Kat. From then on the story is told in Eva's and Kat's POV in the past and present, England and America. I enjoyed the back and forth of mother and daughter, but the story telling seemed a little choppy. It was enough to keep me pulled in and turning the pages, but I always felt like I was missing something.

Behind Every Lie was well- paced and kept my interest, but it also didn't feel like all the clues were there to draw the audience in in a cohesive manner. There was just too much happening to Eva. I felt like everything that could be thrown out at her, was. It was too much. It became too unbelievable without enough focus on the smaller details. I actually liked the story being told in the past that brought us to the present, but then the author had to throw something else in there that didn't seem necessary.

Overall, it wasn't a bad story, but the ending could've been fleshed out better. I liked the fast paced story and the questions arising from the crime. Who's good versus who's bad? It had potential but fell flat in the climax with too much going on to Eva. 3+ stars

“Her house, her window, and she opened it! She’s the reason our daughter is dead!”

One huge mistake and a little girl is dead. The stage is set for a roller coaster ride of secrets and lies, of trying to mesh out good guys vs bad. Plot elements are a bit complicated and when truths are exposed, I often paused to get things straight. However, found it worth the effort to stay the course to the final revelation. 3.5 rating

3.5 Stars

If you have read The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald last year, you probably have expectations about Behind Every Lie. BEL is a totally different kind of book - more confused woman can't remember a terrible crime she may have committed and less emotional heartwrenching suspense. Told in alternating perspectives and timelines, we learn whether Eva Hansen is really responsible for her own mother's death and how exactly this came into question in the first place!

Behind Every Lie was fast paced and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. However, a lot of it was just too farfetched for me and took away some of my enjoyment. Overall, still an enjoyable read, but lacking the emotional component I loved in her prior work.

Right from the beginning, this book is a little nutty. But not in a bad way. Our main character, Eva, wakes up after BEING STRUCK BY LIGHTNING and is told her mother has been murdered. For the rest of the book, Eva (and readers) try to figure out who might have killed her mother. Could it even have been Eva?

McDonald also wrote When Olivia Fell, which is one of my favorite reads for 2019. And she navigates the book beautifully. We process the information and storyline much like Eva does and try out best to figure out who did what. It only took me two sittings to finish this book and I really enjoyed it thoroughly. Mysteries and thrillers have become a fast favorite of mine, and Behind Every Lie is no exception to this.

Behind Every Lie comes out 4.1.2020.

5/5 Stars

Behind Every Lie is a captivating story filled with secrets and lies. The interesting storyline kept me turning pages & the many twists and turns had me guessing til the end. This is the first book that I've read by Christina McDonald, and I really like her writing style.

While I think The Night Olivia Fell was a much stronger novel, this one was still good. Christina McDonald has a way of creating a thriller but making you care deeply about the characters too, which is so lovely.

"They say that behind every lie is a person and a reason."⁣
⁣
Eva wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning the night before. That isn't the only thing that happened. Her mother was murdered. Eva is suspected of killing her mother but she isn't too sure about that. She discovers a past that may have been what led to the death. Eva is desperate to find the truth behind every lie. ⁣
⁣
I absolutely loved this book. The twist, the suspense, and overall story kept me hooked all the way through. I couldn't figure out who the true killer was. I was constantly changing my theory. A+ work.⁣

Publisher’s description: If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?

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. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly 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.
************
Told from the alternating perspectives of Kat (starting 25 years ago and moving toward present day) and Eva, Christina McDonald’s “Behind Every Lie” does a great job of grabbing the reader and keeping things moving with the shifts between the two and the hints that get dropped along the way. I kept trying to figure out who the bad guys were even though I was pretty sure I knew who the bad guys weren’t. That’s what kept me reading.

What knocked the book down to 3 stars for me was that all of the things that happen to Eva seem like too much by the end of the book. I don’t want to give anything away because there are clearly other reviewers who felt otherwise, so I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. That said, for me, when the situations pile on and on and on, I get to a point where I’m thinking, “Enough already,” and I just want to finish so I’m not really enjoying the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This title will be available April 1, 2020.

What would you do if you were struck by lightning and couldn’t remember anything that happened on the night of your mother’s murder? In Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie, Eva is surrounded with uncertainty as the truth of what happened on that dreadful night slowly unravels. If you are looking for a thriller that leaves you unable to put it down, then Behind Every Lie might be the book for you. ‘

The Plot:
From the first page of the book, readers learn that something terrible has happened to Eva’s mother, Kat—she’s been murdered. On the night of her mother’s murder, Eva was struck by lightning, frying her memory of that night, leaving her with no recollection of the events that took place. After waking up in the hospital, Eva learns that she was found just down the street from her mother’s house, making her a suspect. How can Eva clear her name if she doesn’t remember what took place that night?

Told in alternating perspectives between Eva and Kat, the past slowly reveals the clues that begin to unravel the truth. Kat’s view takes us back in time, explaining how she went from living in London to America. Eva determined to find out the truth about her mother, races to London to uncover not only her mother’s past but her own. The clock is ticking for Eva, as she knows that whoever killed her mother may still be out there, and they might be looking for her. Behind Every Lie explores the complicated mother-daughter relationship, the danger in secrets, and how the past can come back to bite you even years later.

My Thoughts:
I would first off like to thank NetGalley and Galley Pocket Books for my free advanced copy of Behind Every Lie. Second, if you are someone who is easily triggered by sexual abuse, I would like to advise you that this book does discuss this pretty heavily and could be triggering to some.

I am, first and foremost, always a fan of mysteries and thrillers, so I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this book. Fast-paced and addicting, I couldn’t seem to put the book down. While some moments seemed somewhat repetitive (i.e., Eva constantly biting the skin off by her nails), I didn’t seem to mind those moments too much as the writing kept propelling me forward. There were a few moments where I had to suspend my disbelief. I can’t see a suspect in a murder investigation REALLY being allowed to leave the country for a few days without any issue to investigate something on her own—that seemed a bit far fetched. Regardless, I was so engrossed by the plot line that I easily was able to ignore my logic and continue.

I found the plot to be intriguing, and McDonald did a fantastic job of keeping me interested. Twists and turns kept throwing me off track, leaving me to wonder what in the world was going on. With the narrator being extremely unreliable at times, I wasn’t sure if the book would end up with a complete surprise ending. While I can’t say I was shocked by the ending, as I had part of figured out about 50% of the way through, I was surprised by at least one element of the reveal. As a seasoned mystery and thriller reader, I’m continually trying to pick up on those obvious clues. I enjoy being given those clues because they make me feel like a detective who can solve any case.

The differing perspectives added much more suspense to the story. Each section left off with a cliff hanger, which pushed me to keep reading because I couldn’t just turn the page to find out what happened. I had to read the other character’s perspective, and THEN I could find out where the last figure had left off. I found this to be an exciting aspect of this author’s writing. Many books in the thriller genre are written in multiple perspectives, but Christina McDonald crafted her perspectives in a manner that allowed a slow reveal of the truth. Connecting one of Eva’s later chapters with Kat’s earlier chapters, Behind Every Lie gave me that “ah-ha!” moment that I love.

As mysteries and thrillers go, this one is one of my favorites. I would highly recommend Behind Every Lie to anyone who enjoys an edge-of-your-seat thrill that sticks with you days after you’ve finished reading. Behind Every Lie will have you looking over your shoulder everywhere you go, leaving you with the feeling that someone could be watching you. If you decide to dive into this twist-filled world, make sure you’ve got your detective gear ready. Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie is a thriller you won’t want to miss!


****I will be posting this review on my blog and instagram closer to the publication date, but I will be mentioning it before hand on Instagram to build up hype over the book! Thank you.

I could not put this book down, it had me holding my breath, feeling for the characters in this domestic thriller and reading way into the night. Imagine these two conflicting thoughts - waking up in a hospital finding out you were hit by lightening -then learning at the same time your mother has been murdered and you are a suspect! Eva Hansen's head is whirling, she is having flashbacks, but can't remember enough to know if her memories are real. Who can she trust? Not even herself. This book took my emotions on a steep ride, switching back and forth with suspicions, learning yet another secret, held so many lies untold. Told from two POV's between mother and daughter the story reveals the history and current events in a way that is compelling and emotionally charged keeping the suspense increasing with each chapter. This author is new to me but I can't wait to read her first book - The Night Olivia Fell, she writes with exquisite sensitivity for her characters.

⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2 Stars

I enjoyed The Night Olivia Fell, so I was looking forward to this read. This book is filled with so many twists and turns, that it makes for a quick read. If it wasn’t for bad luck, I’m not sure Eva would have any luck. She is found in a park not far from her mother’s home (who was just found murdered) bloody and struck by lightning. She remembers nothing. Thus starts this tale from Eva’s point of view along with her mother’s Kat.

I would have been fine with a few less twists! After a while they seemed to bog down the storyline. I did not feel any connection between the characters, nor did I find the characters particularly like-able. I felt like I was going back and forth between the different twists.

I do like the author’s writing style and will definitely read her again. Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

******Will post to Amazon and B&N on pub day.

I received this book complimentary from NetGalley but all opinions are my own.
Oh. My. God.
This was so so good. There were so many delicious twists and turns and it was a great ride. I can’t even believe it. I put off reading it because I was worried about it being scary and I just wasn’t in that space. But it was a great thriller. A really excellent thriller. I couldn’t put it down, truly. Eva is a wonderful character. I expected but didn’t expect Liam - there were some pieces where I was thrown back but isn’t that the mark of a great thriller? Jacob was lovely and Kat and Lily in their own ways. This was a fascinating read and I will certainly be following this author for future books.

Although some of the twists seemed a little too crazy to be true, I still really enjoyed this book and thought it was much better than her first book. The pacing was great and the flashbacks helped keep the suspense rolling. As a frequent thriller reader, it was easy for me to guess some of the results, but that didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

My one critique is my standard problem with British authors setting their novels in the US. Some of the American characters would use words or phrases that sounded a little too British. This didn't happen often in Behind Every Lie, but I did pick up on it a few times. Hopefully that will be corrected when the book is published.

Thank you very much to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

As other reviewers have mentioned, this story has so many things going on that it's hard for me to paint a simple synopsis. However, I eagerly turned the pages to see how everything would get resolved. If you're looking for a psychological thriller with many twists, add this to your read pile.