Wow! Wow! Wow! Behind Every Lie had me hooked from the very first page! The tension built and built as the story developed, and the twists and turns in the plot kept me guessing right up until the very end. I will definitely recommend Behind Every Lie to my book discussion group, and I think it would make a great movie.

I absolutely loved this book! Completely kept me on the edge of me seat and just when I thought I knew what was going on a whole new twist gets thrown in!

As soon as I was contacted by the publisher about this book I wanted to read it. I'd very much enjoyed another novel of Christina McDonald, The Night Olivia Fell, so I had high hopes for this one.

I of course loved the way this story is told - from Eva's perspective, starting from when she awakes after having been struck by lighting, and from Kat's perspective, starting from the tme her daughter Eva is  years old and working the storyline up to when Kat is murdered.

Eve starts off as an unreliable character. Having been struck by lightening, she can't remember what happened when her mother was killed and she quickly finds herself on the search for answers. Did Eva kill Kat? Or are there secrets from Kat's past that lead to her untimely death.

I struggled a little bit with all the mysteries going on in this book because it felt like there were so many strings that needed to come together. I also didn't feel a need to read this book like I do with really good books that I love. However, this novel definitely have a lot of mystery going for it and the end really came together nicely. It tied up all the loose ends, so at the end of the day I'd say this is definitely a book you should check out.

I read "The Night Olivia Fell" and truly enjoyed it. I won't talk about that book here though, because it's a different book, but I get the feeling that Christina McDonald spent more time on that book because it felt more developed. "Behind Every Lie" had the potential to be a really good book. It's still an enjoyable read, but everything fell a little flat. The characters didn't seem to have any real chemistry. No one really cared when something bad happened, they all moved on a little too quickly and without a lot of feeling. The conversations seemed a little robotic and not personal. There were too situations Eva found herself in that should have had a large impact on her life, but her memories of it seemed very stock and standard. It felt forced, like the author put them in but didn't try to take them any further. And towards the end of the book they are just forgotten.

The book is written well and I did still enjoy reading it, I just felt the author should have given it a little more time to develop into something more.

Thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review. This title will be released on Feb. 4, 2020.

Wow. I loved the way this book unfolds. It is hard to leave a review because so much of the book is a map to the final end. Which by the way is scary great. I will say I had not read anything eles written by Christina before but I will! The book is written so that Eva his telling her part of the story in the time frame of today. Kat her Mom gives more a history from up to 25 years earlier. When you weave them together you get this amazing web of lies that turn into truths. I can see this book being picked up and made into a film. You must give it a try. Thank you Netgalley.

We can be strong and brave and broken and whole all at the same time. Eva was a young woman that had been through so much trauma in her short life. It is a miracle she was able to be whole at the end of the story. This was a great read that sucked me in. I read the entire thing in 1 day.

Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery books and Christina McDonald for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is the epitome of a great twists and turns thriller! I actually read it in 2 days as once I picked it up, I couldn't stop reading.
This suspenseful story keeps you wanting to look over your shoulder as well as keeping you wondering.
I most definitely will be following and reading much more from this Author.

Could. Not. Put This. Book. Down! I read this book in one day! They say that a story teller needs to get your attention in the first paragraph. Christina McDonald did just that and more! There were so many mysteries, all intertwined in one wonderful, emotional and touching story. Thank you NetGalley, Simon and Schuster/Gallery Books for the early opportunity to read this book!

I was able to read another one of Christina McDonald's books early - When Olivia Fell - and when I was allowed to read this one, I was very excited. It is a fast-paced thriller about a girl who is accused of killing her mother, but who has no memory of the evening of the event. There is much more than what one sees on the surface, and even though some parts of it were predictable, the writing style and descriptions are well-done and help to keep the atmosphere of the story alive.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the chance to read this book!

I adored McDonald's first book, The Night Olivia Fell and this is a worthy second novel. I loved the dynamic between the protagonist and her mother and aunt and the ending is a worthwhile reveal. I love this author's works and cannot wait for book 3!

I loved “The Night Olivia Fell” and when I reviewed it, I described it as “emotional and suspenseful”.

The relationship between Mother and Daughter felt so authentic and having to say “GOODBYE” was “heartbreaking”!


In this book, I am guessing that the author was going for more of a “thriller with twists you won’t see coming” story.

But, I preferred the style of her first book.-more of a suspenseful, women’s fiction book.



I missed the well developed characters and relationships of her debut., the more realistic dialogue, the anguish....
The “GOODBYES” in this book seemed too easy. the characters didn’t seem to feel any loss or pain.


This book required the reader to SUSPEND DISBELIEF, the entire time.
I don’t do well with that.
At all.

But, as you can see from the many 5 star reviews, there are definitely readers who have no problem doing that!
Perhaps YOU will be one of those readers??

Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review. This title will be released on Feb. 4, 2020.

I wanted to like this but everything was just really unbelievable, even from the get go. The main character gets struck by lightning and her mom is murdered all in one night and she doesn’t really seem bothered by any of it. Also a subplot that didn’t add much to the story but I saw it coming from a mile away.

Behind Every Lie's author uses creative and vivid imagery throughout the book.
Feelings, smells, sensations all take over and you can feel it when you read.. Great writing with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book! Every twist every turn! I thought I had it figured out but I still didn’t! Loved the characters, can’t imagine being in their position. Wow! This book isn’t out until February 2020 so thank you to Netgalley for my advanced ebook! I couldn’t put this down!

A fast-paced thriller, great for a cold early Autumm weekend. A bit predictable in places. but sometimes (as in this case) that's not a bad thing when you just want to zone out in fiction.

Behind Every Lie was a pretty fast passed book that keeps you guessing from the very beginning. There was a lot of twists and turns, a great second novel by Christina McDonald. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is a fast paced novel and a quick read. It kept me guessing the whole way through, although the ending did seem a tad abrupt and in hindsight, I am really shocked I didn’t guess the ending. Do not let my three star rating deter you from grabbing this book. It’s worth a read if you like mystery and thrillers.

If you’re a fan of Christina McDonald's debut, THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL (which you absolutely should be), you’re going to love her sophomore novel! Eva wakes up from being struck by lightning only to discover that her mother has been murdered—and she’s a suspect. She has no memory of her mother’s death, but police have evidence that she was with her mother when she was killed. In trying to clear her own name, Eva stumbles upon decades of secrets that will change everything she thinks she knows about her family and herself. Told from Eva’s perspective, as well as that of her mother in the years leading up to her own murder, this story has so many surprises that you won’t be able to stop reading. What I really love about Christina’s books is how she pairs propulsive suspense with deep, complicated, heartfelt relationships between her characters. It’s difficult to finish one of her books without shedding a few tears, and in this novel in particular, I found the themes of strength coming from brokenness to be particularly poignant.

Behind Every Lie held my interest to finish in two sittings. The book begins as Eva regains consciousness to discover she's covered in blood and her mom has been murdered. Escaping outside, she is struck by lightening, wakes up in a hospital with memory loss and becomes the prime suspect in her mom's murder. Readers are drawn into the mystery from both Eva's point-of-view and that of her mom, Katherine. Several plot lines unfold which are easy to follow and relatively predictable. I found it a light, interesting read.

Christina Macdonald has done it again. Behind Every Lie is a five star thriller that grabs you from the first page. This book is incredibly hard to put down, you have to keep reading because you need to find out what happened.
Eva wakes up after being struck by lightning with vague memories of blood on her hands. She is then told that her mother is dead and that she is the prime suspect. Against her doctor's orders, Eva checks herself out of the hospital and starts to investigate the events that occurred before she woke up. When Eva returns to her mother's house, she makes a discovery that rocks her world and sets her off to London to uncover her mother's past, a past that has long reaching consequences for Eva.
The story is told from both Eva and her mother Kat's point of view, weaving past and present into one fabulous story. Eva has to come to terms with her mother's past, lies, and death, all while trying to come to terms with her own past and trying to solve her mother's murder.
Behind Every Lie has twists and turns that keep you guessing at every turn. Just when you think you know the truth you are taken down another path in the labyrinth. This is a definite must read.