A little predictable, but overall a decent thriller. I figured out who the killer was pretty easily, and that Liam wasn't who he said he was. I enjoyed the quick pace, and the dual timelines between Eva and Kat to see what happened. That writing style always gives me a suspenseful feel and keeps me turning the pages to see what happened and to put the pieces together. I would rate it a 3.5, rounded to 4.

I don't have my review up in Instagram or goodreads just yet, but I will soon, @thewineingreader and www.goodreads.com/thewineingreader

⭐⭐⭐💫

If you have no recollection of a moment, did it really happened and how do you go about proving it or disproving it?

"We aren't defined by our tragedies, by our history, by our mistakes, but by pieces of love and sadness and happiness, and the whole range of human emotions we feel."

Christina McDonald captured my attention immediately with the plot. It was as suspenseful as it is an attention grabber.

While it did take me a minute to get into the past and present timeline with mother/daughter POVs, I really enjoy how the story flow.

I do wish I was able to have a more emotional connection to the characters, but I do understand it is a thriller novel, so that won't always be the case. Otherwise, it is a steady-paced thriller that is an enjoyable and quick read with a satisfying ending!

A bit late on my end, but many thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for providing me with an eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I really enjoyed The Night Olivia Fell, so I was very excited to read Behind Every Lie. Unfortunately, this one just didn’t hit the mark for me in the same way. Not that this book was bad, it still earned 3 stars and I still finished it, but it was a just bit far-fetched than even I am willing to go.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s twisty, it’s turny and there are definitely “WHAT???” moments. And I really appreciated that McDonald started her reveals early enough in the book that the pieces started to come together without just jamming them down our throat in the last chapter. Regrettably, even though the pieces started coming together, I had figured out much of it on my own.

I would still recommend this book, as it is quite a good thriller. But if you are a seasoned thriller reader, you may be less enthralled with this one.

This psychological thriller will keep you guessing. It has an unreliable narrator which I like and is written in past (Kat) and present (Eva). I do think it had too many twists and turns (is that possible??) - one in particular that had no bearing whatsoever on the story itself. All in all, it was a good read with an exciting ending.

To be completely honest, I didn't finish this book. I couldn't get over the basic set up: my mom was murdered while I was struck by lightning and thus can't remember anything about the night and am now a suspect in the murder. I can't give it a bad review because it's on me-- I should've read the synopsis more carefully. Mysteries with unreliable female narrators are sort of my jam, so I must have let that seduce me and overlooked the whole struck by lightning thing. Or maybe I did notice that, but in the writing, it was just too present and ridiculous.

For those of you who enjoy psychological reads, be sure to give "Behind Every Lie" a read.

You will be introduced to Eva who discovers some long-buried secrets kept by her mother. As she goes on a quest to find out the truth, she discovers that she is not who she thinks she is, she discovers a horrifying truth about her fiance. There is also a hint of Eva rekindling an old love.

Ms. McDonald does an excellent job of weaving in some unexpected twists and turns around almost every corner that you will not be expecting. Ms. McDonald is sure to shine in her chosen writing genre! I look forward to her next book which is due out in 2021.

"Behind Every Lie" is a fantastic thriller by Christina McDonald. Full of twists and turns, this book kept me on the edge of my seat and I had to read it all at once because I couldn't put it down! The main character, Eva, has been involved in several mysterious circumstances which she can't remember afterwards. What will become of her? Read "Behind Every Lie" to find out!

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Behind Every Lie was a psychological thriller full of unreliable characters. Even the main character was unreliable, and she knew it! There were so many twists and turns, some you could see coming, others had that "woah" feeling. There were two storylines: the past and the present all coming together in the conclusion of the story. It was very well written, and a great read for thriller fans, especially those who are fond of Gone Girl.

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald was the twisty turning thriller to take me out of my slump. Eva awakens in the hospital after being struck by lightening to learn her mother died the same night not far away. Haunted by flashbacks and an unreliable memory of the night she questions who might have killed her mother - could it have been her? I appreciated that this story changed narrators from Eva to her mother Kat and also from Evas childhood to present day. The underlying message of the story, which is a unique trait in this genre, runs throughout - everyone is broken and to be repaired must be made new. I am now looking at images of a pottery repair technique - Kintsugi, which is beautiful. I grew to love Eva and appreciate her brokenness, feeling simultaneously angry, fearful and heartbroken for her. I highly recommend this book. I received an ARC if this book, all opinions are my own.

Do you love to read books about where you live or used to live? Although I am from NZ, I will also always be a PNW girl!

To me there is something that is glorious about books set in cities and areas that you have lived in! My imagination came to life. I could see drizzly Seattle, the ferry going from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island, not to mention the gorgeousness of the Puget Sound

Just Wow… this book has so much going on and I loved it, there were so many layers to all the characters! Layers were revealed as I flew through the pages, completely engrossed and waiting to see if my theories were correct!

Twists and turns kept this book at a delightful pace as we followed Eva’s journey to find out what had really happened to her mum and why! The secondary characters were fabulous and just as complex as Eva and her mum, Kat.

These characters were so well written and planned out – good, bad, evil – all had a humanity to them that brought them to life! “I do know we can be strong and brave and broken ad whole at the same time. It’s called being human.”

This kind of story is the perfect amount of suspense and intrigue for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an Advanced Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A wild ride of deception, family secrets, and decades old danger, this book was a fast read full of broken characters and well thought out plot. Eva wakes up in the hospital with next to no memory of what went on the night before, having been struck by lightning. Her mother is dead from a brutal homicide and the detective has decided to set his sights on Eva as the main suspect. All of this is a catalyst that sends Eva on a chase to figure out who she is, what the people around her have been hiding from her, and how an event from when she was 3 years old would shape her entire life. Great read.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Wow. Behind Every Lie is... amazing. This book has so many twists and turns.. I truly couldn't stop reading.
Main character, Eva, wakes up in the hospital and has no memory of what has happened to her. She finds out that her mother is dead, struck by lightning and that because her car was found near the house...t he police are suspicious.

Eva desperately needs to clear her name... but someone doesn't want her to know the truth. The book is told from Eva's present and Kat - her mom's past.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Eva awakes in a hospital with no memory of what happened to her. She finds out that her mother Kat is dead and that she was struck by lightning. Eva's car was found near her mother's house and the police are suspicious of her.

She needs to clear her name and to try to figure out what happened so she heads back to London, where Kat grew up for answers.

Someone doesn't want her to know the truth though.

This book was told from Eva's present time to Kat's past. Very suspenseful and a great read!

“They say that behind every lie is a person and a reason”.

This new emotionally charged thrilling suspense novel about lies, family secrets and the lengths of how far a mother would go to protect their child is amazing! I loved The Night Olivia Fell and I loved Behind Every Lie even more.

The story is told in alternating point of views between Kat whose story began 25 years ago in London and of Eva Hansen whose story is currently in Seattle tracing back what happened to her murdered mother. The story merges together to one mind blowing conclusion - that is the writing genius of Macdonald that I come to enjoy in her writing!

I highly recommend this book! Amazing mind bending thriller!!

This was a good, fast page turner that kept me guessing. I enjoyed the alternate POV & timelines, as it went back and forth between past & present, building up to the the night of the murder. There was a twist at the end I didn’t see coming, and the ending was satisfying. Some of the characters did some fairly unbelievable things though, and the main character was irritatingly meek and submissive at times.
Overall though it was a good mystery

I thought I had the plot figured out so many times. I was suspicious of pretty much everyone! I loved how the author would drop all these hints and then when it was revealed it wasn’t what I thought at all. There was one plot twist that I was definitely NOT expecting! I was just like wooooooow, that’s so messed up! It seems there were so many elements to this book but they came together nicely. I enjoyed reading the 2 different prospectives.

Behind Every Lie feels like a thriller within another thriller. The dual timeline created an unique take on lost memory. The timeline in the present was short and to the point. The past timeline laid down a foundation for both stories. While reading I wished the past timeline had the same quick punch as the present. Now I realized it was necessary and reflected on the narrators personalities.

I read this book for a book club on bookstagram. I had to catch up to the halfway point. Before I knew it, I was binge reading until the end!

The whole getting electrocuted thing was almost not that interesting. Who knew.

This thriller is a must read for 2020!

Im sorry, but this book was just too predictable. And what was with all the yelling? I know the doctors said she would have mood swings, but come on!!! It was a little overboard. Just wasn’t for me. And I loved her first book, Night Olivia Fell. :(

Behind Every Lie is a psychological thriller with several moving parts. It is a story that focuses around Kat and her daughter Eva. Kat's story-line starts 25 years ago when Eva is just about to turn 4. Eva's story is in current times and starts with a hospital visit for a lightening strike.

There are a couple of twists in the story that I was able to guess well before they were revealed. That being said I really enjoyed this one and would give it to any friend that liked this genre.

Don't miss this one! If you like a plot with twists and turns this book is for you. Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald is a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The opening premise, at first seemed a little far fetched. The main character Eva is struck by lightening and has a mysterious cut on her hand the same night her mother is stabbed. As the book progresses, Eva's story is told in present day, and Kat's (Eva's mother) story reveals past events. The complicated back story reveals a number of plot twists that makes this a suspensful must read thriller.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher of Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.