Yet another amazing book by Christina McDonald. I always love her plots, her twists, and the characters.
I can't wait to see what else she has to offer us in the near future.

Behind Every Lie was a highly anticipated book for me after loving author Christina MacDonald's 2019 release The Night Olivia Fell. The plot unfolds via a dual timeline and point of view from Mother Kat and her daughter Eva.

This book was full of twists and turns which made this a thrilling read but also started to make my head spin. There were so many sudden coincidences that it started to feel like it was hard to follow along with the actual storyline.

I enjoyed McDonald's debut so much which I think made my expectations for this one super high. Her writing is amazing but I just felt so like there were ay too many things going on in this one storyline. It was riveting but just felt over the top for me as the reader.

Thank you to Gallery Books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

Let me just start off by saying that I’m a HUGE Christina McDonald fan, after reading her other book The Night Olivia Fell. I just had to get my hands on her second book Behind Every Lie! Just like the first one, I couldn’t put this one down and it had me wanting more. Just when you think you know what's going to happen, the author throws a couple of twists into the storyline pulling you in. It feels like you can't trust any of the characters surrounding Eva, they all have their own agendas for wanting her mother dead. Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for allowing me to read this early readers’ copy in exchange for an honest review! The storyline jumps back and forth between her mother’s POV 25 years ago and Evas in the present. Eva wakes up in the hospital with no memories of how she got there or what had happened leading up to it. She is told that she was struck by lightning close to where her mothers' house was when the cops found her. A police officer is brought in to start questioning Eva after telling her that there has been a horrible accident and that her mother was murdered the same night. He believes that she had something to do with her mothers' murder and that she’s hiding it by covering it up. Determined to clear her name, she takes investigating what actually happened that night into her own hands. It leads her to discover that her mom might not actually be her biological mother which causes her to question who is the real Eva Clarke?

I tore through this book in one sitting. The characters were well-developed and the plot was tense and moved quickly. I especially liked how the flashback chapters filled in the gaps for the reader and contributed to the intrigue of the current-day plot. I also found the parallels between pottery and people to be especially insightful. It was an excellent page-turner, and I definitely recommend it. For more thoughts, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks Fiction Reviews. This review was based on a digital ARC of the book, and all opinions are my own.

Thank you Netgalley and Simon & Schuster for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was so well written! The author did a great job of putting into words how the main character was feeling, and really allowed you to understand the trauma Eva has been through. I also loved how the past storyline with Kat and the present storyline with Eva come together in the end. It was explained perfectly and I couldn’t keep it down. I give it a 4 only because most of the twists were predictable to me.

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

I struggled to write this review. I wanted to love this book, but it was just okay for me as far as thrillers go. Let me start with what I enjoyed about this thriller. I liked that it was told from two POV, Eva’s in the present day and Kat’s in the past. I enjoyed Kat telling her story. Thrillers by nature are a bit over the top, but Kat’s voice gave the story a bit more realism. I also enjoyed the mother-daughter dynamic that wove throughout the story. I loved the settings of the Pacific Northwest and London.

But, I had a tough time liking Eva or sometimes even rooting for her. Maybe it wasn’t her fault. There were so many twists and turns in this book that it just completely took me out of the story in general. Plus, I guessed many of the twists. I wasn’t really shocked by the reveals. That said, Behind Every Lie is a fantastic way to escape. I believe the thriller is escapist fare by its very nature. I couldn’t stop reading this book. It made me stop thinking about the outside world for a few hours and it became a fun, twisty escape from my reality.

If you love psychological thrillers, flawed characters, and tons of twists, Behind Every Lie is worth checking out, especially if you loved the author’s previous book, The Night Olivia Fell. 3.5 ⚡️/5.

Behind every "Truth" there is always a "Lie", Behind every " Lie" there is always a "Reason", and behind every " Reason" there is always a "Person"....
shujoy chowdhury

Brilliant, tense, addictive, and memorable! Christina McDonald has done it again... this book was as thrilling as her first book was emotional.The Night Olivia Fell sits proudly on my favorites shelf where I will be placing this book as well. Both Olivia and this book focus on the mother daughter relationship. Olivia was a raw emotionally charged story, this book is more of a pulse pounding edge of your seat thriller. Both books were so compelling yet very different. I think this shows the strength of Christina‘s marvelous storytelling. Eva wakes up in the hospital to find out she has been struck by lightning and that her mother has been murdered. She has no recollection of the night before, no idea how she ended up out on the street without her coat near her mothers house in a rain storm, and how she ended up covered in blood. There is no way she had anything to do with the murder of her mother.... right?

Oh boy what a wild ride! The story is told from two alternating perspectives Eva trying to figure out what happened in the present and her mother Katharine in the past. It looks as though Katharine has some explaining to do. Has Katharine’s past caugh up with her? Was it the secrets she’s been trying so hard to hide that led to her murder? This is a fast paced thriller that will have you tearing through the pages needing to know what is going on. Eva is a great unreliable narrator and I loved puzzling this story together with her. The story has so much atmosphere that added to the overall tension of the plot. There were so many times I was so worried about the safety of Eva (The girl was not listening to my warnings, anyone else talk to their books?). Such a captivating tale, cannot wait to see what is next up from Christina McDonald.

This book in emojis⚡️ 🔪 🧸 👩‍👧

*** Big thank you to Gallery for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Kat and Rose become good friends during the time that Kat is Rose's nanny, They both have young daughters. One fateful day, Kat's daughter has a fatal accident at Rose's house. Kat's husband blames Rose and her daughter and vows revenge. Kat and Rose hatch out a crazy plan to save themselves from Kat's violent husband. However, things don't work out quite as planned.

What follows is an intriguing story that kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a great book and the characters are very fleshed out and likeable. The premise is a little outlandish, but it works for the purpose of this story.

Eva Hansen is finally getting her life together. She is ready to put her troubled past behind her and start over with her reliable fiancé Liam. If only her mother, Kat could let her bury her past and they could resolve their conflicted relationship. But time runs out for healing old wounds. Eva wakes up in the hospital with memory loss from being struck by lightning. She is told that her mom was murdered. Due to Eva’s history of memory issues, and her own self-doubt, and her tumultuous relationship with her mom, she is quickly seen as the prime suspect. Eva has to find out what happened to her mom and as a result, learns her mother had her own life-changing secrets.

Behind Every Lie By Christina McDonald is not a typical thriller or mystery. The novel is a domestic drama with thriller elements. Its certain theme is the exploration of female relationships, particularly moms and daughters. It delves into many society issues affecting women such as domestic violence, grief, sexual orientation, abortion, and sexual violence. While I didn’t like how some characters dealt with these issues, since no one is perfect, the reactions of the characters were painfully realistic. Plus, flawed characters are more interesting than boring perfect ones. McDonald handles these topics with great tact. As a result, Eva’s character journey was raw and powerful.

Throughout the book, the Japanese art of kintsugi (pottery made of broken pieces that highlight the cracks) is mentioned. This becomes a metaphor for how broken people can be healed and grow because of their wounds. For instance, Kat Hansen says that “Darling, I’m not entirely certain one can ever becomes unbroken, but I do know we can be strong and brave and broken and whole all at the same time. It’s called being human.” Along with this idea of healing, there is a more subtle aspect of destiny and connected-ness that plays out in the novel. I think these themes added a beautiful message about the human experience and what it means to heal.

There were a few typos in my pre-published copy. I did not like that one secondary character who seemed cruel throughout the book was redeemed quickly on the last pages. Also, I would have preferred some racial diversity. All the main characters were seemingly white. Race was not directly talked about except for an unnamed “Asian Manager” of a Chinese restaurant who was mentioned briefly in one scene. With that said, I prefer no People of Color in a book to offensive tropes. Therefore, it did not ruin my enjoyment of the book.

There were lots of twists in this novel. None of the twists were mind-blowing for me. With that said, they were well paced out. Also, while I wasn’t overly surprised by the plot twists; I was surprised by the emotional impact the novel had on me. There was one scene that almost had me in tears and will stick with me.

Since I enjoyed the emotional journey of the story, the plot and character development, and there were only minor issues I had with the story, this is a four out of five stars for me. I think those who like domestic drama and thrillers will want to read Behind Every Lie.

DNF at 42%. I am not feeling connected to the story and am not interested in continuing. I may be on a bit of thriller overload but seeing too many aspects that feel familiar. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the free review copy.

You won’t even notice the weather outside when you read this book! I usually have the characters pegged but with the twists and turns revealed by the alternating perspectives, it was not until the finish you know what is the truth. Christina McDonald has done it again. (if you haven’t read The Night Olivia Fell, start that next)

Christina McDonald’s second novel is just as well written, suspenseful, and addicting as The Night Olivia Fell, and I think this is a must read for every domestic suspense/thriller lover. I liked the alternating points-of-view between mother and daughter, and the suspicion that every character is under as the plot unfolds. There were lots of twists and turns and I totally loved this book. Christina McDonald is a favorite author!

A truly stimulating read!!

I was completely hooked! A fast paced novel that is sure to make you turn the pages as fast as you can. A truly gripping novel. As the story unfolds, page after page, you get more and more drawn in. The characters are so real.

Twists and turns that leave you gasping out loud! Edge or your seat greatness that will blow your mind.

Christina McDonald is a forced to be reckoned with. This is her 2nd novel and she had already become one of my absolute favorites. I can not wait to see what she comes up with next. Whatever it is, I’ll be buying it!

2.5 Stars

“Behind Every Lie” is now the second novel I’ve read by Christina McDonald. Going into it I had high hopes. I didn’t love “The Night Olivia Fell” - but I had listened to the audiobook and I really disliked the person who narrated the character of Abbi and I thought that might have something to do with my not liking that book. I was hoping that by my reading “Behind Every Lie” - I might have better luck, unfortunately that wasn’t the case.

When Eva Hansen comes to, in the hospital, she realizes that she has been struck by lightning and after having flashbacks, she is terrified that she was involved in something very bad. When the police come a knocking informing her that her mother was murdered and question her about her whereabouts, she is running scared, literally.

Can Eva clear her own name, before it’s too late?

Told in two povs and two timelines: Eva, in the present day and Kat (Eva’s Mother) in the past, the story unravels like a ball of yarn.

For me, “Behind Every Lie” is a novel that has way too many far-fetched moments that made me roll my eyes in disbelief. Far-fetched storylines are not my cup of tea and therefore, admittedly, this is a novel that I struggled with for that reason. That aside, “Behind Every Lie” is a short, highly readable novel that I tore through in a matter of hours. It kept my attention throughout and was definitely entertaining.

This was another buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the arc.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 2.8.20.

This book is fabulous! That about twisted family secrets. Eva was in a horrible accident. Struck by lighting. The same night her mother was found murdered and Eva can’t remember anything. She then is determined to find out what happened. However doing so has uncovered some family secrets.

This book you will not want to put down! It’s fast paced and high action. You can’t go wrong.

This is a thriller with a good premise, what if you woke up in a hospital bed accused of murdering your mother but had no memory of the events leading to her death? This is what happens to the protagonist, Eva Hansen when her mother is murdered and she is the one suspected because she was seen at her mother's house last. This is a duel timeline story that goes between the events leading up to the murder and Eva's current day predicament. She slowly tries to work through her memory loss that occurred due to a lightening strike following her mother's death.
Overall, there are some aspects of this book that I enjoyed. I like the premise and setting of the book as well as the mother-daughter dynamic that is at the forefront. I did not like the unsurprising reveals and the oddities in the protagonist ways. Some of her decision making appeared to be just who she was, rather than secondary to her head injury, but did not seem sufficiently explained or discussed.
Just okay for me.
#BehindEveryLie #NetGalley #GalleryBooks

This book drew me in and held me delightfully-captive from beginning to end. The palpable tension held me in thrall. The plot kept me guessing. The characters were realistic, likable and identifiable. And, every setting was described in such a way as to make me feel like I was an actual bystander in that scene. Once I started reading this story, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down!

#BehindEveryLie #AuthorChristinaMcDonald #NetGalley

Wow this was an interesting and captivating story from the first moment I start reading it!It has twists that will keep you on edge! This novel is told from two points of view, Eva’s, and Kat, her mother. Present and Past, the past, told through Kat’s voice, and the present, Eva’s voice. Eva, is in a hospital after being struck by lightning. Her mother was murdered the same night and Eva can’t remember anything.
It didn't blown my mind but the twists were many and I find it interesting!
Overall it was a great read you will keep guessing what is happening!

This book lost my interest more than a few times, it was really slow to start and took so many turns I got whiplash. Each being more and more of a stretch into the weird. While I could see the ending a mile away it was detailed well, and wrapped up nicely.

I really enjoyed McDonald’s debut novel The Night Olivia Fell, so I was excited when I saw this one on Netgalley.

I did enjoy the majority of it, but something about it also just left me wanting more. I can’t quite put my finger on what though.

There was a character that I did not trust almost as soon as they were introduced and it did turn out that they had something to do with the night Kat was murdered. Maybe this is why I didn’t super love it. It was pretty obvious to me.

I did like Kat a lot. I admired what she did and I enjoyed her personality. Her chapters were definitely my favorite.

I like how artistic Eva was but found it kind of odd how she still focused on the art stuff while searching for her mom’s killer. Like how she went to her studio the day she found out her mom was murdered and that she could have potentially killed her. Or how she was still prioritizing fixing the urn one of her past customers had sent her for repair. I guess everyone mourns differently, but it just seemed a little misplaced to me.

I did really like the ending! I felt like everything was wrapped up well and was left on a good note. Although this wasn’t my favorite novel, I am excited for more things from McDonald.