Hooray for a book that brings me back to why I love reading Diane Chamberlain books. Ms. Chamberlain’s writing style of story telling 1940 and 2018 are amazing. The story has a spoiler so don’t read too many detailed reviews. Just read the book.

Such a great read, like all of Diane Chamberlain’s books! I loved the back story of the mural competition, I loved the setting, and I loved the back and forth between modern day and the late 1930’s. This book kept me on the edge of my seat.

The story is set in two time frames - the 1940s and the current day. Sometimes when this occurs in a book, it's difficult to follow but in this book the author does a fantastic job of keeping the story flowing from era to era. It helps too that there are a finite amount of characters to keep track of in each timeframe.

There is a mystery from the past that works its way into the present that was very interesting to follow, as well as a neat little twist that really ties up the plot. This was one of those books that the more you read, the faster the pages start turning. Will definitely be reading more of Diane Chamberlain.

I received an egalley of this book from Netgalley for an honest review.

This was my first time reading a Diane Chamberlain book. It won’t be my last! I loved the dual timelines. This book is historical fiction interwoven with a mystery which made this book really exciting for me to read. Both Anna Dale and Morgan Christopher were two women I really enjoyed getting to know and I found myself rooting for both of them. I also loved the descriptions of art restoration and the initial creation of the post office mural. The story got off to a slightly slow start for me, but once I got the feel for the two timelines and the characters, I was hooked! I couldn’t put it down. If you love historical fiction and mysteries, I recommend giving this book a try. Thank you so much to @stmartinspress and @netgalley for my copy.

Big Lies in a Small Town was yet another great book by Diane Chamberlain. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is a story of two women in the same place at two very different periods of time. Amazing story that I devoured in one sitting.

As always Diane Chamberlain never fails to please when it comes to my reading tastes. This particular novel contains two different stories running parallel across two separate time periods. They are connected by a mural originally painted by Anna Dale in the early 40's and that mural is being restored by Morgan Christopher in the present day. For me there was an unexpected plot twist at the end. Both the story in the past and the story in the present contain mysteries. I enjoy mysteries and historical fiction and I like going back and forth with each chapter. That may bother other readers but for me the contrast keeps the pages turning.

Diane Chamberlain never disappoints! I have read all of her books to date and loved each one. I reviewed the book several months ago on amazon.

Incredible! Diane Chamberlain Never disappoints!

This novel is very well written with an intriguing plot and well developed relatable characters.

Family secrets, class injustice in a small town in the south are the basis for an incredibly well told story.

The story alternates in time between the past and the present. The past being 1939 and involves the restoring of an old mural that has been lost for decades.

A perfectly paced plot , an emotional read , highly recommend !

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Brief Summary: When Morgan Christopher gets a chance to get out of jail if she will restore an old mural, she jumps at the chance. She begins to learn about it’s artist, Anna Dale, a northerner who won the right to paint it but disappeared before she finished it. The story is told in alternating storylines between the past and present until they come together. I am a huge fan of this author and this is Diane Chamberlain at her finest.

Highlights: I loved the art, race/civil rights, connection between the past and present. Both stories were great. I really wanted this story to be real or at least more based on real people than it was. This book inspired me to visit Edenton. Again, Diane Chamberlain is an author not to be missed!

Explanation of Rating: 5/5; I loved the civil rights, race, and art themes. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!

Great read for book clubs and social justice enthusiasts! This would make a great feel good escape read in this uncertain time.

Thank you to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review

This was my first read by Diane Chamberlain but it definitely won't be my last. This was a beautifully written story jumping back in time to 1940 where Anna Dale, a young artist from New Jersey, wins a contest to create a mural for the post office in Edenton, NC up to 2018 where Morgan Christopher, a young woman who's been in prison for the last year, is picked to restore said mural. Diane Chamberlain does a great job of switching back and forth between the women, presenting a different set of challenges for the girls to overcome and still keeping the story interesting. I would recommend this read.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the back and forth between the two main characters. I also liked that there was only a slight mystery involved, it was more just the telling of a story.

This is a dual time period book, taking place in 2018 and 1940. We piece together a mysterious story about Anna, an artist who wins a contest to paint a mural in a small town post office. Morgan, a present day art student who has had a bad run of luck lately begins to unravel the mystery as she restores Anna's mural. This book will suck you right in to trying to figure out the mystery as you slowly get new clues. There is amazing character development and you will find yourself engrossed in the stories of these two women's lives. Diane Chamberlain has written another fabulous book, that I would hightly recommend.

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars rounded up to a 4.

Overall, I enjoyed “Big Lies in a Small Town” by Diane Chamberlain. I really liked the dual storylines, but it leaned towards being a historical fiction at times. The story itself was good although a bit predictable towards the end. The pacing was a little slower than I would have liked, especially towards the beginning. Things really picked up a little after the second half. The writing itself was very easy to read and follow along with. I have only read a few books written by Diane Chamberlain but will definitely be reading more from her in the future.

*I received a digital copy of this book via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review..*

I've always felt that Diane Chamberlain has a beautiful way with words. I feel like her writing is intended to be read indoors snuggled up under a blanket during a thunderstorm. Her writing is cozy in the same way that Jodi Picoult's writing is cozy.
Ok. now that I've gotten my feelings about Chamberlain out of the way - like all of her writing, Big Lies in a Small Town is a beautifully tangled drama. I loved riding along while this story slowly untangled itself. This is a beautiful story about flawed people, and second chances, and rebuilding life. As, with all of Chamberlain's books, I highly recommend this.

Big Lies in a Small Town is a page turner with a brilliant story! Friendship, heartaches and believing in oneself. I highly recommend this novel by Diane Chamberlain. I rated 4 Stars only because I wanted to know more about Morgan's final question.

This was my first book by Diane Chamberlin, but it certainly will not be my last! Oh my goodness, this book was so good, I was hooked from page one!

Morgan is in jail due to a crime that she did not commit. She is approached with a way to get out of jail early. That is, if she commits to restoring a 70 year old mural. Morgan decides to jump on this offer. Though, she isn’t sure if she has the skill set to do the restoration. The stipulation set by Jesse before he passed, was Morgan has to be the one to restore the mural.

In the year 1940, Anna enters a contest and ends up winning. She gets to paint a mural on the post office wall in Edenton, North Carolina! Anna is the need of a fresh start, and decides to relocate to paint the mural. The mural ends up not getting finish, and story is that Anna went crazy, and was unable to finish.

Oh my goodness, this story was so good!! I did not want to put it down, I had to figure out what would happen next. Why didn’t Anna finish the mural? Was Morgan going to solve the mystery and figure out why?

This book was told in alternating POVs and time periods. I loved how it went back and forth between Morgan and Anna. I also loved all the information about doing mural restorations. I found it very informative and interesting! I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good mystery!

4.5 stars. This book, told from 2 points of view in 2 different time periods, pulls the reader along like a slow burning candle. While I predicted certain events and the big secret before they occurred, it didn’t diminish my interest in the story or fates of Anna, Morgan, and Jesse. This is a great book to read if you’re looking for a book to tug at your heart.


Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

While I love this author, this wasn’t my favorite of hers. Overall the story and character development is good, but I had a difficult time getting into the story. Towards the end it was a bit predictable as well. I still give it 4 stars because the premise was interesting and I enjoyed the characters’ stories.

This is a very powerful book and my first by this author! Anna and Morgan are the main characters and they are from totally different eras. I though the author did an incredible job of allowing the reader to flow between the different characters and between the different eras without a lot of struggle or the feeling as if we are reading two different stories. I feel that this book, thanks to netgalley for the chance to read it, as made me add an additional author as one to watch for additional books as her writing is incredibly smooth and transitional while making you feel as if you’re in the book yourself!

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2020; St. Martin's Press

Big Lies in a Small Town is my first full-length novel by Diane Chamberlain, and I am happy I a huge backlist to go through. I enjoyed the writing and characters in this novel. The only thing that didn't work for me was the dual storyline. I felt like that the mystery was not really a mystery because of this. The novel takes place in a small southern town in present day and the 1940s, and I felt like the author did a good job showing both times distinctly. I am looking forward to my next book by Chamberlain.

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***