Diane Chamberlin sucks me in everytime. As soon as I heard the terms of Morgan’s release from prison, I had to know why she was given this opportunity. Although at times I felt the story revealed itself slowly, it may have been my impatience to connect all the dots. Morgan and Anna were both compelling characters and I really enjoyed each of their storylines. Perhaps a sequel to learn more about Anna’s life after she left town?

Oh, this is good!
I’m not usually a fan of books that jump back and forth in time, but this is done so well and so easily that I enjoyed it.
The characters in both eras are so well done. The story is something i didn’t expect, but thoroughly enjoyed.
And that twist at the end? I did not see that coming!

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain is a light, entertaining story. Although the writing is fast-paced and easy to read, there are meaningful concepts and important ideas about self-forgiveness and the power of hope to change lives. Big Lies in a Small Town would appeal to most female young-adult and adult readers. I would definitely recommend this title.

I thought this was a fantastic book by Diane Chamberlain. I love her books and this was no exception. Both women who were the focus of the book were very well written. Morgan's story takes place in 2018. She is in prison for a crime she didn't commit and she is confused when she is approached about receiving an early parole for restoring an old mural. She was an art major in school, but has no experience with art restoration, so she feels she is in over her head. I loved how much she grew over the course of those months while restoring the mural and how much she was willing to take responsibility for the mistakes she did make in her youth. She becomes obsessed with the artist of the mural, Anna Denton. The mural has some oddities that makes it seem as though she was starting to lose her mind.

Anna Dale is the other character that Chamberlain focuses on throughout the story. Anna Denton comes to a small town, Edenton, in 1940 so that she can work on a mural for the city's post office. She encountered sexism because no one can possibly believe that a girl artist could be better than the main artist of the town. There is racism as well when she allows a young black man who is an aspiring artist to help her out. There were so many small minds she encountered, as well as some generosity. I became so invested in finding out what happened to Anna Dale and why she started making such drastic and unusual changes to the mural. The author did a good job if both timelines and the buildup to what happened was wonderfully done and the secret was one I could not have guessed.

This was yet another great read from this author and I highly recommend it.

A stunning and magnificent piece of literary work. The story is told in the present from two vastly different eras. The author chronicles the life of Anna and Morgan through there challenges. It is a journey of actions and consequences and how they can affect generations to come. It mixes history, mystery and love to form a perfect mosaic. The depth of emotions tied in with the characters stories as they discover all the things they didn’t know about themselves or other connected to them is tangible. This will definitely a book you want on your bookshelf to read several times.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain book and it was enjoyable, but I didn't love it. It started off slow and took me awhile to get into it .There are many issues that are addressed including racism and drunk driving. This was an interesting mystery. Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Diane Chamberlain for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Diane Chamberlain book and while I didn't love it, I was not scared away. I will be reading other books by her. It started off very slowly and stayed that way for a long time. Unfortunately the payoff, when it finally came, was just not enough for me. I had too many questions in the end that didn't get answered and some why is this even in the story questions. And some parts felt way too rushed at the end. It was just an okay read.

I will leave a review on Amazon or B&N on Jan 14, 2019

I received the ARC Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press and this is my fair and honest review.

This is my second book read from this author. This was truly an amazing book, although I am not a huge fan when a book moves back and forth between time periods with one than one main character but in this instance it actually wasn't to bad. Once I actually got started reading the book it was very hard to put it down. The storyline is compelling and very well written. I would certainly recommend this book to others.

Well, that is some mighty fine, creative writing here by one of my favourite authors. I loved this one!!

Big Lies is a Small Town did start off a little slow for me and I was feeling a bit worried that I wasn't quite getting where the story was going here by almost halfway. I was intrigued but at first, felt like I was being strung along a bit. Then I reminded myself that I have nothing to worry about because this is Diane Chamberlain. Well, well my patience was rewarded and around the middle of the book, the pace took off me and things started falling into place. I started piecing together this well-layered story and flew through the second half.

After reading so many books, things can get a little boring at times and I seem to lose my groove a lot and it is getting harder to find that one that is creative and a bit different from the rest. Diane Chamberlain creates a very unique and compelling story here. She brilliantly weaves the two timelines here with our main character Morgan and Anna. I was so pleased with the way everything wrapped up in the end so perfectly for me. After reading this one, I was marching around the house cheering with excitement for finding another one that kept me in my groove. I highly recommend it.

Big lies in a small town will pull you in to this story. The era and the characters are so defined by the times. You'll learn about history from the people and also get an art lesson. Paths of people cross and you'll understand how things work out.

It took me a while to get into this one, but eventually I became invested in both protagonists (dual timelines). The ending was satisfying.

*Thanks to Netgalley and the author for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

Yep, yep, yep, yeppers.

This authors books I’ve been reading like......forever.

I’m so intrigued with this plot. I’ve read books that peel away layers and layers revealing things slowly like an onion, but to see a painting being restored and cleaned and revelations being revealed, I was glued.

As most (if not all) Diane Chamberlain’s fans know, she’s a talent to be reckoned with as she can take a reader into her story and we don’t come out to breath until the final page has been read. That’s how I felt about this book.

It’s suspense.
It’s a mystery.
It’s a great plot with fabulous characters, lovely ones to the grumpy stressed ones.
You will be in tune with them all, each for different reasons.

There’s even romance......finally.

The title says it all.

Big Lies In A Small Town.

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐢𝐝𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭!

The ending was just 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐝.

I just loved it.

I just have to say that this may be one of the best Diane Chamberlain books I've ever read.
This one grab me from the cover and once opened it did not disappoint. I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. The ending deserves 20 stars. I feel like I'm closing out 2019 with the best book of 2020.


I would like to thank St. Martins Press for sending me a physical copy and NetGalley, for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.



Synopsis

North Carolina, 2018: Morgan Christopher's life has been derailed. Taking the fall for a crime she did not commit, she finds herself serving a three-year stint in the North Carolina Women's Correctional Center. Her dream of a career in art is put on hold—until a mysterious visitor makes her an offer that will see her released immediately. Her assignment: restore an old post office mural in a sleepy southern town. Morgan knows nothing about art restoration, but desperate to leave prison, she accepts. What she finds under the layers of grime is a painting that tells the story of madness, violence, and a conspiracy of small town secrets.

North Carolina, 1940: Anna Dale, an artist from New Jersey, wins a national contest to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Alone in the world and desperate for work, she accepts. But what she doesn't expect is to find herself immersed in a town where prejudices run deep, where people are hiding secrets behind closed doors, and where the price of being different might just end in murder.

What happened to Anna Dale? Are the clues hidden in the decrepit mural? Can Morgan overcome her own demons to discover what exists beneath the layers of lies?

I have to admit to being a bit hesitant to read this book for review. I have not "loved" some of Diane Chamberlain's books in the past. However, I have to eat my words with this book! It was wonderful, insightful and just plain great!

The author tells the story of a mural in a small town told by Anna from the past and Morgan from the present. The mural is what holds the secrets of this small southern town. Anna won the opportunity to create this mural and Morgan is tasked with restoring it.

The characters of Anna and Morgan are well-drawn. I could actually see them in my mind. The author draws us into the story using by alternating between the past and the present. It was so amazing to see the characters and the mural come to life.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. It is not one I will forget!

I this this has to be my favorite book from Diane Chamberlain yet. I was so engrossed in this story that I didnt want to put it down. Thr main story characters Anna and Morgan each had qualities that drew you in. The storyline itself was riveting. I love stories that go from present day to back in the past. They have to be my favorite. The way Jesse was Anna's protector was a friendship like no other. If you have to pick one book to read please consider this one. You won't reqret it.

Rating: 2.5/5.0

Genre:
Historical Fiction

I will keep this review on point and simple.
I have chosen this ARC due to the stellar reviews and ratings and was expecting this to be nothing but a new favorite. I love historical fictions a lot and I thought this would not go wrong for me.

The first thing I did not like about this book is the format. I tend to dislike stories that alternate between two very different time frames most of the time (yes there have been a few exceptions but they are very few and rare). In this book, there are two stories one (Morgan's story) is set in our current time and the other (Anna's story) which is set in the 1940s. One chapter is in the present and the other in the past. This was like a ping pong game to me. I don't enjoy a book that terms itself as a historical when it keeps throwing me back to the present.
This is my mistake in the first place because this is mentioned in the synopsis but I have not read it. Looking at the title alone I thought this would be similar to something like Desperate Housewives or Big Little Lies set in a past era. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

This must be one of the slowest books I have read this year. In the first two chapters, we get an introduction about the two main characters and then until 55% of the book nothing happens! We are talking about a book of 400 pages! What was the need for all that filler for? Some readers might argue that this was a build-up, the question here is, are the events that follow this slow build-up justify wasting half of the book for? Unfortunately no.

The other half of the book is so cliche and predictable. This format of having two different stories going and trying to tie them has been exhausted to the core, and if the story does not have enough merit to justify the format then it will be a forgettable book and a forgettable experience. After reading the first two chapters I knew the author would bring the characters together. This was predictable right from the beginning but when it happened in the end, it did not feel just predictable but also felt forced! The writer had to make a character live beyond 100 to make her story believable!

Big Lies in a Small Town has many good reviews and many fans on Goodreads. You could be one of them if you read the book. Unfortunately, I am not one. I will have to go with a rating of 2.5 out of 5.0.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a digital ARC copy of the book and this is my honest and unbiased review.

The book is expected to release: January 14th, 2020.

Yet another compelling riveting book by Diane Chamberlain. When this was available from Netgalley to read and review I automatically requested it after quickly reading the editors blurb. When I started reading the book I had a deja vu’ moment. Has anyone read the book “The Me I Used to Be” by Jennifer Ryan? The initial premise is incredibly similar to this one. Young woman is convicted a crime she did not commit and is sent to prison. She is abandoned by a horrific family and they leave her to languish in prison. Then out of nowhere comes an angel who gets her out well before her time is up. Hmmm. So though the initial concept is quite similar and wonderful that is where the similarities end. They’re both wonderful, but the stories are so very different.
Big Lies is written beautifully. It toggles back and forth between current time of 2018 and 1940 North Carolina. A time when people wore their bigotry and racism on their sleeves shamefully with pride. When people were property, women in the south had no say in just about anything and men could get away with just about anything. Morgan Christopher is serving a sentence because the man she loved and thought loved her turned out to be a horrible jerk and ran away from the scene of the crime leaving her to to alone face the consequences of jail. In 1940 Anna Dale wins a wonderful nationwide contest and is gifted the honor of painting a mural in small town Georgia. She is from “up north” New Jersey so is somewhat shocked about how very different things are.
We meet beautifully written people. All damaged in their own way and we join them on their journeys to live their dreams, let go of the past and the anger that goes along with it. Ultimately we discover the connections in the most genuine and delicate way while they all find their way to healing.
This is a must read for anyone who is literate! I absolutely loved it and very much look forward to whatever is coming next from this incredible beloved author.

The first half of this book was most certainly a slow burn, which is usually a quick way to lose my interest but in this case it was intriguing enough to keep me reading and by the time it all came together it was decidedly worth it. Once things started moving they definitely moved quickly and the plot twists and turns were plenty. The story is told between two different women, in two different periods of time, nearly 80 years apart. Both women have a few things in common, but namely their love of art and their battles with their own personal struggles. There are some pretty serious and heavy topics covered in this story and it's really well done.

What a great, great read! This book was one of Chamberlain's best! The act of restoring a painting in a small town where no one knows what happened to the author, where prejudice is alive and well and the main character has secrets and shame of her own. I was kept entertained and wondering throughout the whole book. The characters were interesting and I grew to love some and hate others. The ending was definitely a surprise and that's the best kind of book! I will think about this book for a while and definitely read more by this author.

I have always found Diane Chamberlain’s book to be enjoyable reads and this one does not disappoint. I thought it started a little slow but once I was hooked into lives of Anna and Morgan I didn’t want to put it down.

This book deals with so many issues. Racism, drink driving, family issues are just a few, but I felt the author dealt with them all in a honest & realistic way without coming off as an “expert” or preachy.

I think anyone who enjoys a mystery along with some historical fiction will especially enjoy this book.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and Diane Chamberlain for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.