I had a hard time getting into this book until almost the end. The twist was great., just really had to stay with it until then. On a side note, good depiction of postpartum depression.

Publication Info: Expected publication date January 14, 2020 by Ballentine. Kindle pre-pub edition courtesy of NetGalley. Various editions will be available at the time of publication.

Summary: Leslie Voigt desperately wants her inheritance. Her father recently died and left her his house full of junk and fifty thousand dollars. The problem is that she can’t collect the inheritance without her sister, Robin, whom she hasn’t seen since she ran away as a teen.

Leslie finds her sister living under an assumed name in Las Vegas. The problem is that when she finds her, she’s dead of a drug overdose. Her sister was always getting into trouble and using drugs, so her death is not surprising, but it is inconvenient. Now how is Leslie supposed to collect the inheritance? She needs the money immediately and can’t afford to wait until everything goes through the courts.

Despondent, Leslie stops at a local cafe to ponder her options. When she leaves she sees a young woman, who introduces herself as Mary, perched on her car. The two women start talking and after a few more meetings, hatch a plan that will benefit both of them. It becomes clear that both women have secrets. Which of them is the better liar?

Comments: I’ll start with what I liked about The Better Liar. It was definitely a page turner and I finished it in just a couple sittings. I could easily picture the settings because I lived in Henderson/Las Vegas for three years and I’ve visited Albuquerque on several occasions. There were twists and turns along the way and the ending was definitely a surprise.

Now on to what I didn’t like and why my overall score isn’t higher. The ending of the book and the author’s afterward muddied the waters. The author wanted to get a message across–one that definitely deserves attention–and chose this book as a way to do it. In the end, it didn’t do either the book or the message full justice. It made the suspense fall a bit flat at the end and I felt that the message would have been better served in a different genre.

Now that I have you completely puzzled, go read the book!

Genre: Suspense, Psychological Suspense

My rating: 3.5 STARS

I had a really hard time caring about the characters in this book. I'm not sure if it was the opening scene or just the way the plot developed, but after a few chapters, I just put it down and didn't pick it back up.

This book started off with an interesting premise but it fell flat towards the end. It was a slow ride for me that never quite picked up pace until towards the end. There were some twists and turns but they were not exciting or all that interesting. I found that the characters weren’t relatable and that made it difficult to be invested. I also found the end to be just meh. Despite not enjoying this the overall writing was easy to follow and moved as expected. I was looking for more intrigue and suspense. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I had a hard time opening this book, as my mother passed away in a fire and I was named co-executor of the estate along with my sister.

But, I picked it up and it was an. excellent twisty turn thriller! It reminded me of driving down a mountain with hairpin curves!!

Get your copy ordered today! I wish I would have started it sooner, but you will enjoy it's first rate plot about an inheritance that must go to both sisters, or they both lose. So what do you do when one sister dies?? See for yourself how the plot thickens

Worth reading twice.

Interesting story with a couple of good plot twists, but the characters never really made me care about what happened to them.

I gave The Better Liar a four out of five stars, I really loved this book. It took me only a couple of days to read this, I had problem with actually putting it down. I had guessed one of the ending plot points but I'm glad it was in there. I totally recommend this book, you should pick this up for yourself or someone you know. I'm going to order myself a finished copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and publisher for an easy review copy.

'No one loved me more than Leslie. She loved me so much she sat my ghost up and breathed into it, made it walk around our home again, the way the living do.'

There are a few twists in THE BETTER LIAR, an ending I didn't see coming preceded by a scene or two wherein a bit of suspension of disbelief may be required, ultimately resulting in a book this reader didn't want to put down. I really like Tanen Jones' writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books.

Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine Books, for providing me with an advance eBook of THE BETTER LIAR in exchange for an honest review.

To be released January 14, 2020

This basically left me with the feeling that we should none of us have to be responsible for ourselves, it's all impossible and more than a little futile. I suppose that's better than feeling nothing?

I really have no words lol. Speechless. I cannot even give a cohesive review of this book. It was “wth did I just read” goodness! I love that it was told with three point of views. Definitely go into this read blind! Do not ask anything about it. Do not read the blurb. Just head on in because it…is…a…..wild….one! Great debut!

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

Enjoyed this much more than I thought I would! I found the premise interesting based on the book description but the story ended up being better than I thought. Hard to review as there are so many twists, that almost everything is a spoiler.

This book starts off with a intriguing premise, Leslie must find her sister Robin in order to claim her father's inheritance since they must appear together for this to be executed. About halfway through this book it definitely had my interest.. Then too many details, too many flashbacks with too many descriptions lost my attention and I just wanted it to get to the end. I figured out who was who and what was happening.. Although this book was good it was too dragged and could have had even more suspense with less verbiage..

What I Loved:
The Better Liar had me all over the place! The story was just crazy enough that I would think I knew what was going on, and then I would second guess it because “That would be crazy…”

How I Felt:
The first chapter of this book had me hooked. Robin’s discussion of being dead and how it made her feel, had me so intrigued! From there, the book just took off and never slowed down.
The Better Liar is told from three point of views: Robin, Leslie, and Mary. The mixture of these three told the story so well, giving insight to the history of the two sisters, Robin and Leslie as well as telling the story in present day.
The character building was done well. I found that I connected with the characters about different things. One of my favorites was actually Nancy, a secondary character. Her story was built so well, I really enjoyed the portions of the story that she was a part of. I found Leslie to be my least-liked character. There wasn’t anything wrong with her and I believe that the author meant for me to feel that way about her. She was just more distant and harder to know.
Overall, the suspense in this book had me reading late into the night. There were so many questions to answer and I had so many theories. I needed to know which was right, if any!

Content Warnings: Discussion and reference to suicide and murder.

To Read or Not To Read: I would recommend this book for any reader that enjoyed books like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. The Better Liar is filled with suspense and mystery and is a definite page-tuner.

What’s This Book About Anyway?
Leslie is in trouble. She needs money. Her father has just passed away and left his two daughters $50,000 each. This is great news for Leslie, except that she hasn’t spoken to her sister is over 10 years.
She tracks her sister, Robin, to Las Vegas and finds her, but unfortunately Robin has just died of an overdose. Leslie is at a loss. She can’t get the money she needs, and her sister has just died.
Through chance, she meets Mary, a waitress looking for a way to make it big in Hollywood. Leslie convinces Mary to pretend to be Robin. Mary can have Robin’s $50,000 and head off to California. She must spend a few days in Leslie and Robin’s hometown pretending to be Robin.
Their quick and easy plan begins to become complicated as both realize the other woman may be hiding some secrets. With lots of twists and turns to keep you on the edge of your seat, you’ll be wondering who’s the better liar?

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

Tanen Jones' The Better Liar is one of those début novels that feels far too polished to be someone's first book. Everything about it is pitch perfect, and I sped through it in a single sitting.

It's been years since Leslie last laid eyes on her younger sister Robin. After their mother's death when the girls were children, their lives were ruled by their abusive father until Robin ran away from home at the age of sixteen. Leslie remained near her childhood home, caring for her father as he grew older, and she's never quite forgiven Robin for running off, leaving her with all the responsibilities that go along with caring for an aging parent.

When our story opens, their father has died, and Leslie has driven to Las Vegas in hopes of locating Robin. She would prefer not to seek out her sister, but her father has put certain stipulations in his will that make Robin's presence necessary. Leslie really needs the $50,000 her father left her, and so she's ready to do everything in her power to convince Robin to return home with her to settle the estate.

When Leslie arrives at Robin's last known address, she is horrified to find her sister dead inside the run-down apartment. It seems Robin, who has struggled with drug addiction for years, has died of an overdose. There's a part of Leslie that is grief-stricken by her sister's unexpected death, but another part of her is frantically trying to come up with a way to get her hands on the money her father has left her. After all, if Robin has passed away, she can't very well show up at the lawyer's office as their father's will mandates.

Not wanting to talk to the police or anyone else about her sister's death, Leslie rushes out of the apartment and begins to drive aimlessly around the city. She knows she should return home, but she needs time to process what has happened and how this turn of events will affect her in the future. She stops at a local diner for a bite to eat, and while there, encounters a young woman named Mary, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to Robin. The two women strike up a conversation, and Leslie rashly suggests Mary impersonate Robin in exchange for Robin's half of their father's estate. At first, Mary doesn't seem too keen on this idea, but she eventually agrees to go along with what Leslie is proposing.

What follows is a wild and twisty ride unlike any of the thrillers I've read in recent years. Both Leslie and Mary are hiding some huge secrets, and things won't make sense to readers right away. In fact, I even went back and reread a few pages, thinking I'd missed something vital in my initial reading. As it turned out, I hadn't missed a thing. I just needed to keep on reading, allowing Ms. Jones to work her magic at her own pace.

This is a novel that will call into question every single thing you thought you knew about its characters and their stories. No one is who they appear to be, so knowing who to trust is all but impossible, but that's okay, since everything does come clear at the end, and watching this fascinating tale unfold is one of the most enjoyable things I've done in quite some time. You're probably wishing I'd tell you more about what to expect, but the less you know, the more you'll enjoy The Better Liar, so pick it up as soon as you can. I promise you won't regret it.

Buy it at: Amazon/Apple Books/Barnes & Noble/Kobo
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I usually hate books where I don’t feel a particular affinity for any character. I generally have to find someone to cheer for. It’s just the way I am. I didn’t like the main characters of this book yet still moderately enjoyed it... so that was a win for me. The plot of this book is interesting enough that the characters became secondary.

Rated up to 3, but really was a 2.5 for me.

O M G this was an awesome read! I couldn’t put it down and every page, every secret, every lie, every twist was perfectly written! This author is a force to be reckoned with and she will have you biting your nails in fear of what the next page will bring.
reader beware: Bottle of wine needed while reading this twisty twisted masterpiece!
10 stars!
Thank you for my free arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts out with Leslie going to find her sister in order to share an inheritance. She ends up finding her sister dead.

I did not get too far into this book and just couldn’t get into it. It seemed far fetched and just not for me.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy!! I really loved this mystery and thought it had some really awesome twists. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, a big twist came that I didn’t envision at all! It made me go back and re-read to catch clues that I might’ve missed. Another fast paced page turner, that you can fly through in just a couple sittings. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Ballantine and Tanen Jones for the ARC to review. This was a good read. I felt it sometimes dragged but I was willing to read to the end. I was glad that I did, because the ending was a jaw dropper. I would call it a page turner, but not a book to be overlooked.

Tanen Jones is definitely a new voice in the psychological genre and what a voice! So many twists and so many turns you might not know what hit you by the last pages! I had no idea how Jones was ultimately going bring this novel to its conclusion and while just a tad unbelievable, it was one I didn’t see coming. Kudos to Jones for writing a very well crafted debut. Can’t wait for her next one!