When The Better Liar begins, Leslie's father's will gives a large inheritance to each daughter, on the condition that both sisters collect in person, together. The problem is that Leslie hasn't seen her sister Robin in years, since her rebellious sister took off, into a haze of drugs and boyfriends.

Leslie tracks her to Las Vegas, but is slightly too late, and finds a girl's body, just after an overdose, in her sister's apartment. (It's not gory.) In a surprising move for the suburban wife and mother, Leslie convinces another Las Vegas drifter with a passing resemblance to Robin to come home and pretend to be her sister, for a share of the inheritance. Of course, Leslie could just wait until Robin is declared dead and collect 100% of the inheritance in six months or a year or whatever, but Leslie has a lot of (conflicting, shady) reasons why she can't just do this through normal channels. It's the beginning of the story's endless secrets and lies.

The "sisters" go back to meet with the lawyer and claim their inheritance, because of course Leslie still lives in their hometown, where there's the maximum chance running into someone who knows the real Robin.   Leslie's anxiously counting the days and hours until the money is in her account, again, for varied and shady reasons. "Robin" sees the adventure as a break from her Vegas waitresses gig, and Leslie is constantly trying to keep her from saying too much.  There's a long cat-and-mouse game, with Leslie, "Robin," Leslie's husband Dave, and Robin's hometown ex, so convoluted that I was no longer sure who the cat was. Characters keep lying, getting caught, and explaining it away with either a piece of backstory OR a new lie, and it's impossible to look away, until the final twist took me completely by surprise.

I requested this book based on the blurb as thrillers are my hot spot of reading at the moment.

The book opens with Leslie discovering the body of her estranged sister, Robin. Leslie and Robin haven't spoken in years, but the death of their father sends Leslie to find her in order for them both to receive their inheritance. While trying to figure out what to do, Leslie meets Mary, a young, troubled woman who has an uncanny resemblance to her sister. Mary needs away from her troubles, and Leslie needs a Robin, so they hatch a plan: if Mary pretends to be Robin, she can have Robin's share of the money. But bringing a stranger into your home might not work out like you think it will, especially when the stranger has secrets of her own.

The premise of the book was kind of weird, but in a way that worked. Who would ever bring a stranger back to pretend to be their sister for money? And yet, I was invested and in it from the beginning. I wanted to know how things would pan out, if Mary would convince everyone she was Robin, and why Leslie needed the money so badly. I experienced the nail-biting nerves every time Mary talked to people from Robin's past, or every time she was alone with Dave, Leslie's husband. I felt the anticipation of the novel all the way through to the twist ending.

The reveal of why Leslie needs the money was heartbreakingly interesting. I was definitely surprised by how the book ended, and honestly just so, so sad for Leslie and her little family. I definitely recommend this book!

This story about two sisters' lives and histories kept me reading vigorously from start to finish. Just when I thought I'd figured out the twists, the plot turned again. Both main characters were equally likable and detestable. The pot was intriguing and kept me guessing until the end. Must read!

Leslie Voigt Flores has been searching for her estranged sister for two months. It’s been ten years since Leslie has seen Robin, but when she finally tracks her down, she is dead in her apartment. It’s been so long since Robin has left home, Leslie is beyond mourning her sister. However, the conditions of her recently deceased father’s will are that both Leslie and Robin claim their inheritance together or not at all. Leslie is distraught over the money she will have to forfeit until she meets Mary outside a Las Vegas restaurant and realizes how much this woman resembles her sister. She convinces Mary to return with her to Albuquerque and comes up with a plan that just could solve both of their problems.

This book moves at a slower pace than some thrillers, but is still very engaging and suspenseful. Neither Leslie, Mary, or Robin (whose point of view is represented through flashbacks) are always likable, but their narratives are compelling. It’s clear both Mary and Leslie are keeping secrets. Some I was able to guess and some were complete surprises. It was clear there was more to both women than it appeared on the surface, but there were many things I wasn’t able to figure out. The action really picks up in the final chapters and the reader is in for several shocks when all is revealed. It’s hard to say more without spoiling the plot of the book, but I think there was one twist too many before the story concludes. Of all ways things could have turned out, I really didn’t care for how the book ended which knocked off a little from my rating. However, it was a wonderful journey and “The Better Liar” kept my interest from the very beginning. This is the author’s debut novel, so I look forward to reading more by Tanen Jones in the future.


I received this book through the courtesy of NetGalley and Ballantine books. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

The author did an excellent job of pacing with this thriller, doling out tidbits of information to keep the suspense level high throughout. I didn't care for the characters much - they weren't very likable; but that didn't detract from the story and the twists that kept me turning the pages!!

A great debut!

This book was a roller coaster of a read. I’ve been reading thrillers for a long time and I can pretty much figure things out by halfway through. This one kept me guessing until the end. This kept me up late at night and when I woke in the middle of the night it kept me company.

I hope this author keeps writing because I will keep reading!!

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Family secrets, dramatic lifestyles, and deception fill this book to the brim. This is a debut novel by author Tanen Jones and it's a enjoyable read.

Right from the get-go (and from the book synopsis) we know that Leslie goes in search of her long lost sister, Robin, in order to claim their joint inheritance. Finding her sister dead, she quickly spirals downward until she meets Mary, a woman who looks eerily like her sister. She hatches a plan and Mary agrees to pretend to be Robin long enough to get half the money.

Told from alternating narratives, we begin to see the lives of 3 women- Leslie, Mary and Robin. All three hold secrets. All three have ulterior motives. All three are liars.

Multiple side stories and plot twists kept me reading this thriller of a novel. Some twists I saw coming while others (like the ending) I never expected. This is a well-written book that was easy to read. I did enjoy each page turn and like I stated earlier, the ending wasn't what I expected. I feel like this book is best read "going in blind" so my review is short with no spoilers. I give this 4 stars and look forward to reading more books by this author.

Thanks to Netgalley and Random House Publishing Group- Ballantine for the e-galley to read and give my honest review.

The Better Liar is set to be released here in the U.S. on January 14, 2020 so ad it to your list and pre-order now!

Happy Reading!

The Better Liar was an excellently formulated thriller with plenty of mystery. The author had an enticing way with words, and I enjoyed the wit in her writing style.
The story alternates point of view between the girls involved, which really allows the reader to get a full picture of each mindset. While it was definitely farfetched at times, it didn’t matter to me because that’s the fun of fiction!
The suspense level was high throughout this slow burn and the twists were unexpected. Overall, it was a great debut novel for the author!
Fans of Ruth Ware, Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen, or Lisa Jewell will enjoy this twisty ride.
3.5/5 stars rounded up to 4 for this review

I had high hopes for this book but sadly it fell flat for me as I read. I really didn’t care for Leslie. Mary was entertaining and was the highlight of the book for me. For the most part I figured out the one twist early one so that was a bust. The ending was a little lackluster as well but it does touch on an important topic which I liked.

When I read a thriller I expect my heart to be racing and to be on the edge of my seat. With this book I didn’t experience any of those feelings. This felt more like a family saga than a thriller. For a debut novel Jones was able to keep me interested in the story. I am not against reading another book by this author in the future.

Under the terms of their father’s will, both Leslie and Robin had to meet with the attorney, together, in order to claim their inheritance. The problem was that Robin had run away ten years earlier, leaving everything behind, and after searching, Leslie finally finds her in Henderson, Nevada. But…Robin is dead. Since Robin was using an alias, Leslie ran out of the apartment, knowing no one could connect her to Robin but leaving her unable to collect the fifty thousand dollars from her father’s will.

When leaving a restaurant before heading home to Albuquerque to admit defeat, Leslie is annoyed to see a woman sitting on the hood of her car. The woman, Mary, looks a bit like Robin, is about the same age, and Leslie’s desperation causes her to come up with a plan to collect the inheritance by having Mary pose as Robin, just long enough to get the money, and Mary could keep the fifty thousand dollars left to Robin as long as Leslie got her money.

I was intrigued by Leslie, who seemingly has everything anyone could want – a comfortable home, a loving husband, a healthy son, a good job – and I couldn’t figure out why she was so desperate to get the money. Mary I could understand, she was out of a job and wanted to start fresh in Los Angeles, hoping to be an actress, and fifty thousand dollars was more than enough to make a new start. I was pleasantly surprised at the ending, which was not at all what I expected, and we do find out definitely which sister is The Better Liar.

Move over mediocre thrillers--and make way for this dynamite debut! As a reader, I'm willing to suspend belief in mysteries and thrillers but I need a supporting storyline. I had pretty much given up all hope on ever reading a book that could manage to do that again after the disasters I read at the beginning of 2019 (Au Pair, Bring Me Back, and Anonymous Girl come to mind).

The Better Liar caught my eye in a Netgalley email and after reading the summary I thought I'd give it a shot and if I didn't like it I probably needed to accept that the entire genre just doesn't work for me anymore. I started reading and I couldn't stop! I was hooked and thought I'd figured it out right away, but after reading more, I had doubts on my theory. As more and more secrets came to light, I had about a dozen more theories swirling around in my brain right until the very end. After I finished the last page, I jumped on a group text with my book buddies and demanded they request this title immediately.

I would recommend just diving right into this novel without reading too many reviews (since they may unknowingly reveal spoilers or details you'll want to experience for yourself.)

This book was quite a crazy thrilling ride! Leslie needs to find her sister that left home years ago, if she wants to inherit her half of her father's estate. When Leslie finds Robin has died, she hires a stranger to become her sister. That is when the crazy starts! This book was so unpredictable and keeps you reading because you have to find out what happens! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Very clever story and plot. Some unexpected twists. I did have a little bit of trouble keeping up with who is who, but overall enjoyed it very much. Thank you netgalley and publisher for this arc in exchange of an honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of this book and it was an overall enjoyable read. I found it difficult, however, to keep the characters straight even though each chapter had the name as the heading. It was well written if maybe a little predictable. I would recommend it though if you are looking for a psychological, dysfunctional family type of book.

This book had rave reviews (and from some with similar reading styles to mine) but I just did not connect with this one. I see people say they were hooked from the start but I found it to be super slow and somewhat odd from the start and I found myself only reading to try to get to all these good twists others were talking about. Maybe it didn't help that I found neither main character relatable and a large majority of their decisions I was confused by. The hope is always that the twists along the way will make those fall into place but the "big twist" actually made everything less believable for me. I feel like the bones of a great thriller were there so I'd be curious to see how Jones fine tunes that with future books. I'm glad that others found this book such an enjoyable ride but I just didn't connect.

4.25/5

Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine, and Tanen Jones for the digital ARC of this book!

I honestly don’t really know how to categorize this story. A psychological thriller? A twisted contemporary? A fantastic debut? I think all of those descriptions, and many others, suit this novel very well. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and highly recommend it. Taken Jones’ writing is layered and immersive, perfectly capturing a moody and mysterious atmosphere in these pages. This story digs deeply into family relationships, and the shadows that parents cast over the lives of their children. Not to mention, the plot was extremely engaging and unpredictable. This book was a ride, and I loved it!

3.5 stars for this twisty domestic thriller. When Leslie finds her estranged sister dead, she convinces another woman, Mary, to impersonate her in order to satisfy the terms of her father's will and get them both money they desperately need. The book alternates between their POVs, and also Leslie's sister Robin, mostly taking about their childhood. I couldn't stop turning pages as each woman's lies and secrets piled up--this book is overflowing with unreliable narrators! Overall I enjoyed this and would recommend it to fans of the genre, but the ending did leave me a bit perplexed and unsatisfied. I was also a bit confused about the truth of Leslie and Robin's childhood and just what made each of them the way they are. But if you are looking for a page turner, you can't go wrong with this one!

“The Better Liar” is the debut psychological thriller by Tanen Jones.
The book opens with Leslie finding her long estranged sister, Robin, dead of a drug overdose in Las Vegas. Leslie needed Robin to come home to New Mexico in order to retrieve their inheritance. Leslie finds Mary, a down on her luck waitress, to impersonate Robin in order to get the money.

The book is a twisty, well plotted thriller. I had a hard time putting this down and read it all in about a day.
Tanen Jones has written an exciting debut and I look forward to her next book.

I had a hard time getting into this book. It starts right off with a twist but quite q strange one. There are a lot of different names thrown in from the start. This book would normally be my type but just wasn’t my cup of tea.

A good story!
Lots of mystery and intrigue.
There are two big twists.
Robin, Leslie and Mary!
Who's who and who's not who you think.
I give it 4 stars.