Alive sister - Leslie. Dead sister - Robin. Fake sister - Mary.

They all have a voice in this story. What I loved most about this book is the feeling of unease that exudes from the pages especially as there isn't really much happening at all BUT you just know that something explosive is going to happen. One or more of these ladies is unreliable. One or more of these ladies is lying. It all becomes such a tangled web and to watch it unravel was very satisfying.

Kudo's to the author for writing a husband that was kind and supportive. I just adored him so much. The banter between him and Leslie was adorable and authentic and it reminded me a bit of me and my husband.

The final conclusion and twist did require some suspension of disbelief for me but I happily did it because the ride getting there was compelling as all get out. I'm keeping my eye on you Tanen Jones! 4 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Tanen Jones’ debut novel The Better Liar introduces an intriguing premise: Can we ever really reinvent ourselves, or are we inevitably constrained by our inherited traits and upbringing? The book begins as Leslie Voigt concludes her search for her runaway sister when she finds the woman dead in an apartment in Los Vegas. Robin had snuck out over ten years prior, and her death by apparent drug overdose-while unsurprising to her older sister-is particularly inconvenient at that moment. Their mother died when they were children, and their father has also just passed away recently. His will specifies that both daughters must be physically present during its reading for either of them to collect their inheritance. The reader remains in the dark about why Leslie is so impatient about getting her share, but she is obviously desperate to get her hands on the money. When she encounters a young woman resembling Robin at a restaurant near her sister’s apartment, she sees a potential solution. Leslie tries to persuade the stranger to accompany her to Albuquerque so she can impersonate her sibling at the lawyer’s office. Mary is an actress and just happens to also be looking for some easy cash, so she agrees to collude with the fraud for an equal share. Leslie soon discovers, however, that she may have aligned herself with a dangerous and unstable person who has her own nefarious agenda in mind. Filled with outrageous coincidences and implausible events, The Better Liar stretches a reader’s credulity to the limit. The book is certainly exciting and has some interesting plot twists but suffers from uneven writing and some confusing diversions that occur throughout. Jones also ambitiously takes on the delicate subject of Postpartum Depression, despite admitting in the afterword that she has no direct experience with it. While experience is not always necessary for an author to appropriately address an issue, the portrayal here rings false and might even be potentially offensive by those who have suffered from this devastating illness. So, while the underlying ideas and objectives of The Better Liar are admirable, their execution unfortunately fall far short in this initial effort.

Thanks to the author, Ballantine Books/Random House and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

Leslie's sister Robin ran away from home when she was 16, and has been missing for 10 years. Leslie stayed home to care for her ailing father until he passed away.

In order to receive her inheritance, Leslie must track down Robin and bring her back home to sign the papers. She discovers Robin has been living in Las Vegas, but when Leslie arrives it turns out that Robin has just died. Leslie desperately needs the money (for what is part of the mystery), so when she runs into another young woman who resembles her dead sister, she hatches a plan that will allow her to claim the money.

This is a well-crafted mystery with plenty of twists and turns. It shifts between the perspective of Leslie, Robin (speaking from the grave), and Mary (pretending to be Robin), and these alternating perspectives slowly reveal clues about what is going on.

Recommended for readers who enjoy domestic dramas with mystery, intrigue, lies and deception.

This book is well deserving of 5 stars ! I couldn't stop reading . Wonderful plot , several twist and turns. OUTSTANDING JOB BY THE AUTHOR, I can't wait for next title release.

I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book but was pleasantly surprised. There were a few points during the book that I couldn't tell were Easter eggs or just a mistake. One minor part that is seriously so minor, a character is describing looking for a tablet, finding it, and then OPENING it. There were a couple more lines about it but I wasn't sure if I was meant to be picturing a laptop or a tablet. Like I said, seriously very minor, but it was annoying enough to pull me out of the story for a minute. This was an enjoyable read and I'd definitely recommend it to those who enjoy mystery/thrillers. Solid 4 stars.

I love debut novels because it means that I might have found a new author that I love! The Better Liar is an example of an excellent debut novel. So, hooray for me, I found a new author that I love. I hope that you will enjoy the writing of Ms. Jones too. The Better Liar is cleverly written and more than delivers that difficult to achieve suspense, thriller, and mystery aspects. The character development is well thought out and perfectly developed. Ms. Jones gives us just enough to keep the pages turning without giving away too much. So be prepared to be confused, shocked, and even a bit heartbroken.

Things we know to be true:
Leslie and Robin are sisters.
Leslie has been estranged from her sister for ten years.
Robin is dead.
Leslie has a loving husband and a beautiful one-year-old son, but she has secrets, and theses secrets run deep.
Their father has recently died, leaving the sisters an inheritance.
There is just one catch; both women must be present to claim the inheritance.

The Better Liar is told from the three distinctly different perspectives of Leslie, her dead sister Robin and Mary. Leslie is the good daughter; she has stayed in Albuquerque to care for her sick father. When he dies, Leslie travels from Albuquerque to Las Vegas to find her sister. Leslie does find her sister; unfortunately, she finds Robin shortly after she has overdosed. While in Vegas, Leslie meets Mary, who is a down on her luck wannabe actress. Leslie convinces Mary to pose as her sister, help her collect her part of the inheritance, and in return, Leslie will give Mary Robin’s share of the money. So, Mary becomes Robin. Leslie and Mary, who at the very least develop a weird, complicated relationship. What could go wrong? This is where the book gets fascinating and bizarre at the same time. The Better Liar will tie your mind up in knots until you don’t have a clue what is going on. You will have a difficult time telling who is telling the truth and who is lying. But isn’t that part of the fun?

The Better Liar did grab me from the beginning; however, it is a slow burn where Ms. Jones slowly and methodically delivers tidbits of the story until you are ready to explode, trying to figure out what is going on. It would be amiss of me, as a reviewer, to tell you, the potential reader, anymore of the plot. So, I will have to say read the book; you won’t be disappointed. I will tell you there are secrets, betrayal, twists, and turns, none of which I saw coming.

Amid all the deceit, deception, and mystery in The Better Liar, Ms. Jones delivers a powerful message about one of the essential relationships women have in their lives, specifically the unique relationship between a mother and her child. I highly recommend you read the author’s note at the end of the book, and I think you will get the same feeling that I did; this author wrote this book from deep within her heart and soul.


*** I kindly received this galley by way of NetGalley/publisher/author. I was not contacted, asked, or required to leave a review. I received no compensation, financial or otherwise. I have voluntarily read this book, and this review is my honest opinion. ***

After the death of her father, Leslie’s search for her estranged sister Robin leads her to a corpse. In order to get her inheritance quickly, Leslie enlists the help of a stranger to impersonate Robin. The 50k she could receive by following Leslie’s scheme could score Mary a fresh start in Los Angles, but something about her story seems fishy. Mary digs into Leslie’s life and finds cracks in her perfect veneer. She’s willing to risk her easy money in a quest for the truth.

The story is told in Robin, Leslie, and Mary’s points of view, showing the dark side of familial bonds. I really liked being inside the heads of beautiful people Robin and Mary and seeing how they manipulate others with their good looks and charm. Robin’s desperation in letting a stranger into her life for fast cash is compelling, as she quickly loses control of the situation. She’s angry at having to split the inheritance fifty/fifty when she’d acted as her father’s caregiver. Each of the main characters is deliciously flawed yet savvy. They’ll do whatever it takes to get what they want regardless of who they hurt in the process.

THE BETTER LIAR is a great psychological thriller and the inheritance nicely provides motivation that drives the characters forward. The author’s note at the end of the book provides useful resources and a heartfelt message that relates to the story.

So well plotted for a first novel! Loved the little clues dropped all through the book, most of which were true but misleading or easily misinterpreted. Characters were interesting if not lovable. (With only 2 main characters, I don't know why I had trouble keeping them straight. The aliases were so distracting!) The ending was somewhat unexpected but fit so well with the story arc.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the ARC to read and review.

The Better Liar is a bit of a rollercoaster ride. The minute I felt I understood what was happening the character interaction would give me pause and I'd wonder - is that a coincidence? or how likely is that to happen? - until I got further into the book and realized "always listen to your gut" even when you're reading.

I found the story interesting and it definitely kept me guessing. The ending was suspenseful and completely took me by surprise.

If you like family drama, a little mystery and are able to sit back and see where the story takes you - this will be one of your favorites.

This was quite a page turner with a twist I didn't see coming! Fast paced, you won't want to put it down until the very last page!

I thought this was a great book! I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. So many secrets and lies. That was just the first chapter! Incredibly written from both sisters POV. I thought I had of figured out. I was wrong. Highly recommend!

Did I stay up half the night last because I was unable to put this down? Yes!

Do I regret it? Nope!

This book is full of twists, turns, red herrings and misdirection; and even as I was able to work out the biggest one there was still so much to gasp over as this awesome story climbed and climbed to it's satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to Tanen Jones, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, and NetGalley for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

There were so many unique twists and turns all throughout this book. Tanen Jones definitely kept you guessing! A lot of the time the reader was purposely left in the dark about specific information, which really keeps the reader on their toes. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out the motives and reason for many of the character's actions.

Sometimes the pacing was a little slower, but for the most part I really enjoyed it. The story was intriguing and there were a lot of times where I was just waiting for the other shoe to drop. Having three points of view was really great, too. Especially for the wild twist at the end! Also, while I did not relate directly to either main character I did really like them. Their actions and feelings seemed to be pretty spot on.

I'll have to end this review with, what an amazing debut novel.

2+ stars
The premise sounded intriguing and for the most part kept me engaged. However, I found it bizarre. I won’t go into the plot lines as the description of the novel explains it best, the story being told from different points of view, Neither of the 3 women telling the story were people I could relate to. Even the main character, Leslie, a supposedly smart woman with a loving husband, a good job, a year old baby and an inheritance coming her way, if she can tie up loose ends. I was suspending belief as the character of the Mary playing Robin was introduced. How can one person look so much like another that no one doubted who she was?

We find out what Leslie was so desperately wanting the money for toward the end. That was very bizarre. She needed professional help and didn’t seek it. There were several options to her that made more sense. By this point I just wanted to wring my hands and shout at the character. Yes I was engaged enough to feel that.

The last few chapters were definitely twisty and the way the author executed it all took some clever writing skills, therefore I am rating it the 2+ stars, instead of just two, but the ending was just awful, leaving this reader feeling so frustrated (WTH?) and wishing I hadn’t spent so much time on this book..

I realize I’m in the minority with my rating. I do appreciate the opportunity granted me by NG, and publishing team of Ballanatine Books for the eARC and the opportunity to voice my opinion.

wo sisters entangled in a web of lies and hidden agendas...

The debut of an author that I will surely keep an eye on!

An intriguing premise about estranged sisters, Leslie and Robin. Their father has recently died and Leslie can't collect on the estate until she tracks down sister Robin.

The first half of the book had me on the edge as Leslie hit road blocks, curves and full blown speed bumps as she searched Las Vegas to find Robin. What happened was just, wow...

The next half was close to being "too twisty" for me (how is that possible?). One narrative didn't really work for me, but overall this was a great psychological thriller with a stand out twist that got me!

This story unfolded nicely but ended to abruptly for my taste. The ending was also quite predictable.

Leslie and Mary/Robin are quite unhinged in their own ways and it’s evident early on in the book.

There’s enough of hook to keep you reading until the end but feels like a few more explanations are needed to round it out completely.

This story is entertaining and definitely worth a read.

There’s nothing worse than a boring thriller. Luckily, Tanen Jones’ The Better Liar isn’t one of those books. There’s something about the two main characters, Leslie and Mary, that hold your attention with a vice grip. I couldn’t read anything else until I finished this one.

Apart from the literal first and last chapter, not much actually ‘happens’, per say. Leslie finds her sister dead, befriends a local woman in Las Vegas and they both go back to her hometown in New Mexico. But from the first interaction you can tell something just feels “off”. There’s so much that’s just desperately waiting to be revealed. I love stories where everyone might be lying and you can’t take anything at face value. In this way, I agree with the comparisons to Gillian Flynn, Megan Abbott and Paula Hawkins; these women could easily be some of their characters.

There’s plenty of twists, with a ‘big one’ near the end. The ending even gives you a final thrust of the knife, so to speak. I was totally engrossed with this book and loved speculating about the tilted lives of the people who inhabited it. I’m definitely going to be looking for more from Ms. Jones going forward.

Also—anyone who’s interested should check out the Author’s Note at the end. It helped put a lot into perspective and really mirrored some of my own feelings and fears. But it could technically be considered a spoiler, so save it for after you’ve finished!

I REALLY enjoyed this. It has much more depth, deeper themes and more solid writing than the typical commercial thriller. And the twist towards the end made me go back and reread the beginning. It’s always fun when a book forces me to do that!!

I loved the two main characters, who were flawed yet likable, larger than life yet believable. The shifting and at times explosive dynamic between the two of them is fascinating. And every character seems to have a secret, so you are never really sure what they might do to one another at any moment. This makes for a number of shocking twists, most of which I did NOT see coming.

There are several interesting themes at play in this story, although mentioning them may prove to be too much of a spoiler for those who have yet to read it. The one I believe I can mention is the concept that we all contain different personalities and identities, which we perform - and shift into and out of - in order to be accepted or get our needs met.

From Chapter 40:
“The more you know someone, the more someones you know. They kaleidoscope outward before your eyes. If you feel you’re finally getting a handle on someone’s true self, you haven’t got a clue. Once you’ve met forty versions of them, then you can comfort yourself you’re getting closer.”

I won’t mention the most prevalent issue that the book addresses, but I WILL say that it’s something that should be addressed much more in our culture. And it would be, I might add, if we weren’t living in a patriarchy.

I applaud Jones for exploring her own fears around this issue. As they say, “The more personal you make it, the more universal it becomes,” and I think this is true here.

I highly recommend this read!!

The Better Liar is a edge of your seat thriller. The characters are well developed and the storyline is entertaining. This is a great book that has me hooked.