Talk about your unreliable narrator. The Better Liar excels at this trick. Leslie has come into an inheritance but first must find her sister, Robin, per instructions of the will. Leslie hasn't seen Robin in 10 years since she ran away from home. She deduces her sister is in Vegas and off she goes. What she finds is a corpse. While Leslie is having a meal before leaving Vegas to return to her home in Albuquerque, enter Mary a would-be actress and possible stand-in for Robin.
Robin is on the run from a boyfriend, and Leslie seems to be in the perfect marriage but utterly unhappy. Both are lost. Both need the money offered in the will. What ensues is each woman trying to figure out what the other is hiding and if they can trust one another. Can a relationship develop between such strangers..
Woven into the story is the detached parenting that Leslie is experiencing toward her baby.. While Mary is beautiful to a fault, her desire is to be simply loved thoroughly and without artifice.
A solid read with a twist on the psychological thriller theme.

I loved this book.
Not so much because it was a solid mystery and psychological thriller- which it certainly was - but mainly because of the very important spotlight it shines on postpartum depression and how it affects the entire family's dynamics.

Robin and Leslie are sisters who grew up with a depressed and often times institutionalized mother and a pretty disengaged father. When the father dies, he leaves a significant amount of money to the two daughters. The catch is, both of them have to be there together to claim their share, and the problem is Robin has been missing for a long time now.

When Leslie finally discovers her whereabouts, she is too late. Robin is dead. She had an overdose and Lesie is the one who finds her body in her dirty little apartment in Vegas.

On her way out of the apartment, she meets a woman who introduces herself as Mary. For whatever reason they click. Together, they come up with a plan to bring Mary back to Albuquerque and have her pretend to be Robin long enough for the two of them to claim the money.

The problem is, Leslie isn't the only one who is lying and they're both lying about more than just Mary's identity.

This book really hit me hard in unexpected places and I took my time savoring the slower parts (the psychological insights, if you will) for they felt real and profound and so very important. I have two kids, I'm no stranger to the struggles of a parent and I have had those desperate moments of questioning my own ability to be a good mother, too. So i know how hard it can get, and this story depicted all of that right.

Additionally, I remember when one of the popular YA authors gave birth to a baby and she was so brave to share her struggle with postpartum depression on social media. I remember those posts because they were full of pain and desperation and uncertainty. I got this same riveting feeling from reading about Leslie's mom and Leslie herself. Those parts, to me, were even more brilliant and more compelling than the mystery itself.

Speaking of which, the plotline was really well thought out and tightly woven. I enjoyed the slow burn mystery and the rising tension. And even though I kind of figured where the story was going, I still really appreciated the *getting there* part.

For me, this is a solid 5 star read. And I feel that, even though some people might not have first-hand experience with postpartum struggles, this book provides a great deal of insight and is a good conversation starter. Because its important to talk about these things.

Leslie seeks out her estranged sister Robin in order to claim the inheritance that both sisters must be present for in order to inherit. When Leslie finds Robin dead, she seeks the help of Mary, a random stranger who she meets in a parking lot, to play the part of Robin in order to get the money. But both women are keeping secrets that could potentially threaten more than just the inheritance.

This was an excellent debut, full of deep, dark secrets and lots of twists and turns. Chapters alternated with the viewpoints of Leslie, Mary and Robin, creating taut tension from start to finish. I figured out the main twist fairly early on, but the author added many additional surprises, keeping me entertained from start to finish. I applaud Tanen Jones for a job well done and look forward to her next book.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Ballantine and Tanen Jones for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

PROS: It had some delicious surprises that almost made it worth reading! Also, I really liked what the author had to say at the end about post-partum depression and the research she had, apparently, done on it. I suffered from post-partum psychosis after my third child was born; in fact, it was SO bad that my doctors ordered me not to have any more children, but to try and adopt. I was hospitalized off and on for two years for it. It's a medical condition no one can really fathom unless she has experienced it.

CONS: I loved the book until it got into detailed lesbian sex activities. I try to have an open mind where that's concerned, but it was a little nauseating to read how and what they did! Also, that was about the point in the story where the language turned just as disgusting. If you can get past these, you will enjoy the book.

This book was one of the most intriguing books I have ever read. Usually about halfway through the book I can figure things out pretty accurately. While I was able to with small stuff, the story in this book kept evolving to the point where I wasn't sure what was truth and what was a lie.

Leslie is in need of her inheritance. It's out of her grasp until she can find her sister due to the conditions her father set up. She has searched for her tirelessly and just when hope is in sight everything comes crashing down again.

While she thinks she's found a solution to the problem the solution may actually be the next problem that she has to deal with. While things keep spinning out of control Leslie can't help but hope that the answer to her prayers will soon be in hand.

This was a quick read that pulled me in from the first page. I had a suspicion about the twist, but I was never fully sure all the way through. A good, quick read.

I love unreliable narrators and Jones debut has us weaving between three women narrators to decide who is reliable and who isn’t. It’s difficult to talk about this book without giving some spoilers. I don’t want to ruin the story for others. I’m looking forward to Tanen Jones second book. THE BETTER LIAR will be difficult to top.

The Better Liar by Tanen Jones is a sneaky novel. Jones slowly lures her reader into caring about the two main characters Leslie and Mary. Initially neither character is very likeable, but ultimately both women become very intriguing. Leslie needs to find her estranged sister Robin so they both can receive their father's inheritance. This is a condition of the will. Leslie finds Robin only to discover she has recently died. Enter Mary, a beautiful stranger who resembles Robin. Mary wants to be an actress and Leslie convinces her to portray Robin for the $50,000 inheritance. This novel is full of twists and innuendo. A definite must read for lovers' of the creepy girl genre.

This novel is about Leslie and her sister Robin. Their father has died, and Leslie must track down Robin in order for them to get their inheritance. Leslie believes that her sister is using the name Rachel Vreeland. However, once Leslie arrives in Las Vegas, she finds Rachel dead. But, she finds Mary, who looks somewhat like Robin, and begs Mary to return to New Mexico masquerading as Robin so that they can both get their inheritance checks.
Mary/Robin can’t figure out why Leslie is so desperate to get the $50,000 inheritance. Mary/Robin tries to determine what Leslie is hiding, and decides to investigate.
What Mary/Robin discovers is a surprise, and what she reveals to Leslie is also a surprise in the novel. However, I was not surprised by what Mary/Robin revealed. In fact, I thought it was rather obvious, especially considering the title of the novel.
I admit that I was slightly surprised at how the novel ended, and also by the author’s note on the book. I do feel that this issue needs more exposure and discussion, but I am not sure this novel did it justice.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

#TheBetterLiar #TanenJones #NetGalley

*** 3-3.5 stars ***

Family drama, sister feuds, death, deceit, bribery... This book has it all. Lots of plot twists that keep you on your toes. This really was a good debut novel from Tanen Jones and I would definitely be interested in reading more from here. The only reason I didn't rate this higher is that I couldn't connect with any of the characters. None of them were likable to me. I get that this was all about "the better liar" so there wouldn't be model citizens here but I wanted to connect with the characters more, I just wasn't truly invested in what would happen to them. I also found the fake name with alternating POV to be confusing. I had to constantly remind myself who was who.

Special Thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine for allowing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Leslie hasn't seen her sister Robin in 10 years and now their father has passed away and has a stipulation in his will that the sisters must be present together to get their inheritance money. So Leslie travels to Las Vegas to find Robin and bring her back home long enough for them to get their money. There's only one problem: Robin is dead.

So when Leslie randomly meets Mary in a restaurant parking lot, she is so astonished by how much she looks like her sister Robin, that she devises a plan. She will conceal her sister's death and bring Mary home for a week to impersonate Robin.

This story alternates POV's mostly between Leslie and the imposter sister Mary, with some chime in's from the dead sister Robin that are quite creepy.. Leslie and Mary are both twisted, manipulative liars, but who's better?

I enjoyed the alternating POV's, including the ones from Robin's "ghost", but I did find myself a tad confused at times. Trying to follow what was happening in all three got a bit jumbled for me. Overall, a good read with a great twist!

Thanks to NetGalley, Tanen Jones and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for an eGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Leslie shows up in Las Vegas just in time to find her sister’s dead body. This wouldn’t be a problem if their father hadn’t put down in his will that Leslie must meet with their lawyer, in person, with her sister as proof of their reconciliation. And Leslie really needs the money. So when a young woman offers to help Leslie pull off a plan — a plan to trick people into thinking this woman’s actually Rachel, Leslie’s sister — Leslie can see no other way out. She needs this inheritance. Badly. And Mary, the young woman Leslie befriends, can’t resist a chance at testing out her acting skills or a free ticket away from her troubles.

The more Mary digs into Leslie’s past, the more she learns that Leslie’s motives aren’t that noble after all. With little trust between the two women, the more Mary is accepted as “Rachel”, Leslie wants to make sure this job is done as fast as possible.

If you’re super attentive to detail, it’s not that hard to piece together one of the major twists of Tanen Jones’s The Better Liar. What was the most surprising, to me at least, was the strong, refreshing stance on motherhood: on who should be mothers, on being pressured to become a mother, and the guilt that eats away at you if it’s not a life you see for yourself. Leslie struggles to find closure after losing everyone in her family: first her mother, then her father, and now her sister. And in that struggle, with Mary’s questions and snooping, Leslie is force to confront what drove her out to find her sister in the first place.

With unexpected twists, turns, and depth, The Better Liar is a desert mystery perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train and Gone Girl.

Edge of the couch story! The twists and turns in the book made me so late to bed, I saw the sun rise.

This was my most anticipated read going into the new year. And this book did not disappoint. This book actually fooled me into thinking this was a typical story about someone pretending to be someone else. The twists kept coming all the way to the end.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC to review.

This book keeps you on the edge of your seat! Such a great twisty, delicious psychological suspense. I stayed up way longer then I should have just to finish..... it was fantastic!

Wow! Just finished this and don't know if I am disappointed or am totally loving it!

Leslie has to make amends with her sister in order to inherit her father's money. What does she do when she finds out her sister is dead? Hire someone to act like her sister of course ! Leslie will do anything to get the money from her dad's estate.

I did suspect half of the twist but did not suspect the message that was given in this book. I think it would be a good book club read for sure!

Thank you Netgalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

So, this book had a very intriguing synopsis and I was pretty excited to see where it went. Maybe the first 20% of the story caught my attention but then leveled out to where I was just waiting for something to happen. I had to wait until about 60% of the way through for things to get a little interesting.
.
There was something about the way the story switched between the three different characters that was a little confusing. I often lost track of which character I was following or who was speaking.
.
Overall, it did have its moments of suspense and a twist that somewhat surprised me. Unfortunately, it just fell flat for me. But as always, we all have different tastes so if you like the sound of it, give it a read.

I absolutely love this book!! I read it in one setting because I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. It is about two sisters.; Robin the younger and Leslie. They haven't seen each other in ten years.Robin ran away when she was fifteen and has never returned, leaving her sister alone to take care of their terminally ill father. After the father dies.Leslie is looking for her sister in order.to settle the will. The daughters were left fifty thousand dollars each but in order to collect it they have to go together to the executors office. This is one wild ride and will keep you guessing all the way through. Nothing is the way you think it is going to be, which is what made me enjoy this book so much. I read an amazing number of thrillers and usually can figure out what comes next but not this time!! I can't wait to read more by this author.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing book. I highly recommend it enough that I would give it ten stars of I could!

I didn’t love this and I really wanted to. It took a lot time to get into and it had so many unbelievable plot lines from the very beginning. This just wasn’t for me!

I couldn't get into this one. The characters were both unlikable and poorly written that I couldn't finish it. Both characters sounded like they were teenagers, not full-grown adults. The plot also felt very been-there, done-that. I'm sure other people may be interested in this one...especially if they are casual thriller readers. Alas, it's mainly what I read last year and this didn't compel me to continue.