What if the person you trust most in the world, has been lying to you for your whole life?

Martha would do anything for her devoted mother, Fran. Now in her mid-twenties, Martha still lives with her in their remote, pretty cottage in the Cornish countryside. Fran paints illustrations, while Martha trains to be an animal nurse.

But then Martha sees a strange message on her mother’s phone – apparently from her estranged father.

He had been there for her first steps. He’d helped with her homework, and taken her for ice cream at weekends. And then, two days before her ninth birthday, he walked out. She never knew what went wrong, and she and Fran never heard from him again.

Desperate for answers, she tracks him down. But when they come face-to-face, she isn’t ready for the brutal truth.

Closing his eyes he says, ‘She hasn’t told you, has she? I’m not your father.’

Her mother has been telling lies.

And not just about who her real father is......

This story begins with Martha determined go to and find her dad who left when she was nine years old, but what she doesn't expect to hear is that her mum, the one person she thought she could trust above all else, has been lying to her and her whole world comes crashing down around her. The story is told in two timelines, past and present and from the perspectives of both Martha and Fran. It's a tale full of secrets, lies and revelations and boy, do those revelations come thick and fast in the second half of the book. This is the first I've read by this author and it certainly won't be the last, it's very cleverly written with twists in all the right places and it definitely kept me gripped.

I'd like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day

I really enjoyed this book, clever and well written it was a struggle to put it down to deal with real life.

A lesson in how keeping secrets can often end badly. This story gives the facts with extra oomph.

Her Mother's Lies by Rona Halsall is an engaging read that pulled me into the narrative quite early, and had me fully invested in Martha's story throughout. There is a palpable tension and overall unsettled feeling that descends almost immediately as the reader, along with our protagonist, embarks on a quest for the truth.

Martha is a woman in her early twenties who lives in an isolated area of Cornwall with her mother, Fran. Martha struggles to keep the pair afloat through Fran's health issues, alcoholism, and crippling debt. When Martha sets out on a journey to find her estranged father, she unknowingly opens herself up to relationships and secrets that have long remained dormant. Will this young woman find the answers that will set her free at last and, if so, at what cost to herself and those she loves?

This is one that I raced through to find the answers that so frustratingly continue to elude the hapless Martha. Yes, the ending does flirt with unbelievability but this is a read that, in my opinion, is none the worse for it.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC

For me this was an OK read. It’s more of a mystery story rather than a psychological read, but still worth reading.

A complex and intriguing read which soon had me hooked. Nothing is what it seems in this book. So many twists and turns and of course so many lies. The premise has been done before but this one is so much more. I felt like a fly caught in a spider's web I could not put this book down I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH!!!!!!!.While reading this book I have become quite animated and verbal. Yes actually shouting at the characters. As for the explosive ending WHAM I never saw that coming. An easy five stars and so Highly Recommended.
I would like to thank the author, publisher and Netgalley for the ARC.

Great story line about Martha, a young adult whose boss has just died and she is out of a job now. She lives with her alcoholic mum who is an illustrator who is now doing more drinking than working. Martha always wondered why her father left suddenly when she was 9 and they suddenly had to move to where they did not not anyone. Martha's mother, Fran, suffers a heart attack and little by little Martha realizes that her mother has lied to her over the years about their family dynamics. There are lots of surprises in this book. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this very good book in exchange for an honest review.

Martha's father walked out on her right before her 9th Birthday and he never looked back. She has been very hurt. It is now 15 years later and she is still living with her mom, who is an alcoholic and has diabetes and they are in dire straights of losing everything because of finances. Martha's boss died
unexpectedly so she now has to go job hunting. Her mom becomes ill and Martha decides to finally find her father and talk to him. Only to have her whole world blown apart. This is a psychological thriller of finding out truths that have been held from Martha on so many levels. Martha turns to a friend, Izzy, who she only knew outside of her home. Martha's mother, Fran has kept her a recluse all of her life and has kept her on a short chain. I really wanted to tell Martha to run. She is not the adult of her mom but her own adult now and to go do what she wants with her life.Then you have Anna who has always been there for Fran and helped her out whenever she has needed it.
I only felt bad for Martha as her mom kept such a tight rein on her but once Martha was old enough she could have left and had her own life. I never felt bad for Fran as she reaped what she sowed.
I received this ARC from Bookouture and NetGalley.

Martha and her mum, Fran do ot have the best relationship. Fran likes a drink and ahes also diabetic. She also tells lies. Martha's dad had walked out on them when she was a young girl. Martha decides to try and find him. Except when she does find him, he tells her that he's not her dad. Her mothers been lying to her.

I was hooked from the first page. There are so any twists waiting to be unravelled. The story is told from Martha and Frans perspectives in alternating chapters. There are lies and betrayals which soon start to unfold. Eventually Fran has to tell the truth. The char5are well rounded. The plotline is believable. I was shocked at what happened but I had to keep reading. The pace is slow to start with but it does pick up speed. I did guess some of the story correctly. Rona Halsall knows how to draw you in and keep your attention till the end.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Rona Halsall for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this taut and twisty thriller. It had me hooked from the first page right until the last, immersing me in Martha’s world as she saw everything she believed to be true crumble and following her in her search for the truth.

Martha and her mother Fran have a difficult relationship. Martha loves her but the twenty-four-year-old craves freedom and resents Fran’s reluctance to untie the apron strings, as well as her financial and practical reliance due to her self-inflicted declining health. She’s torn between following her dreams and enjoying her youth, and being there to help the one person that’s always been there for her. But when Fran is rushed into hospital after a drinking binge triggers a diabetic coma, Martha uncovers a series of lies that shatter her whole world. Turning to the only person she can think of, her friend Izzy, Martha vows to unveil the truths she’s been denied all these years, having no idea that she’s setting down a path that will see her entire life unravel.

I was not prepared for this book. Nothing is as it seems. The author skillfully crafted a deceptive hall of mirrors, luring me into believing I had it all figured out. I didn’t see the bombshell coming until it was on the page. Bravo Rona, Bravo! I was now transfixed and on the edge of my seat, unable to look up until I finished the book.

Her Mother’s Name is layered, complex, emotionally charged, skillfully plotted and sizzling with suspense. I would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers.

Thank you to Bookoture and NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Her Mother's Lies is only the second book i have read from Rona Halsall but once again it lived up to the cover blurb and it was a gripping psychological thriller that had me gripped.Martha and her mum Fran have moved to an isolated cottage in Cornwall after fleeing their home in Leeds because of her dad's attempts at blackmail go awry.Despite not having much money and her mums failing health Martha is ok with her life until mum is rushed to hospital and Martha finds out that Fran has been telling her lies and keeping secrets about her dad for years,
Martha then finds out that he really wasn't her dad and her life starts to spiral out of control after she confronts him, she confides in Izzy her only friend about all that she has found out ,but is Izzy a true friend or not ? This is another excellent standalone psychological thriller from Rona Halsall which she seems to excel in.Well done a superb 5 star read for me.

What lengths would you go to in order to protect your family?
Excellent read! I wasn’t sure what to expect, but this book was fantastic! I read it in one day; it was hard to put down. I thought the subject matter would be depressing, but there was so much intrigue and suspense from start to finish, I just enjoyed the ride. The writing was clear and concise, the pace very even, the characters well and fully developed, and the narration was perfect. I felt like I was right there watching things play out quite often. This was a true psychological thriller, with many twists and turns, both fateful and fatal. A cautionary tale about consequences for lying and deceiving others. Oh, how that can come back to haunt you over generations. If you like thrillers, I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

An amazing suspense thriller that will have you guessing until the very end. Imagine the life you knew for 24 years to just be a complete lie and so many half truths being thrown at you..... Not knowing who to believe. Not even being able to believe your own mother. Questioning who your real mother is! Get you some of this book!!!

First of all, this book was a fantastic read. A true psychological thriller filled with suspense and twists and turns. A true roller coaster of a ride. Martha, the daughter in this book has been lied to for your years about her father. Once she finds out that the man who had left her when she was nine is not her biological father the twists just keep on coming. I starting to figure it out about halfway through but at the end there is another killer twist. I gave this book five stars and if I could I would give more. I want to thank net galley for this ARC I received for an honest review.

I thought this book was just OK. It took a while to get into and I had to push myself to keep reading for the first 25% or so. It got faster paced as the story went on but verged on the unrealistic as it went.

The story centers around Martha, whose life is pretty rough anyway, taking care of her alcoholic mother; and pretty much falls apart when her boss dies, leaving her jobless in a remote territory without many options. There are a few things that happen in a short period of time to lead Martha to believe that her mother is keeping major secrets from her- about the true identify of her father, their finances, and her health.

I figured out part of the mystery pretty early, though I did have to get to the end of the book for it to fully make sense. I also didn't feel like the characters were relateable to me, and the ending was far-fetched. All in all, a decent read if you like this author/genre, but not at the top of my list.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found this book to be slow to start with me, and I have learnt that I like a book to hook me from that first page, I want it to be fast paced, but once I started through a few chapters, the pace picked up a bit. So many secrets and so many lies.

I couldn’t feel sorry for some of the characters, because they had ruined lives, through lies. The one person I actually felt for was Martha, because her life dramatically changed, her father Greg had left when she was 9, she hadn’t seen or heard from him since then. Her mum Fran was an alcoholic, obese, diabetic who didn’t seem to look after herself, and seemed to rely on Martha a lot.

Martha loses her job when her boss Pete dies, Martha is devastated not just at the loss of her job, but at the loss of Pete as he had been like a father to her. Martha has to go home and tell her mum now that she won’t be bringing any money in. She knew it was also going to be tough to get another job, because her mum had moved them years ago to a village in the backend of nowhere down near Cornwall, they couldn’t afford a car and Martha had failed her driving test 3 times. The only person Martha feels she can confide in is Izzy, who listens, and when Martha is taken into hospital for her diabetes and a heart attack, Izzy comes to Martha’s aid.

The story is told from several points of view mainly Martha and Fran, the timescale jumps a couple of times but that is easy to follow and is necessary for the story to be explained. But there are so many secrets and lies, but as each one comes out, it leaves even more questions.

This is a complex story, with a web of lies that need unravelling, and it wouldn’t be a psychological thriller if it didn’t have that twist at the end that you just didn’t see coming. I enjoyed this once I had got into the story.

Thank you to #netgalley and #bookouture for my copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I was lucky to get an ARC of this book and for the most part I enjoyed it, however, it got way way too far-fetched towards the second part and then just ended! I wouldn’t say it is “a gripping psychological thriller” at all. Despite this I finished it and it ended exactly as I thought - as chaotic as the rest of the book. The characters were developed well and I had compassion for the main character but that’s it. It’s not a book I would recommend.

With thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for the ARC

Martha lives with her mother Fran in rural Dorset, cut off from the world and isolated.
She has grown accustomed to this way of life and doesn't question it.

Everything changes when her employer dies.
Martha then sets out to find her Dad who she has lost touch with after her mother left him when she was only 9.
What she discovers at her fathers house sets of a chain reaction that has profound effects on Martha, Fran and Marthas friend Izzy.

A tense psychological thriller that kept you guessing where the story was going to take you next.

Thoroughly enjoyable.

I enjoyed this book, didn't really see the ending coming, it was an ok read, I feel the writer could have made it a little more exciting ,

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC.

I’ve not read any books by this author before. I felt the story started off slowly and took a while to pick up. I thought Martha, the main character was very naive and didn’t particularly like her at the beginning, but as the book progressed I started to like her more. Fran, her mother took Martha away from all she knew and moved them to an isolated area in Cornwall when she was 9 years old. Years later Martha wanted to know why her mother did this and to know more about her father. Like Martha, I didn’t like Fran particularly at the start, or their relationship. Fran grew on me as the story developed and I understood her better and the reasons behind her actions of moving them from one part of the country to another. The book follows Martha’s journey of finding out about her father with some twists and turns along the way (which I suspected) as she finds out other secrets that had been kept from her. The story was told by Martha and Fran and moved from past events to present times very easily. All in all I began to enjoy this book after its slow start and thought it had a good ending leaving no loose ends. I would give this 3.5 stars.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Her Mother’s Lies’ by Rona Halsall in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Martha was nine when her father walked out on her and her mother Fran and now fifteen years later she wants some answers. She discovers where he lives and pays him a visit but when they come face-to-face he says he’s not her father and to ask her mother, and she accidentally knocks him to the floor as they argue. Martha’s going through a bad patch, she’s lost her job and Fran’s an alcoholic and suffers from ill-health, and when her friend Izzy offers to move into their cottage with them and look after Fran she willingly accepts, but some of the things Izzy says don’t ring true and she doesn’t know who to believe, Izzy or Fran.

The story alternates between the past where we find out more about Martha’s childhood before her father leaves and the present time but it’s long and drawn-out especially the first half of the book, and it’s only when we reach the second half that it becomes more interesting and I want to keep reading. I didn’t warm to any of the characters and despite feeling sorry for Martha and the difficult situation she finds herself in, at times I wanted to shake her for being weak and acting younger than her twenty-four years. ‘Her Mother’s Lies’ was easy to read and although there was nothing wrong with it I felt it could have been so much better. It’s not the most exciting book I’ve had the privilege to read but it certainly isn’t the worst and I’m grateful I was given the chance to read it.