I love books about female friendships and this one is about Jane and Marnie who became fast friends in elementary school. Now as young adults, Jane has lost her husband and absolutely hates Marnie's boyfriend. What follows is the story (told from Jane's perspective) of a toxic friendship that is mostly one-sided. Jane has secrets of her own, has an anorexic sister and a dementia-riddled mother. So she clings desperately to Marnie as she attempts to re-create the very solid relationship they had in grade school. Of course we see that there's something not quite right about Jane's obsession and as things spiral out of control, everything goes awry. I enjoyed it quite a bit!

A psychological thriller that will have you hooked until the very end! Following Marnie and Jane who have been best friends since school.Billed as the must-read book of the year by Red magazine, I was really looking forward to reading this. Unfortunately, while the concept was interesting, I found it a bit of a slog.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A novel about a long friendship between two women that leads to an obsession. Excellent characterization.

I did not care for this book. It started off very promising, but fell flat around lie 3 or 4. I truly had to force myself to finish because I didn’t care what happened to the characters. I liked the idea, but not the execution. I’ll add an extra star because it picked up a bit right at the end.

When I started this book, I had hopes for it. I wanted to find out what the lies the main character was telling. Then, about a third of the way through, I realized I couldn't even keep the names of the characters apart. I didn't really care about them. I read a little bit of the ending, but wasn't intrigued enough to read the whole book.

This was an excellent, twisted story about a case of female friendship gone awry. Jane and Marnie, best friends since childhood, continued that bond into adulthood, but things change as they each get married, especially when Marnie marries a man that Jane secretly detests. When asked by Marnie whether she thinks Marnie and Charles are right for each other and Jane gives her assent, we are told this is her first lie, of the seven revealed in the book. Soon things escalate into deeper and more sinister lies until the compelling conclusion.

This book is told from Jane's (albeit unreliable) point of view. I loved her wry asides to us, as the reader. For example, "Stop it. Don't look at me like that. Stop being so judgmental and listen to the story." It's clear from the beginning that Jane is mentally unstable, which is partly what drove me to want to know more, as I wondered what she would do next.

I thought of Ruth Ware's books as a comparison, since they are both suspenseful stories with female protagonists. I will recommend this to readers who like psychological drama and unreliable narrators.

I appreciate both Penguin Group Viking and NetGalley for providing me advanced access to an electronic copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this book was excellent. It was a very well written psychological thriller that kept me on my toes wondering what the outcome would be. I love the cover art, the characters, and the plot. Definitely a book I will be recommending to my library patrons!

This story is about a friendship that turns to obsession. A fast paced psychological thriller which at times shocks me and finds me yelling at the characters involved. The lies start our small and grow larger as the obsession gets stronger.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed this. I found it well written, in a creeping slow-burn sense (I know that style is not for everyone, but I usually enjoy it). She was spot on in her her portrayal of the complexities of female friendship, especially when men are introduced into the stories. This made for a great creepy story.

I just couldn't get enough of this book it was a very twisted psychological thriller and I could not stop turning the pages. It kept me guessing the whole way through. This book left me shocked at times, the plot was absolutely fantastic, I am so glad I had the chance to read this book.

Thank you so much for the chance to read and review.

For fans of Gone Girl or The Woman in the Window, Seven Lies is a fast-paced confession from Jane about all the lies she has told her best friend Marnie. The lies start off innocently enough but as Jane’s obsession with Marnie and their friendship grows the lies become bigger, with a much bigger impact.

Whew. That one was a wild ride. <i>Seven Lies</i> is told from the perspective of Jane, a woman who has been best friends with Marnie her whole life. Throughout the novel, Jane will tell the reader, and her friends, 7 lies. Each one a bit more dark and twisty than the next. The 7th being, well...you must read it to find out!

The pro: It was an interesting storyline. The characters were individual to each other, with clear motive and incentives and a lot of backstory. Jane's reasoning for the Last Act was done well, leaving an absolute pit in my stomach but the mental gymnastics it took to get there showed a truly deranged person and that's what made it so good. The highlight of this novel is how perfectly normal someone with atypical thought processes can function in relationships.

The CON: The biggest, most glaringly obvious con to this book is that the exposition shifts from the actual narration of the story to addressing the reader. (See spoiler below)
However, there were other cons that weren't so terrible. I found myself skipping through pages as Jane's day to day was really not interesting. I was sorely disappointed with our resolution(?) from the investigative reporter. I would have liked to see more of her time with Peter or any other person- even her husband- to get a look at how she genuinely functioned in relationships.
Additionally, I am not a fan of constant repetition in books. If your point needs repeating more than once or twice you have failed to make an impact with the statement as written. I do not need a reminder every 4 to 5 pages that a death is coming when we know, as readers, who is going to die. I have very rarely ever found the repetition to be useful or done well.

*SPOILER* It's meant to be a story being told but as the reader that doesn't come across until the book is WELL into itself. So it seems like the narrator is addressing the reader and it is just done...so poorly. Perhaps I missed in the beginning that the confession was aimed at a person who is not the reader and this is on me. If so, please add a solid half star to this book for me.


As always, thank you NetGalley for the ARC of this book. I look forward to trying another novel by this author.

This book was an ok book. I really could not have too much interest in the characters. They seem to be silly and the choices not relatable

Brilliant!

I love books about secrets, lies and deception and this book had a lot of it and more. I was always on my toes and I never knew what was to come next. I always like a book best when the plot is tightly executed yet unpredictable. That was the case in SEVEN LIES. I also like stories of relationships gone wrong somehow. There is that underlying, niggling feeling that something is amiss. That was certainly the case in Jane and Marnie's friendship. They are BFFs.. While they were best friends, the reader feels a tension lurking just beneath the surface. It all started when Marnie fell in love...

This book completely fulfilled my craving to read about toxic relationships (I guess that explains my insatiable consumption of reality tv!) Once Jane started to tell lies, she couldn't stop. That typically will happen with a lie. Once you start, you have to keep them all straight in your head. And then, undoubtedly, they begin to unravel., and everything comes tumbling down.

This book was great fun and I am so happy I came upon it. Excellent!

In the tradition of Girl On A Train, fully the narrator in her perfectly rational view on her life long friendship. Things are not what they seem as increasing pressures in adulthood start the unraveling of her version of the story. Each lie is a chapter which is an interesting vehicle by this author!

Sigh.... I did like this book, but I felt like I could have enjoyed it a lot more, if that makes sense. I had a hard time with the technique used in the narrative, and I felt there were times that things were just a bit....slow? Not a bad book, at all, just not something that is super memorable, either.

This was just OK. I hate to say that because it sound as if I didn't like it and I did but overall just ok. Not exciting r thrilling as many in the genre are. I probably wouldn't recommend it.

Read this one in one night.
Jane is telling her story of her lifelong friendship with Marnie, through the ups and downs and distances friendships often face. However, there are lies involved, and you guessed it - 7 of them! Some were told to Marnie, and some were told to herself.
The suspense built as I read, and didn't stop until the end.
Thriller, twists, and a quick read - highly recommend!

Jane has told her best friend Marnie seven lies, and as she “confesses” each lie we learn a little bit more about Jane and her childhood, and the things that have shaped her and that have prompted the lies of the title. I was sucked into the beginning of this book, and couldn’t wait to find out the particulars of each lie. Jane is, on one hand, a bit pathetic, and clingy, but on the other hand, there are some pretty compelling reasons for her attachment to Marnie. The writing is well-paced, but some of the characters could use a little more fleshing out, and the journalist character seems to have been added simply as a plot device, a way to carry the story forward, but without much conviction. At first, I was annoyed by the seemingly random “asides” in Jane’s story, but there comes a point in the story when the reason for the asides become clear, and that is when the story begins to carry a little more suspense. A well-done debut, and Elizabeth Kay is definitely an author to watch!