I feel bamboozled!

The synopsis for this reads like it’s going to be a juicy thriller with lots of dangerous secrets and revenge but it’s NOT! it’s just three basic white women living their lives and getting caught up in dumb shit.

One’s husband is an aspiring actor and she’s afraid to tell him she’s pregnant (with their their third) because he’s been under so much stress to land a role (and then she starts to think “omg what if he’s cheating???”).

One is a teacher who has a crush on woman #1’s husband. Literally that’s it. She gets into it with the parents at the private school where she teaches and has a crush on a married man. That’s her storyline. She felt so irrelevant to the entire book.

The last one was the one most interesting of the three, particularly because she seemed kind of dark (but she was still really unlikeable), and was hellbent on getting revenge on a man who used her to cheat on his wife (I was all for said revenge because the man was an asshole).

The three women are neighbours in an apartment complex and find out their deceased landlord’s son is trying to sell the unit and kick them out, which was their unifying plot line.

Unfortunately, I just didn’t connect with this book and felt mislead by the synopsis into thinking it would be a thriller when really it was just general fiction / women’s lit (and I think most of my lack of enjoyment and disappointment stemmed from the misleading synopsis).

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I was expecting a thriller or some twisted mystery but this is more of a suburban domestic drama. This usually disappoints me when the marketing is off but the writing was superb so the story held my attention. I just wish there was more of an expectation going into it that it's a domestic saga rather than this persistant marketing towards the domestic suspense audience. I kept waiting for a big reveal or stunning twist and it never came. That leads to a feeling of being let down which is unfortunate since the book is good and totally readable. I do recommend it.

Readers will get a glimpse into the lives of three women living in an apartment complex and the lies that stack up around one who is desperate for a husband, another struggling with money and a hopeless crush, and a mother of two married to a struggling actor. These three women join forces to fight the sale of their complex while all the tiny secrets they've kept lead to a dead body.

Themes of jealousy, insecurity, and hopelessness are present, as expected in a drama like this and it's fun to see how misguided each woman's idea of a perfect life really is and isn't behind closed doors. It's not an original concept but it was fun to delve into the characters and the LA setting that I know all too well. This book captures the petty, superficial existance that plagues people in that city but I would think a lot of the themes are universal There is a bit of mystery in the plot with some tension but the reader will be on the inside waiting for things to fall apart.

My mom was always a Jackie Collins fan, so I remember sneaking "Hollywood Wives" as a teenager. This book was very reminiscent of that time for me. It was a fast-paced read, and I couldn't put it down once I got started. The characters were three-dimensional. The story tied up all loose ends. I didn't want my adventure with Riki, Embry, and Sylvia. I didn't think I would enjoy "chick-lit" as much as I did, but I thoroughly enjoyed this story.

This was a fun story...but it was NOT a thriller.

This was pure, contemporary women's lit. And although there was a death, it was quite vanilla.

Told from three character's perspectives...Sylvia, Embry, and Riki...the reader gets a first hand look at each woman's secrets, sorrows, and daily lives.

Sylvia was bitchy, diabolical, and manipulative...and I kind of loved her. Girl was totally crazy and took zero shit from anyone. Her chapters were my favorite because I never knew what in the world she was going to do next. Embry was the epitome of sweetness and southern charm. I enjoyed her chapters...and could probably relate to her the most. Riki was my least favorite...she was whiny, grating, and annoying. Further, her chapters were repetitive.

Lie, Lie Again: A Novel kept my attention, so I'm rating it 3.5 stars...but I'm rounding down because the synopsis was misleading and I was expecting something entirely different.

I do recommend this if you're looking for something fun, light, and not in the thriller/suspense genre.

Available January 1, 2021.

My sincere thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for my review copy.

Lie, Lie Again
A Novel
by Stacy Wise
Lake Union Publishing
General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 01 Jan 2021 | Archive Date 19 Jan 2021

This one did not match up with me. I'm sure others will find it well written and interesting.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the ARC.

3 star

The three women who reside at 1054 Mockingbird Lane have secrets they want to keep hidden. One covets her neighbor's husband. One has the perfect guy but the not-so-perfect ex-girlfriend waiting in the wings that she needs to make him forget about. And one is afraid to tell her husband something that she thinks will shatter their relationship. How far will they go to keep things hidden? Oh... and there's a body at the bottom of the stairs.

"Remember, if at first you don't succeed, lie, lie again."

This was the perfect mix of a little dark and a little light. I liked some of the characters & disliked one enough that I couldn't put this down. The book is almost 400 pages, but at no point did it drag or feel too long. I loved the twists and turns, and how the three story lines stood apart but were also expertly woven together. All of the women think the grass is greener on the other side, and the dramatic irony of it is great. This was exactly my kind of thriller. Fast-paced and relatable, this is one you won't want to miss!

What a wild ride! Starts out with a body at the bottom of the stairs and you don't find out who it is until the very end. And the trip there is just outrageous! Sylvia is one of those brilliant characters that you just love to hate.

Lies and secrets. Secrets and lies. That's what this book revolves around. One lie turns into a whole galaxy of lies and yet they're all pulled off beautifully! And that last line... wow!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

Great book. I loved reading it. Very interesting and covers alot of information

There's a dead body at the end of the stairs at 1054 Mockingbird Lane

Ricki is a teacher. She loves her job. She's ready to find the guy of her dreams. But sometimes it's not an easy task to achieve. She lives at 1054 Mockingbird Lane.
Embry is a lovely young woman. She's married to Brandon and they have two children. He's ready for his acting career to take off. But sometimes it's not an easy task to achieve. They live at 1054 Mockingbird Lane.
Silvia is a successful woman. She has a promising career and is ready to take a step up in her love life. She lives at 1054 Mockingbird Lane.
Although the story started well enough, I struggled arriving at the end. I felt one of the characters sort of difficult to believe. Even though, the pace is good and the rest of the characters are interesting.
Thank you Netgalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise is a really well written what I would call domestic suspense with a unique premise.

The book grabs you from the very beginning, with a dead body in the basement.

The story itself is really more about the three women, Riki, Embry, and and Sylvia. They all are in close proximity to the dead body at 1054 Mockingbird Lane as they all live in apartments there.

I enjoyed the stories of the three women. The characters were complex, dynamic and well fleshed out.

It is in the stories that lead us back to the mystery of the dead body in the basement.

I really enjoyed this well written story. There are secrets, deceit and some great moments of hilarity.

Highly recommend this book to readers of all genres. There is a little bit of something for everyone in this perfectly paced story.

I really struggled with the way this book was written right from the prologue - I just couldn’t get into it. Not for me, sorry!

Lie Lie Again was a cute story with some adorable females characters and obnoxious male characters. Unfortunately it just moved too slowly for me. Would make a good beach read.

Solidly readable, soapy book! This was definitely a fun ride. Not a huge amount of depth and meaning, but it was entertaining. I liked getting to know Sylvia, Riki, and Embry and the secrets they were all hiding.
Sylvia was the most intriguing character for me. I would definitely not want to get on her bad side! There were parts of this book that seemed quite unbelievable, but when I just went with the flow, I enjoyed it more and just let myself be entertained. All in all, it reminded me of a Lifetime movie in the best way.
If you're looking for a light book to pass the winter days, this is a great choice.

Set the bar too high.

Even though I loved the writing and I loved how each of these women swore that the other lives were better than the other, which always happens, people assume it’s normal. But I didn’t feel it was “Thriller-ish.” Nowhere near thriller-ish..... it was rather long for no reason it was a slow burn with two of the characters, one of them I LOVED! I was on the edge of my seat with the DRAMA!!! But I felt it dragged a little. Maybe it was my fault for setting the bar high and finally getting into a thriller but that’s ok.

Thanks Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book I’m exchange for an honest review.

This book reminded me of Melrose Place or Desperate Housewives. It dealt with a group of neighbors in Los Angeles and the various dramas in their lives. It started with a death (without telling the reader who died) and worked toward the climax of the incident.

My main challenge with this book is that I really didn’t care for the characters. It’s fine (and often important!) for characters to be flawed but I also want a reason to root for them. There were several characters in this book (particularly Sylvia and Riki) whose behavior I found distasteful. I didn’t really feel like they had significant redeeming qualities to offset the issues.

This book was well-written and a page-turner but I can’t give it high marks because of those issues.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchangeu for an honest review.

The fact that it’s taken me a week to get through this book is telling (I normally devour books in one sitting if they are under 400 pages).

Domestic thrillers are always hit or miss for me because at some point, I’m just sick of the same over used tropes. Don’t get me wrong, there’s been some authors that surprise me, but this was not one of those situations.

Yes, there’s lies, betrayal, and deceit as well and unhappy marriages and the typical norm for this genre. I really wanted something fresh and exciting.

I think that there will be a lot of readers that enjoy this one. I just don’t think I’m the target audience here.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing for providing a review copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

Could not get into this one im afraid, we can't love them all. The writing and characters were strong, just not for me

Fast paced and witty, this book is one most readers will enjoy. Tension fills the pages. The characters' lies tangle up the plot. A must read!

The writing is fabulous! Such a fun easy read. Definitely one of those cozy mystery novels you just want to snuggle under a blanket with and read!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

A story about neighbors who are living their own separate lives and have their own separate issues, they are casual friends but come together when their beloved landlord passes away and her son comes to the scene and tries to take away all of their homes. I really like Sylvie and her story, she had a definite edge and it was fun to read about her taking revenge on her married ex.