I received an advanced copy of this book for an honest review. I chose this book based on the description as I had never heard of this author. I enjoyed this book and was glad to have read it. A young mother, Suzanne and her daughter, Annie flee an abusive relationship in Florida. They get as far as Georgia when they stop at a bus station and see an obituary stating there is a funeral luncheon that day. Suzanne and Annie are hungry and have very little money so they think they’ll sneak in and get a free lunch. Little did they know that Suzanne would be mistaken for the long lost granddaughter of the deceased by the wife of the deceased, Ida. Ida insists they come home with her. Suzanne only plans to stay a couple days to help Ida out around the house, but days turn into months. Suzanne, now going by Darla Jean, has a job and a boyfriend and worries every day about being discovered or the real Darla Jean appearing. Suzanne reunites with Annie’s father and finally addresses her infatuation with him and the circumstances around Annie’s conception. Ultimately, Suzanne, comes clean with everyone and begins her new life honestly. Ida comes to love Suzanne and Annie as if they were her own and Suzanne, now Darla Sue gets the life she’s always dreamed of.

This was a light easy read and I read it in just 2 days. I enjoyed this story by Bette Lee Crosby. Should lies be told to get a better life? It sure worked here ... Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

One little lie can get you in a lot of trouble but in A Million Little Lies, more than one person suffers. This is actually a nice, feel good story but there is a bit of angst for the main character. As in real life, one lie leads to another which... well, you know. Can't we all just be happy? This is a quick read and will leave you with a good feeling. 4 stars

It should have not taken a month to read. Life and chores happens unfortunately. So here it goes ...

A million little lies... this book and author is absolutely amazing . This was the first story by this author that I have read. I want to thank author Bette Lee Crosby and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this ARC page turning novel!

Soon she finds herself pregnant and neither her own father nor the father of her child want anything to do with her any longer. Heartbroken and alone, Suzanna turns to an older man that offers her a place to stay. As time passes, this relationship turn abusive and Suzanna knows she must leave so she make a fresh start with her now eight-year-old daughter, Annie. On the run with her child and almost no money, a chance encounter leads Suzanne and Annie to a safe refuge with Ida Parker, a grieving widow who has mistaken Suzanna for her long lost granddaughter. One little lie leads to another and another and soon,
the truth will always find you no matter how far or quick you run

I thought right after the start of this book, how long before she’s caught and who will it be. Highly recommended!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bent Pine Publishing for this ARC !!

When Suzanna Duff was ten years old, she started telling little lies to hide her loneliness and avoid the sympathy from neighbors and well wishers on the death of her mother and the drunkenness of her father. A she grew up the lies became bigger. Now she is a grown up woman and mother to a daughter.

As she goes on her way to New Jersey with her daughter looking for a fresh start, she meets Ida Parker, a grieving widow who mistakes her for her granddaughter. Too embarrassed to do anything else, Suzanna plays along and experiences some of the best moments of her life. But how long will Suzanna live with this lie? Will she finally be able to tell the truth with the danger of breaking the hearts and trust of those who love her?

I absolutely loved this book. It is a heart touching novel that will leave you with a smile as you finish it.

Bette Lee Crosby is one of those authors who writes books that you know you're going to love even before you read the first page. Her characters are always well written and they all change and grow throughout the story. The plot is a feel-good story but there is always some laughter and tears - not sad tears but happy tears. I've read most of her books and A Million Little Lies is my new favorite.

This story is lovely - the relationship between Ida and Suzanna and Annie is so sweet and they really depend on each other. There is a lot of tension around whether Suzanna will tell the truth or continue her lie - whether she will disappear as she has in the past or tell the truth and accept the consequences. Both Ida and Suzanna are well written characters and I was hoping for the best in their relationship. They will tug at your heart and I promise, there will be happy tears as they both learn that family isn't just what you've been born into but more importantly, it is made up of people you love that you want to spend time with. Thank you Better Lee Crosby for another book with characters that I won't soon forget.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

A Million Little Lies by Bette Lee Crosby Reviewed on May 13, 2020 ~ 4 Stars
Women’s fiction
In 1944 when Suzanna Duff was only ten years old she loses her mother and that is when the little white lies start. She pretends all is well with her home life when in truth her father is constantly drunk.

Her senior year in high school she and her boyfriend “Mr. Football” Bobby Doherty are super popular. However, he dumps her when she gets pregnant and refused to abort the baby. Her nasty father kicks her out of the house; he isn't willing to raise another child. Suzanna leaves only to end up with abusive Earl Fagan. He was willing to take in pregnant Suzanna. She stays for seven years, stays for seven years, finally one night packs her things and takes daughter 7-year old Annie while Earl is passed out drunk and leaves Sun Grove, Florida.
Her plan is to head to a friend’s home in New Jersey. She gets a ride from a truck driver who is only going as far as Cousins, Georgia. He gives Suzanna $20 to take a bus as he feels sorry for Annie and is fearful the next ride won’t be good.
While at the bus station she find the next bus to NJ isn’t until the next morning. She is torn what to do, hungry with no money for food, she notices an announcement in the local paper “Memorial Luncheon” for William C. Parker. She figures she can sneak in get some food and leave.
However, when the Ida Parker, the grieving wife sees Suzanna, she believes she is her long lost granddaughter Darla Jean. Ida is so happy believes she is a gift from her dead husband as they both loved Darla Jean and haven’t seen her since she was a very little girl. She invites Suzanna to stay a bit to catch up.
Suzanna knows this is another lie but her daughter Annie loves her “new” great grandma.
She begs her mom to please stay a while.
Suzanna knows the truth is going to come out but is also enjoying this new life.

My first author, Bette Lee Crosby novel. I guarantee I will read another!!!! She is a great storyteller!

Want to thank NetGalley and Bent Pine Publishers for this early release granted to me in exchange for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 16, 2020

It is a very cute cover. And the flap text is very heart broken, but the story was amazing. I felt so much, when I was reading it.

Suzanna Duff hasn’t had the easiest starts in life. Dead mother, abusive father, dumped by her high school football star boyfriend when she falls pregnant, Suzanna leaves school a few weeks shy of graduation and moves in with loser Earl and spends the next eight years in an abusive relationship in which alcohol abuse is rife. One day she realises that its never going to get better for her and her young daughter Annie and packing up almost nothing, with less than $30 in her pocket, she runs away with the plan to cross the country and start again. A sudden end to a hitchhiked ride leaves her in small-town Georgia with a hungry child, no bus until the next day and nowhere to shelter. As luck would have it, she sees a general invitation to a wake offering an open smorgasbord and decides it’s the perfect way to feed Annie and help eke out her money. But at the wake widow, Ida Parker mistakes Suzanna for her husband’s long lost grand-daughter Darla Jean. What harm could come from placating the old woman and pretending to be who she thinks she is? Suzanna thinks it’s the kindest thing to do and the way to ensure her daughter is fed, so she plays along. Except that Ida wants her to stay overnight, then for a few days, which leads to weeks and then months. Suzanna is playing the role of a lifetime and finding herself being suckered into a life that doesn’t belong to her and falling in love with Ida and the life Darla Jean would have found. But then her past catches up with her in the shape of the footballer boyfriend and behind the scenes, Earl is looking to bring Suzanna back home and there is Gregg, the boarder who has just captured her heart. Will her make-believe life fall apart or is there a way that she can make it truly her own?

Being labelled literary fiction or women’s fiction this novel is a fun ride into what happens when you lie, even if you think it’s a white lie and no one is going to get hurt by it. It explores the life of a woman who just needs life to cut her some slack and a little girl whose whole world depends on her mother and the lies a mother tells to the people she loves without reservation to extend her deceit. This isn’t a book exploring the deep psychological reasons behind the choices, but it does search the decisions why and the resulting guilt that living a lie creates. The reader cannot help but follow Suzanna as she struggles with the desire to come clean and the fears that doing so would take away the only good life she has ever known and the love she feels for the people in her new life is real.

This is a wonderful rendition of a ‘what if’ book. And who amongst us hasn’t wondered what if I pretended to be someone else? What if I went along with the crowd and didn’t take a stand for the truth? Throughout the course of the book, the reader is privy to the struggles Suzanna experiences and feels an affinity with her wanting the best for those around her and wanting to tell the truth. We fully understand the anguish that she feels and the reasons she makes the choices she does: the very human desire for love. The characters are well-drawn and it's easy to love or hate them according to the role assigned to them. The story is both compelling and entertaining and is well-paced. It's an entertaining read.

4 stars! This was my first novel by Bette Lee Crosby and I really enjoyed it. A Million Little Lies is a beautifully written novel that was very easy and quick to read. Bette did a wonderful job of creating characters that were easy to root for, even when they are making decisions you do not agree with. Her heartfelt characters and writing create a great atmosphere and great character development. In this book, we meet a mother, who spins a web of lies in order to give her daughter a better life. But what happens when these lies catch up to her? While the back of the book made this seem a little more of a thriller/suspense than it was, I did think adding the perspective of Bobby and Earl helped create a little "suspense". In the end, this book is a beautiful tale of biological family vs. love you can have for others, and how the truth will always reveal itself. I do recommend this book to others.

Thank you to Bette Lee Crosby and NetGalley for the chance to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4.5 stars! This was my first novel by Bette Lee Crosby. This was a nice change of pace for me after reading several thrillers, and was a nice escape during this time. This novel was set back in 1960, and follows Suzanna and her daughter Annie. Suzanna is not exactly in the most perfect living situation, so they decide to take a bus to New Jersey to escape and start a new life. Midway through their journey at a quick stop in a small town, they meet Ida, an older woman whose overwhelming kindness gives them an opportunity to start over in a way Suzanna had never dreamed would be possible. But, will the lies that they have to tell to grab this dream opportunity be worth it? This book was beautifully written, and I like I said, was the perfect escape. It has elements of romance as well, which I enjoyed. I will definitely be adding more books by Bette Lee Crosby to my TBR!

Thank you to Bette, the pub, NetGalley,and Kindle for this ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for the advance copy. A sweet read, great characters.....what happens when you’ve got nothing to lose and a mistake changes your life for the better? Nice escapism, worth the time.

Bette Lee Crosby's books never disappoint me. This books starts with the first of the "Little lies" when ten year old Suzannas momma dies. Her life is rough growing up and the "little lies" just seem to smooth the way.Fast forward to being an unwed Mom in a abusive relationship. With no family or friends, Suzanna decides to take her daughter and run away. How this story evolves, the twists, turns and things she goes thru will make you want to cry,laugh,be angry, shake her, hug her,cheer for her and so much more. Most of all just be glad you got to read another great Bette Lee Crosby story

Back To A Simpler Yet Still Complicated Time. As a Georgia native currently sharing the Atlantic Coast of Florida with the author (she is several hours away from me), this brings back feels of a simpler time, before Interstate travel was really a thing and before the Net made it possible to see the news from anywhere, anywhere. When it was possible to simply leave a bad situation and have a reasonable assumption that it almost couldn't follow you. When you could stumble into crashing a funeral for a free meal and wind up being confused for a long lost relative. When travelling 80 miles from Atlanta took a few hours. And it was a great walk down historic paths that were long gone before I was born as one of the oldest Millenials, two years into Reagan's first term as President. It was a great tale of how a million little lies can come back to haunt someone, and how family isn't always who shares our blood, but who shares our bonds. Very much recommended.

Finding a grandmother by accident, but having to tell lies about how she is related to Ida was something (Suzanna) Darla Jean didn't want to do, but it was necessary.

Darla Jean had to keep up the charade for her daughter Annie's sake.

Annie fell in love with Grandma Ida the minute she saw her, and Grandma Ida knew that her husband had sent their granddaughter Darla Jean back to her after he passed.

A MILLION LITTLE LIES is another beautiful, heartwarming book by master storyteller, Bette Lee Crosby.

You will LOVE each and every character and hope for the best. The only one you will wish away is Earl.

I didn't want to stop reading or stop being part of the lives of each character.

What else can a reader say about Bette Lee Crosby’s books, except you need to read every one of them.

Bette's books make your heart lighter and have you joining in the joy as well as the sorrows of the characters.

LOVED IT….be sure to have tissues ready, but for happy tears. 5/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Bette Lee Crosby writes complex, yet believable, situations that a reader can get lost in. In this story we meet a mother whose lies spin a web that she begins to live within. A look at how a white like can spin out of control and how a mother will do anything to protect her child. Also, a reminder that family is not just biology, but a loving relationship that can be built. I did struggle to like the main character, her constant lies did bother me and made it hard for me to relate to her-but overall I enjoyed this well told story.

Betty Lee Crosby has woven a story of a women with an unfortunate childhood and early adult life who is caught up in a series of lies in order to make a life for herself and her daughter. Redemption comes to this beautiful person , but not before some twists and turns. The author weaves a novel that keeps you turning the pages as you can’t wait to see what will happen next. A very enjoyable and easy read. This author never disappoints!

"We tell lies when we are afraid....afraid of what we don't know, afraid of what others will think, afraid of what will be found out about us. But every time we tell a lie, the thing that we fear grows stronger." Tad Williams

This is the story of Suzanna Duff. I think the biggest lies we tell are the ones we tell ourselves. This is Suzanna's dilemma....the lies are easier than the truth. Another thing we are harder on ourselves about is believing in love and forgiveness. This, too, is an issue with Suzanna. Her conscience works on her and then her fears kick in. "With lies you may go ahead in the world, but you can never go back." Russian Proverb

Suzanna Duff is a young girl who has a rough way to go when her mother dies and leaves her to be raised by an uncaring, alcoholic father. To self-protect, she begins to tell little lies to make life bearable. What harm can that be? "To Suzanna her lie was not a deception but a necessary altering of the truth." Little lie upon little lie adds up and soon they become easier and easier to tell. The lies become easy to believe as truth. Her life becomes more complicated when she finds herself pregnant and her father tells her to leave. Her life is challenged as her little Annie grows and life isn't a bowl full of cherries with Earl...the guy she's been with since she left home. She has to go find a better life for Annie even if it's built upon lies. This is the beginning of a story that pulled at my emotions for Suzanna. Her character is one I felt for from the beginning. No one likes a liar but Ms. Crosby created Suzanna in such a way that I wanted to pull for her. I felt so much anxiety for her when her lies were close to being exposed. I loved this book. It's full of heart. It's full of what a family really is about. It's full of mistakes. But it's all about how love can overcome the messes that life can be. There's a surprise towards the end of the story that brought tears to my eyes. It's such a wonderful twist.

Bette Lee Crosby is a storyteller extraordinaire! When I open the pages of one of her books, I feel like we're sitting together on a cozy veranda and I'm full of anticipation for the journey I'm about to take. Her talent and gift of bringing a story to life is southern story telling charm at its best. A Million Little Lies holds all the essence of what makes Ms. Crosby one of my favorite authors to read. It's a story from her heart that tugged at mine as all her stories do. I'm so honored to have had the privilege of reading another five star plus book by this amazing author. Her stories make my life better because of the messages and hope that the words between the covers bring to me. I want to thank Ms. Crosby and Netgalley for the ARC of a touching and heartwarming story. All opinions and thoughts in this review are my heartfelt own. Five MILLION stars if I could.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of this new book by Bette Lee Crosby. I am a huge fan and once again she has not disappointed ! This is a great story about lying to try to have a better life. Her intentions are good but is it right to lie ? How many lies will she tell ? Suzanna is about to embark on an adventure to change her life. And in doing so she changes the life of her daughter and her " grandmother". Beautifully written and entertaining as well.

A MILLION LITTLE LIES by Bette Lee Crosby is a beautifully-written and heartfelt novel of loss, love and second chances. Suzanna Duff lost her mother when she was just ten years old. Left alone with a father who is most always drunk, Suzanna runs to her high school sweetheart for comfort and love. Soon she finds herself pregnant and neither her own father nor the father of her child want anything to do with her any longer. Heartbroken and alone, Suzanna turns to an older man that offers her a place to stay. As time passes, this relationship turn abusive and Suzanna knows she must leave so she make a fresh start with her now eight-year-old daughter, Annie. On the run with her child and almost no money, a chance encounter leads Suzanne and Annie to a safe refuge with Ida Parker, a grieving widow who has mistaken Suzanna for her long lost granddaughter. One little lie leads to another and another and soon, Suzanna can no longer reveal the truth without destroying the lives of those she loves. What follows is a heart-wrenching and emotional story that kept me on the edge of my seat hoping for a happy ending for the wonderfully-portrayed characters. I truly enjoyed this compelling story of a mother’s love for her children and grandchildren and of finding family even when not related by blood. I highly recommend A MILLION LITTLE LIES! Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read any early copy.