A book with a twist that has you on the edge of your seat... this book is quite simply the perfect thriller!.
Perfectly paced with a storyline that consumes you, its without a doubt a page turner and one of my favourite books to date.

This was a quick and easy thriller to read. Nell discovers that her mom has died through a phonecall and goes on a journey to find out about her past. There were some twists and turns, but nothing that "kept me on the edge of my seat", and I found it rather predictable. This was good for a nice quick read for the summer. My first title by Lesley Sanderson.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book

Nell feels distorted after receiving a mysterious letter about her mother’s recent death, but Nell has been told that her mother had died 30 years ago.. this captivated me right from the start. The story alters in two pov - Present by Nell and Past by Sarah. The plot reveals dark family secrets, well kept lies and also justifies the behaviour of certain characters. The writing was amazing and it was a bit of a slow burn for my liking, but my interest was well kept throughout! I think this is Sanderson’s debut, but I’m not sure.

4/5⭐️

Thank you Bookouture, Lesley Sanderson and Netgalley for the arc. This review is my own and is not influenced in any way.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book. I really enjoyed this book. I cannot count how many thrillers I've read but I'm always surprised (and excited) when a new thriller can keep my attention so well. Lesley Sanderson does a great job at constructing suspenseful scenes. I was guessing throughout the story (something that doesn't happen often) and would highly recommend to other readers. I'll continue to read anything by Sanderson in the future.

I really enjoyed this. It was an easy read, easy to pick up, easy to put down and pick back up again without having to re-read bits. It was, however, quite predictable. I'd guessed halfway through what was going on, who was causing the disturbances and who was to blame. However, that being said, I still really enjoyed this. It had some unexpected twists and turns and ended really nicely. Would recommend.

Lesley Sanderson is one of those authors that I truly can depend on for thrills, chills, and a great read! This one was no different! Had me on the edge of my seat for many of the pages! Well written and full of the things I crave, such as chills, thrills, and shocks! Found it to be quite unputdownable, as well as one that had me guessing until the author filled me in! Highly recommend!
I’ll make sure to buzz it around!

I enjoyed this book. It is my first book by this author and I look forward to reading more from her. This is a well written story that has characters that made this story easy to read. They made me feel as if I was part of this story. It is a story that pulled me in right from the beginning. It goes back in time and than brings the story back to the present. It is done so that it is easily understandable and I didn't look track of the story. I wanted to see what was happening than and now. I was a little disappointed at the end but I enjoyed it none the less. I was a really great story that I highly recommend.

*Cue the Pretty Little Liars theme song*

Got a secret can you keep it...

Sorry, I couldn’t help myself, it was just too perfect.

Because if there’s one thing this book is about, it’s definitely secrets. Dark secrets. Dark family secrets.

And I am a sucker for books with dark family histories and hidden secrets. Perhaps i’ve just read Flowers in the Attic one too many times? Perhaps, perhaps.

This wasn’t the best book i’ve read pertaining to families with tragic backgrounds and dark secrets, but it was still a pretty enjoyable, twisty fun read that kept me flipping the pages.

I was riveted, chilled, and edge of my seat curious as I became more and more absorbed into this story and the dark secrets it held within.

How would you feel if you woke up one day and discovered that you had been lied to by a beloved member of your family about something that absolutely crushes and devastates you?

That is exactly how Nell feels when she receives a letter, informing her that her mother had passed away only a month prior, even though Nell had been led to believe that both her parents had been dead long before that. Her grandmother had been lying to her for a long time about her mother having been alive all that time, but for what reason? And why had her mother abandoned her?

Oh the twisted webs we weave!

This taut and captivating story, filled with twists and turns, will leave you reading late into the night, unable to sleep until you have solved the mystery of Nell's past and the secrets of her family.

Highly recommend!

Nell is shocked to discover that her mother Sarah has only recently died while she had been told by her grandmother Lilian that both her parents died when she was a baby. She travels down to the family home to find her grandmother is ill and moved into a care home while her house is renovated by Nell's cousin. But does Adam have a sinister reason for wanting to be in the house: is he hoping to inherit?
I Know You Lied was an absolutely gripping read. The psychological drama and the family tensions were so captivating. It was quite a quick read and I couldn't put it down!
The secrets, mystery and lies that are revealed over the course of the book are fascinatingly awful. Lilian is cruel and manipulative yet she has a very human reason for her behaviour: love. The full story of the three generations develops gradually so the reader has the opportunity to guess about the next twist on its way.
Most of the plot is delivered through Nell in third person. There are flashbacks to Sarah's life, again told through third person as well as via a journal which Nell finds. Letters from Lilian are also provided to give us an insight into Lilian's character and motives. I was desperate for both Sarah and Nell to show some backbone and stand up for themselves, whilst also understanding their vulnerability and fears.
Family is the central theme to this book but the psychological thriller element is present in the campaign to drive Nell from the house and therefore the truth.
I Know You Lied is a fitting title for the book and especially relates to the conclusion when we find out who 'I' is...

Fun, fast-paced thriller. It was a good easy to read thriller but not revolutionary in it's concept or writing style. I received an ARC of this via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a bit of a slow burn, but quite atmospheric and after about a quarter, I was hooked and eager to know how this story could possibly end!

'I Know You Lied' is told in Nell's point of view (POV) in the present and her mother, Sarah's POV, in the past. When Nell receives a letter from a solicitor informing her of her mother's recent death, it hits her like a bolt out of the blue. Her grandmother, Lilian, had told her that her parents had died in a car crash nearly thirty years ago when she was a baby. Why had her grandmother, who had raised Nell, lie? Why didn't her mother come looking for Nell? Nell left home and Lilian's care at the young age of 16.

Feeling compelled to find out the truth for herself, Nell returns to her hometown. There, Lilian, now frail and living in a retirement home, rejects Nell's request. It is Nell's cousin, Adam, who lives in her family home. Though Adam clearly wants Nell gone, she lingers while trying to allay his fears about a will. Then, things turn nasty. Nell's privacy is violated, threatening graffiti is sprayed onto her fence and she receives anonymous phone calls telling her to leave. It's clear someone wants Nell's past to remain buried, as it has been for a few decades. Nell knows her life is in danger as she sieves out the truth.

Though Sarah's story was so sad, I recommend this as an engaging, page-turning story. I was eager to find out why Lilian was so cruel and why she lied. There are enough characters to create a number of red herrings. That they ultimately interconnect is satisfying. The author drops clues and hints along the way, which keeps the reader one step ahead of the protagonist. However, this doesn't slow the pace.

My thanks to Bookouture, Lesley Sanderson and NetGalley for the advance copy of "I Know You Lied" by Lesley Sanderson in return for an honest review.

This review also appears in https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3436548779
https://thereadersvault.blogspot.com/2020/07/i-know-you-lied-lesley-sanderson.html
& Netgalley.com & Amazon.com

Easy read. There wasn’t a lot of suspense but it was enough to keep the reader interested. I finished the book in a day and it was time well spent. Somewhat predictable, yes, but enjoyable!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the advanced copy.

This was an enjoyable thriller that I could not put down. It was well written and easy to read through. I definitely recommend this one .

Thank you so much @netgalley and @bookouture for this digital arc!
I was hooked right from the start and became completely involved with the story !
Filled with family drama, lies, deception, secrets and one evil and cruel grandmother - Lillian!
Nell received a letter requesting her presence at the reading of her mother’s will. Problem is that she was told by her grandmother that her mother had died 30 years ago! Can you even imagine how your head would be spinning after reading the letter ?!
Nell decides to go back home and confront her now dying grandmother ... I was all in for this roller coaster ride and enjoyed every second !
Beautiful written - can NOT wait to grab more novels by this author!

I found this a really easy read and it kept me interested in the story. It was a little bit predictable at times, but it was still a fun read. It is about a woman called Nell who has believed all her life that her parents died in a car crash. But in her adult life she receives a letter informing her of her mother's death. She doesn't understand how this can be as she is already dead. The bppl delves into the past as well as the present until she finds out the truth about her family.

This is a family drama and I was expecting a more suspense thriller, but I still enjoyed it. It switches between the past and present, explaining what Nell is currently going through and then in the past what her mother went through.
I wish the relationships between characters was explored a bit more.
The ending felt rushed and just suddenly ended. I would have like a bit more there, considering the build up throughout the whole book.

I enjoyed this one an easy read for me.

A family drama full of dark family secrets told in the past and present day full of secrets, lies and mystery.

I must say I was quite disappointed by the ending there was this fantastic build up and then it was done a bit too rushed for me.

From the beginning with the mysterious letters and Nell’s decision to investigate her family history, I was drawn in. I especially liked the touches of gaslighting that occurred throughout the plot. Disrupted backpacks, unlocked and suddenly locked doors, and fences…who is responsible? At three-quarters through, though, I felt like the author was trying to tie everything up. That caused some leaps of logic. I also felt that the ending was incomplete, sort of like there was a good build-up, and then the reveal did not live up to that. I still really enjoyed the story and appreciated Nell’s journey to find her real family history. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.

Imagine being told that the mother you thought had died years ago had only just died, and furthermore had lived not that far away from you. Nell soon found out that this wasn’t the only lie her grandmother had told her. Gradually, as she unfolds the truth of her mother’s life and her father’s death Nell discovers just how evil her grandmother is. An intriguing, well-written story with twisty paths and an unexpected ending.

EXCERPT: It has finally happened.

The letter arrived on Friday the thirteenth. Not usually a significant date for me - I'm not one of those people who pander to superstitious nonsense - but afterwards, when I had calmed down, it made me pause a moment and wonder.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter has to be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? After all, Nell’s mother died nearly thirty years ago.

Nell’s parents died when she was a baby, leaving her to be raised by her grandmother, Lilian. So when the lawyer’s letter arrives, informing her of her mother Sarah’s death just the previous month, it destroys everything she thought she knew. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?

Returning to the town where she grew up in search of answers, what Nell finds instead only raises more questions. Lilian, now frail and living in sheltered accommodation, refuses to see her, and a hostile cousin she has never heard of is occupying the family home.

Then Nell starts receiving anonymous threats.

Leave here, or you won’t leave alive.

Going back to the family home was meant to help her find the truth. But it’s clear someone has a secret they’ll do anything to keep hidden. Is Nell prepared for what is hiding behind closed doors – or the cost of finding out?

MY THOUGHTS: Lesley Sanderson writes an excellent domestic noir. The only book that I haven't read by this author is The Orchid Girls, but I recently bought a copy to read.

Her characters are perfectly ordinary people, or are they? On the outside, they are respected members of the community, people who raise money for charity, belong to WI, chair committees. But underneath their public veneer, they love passionately, obsessively, conceal secrets, and tell lies. But is that as far as they would go to keep what they have?

My heart bled for Nell, and for her mother Sarah. Lilian chilled me to the core. Cold hearted and manipulative, Lilian gets what she wants, and keeps what is hers. Sanderson even had me doubting the motives of the supporting characters: Adam, a builder and Lilian's great-nephew who is carrying out the renovations to Lilian's home; Jenny who works at the library and befriends Nell (but I am sure that only nice people work in libraries); and Joyce who has, for decades, been Lilian's housekeeper.

The characters lives intertwine in captivating and unsettling ways, unsuspected connections being revealed as the plot progresses. The story is taut and tightly written in Sanderson's trademark style. I read this in one sitting, overnight, unable to sleep until this mystery was solved.

❤❤❤❤

'Lilian always pronounces her name as if it’s something distasteful she’s extracting from a plughole.'

I received this book titled as 'What We Hide' - it has since been retitled 'I Know You Lied.'

THE AUTHOR: Lesley attended the Curtis Brown Creative 6 month novel writing course in 2015/6, and in 2017 The Orchid Girls (then On The Edge) was shortlisted for the Lucy Cavendish fiction prize.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Bookouture via NetGalley for providing a digital ARC of I Know You Lied by Lesley Sanderson for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

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