I really enjoyed this one-a family drama with lots of twists to keep the reader engaged. Family secrets and lies leads to a young lady delving into her mother's past to find out why she abandoned her. I connected with each character and enjoyed the authors style of writing

With thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Nell was raised by her grandmother, Lilian, after her parents died when she was an infant.
Her upbringing wasn't great so she left home at 16 and has had minimal contact with her gran since.

Now she recieves a letter from a solicitor telling her that her mother has just died.

Nell has a million questions.

She heads back to her childhood home to get answers from her gran.

Her gran is elderly and ill and not very forthcoming with answers.
There is also a distant relative she never knew about living in her grans house.

The story is split in two timelines, telling the story of her parents past and her present.
It moves along at a good pace with a good air of tension throughout.
A very well told story.

Highly enjoyable.

Nell Wetherby has always believed herself to be an orphan. Raised by her smothering, demanding paternal grandma Lilian, she was told that her parents died in a car accident when she was a baby, nearly thirty years ago. Then a firm of solicitors contacts her about the reading of a will... her mother’s. The mother who she thought had died years ago.

Realising she missed out on many good years of her mother’s life, distressed Nell returns to the house she left in Seahurst, a small, quiet coastal town in Sussex, England to confront Lilian. Unexpectedly, she finds that Lilian is living in a nearby residence for the elderly and her old family home now occupied by a guy called Adam who is her cousin. He reluctantly allows her stay at Willow House and Nell assumes that he believes the property is his inheritance. Made uneasy by mysterious events, threats and strange happenings, Nell visits Lilian searching for answers.

The story is told via alternating chapters between Nell's viewpoint in the present and her mother Sarah's throughout the years, partly in diary-style, as well as through a scattering of letters penned by Lilian. A compelling and engrossing tale, I appreciated the backstories of these characters, their motives and betrayal. The pacing was comfortable and there was a general feel of unease and apprehension to occurrences. I Know You Lied is a well written psychological thriller that piqued my curiosity and held me captive until the fulfilling finale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Bookouture via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

*Previously titled: What We Hide*

This was a quick read exploring dark family secrets and I really enjoyed my time with it. I like the small town, big secrets trope and how everyone knows more about other people’s life than they care to admit.

Also liked the past and present point of view, even though it could give some things away early than advisable. My only objection is that, due to it shortness, the resolution felt rushed and it didn’t give me a feeling of justice delivered.

Nell grew up with her grandmother having lost her parents in a car accident when she was young. That's what makes the letter telling her of her mother's death such a shock. Knowing her strict grandmother has spent her life lying to her only compounds the issue. When Nell returns to her childhood home to confront her grandmother, she is met with walls and threats instead of answers.

Unfortunately, everything about this thriller felt expected and I didn't find myself very "thrilled" when I closed the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for allowing me to read this and give my honest opinion.

Favorite Quote:

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

My Review:

I was riveted, chilled, and itching with curiosity about this maddeningly paced, tautly written, and brilliantly plotted tale. I tumbled right into the writing and even though I knew the villain was vile from the get-go, I just didn’t realize how truly evil she was. Lesley Sanderson is one twisted sister and turned out a shrewd and cunningly penned story that held me captive and tethered to my Kindle while impatient with any fool who dared to distract me from solving this tragic mystery and peeling back all the secrets. I was deeply invested and admittedly, near rabid in my need to know. There was sleight of hand, decades of lies, misdirections, and well-buried clues. It was divine.

A fun family drama with suspense and mystery surrounding the main character Nell and her grandmom Lillian. Author Lesley Sanderson has written about a family well enveloped in secrets, hidden in past, soon winding its way into the present.

Nell got a call from the lawyers about her mom's death a few days ago. But her mom had died 30 years ago. So said her grandmom. Why did she lie?

Having read nearly all of the author's books, I was happy reading this quiet number. A slow driven plot, the story showed me Nell's puzzlement over her family. I liked her determination as she went about slowly digging into the past one photograph after another.

Few shocks held her still, but the gutsy gall was quite keen to get to the truth even when pranksters and stalkers tried to halt her journey. The story seemed familiar, therein laid my comfort. I wanted a stress-free book and this ticked all my requirements.

A good breakfast read.

** I received this book in exchange for an honest review **

MAIN TAKEAWAY: A gentle thriller, with excellent characterisation, but somewhat lacking in intrigue and plot.

I rate using Book Roast's CAWPILE system, and here's a detailed breakdown:

CHARACTERS 9/10

All characters were introduced very well and felt grounded and realistic. I quickly got to know the people in the story, and it was easy to remember who they were and differentiate between them. The introduction to the heroine Nell was interesting, showing who she was by describing her surroundings.
I enjoyed character moments and reveals throughout, for example that both a mother and a daughter drank peppermint tea and what that suggests about their connection, and the daughter’s connection to a past incident.
The touches of entitlement woven around the Grandmother’s character but never explicitly stated added much to her character, and the power she holds over others.


ATMOSPHERE 7/10

The contrast between London and the seaside setting, and between the large expensive house and the grotty bedsit was excellently drawn. I felt happy for Nell that she had built her new life, but also drawn to the seaside town as she was.
However, despite a few plot twists that imperilled Nell, I did not feel any of her fear.


WRITING 6/10

Whilst the character descriptions and developments were well done, the rest of the writing was generally unremarkable, and repetitive in places (Nell does a lot of vowing at one point!) Additionally, I felt that some of Nell’s disclosures, to the lawyer for example, were unlikely, and had the feel of solely being there to inform the reader, rather than as a natural part of the story.
I did enjoy the symbolism dotted throughout, particularly the use of the necklace.

PLOT 5/10
The plot was hit and miss for me – and is, at root, a very simple one. I felt that I had the main plot sorted out 5 or 6 chapters in, and this was through what the book had told me rather than guessing. The rest of the book felt mainly given over to tying up loose ends and clearing up misconceptions. I expected a final big twist, perhaps around identities, but this did not come.


INTRIGUE 7.5/10

The beginning was very intriguing and hooked me into the novel straight away. There were also a few cliff-hangers early in the book that led me to keep reading, but as these invariably came to not very much, I was left feeling a little deflated. If the glimpses of intrigue in the first third of the book had continued throughout, or even been stretched more evenly across the pages, this would be a 10 out of 10, but unfortunately that was not the case.


LOGIC 7/10

I don’t have a lot to say about logic, especially in a spoiler free review, but as the plot was simple, it made a lot of sense! There were a few character moments I found off beat – a sudden new friendship, the ever changing sides of Joyce, the past actions of the grandmother – but on the whole the book was straightforward and plausible.

ENJOYMENT 7/10

Despite quite a critical review, I really enjoyed this book, which I think speaks to how good the character writing was. I think this would be a great casual read for anyone who enjoys thrillers – especially if you prefer your thrillers on the less creepy side.

Nell lived with her grandmother Lillian whilst growing up, her parents having died in a car crash when she was small. She moved away aged 16 needing to get away from Lilian's overprotective clutches. She has a job and a flat and is surprised one day to receive a letter from a solicitor telling her about her mother's will and recent death. She has only sporadically kept in touch with Lillian and on going back to the family house finds a stranger there who turns out to be a relative and Lillian for now, living elsewhere. Why has Lillian hidden the fact that her mother was alive all these years? Nell feels robbed of the chance that she could have met her as she lived not too far away. Alternate chapters take us back to around the time that Nell was born. I liked Nell and her tenacity to find out what had happened. Lilian is really not a nice person and only has her own motives at heart. A clever concept and one woven nicely. I had my suspicions and it kept the grey matter active. An interesting read.
(rest of links on publication) (amazon done- misfits farm)

Got a secret, can you keep it? Leslie Sanderson has crafted a dark family drama brimming with secrets and lies. Imagine that for 30 years you have thought your mother died in a car accident when you were young. Raised by your grandmother you have lived a pretty darn good life. Then out of the blue you receive a letter from a solicitor informing you that your mother has just recently passed away. What? That is the situation that Nell finds herself in. Hurt and confused Nell is determined to find out the truth. Where has her mother been for the past 30 years and why was she told she was dead?

Told in alternating perspectives the story bounces between Nell and her mother Sarah, the present and the past. This was much more of a family drama than a thriller. A deep dive into this family’s psyche. Nell was a sympathetic character, I really felt for her and could not imagine being in her situation. The story was a bit of a slow burn, but I really did enjoy the journey. Well told, although a little predictable.

*** Big thank you to Bookouture for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***

Maybe I need to take a break from psychological suspense because they are all starting to run together in my head. Then again, I keep on the quest for the best twists and thrills, so I can't give them up entirely!
This one was pretty predictable. From nearly the beginning I saw where it was going and the author didn't make any attempts to hide the villain's identity. The "why" of all of it was the only semi-surprise, but even that wasn't shocking for the most part.
I dislike books where there's some big secret that everyone is hiding and nearly everyone except the one character (in this case, Nell) knows what is going on. It gets tedious for sure.
I couldn't figure out how *someone* wouldn't have known that Nell's mom was still alive, that Sarah didn't make herself known to Nell when she came to town and Nell was a teenager. Lots of plot holes.
This one is a quick read, it does have that as a positive, and it's overall entertaining.

Nell never knew her parents. She was brought up by a smothering grandmother,Lillian, until she up and left and moved to London when she was sixteen.

As far as she knew her mother was dead - until Nell receives a letter from her grandmother’s solicitor saying she is the sole beneficiary of Sarah Wetherby’s will. Her mother had not been dead - she had been alive all this time. Why had Lillian kept this from her? What is she hiding?

This was a family drama which unfortunately didn’t quite grip me as I was hoping it to. I liked the way that the story went back and forth between the past and the present as the story unfolds but I thought that relationship between Lillian and Sarah was far fetched. Considering the past was early nineties I find it hard to believe that a new mother such as Sarah would’ve been dismissed by health officials and then taking the opinion of an over beating mother in law.

A nice easy read - thank you to netgalley and Bookouture for my copy in return for an honest review.

Nell was brought up by her controlling Grandmother & she left home as soon as she could. She made a life for herself & was reasonably content. Out of the blue she got a solicitor's letter telling her about her mother's death- the mother she always believed had dies when she was a baby. Shocked & angry she returns to where she was brought up to get some answers from her Grandmother.

The story is told by Nell & by her mother,Sarah. Nell's grandmother definitely seems like the Mother-in Law from Hell! This was really more a tale of a dysfunctional family than a thriller, but it held the interest. The end did seem to be rushed, which was rather a let down.

Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book.

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.

The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter must be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? Because Nell’s mother died nearly thirty years ago.

Nell was left under the care of her manipulative grandmother until she had had enough and left home at the age of 16. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?

Nell won't rest until she finds out the truth .... someone wants the truth to stay hidden and will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.

Family secrets and obsession. Lies and more lies. Every one seems to be hiding something.

The book is well written .... Nell today and her mother, Sarah, in the years before she married and had Nell.. with the grandmother playing the part of a person who controls or influences others in a clever or unscrupulous way. All the characters are deftly drawn ... warts and all. It's a real page turner leading to a surprising, unexpected ending.

Many thanks to the author/ Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

I always draw to family drama because a part of me wanting to find a way out in a solution that I couldn't think of my own. It makes me realize that the characters are teaching me something valuable -the do and don't, always take note of the consequences of my actions towards others. As once things are done, there's no away we can amend it and discard the matter. And you'll always live with the regrets all your life. Until it breaks you to pieces.

What the book taught me is to never let anger blinds you. And also we should keep it in mind that no children are entitled to their parent's past mistakes. From unable to face the music, awful conduct was made that only invite more destruction thinking that revenge is the way to make themself feel better. But the truth it's not going to end well.

I wish one of the characters didn't go to that miserable road while thinking of their own tragic destiny. And it's really heartbreaking to see what had become.

Despite being less of a thriller and I manage to crack the code really early, still, I enjoy finding out the source of every lies. It's really such a sorrowful novel in finding the truth of your family roots that going to make you eager for more.

Thank you Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC.

Nell was bought up by her Grandmother since both her parents had died in a road accident. She is shocked to get a letter from a solicitor, telling her that her mother passed away a few days ago!
Nell decides to head back to her Grandmother's house that she left at 16, because she found the old lady smothering and overbearing, to find out the truth.
The story goes back and forth between two timelines and its a well crafted plotline. At times it reminded me of Mary Higgings Clark style of story telling.

This book didn’t really wow me.. it was just enjoyable enough to keep reading but wasn’t anything special compared to similar books. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.


3.5/5

First, I want to thank Lesley Sanderson, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

What a wild and crazy emotional rollercoaster ride I Know You Lied by Lesley Sanderson was! This book totally boggled my mind more so than any other Bookouture book has in the past!

This was a brilliant story written by Lesley Sanderson-no doubt about that! However, It totally upset me and blew my mind the great lengths Lillian would go to keep her Grandaughter safe. Not only that but the terrible secrets she hid from her whole life. My heart went out to her on so many occasions in this book.

I loved how Lesley went from modern day to the past where we could learn more about Sarah, David and Lillian and what truly happened.

It is a tragic story in which you question how well do you know who your family really is?!

I was really excited when I received an ARC of this book. I love a good thriller and this one sounded intriguing. Unfortunately, it was less a thriller and more of a family drama. The premise of the story was good - Nell, the main character, finds out that the mother she thought was long deceased actually just passed away. The story involves Nell's quest to learn why her grandmother lied to her about this all of these years. I figured out the "mystery" about halfway through the book. I was disappointed in the ending - it was very abrupt and quick. I just felt like there should have been more to wrap-up the story. All in all, it was a quick and entertaining read.