Gilly Macmillian never disappoints. I knew from the moment I read the synopsis of To Tell You the Truth that I would be obsessed with this book, and I was.

One of my favorite protagonists is a tough, take-no-nonsense female detective, but what makes this one unique is that she’s not real. She lives inside the mind of the main character, author Lucy Harper, helping guide her actions and her real-life relationships.

When Lucy’s husband, Dan, disappears shortly after moving back to Lucy’s childhood hometown, it triggers memories and events of Lucy’s brother’s disappearance decades before. What happened to Dan? What happened to Lucy’s brother Teddy?

As I said, I was comply obsessed with this suspenseful, tension-filled read. This is another that you should without a doubt put on your spooky fall reads list!

First, a thank you to NetGalley for sharing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I have to be honest, I didn't have high hopes for this one, but expected it to be a solid, yet not particularly memorable psychological thriller - something that would merely be a fun, but not necessarily memorable. I've read several previous books by the author and enjoyed them well enough, having rated them an average 3/5 star read. I was wrong - this one blew me away. Distorted reality books (at least those I have read) not really worth the exhaustion. Such wasn't so with To Tell You the Truth - you just have to know what's real and what's not and I couldn't bring myself to stop despite the late, later hour. Think Stephen King's Secret Window, sans horror. Loved it.

To Tell You the Truth shares the story of renowned author Lucy Harper and some of the mysteries that have followed her throughout life. Lucy's little brother went missing years ago, and was never found. Now, her husband is missing, and we are left to try to figure out which of Lucy's stories are true.
This is a compelling read that kept me guessing throughout and definitely includes some shockers. I enjoyed trying to figure out the connections between events of the past and present, events that raise a lot of questions about Lucy and the other collection of characters in the book.

I am already a fan of Gilly Macmillan so I was excited to receive this book for review. The storyline was actually pretty unique and I always enjoy reading about secret tunnels and passageways. The story intertwines Lucy's husband and little brother and goes between Lucy's past and present. Overall, I really enjoyed this book!

Lucy Harper is a famous writer, known for her crime fiction stories featuring her beloved character, Eliza. Her work has made her wealthy, something that particularly pleases her husband, Dan, a once aspiring writer who now "manages" Lucy's career and money. Lucy and Dan's life and marriage look perfect from the outside, but they are anything but. Then Dan suddenly goes missing. His disappearance reminds Lucy of another time someone vanished from her life: her younger brother, Teddy, who was lost in the woods very near the house Lucy and Dan now live in. Soon Lucy finds herself reminded more and more of her past, which seems to be quickly and dangerously colliding with her present.

"After all, what kind of person creates a character who walks right out of their books and into their life? He would think I'd lost my mind."

I absolutely adore Gilly Macmillan and her books, but this was not one of my all-time favorites. It's still good, though, and twisty, and I will admit that I didn't guess the (rather bizarre) outcome. However, the ending leaves much to be desired and does not wrap everything up, which left me frustrated. (And seemed to kick off a trend in my recent thrillers, where things end with plot pieces left hanging--I'm not okay with this.)

Lucy is an unreliable narrator extraordinaire--ever since she was small, she's had a best friend named Eliza. Why yes, Eliza happens to be the name of her fictional character, as well. Lucy talks to her imaginary friend, who seems to have untold power over her. If this sounds weird and creepy, it is, and Macmillan does a good job with the eerie oddity of it all and allowing us to wonder if we can trust anything that Lucy--or Eliza--say. Knowing who and what to believe is certainly a central theme here.

Dan, meanwhile, is absolutely despicable, and I was not too sad when he disappeared, honestly. The story alternates between present-day, with Lucy's point of view, and the past, around the time Teddy disappeared. It's certainly compelling. All in all, I would have probably rated this 4-stars if there had been a better ending, versus one that felt rushed and forced, without tying up all the loose ends. This is still a good, atmospheric thriller, with plenty of twists. 3.5 stars. And if you want to read more from Macmillan, I highly recommend The Perfect Girl or her Jim Clemo series--all books that I adore.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins/William Morrow in return for an unbiased review.

TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH is the first novel by Gilly MacMillan that I have picked up and once I got started, I didn’t want to stop as I felt like I was caught up in a wave, tossed to and fro until I had no clue which way was up. MacMillan has created a story with a cast of characters, including the main character, that make you wonder who you can trust. Does anyone tell the truth?
Lucy Harper has found success as a crime writer. The main character of the popular novels was based on Eliza, her imaginary friend from childhood. Concerned with the toll both her fame and her imaginary friend are taking on her life, she takes a risk in her new novel. Unfortunately for her, that isn’t the only change going on around her. Her husband, Dan, an aspiring/failed writer, became her assistant when her novels made it big. Happy to spend her money, he isn’t as supportive as she believes. When he buys a house close to her childhood home, he stirs up the trauma of her brother’s disappearance she’s tried to put behind her. When Dan disappears, the past comes roaring back. Did Lucy have something to do with it? Is she telling the truth now?
Every time I thought I knew the answers, MacMillan threw in a twist that had me wondering why I didn’t think of it. This was such a great read. Once I started there was no way it could be pried from my hands. I am going to have to block out time to catch up on MacMillan’s backlist.
Thanks to the Publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#totellyouthetruth #gillymacmillan #williammorrow #sceneofthecrime

although this isn’t a positive review, i do see why people like this book. Macmillan is a talented writer, and the story was fast paced and had good elements of mystery to it. personally, i couldn’t get over one glaring theme in order to even say i “liked” it. plus, the ending was so random and a bit far fetched.

TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH is about Lucy, a now-famous author whose husband disappears in the same area that her brother did thirty years prior. although their marriage seemed healthy, it really wasn’t. as a failed author himself, Dan was jealous of her success and trying to expose and embarrass his wife for her most private, well-kept secret regarding her brother’s disappearance. so, what happens to Dan? did Lucy have something to do with this disappearance, too?

the major issue i had with this book was the use of an unstable and crazy woman/wife as a main storyline. i loved certain things about this book and actually related to Lucy throughout a lot of it, but overall TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH just didn’t work for me.

thank you to william morrow for the gifted copy in exchange for my honest review.

I just finished reading To Tell You the Truth by author Gilly Macmillan. It’s the story of Lucy Harper, a mystery book author who had experienced a horrible trauma when she was younger. One night she and her little brother Teddy sneak out into the woods to watch some people party around a bonfire and only she returns home. The question is, what happened to Teddy? Throughout the story Lucy has had an invisible friend named Eliza that she talks to. Eliza becomes the character in all of her mystery books. This was a really great story that had some twists and turns that always kept me guessing. I really couldn’t figure out what was going to happen. I liked how it ended but yet the question remains. If you’re into suspense type thrillers, than this is the book to read. I will be sure to tell my friends all about it. I’d like to thank the Book Club Girl Early Read program and NetGalley for making it possible for me to read and review an advanced readers copy. I have given this a 4 star review.

This book was a struggle for me. The concept seemed interesting, but it just didn't live up to the potential. Parts seemed rushed, others unnecessary, and even forced. I did like the time jump, but I just couldn't connect with or care about the characters and the outcome. It took way too long for things to "get going," and by then it was just too late.

Lucy is a famous author with a secret past, she wants to keep hidden. When Lucy was a child she took her younger brother Teddy into the woods with her at night and ultimately returned home without him. Teddy was never found, and Lucy has spent most of her life trying to escape her past.. When Lucy’s husband Dan buys a home in the exact same neighborhood she lived in when Teddy went missing Lucy’s world starts changing. Lucy starts seeing things in the woods, and wonders if Dan is playing a cruel joke by purchasing this home with her money in this area that is so traumatic for her. Dan is one of the only people Lucy has told about Teddy, and his actions strike her as odd. Lucy hates the house, and is even more shocked to find out Dan’s work associate Sasha lives next door. As Lucy starts to wonder if Dan is having an affair with Sasha, they get into an argument and Dan leaves the house. The next thing Lucy knows the police are knocking on her door about Dan, and their questions make Lucy feel as if she is a suspect. Worse Lucy is wondering if the officers know who she really is and all the awful memories of her police interactions when Teddy went missing start coming back. As Lucy is under the veil of suspicion she starts to realize her past secrets may come back to haunt her and give the officers probable cause to think she did something to Dan, just like the officers in the past think she harmed Teddy.

Thank you William Morrow Books, and Scene of the Crime for this ARC

The following is my review, as posted on Goodreads:

I enjoyed reading this ARC from Harper Collins! It was a quick read that kept me guessing until the very end. Just suspenseful enough without totally creeping me out...

I loved the last book I read by Macmillan, so I was excited to read this one, too!

In To Tell You the Truth, best-selling mystery writer Lucy Harper has a talent for invention that sometimes leaves her confusing reality and fantasy. When she decides to write the heroine of her series out of the books, it begins a series of events that bring up questions about what happened the day her three year old brother disappeared without a trace over 30 years ago.

This is the type of thriller I normally love, with well developed characters and a creepy atmosphere. Lucy is expected to write a book a year and this drained and confused her, which makes me wonder how close that part is to an author's reality. The suspense is built in part because Lucy is an unreliable narrator, and I appreciated how that was due to gaps in her own memory and her sometimes tenuous grasp of reality, not due to the common trope of drinking too much.

Ultimately, though, I never really understood Lucy's motivations and wanted more explanation about her. Why did she lie about what happened to her brother all those years ago? Why is she continuing to lie now? I wanted her to stand up to her husband and neighbors. The ending was a bit out of left field and didn't wrap up the questions about her mental health or show the character growth I would've liked to see.

Thank you to NetGalley and William-Morrow for a copy of this book!

I am giving this book three out of five stars. I was extremely into the story from the beginning. It seemed like just the type of thriller I like to read. At times, it felt like the plot was dragging a small bit, but I still wanted to see what happened and was intrigued by the story. When I got to the end, I felt a bit let down. I was really hoping for a totally wrapped up ending. This is not what happened, and while it does add a bit of mystery to the story still, I really was looking for something different. I felt as though the end was a little bit contrived and that it almost came out of nowhere.

Thank you to Netgalley, the Book Club Girls, Gilly Macmillan and William Morrow / Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Loved the concept and the relationship between Eliza and Lucy. But I wasn't a fan of the ending and ultimately the execution of the plot.

To Tell You the Truth is my first Gilly MacMillan Book. Definitely a psychological thriller! I really enjoyed getting to know Lucy Harper who is a successful writer and her childhood imaginary friend Eliza Grey who is the heroine Detective Grey in her successful series. I enjoyed MacMillan’s writing as the story moves from Lucy’s past in which her younger brother disappeared during the summer solstice and the present as a successful writer.

As a writer, MacMillan was successful in having this reader hate Lucy’s husband Dan, also a writer, who did not have the same success and became Lucy’s manager. The stories of Lucy’s brother’s disappearance in the past and now the sudden disappearance of Dan keeps the reader guessing. I breezed through this book trying to figure out what happened. I liked it until the ending. I thought it was far-fetched and not satisfying, Thank you Harper Collins and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up to 4

Reality and fiction merge in this highly readable (I binged on it in one sitting) domestic thriller-cum-mystery that will keep the reader guessing — even after turning the final page.

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advance reader copy.

I really enjoyed this books!!! It had a great story line and kept me very interested

Lucy writes books and her husband Dan is her assistant or is he??? Dan comes up missing and later found dea.d. It is believed that Lucy might have something to do with his death as she has done hiddrn Stories from her past.

I will be recommending this book to all my friends!$

This was an intriguing story about Lucy Harper,who was involed in the disappearance of her 3-year old brotherwnenshe was 9..Lucy has becme a successful writer of mystery stories and has tried toput the past far behind her. When Lucy's Husband Dan buys a house in Lucy's old neighborhood and than disappears her past is slowly revealed and she is treated as a suspect in both disappearances.The plot twists and turns as Lucy tries to figure out what happened to both Teddy and Dan. It is a compeling read.

Bestselling crime author Lucy Harper based her intelligent, fearless detective Eliza Grey on her childhood imaginary friend. While her success has allowed her and her husband, Dan, to achieve a lifestyle neither of them imagined, unspoken between them is the fact that Dan’s literary career stalled and instead of writing himself, he became Lucy’s manager. Lucy has been pleased with the arrangement: she’s never enjoyed the minutia of contracts or budgets.

But things are coming to a head: Lucy’s taken a risk with her newest manuscript, one that may threaten the steady stream of royalty payments. At the same time, Dan buys a dilapidated mansion near the street where Lucy grew up—and where her little brother went missing and was never found. Although it seemed inconceivable a young girl could harm her three-year-old brother, Lucy’s inconsistent and fantastical statements rankled the detectives and tormented her parents.

When Dan disappears and his beloved car is found nearby, the interior scorched, the police, the community, and even her fans turn on Lucy. To clear herself of suspicion, she knows she’ll have to find out what really happened to her brother so long ago…and maybe confront difficult truths she’s hidden from herself.

I enjoy thrillers with paranoid, unreliable narrators, and Lucy Harper fits that mold completely. Dan, her husband, had been such a manipulative force in Lucy’s life, I had no empathy for him: I wonder how the book would have been different if he’d been a more sympathetic character, not that it detracted from the story.

In addition to the mystery of what happened to her brother and Dan, running throughout the book was a subplot about the publishing process which was very interesting and didn’t always present publishers in the most positive light—it made me curious if Macmillan drew from experience or created it for the narrative.

When reading the book, I was completely engrossed and was very invested in the mystery and characters, but the resolution didn’t completely work for me: it seemed a different book barged in and took over without any warning.

Overall, I thought this was an engaging and intriguing thriller, and especially if you are like me and have a fondness for unreliable narrators, you should give it a try.

To Tell You the Truth is a fantastic thriller! I loved reading about Lucy, and trying to figure everything out was a puzzle, but a great one, the kind where you think "But....?" more than once. As usual, Gilly Macmillan has written a spectacular thriller that asks a lot of great questions about who we are and who we really are. Very highly recommended!