Member Reviews
I struggled from the start with this book. Reading the first chapter left me feeling like I started the book from chapter 5 instead of the beginning, I felt like I was missing parts of the story that would explain Annie’s behavior. A few chapters in I started to piece together what might be happening, but the story still felt disjointed.
I was struggling to get pulled into the plot, for an attachment to Annie so I signed into Netgalley to see what others said in their reviews and people had great things to say and seemed to love this story. I gave it until about 15% before I made the call that this book just isn’t for me.
Annie , the narrator of this book, is a strange character. She appears to have few social skills and almost no social contacts. When a girl from the place where she lives goes missing, she becomes obsessed with the case, following it closely and getting involved with the search party. She rings the helpline because her car is in the security camera images of the girl around the time she disappeared. That she did not see Chloe can be explained by her having had too much to drink . Annie has the knack of communicating inappropriately with almost everyone she comes into contact with and is, given some of her reactions, somebody most people would give a wide berth to. Could her past create such a personaility ? She is sdefinitely self absorbed and at times sensitive but unable to predict the effect of her actions and or questions on others.
Possible explanations for Annie's behaviour are gradually revealed through an incident which took place when she was a child, seen in flashbacks through the eyes of her as a child. As a reader, I wanted to know more. The incident does shock and the community reacts to it, but the consequences are far-reaching given that she is a young child at the time.
I have to say that half way through the book, I was losing patience with Annie. Her obessions and actions and inappropriate conversations dragged on a bit too long. I did consider abandonning the book, but carried on because I wanted to see what happened. The last part of the book was more interesting so I am glad that I perservered though parts of the story could benefit from a rewrite. This book was Ok, but given the plots, with a slightly different handling, it could have been so much better
Thank you to Net Galley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I love a good oddball character so was excited for All Your Little Lies.
Instead I found it mediocre and disappointing. I can’t recommend this to my readers.
3.5 stars for me
There is something so compelling about this story.
Never mind that Annie is socially awkward and she has a dark past that the author slowly reveals.
Annie just wants to fit in so when Chloe goes missing Annie tells one lie after the other just seemingly to get attention.
Her comments to others are a "what did you say" kind and people look suspiciously at her.
Annie isn't the most likeable character but there just something about her that I wanted her to get out the hole she was digging for herself. Oh Annie !. Sigh.
The pages turn quickly .
Worth reading , this book will linger with me for quite awhile.
Thanks to Net Galley and Agora books for the privilege of reading All Your Little Lies.
Well written tense with twists and turns.Picked it up to read a few pages and read late into the night.A well written thriller with characters that come alive. Will be recommending #netgalley#agorabooks
Thank you to NetGalley and Agora Books for providing me with an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.
4/5 Stars!
All Your Little Lies is a fast-paced book that will quickly pull you in and leave you wanting to know more. Annie is basically invisible. She goes through life perfectly fine, albeit boring life, mostly in the background of other people's stories. This is a story about what can really happen when you get more than you ever bargained for. Annie is an introvert who doesn't really have a lot of friends or understand relationships all that well. She meets Chloe Hill and boom! She has a whole new life in front of her. Annie is the last person to see Chloe and suddenly the center of attention in an all-out hunt for the truth. The police and public quickly begin to suspect that Annie has something to do with Chloe's disappearance and suddenly Annie is suspect number one. Although there are a lot of ups and downs in this book, it kept me engaged the whole way through.
The story is told through the eyes of a third person narrator which I think added mystery and suspense because the narrator only shared what they wanted me to know. Throughout the book, the narrator shares insight into a person called Lottie whose identity is revealed as the story progresses. I really like the colours of the front cover, the dripping effect of the title of the book and the quote ‘when everything you say is a lie, can you even remember the truth? I was really interested in reading the book after I saw the cover and the blurb made it sound intriguing.
At first I liked Annie and I even felt sympathy for her because she was socially awkward and only had one friend. But as the truth started to unravel, I started to dislike her because of all the lies she told, the constant need for attention and her delusions which became too much to handle. At times I felt like Annie was made the centre of attention instead of the missing girl. The ending and the real identity of Lottie was surprising and I didn’t see it coming.
I received an advanced copy for free and, this is my honest opinion
A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is not my usual genre, however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different. Characters were so well developed that I felt as though I knew them. I love when a book draws you into the story and it feels like you are living it with them.
All Your Little Lies was an immersive page-turner that was a slow start to begin with, but becomes so intriguing that you are slowly being manipulated into the story by the author. By the half-way point you're so engrossed you know there's no going back. You don't want to go back either and the only thought on your mind is what happened to the small girl who was abducted?
The main character is really flawed, but I like that. I like the weird thinking processes and unexpected actions. Annie comes alive and into a world of her own with a revealing story that sees her thrown into the spotlight. The problem is... do you believe her?
A brilliant read that deserves to do very well.
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn’t sure where it was going to start with as Annie the main character is quite a ‘character’ but once you get to know her backstory she really grows on you and by the end I was really quite fond of her. She is quite socially awkward and definitely inappropriate but her heart is the right place and she clearly has a kind soul and just wants to do good. Although this is a crime thriller I think it was actually quite a thoughtful and emotional read and I think it will appeal to fans of Eleanor Oliphant Is completely fine by Gail Honeyman.
Annie leads a happy but quiet life commuting to work in London everyday and returning home to her small village but one day a local girl goes missing. It turns out that Annie is the last person to see Chloe before she disappears, so this could be her chance to prove to people what she is really like but somehow Annie finds herself becoming a suspect instead...
I suspect readers will love Annie or loathe her. She’s a loveable character who is also extremely frustrating. And she is perfect for this plot line. This is a suspenseful story which makes you want to read it in a sitting as you have to get to the ending! I enjoyed this book and recommend it to people who love a good mystery and like engaging characters who are a bit out of the ordinary.
I found this a little mediocre if I'm honest and it didn't really tempt Me pick it up at night to be honest. Sorry
This is the story of Annie, a lonely woman who desperately wants to feel connected. She's a great friend - if only someone would notice. Annie is painfully awkward and, well ... she lies. I enjoyed this book. It held my interest to the end.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC copy of this book.
This was a different kind of thriller. When it begins, Annie Marwood our main character is a painfully shy young woman has gotten drunk at a Conference Drinks party and declared inappropriately that she loves her boss and she knows he loves too. Now she probably would not have done that if she wasn't drunk, but her boss Paul basically has her thrown out. To retaliate, she goes to his apartment and uses his key to get in. She doesn't take anything except a little figurine that she had given to him.
I felt more pity for Annie than sympathy. We know she is hiding something, and she only has one friend. But we wonder why? The night she visits her boss Paul's apartment, a young girl of 12 years old goes missing. And though Annie does not know the girl or her parents, Annie joins in the Search Party to find her. Everyone thinks is strange and suspicious. And so did I. From that point on, it is all rather confusing. We don't know really learn what Annie is hiding and about all her little lies till almost the end of the book. It is then, that I have more compassion and empathy for Annie than I had before. Holmes writing is effective, and it's certainly a mystery. Because of that, I'm rounding my score up to 4 stars. Would I read other books by Holmes? Yes, I would. I like Holmes' writing.I received this book from NetGalley and the author and the publisher in return for an honest review, and I'm so glad I did.
I was excited when I got approved to read this book. The plot sounded intriguing, unfortunately this one fell flat for me.
Firstly, I didn’t like the main character, Annie. She was awkward, odd, and at times the things she said to people were cringeworthy. I felt zero connection to her. We got to see a little about her childhood and her life to see why she is the way she is, but I still had no sympathy for her. Also, the storyline was just too slow for me. The whole premise of the book surrounded a missing girl, Chloe. I wanted to know what happened to her, so I was expecting some twists and perhaps some shocking revelations considering this a physiological thriller. Unfortunately, I never got any.
Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
The title of the book drew me in but the story was a slow burn. The protagonist of the story, Lottie, first had me feeling very sorry for her as she was extremely socially awkward. The short stories in between started as being annoying but as I got more into it I realized why they were there. It did get very interesting at the end. By the time I got half way in I disliked Lottie and would rather the author focus more on Charlotte. I do feel like the story ended oddly and wished we heard more about Lottie's childhood. However, overall I did enjoy the book. Thank you #netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.
#AllYourLittleLies #NetGalley
Socially awkward, reclusive Annie just wants to fit in and make people like her. But every time she opens her mouth she either unwittingly offends or just tells lies. Realising that she was at the last place missing girl Chloe was seen. Annie feels that it is her responsibility to tell the police but with a character like hers it’s a recipe for disaster!
I really enjoyed reading this book. It’s not quite the fast paced, chilling, psychological thriller I’d hoped it would be. But it is a good read.
For all of Annie’s weirdness and faults you can’t help but sympathise with her but I never truly felt like I knew her or really liked her. Her current insertion into #BringChloeHome is peppered with flashbacks to her own past which is as you would expect, very troubled and is a harrowing read in itself.
Overall I really liked the book, although I did at times find myself a little distracted whilst reading it. I’d certainly read another by this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
The storyline was quite interesting and I did want to find out the ending to the mystery. But this was a difficult book to read because I found the protagonist largely unlikable. By the end, I understood the character a lot better, but getting there was a bit of a slog. I would rate this as 'just ok.'
Annie is a bit odd. She longs for friendship and a relationship, however, her social awkwardness is off-putting and suspect. Feeling invisible and longing to fit in, she starts ingratiating herself in the case of a missing twelve year old girl, Chloe.
Annie thinks if she comes forward with information on Chloe and tries to help, people will finally find her interesting. However, her plan soon backfires when her odd behavior makes her the prime suspect in the investigation.
Annie is an interesting character. Some of her actions and the things she says are cringe worthy. I wasn't sure if I felt more sorry for Annie or for the people around her!
But the past narrative weaved throughout the novel pieces together why Annie acts the way she does. Understanding her makes Annie a much more sympathetic character, though I found I never really grew to like her.
As far as psychological thrillers go, this one was just okay with a plot that was pretty predictable. There was suspense in wondering what happened to Chloe, though I found it pretty obvious from the beginning.
Thank you to NetGalley for the Arc in exchange for an honest review.
This was a really exciting read. Annie is a woman that doesn’t get relationships or social cues right. She then finds this to be working against her when she is the last person to see Chloe before she disappears.
This is a really well written, and incredibly well observed novel dealing with some really important issues that aren’t really considered enough in the everyday world.
I really enjoyed this and the thoughts it left me with.
Brilliant