This was a thought provoking book which centres around the character of Annie, a lonely but kind and thoughtful woman who doesn't understand why her life has gone differently than she imagined for herself. All that changes when a young person, Chloe, disappears and Annie is the last person to see her. This becomes her project in every sense and changes her life immensely. We are given insights into Annie's pursuits and a young girl connected to the case. Finally Annie is able to be someone of importance and value as she goes about her own investigation into the disappearance.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to read this book. I'll be posting my review on Goodreads and Amazon

Even though this is a very well written book I didn't enjoy it as much as I had anticipated that I would. Annie (to me) was not an especially likable character. She had a hard time relating to others and imagined relationships to mean more than they actually were. She so desperately wanted to be accepted that she was unable to communicate with others in a way that made her likable. When a young girl in her neighborhood goes missing she believes she might be the last person to have seen her but she has no memory of it. She talks to the police and unfortunately becomes a suspect herself. Meanwhile there is another story unfolding which intertwines with this scenario.. The author did a great job tying this all together.

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this ARC for my honest review.

In this book we follow a woman named Annie. Annie lives a quiet and structured life, which suites her perfectly. This is until a 12 year old girl from her town goes missing. Annie gets a little shaken up by this and somehow gets herself involved.

This was a 4 star read for me. Initially a 3 star read, but after reaching the second half I kept thinking about the story whenever I was not reading it. This made me change it to a 4 star rating.
You immediately get the feeling something is not right with Annie. She is not thinking nor acting the way anyone else would. Initially this did make it hard to connect with her, but as the story develops, you learn her background and it is easier to understand.
The writing style was good. Easy to follow and especially in the second half thrilling. You get the feeling it is building to something.
You follow 2 perspectives and at first you don't know why or what they have to do with each other, but the end ties it all together nicely.

This book was overall enjoyable, it had some good, relatable characters and the plot was easy to follow and well thought out.

I almost gave up with this book half way through but I did get to the end . I’m afraid I wasn’t impressed with this strange book at all . I didn’t like the main character , the story was weak and the ending a letdown . I wouldn’t recommend this book at all

Loved this book!
Annie has a perfect life. She goes to work, comes home and everything is fine - or is it. Is she or isn’t she having a ‘thing’ with her boss? What happened at the work do?
A young girl from Annie’s town goes missing, at the same time that Annie came home from the work party. Did she see anything? Should she say something?
Will anyone believe her anyway?
Secrets in Annie’s past may come back to haunt her - what did she do that is making her life difficult now?
A thriller that is hard to put down. Compelling read!

Annie is a socially awkward individual trying not to stand out, when a missing person case throws her into the spotlight. Told in Annie’s past and present, this story kept me engaged and interested. When Annie tries to help solve the case of a missing girl, she finds herself going from unreliable witness to prime suspect. An endearing main character as she struggles with social niceties and always seems to say the wrong thing, Annie is not your ‘usual’ narrator. This book took me a while to get into but I’m very glad I did as I empathised with the character at the same time as willing her not to say anything else because every word made matters worse. Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to read such an interesting book.

Anna lives a normal life . She goes to her job . She has a best friend and she has a crush on her boss Paul.
Anna goes to a party , with drink inside her decides to break into her bosses house. She feels terrible doing it so rushes to the train station and goes home.
The next day she discovers a girl from her neighbourhood has gone missing . She may have been the last one to see Chloe. So Anna goes on the search for answers to Chloe's disappearance. She becomes too obsessed with it and becomes a suspect .
Anna narrates this story it also learns about Anna's past.
Thanks NetGalley

Annie lives a quiet life. She appears to have difficulty making friends and getting along with people. However, she does have one friend, Lauren, a kind woman who although she has her own busy social life, does her best to meet up with Annie when she can.

Annie works with an IT Sales company. They recently had a meeting with clients followed by a happy hour. Employees were asked to mingle with clients as much as possible which helps drum up business. But Annie is shy and doesn’t really communicate well with people so she spent the evening off by herself and ended up drinking too many cocktails. Her boss, Paul, upon whom she has a crush, became angry with her for getting drunk and sent her home. When her train arrived at her station, she realized that due to her being intoxicated, she needed to walk home rather than drive her car. The next day, the news is about a young 12-year-old girl named Chloe who went missing that night and walked right by where Annie’s car was parked. She spent the next two days with a group of people searching the surrounding area for Chloe. While she wanted to feel good about helping, unfortunately, Annie is not good at saying the right things and ended up off-putting the people she was searching with. Now, she is determined to get some recognition for her hard work and contacts the police saying she may have seen Chloe the night she went missing. Annie just wants attention and ends up getting it the wrong way. The more she keeps opening her mouth, the deeper she gets herself into more lies.

Annie had a very troubled childhood and due to the fact that she came under the control of a couple of bullies her life and her family’s life spiraled.

This was a very convoluted but compelling book. I felt sorry for Annie who didn’t know how to socialize properly to make friends. Learning about her childhood made me feel sorry for her and I’m appalled that people did not show compassion for her unless they never knew the truth. Bullies can really ruin a person’s life and I wish them all only the worst.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

An interesting and entertaining story that kept me hooked even if I'm not a huge fan of unreliable narrators.
The characters are well thought and interesting and you can love or hate them because they're faulted and morally grey.
The tightly knitted plot, full of twists and turns, kept me hooked.
It's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

A pitch-black, complex, unreliably narrated thriller was exactly what I’ve been craving recently, so I was excited to get lost in this one. However, I wasn’t quite prepared for the crazy ride I was about to embark on!

Annie lives a closed, independent life. She goes to work. She has a best friend called Lauren who she occasionally meets for a drink after work. She is in love with her boss, Paul. She’s doing well, despite the fact that no one else seems to realise how great she is. Then a young girl called Chloe Hills goes missing in the small town that Annie lives in and it transpires that Annie may have been the last person to see her. If only she could remember what happened that night…

Annie is an extremely interesting character. She seems to exist on the sidelines of real life, observing the lives of those around her without ever fully getting involved. It means that she behaves a little strangely, which means that people don’t tend to understand her. She insists that she isn’t lonely but her actions, such as breaking into Paul’s flat and attempting to integrate herself in the search party for Chloe, suggest otherwise. I knew that Annie would have an interesting back-story if I ever got to hear it. I can’t spoil anything but she definitely does!

She is extremely delusional about her ‘relationship’ with Paul. There were no signs at all that he harboured any romantic feelings towards her but she seems to have latched on to the crush that she has on him and built a fantasy around it. There were times when I was worried that Annie could be a serious danger to him but the more time I spent with her, the more I began to believe she was harmless. Of course, when the truth about her past unravelled, I began to doubt that belief!

Annie keeps having these ‘dreams’ of a young girl called Lottie’s life, growing up in Cornwall. These scenes were wonderfully written and they seemed to shimmer with some kind of nostalgic mist. This story grew gradually darker and infinitely more gripping. I found myself physically gasping at several points while it developed. For a long time, I couldn’t figure out the connection between Annie and Lottie (or even if there was one at all) but as it became clearer, everything began to form a truly shocking, horrendous picture.

The author is great at writing setting and atmosphere. Her writing has a kind of poetic style to it in places and that’s not something I often see in thrillers. Of course, the twists and suspense of the narrative took precedence over these descriptive passages but these little glimpses of Holmes’ talent for it made me think that she would be a fantastic literary writer or even fantasy world-builder.

One of the saddest things about Annie is that she wants to be liked. She wants to be the hero who everyone loves but she can’t seem to make that happen. She’s the kind of person who you can’t help but want to guide and give advice to. There were several times, especially when she was trying to make friends with her fellow search party members, when I wanted to scream at her ‘no, Annie, stop doing that! You’re looking super weird and very much not in a good way!’. I don’t want to cast too many aspersions as to whether Annie is on the autistic spectrum because it’s never specifically mentioned or alluded to -she could simply be a socially awkward, lonely woman. I’m well aware that people like Annie exist and I think Holmes did a fantastic job of depicting her.

I was sadly very disappointed in the ending of this book. I wanted (and expected) a more dramatic conclusion and this actually meant that I finished the book with a bit of a sour taste in my mouth. It made it really difficult to rate too because I did enjoy it for the most part but all of the build-up just literally petered out into a huge anti-climax.

All Your Little Lies is an interesting, unique thriller that I’d recommend, if you’re looking for a quick read with a fascinating, albeit tragic, narrator. It’s very well-written but the story had so much potential that I don’t think was properly fulfilled.

The first thing that really stood out to me about this book was the main character Annie, she’s so awkward and tragic. It’s like she has no filter, stuff just comes out and is often taken the wrong way and you find yourself constantly imploring her to just, stop talking.
Her best friend Lauren isn’t much of a friend either. It feels like she simply tolerates Annie, either out of a sense of duty or pity. And Annie is strange there is no denying that, but it’s baffling at first, like okay she constantly puts her foot in it and says the strangest things at times and comes across as quite awkward but there is more too it than that, people seem to be naturally repelled by her and very quickly. And you feel sorry for her and want to know why as you can’t quite pinpoint it yourself. So that alone could keep you reading but also the flow of the story is nice, it’s gentle and steady, but intriguing, and you know there is more going on than meets the eye, not just with Annie as she is now, but something in her past too. The way her mother is with her, and perhaps Lauren too, and you wonder, what do they know, that I don’t yet? It’s very well done though, subtle and clever.
This is an intriguing and clever story and kept me hooked throughout. I definitely recommend it.
Thanks to NetGalley , Marianne Holmes and her publisher for allowing me to read this one for free in exchange for an honest review.

Predictable and somewhat boring. Annie's personality is quite boring as well as her life. The story dragged on where there's no need for it. Dialogues are subpar and did not keep in engaged. All the characters are so flat and the story falls short in every which way.

Thank you to Agora Books and NetGalley for letting me read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley for sending me this copy of All Your Little Lies. I instantly connected with Annie’s character, she is so desperately lonely and misunderstood, she just wants companionship. The friend she does have seems to be so out of some sort of obligation.
Annie finds herself embroiled in a missing child situation and throughout she is questioning her own involvement which leaves the reader also wondering whether she was actually responsible.
A great read which keeps you guessing to the end.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. It has been published in October 2020.

"All Your Little Lies" by Marianne Holmes is a fresh new thriller that manages to subvert a few deeply rooted stereotypes of the genre: there's a story of sexual harassment on the workplace in these pages (it's not the main focus of the novel: it's just a subplot) and for once, the man is not the one doing the harassment. It's not even the *employer* who does the harassment, but the employee. I loved this role reversal, I think the idea is very interesting and also masterfully handled. How often do we get to read a thriller with a female stalker victimizing a man? Not enough!
Kudos to the author for challenging the clichés and for doing it so skillfully that Annie, the protagonist, ends up being not only credible but even relatable.
You can't help sympathizing with such a flawed and hopeless main character, even as you are horrified by her poor decisions and stunned by her constant self-sabotages of any chance to her own happiness.
It didn't escape my notice that the other characters are a bit flat, but I think that's a precise artistic choice on the part of the author rather than lazy writing: since the novel is narrated in first-person by Annie, who is completely self-centred, it makes sense that everybody around her should be portrayed as monodimensional.
I liked how the details from Annie's history are revealed little by little, one layer after the other, going deeper and deeper into the hidden truths of her past. Some of the plot twists really managed to blindside me.
This was the first novel by Marianne Holmes I read, and I'm definitely looking forward to reading more from her.

“All Your Little Lies” is an affecting, deep and powerful mystery. Steeped in suspense, but also an achingly human story about trying to do the right thing, whilst keeping your secrets.

After the disappearance of a 12 year old girl in her local area, lonely and socially awkward Annie finds she may be the last person to see her... But Annie can’t remember what she saw. Desperate to be helpful to the police, Annie makes a statement. She also helps with the local search operation that attempts to find any clues to the missing girl’s whereabouts. However, before long questions start to be raised as to why Annie is being so helpful. Does she really want to find missing Chloe, or is Annie hiding some altogether more disturbing secrets? When your whole life is based on a lie, how do you start telling the truth?

“All Your Little Lies” is a solid slow-burner of a thriller. It sets out at a steady pace, laying a deep foundation of mystery and builds to a heart-racing conclusion that I couldn’t consume quickly enough. Holmes writes with an exceptional skill for building character, atmosphere and tension. I particularly enjoyed the flashback portions of the novel and found these to be some of the most gripping moments - fraught with raw emotion and devastation. I enjoyed piecing together these historical events and trying to link them to the present day characters and situation. As the narrative unravelled and the storylines came together, events concluded neatly, but in an achingly affecting way. This novel will certainly stay with me long after turning the final page. There are so many themes throughout the plot, but I found the metaphors between the past and present to be very powerful. Annie’s response to and involvement in the present day mystery surrounding Chloe’s disappearance is cathartic, but as both narratives unfold simultaneously for the reader, Holmes creates a blossoming atmosphere of tension and unease. This kept me turning the pages, desperate to discover the truth!

Annie is one of the most complex and intriguing characters I have read about in a long time. As the narrative progressed, I felt huge swathes of emotions and simultaneously disliked and sympathised with her. This was a refreshing experience within a thriller novel, as I really didn’t know whether Annie was a reliable protagonist or an incredibly devious and diabolical villain. She is a great example of a lead character that you don’t have to particularly like to become invested in. Holmes also explores social-awkwardness in a very plausible way and whilst nothing is confirmed, it is clear that Annie suffers from some kind of social dysfunction and struggles with forming relationships or interacting with others. There are some moments where her conversation is painfully cringe-worthy and I found myself wanting to shout out, “Noooo, don’t say that!!”. Holmes uses this to great advantage when weaving her web of intrigue around Annie, keeping readers guessing as to whether she is as altruistic as she claims to be. However, Holmes keeps the balance exactly right, as there are plenty of episodes where I felt genuinely sorry for Annie and quite passionately angry for the way she was being treated. Her relationship with her only friend, Lauren, is one example. Their friendship is toxic in many ways, with Lauren barely tolerating Annie and often making blunt and thoughtless remarks. It is clear that Annie is different to most people, but that doesn’t mean she should be treated differently. As the novel progressed and more and more examples of people treating Annie unkindly emerged, I found myself rooting more and more for her. To say the journey through this couple of weeks in Annie’s life is a rollercoaster, is an understatement at the very least! Ultimately, it’s a story about facing your past and accepting your history, however painful this may be. For Annie, her continual attempts at redemption are unsuccessful until she confronts her past. Similarly, I enjoyed how this challenged my own prejudices about people who are quickly written off as “odd”, but in reality suffer from social anxiety or a complex, confidence-draining past. As I finished reading “All Your Little Lies”, I felt like I had learnt some valuable life lessons, as well as reading a hugely enjoyable novel.

“All Your Little Lies” is a very well executed thriller, that I would recommend to fans of the genre. However, this would also equally appeal to fans of fiction driven by a complex, occasionally unlikeable protagonist or a narrative that challenges social perception. I look forward to reading more from Marianne Holmes.

Annie is socially awkward with lots of social issues going on. A girl goes missing in her locality and she tries really hard to be involved in the search and the whole event searching for some sort of meaning in her life - I guess?
Mixed in with this, she has a strong crush on her co worker to the point she embarrasses herself. She does have a great best friend. Then add in flashback chapters that seem odd at first, but you quickly see the tie in.
I wasn't an Annie fan. Rather than feel badly for her social awkwardness, I found it annoying. I think that made it hard for me to fully embrace this book. I liked finding out what happened to Chloe, and some aspects of the mystery, but Annie was a hard sell for me. This was a quick read nonetheless and enjoyable.
Thankful for the ARC!

A good and interesting read!

I would recommend this to everyone who loves a good story with captivating characters! Definitely a good read!

The main character Annie is a complicated individual who just doesn’t seem to fit in anywhere. She avoids conversations with her work colleagues until she becomes possibly the key witness in the disappearance of a 12 year old girl Chloe Hill. I cringed on many occasions when reading this book at the comments and actions Annie made. The combination of two stories was the story of Six year old Lottie who found herself drawn into a disastrous game invented by two older girls, a game that would result in a devastating tragedy.

This is an extremely well written, enthralling thriller that had me hooked from page one. It covers some extremely important issues in life including bullying and child abuse.

Thank you so much to Agora Books and Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review