I devoured this book, what an amazing story this is. I was so wrapped up in Sarah, Tom and Freddie's story that I found it difficult to put down. I loved the characters, in particular Sarah, she went straight to my heart. I can relate to Sarah's description of the love she has for her son, I feel exactly the same about my own son and also made me think what I would do in her position ... probably the exact same. Huge 5 stars.

The Lies We Tell - always seem to catch up with us. Sarah and Tom have a rocky relationship, not helped by Tom’s indiscretion with a work colleague and Sarah’s past being exposed accidentally when she gave birth to their son Freddie. More lies follow, leading to Sarah and Tom having to make a decision how far they will go to protect their only child. This book will have you see sawing between wanting Sarah to have the relationship she needs and saving Freddie from possible prison. Can she have both or will she lose everything? A solid tale of lies, relationships and consequences. Jane Corry does not disappoint.
Thank you to NetGalley for a complementary copy in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed The Lies we Tell,such a very well written book about Sarah ,Tom and Freddie their teenage son and how lies we tell in the past sometimes come back to haunt us .Both Tom and Sarah have secrets from their pasts which they haven't told each other so when Freddie comes home one night and tells them that he has killed someone everything implodes .I liked the pace of the story and I really felt I knew the characters and their pain.I also liked the ending which I felt was very realistic .Many thanks to the Publisher and the Author and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review .

This was my first Jane Corry book and it will not be the last From the first page I was hooked I could not put it down with so many twists putting me on the edge of my seat and keeping me up late into the night THANK YOU Jane x

My thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for a copy of “ The Lies We Tell “ for an honest review.

I’ve read ,and enjoyed , many of Jane Corry’s previous books, and was intrigued by the premise of her latest .
I found this book very readable but it was a bit drawn out , and the plot a little far fetched for me to give it full marks.
I struggled to empathise with the characters , although, as a mother, I could appreciate the dilemma Sarah found herself in..
A decent read but ,for me, not as good as her previous work.

LOVE this book. Such a good plot, I have never read a book like this before. Completely brilliant. Jane Corry you have done it again.

The story's main plot follows a couple, Tom and Sarah and their son. Their son makes a confession to them and they have a difference of opinion - tell the police or keep quiet - it made me question what would I do if I was in the same position as Sarah and Tom....and I simply do not know. I love a book when it makes you question how you would react if you were in the same position as the characters. We are taken from past to the present throughout the book and I love the storytelling by the author.

Thanks to the author and to Netgalley for an advance copy of this book in return for my honest review.

A well written story with an interesting storyline displaying the power of a mother’s love and the lengths that a mother could go to to protect her child.

I found this book intriguing. What would I do in this situation?
Two mismatched people with difficult childhoods try to raise their son correctly, but should that be in a strict manner or a more lenient approach?
When their child commits a crime, should they shield him or not? How many more secrets will become unearthed?
A great read that kept me trying to solve their problems for them.

What an absolutely brilliant book! I was crying by the end of it as I was so heavily involved in Sarah and Tom's life.
It is true - you would do anything to protect your children. Mine are still only little but it made me want to give them even more love and reassurance than I already do.
Such a thought provoking book, I can't wait to read more by Jane!

Sarah always thought of herself and her husband, Tom, as good people. But that was before their son Freddy came home saying he'd done something terrible. Begging them not to tell the police. Soon Sarah and Tom must find out just how far they are willing to push themselves, and their marriage, to protect their only child. As the lies build up and Sarah is presented with the perfect opportunity to get Freddy off the hook, she is faced with a terrifying decision.

We start this book seemingly at the end, Corry then takes us back to the very beginning and we discover what has led Sarah and Tom to the dilemma they now face. I found this to be a very absorbing read. It is fast paced, easy to get hooked into and I enjoyed reading it. There are no massive surprises, instead this is a very real situation that is entirely believable which left me thinking what would I do? The read was all the more powerful for this.

Initially, the reader gets an insight into Sarah and Tom and what they are like, both individually and as a couple. Then as we delve into the past, it quickly transpires that they are very different people to what we initially think. Sarah and Tom are great characters, and I loved learning about them. My favourite aspect of this book is how Corry takes us back through their lives and we get to see how experiences have shaped them and why they have ended up the people they have. The rest of the characters are strong too and all have an important role to play. Some of them do feel like they are forgotten about in the second half of the read which I found odd.

'The Lies We Tell' is an absorbing, family thriller that will get you thinking what would I do? This is a powerful read and one that is very enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin for an advance copy.

Another absolute cracker from Jane Corry!
What things do you hide, is all what it seems with your family and friends?
What would you do for your son?
This is an absolute page turner!

The book started well but I lost interest part way through and had difficulty finishing the book. There were twists snd turns with well developed characters but it just didn’t flow.

So many twists and turns in this book, lots happening to hook you in to the story. The characters were very unlikeable which added to the story for me as I wanted them to get their comeuppance! So many lies weaved through, and revealed slowly that I constantly changed who I had any little sympathy for and who I disliked most. Very well written

The Lies We Tell is a masterfully written character study of two people who, ultimately, do not belong together. Sarah and Tom, parents of fifteen-year-old Freddie, are both from vastly different backgrounds, drawn to one another in times of need where passion blooms, marriage happens swiftly and a miracle baby keep them together long term – for better or for worse. Their differing perspectives on shared events makes for captivating reading; reading the characters inner monologues and thoughts to the goings-on around them provides not only insight into their predicaments but leaves the reader swaying their own thoughts in alignment with the character's convictions. As a reader, I could sympathise with each parents point of view throughout the novel and empathise with the actions some of them take.

Right from the start, we’re shown that something dreadful has happened involving Freddie. Something dreadful. We’re soon taken back through the years and given a complete inspection of the characters lives, starting from how the two of them first met, the relatively minor trials they face as well as the much more scathing secrets they keep and the consequences of those secrets being brought to the light, right up until the introductory scenes where Freddie returns home from his night out that went awry. Them, beyond as the actions each individual takes past this point progresses the story towards its conclusion.

The plot is presented in broken narrative format; between the past and the present taking place at Truro Crown Court, where, we believe, that Freddie is on Trial. Of course, it’s not all as clear-cut as all that and this broken narrative has surprise elements of its own. At one point, I did feel like this broken narrative, was going to bring the book to a grinding halt; giving us pages upon pages of nothing but backstory, but as Sarah and Toms backstory is revealed slowly, it unravels and intertwines with the current story in a carefully considered way. Each event has relevance to the overall arc of the novel without adding unnecessary complications and while the pace dips from rapid concern to a slower, slice of life, pace it is none the less enjoyable for doing so.

At the end of each chapter is an italicised train of thought. At different stages, as the story progresses there is an application of thought as to who is having these thoughts. They could be attributed to any number of the characters suffering through these events. They add a bit of foreshadowing and serve as a reminder that there is something deeper to this story than just the memoirs of a married couple that no longer see eye-to-eye.

What I found rather startling, after I’d finished the book, is that each of the characters is fundamentally flawed and none of them is overly likeable. Each has made their mistakes and are unredeemable due to their actions throughout the novel. I especially struggled with Tom, who felt very uncaring and distant from his family life. A man more concerned with his work and the numbers of his profession than the young family that he’d tried for so long to bring into the world; I found him shallow, more concerned with the opinions of his petty friend, Hugo, than with his wife and child. In a way, understandable, considering their shared connection, but it didn’t make him likeable characters. On the other hand, Sarah is very caring and comes across as an ‘easy ride in the eyes of her teenage son; she loves Freddie unconditionally – as a mother should – but without giving any boundaries or guidance. There are also some instances of her ‘punishing’ Tom which left her in a bad light. And yet, this didn’t impact my enjoyment of the story, showing that a character doesn’t have to be likeable to be able to tell a good story.

The story in The Lies we Tell wraps up in its own way. A complete resolution to the traumas that each character goes through, but not without cost or consequence. The last chapter held some thoughts and revelations that brought me out a bit emotionally. Ultimately, as a parent, this books makes you wonder what lengths you’d go to in order to protect your children. It serves as a reminder that innocence doesn’t last forever and that your own experiences feed into the way you bring up your own children. The reflection on this through Sarah's eyes added a level of emotion to the story and it’s within the last chapter or so that she turns from a flawed character to one that evokes a little more sympathy. I do think that some of the ending was a little trite, but overall I was satisfied with the end results.

The writing style is very easy to read. Leaving the reader with an intense desire to know what is going to happen to the family next. The pace isn’t break-neck speed but doesn’t leave the reader bored, either. The drastic change of time and pace from the set-up of the book to the then, meandering aspect of daily-life is somewhat jarring initially and leaves the reader wondering what the point of it all is, but the thread ties back around again. If you read the first part and feel you’re left hanging, I urge a bit of perseverance as it all comes back together and ties into the story as a whole.

The reason this wasn’t a five-star read for me is that I feel like there was a lot of stereotype to the characters. Tom had all the cliche traits of someone on the Autistic Spectrum, Sarah was the wishy-washy, misfit, artistic hippy and the best friends were the typically appearing rich family that had it all. I feel like there could have been more done to break the moulds with the characters and avoiding some of the pit-fall tropes.

I enjoyed this book. Sarah and Tom are married with a 15 year old son Freddie. They are very different and have opposing views on bringing up children. Freddie is a difficult teenager and has a very strained relationship with his father. One night he comes home late in a terrible state, saying that he has killed someone, but he won't say what happened. Sarah dissuades Tom from calling the police and then she does a runner with Freddie. But how long can you keep running, especially when you have some big secrets of your own? Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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Easy reading, pretty engrossing storyline, dragged a little but kept me interested. Lots of depth to the characters which the author cleverly unveiled. Recommended.

It is a long time since I have given 5 stars to a book...but The Lies We Tell by Jane Corry pushed all the buttons! Perhaps it's because I have two teenage sons myself that I found the characters so relatable, but oh my goodness, what a plot!
Freddy, fifteen year old son of Sarah and Tom has been pushing his boundaries for a while. His actions and behaviours have steadily deteriorated, causing friction between his parents, and driving a greater wedge into their increasingly fragile marriage.
So, when a terrified Freddy comes home one night declaring that he has killed someone, Sarah is faced with a terrible decision; to side with her husband, 'do the right thing' and turn her son over to the police, or help him get away.
The story is brilliantly told moving backward and forward in time, giving the background to Sarah and Tom's unlikely pairing, and Sarah's subsequent divided liaison.
I can honestly say I haven't read a book this good in a very long time...and no, I really couldn't put it down!
A full house; five stars!
Happy reading!

I really enjoyed this book, Jane Corry certainly knows how to tell a good story! The premise is basically how far would you go to protect your child along with a huge helping of guilt from actions of the past. Both of the main characters annoyed me at times, sometimes in books I wish people would just speak to each other about how they feel, it would prevent so many misunderstandings! But then the dramatic consequences would be avoided and that would lead to less tension in the story I guess. I did feel that the book could do with some editing, it was a bit repetitive at times especially in the last third or so, it could probably lose quite a few pages without negatively impacting the storyline. But all in all I do enjoy this author's books and certainly look forward to the next one.

Wow, what an epic novel Jane Corry has written about families, lies and misunderstandings. There are so many wonderful characters and a truly complex and convoluted plot. My main issue with this book was that it was difficult to put down! I wanted to find out what happened to Sarah, Tom and Freddie, and the truth behind all the hinted lies.

Thanks to Net Galley and the publishers for the opportunity to review this novel.

This novel really frustrated me because so much of it was good! But all of that was lost in these overly meandering chapters that dragged on and on and on, leaving all traces of intrigue behind.

I think one of the problems was that the pace was off - one moment the story picked up steam, fully engaged you, and then it dropped you in these long and boring chapters where nothing much happened other than the main character wondering what would happen to her/Freddie.

As a result of the pace being so off, the book as a whole felt messy. It’s as if it the author spent so long working on this, that the main thread of this story was lost and what made the story worthwhile right with it. If I were the editor I would have said, “cut this by at least 1/3 and tighten up the plot so readers don’t loose interest.”