Oof. This one is suuuuper depressing friends. I wish I liked this more, but man, oh man, it just left me feeling like I needed a hug and a hot shower to wash it all away.

It’s a book about incredibly damaged people and their incredibly damaged lives. Now, I absolutely have to give credit where credit is due, in that the writing is very well done - the author is able to write in such a way that the atmosphere is palpable. The sights, the smells, the people: their translation from written word to reality is seamless, and it’s something I noticed and appreciated throughout the novel.

The misery of the characters is downright unnerving, especially because so much of it surrounds children and young adults. Thankfully, blessedly, I couldn’t relate to much of what occurred, and while it was hard to read, it didn’t evoke an emotional response from me - in hindsight, this was likely a self-preservation technique. There are plenty of triggering subjects tackled here (domestic abuse, racism, drug and alcohol use, rape, sexual assault), so readers beware.

Ultimately, this was just too dark of a read for me, but the writing is undoubtably well done. ‘Where the Truth Lies’ is available for purchase August 3, 2021.

As always, a sincere thanks to publisher and Net Galley for this digital advanced readers copy.

~ 👩🏻‍🦰

I love YA thrillers and this one is no different. Where the Truth Lies is a pretty fast-paced novel that will keep your attention throughout the story. The entire story I felt really bad for Abi. She loses her best friend and the entire community thinks she did it. On top of that, she has to deal with the town racists on a constant basis and there are several of them. I hate that she loses the one person that was actually bothered to be her friend.
The story focuses on finding out what happens to the missing girl. Is she dead? Or did she run away? In a small town like this everyone knows about the girl missing and it has them scared. I like how the story takes us on a journey to find out what happens to her and who could have caused her harm if that's where the story goes.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Emma's best friend Abigail is missing after a party held in the woods outside the small Colorado town of Whistling Ridge. The last time she saw her friend, Abi was going to meet a boy in the woods... and then she disappeared. She does not believe Abi ran away without telling her first, but when evidence is discovered that something happened to her friend, Emma sets out to uncover the truth. The trouble is that this is a town full of secrets and prejudices that everyone is hiding and violence always seems just behind every turn.

I didn't love this as much as I wanted to. The pacing was not to my taste, and it was a bit hard to connect to all the characters. But I LOVED the writing. It was powerful and thought inducing.

Honestly? At first I wasn't sure if I was going to get into this book. The writing style isn't one I usually prefer and the beginning is a little slow. But it picked up and built and all these little insignificant seeming details built like legos to show the full picture. It felt like an intricate whodunit, but also with disturbing moments along the way. This town has secrets and issues.

A couple things that made it 5 stars for me were the side stories and how much I was drawn in until the very end. Also the fact that I didn't guess it. There were times I was a tiny bit close but not really. And it felt like the missing girl was far from the only victim. And the villain was definitely not the only villain. It was interesting and I loved it to the last page.

I'm still not totally sure how I felt about this book. It was in no way a bad book, but it definitely didn't draw me in like many fast-paced thrillers do. Often when I read a thriller, I can barely stand to put it down and then cannot wait to pick it up again. I never really felt that way with this book. It was definitely more of a slow-burn thriller.

I also think I went into it expecting a thriller that would be heavily focused on the crime that took place and getting answers as to what happened, when really, this book delved more into the associated characters than the crime itself. I did feel that the character development was well-done, as we learned a good bit of back story about many of the characters. The author also did a good job of making each of the characters unique, though most of them were vile, awful, and unlikable. There were some characters that I felt there was foreshadowing with and I thought it would lead to big reveals, but it didn't really play out that way. There were also some secrets kept until nearly the end of the book that ended up being a bit underwhelming when revealed.

The story was also told in a disjointed way. I didn't have any trouble following it, just found it a bit unusual. Within the same chapter, there would be "Then" and "Now" sections, but the "then" time period could've been recent history or something that happened 20 years ago. Also, it would sometimes transition from one character's "now" to another character's "then" - but without going to a new chapter. The only thing designating the change was the word "now" or "then". I think I would've preferred it to use separate chapters for this, especially when it was also switching characters along with the time period. But again, as long as you are paying attention, you can definitely still follow what's going on.

Important to note: There are definitely some triggers in this book so I would highly recommend looking up the content warnings before reading it if you have any triggers.

This book wasn't really for me, but if you appreciate a slow-burn thriller set in a small town full of terrible people, you may really enjoy this one.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the arc of this book.

hank you to NetGalley, Atria Books, Simon and Schuster Canada, and Anna Bailey for a free electronic ARC of Where The Truth Lies in exchange for an honest review!

Where The Truth Lies by Anna Bailey releases on August 3, 2021.

You have NO idea how much I wanted to love this book. The cover is absolutely stunning and completely drew me in, while the synopsis makes this book sound like the kind of chilling and atmospheric thriller that I tend to enjoy… but unfortunately it just did not work for me.

To put it simply, I think that there were way too many big ideas, touchy subjects, and extremely large character arcs for secondary characters that, when all thrown together, confused the main plot which was supposed to be about a missing teenager and her friends quest to find the truth behind her disappearance.

Essentially, Abigail, a seventeen-year-old girl, goes missing in the woods one night following a party. Emma, Abigail’s best friend, seems to be the only one who cares about her disappearance and in her search to uncover the truth behind what happens, she also uncovers tons of small-town dark secrets. However, at some point the story really seems to be less about what happens to Abigail, and more about all of the dark secrets and small minds of the townspeople.

Instead of focusing on the disappearance, the book hyper-focuses on:
Racism and racial violence
Homophobia and conversion therapy
Violence in the name of Christianity
Domestic violence and sexual abuse
Extremism child abuse and neglect
Child alcoholism and drug use (cocaine)

There was just way too much going on—for any novel—but especially for a book that’s under 300 pages. When an author adds too many social justice issues it detracts from the story, causes potential plot holes (which, in this case, happened) and defeats the purpose of including them in the story in first place.

I would not recommend this one; it’s too all over the place and there were too many plot holes as a result.

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⭐️Review⭐️
Title: Where the Truth Lies
Author: Anna Bailey
Pub Date: 8/3/21
•
Thank you to the publisher for a free copy of this book!

I struggle to rate this book as it was a tough one.

Loved:
- Very slow to start but once the story got going it took off.
- The writing builds the tone and atmosphere well.
- How many characters connected into one story was enjoyable— though no topics in this book were.

Didn’t:
- Literally this is every stereotype of a small town thrown into one book.
- Time hops in the middle of chapters was a tad annoying.
- The adults in this book were legit the worst people ever. It’s easy to name the main ones, but I had major problems with Melissa as a mother.
- A few random plot danglers thrown in that never got answered or made Abi’s story almost take a back seat.

Overall: This is a very dark book with many trigger warnings. The writing is well done, the topics just might be hard for some.

Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey is a recommended murder mystery set in an insular small Colorado town.

Emma's best friend Abigail is missing after a party held in the woods outside the small Colorado town of Whistling Ridge. The last time she saw her friend, Abi was going to meet a boy in the woods... and then she disappeared. She does not believe Abi ran away without telling her first, but when evidence is discovered that something happened to her friend, Emma sets out to uncover the truth. The trouble is that this is a town full of secrets and prejudices that everyone is hiding and violence always seems just behind every turn.

The plot moves along at a swift pace and the tension keeps you reading. The story is told through present day activities and flashback to the past. While this is a dynamic, intense narrative with many characters and pieces composing the overall structure of the mystery, it is also a novel of stereotypical characters composed of shopworn descriptions and dialogue. No spoilers, but these small town stereotypes are just that, typecasts of a kind of person, but the thing is that all these people with their secrets and prejudices in this town is just too much and highly unlikely to occur. The key to appreciate this novel is to focus on the quality of the writing, which is good and descriptive for a debut novelist, and set aside all your disbelief that this is a little too soap opera-ish and melodramatic.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Atria Books.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, and submitted to Amazon.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for gifting me a digital copy of the debut novel by Anna Bailey - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Small town Whistling Ridge, Colorado, is like many small towns - teenagers anxious to leave taking risks they shouldn't, small minds scared of people and things unlike them, and lots of secrets behind closed doors. When her best friend, Abigail, goes missing after a party in the woods, Emma feels guilty for leaving her and determined to find out what happened. Abi's family, the Blakes, are a product of their father's abuse and are all holding secrets, even while the town sees the signs on their bodies. The local preacher stirs up his own brand of hate.

This is a dark book, filled with characters behaving badly but sadly it feels so incredibly real. I loved the slow burn of discovering all the secrets in this book and thought Anna Bailey was masterful at teasing out this story, told in two timelines. You feel the tension and the suspense for all the characters as they both try to hide and uncover secrets. While the ending may not have been wrapped in a bow, I was a huge fan of how there were hints as to the futures of the characters without coming out and stating it all in an epilogue. Bravo for a fabulous debut novel - can't wait to read more from this author!

I really wanted to like this title, as the synopsis intrigued me greatly. A teenage girl disappears, and in the process of finding out what happened to her the small community she is a part of has their secrets revealed. I was confused occasionally, as their was a lot of timeline jumping and changing of third-person narration that wasn't always clear. While I found the writing well done, it was also depressing and dark at times, which is not my preference with prose. A good debut from a new voice though, and while it wasn't for me, I know it will find an audience.

Where the Truth Lies will be released on August 3rd. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Published on Instagram @tiffany_is_reading


I wasn’t into this one. I liked the small town setting, and could relate to that. There was a lot of jumping around on the timeline, without any sense of when exactly they were in the past. This book was pretty rough with abuse throughout, which took away a lot for me. I did appreciate the ending, but there was a storyline left incomplete, that I would have liked a resolution.

What happened to Abi? The 17 year old disappeared without a trace after a party in Whistling Ridge, Colorado. Her friend Emma is burdened with guilt for having left her, her brother Noah has his concerns, and then there's her family. The Blake family is one of the most dysfunctional you'll meet in a long time. No spoilers from me. You might guess Noah's secret early on (well, one of them) bit Bailey spools the others out slowly over the course of the novel. It does move back and forth in time (through multiple time periods) and between various third person narrators, a technique which is a little confusing in spots but which works to keep you guessing. The main characters come through loud and clear but some of the others are ciphers (Emma's mom, her dad, the Sheriff) and I would have liked to understand Rat better, especially given his important to the story. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

This book was amazing. To be honest, I had a hard time with it in the beginning. It took till I was at about 20% before it really picked up; I wasn't sure I was going to finish. I'm glad I stayed with it though; it was so worth it. Anna Bailey certainly knows how to tell a story. It was perfectly paced; revealing just enough at a time. I'm not sure I totally loved the back and forth between "then" and "now" but I'm not sure it would have worked any other way. I kept thinking this would make a good movie. I feel like this book should come with a trigger/content warning since it was so disturbing. It has really stuck with me and not necessarily in a good way. I did love it though and considered giving it five stars, but I typically reserve those for books I feel are perfect and this one just didn't reach that level of perfection for me. Great storytelling. Will highly recommend. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Here is a dark tale where every bad thing possible is going on, barely under the surface, in a small town. Ostensibly the story of a missing teen, this story loses sight of her very quickly and meanders through a laundry list of dysfunctional family taboo-topics. There is not a single positive portrayal in WHERE THE TRUTH LIES. There’s just no one to hope for as the story progresses, except possibly the best friend. I received my copy from the publisher.

Where the Truth Lies operates on two levels. On the surface, it is a suspenseful mystery about the disappearance of a high school girl, her family’s trauma, and the determined efforts of her best friend to find out what happened to her. On another level, it explores the pathology of secrets and expectations that make small-town life so oppressive.

Whistling Ridge is one of those hollowed-out tourist towns dominated by one powerful employer and a powerful church pastor. When Abigail disappears, the police assume she ran away and the investigation seems haphazard and desultory. Her best friend, Emma, is certain Abi would never leave without saying goodbye and tries hard to find out what happened. As the frequent target of bullies, this requires her to go far out of her comfort zone.

Abi’s family seems broken by her loss, but it becomes clear that the family has been broken for a long time. Her father is abusive to his wife and sons, though he adored his daughter. The abuse they suffer is an open secret, but so long as they don’t talk about it, the rest of the town can ignore it, can’t they? Besides, when Abi’s mom asked for help after her husband broke her son’s nose and crippled her younger son in a rage, his response was to ask her what she did to provoke him. Abi’s older brother is in love with a Romanian immigrant living at the trailer park. But being gay is not an option in this insular town.



Where the Truth Lies succeeds on both levels. As a mystery, it is fair and we have what we need to know what happened to Abi. As social commentary, it is heartbreaking and very real. The misogyny that is the foundation of this town’s social structure is realistic. There is a communal act of violence that may seem outrageous and unlikely, but that’s only if you ignore our history of communal violence.

This was a slow book for me to get through because it was often painful, there was just too much heartbreak and pain and I had to stop for air. The writing, though, is beautiful and melancholy. At times it felt like poetry, but grievous and sorrowful poetry.

Where the Truth Lies will be released on August 3rd. I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley.

Where the Truth Lies at Atria Books | Simon & Schuster
Anna Bailey on InstaGram

A remote town in the middle of the mountains of Colorado takes centerstage in Where The Truth Lies, unfurling the secrets of townspeople after a teenage girl (Abi) goes missing. Abi’s best friend Emma doesn’t believe that Abi would just run away without her and sets out to figure out what really happened.

From the friendships to the toxic town’s prejudices to the small town setting, I didn’t feel like I personally related to the story very much. While the story itself was interesting, it was a slower read for me since I was a bit disconnected from the narrative. The plot centered around Abi and her disappearance, but we never really got to know her that well to understand her various connections and relationships. I would’ve liked to understand her better. Although the final discovery went a long way in explaining some of her motives and actions, I was left with a lot more questions about how much her brother Noah may have known and the extent of Abi’s relationship with Hunter.

Noah and Rat were the characters that most intrigued me – especially Rat. We don’t know much about him or how he came to be in this random town in the middle of nowhere, a long way away from Romania. I would definitely be interested in his story – what happened to his family and how he ended up in a Colorado trailer park.

The small-town mountainside made for an interesting setting, but it was also really kind of creepy. After reading about the author’s real-life experience living near the book’s setting, it really made me wonder about how much of this was fiction and how much was really inspired by Anna Bailey’s time in Colorado. That connection between the author and the story was the most stimulating and thought-provoking aspect of this book!

Tried and tried but just couldn’t fall in love with this.... I realize I’m probably in the majority here but couldn’t find enough redeeming qualities to this tale to complete it. May try again soon but for now, I’ll say, “No thank you - I’ll not have one now”.
Thanks for the ARC opportunity!

I really wanted to like this book. I do like a good mystery. I found this book hard to follow with all the storylines and characters. It was just to cluttered? Maybe.

Where the Truth Lies is described as a slow burn, and it certainly is, except I don't think it ever moved past that. The premise is strong. The description grabbed me immediately -- seventeen-year-old Abigail disappears during a party in the woods with her best friend, Emma. It starts off being an intense family drama with the mystery of the missing girl. Then it becomes more about the small town of Whispering Ridge, the preacher, and the secrets that everyone holds.

It fell short for me. While the writing was engaging, I couldn't really connect with any of the characters. The story felt like it focused more on the town, their church, and Samuel Blake's past and love of religion. At about the 65% mark, I was concerned that the story of Abigal wasn't going to be wrapped up. It did, but it felt a bit anti-climatic, even a little predictable (still very sad, just predictable.)

All in all, I'd say it's probably a 3 star read for me. It was an okay debut and I certainly would like to read more from Anna Bailey.

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I went into this one expecting a thriller, but it’s more like the kind of heartbreaking drama that surrounds a tragedy, such as a missing girl. It was sad, but insightful. The writing is very pretty indeed, but a little too much prose for my liking. I prefer a tighter, stronger plot.