I found this to be very intriguing, and I was engrossed in the story from start to finish. It really did make me think about how we react, and sometimes how our actions are manipulative without or even thinking that they are. It’s very different yet I was in crossed throughout the book.

Definitely not for me. I really tried to get into this one, but it just didn't do it for me. This was a DNF from me.

*Thank you @grandcentralpub for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Review not posted to Amazon/Goodreads because less than 4 stars or DNF.*

I liked this thriller reminds me. Faiza immediately pulled me in with her choices and scrambling to pick up the pieces. I was stressed the whole way through

Can one lie destroy your life? Fazia certainly puts the idea to test as her lies spiral out of control. She's spent the family's savings and when her husband Tom loses his job, she will do anything to keep him from finding out.

I really struggled with the pace of this book. It took me almost two weeks to read, when similar types of books/lengths would take two days. It was a combination of the pace of the story and how secrets were revealed and a premise that was hard to buy given the real world setting of the rest of the story (GIRL just tell your husband!!!). While it wasn't a fit for me, I know many others enjoyed it!

Thank you to HBG and Negalley for the gifted copy of the book.

2.5

Would I Lie to You? is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out Would I Lie to You? today.

Simmering, tight, and intriguing!

Would I Lie to You? is an intense, ominous, domestic drama that takes you into the life of Faiza Saunders, a mother of three who has secretly blown through her family’s emergency fund making sure that she and her family fit in and look like they belong in their upper-class Wimbledon neighbourhood but when Faiza’s husband Tom suddenly loses his job Faiza’s life spirals more and more out of control as she decides to do whatever it takes to keep her spending and their financial ruin a secret.

The writing is brisk and tight. The characters are secretive, troubled, and deceptive. And the plot is an intricate, immersive tale full of lies, deception, drama, jealousy, betrayal, competition, revelations, racism, manipulation, mayhem, mental illness, and bad decisions.

Overall, Would I Lie to You? is a complex, suspenseful, promising debut by Ali-Afzal that I found a tad too long but was nevertheless a fast-paced page-turner that kept me engaged from start to finish.

What a debut! This story will keep you in the edge of your seat. Lies snowball into something uncontrollable in this women's fiction story with the twistiness of a thriller. It's a rollercoaster I highly recommend!

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the copy to review.

She sure dang did lie to everybody!

I devoured this book in just a few sittings. It was SO GOOD. The author made the character to reader connection so strong in this one, it was to die for.

Definitely loved the rabbit hole the author put us in because as soon as you started reading the plot, it just got juicier and juicier as it went on. I think this book can serve a wide audience because of the age range of the family depicted in the story.

This book is in the womens fiction genre but definitely has a mix of thriller and suspense involved. I thought this one was a great debut novel and can’t wait to read more from this author.

Have you ever told a lie that turned into another lie that just kept snowballing into more lies?

What starts as a little lie by Faiza to her husband Tom about their finances quickly turns into more lies that just keep getting bigger until the stress of keeping the lies becomes too much. I found the book slow at first and was having a hard time getting into it, but by the last 25% of the book I found it hard to put down. I think if some of the book was shortened my review would have been higher as the ending of the book was great there was just a lot in the beginning that was a little difficult to get into.

Faiza is a British Pakistani stay-at-home mom to two children and happily married to her white husband, Tom. She feels an intense pressure from society (i.e. her upbringing, the current swanky neighborhood she lives in, and the fancy private school moms) to keep up with the Jones'. When Tom suddenly is laid off from his job, Faiza immediately begins to worry because unbeknownst to her husband, she has secretly spent their entire £75,000 savings account. At first she assumes Tom will find a job quickly but then things turn even more dire when it seems as though there is an industry wide hiring freeze and it will be a while before he is gainfully employed again.

The first part of the book was fairly tense with Faiza desperately trying to find ways to come up with money to put back into their account plus gather enough funds to continue to pay the family bills until Tom finds a new job. I was constantly wondering how is she going to pull this off?! Without giving away too much, the answer was slightly underwhelming.

While I can appreciate Faiza's cultural background/upbringing playing a role in her decisions, I just really disliked her. I just cannot wrap my mind around lying to your husband that way and basically stealing from your own family. I didn't feel sorry for her as she completely got herself into this mess. Overall this one was fine.

Special thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an advanced reader's copy of the book for review purposes. All opinions are my own.

The story of a upper middle class family living in Wimbledon, England. Everything is going well, until Tom loses his job. He is not worried yet, because Tom and Faiza have a nice little nest egg. There is just one thing Faiza has spent all the money in their savings and she does not want to tell her husband.

This is the premise for the entire novel, Faiza hiding the fact that all their money is gone. She borrows money from all other sources to help in the short term, but ultimately decides to find a job herself and try fix everything by herself.

When Faiza lands a job at a boutique investment firm, things start looking up. With the promise of a long term contract and a huge bonus at the end of the first six months, Faiza will set things straight. That is until everything starts to crash down on her. Tom’s depression, a boss that is harassing her all while trying to regain their financial stability.

This book was very engaging, however, I found myself thinking there would be no story if Faiza just told Tom about their financial situation and that aggravated me at times. This was very fast paced, with ultimately satisfying ending. A fun book to cleanse the palate.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was such a rollercoaster of emotions from beginning to end. While the situation of spending that much money can seem ridiculous, many people can relate to the ways in which money impacts them and the relationships around them. The story was well paced and kept the reader hooked. Just when you thought there was a silver lining the floor falls from underneath the protagonist.

The end of the story left me wanting for more in the way, but it was a reasonable ending.

High praises to this debut author! Life is hard and people are so judgmental so how could you blame Faiza for wanting to fit in? Everyone around her has the best of everything so when Faiza starts dipping into her family’s emergency savings account in order to keep a certain image, she has no idea how much she has spent until one day her husband needs the account balance. She tells him a little fib, and then another and another until the lies are out of control. Now Faiza is up against the clock to replenish the account and will use any means necessary to fix this and save her family.
I loved the dynamics of Faiza’s character and couldn’t help but to cheer her on even though many times I wanted to question her thinking! This story made me anxious, sad, elated & furious throughout the book.

TW: sexual assault, bullying, misogyny, racism, suicide

Released just yesterday, Would I lie to You? is a fast-paced domestic drama about Faiza, a moneyed Asian British mom of two who is all about keeping up with the Joneses. Faiza raided her family's savings account in her quest for art, handbags, shoes, botox, charitable donations for her kid's private school, but never realizes it's all gone.

Then her husband loses his fancy banker job. And he asks about the money. So she lies. And we all know where this goes....one lie leads to another, second lie gonna be another..... (This is from some kids song that is stuck in my head from childhood although I cannot place it.)

The book is interesting and I was never bored but Faiza -- ugh stop lying. Tom, the husband, stop being a depressed jerk. This couple -- I couldn't stand them. Is it happy ever after, or does the house of cards come crashing down? Frankly, I was rooting for their demise or at least for Faiza to have her come to Jesus moment beyond -- what if her husband finds out. I did like the theme of how money can a couple's attitude towards money can strain a relationship. Have that talk before the union, kids.

3.5 Would I Lie to You? is Aliya Ali-Afzal's just released debut novel.
Faiza seems to have it all - she's a stay at home mom with a loving, hard working husband, three wonderful children, a beautiful home, a small, tight group of friends and a larger group of acquaintances. It's that last one that has been the hardest for her...

"At the school gates, Faiza fits in. It took a few years, but now the snobbish white mothers who mistook her for the nanny treat her as one of their own. She's learned to crack their subtle codes, speak their language of fashion and vacations and haircuts. You'd never guess, seeing her at the trendy kids' parties and the leisurely coffee mornings, that her childhood was spent being bullied and being ashamed of her poor Pakistani immigrant parents."

And then Tom loses his job - and Faiza is in a panic. To keep up appearances, she's been borrowing from their emergency fund - and Tom doesn't know. What is she going to do? How is she going to find and replace the money?

I quite liked Faiza as a lead character. She's loving, funny, kind and caring. But, I must admit, her trying to 'keep up with the Joneses' saddened me. The lead mother of the in group made my blood boil with her thinly veiled racism. Now, that thread is part of the overall plot, but the need to replace the money is the driving device of the plot.

Faiza's efforts to save her home - and her marriage are band aids that keep falling off. Each new solution brings it's own set of problems and the deception and lies continue to grow. I did wonder about Tom's ignorance as to their money situation. But I just rolled with it.

Ali-Afzal tackles a lot of issues in Would I Lie to You?, including workplace harassment, friendship, family and (I loved this....) "how much more should she sacrifice to live someone else's idea of the dream life".

Ali-Afzal is a fresh voice on the fiction scene, successfully combining a fun tale with a number of truths.

Fazia is a good wife, mother and person, but Fazia has made some mistakes. Some really big mistakes! When her husband, Tom, loses his job, Fazia suddenly realizes the mistakes she’s made will soon be discovered and quickly tries to cover them up. With each lie Fazia tells she believes she’s only telling them to protect those she loves. As the lies compile and Tom has trouble finding a job, Fazia desperately tries to fix her errors and save her family, but will she lose everything in the process? A story of culture, racism, family, friends fidelity and forgiveness. A story that leaves the reader anxiously turning pages holding their breath as they draw ever closer to the ending.

A delicious page-turner that you won't want to put down!

I went into this blind and really enjoyed it! A sharp and witty plot combined with a well-written and realistic protagonist made this such a compelling read.

I loved how the story is told through the single first-person narrative of Faiza, a British-Pakistani SAHM whose lies (and spending) spiral out of control and who returns to the workforce after finding herself in debt.

Following Faiza's (unintentional?) web of deception was quite the ride. You might not always agree with her decisions and might even facepalm as you watch her dig an increasingly bigger hole for herself, but I could totally understand her motivations and actions, a lot of which are propelled by her love for her children.

I also enjoyed the many issues that the book explores, such as:

- How a small lie can snowball & potentially destroy lives
- The impact of financial health on mental health
- The lives of the obscenely rich & their frivolity with money
- Societal norms and pressures
- Workplace and sexual harassment
- Racism and microaggressions

This was also an excellent ownvoices novel that provides lots of insight into Faiza's perspective as someone who has to contend with her traditional parents and conservative side of the family, raising biracial children, the rich white school mums she tries to fit in with and more.

Overall, a brilliant and entertaining debut that you won't want to miss!

Thank you for the advanced copy of this book! I will be posting my review on social media, to include Instagram, Amazon, Goodreads, and Instagram!

When Faiza's husband Tom is unexpectedly laid off, Faiza hopes that Tom will find another job quickly and prevent the family's precarious financial position from coming to light. Will Faiza's quest for the perfect life cost her everything that matters?

I loved how this book is equally relatable and outlandish. In my experience as a Black woman with children in predominately white private schools, many aspects of Faiza's story resonated with me -- off-key remarks, a desire to fit into a community in which you automatically stand out, and being mistaken as the help. Also, couples can relate to disagreeing with a partner who has a different financial management approach than their own. Faiza's elaborate lies and antics to replace the lost money are probably where the relatability ends, though. Her desperation and tunnel vision lead to some outlandish behavior and unwise choices. Yet, I still rooted for her to get out of this mess, mostly of her own making, unscathed. Even if I did yell "STOP. JUST STOP." at her a few times.

Aliya Ali-Afzal weaves an entertaining tale that provides insights on marriage, family, microaggressions, social pressures, and mental health. While I would consider Would I Lie to You? to be a women's fiction read, the elements of suspense in this story make this debut novel a page-turner.

Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a copy of this book.

The tension in the first half of the book had me so stressed out. The lies kept growing, and multiplying and I found myself holding my breath at times.

Faiza is a stay-at-home mom happily married to Tom with two children. Faiza's cultural background, her darker skin and exotic look make her feel like she has to work twice as hard to fit in with the uppity, gossipy and extremely privileged neighborhood and school parent groups. When her husband loses his job, she is immediately hit with an extreme case of guilt - she has been secretly spending from their "emergency fund" for years to keep up with the Jones' and to not have to ever ask her husband for money. Once Tom's job search stretches on, the need to access the now invisible emergency fund becomes critical. Faiza's one lie turns into at least 4 lies that only become bigger and bigger. She confides in no one - she is ashamed and embarrassed about her actions (heck she should be!). I felt like her actions were slightly unbelievable as she came from a banking background. The fact that she never once looked at the balance of the emergency fund in the years she accessed it just didn't seem plausible. When the school fees and assorted weekly family expenses were discussed, I felt like there was no way they could have covered them without needing to touch the emergency fund.

I never felt sorry for Faiza or her situation. I mean she 100% put herself there and it was all in the vein of her appearance of "fitting in", proving her affluence and ensuring her children were able to be part of the "in" crowd. Luckily, I didn't feel like the author was trying to get sympathy for Faiza, rather, she was just portraying her as anyone who lives above their means and gets themselves into desperate situations by putting on other faces. I guarantee there are hundreds, if not thousands of women who have done something similar all in hopes of "looking the part." Faiza was part of two worlds that she wanted to keep separate. Her Indian side and then the side of her that just wanted to blend in and be accepted as just another one of the affluent, stylish and social ladder climbing school moms.

Once the story progresses, Faiza finds a way to contribute monetarily to the family. She becomes the bread winner and she seems to enjoy becoming part of the work force again, but this transition back into the workforce felt a little too easy. She didn't struggle with seeing her children so much less, when it felt like that would have been opposite of her nature. Tom certainly struggled throughout as he seemed lost without his job to define him. His disappointment in himself was palpable. Since he too was from a banking background and was very organized, I didn't fully buy that he would not have been quicker in wanting access to the emergency fund. But I do have to say, - Faiza was rather creative in her lies.

I thought the author did a good job with character development. Faiza based many of her decisions on her childhood. She tried to avoid problems that she saw her parents struggle with, and tried to prevent her children from struggling with the issues she did. Her cultural background definitely played into many of her decisions. She had a very strong relationship with her parents, so when she resorted to lying to them and accessing their savings, I cringed. She had a few close girl friends, but their relationships felt only lightly developed. I was very happy to see her development and growth surrounding her heritage throughout this story. She learned to embrace her cultural background and celebrate her differences.

Overall this book kept me turning the pages and was enjoyable. There was one part toward the very end when I held my breath to find out a piece of news. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 2.22.22