The Lying Club slowly draws you in and you get hooked on all the lies and secrets.

The book takes place at a prestigious school which always leads to some sort of scandal or turmoil.

There is Natalie who is involved with the soccer coach, the girls Mia and Sloan are students and soccer scholarship material.

Then there is their mothers.

Lots of unlikeable characters which always makes for good reading.

Then two bodies are carried out of the school.

Who can you trust? Who is telling the truth but most of all who are the bodies.

The lights stay on, the pages fly by as the tension mounts.

So many lies.

Put The Lying Club on your TBR list and move it to the top of the pile and sit back for a wild ride.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Publishing , Park Row for a roller coaster of a read.

🤥 The Lying Club - Annie Ward

4 ⭐️ - I love a good scandal and this one starts with 2 dead bodies being taken out of a private school gymnasium.

This book was so intriguing. I was hooked from the very start. It follows 3 main leads - Brooke, Natalie, and Asha - and their life struggles. There’s relationship issues and cheating, sex and drugs, the haves vs. the have nots, what rich people would do to give their children whatever they wanted, and ultimately, murder. At times, I felt like the storyline dragged on a bit. I was so excited to find out who the killer was, how it all happened and I wished I could speed up the story a bit. Overall, I was hooked and I enjoyed read this!

I recommend this book to anyone who loves a good “whodunnit” mystery, a good scandal, and some rich family drama.

Review soon to come on my Bookstagram! Thanks Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC copy!

Natalie, Brooke, and Asha are all in thrall of high school soccer coach Nicholas-but there's something very wrong going on. Natalie is the admin assistant at the school and she's been struggling, self medicating and obsessing. Asha, who is pregnant, is also having marital issues but she wants her daughter Mia to have the best coaching possible. Then there's Brooke, whose marriage was broken and who is trying to mold her daughter Sloane into a mini-me- not a good thing. So whose body does Natalie see through the gym window? And what happened? This starts with the discovery and then leaps back six months. These aren't particularly likable characters (none of them) and to be honest, they're a bit trope-y. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Keep reading this one as it gets twisty- no spoilers from me.

3.5 stars

It was a good thriller, however, it was somewhat predictable which hindered my enjoyment

Two bodies are pulled from an elite boarding school and suspicion and intrigue ensues.

I felt like this was trying to be like Big Little Lies, but it was missing a lot of the same feel for me. I had a lot of trouble getting into this because there was not a ton of intrigue. It was also difficult to tell when things were happening because there was no "1 week before" etc. to let the reader know when the chapters were in regard to the crime. I wanted to like this so much more but I just found it difficult to read.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of The Lying Club. The was my first book by Annie Ward but I look forward to reading more. Three ladies are brought together after 2 bodies are carried out of their kids' elite private school. What ensues involves murder, scandal, and lies. I also wasn't able to predict what was coming. That is always a plus for me. Predictability is boring! Ward keeps you on your toes!

This is one of those books that hooked me from the very beginning and I just wanted to keep reading. The synopsis compares it to “Little Fires Everywhere” and “Big Little Lies”, I know sometimes descriptions seem to just throw out popular name books to lure readers in but this one is a very fair comparison to the other two named. I’m hoping this one also gets made into a tv series, it would be perfect for one!

At an elite private school in a small town in Colorado, The Lying Club follows three women who get mixed up in lies and deceit. Natalie, the office assistant at the private school, silently dreams of living the lifestyle of the parents around her. Especially Brooke, a rich, gorgeous woman with a large inheritance. However, Brooke is a chronic cheater. The last person we follow is Asha, a real estate agent, and mom, who is worried that her husband is currently having an affair. All three ladies are tied to the athletic director/trainer Nicholas. As their lies and twists start getting tangled up, two bodies are carried out on stretchers.

I was invested in this story as soon as I started reading, despite it being a slow-burn mystery. I was kept guessing up until the end. I personally didn't love any of the characters, but I don't think that took away much from the plotline. If you are interested in dark, academia vibes, I think you would enjoy this! This was my first novel by Annie Ward, but I will definitely be reaching for more.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing/ Park Row for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

ARC from NetGalley - A quick read that, for the most part, kept my interest. This is the first book I've read from this author, and I will give her other work a read. I enjoyed the twists and turns, and I agree with other reviewers who have that the novel reminds them of Big Little Lies. There's a definite "wealthy parents/lying spouses/spoiled, boundary-pushing teenager" vibe here.

From the publisher:

"If you loved Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere, allow me to introduce you to your next obsession. —Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author of The Grace Year

A tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secrets

At an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke—a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater—and Asha, an overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs.

But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town—where people stop at nothing to get what they want.

Wow.

From the pitch to the first page, this had all the ingredients I look for in a fast-paced suspense and Ward didn't let me down. With a steady stream of unlikeable characters that play on some of our biggest insecurities--attraction, appearance, wealth, celebrity--I couldn't wait to see how the events would unfold. A constant page-turner, I think many readers will be engrossed by the flashback structure, picking favorites (or perhaps their least despicable POV) and can easily see this being translated to screen.

Thank you to Park Row and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

Thank you to NetGalley, Annie Ward and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this novel! It was quick paced and although it was easy to keep guessing whodunit, I was never right and I love that. I found it suspenseful and interesting the entire way through. This novel had way more action than I had anticipated and I loved every minute of it. I loved the revenge aspect too and didn't expect that.

This was my first book by this author and definitely won't be my last! I couldn’t put this one down. Without wanting to spoil anything here, this book is full of secrets, lies, and drama. The plot of this book was delicious, told alternating povs and timelines. You won’t know who to believe or what is going on until the end! Would definitely recommend for thriller lovers!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange of my honest opinion.

The Lying Club begins as “rich people problems” but slowly turns more insidious.

This slow-burn thriller follows three women in a wealthy Colorado community. There’s Natalie: a young woman working as an office assistant at a private school. Brooke: a mom with more wealth than she could ever spend in her lifetime. Asha: another mom trying to keep up with her daughter’s wishes.

The book opens with Natalie groggily waking up in her car in the school parking lot and trying to remember her actions leading up to this.

Secrets, lies, gaslighting, manipulation, and entitlement make up the majority of this thriller.

While not much happens until around the 70% mark, and nearly all of the characters are unlikeable, I still thought the story was compelling. It was interesting seeing how everything tied together. Although, I think a few pages could be trimmed to even out the pacing.

I saw another review compare this to the tv show Euphoria, which is definitely apt. They share a few similarities.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and will definitely read more of their books!

CW: drug addiction/abuse.

Thank you to Park Row for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

I've enjoyed other books by Ward, but I struggled with this one. It starts out with a bang and two dead bodies, but things quickly come to a crash as the pace slows down way too much with revealing who the bodies are and how they're connected. There are some interesting twists, but it wasn't enough to keep me as engaged as I'd hoped. The pace finally picked up--near the end of the book, which was way too late. And sadly, I didn't care for the characters (parents or children). I found myself skimming parts, as this one missed the mark for me.

This is a thriller that is very much a slow burn. The book begins with two bodies being found. However, it isn't revealed who these two bodies are. The rest of the novel is then slowly revealing who these bodies are and how others might be connected. The twisty connections are explored through three women and one man who are connected via an elite private school. There's Natalie who is an administrative assistant at the school, Brooke and Asha who have daughters on the soccer team and are each navigating their own issues, and Nick who is the assistant athletic director. As you can imagine, there are secrets and lies and all the things that make this thriller great. Again, this one is really about the build, so the last 10% moves quick as the truth comes at you as the reader fast. For me personally, I wish the big action would have come sooner, AND I did dig the way the ending was written with a solid twisty reveal. Thanks to NetGalley for the early look at this March 2022 release.

Personally, I am not a fan of the different POVs when it comes to most books, but for this one it is necessary. A body is found at the local private school, no one knows whose it is or who did it. All we know is that there were 1 main suspect at the scene, Natalie. It goes through 3 different womens lifes, Brooke (the upper-class, recently separated, drunk parent), Asha (the upper-class, friendly, husband might be cheating on me while I am pregnant parent), and Natalie (the lower-class, young front-desk secretary at school, happens to know everything about everyone, and dating the schools soccer coach). While going a few months back in time to go through the lives of these women, we find out their secrets and what's going on that leads up to the murder. Annie Ward did a great job going back and forth describing all of the womens lives and keeping me on my feet on who was the murderer and who was murdered. In the end, I did guess who it was that was murdered but I had no absolute clue on who did it or the events that led up to the murder. It was a medium-paced book and a great thriller. I can't wait to check out some more of Annie Wards collection!

A body is found at an ultra-posh prep school. What the heck happened??

I loved Annie Ward's previous title BEAUTIFUL BAD and was so excited to dive into her new novel. This author is incredibly smart and the mystery had me guessing until the end. Indeed, this one is perfect for fans of BIG LITTLE LIES and/or LITTLE FIRES EVERYWHERE. I do want to note a content warning: assault of minors.

Falcon Academy is the home to rich elite children. Their parents are awful! Thinking that the world revolves around them and their children. This book tells the story of 3 women, Natalie an office assistant and Brooke and Asha are parents of children at the school. All 3 have their sights on Nicholas the PE teacher. You know from the beginning this isn't going to end well! Lots of secrets and honestly I didn't like any of the characters. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

The rich and elite being overprotective and over ambitious. Soccer daughters vying for the best there are lies and more lies. These people will stop at nothing even murder.

This book was sent to me as an ARC by the publisher for a review.

Overall, I found the book to be a quick read, but an underwhelming one. I never connected with any of the characters while reading, and felt that the way they acted and interacted with one another was just strange. I could see the goal behind it, but it was not executed in a way that made me excited by the story. Many of the interactions between characters felt forced. Some plot points felt out of place while reading even though they did end up making more sense when getting to the end of the book- though it just felt like things were getting in the way of the story while actually reading it.
In the end, I wouldn’t recommend this one.