Member Reviews
Thanks go to the publisher and Net-Galley for the complimentary digital copy of The Liar’s Child by Sheryl Browne. I voluntarily agreed to read and review this novel prior to publication. My opinions are my own, and nothing has influenced my rating.
The Liar’s Child is a novel with plenty of twists and turns which leads to a climax full of surprises. The plot is enhanced by the complex relationships between the characters makes this an intriguing tale. The pacing pulled me from the start and kept me enthralled to the end. This was a very hard book to put down.
Kay Young is the primary protagonist, and her immense love for her sick daughter had me rooting for her right away. She feels a deep abiding love for her husband, but as events play out, her conviction in that love is shaken. I could feel her pain and confusion that what seems to be true goes against all that she thought she knew about her him. Then add in a recurring dream plaguing her, no wonder she’s frightened and confused. It’s the last thing she needs on top of her fears for her child’s life.
Matt is the primary male protagonist, and he’s as confused as his wife. Mad with fear for their daughter and the suspicion regarding his brother and what might have happened between Kay and Jason at a wedding they attended years before, it’s no surprise he feels like his life is falling apart.
What starts as an unshakeable love for each other, turns into a marriage falling apart. Each are being played by a woman using a different name. Kay knows her as Amanda, a student in her class at the college where she teaches, and Matt, a doctor specializing in neonatal medicine, believes she’s a nurse at the hospital named Rachel. There’s some astonishing gaslighting going on in this tale of woe.
Next, Kay meets the little girl who has become her daughter’s best friend. Olivia is a mirror image of Poppy! Knowing this was only possible if the girls shared the same father. This has her questioning her husband’s fidelity. Never in a million years would she have imagined Matt would be unfaithful and possibly abandoned his own child.
If you enjoy a story that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat, waiting to find out how all the parts fit together, then you will love The Liar’s Child as much as I did. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to read this book. Happy reading!
I wasn't really sure what to expect, but because I like psychological thrillers I was keen to read this book. Matt and Jason are brothers and both have been involved with Kay ( Jason went out with her for a short time before Matt). Fast forward 4 years, Matt and Kay are happily married and have a little girl Poppy, who has some medical issues. Jason, who lived in America comes back and starts stiring things up between Kay and Matt. Kay, who is a university lecturer meets Amelia in one of her classes. Amelia is very keen to make friends with her and Kay isn't sure why. Amelia works part time at the hospital, where Matt is a paediatrician. She is trying to get his attention and sucseeds. In Poppy's class there is a little girl called Olivia, who looks just like Poppy. When Kay sees her, she is questions Matt's loyalty to her. This book is a good read, although a bit predictable .
Thank you Bookouture for this amazing ebook copy!
I love Browne's two books Trust Me & The New Girlfriend! So I just knew The Liars Child had to be great!
I'm going to add I just added the rest of her books to my Kindle tbr list and buy the rest because I love Sheryl and her work!
The Liars Child is the perfect psychological thriller. I was so intrigued and invested into this story!
I'm pretty sure my husband thinks I'm a hermit (and he's not entirely wrong) because we had plans this weekend and I totally blew them off because I was so hooked to this story! Sorry.... Not really!
Browne is a master of the jaw dropping twist in her psychological thrillers!
My goodness this book is a page turner. I couldn’t put it down... Literally!
It is twisty with unreliable characters and you will not know what the truth is. Main reason why I love thrillers so dang much!
Such a fast paced, addictive, twisted, unpredictable story with a draw dropping ending.!
The pace is steady. The story is full of secrets, lies and twists.
Such a fun book and looking forward to reading more!
Y'all run when this goes live!
Thanks again NetGalley, Publisher and Author for the chance to read and review this amazing book!
I'll post to my Social media platforms closer to pub date!
The Liar's Child is my second book by Sheryl Browne and it's another unputdownable one! It was a real page turner with so much going on that I did not know what to believe or where the story would go.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for my ARC.
I am conflicted writing this review - I sort of got the plot but it was quite convoluted, it got there in the end and made sense, I wasnt sure at times if I would continue.
I didnt jell with any of the characters which is important to me when reading the book, in fact I took a dislike to most of them.
Books and stories are personal to you, so this might work for you.
I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.
we all have been told at sometime, we have a twin (someone who looks like us) haven't we? Well if you have a sick child that may need medical help; and you see this person what do you do? This is fiction that could be TRUTH!
Overall a good read. The middle started to drag a bit for me, but the end was a surprise!
The story centers around a married couple trying to find a way to save their daughter's life, she needs a transplant. Oddly, Poppy makes a new friend, who happens to look enough like her she could be her twin. Hence starts the accusations and lies amongst the adults, each accusing the other of having an affair.
I think what slowed down the flow of the book for me in the middle was the adult's interactions. Started to get to be a bit much, and at times left me confused.
Great plot, and a nice reveal at the end as to who the liar is.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
When I pick up my beloved daughter Poppy up from school one afternoon, my mind races when I see the little girl holding hands with her. She has the same heart-shaped face, long brown hair and dark eyes, the two girls look identical, like sisters. That night I cuddle Poppy even harder, desperately trying to decide what to do. And then my husbands phone vibrates, one message after another. Could I be about to loose everything I have worked so hard to protect?
Poppy is a very sick little girl who has kidney disease. So when her mum Kay sees her holding the hand of an nearly identical little girl, Kay wonders if she would be a match as a kidney donor. But nothing is ever that simple, especially in a Sheryl Browne book. There has been lots of medical research done before writing this book. It also shows why being a donor is so important and the heartbreak that having a very sick child can bring. The story also covers secrets, lies, revenge and deceit. Filled with suspicion, breakdowns in communication and misunderstandings. I kept changing my mind about who the liar was, but i did guess correctly. The story held my attention throughout.
Addictive Reading 🤓
Told mainly from Kay and Matthews perspective, married with a daughter Poppy who is not in perfect health. Various events happen which leave both parties questioning the other.... unsettling both family and work lives.
Addictive reading from the first page... you have your suspicions, as it slowly unravels things are not as they first appear. Another great read from Sheryl Browne, looking forward to the next.
Lots and lots of lying going on in this book. A little girl has a renal disease. It puts an added strain on her parents’ marriage. Both spouses careen with accusations and failure to communicate with each other. Then there is the the estranged brother, the student cum nurse along with the doppelgänger of Poppy. There is a lot of snarled story lines in the book which took me awhile to pick apart. It kept me interested to discover who was lying and was anyone telling the truth? Read for yourself. You’ll be lying if you you say your interest isn’t piqued.
Another good book by Sheryl Browne.
Matt and Kay have a happy marriage and a 5-year-old daughter called Poppy. Poppy is sick with chronic kidney disease and Matt and Kay are working hard together as a team to keep Poppy’s life as normal as possible for a 5-year-old. When Kay goes to pick up Poppy from school one day, she discovers that Poppy has a new best friend, Olivia, however once she sees how similar the girls look, almost like sisters, she starts to have her doubts about Matt and about how happy their marriage really is. Throw in the pretty nurse, Amelia, at the hospital that Matt works at, and Matts jealous and angry brother, Jason, and things start to get messy in Matt and Kays life. Who is Olivia’s family and why does she look so similar to Poppy?
I really enjoyed this book. I felt the condition that Poppy had, had been very well researched and I learnt a lot about it through reading this book. I must admit I did get very frustrated with Kay and Matts inability to communicate to each other. They kept telling themselves how much they loved each other (so as a reader I knew this) but they didn’t vocalise it to each other! At times I wanted to sit them both down and knock their heads together! But of course, this didn’t distract me from enjoying the book as the secrets and confusion is all part of a good psychological thriller. The last third of the book came thick and fast with answers and I definitely couldn’t put it down and there were a couple of twists that I definitely did not see coming.
I did enjoy this book, especially the last third when things all came together, and I would recommend it for other psychological thriller fans.
Thank you to NetGalley, Bookouture and Sheryl Browne for my advanced reading copy. Due out 21st September 2021.
This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A family that will do anything to protect their child who has gone through so much, and is still in danger of living a shortened life. Then one day the child announces she has met a new friend. And the friend looks exactly like her. They could be twins. Could she be the answer to saving her daughters life? And worse - is she a secret her husband has been keeping from her? I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The beginning was interesting, the middle dragged and the ending was the best bit.. I became exasperated by the interactions, or should I say non interactions, between the adults. I liked the children though!
I would probably give Sheryl Browne another try as with a few changes it could have been very good.
Thank you Sheryl, Bookouture and Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
Kay and Matt are the parents of Poppy who meets a new best friend who could actually pass as her twin. Kay thinks Matt has cheated on him with his brother whilst Kay thinks Matt has cheated on her and produced a child she knew nothing about. They also need to find a donor for Poppy who has a kidney condition. A good read but I did get a bit confused at times.
Of all the books I have read of Sheryl Browne, this book I must say is one of her best.
Plot :-Kay is a creative writing professor at a university and her husband, Matthew is a doctor. When Kay goes to school to pick her daughter Poppy up, she introduces Kay to her new friend named Olivia. But here's the thing--Olivia and Poppy they both look alike that Kay was sure that both of them are sharing the same father and Kay is determined to find the secret...
Good:-
Let's start with the good ones in the book
*The author has done tremendous research on the neonatal diseases and other medical terms to make this story more realistic as possible.
* The story started off well and by the middle of the book, things started to get heated up and came gripping wth unexpected twists and turns you wouldn't really have expected.
* Many of these characters are unreliable and complex characters particular Kay and her husband Matthew, both of them seem to be hiding something dark secrets. Both characters suspect of each other and Kay believes Olivia is a love child of Matthew and Matthew believes Kay is hiding something. Meanwhile, another woman weazels her way into Kay and Matt's life--Amelia. Kay knows this woman as Amelia, a student in her class and Matt knows her as Rachel the part time nurse. Though Amelia's perspective was not much given, it's very clear that she has a set agenda against Kay or Matt with a plot to take revenge, and as a reader, you are wondering what that is all about!
*The author has done a good job drawing the reader to the story! I was literally hooked from the beginning to the end, wanting to know what is going to happen next!
*And what a rollercoaster ride I had with this book!
Bad things...well literally I couldn't find any actually--I must say, this book is one of Sheryl's best work so far!
Overall, this was such a gripping thriller that will keep you at the edge of your seat!
Many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.
The last quarter if this book saved it. I did not like any of the characters except for the children. I admit i rolled my eyes numerous times at the adults acting like 5 year old, and the 5 year old acting like an adult. As I stated, the end saved the book for me.
I've read Sheryl Browne before and was expecting the same thrill I got from her previous stories but I struggled with this one. The entire storyline was basically a bunch of misunderstandings and assumptions on both Kay and Matt's part that would have been easily solved had either of them took a few minutes to actually just saw words! I was very frustrated throughout, not understanding why they couldn't straighten out the confusion and why they were acting like toddlers!! The plot had alot of potential and the ending was unexpected, both of which are pluses for me. I look forward to reading more of Sheryl Browne, this one just wasn't my favorite.
I always enjoy Sheryl Browne's books and this one was no exception. This was an emotional, tense and well written psychological thriller that certainly kept me guessing.
The subject matter has obviously been well researched and this, along with the well rounded believable characters, makes this an easy intriguing read.
There are so many secrets and lies throughout, it leaves you constantly guessing and not knowing who to believe. The intense emotions portrayed by the characters and their constant heartache is brilliantly written.
Having said this, I did find myself becoming slightly exasperated with the constant attempt between Kay and Matt to talk and failing/being interrupted etc. Had they found the time to have a proper discussion, many of the misunderstandings could have been prevented. However, I appreciate that this was done consciously to drive the plot forward.
All in all, I enjoyed the book and would recommend it, but for me, not one of the author's best.
Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.
A tense family edge of your seat drama that had me intrigued throughout.
It is clear that a lot of research has gone into the medical premise of this story line and shows the importance of organ donation and the heartbreak at having a sick child.
A story full of twists and turns, a tangled web of deceit, revenge, suspicion, secrets and lies.
Sheryl Browne has done it again! I loved her previous psychological thrillers and this one was even better! Just when you think you've got it figured out, she throws in another twist that leaves you scratching your head wondering just what happened.
The author's characters are likeable, believable and vulnerable which makes her books a joy to read.
Thanks to publishers Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.