I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review. It was a quick read for me and very clever because I thought I had it all figured out and of course, was wrong. Mary and the rest of the characters are likeable, except April and Leo and the woman who asks her guests to bring everything to her dinner party.

There is a separate plot involving her father, and as Mary tells us, her father is very good at keeping secrets. My first thought was that her father had something to do with the accident and I feel the author wanted to go there but pulled back at the last minute. That would have been a hell of a plot twist.

What I disliked about Mary, and consequently the last third of the book, was that she made relationship choices that made little sense, and she was aware the choices were wrong and made them anyway. It never bodes well for a book if I am shouting at the main character.

Thank you, Netgalley.

“We check their privilege for them, because they don’t check it themselves.”

This book was very well written. Not much happened in the beginning, but it keeps you engaged and form a connection to the characters. I found some of it a little too smooth and wish there was more substance to her family. I did not like Mary. She is an unreliable and unconcerned friend. She complains that Stacey never cares about her rants, but doesn’t care about April’s rants and calls her annoying. She thinks April is dramatic and that Leo is not that bad and “no Travis”. Then contradicts herself by saying that she knows how controlling he can be and is unsure of him. She ignores obvious signs or shrugs it off completely. After April calls saying that Leo is going to kill her, she said that Leo is “better-looking than usual” She complained that April is a horrible drunk for no reason. At one point she says “I’m angry with April because she’s not as strong as I am. And I’m not sure if that’s fair.” and ALMOST jokes and says that she will hit her if she repeated herself one more time after she suspects that April is being abused. April did seem off, but I still enjoyed her character. I like Joshua, but I feel he was too easily manipulated by Leo despite his line of work. Leo really was a very charming man and easily manipulated every person in the story including myself

Overall, I was engaged through the whole thing. I do not think domestic violence is something talked about as often as it should be and I encourage anyone who is struggling to reach out. Both men and women face this on a daily basis and I pray that you never forget how strong and brave they are.

Never Tell A Lie is a slow burn suspense fiction set in the beautiful South Africa and it was a smooth read for me.

When Mary decides to attend her uni reunion with her other classmate she's thrilled to meet her old mates, although not too keen on it. Although, when she meets Alice at the reunion, she vaguely remembers spending any time with her at the uni. But Alice remembers something plausible between then, so it has to be true. Soon, these two start spending time with each other. Coffee meetings become play dates and soon they're double dating as couples. It gets weird when Mary starts noticing troubles in the so called perfect marriage of her new bff and her doubts and suspicions start rising above the brim. Is Alice who she says she is? Does she know the other woman really?


There's tension rising right from chapter one and you can feel it creep under the skin as the story progresses which is done in a slightly slower pace. But I really liked the crisp chapters and Mary's character was so relatable that I didn't mind the slow burn really. It's what I call a bingeable popcorn read with plenty of twists thrown here and there to entertain the reader.

Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Publishing UK, and the author for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Summary:
Only reluctantly, Mary decides to attend her school reunion. But somehow she is feeling an instant connection to April, a woman she hardly remembers. As the two women grow closer over the weeks, Mary, who has been an abused wife before her husband died, notices that something in April's picture-perfect marriage is terribly wrong. But why does no one else see the abuser in charming Leo? And what did really happen at school camp, and why does April keep mentioning one certain incident?

My opinion:
You guys, this book was AWESOME! It leads you in one direction, only to find out you're completely wrong. Then you think you've figured it out, but nope - wrong again! But you've certainly figured it out after that twist, didn't you? Guess what? You're wrong. And I loved being led astray by the author. And even though it covers really hard topics like domestic violence, Gail Schimmel somehow managed to talk about these topics in a sensitive manner and still write a book that is straight up hilarious. I found myself laughing hysterically multiple times. It might have helped that the character of Mary was so similar to myself. Not only did I see my strengths in hers, I also got annoyed by things that annoy me about myself and found her making mistakes I could've easily made. I loved Mary, and I loved the book!

This was my first book by Gail Schimmel, and it certainly won't be my last! 😍

Parts of this book reminded me of:
- Behind Closed Doors by B. A. Paris
- A Good Marriage by Kimberly McCreight

An intriguing book which explores many themes, including friendship, identity, relationships and motherhood. It's twisty and suspenseful as you're working out who to trust. Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first time I have read a book in the South African setting and the plot sounded intrigued to me so I was so happy when I got this as the ARC.

Plot:- Mary Wilson has been living happily with her twelve year old son Django after a tumultuous marriage. She gets invited to a twenty year old high school reunion where she reconnects with many including a woman named April. Mary doesn't have any memories of April but the two become best friends. And soon, she finds that April is living a life of secret and lies.

Writing:- The story is told from the perspectives of Mary. The story talks mainly about the victims of domestic abuse and the consequences it has on the victims. Mary herself was a victim of domestic abuse and so is April so I give five stars to the author for addressing such an issue. The writing was spot on. Initially, the beginning was a bit of a slow burn but gradually it got more intense with some twists along the way. However, I kind of expected the ending so the ending was nothing new. Overall, I was hooked into the story and didn't realize I finished reading the book until I came to the end!

Characters:- April and Mary are victims of abuse and so I do feel sympathy towards their characters. I do like Mary having a strong father-daughter relationship with her father and also mother son relationship with Django.

Overall:- this was a good thriller that will keep you hooked into the story--worth four stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

3.5 rounded up
It took a little bit to get into but once I did, I was hooked. I loved Mary, such a great character. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you Netgalley and Author Gail Schimmel for this ARC.

It took me a while to get into the story because the writing was choppy and jumpy and the main character rubbed me the wrong way. But the intrigue of the upcoming high school reunion she was attending and what would happen there kept me reading. It got more interesting when she reconnected with an old friend and they began to grow closer and closer with some twists and turns.

All in all, this was a good read, however, I noticed several holes in the plot--mainly with the main character. I also wanted more red herrings and surprising twists leading up to the explosive ending.

One of my most reads for 2021

This was such an interesting book, you didn't know who to believe and it really challenged your perceptions. I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to read this book and thank the publishers and netgalley.

I read this in one setting as I needed to know how the story would pan out and who was in the right - the ending was just brilliant.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but this in no way influenced my review.

One never knows when secrets are held how they can determine our life path and how things could have been different so much different. Mary Wilson has been raised by a single parent and loves her dad very much but wonders a lot about her mother who was killed and what her relationship with her would have been like.
Mary attends a high school reunion and past friendships take on a new light. These lead to many eventful events happening and life is about to change. This is a strong story that I enjoyed right up until the end except for one thing. I really liked Mary's character throughout the book, she has great qualities and is someone you could count on if required. Then I felt the author spoilt the story near the end where Mary does something that I did not think was true to her character. Up until this point I would have given it 5 stars but this made me reduce them to four. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a review copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion.

I do love these type of domestic noirs, where the storyline is not so far fetched that you find yourself completely drawn in and gripped by the characters because this could really happen and because the characters are so complex and well written, you do find yourself rooting for the victim to get the upper hand..... of course..... its just not easy to always tell who that person is! Really enjoyable read

3/5 stars
i really don't know how to feel about this book.. i didn't love it, but i also didn't hate it

it took me a while to finish because i didn't want to keep going at certain points. it wasn't the writing, i thought that was just fine. the problem was with the main character Mary. i just didn't understand her

one positive thing about this book: you are left wondering who the real victim is the whole way through and that was enough to keep me hooked

Wow!!!! That’s all I can say. This was one of my favorite books. I was confused until the very end. By confused I mean, I wasn’t sure which character was lying. Great read!!! Great writing.

3.5 stars ⭐️

Never Tell A Lie was actually an enjoyable easy read. I enjoyed getting to know the main character Mary and how she opened up more about herself as the story went on, for instance with the truth of how Travis really was.

The characters all went well together at the reunion which got me more invested in the story as I thought the lying would be focusing on her mother and father, but then it goes in a different direction. AND THEN even more twisty and surprising as I read on. I thought I worked out the truth and how the story was going to go BUT heck no and that really did took me by surprise. I really enjoyed reading this and was really pleased that It ended in a different way than I thought it was going to,

Absolutely fantastic book. The twists and turns were fantastic and I fell for each one. Mary is a loveable character and I grew to really like her. As I said the story unfolded so did she. She goes through some issues which are common for many people and it is written simply but beautifully. I couldn't put thisbook down and when I glanced and saw that I was at 95% I was sad. Its one of those books that stays with you. The characters for Leo and April are incredibly well written too. Brilliant, thank you for letting me read it.

This was such a compelling and gripping read that I could not put down. It was so well written with good charcaters and a believeable storyline that makes it clear that Gail Schimmel has a background in law. I really enjoyed it

Never Tell a Lie is a domestic suspense novel set in Johannesburg, South Africa. Mary is a widow raising her son with the help of her dad. On a whim, she decides to go to her high school reunion even though she doesn’t really keep in touch with anyone except her good friend Stacy. She reconnects with April, who she doesn’t actually remember, but can’t tell her that. During their time at school, April had some sort of incident but Mary doesn’t know all the details, although April assumes she does. They quickly become intertwined in each other’s lives—double dates and play dates with kids. As they grow closer, Mary isn’t sure exactly what is going on with April and her husband Leo, but she knows it can’t be good.
and she wonders if she really knows April and if it has something to do with what happened when they were in school. The story moves along with a few elements of drama and then just kind of rapidly concludes. There are not a lot of thrills but there is some build up and a lot of questions about exactly what is going on. Can’t say too much without giving away a critical plot point. I do like that it is told from one point of view in a linear fashion with no flashbacks— rare these days!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. 3.5 stars.

Quietly Simmering Suspense…
Quietly simmering suspense in this nicely crafted domestic drama where Mary Wilson discovers that the grass is not always greener in other peoples lives and when the past comes knocking on her door has she done the right thing by inviting it in? With an interesting premise, convincing narratives and a plot populated with a credible cast this is a solid, and engaging read.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing UK for the eARC.
Mary is a widow with a son and a loving, helpful father, living in Johannesburg. When she gets an invitation to go to her 20-year high school reunion she and her best friend decide to go and end up having a great time. She reconnects with a woman who she never really hung out with at school and they become fast friends. They meet often and slowly Mary suspects all is not well with her friend's marriage. She's drawn in more and more until it becomes a bit of a nightmare. Are her friend and her two children in danger from the father/husband?
I really liked Mary and thoroughly enjoyed the first three-quarters of the book. But towards the end I had to suspend my belief a bit, it felt unrealistic and hurried and was slightly disappointed. Nevertheless I enjoyed it enough to order one of her earlier books.
A good read that I definitely recommend.