4.5 stars - The Lies I Tell was a strong, fast-paced thriller that I enjoyed from start to finish. I love stories with con artists, especially a long con with a great payoff. I got that here and more. Lots of cat and mouse within the dual character narrative chapters, where it wasn't always clear who was playing who. I liked how some issues or behaviors seemed black and white to start, then evolved to grey. Neither main character was perfect, each made mistakes, but learned from them. I found the ending very satisfying.
I've read a lot of thriller/mystery type novels in the past few years, and at this point I crave something different and better within the genre. The Lies I Tell was a winner for me.

I noticed today that this book is a June BOTM selection. I'd certainly recommended it.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley for the ARC. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Meg is no ordinary con artist. She is a grifter who goes to great lengths to lure her prey. Kat, an aspiring journalist, is collateral damage from one of Meg's earliest cons and is dead set on getting revenge. When the two meet up at an LA fund-raising event, a game of cat and mouse ensues. I couldn't put this book down right up until the surprise ending! Having loved The Last Flight, I am a huge Julie Clark and was so glad that this book did not disappoint! Thanks to Book Club Girl and Net Galley for the advance copy!

This is the second book I've read and loved by Julie Clark. This is a well written, fast paced, edge of the seat, twisty ", don't bother me I'm reading" book.
I appreciate that the author writes flawed characters that have me actually cheering them on in their questionable activities.
I look forward to the next Julie Clark book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read the digital ARC.

This is a fun game of cat and mouse! I don't really feel like it fits the "thriller" genre, so if you are looking for thrillers, this may disappoint. The Lies I Tell goes back and forth between two women, Kat and Mouse, I mean Meg. :) Both have hidden agendas, both are lying to each other to get what they want, and both know the other person is lying. Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer. Or are they even enemies at all? You can feel the story building and coming to a crescendo, but what exactly that entails isn't clear.

I found the story easy to read and enjoyable. You feel Kat and Meg's injustices and root for them, even though each is a very flawed person. Do they turn on each other, or team up together in the name of Girl Code. You will want to stay tuned to find out!

Thank you to the publisher for my advanced copy via NetGalley in exchange for this honest review!

The Lies I Tell is another winner by Julie Clark, certain to keep you turning the pages well into the night! This fast-paced book about revenge focuses on two women, Meg and Kat. When Meg was young, she and her mom lost their house to a con artist right before her mom passed away. Meg was forced to live in her mom's battered minivan for several years, while she cleverly worked on reinventing herself as a brilliant con artist herself. Kat is a journalist who decides to investigate and write about Meg's current identity in the hopes of getting her own revenge for the trouble that Meg brought into Kat's own life almost 10 years ago. The story shifts perspectives between the two women, as well as their backstories, which makes the story compulsively readable. If you liked Inventing Anna, you will love this fictional story about two women who try on different identities in their quests for revenge. Thanks to Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the librarian preview copy.

How often in a book are you actually cheering for two women, set against each other? Clark did an excellent job of storytelling, I was always ready to find out what happened next. The story jumps between time and perspectives, and is still easy to follow. There are kind of two heroines in the book, both for different reasons, and their lives are strung together just enough to make it believable. I loved it, can't wait for more!

“The Lies I Tell” by Julie Clark is one of my favorite books of the year 🎉🎉🎉⁣
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I LOVED “The Last Flight” by Julie Clark and “The Lies I Tell” is even better 🤩 Thank you Source Books and Netgalley for my gifted eARC of this one.⁣
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This one doesn’t come out until 6/21 BUT you can snag it early through Book of the Month. It’s definitely a June selection, according to the teaser featured in the BOTM app.
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⭐️ rating: 5⁣
📚genre: Suspense/thriller ⁣
#️⃣ length: 320 pages ⁣
🗓 pub date: 6/21⁣
⏳pace: fast ⁣
🕵🏼‍♀️ the vibe: suspenseful ⁣
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I have to be honest: This book was written for me. It’s a cat-and-mouse thriller featuring a con artist and a journalist determined to unmask her. I am a journalist who writes about real estate, and I never thought I’d see the day that “quitclaim deed” was used in a novel, let alone used correctly 🤓 I also LOVE a con artist plot line; I can’t get enough of them. ⁣
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I never feel qualified to weigh in on someone’s writing style, but I can tell you I love Julie Clark’s. Her books read effortlessly and hook you from the first page. ⁣
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Synopsis: “Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She's a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be―a college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. Nothing about her is real. She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she's done, you've likely lost everything.⁣
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“Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat's long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg's true target is.”

This was a quick, fast-paced thriller that was easy to get sucked into. Kat keeps tabs on Meg, the woman who stole the light and promise out of her life. We see Meg in both the past and present as she navigates her own life as a grifter. I don't want to give too much away because uncovering the details between these two is what makes this book so fun, but I enjoyed how nuanced these characters were.

Thriller books are pretty hit or miss with me, and the "women seeking revenge on the men that wronged them" trope isn't my favorite. However, I still really liked the book. My favorite component of it was the unusual relationship between Kat and Meg, and that even as a con artist, Meg had a conscience.

This was a wonderful twisty book about two women, one who is a con woman and one who has been searching for her since a phone call changed her life. Meg has been on a path for years and has finally reached her last big con. Told back and forth in time, the reader gets a lovely insight into the mind of a woman who has unclear intentions. Fast paced, good twists and a well done read. I very much enjoyed The Last Flight and found this to be very good as well. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Super fast read. Clark is capitalizing on the con artist fad. This one never felt too predictable, and as anticipated, moved incredibly quickly. I wanted a little more from Meg’s present-day arc, but overall, a super solid summer thriller!

Wow, what a page turner! I started The Lies I Tell this morning and finished this evening. I took. a mid day break to go eat with family, but this was one I didn’t want to put down! This is my first by Julie Clark but it won’t be my last. I liked both characters Meg and Kat and was happy with the conclusion. The guys in the story were generally sleezebags and written authentically believable.. Highly recommend this book!

I really loved Julie Clark’s book The Last Flight, so I was very excited to get an ARC of her upcoming release The Lies I Tell.

Meg Williams has gone by quite a few names over the past decade. She’s also lived quite a few lives since she’s a con artist. Meg is very particular about her marks though and now that she’s back in LA , she has decided this one will be her last.

Kat Roberts is a journalist struggling to get back. Her one big break fell through years ago and Kat knows it was all Meg’s fault. With Meg back in LA, Kat is determined to expose her before she disappears again.

This was such a good book. Like I mentioned, I really enjoyed the last flight but I think this one is even better. I wanted to know everything about both women but especially Meg. Both characters are excellently crafted with plenty of backstory but also quite a bit of growth.

I know there are some reviewers saying this isn’t a thriller or a mystery and I would disagree. It may not a be edge of your seat thriller, but the suspense of Meg’s cons really drew me in. I thought the writing was fast paced. highly entertaining, with a decent amount of depth. I would maybe say this leans more into the mystery realm but the suspense is there.

I’m not going to go into more detail about the plot as I think it’s best to just read it yourself. However, there is some TW for sexual assault. It’s not graphic but it is there, so something to consider before reading.

I’m so happy I received this ARC and cannot wait for another book from Julie Clark to come out!


The Lies I Tell comes out June 21, 2022! Huge thank you to Sourcebooks for my advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. If you liked this review please let me know either by commenting below or by visiting my instagram @speakingof_books.

Meg Williams is a woman scorned. You know how that saying goes...

As a teen, Meg and her terminally ill mother are swindled out of their home and lives. When her mother dies, Meg is forced to live out of her minivan. While not a particularly popular student, she is not stupid. She turns her ire into action and begins to fall into the role of a grifter. At first, it was to get by. But then Meg discovers she can right some injustices.

Kat Roberts is an aspiring journalist that knows there a story behind Meg Williams, but her boss will not let her explore, just take care of the leg word for the scandal at hand. However, her efforts to get what she believes is the real story ends in disaster, and she spends the next ten years overcoming trauma and still searching for that story about Meg Williams. And then Meg comes back home. The two women get mixed up in their own lies and the biggest score yet.

Julie Clark has woven an excellent web of lies, deceit and revenge. You won't be disappointed with this read.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for this digital ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

Meg Williams has many names. She's a con artist who becomes who she wants to be in order to exploit people. Kat Roberts is determined to expose the woman who forever changed her life 10 years ago. As Meg and Kat grow closer, Kat's assumptions begin to fall apart and she begins to question Meg's true motives.

As always, dual perspectives and dual timelines are always a win for me. Throw in not one but two strong female characters and I'm sold. This novel is character driven and has you rooting for both of the main characters. It's a story about revenge, friendship and womanhood. It's a fast read that's unputdownable. Once again Clark nails the epilogue. I will be thinking of and recommending this one for a long time.

Review

Julie Clark is an automatic To Be Read author for me after reading The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell.

In this story, Clark crafts a thrilling story featuring con artist Meg Williams who is now pretending to be a real estate agent, and Kat Roberts, the journalist trying to expose her.

The plot in this book is filled with action from the first chapter when Kat realizes that Meg is back in town. Kat has underlying reasons to want to bring Meg down and expose her web of lies. Ten years ago, Meg did something that not only ruined Kat's rising career as a promising journalist but also marked her personal life forever. Since then, Kat has kept tabs on Meg waiting for the moment she would be back in town. Now that the time has come, Kat has come up with a plan to get close to Meg to make her pay for that event that ruined her life. Kat develops a relationship with Meg by pretending to be on the lookout for a new house, and when Meg offers her a job as an assistant, she realizes she can dig deeper into Meg's life. But Kat doesn't count on Meg's exceptional abilities as a con artist, and as she delves into Meg's life, she starts questioning everything she thought she knew.

Julie Clark is a master in crafting engrossing thrillers with strong and confident female characters, and this story was everything I was expecting and more. This book is a roller coaster of emotions, and I'd say that the characters are the main reason for it. Both Meg and Kat are assertive characters with a purpose, and while they are very different people, they both display similar qualities. They both are on a mission to uncover the truth and expose people, and they both are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals. Meg and Kat are multidimensional characters who portray good and bad personality traits. They are both likable and relatable, and while their personalities and professions are opposite from each other, they also share similar values and points of view. I was truly in awe of how well developed both characters were, and I was rooting for both of them as they deal with their own circumstances. The secondary characters provide the perfect opportunity for interactions with Meg and Kat that help to develop their characters and move the plot along. I liked how Kat interacted with her fiance while coming to terms with the reality of their life together. I also enjoyed Meg's wit and great personality when she interacted with her clients and other secondary characters.

The plot and the pace of the story flowed together beautifully. This was an action pack thriller filled with intriguing storylines, and the many twists along the main plot keep it engaging from the first chapter. The book was easy to read while staying compelling, which I find is not easy to do with thrillers. There is not one chapter I didn't enjoy, and I found myself fully engaged in Kat and Meg's life stories. I couldn't put the book down because every time I finished a chapter something else was revealed.

Once again, I will say that Julie Clark has proven to be a master of thrilling stories. Can't wait for her next work!

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark follows the story of Meg Williams, who has gone by many names and identities,and Kat Roberts, a journalist investigating her. This suspenseful book is full of twists and turns and takes place over multiple years. It is fast paced and kept me turning the page. This is my first Julie Clark book and I can’t wait to read more from her. Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of the best books you'll read this year. Unputdownable! Smart, savvy and so duplicitous with a propulsive storyline and two of the most beguiling female characters I've ever met. i loved this book and will be looking for more books by this author. I loved the female characters it truly made it more interesting story line.

A story of a con artist who assumes the identity for whomever she wishes to scam. She finally meets someone who investigates who she really is.

This was a complex and detailed story. How long would you wait to make someone pay for taking advantage of you? How far would you go? Is that person you blame the true villain?
Meg is driven, patient and methodical. Every man has a weakness and she takes advantage to right his wrongs and sometimes for her gain,
Kat is a writer. Once driven she is now withdrawn, fearful and anxious. Always on the lookout for any sign of the person she blames for her past.
When Meg and Kat finally meet they are more alike than different and each gains a new understanding of the other.

This was a really fun read! After con artist Meg Williams places Kat, a reporter, in a dangerous situation, Kat vows to get revenge by revealing Meg’s true character. However, as Kat gets closer to the truth, she starts to understand Meg’s motives and realizes they aren’t so evil after all. I appreciated the depth and dimension of Meg’s character and I enjoyed discovering her end game. I connected less with Kat because her character didn’t feel as dynamic as Meg’s. I also questioned some of her choices. Regardless, this was a great book with a unique plot that kept me coming back for more. The ending was also very satisfying, which is always important to me. Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for providing me with an e-galley!!