I love this book. From the first chapter I was hooked and wanted to know how Meg would make Ron pay! I loved that I couldn’t guess where it was going next. Highly recommend this one!

Thank You NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book!

THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark

She's back!

I whipped through Ms. Clark's 2020 mystery novel, THE LAST FLIGHT, and shouted its praises to all who would listen.

I couldn't put her latest novel down either.

Meg, a con artist, and Kat, a struggling journalist, develop a friendship where neither party believes a word the other says. But they're both chasing the same goal—revenge. And, "two women working together are a force to be reckoned with."

While racing through this fast-paced thriller, I often wondered how the author THINKS OF THIS STUFF? How does she create the traits and scenarios and developments so expertly woven into this book? I read Ms. Clark is "obsessed" with true crime podcasts, and I believe it. The book's meticulous details keep readers glued to their seats until the final page.

A huge thank you to #NetGalley and #bookmarkedbylandmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I thought I had read enough con artists books lately, but this is the best one yet! Julie Clark's The Lies I Tell, is a story of a female con artist, and the journalist determined to bring her down. Only, the cons are not for the reasons the journalist assumes, and as she begins unraveling the mystery, she begins to think the con artist is now what she seems. A great story with female characters who are determined not to be victims and fight back. I loved it!

Contemporary Fiction

I was in the minority on Clark's The Last Flight and I will probably be there again, but I just didn't care for this novel. There wasn't a lot of suspense, mystery or characters that I really cared about and the plotting was just messy.

Kat Roberts is obsessed. She was a cub reporter chasing a story about a woman seeking revenge on men who wronged her. That woman was Meg Williams or whatever name she happens to be using when she is working a con. Meg called in a tip to the newspaper where Kat was working that led Kat into a situation that changed her life and plans. Meg disappeared after that, but it is 10 years later and Meg is back. Kat is determined to uncover what Meg is up to and get a story of a lifetime.

The narration hops back and forth between Meg and Kat and also drops us into previous timelines to get some backstory. It got pretty jumbled sometimes with all the back and forth. It's a way for Clark to give Meg some more depth of character, but it just didn't work for me.

Ultimately, I think the book is unsuccessful in getting/making all the points to the story it's attempting. There are too many details that didn't get tied up to make for a satisfying story and when you don't care about the main characters, the book just falls flat.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

The title of this book, The Lies I Tell, refers most specifically to Meg Williams, a female con artist. Meg honed her skills starting in high school when she and her mom are ousted from their home. Meg weaves entire backstories based on lies and her ability to create a story. Along the way, Meg's lies have impacted Kat Reynolds. Kat is a journalist that vows to bring Meg down due to how her life was impacted. When the two meet, it becomes difficult to differentiate between the lies and the truth. Julie Clark has written a fast-paced story which I couldn't put down! Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of The Lies I Tell.

This book was FUN! I loved every minute of it. I think I finished it in under two days. Ultimately I knew how it would end but that didn't hurt my experience at all. I had no problem rooting for Meg, I questioned my morals a few times because of this but OH WELL! I don't want to say much because this one is best gone into blind, but this will be one of my favorite of 2022, mark my words!


I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

I love cat and mouse game thriller books. What a story! Constantly kept you guessing.. Julie Clark did an excellent job writing the story. Well written and thought out so it was not predictable. Great book for book clubs!

Wow. Just wow. This is a totally riveting book. By the third chapter, I could not put it down. The characters, the story....just amazing! I love the ending, too. Looking forward to many more from this author.
Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for the chance to read this ARC.

I was introduced to Julia Clark when I read “Last Flight” and was thrilled with a chance to read her newest effort, “The Lies We Tell.”

Meg Williams uses a variety of names for her different lives. This enables her to be whomever she needs to be to get the task completed, regardless of the bodies she leaves in her wake. Kat Roberts has been hunting down Meg for a decade. Yet, it’s when Meg uses her own name that Kat believes she has the opportunity to get the revenge she has been seeking for almost a decade. Interesting enough, the women share many similarities—including past betrayals. Neither character is exceptionally likable but that doesn’t mean you don’t care what happens to Meg and Kate and how they go about getting what they want. It’s hard to know whom to root for, and that indecision is part of what will keep you reading.

Julia Clark is awesome at building suspense from the opening paragraph and keeping the reader captivated to the final denouncement. Like her previous novel, her writing pulls out a variety of unexpected twists, but never manipulates her characters for the sake of plot.

Thank you Julia Clark, Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to give this an early read.

Absolutely enjoyed this book. Two strong women characters totally different in all aspects but the same. If you like strong characters this is the book for you. The story has an even flow which makes it a book you can't put down till you get to the end. Page turner till the very end.

I really enjoyed this book! I loved the two strong female characters! Like The Last Flight this book weaves together two compelling women leads. One a con artist and the other a journalist hoping to expose her. The cat and mouse excitement kept me on the edge of my seat and then ending was nicely satisfying!

I really enjoyed this book by Julia Clark. Thank you, Net Galley, for an advanced copy for an honest review.
I loved the back and forth. Kat is a reporter who has been looking for Meg, Molly or is it Melody for years. When Kat gets an alert that she is back in L A she goes after her. The story is there and revenge too. Time is of the essence for the con to be complete
The storyline was split between the two women. What is Meg up to this time? Kat is determined to find out. So She enters Meg’s world
I loved the back and forth between the two. The writing was fast, and I could hardly stop reading. I loved her book “The Last Flight” and this one even more. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Julie Clark is one of my favorite authors and this book did not disappoint. It is the story of a female con artist and a female journalist whose paths cross in an interesting way. Lots of twists and turns, lots of tying ends of the story together, only to surprise you with how they end up. I highly recommend this book.

Wow! This was the first book I've read by this author and it did not disappoint!

What a twisted storyline but I loved every minute of Meg's escapades. She came back to exact revenge but along the way she tried to right some wrongs. I loved Meg throughout which is unusual when you're reading about someone as sneaky as she but in the end was what she really doing wrong? Kat was the annoying one. BRAVO!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️THE LIES I TELL by Julie Clark

This is a must read! I loved the concept and the execution. It kept you enthralled until the very last page! It even had a reference to the author’s previous book, THE LAST FLIGHT, towards the end. I love when author’s do that.

The main character, Meg, is a con artist and a good one at that. She has resurfaced after being off grid for 10 years for her biggest con yet. Kat, a former journalist, has been waiting for Meg to reappear. When she does, it’s time for Kat to start trying to figure what Meg is all about.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebook Landmark for the advance copy of the book. I was really excited to be chosen to receive it, since it had been on my radar since it was announced. It will be coming out June 21st, 2022.

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This excellent thriller moves between the viewpoints of two protagonists, one a con artist and the other a journalist, who pit themselves against each other in a cat and mouse game that spans decades. The ever-changing perceptions that each character has about the other parallel the reader's view of the two women as the story progresses. The motives of all the characters slip and slide in a constantly shifting prism as the story unwinds: who are the good guys and who are the bad guys here? Who is telling the truth? Who is conning whom? This novel is a lot of fun to read and also raises important questions about money, power, revenge, and justice in modern America.

Wow! I’ve never read one of Julie Clark’s books before because I’m hesitant to try new authors, but I’m glad I read this book! I never thought I would empathize with a con artist. While I know Meg’s methods of exacting justice are wrong, it’s hard not to cheer her on. This is a great book and I plan to read more by Ms. Clark!

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Loved it! An awesome twisty thriller about a con artist seeking revenge! I may have liked it even more than The Last Flight!

Meg Williams is a con artist looking to finally get revenge on the man that took everything from her and her mother before her death. Kat is also entangled in Meg's web of lies and finally seeking Meg out after hearing she is back in Los Angeles ten years after conning a man and taking everything he had. This novel follows the stories of Meg and Kat and how they are intertwined.
This book sucked me in quickly and was very fast paced, it definitely didn't feel like it was over 300 pages. I really enjoyed Julie Clark's writing style, it was easy to follow and kept me engaged. The ending was somewhat predictable about half way through but I enjoyed the resolution.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Flight and was very pleased to see this new title lives up and maybe even surpasses the quality of Clark's debut. Flawed, real characters, entertaing and compelling plot and good writing makde for a really good read. The book reveals two characters with distinct voices and is structured overtwo timelines that were easy to follow. There's a nice feminist undertone and a very satisfying ending. Can't wait for another one from Julie Clark.