I loved this book!!! I received an ARC copy from NetGalley and am so glad I did!!! This book reminded me of Catch Me If You Can but with a female con artist! It was a book that I could not wait to get back to when I was at work!!! You’ll laugh and get angry, but then will see why Meg does what she does for her ultimate con. It publishes in June and I cannot recommend it enough!!! It is listed at 320 pages and does not feel like it is that long because of how good it is!!

How do you sift through the daily lies of a con artist to find the speck of truth that may make her your friend? Meg is back in LA to complete the final con. Kat wants her to pay for a call she made ten years earlier that changed Kat’s life forever. Will their meeting now be the bomb that explodes the past to all or a tie that will bind them even closer?

This is the first book that I have read by Julie Clark. I am anxious to read one of her other novels. I found this book to be entertaining, suspenseful and well-written. I enjoyed the building of suspense, while deescalating the tension with tidbits from the past. I found the characters to be true to themselves, even if they lied to everyone else. The women were more similar than they realized and yet different as a mentor and student might be. The men were stereotypical but with just enough saving grace to make you think the women may have it wrong.

The story itself was slow to build to the finality of Meg’s mission. It did not become apparent until the end what her plan was and how she would accomplish it. Even Kat was left to wonder. The side stories filled in any areas where the build may have seemed to slow.

Highly recommended. I read it in one day.


I received an ARC from Sourcebook Landmark through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

I am a big fan of Julie Clark and this may be my favorite book yet. A tale of two women each 'conning" each other. Kat, determined to get revenge after after 10 years and Meg having no idea what she has done to her. Full of twists and turns, I loved it!

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark is a twisty, fierce domestic thriller.

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.

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.

The story follows two complicated women, fueled by revenge as they navigate the glitzy Los Angeles landscape in search of those who wronged them. I always enjoy domestic thrillers with strong female protagonists and this book checked all the boxes. Clark has created two very compelling characters with unique backgrounds that kept me frantically turning the pages. I found both Meg and Kat believable and likable (in their own ways), as the story gripped me throughout, carrying me to a satisfying end.

One of my favorite scenes described a TV in the background, broadcasting images of women marching in the street and holding up signs displaying the MeToo hashtag as both protagonists confided in each other regarding past experiences. It was a powerful tool to use, highlighting themes of sexual trauma that drive the plot. I found the pace steady, naturally ramping up toward the end. Clark's writing style is vivid and impactful, her voice extremely compelling, pulling me inside the character's minds where I found myself rooting for each of them.

I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a steady pace with strong female protagonists, and a highly entertaining thriller that isn't too dark.

This was good even though there was no big surprise here. I was a little disappointed that this just went exactly where it looked like it was going, with nothing extra exciting thrown in. I did like the last page though!!

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of The Lies I Tell. All opinions are my own.

I was excited to hear that Julie Clark had a new book coming out. Meg Williams changes her name based on her job. She's a con artist who becomes who she needs to be to infiltrate her chosen targets life. Kat Roberts has been waiting for Meg in order to expose her for who she is. However, as Kat gets to know Meg she finds out that all is not what it seems.

Overall I thought this was a great story. I appreciated that there was depth to the main characters and that we got to know a bit of their story. I did find it a little bit confusing at times to keep track of who was who and what time frame it was in. I think this is mainly an e-book issue as if I had a physical copy I would just flip back a few pages to remind myself. Overall this was a quick and enjoyable read!

The lies I tell by Julie Clark, a first I’ve read I’d hers and definitely won’t be a last. Thank you for opportunity to read this book early. From the moment I started reading I could not put it down and kept me yearning for more.
It focuses around two main characters Meg and Kat and is told from each POV. Meg was the character you love to hate!
Loved this book and am sad ii finished! Definitely a pageturner!!

I just finished The Lies I Tell and it is addictive. I didn't want to put it down. The stories of Meg and Kat, how their lives overlapped, and how Megs actions really hurt Kat in ways you wouldn't imagine, is hard to put down. Hearing the stories of Meg ripping off unsuspecting "victims" is actually easy to imagine this being a true story. It almost, and I mean almost, makes you give sympathy to those who are conning others, but only if it's done in the specific way that Meg did it. She vindicated the victims of her marks and really worked to make things right along the way. It was nothing like Kat had dreamed up of Megs actions for the past 10 years. In the end, you are rooting for Meg and Kat both in their new lives and roles. I definitely recommend this can't set down book.

Thank you @netgalley for the chance to review this upcoming title. Julie Clark does it again with a fast paced, complex, psychological thriller that is sure to please readers. The story is well written and draws you in from the first chapter. The two main characters are very likeable even though one constantly lies, you have to figure out what is true and what isn't. Meg is a major con artist and has made it her mission for the last 10 years to get the ultimate revenge on a man who ruined her and her mothers life by conning them out of their home and leaving both to live life in their van. Meg is whip smart and even though she was doing things in a criminal manner, I saw her more as a woman vigilante than a criminal. Kat a struggling newspaper reporter has a score to settle with Meg as she blames her for a horrific event that happened to her 10 years ago. Kat has been waiting for Meg to reappear and give her the chance to finally expose her for what she is. Highly enjoyed this book! Expected publication date: June 21,2022

Okay, I liked this one.

I wasn’t sure at first. I mean it really took me a minute to like Kat. Meg, I liked right away.

What I really liked was that our characters were more complex than I expected. And it’s full of that delicious feeling you get when the bad things happen to bad people.

The writing style is fluid and readable and definitely entertaining.

A good read and I’ll read the author again!

*ARC via Publisher

A female reporter who follows a female con artist for 10 years, only to start conning the con artist herself.

This book started with a very "You" (from Netflix) feeling. Nearly the first half of the book I devoured in a single day, but then it seems to slow down a bit. It leaves you guessing, but not enough that you HAVE to go back and read it as soon as possible. All in all, it's a great feel good for women everywhere, always having each other's backs.

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark tells the story of Meg a con artist and Kat a journalist who wants to expose her. Wow! What a great story! I like the characters. They are believable along with the dialogue. The emotions of the characters were well described. A very different storyline of a female con artist. I read this in 1 day! I will recommend. Thank you for allowing me to review this book

So I LOVED The Last Flight - it was one of my favorite books I read in 2020, so I had high expectations going into The Lies I Tell and JULIE CLARK - YOU DELIVERED ONCE AGAIN!

This is such a fast-paced thriller - any fan of Liv Constantine would love this book. The book follows two women who befriend each other for ulterior motives. The book is very cat and mouse as Meg and Kat learn more about each other and unearth each other's true motives. This domestic thriller dives into what it's like to get revenge from wrongs in the past and write the future you want.

I'm calling it now - this will be the most anticipated thriller of the summer.

Thank you SO much NetGalley for the early look at this book - I was hooked from chapter one and I hate that everyone has to wait 5 more months for it to come out - it is SO good.

Another winner from Clark, whose The Last Flight I devoured in 2 days. The Lies I Tell is equally as engaging, interesting and spellbinding. I read it in one day, hanging on to every word and plot twist. Clark is a master at character development within suspenseful, fast- moving plots and The Lies I Tell did not disappoint. Would highly recommend!

Whipsmart female characters. i couldn't put this one down. Julie Clark writes characters that you care about and an engaging plot. I cant wait to read more from her!

This was a very good book - couldn't put it down once I started it. I had thought I had the ending figured out but nope! I was quite surprised by some of the antics of Meg and Kate. Honestly this book could of gone on since I was hoping to find out what Kate had planned at the end.

I highly, highly recommend it.

The Lies I Tell follows two women: Meg, a con artist, and Kat, a journalist determined to catch her. I really liked both of the characters and their motivations, especially Meg. Even though what she was doing wasn't necessarily ethical, I was rooting for her! I read this book in two days, so it was very engaging but I felt a little disappointed once it ended. The whole time, I was waiting for a plot twist that never came. Also, this book didn't really feel like a thriller to me. It didn't feel particularly suspenseful and the plot pretty much played out exactly as I expected. I don't regret reading it, but it was definitely an unmemorable read.

Julie Clark proved to be an author to be reckoned with with her first book, the Last Flight. It was also a five star book, so I was excited to be chosen by the publisher on Netgalley to get an ARC for my genuine review.

Meg has lived many lives, and they all boil down to one man. Her new friend Kat has her own secrets, and Meg is at the center of them.

The Lies I Tell is riveting and addictive. I couldn’t stop reading, and I enjoyed the characters. I found myself rooting for Meg, who had already learned many of the lessons Kat needed to learn.

The writing and details are flawless. Clark has a way of writing that makes me care about her characters and their situations. She is also great at tying off all loose ends, a quality many books today lack.

I would recommend this book, her first book, and any book she ever writes. This is the best book I’ve read this month, by far, and may be better than all 189 books I read last year as well.

Review of Advance Reader’s Edition eBook

Ten years ago, Kat Roberts was new to journalism, working as a junior reporter under a famed investigative journalist writing for the Los Angeles Times. Eager to prove herself, she sets out alone to investigate a telephone tip that she hopes will support her efforts in her current assignment. But things don’t go as planned, leaving Kat wanting revenge for what she’s suffered.

And Meg Williams is the woman who phoned that fateful tip to the newspaper.

Eager to expose the woman and exact a bit of revenge, Kat finagles a job with Meg, but the more she sees of the woman and her actions, the more she comes to realize that her initial judgment of the woman might be a bit flawed.

Can Meg and Kat, two women who work together for separate outcomes, find the justice they so desperately seek? And what will they discover about each other along the way?

=========

Told alternately by Meg and Kat, the events in the unfolding story occur primarily in the present with an occasional chapter looking to the past to provide the necessary backstory. Strong, nuanced, believable characters populate this compelling story where nothing is as it seems. Two women . . . one a con artist extraordinaire, the other a journalist looking for the “big story” . . . are brought together. But both hold secrets and neither is honest about their true intentions.

Both women, drawn together by ulterior motives, play a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse as they each work toward their own closely-held mission. Each woman takes the steps necessary to bring her to her ultimate purpose; however, the revelation of some unexpected surprises changes understandings. Both women’s stories are compulsive; Kat’s holds the additional subplot of a somewhat troublesome relationship with her compulsive gambler fiancé.

As friendship, loyalty, and trust are tested, cunning and duplicity play a role in the search for revenge, justice, and veracity. Here there are consequences for actions; accountability holds the upper hand as Meg finagles her way through clever set-ups to correct the wrongs done in the name of selfishness, greed, or depravity.

As the story spins out, the man evades justice and ultimately receives the brunt of the denigration while the woman steps into the role of avenger. Readers, however, should not take this as a blanket judgment against all men . . . even in the telling of this tale there are men who are honest and principled.

But this story is one of justice denied and retribution for deceitful choices, even if that retribution comes at the hand of a vigilante. It’s about the girl code that earned Meg some kindness during a difficult time in her young life. It’s about choices and conscience. It’s about achieving what is right.

The pace of this complex character-driven story is relentless; the ultimate aim is to expose someone who wronged another. When the story opens, Kat wants to expose Meg; Meg appears to want to expose the politician, but her endgame often takes time before its full revelation to the reader. Eventually, the dynamics set in play lead to a denouement most readers simply won’t see coming.

Also included in this eBook: a Reading Group Guide; a Conversation with the Author; an excerpt from “The Last Flight.”

Highly recommended.

I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press, Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheLiesITell #NetGalley

I wasn't that excited after the first chapter and I was hoping it wasn't going to be a political thriller. Luckily it picked up and was fast-paced and interesting. I liked hearing about Meg's past heists and her current takedown. I also liked the ending with Kat. This is definitely worth reading.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.