The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark is excellent! Well played Meg!
From the opening line until the last sentence, I was hooked. Meg admits from the start that she is a grifter or con. It is not what you may think. She has been living in her minivan since her mother's death. She and her mother had known the safety and comfort of a wonderful estate with Meg's grandfather before his passing. Meg's mother fell in love with a person who used her to gain access to her home and money and wrecked their lives. After he took everything, Meg and her mother lived day to day in poverty and fear, but they had each other until death separated them. Meg's target is a current realtor and political hopeful, Ron Ashton. Meg has plans for him and a fantastic strategy for making him pay for the pain and poverty he caused.
Kat is working hard to make a name in journalism at the LA Times. She is working on a story about the disgraced high school teacher, Corey Dempsey. He was exposed as a predator among some of the students in his classes. Kat heard a rumor that Dempsey had been set up for exposure by his girlfriend, Meg. Now Kat wants to pursue the backstory about Meg, a woman who was able to con a teacher out of his money and bring him down for his behavior. Kat does not realize as she pursues Meg's story how this decision will affect her life with an appointment with disaster.
I enjoyed this book very much!
Publication Date: June 21, 2022
Thank you to NetGalley, Julie Clark, and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book.

Wow! I could not put down The Lies I Tell. This is the first Julie Clark book that I have read, and I will definitely be looking for her books again. The two female protagonists in The Lie I Tell were wonderfully defined and complex. I like both of them. This book is a genuine Cat and Mouse thriller. Obviously I loved Clark's novel. I am only sorry that I finished it, since these characters will stay with me for a long time. I don't want to give away the plot, but I think that many women will see themselves in this book. I plan to go back and read it again, since I am sure that I have missed details in this carefully crafted novel. This is a Wow book.
I want to thank the author and publishers for granting me my wish and access to this ARC. I definitely appreciate that NetGalley has provided access to so many wonderful books. I have found many new authors, whose books are now populating my kindle.

Told from the dual perspectives of Meg, con artist, and Kat, former reporter, The Lies I Tell is the story of two women doing their best to get by in life, despite the tough circumstances they've had to face.

I loved this as much as Julie Clark's The Last Flight! Each woman has her own unique voice and story to tell that made me binge this book as quickly as I could. It reminds me of the Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick, Lucky by Marissa Stapley mixed with a modern day Robin Hood vibe.

Wow! Julie Clark weaves a tale of two women - one a swindler and one that is lost and doesn’t know what she is looking for. This book keeps you guessing. One minute you dislike Meg and one minute you admire her. Kat seems meek but then her steely mind jumps from the page. The entire book keeps you glued to it one word at a time. Thank you Netgalley for the ARC. I can’t wait to see what Julie Clark writes next!

In 2020, I read and loved The Last Flight, so I was quick to add Julie Clark's new book to my "Wanted" list. And I was thrilled when Sourcebooks on NetGalley approved me to read an early copy of it. I am happy to report that it did not disappoint. It has the same fast pace and movie quality to it that TLF had (seriously, her books would make excellent movies!), along with characters that I quickly grew to love.

There are two main characters, Meg and Kat. Meg has gone by several names over the years, as she moves around a lot and is a professional grifter. But she has a method to what she does, and reasons for choosing her targets, all of which I found fascinating. And even though she's a con artist, she is sympathetic and became someone that I was actually rooting for as the story unfolded. Meg has recently moved back to her hometown of L.A., where she is plotting her biggest con yet, fueled by revenge. And it's in L.A. that she meets Kat. It's not an accidental meeting though; Kat blames Meg for derailing her life a decade earlier, and has tried to find her ever since. She wants to write a tell all article about the havoc she causes, thus getting her own revenge and getting her career back on track at the same time. Things change, though, as the women get to know each other.

As I said, both characters were likable, and the story was paced perfectly. There were a few chapters set in the past, so that you got to watch one of Meg's first cons unfold, and later on in the story a more recent con. All of that set the stage for the one that she was working in L.A., and it kept me guessing as to what exactly she had planned and whether she could pull it off. Kat had her own issues with her fiancee and all of it worked well together. It's well written, engaging, and thoroughly entertaining, and has just earned the first spot on my Favorites list for 2022. The ending was perfectly tied up, but could possibly leave a little door open for a sequel - and I would be first in line to read that if Julie Clark writes it!

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC of The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark. This book was fantastic. The suspense was so real, I was wondering how this book would end all the way up until the final chapters. I really enjoyed the main characters in this book. Can't wait to read more from Julie Clark!

Who's conning whom? This delicious, twisty thriller by Julie Clark may change the way you feel about con artists! Told from the viewpoints of two cunning and relatable women determined to seek revenge for being wronged, it's a story of vigilante justice at its best! The ulterior motives and cat-and mouse interplay between the protagonists was expertly crafted. This was a book that was hard to put down and I found myself doing something that I have never done before, cheering for a con artist! Thank you Julie Clark, Net Galley, and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Compelling, nuanced characters who stay with you after the book is closed and a fast-paced twisting plot make this one a winner. A terrific read!

Thank you for the chance to preview this novel for our bookstore! I really enjoyed this story! So well paced and I couldn't put it down! We'll be ordering for our store and hand-selling like crazy!

The Lies I Tell is a brilliant domestic thriller told in alternating and intersecting POVs of two strong, independent, and resourceful female characters. (Finally a domestic thriller that doesn’t rely on a crazy unreliable female narrator) Meg, a woman of many names and talents, is a cunning con-artist who is on a mission to right the wrongs that have been done to her. Kat is a struggling writer who has been hunting Meg for the last ten years after a phone call from then-stranger Meg upends her life by placing her in harm’s way. Now that Kat has found Meg, she is determined to carry out the perfect revenge by exposing the con. However, as Kat gets to know Meg, she begins to second-guess Meg’s motives and wonder who is the real swindler in the story. A cleverly written and perfectly-paced domestic thriller with two strong females dedicated to upholding girl code and taking back the power, The Lies I Tell will no doubt be the favorite beach read of summer 2022.

I've read one other book by Julie Clark, and although the story is totally different, it kept me on the edge of my seat turning the pages as quickly as possible.

This story begins in the present time at an upscale fund raiser for Ron Ashton, a candidate running for a seat in the State Senate of California. Both Meg and Kat, main players in this story are in attendance for different reasons.

Jumping back ten years, Meg is living in the minivan left to her upon the death of her mother. Because her mother trusted Ron Ashton, they lost their house. Meg and her Mother had moved around and by the time Meg was in high school, sometimes they lived in the minivan. Meg's clothes came from a second hand store and she carried her school books in a reusable grocery bag. She had few friends however, one popular girl, Kristen, was always kind to her and often defended her. In their senior year, Kristen suddenly disappeared, never to be found again.

Meg has a keen sense of right and wrong, and a few years later upon encountering a former high school teacher on a dating site, she feels the need to set a few things right. She suspects he might have contributed to why Kristen had disappeared. Beginning with setting a long ago infraction against Kristen, straight, Meg is on a path of no return as she begins to use the egos of men to take back what they have stolen from unsuspecting women. One might call Meg a con-artist, and the men she targets are her victims.

Kat, a writer for the LA Times, learns of how Meg has taken down her former teacher, and wanting to break the story, she gets caught up in it herself and loses her job at the newspaper. Years later Kat and Meg meet and become friends. Kat is determined to learn all she can about Meg's activities over the years so she can to write the best story of her life.

This compelling story held me captive - I couldn't turn the pages fast enough and certainly couldn't put it down. There is an intriguing cast of characters that kept me guessing if they were good or bad. This is a captivating story you won't want to miss.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. The comments and opinions are my own.

When I saw Julie Clark was releasing another thriller, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. Her book, The Last Flight, was amazing so I knew I was in for a treat with The Lies I Tell!

Kat and Meg are two strong women, both in a mission to expose someone who wronged them. The dueling point of views help build both characters and allow for you to relate more easily as a reader.

Meg is a con artist. A very talented con artist. She is after a man who wrong her and her mother. Meg plants roots and intertwines herself into her victims lives and they never see her blindside coming.

Kat has it out to expose Meg and tries to replicate Megs undercover life. She finds a way to work alongside Meg in hopes of picking up crumbs of Megs plans. What Kat doesn’t know is that Meg knows the real Kat all along.

Julie Clark has an amazing writing style. She pulls you in with relatable characters and a story you can’t put down. While this book wasn’t quite as stellar as her last, it’s still and easy 4 out of 5 stars for me. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a little slow starting at first, but that second half really packed a punch. I’m not lying when I say that I couldn’t put it down. The character development is great in this one and by the end you can clearly see why the “villain” does what she does. I actually fell in love with her. 😅 This was truly a book packed full of feminism-eque undertones and I was here for it.

Wow this drew me in and didn't let go. What a page turner! I may have to reread this as I could not stop, this time I can thoroughly enjoy it. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC

Initially I wasn’t sure what to think of this but then it very quickly drew me in. The story was fast-paced and more I read, the harder it was to put down. I liked the characters of both Meg and Kat, even though they were technically working against each other. As their stories continued, I found myself rooting for both of them in their respective roles. One recurring theme is a statement that Megs references - “two women working together are a force to be reckoned with”, and I think it sums up their unique friendship quite well. Julie Clark crafted some incredibly complex characters in this story and I can’t wait to read more books of hers! Thanks to Netgalley, Julie Clark and Sourcebooks for the ARC. This book will be released on June 21, 2022.

This review will be posted on my Instagram blog (books_by_the_bottle) shortly.

As a huge fan of Julie Clark’s The Last Flight, I was thrilled to begin reading The Lies I Tell. That excitement was not misplaced. This latest book by Ms. Clark is just as good, if not better, than her last one and that is high praise. The writing is crisp, the pacing fast and the plot is fabulous with lots of great twists. But, it’s the characters of the two women who really make this book such a fun read.

Very clever and complex story—definitely a page turner! Meg and Kat are both bold, astute and savvy. Meg’s daring exploits made me nervous because I genuinely cared about her. Kat’s story unfolded differently, but I cheered for her by the end, too.
I did notice about halfway through that all of the villains are straight white males. 🙄 Normally I would subtract a star, but in this case I ignored it and enjoyed the book.
Advanced reader copy courtesy of the publishers at NetGalley for review.

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

After recently reading some “just ok” fiction, I was thrilled to dig in to the newest from Julie Clark. I really liked The Last Flight, and this book was even more entertaining. I was drawn into the stories of Kat and Meg right from the start. Both characters were likably flawed and interesting to me. Who doesn’t love a good con artist retribution story? Especially loved the ending. Can’t wait to see what Julie Clark has for us next time.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC

This cat-and-mouse, journalist-chasing-conwoman story took me places I wasn’t expecting!

Kat has been waiting to expose Meg, a con artist who Kat believes is responsible for wrecking her life 10 years earlier. When Meg returns to town, Kat embarks on a quest to con the con in order to get her own retribution.

In addition to the intrigue of waiting to see what Meg was going to do, and what was going to happen to her or to Kat, there were also surprisingly some almost endearing moments and a moving message of strength, overcoming trials, and taking charge of what you want your life to look like.

I enjoyed the dual perspectives as we followed Meg and Kat on their journey, along with the flashbacks to show how Meg got to be who she was and built her repertoire to become the ace conwoman she became.

I think I have a new author to add to my lineup! This is the first book I have read by this author, and it was awesome! There was plenty of suspense and a great ending. I read this in two days - I was that anxious to find out everything! I definitely recommend.