The Lies I Tell

This was a terrific revenge book with lots of twists and turns! I love a book that has a clever woman manipulating things to right the wrongs that have bestowed her!

Megan was robbed of her childhood when her mom was conned by Ron Ashton, a man swindling them out of their home. This happened when her mother was terminally ill and when her mother died Megan was forced to live in her car. Through the years she has done what she needed to in order to survive and someday get her revenge on the man that devastated her life so long ago.

Kat’s life was changed by Megan when she answered her tip on an investigation of a school administrator that was having inappropriate relationships with his students.Kat suspected Megan’s involvement in bringing his crimes to light after she drained his bank accounts. Kat found herself in danger when following up on the tip and then Megan’s trail went cold until she resurfaced ten years later.

My thoughts:
Megan’s style of conning people is that of a modern day Robin Hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor ( or more deserving). I liked the way she brought evil men to justice, and the way she befriended Kat in her own way. This was a fast paced novel and kept me turning the pages! Their are a lot of plot twists and turns

“The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who’s telling the story.”

Clever, twisty, and totally propulsive.

I couldn’t help but devour this duplicitous cat and mouse game between Meg, a con artist, and Kat, the journalist set on exposing her.

Clark’s sophomore novel solidifies that she is #masterclass at developing multifaceted female characters that are dynamic. In the midst of so many thrillers with unreliable (read: crazy, alcohol/drug fueled) female leads, Clark writes strong and savvy protagonists that are worth rooting for--- yep, even the con artist!

And the plot… that juxtaposition between revenge and justice… not only was it unputdownable, it also gave me a lot to ponder. Add to that themes of taking down the patriarchy, you’ve got a solid suspense/thriller worthy of praise.

Oh @julieclarkauthor …I can’t wait to see what you do next!

Many thanks to my partner @sourcebooks for this #gifted copy.

Meg Williams is a con-artist moving from town to town changing her name each time. Now that she's perfected her game, she's come back to town to get back at the one man who she feels has ruined her and her mother's life by taken everything from them back when Meg was a child.
Kat Roberts is a journalist who has been looking for Meg for years. She feels that Meg has ruined her life. Each woman is out for revenge. Who will get there first?
Chapters alternate between Meg and Kat's perspectives.
This was a good book; not my favorite.

I absolutely loved this thriller! Julie Clark does an amazing job creating stories that are fast-paced and twisty without being too scary or gory. The Lies I Tell is a cat-and-mouse story of a con artist and the journalist who is trying to expose her - by creating a con of her own. Meg has gone through multiple identities, jobs, and marks throughout her life, where she has created long-game cons to gain capital and seek revenge. Kat has been waiting ten years to get her own revenge on Meg, who upended her life years ago. As the two grow close, Kat begins to wonder who Meg's current target is and the lines between reporter and story and friendship start to crumble. I loved the alternating POVs and both female leads. It was easy to see the motivations of both, and I struggled to pick a side! This story is about justice and identity, and I couldn't put it down.

I loved The Last Flight by Julie Clark, but this one quickly became my favorite of hers. She's going to be an auto-buy author for me after this, and this was one of my few five-star thrillers of 2022.

This is the first book I read by Julie Clark and I definitely was not disappointed. It’s a little bit different than a typical thriller which is a nice change.

We have two main characters Kat, a journalist, and Meg, or Melodie, or Maggie… she has more than a few aliases. Each is a strong woman in her own right and they both have a goal and I wouldn’t even try to stop them.

Kat believes that Meg is a con artist and wants to expose her. While Meg definitely is not what she appears to be on the sirface wh I , her reasons go far beyond anything Kat could have imagined. Meg has returned because she has someone that she actually wants to expose. At a glance, it appears that the two women have become friends but you know what they say about keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer.

I was definitely surprised at how things turned out. The story felt like a slow burn but a good one. If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be Karma.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book. My review is voluntary. #TheLiesITell #JulieClark #NetGalley

I really liked The Last Flight so I was looking forward to reading The Lies I Tell. It did not disappoint! This was a great con artist story. I liked Meg's chapters more than Kat's. It was fun going back and forth between the two and I couldn't wait to see what happened at the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.

Fun thriller about two women with very different backgrounds that come together for vengeance.
This book also brings to light the topic of gambling addiction. The plot uses flashbacks and alternating points of view to propel the story forward with twists and turns.

Thank you to @bookmarked and @bibliolifestyle for my gifted copy of The Lies I Tell, by Julie Clark! This exciting thriller is out now. In this book, we meet Meg Williams, along with her many aliases. Meg is a con artist who is cunning and deceiving, and has likely taken everything from you before you even realized it. We also have Kat, who is determined to expose Meg and her many lies. However, once they meet again, things are definitely not as they seem.

I thought this was a very well done thriller, especially with the multiple points of view and timeline that jumped around. The timeline made it even more interesting, and brought me more into the mystery! Both Meg and Kat made for such interesting characters (that were constantly trying to stay one step ahead of each other), which makes this book ripe for great discussion.

⁉️Are there any bookish accessories that really elevate your reading experience?
Obvs book marks to avoid the ol’ dog war, my book sleeves to keep my books tip top 👌 but THIS, this @ugg book pouf is everything. Thanks @pelotonmomsbookclub for persuading me in the spring to buy it. I can’t read in bed without it 😆

BOOK REVIEW
The Lies I Tell, @julieclarkauthor
Pub date: June 21, 2022
302 pages
@sourcebooks

I gave Julie Clark’s The Last Flight a solid 4 star rating after reading it with my book club in the summer, and this was even better IMO.

Clark writes such intelligent and crafty women into her stories. So many authors are beginning to focus on women as the antihero, especially in thrillers (though, I don’t think “thriller” exactly suits this book), and Clark does it so well.

There’s no murder in this one, but Meg (or Maggie or Melody?), a con-artist taking from men who are used to doing the taking. Will she get caught?

This was a super quick and energizing reading experience. I will absolutely read anything Julie Clark writes.

Thanks @netgalley for giving this e-book in exchange for my honest review ✌️

#theliesitell #thelastflight #julieclark #netgalleyreads #arctober #octoberreads #thrillerreads #psychologicalthriller #domesticthriller #botm #botmclub #bookofthemonth #booksilove #readingrecommendations #bookrecs #bookrecommendations #bookishpost #bibliophile #netgalleyreview #bookreview #bookreviewer #bookstGram #bookstagrammer #bookblog #bookjournal #readinglog #booklove #bookworm #booknerd #pelotonmomsbookclub

Another great thriller from Julie Clark. Characters are complex and plot was layered and deceptive. Really enjoyed how it slowly unraveled. Plus, the ending was perfect. Will definitely recommend.

Julie Clark has become one of my must read authors. This book was so fast paced and interesting. Meg is a con artist and Kat is a journalist who is trying to take her down. Meg's preparation before taking on a mark is so detailed and she has a plan for any possible thing that can happen. She is slick, smart and the perfect bad girl. As Kat goes undercover and befriends Meg she starts to really know Meg and see some of her reasons for picking the marks she choses. A really good book about two women with different backgrounds, interesting stories, and I just couldn't put it down!

‘The Lies I Tell’ by Julie Clark is a fun psychological thriller. Clark has written a great page turner!

“Like standing under the Eiffel tower –– when you’re inside of it it’s just a bunch of crisscrossed steel. It’s only from a distance you can see it for what it really is.“

“The lies I tell serve a purpose, tipping karma in the right direction. Returning power to those who have lost it.“

“The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who’s telling the story.”

Just like The Last Flight, Julie Clark gives us another great read! If you want to plow through your reading goals…I feel like she’s the author to help you do it.

This novel has strong female characters with a slightly off balance moral compass in the best possible way. 🔥 💪🏻

You won’t be able to help yourself, you’ll root for the villain and be left satisfied in the end.🙌🏻

I love Julie Clark’s way of tying everything up at the end while still leaving the story open ended. Those are my favorite kind of endings. Satisfied and curious.

Enjoy the ride!

I ended up listening to this book and thought it was just OK it did get better towards the middle of the book and I ended up liking the book a lot more

Love Love Loved this book! I really loved the authors first book and I was so excited to see her coming out with another. I'm so glad I got to read this one early and I am looking forward to her next one!

An interesting revenge thriller. I found myself cheering for the woman being revenged-upon more than the woman doing the revenge.

I really loved this woman-centered twisty thriller - it kept me guessing until the end and had engaging character development throughout! Highly recommend!

I really enjoyed the author's previous book - The Last Flight - so I was very excited to read this one. Surprisingly, I enjoyed The Lies I Tell more than The Last Flight. The characters were well-developed and I could understand their motivations. Overall, this was a great book that I couldn't put down!

It took me a minute to get into this book - I had to start over and pay attention to the characters. After paying better attention, it still took me a bit to follow along with the storyline. Things started to come together and take a turn about a quarter into the book and then I was hooked. The pace was fast and intriguing. The characters were relatable and interesting. I don't feel like the story had a strong ending and read less like a roller coaster and more of a slow burn to the end. The ending made the reader think about the twist and consider right and wrong, but giving away the ending would be giving away a key component to what made this a good read.

I binged this book. I LOVED the con artist theme. The novel had strong character development. I was addicted to Meg - I found her so intriguing. As much as I tried, I couldn’t dislike her. The novel is a slow burn thriller, but it carries a lot of emotion.

The ending was really well done. I’m really glad that I read this one.

That you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.