
Member Reviews

This author is a hit and Miss for me. I clicked on requesting this without even reading the plot. The story just wasn’t for me.

Rainey has just moved from New York to Washington to be with her boyfriend Grant. Grants friends have now become her friends if you can call them that, she’s still trying to find her footing with them she has always felt like an outsider that’s why she loves just being alone with her art. Wanting her to fit in Grant talks her into joining the other girls for a girls weekend in Las Vegas. What no one knows is the desert of Nevada holds secrets to Rainey’s past.
Her name was Summer during her childhood, and her life changed after the death of her father. Sneaking out in the middle of the night to avoid past rent Summer and her Mother packed up their car and headed to the desert of Nevada. Her mother tells her that her childhood friend Taured is offering to help them, he has turned an old prison into safe place where people can live free. What they find their is anything but safe , it’s a compound and Taured is an evil man, he rules with fear and abuse.
Rainey knows she can’t outrun her past but soon it appears her past has caught up with her , and now it’s holding one of the woman hostage until she pays! Wow this book was amazing the author did a fantastic job showing the evil and fear that’s surround a cult , and how it takes strength to face our past! I’m all for strong woman! Be aware of some disturbing scenes.

This is my first Tarryn Fisher novel and I think because of this, I might go and check out a few of her others! This was definitely creepy and a little chilling. It was darker than I was expecting as well. It was a bit of a slow burn and picked up more towards the middle to end of the book and I don't particularly love that in a thriller.
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an early read of this book! #Netgalley #AnHonestLie #TarrynFisher

So going into this I was already unsure. Tarryn Fisher is usually hit or miss for me but, I love her as a person on IG if that makes sense. I think this will get polarizing views.
She definitely always has a fresh take on a thriller which I appreciate. This one is unique and I liked the fresh take on a cult and the after effects of it. It merges current and past timelines and sticks with one POV (Rainy/Summer)
I felt like the current timeline didn’t really add anything to the story. The major part of this book was the effects cult living had on Rainy/Summer and her childhood. So I guess it provided some added drama and a “new setting” for the whole thing to wrap up into. I just didn’t care for it or the side characters. It was a weird transition for Rainy as well and I didn’t see her “new” life as believable because I don’t think she would have become that person.
The flashbacks and dynamics of the cult intrigued me. As you know I am obsessed with anything cult related so I was vested and intrigued as to what was going to happen. You have to suspend belief a bit in the end but, what thriller is truly accurate right? Plus in a flight or fight response I think someone with Rainy/Summer’s PTSD and past would make her a fighter.
I know it sounds like I didn’t like this all that much, but I actually did. It was entertaining and had some real twisted moments which you know Im here for. I personally think this was my favorite by this author! Thank you Netgalley for my advance copy in exchange for my review!

I don't even know where to begin. Reading the synopsis of the book I was super thrilled. It sounded like it would be a page turner of a read. But unfortunately, it just fell flat. I kept looking at reviews on good reads and was surprised it wasn't just me. I thought it might have been.
The book is a serious slow burn. It finally picked up and got good around the 70% mark, but I feel at that point I was so checked out I just wanted to get the book done and over with. I absolutely love suspenseful books, but this I feel may be for beginners into the genre, and not us die hards.
I do want to thank Killer Crime Club on Facebook for hosting a draw for a chance to read this book, I'm glad I got picked. Just wish it was a bit better of a book.

This book was a little too dark for me. I understand that child abuse (sexual, physical, and mental) was important to the establishing the main character's personality and motivations, but I didn't enjoy it and I couldn't understand how the characters got themselves in such a bad situation to begin with. Also, the plot was unbelievable to me. Maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to enjoy this book and need to read something a bit more uplifting!

Rainy reluctantly agrees to a girls weekend in Vegas, encouraged by her boyfriend Grant to bond with the wives of his longtime male friends. Introverted Rainy abhors the idea of drinking and dancing until dawn-but there's another reason that she wants to avoid this trip. Nevada is where the girl she was, Summer, died and a new girl, hardened by sorrow and circumstance was reborn.
Told between dual timelines and shifting between the child, Summer and the adult woman, Rainy, the glimpse into Summer's past as a child member of a cult was fascinating. Her relationship with her mom and their attempts to escape the escalating madness around them held me in thrall.
The problem however, was that the story seemed to fall apart in the present timeline. Rainy's relationships with the women, particularly Braithe and the circumstances that lead to her past catching up to her seem highly implausible at best. I've enjoyed the wild twists in past Tarryn Fisher novels, but this one just didn't seem to connect for me and fell flat. Rainy's choices and the last half of the novel, felt scattered and unfocused. I was left with more questions than answers and wanting to pick up the threads of the earlier "Summer" storyline that was introduced and never fully resolved.
An Honest Lie started with potential but ultimately didn't work for me.

Ok I used to love Tarryn Fisher but I think I just need to leave her books alone now. I didn’t like The Wrong Family and I don’t like this one either. The writing is kind of sad and she lost me in the first 2 pages. I just cannot with this book. So sorry.

Tarryn Fisher has been hit or miss with me and with this newest story, it was definitely more of a hit. I enjoyed the mystery of it all, (and oh the anxiety this one brought me) and the way she crafted the story. I enjoyed the jumps in time and found that this was much better of a read for me than her last novel. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Coerced into going on a girls' trip to Vegas, Rainy is struggling to be so close to her past- one she has kept hidden from everyone she knows, including her boyfriend. Stuck with this group of girls she barely knows and worried about the weird tension forming in the group, she impulsively goes back to Friendship, the small town where her childhood was destroyed and sets into a motion a series of events that will put her and those she cares about at risk.
Intriguing but ultimately dissapointing is how I would describe this book. Rainy's past includes being trapped in a cult, run by a charasmatic and dangerous man. Those chapters are the most fascinating parts of the book, as well as the most disturbing. The present-day Rainy is less interesting and is mainly just closed off to everyone around her; understandable given her past but not exciting to read. The biggest issue though is the grand finale which involves a lot of coincidences and steps that are really hard to believe, resulting in a dramatic conclusion that is so big it veers into ridiculousness. It then neatly is wrapped up in an afterword and feels like a let down after this carefully woven story of Rainy in a cult.
The book holds a lot of promise but the payoff isn't quite there.

ARC provided by netgalley.
I could not put this book down. An honest lie is full of suspense and mystery and I just had to to keep reading to know what the next chapter had in store for me.
Rainy is a unique and unsociable at times artist. She’s trying to fit in with her boyfriends group of friends but she’s hating every minute of it. These ladies seem to be like mean girls from high school and I wasn’t sure if any of them were even being truthfully nice or just backstabbing and conniving. The group made my blood boil. When the ladies practically force her into a trip to vegas things take a turn into the unexpected.
The book flips from Rainy’s past to her present and we slowly find out what happened in her past to shape the way she is today and I didn’t see any of it coming at all.
Tarryn Fisher has done an outstanding job with this book. I had no idea what was coming next and I loved very minute of it. If you’re a thriller fan grab this one as soon as it’s out! Five stars!

Oh my gosh, oh my gosh..in the thriller/mystery world, this book is a complete almost creepy thriller. It kept me totally entertained until the very end. The “true” plot reveals itself in flashbacks, which kept me hungry for more. I have never read this author before, but I definitely will again! I just finished the book and my heart rate is still elevated!

From an outsider with secrets at the cool girls' table to a twisted game of cat and mouse. I freaking devoured it. Rainy grew up in an insane world dealing with daily psychological manipulation. Now present day she finds herself having a hard time trusting people. And who could blame her? Parts of this story were pretty intense and I loved how Rainy navigated complicated situations with either a take no part and step back or only allow outsiders this much of you. She's a great street smart, trusts your instincts sort of girl and it helped me back her one hundred percent. Very entertaining and clever novel that pulls you in and drags you into a crazy, narcissistic world with no escape.

This review pains me to write because aside from CoHo, Tarryn Fisher could write the instructions for using a toaster and I was pay money to read them. I love her. I love the twists and turns she writes into her books, the shock factor, and the way my brain just explodes after turning the final page. Unfortunately, I just didn’t feel a whole lot after finishing this one.
I was intrigued by Rainy’s childhood and what she experienced growing up and eventually escaping a cult. I could have used more from that time in her life, rather than that of a Washington housewife with shitty friends. The two points of view just did not mesh well and the drama surrounding the girls’ trip was just unnecessary in my opinion.

Rainy reluctantly goes on a girls trip to Las Vegas where she finds herself haunted by her past. There are dual timelines in this book from growing up in a cult to the present day on her girls trip. Most of the storyline is intriguing and you struggle to trust any of the characters, but the storylines didn’t connect well for me. While the ending is action-pact, it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, I just was hoping it would end sooner.
This is a very unique thriller and will keep you entertained if you like dark and twisty.
Thank you NetGalley and Halequin Trade for this eArc in exchange for my honest review.

I couldn’t put down Tarryn Fisher’s newest novel, An Honest Lie. The suspense kept building and the use of flashbacks to provide the backstory had me wanting more.
Rainy has moved to the stormy and isolated area of Tiger Mountain to live with her boyfriend. Hoping for a fresh start and a place to hide from a difficult childhood, she is quickly ensconced in a new group of friends. When they decide to take a girls trip, Rainy reluctantly agrees to attend. What starts out as a typical trip to Vegas takes a violent turn as Rainy has to confront her past while rescuing her new friend.
The author’s use of dual timelines creates a tension in the book as the backstory is gradually revealed. Tarryn Fisher’s characters are well written and relatable. The family and group dynamics among her new friends were realistic and the portrayal of her childhood situation was fascinating.
Thanks to NetGalley and Graydon House publishers for the advanced copy in return for an opportunity to provide an honest review.

really liked this one from Tarryn Fisher. It took a second to get into the book, but once the plot started moving it was a quick read that had me turning pages through the night. I liked the dual timeline aspect of the plot and was intrigued by the cult backstory. That said, I was wishing the relationships between characters were a bit more established to make the ending a bit more plausible. The puzzle pieces seemed to almost fit. I will definitely look forward to more from Tarryn Fisher in the future. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced review copy in exchange for my honest review. .

I just finished reading "An Honest Lie", by Tarryn Fisher. Thank you to Net Galley and Harlequin Trade for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a fascinating story which looks at the aftermath of childhood trauma and it's impact on life as an adult. The main character, Rainy or Summer, is full for contradictions and turmoil and her backstory is the most fascinating part of the book. The novel is written in past and present form, with Rainy taking a trip to Vegas with girlfriends. She goes even though she doesn't want to and it is there that she is forced to face her past.
The story is well-written and the characters are interesting and relateable. I was never quite sure whether Rainy was accepted in her group or not, and at the end the same questions remained.
My favourite part of the book was the back story to Rainy's life when her name was Summer. It was fascinating to read and very well-written.
The 'now' part was good but not as riveting. I enjoyed this book and ther relationships between the characters. It was a story that was, for the most part, easy to follow along. Even though there were no major plot twists or revelations, it was still an interesting book to read. There were alot of honest lies told in this book, which made it even more relateable, blurring the line between saving someone from hurt and being truthful is always a tough decision to make. Happy to recommend this book. #anhonest lie #NetGalley
Happy Reading

I'll admit - with thrillers, sometimes I peek ahead to see the ending (I know, I know!). The way I know a novel really has me hooked? I still need to go back to see why/what/how things happened. That was the case with this one - I was so invested in the characters and had a hard time putting it down, which is a winner in my book (no pun intended).
Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Mmm Tarryn Fisher has yet again written a thriller. This is sure to be a fan favorite for all TF readers and fans of the thriller/mystery genre. This had a suspenseful, creepy, have to turn the pages feel and I loved it!