Another solid read by Mary Burton. Great story line.

Thank you #netgalley and #montlake for the eARC.

I am a huge fan of Mary Burton, but this book seemed to be a little slower paced than normal.

I enjoyed the book and it had some twists and turns, a murder, some lost memory, lots of secrets/lies, a dysfunctional family, and a few surprises along the way.

This book has a very interesting premise. I liked that the story was from multiple POV's, that is something a story always gets me with. I also felt that the author did a great job creating an atmosphere that the reader could envision. But I do feel that the story was lacking and ended up putting it down at the 30% mark. I would be interested in trying other books written by Mary Barton. I think that this would be a great mood read for me at another time, but was not the book that I was looking for at the time I started reading this.

This book was cleverly written. It’s full of mystery and suspense with interesting twists and turns. I was completely hooked on this story from the very beginning. I actually liked the main character, Marisa. She was complex but believable. She had a to deal with; the murder of her twin 14 years ago, missing memory after a car accident and battling her sobriety.

I highly recommend this book. It will keep you turning the page for more. Everybody lies.

Thank you to NetGalley, Montlake and Mary Burton for an ARC of "The Lies I Told" in exchange of an honest review.

This is a seriously peculiar thriller that depicts the lives of three dysfunctional sisters, and their close friends who are just as flawed as they are.

The sisters, twins Marisa, who is a recovering alcoholic, Clare, and their older sister, Brit were raised by a mother who had continuously poisoned them as a way to control their behavior. However, she eventually killed herself. The father was rarely in the picture even after their mother died. The girls ended up raising themselves, which added to their insecurities. In fact, the girls labeled themselves as “the lush, the slut and the control freak.”

JoJo is the other woman in the sisters’ lives. She had grown up with the girls and did everything together. In fact, they called themselves The Three Musketeers.

This story also includes their old friend Jack. Jack used to date Brit, but is now married to JoJo. He has always been closely involved in the four women’s lives. A newer friend is David. He has a serious relationship with Brit and is also a close member of this group.

All of these people consider themselves to be close friends with each other. However, unfortunately, they are the epitome of the famous saying “With friends like you, who needs enemies.”

Thus, when Clare is murdered, the already difficult relationship between these “friends” becomes even more flawed.

The author takes the reader down man difficult paths and obstacles as Marisa attempts to solve her sister’s death. However, the greatest obstacle she must overcome is her own alcoholism. Her illness makes it difficult for people to take her seriously. It is also a weakness that people can use against her. But most of all, she constantly must fight to stay sober at a time when her life is totally out-of-control.

This is a riveting book. None of the characters, especially the heroine, can be considered “fine upstanding citizens.” Plus, the plot will captivate and confuse the reader, all at the same time.

In a Nutshell: This could have been outstanding, but the slow pace, random and over-convenient twists, and needless character perspectives made this an average experience for me.

Story Synopsis:
When identical twins Marisa and Clare Stockton were sixteen, Clare’s body was found on a riverbank. Fourteen years later and no arrests or suspects, Marisa is still struggling to put the grief behind, though she has a successful career as a photographer. She has been indulging in substance and alcohol abuse but has been on the road to recovery since the last year. After she meets with an almost fatal road accident in Jan 2022, she suffers partial amnesia that leaves her disoriented and with a constant feeling of someone watching her. There are too many disturbing things happening, and Marisa is at the centre of it all. Is someone out to get her, or is it just her imagination?

Where the book worked for me:
👌 The story was interesting enough, though it didn’t keep me on tenterhooks.

👌 A few of the characters were well-sketched. I liked Marisa’s portrayal the best, though it too had minor flaws. I was initially worried that she would be yet another unreliable narrator with an alcohol addiction but her character was handled fairly well by the author. Detective Richards was also quite impactful in his limited role.

I am actually struggling to think of more points I loved, but nothing else comes to mind. That said, I never once thought of DNFing the book, nor did I find it boring despite being dragged. I suppose that is a minor positive as well.


Where the book could have worked better for me:
⚠ The story is written in the first person perspectives of Marisa (more than half of the chapters were from her perspective), her elder sister Brit, best friend Jo-Jo, Jack (Jo-Jo’s husband and friend to the Stockton sisters), Detective Richards (the investigating officer), and a mysterious “Him” who seems obsessed with the twin. It was too many first person povs. Though the chapter headings indicated the character clearly, there wasn’t enough individuality in the voices to distinguish across them. Maybe a limited third person narration would have worked better.

⚠ There are too many characters at the start and it is a bit tricky at the start to remember all the names and relationships. A couple of the male characters are present only to create confusion over their intentions but they are dropped by the wayside soon enough with their arcs going nowhere.

⚠ The first half is terribly slow. I felt like I was reading and reading and nothing was happening except conjectures and character backstories. The percentage indicator wasn’t moving up fast enough.

⚠ It wasn’t difficult to guess the responsible party after some chapters. I feel that most avid thriller readers will be able to figure it out fairly easily.

⚠ The deadly logical+pessimist combo in me refuses to accept that nothing came to light for fourteen years and suddenly everything is out in the open within a few weeks. And as usual, it is the amateur family member who discovers stuff that the official investigators didn’t.


All in all, an average experience. I don’t regret reading it but I wouldn’t have regretted missing out on it too. Many other reviewers seem to have enjoyed it far more, so please go through their reviews so that you can make an informed choice about the title.

I have heard a lot about this author but maybe I just began with the wrong title from her vast suspense repertoire. I might check out a couple of her other titles before I decide if her writing style is meant for me or not.

2.5 stars from me.

My thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Lies I Told”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
- Marisa was the main character on this story. Had a twin sister (Clare ) who died 14 years later until she needed to find a missing piece for her peace. Marisa is trying to be sober after a long addiction and also a photographer.
- They had a sister in a mother image Brit, who from the young age taking care of them as their mother died from overdose . Brit has a boyfriend David.
- also, I find it quite similar to ‘you’ (joe) as their is part of stalking and narrating and following the main character .
- also there is well dedicated police detective richards who is retiring but yet again it’s been there from 14 years ago.
- now the story was quite slow paced,but every chapter was described and written neatly. More of drama than thriller,you will feel the most thriller part on the end with a very twisty ending.
All in all, it was a great read. Light and great for someone starting with mystery and thriller:)


⭐️ Thankyou #netgalley #maryburton #montlakepublisher for the arc copy of this book for a honest review.




❤️shaye.reads

You can tell it straightaway that The Lies I Told is well-written. Mary Burton even manages to pull off all the multiple POVs (there are 6, so by all counts, I should have been hopelessly lost, but, no, it was all very clear). The characters are intriguing, but we're told just enough about them, only what we need to know for the sake of unravelling their secrets and solving the core mystery. Above all, where the autho'r skill shows the most is the choice of the topic: our fascination with identical twins is endless, especially when one of them is missing and the other one keeps living their life.

The plot was intriguing, but the pace was a bit too slow in the first third of the book. There was a lot of potential, and yet, something was missing. It was as if the introduction of all these points of view drew out the exposition unnecessarily. The pace picks up in the last third when we have already discovered the reason why Clare was murdered and it is more or less clear who did it. There are a few red herring male characters, but nothing to make you doubt that you’ve solved the mystery early on and are waiting for justice to run its course.

There is one incredibly unlikeable character and sometimes it felt a bit too much. We all love reading about dysfunctional families, but sometimes you really have to suspend your belief ( ‘And nobody noticed? And nobody suspected?!’). Marisa herself, on the other hand, is easy to sympathise with as she is the first one to admit her mistakes. She is also the most optimistic one, the one who believes in being able to become a better version of oneself. I would have liked more depth in the villain- we get a few hints about their past, but not enough.

I’m glad to have discovered Mary Burton’s books- better late than never!- and would love to read more from this talented author. Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake fo the review copy provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

The lies I told by Mary Burton was an enjoyable read, although I did find it dragged a bit a times. I did find I wanted to continue reading because I liked the plot and to see whether I had it figured out. It had a couple of unexpected twists and was light on romance making this a good beach read.
I received an advanced copy from the Netgalley and Montlake for a review.

I really enjoyed the book. I wanted more on Alan because I like more of a role for the love interest.

An amazing story with twists and turns you won’t expect.

This story is about the tragedy of two girls, twins actually. Clare and Marissa are sixteen when Clare is murdered. Fourteen years later, the case is still open. The death of her sister put Marissa on a path of personal destruction. Demons haunt her. Brit, the girls’ older sister, plays an important role in the story. I don’t want to add a spoiler, so I’ll just say I disliked her from the start. Of course, there are friends from the past still in the picture that throw more options into the mix. You will enjoy the interaction between all the characters. You may even think you know what happened. Just remember, things aren’t always what they seem. I thought I was rather good at figuring out the “who done it” as I read a lot of suspense, but I was totally wrong on this one. It was so well written with so many twists and turns, I had no clue. That makes a great read to me. Mary Burton never disappoints and this book will be one at the top of my list to re-read.

The Lies I Told has so much going on that at times I wasn't sure what the purpose of the story. Too many times to count the story slowed down and at times the author created an unnecessary scene.

The story was dragged out to the point I didn't really care who the killer was. As the story unfolds the killer is pretty easy to figure out and the reason why is pretty thin as to why it happened.

The characters were dull at best as well as the reasons for the lies they all told.

This was a disappointing Mary Burton book this is my suggestion do not wait the time on The Lies I told.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of Mary Burton The Lies I Told.

The Lies I Told was so good!. I loved the suspense. As lies were exposed and secrets were revealed, I wasn't sure who to trust. It kept me guessing until the end.

The Lies I Told is a clever and emotionally charged psychological suspense.
There is an eerie sense of unease and an air of menace right from the beginning and this only increases as the story progresses and as we get to know Marisa. She has a tragic past with the unsolved murder of her twin sister haunting her and a growing belief that her own recent car accident was no accident at all.
I liked Marisa a lot. She is a flawed character in that she has struggled with addiction in the past but has put in the work to turn her life around.
There are plenty of red herrings, suspects and twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. The plot is quick-paced and eventful making it a real page turner and a book I couldn't put down.

Wow !! A terror inducing thriller that is exquisitely written ! A must read ! I highly recommend ! Thanks to Mary Burton , Netgalley and Montlake for the opportunity to read and review this book ! Opinions are solely my own ! #MaryBurton #Netgalley #MontlakeRomance #TheLiesITold

Another great tale by a master storyteller. Always entertaining and suspenseful. A satisfying end after working your way through a twisting plot.

This is one very interesting Suspense tale. The heroine is one really messed up woman who is functional but has soooo many issues. The hero, if you could say this plot has a hero, likes what he sees but delving deeper may not be in his best interest. Actually, as much as I wanted a hero, there really wasn't one. This story was all about one woman's road to getting justice for her murdered twin and overcoming her awful family.

Marisa Stockton is finally getting her life together. She has been clean and sober for a year, the photography business is booming, and she feels that now is the time to find out who killed her twin sister, Clare, 14 years ago. "Everyone lies." Detective Richards has told Marisa and he is right. For 14 years everyone connected with Clare has lied about something and that that is why her murder is still unsolved. No one wants Marisa to pursue the case, they all fear she will lose her tenuous hold on sobriety. She may already have done that when she was in a single car accident that left her with a 10-day hole in her memory. They all just knew she had been drinking.

So many things were so wrong in Marisa and Clare's lives 14 years ago. As Marisa begins to pick apart the events surrounding that time, she draws the attention of a killer. She also doesn't know who to trust and, oh yeah, Everyone Lies. 3 1/2-Stars

My thanks to Montlake, Publisher, and Mary Burton, author, for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.

Marissa’s twin sister Clare was murdered at the age of 16 and her murderer was never found, to cope Marissa turned to drugs and alcohol. 14 years later and now clean and sober Marissa needs to solve her sisters murder.
This is written from many characters point of views which i don’t normally enjoy, that being said it's an engrossing easy read with lots of twists and turns with a little romance thrown in.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review.

Marisa and Clare were twins until they found Clare's body in the river. The case remained unsolved. Marisa had a car accident and lost some memory of what happened. Marisa keeps on the detective to keep working on the murder case. Someone is watching Marisa and getting into her apartment. A thrilling conclusion.

Loved Marissa, strong but wounded with memories and addiction. Fighting for her sobriety, resolution to her twin sisters death and her family - which is Brit and herself. I did not like Brit from the get go. Her whoa is me and Marissa could do not right, while understood to a certain extent, made me want to smack her. The first time a bad person shows up in print, I knew he would be up to no good. Others were a surprise I didn't see coming. I so wanted to give Marissa a hug and say hang in there girl, I believe in you. Yet if I wasn't the reader, if I was a friend, would I, or would I travel down the common path, waiting for her to screw up. There are twists, and some shocks, one had my jaw dropping. The epilogue was sweet, but could have used a little more closure before that. Mary Burton is an auto buy, I am always intrigued, sometimes entranced and I come out a better person for reading her. Thank you for the arc! I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #maryburton #montlake #netgalley