Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It did take me awhile to connect with the story and the pacing definitely picked up in the second half of the book. I also really liked having multiple POVs. Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid story with a couple good twists but nothing super original.

This thriller was enthralling
I really like this author and plan o breading more books by her .
Thank you NetGalley for arc !

Could you ever give up searching for answers if your sibling was murdered? I'm thinking most would say no.
That is the position Marissa Stockton finds herself in, fourteen years after the death of her twin, Clare.

I was sympathetic to Marissa from the beginning - a woman fighting internal demons due to her past alcohol addiction and guilt about her sister's death. Did her actions contribute to Clare's death? It wasn't clear. However, despite her own issues, she doesn't give up searching for answers, which was commendable since it seemed no one else was trying. I guessed someone she knew was the murderer, it was only a question as to whether she got the answers without putting herself at risk.

The author tells the story from multiple POVs, but the primary ones were Marissa and her sister, Brit. While it wasn't obvious who the murder was, some POVs began to provide more clarity about what happened fourteen years ago. The fact that drugs were involved, and Marissa and Clare often pretended to be the other, I assumed had to have been a factor. But it is one photograph that changes the course of the investigation.

Although some might consider Marissa to be an unreliable narrator due to her past addiction, I supported her throughout and loved how she was the difference maker. Overall, a well plotted mystery.

Good, solid story with some interesting twists.

Several years ago, the twin sister of the main character, Marisa, was murdered. The crime was never solved, and Marisa, who had problems with alcohol and drugs as a teenager, became addicted for many years. But she never stopped wanting to find her sister's murderer. Now that Marisa is finally sober, this is even more real, especially when new facts begin to emerge and people who have been silent for years begin to speak.

We know from the start that a man might have been involved in Clare's death. But what we do not lack are male suspects. It seems every man in Clare and Marisa's lives has something on their conscience or is hiding a secret. Plus, many of them were interested in both twins, and sometimes even their older sister, Brit. Untangling this snare of old lies and crimes will not be easy. And with all this, Marisa struggles to truly recover from her addiction.

The second half of the book seemed to me much faster than the first. But maybe it's because I was already heavily involved in the story. There are a few POVs here aside from Marisa's main narrative. In general, I don't like too many POVs, and I don't think all of them were necessary in this case either. Especially since we only heard from some people once or twice. But it was not a big problem.

I recommend this book to everyone who likes stories about unresolved crimes from years ago and complicated, and sometimes murderous, family relationships. Even though the victim is a young girl, there are no drastic descriptions of violence against her. However, there are quite detailed descriptions of how Marisa, not always successful, struggles with alcohol addiction - be warned in case you are sensitive to such issues.

3 Stars

One Liner: Mixed bag

Marisa and Clare Stockton are twins with Brit as their elder sister. Clare’s body is found in Virginia’s James River when she was sixteen. The case went nowhere as none of the leads helped.
Fourteen years later, Marisa survives a car accident with some memory loss about the incident. She swears she hasn’t consumed alcohol or drugs, but no one seems to believe her (not with her track record of spending most of her time zoned out due to substance abuse).
But Marisa has been clean for a year. Her wedding photography business is flourishing. Brit is taking good care of her (even if it’s a little too much). She should be happy, but Marisa cannot rest until Clare’s case is solved. She has too many questions and no answers. Her smudgy memory doesn’t help either.
Can Marisa get to the truth of the matter and get the closure she needs? Will she end up being an alcoholic because the pressure is too much to handle? Who is following Marisa, and what will they do to stop her progress?

My Observations:
The first half is clunky and slow. We seem to be going round in circles under 55%. Things start to happen afterward, and everything goes a fast track around 80-85%. I was almost bored on the first two days (as I barely touched 30%).
The story comes in the first person POV of-
• Marisa
• The unknown Him
• Brit
• Jo-Jo
• Jack
• Richards
Yeah! Marisa has a bigger share, but with so many POVs (not all of them are distinct), it feels more of a chore to track everything. The chapter titles mention the POVs (wondering how it would work for a single-narrator audiobook).
None of the characters are likable. Marisa is the only one who comes close. She is highly flawed yet has the grit to see things through.
The climax is rushed, and the ending takes its own sweet time. I appreciate the process of tying up the loose ends one at a time, but it got boring. Not to mention, a character’s actions seem strange and contradictory.
This book feels like it has potential but needs tightening and may be cut down a couple of first-person POVs and use third-person omnipresent instead.

To sum up, The Lies I Told is a mixed bag with a couple of hits and misses. Not something I will want to read in a single sitting.
Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Marisas twin was murdered when they were 16 and the case has never been solved. Marisa has struggled with alcoholism in the years since. Her older sister has always been there to pick up the pieces. When Marisa is in a car accident she can’t remember the accident, but flashes of memories keep coming. The chapters in the book are told from different characters point of view. There is plenty of suspense and you aren’t sure who is telling the truth. There are a few twists and surprises at the end. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Lol. I spent the whole time trying to figure out the lie. I am partial to this author but I still have expectations. Maybe more than for others. You get well developed characters, a sound story, skilled writing, and an intricate plot. It's about relationships, good and bad. You will have to pay attention and think. And you may stay up all night because you can't find a good place to stop!

When Marisa Stockton was sixteen, her twin sister, Clare, was murdered and her body was dumped in the James River near Richmond. Fourteen years later, the case remains unsolved. Not long before her thirtieth birthday, Marisa was in a car accident and suffered a head injury. She can no longer remember anything that happened during the ten days prior to the accident. Marisa is convinced that someone drugged her and forced her to crash. She also believes that she learned something crucial about Clare's murder. With her older sister, the original detective, and her friends pushing for her to let it go and move on, Marisa puts herself in Clare's killer's path and pushes forward towards solving the case.

THE LIES I TOLD is a quick but heavy read. All of the main characters come with their own load of crushing baggage that a therapist could spend their entire career sorting through. Despite there being a lot going on, the plot ebbed and flowed throughout the novel. Some scenes were fast paced and interesting. Other scenes dragged and were boring. The ending left me overall unsatisfied. Yes, there was a conclusion to the case. But there were so many other things going on that were left unresolved.

The view point jumps back and forth in time. It also moves between multiple characters—with Marisa being the most predominate. There were a few scenes written from the killer's perspective. Considering I had the killer pegged from the beginning, it would have been more enjoyable to just know who it was so that more of his motives could be revealed. I will say that it was fascinating to get into everyone's heads and learn about the secrets they've been keeping—but I felt like Burton only scratched the surface with some of their motives. The novel could have been mush more of a psychological thriller if Burton had delved deeper into the main characters' heads and explained why they did what they did and continued to do so.

This is my first Mary Burton book and I found it to be a very enjoyable suspense novel. The story is about a woman who lost her twin sister to an unsolved murder when they were 16 years old. Fourteen years later she is still struggling and decides to make one last push for justice before the Detective who has had the case from the beginning retires. The story twists and turns around the relationships of the two remaining sisters and a small group of friends. I, especially enjoyed that it was set in Richmond, Virginia, which I know so well.

Marisa’s family history is messy. A murdered twin sister, dead parents whose marriage was unhappily, and a controlling older sister. She’s had her own hurdles to overcome, but Marisa us determine to uncover who killed her sister.
I like stories about twins, mystery, and murder. The Lies I Told is deliciously sinister. As the pieces clicked together, there’s a major break through that I didn’t see coming. I love it when an author can deceive me and send me down different rabbit holes.
There’s also other components that will horrify readers.
My favorite character was scruffy dedicated Detective Richardson, See if he can track down the culprit.

4.5 I enjoyed this book quite a bit. A story of a twin trying to solve the mystery of who killed her sister while trying to remain sober. Lots of twisted family dynamics and a fast moving easy to read plot. Would read others by this author

Marisa's twin sister Clare was murdered when they were 16. Her older sister Brit has tried to keep the family together but Marisa still wonders what happened to her twin. This event has lead her to multiple stints in rehab and a whole list of bad choices. A recent car accident has caused a black hole of a week or more of memories to disappear and she just isn't sure who to trust.

As the anniversary of Clare's death looms, Marisa attempts to solve the murder. She feels like every time she gets a step closer, something happens and she is two steps behind. Worse, the killer might still be out there and looking for her! If you love a thriller that grabs you from the start then The Lies I Told is for you!
#montlake #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads #TheLiesITold

What I found most compelling about this book was the main character Marissa. She is a complex character dealing with her problems with alcohol and the murder of her twin sister Clare. Not to mention the almost antagonistic ways of her sister Brit. Marissa is driven strongly to find her twin’s murderer which puts her in harm’s way. I enjoyed the story very much.

Twin sisters Marissa and Clare were only 16 years old when Clare’s body was found in a river. The case was never solved so Marissa tries to solve the case 14 years later. She stumbles across a lot of “issues” along the way. The suspense had me glued to the pages from the very beginning. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This was well written and another good mystery by Mary Burton.
That being said I did not like the storyline, the treachery and most of the characters. I couldn’t find many redeeming qualities in any of the characters. To say I was disappointed is an understatement and I really struggled to finish this book. Too much dark for me in these trying times we currently live in. The mystery was scary and like I said well written but it didn’t make up for unlikeable characters and the sad backstory of alcoholism, stalking and unsolved murder. I appreciate the opportunity to be part of the review team.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I enjoyed this read. I felt engaged throughout the story, and could not wait to get to the end. I would recommend to other who like suspense novels like me!

Took me quite a while to get into this book. I actually stopped and read something else for awhile. It picked up some after 50% but overall was just ok. The story was pretty predictable and just didn't flow very well for me. Not my favorite by the author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Montlake for an advanced readers copy for my honest review.

Thank you for the ARC of The Lie I Told by Mary Burton that I read and reviewed.
This was one heck of a book by Mary Burton. When I started reading it and I got I know the characters I was able to figure out we killed Clare right away but I was not sure why and I did not see the other surprise that Burton had up her sleeve coming a mile away and I loved it. Once I got into this book I could not put this book down. I got obsessed with Marsha’s quest to find out who killed her sister almost as much as she was. I also wanted her to somehow find some glimmer how happiness if it be with finding a romance somewhere along her journey or finally put her sister to rest. I wanted her to get away from all of the toxic things in her life and finally be happy and I so needed race through this book to see what this character needs to go through to get the the point that Burton was going to take her.
I can honest say I really enjoyed The Lies I Told and I am giving it five out of five stars!