First of all I would just like to thank, NetGalley, Lauren North and Bookouture for an ARC of “My Word Against His” in exchange for an honest review.

I honestly don’t know where to begin, I’m still in shock. I haven’t read a book this good in a long time. This is a psychological thriller, told through multiple POV’s and alternating timelines that is split into three parts.

So much happens in this book it’s impossible to wrap your head around. This book brings a whole new meaning to the term “unreliable narrator”. You literally can’t trust ANYONE or anything you read. In my opinion, these are the best type of books.

The writing is cohesive and easy to read, with an under-weaving of eeriness to keep you tense. The plot is ingenious and I struggle to comprehend how anyone can be intelligent enough to come up with a plot/concept such as this, let alone actually execute it to such an amazing extent.

My opinions on characters changed just as often as my suspicions did, which is great because I went through loving and hating each character at least once. I also loved the sprinkling of the text messages throughout.

I honestly wish I could show you my notes because there were so many instances whilst reading this book were all I could think to write were phrases such as WHAT??, to attempt to convey my audible shock. Every time I gasped at a plot twist, I got a strange look from across the room.

There isn’t one thing I’d change about this book, I wholeheartedly believe it was executed perfectly. I 100% recommend this book to everyone, but especially to anyone who wants to personally overwhelm themselves with shocking twists and reveals. Absolutely brilliant.

“My Word Against His” is a thriller by Lauren North. It took me a while to get into this book - though it starts off pretty excitingly from pretty much the beginning. This book took a lot of twists and turns - to the point where I wasn’t sure who to trust (in essence, trust no one). I really felt for Sam and rather wish he’d gotten into another car. While I could puzzle the pieces together (after the first part) it still took a bit of time. This was an enjoyable quick read.

I wasn't sure about this when I first started it, the POVs change from chapter to chapter and I don't usually love that BUT it is the most genuinely surprising thriller I've read in ages and now I want to go back and re-read all the hints I missed!

Read this if:
🏠 You love the shattering of a perfect suburban image
😲 You want to be surprised, repeatedly
⏳You like a story revealed through flashbacks and POV shifts

Official summary:
‘It’s me,’ says the voice on the other end of the line. It’s been thirteen years and I still recognise it. Thirteen years of nothing. Silence. Not even a birthday card. ‘It’s time for you to tell the truth. It’s life or death.’

Some more thoughts:

📚 Gripping, surprising. Takes an ordinary situation and just keeps pulling back layers to reveal the darkness underneath.

🙋 Absolutely nobody is what they seem in this and that is the magic of it.

📍Suburban, present day, very normal - and that's what makes the events so shocking

👩‍🎓 This was a quick read that kept me engaged right to the end. Not challenging but definitely one to reread to catch the foreshadowing.

Overall a great psychological thriller that kept me guessing to the end.

A brilliant book from the first page, I love this style of writing and she explains it, roll on the next one

A brilliant read after a slightly confusing start. Once I got into it though it was fantastic, it never let up!! I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the approval to read and review this book.

My first book by this author and it won't be the last. The story is told by different characters across different time lines. It all starts with Lucie's call to Celia after 13 years of silence, which leads us down a story with various plot twists and turns, leading to a climatic conclusion. I will be recommending this book to my fellow readers.

First time I’ve read a book by this author. What a brilliant psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat from page one could not put it down - page after page of fast paced tension with so many twists and a totally unexpected ending - disappointed now as don’t feel I will find a book to match it! Highly recommend

Where do I start with this psychological thriller that had me the edge of my seat, this book had so many twists and turns at one point my mouth dropped and I yelled WTH. You never really know who to trust or what the truth is throughout this book. Lucie’s call to Celia leads to a chain of events that reveals secrets, lies and changes their lives. This book shows how a mother will go to any lengths to protect her child even at the expense of her own life. This book was so good and I really got into I wished I didn’t have to put it down. I’ve never heard of Lauren North or read any of her books but I will be reading them from now on. I cannot recommend this book enough. What a ride!!!
#MyWordAgainstHis #NetGalley

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, murder, mystery, gas lighting, and some heavy duty mind games! A different who done it, and a some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and kept me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I’ve been waiting for a newer book to come out by Lauren North as I really enjoyed The Perfect Son. This is an intense thriller that kept me guessing till the end. No one could be trusted in this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review. To be published May 2023.

Celia, Lucie, Sam....what a triangle.

Could we add a few others to the mix?

Celia was married to Martin. They had a son, Henry, but the marriage was abusive.

Lucie was a teenager that Celia took under her wing but Lucie found out something about Celia and never returned to that house again.

When Lucie phones Celia thirteen years later and says she has to talk to her, Sam comes into the picture.

Same jumps into Celia's car as she is on her way to meet Lucie, holds her at knife point, and makes her drive three hours away.

When Celia crashes the car after Sam stabbed her, the police show up but whose story will the police believe?

Celia is worried her past will be uncovered, but Sam already has a record so who would believe him?

MY WORD AGAINST HIS is very tense, and you don't know who to trust, who to like or dislike, who is lying, or who to feel sorry for.

So hold onto your hats folks....surprise after surprise is there as you continue.

Another good one by Ms. North.

It was a bit confusing ​at first ​with the past and present colliding, but the suspense and twists ​that ​ke​pt coming your way will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The ending is a jaw dropper!! 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

"My Word Against His" by Lauren North is a thrilling and suspenseful psychological thriller that will keep readers hooked from start to finish. The story follows the protagonist, a woman whose past comes back to haunt her when she receives a mysterious phone call from a voice she recognizes after thirteen years of silence. As events spiral out of control, she finds herself in a life-or-death situation, grappling with the truth of what happened years ago and the lies she's had to tell to protect her family.

North's writing is taut and fast-paced, with jaw-dropping twists and turns that will leave readers guessing until the very end. The story is filled with tension and suspense, as the protagonist races against time to save herself and her family while unraveling the truth of the past. The characters are well-drawn and multi-dimensional, with complex motivations that add depth to the story.

The themes of family, secrets, and the lengths one would go to protect their loved ones are explored in a gripping and thought-provoking way. The protagonist's unwavering determination to protect her family, despite the consequences, adds an emotional layer to the story that will resonate with readers.

"My Word Against His" is a compelling and unputdownable psychological thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. With its gripping plot, memorable characters, and shocking twists, this book is a must-read for fans of the genre. Lauren North delivers a thrilling and satisfying read that will leave readers wanting more.

i loved this book so much. it was gripping right from the very start, and i will always highly rate a thriller that truly keeps me guessing the whole way through. every time i thought i knew what was happening, everything would change. there were times where i felt sorry for and empathised with every single character, and other times where i felt so mad at every character, which i think speaks to some great writing and character development from Lauren North. reading this was a great experience and i’d highly recommend!!

Cecelia who worked briefly at the school befriended a young Lucie. Inviting her back for tea. However Lucie must be gone by the time Martin gets home. Shortly after Lucie tells Ceceila she's never coming back.
Did she know her secret?

A gripping psychological thrillers that I couldn't put down. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

Wow! I am at a loss for words… Incredible… Kept me on the edge of my seat… I could not look away from the pages for a second. I was completely engrossed in the story from start to finish… A must read! Left me speechless.

This is an absolute belter of a book. More twists and turns than I could have predicted. One of my favourite authors. I recommend this and all the other books she’s written.

Exactly how I like my suspense novels, thrilling and page-turning. I was kept guessing and enjoyed every twist in this book!

My Word Against His by Lauren North

‘It’s me,’ says the voice on the other end of the line. It’s been thirteen years and I still recognize it. Thirteen years of nothing. Silence. Not even a birthday card. ‘It’s time for you to tell the truth. It’s life or death.’

Three hours later, car tires screech and the airbags release. For a second, nothing happens. There’s only stunned silence and a ringing in my ears.

I peel open my eyes. What have I done? There’s a groan, and I gasp, terrified, at the sight of the man next to me. This is all his fault. Fumbling with the door, I half step, half fall into the freezing cold air. I’m shivering all over as my knees land on the tarmac. ‘Help,’ I whisper into the dark, empty street.

Then there’s a flash of blue light. A siren. The police are coming. They will save me, and arrest him. They will see a dangerous man and an innocent victim – a loving mother with a son she cherishes.

They have to – because they can’t know the truth. They can’t discover what happened thirteen years ago and what happened tonight. All those years back, the lies nearly destroyed us. I won’t let that happen today. It’s my word against his. And there’s no line I won’t cross to protect my family.

Out on May 26.

Lauren North is fast becoming on of my favourite authors.
This is another outstanding edge of your seat read.
Characters which are on the whole very unlikeable but very believable.
I cannot say to much without giving the plot away but i changed my mind a number of times about who was doing what to who.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my early copy.
Fab five star read.

‘It’s me,’ says the voice on the other end of the line. It’s been thirteen years and I still recognise it. Thirteen years of nothing. Silence. Not even a birthday card. ‘It’s time for you to tell the truth. It’s life or death.’

What follows the above conversation, is a chain of events that will bring tragedy, together with lies, and deeply hidden secrets - secrets that are about to finally reveal themselves.

Just hours later, Celia lies injured in the middle of the road in a strange city far from home - far from her darling son Henry. She feels the panic escalating, 17 year old Henry would have been expecting her home from work hours ago, he’ll be worried sick wondering where she’s got to, after all, there’s only the two of them. However, she hears a siren, and finally she sees the blue flashing lights - the police will sort all this out, and arrest the man, Sam, who’s responsible for forcing her at knife point to take him up to Leeds in the North of England, and she has no idea why! But it won’t be as simple as that - because both Sam and herself are hiding behind a mask!

Celia decides she will continue with her lies, after all, it’s Sam’s word against hers, and he’s the criminal with a police record, not her!

I really couldn’t make up my mind which way this was going - who was good and who was bad, so many twists and turns. My advice - Trust No One!

My word against his is a story that will keep throwing punches and twists at you. I was constantly on the edge of my seat reading this.
Very good read!