I struggled with this book and found it to be very slow. Thriller books are my favorite but I just couldn’t get into this one.
Thank you NetGalley, Lucy and Bookouture for the ARC!

One of those books that will keep you turning pages until the end. I caught myself holding my breath several times and had to take a few breaks. Awesome storyline and character development!

https://hockeysticksgripsandtrips.com/2023/11/24/book-review-the-night-she-lied-by-lucy-dawson/

Summary:

Every family has secrets. Would you kill to keep yours?

It’s midnight in the hospital when Jude’s phone rings, interrupting her precious fifteen-minute break. When she sees it’s her seventy-year-old mother, Margaret, she braces herself for the usual complaints. But her blood runs cold at four words that will change everything… ‘Something terrible has happened.’

Margaret has been accused of an unspeakable crime committed twenty years ago. She insists she’s not guilty, and begs Jude to help her prove it. But as Jude is drawn into the dark secrets of her family’s past, she starts to question whether her mother is really as innocent as she claims to be.

Soon, Jude realises what happened twenty years ago is more entangled with her own life than she could ever have imagined. And as she stands face-to-face with her mother’s accuser, she knows the cost of protecting her family will be someone else’s life…

My Thoughts:

Lots of trigger warnings in this one! This one was super stressful to read with very unlikable characters!! I

Some disturbing content to be warned regarding pedophilia.

I still don’t know if I really grasped what happened and who I believe!! Thank you to @bookouture and @netgalley for the advanced reader’s copy

A psychological thriller packed with suspense and false story lines blurring identification of the true protagonist’s characters and actions. The differing time lines and actions of various characters who often warp the truth in the retelling of their perspective of events make for a convoluted plot line that is difficult to follow. The many flaws in relationships particularly between mother and daughter compounded by , lies, secrets and allegations of historic abuse lead to a court case revealing twists, turns and unsavoury details resulting in a gripping shocking conclusion that could not have been predicted. Many thanks to author publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Here is another really good book that kept me fully engaged and turning the pages. Do not miss The Night She Lied by Lucy Dawson!

What I liked about this book, besides the writing style, characters and pace, was that it was not a plot I’ve seen a million times before. If someone writes a book with a fresh storyline, I am already interested in it. I highly recommend this novel if you want a thriller that doesn’t echo about forty other books.

Plot:

It’s midnight in the hospital when Jude’s phone rings, interrupting her precious fifteen-minute break. When she sees it’s her seventy-year-old mother, Margaret, she braces herself for the usual complaints. But her blood runs cold at four words that will change everything… ‘Something terrible has happened.’

Margaret has been accused of an unspeakable crime committed twenty years ago. She insists she’s not guilty, and begs Jude to help her prove it. But as Jude is drawn into the dark secrets of her family’s past, she starts to question whether her mother is really as innocent as she claims to be.

Soon, Jude realises what happened twenty years ago is more entangled with her own life than she could ever have imagined. And as she stands face-to-face with her mother’s accuser, she knows the cost of protecting her family will be someone else’s life…

I do enjoy a good Lucy Dawson book and The Night She Lied did NOT disappoint!

Every family has secrets, right? But just how dark are they? Jude’s family is full of dark secrets that come to light throughout this book. Her mother Margaret, with her sense of old money and entitlement is a bully throughout and it truly makes my heart heart for Jude, when she just needs a mom.

Every new twist takes you deeper into this family, and what they have done to keep secrets covered.

I enjoyed every moment of this!

Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this ARC in return for my honest opinion.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Pub date: 16 Nov 3023

The Night She Lied by Lucy Dawson  is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Bookouture and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
 

My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Jude has decided to try working nights at the hospital where she works as a nurse.  So far it's not going too well. Neither her body nor mind seems to be adapting.

She gets an anxious call from her mother Margaret that something terrible has happened, and then the call disconnects.  As Jude is an hour away, she calls the police.  Her mother is furious (as she often is these days), and denies the phone call.  A few days later, Margaret is accused of a crime from 20 years ago.  She insists on her innocence, but Jude is not so sure.

Meanwhile, it turns out that Jude knows her accuser, but decides to keep that information to herself.  When she eventually tells her mother, things go from bad to worse, and Jude is now really unsure as to who to believe.
 

My Opinions:
Not fond of the characters.  Margaret was a pretentious and arrogant bully.  Her daughter Jude was an insecure and naive woman who has been trod upon by her mother her entire life.  I really hate reading about domineering women almost as much as I hate to read about the gullible ones.  Both set my teeth on edge. 

I don't appreciate conflict in my own life, and I don't like reading about it either.  This book was full of conflict.     As well, I don't normally read "jury" books for the same reason.  Needless to say, I must have missed all of this in the blurb when I chose to read this.

Basically the whole book was a family drama of lies, deceit, and people thinking they are better than everyone else.  Topics also include sexual abuse and suicide.  Not really my cup of tea.

On the other hand, the actual plot, twists, and writing were very well done.  Although I really felt repulsed by most of the characters, I liked Johnnie and Timothy, so that helped.

Overall,  the book was okay.  So, although this one wasn't really for me, I  feel others may love it.

I go into books without reading blurbs, this is how I roll most of the time. I have read other books by Lucy Dawson and enjoyed them all immensely so I grabbed this because of the author, cover and genre.

The prologue immediately grabbed me and I only put it down when I really had to sleep.

I liked and could relate to the main character Jude, she was a hard-working nurse and had gone through some tough times previously.
I did not like her mother, Lady Margaret, she made one comment to Jude that was really below the belt and if that were my mother, I do not think I would have spoken to her ever again.

The plot had lots of secrets and many of the twists had a shock factor that left me looking like a goldfish or feeling so sad for certain characters.
The book had different timelines which I liked because I got a good backstory of what led to the present day’s events

Overall, I enjoyed reading The Night She Lied, it kept me glued from page one to the end.

A fantastic read that had me on the edge of my seat felling like I couldn't breathe. I absolutely loved it

What. A. Tale 🤯. Let me start by saying I ADORD Jude. I loved everything about her character. She was absolutely likable and relatable.

Her. Mother. My goodness I could not stand Margaret which was fine because it made me enjoy the story even more. Where Jude was sympathetic Margaret was completely incorrigible

Margaret swears to Jude she is innocent of what she’s being accused of. I went into a complete tailspin once it was revealed what her alleged crime was. Where does Lucy Dawson come up with these things? Simply amazing!

If you’re looking for a multi-layered tale of suspense and family secrets, this book is for you!

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for this ARC! Yowza!

Ugh I loved to hate this book. I needed to get to the final outcome but let me tell you, I hated every character (except the dead guy and Johnnie).
Do not get me started on Margaret, because she was a terrible excuse of a mother. Then there is Jude who was just so spineless and allowed her disgusting mother to control every aspect of her life.
Hate for the main characters aside, I needed to keep coming back to this book to see what the truth actually was.

This is another decent offering from one of my favourite authors. It feels very different from Lucy's previous novels - a sure sign that it is a very original plot!

The story is that of Jude, a nurse, who working a nightshift on the anniversary of her ex-fiances untimely death, has a chance encounter with Rik, a man who routinely turns night into day! A tentative relationship follows, but abruptly ends when Rik drives Jude to her family home as Jude is informed that her mum has been arrested on historic sexual assault charges - yikes! Cue Risk swift departure!

The story plays out with Jude, Rik and Jude's mum all playing starring roles - there is a strong legal proceeding / judiciary angle to this novel. The ending is utterly on point and well worth waiting for!

The character development is a done exceptionally well - Jude's mother in particular, is necessarily a somewhat vile character, and this is portrayed with aplomb.

Alongside the present, there is a historic timeline, both are essential to the portrayal of this story, and both are equally well executed.

My thanks to NetGalley, author and publisher for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an advance copy.

All families are complicated and full of secrets. Suddenly Jude is thrown deep into the darkest depth of her mothers.. her mither is arrested for a hirrific historic sex crimes and is begging Jude for help. The fuether she us pulled in the more line betwern truth and lies are blurrd.
The characters are well written and tge story is told in an nonlinear way. It draws tou on as you are pulled in different directions searching fir tge truth. Clever writing made me like hate and pitu the mum all at the same time. At times the story seems ott but thats what compelled me to carry on. Very complex characters and dealing with hofgic topics from a character perspective made thi a must read.
Right to the end i wasnt sure what the lie was and if there was more. It took a bit of time to fet going but this was to create understanding of the characters.
Thank you netgallery and publisher for a solid 4 star tead

The opening line of the prologue drew me in immediately and that was me sold for several hours as I lost myself into the dark secrets of Jude and her family.

I couldn't see any mention of other psychological thrillers by this author - is this a debut? Because it certainly doesn't read like one.

It's moderately paced with plenty of twists and turns to keep you engaged and has some complex characters at the helm.

What an absolutely loathsome character Margaret turned out to be, the person you're supposed to trust most in the world is your mother, right?

I enjoyed the book and it's definitely one to recommend.

I haven't read Lucy Dawson in a while, so I was excited to read her latest outing. The Night She Lied is a decent thriller and there are some interesting plotlines. Jude is a woman with a complicated relationship with her mother. Whilst her mother is more concerned with keeping up appearances rather than displaying any hint of affection for her child, Jude tries endlessly to protect her mother against some very serious charges. The story is compelling enough to keep a reader engaged and alternates between the past and the present. However, I felt like the ending left more questions than it answered. That said, I enjoy a book that lets the reader imagine what might have actually happened. Overall, I do recommend this book as there are plenty of surprises, twists and turns in the plot, though ultimately the reader must decide what truly happened. I look forward to whatever Ms. Dawson does next!

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

I’d like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘The Night She Lied’ written by Lucy Dawson in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Jude is working nights at the hospital when she gets a phone call from her mother saying that something terrible has happened, and then there’s silence. This phone call is just the start of a nightmare as she discovers secrets in her family’s past and photographs that would have been better left unseen.

‘The Night She Lied’ is a psychological thriller that tells of Jude, her mother Lady Margaret Fawkes, and Richard ‘Rik’ Shand who deliberately sets out to make Jude’s acquaintance during her break in the hospital’s cafeteria. The story is told through the eyes of several of the characters with a timeline spanning from the mid-1990s to the present time. The storyline is intriguing as it begins and ends with a Court case although we aren’t told why or who is in Court. It’s been well-written with characters so well-described that Jude came over as naïve and accepting, and her mother as totally unlikeable and unkind, and not only to her daughter. The beginning is slow and I was tempted to give up but I’m glad I persevered as the ending is gripping and compulsive reading.

The Night She Lied by Lucy Dawson is a highly recommended psychological thriller.

Jude has recently lost her partner and switched to working nights shifts as an A&E nurse in a hospital. When her mother, Margaret, calls and tells her something terrible has happened, Jude is concerned for several reasons. Perhaps she shouldn't have shared any of this information with Rik, the new man she just met, but he seemed understanding. When Margaret won't answer her return call, she sends the police for a wellness check. This in turn sets off her mother, and causes a stir in the whole family which soon culminates in Margaret being charge with crimes committed twenty years ago.

Margaret gives off strong Mommy Dearest vibes at the start which continue throughout. This character flaw always makes it a bit difficult to believe that a grown adult daughter would keep putting up with the manipulative behavior but it also makes for a compelling narrative because you can't predict what a character who is this flawed will do next. While Margaret is truly an unlikable character, Jude isn't entirely sympathetic because something seems off about her at the start. They are both unreliable characters. This is a good time to note that if characters are eliciting this much speculation and analysis, they are probably well-written with this result in mind.

The narrative is told through multiple points-of-view and in multiple timelines, providing background information to the current action and further developing the plot. There are plenty of twists and new information divulged along the way, making the story additionally complicated and unpredictable. In turn, I enjoyed the novel while also shaking my head in disbelief, however, I read it to the end and was engaged in the story. 3.5 rounded up.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Bookouture via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

This book had a lot of promise at the start. I don’t know if it’s just me, but I felt that it was excruciatingly long and convoluted. If the book were half the length, it would have been much better! It felt like it just went on unnecessarily.

This review was also published on Goodreads.

I raced through this, from page one it had me hooked. I really didn’t know how it would go, so many twists and turns! Lucy is one of my favourite writers!

I would say the book started off slower than I would have liked, but as the twists and turns started, the slow character building came to make sense! The characters are intriguingly unreliable. The family history is dark and twisted- leaving you on the edge of your seat. You can’t help but dislike.. ok, hate Margaret’s character while being left to figure out who can be truly trusted. As I write this review, I’m still unsure on what exactly I believe to be true when it comes to final chapter! I would definitely recommend this one if you are looking for a dark suspenseful read.

✵𝖬𝖺𝗇𝗒 𝗍𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗄𝗌 𝗍𝗈 𝖭𝖾𝗍𝗀𝖺𝗅𝗅𝖾𝗒, 𝖡𝗈𝗈𝗄𝗈𝗎𝗍𝗎𝗋𝖾 ＆ 𝖫𝗎𝖼𝗒 𝖣𝖺𝗐𝗌𝗈𝗇 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗀𝗂𝖿𝗍𝗂𝗇𝗀 𝗆𝖾 𝗍𝗁𝗂𝗌 𝖠𝖽𝗏𝖺𝗇𝖼𝖾𝖽 𝖱𝖾𝖺𝖽𝖾𝗋’𝗌 𝖢𝗈𝗉𝗒 𝗂𝗇 𝖾𝗑𝖼𝗁𝖺𝗇𝗀𝖾 𝖿𝗈𝗋 𝗆𝗒 𝗁𝗈𝗇𝖾𝗌𝗍 𝗋𝖾𝗏𝗂𝖾𝗐．✵