Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this ARC publication for an honest review.

I have enjoyed several of Sarah Beth Durst books and am always impressed with her creative mind. This time while her ingenuity was there, the story just didn't capture me like normal. There is a very clever premise, but I had moments of confusion and couldn't connect with the characters. I really think it was a "me" issue...I'm not sure why because I usually love this author. There is complex world building and a mystery surrounding what is actually happening. The story of sisters and grief after the loss of the mother with a very complicated relationship dynamic. but also taking place in a world filled with magical realism...

I will still get excited over this author even though this one was a miss for me. Sadly, only 2.5 stars for me.

I feel like I've covered a lot of strange books and plots over the years but this one was full of new ideas!

From the title and cover I was expecting some kind of murder mystery/thriller-esque story (went in blind to this one) but instead got a fascinating blend of family drama and magical realism. I felt there was a really strong theme of grief running through this that came across with a lot of tenderness, particularly towards the end. It was so lovely seeing characters who really stick up for each other, whether they've known each other forever or only just met. Towards the beginning, I was worried that there were too many plot points to keep track of and that the split perspectives were too different, but around half way they began to properly intertwine and I was brought back on board.
Definitely wins my vote as a more unusual YA!

This was definitely different! I've read a few books from this author and they've all had such unique premises that interested me but they never fully land for me and I think I've figured out what it is. It's the fantasy that loses me. I suppose I like metaphors of oozing lies more than I like ghost lie wolves in the muck of lies. If the author would stick to gothic horror- no supernatural, I think every book would be a 5 Star.

We don't know what Hannah is and that's really creepy. We meet her on the day of her mother's funeral and we find out that her mother was a very complex and flawed woman. Hannah has a sister, Leah, but she can't see Hannah because.. does Hannah exist? What is she? Can she figure that out in time to save her sister from herself?

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review!

I enjoyed reading The Lake House. Reading The Lies Among Us by Sarah Beth Durst was another fantastic novel by this author!
I had a great time reading this one.
Wonderfully written with fascinating characters. I was fully pulled into this story from the start, and each chapter just pulled me further and further in. The characters sprang to life with an amazing, deft touch I find rare. I throughly enjoyed this wonderful book.

Thank You NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

I thought the premise of this story was super interesting, and the beginning sucked me in, and then as we got farther into the story my interest kind of came and went back and forth. It was interesting to see how both Hannah and Leah grieved their mother in different ways, and how different their upbringing was. And once we figure out why the girls are so different, things begin to make sense and go completely unexpectedly weird. Hannah goes off on a journey of self-discovery that I did enjoy, especially how she wasn't content to just let things be the way they are, she wanted to change her world, and I think she managed to do it. Leah was a bit harder to connect with, although once we get the background on her mother and her childhood the puzzle pieces begin to click together.
While this story didn't 100% work for me, I thought the writing was good, and the plot was super interesting. I have read one other book by this author that I loved so I will definitely continue reading her books.

I liked the sister aspect of this novel and the different points of view but I was not expecting the fantasy aspect of it. It got a little confusing for me. This was not what I was expecting but I did enjoy parts.

Thank you so much to netgalley and Lake Union publishing for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I really thought it was a mystery/thriller based on the cover and the synopsis. However, it is more fantasy and magical realism. This book didn’t make a lot of sense to me and I had a hard time following the magic parts of it.

I’m not a huge fantasy reader so I think this book was just not for me. I wish the book didn’t look and sound like a thriller.

I will be rating this one neutral because I didn’t finish it. I think there is definitely an audience for this one that will love it. I think the concept was interesting and I was interested the first few chapters. After stuff got to be weird, I just got lost and confused.

Sarah Beth Durst has such a fertile imagination, and I enjoy everything she writes. This review is tough to write without giving spoilers, and I think it's worth reading as little as possible about the book before you pick it up. The Lies Among Us is the story of two sisters, Hannah and Leah, and their different trajectories upon their mother's death. It's clear right from the start that something is different about Hannah, and I greatly enjoyed the chapters from her POV. I actually think the book would have been even stronger without Leah's POVs, as I was much more captivated with Hannah's story. This is a haunting novel about grief and the power of truth and lies. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital review copy.

The Lies Among Us was a a very fast read for me, and a very unique story. Right from the first page I was drawn into the story and waiting to find out what was real and what wasn't. Even after I finished the book I was unsure of the truth, but in a good way. The story is about family and how two sisters in the same family play out different roles. As your reading the book the author leads us to believe one sister is a figment of her imagination, a child she has made up due to the trauma of loosing a child previously. Everything the mother and daughter says appears they are real, but everything the father and sister say make you believe she's not. After the mother dies we are left second guessing everything. I went back and forth in my mind trying to decide if she was a real person because it seemed like she was! Was she? It's a very interesting book and if your in the mood for a little mystery this is a good choice.

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐿𝑖𝑒𝑠 𝐴𝑚𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑈𝑠 | 𝑆𝑎𝑟𝑎ℎ 𝐵𝑒𝑡ℎ 𝐷𝑢𝑟𝑠𝑡 | 𝟑.𝟓*

𝑆𝑚𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑆𝑦𝑛𝑜𝑝𝑠𝑖𝑠
After Hannah’s mother dies, Hannah’s not sure how to live without her. In fact, she’s not sure she even exists. No one can ever hear or see her. Is she a ghost? She sets out to find the truth whilst her sister Leah sets out to break free from the lies surrounding her.

𝑇𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑇𝑜𝑝𝑖𝑐𝑠
❥ paranormal urban fantasy
❥ elements of horror
❥ exploration of truth and grief
❥ dual pov

𝐿𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑
The paranormal system in this book is really unique and original. This is a dual POV from two sisters, Hannah and Leah. Through Hannah, readers get to experience the paranormal world building from the author which is probably my favourite aspect of this novel. Through Leah, readers get to explore how grief shapes us. Both sisters explore the impact of lies, particularly their toxicity.

I genuinely liked the exploration of the damage that lies do, why people tell them, and how they chip away at our characters. I think more could have been done to substantiate the plot points of the world building as some of it was surface level, but I enjoyed what was there.

I liked the writing, I’ve previously loved The Lake House from this author and I have high hopes for The Spellshop releasing this year. I didn’t find this as immersive as The Lake House, but the writing is still engaging. I also really liked the ending of this book!

𝐷𝑖𝑠𝑙𝑖𝑘𝑒𝑑
I think there was something about the plot that was a bit bland and half baked. Reading it felt like reading a fully written yet unrealized story. I found the timeline confusing, and although sisterhood is one of the themes mentioned in the proper synopsis, I find it hard to agree that it explores sisterhood when it was denied throughout the novel.

The romance was barely worth the word ‘romance’. It was short, shallow, and senseless. The story dips a toe into the waters of romance and then quickly withdraws it again. I guess I’m not interested in that kind of brief dalliance unless the character goes skinny dipping. I’d have preferred a platonic relationship rather than what readers are given.

𝐹𝑎𝑣𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑖𝑡𝑒 𝑄𝑢𝑜𝑡𝑒𝑠
“𝘞𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯’𝘵 𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴. 𝘖𝘳 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴.”
𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘯 𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳.
𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘴𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘩. 𝘚𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘷𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩𝘦𝘴.
“𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘦?” 𝘐 𝘢𝘴𝘬.
𝘚𝘺𝘭𝘷𝘪𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘬𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦𝘴. “𝘞𝘦’𝘳𝘦 (𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘦𝘥).”

“𝘚𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘥𝘭𝘺 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩, 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩—𝘢𝘴 𝘪𝘧 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘹𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘦. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘦𝘴𝘯’𝘵.”

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book! I really enjoyed this story as we follow Hannah as she navigated life after her mothers death. What we soon find out is that Hannah is not alive either, and no one can see her.
This book follows the tribulations that Hannah and her sister experienced growing up with their mother and the many lies their mother told. It was a super interesting story and I would read more from this author!

4/5 stars!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to receive this book for an honest review.

I honestly am on the fence about this one. This is a book about sisteers who lost their mom and had to go on with their live without their mother. They each took different paths.

It was the grief part that got to me and its because it hit close to home.

For this reason, I had to put down for right now.

The opening of this fascinating and unique novel brings us inside the casket of Hannah's recently deceased mother - with Hannah inside grieving, laying next to her. Having gone into this book blindly and not reading the synopsis it took me a second to realize that Hannah...may or may not even be real. We follow Hannah as she traverses an existence that even us as readers aren't fully clear on what is real or not nor do we understand Hannah's purpose in this parallel-type world. That is, until she meets some others 'like her', or....are they?

Oh I really really like this! The concept was so unique and interesting - I devoured this in less than two days. I couldn't help but turn the pages to understand and find out more. It's hard to review this properly without giving away too much or any possible spoilers but I will say I guess I assumed based on the cover this book would be some kind of psychological thriller. I'd instead say it's more speculative fiction that explores the depth of grief, reality, honesty, and the human connection. Who are we are what is our reality? How do we handle grief and how do we cope after devastating loss in our life? How do we find our true self and nurture that in ways that define us versus how we think the world sees us/wants to see us? I love a book that makes me take a deep dive into myself and what is it that makes me who I am? I'm honestly glad I didn't read the summary or any reviews going into this as I got to experience it in an untarnished and unbiased way. Total gem of a read that I'd recommend to anyone who likes a bit self-reflection, the unusual, and other-worldly elements in their fiction reading.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read in exchange for my honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Sarah Beth Durst and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐ - It was so interesting to read both Hannah & Leah's point of views and stages of grief after their mother died. This book sucks you in from the beginning, the more you read, the more you want to know about their mother and all of the lies she ever told and what effects it had on them both.

Lastly, I wasn't familiar with the author, I really liked this book, I will definitely check out some of her other books.

After the death of her mother, Hannah is dealing with incredibly grief. She is so grief-stricken, she's not even sure she's a real person or if she's just a ghost. No one seems to see or hear her. Her older sister, Leah, also doesn't seem to see her. All the while, Hannah continues to see beautiful and terrible things all around her.
--
This was a weird one. It's a little magic-realism, woo-woo for me, but I still overall enjoyed the story, despite it's heavier topics of grief and sisterhood.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

While the premise was really unique, I think this book felt very uneven. There are two POVs--Hannah (which is 1st-person) and Leah (which is 3rd-person)--and this is where the bulk of that unevenness lies. Hannah's POV was very much magical realism-esque. I think this is where the book was strongest, in my opinion. Hannah's world is much like her sister's, but while she can't interact so much with the people, the world is constantly shifting and bending around her. Especially once she learns a bit more about it and how to manipulate it. I think the commentary, too, on the lies we tell ourselves as well as the ones that the greater world tells us, was interesting. However, Leah's POV was where I really struggled. Hers felt more contemporary in feeling. The timelines skipped around with no real rhyme or reason and Leah, ultimately, wasn't as interesting a character to follow around. I honestly would've preferred if Leah's POV wasn't there. Because here's the thing: her POV didn't really seem to matter.

From both the cover and the synopsis, I expected a mystery/thriller-type story with a heavy emphasis on the sister relationship at its heart, but I didn't really get that at all. This is for one key reason, but it's a spoiler, so I'm not going to say anything. In the end, though, it felt like the relationship between Hannah and Leah didn't ultimately matter, which made Leah's POV kind of pointless.

This felt pretty experimental, but while the central premise was interesting, it didn't work for me. What was advertised in the synopsis--"a haunting novel about sisterhood and grief, where difficult truths must contend with the corrosive power of unchecked lies"--only really hit on some of those points and even then not really in a satisfying way. Honestly, disappointing and not something I'll go back to.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this book in exchange for my review.


Name of Book: The Lies Among Us

Author: Sarah Beth Durst


Rating: 1/5


Unfortunately, I did not like this book at all. The plot sounded interesting but the execution of the story was not well done. This story was utterly creepy (and not in a good way). I may consider reading another book by Durst but I am not entirely sure.



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Thank you!

This was an intriguing concept. Lies that are told so often last, like in the case of Hannah and her mother, beyond even her mother’s death. It wasn’t so much of a linear story because it jumped between the last and present. Hannah was an interesting character, trying to find something to keep her around after her mother’s death and I liked that though she couldn’t be seen by normal people, there were other lie people, like Selena the perfect girlfriend, and Rabbit, the missing boyfriend used by women at bars to reject unwanted attention. The bad lies were also made real as muck building up all over. That was an accurate image I think, and very true,

The other part of the story woven in with Hannah, was her sister Leah. She was dealing with the death of her mother and the aftermath of her mother's many lies. Unfortunately she was slipping down that same road. It was an interesting read that made me think. I do like the ending where Hannah was able to find her purpose and help her sister, despite being a lie.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an advance copy of the book for review.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for the eARC of this book! The Lies Among Us comes out April 1st, 2024. I'm really glad I picked up the book and gave it four stars.

The synopsis of The Lies Among Us says it focuses on the main character trying to prevent her sister making the same mistakes as their mother, but I would describe it as an adult supernatural coming of age that follows the main character, Hannah, as she tries to work out her purpose in life. The events mentioned in the summary only make up a small portion of the book.

However, I think enjoyed the book more than I would have enjoyed the exact book described. The world building was consistent and the rules that the characters were bound by made sense throughout the book and had a noticeable impact on the character's actions. The idea of the book was interesting, and the way characters appeared in the story expanded on the world as well.

Without spoiling too much, I really liked the way the way the reveal was set up, with all the information you needed being basically handed to you, but only being able to connect most of it after the reveal. Even down to how much of an impact Hannah's mother has on the story, even after her death. I really liked how the flashbacks were used to show wa move about Hannah and the life she was living before the book started.

The only thing I wasn't a huge fan of was the ending. It felt a little bit rushed, like so much time was dedicated to the world and background of each character, that there wasn't enough time to properly lead up to the ending, or the new abilities the main character discovered right before the end of the book.

All in all, this was a great book, and the author definitely knows how to start a book in an attention grabbing way. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a book where the main character is forced to confront rapidly changing circumstances to team the truth about herself and the world around her. I think you should definitely add The Lies Among Us to your TBR.

A story about a woman living her life is a lie. Quite literally.
Among our world is lies. We cannot see, or touch them, but we spoke them into existence. Our main character Hannah is grieving the death of her mother and liar. This book represented the stages of grief, through many different perspectives. We view the mothers grief over losing a child and the extreme effects that can have on a parent. We also get to witness Hannah and Leah both cope in their own way over the loss of a parent. I love the portrayal and message of this book however, this book fell short for me with the characters. I wish we got more time with each character to learn about them and what made them unique. It felt like we got introduced to se many amazing characters but never got the opportunity to truly connect with them. Phenomenally unique concept.