I recently finished "The Woman Who Lied," and while I appreciate the effort and creativity behind it, I must admit it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The plot had a unique twist with a fictionalized serial killer, which initially drew me in. However, I found the story to be rather slow-paced and predictable. Despite the book's attempts to throw in red herrings, I found them to be more misleading than intriguing, and I ended up guessing the plot twists long before they were revealed.

The book's multiple perspectives and shifting character names only added to my confusion, making it difficult to keep track of who was who and what was going on. The ending, while neatly wrapped up, felt a bit too convenient and left me feeling more frustrated than satisfied. I often found myself putting the book down and struggling to pick it back up, which is unusual for me since I usually devour books in one sitting.

Thank you to the publisher, NetGalley, and the author for the gifted copy. While "The Woman Who Lied" may not have been for me, others might enjoy its creative premise and intricate plot.

I really enjoyed the book within a book storyline. Loved the storyline and it was quick paced and kept me engaged the entire book.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for gifting me an e-ARC.

This author never disappoints! You are in for a ride with this story. So many twists and turns, it'll leave you gasping and unable to put this book down! Great character development, great plot and everything comes together in the end! Love it!

Thank you for this arc!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perenial for the eARC.

A book within a book. Sometimes it works and other times it doesn't. For Claire Douglas' book, it worked. I really found this to be a bingeworthy read. 4/5!

3.5 stars

Emilia is an author who's writing her 10th crime thriller book. Her family, friends, and fans are anxiously awaiting the release, when suddenly creepy things from her books start happening to her in real life. And some of them are from her unpublished book, which means someone she knows must be responsible.

I binge-read this and was engaged throughout, but I didn't love the big reveal. There was also a weird sense in this book that I had picked up something in the middle of the series, with how many characters were that weren't introduced as much as suddenly being present, but apparently that was just a writing choice. The characters did feel pretty realistic for the most part, like real people, just not people I liked. I am curious about this author's other work since I was absorbed in the writing until the ending, if maybe this plot just wasn't for me. I did have a good time, though! Thanks to Harper Perennial and the author for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for gifting me a digital ARC of the new psychological thriller by Claire Douglas. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

Emilia lives with her husband, their young son, and a teenager from her first marriage. While she's an average mom, she's also a bestselling author of the Miranda Moody detective series. Her latest book has been a struggle for her, but she's finally done and turned it in for reviews. But then an incident happens that mimics the plot of one of her novels. Then it happens again.

This story spools out and includes a book in a book format, which sometimes works for me and sometimes doesn't. It did here. I was engrossed with this book, and felt for Emilia as her life started spinning out of her control, and she didn't know who she could trust. There are a lot of characters in here that look untrustworthy too, plus Emilia has secrets of her own. The truth will keep you guessing until the final twist. A great novel of domestic suspense that will keep you glued to the pages!

This thriller was amazing!! I didn't want to put it down. So intense and fast-paced. Constantly thinking I figured out whodunit only to be wrong or not imagining the twists would happen the way they did. The last 70% was unputdownable and loved the ending. This story deserves to get more attention, highly recommend!

While the plot may not be original, Claire Douglas adds enough twists and turns to keep the pages flying while building depth into characters that caused new questions with each chapter. Who was obsessed with Emilia and her Miranda Moody character enough to recreate the books? How can she stop them? This was a quick read as it drew me in to the confusion that doesn't clear until the reveal.

I really enjoy books by Claire Douglas and this was no exception! There were so many twists and turns and possible suspects in this story that I couldn’t guess who the killer would turn out to be. I loved the fast pace of the story, and it kept me turning pages!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HarperPerrenialandPaperbacks for the book #TheWomanWhoLied by #ClaireDouglas. This book is amazing and I had to finish it and find out. Emilia is a famous author who lives with her family and has a great life. Until she doesn’t. Someone is acting out her books and now they have started on the one she is writing. How do they know what she’s writing? Who is doing this?

This book was so good. I love this author. This follows Emilia who is an author and lives a perfect life with her husband and kids. She’s writing her tenth novel and something she wrote in one of her books ends up happening in her real life and the crazy thing is this continues to happen as she writes her current novel.

I've recently read two books with this premise of things from an authors book starting to play out in real life and I have to say: this is a sub-trope I never knew I liked, but now I can say is a favorite.

This was so good, the tension and angst that built up throughout the story was paced so perfectly - This was SO FUN to read.

"The Woman Who Lied" by Claire Douglas is a gripping psychological thriller that will keep readers guessing until the very end. The story follows a woman named Holly, who is struggling to come to terms with a tragic event from her past. As she tries to uncover the truth, she uncovers a web of lies and deception that threatens to destroy everything she knows. Douglas's writing is sharp and suspenseful, building tension with each twist and turn. Fans of twisty psychological thrillers will be hooked from the first page to the last.

As author Emilia Ward works on the latest, and last, book in her popular Miranda Moody detective series and finally submits the manuscript to her editor, she realizes that strange things happening around her are events taken straight out of her books. As things escalate, Emilia's concern for her family's safety, and her own, grows, especially when she starts to suspect the person behind the worrying incidents is someone close to her. I liked Emilia, and thought the plot pacing was excellent. Claire Douglas does an excellent job of encouraging the reader to suspect everyone around Emilia in turn before finally revealing all.

The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas is a twisty thriller. I loved the atmosphere and was drawn in by the mystery.
This is another gripping story from Douglas. Full of mystery and suspense that keeps you wanting more.
Claire Douglas’ writing skills are truly remarkable. The author's gripping plot that immediately grabbed my attention and kept me engaged throughout.
The author did a nice job of crafting an entertaining and compelling mystery.

Thank You NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

It was a slow start for me and confusing on different POVs at first. I understand all of them when the second half began and everything else picked up at that point as well. Enjoyed the book!

The Woman Who Lied
Claire Douglas

First, this thriller kept me reading to the very end. Emilia, an author of crime thriller series, seemingly becomes embroiled in plot lines on her own making. When I finished, I pondered can you trust someone with your heart but not your life or with your life but not your heart? Can you trust someone with both? The Woman Who Lied , well you will figure that out and more by the end.

I liked how the timeline was mostly clear and in order and how I didn’t dislike anyone immediately in the believable inner circle. I liked learning some new UK terms and that Emilia didn’t know herself or others as well as she thought. Emilia, this family gal from the UK seemed to have it all ( seemed swell to me) should be confident and appreciate and trust those around her but what would be the fun in that? I get her trust issues. I have some myself.

I say read this novel. I recommend and would read more from this author.
I would like to thank HarperCollins, NetGalley and the author for an advanced copy.

Emilia Ward is the bestselling author of a popular detective series. She has just finished writing the tenth book in the series and has decided that it is time for her readers to say goodbye to the beloved main character, Miranda Moody. This book will be the final installment and will end with Miranda dying. Shortly after finishing the final book of the series, strange things begin happening to Emilia that mirror the plots within her book series. She initially shrugs it off as a coincidence, but the more it happens, the more unsettled she feels. It isn't until someone close to her ends up dead (and in the same manner as a character in her latest book) that she realizes just how terrifying all of it is. She only gave an advanced copy of her book to her closest friends and family, which can only mean one thing... someone in her inner circle is targeting her. Can she figure out who it is and put an end to it all before she ends up just like Miranda?

This book had me on the edge of my seat! It was SO good!! The author did such a great job of building suspense and tension. While reading, I felt myself getting more and more creeped out and anxious along with Emilia. It's been a minute since a mystery/thriller has pulled me in like this. This story had so many layers and was full of clever twists and curveballs. Every time I thought I had figured out who the culprit was, I was left back at square one. This book kept me on my toes. I couldn't put it down. Overall, I gave this book five stars and highly recommend it!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion!

This was a compelling read that had me hooked. I couldn’t wait to find out who was taunting Emilia and why. I enjoyed all the characters and the red herrings throughout.

Emilia Ward always dreamt of becoming a crime writer but, after leaving university and being flat broke, she chose to be a journalist instead. Unfortunately, having then met and married her first husband Jonas – after unexpectedly becoming pregnant – she soon found there was little time to pursue either career. However, when Jonas then decided to leave her for her best friend Kristin, Emilia used the time she had while her daughter Jasmine was at school to start writing her first detective novel, which culminated in the success of her DI Miranda Moody series. Finally, she had achieved her dream.

Now, happily married to her second husband Elliot, with whom she has a son Wilfie, Emilia has decided to kill off her detective heroine and concentrate on a standalone novel – a concept she is not sure will go down well with her publisher. However, while she waits for a verdict on her latest manuscript, she begins to experience a series of strange incidents, all mimicking events from her new novel. It is only when she realises that the manuscript had only been read by a few close friends and family, that she begins to suspect someone close to her must be responsible and that, if they stick to the story, it will ultimately end in the death of DI Moody … and therefore potentially her own.

I really enjoyed this novel as its complicated format challenged my powers of deduction. Once the initial mystery has been established, the story then divides into three threads. The first follows Emilia’s gradual decline into paranoia as she struggles to understand who is threatening her. The second thread follows a storyline from Emilia’s manuscript, while the third follows the investigation of Emilia’s stalker through the eyes of the detective in charge of her case. This might sound confusing but as the story nears its conclusion, everything falls into place.

‘The Woman Who Lied’ is written in such a clever way that everyone is a plausible suspect. Each time I thought I knew the guilty party, another plausible suspect presented itself to change my mind, keeping me engrossed to the very end when all is revealed. The whole novel is a rollercoaster of action and suspense, and one which I can thoroughly recommend.