Member Reviews
This was a fun read. A little bit confusing on why the need to have chapters from the MC's book or even DI Murray's POV, but it didn't disrupt the overall storyline. I got what the author was trying to do, shifting the perspective a bit and toying the idea that the MC's manuscript was playing out in real life, but I felt that wasn't really necessary since the main parts of the story was exciting and thrilling enough. MC Emilia could be a bit stronger honestly, especially that she was supposed to be able to shell out thrillers after thrillers.
Overall, I enjoyed the story, not as much the characters. Husband Elliott was weak and other minor characters to muddle up the suspect list were a bit too surfacey and weren't developed much to where it was worth considering each one to be a suspect. But the story still moved and it was still fun to sink my teeth into.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an eARC of this fun book. All opinions are my own.
I read this book in 2 1/2 days. It kept my interest but sadly, it fell apart for me by the end of the story line. Who is the culprit? We are jostled from one character to the next, to the point of being confused. Was it him? Was it her? Too much to the point of it being annoying rather than thrilling. Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own. #TheWomanWhoLied, #HarperPerennialAndPaperbacks.
Emilia is a an author. A very successful author. Sh his a crime fiction writer. She is the author of the Miranda Moody Detective Series. Emilia has made the decision to kill off her beloved main character Miranda Moody. She has written her 10th and final book of the series She is ready to move onto another character. Emilia sends the galley to her publisher and a few close friends and family,
Miranda had a bit of a hard start in the beginning when she was married to her first husband as he cheated on her and ended up marrying one of her best friends. She has been married a second time for quite a while to a loving husband and she has two children. After she sent the galley out she started to notice strange things are starting to happen, After a while she realizes that these happenings are the same that she has written about in the new book.. Emilia starts to question everything and anyone that had a copy of the book. She even starts to question her husband. It gets worse before it gets better as a dead body shows up,. Will Emilia be able to determine what is happening and find out who is behind all this before it is too late and others get hurt or even worse die. This was a wonderful thriller mystery and I love a book with in a book!
Wow!! Just Wow! What a rollercoaster ride this book was! I seriously thought I had it all figured out about halfway through, but I was so very wrong! Do yourself a favor and read it!
I love when books include an aspect of life imitating art, and this one was woven so well!
Novelist with a beloved detective series, Emilia becomes increasingly concerned when things around her happen like the events in her newest book… one that hasn’t been released yet. It’s still a work in progress. When a death occurs in the same way as in her book, Emilia and the local police are scrambling to determine what is going on.
Emilia, with a loving husband, their son and her daughter from her first marriage, they live a normal, quiet life. But it is all upended when this whole mess starts. I really enjoyed the insights into her family, the ways they interact, and the interactions Emilia has in other parts of her life.
As Emilia tries to piece together why this is all happening, the discoveries she makes are jaw dropping. Every single character brings something to this book, every interaction is a key part of the story. I found this to be fully captivating. The tone of the story immediately set me on edge and had me flipping pages to the end in one sitting.
A very interesting, original, not predictable thriller. Told in the perspective of an author, who is being terrorized by crimes against her similar to her novels, including on unpublished, the perspective of the police investigating and the unpublished novel as well. Very absorbing. 4.5
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing this book, with my honest review below.
The Woman Who Lied is a thriller that hits on what I imagine is the third largest fear most thriller and mystery novelists must have (after no one enjoying the novel they dedicated themselves to and being accused of writing off another author’s work), which is the plot of their novel coming true in their own life. That’s the reality for author Emilia who sees her thriller - which has her lead character from her long running series killed off, coming to life.
There were a lot of questions that came to a great conclusion and I thought the cast of characters were well done in not overwhelming me as a reader. I did want a more finely tuned ending, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t end in a way that may appeal to many readers. A well done mystery, this is recommended for fans of mysteries and thrillers!
Emilia is a successful thriller writer who just finished writing the last book to a series where she decides to kill off her main character. Emilia’s life is turned upside down when incidents that happened in her books start happening to her in real life. As if that wasn’t disturbing enough, something happens that is from her newest book that hasn’t been published yet and only a handful of people closest to her have read.
I really love the plot of this book! And the elements of the book within a book is one of my fav to read! There was a lot of different perspectives going on but they weren’t clearly defined so that made it a little confusing. But maybe that was on purpose!
The beginning was a little slow, but picked up pretty quickly and then I was staying up late to try and finish it! I felt like I was constantly guessing the entire time to try and figure stuff out, but wasn’t able to figure it all out. Although the ending wasn’t my fav because I felt there was a little bit of a plot hole, everything wrapped up very well! I’ve been wanting to try a Claire Douglas book for awhile and this was my first, but definitely not my last!
Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for a copy of this book!
A mystery writer is alarmed when scenes from her books start playing out in real life. Things get even worse when she realizes some of these events could only be created by someone who has read her galley, someone close to her.
***
*3.5 stars rounded down*
Claire Douglas writes a pretty easy to read thriller with a conclusion that does wrap up all of the storylines quite nicely. That being said, I wish there had been a little more teeth in the story. It would have been nice to get more backstories of some of our suspects so we understood their potential motives more. While my suspicions did bounce from character to character, I didn't know enough about them, or our eventual culprit to really care all that much.
I also think the thriller could use higher stakes, and a bit more heart racing scenes. Douglas' books in general tend to lack some of the urgency a really good thriller has throughout.
Overall, it's an easy read and a good addition to Douglas' shelf. She is quickly becoming an auto read for me as she gets her formula and pacing down.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.
Wow this book is really well written. I enjoyed the different plot lines between real life and the novel Emilia has written. The twists and turns had me guessing who did it until the end.
Emelia Ward is a bestselling mystery author who’s just finished her tenth novel in a series. Inexplicably, a scene from one of her novels occurs in real life, then another, until a body is found that mirrors a scene from her latest book, which hasn’t been published yet. The Woman Who Lied is told in two parts. Part 1 moves slowly and repetitiously, and the book scenes that are occuring are relatively tame. You think this book is going nowhere, then Boom! There’s a blockbuster at the end of Part 1, and the book really takes off from there. Whereas the reader was a bit bewildered, the plot comes into sharp focus in Part 2, as the suspense is ramped up and the chapters now fly by as the pieces come together. Stay with this one, you’ll be glad you did. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Do not start reading this book if you're not ready to stay up all night!!! Claire Douglas has woven a web so tight you won't know what's real and what's "fiction"!!! This book is so cleverly written and is about a mystery author who's written a mystery book that has happened and is still happening in real time! Thanks for the advance copy!
Wow! What an ending! I was hooked on this book from the beginning and loved seeing it all unfold!
There were so many red herrings in this book that I couldnt have predicted the ending if I'd tried! I had an inkling Ash and Daisy were people from Emilia's circle but would never have guessed who they really were!
There was so much depth to the characters but still enough doubt woven in that I was never quite sure about any of them. I really felt for Emilia throughout and wanted her to see it through to the end.
The epilogue really ended this novel on a high. It gives the final twist you didn't know it needed with a final secret to answer the remaining questions.
Amazing read! I recommend everyone gives this book a try.
I am a huge fan of Claire Douglas, so I was stoked to receive an ARC of "The Woman Who Lied." This book is a twisted tale of lies and deceit, with a little dash of murder along the way too. It literally kept me up at night reading because I had to know who the culprit was behind the stalking and odd gifts delivered to Emilia. I loved the idea of an authors stories coming to life but wish they were less scary. Loved this thrill ride of a book.
Thank you to the author Claire Douglas and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC for this read. Overall I really liked this story. It kept me on my toes and I was never sure who the villain of the story was. The characters were likeable and I loved the overlap and the connection of the chapters of the book within the story to the storyline. I recommend this book for anyone looking for a good thriller book to add to their TBR!
This book was twisty and exactly what I was looking for. From the first chapter I was intrigued, the characters grew on me over time and the ending left me breathless.
If you are looking for a good thriller I'd suggest checking this one out.
I have been a fan of Claire Douglas for quite some time and was very intrigued by the description of The Woman Who Lied. I thought the premise was extremely clever, and Douglas was able to truly pull it off without being too fantastical. I'm typically good at figuring out the perpetrator early on but this one had me guessing for most of the book -- which to me is the sign of a great author! Put this one at the top of your Must Read list!
A huge thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to review an ARC of this book!
I have always been a Claire Douglas fan and this one did not disappoint.
The characters are well developed and the plot development kept you guessing which makes this impossible to put down in my opinion.
5 stars
I would give this book 3.5 stars if half stars were possible here, but I rounded down to 3.
Overall, I liked the premise of the book. However, I just feel like there was maybe one or two too many hysterical pivots in the book. I mean, Emilia accused *everyone* of being the villain. Literally everyone. Apologies if that's a spoiler, but I had a real issue with that.
However, it was still a good book that kept me interested. Would make for a great book to request from the library.
The storyline in itself is okay. However, I found this to be a slow-burn. If you are into crime fiction than this would definitely be the read for you.
I found parts of the story to be confusing and while I usually enjoy books with multiple POVs this one just didn’t do it for me.
Unfortunately, three stars from me. Thank you NetGalley and Penguin for a chance at an ARC in exchange for my honest review.