Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this eARC.

In the realm of domestic thrillers, Sarina Bowen’s “The Five Year Lie” is a compelling story that intricately weaves suspense with the raw emotionality of human relationships.

This novel marks a confident debut by Bowen (traditionally known for writing romance novels) into the thriller genre, and it does not disappoint.

The story centers around Ariel Cafferty, a single mother whose life is upended by a cryptic text from her presumed-deceased ex-lover, Drew. The message propels her into a harrowing quest for truth that questions the fabric of her past and thrusts her into a vortex of deceit and danger. As Ariel delves deeper into the mystery, she confronts unsettling revelations about Drew’s disappearance, her family’s tech company, and possibly even her father’s untimely death.

Bowen’s narrative prowess shines through the novel’s brisk pacing and dialogue-driven storytelling, ensuring readers remain glued to each page.

The plot is a labyrinth of twists and turns, with each chapter revealing layers of lies and half-truths, keeping you guessing throughout the story.

The author’s pointed commentary on the abuse of technology adds a contemporary edge to the tale, making this story resonate with our digitally-entwined lives.

What sets “The Five Year Lie” apart is the author's ability to balance the tension of a thriller with the emotional depth of a romance.

Bowen’s expertise in character development is evident as she crafts a protagonist who is vulnerable yet tenacious, a woman whose love for her son anchors her amidst the chaos.

“The Five Year Lie” is a fine testament to Bowen’s versatility as an author. It promises and delivers a roller-coaster of emotions, a sophisticated plot, and a satisfying resolution.

"The Five Year Lie" is a must-read, a thrilling and well- written novel for those who relish a story that gives you chills while warning your heart.

When Ariel gets a text from the man she loved and thinks is dead, her whole world and what she knows about it is thrown into disarray and she must unravel all the lies she's been told for years.

This is the debut thriller from one of my favorite romance authors. I was really eager to see how this would work for me as I have been reading quite a few domestic thrillers in the last year. I am happy to say that I will be putting The Five Year Lie in my "favorites of 2024" category. There's plenty of questions, lots of drama and so many lies and red herring that kept me reading. There is plenty of romantic elements here as well, which I really look for in a domestic thriller as it helps to make the stakes higher when there are feelings involved.

The story is told in multiple POVs, which keeps things moving along. There's plenty of tech in this one too, which is always a mixed bag for me as it tends to make me want to fact check things, but that was okay because accuracy with technology is important to this reader.

I'm glad to see this author branching out into other area as the writing is always top-notch and the characters are engaging. Can't wait for more!

Imagine what it would be like to fall head over heels in love with someone, only to have them completely disappear right before you find out you’re pregnant with their baby. Then five years later, after seeing an obituary about their death, you receive a text from them. This mystery unfolded through dual POV between Drew and Ariel five years ago and Ariel today. I never knew who to trust and author @sarina.bowen did an amazing job keeping me guessing about who the bad guys really were in this debut thriller!

I happily requested an ARC of The Five Year Lie after reading the description -- I was extremely intrigued by the plot. Overall, I was so impressed. I loved the setting, loved the characters, loved the drama, and loved the plot. I truly could not put The Five Year Lie down and am waiting anxiously for Sarina's next book!

I don't read many romance thriller crossovers so this was different and very good. I felt several bits in the story were a stretch and confusing at times to connect characters up but it gripped my attention to finish. The beginning was strong but it wasn't as strong by the end. I'd still try another thriller by Bowen.

I've been a Sarina Bowen fan for years. The Five Year Lie was a great book - - a mystery with a touch of romance blended in. It kept me guessing and speculating from the beginning. I loved every minute.

When Ariel receives a text from her deceased ex boyfriend, it shakes her up. She knows it can't be him because he's dead....but yet it makes her start wondering about things. Working for her family business, Ariel has never really had to worry about where money would come from but she's also not quite been happy with her job. But it's a family company, so she stays.

This one text opens a can of worms and the mysteries that start popping up just multiply. Soon, Ariel isn't sure who she can trust. But she knows one thing for sure, she has to find out why Drew left so abruptly. As she starts looking, other things surface. A co-worker joins her in the research and soon they are uncovering all kinds of unexplainable things. But still no answers about Drew.

The way this story is woven was sheer genius. I really did inhale the book once I started it because I had to see how it resolved itself. It's such a good read!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to read and review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I loved the premise of this one, the idea of receiving an important text 5 years later! I also had some guess of what the twist was, but the final reveal was much more complex than I thought. A great thriller about privacy, technology, and family! I did feel as though some parts were confusing, with many names and connections all coming together in a large conspiracy.

Loved this book!

Bowen effortlessly weaves the past and present between Amelia and Drew in this psychological suspense. The twists and turns were highly enjoyable, even the predictable ones. The technological aspect of this novel was refreshing, and I was glad Bowen didn't drown us in paragraphs of confusing text. The Five Year Lie provides just enough info/tech components to stay on track, but not to the point where it overwhelms readers.

WOW! I absolutely loved this book. It was everything I expected, and more! I love that the synopsis is such a draw-in, but doesn't give away anything about the plot and the twists and turns. The writing is fabulous, and the characters are so easy to get invested in. This was a page-turner for me that expertly combined family drama, tech commentary, mystery / intrigue, and just a little bit of romance. This was a 5 star read for sure. Highly recommend!

I am so torn on this book because I was gripped for a good 45% of it.
I’ll start with the things I struggled with. I didn’t think our main character, Ariel, had very much depth. Actually, thinking of it, I don’t think any characters had too much substance to them. Ariel in particular felt very much like a “I don’t care about anything and that’s quirky and unique so it’s special that I care about this man” so much type. The premise was so interesting to me, it just felt very flat. I will speak of Drew/Jay as two different people, because honestly that’s exactly what they felt like. Drew felt like he made sense to me, I thought his chapters were well written riiiiiiight up until the end. I know he was so happy to see Ariel, but every time he spoke to her he called her baby. Drew and Jay could’ve been two different characters, but as we did get to know Drew through his own perspective in his chapters, seeing him at the end felt so disjointed. Every single time. And I have no idea why but that felt so bad to read, it just wasn’t natural. I think Zain was written to be very red herring, and I did kept waiting for him to be something, but it never really came. Our “big reveal” was both obvious and also tied to some random tiny side characters, it was just really hard to believe it was possible.
Now the good! For the middle 45% I was HOOKED. As they were getting closer and closer to finding all the puzzle pieces together, I kept wanting to know more and more. I wanted to see it play out, and I really wanted to know if Drew was alive. The time Ariel and Buzz were on the road was so well written I tore through those pages. It’s like I could feel Ariel’s struggle explode through the story. Buzz was adorably written, and I really did appreciate the friendships Ariel had to support her.
All in all, the book felt very middle of the road. It was a page turner, but only for a portion of the story and some things just felt a little… characterized.

Ariel may be an heiress to the world’s largest doorbell (her father overdosed and now her uncle is in charge) camera company, but she is down-to-earth and living a simple side of the privileged life with her 4 year old son, Buzz. Buzz is her life and priority. She has worked hard to let go of what could have been with Buzz’s father when he disappeared 5 years earlier, before finding out she was pregnant. Eventually she stumbled upon his obituary. She came to terms with his death and moved on until a cell phone tower glitch sends out 5 year old text messages that were never sent until now. This spurs Ariel to find out what really happened 5 years earlier. She needs help from others, but who can she trust?

The prologue instantly pulls the reader into an intense and thrilling world. It was a slow burn after that but the last 20% is action packed and I loved that the most. I enjoyed reading this cover to cover. Reading Ariel’s inner dialogue made me laugh out loud at times. I like her! This read will be good across multiple genres. I think those who enjoy thrillers and love stories will gobble this up in a day or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarina Bowen, and the publisher for providing this ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the eARC.

I love a good domestic thriller. The premise of The Five Year Lie had be so excited. And while this could probably have had an overall stronger execution, it didn't make me dislike it at all. It kept me interested and guessing.

The Five Year Lie has just taken one of the top spots on my 2024 favorite books list. I only put it down when I was forced to (for sleep and work). It’s a reading hangover kind of story, with all the emotions mixed together for the perfect reading storm. It is so intricately written, with layers on layers, and is incredibly gripping with so many clues and possibilities of where the story may go.

If you are a domestic thriller reader, you NEED to read this! Now. Don’t wait. But be warned, you will feel all the things.

I also listened to the audiobook version of this book, which was absolutely fantastic. I listened at 1.9x speed (my normal audiobook speed ranges from 1.75-2x).

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this advanced copy.

The Five Year Lie starts with a text from a dead man...who also happened to be your long lost love and the father of your son.

Let me start by saying that I LOVED the cover and was really excited for the premise. This seemed like a real thrill ride and I couldn't wait to get started. But then, the book just kind of fell flat and I felt myself slogging through it. I didn't connect with the characters and the story just seemed to plod along, when it could have been a real break-neck thrill-ride.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5 ⭐️
How I Read It: 📱

Synopsis
Ariel loved her boyfriend Drew, but then one day, he just disappeared and then she finds his obituary. But five years later, she receives a text message from him. How is a dead man texting her? So she waits at the location he texted her to meet, their spot, but he never shows. She starts wondering what is going on and she digs and digs until she’s in danger, but from who?

My Thoughts
I didn’t read the synopsis for this book, I just dove right in, and it hooked me from the prologue! This book was amazing, and I loved the well developed characters, Ariel, Buzz, Zaine, and Drew; the author makes you feel like you are right there with them throughout the books shocking twists and turns. The amount of privacy invasion and corruption in this story is intense and scary, so I was always wondering who was watching; the agita factor was high in this one!

Final Thoughts
This book was written in dual point of views alternating back and forth between current day and five years ago, and the author did such a great job of unfolding the story this way. It was a page turner that thriller fans must pick up!


❗️Of Note
📝 Murders

Themes:
🔪 Thriller

Ratings
Characters: 5 ⭐️
Pace: 5 ⭐️
Enjoyability: 5 ⭐️

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Paperbacks and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book!

Five years ago, the love of Ariel’s life, Drew, ghosted her and was subsequently killed in an accident leaving her devastated and pregnant, Ariel pulled through and is doing the best she can with a four year old, still working at the family business, Chime (a Ring type doorbell company). Sitting in a meeting she gets a text from Drew, asking her to meet him. Is there a chance he didn’t die after all? From there she delves into secrets of the past, following the movements Drew made while he was working for Chime. Putting the puzzle pieces together, but the more she looks the more questions she has, eliciting help from a coworker, neither know just how big of a Pandoras Box they have just opened. Running for her very life, Ariel finally finishes the puzzle, but is it too late? Thank you to HarperCollins and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This was unfortunately a DNF (or possibly a "not right now") for me. After reading about 20% of the book, I found that I wasn't invested in the characters or what would happen to them...and all of the time jumping was a little hard to follow. I might go back to it, but it's just not the season I'm in right now.

Whhhhewwwww😮‍💨 I loved this thriller! I’m not a huge thriller girlie but I do love domestic thrillers and this one was so good.

There was lots of technical jargon in it regarding video doorbells and networks and the cloud. But the female main character didn’t really understand it either so it really worked for me.

I loved the mention of W.B. Mason as I used to be an office manager and that brought back memories to those days. And the mention of Book of the Month, so fun!

I really enjoyed not knowing where this was going and trying to figure out what was going to happen next. Definitely did not see the end coming!

Highly recommend!

***UNPOPULAR OPINION TIME***

Usually this is my type of book with suspense and a bit of romance. I like the dual time lines even if the pacing was super slow, that was not the issue. My issue was with the overall plot and when it started to amp up ... surprise (not!)... the reveals and twists get predictable. Even the wrap up at the end was predictable.

Just a so-so read for me. Nice cover but cannot recommend.

Thanks to Sarina Bowen, NetGalley, and Harper Perennial Paperbacks for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Already available

This is my first novel by Bowen and I have to say, she knocked it out of the park. The premise sounded decent, and I had hoped that I would enjoy the book enough to make my way through it. But what I wasn't expecting was for this book to be one of my favorites of 2024!

I kept thinking I had an idea of what was going on, and I sort of, kind of had it partially figured out, but the twists were so out of control that it didn't matter that I had a few untied knots, I was still totally shocked, which I loved.

I think the premise is what really did it. Imagine losing someone, them vanishing into this air, and then 5 years later, you get a text from them. But they hadn't just sent the text, they'd sent it 5 years ago and you just didn't receive it. It's hard to not fall back into what might have been and what could have happened, especially when you think that person is dead. And imagine this mystery unravelling into a situation that it so sinister, one that is twisted into so many lives.

This book had so much for me - great character development, a fast paced thrilled, and an ending that I never could have predicted.

I cannot wait to read more from Sarina Bown.