This book was EVERYTHING. Here's what I loved:

*Unique plot: delayed text messages sound mundane but it adds so much to this story.
*Fun characters and chemistry: Ariel and Drew are a believable couple. I was invested in their love story.
*The beginning: got me hooked.
* Plausible twists: many that I didn't see coming.

I read this in one day! Thanks for the advance review copy.

Engaging and exciting romantic suspense. Unusual occurrence sets the pace for a clever mystery. It kept me guessing. Name issues kept me in the dark somewhat. Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

Sarina Bowen does romance, and she does it well; so when I found out that she was venturing outside the proverbial box, there was a mix of a lot of anticipation with a hint of apprehension on my end. In my years of reading fiction--romance, in particular--I've seen a number of authors try their hand at a different genre and not have the same impact. But in Bowen's case, that anticipation was well rewarded and any apprehension quickly fizzled away within the first couple of pages of the prologue, thanks to her fantastic storytelling in her new standalone, The Five Year Lie. After all, experience has taught me that I can trust in this author's writing because she hasn't disappointed me yet.

The Five Year Lie is the story of Ariel Cafferty, a woman who receives a text from the only man she's ever loved on what should have been just another Monday. The thing is, it's been five years since Ariel was informed that Drew Miller was dead. One text message leads to her questioning everything connected to what happened to Drew and beyond. But the deeper Ariel tries to find answers, the more precarious her situation. She doesn't have only herself to worry about. What is Ariel willing to risk, and what will the truth, especially about Drew's disappearance, cost her--and her son--when all is said and done?

I went into this book thinking I would be able to read a few chapters just to temporarily satiate my curiosity, but I should have known better than to start a Sarina Bowen novel when I have errands pre-scheduled. I had to shuffle things around because I was just like female main character Ariel, needing answers to the increasing number of questions and trying to distinguish what were the lies and what were the long buried truths. Bowen delivered a good balance of romance and suspense in this domestic thriller, and with twists and turns that had left me with bated breath, I was a more than willing hostage by this gripping story and its characters. The truth is, The Five Year Lie is a five-starred read.

Wow!!! Sabina Bowen is a new voice in romantic thriller, and what a voice she has.She is a new author for me, I know she has written books in just the romance genre but I am firmly a romantic suspense reader and I hope she continues with this genre. This one had it all in my opinion, great suspense and a perfect love story. The way she wrote the story going back five years and then present day actually built the suspense. Until you were turning the pages faster and faster! The heart pounding prologue immediately draws you into the story and keeps you emotionally tuned in. Her characters are relatable and captivating. The story actually makes you fear for the characters lives, that doesn't happen to me very often when reading a book. It also made you think about all the technology in our lives today and how this story could be very real. I loved all the Toy Story references, it brought the family together. This book was a thrilling and satisfying read. I can't wait for Sarina Bowens next one!!! I highly recommend this book it definitely deserves 5 stars! Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial, and Paperbacks for allowing me this honor for my honest review.

What do you get when you cross a romance with a mystery? A wholly satisfying read.

Honestly: usually, they don't work. It's either romance with just the faintest splash of mystery, or mystery with a bad, unloving romance. But Sarina Bowen has achieved the impossible and created a balanced narrative. As the mystery of Drew's disappearance unravels in the presence, readers are also treated to the romance five years before between Drew and Ariel. Their love is real, with great chemistry, and that fuels Ariel's desire for answers in the present. Coupled with a supporting cast (Buzz, Ariel's son, being a stand-out) and a solid discussion of privacy and AI in policing, The Five Year Lie is one of the stand-out books I've read this year.

Definitely pick this up as your next vacation read...you just might want to turn off your Ring camera while you are out.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for my honest review! I plan on rereading this so I can see all of the foreshadowing leading up to the climax :)

Bowen's previous books are romantic fiction. But, with this new book, suspense takes the driver's seat. The romance is still a big part of the plot, but in a supporting role - not overpowering the suspense.

Ariel had a whirlwind affair with Drew - but he left her without a goodbye. That was five years ago, and she still doesn't know why. But a computer glitch sends her on a last chance hunt to find answers. And what she finds is frighteningly real. I'm not going to spoil what that is, but I'm sure it's already in place somewhere.

I liked Ariel as a lead character. She's the antithesis of her family, living life on her terms. Bowen gives us some chapters from the past - from those chapters we come to know Drew through Ariel's eyes. There one clear cut 'bad' player, and a few others that I couldn't quite decide on.

Bowen does a good job with the plotting of The Five Year Lie. Again, the catalyst for the plot is quite believable. (If you're like me, you might ask yourself...) The action ramps up as the final pages turn. And the ending? Just right!

The Five Year Lie would be perfect for a beach bag this summer.

Once this book was announced, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. “The Five Year Lie” is a thrilling, action packed and mystery filled suspense that had me invested in what happened five years ago.

Five years ago, Ariel’s life changed. The man she was with passed away. Or so she thought. A text comes in from him and it does nothing but confuse her and opens a Pandora’s box full of questions. But as she starts looking, not everything is as it seems.

This storyline was so intriguing and I could stop reading once I started. This is something different from Sarina Bowen and she did an amazing job writing this suspenseful novel. Ariel is someone I connected with right away and I was so invested in her finding out the truth. The secrets were dark and deep with her family and the company she worked with. There are clues within clues and I was constantly guessing on who was involved with what. I was intrigued with Drew as much as Ariel was. The story is told in first person, present tense by Ariel. And I loved the past tense scenes from Drew’s POV. It added so much to the story. The story ended perfectly and as always, I look forward to more from Sarina Bowen.

5/5 stars!!

This book truly had me gripped from start to finish and kept me guessing until the very end. The pacing was perfectly timed to keep you interested while also following along to try to make you figure out what happened until the very very end. You get the suspense, the thrilling aspects, all with a little heartbreaking love affair thrown into the mix. The characters all have their very own personalities and there was one part where my heart was destroyed after warming up to one particular character. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good thriller novel!

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial for the opportunity to read this advanced copy of this book. These thoughts and opinions are all my own.

Thank you @harperperennial #partner for the free copies of this book!

What’s that you hear?! That’s me yelling “FIVE STAR BOOK” for “THE FIVE YEAR LIE”!

Whoa this book knocked my socks off! I went in blind like always and so had zero expectations and I was instantly sucked into this one. This book is made up of all the things I look for in a thriller…mystery…suspense…a lovely romance…some techy stuff for my nerdy heart AND twists galore! This book will be one of my top thrillers of the year for me for sure! Yep I said it! 🤩 From the very first pages of this book I was hooked into this heart pounding and shocking story. I thought this one was creative, compelling and loved that it focused on greed and corruption. Who wouldn’t love to find out why and how one would get a text from a loved one 5 years after their died?! Whew! This one gets all the stars from me! I LOVED it!

What an amazing ride!! Sarina Bowen just shows us her capability of writing more than 'just' romance! This book is fantastic! It kept me hooked to my kindle, wanting more, couldn't put it down, and kept me guessing until the end! The mix of romance and suspense I can totally see myself reading more of. Loved it!
Thank you Harper Collins Publisher for an arc of this book!

First and foremost many thanks to NetGalley, Harper Collins Publishing and Sarina Bowen for the advanced copy of this book.

I am not usually a super fan of domestic thrillers but this book was incredible . The pacing was perfectly timed to keep you guessing and on the edge of your seat . You get all of the suspense and mystery played out alongside a heartbreaking love affair. I will say this played a bit more to the romance side than some domestic thrillers but it was still great. The social commentary on advancing technology and the ethical implications surrounding its legal uses was a creepy reminder to reflect on our own technological boundaries.

The characters in the book all had distinct personalities . Many of which were terrible but it brought a distinct realism to the story . Buzz is the cutest kid in a thriller hands down .

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and will definitely be recommending it to others. I look forward to seeing future thrillers by this author .

Wow, I loved this!!! 4.5 ⭐️s!

I have read several of Bowen’s contemporary romances so I was intrigued to see that she had written a domestic thriller. Bowen nailed it!

A perfect combo of twisty domestic thriller and swoony romance. The first half was a bit slower as it sets up the plot, but the second half kept me on the edge of my seat! A very satisfying ending.

Highly recommend to domestic thriller fans, especially those who believe romance belongs in every genre!!

When Ariel gets a text from her boyfriend, it sets off a series of events that has her questioning everything. Because Drew shouldn’t be texting her -- he’s been dead for 5 years.

Ariel is a single mom and though she lost the love of her life before her son was born, this unexpected text has her giving new thought to what happened 5 years prior to rip Drew from her life. As she digs into new details with the help of a coworker, she learns there was a lot going on at work she had no idea about, and knowing puts her in danger in a way she could never imagine.

I loved getting to know the younger Ariel as she was falling in love with Drew. He was easy to love, though knowing some of his thoughts through his POV chapters, readers know a little bit about what caused him to work for Ariel’s father’s company. But the details that come out during the course of Ariel’s digging were heartbreaking in their intensity.

From the beginning I was hooked on this story and characters. The pacing was perfect to build suspense and also move the plot towards resolution. I had some of the suspense parts of the plot figured out but even being confident I was correct didn’t lessen my engagement with the story. The way the story flipped between the present and the past drove Ariel’s search for the truth while also building the relationship that changed her life. I loved the entire journey of discovery and the ways Ariel’s outlook changed throughout the book.

I loved this shift to suspense by Bowen. While the romance was still a major part of the story, the suspense elements drove the main plot and kept me guessing.

I have no idea how I came upon The Five Year Lie or why I requested it. I never read thrillers because I get scared too easily. But, I am so happy I did. I was enthralled by this book and finished it in a day. I wish I had taken better notes but I was so into this book I didn't have a chance. The MFC had me rooting for her and some twists left me heartbroken.

Overall I would say this is a five-star read and would recommend it to everyone even if thrillers are typically your thing.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Sarina Bowen for an ARC of The Five Year Lie, in exchange for my honest review.

I was really enjoying this until about halfway thru and then it took a turn I didn’t care for. The ending seemed different from the rest of the flow. It didn’t end badly just not how I had anticipated. Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

The Five Year Lie is Sarina Bowen's foray into Suspense/Thriller. I adore her romance books, so I was excited to try this one! There are dual timelines which adds to the atmosphere of mystery because Ariel's timeline is in the present and Drew's is in the past.

Ariel was told a story 5 years ago about Drew that is starting to unravel. Naturally, there is a lot going on in the story and you are trying to keep track of possible clues and hints. Technology plays a big part, and that makes it relevant and real to today. Honestly, it kind of freaks me out what people can do with computers and tech today. All these little pieces and clues eventually come together and it was a pretty surprising ending for me.

The Five Year Lie was a great suspense read that will keep you engaged throughout!

The Five Year Lie took off running with the prologue, and I never caught my breath. It was a suspenseful read and highlighted some of the scary things that could happen with artificial intelligence and “big brother is always watching.” Don’t let the mention of AI scare you off, as the story doesn’t go so deep in the weeds that the plot isn’t understandable. The love between the main characters Drew and Ariel is undeniable and gives the reader hope that they will find a happily ever after. After finishing the book, I still had a few lingering questions of how involved Ariel’s mom was, and there was definite foreboding vibes from warnings from Ariel’s best friends. There are heavy, heartbreaking topics and possible triggers, so make sure you do your research, if that is a concern. If you are looking for a love story filled with mystery, I would definitely recommend The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen.

Thank you to @netgalley, @harperperennial, and @sarinabowen for an ARC of The Five Year Lie, in exchange for my honest review.

I'm a big Sarina Bowen fan and would like to see her continue to try her hand at expanding into other genres, so I was curious about this one even though I'm super picky about domestic suspense since it's not a primary interest of mine. With that caveat, the initial set-up was handled well, but the core concept here is retreading ground a lot of other thrillers have gone over. Given that it's really difficult to come up with the kind of twists that work to keep it fresh--and in general, the kind of twists that make any thriller truly great--to begin with, for me the writing and execution need to be enough to make up for it with any thriller which isn't brilliantly sticking the landing... and realistically, that's the majority of them. So I'm not slamming THE FIVE YEAR LIE when I say I felt like this book didn't stand out as far as pulling that off either. (It also probably didn't help that I read it and Laurie Elizabeth Flynn's similarly positioned TILL DEATH DO US PART around the same time, but the writing there was doing something more literary in Flynn's case, which made the read more interesting to me personally.) However, the characterization and romance and everything I already like about Bowen were very much in evidence here, and that made for an enjoyable enough reading experience that I don't regret the time spent and would definitely recommend to readers who consume a lot more of this type of book than I normally do.

I have really enjoyed Sarina Bowen's other series - Brooklyn Hockey, Bruisers and True North are really wonderful- so I figured I would give her latest novel, The Five Year Lie a chance even though it's a domestic thriller instead of a romance. Ultimately it fell flat for me.

Ariel has been raising her son, Buzz, alone for four years since her boyfriend, Drew, suddenly left town and she finds out later he died when a telecom glitch sends out texts five years late. Her text is from Drew and makes it seem like he was trying to see her before he left. This text sends her on a wild ride that uncovers terrible secrets about her family, the family business and Drew.

I really thought the premise of the story was interesting- getting a belated text that could have changed your whole life but I was really bored after that. I wasn't invested in the main characters and all the invasion of privacy from the Chime Co Ariel's family owned was creepy but probably too close to true life for me. I did enjoy the different POV's but thought the pace was off - slow in some parts then wrapped up in a rush.

I will definitely read her other series but will avoid her domestic thrillers from now on.

I don’t know that I’ve ever even tried to make a secret of my Sarina Bowen fandom. There are very very few authors who are such a sure thing for me. Even so, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from Bowen’s first mystery/thriller.

But y’all.

Ohmygosh.

Sarina Bowen continues to reign supreme as one of my (very few) sure thing authors.

This was SO good!!!

And, I’m not a mystery/thriller reader. Sometime over the last several years I started chasing the romance high, and eventually that overtook all other chases. These days I find that a mystery/thriller has to be just perfectly written in order to hold my attention and not keep me from dropping it in search of that romance high. And when I tell you that Bowen delivered…

The Five Year Lie was so compulsively readable. It kept me guessing. I actually felt like I knew exactly how things were going to play out very early on. And then it flipped. And then it flipped again. And then the ending had my head spinning and my heart filling to bursting and I literally could not put the book down. I found myself in that space that every reader encounters from time to time: not wanting to put the book down, but also not wanting it to end. It was that kind of good.

This is still the Sarina Bowen I’ve come to know and love. The storytelling is top tier, the writing is smart and relatable, and the feels – they’re all there, they just present a little differently in this story. I absolutely adored it and enthusiastically recommend!