A Lovely Lie was an addicting novel, though not a thriller. It was more of a mystery, with a dual timeline interspersed with police interrogation. I like how all of this was woven together to create a cohesive version of events. The author did a great job of developing characters and keeping the plot moving at a healthy pace. Thank to NetGalley and Scarlet Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

We have a lie (cover up) over 20 years in the making, but we all know secrets never stay buried and everyone has something to hide. With police interview transcripts woven throughout the story we get multiple POV’s and dual timelines that propel the story.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for 2024 and it was just as good as I knew it would be!

Many thanks to @penzlerpub and @NetGalley for my #gifted (free) copy. Pub date 5/28/24.

This is actually my first read by the author and definitely will not be my last. This was so suspenseful and kept me guessing throughout the whole book. I also loved the time frame in the book. I definitely recommend this one!

Snappy writing and plenty of action kept me flipping the pages in this long-buried secrets drama. Scarlett and her best friend Pepper were involved in a car accident that left two kids dead in high school. Over twenty years later, Pepper's daughter shows up on Scarlett's doorstep asking uncomfortable questions. Who's her dad and what was her late-mom trying to hide? With everyone hiding something, there are plenty of deep dark secrets to uncover. With multiple POVs and dual timelines, you need to pay attention for this one.

YES, YES, YES!!!!! This is my first read from this author and all I have to say is I'm obsessed! Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This is a fast and fun read. Good characters and story. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

A Lovely Lie easily caught my attention and had me hooked from page one!

Back in 1999, best friends Scarlett and Pepper were involved in an accident that killed two of their classmates. They told a lie that night and got away with it. Now, Pepper’s daughter Zoey shows up to find out who her father is, dragging the case back into the daylight and stirring up trouble in Scarlett’s life.

This book had so many twists and turns, unreliable narrators, and scandalous moments. The main characters have so many connections to one another that all of their interactions feel wrought with history and tension. Some of the characters are downright unlikable, and you’d be only too happy to witness their downfall. The book feels gossipy at times, going back to high school and the party the night of the deaths. It all feels very salacious, dysfunction, and utterly compelling.

This was my first read by this author and will not be my last. I loved her writing style, found her characters and dialogue to feel authentic, and absolutely couldn’t put this book down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers- Scarlet for the ARC. All opinions are my own,

Every book requires suspension of belief but this took it to another level. Everything but the kitchen sink in here, and I kept reading because I could not see how these people could continue on. A ride for sure

Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review

🚘 T E N S E T U E S D A Y 🚘 featuring “A Lovely Lie” by Jaime Lynn Hendricks!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤/5

It’s 1999 and besties Pepper and Scarlet have no idea that their high school Senior Picnic would change their lives forever. But with this group of classmates … there is always drama and they tip toe around everyone’s secrets and lies. Especially when two of their classmates end up DEAD … and Pepper and Scarlet know what happened. They make a pact to never tell their secret and to protect one another from the police. Once the investigation closes, Pepper picks up and leaves town … and the besties never speak again 🤐!

Now 22 years later, while Scarlet is at work, she gets approached by Zoey … who claims to be Pepper’s daughter. Pepper is DEAD and Zoey is determined to find out who her father is. She found a letter addressed to Scarlet that is cryptic and brings up things that happened THAT night. Zoey is hell bent on digging into the past, no matter how many hard truths she discovers. Will Zoey uncover the truth that Scarlet has tried to keep buried for over 20 years?? AND find out the identity of her father??

WOW 🤯!!! This is my first book by this author and I absolutely loved it!! The devious secrets, twisted lies, dysfunctional relationships and exceptionally written dual timelines make this book a MUST READ to everyone in their thriller/suspense era!

Thank you kindly to @jaimelynnhendricksauthor @penzlerpub @penguinrandomca @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review! This book releases on May 28th, 2024!

Ahh this one was unhinged in the most fun way! It seemed like one of those pretty straightforward thrillers where I assumed I knew where it was going but I was pleasantly surprised by several of the twists. Was it a little dramatic? Absolutely but it was wickedly fun too. This one is full of unlikable characters and you hear from most of them at some point, but I love to hate devious people and this group was wild. There’s a fairly small cast of characters and the ways they were entangled was complicated and messy but it just made this one that much more insane. This was like the very definition of a popcorn thriller, it’s light yet pretty gripping, it’s scandalous and shocking and I promise you will be entertained by the characters antics.

This was my first novel by this author and it didn’t disappoint!

I flew thru the chapters, this is definitely a fast paced novel. There is deception, friendship and the high school drama flashbacks. I enjoyed this thriller and would recommend it. Very good read!

If you’re looking for a “read it in one day and be entertained the entire time” kind of book then this one is for you!

I’ll be on the lookout for more by this author.

Thank you Net Galley for the ARC

***Contains spoilers***

Zoey takes a trip to Florida to find out who is her father. She meets her mom's former best friend and ex-boyfriend and as she investigates, old secrets are turned up about a 20 year old accident. The story is told in multiple POV with the past time line revealed with detective Logan's interviews with the kids on the night of the accident.

All the characters are unlikeable and used each other. The characters all didn't really grow up from there when they were teenagers so this felt very YA to me. The story had some twists and Vince and Pepper were just horrible characters.

The epilogue really knocked it down forever because of Chris and Scarlett getting together. The whole story, they got together once in high school and Chris mentions she is too good for Vince and that's it. He dumped his fiance pretty quick to be with Scarlet and it was just one sentence.

Thank you @thrillerloverspromotions @penzlerpub for a copy of the book.

What a great story! I had things figured out pretty quickly (what can I say, I’m a cynic!), but it was still fun to watch it play out. In this story, I would say half the characters were great and half of them were awful people. Pepper especially is an absolute piece of work. Her and I would definitely not have been friends! And poor Scarlett and Luke! This is the kind of story you can picture playing out and I think picture specific people playing the characters’ roles. Definitely worth a read if you like books about old friends with horrific secrets!

Huge thanks to Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for sending me this ARC for review! All of my reviews are given honestly!

A Lovely Lie is the perfect title for this book. It is filled with lies, secrets, years of covering up the unthinkable, betrayal, deceit and DRAMA! I liked all the different point of views and flashback chapters. This is a short and quick read you can easily binge in one day! I don’t consider this book super twisty, nothing really shocked me but it was still fun to watch the secrets surface.

This was my first book by Jamie Lynn Hendricks and her writing style is deliciously addicting to read! Looking forward to reading more of her work!

A solid popcorn thriller that you definitely need to check out! Releases next month!

What would you do if your husband's ex-girlfriend aka your BFF from high school,
surprise daughter shows up looking for her father, just after her Mother dies?
22 years ago their lives changed forever.
A crazy wild ride in this domestic thriller of old high friends and their secrets.
I gobbled this right up and couldn’t put it down. The ending was so perfect it left me wanting more.
It's just soo good!!

I absolutely love this author but this was my least favorite book of hers. I thought it was a little drawn out. The characters were well written, and the dynamics were interesting, but it just left me feeling like it was pretty flat overall. I kept waiting for more twists and the only one that surprised me was the ending.

I feel like this plot has been done before and overdone. It would have been more enjoyable if the characters were likable. Some of the story was over the top nad repetitive. i think this would appeal to some people, but not to me.

A Lovely Lie is a fun popcorn read that is filled with many unlikeable characters who are hiding a multitude of sins and lies. The story centres around Scarlett Russo an unhappily married woman who must deal with her traumatic past when the daughter of her former best friend Pepper starts asking questions about a long buried tragedy on Senior Picnic night of 1999. The lives of all involved will forever change once the lies are uncovered and the truth is revealed.

Read this if you enjoy:
-multiple POVs
-unlikeable characters
-dual timelines
-police interviews that help the story unfold
-hints of high school nostalgia
-twists and turns
-satisfying ending
-gaslighting and manipulation
-complex and frustrating characters

My rating 4 out of 5

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers for this eARC that will be published May 28 2024

It was well written and great story. However I found it to be very drawn out and could have used more twists to help the story.

This book was the epitome of a popcorn thriller. I flew through this, finishing it in less than a day. It hooked me immediately and between the short chapters and changing POVs, I honestly could not put it down. The twists kept coming and while I predicted a couple of them, there's no way I could have predicted all of them. There are just so many secrets and lies, it's hard to know what really happened that fateful night of the senior picnic. It starts with Zoey looking for her father and ends with everything coming down and unraveling for those still around, 22 years after 2 fellow classmates are found dead in a tragic accident. If you love quick paced, domestic thrillers full of twists and turns that will give you whiplash...definitely make sure you pick this book up when it comes out!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penzler Publishing/Scarlet Suspense for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6307037719