The Peacock sisters were always very close growing up. Living with a mom like Donna they needed to be. Cleo becomes a high powered lawyer in NYC, Emma is a housewife trying to make a success out of a pyramid scheme and Sylvie is a widowed librarian in Miami. Ten years after Alexander's death she meets Simon through a dating app and after a whirlwind courtship they plan to marry in Simon's ancestral castle. Between the three sisters and partners, their mother and Simon's daughter there were a lot of characters to develop. Although I liked Sylvie for me I was interested in what was going to happen to Emma. It may not be the greatest book and in a year I probably won't remember the plot but for right now I really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Ballantine for providing me with a digital copy.

Having read and really liked some of Ward's books before, I was looking forward to reading this one.
However, it is boring and not great. I got pretty far in the book and can't seem to connect with it. The characters are unmemorable
and the writing is not as sharp and interesting as before. I hope this book finds it's audience, but it is not for me.

Thank you to Netgalley for the advance copy for review.

This one was a really nice, light, escapist read. It was juicy and quick, and I loved the English destination. My biggest gripe is that it was just "fine" and didn't have a whole lot to say that hadn't been said. BUT, that's the point! A fun summer read to pack in the beach bag.

This book felt hectic to me. The characters were interesting and well developed, I liked how the backstory was woven in, and I enjoyed the setting. However, I felt like the present day story didn’t proceed very smoothly. Too many narrators and not enough action around the wedding itself. I would have focused a little more on that.

This was absolutely nothing I expected whatsoever. This was absolutely not a romance by any means, but it has multiple romantic subplots that were so cute to follow. Rich and Emma??? Absolutely the best of the three.

The biggest thing that knocked down my rating was the random use of modern slang that made no sense. Emma’s oldest son constantly just said random slang that was not applicable and I cringed every time. Otherwise, though, the writing was good and the pace was solid. The short chapters as well? Perfect.

Overall, I had a good time reading this and was surprised by the plot and the overall character development.

Thank you to Netgalley and Ballantine for the advanced copy!

This was the cutest must read summer beach read! It’s fun, flirty and all around entertaining! Grab it and be prepared to read all day!

Sylvie, Cleo and Emma are three sisters who find themselves back in England for Sylvie's castle wedding. All three are hiding secrets and dealing with some significant damage from their childhood with a narcissistic mother. The pressure of it all comes crashing down over the weekend of the wedding.

As one of three sisters myself, I found the premise of this book especially intriguing. While my sisters and I have little in common with the three sisters in this book, the bonds of sisterhood are very relatable. Knowing that even if you feel alone, when you have your sisters you are not truly alone. This was a quick, easy summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the ARC of Lovers and Liars.

The Peacock sisters—Sylvie, Cleo, and Emma— reunite at a picturesque castle in Northern England for Sylvie’s wedding. Once close-knit, the sisters have grown apart, leading separate lives in Miami, New York City, and Montana. The wedding becomes a catalyst for the unveiling of secrets, rekindling old dynamics, and confronting unresolved issues.

Sylvie, a widow and school librarian from Miami, is preparing to marry an extremely wealthy British man. Her life seems like a fairy tale, yet beneath the surface, she grapples with the ghosts of her past.

Her sister Cleo is a high-powered lawyer in NYC, and appears to have it all — success, a glamorous lifestyle, and a gorgeous live-in boyfriend. Despite this, she doesn’t feel fulfilled.

The third sister, Emma, lives the quintessential stay-at-home mom life in Montana. She stayed in her hometown, married a good man, and is raising a family. But, despite her seemingly perfect life, she’s facing financial woes that she’s kept hidden from her family.

As the sisters come together in England, they spend more time meddling in each other’s affairs rather than confronting their own issues (as families often do!). This meddling leads to a series of dramatic and often humorous events revealing complex web of love and lies that bind them.

"Lovers and Liars" is a fast-paced read with a plot that feels tailor-made for a Hollywood adaptation. However, some of the mysterious elements, rather than deepening the plot, made me feel a bit distanced from connecting emotionally with the characters. All in all, fans of family dramas and destination weddings will likely enjoy this book, and it’s a perfect beach read as we head into Summer!

This story of three sisters has a cute premise, yet the writing alternates between plain descriptions and cliches. No surprise with the character development, and I was left feeling underwhelmed.

I loved Ward’s last book The Lifeguards and although Lovers and Liars didn’t have the same suspense as The Lifeguards, the character building i found to be equally impressive. Ward’s characters are really brought to life in her words.

Sylvie lost her husband Alexander ten years ago in a crash, but she has finally met Simon, a wealthy Brit, and they plan to tie the knot. Her sisters Emma and Cleo,who have been somewhat estranged of late travel to Mumberton Castle for the nuptials along with their dysfunctional mother.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs we get in Lovers and Liars one and I liked how each sister was dealing with their own issues. I particularly enjoyed Emma’s character who lost her family’s savings in a sex toy pyramid scheme. Ward infuses some wit and humor in her stories while still dealing with more serious issues. At times she had me LOLing with this one. It’s a love story of sorts but also a story of sisterhood.

Pick this up for an enjoyable fun read.

NYT bestselling author Amanda Eyre Ward returns following The Lifeguards and The Jetsetters with her latest charming and scandalous novel, LOVERS AND LIARS —A fun, lively, witty family drama featuring a librarian in love and three sisters reuniting for a wedding at an English castle.

Divided into ten parts, with an invitation to Sylvia Peacock and Simon Rampling's wedding on July 8, 2025, at Mumberton Castle in England.

The book opens with Sylvie Peacock the night before her wedding. She cannot sleep looking out the window of the massive castle over the moonlit treetops and the silvery ocean. What was she doing here? Had fate, lust, or the last glowing embers of hope led her here of all places to marry once again?

She missed her Miami, Florida, Coconut Grove Elementary School Library, where she worked with second graders. She wanted to go home to her rescue greyhound, Willie, and her bungalow on Hibiscus Street. She was only 25 when she married the first time. Alexander had been dead for ten years. Can she go through with this wedding? She wants to leave.

Sylvie, now 35, whose name is derived from Sylvia Plath, is about to marry Simon Rampling, a wealthy man. She was a lonely librarian known by her sisters as the victim of the family tragedy. Is she now happy?

Her sisters:

Cleo, 39, named after Cleopatra, lives in Brooklyn. She is a busy criminal defense attorney with relationship issues. She was in love with her best friend, Isaac, and not her long-time live-in boyfriend, Danny.

The sisters were supposed to protect one another. Cleo was to investigate Simon's history to ensure she was marrying the right man.

Emma is the only one of the three Peacock sisters who stayed in their childhood area in Montana. Married to Rich with two sons, she has several issues to deal with in her life, including a huge financial loss and their family's savings. (Sweet Nothings, a scam, perfume, and personal empowering products for women - a pyramid marketing scheme) She keeps secrets from her husband as the debt grows every day.

Alexander is dead (alcohol problem), her beloved dad, Police Chief Peacock (kind and selfless) is now in heaven, and her toxic mother, Donna, is in the Margaritaville Retirement Home—she had an affair with their next-door neighbor, Noah.

Narrated from the POV of the three sisters, we get to hear from all of them and their daily trials, secrets, and desires.

Is Simon what he seems? Does he have dark secrets, too? Simon lived on Indian Creek Island and had a posh address with an armed guard. He was also thirty-five and liked books and birding. They work.

The author takes us back to when Sylvie met Simon and their engagement to planning a wedding. We hear from each of the sisters and their issues as they prepare for the enormous upcoming wedding at elegant Mumberton Castle. From day one, two, and three, the wedding day. The ceremony was to take place in the castle library, with a reception following.

All three sisters are together again. Cleo is holding secrets about Alexander. Emma's debt is growing from her Sweet Nothings perfume business about to go bankrupt, and Sylvie spent her life trying to get Alexander sober until he was killed in an accident.

ALL THE SECRETS WILL COME OUT AT THE CASTLE!

Sylvie, the baby sister, finds herself reading letters like a Jane Austen heroine in a castle in a country other than her own. Was it all an impossible and thrilling dream? Will the girls get a happily ever after?

LOVERS AND LIARS is a fun, unforgettable story blended with literary elements of family, forgiveness, and finding joy beyond all the chaos and scars of the past.

From castles, books, birding, literature, love, letters, lies, family dynamics, corruption, money, greed, betrayal, daughter, exes, a fire, forgiveness, feeling loved and wanted, healing, acceptance, and dark secrets with juicy family drama —will keep you glued to the pages to see how this one ends for all the Peacock sisters.

A book of second chances! Sometimes, the secrets hold more power over us and are worse than just coming out, ripping off the bandaid, and being honest with one another.

I do not read a lot of women's domestic and contemporary; however, I enjoy this author's writing and a nice blending of contemporary and literary fiction. I loved the Epilogue as we get an update from sisters! You will be smiling— A perfect summer beach read!

Thanks to Random House (Ballantine Books) and NetGalley for a gifted digital reading copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pub Date: May 14, 2024
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Thank you, NetGalley. I was curious about the big secret in this book, but felt that the build up was predictable. I was missing some excitement with this book.

3.5 stars rounded up-Sylvia is about to marry Simon, but is he too good to be true? Leave it to her sisters Cleo and Emma to find out. I really enjoyed the storylines of the three sisters and the stories of their lives, particularly Emma’s debt from a pyramid scheme of adult pleasure products she sells (or at least tries to.) about halfway through the book we get to England where Simon is about to inherit a castle and where the wedding will take place. The story lost steam for me at this point because I am (sorry if I offend anyone) not into castles or Bridgerton vibes. It became a bit let’s all spill the beans about our secrets predictable, with an everything tied up neatly in a bow kind of ending. This one had promise but was just an ok read for me.

In LOVERS AND LIARS, author Amanda Eyre Ward invites read to travel to England. Sylvie, Cleo and Emma are three very different sisters and each one has a secret that could upset their relationships with each other, not to mention their lovers. Their lives are messy, but they are family. They irritate one another, but common blood keeps them tied to each other.

This is a well-written, witty story about three sisters raised by a narcissistic mother. Sylvie, a librarian, meets Simon, and falls hard. After a short time of romance, they get engaged, and plan to marry at Simon’s estate, Mumberton Castle. Is Sylvie really in love, or is she in love with the idea of getting married? Now, all the sisters must meet in London. The remainder of the book is about secrets, and what a thrill it was to have the inside information and be hit with a curve ball that I never saw coming. The story is written in multiple POV, and we hear each sister’s words and inner thoughts.

I loved so many parts of this book

A librarian in love
References to famous England tourist sites
Mention of Beatrix Potter characters
Mama’s pink lipstick and Channel #5

This was a fun read with sympathetic characters. Loved the setting and the plot. Very escapist and fun but with just enough mystery and complication.

This is a heartfelt and rollicking tale of family, forgiveness, and joy. I really enjoyed learning of each sister’s backstory.
Many thanks to Random House and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

This author is a true storyteller! Didn't relate to the characters much but Sill enter the overall story.

Lovers and Liars was equal parts charming, entertaining, and dramatic. The novel follows 3 sisters and examines their relationships, love, and lies that they tell themselves and each other. Well written and brilliantly developed. Thought provoking and impactful.

Three sisters. Family drama. A wedding in a castle.

Lovers and Liars is told through the three sisters POV. The story share glimpses into their family dynamic, from youth to adulthood, as they come together for a sister wedding. These three tackle unity, forgiveness and love.

This family is messy, but sisterhood rings supreme.

Thank you, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Ballantine Books

The Peacock sisters have led separate lives due to secrets for quite some time. Now they are reunited for Sylvie’s (2nd) wedding to a mysterious and very wealthy man named Simon. Cleo, a criminal defense lawyer, is immediately suspicious of Simon and does some digging into where he got his wealth. Emma, the 3rd sister, has secrets of her own that she is keeping from everyone, including her husband, and those secrets are on the verge of coming to the surface.

I really enjoyed that we got all three sisters POVs throughout this story allowing us to really get into their heads and see from each perspective where the sisters’ relationship broke down. There was a lot of drama throughout this book, but at its heart it is really a story about forgiveness and healing and it was great to see the sisters come together.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing and NetGalley for the advance copy.