I was so intrigued by the premise of this one, I truly wanted to love it but I think it was maybe a little too slow for me to get into. I had to DNF.

This book tells the story of two crimes that seemingly unrelated, end up being related. My students who are fans of this type of book will like it. It is not necessarily one I would use in the classroom as there is less in it to spark a lively discussion, but think it will be enjoyable for those who read it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

If you like thrillers and cold cases files, you’ll enjoy this debut book. For me, I did think this was a bit repetitive and the ending rushed but overall I enjoyed this thriller.

3.5 stars rounded up

Super thriller with twists and turns, one after another!
Margo Box's husband disappeared six months ago with their young daughter, and she has been slowly falling apart ever since.
A writer, committed to a new book, she has been unable to successfully string sentences together since the disappearance.
When she finds an old letter in a book stuffed into a local free library structure, it sends her off on mission to find the story behind
the letter which she believes may lead to the discovery of the location of two local residents who disappeared 18 years ago: a close friend of hers and a teacher - the father of another friend.
It gives Margo purpose and drive to move forward instead of stagnating in her home.
The discovery of the letter sets off a chain reaction that not only moves her search along but also intertwines with her missing daughter and
husband.
I never saw it coming; a phrase you will think over and over again.
Great characters with really good defined personalities and a story line that expertly weaves two different stories into one believable tale.

I want to start out by saying that I think Ellie Bank's debut thriller novel has shown she has a lot of potential. The plot was the major draw to me for this book, but unfortunately, it just didn't live up to it's potential.
I felt like I was reading a thriller/romance combination - the almost what I would call obsession the main character Margo has with her childhood friend Dane was distracting and I didn't feel like it added to the plot at all.
Most of the book felt repetitive and the ending felt very rushed. There was a lot of space in the middle that I thought could have been used to help map out the ending without giving it away. Also, the dialogue felt too perfectly crafted and did not flow as naturally as it could have.

On the flip side, it did keep me guessing and while I figured out some of what was going to happen, I didn't figure it all out so for that I gave the book 2.75 stars, rounded up to 3.

I hope the author tries her hand at another thriller because I do think she will be able to craft an excellent one if she keeps trying.

I love cold cases and trying to figure out along the way what happened. This book was exactly that!
Initially the start was slow and repetitive, I had a hard time focusing. But once the story line started to pick up and you got more background on what was going on in Margo's life it became a quick page turner and made me want to find out what happened that much quicker. Margo is a wife and mother who's husband and child go missing, along with that there is a cold case from 18 years prior from the same town with common threads. Margo is on the hunt to find all the answers.
There was a few details that I was able to guess along the way but the ending was still a shocker. I recommend this book to anyone that likes cold cases and mystery/thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I totally agree with my sister that this one was a bit repetitive and that the ending was rushed. But it was a decent thriller and the author showed promise!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I love true crime and listening to podcasts about cold cases. Lies Make Perfect was like following along with my favorite show, hoping that the culprit would be found by the end. Fast-paced, full of twists and turns, this will be a winner for thriller lovers and true crime lovers alike.

Margo is an author of true-crime books. With her hard work and investigative skills, and managed to solve multiple cold cases and help bring closure to family victims of a notorious serial killer. As she is working on her next case, tragedy strikes too close to home when her husband disappears, taking their five-year-old daughter with him. Margo does what she knows best, and dives into investigative mode, and she tries to find her daughter and figure out why her husband would have done something so out of character.

There were a few instances in the book that evidence and circumstances worked out “too perfectly” for Margo and her team. While I agree that intuition is a powerful tool, I personally like to see facts backing up character actions instead of just dumb luck.

Overall, this was a fun and captivating read!
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie Banks takes you on a journey following Margo; a wife, a mother, a writer - who is experiencing two events that occur 18 years apart and have more in common than expected. A story of heartache, despair and relentless hope.
Lies Make Perfect is a page turner! This book had me hooked from the beginning. I was invested at 10% and it kept me guessing the entire time.
There was a time or two when I guessed some details of the story but was still shocked as the truth unfolded.

Domestic thrillers tend to be hit or miss with me but this one was a definite hit! I love true crime cases and cold cases and this one reminded me of several podcasts I had listened to in the past. I was so captivated by the story I just couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened. Right around the 250 page mark I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong. This book is full of twits that you won't see coming and will keep the pages turning until you find out what really happened.

I really enjoyed this book by Ellie Banks and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and Ellie Banks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We have all found a piece of someone's past hidden in a book from the little free library at some point in time. Whether it's a receipt, a bookmark, a ticket, or even a note. When Margo Box, true crime writer, grieving her missing husband and daughter finds a letter hidden in a book from her local little free library one night, she convinces herself it's related to her missing friend from her teenage years. She starts to investigate the crime that started her true crime obsession and the discoveries she makes shocks the entire community and everyone she loves.

This was such an emotional, well crafted mystery, executed in a way only seasoned authors can. Slow paced and meticulous, this pulls the reader into this fictional world, making us feel every emotion that the protagonist does. With a great plot and well developed characters, this was a brilliant story from beginning to end. Four Stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

I enjoyed this and had a hard time putting it down. I love true crime and cold cases! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC!

intriguing and uniquely well done thriller about a true crime writer whose daughter was kidnapped. thanks for the arc.

There are many thrillers and suspense books at our fingertips these days and with social media apps like TikTok, books are being talked about and shared more than ever. This book will be one to talk about and once released, you will be seeing passed around your favorite social platform. Believable characters that you begin to empathize with will suck you in to their story and keep you reading to the very end and wanting more.

This was such an enchanting story, where all the pieces of the puzzle come together and with a full satisfying end that left the reader in me quite content.

I was caught up in this book from the very beginning. Margo’s husband has disappeared with her five year old daughter. Margo is a true crime writer so she knows how bad it could be. Old disappearances and old friends turn up. A very good mystery.

I thought that this novel was a near perfect domestic thriller. I was never bored, and I kept wanting more!

Lies make perfect is an excellent debut novel for author Ellie Banks.

We all love true crime and solving cold cases, so what’s not to love in a story about a true crime author who has a talent for solving crimes.

Margo had everything going for her. Through hard work and sleepless nights she managed to tie 6 cold cases together and solve the murders, returning long lost girls to their families to they could be laid at peace. After her book publishing her book about her experience, the sales alone enabled her to move back into an upscale neighbourhood with her perfect husband and perfect daughter.

But things are never as picture perfect as they appear on the outside, and six months ago her husband disappeared, kidnapping her daughter in the process.

Six months she has spent wallowing in despair, until inspiration strikes and she is motivated to look back into the cold case of her missing high school friend who ran off with their school teacher at age 16.

Except the fact she has ongoing friendships with the missing girls brother, and the school teachers daughter, makes investigating this case kinda awkward, dredging up bitter resentments from the past. But that’s not all that’s dredged up, there are things hidden beneath the surface and she will find more than she bargained for.

I really enjoyed the concept of this book, two cold cases that connect in unexpected ways. A determined mother who wants to regain control by finding answers.

Admittedly the start was a little slow and repetitive (it mentioned the MCs tendency to take uppers and downers 3 times in the first 10%), I was considering moving on to something else at the 20% mark but I’m SO GLAD I didn’t as moments later that’s when everything kicked off and spurred into action.

Once Margo starts investigating things get really interesting and dramatic from then on. We have intense conversations, shocking discoveries, and some forbidden spicy romance and pining going on.

I felt for Margo, everyone trying to manage her all the time, afraid she would break like a delicate flower. But she stood her ground and fought for her autonomy and right to make her own decisions and in my eyes that makes her a bad ass.

Really enjoyed the twists and the secrets, would recommend you give this one a go :)

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for an advanced copy