This book was everything I wanted in a thriller and more. I did not see the twist coming at all!! It was the perfect combination of old school nostalgia and present day strife!! Thank you so much for this amazing read!!

I only dropped it a star because I wish there was more closure on what happened with the other girls at the end. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters!

This book was just okay to me. I did enjoy reading it but it just felt drawn out and like it was going on forever.

The twist was meh, I thought it could be better.

Thank you netgalley for the arc read ◡̈

Blakely, Thera, Meg and Grace were four friends who met at Camp Pendleton for gifted children. On their senior year, a new tennis coach Mr. Crosby starts a job there! He ends being murdered and the four girls swear to secrecy that none of them will ever talk about it again. Until twenty six years later when they all receive an anonymous note saying they’re going to pay for what they’ve done!

Lucinda Berry has always been one of my favorite authors. Her writing style is phenomenal! This book was engaging and very fast paced. It was fun to read! I enjoyed reading about the characters. I enjoyed getting to know them! Blakely though?! Blakely.. Oh Blakely… I wanted to strangle her! LOL!

For me, about 85% finished with the book was when I just wanted it to be done. The ending just didn’t satisfy me!

Overall, this was a great read! If you like a fast paced, engaging and that feeling of wanting to know what happens next…. This book is for you!

I feel like I’ve been a part of a group of girlfriends like the ones in the book, but thankfully, it wasn’t quite the sinister experience this was. Much like those friend groups in real life, one friend is a manipulative, attention seeking queen bee. Lucinda nailed it with the girls making up this group, and took us on a traumatic journey spanning decades. Excellent read, especially since it’s summer!

3.5 stars! Thank you Lucinda Berry, NetGalley, and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for the early release of If You Tell A Lie. This was a popcorn thriller that had some twists and turns and really made you question all of the narrators throughout the book. I did guess part of the twist at the end but it did keep me guessing until the final pages.

This book follows a group of girls who got together each summer at a camp. They all had their own unique stories and struggles.. I like the psychology aspect of the book that honed in on each of the character's personal issues and psyches. It showed why and how they made choices as teenagers and why and how they made choices in their adulthood as well. One lie in their teenage years changed the course of their lives forever. All it takes is one simple thing to set things in motion. I enjoyed the alternating timelines throughout the book and the characters. At one point I was questioning everyone and everything. A lot of crazy took place in this book!

If this is on your TBR read it. It's very mysterious and will keep you entertained as a summer vibe thriller. I am looking forward to reading more of Lucinda Berry's work.

Lucinda Berry has done it again with this amazingly twisty thriller! I had my suspicions about a certain character and I was mostly correct about their malicious intent!
Five stars all day for Dr Berry. She has very quickly become one of my absolute favorite authors! Will highly recommend her newest thriller when it hits the digital and physical shelves.

This is one of Lucinda Berry's best!! It is a book that bounces back and in time between multiple characters. Keeps you guessing all the way through. When you think you figured it out, Lucinda throws another curve ball. The way she builds up the characters and makes you think you know them only to twist it around and make you second guess yourself. Even in the last few chapters when the plot has taken its final twist, you are still waiting for that last “gotcha”. While I love all Lucinda’s books, this is one of my favorites. Thank you so much NetGalley and Lucinda Berry for the ARC. I hope to be chosen again in the future.

I'm a big fan of Lucinda Berry's work, but unfortunately this book didn't hit me in the same way as the others. The plot seemed exciting and promising and drew me in, but I found myself wanting more as the plot unfolded and found all of the characters to be extremely unlikeable people in the past and present. It's a pretty decent thriller, but I'm personally very picky about thriller reads. I've always loved Lucinda's books because they feel different from the normal thriller plot. And I feel like we didn't need all four girls exchanging narrations because they weren't different enough.

That said, I almost wish there was an additional point of view (even if it was just one chapter) for the person who was killed that summer. I felt like there were still some loose ends that I wanted addressed, but I know that Lucinda often leaves bits of her books open to interpretation.

Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again.

Then
If You Tell a Lie is a captivating tale of four teenage friends who are spending one last summer together at camp. Things are shaken up when there is a murder at the camp. The girls were there. They have memories....and they have secrets.

Now
It is 26 years later. Each of the girls have received an anonymous letter with the words "I know what you did that summer" They haven't thought of that summer in years. They have moved on with their lives so why now, after 26 years?

The story is told in dual timelines but in five different POV's. I was going back and forth in chapters trying to get all the characters straight. They don't have the strongest character development but I attribute this to having five main characters. About half way through, clarity emerges and I finally was confident on who was who.

The first half of the book was attention holding enough but it's the second half was where the story comes together and intensifies. While I did have my suspicions and theories, some revelations had my eyes popping out. There are trigger warnings here so please do your research before diving in this one. I have very few and yet, some of the gruesome events made me cringe!

Overall, an easy read and easy to binge read. Great storyline and excellent twists. I do wish there was more closure of some storylines at the end, however, but it does not affect a solid read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced readers copy to review.

The story delves into the dark and twisted world of four friends bound by a chilling secret from their youth. That one fateful summer at Camp Pendleton, where the bonds of friendship were tested and shattered.
Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera, once inseparable friends, found themselves entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal when their actions lead to the death of Mr. Crosby, their charismatic tennis coach.
Sworn to secrecy by a pact forged in fear and desperation, the friends go their separate ways, burying their shared guilt and shame deep within their hearts.
Two decades later, a mysterious note threatens to expose their long-buried secret, forcing the women to confront the past they thought they had left behind.
As they reunite under the ominous shadow of Blakely's manipulative influence, old wounds are reopened and buried resentments resurface, casting a sinister pall over their fragile reunion.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a clever plot with carefully developed characters. Suspenseful pacing, which really ratcheted up as the story continued which built up to an unexpected twist.
Told through a dual timeline that seamlessly weaved between past and present.
Thank you Lucinda Berry and NetGalley for an early copy.

TW: SA, animal death and grooming

Lucinda Berry is one of my favorite authors. This book did not disappoint! There are 4 different POV’s, all with past and present. While the book does move around quite a bit, each chapter is labeled with the character as the narrator, and if it’s past or present at the time.

Enjoyable book about 4 friends and their time at summer camp at Camp Pendleton. The book discusses their time there with different thoughts, mention of early life, and their current status. They’re all traumatized from their last summer at camp and build their lives to move on without mention. Things heat up when the 4 are back together, years after camp. It was an awkward, but much needed, reunion as their past comes back to haunt them. What happens at camp doesn’t always stay at camp.

Thank you so much to Lucinda Berry and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to receive and read this eARC.

A great twisty story by Lucinda Berry. Although I could see how things would play out, it wasn’t quite what I expected. And that’s not a bad thing. A highly readable page turner. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is a dual story timeline about 4 friends who kept a secret when meeting at summer camp and reunite 20+ years later. I love Lucinda’s books but this one seemed a little rushed to get to the ending.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200033983

Another hit by Lucinda Berry! This books starts off with an intriguing story from the beginning. Chapters switch back and forth between characters as well as past/ present. This can cause some confusion at first, but you'll quickly learn the character traits of the girls and it all comes together. Twists and turns for sure, and I didn't have every detail figured out, but I did see the end coming. Quite an enjoyable read. I only wish the ending hadn't been wrapped up quite so quickly.

3.5 stars. I do normally love this author, but this was not one of my favorites. It was still a decent read, and I was entertained.

As always Ms. Berry did not disappoint. The twists, the turns the storyline.

One of my favorite authors because she uses your mind to mess with you, trying the entire time to figure out who did it to only realize you are wrong at every turn.

Not only should you read this book you should read alllll of her books, just an amazing read.

I'm a huge fan of Lucinda Berry's work, but unfortunately, "If You Tell a Lie" didn't quite live up to my expectations. While Berry's writing is still engaging and thoughtful, the multiple POVs in this book overwhelmed me. The constant switching between perspectives made it difficult to fully invest in any one character's story, and the pace suffered as a result.

The plot was intriguing, but it unfolded at a slower rate than I'm used to from Berry's books. Despite my struggles with this particular novel, I remain a fan of the author and look forward to her future works. Berry's unique voice and talent for crafting compelling stories will continue to draw me in.

If you're a die-hard Lucinda Berry fan like me, you may still want to give this one a try. However, if you're new to her work, I'd recommend starting with one of her other titles that showcase her writing at its best

A Lucinda Berry book never lets me down and this one followed the same pattern. This book was very suspenseful and had me guessing a lot! I binged it in 2 days and could not put it down.

Thank you to Lucinda’s team for allowing me to be an ARC reader and NetGalley for making it possible.

I love Lucinda Berry’s novels and was waiting quite impatiently for her newest book! “If You Tell a Lie” is told from 5 different points of view, from two different time frames, and there are 2 main storylines. You have to pay attention to which character the chapters belong to, but it wasn’t too difficult and this method really kept the story going. All in all, the story was well written and the ending tied everything together. I just wish there was a bit more to the ending, although maybe there will be a sequel?!

As I hoped I would, I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next Lucinda Berry novel!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.