The beginning had me intrigued but half way through I wanted to pull my hair out and if I had given in, I would have been bald by the end. Not only are none of the characters likeable, but they're also incredibly stupid. The story is told, past and present, from four female characters. They all sounded the same and I had a hard time remembering who was who. Their 40 year old selves sounded just as juvenile as their teenage selves. The story was implausible at times and filled with plot holes. I just had the hardest time believing the characters' actions and honestly, having seven girls lie about sexual abuse and write it off as social contagion? Gross.

2.5⭐️
Let me start off by saying Lucinda Berry is one of my favorite authors…BUT this one fell a little flat for me. It was much slower than her other books until maybe the last 20%. The characters were extremely unlikable and I feel like the ending was rushed and more time could’ve been put into fleshing out what happened after the plot twist.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

A fast paced suspense read about a terrible secret four friends share from sleep-away camp. I enjoyed this even though at times it felt super implausible. The ending let me down a bit but overall it was still a decent read. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

This book was disappointing. I’ve read a lot of her other books and this book was nothing like them. Yes there is a twist at the end but the whole book just felt like some regular mystery story and didn’t really have that much going on till the last 20%. I’m used to dark and twisted with her and this just wasn’t that.

I love Lucinda Berry's thrillers! This one was fairly short and so suspenseful! Berry utilized multiple POV and a dual timeline to organize this plot and it unfolded seamlessly! A plot built on lies and revenge--the best kind of thriller.

I was so excited to be blessed with this ARC as I am a huge fan on the author. While reading, however, I realized that I was not as engaged as I have been in her previous books. It is written in a past/present style, and it does flow well. But I found it to be very predictable and lacked the twists that previous books have had. I will always be a fan, there are always books we don't like as much at times.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me to read this ARC

I do not know where to begin with this book…. Have I ever read a Lucinda Berry book and be disappointed? NO! The way she takes situations that could be reality and makes them the readers own, this book keeps you reading u til you have consumed the book in one sitting

Page turner, dual timeline, multiple POV's, a book that will mess with your psyche, which Lucinda Berry is a master at! This is about 4 friends who met at camp when thye were really young, and hang out every year there, but their last year will be one that they will NEVER forget! This book has twists you won't see coming. Secrets get revealed. Kept me captivated and wanting to keep reading until the very end, so I could find out what was happening.

pretty decent thriller, but definitely not my favorite from Berry. it’s told from the perspectives of 4 girls in 2 timelines: one from summer camp, and one from current day 26 years later where they are reconnecting for the first time. we know from the beginning they are harboring a SECRET bc they won’t shut up about it.

it was pretty fine, not as twisty or surprising as previous books by this author and I feel like we didn’t need all 4 girls trading off narrations because they weren’t different enough.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for an advanced e-copy for an honest review.

I am such a huge Lucinda Berry fan and this book I ate it up!

This book is duel time line, different points of view for each chapter and fast paced. I loved the setting of the “past”. Four girls at camp and a murder has happened. Throughout the book we learn if/how involved they were to the murder. And in the “now” they reunite after 20+ years when the truth of the past catches up to them.

I have read a lot of Lucinda’s books and this one is in the middle for me. Sorry to say.

I love Lucinda Berry period.

I do have some books of hers I prefer over others; but she never disappoints me!!!

That being said, I did have a little harder time with this one over some others. I liked it, I thought it was dark and twisty but I figured the twists out. Sometimes that's okay and doesn't affect the book for me, but unfortunately this time it did.

A prank gone wrong comes back to haunt the cabin mates in If You Tell A Lie. Twenty six years ago, four teenage friends at a summer camp make a secret pack never to discuss the tragic aftermath of a deadly prank, but when they now receive an anonymous note saying someone knows what happened that day, the four friends reunite for the first time since that summer day. It’s a promising (if oft used) plot, and since this author is an automatic read for me, I eagerly dove into this one. However, the string of implausible events and plot holes was just too much to overcome. The book takes an incredible turn that comes out of nowhere, and it seems like the author threw together several plot ideas into one story, and it just doesn’t work. Unfortunately this was a disappointment and difficult to get through. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blakely, Grace, Meg and Thera were four camp friends. They swore to never tell a secret that caused a murder. As adults they received unsigned threatening cards in the mail causing them to meet for the first time since camp.

The story is told from then and now, the then at camp and the now as adults. It’s told from multiple POVs which made it difficult to keep track of. There was no character development. The characters were unlikeable. I didn’t care for the violence scenes, especially involving a dog. I felt the ending was unsatisfying, cut short and rushed. Serious topics like body image, grief, loss of a parent, sexual abuse, trauma could have been handled better.

Publishing: July 23, 2024

Thank you #netgalley and #Thomas and Mercer

As a fan of Lucinda Berry and her previous works, I was excited to dive into If You Tell a Lie. However, I must admit that this book left me feeling disappointed. While the premise of the story was intriguing with its focus on the consequences of peer pressure and the weight of secrets, the execution fell flat for me. The characters felt one-dimensional, and the plot twists did not have the same impact as Berry's other books. There was four main characters and the story was told in multiple timelines and POV’s which was confusing at times. I had a hard time keeping them straight. Overall, If You Tell a Lie did not live up to my expectations.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this advanced reader copy.

I was so happy to see a new book out by Lucinda Berry. I just love her books. If you Tell a Lie is a very good psychological thriller. 4 best friends go to camp 20 years ago. They play a prank and the unthikable happens. After that summer, they never saw each other again, until now. It is 20 years later. They have received a card that says someone knows what they did.

I love books by authors with psych backgrounds (most of the time). This delves into peer pressure and the "mean girl". It's written from different perspectives plus past and present. I think this book will take everyone back to their childhood, not that we were evil, but that mean girl and the pressure to do the right thing.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC and the publisher. I recommend this book highly. I totally enjoyed it.

Sometimes I just have a feeling about a character, something I can’t quite put my finger on. That was the case here, and I was right! Hot dang! 😆 However, Ms. Berry still got me with a few twists that I never saw coming. She’s sneakily good!

Teenage girls are enigmas. At a six week long summer camp where everyone is an outcast the rest of the year, what would you do to finally fit in? Even if you and others knew it was wrong? You might let yourself get carried away…

This isn’t an easy read. There’s some heavy stuff in here. Sexual abuse, loss, graphic depictions of eating disorders, etc. The story isn’t sexually explicit, but it isn’t entirely clean, either. I would want to know that before reading, so that’s why I mention it.

I received an eARC from NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer (thank you!) in exchange for my honest feedback.

I am a huge Lucinda Berry fan and will read anything she writes. I was thrilled to read If You Tell a Lie. I thought the premise of something that happened at summer camp in the 1990s coming up as an adult was intriguing. I love the connection throughout the book to the I Know What You Did Last Summer movie was awesome. Since the book flashed between the 90s and modern day, it required me to pay a little more attention to who was writing the chapter and when.

Some of the characters were more believable and convincing than others. I totally bought the idea of Regina killing Jared because she believed that he had abused the girls and related due to her own abuse., But her trying to harm her sons seemed far fetched. Blakely being a manipulative psychopath with an eating disorder also seemed spot on. I disliked that we did not find out what happened to Meg and Thera after Blakely literally left them and set them up. I would like an epilogue to explain what happens to them!

I enjoyed this book overall especially the build up of suspense and tension as you find out more about the secrets that have been mounting up over the years.

#IfYouTellALie #NetGalley
They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead—even when they knew it was dead wrong.
The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again. Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me an advance copy.

Thank you so much to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC!!!

I absolutely have loved all of this author’s books that I have read so far. This one was twisty for sure. The ending will definitely piss you off lol. Still would recommend!!