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!!

This book was mediocre and lacked character development. I was expecting more twists for being a Lucinda Berry novel. There was a lot of potential with the plot, however I felt like it was rushed and ended abruptly. I was not shocked with the outcome and felt as if it was predictable. The book rotates between the protagonists and timelines which I do not usually mind reading, however it felt repetitive. I didn't feel like I was gaining anything from reading the different characters reflections on their past and even present.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

3 ⭐️⭐️⭐️ for Lucinda Berry’s “If You Tell a Lie” I thought it was a good solid story and I liked going between the past and present. 4 girls grew up going to summer camp together and their last year someone was murdered. The ending felt a bit rushed to me, and I don’t feel like the story needed Regina’s POV, but I was satisfied with the story when it all came together.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer & NetGalley for the ARC!

Lucinda Berry has the ability to grab your attention in the prologue and hold on tight to it through the last word of the book. If You Tell A Lie is a story of friendship and how far you would go to protect… or hurt… your friends. Camp Pendleton is a camp for smart rich kids, a place where they can meet friends that are like themselves. Blakely, Thera, Meg, and Grace became friends their very first year. Fast forward to their senior year at camp, the girls are looking forward to all the perks of being the oldest on campus and all the fun that goes along with it. When a new tennis coach joins the staff Blakely is “in love” at first sight. Nevermind the fact that he’s too old and too married. Blakely always gets what she wants, and while the other girls go along with her shenanigans, even they know that she’s gone too far this time. The girls leave camp that year and never speak again until they each receive a white envelope in the mail, 26 years later. The fear of their secret coming out brings the girls together again. But this time they are adults, and the stakes are far higher. Blakely has always gotten her way…. Somethings never change.


This book was so well written. I couldn’t wait to find out what happened next. I did figure out the twist before it was revealed, but Lucinda Berry always throws in a few extra shockers, so I wasn’t upset. The characters were easy to relate to and it was fun to see who they grew into as adults. Multiple POV’s is my favorite kind of book and the way this done shifted from past to present was icing on the cake.

I don’t know what goes on that kind of hers, but Lucinda Berry is the queen of writing psychological drama!

Lucinda Berry is one of my absolute favorites so I was really excited to see that she has a new book out. I grabbed this one without even reading the synopsis. I’ve loved everything she’s written. I’m sad to say that this was hard for me to finish. I had a hard time keeping the four main characters straight as it’s told in both the past and the present. I was able to spot the twist a mile away, and I was bored.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

SYNOPSIS
- Four adult women, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera, reunite to discuss their resurfaced secret.
- Growing up, the group became summer camp friends at Camp Pendleton, a camp for gifted kids.
- During their senior summer, something went down, and they have kept it a secret for 26 years.
- Now, anonymous notes bring them back together to examine the past.

TRIGGER WARNING (SPOILER)
- Animal violence
- Death of dog

MY THOUGHTS
- I love Lucinda Berry and am a big fan of her writing style. This is her 3rd book that I’ve read. I gave 4 stars to “The Best of Friends” and 5 stars to “When She Returned”, so I was excited for this one.
- This one is told from multiple POVs and alternating timelines (past and present). At times, it was hard to keep everyone straight. The different characters all felt like the same voice, so it was a bit hard to follow.
- Ooh, reminded me of an elevated PLL (Pretty Little Liars).
- There's palpable tension throughout the book, but the most of the “twists” were predictable.
- The pacing is a bit slow, and I didn’t like any of the characters. Unlikable characters aren’t an issue, but they lacked depth & I couldn’t connect with them.
- There’s some gratuitous violence scenes that went a bit too far. I also HATEEEEEE reading about violence to animals.
- The plot had a lot of potential, but ultimately fell short for me. I absolutely will continue to read Berry’s work though!

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️Love Lucinda Berry, but this one fell short for me.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book will be published on July 23, 2024.

Long kept secret with this one. A group of four girls who frequented each other every year during the summer at Camp Pendleton, have a huge part on a tragedy that occurred at the camp. Prank gone wrong VERY WRONG!!

They reunite 26 years later only to resurface the past and then some…

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for allowing me access to this novel in exchange of my honest review

I’ve read other books by Lucinda Berry and was intrigued by the synopsis for this book. The book is split into 5 different POVs and 2 different timelines. I’m not sure why but I kept confusing the characters Meg and Grace. All 4 girls have trauma they’ve lived through, but it’s difficult to root for any of them because of how awful they are. They writing is strong and was what ultimately kept me reading until the end. The conclusion was unsatisfying, with no proper resolution, which was probably the intention. If you’re a fan of Lucinda Berry and messed up characters you’ll enjoy this book. (3.25/5)

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Blakely, Thera, Meg and Claire meet at summer camp. A prank gone wrong in their senior year results in the death of their tennis coach, and ties them together with a shared secret. 26 years later and their past starts to catch up with them.

This was a quick and easy read told in multiple POV and flashbacks. It’s my first Lucinda Berry and I’ll definitely try some more. You can certainly see the authors background in psychology, which really enhances the story. I found the ending predictable and a bit rushed, and the story a bit slow in places. However I really enjoyed the build up, the way the author explored social issues, the unreliability of memory and the various experiences of the girls.

I’d recommend this for anyone looking for a quick and engaging read, and look forward to picking up other works by this author.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed are my own.

My Review:
Loved!!!!! This is of no surprise to me at all. This author is my favorite author of all time. I have read most of her books besides two older ones and have loved them all. I don’t think Lucinda Berry can even write a bad book if she tried. What makes her unique is that in real life she was a former clinical psychologist and leading researcher in childhood trauma. She uses her knowledge from her former life in her books and it is awesome. She really gets inside the mind of her characters. It can get dark and twisted at times. The characters in this one were all so perfect for the story line. The plot was a typical camp story that was filled with tons of secrets and lies. I loved how the author compared lies with being an alcoholic. You just couldn’t tell one lie like an alcoholic couldn’t just have one drink. This rang true throughout the entire book. My favorite part of this one though was that shocking and heart attack of an ending. I knew something was wrong the entire time but I never would’ve guessed it, not in a million years. The whole book left me on the edge of the seat and asking myself what I would do. This author sure did not disappoint and I can’t wait to read her next book.

In conclusion, the plot, the characters and all the twists in this book made this book an enjoyable read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

Lucinda Berry, I am in shock as this book had me on a roller coaster ride with suspense in every chapter. I kept guessing yet was never correct and that made it even better as I did not see what was coming next. With well-developed characters and a plot that navigated effortlessly from the past to the present as each character told their story. An ending that left me wanting more. If there were a sequel to this book it would be on my TBR list immediately. If You Tell a Lie is the best mystery I have read this year. I would love to know what happens to Meg, Grace, Thera, and the cunning Blakely. This book leaves you questioning at the end how deep are our childhood friendships and how well you know those you only see once a summer. If you read one book this year make it If You Tell a Lie as it is entertainment at it's finest.

Four teenage girls are attending their last year at Camp Pendleton, a summer camp for gifted children, and the only place they feel accepted and can truly be themselves. Ringleader Blakely immediately begins an obsession with the new tennis instructor, Jared. She is determined to initiate a relationship with him and will stop at nothing, even if it means destroying the lives of everyone around her.

This was a much darker story than the usual by this author, with quite a few twisted characters. Told from multiple P.O.V.'s and dual timelines, this immediately pulls the reader in. Oftentimes, when there are multiple characters, we, as the reader, have a hard time distinguishing one from the other. However, in this story, each character had a uniqueness to them, whether physically or emotionally. While no one was exactly likable, they were highly intriguing. This was dark and honestly scary when you think about how certain scenarios here are not far out of the realm of possibility in the real world and showing what rumors and statements can do, creating a destructive, devastating path with such rapidity. While this was highly enjoyable, it was also disturbing with the old saying coming to mind of a car crash that you can't bring yourself to look away from. That said, this is by far my favorite from this author to date. Four and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer, for this ARC.

4.5 stars for sure! But super close to 5.
What would make it 5? It kind of ends with you having to just think what might of happened at the end. You don’t really get closure and I had myself asking hmm wonder if this happened.

Four friends are in their last year of camp and they swear to never tell the truth of what happened that summer and they all went their own way. Many years later the truth comes out years later.
I don’t even want to give away any more of the story because it’s great.

I went in this blind just because of the author and had no clue what it was about. Wow! It was a great, twisty novel. It is in several point of views for anyone that does not like that type of book, but I feel it’s needed for this one. I would definitely recommend to everyone.

I wanted to like this book but I literally could not get past the writing. It felt like the entire book was nothing but super choppy, simple (sometimes incomplete) sentences. The characters had no real depth to them. Most of the time I would forget which character was speaking and had to look back to check.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy!