Blakely, Grace, Meg and Thera are reunited every year at summer camp for the gifted. Back home, they are unpopular but here they thrive and look forward to it every year. On their last year at summer camp, Blakely is determined to lose her virginity and has her eye on a camp counselor who is much older. Things go too far and someone is murdered and another imprisoned. 20 years later and no longer in each other’s lives, another murder brings the girls together. Things are not always what they seem and soon they will find out you can’t always trust your friends. If you tell you lie was another brilliant book by Lucinda Berry. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book had so much potential. I loved the concept and storyline and there were some decent plot twist, but that got lost in all of the unnecessary and repetitive parts. I’ve enjoyed some of Lucinda Berry’s other books, but this one was just slow and uneventful - every time it started to get exciting, it would just plummet back into nothing. The main characters were different but similar enough to where it was hard to keep track of who was who at times. I appreciate that she shed light on different social issues, but overall it didn’t do enough for the character development. The ending was good but predictable. This wasn’t bad but definitely not great, like some of her others.

3.75⭐️ This was fast-paced and fun. Not my favorite Berry book but she always manages to make it engaging and twisty. All the POV’s were a bit hard to track but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I just wish the ending had delivered more of a punch.

📖 If You Tell a Lie
✍️Lucinda Berry
🗓️ 23 Jul 2024
📝Thomas & Mercer

I was so excited about this one, stalking NetGalley for it! I do love Lucinda Berry, even if her last one and Under Her Care were not my favourites. But I still had hope.

This was different from her earlier novels but similar in a way too. I think she’s back to her roots as an author who doesn’t fear to write about the ugly. She makes ugly work. She’s twisty but not to the degree of having to have a twist every other page, she makes her novels play out brilliantly on their own.

The story was so much more complicated and intriguing than I anticipated. I won’t give a summary this time. I went in blind and that served me right, I think. The whole thing took me by surprise and I let the story do its magic.
Always when I thought I had it figured out, nah, I never did. It always went in a different direction. I was wondering for the longest time how the two storylines (Like the first half and the second half of the book) made sense, but they did.

The story is so well told. It was five POV’s, dual timeline, which is usually too much for me, but I could keep up well. In “The Best of Friends” I was deeply confused but here I could easily distinguish the different characters.

I really enjoyed this book and would happily recommend it to lovers of twisty thrillers!

⭐️Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy. All opinions are my own, I was under no obligation to review.

I like Lucinda Berry's books and this one had a promising synopsis, but sadly I just could not connect with any of the characters in this one. I loved the flashbacks of summers at camp, but even then I hated all the characters. I do appreciate the way Lucinda tells a story and how she ties everything up at the end. Many readers will absolutely love this one.

Thank you NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! There were so many twists and turns up until the very end. It was a bit confusing at first to remember which character was which, but once I got into the books, it was easy to tell them apart. I couldn’t put this book down. It was so amazing!

Reserve your favorite cozy chair, grab your popcorn and be prepared to not do anything for the next 24 hours , because If You Tell a Lie is one of the most bingeable novels I have read in a long time!

This is the summer camp thriller you didn't know you needed !

"It wasn't that she'd stabbed her husband 117 times. As awful as that was, nobody really blamed her for doing it , especially after what he'd done. Lots of people thought he deserved it ."

If You Tell a Lie is told from multiple POV's and between past and present timelines .

It's 1998 and Alanis Morissette is blaring in the background, Beverly Hills 90210 is your favorite TV show and you are a misfit that is a nobody in your regular school ,...until summer camp at Camp Pendleton where you are the star of the show .

Follow Theran , Grace, Meg and Blakely as they enter their final year at Camp Pendleton where there is many secrets and the haunting horrific night when the hot and sexy tennis coach Mr. Crosby was brutally murdered. Will the truth every be revealed of what really happened , who is lying and who is telling the truth ??

" They treated us like celebrities, and for a bunch of social misfits , it was like a small piece of heaven . But we didn't know what to do with it when, the rest of the year, people treated us like the gum on the bottom of their shoe"

This story has Drama , diabolical characters , jaw dropping moments , scenes that will make you cringe and a plot twist ending I did not see coming !!

I really think fans of The Girls are All So Nice Here , In My dreams I Hold A knife and TV fanatics of Pretty Little Liars and Riverdale will devour this book!!

Some people may have trigger warnings to sexual abuse .

Thank you Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Lucinda Berry for this digital ARC !!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Lucinda Berry never disappoints! I've read all of her books and she is definitely a favorite of mine!

If You Tell A Lie had me hooked from the very beginning. The dual timeline was great, going between the story of 4 girls and what happened during their last summer at camp, and the twists that came 26 years later. At first it was a little hard to follow and keep track of who was who, so it wouldn't hurt to keep notes in the beginning.

Another page turner from the queen! My favorite part of reading Lucinda's books is the emotional dive we take into each of the characters. It helps put all the pieces together. Finished in two sittings!

I’m a big fan of Lucinda Berry’s books, every new one is a must read asap. I’ll happily admit I prefer her dark and disturbing psychological character dramas to some of her psychological thrillers and I’m happy to report that If You Tell A Lie sits somewhere in the middle and is a great book.

Four friends, close friends since their teenage summers spent at a summer camp for gifted children, outsiders in their everyday lives they formed special bonds at the camp.

A lie that went too far at camp had fatal consequences, and twenty years later a sinister notes brings it all back with all the fear and threat you might imagine.

There’s a few characters, they are well developed over time, but it wouldn’t hurt to keep notes. The plot rolls along very nicely, there’s strong tension, some dark and disturbing elements and some big shocks.

My favourite Lucinda Berry book in a while. Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer

Lucinda never disappoints to take you on a wild ride! When 4 girls from Camp Pendleton bond over an incriminating secret, how long will it be before the truth comes out?

26 years later and the girls are reunited after that fateful summer. All the twists and turns in this one are wild. Just when you think you might have it figured out, watch out!!

When I read the synopsis for If You Tell A Lie I knew it was just the type of thriller I had to add to my TBR. I really liked the dual timeline of the past when the girls attended camp and years later after they hadn’t had contact with each other after what went down at camp. I also liked reading from each of the girls perspectives along with tidbits from Jared’s wife. I had to skip the parts about the kids because that’s under my no-go for reading. Blakely’s character was so unpredictable and exciting to read. I really enjoyed this book but I was hoping there would be more of the future timeline. I really liked the twist and the ending that I didn’t see coming but again would have liked more.

I received this ARC review from NetGalley in exchange for my honest, unbiased review.

This book gave me so many different feelings. The whole situation around the circumstances regarding the murder of the tennis coach by his wife at camp left a lot of unanswered questions. The roles that Blakely, Thera, Meg, and Grace played that night, and their keeping what happened a secret for 26 years, had me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what happened. I have to say that Grace was the only character I connected with, and I was rooting for her. The other three, well, what can I say without spoiling anything? The plot kept my interest throughout the entire book, and I couldn't wait to see how the reunion of the four of them would all play out. I normally guess at least some of Lucinda Berry's reveals in her books, but this truly wasn't the ending I was expecting. It was an amazing, twisted, suspenseful read, 5 stars.

Summer camp is where the secrets, lies and double crosses started with the female characters in If You Tell a Lie. Now they are grown up women and the messy situation just gets messier. Author Lucinda Berry is great at writing intricate plots that keep you guessing right up to the last page.

I felt as though the characters in this book were childish and immature as both teens and adults. I did not really connect to anyone in the story, and thus I wasn't too involved in the plot.

Four Camp friends reunite to face the consequences of a prank played on a staff member at their beloved camp.

Blakely, Grace, Meg and Thera have sworn to never tell their shared secret, even when the secret ended up causing a murder! When the 4 receive unsigned threatening cards in the mail they decide to meet for the first time since Camp. It's been 20 years, and the four are all adults with successful lives and very much invested in keeping the secret safe.

As always, Lucinda Berry is able to utilize her psychologist background to create realistic issues and complexities that add tension. Her ability to seamlessly move between scientific facts while creating strong backstory for her characters always draws me in! . This is a fun twisty thriller for everyone who had a mean girl friend! #thomas&Mercer #ifyoutellalie #lucindaberry

Lucinda Berry never disappoints! Her newest thriller is full of the well-delineated characters you’ve come to expect if you’re as big a fan as I am. The story line contains lots of twists and turns and her usual deliciously disturbing events. Another winner!

Publication date: July 23rd, 2024
Page count: arc 243
Genre: domestic thriller
Setting: several including summer camp, prison

4 girls who do not fit in at their schools create a special bond at Camp Pendleton. A secret lie that they share results in murder, leading to the girls not speaking to each other for 20 years. 20 years after camp another murder brings all of the friends back together.

While I enjoyed the book, I did not like it as much as her other books. I felt like the book was choppy.It was hard for me to connect with the characters.


Thank you to author, publisher, NetGalley for advanced copy. This is an honest voluntary review.

Lucinda Berry's "If You Tell a Lie" is a gripping and chilling psychological thriller that explores the dark consequences of peer pressure and the haunting secrets of the past. The story follows four friends - Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera - who share a sinister secret from their senior summer at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children.

The book opens with a glimpse into the aftermath of a murder, hinting at the dangerous events that are about to unfold. Blakely, always the influential leader, convinces the others to keep their secret, and they part ways, never speaking to each other again. However, twenty years later, a mysterious note arrives, claiming to know what they did. This unexpected development forces the group to reunite, and Blakely once again takes control of the situation.

Berry skillfully weaves the narrative between two timelines, allowing the reader to unravel the events of the past and the consequences they have on the present. The dual timeline adds depth and suspense to the story, as the reader is kept on edge, eager to uncover the truth behind the murder and the secrets that have haunted the characters for years.

The author delves into the psychological aspects of peer pressure, showcasing the power dynamics within the group and the lasting effects of their actions. The characters are flawed and complex, each carrying their own burdens and struggles. Berry's portrayal of their internal conflicts and the manipulation they endure is both disturbing and thought-provoking.

The pacing of the story is expertly crafted, propelling the reader forward with each twist and turn. The tension and suspense build steadily, keeping readers engaged and invested in the outcome. The bone-chilling twist at the end is unexpected and adds an extra layer of shock to the narrative, leaving a lasting impression.

Berry's writing style is immersive and atmospheric, effectively capturing the dark and haunting atmosphere of the story. The author's attention to detail and ability to create a sense of unease heightens the overall reading experience.

"If You Tell a Lie" is a gripping and unsettling psychological thriller that delves into the dangerous consequences of secrets and the power of manipulation. Lucinda Berry's masterful storytelling and compelling characters make this book a must-read for fans of the genre. Prepare to be captivated and disturbed until the final page.

The summer camp thriller of my dreams! This follows 4 girls soon to graduate at their last summer of sleepaway camp when things take a gruesome turn. Flash forward 26 years, they haven’t spoken since when letters turn up at their doors saying they know what they did that summer. This book has me yearning for summer!! It felt a little disjointed at times until everything came together at the end to make sense of it. A bit different and dare I say… more normal? Than other Lucinda Berry books I’ve read! TW for child SA and descriptions of dog abuse/death. Pet death is muddy territory for me and was enough to leave me with a pit in my stomach (not in a good way) but overall it played a small role and this was a fun read!
* Thank you Thomas and Merced via Netgalley for the ARC!