Full of twists and turns, this one had me on the edge of my seat from beginning to end.

This was my very first from this author, but the writing is so fun and I will definitely be reading more!

A group of best friends made at summer camp will always know some of your deepest darkest secrets. Sometimes, those secrets are deadly.

Following a back and forth timeline, we get this really intricate plot, full of murdery intrigue, consequences and reparations. I LOVED this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc. Four friends meet in camp every summer, and swear to never tell the secret of that final summer between them and the handsome tennis coach. Twenty years later a sinister note brings them back together. I absolutely loved the different timelines and getting to know each character. A thrilling novel with a giant twist!

📚: If You Tell A Lie by Lucinda Berry
⭐️: 3/5

The gist: Camp Pendleton, 26 years ago — a horrific crime scene, a dead tennis coach, and four senior campers, swearing each other to secrecy.

The good: Summer camp thrillers are becoming a solid, festive (if you will) summertime trope for me. This read has a quick pace, a gripping storyline, and a twist at 80% in that had my jaw hanging.

The eh: Unfortunately, aside from that jaw dropping moment, the rest felt pretty predictable, along with an abrupt ending that made me say, “wait that’s it?!” out loud. (If anything begged for an epilogue, it’s this book.)

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. If You Tell A Lie is out next week on 7/23!

Lucinda Berry smashes it out of the ballpark with her latest thriller If You Tell a Lie. I do love everything and anything that Lucinda writes. This one is a wild ride and it does have a lot trigger warnings in it. Things were happening all over the place and I just could not put it down. The ending was not what I was expecting so I was glued to the very last page into the wee hours of the night. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my early review. To be published July 23, 2024.

A bingeable thriller perfect for summer reading and fans of Mean Girl. This one has an interesting dual timeline told from the perspectives of four girls who lived for their time at summer camp together every year. I liked the distinctive relationships that the girls had with each other and how they all altered their behaviour to be in Blakely's good graces. It reminded me of the teenage girl dynamics I remember from high school. I also liked the older perspectives of the women in their forties and how they evolved, yet the dynamics of their relationships stayed somewhat similar. I don't want to get into the plotting too much for fear of giving anything away but suffice it to say it's dark and twisted in typical Lucinda Berry fashion.

If You Tell a Lie by Lucinda Berry starts off strong. Dual timelines with a before and after. The before starts at a summer camp for gifted students where four girls become fast friends. What happens that summer sucked me right in. I started off enjoying the dual timeline with the after even. However, the after to me was not very believable, are these girls really going to run to one of them after not seeing each other for almost 30 years? Maybe because of their shared secrets and what happened that initial summer. The ending also is so abrupt there were so many unanswered questions that I had.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC of If you Tell a Lie by Lucinda Berry for an honest review.

Lucinda has done it again as she takes us on a journey of Meg, Blakely, Grace and Thera during their time at summer camp 20 years ago and how peer pressure and our own individual lives can affect the choices we make but also how one small choice can affect the lives of others. Then she leaves us wanting to throw the book at the wall when the ending isn't at all what you would hope for because if you know Lucinda, you know how she likes to end books! The twists and turns as you alternate between the past and present keep you wondering and guessing. I did have moments of confusion with this aspect on whose perspective and what time period I would be reading. It also took me a bit to get into the book as the character development took place but overall was a page turner, gut wrencher, and an emotional book. In the end, I felt honored to read an ARC by one of my favorite authors. A big thank you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review an early copy of this book. If You Tell A Lie by Lucinda Berry will be released on July 23rd, 2024.

I absolutely ADORE Lucinda Berry and her writing and can proudly say that I have read every single book that she has released to date. Unfortunately, If You Tell A Lie was not a sure-fire hit for me. The writing was great and the story was easy to follow, but the plot just wasn't it for me. I found it to be a bit...flat.

Sometimes even though you like the twists and the story and like/dislike the characters, you can end a story with a bad taste in your mouth. That was me with this book. It felt like the author took the chess board and upended it instead of playing out the game. That is really the only way I can describe it. I don't know what else to say without giving things away. Most people, I think, will really enjoy the story and may not have a problem with the ending like I did, so take my disappointment with a grain of salt!

4.5⭐️

Something happened when a group of girls were at summer camp, We know they are guilty of something, but not what. They never contact each other after that camp until twenty plus years later when they each get a card threatening them.

The group are Grace,Thera, Meg,Blakely (who was the group leader in the earlier time frame)

The book is told by each of the POV and flips between now and then.

This doesn’t start off as dark as some of her other thrillers that I love. The repeated inference of secrets adds to the suspense and waiting for the reveal. This one is more of a slow start that keeps building and building til it reaches boiling point, or volcanic eruption.

It definitely grew on me as it progressed even though non of the characters are likeable. By the end I loved it.

I have never read Lucinda Berry before, but have heard good things about her books. When I had the opportunity to read this ARC I was full of anticipation.
This story is about 4 friends who were involved in an awful tragedy 26 years ago. They have all gone their separate ways, and vowed to not discuss what happened. However, they begin receiving notes, and decide to get back together to figure it out.

Ok- my thoughts.

The characters were so one dimensional. They were unlikable in all ways, and as the story was told between the multiple POV's, there was no differentiation in the characters. And the dialogue felt like they were still living in the past!

The "plot" was very unbelievable- even suspending belief- it was still hard to comprehend. it was a but entertaining, but often dragged with repetition of conversations.

The "twist"- I had it figured out at about 50%. I seriously thought to myself, "Following the way this book is written, I bet the ending will be crazy and ___." (Fill in the blank- I don't want to spoil for anyone!)

There is also violence towards a dog- this was not necessary.

My other issue- we find out the entire premise of this book is based on a lie of sexual abuse/misconduct. This lie has awful consequences. I feel that this is an area where you have to tread carefully. However, I do not believe it was handled well in this story, especially with no growth from the characters. I just did not like that this is what the story was based on.

The ending was abrupt, and we still had no understanding about what actually motivated this group to do what they did.

I do not think this is an author for me.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC. This is my honest, voluntary review.

WOW!!! Lucinda Berry you did it again!!! This was unbelievable!!! I enjoyed the flashbacks, but I obviously wasn’t prepared for that flipping twist!!! I have a new favorite Lucinda Berry book!!! This is a must add to your TBR!!!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced reader copy!!!

3.75 stars

I struggled with this one a bit, just because none of the characters are particular likable or come off as good people.

My first book by this author and the storyline was a little off the rails, causing the reader to have to suspend belief along the way, but still entertaining. We have 4 teens who engage in some behavior that has tragic and serious consequences for another family. Sworn to never talk about it again, they lose contact with each other until there are brought together once more 20 or so years later when they receive a "I know what you did that summer" type letter.

As adults these people are really no better than they were as children, falling into the same habits and roles as they did back then. The ending and twists felt a bit rushed and not completely fleshed out, but I think that's part of the "shock value" the author was going for.

Not my favorite thriller but I would give the author another read because I have heard so many people recommend her books.

‘Bestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer―and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later.’

While I’ve been a fan of some of Berry’s previous work, this one just wasn’t for me. It was fun to reminisce about summer camps of yesteryears, but that was really all it had going for it, in my opinion.

I tend to enjoy a dual timeline and multi-POV, but the characters blurred together a bit. Berry attempted to give our four MCs distinguishing characteristics and backgrounds, but their voices and personalities came off too similar. I often forgot which character’s chapter I was in.

And speaking of characters… all four of the MCs were… kind of dumb. I can understand young girls making questionable choices based on friends, wanting to be included/liked, and just being immature, but grown adult women acting completely juvenile drives me batty. To have established lives and families, but then to drop everything for summer-only-friends you haven’t seen in decades? Nope. The mob mentality/social contagion aspect, while interesting in theory, wasn’t flushed out nearly enough to make any of the characters’ actions intelligible.

Lastly, without getting into spoilers, so much seemed unbelievable. I started keeping a list of things that couldn’t/wouldn’t happen in real life, that seemed questionable, or were just flat out absurd. There were many and included the final twists. The twists were almost laughable with how ridiculous they were. Add to that an abrupt ending (excuse me but we had no closure for 3 of the 4 characters…) and I was left very underwhelmed.

Again, I’m a fan of Berry’s previous books and tend to like how she includes her experience as a clinical psychologist into her work, but this one didn’t hit the mark for me. That being said, read if you need a bit of summer camp nostalgia and like a psychological thriller with a bit of suspension of disbelief.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ADC.

I adore Lucinda Berry's twisted thoughts in all of her books and this one did not disappoint! She blew my mind throughout this whole story.

I went in blind on this one and I am so glad I did. However, the story is following four teen girls who meet at summer camp and in their final year, tragedy strikes. They are sworn to secrecy and vow to never speak of that summer again. But secrets don't stay secrets forever.

I loved the back and forth between all the girls involved to see the differences in the main story. I think she did a great job of going back and forth from past to present and not making it confusing along the way. I had only one moment through the whole thing that I semi guessed what happened and even then Lucinda STILL threw me for a loop with what actually happened. The ending literally had my jaw dropping!

If you've read her books before you'll know there's usually some type of triggering topic so definitely be aware. She does so good of portraying these sensitive issues without making it feel worse than the topics already are. So before going in just be cautious of the child abuse aspect in this. I was constantly shocked throughout this story but still also heartbroken for what happened. She really makes you feel like a part of the story and connected with these characters.

Thank you Netgalley and Lucinda Berry for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!!

If You Tell a Lie is a fun thriller with Mean Girls and I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, and I was hooked from the prologue.

Bestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer—and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later.

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

Told is alternating timelines with five points of view, but it was still easy to navigate the storyline.

This novel explores some heavy topics, so be sure to check your trigger warnings ⚠️ With Berry's psychologist background, she is able to utilize these issues in a realistic setting, creating tention in the story.

I found as much as I enjoyed the book,it was a slow build-up, and the more the plot unfolded, I realized none of the characters were likable in the past or present which made it difficult to relate or connect to anyone.
However, I loved the concept of the story, and the ending was completely unexpected 😲

Lies have a ripple effect, and the consequences can change the course of your life forever as these girls find out, and we learn that everyone handles peer pressure, guilt, and childhood trauma differently .

My sincere thanks to Netgally, Thomas Mercer, and the author for my gifted copy. My review was voluntary.

My Review on Instagram:
http://www.instagram.com/sheilasenchantedbookshelf


.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Thank you, Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer, and Lucinda Berry for an advance copy of "If you tell a Lie." This book is told in multiple timelines with 5 points of view. I do enjoy multiple points of views but at times, it was hard to keep up based on the past and present of the characters. I did really enjoy how she added Regina point of view because it made an impact in the book, being able to hear how she felt towards the turn of events. This story is about how easy lies can keep on spreading even when you think they are over. This book does cover a lot of difficult topics, which made it hard to read sometimes. The twist at the end definitely wasn't what I was expecting but did make me want to know more details.

Thank you again for the opportunity, and this book will be available on July 23.

Lucinda always knows how to get me immediately invested into her stories and this one was no exception. We had multiple POVs, dual timelines, and unreliable narrators all over the place. The unreliable narrators in this one were truly so captivating and I loved reading from their POVs.

It definitely was not as dark as some of her other books, more on the level of Keep Your Friends Close. It was so so good & I definitely recommend!!

This book was a slow burner for me but ended with a big twist that made it all worthwhile. The description of teenage bonds and the lengths they would go to to fit in or feel included had me second guessing everything and everyone .

I always love the summer camp thrillers and I especially liked how this had dual timelines. The ending was a bit rushed and confusing, but overall I really enjoyed this!