Another absolutely amazing book from Lucinda Berry! Just like all of her other books this one doesn’t fail to deliver the twists. This is a psychological thriller done right!

Summer camp is a time to eat hotdogs and marshmallows and tell scary stories while sitting around a campfire.new friends are discovered. Old friends reconnect. When they were younger, a group of women attended Camp Pendleton during the summer. As young girls, they forged a friendship. They participated in the usual camp activities. However, one summer, things get out of hand when they lie about one of the camp counselors. They” will have consequences that will follow them for the rest of their lives.,

As the girls grow into women, they must reckon with what happened at camp and the fallout. We meet the girls, now grown women with careers and families. But the past haunts them. The women each mysteriously receive an anonymous note hinting at what happened in the past. The reader meets the characters years after their camping days. As the women meet and reconnect, the story is revealed. The story moves fluidly between the past and present. Different characters are introduced as the story moves on. Plenty of twists and turns that kept me on the edge of my seat until the shocking conclusions.

I tend to struggle with Lucinda Berry's books. They are quick reads and somewhat entertaining I suppose, but the ending is always super predictable to me. I also struggle with her books. Everyone calls them dark, but I can't say I agree. I think that her books just may not be for me, but that is fine! I still think that a lot of people who like a quick thriller will really enjoy this one and I will definitely recommend it to them.

3.5 stars. Thank you so much for this ARC. I was very excited to get it since I love Lucinda! My only issue with the book was the ending. It felt very abrupt and like nothing was wrapped up. Way too many loose ends. Other than that, I enjoyed the story. Though I did predict one of the big ending twists.

This sucked me in from the start! I enjoyed the multiple POV and didn’t have it figured out like I thought!
The ending felt rushed to me and I was left with questions but I enjoyed this a lot and will read Lucinda’s next book! Huge thanks to netgalley for this ARC set to publish 7/23/24

I got this as an ARC read, my first Lucinda Berry’s book. Story was well written, plot twist was unexpected and Blakely made my blood boil. Easy read, if you like thrillers give this one a chance.

I was really excited to read an early copy of If You Tell a Lie because I’ve been wanting to read something from this author for quite some time. A few of my book friends really love this one, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite work for me.

I really liked that it was a quick popcorn thriller that could easily be read within a day or two. However, I really struggled to get invested in the story. I was interested in finding out what happened when the girls were seventeen at summer camp, but could’ve put it down and been okay with it. With that being said, I will say I was much more engaged following a major twist during a second half of the book.

I’m usually a sucker for a dual timeline but, I wasn’t a big fan of it in this one. The girls were teenagers in the past timeline, and it leaned super YA for me. There was some added character depth which was nice, but I felt like a lot of time was spent trying to defend their actions. [2.5 stars rounded up to 3].

Read if you like:

✨Summer camp
✨Multi POV books
✨Quick reads

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to read this e-ARC!

I really liked this one. The twist was one I didn't see coming as with all of her books. The way this book grabbed me from the very beginning to end was great.

Wow, I wasn’t expecting that ending!
I have been looking forward to reading this one since I found out about it. I’ve enjoyed several of Lucinda Berry’s books and this is another one that I enjoyed.
Things were going a little slow in the middle for a bit but it picked back up in the end. I had my suspicions about what was going to happen and what had happened but I didn’t think it was going to be that!
I’ve read quite a few books about things happening at summer camp and I really like that setting. But it makes me question whether I’ll ever allow my kids to go to one. 😅
Overall, a good read!

First I want to thank the Publisher for this ARC. I was extremely excited to get my hands on Lucinda Berry's new book early! And in time for pride month since there is a gay character featured in the book. The thoughts expressed in this review are my honest opinions.

I am going to preface this with nothing Lucinda Berry writes is bad. She's a phenomenal writer and clearly knows how to dive into the darkest minds. However, this one just wasn't for me.

The story felt much more like a YA thriller (I guess?), although it never fully felt like a thriller. I love the premise but I was expecting more. I also felt the overall story arc and the character development was a little simplistic. Like everything was laid out really clearly and explained as if I wouldn't understand, which is why it gave me the feeling of maybe I'm not the target demographic.

Berry does a nice job with the teens do something bad that comes back to haunt them years later. Told with dual POVs and time lines, this is very much about what we do to be part of a group. These teen girls at camp might feel like stereotypes but there's a bit of bite to them. Thanks to Netgalley for the ArC. A good read.

I had a great time going to summer camp in this summer thriller. Lucinda Berry is one of the best psychological thriller authors of our time. I did not see that ending coming.

A big thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the arc of If You Tell a Lie by Lucinda Berry. First I want to say this was an instant request because I’ve read everything that Lucinda has written. I loved the premise of this one especially since it has summer vibes. It involves 4 friends that met when they were very young and went to summer camp together every year. One summer they make a decision that changes their lives. They vowed to not only never mention it to anyone, but to never speak again. This broke their hearts because of their strong friendship. But then they each receive a note that says I Know What You Did. They decide to meet 26 years after that fateful summer and nothing is what it seems at all. There were gut punches thrown in there and twists until the very very end. I enjoyed every second and have a huge book hangover now!! Don’t miss this one.

This has all the twists and turns you would expect from Lucinda Berry. So many secrets and lies that will reveal themselves in time. I love the dual timeline, giving the reader a picture of the past as well as current day. Each of the female characters had trauma and/or secrets influencing their actions and there will be repercussions even years after their shared teen camp experiences. I would definitely recommend for fans of the psychological suspense genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer Publishing, and the author for an ARC of this book which I had the pleasure of reading. All opinions are my own. Publication date: July 23, 2024

Being able to read this as an ARC was so enjoyable. I love Lucinda's writing, and this did not disappoint. It kept me on my toes and I read it in just a few days, which is saying a lot when I have two kids at home! I kept reading because I HAD to know what happened next. I have read so many of her books and this one will be in the top 3 for me. I love the different perspectives of different characters, which keeps me invested the most. If you want a fast-paced book, this is it!

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was a thriller I was invested in quickly, and had a really hard time putting down because I just had to keep reading to see how it all ended. The chapters span back and forth between all the summers when the girls were young, and to current time; and they also have a different narrator each chapter. Usually this can get confusing when reading a thriller, but it was very seamless and easy to follow.

The last chapter was shocking, when you find out the truth of everything that’s gone on, but I felt like it did leave me with quite a few unanswered questions. I also would have liked to see the ending played out a little bit longer, and see what it entailed for each girl, not just one of them. Basically the ending just felt too rushed and too short.

My only other complaint is that this book was not only very violent, but it was very graphic violence. I would have appreciated a trigger warning at the beginning. (Includes gruesome and graphic murder with descriptions, sexual abuse and rape of a child, binge eating disorder and bulumia, attempted murder of babies). See why a trigger warning should have been included?

Overall, it was a great thriller, I just think this authors gruesome style of writing isn’t for me.

Lucinda Berry has done it again! This book was a wild ride from the beginning. Kept me on my toes and hard to put down. Thank you for the advanced copy. I can’t wait to buy a copy for myself to add to my Berry collection!

Lucinda Berry has done it again! A group of girls at summer camp make a series of bad decisions that come back to haunt them decades later. This story is gripping from the very beginning, detailing the individual stories and points of view of each member of the group, with a twist that left my jaw on the floor. Lucinda hasn’t written a mediocre story yet!

This is everything you expect and want from Dr. Lucinda Berry, which is to say batshit and we’re eating it up.

I’m clearly in the minority with my opinion because this book has many 4/5 star ratings but it just unfortunately wasn’t for me.

If You Tell A Lie follows Blakely, Meg, Thera and Grace at summer camp. When they all conspire to tell a lie, things spiral out of control drastically.

I liked the summer camp setting of the book and I always love reading multiple POVs. The chapters were short and easy to fly through.

Unfortunately the book read very YA for me. The book alternates back and forth between the past at summer camp and the present, 20+ years later. Even the present dialogues felt immature to me though. The actions the characters took, their personalities - I just couldn’t stand any of them.

I don’t mind suspending disbelief for books but this one was just a little too much to the point I was rolling my eyes so much, it was starting to hurt. 😂 The twist felt silly and ridiculous and the abrupt ending left so much up in the air.

I personally didn’t enjoy it, but many have so it just wasn’t for me.

Thank to to NetGalley for this ARC!