Just finished this listen. It was a great listen. Several POVs and alternating timelines pull this whole story together. Most of the characters are unlikable, VERY unlikeable. There were several twists that rolled around, but still so many questions. The story pulls together for a nice neat ending. The narrator did a nice job. I listened to it at 2x the speed very comfortably. I enjoyed this story and will look into this author in the future. Thanks NetGalley and High Bridge Audio for the chance to listen.

I absolutely loved this book from start to finish.

I had the opportunity to listen to the audio while I followed along reading, which is my favorite way to immerse myself in a book.

Scarlett has been keeping her best friend Pepper's secret for more than 20 years. Just after graduation, something terrible happened, and one lovely little lie was told. Pepper left for New York, and no one back home heard from her again. When Pepper's daughter shows up claiming her mother is dead and she is looking for her father, buried secrets begin to resurface.

If you are a thriller book reader, you should be able to predict the plot twist and where this book was going. However, the twist was not what made it so great, it was the character development and watching everything unfold. You know the girls told a lie after an accident, you have a general idea of what happened, but the depths of the lie are worse than you'd think.

I started out hating most characters and liking a couple. They were the kind of characters that you loved to hate and still wanted to read about. As the book progressed, all of my opinions flipped on almost every single character. As we began to see more depth, my opinion changed and by the end, I was left so unsettled by the whole thing.

This was not my first book by this author, but it has been my favorite so far. I highly recommend it to thriller readers.

A car accident in 1999 resulted in the death of two teenagers in a friendship group on the night of their senior picnic. Scarlett and Pepper, best friends, were involved in the car accident and lied to the police about what happened that night. Shortly after, Pepper left town and has not returned or contacted Scarlett since. Twenty-two years later, Scarlett has made a life for herself, working at a hotel and raising her teenage son with her husband Vince. In swoops Zoey, Pepper’s daughter with news of Pepper’s death and a cryptic note her mother wrote about that night of the senior picnic. Zoey is determined to find out what really happened that night as well as who her father is.

This was my first book by Jaime Lynn Hendricks. The story alternates between the night of the senior picnic in 1999 and the present time, twenty-two years later. I enjoyed the short chapters and the narration by Hillary Huber. I was immediately drawn into the story and interested to find out what did happen that night of the senior picnic. However, as the book continued, I didn’t connect to any of the characters. Also, there weren’t any jaw-dropping twists…many of them were predictable. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a short, quick listen that doesn’t mind somewhat predictable twists. I give this one 3/5 stars.

This book had me at 1999.

At their senior picnic, Scarlett & her best friend Pepper are involved in a car accident that leaves two of the their classmates dead.

They lied to the police about what really happened that night & soon after, Pepper left town & Scarlett never heard from her again. It's now 22 years later & the deadly secret has come back to haunt Scarlett.

I loved this book so freaking much! Not only was it dark & twisted but it was filled with drama & mystery. It goes from the present back to the past as it lays out for you what really went down that night. Just when you think you know exactly what happened, more information is presented & you're back to square one.

Thank you so much NetGalley, Jamie Lynn Hendricks, & RB Media for this audio book in exchange for an honest review!

Everyone is pretty much a monster in high school, but this thriller really takes it to the next level. A Lovely Lie is a solid popcorn thriller and binge-able audiobook. The story centers on Zoe, who travels to Florida in search of her birth father, and ends up uncovering more than a few long-buried secrets. Overall, this was fast paced and well plotted, which kept me engaged from start to finish.

There are quite a few horrible characters here and the narrator Hillary Huber did a great job bringing each of them to life. I found this to be a perfect distraction on a stressful day and recommend it to fans of domestic thrillers and mysteries.

Thanks to Netgalley for this arc.
We follow 2 timelines, the night of the senior picnic and the investigation and twenty years later where secrets come to the surface from that fateful senior time. There was a car accident back in the past and there’s so much to unfold between the lies that surface through this book. This is very juicy with tension throughout Scarlett and her family and even with all the lies and secrets from the past. Zoey shows up who is Pepper’s daughter who nobody knew about and now wants answers from her mother’s past. very good storytelling and there’s so many twists and turns I love it! It’s so entertaining.

A great summer thriller that kept me guessing until the end. Sometimes it can be hard to follow different POV especially on audio but I was able to keep up. Kept me guessing until the end. I look forward to reading more by this author. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!

While it was definitely a quick read, “A Lovely Lie,” by Jaime Lynn Hendricks, did not exactly wow me. The characters were the main reason for this. I honestly can’t name one of them that I identified with or felt some kind of sympathy for. They were all pretty awful, which made it difficult to really appreciate the story or care how it ended. I also have a hard time believing that people really harbor intense feelings for a high school ex that they haven’t seen since they were 18 and are now 40. Not saying this wouldn’t happen but I don’t imagine it’s quite common. Overall, I would read another book of this author’s but I can’t say I’d necessarily recommend this book.

This audiobook was pleasant to listen to. I listen at a bit faster speed (1.25). The narrator was easy to listen to and did a good job with many different voices. Some characters had a fairly immature attitudes and it came across that way, from her tone of voice. The story, although interesting, was a bit drawn out. I felt like either the bulk of what happened in the past should have been hidden more until the end, or the book should have been over sooner...there weren't as many twists towards the end as I personally like. All in all, the story was well written and kept me intrigued throughout.

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this audio!

WOW!!!! What a great thriller!! This book had me hooked from page 1! So many twist and turns!

I typically love JLH’s books, but this one didn’t captivate me like usual. I disliked the character of Zoey so much that I feel like it impacted my entire experience. The cover of this book is absolutely stunning and will draw in readers.

3 ⭐️. This was a fast and easy to binge read but the story was entirely predictable. Maybe I’ve read too many thrillers but I guessed every single twist, which made this feel very young adult. So if you’re a thriller novice, you might find this one fun. This story is about a high school accident that left 2 teens dead and the buried secrets of the past that unfold 22 years later. This was a very ‘summer popcorn thriller’ (think beach read) where I was actively engaged and interested, even if I thought I knew what was happening the entire time. I listened to the audiobook, which was an okay production. I did have a hard time at first with the multiple character POVs and the single narrator but I got the hang of it by the end.

Thank you to NetGalley, RB Media, and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for the advanced listeners copy in exchange for my honest review. The book is out now.

This audiobook, narrated by Hillary Huber, was an easy listen without distraction.

Twenty years after a drunken post-senior-gathering, two students are found dead. What initially was ruled an accidental drunk driving incident, is now brought to the present in a clash of those involved. The twists in this story were great.

While the story itself was smooth and well executed, I wouldn’t consider this super suspenseful. There is a need/desire to understand what happened 20 years ago, but the story is also developing in current time too. It read like a popcorn thriller, lightly salted.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for this ALC.

This was a wild ride! The pacing of this book was comparable to lightning! It moved at a fast pace and kept me entertained. I listened to this one, and Hillary Huber did a great job with the narration. She really made the story come to life, and I flew through this audiobook.

This story develops through dual timelines, which I love. We get glimpses from 1999 when an accident kills 2 students and glimpses of life as it is now for the main characters, especially Scarlett. She was the only character I really liked, even though she frustrated me at times. There was too much detail woven into the characters at certain points, but I did like that they were well developed.

This was very fast paced and I breezed through the audio in just. few hours.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

A huge thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Happy release day to A Lovely Lie! I had a really fun time with this thriller. It was a solid 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4), which for me is a super solid rating for a thriller. I found it compulsively readable, to the point I pretty much listened to it in one siting. I liked how this had alternating timelines (high school - 20+ years prior vs. present day) and alternating POVs (bouncing between a bunch of different characters). Both the timelines and POVs created a suspenseful buildup as we tried to figure out what happened in the past and who could be trusted in the present. There were a lot of unlikeable characters but with some endearing ones sprinkled in that you wanted to root for. Even though the plot isn't similar whatsoever, this reminded me a lot of books like Gone Tonight by Sarah Pekkanen and Only If You're Lucky by Stacy Willingham in the way it portrayed mother/daughter relationships and female friendships. I thought the ending wrapped up nicely and in a satisfactory way, but I wanted it to go a little harder at the end.

I had a great experience with the audiobook too. It has a singular narrator, but I thought she did a great job of capturing the personality/voice of each character.

My biggest takeaway though...what was so irresistible about Pepper that had people obsessed with her?! I mean come on, you're obsessed with someone named Pepper?!

All in all, I had a really fun time with this and would definitely read more from this author in the future!

Story: 3.5/5
Audiobook: 5/5 (narrated by Hillary Huber)
Length: 8h18min

A Lovely Lie by Jaime Lynn Hendricks kept me engaged and entertained. Even though I guessed the twist, it did take me a while to figure it out. It was an enjoyable book with a good narration. The characters were just so unlikable, I loved to hate them! Overall, I enjoyed it and I'd read more books by this author.

I can't believe how fast I finished this book! The suspense kept me wanting to know what would happen next and I just couldn't stop listening to the audiobook! This thriller has everything I want in this genre: betrayal, murder, manipulation, obsession, affairs, and even more!

I especially liked how this book featured a few POVs and a dual timeline: present and year 1999, the year after high school graduation. Scarlett and her closest friend Pepper were involved in a car accident that took the lives of two of their classmates in 1999, on the eve of their big senior picnic. They lied to the police to keep each other save. After Pepper left town, they lost contact with one another. Now Scarlett is married to Vince, parenting their son Luke, and working at a hotel. But when Zoey, Pepper's daughter, arrives in town, she finds out who her father is and learns that Pepper has passed away. Everything that they attempted to hide for so long is now becoming revealed.

There was a great mix of likeable and dislikeable characters that were crucial to the plot of this book. Each POV provides hints as to who did what, and everyone engaged was blaming the other. I really enjoyed how the supporting characters also played significant roles there.

Hillary Huber narrated this book, and she did an incredible job! She fit this book perfectly. I listened to this audio book in a flash and enjoyed every minute. It was such a pleasure to listen to her lovely voice! She was flawless in bringing out the right feelings in each character.

I highly recommend it for every fan of thrillers. I will absolutely keep a look out for this author's future works!

A Lovely Lie follows the story of Scarlett and Pepper as they play some sort of role in an accident that happened the night of their senior picnic. Fast forward 20 years and secrets start to surface. Will everything be exposed and the truth revealed?

As always, the author had me on a wild ride the whole time. I did not see the ending coming that did. The dual timelines and police interviews were a great storytelling model and it helped the story unfold perfectly. I was invested from the very beginning and was cheering on the Scarlett character. I'm proud of where the character ended. Somehow, Jaime Lynn Hendricks writes a mystery/ suspense novel that makes me hug it when I'm done like it is the highest literary fiction. Her characters are raw and real and, in this book in particular, reflections of the worst parts of ourselves and society. I'm so glad I read this book and can't wait for her next one!

A Lovely Lie is a slow-burn, twisty tale of high school passions gone wrong...but not for many years. Sometimes a full cast of unlikable characters can ruin a story for me, and this one almost did...but the dual timeline and some unexpected twists kept me engaged the whole time. I especially enjoyed this audio version with a well-known narrator adept at multiple cast members. At times the juvenile characters and excessive language were turn-offs, but if you're looking for a quick beach read mystery, this won't disappoint.
Thanks to NetGalley and Scarlet publishers for this ARC.

Pepper and Scarlett are best friends involved in a car accident in high school, leaving two dead. They lie to everyone about the accident and twenty one years later, Pepper’s daughter shows up. She tells Scarlett about Pepper’s death and she wants to know details about a letter she found in her mother’s things. What really happened that night?

I’ve read so many books about murderous teens, it’s hard to keep them straight. Multiple timelines. Fast-paced and interesting plot.

Thanks to Net Galley, Scarlet, HighBridge Audio, and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for the ARC. Out today 5/28/24!