1999, best friends turn enemies, two deaths, a mystery, and 22 years later…

Jaime Lynn Hendricks newest novel, A Lovely Lie. I listened to this novel and while the story jumps back in time from 1999 to present day, and switches characters - the author and narrator do a great job to keep the story cohesive and not confusing.
I enjoyed the characters and while they were slightly whiny and stuck in highschool, I think that added to the suspense of the story. This story will keep you guessing until the end.

Publication date: May 28th, 2024

Thank you to NetGalley, ScarletSuspense, and Highbridge Audio for this book in exchange for my honest review


TW: miscarriage, murder, car accident, underage drinking

This was the first book I have listened to by Jamie Lynn Hendricks, and it delivered! This book was 4.5 stars rounded up to 5!

I am never quite sure what to expect from authors I am not familiar with (and sometimes even with authors I am) so I came into this with a little trepidation.

There was a little nostalgia, which never hurts, having been in high school at the time of the events having taken place when I was in high school. And I also lived in a small town, being a cheerleader, AND having a crazy party my last night of school- this book had me hooked.

Don't get me wrong, it was going to take a lot more than just those elements to get me to enjoy a book. My life in HS was enough of a psychological thriller that I needed a little more than those elements to get me to stay interested in this book. And between the writing, and my suspicions what I assumed actually happened, I had to stay 'til the end.

I am going to mention a few trigger warnings: there is gas-lighting, abortion, unplanned pregnancy, and abuse. It isn't graphic, but it is mentioned in the book, and I think I would be remiss to leave it out of my review.

The audiobook was quite good, and I highly recommend it!

I listened to about the first half of this on audiobook and read the second half or so in kindle form. I’m almost never patient enough to finish an audiobook if I have options (patience is far from my strong suit). I liked this book quite a bit. While I didn’t find the twists to be super twisty I loved the format and liked the wild turns even if I could see where we were going. I did think the characters were all a little flat (except Zoey, she got rounded out by the end) and fit into their trope with little else. Most of the characters weren’t likable in some way or another and I liked that there were no purely good or purely bad characters (well ok, a couple were pretty irredeemable). Scarlett is having a normal day at work when in walks Zoey and everything changes. Zoey introduces herself as Scarlett’s high school best friend Pepper’s daughter. Scarlett is blown away. She hasn’t seen Scarlett since a horrible night she’s tried to forget about, but all of them are about to learn that secrets don’t stay hidden forever.

A Lovely Lie, by Jaime Lynn Hendricks, is a captivating, fast-paced thriller that will keep you guessing throughout the entirety of the story. This intriguing novel has characters you will love to hate, secrets a plenty, hidden motives and agendas, and manipulation at it’s finest.

This story has an intricate plot that weaves the various storylines into one toxic web that gradually unfolds. With multiple POVs and two timelines a story is told of a group of high schoolers, on the verge of graduation, who participate in a horrific event, a car accident that leaves two dead and others powerfully impacted. When two of the characters lie about the accident to protect their futures, unforeseen ramifications follow; some that show up years later!

A Lovely Lie is a gripping page-turner and an enthralling summer thriller. The audio-version, courtesy of HighBridge Audio, expertly narrated by the gifted Hillary Huber really builds the tension and brings the story to life!

Many thanks to NetGalley, Penzler Publishers Scarlet, and High Bridge Audio for gifting me both a digital and audio ARC of the latest thriller by Jaime Lynn Hendricks and perfectly narrated by Hillary Huber. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!

In 1999, on the night of their big senior picnic, Scarlett and her best friend, Pepper, were involved in a car accident that left two of their classmates dead. They lied to the police, trying to protect each other. Pepper left town and they never communicated again. Currently, Scarlett is working at a hotel, married to Vince, and raising their son, Luke. But Pepper's daughter Zoey comes to town with news that Pepper is dead and Zoey is investigating who her father is. Everything that they tried to suppress all those years ago is coming to light.

This story unspools in both past and present timelines, from multiple POV, including snippets of police transcripts. There are so many buried secrets among the characters, and the reader gets to see the character development from high school to present - of course, in some more than others. This was a very fast-paced novel that will have you second guessing what actually happened after that party so many years ago. I loved alternating between the audio and digital, especially when the narration is done by Huber. Pack this one along in your beach bag!

A Lovely Lie had me on the edge of my seat! Who can you trust? Your best friend? Your husband? Your child? You’ll find out! I love and multiple POV’s, the twists and all the jaw dropping moments. I’d recommend this to anyone who loves a good twisty thriller!

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this book at first, because almost all of the characters were so unlikeable. But, I changed my mind. What really hooked me was that some of them changed over the course of the book—I loved this character development. This dual timeline plot allows for the events of twenty years ago—when the principal characters graduated from high school and two classmates were killed in a car accident—to be brought up again and mined in excruciating detail. This creates a book full of drama, both in the past and the present. My high school days were definitely not like this! There are a few major twists, which I loved, and a very satisfying ending. Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Have you ever read a book where you dislike ALL of the characters for some reason or another?
If you have not, read this.
They are all such a mess! Yet I couldn’t put it down!! 😮

A Lovely Lie by Jaime Lynn Hendricks.

We open up in 1999 where we have several friends who are HS Seniors. They are all at a party…and at the end of the night, two of them are left dead!

Scarlett and Pepper have been BFF’s for years. (Honestly, WHY is beyond me?!?!) Pepper is pretty, outspoken, and usually gets her way with
E V E R Y T H I N G !!! She leads the boys AND girls around like she has them on a leash…
Scarlett is more of a quiet person, but is very happy to follow Pepper’s lead. Pepper is a cheerleader. Her boyfriend Vince is a big football player (No surprise there…). Somehow, he is also under her spell.

We skip ahead to current day, and Scarlett and Vince are married and have a teenage son. Their marriage is far from perfect…

One day a young woman named Zoey shows up claiming she is Pepper’s daughter…and she looks just like her…

She is in school studying to be an investigative journalist.
And, this is when the sh*t hits the fan!!!
You see, she found an old note that Pepper wrote to Scarlett years ago…but never mailed…and now she wants to know WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED??

We bounce back and forth between present day and 1999 from varying POV’s… and the stuff in this one will make you CRINGE…

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks to #NetGalley and #HighBridgeAudio for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review! This is due for release in just a few days on 5/28/24!

#ALovelyLie by #JaimeLynnHendricks and narrated beautifully by #HillaryHuber.

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Thanks so much for reading! And if you ‘liked’ my review, please share with your friends!! 📚⭐️

GREAT LISTEN. A Lovely Lie was such a great audiobook! I throughly enjoyed the story line and all of the twists. Stories that tend to jump around in timelines can be confusing or take away from the story, but this one was laid out perfectly.

Thank you to HighBridge Audio and NetGalley for giving me access to the audiobook for A Lovely Lie in advance! I highly recommend this if you’re looking for something to hold your attention and keep you on the edge of your seat!

@jaimelynnhendricksauthor’s newest novel, A Lovely Lie, is hands down my favorite book that I have read this month! I bounced between reading the e-book and listening to the audiobook because I did not want to put it down! This thriller explores how lies can send ripples that may affect seemingly unrelated events. The villains in this story are truly deplorable. I seriously recommend adding this to your pre-order list so that you can read it this summer!

Thank you @highbridgeaudio and @scarletsuspense for allowing me to read and listen to this book/audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

(This same review was shared on the Barnes & Noble website)

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc!
This was the first book I’ve read by Jaime Lynn Hendricks. I enjoyed it! This bounced back and forth between the present day and what had happened their senior year, little details and more information given each time it went to the past. I was hooked! Although it wasn’t a shocking ending, there were a few twists I hadn’t expected. Overall I really liked this book and would recommend!

This was intense!! Gripping from the very beginning, A Lovely Lie will have you on the edge of your seat through all 312 pages. Secrets and lies rain down upon our characters, Scarlett & Pepper, who have been best friends since high school. However, Pepper is now dead, and secrets are catching up to them all as her daughter Zoey looks for answers.

I loved all of the characters in this book and felt they were all really well development. particularly fell in love with Zoey.

The narration was exceptional.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for this advanced audio in return for my honest review.

Pub Date: 28 May 2024

Drama, drama, drama! 🍿

This was a fast paced, multi-pov, dual timeline thriller with police interviews ending most chapters 🫨 I was hooked from the very beginning! This felt like I was binging a drama filled, domestic reality show (with murdery undertones 😂). It was also written in 3 parts so the twists just kept twisting! And that ending… *chef’s kiss*.
If you’re looking to be entertained THIS is the one for you. Suspend belief, grab some popcorn, and just enjoy the ride.

I was able to get my hands on the ebook and audio. I switched back and forth so I never had to stop reading. The narrator was fantastic 🙌🏼.

Let me start by saying I had serious dislike for the male characters in this book. I enjoy it when an author can make me feel such big feelings and in this book it is several characters (or their relationships) that I thoroughly disliked. Because of this I'm rounding up my 3 star rating of this book to 4 stars. The mystery of how two teenagers died the night of the senior picnic is told in both past and present, from several POVs. There is a lot we learn from the characters on the day after the senior picnic so a good portion of this book has a YA feel to it. This didn't hinder my enjoyment of the book as the adult characters balance it out. I liked the Florida location and felt it was a minor character of its own. Overall the book is an easy read and would make a good choice for a binge reading session, especially if you like a cast of unlikable characters.

Thank you NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for my copy of the audio book in exchange for my honest review. I like Hillary Huber's voice, but she only changed her voice if she was reading for a man vs. a woman, and this book is read from multiple women's POV so even though the chapters are labeled by the character, there were times I still got confused as to whose voice I was listening to.

Thank you to NetGalley and HighBridge Audio for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Oh. My. GOD. What in the actual hell did I just read?! 🤯

This thriller had my undivided attention from the first chapter. If a book has a decades-old mystery and someone sticking their nose in to finally uncover the truth, I’m always in. But this book did a fantastic job of piecing together the past and present timelines to create a cohesive plot that had my jaw dropped and eyes wide by the time it ended. None of the twists that popped up were on my bingo card for this book- and it turned out even better than I could have imagined.

The cast of characters- both likable and unlikeable- was excellent. They each played an integral role in this book and none of them felt like an afterthought. Even several side characters turned out to be important in the end, which I loved. Seeing how they all interacted when discussing this decades-old mystery (among other things) was thoroughly entertaining.

This audiobook was well made also, making this book even better. I seriously cannot recommend this thriller novel enough!

An absolute wild ride. Didn’t know who to believe or trust. Couldn’t tell who was telling the truth. Kept me on my toes the whole time.

I may be a little bias cause this mystery takes place in Tampa Bay, my hometown. It was so fun to listen to all the Florida references! But, regardless of how you feel about Florida, this mystery was really good! I listened to the audio book and I was hooked right away. I felt like the book moved fast enough to keep you. Interested, but not too fast to leave you questioning. The narrator was pleasant and did a really great job.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the audio ARC.

This was an easy listen, excellent narrator, and great storyline. It kept me guessing until the very end.

Thank you #netgalley and #highbridgeaudio for the ARC.

A Lovely Lie by Jamie Lynn Hendricks
4.5/5 Stars

This book was so addicting! I loved mystery, twists, and turns this book had! It was such a quick and easy book. The only reason I didn't give this book the full five stars was that I was pretty easily able to predict the ending. I still loved it, though, and would definitely recommend this book to anyone. I loved the way it start with this mysterious Pepper character and how beloved she was by everyone who meets her and then as you get more into the story you get to know the real Pepper and it isn't as black and white as it initially seemed. I also always love when a book is told from multiple points of view, and this book has so many! For me, that always adds a lot to the story, especially in a psychological thriller/mystery like this one. All the different versions being told from so many different types of people add so much drama and constantly change your opinion on different characters. This book does a great job of this! From the beginning to the end, I was hooked! The author does a great job of making her characters feel relatable and the setting easy to imagine. She also does a great job of describing small towns and the dynamics of gossip and why who you know matters in a small town. I love this book! Definitely mark your calendars and read it when it releases! Thank you so much, NetGalley, for the ARC!

ℝ𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕘: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ | 𝔽𝕠𝕣𝕞𝕒𝕥: 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜𝒷𝑜𝑜𝓀

ℝ𝕖𝕧𝕚𝕖𝕨: “𝐀 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐞” 𝐢𝐬 𝐚 𝐟𝐚𝐬𝐭-𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐞𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬. 𝐈𝐭’𝐬 𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐬𝐭, 𝐛𝐚𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐛𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐥. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐝-𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫 (𝐛𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲’𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐩𝐞𝐨𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐝𝐢𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬), 𝐬𝐨 𝐢𝐭’𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐲𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐨𝐥𝐯𝐞𝐝, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐬𝐞𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐨𝐧.

𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐛𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐚 𝐜𝐚𝐫 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐫 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐧𝐢𝐜 𝐢𝐧 𝟏𝟗𝟗𝟗 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰 𝐒𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐞𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐲-𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐲𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫, 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐛𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐨𝐧𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫’𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬.

𝒯𝒽𝒶𝓃𝓀 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝓉𝑜 𝒥𝒶𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝐿𝓎𝓃𝓃 𝐻𝑒𝓃𝒹𝓇𝒾𝒸𝓀𝓈, 𝐻𝒾𝑔𝒽𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒹𝑔𝑒 𝒜𝓊𝒹𝒾𝑜, & 𝒩𝑒𝓉𝒢𝒶𝓁𝓁𝑒𝓎 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒜𝑅𝒞! 𝒜𝓁𝓁 𝑜𝓅𝒾𝓃𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈 𝒶𝓇𝑒 𝓂𝓎 𝑜𝓌𝓃.