Told in a dual timeline and dual perspective, we are given the tale of a mother and daughter whose lives are torn apart when the mum takes a fall and long held secrets come to the fore. It is twisty and thought provoking but overall I loved how it featured Beau, the black lab. A totally compelling read, as I kept turning the pages to find out what was really going on. Highly recommended.


Thanks to Netgalley/Boldwood books for the ARC to review.

Well written, rather slow in parts, but definitely worth the read. The slow parts actually make sense when you get towards the end, they filled out the story nicely. Although the ending wasn't really a surprise, it was very good. I love that everything fell into place, every question you may have while reading this book, is answered.
Thanks to netgalley, boldwood books and the author for this great ARC.

A very enjoyable read. Told in dual timeline - the past telling Grace’s story from her childhood until she had Siobhan and the present where Grace and Siobhan are living happily on a smallholding until Grace has an accident and breaks her hip. Grace had a terrible upbringing but she pulled herself up and was determined to make something of herself, until a shocking event turned her life upside down!

Briefly, in the present, the ambulance arrives to take Grace to hospital and when asked her date of birth she gives the wrong date. Then later after her operation, and still under the influence of the drugs she’d been given, she seems to have had a personality transplant. The usually kind and gentle mother that Siobhan knows seems angry and unpleasant, and worst of all she makes a shocking statement that unsettles and upsets Siobhan. But she needs to know if what her mother said is true and very quickly her investigations brings the past back into their lives.

I was completely engrossed in this book from the start, there was a section near the middle where I thought it slowed down a bit, but that soon changed and the pace ramped up again. The broad storyline is fairly simple, but there are a number of big twists and turns that I really didn’t expect. My favourite character was James - I loved how, despite having his own problems, he supported Grace from the moment they met. A compelling psychological family drama with an emotional and at times dark storyline. Very entertaining read.
4.5⭐️

Really enjoyed this book! Really fast
Paced and I couldn’t put it down! What a fab read! Highly recommend

She's been lying my whole life.... As if mum breaking her hip and being rushed to hospital isn't shocking enough for one day, now in her post-operative delirium, she's just told me I'm not her daughter, that she's never been able to have children. The nurse reassures me that people are often confused after a trauma. But I know this woman so well, I can tell there's a grain of truth in what she says. Which begs the Who am I? Where did I come from? When I dig into the truth, I suddenly stir up a hornet's nest of secrets, lies = and possibly a crime so unfathomable - that stretches back decades. What has my mum dome? Can I trust her? Or has my digging put us both in peril for our lives.

This story has a dual timeline - the past tells us about Grace and the present day. While recovering from surgery, Grace tells Siobhan that she is not her daughter, and that she's never been able to have children. The pace is fast in this twisted, gripping, well=written, and emotional rollercoaster. We get a well-woven web of secrets and lies. The characters are well-developed and interesting. The story is told from Grace and Siobhan's perspectives. I found this psychological thriller hard to put down.

Published 21st August 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #BoldwoodBooks and the author #DianeSaxon for my ARC of #MyMothersLies in exchange for an honest review.

My thanks to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘My Mother’s Lies’ written by Diane Saxon in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

It isn’t until Siobhan Martin’s mother is in hospital after breaking her hip and delirious from drugs that she tells Siobhan she’s not her daughter as she’s never been able to have children. After a lot of thought Siobhan begins to research her ancestry on her laptop and discovers the truth about her past that would have been better left undisclosed.

‘My Mother’s Lies’ is a dramatic thriller that explores a family’s loyalty and lies. The story is told by Siobhan and her mother Grace in dual timelines as we follow what happened to Grace fifty years ago to the present time as Siobhan tries to make sense of what her mother inadvertently told her. I loved the relationship Grace formed with James who was living rough and how they helped each other, and how Grace’s world changed dramatically as soon she took charge of the baby. From the moment I opened my Kindle I knew I was about to read something special and I wasn’t wrong. This is a novel with an intricately woven plot with twists, turns and increasing tension as the truth finally emerges that comes as a surprise but I was kind of expecting. It’s totally compelling novel that’s kept me absorbed from start to finish and is definitely deserving of five stars. I have no hesitation in recommending it.

So well written drew me in from the first pages.Diane Saxon is a wonderful author who writes characters that come alive and weaves a true page turner.#netgalley #boldwoodbooks.

A fantastic read. Loved the way it switches from past to present as always has you wanting to know more.

Thank you Diane Saxon, Boldwood books and Netgalley for letting me read the ARC.

4* Unexciting, but well written and worth a read.

This is well written and definitely worth a read. It's kind of slow in parts, with a strong female lead in Grace, and a strong guy in a person who's a side character, who makes things right at the end of the tale.

It lacks detail in some ways and the middle of the book is kind of one-sided, narrated in Siobhan's head, and tbh, it's her stupidity that leads to the rather predictable danger in the tale. The suicide was a bit of a giveaway and that there wasn't more urgency once that was discovered made the tale feel less fraught, and made danger feel not really dangerous. I suspected the killer all along and it was good to see him getting hus just desserts. The timing of the tale, back in the days when the handling of money, the lack of computerisation, the lack of tech, smartphones, CCTV, etc. made the tale work. But it lacked an edge. I never felt danger or excitement reading it, though the predictability and mundaneness drew me in. I liked the Britishness and the lack of gloss and fabricated drama, though that was a bit detrimental to the tale, IMHO.

ARC courtesy of NetGalley and Boldwood books, for my reading pleasure.

Another very good psychological thriller from the author, which I read over one sitting! I loved the pacing and the characterisation, especially Grace, and there were plenty twists to occupy the reader. The plotting was interesting and I was totally immersed in the dual plotting as well as trying to figure everything out. The ending just wrapped everything up neatly and I highly recommend this to lovers of psychological thrillers. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

What a fantastic read I couldn't put this book down. I will definitely be reading more Diane Saxon books . This book kept me booked till the end . A must read .

Wow another great book by Diane Saxon . I loved the way the story unfolded over the years between the mothers past life and the present . The characters were totally believable and very interesting. Just goes to show the next time you see a man living on the streets don’t judge as you don’t always realise how they came to be there I will definitely recommend this book and can’t wait for the next from this author . 5 stars from me

Thanks to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for this Advanced Reader’s Copy of My Mother’s Lies by Diane Saxon due to be published August 21, 2024.
When Siobhan’s mother is recovering from a broken hip in the hospital, she tells her she is not her daughter, and she has never been able to have children. If that is the case, then Siobhan wonders who she is and where she came from. But, digging up the truth uncovers more than she ever wanted to know.
I read this book in one day – it was that good. I couldn’t wait to see the information Siobhan uncovered. The book alternated between past and present telling the story of her mother, Grace, and her past life and Siobhan’s life. There were lots of twists that held my interest until the surprising ending!
This was my first Diane Saxon book, but it won’t be my last!
#NetGalley #DianeSaxon #BoldwoodBooks #MyMothersLies

This fabulous tense thriller is a definite 5 star review and deserves more. Author Diane Saxon has brilliantly devised a breathtaking page turner, which I devoured and couldn’t wait to see how the plot would evolve.

Set over a dual timeline the reader is introduced to a loving mother and daughter, so close that they still live on the smallholding together even now daughter Siobhan has grown up. When her mother Grace falls and breaks a hip the following days start to unlock memories of another life, which have drastic consequences for mother and daughter.

Fabulous writing and characters that you can really associate with. The dual timeline kept the reader informed with the events of the past and how they ultimately led to the drastic conclusions.

Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys a family psychological thriller. I will definitely be buying copies and recommending to friends.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the concept of this book and figuring out about how the mother said Siobhan wasn’t her daughter. But this book just dragged out for me. I was bored.

Thank you netgalley and the author for the ARC! I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Diane Saxon does family dramas so well, adding secrets to twist the dynamic so that the reader is kept guessing till the end. I loved the characters of Grace and Siobhan. The dual timeline was really well done and easy to follow. Another great read from a talented writer.

My Mother Lies by Diane Saxon is the new must read page turner.

The story begins as a mother is taken into hospital with a possible broken hip. In a pre operation delirium she let's rip to her daughter that she is not in fact hers. That she could not have children.

The questions that follow this revelation stirs the daughter into finding the truth behind this shocking statement.

Clear and never straying from the point Diane Saxon has written a novel that is beautifully woven over two different time lines. She has given us a psychological dark novel that gradually reveals the the full course of events.

I really enjoyed My Mother Lies and didn't want to read it too quickly but at the same time I just had to know how it ended.

Diane Saxon novel's just keep getting better and this her newest is a page turning must read.

My thanks go to the publishers Boldwood Books and to NetGalley for my advanced copy for my honest review.

I didn't mind this one but I felt like I'd read something similar before. Some of the 'twists' were very predictable.

Wow what can I say this authors books just keep getting better and better and this one was outstanding and has had me gripped and on tenterhooks with the turn of every page and have read it in practically one sitting. Word of caution do or pick up one of this authors books if you have jobs to do as once you start you won’t be able to put it down.

A story told over a dual timeline focusing on the characters of Siobhan and Grace which takes you on an emotional rollercoaster and delves into a web of secrets and lies in this edge of the seat psychological drama full of twists and turns and keeps the reader engaged and engrossed from the get go.

Beautiful acknowledgements at the end which moved me to tears.

Can’t wait to see what this author writes next

Wow, what an amazing book. I loved the story and most of the characters. Such a terrific story that I got fully engrossed in. Diane Saxon is one of my favourite authors and I look forward to her next book. This book is an easy 5 stars from me.