Read 7/25/24

I feel gullible. It's these kinds of books that make you realize that when people say "believe women," someone could take full advantage of that and ruin someone's life. Considering part of this book took place in the 90s, I was shocked at how easily the girls were believed. But the women ruining other women, those parts were evil and cunning. Be careful who you call your best friends.

the setup…
Almost thirty years ago Blakely Garner, Thera Grey, Grace Howard, and Meg Watson were the best of friends during their summers at Camp Pendleton, a sanctuary for gifted children. They formed a bond when they first arrived at age eight and it’s their senior and last year. But this time something is different. Blakely, the group’s ringleader, perpetrated a lie that left a man dead and his family destroyed…and all of them went along with it. They returned home and never spoke with each other again, until now, twenty-six years later. All received a sinister note that has them assembling at Blakely’s home with her again asking for their help.

the heart of the story…
I enjoy dual timelines and this one is extraordinary as it not only makes those transitions between “then and now” but to the four points of view of the members of the group. All have distinctive personalities and backstories with Blakely being the most overt but also the most opaque. The details of what happened are revealed very slowly and I have to admit that approach kept me restless but hooked. By the time I got the complete picture, I’d also formed a strong opinion about what may come next.

the narration…
Thank goodness for the multiple narrators as with all those time and character transitions, it could get confusing, though two of them sounded similar. But all gave strong performances and were excellent storytellers. They were seamless in delivery.

the bottom line…
It’s an excellent illustration of group dynamics combined with peer pressure where, on their own, the girls would probably have made different choices. The group as adults had a very different dynamic and I was fascinated by the changes. Many readers were turned off by the ending but by the time I got there, I couldn’t see it being anything else. Saw it coming and it fit. Even if it’s not tied into a neat bow by the author, it was in my imagination. Explore for yourself.

If You Tell a Lie is a quick read that kept my attention throughout. The audio features a full cast narration which really brought the characters to life for me.

This book perfectly illustrates how a single lie can escalate and spiral out of control!

Told through dual timelines, I particularly enjoyed the camp flashbacks and the constant anticipation of how the two stories would align and converge.

Although I anticipated something darker, more complex, and perhaps more unsettling from Berry, it was still enjoyable and entertaining nonetheless.

The full cast audio production and companion were excellent, making the story a quick and easy binge!

If You Tell a Lie starts out at Camp Pendelton with four friends. I thought each girl had a unique perspective and their stories made then both likeable and not likeable at the same time. Book was well-paced...sometimes I find audiobooks to drag in the middle more so than if I was reading it as an actual book. And the plot, as the author went back and forth between the tragic summer at camp and the present day, kept me guessing. Closer to the end I sort of guessed the twist, but I was also not prepared for the way the ending left certain questions unanswered. I would definitely recommend this book to friends who love thrillers and would be excited to discuss what they think happened to most of the girls after the story ended.

🏕️ If You Tell A Lie🏕️
By Lucinda Berry
Narrated by Bailey Carr; Stephanie Nemeth-Parker; Susannah Jones; Jane Oppenheimer; Carly Robins

Pages: 255 🎧 & 📚
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Book Goal 2024: 94/100

If you tell a lie is a riveting story about the consequences of being dishonest not only among your friends but to the community as well. This is a dual timeline story that visits the past of camp Pendleton and the current life of a group of friends who used to spend summers there.

The girls were friends from day one and had spent many summers at Camp Pendleton but their senior year was different. Instead of focusing on their time together, the summer turned into being boy crazy and going after one of the camp teachers. After a crazy murder, the girls swore themselves to secrecy.

Twenty years later they are reunited and the plot thickens.

If you tell a lie was a quick thriller that was easy to read & listen to in one sitting. I spent the entire time curious on where the story was going to go and if I could really trust anyone…

If You Tell a Lie follows 4 girls that had met at Camp Pendleton. Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera had sworn to be best friends forever and to never keep secrets from each other. The last year at the summer camp Blakley has an obsession with the new tennis coach Mr. Crosby and want to have him to herself. Blakely has come up with a plan to get the Mr. Crosby alone and with the help of Grace, Meg, and Thera to pull it off. What happened after a picture was taken by Meg of both Blakely and Mr. Crosby in a compromising position. Twenty years later all girls recieves a letter in the mail by Mr. Crosby's wife Reginia who is looking for revenge. Now the four women who haven't seen each other have met for a weekend at Blakely's house in Georgia. When the weekend is over only the unthankable happens. Grace, Meg, and Thera are eached visited by police and Regina Crosby is missing. This book had an unbelievable ending and the real question is do you really know who your friends are. I would like to thank both NetGalley and Brillance Audio for an advanced copy of this audio book.

What a ride!! Multiple POV.. dual timelines.. teenage drama and some heavy topics!

Lucinda had me at the end of my seat with this one I did guess the ending at the beginning but then changed it because it couldn’t be that wild but man oh man was it wild!

This a book that reminds me don’t trust teenagers because if they’re shitty teens they might definitely be shitty adults!

It does read more YA but I love YA books.

4.5 ⭐️

Read the trigger warning before.

3.5 stars

I have loved other books by this author but struggled a tiny bit with this one. I did enjoy it - just not as much as others by Lucinda Berry. I struggled to connect with the characters which I think caused me to lose interest a bit at times.

It was an entertaining read nonetheless, and I recommend others to give it a try.

This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart


Review copy was received from Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

3.5 hearts

I've been thinking about what to say and I'm still not sure. There are four main characters who start as friends at gifted kids camp when they are 8. They are all misfits in their regular life as too smart, too fat, or something. At camp, they end up as the popular girls. If You Tell A Lie alternates between their last summer of camp an their lives now, twenty odd years later.

The last summer they did some things which led to a a coach at camp being murdered. It started with a lie taken too far by Blakely. The girls, in general, don't agree with her, but you don't say no to her.

Now Blakely has called them together again. Uneasy about what happened that last summer, they are not certain they want to get together and relive those emotions. But they all go. Blakely is in trouble and wants her old friends to help her.

I'm not going to spoil what happens. I will say I don't like the ending, parts of it are too open ended for me. I also really dislike some of these girls, now women.

Narration:
I appreciated having different narrators for the different characters. It took me a bit to figure out about the 4 main characters. The emotion infused into them enhanced my enjoyment of their performance. I was able to listen at my normal 1.5x speed.

3.5 ⭐️ I have become quite the Lucinda Berry fan of late. While this one was not my favorite, I still found it to be fun and easy to binge. And given the camp setting (in flashbacks), a perfect Summer thriller to add to your beach bag.

🎧 With not one, but five narrators, including the incomparable Jane Oppenheimer, this full cast audiobook did NOT disappoint.

This read kicks off with four teen friends at a summer camp and quickly leads you down a storyline of secrecy and a dead body. Years later these four teenagers reunite as adults. It’s not quite the joyous reunion but instead it’s time for the dark truth to come to light.

Overall, this is a captivating thriller read. A bit predictable and slow at times but there are various twists that’s will keep you engaged until the end. You are dumped quite a bit of information at the end which felt a smidge abrupt.

Netgalley Audio ARC

I unfortunately did not enjoy this one. I didn’t like any of the characters. The ending was not satisfying at all. It was one of those endings where you wish you could just go back to the beginning and pick up another book instead.

The audiobook was good. Narrated by: Bailey Carr, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, Susannah Jones, Jane Oppenheimer, Carly Robins.
It has flash backs and sometimes those are hard to follow with audiobooks, but I don’t have any trouble following along. I just didn’t care for the book overal

If You Tell A Lie is a dark, twisty and addictive thriller. The setting was top notch, the descriptions and the story were amazing. Lucinda did a great job at portraying the mind of a typical teenager and how easily influenced they are by their peers. It felt real, nothing was over the top for me.

The multiple POV's and dual timelines made for such an engaging read. Even with the 5 girls they were never confusing, they each had a different way of being. I wasn't sure which of them I could trust.

In true Lucinda style her writing is captivating, fast paced, addicting and an ending I wasn't expecting. It definitely still left me with some questions, but I really enjoyed this one.

🎧 The narration by Bailey Carr, Stephanie Nemeth-Parker, Susannah Jones, Jane Oppenheimer and Carly Robins was amazing. They all have distinct voices and it makes each character easy to follow and come to life. They had the perfect tones at the right times, really great audiobook.

✨️Thank you to @netgalley, @brilliancepublishing & @lucindaberry for my gifted ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book had lots of potential! I loved the premise and idea with this mystery. However, it was hard to remember which chapter I was on as the two MCs were hard for me to distinguish. Lots of teenage chatter & the ending was fairly abrupt. I enjoyed this read, but there’s some lost potential.

I have read every single Lucinda book up to date and one thing about this author is she can definitely write.
If you tell a lie is quite different and less traumatizing than some of her other books but i still enjoyed the story of these four women and their retelling of what happened that 'one summer' at camp.
The story was easy to follow and the narrators did a good job, but i will say it was confusing at times trying to figure out which of the women were speaking.
The story was enjoyable but i was let down with the ending it felt unfinished in a way.
Looking forward to continually supporting this author and reading more of her work.

Lucinda does it again! This was easily one of the most enjoyable book to listen to thus far. I’ve read and/or listened to quite a few of Lucinda’s books and the multiple narrators really made a difference!

At first it took me awhile to get used to the multiple POVs but the voice changes really helped the vibe of the story! I was on the edge of my seat, sucked into the story and each chapter.

Usually having so many POV changes and timelines makes for a difficult read or listen but this one was very easy to follow. And the twists? I couldn’t believe the ending. I love the way Lucinda tells a psychological thriller!

One of my new favorites of Lucinda.

Thanks so much Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for the ALC.

I have to prepare myself for Lucinda Berry books - she grabs those trigger warnings and pushes boundaries and writes stories that really set off a lot of people

I’m a big fan of hers and believe that because she pushes boundaries, she’s gonna get a lotta low and high ratings

I really enjoyed this book - it was fast paced, entertaining, intriguing and the characters had a lot of depth. It did push limits, but this is no ‘Saving Noah’ so I’m not cautious about recommending this book - which I do!

So - Four summer camp friends reunite after receiving anonymous notes

This story is told from multiple POVs, past and present. This allows the reader to gain a deeper understanding of each character and I loved that. Although they make mistakes and do unlikable things, I liked everyone

I listened to the audiobook and loved the narrators. They all did a wonderful job of being teenage and adult versions of each character. My only area of criticism would be that they all had similar sounding voices. I find it easier to differentiate between characters when accents are distinct or even pitch/tone is different

I loved the constant reveals and surprises, especially towards the end… now I loved the big reveal, but I would have liked more - definitely a Regina flashback and a chapter from each friend when they realized what the frick was going on! Like give me more… maybe book 2?! ‘If Your Tell ANOTHER Lie’ hint hint Lucinda 😉

Thanks to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

Holy crap, Lucinda Berry does it yet again with a thriller with so many twists and turns you can’t put it down! I was shook! This was amazing.

I would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review. I have enjoyed the other books I have read by this author, I enjoyed it till the end, it was way too abrupt and for the most part and the characters were not that likeable.