Thank you Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

“So I Lied” by Chelsea Ichaso is a dark, twisty thriller that dives into the depths of friendship, betrayal, and hidden truths. The book follows Jocelyn, Rowan, and Candace (nicknamed Joss, Rowan, and Cady), three best friends since high school, who reunite for Jocelyn’s bachelorette party in the moody landscape of North Wales. But this trip is more than a celebratory getaway—it’s a collision course for buried secrets that threaten to unravel their friendships and possibly their lives. This is not a book where you will love the main characters; they are messy and their relationships are messy, but that is what makes them so intriguing.

Ichaso deftly captures the tension and complexity of friendships burdened by past mistakes and hidden grudges. Each woman harbors secrets that, if exposed, could shatter the delicate balance holding them together. The multi-POV narrative allows you to step inside the minds of all three women, though it was a bit challenging to distinguish their voices as they were all written in the same way. The main focus is on how the lines between loyalty and self-preservation blur, leaving you wondering just how far each woman will go to protect herself.

As the friends settle into their stay at Joss’s aunt’s inn, they encounter two mysterious backpackers, Magnus and Valentina. The strangers’ presence adds an eerie layer of suspense, especially as the friends start to suspect Magnus might be involved in the disappearance of a girl named Lisa, who vanished in London. This intrigue becomes intertwined with the trio’s own secrets, creating a tense web of deception and suspicion.

Ichaso’s skill in crafting flawed, “messy” characters shines through. Each of the women is deeply imperfect, haunted by past choices that have damaged their relationships with one another. Rowan, for instance, is struggling with the loss of Joss’s brother (her former boyfriend and the father of her daughter), while Joss contemplates her attraction to Magnus despite her engagement. This messiness makes them relatable, if not always likable, and gives the story a raw authenticity as it delves into themes of grief, guilt, and betrayal.

While “So I Lied” succeeds in building suspense with its short, fast-paced chapters, the shifting focus between the friends’ internal drama and the intrigue surrounding Magnus and Valentina can sometimes feel scattered. The final twist was difficult to believe, as it feels more like an abrupt pivot than a natural conclusion, so you have to suspend your disbelief a bit as you read. The plot’s unpredictability does keep you guessing and makes for an entertaining ride.

Overall, “So I Lied” is a gripping journey into the secrets people keep and the lengths they’ll go to keep them hidden. With its dark setting, messy characters, and unraveling mysteries, Chelsea Ichaso’s latest thriller promises a memorable, if unsettling, read for anyone willing to navigate its tangled web of lies.

Suspenseful, adventurous, and packed with uncertainty, So I Lied has it all for a perfect thriller! The twist at the end was jaw dropping and unexpected. There is plenty of drama between friends to go around. I didn't know who to trust and who not to trust and I love stories like that. The story perfectly weaves between the now and the events leading up to the now. As the story progresses, more secrets between the friends are revealed. This one was unputdownable for me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

So I Lied is about a group of 3 friends on a bachelorette trip to North Wales. I love the atmosphere and setting of the novel. It was all moss and woods and damp. Early on in the novel, we start to learn that each of the friends has character flaws, really serious character flaws. The reader learns this because the book is told in multiple points of view. I like that concept, but the execution was flawed. None of the friends has a unique voice. They are defined by their flaws. And they are so flawed that it is hard to understand how they are friends at all. The ending has a couple big twists but they were not that satisfying because the characters were too vague for the reader to be surprised. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel.

I’m struggling to figure out how I feel about this book because I did enjoy many things. The multiple POVs was well done and helped with the tension in a way that was needed. All of the lies came together in a way that made sense and raps the story up in a satisfying way.

Ultimately though I couldn’t buy the basic premise of the story. It didn’t feel like any of these characters had any close friendships. They all seemed to dislike each other, which I guess could have happened over time but there wasn’t enough to make it feel like they even had a close friendship. We were just told this. As a result I could not believe that any of them would have chosen to be in Wales.

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for an early copy.

This one was pretty good. You could definitely foreshadow what was going to happen in the book. But still ok read not terrible !

It's thrilling, it's nicely paced and the characters are a nice aquintance. I really enjoyed this book! Thank you to the author, the publisher and to NetGalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer for providing this book for review consideration via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! It was filled with tension and mystery. All three friends had so many secrets that they were keeping but that all had had so many consequences in their lives. And the way the story slowly unraveled each of these secrets was sublime. Every time I thought I knew it all and had it all figured out, out came another secret that totally shifted my perspective again.

Besides the three friends, there were some pretty creepy characters that happened to be everywhere the friends were, giving the book an overall eerie feeling of being watched and played with.

The only downside of this book for me would be that it was written in first-person point of view, alternating from the perspectives of the three friends. However, the writing style was exactly the same for each perspective and their characters were also pretty similar in some ways, so there were some points that I got confused about which perspective I was reading from and had to look at the beginning of the chapter again to check.

Other than that though, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! It was eerie and mysterious, and contains a multitude of gasp-out-loud moments. I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to get into thrillers!

This was a wild, crazy, twisted ride. Three longtime friends are hiding so many secrets from each other and all will come out on their trip to Wales to celebrate Jocelyn's bachelorette party. This was a very fast read and kept me interested the whole way through. I did not see the ending coming. I definitely recommend giving this one a read.

Thank you Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the digital arc in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. Jocelyn and her friends Rowan and Candace go to Wales for her Bachelorette party. The three have been friends for a while but each has their own secrets and they don’t want the others to find out. During their stay the secrets being to come to light. Apart from their own secrets they are also leery about Magnus and Valentina, other guests at the place they’re staying, who also seem to pop up at all the same places the three girls find themselves. Will the three girls be able to last the whole trip? Or will everything fall apart? Secrets, lies, and so many twists! A quick thrilling story that you won’t be able to put down!

Trigger Warnings: Murder
Cancer (mentioned)
Loss of partner
Loss of sibling
Drug Overdose
Infidelity
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Trope(s): Whodunit
Spice: None
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Debut Novel: No
Slow or Fast Burn: Slowish
Safe or Dark: Darkish
Release Date: January 28, 2025

“This is the kind of deception that can suck you dry.”

Jocelyn, Rowan, and Cadence are three best friends who met in high school. 

Or are they? 

As soon as the story starts, we pick up on the fact that these women aren’t as close as they seem on the surface level. Each woman is resentful toward the others for one reason or another. 

All three of them are keeping secrets—ones they desperately do not want to get out. 

-Rowan has sticky fingers.
-Cadence is in love with the Jocelyn's fiancée.
-can’t stand to have a relationship with her niece (Rowan’s daughter) because she is a constant reminder of her late twin brother.

The list above is only the tip of the iceberg and is revealed very early on in the story, so they aren’t spoilers.

These three women are so messy, and! I AM LIVING FOR IT!

We get to sit back and relax while we watch this decade-long friendship implode. 

"An innocent enough lie. Harmless, really, compared to some of the ones I’ve told over the years.”

The short chapters and easy flow of Chelsea Ichaso’s writing make this a quick read. This was a twisty ride, and although it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, I was entertained enough to want to find out what was going to happen next. 

The pacing of the story was well done. There are a lot of tiny plot twists sprinkled throughout the story, and that was fun. Even if the red herrings were poorly placed (more about that below). 

However, this book did have its faults. 

All three characters sounded the same. Other than their dirty little secrets, it was hard to differentiate their voices and determine whose point of view you were reading from. If each chapter wasn’t one of the character's names, you’d never know. I guess the only difference between them was that Cady had a more “woe-is-me" attitude than her two friends. 

The issues between Magnus, Valentina, and the three women got rather confusing. We had a lot going on within the friend group and outside of it. At times, it was hard to untangle the mess. 

We eventually get to the BIG plot twist. If you can call it that. There is nothing that points to the turn of events. Nothing even hints that the twist might be coming. It came out of nowhere. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. IT’S NOT A PLOT TWIST IF THE READER HAS NO IDEA WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON!

For a while, this was a four-star read for me. Right up until we get to the ending. 

The ending was shotty and sloppy. It wasn’t very believable and seemed a bit rushed. Things were just thrown together to try and finish the events that had occurred on the trip. None of it made sense. The pieces just didn’t fit together. I wasn’t satisfied with how things were wrapped up. 

All in all, this was an entertaining read. I didn’t leave this book feeling completely disappointed. I will eventually check out more of Chelsea Ichaso’s catalog. 

“These lies are who I am, part of my charm. Nothing to worry about.”

TLDR: A FUN AND EASY THRILLER! GREAT FOR BREAKING UP HEAVIER READS!

As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great. 😊

I would like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

This is my voluntary, unbiased, and honest review.

Many thanks to Netgalley for this arc. I received this book in exchange for my honest review. My thoughts are entirely my own.

In this book best friends, Jocelyn, Rowan, and Cadence decide to have a girls week to celebrate Jocelyn’s engagement. Everything is fine until they meet another couple Mathew and Valentina and the two of them start to stalk the three friends. Slowly secrets come to the surface that start to tear the friends apart. Then one of them is murdered and the other two are suspects. Then Matthew ends up dead and Valentina never left for Argentina. Valentina kills one of the friends. I’m trying to be as vague as possible. This book was very interesting but I will admit that sometimes I got confused. But overall this book was very entertaining.

Thank you, Thomas & Mercer for the copy of So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso. I love how this book started and I loved how Jocelyn, Rowan, and Cadence were going to Wales on a girls’ trip. I enjoyed the story, even though the different POVs were hard to distinguish so I couldn’t keep track of who was who and what they had done.There was a lot happening and the little reveals about the women were interesting, as were the little grudges they all held against each other. The end was a disappointing jumble that didn’t live up to the promise of the story. I was hoping for something that made more sense. It wasn’t my favorite book, but it did keep me reading. If you have to like characters, this might not be the book for you. All three were all awful people and obviously bad friends. 3 stars

the book went on too long, could've ended earlier. The back and forth between the characters was tough as they weren't special/unique differences between the girls. It was written well, but I felt it was repetitive.

Rich Jocelyn Elliott, and middle class Rowan Castillo and Cadence Fletcher have been close friends since high school. Over the years, however, they have moved on, busy in their own lives. Rowan is a single mother, raising her child, now eight, after the death of her boyfriend, Jake Elliott, Jocelyn's twin.

Now that Jocelyn Elliott is engaged to be married to Landon, her long-time beau, she decides to treat her two besties to an exclusive bachelorette party at the bed and breakfast run by her aunt and uncle in a small village in Wales.

There they meet Magnus from Norway and Valentina from Argentina, two backpackers who draw the three women into their circle. Soon Jocelyn, Rowan and Cadence are convinced that there is something off about their two new friends. They wish they had never come to Wales and encountered them.

The trip, meant to bind them closer, ends up fraying their friendship. By the end of the trip, will the consequences be much worse?



The book begins with the death of one of the two women, and the other two friends and the aunt and uncle of Jocelyn seemingly distraught. The novel is told from the 1st person present tense PoV of the three women, in flashback, describing the events that took place in their lives before they got to this point, before breaking into single chapters on what transpires after the death of one of them.

At first, I could not tell the three accounts apart, but as they revealed more of their secrets, I got a better understanding of who they were. But the voice wasn’t very clear. I had to keep checking back to the first page of the chapter to find out who was talking. After the first set of three 1st person accounts, the writing got marginally better.

The voices of the characters were still not apparent though. And because no one character stood out, I found it hard to like any of them. The thought of one of them dead was not something I could bring myself to care about.

I felt that the last first-person chapter of the character that is about to die should have been in the 3rd person. In the first person, it was awkward and clumsy.

What made it interesting at first was that everyone had secrets, not just the women, but all the characters, but over time even that lost its novelty.

The men, Jake Elliott and Landon, are flat as cardboard. For one, neither is present in Wales, and we see them both only in flashbacks. Jake has been dead eight years when the story begins, and the flashbacks don’t portray him well or enough. Landon, very much alive, is boring. It is hard to see why he is considered quite the catch.

There was no buildup to the mystery. The red herrings were unconvincing and the plot twist didn’t seem natural. The reasons why a particular character was suspected and then subsequently considered innocent didn’t seem credible.

DI Collins, the investigating officer, was drab, completely devoid of personality. She was in charge but didn’t appear to have the confidence to figure things out. She kept asking questions but didn’t come to any conclusion at all. The odd thing was that it seemed as if she were conducting the investigation on her own. She didn’t have an assistant, no one with whom she could think aloud.

The friendship between the girls didn’t come across as warm and comforting. At one point, Rowan said that that Jocelyn provided her a sense of safety in high school and college. But safety from what? We never get a sense of what might be threatening Rowan?

The book needed better editing. Character A tells Character B her (B’s) mother’s name, in the vein of “Your mother, X.” Editing should have weeded out such clumsy sentences.

It is unclear why Jocelyn calls her mother’s sister by her first name, instead of calling her Aunt Helen, particularly when Helen’s husband is addressed as Uncle Paul.



The book was okay for the most part. But the resolution fell flat. It seemed forced, hurried, with characters coming to realisations about the truth in a way that didn’t feel natural.

This was not my cup of tea :-( I tried many times to get into this one , but I struggled and kept rereading the same paragraphs over and over .

The writing just did not flow for me , it is too bad because the premises of this book sounded so good .

I thank you Netgalley , Thomas and Mercer and Chelsea Ichaso for this ARC.

Sorry this one was not for me , Respectfully Another Read by Angie

Thank you to NetGalley,Chelsea Ichasco, and Thomas and Mercer Publishing for this arc of So I Lied, out January 28, 2025!

📜Quick Summary:Cadence, Jocelyn, and Rowan are set off to Wales for the bachelorette trip of a lifetime. Jocelyn, the wealthiest of the three girlfriends, is footing the bill. They’re setting off to stay in a cabin off in the middle of the woods… a place her Aunt Helen owns. Each girl is harboring secrets and even though they are supposed to be alone this trip, there are other guests at her cabin. These three best friends are all in different places in life, and oh boy! Buckle up for a trip of a lifetime!

❣️Initial Feels: I don’t know if I like any of these girls yet, but I am super intrigued to see what all their secrets are!

👀Trigger Warnings: a murder thriller, betrayal

🙋🏼‍♀️Moving Character:It was hard to really “like” any of the characters, and I think that was maybe the point of this novel. Even though each woman (and the supporting characters) had a vital role, they all…were so awful!

📖Read if you want: multiple point of views, a whodunit mystery, beautiful setting

💡Final Sentiments: WHAT WAS THIS ROLLERCOASTER of a thriller!? I could not put this down!! I kept changing my thoughts and suspicions many, many times! I loved the setting, Wales and the countryside sounded beautiful, even amongst the murder. Each character was harboring secrets, guilt, and betrayal, and I literally couldn’t believe these three! They were supposedly best friends, but it sure seemed the opposite at times. It was very hard to like any of them, but I also was rooting for each one at a different point. I would have given it 5 stars, but it was difficult to distinguish the difference in each character. It felt like they all had the same voice, and I had to look back many times to check which character was the narrator for that chapter.

🌟Overall Rating: 4.75 stars

This novel was provided by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Ooo this was a fast-paced, dark and twisty delight of a read! I read the first 80% in one sitting and couldn’t wait to finish it. Female friendships are tough, especially navigating the teens and twenties. I appreciated that this book was honest in the portrayal of friends who take different paths and can seem to have outgrown each other. Setting was on point for this type of mystery. Really loved the varying narrators, some more reliable than others! And a great mix of past and present. I hope this author will write more adult fiction because I am here for it!

This was the first book I read by Chelsea Ichaso, and it had me scrambling for her backlist. Great characters, fast plotting, and lots of twists and turns had me glued to this one. I am always a fan of travel suspense so this story of a bachlorette trip turned into a suspense thriller had me hooked. The best thing about this one is all three of the main characters had something they were hiding from their past that worked its way into their current situation. I highly recommend this one for suspense fans.

Rowan, Cadence and Jocelyn all go to a beach getaway, and quickly find out that they all have secrets they are hiding from each other.

This story is told from multiple POV's and each chapter flips back and forth between the three main characters. At times this became confusing for me and I found myself flipping back and forth just to be able to jog my memory as to who was who and who had what going on.

Overall, this book was just not for me. I enjoyed the book for the first 30% of it or so, but I got really tired of having to flip back and forth just to keep the characters and their story lines straight.

I would like to read another book by this author, but maybe one without so many story lines.

Thank you to NetGalley & Thomas & Mercer for this ARC! *So I Lied* by Chelsea Ichaso is a gripping adult thriller that dives into the complexities of friendship and secrets. It follows Jocelyn, Rowan, and Cadence on a bachelorette trip to North Wales, where unresolved tensions among the three friends quickly rise to the surface. As secrets unravel and lies build up, the group faces the strain of hidden truths that could destroy their bond. With strong character dynamics and suspenseful plot twists, Ichaso's novel is an intense exploration of trust and betrayal. Perfect for fans of dark, emotional thrillers.