I've been a fan of Chelsea Ichaso’s YA thriller books for several years, so when I heard she had an adult thriller coming out, I knew I had to get an ARC. So I Lied is a twisty tale of lies, love, betrayal, and secrets.

The book starts out with three friends going on a trip to North Wales as a celebration for Jocelyn’s bachelorette party. Rowan and Cadence go with her, and Jocelyn’s parents pay for the entire trip. The three women aren’t as close as they used to be back in high school, or even college, but Rowan and Cadence seem excited about a trip and a chance to rekindle their friendship. Joceyln’s aunt and uncle run a bed and breakfast out in the country, and they invite the women to stay there for free. They didn’t realize how far the B&B was from the sites they want to visit, or that it would be so difficult to get a taxi or transportation. What makes matters worse is that the two guests staying in the room next to their, Magnus and Valentina, start stalking them and show up everywhere they go. They aren’t sure what the strangers want from them, or why they’ve set their sights on harassing them. However, it soon becomes clear that everyone is harboring their own dark secret.

This book has multiple POVs, including one in the present that shows glimpses of what happens after one of the three women dies. I enjoyed guessing which person died based on the clues. So I Lied is a fun, fast-paced read. I read it in only a few sittings because I didn’t want to put it down. The plot twists were great and kept me hooked as the story progressed. I loved the way the book ended, BUT I could have done without the epilogue.

*Thank you to the publisher, Chelsea Ichaso, and NetGalley for the eBook ARC. This is my honest opinion.

So I QUITE ENJOYED THIS BOOK! From the moment I saw the cover, this book had me. Everything about it was a YES. The writing, the plot, the characters. Absolutely thrilled to have read this.

Three best friends with a past that each is hiding come to light when they set out on an all-girls trip. It was a fast-paced novel that had me guessing throughout. I enjoyed how easily it went from then to now and kept you wondering who was guilty. The believable characters drag you along with them as they tell their side of the story. As it all unfolds and you realize who was murdered the truth of why is revealed. The person responsible now has their secret to keep. Chelsea Ichasco writes a fast-paced thriller and I will be looking forward to reading more of her novels.

This book was super slow to start and slightly confusing with the 3 person point of view. But the set up was well worth the multiple twists in the end.

Three friends set off together to rekindle their friendship and celebrate Jocelyns upcoming wedding. But what the friends don't realize is that all 3 have secrets that are deadly and about to be exposed.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

When a girls weekend goes terribly, terribly wrong...

I loved the writing style of this author. The book was fairly fast paced and kept me engaged enough to keep reading.

However, I found that there were exactly zero likable characters in this book, and absolutely no one that I was rooting for in the end. I'd figured out who had done it fairly early in the book, but stuck around to figure out the why. I would say that this book was good, but not great. I did like the writing style enough that I will check out her other books. Perhaps, this is the one of hers that just wasn't for me.

Includes: non-linear timeline, multiple POVs
TW: murder, violence, stalking, manipulation

**Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

3,5 stars!
I really had a great time reading this book. It was fast paced and the story was intriguing! I liked that the story was told in multiple POV's and that the chapters were not that long. The ending was mindblowing and I would never have guessed that. The reason that I gave this book 3,5 stars is because I thought that the story was a little bit repetitive. I recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read that will blow your mind!

Thank you to NetGalley, Chelsea Ichaso, and Thomas & Mercer for the ebook! This gripping story explores friendship and the lies that tie people together. With a chilling setting and plenty of twists, it's a book you won't want to miss!

True to its name, this book was full of lies- some so treacherous they were worth killing over.

When old friends, Cadence, Rowan, and Jocelyn, travel to North Wales for Jocelyn's bachelorette trip, they expected to spend their time sight-seeing and reliving old memories. However, that proves hard to do when they each have memories they can't share with the others. With their relationship already strained, the arrival of a mysterious couple, seemingly intent on stirring up trouble, only widens the gaps forming between them. And when all of their lies are finally brought to light, someone will have to pay the price.

I really enjoyed this twisty thriller! I liked how the author slowly revealed each character's secrets, it kept me guessing the whole book. With every revelation I thought I had the plot figured out, until the next chapter showed me how wrong I was. I also liked that the author told the story through each woman's perspective, because you could really see how each character viewed the dynamic of their relationship a little bit differently. I find the examination of female friendships so fascinating, even if this is obviously an extreme example, because there really is something about the competitiveness between women that can quickly turn a situation toxic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso was so fast paced and entertaining!
Ichaso created another gripping thriller that hooked me from the first page.

I really liked the storyline, and I also enjoyed the twists. I liked how the story went back back-and-forth from the past to the present. There were times that I was confused between the three girls in the story and I had to stop and really think about who was who. Once I was able to do that I was able to get into the story And I definitely did not expect what happened.

This is a fast and twisty thriller about friends reuniting for a bachelorette weekend. The chapters alternate between the views of each character. That can be a confusing structure but it really works in this book. It really holds your attention and keeps you guessing about the mystery unfolding. The characters were pretty unlikeable so I wasn't too sad to find out the fate of the murdered friend but I enjoyed the path to get there. I think thriller readers will really connect to this one and anyone who enjoys a whodunnit plot. Thanks to Chelsea Ichaso, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

An account of the intricate web a lie can create and the lack of control over who gets entangled in it.

The thriller takes us on a journey of three “friends” Jocelyn, Rowan and Cadence as they take a bachelorette trip to North Wales. Each of the three has secrets they’ve kept from one another. One in particular is a direct result of a lie being intentionally told. As the trip progresses, the cracks begin to show as the pressure of said lie mounts with unforeseen consequences.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Thank you to netgalley and Chelsea Ichaso for this fee arc in exchange for an honest review.

This is a complicated four star for me as, while I whole heartedly enjoyed everything about it and it is one of the few murder mystery'style thrillers I've read in recent months where there haven't been significant pot holes or plotpoints of convenience, I didn't feel that strong shock that I felt was due at the final twist.

With that being said, many of the smaller plot twists were so well done that it almost didn't matter who the ultimate 'big bad' was. This is well written and a well paced thriller which utilises the dual timeline perfectly and leaves the reader in total suspense as to which of the three had died. -

This book is filled to the brim with drama and lies, with a side of murder. It kept me engaged from page one, and I finished the read in one sitting. At times, it felt as though I was witnessing three high school friends fighting over their own drama. The sad part is, I feel like any friend group has their own secrets and can turn on each other just as easily. Was it predicitable? Yes. Did I still enjoy it? Absolutley!

Thank you, NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer, for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the premise of this book! I found it dragged a bit at times. I enjoyed the twist. I also like a book with different POVs, especially when it’s done well which I think this author accomplished. 3⭐️⭐️⭐️

The story of three friends and the secrets between them. Jocelyn, Rowan, Cadence and the girls' weekend before one of them gets married. This is about long-standing secrets, lies and conspiracies.

Told in multiple POV, this ride is crazy. A trip to Wales for the wealthy bachelorette, Jocelyn, engaged to Landon. They stay in her Aunt Helen's cozy cabin away from everything. Plus, there are two other guest, Magnus and Valentina.

It is good to go in blind, with this fun and fast read!

Drama, Mystery and Behaving Badly! 3 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley for the advance copy! This book will be released 1/28/25.

This book was such a fun, wild ride! I loved how realistic the characters were, three girl friends who have grown apart since college, trying to reconnect on a trip abroad. They all have changed, evolved, and kept some insane secrets from one another! I was not ready for the twists and thought for sure I had the ending figured out, but Chelsea got me there too! I always love a well done multiple POV book, with some flashbacks and short chapters! This one was a treat!

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the arc of So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso.

I love a good YA read and have yet to not love anything by Ichaso. I was so excited to get a copy of this through netgalley and like all of her other novels this did not disappoint.

Three life long friends find themselves traveling overseas to celebrate Jocelyn’s upcoming marriage to her college sweetheart. Staying at Jocelyn’s aunt Helen’s B&B in a remote town is the get away they need. A trip that is supposed to be about bonding and unwinding quickly turns to deception and secrets. A trip that starts as a threesome leaves only two returning home.

Despite being besties all of these women have held secrets from one another that irrevocably changed their paths in life. Secrets that ultimately come out and cannot be taken back

The women meet another couple at the B&B who are also a mystery and have an agenda of their own. Convinced Magnus and his cohort Valentina are trying to stalk them the girls try and cut their trip short to escape the couple. This only leads to more lies, deception, and another murder.

In the end everyone has a secret and the self preservation runs rampant. To what cost would you go to save yourself and would you do it at the expense of others?

So I Lied is full of twist and turns that ultimately show what humans are conditioned to do when they feel they have no other choice. This is 100% a must read in 2025.

Pub Date: January 28, 2025
🌟🌟🌟🌟.5

Thank you NetGalley! This is my first book by this author. I enjoyed this book. The flipping back and forth between the past, present and characters. I love this style of novel.

★★★

Jocelyn is about to get married, but before she gets hitched, she wants one final girls' trip with her best friends, Rowan and Cadence. They leave sunny California for a small rural town in North Wales. The trip doesn’t go as expected. A combination of poor planning, long-held resentment, and deeply buried secrets quickly turns the bachelorette trip sinister…

<i>“…just be careful, that’s all I’m saying. Always stay together. Never walk alone on the dark, rural roads.”</i>

This started off quite promising: three friends stuck in the middle of nowhere in Wales, with plenty of secrets slowly starting to be revealed. Add to it a missing girl and a potential serial killer— the perfect locked-room mystery setting!

Unfortunately, I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, which is a shame. I found myself wanting to tell them to finally cut ties and that it’s okay to outgrow your school friends. I also found the story quite long, feeling at times like it dragged a bit— a missed opportunity for a fast-paced mystery readers cannot put down.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy YA mysteries/thrillers. Thank you, NetGalley and Chelsea Ichaso, for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.