Member Reviews

This was a good one!! An incredible debut!! OUT NOW🌟

I listened to the audio & the narrators were fantastic.

Elle & Olivia become friends and start a jewelry cleaning business together, but their unlikely friendship evolves and the whole time I’m trying to figure out who is really conning who? Dual timeline, dual POV, and I loved every second! Highly recommend this one, give it a listen!

Thanks so much to NetGalley & Dreamscape Media for my ALC!

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Loved this audio book! The narrators were great! I loved the back and forth between Elle and Olivia’s storylines. I was constantly trying to figure out who was trying to con who. A great book!

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I cannot believe this is the authors debut! I really enjoyed this book.

Elle and Olivia are strangers, yet more connected than either of them could imagine.

Told in dual perspective, this book moves quickly and is thrilling with twists and turns.

My only thought is that I don’t think the characters and relationships between them were built as strongly as they could be. It’s clear that there are intense feelings between each character but I missed the build up of those.

I am sincerely thankful to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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This was a good read. I was hooked in the beginning but then it started to slow down and lose my interest. I enjoyed the two perspectives.

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The narration was incredible. The story was good for a debut. I didn't like Elle or Olivia so I struggled through the alternating chapters some. I am excited to check out more by the author because I think she definitely has a lot of potential to go far in the thriller game.

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The narration is absolutely wonderful but I hated the characters. I hated all of them. I hated them so much. I wanted to feel something for them and their reasoning, as I like my grandmother and babies as well, but I never made it there. I think that would make it a great story for others but I just could not connect.
This was just a book that was not for me. That happens.

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Elle is a professional con woman determined to reclaim her stolen inheritance. She befriends Olivia, who she spots wearing some of her jewelry. Despite their differences, both women harbor many secrets and navigate a tangled web of lies. Together, they form an unlikely partnership to execute a mutually beneficial con.

Narrators Meg Price and Imani Jade Powers bring these intriguing characters to life. Olivia’s desperation to have a baby and her desire to hide the cracks in her life are vividly portrayed. Elle’s devious nature and snarkiness shine through perfectly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this well-paced story about deceit, toxic relationships, privilege, and revenge. I kept wondering how these two managed to keep all their lies straight! The alternating dual POVs and short chapters perfectly tell this suspense-filled story.

This entertaining domestic suspense debut is perfect for those who enjoy twisty, fast-paced plots that explore the darker side of relationships and the lengths people will go to get what they want.

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Well, I have to say, this was INCREDIBLE for a debut novel!

In this one we have 2 main female characters, Elle and Olivia.
They are complete opposites!!

Elle grew up with a checkered past and some horrible experiences to go along with that. She lost her parents at a young age. Thankfully, she had her brother with her, but then she lost him too…and had to face the world alone!

Olivia seems to be the perfect wife…friend…etc. She’s married to a guy who’s well off, has the best of everything , and lots of well placed, seemingly FAKE friends who might stab her in the back at any moment…

When Elle sees her and realizes that she’s wearing a one of a kind, heirloom piece, that was part of her own collection ( and was supposed to be passed down to her from her families collection), well, she goes nuts!

Elle is married to a great guy and seemingly has a good life! But she has a lot of secrets. Some she has shared with him. Others…well…no.

Olivia is married to a jerk (and of course, I want to reach through the book and smack the guy!! ) She has some secrets of her own, but of a completely different nature.

So when the two of them decide to form an alliance to work together to HELP each other…. Well, that’s just GOLD!

🛑🛑 Stopping here so I don’t give anything away!! 🛑🛑

But this was terrific! And the fact that it’s a debut novel, well, that’s just unbelievable!

4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ for me!

Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for an ARC of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

*** This is due to be released tomorrow, 9/3/24, so look 👀 for it then! ***

#BetweenLiesAndRevenge by #HannahDSharpe and narrated beautifully by #MegPrice and #ImaniJadePowers.

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Good premise, but poor execution and pacing super slow. DNFd at 21%. It might be for some, but this book wasn’t for me. Do not recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my opinion.

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Elle comes from a line of thieves and jewelry flippers. She can tell real from fake. It's no question to her that the woman she just saw has on her stolen necklace.

Olivia is keeping secrets from her husband and is drowning them both in debt.

When the two meet, a business friendship is born. Using their resources and skills to build a fast growing a scam of a business.

Lies continue. And unfold. And answers arise on what really happened all those years ago.

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Shifting between two point of views, Elle and Olivia, this book follows two woman desperate for money and start a jewel stealing heist. However, they’re both hiding something.

Early on, Elle seeks out Olivia at a party when she notices her wearing her very unique jewelry that was stolen from her. Elle begins to follow and stalk Olivia to learn more about her and to get her revenge.

Olivia’s story is one of loss and hope as she desires to be a mother, while this isn’t much of a priority for her husband. She finds jewelry in her basement that she thinks is from purchases of storage units, when her husband questions a piece she’s wearing and forgets to return, she wonders if there’s more of a story to the jewelry. She is in enormous debt from the secret IVF treatments she’s been undergoing without her unsupportive husband’s knowledge.

Elle is a bitter ex con who has dealt with the loss of her brother and downfall. We get a glimpse into her past where she feels responsible for her brother’s death and the loss of their inheritance from her drug dealer ex boyfriend and gang leader. She searches estate sales for her family’s riches to try to get some semblance of her past life back. Her current husband, Zane, doesn’t know the jewelry con that Elle continues, the only person who knows about that- Travis- is dead.

When Elle’s stalking turns into more, Olivia and Elle team up to trick housewives with appraisal parties for their jewelry where they swap pieces out with fake. They keep wanting more, and taking their con one step further to make more and feel secure enough to move on. However the secrets they’re keeping threaten to ruin it all.

This book was fast paced and rolled out enough interesting connections to keep me interested and read through this quickly. I did find the ending a bit rushed and would’ve liked to see more of the villain downfall, but still a great read.

I did not realize this was a debut book for this author until reading other reviews. I would have never guessed, writing is strong and this will be an author I will keep my eye out for !

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Out 9/4/24!

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This is meant to have morally ambiguous female characters but they are honestly kind of boring, and annoying. I love a morally grey/ambiguous character but they need to have something that makes me root for them. Elle is meant to be smart but it isnt backed up by the writing. Olivia is desperate and trapped in what appears to be an abusive relationship but I really struggle to sympathise with her. There is also a theme of internalised misogyny throughout that I find gross. Elle tears down every other female character that is introduced, from the therapist and receptionist to Olivia and her friends. Overall, it was well narrated and held some potential but I just didnt care about it or finding out what the mystery was meant to be.

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A little too far fetched with far too many conveniences. I also found myself bored often. I fell asleep a few times and didn’t bother to skip back. There wasn’t much interesting happening, very slow in plot movement, hardly any action or character development. The one character in particular drove me nuts because she is a sad pathetic puppy following her husband around even though he’s awful and she’s aware he’s awful: I kept yelling, Have some self respect lady!

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Between Lies and Revenge
By Hannah D. Sharpe

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Elle and Olivia cross paths and agree to a business venture. Each woman has their own secrets and history. As their business venture becomes more successful, the web of lies grows. Relationships are strained and changed. Everyone is not who they seem to be.

Format-wise, the chapters alternated between Elle and Olivia’s perspectives. It was engaging to learn about Elle’s past and about Olivia’s current struggles. This kept things fresh and exciting as the story lines alternated. Although I am not involved in jewelry heists, I could relate to each of the main characters.

Sharpe mixes women’s everyday struggles with the drama and suspense of thievery. The story tugs at your heartstrings, but also makes you laugh out loud, smile in recognition, and squirm when things got awkward. The narrator did a great job of bringing each character to life. I could tell who was the chapters focus, Elle or Olivia, by the cadence and tone of the narrator. I enjoyed the audiobook format.

At first, it seemed like there were a lot of characters to keep track of and a lot of action to to digest. But as I became more familiar with the characters and the plot, I found that the action and diversity of characters really made the story more interesting. Each character had a definite personality and back story. There were some twists and some turns, and revenge was had in some cases.

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This was such a great read! I was hooked from beginning to end. Olivia kept me on my toes—I couldn't quite figure her out, which made the story even more intriguing. And Elle! Oh she was the perfect mix of friend and foe. The twists were spot on, making this book an overall win for me! Just a heads-up, though, the story does touch on themes of infertility and death.

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Between Lies and Revenge is a captivating read that offers plenty of enjoyment. The author skillfully weaves a narrative that keeps readers engaged, with well-developed characters whose flaws make them all the more intriguing. Although the plot is fairly predictable, the journey is anything but dull. There is a surprising twist that adds a refreshing touch to the story, and despite its predictability, I found myself eagerly turning the pages. Overall, it’s a thoroughly entertaining book that I enjoyed immensely.

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I was excited to read this debut thriller; two women form an unexpected alliance to con wealthy saleswomen through their MLMs (multilevel marketing)

The story is told via alternating chapters from Elle and Olivia’s POV. Elle has big secrets from her past and covets Olivia’s jewelry. Elle has a ton of debt, due to secretly going through IVF

I love a con-woman, but this actually felt more like a crime family suspense. The multilevel marketing was more of a platform for the real story to materialize. Unfortunately, I really dislike crime family dramas

I wanted to love the female duo. Elle has skills and a past, but she didn’t sparkle. She’s meant to be badass but is obsessed with her husband, ashamed of being vegan and lies about not liking wine (why?!)

Olivia only cares about getting pregnant and ignores all the giant red flags regarding her controlling husband and his weird blackmailing uncle

I’m grateful I was gifted the audiobook as it’s very well narrated. Each chapter was either told from Elle or Olivia’s POV and the narrators really brought the story to life

The big mid story twist was a doozy but the reactions were super understated. I did chuckle at one of the reveals, but again the reaction was too small. Considering the revenge aspect of the story, it was all pretty muted

Sadly, I struggled to feel any emotion for the women and really disliked all the crime stuff - just not for me

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for access to this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review

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A clever premise caught my attention in this debut novel. Sharpe crafts an interesting tale of two women, Elle and Olivia. They’re very different with different agendas, but learn to work together to uncover the secrets and lies in their lives. Most of the characters weren’t especially likable, but perhaps that was by design. The profanity was also amped up in this one, but to a level that I, personally, felt took away from the overall story.
The two narrators portrayed their characters well, and enhanced the listening experience, making it easier to follow the back and forth points of view.
I’ll be looking for the next one by Sharpe since she was able to weave a good tale.
Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for this ARL. All opinions are mine.

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The book is twisted, suspenseful and riveting. I love the author’s writing and the characters were so intriguing. They were clearly not what I thought they were. I loved the author’s keen observations about love and life. I loved the revelations at the end. This is a gripping and unputdownable heist thriller.

So Elle is a con artist. As soon as she saw Olivia wearing a stolen jewellery, she had a lots of questions. The two of them start a jewelry cleaning and appraising business. While both of them had their secrets and yet they both felt safe with each other like they can rely on each other. Olivia wants money for IVF treatment and Elle wants her jewellery, it was stolen when she was in such a painful and unsettling situation. The book is filled with lies, secrets, mystery, suspense and revenge. This is a multilayered story with multifaceted characters. The characters not only have poignant back stories but they have secret identities too. The book completely gripped me and I didn’t see the twists coming. The author has not only shared how the two women came together but the author has also shared about IVF and their relationships with other characters. The book surprised me in infinite ways. It was so twisted and suspenseful.

I loved the narration.

Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Narrator.

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I think this was a really smart book. I love the suspense and the drama. I love the perspective on mlm’s and how some women like to support each other in performative ways and it’s more about how they look than actually supporting each other. I love that the main characters use that to their advantage. The twists in this book are insane and I didn’t even see them coming. I like that you get the perspective between both women and that they are so different from each other. The first half of the book seems to be more character driven and then bam 💥 it takes off and the story gets crazy. I was super satisfied with how it ended and cannot believe this is a debut novel.
The audiobook was done very well and the characters voices were great. I felt like their voices matched the energy that each woman exuded.

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