At the beginning of Tell Them You Lied, Anna and Milo are waiting to hear from their friend, Willow. It seems that Anna, Willow's friend and roommate, and Milo, Willow's boyfriend, have decided to shake Willow's confidence by staging a "mugging," but it unfortunately is set to occur on the same morning as the World Trade Center is destroyed, Sept. 11, 2001. Now, none of her friends can locate Willow. The book then goes back to the time when Anna, Willow, Milo and the rest of their group first met as art students in college, four years earlier. The story continues to alternate back and forth, from the past to the present, exploring the complex relationship between Anna, Willow and their other friends, until finally the past collides with the present day.
I enjoyed how the two main characters, Anna and Willow, related to each other and the twists and turns of events and conversations between the duo. The story also illustrates the view held by the women of how hard it was for females to break into the art world and what they sometimes felt they had to do to pursue their dreams of "making it."

Twisted read. Anna is a struggling artist who is befriended by Willow while they are in college. Their eclectic group of friends travel with them through their growing pains into adulthood. This book twists and turns right up to the end keeping you guessing and speculating as to the outcome. I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by NetGalley and I am freely sharing my review.

I gave this the old college try. The beginning was a mixture of character chapters alternating past/present or 4 years before. The 9/11 part of the story was a little weird to me. Using the event IMO wasn't necessary, but for the plot to have been consumed by it was off putting.

The fascination was oddly put in between these two girls. It seems more envy than anything.

I gave it until 50% and DNF I just couldn't read Miles one more time. I am not sure about all of the 5 star reviews here, as an avid reader this has me confused.

While I did enjoy this book, I also found it to be lacking something. It just wasn’t strong enough for me,!8/ all I can say. But talk about keeping your friends close and enemies closer. This was such a toxic friendship, it was hard to read!

The premise of this book was sooo crazy. I loved it. This book kept my attention and had some really good twists and turns. This book was mind blowing and I did not guess the ending. Definitely recommend!

Amazing book! Definitely had me remembering where I was when 9/11 occurred. This plot was very interesting and unique. It held my interest and makes you think about the choices you make in life and how they affect others.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of ths book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the opportunity to read this book.

Anna and Willow meet at random in Art School. They instantly become friends. Willow is different from any other girl that Anna has ever met. Willow has an independence, confidence, and coolness that Anna has never witnessed. Anna has a fierce determination to be known within the Art community. She is willing to do anything to secure her future. The friendship becomes dark and strained over the years once they move to New York. Anna wants her friend to be like she was when they first met. She devices a plan to get her friend back, but she didn't factor 9/11 occurring in New York. This is a thriller I recommend. It highlights you only know what your friend's show you about themselves. There could be a dark side to their background that shapes their true self.

The book follows the story of two 20-somethings who play a prank on a friend. Unfortunately, this takes place in New York, on the morning of September 11th, 20001. Now the friend is missing; what happened to her? The story is told via two timelines, one in which the friends meet and the other detailing the months leading up to the disappearance.

I requested an advanced reading copy of this novel based only on the mention of an art school in the synopsis, but I am very glad that I did. The plot is interesting, and the characters are very real. They talk and act like people do, and that is a big plus for me. It also means there are times when the main characters are not very likable which makes them very relatable.

It wasn't until I finished the book that I realized this is the author's first book. Based on the writing, I was sure that was the work of a seasoned veteran. Many thanks to both NetGalley and Laura Leffler for honoring my ARC request.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was fun! I'm biased because I love the art school setting, but the twists and turns kept me guessing, and the relationship between the two main characters was the perfect mix of toxic and realistic. Really well paced and planned out, and fun the whole way through

This book was incredible! I never knew what was coming next and where the next twist would take me. It was such a good book that I stayed up half the night reading when I needed to get up super early. I just couldn’t seem to put it down! I just kept wanting to, figure it all out. I love the characters in the thought that was put into them. It was obvious how much Work went into plotting out the story. The author did a brilliant job, engaging the reader and making me want to just keep plowing through the book until the last Tumultuous page. Stunning work, definitely cannot wait to read more from this author.!

3.5/5
Anna has always been the outcast, so when she meets Willow at art school, she becomes a bit obsessed with her, this manic pixie fairy, and is absorbed into her friend circle.

Told I'm an alternating timeline fashion this story unravels webs and webs of lies. Leaving you to wonder what exactly had happened until the final chapter.

In my opinion the story really picked up about 50% through.

Anna has staged an attack on Willow on the morning of September 11 2001. But then, the towers are attacked and no one can find Willow. What did Anna do?

The characters are unlovable and the narrator is unreliable, which means we never know what is real or not. I did enjoy disliking them! I also liked the setting of the story, but the pace was a bit slow for me: I couldn’t wait to find out what had happened!! I also loved the social commentary of the book, I think that was the best part of it.

Also, let’s be real, a ton of issues could’ve been avoided if only Anna would have accepted she was in fact in love with Willow!

If you love mystery, unlovable characters, unreliable narrator and social commentary, this book is for you!

WOW! I received an ARC from the publisher in order to read and review this forthcoming publication (May '25). I honestly wasn't expecting to love it as much as I did. I mostly read fantasy, historical fiction, and literary fiction and rarely delve into the realm of thriller (though, some of the Dark Academia books I've enjoyed have elements, obviously, of psychological suspense). This book is fantastic on so many levels albeit be warned (trigger warnings: multiple references to sexual assault, anorexia, abusive relationships/bullying, self harm). The author has a background in art/art history which she draws upon so well in this debut novel. Her writing is so rich and evocative even as she explores incredibly disturbing elements of the human psyche/experience and unpacks the deleterious impact of the male gaze on women, especially female artists long reduced to "muses" and sexual objects for men. Thanks to the publisher for giving me a sneak preview of such a fantastic book that has opened my eyes to just how rich this genre can be.

I feel like this novel had a very strong premise with two equally strong well written characters, however the plot just failed to deliver.

An absolutely insane premise that had me entertained immediately and kept my attention until the end of the book. Really twisty and kept me guessing the entire time, did not guess the ending.

Tell Them You Lied is a mystery/thriller that simultaneously explores concepts of identity, manipulation, relational dynamics and the desire for fame and success. The novel tells the story of Anna, a young woman that meets the alluring Willow during art school, and their journey told through two timelines - that of their time in art school and that of 5 years later, September 2001.

I appreciated the change of voice between the memories of art school (a third-person account of events) and the present (seemingly a direct letter from Anna to Willow). The alternating perspectives added a special flair that made the novel captivating in its method of telling the story. Anna's views of Willow and all of the events surrounding their identities and relationship told a story of toxicity and societal pressures put upon women, particularly within creative fields where personal relationships can make or break a career.

The commentary on social powers ("They existed to be looked at, touched, stripped, prodded - and to enjoy it, to feel grateful for it") was arguably one of the highlights of this novel. I found the complexities attributes to Anna and Willow to be a bit far-fetched and some without enough explanation to pack a punch (e.g., Anna's relationship with her mother - often mentioned but barely explored). I enjoyed part I of the novel the most. Unfortunately part II and III contained twists and turns that I found to be confusing and took away momentum from the story. Perhaps if only 1 twist had been present it would have been more palatable.

My final critique was the setting of September 11, 2001. As another reviewer said, this is not a 9-11 story, but rather a story that takes place in the context of 9-11; However, I felt this piece to be lacking. I could understand how it added to the confusion surrounding Willow's disappearance, but I wonder if the same impact could have been achieved with a different large-scale event that isn't as readily available in the collective consciousness (wherein many people may have their own memories of this event that could overshadow the plot).

Overall the novel was captivating. I read it in nearly one sitting and was interested in finding out what happened. Anna is depicted well as a young woman in search of her own identity while lacking confidence and engaging in constant comparison. Likely a relatable character to many young women. Willow was unlikeable in a way that served the story (and truthfully reminded me of Jessa Johansson from HBO's Girls - a favorite) and will not soon be forgotten by anyone in or out of her social circle.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut novel as it has all the elements I love in a book: intrigue, jealousies, and relationship issues. It opens Anna worried that friend, Willow hasn't come home--even though she and boyfriend, Milo hired a friend to "scare" her. But because this takes place right after 9-11 and the WTC collapsing, the city is in chaos and many people are missing so they're sure she'll eventually show up. Anna and Willow initially met in a college art class and both were vying for an award from professor Kape--a known "ladies man" so of course they were rivals as well as friends. Vacillating in time between "now" and "then," the novel shows their friendship, their envy, but above all the lies that they tell to get what they believe they each deserve. Unfortunately, Milo is caught in the middle as both women "like" him and will do whatever ruthless deed it takes to win his affections. It's crazy good in its mind-blowing look at what one will do to "win" and leave others behind in its wake!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy! Unfortunately this book was just not it for me. I ended up DNFing about halfway through and looking at the spoilers for the plot. I understand this was a debut author and do not want to negatively impact the author with my review. It wasn’t a bad book, just not for me.

Wow! What a debut! I couldn’t believe this was the authors first novel. So well written, thought out and paced. I loved the back and forth of timelines and especially the twists and turns you went through. You really didn’t know what would happen until the very end. Having lived in NYC at the time part of the book was based, it really hit home and helped me really see the story as it unfolded. The characters were not all likable, but that added so much to the story and explained why they were that way. I highly recommend this book and can’t wait for the next one.

This book is a bit haunting, and stays with you long after you finish. I finished it days ago and I'm still picking apart pieces of it in my brain!

This is a very intelligent psychological thriller. Leffler's prose is rich and dark - yes, this book is VERY dark.

Toxic female friendships and relationships are some of my favorite thriller fodder, and Leffler develops hers so fully and completely that it left me dissecting the pieces for quite a while. It's hard to tell in the beginning whether Willow is just obsessed with optics and societal standing, but lets her guard down honestly and genuinely for a few very special people, of which Anna is one, or if she had an evil plan from the very beginning to use Anna to get everything she wanted in college and her future career. We've all known people who do things like that when they are jealous of a friend's talent and don't want to admit it. Could Willow have possibly sensed what an easy target Anna was, as someone who endured a serious tragedy as a child and as a result had no friends? Of course she would become obsessed with, and maybe even fall a little bit in love with, her first real best friend. And once Willow realizes what she has in Anna, she knows just how to manipulate Anna's feelings to get her to literally do anything and everything she could ever ask. Anna is obsessed.

I agree with some other reviews in that, since I'm not an art scholar, many of the references to more obscure artists, techniques, and styles were over my head. It's hard to picture something in our head when the author is comparing it to something or someone we've never heard of, and I think that will be the case for many readers who aren't art majors. But still, it's an engaging read.

SPOILER: I love the many red herrings the author employs toward the end as we learn of several different fates that may have been the undoing of Willow. Did she run away intentionally for sympathy and attention? Was she really killed in the twin tower attacks? Was she mugged like the plan was, and it went horribly wrong? Is she just shacked up with a new guy, no thought to how she might be worrying her friends? Did something happen to her at the frat house? But even still, I never imagined the one it actually turns out to be, making it loads of fun for the reader to keep guessing and second-guessing.

All in all, it's a great book, and I can see why it was selected for publishing. Congrats to you, Laura!