A great Art School psychological thriller. Anna's friend Willow is everything she wishes she was. But Willow is much more than that, and not good for Anna. This story of toxic friendship, obsessiveness and cruelty will make you gasp! The lengths that Anna has gone are unbelievable.
Pick up this story for a nail biting ride ! #tellthemyoulied #lauraleffler #hyperion

Holy heckballs. These characters define toxic relationships. There are such hidden dynamics between all the characters that all you can do is sit back, watch how things play out, and thank your lucky stars that you don't count these people amongst your friends. The plot was intriguing, the characters were horrible people, and I loved every darn minute of it.

This novel is a gripping exploration of art, friendship, and the weight of choices set against one of the most pivotal days in modern history. From the beginning, Anna’s fascination with Willow—an enigmatic, moody artist—is both compelling and unsettling. The author does a fantastic job illustrating the intoxicating power dynamics in their relationship. Willow initially appears as Anna’s muse and guide, only to reveal her selfish and cruel nature over time.

The staged mugging, intended as a twisted reckoning for Willow, is an intriguing plot device. Anna’s desperate attempt to reclaim control over her life and friendship makes for a profoundly psychological narrative, with the events of September 11 adding an unexpected layer of intensity and urgency.

The novel shines in its character development and the unraveling of Anna’s psyche. As the hours tick by and Willow remains missing, Anna’s inner turmoil becomes almost unbearable, which makes me question who truly holds the power in their relationship. The themes of art, ambition, betrayal, and survival are beautifully woven into the backdrop of the New York art scene, creating a vivid, emotionally charged setting.

This haunting, atmospheric novel lingers long after the final page, raising questions about responsibility, guilt, and the cost of trying to manipulate others for personal redemption. It is a must-read for those who enjoy stories where personal relationships collide with larger historical events.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I truly loved this book! The author did a fantastic job creating tension with the timeline going back and forth between college and the present-day of the story. The art world/yearning to be an artist element was extremely well done, and really made this a fascinating and unique read to me—I've never read anything set in that specific arena. 9/11 as a backdrop was so, so well done—mixing the character's stories with the story of that huge historical event elevated the entire book and grounded it in precise moment in history in a way that felt authentic and key to the story. The writing on a line level was just outstanding—the author's imagery and dialogue really shone, and I ended up looking up many of the artists she referenced so I could visualize the world of the book even more clearly. I cannot wait to see what else this author has up her sleeve—one of my absolute top reads of the year for sure!

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and the author for this ARC! A story about a girl finding herself, this is a great read.

The blurred line between female friendship, obsession, and hatred was done so incredibly well. Using a tragedy as the backdrop for this story was an interesting choice, I am still unsure how I feel about it. There was not one character in this book that I genuinely liked, yet the story had me hooked. I'm very interested in this author's future work!

Thank you so much NetGalley for sending me a copy of this book to review!

This book is a gritty story centered around art and friendships, toxic and messy friendships. I loved the fact that the author dragged you right in from page one, and with the split timeline you could feel the tension building in the past timeline as it met with the present. I enjoyed the spiral as the two main character fell into the deadly sins that were “assigned” to them at the beginning, and to feel the crumbling of their already dysfunctional characteristics.

And I’m always love a book where each and every character is unbearable and unreliable and let me to tell you, this book DELIVERED!

The reason it’s not getting a five star is simply because of part two. While I loved the meaning and depth of the ending the “middle” part of the ending dragged just a little bit.

But overall I loved this raw and gritty story

Someone compared this book to Bunny and I have to emphatically disagree. This one is way better. The point of envy and how mental health can effect all of us is clearly made in this story and not clouded in magic and fantastical thought. The writing was great although moving from first person to third at times was a little confusing. Would recommend!

This is a past and present timeline of the toxic relationship mostly between Anna and Willow but also about their group of friends throughout the years. Anna is entering art school when she meets her new best friend/obsession Willow. Anna goes through all the emotions she feels about Willow, love, jealousy, entitlement, and obsession. Through the years the reader sees how the lies told by everyone compiles and affects each person in the group.

The present storyline occurs during the events of September 11, 2001. Willow disappears during this time and Anna is unsure if Willow’s disappearance is due to the catastrophic events or because of a prank she had set up.

Comparing this book to Bunny kind of did this book a disservice. The only comparison it had to Bunny was that it’s a story about a female relationship during college. There might be a few similarities, but not enough to consider it a comparison and it set the bar very high for this book that I don’t think it delivered on.

The book was a wild ride. I did enjoy it for the most part, but it did get watered down with so many details that I lost interest many times. The first 50% of the book was so slow that I almost didn’t finish it. I did push through and I’m glad I did because the plot did become interesting. The ending was okay, but not anything too exciting.

This book is strongly character based which usually isn’t my cup of tea so maybe that’s why my experience lacked. They are not likeable characters, but that was on purpose. The main character had so much depth and backstory, but still was someone who the reader loves to dislike. Also, Willow as a character was fascinating because the reader never knows what to believe.

Thank you NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for allowing me to read this book early. These opinions are my own.

I am a sucker for toxic women (in writing...) & this book did not disappoint. I could guess where this was going due to the Gone Girl-esque description but I was still surprised by the twists.
I found the setting of 9/11 New York interesting & the pretentious art friends while unlikable, still understandable. Definitely worth a read if it sounds like something you'd enjoy!
Thank you Hyperion Avenue for the arc.

Thank you so much for this ARC NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue. Loved the concept of this thriller! Kept me interested at the whole time!

I really enjoyed Tell them you lied by Laura Leffler. I actually finished it in 1 rainy day.
The story mainly takes place during 9/11 in NYC. It goes back and forth a few years ago while the group was in college to present day during 9/11. The main character is Anna and I really feel for her. Her feelings of loneliness and lack of self esteem are very apparent. Then she meets her new best friend, Willow. Willow definitely helps Anna break out of her shell.
I don’t want to say more cause it will spoil it for other readers.
Good book, great twist. A great story about a girl finding herself.

Thank you for NetGalley for the copy to read and review

Grungy and gritty, this thriller does not disappoint on keeping your attention. Told in two points of view with reversed timelines (first person for some of the novel from the perspective of Anna in the present then when explaining past events), this novel dives into the collegiate art world and the things that desperate, hungry artists will do to make it in New York. The novel opens with this: Anna’s roommate, former classmate, and close friend is no where to be found after a failed revenge prank meant to teach her a lesson. Set during the horrific events of 9/11, Anna to faced with her the idea that her friend is another causality, or worse, her “harmless prank” has gone all too wrong and she is to blame for her friend’s disappearance. Thank got so much to Hyperion Avenue and Net Galley for the advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. Fans of Ashley Winstead will eat this up! 4/5⭐️

This was such a great read. It’s not your typical thriller book but that’s what made it great. EVERYTIME you think you have it figured out, there’s a twist. There’s a little historical fiction in the mix as well. I wish I could read it for the first time again!

This book is phenomenal! The author does a great job of creating the characters and I was so invested in them. I was sad to finish this book!

This was a great read! I love the art-world and the mystery and thriller aspects with it! I was hoping for a little bit more from the ending, it was a bit lack-luster. I thought it was good overall because it kept me wanting to finish the read and see what happened.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishers, and especially the author for this ARC in exchange for my honest review of the book!!

3.5/5

I was so excited for this book, it sounded like so much fun! An art-world (specifically art school) mystery, filled with drama? That sounds so fun and so up my alley, but I was left wanting more.

I think maybe this genre is just very hit or miss for me. I need to be captivated by the story and plotlines immediately in a more mystery-based book. And I am such a character-centered reader that I need characters to also immediately drag me into the story. I need to want to be there, seeing what these characters are going through or have gone through. That wasn't here. And I have noticed that is a thing in this genre. The secrets are more important than the characters being three-dimensional. Although the characters in this book weren't really two-dimensional, I couldn't get myself to care about them or to feel for them. I wasn't rooting for anyone in this book and I think that's an issue.

I did enjoy the atmosphere of art school and how the characters met in art school, that felt really realistic to me (I have also gone to art school, so I am qualified to judge this portrayal). You do make friends by seeing someone who looks cool or that makes cool art and it intrigues you. You make friends in art school in the most random of ways sometimes.

Since this is a more mysterious and eerie book, I do feel like I have to be vague in this review (I am a spoiler hater, forever and always). So overall, I think this book just needed a bit more umph. This could've been so dramatic and entertaining, but the drama felt so flat and not as original or interesting as it could've been. Such an amazing premise though!

Thanks to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review! My review is up on Goodreads and my TikTok (Zoe_Lipman) review will be up at the end of the month with my monthly reading wrap-up.

I was engaged with what was happening in this universe, it uses everything that I wanted when someone goes missing. It had that tension that I was wanting and was invested in what was happening overall. The characters worked well together and glad I was able to read this. Laura Leffler weaves a great tale and glad the characters worked overall in this story.