Three Little Lies
By: Danielle Stewart

4 Stars

Wow. From start to finish, this book was wild. Jo knows she is supermom. When a student exchange program pops up at her childrens school, she knows she can handle Eden. Plus, it's only 6 weeks. In those 6 weeks, life changes drastically, and Jo soon finds out that secrets and lies can put you in danger, no matter how hard you try to ignore them.

This story was action-packed with a thrill aspect. Twisty secrets lead to a family drama like no other. The characters were real and relatable. Easy to love and hate. Ivy....oh my. It showed that no matter what you do, the past can and will come back to find you. Twisty and psychological, this story kept me on my toes.

*I want to thank Netgalley and the author for this book in return for my honest review*

Stormi Ellis
Boundless Book Review

Thank you #Netgalley for the advanced copy!

Wow so many secrets! A wife, Jo, hiding her past, a husband hiding his work and financial life, her children feeling suffocated from their overly involved mother. When they bring in a foreign exchange student, Eden, their day to day life is rocked. Jo is forced to loosen her reigns as this new child enters the home, but is she as really as honest as we think? Are these misfortunes just a coincidence?

Full of suspense and tension with twists that just kept coming and smacking me right in the face. I loved it

Well I can honestly say I did not see that coming at all! Danielle Stewart weaves a story that has so many unpredictable turns it is hard not to put the book down!

Jo is a first class helicopter mom that takes on an exchange student, Eden, for six weeks. She first hopes that this will help bridge the troubling waters between her 12 year old daughter, Meghan, and herself. Jo's husband is always on travel for work so he isn't much help when it comes to the kids or the exchange student that joins their family. Then Eden disappears when Jo and her husband are at dinner and the number one suspect is the husband.

The first part of the book leads up to the disappearance of Eden and then the second half is current time with Eden gone and how they are trying to locate her alive. This is when the twisting starts to really occur. Who is innocent, who is a liar and can anyone be trusted with what they say or do?

Such a great read and I loved every minute of it. Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A Gripping Thriller That Kept Me Hooked

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for this eARC!

This was one of the best books I’ve read in a while! The story was super gripping, the writing was smooth and compelling, and the mystery unfolded in such a clever way. It’s one of those thrillers that completely pulls you in, making it impossible to put down.

The plot follows a seemingly normal family—at least on the surface—who agree to host a foreign exchange student from England. But soon, things start to feel… off. Nothing is as it seems, and the tension slowly builds until you're completely sucked into the mystery. There were plenty of unexpected twists and well-placed surprises that made certain moments feel so intense, I didn’t even realise how much time had passed. You know that feeling when you’re so deep into a book that you suddenly snap out of it and realise you haven’t moved for hours? Yeah, that happened to me.

That said, there were a couple of things that didn’t quite work for me. First, the way the police and law enforcement were portrayed—they came across as both incompetent and manipulative, which was honestly a little frustrating. I get that it added to the tension, but it also made me think, Is this actually how things work in real life? If so, that’s pretty terrifying.

My other issue was with the main character, Jo. I just couldn’t connect with her. She sees herself as really smart, but her decisions didn’t always reflect that—sometimes she did things that just felt flat-out reckless. There were moments where I found her kind of frustrating, even unlikable, which made it harder for me to fully get invested in her journey. Maybe that was intentional, but it left me feeling a bit disconnected.

Overall, though, this was a fantastic read. The pacing was spot on, the suspense was great, and the twists kept me hooked. Even with the small issues I had, I still really enjoyed it and have already recommended it to a few people. If you’re into psychological thrillers with plenty of surprises, this one is definitely worth checking out!

3.5⭐️Thanks to NetGalley for the chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found the first half of this book to be a bit on the slow side if I’m honest, and I really struggled to warm to Jo as a character. The overblown anxieties and clunky foreshadowing of her “big secret” felt a bit overdone in some ways. Once the proper action kicked in though, the story did improve, and I found myself a lot more engaged and interested.

The twists were not super obvious to predict, although I must confess to rolling my eyes a bit when the villain was uncovered and confirmed almost immediately - becoming almost like a caricature of a pantomime baddie. I was also slightly underwhelmed with the ending, and the revelation of Jo’s often foreshadowed secret. It felt a bit rushed and crammed in at the end.

Overall it was a pretty enjoyable read, and I would recommend to other readers of domestic psychological thrillers.

This book follows the story of Jo whose life appears to be perfect. She has the perfect husband, children, home, everything. Along comes Eden, their exchange student. What could go wrong in six weeks? But then, Jo comes home after date night to find her home surrounded by police, her children in tears, and Eden is missing. When blood is found in her garage and her husband is being taken away in handcuffs, Jo has to face the fact that her entire life is built on lies.

Three Little Lies really took me by surprise. The plot was intriguing and really felt just as confused as the characters. The ending felt a bit flat to me. The secrets and lies just didn’t feel as life altering as they were made out to be. And in the end, it was really just about how men lie and cheat.

That being said, this was still an entertaining and quick thriller. It was more just unsettling than scary.

While I do feel like some of this book was drawn out and repetitive, I think I was a good story that kept me interested throughout. The writing reminded me a lot of Freida McFadden with all the plot twists at the end.


Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I was thrilled to get an ARC of “Three Little Lies”. This slow burn of a novel hooked me from start to finish, and the author's writing style was something I enjoyed so much that I devoured this book in no time. Although I didn't have a favorite character, the transformation of Jo was enjoyable. I was amazed at how invested I became with her, even when she frustrated me at times! The dynamic between Jo, Eden, Everette, and the kids were interesting. It was hard to put this book down! The twist was a complete surprise that I didn’t see coming! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and give it a 4/5 rating. I definitely recommend this book!

I really enjoyed some of the twists in this one. I didn’t see the big twist coming, which is always a pleasant surprise. I also enjoyed the writing in this one! I do feel that the pacing was a bit off; there was a time jump towards the end of the story that I am still not sure how we arrived at. Overall, I thought this was a fun, twisty story and would definitely pick something by this author up again!

Wow! This book automatically gets five stars just because of the repeated twists I did not see coming! Jo has the life she’s always wanted. She’s dropping her kids off at school one morning when one of the school’s most prestigious moms asks her to be a host family for the remaining exchange student that no one had claimed. Jo is hesitant, but thinks this would not only make her family look amazing, but help to solidify the standing she’s so desperately sought. Once the student arrives, things start to become unsettled in the home. Jo agrees to meet her husband for a date night to bring some spark back into their relationship. Only her husband is very late and when he seems about to tell her something very important, her daughter calls and tells her the exchange student is missing. Jo keeps fighting to uncover what really happened to the exchange student and why. A totally shocking story that had me asking, “Wait…What?” Such a complicated web of a story that was very well written! This book had me quickly flipping the pages and will have the reader on the edge of their seats to find out what happens.

This was a new author for me and Danielle did not disappoint. I really enjoyed this book. The beginning of the book has a slower pace but I think that’s okay.; it allowed for the development of the characters and story buildup. Even the slower parts were still engaging and let me tell you, once the book picked up pace, it was a rollercoaster of a ride! There were a lot of unexpected twists, which is important for a good thriller/suspense story. I love being shocked! And this book definitely had shocking turns! I love when I think I have it figured out but then I’m totally wrong. THAT is what makes a great thriller!

This was a fun, quick read with an interesting twist! The book is what they call a slow burn. A stay at home mom is asked to take on the responsibility of a foreign exchange student. At first their worlds are meshing pretty well until things take an unexpected turn. I did appreciate a lot of the detail about most of the characters. The only thing that got repetitive for me was all of the anxiety the main character experiences and goes into detail about. While the author does a great job of painting the picture of this character it definitely had me feeling her anxiety.
Thank you NetGalley & Danielle Stewart for this opportunity!

4.5 stars ⭐

Three Little Lies is a gripping thriller that had me hooked from the beginning to end. The pace of the book was good and just when I thought I knew where the story was headed it went in a different direction.

I loved not knowing what the truth was and having it unfold before my eyes. I didn't know how I could trust and who I couldn't.

Also, I found myself relating to Jo through her anxiety and her constant worries about her kids. I liked her character and her love for her kids was so admirable, even if she was a bit overprotective!

I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more from Danielle Stewart in the future.

This was my first book by Danielle! Wow! This book easily gets 5 stars from me. I ate this book up! It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. If you love a good psychological thriller, this is sure to not disappoint! All the twists and turns will keep you wanting more!
Thank you netgalley for this e-ARC. This is my honest review.

I really enjoyed Three Little Lies. The deflecting onto how Jo is such a helicopter parent and the possible reason for the allergies was a good sub plot. The only story that I felt didn't get enough attention was the hinting that she was a murderer and the payoff being less than stellar. I was happy with the ending tho.

4/5

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a fantastic domestic suspense read. Good character development with sharp twists and turns. I did guess some of the “shockers” but it didn’t take away from the story at all.
The whole story could have done without the “letters”… I didn’t find it really added anything to the quality of the storyline, if anything it distracted from it.
A mother who strives for perfection, and exchange student, lies, secrets, and a rollercoaster ride that will keep you hooked until the end!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for early access to this book!

Check it out when it’s released March 13 2025

This was my first novel by Danielle Stewart and it was AMAZING! What would you do to keep your family together when your perfect life is shattering before your eyes? This book was jaw-dropping and kept me on my toes! I would highly recommend.

Jo is a busy, concerned parent to her two kids, Megan is twelve and Ashton seven. When she is approached by another mother at the children’s ritzy private school to host a foreign exchange student, she initially balks at the request. Her brand of parenting is what some may call ‘helecoptoring,’ and she is very concerned about setting rules for someone else’s child to follow. She eventually agrees, mostly to improve her strained relationship with her preteen daughter.

When Eden arrives from the UK, things look like they are going to work out, but Jo begins to suspect Eden is hiding something. Then Eden disappears and Jo’s husband Everett becomes the main suspect, Jo knows she has to find the truth, no matter what.

I enjoyed this thriller, but it was slow in the beginning. Despite its sluggish start, Three Little Lies packs a bunch of twists, most of which I never saw coming. I am taking off a few stars for the beginning, but at 3.75 stars, it’s still an interesting thriller to pick up.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review and feedback.

Wow. The twists kept coming . What a fab read. Hope to read more by this author soon. I was gripped till the end.