In this story we read about Sloan, who starts out as a personal assistant to one of the most famous authors in town, Barbara. One of Sloan’s biggest dreams is to become a famous author and was hoping that working for a bestselling author, she would be mentor by her and eventually her dream would come true. As the story unravels, we get to learn more about what Sloan would do to achieve her dream of becoming a well-known author.

The story itself was fast-paced thriller with short chapters and many turns and twists. However, the story felt that it dragged in certain areas. I wished this book could have been 50 pages shorter.

Thank you Inkubator Books for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

I hate to say this because I usually love Nelle Lamarr books, but this one was a huge miss for me. At some points it was good. Most of the time I wondered if it was meant to be satire.

Everything the boyfriend said just seemed so silly. It was almost as though he was meant to be an over the top character making fun of thrillers. And the Mackenzie storyline seemed very unnecessary.

Unfortunately this is the one Nelle Lamarr book I won’t be recommending


* Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator books for providing me with an ARC to review this book

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of All My Lies by Nelle Lamarr.

This book has strong potential and the synopsis sounded incredible, however, the story fell flat for me. Don't get me wrong, Nelle Lamarr is an amazing author and I loved 'The Family Guest' and 'The Night Nanny', but this book felt a bit subpar in comparison.

There were many repetitive and predictable parts and I just couldn't get behind the main character who to me was rather unlikeable.

I wanted to be blown away by this book but unfortunately it just didn't do it for me. Although the missed the mark in my book it might appeal to others and might still be worth checking out. Though I would highly recommend her other two books before this one.

Sloan White has wanted to be a writer and when she finds her boss and famous thriller writer dead she impulsively steals her latest manuscript. Sloan starts getting notes and worries someone may know her secret.

Oof this was a rough read for me. The premise seemed so interesting, but the book just did not deliver. Sloan was an incredibly frustrating lead, so much of the plot made no sense and the rest was extremely predictable. Also don’t even get me started on the epilogue…

Synopsis

While a lie can wound, the truth can be lethal. Her greatest aspiration was to create a bestselling novel, and at last, she has succeeded. People are eager to know how she did it and where her inspiration came from, but she can never reveal the truth—she has a secret. No one is aware of what she has done, and if it were to come to light, it would ruin her career and take everything away from her. Soon, the threats begin to surface. Disturbing emails, threatening letters, and creepy gifts left on her doorstep from someone who knows her secret. Someone is tracking her, determined to make her pay for her past. They say you’re only as good as your last book, but she knows the real measure is in the next lie you craft.

My Thoughts
This book turned out to be different from what I anticipated based on its description. Rather than a gradual unveiling of the main character's actions, everything is revealed early on, allowing us to share the secret with Sloane, the main character. This was my first experience with the stolen novel theme, and I found it quite enjoyable. The blend of an engaging plot, concise chapters, and well-crafted characters was impressive. The author's humor shone through, especially in the inner thoughts of the protagonist, Sloan, which often led to some hilarious moments. I found every character in this story to be quite suspicious, and I couldn't trust anyone. The conclusion was satisfying, and I truly enjoyed the journey of this story.
Thank You @Netgalley and @inkubatorbooks for allowing me to review this ARC.

All My Lies by Nelle Lamarr features a fairly familiar trope, an author stealing another writer's work and passing it off as their own. With that premise, I dove in, but quickly found that I wasn't sure if this book was satire, or just poorly written. All of the exclamation points were so distracting! I hated most of the characters! The plot was convoluted! The main character was an idiot! Anyway, while I had high hopes for this book, I was extremely disappointed. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

From the start this story was gripping, the characters were relatable and I connected them straight away. Highly recommend this story I loved everything about it

A fast paced read with plenty of twists.
Well written characters.
Some humour thrown in.
Some parts had me confused but overall a decent read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Loved this. Kept my attention the whole time. I loved the characters. I had a feeling Logan was the bad guy from the jump he had quite a few red flags. Barbra’s character was ruthless and aweful. I loved the twist at the end. N the epilogue was good. I enjoyed that n being out last was perfect for it.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this.
Over all loved it and would recommend it to friends n family.

Nelle Lamarr brings us another suspenseful psychological thriller. All My Lies is such a fun read and will keep you guessing until that final jaw dropping twist. I will be adding a copy of this title to the library I work for to go with her other two books.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced readers copy.

Title: All My Lies
Author: Nelle Lamarr
Publisher: Inkubator Books
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Pub Date: February 20, 2025
My Rating: 3.4 Stars

Blurb got my attention~
They say you’re only as good as your last book. I know you’re only as good as your next lie.
All Sloane ever wanted was to write a bestseller. And now, she has!
Hmmm ~has she?
Story starts when Sloan Is a Personal Assistant for the international bestselling award winning author Barbara Van Wyck. It is not unusual for an author to be an introvert, but this author does NOT like people and is a tyrant to everyone around her. The only thing she does like is her red IBM Selectric typewriter (note photo on cover). She has used to type ALL her novels since her first best seller back in 1985.
When Sloan took the job two and a half years ago she thought it was a dream come true; as an aspiring author, she was sure she found the perfect mentor. However she was wrong as she is nothing more than an overworked go-for.

Barbara often sends Sloan out on errands- pick up coffee etc. One day when Sloan returns a bit late as it is the holiday season and the shops are busy plus it is snowing. She finds her boss sitting at her typewriter but she isn’t typing as she is dead. Sloan sees her latest manuscript and decides that it just might be payment for all her work so takes it with the idea she will be able to claim it as hers. ~ (Hmmm- I was surprised with this decision since she just chatted with Logan- a HS classmate who is now in Law school studying Intellectual Property law.)

Sloan and Logan meet again and end up getting married. We soon find out there is a lot more to Logan.
As the story unfolds, I found I was struggling with it. I hung in there and the ending was indeed a wow!

As a psychological thriller fan, I know to be suspicious of everyone
But this one sure was a surprise and had me continuing to think about.

This is my third Nelle Lamarr story.
Ms. Lamarr is the psychological suspense pen name for contemporary romance author Nelle L'Amour.
Either a thriller or romance; she loves to write jaw-dropping, character-driven stories that will have readers turning the pages. She lives in Los Angeles with my Prince Charming-ish husband, twin daughters, and a bevy of royal pain-in-the-butt pets.

Want to thank NetGalley and Inkubator Books for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 20, 2025.

This book was so amazing.

Had so many twists all the way long the book.

My jaw literally was on the floor.

I love a book written by an author ( obvs ) about an author….and in this case more than one author and set around very unusual circumstances

Sloane has a poor deal working for world famous author Barbara Van Wyck,she is also a recluse and a tyrant and when an opportunity to,lets say,become as famous as her boss appears,Sloane takes it and does indeed become as famous as she wished for,but with consequences,scary ones and the life she thought she wanted is slowly turning into a living hell

Set in the charming picture postcard town of Maplewood the story is in parts,humorous,dark,exciting and thrilling and at all times the most important thing readable,extremely readable and buzzing with characters that you can’t forget,one in particular is more than henious,am not sure how the author manages to write so many aspects of a story so well but she does

My favourite book from this author who always writes edgy, different stories and ones you can get immersed in and are multi layered

Interesting insight into the book/publishing world alongside a dramatic brilliantly written story,loved it

Wow!! This book was so good!! I had an idea of what was going on but not the whole ending. What a shocking surprise of an ending!

All My Lies tells the story of Sloan, an aspiring writer who finds herself at a crossroads after discovering her boss dead under suspicious circumstances. Faced with a tempting opportunity, Sloan must decide: should she steal her boss’s unfinished bestseller and publish it as her debut novel? Through questionable decisions and a series of clumsy mistakes, Sloan finds herself in over her head with no one to trust. Can she keep her secret safe—and herself alive?
The premise of this book intrigued me when I first read the synopsis. However, I found the overall execution disappointing and clunky. Sloan had the potential to be a relatable, likable main character. Initially, I was rooting for her, and the mystery of her past kept me engaged. But, unfortunately, the constant reminders of her supposed "lovable clumsiness" became grating. Every time she attempted something, the reader was reminded of her tendency to trip over her own feet, or the various ways she might hurt herself. This repetition eventually overshadowed her character and turned what could have been endearing into something irritating.
Additionally, Sloan’s character felt one-dimensional. There was little development, and she never had a true "hero" moment to make her feel more fleshed out. I think the plot progression did her no favors, either. The reveal of the villain felt anticlimactic. I had already suspected who it was, and as a result, the reveal came across as more of an emotional payoff for Sloan rather than the reader. This is problematic because it felt like it took too long for Sloan to connect the dots. I would have preferred if she had suspected the villain earlier on and started to act more cautiously around them or it turned into a game of cat and mouse.
The big reveal about Sloan’s past in high school also felt unnecessary and didn’t add much to the story. If you removed that event entirely, the plot wouldn't change significantly, and the villain’s motivations would be the same. The villain’s actions were exaggerated to the point of excess. I understand the desire to show that he has no morals and is willing to resort to violence, but it felt over the top and detracted from the overall believability of the story. It would be more compelling if he had conflicted feelings about his plan or if Sloan and him engaged in mind games trying to outwit each other. This, along with the flat emotional payoff, made it difficult for me to connect with or care about the characters.
One of the final missteps for me was the flashback in the epilogue. It felt out of place and served more to shock the reader than to add anything meaningful to the story. Instead of feeling like an important plot point, it left me confused and added to the sense of disconnect I had with the characters.
Another barrier for me was the excessive detail and overuse of popular culture references. The narrative often included mundane events, like Sloan opening containers, in almost every scene. As a reader, this made me feel like the author didn’t trust me to fill in the gaps using context clues. It resulted in a lot of hand-holding, which ultimately detracted from the flow of the story.
Despite these issues, there’s potential here. The pacing was well done, and I enjoyed how the story progressed through time. The gradual buildup of tension and the constant sense that Sloan was never truly safe kept me engaged. It was an easy read, and I was genuinely curious to see how the story would end.
Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for providing the DRC for review. All opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of All My Lies by Nelle Lamarr, a lacklustre domestic thriller that just failed to achieve its full potential.

When a struggling, down on her luck personal assistant is given an opportunity to get away with murder, and gain fame and fortune in the process, what will she do? How many lies is she willing to tell to cover up her past?

* I found myself skimming a lot of the book in order to get through some less than interesting scenes
* The FMC was unlikeable and unrelatable
* Some grammatical/spelling errors and plot holes
* It was quite comical at times in a dry, sarcastic way. It almost felt like the whole thing was a satire.
* I think the theme was a bit all over the place, like the author wasn’t quite sure which type of thriller they wanted this to be so crammed as much in as possible.
* The twists were just in no way comparable to the authors mentioned in the description before reading.
* Overall just felt like it didn’t quite hit the mark even though the story had potential. I think giving 2 stars is quite generous but just for the sheer balls it took to publish this.

***SPOILER ALERT*** if you plan to read it

I think the moment I truly lost interest was when the FMC confesses that she feels she’s being stalked to her love interest and he replies by saying, oh it’s probably just a troll, now forget about it and let me bend you over your desk. I mean…. WHAT?! Talk about making a “twist” obvious.

This was a brilliant page turner. I read this in a matter of hours. I could not put it down. It gripped me from the very first page.

I absolutely loved the writing style with it being told from Sloan’s point of view. It wasn’t expecting it to be so humorous. Numerous times I was laughing out loud at some of the things she said/thought.

There was constantly new information given throughout the book pointing you in different directions but I will say I did guess the stalker very early on but for once, it didn’t take anything away from the book. And I definitely did not guess the epilogue😱. Very clever.

My only other gripe was how quickly everything moved. I was struggling to keep up with the timeline and did get a little confused

Overall a brilliant read which will have you hooked from the very beginning.

All My Lies is a twisty, fast-paced thriller laced with humor, sharp observations, and a protagonist who is as exasperating as she is entertaining. While I typically prefer books that terrify me, this was a refreshing change of pace, thanks to the unique perspective of Sloan, our accident-prone, catastrophically paranoid lead.

Sloan never lets us forget just how klutzy and reckless she is, and her chaotic thought process—filled with hilarious quips, self-deprecating humor, and dramatic fragments—reminded me of an adult Junie B. Jones. At first, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this style, but ultimately, it deepened my understanding of her character. Her paranoia and over-the-top thinking are relentless, making for an intriguing contrast in a thriller. She often ignores her gut instincts and logical reasoning, especially in dangerous situations, which is both fascinating and frustrating. One of her most memorable lines perfectly encapsulates her self-perception: “I identify with slush. My whole life I’ve been a slush puddle for people to step over.”

The narrative is further enriched by Sloan’s dreams and nightmares, offering an additional layer of perspective. These surreal moments enhance the psychological tension, pulling readers deeper into her mind.

I also loved the nods to powerhouse authors, classic works, and nostalgic media references. The book’s structure—filled with well-placed foreshadowing, breadcrumb clues, and unexpected bursts of humor—made it an engaging and effortless read. While some plot points were slightly predictable (which I never mind), the final chapters took a sharp, unexpected turn. The rapid-fire updates and last-minute curveballs left me audibly exclaiming, “WHAT?!” I had to reread the epilogue just to make sure I hadn’t imagined it. Are you JOKING?!

At the end of the book, Nelle Lamarr includes A LETTER FROM NELLE LAMARR, asking if readers would be interested in a five-years-later sequel. My answer? A resounding yes, please!

That said, I was left with a few lingering questions, the most pressing being: What exactly is a “butt girl with benefits?” I absolutely regret Googling this.

This may have been my first Nelle Lamarr read, but it certainly won’t be my last.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

This was an easy read. Flowed along quite nicely.

****SPOLIERS***

I worked out fairly quickly who Sloan's stalker was and who was trying to expose her for stealing the manuscript, also worked out the missing link and who the father was of the illegitimate child.

Although to be far, there could've been any one of many suspects as I don't think there was one redeeming character in the book. I didn't want Sloan to get away with what she'd done. She wasn't a character that you could warm to either.

On a side note there seemed to be a lot in the book about Sloan's dislike of self publishing - that didn't fit right with the story and it felt like it was the author's opinion not the characters. It just stood out and I don't think it needed to.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion

Wow, what a stunner! The opening was so hooky. I immediately sided with the protagonist working for such a harridan like that and was imagining what real life authors might be similar. A few popped into mind! It spiraled off into absolute bedlam and I really admired her bravery, although is admired the right word - probably not - but she did it, and it was a ballsy move! Great resolve and fun fast paced read. Cover is fire. Loved it.