Dark, gripping, and razor-sharp, this novel unfolds like a puzzle box of vengeance and buried secrets. Told through haunting letters and diaries, it pulls you deeper with every chilling reveal. A must-read for fans of psychological thrillers with emotional depth.

1 star - DNF at 60% but I feel like I read enough to give it a rating.

I chose to read this book because it was compared to one of my all-time favorites, WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN and I see why the publisher or whomever thought he/she could make the comparison, this is an epistolary novel about a bad seed, but that’s where are likeness between the two stops.

Here we have Mina, who is hired by Jiwon to tutor her son Yuchan. Mira is haunted by the death of her mother and sibling and wants to get even. Mira believes Yuchan was cruel to her mother, but comes to realize that may not be true. We also get to know Yuchan’s younger brother, Yujae as each of these four characters writes their own section of the book as a journal.

I was concerned when the book started with a reference to animal torture, but it was used to show how people don’t get punished so I soldiered on…but I stopped for good when the author returned to the animal cruelty and was clearly going to go all in on the details. I can’t read that stuff, so I was done.

That would be enough to make me dislike the book, but it also read to me as the work of some for whom English is not a first language, perhaps? It’s often very stilted and words don’t quite seem to fit. Taking on something like writing a book is a really admirable effort if English is not your strongest language, but you probably should seek some help with the finished product before sending it out to the masses.

The plot just seemed a bit tired and Jiwon’s failure to act was frustrating. So, overall, just not a good read. I’m

*contains spoilers*

Before I get to the rest of this review, I do want to say that the descriptions of animal abuse in this story are truly horrific, and to read with caution.

This novel is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time; it's fast-paced and twisty while still seeming realistic (unfortunately). The epistolary format works so well for a book where everyone is an unreliable narrator, and I found the translation to be really well done. The villain is absolutely gut-wrenchingly evil and there were sections that made me have to stop reading because they were so awful. I was confused at a few parts (namely when Yujae discovers the dachshund in the park) but it didn't affect my overall impression of the book. I would definitely recommend to fans of thrillers with the BIG caveat of the horrific treatment of animals.

Although it seems mostly well-written, I stopped reading at 58% through the book. The animal cruelty was too much for me to handle. The other aspects of the book, including the different POVs, are actually quite interesting, but I could not get past the torture of innocent animals.

Thank you for the advance copy!

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this eARC.

Was a DNF (Did Not Finish) for me; could be a fine book, but reading of the protagonist force feeding helpless dogs razorblades had this animal lover quickly closing the cover 📔 and moving on the the next 📖 book waiting in my Netgalley.

Obvious Trigger Warning: If you find animal abuse revolting and/or nightmare inducing, you might want to give this book a firm pass.

A quiet scream of a novel.
Petty Lies is a slow-burning descent into obsession told through a patchwork of confessions, accusations, and half-truths. What begins as a seemingly straightforward story of a live-in tutor in a wealthy household quickly unravels into something much more unsettling.

Mira arrives carrying grief like a second skin, determined to right a wrong she believes has been committed against her family. But as her perspective gives way to others—each with their own fractured logic—we begin to question everything. No one here is innocent, and yet no one is fully to blame. That gray space is where Sulmi Bak works her magic.

The story unfolds through letters and journal entries, four sections, each voice pulling you deeper into a psychological maze. The writing relays a creeping dread. What impressed me most is how the novel resists clean answers. It doesn't just tell a story it pulls you straight in!
Trigger warning - There is animal violence discussed.
#littlebrownandcompany #sulmibak #pettylies

The first few pages made me not want to read any further. Do we really need that many examples of how a person could murder an animal? No thanks.

This book heavily discusses animal cruelty. I cannot read about children murdering animals! This book is disgusting and disturbing on a whole other level! I give this a zero out of 5 stars! I did not finish this book.

Thank you NetGalley, author Sulmi Bak and Little, Brown and Company | Mulholland Books for this digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.