This book is 100% a slow burn. It took me a while to get into the books and the characters, and while I enjoy a good family drama, it just took much longer than I expected to get into the story. It’s a simple story, family reunited for a wedding and everyone has their own drama to deal with, and I think that helped the plot overall. Once you got into the characters heads and feelings, the pace picked up. In the end, each sister got to fulfill their story and it was a very satisfying ending in my opinion.

This was a good mystery. The setting at the castle was great. I loved the sisters especially Cleo. However her romance near the end seemed forced. Should have seen more of him in order to care.

Destination wedding at Mumberton Castle for Sylvie and her sisters, living their very different, separate lives? I'm in -- and deeply enjoyed this well-written story of different women living the life of their dreams -- or are they? Sylvie is marrying for the second time, having lost the love of her life to death. When she and her sisters Cleo and Emma gather in the grandeur, memories, yearning, and lies are shared, revealed as catalysts for different relationships with one another and with themselves. I enjoyed the excellent writing and pitch perfect presentation of fascinating people facing challenges together and apart. So very readable, this book kept me up way too late reading one more chapter....I received a copy of this book and these thoughts are my own, unbiased thoughts.

Lovers and Liars-a standalone

By Amanda Eyre Ward-new to me author

Rating: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Spice 4/5 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Publication 5-14-24 , Read 5-14-24

Format: e-book, 304 pgs.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine for this ARC💛! I voluntarily give an honest review and all opinions expressed are my own.

✔️ Adult Fic/Women's Fic/Contemporary Romance
✔️ destination wedding
✔️ family drama
✔️hidden secrets
✔️sisterhood/motherhood
✔️Jewish rep
✔️being a stepparent

Summary-Sylvia Peacock (35) is getting married again. After the death of her husband Alexander ten years ago, she's marrying Simon Rampling, a wealthy book lover with a castle in England called Mumberton. Sylvia invites her sisters Cleo and Emma, along with their narcissist mother, Donna. The sisters have secrets to unburden, drama in their love lives, and to reconnect with each other.

The plot is nonstop with hard truths as each chapter is from a different sister's perspective. Sylvia is still in love with Alexander, and her sister Cleo knows more about his car accident then she's telling. Cleo is going to the wedding after investigating Simon with her BFF Isaac-who she is love with. Her boyfriend Danny wants to marry her and have children, but she's not interested. Emma is stay-at-home mom with her school teacher husband Rich and their 2 sons. She lives in their childhood home in Montana, but they're in financial ruin. A pyramid scheme from "Sweet Nothings Inc."-an adult toy and lingerie company. Donna is not the mothering kind. She left Cleo to raise the kids while she had an affair with the married next door neighbor. All her daughters have issues because of how she treated or used them. Will the wedding go off without a hitch?

This was an entertaining story about how secrets can weigh you down. Each sister was forced to deal with theirs but resolved them with HEAs.

Sylvie, Cleo and Emma Peacock used to be not only sisters, but best friends. Their father died when they were young, and their mother alternated between neglectful and cruel, so really, all they had were each other. However, they grew up, and as these things go, they were no longer as close as they once were. Now Sylvie is getting married and she wants her sisters to join her at Mumberton Castle, where Simon lives and where they will be holding the wedding. Sylvie's first husband died years ago, and she didn't think she would ever love anyone again.... but then Simon came along. Cleo, an attorney, is convinced that Simon is too good to be true and has him investigated. Emma is caught up in a pyramid scheme, and has not only run through her family's savings, but has also racked up an unsurmountable debt, and she has no idea how she is going to tell her husband. When the three sisters, and possibly their mother if she can be bothered to show up, converge on Mumberton, secrets are going to be spilled, and it will definitely be a wedding to remember.

This rom-com was SO much fun. There was so much tea was spilled, and I was there for it all. Likeable (as well as a couple of unlikeable) characters, a Bridgeton-esque setting, comedic moments, sweet moments between family, breakups and a marriage all make this a fun read that will keep you engrossed until the very end. I highly recommend it!

A family drama set among a destination wedding.....in a castle, no less......where all three sisters present a capable, positive, healthy attitude, at least at face value. The story has three POV with each sister giving her opinion. Then their mother arrives and the stories take some drastic changes. The backstory of the three sisters sets the reader's expectations but there's more than squabbling amongst the sisters. This was light reading for me, spme parts entertaining, some not. Well worth your reading time.

A story about 3 wildly different sisters who come together for one of their weddings. Throw in the mix a toxic mother who think of only herself and you have the perfect recipe for drama, lies and laughter. Told from multiple POVs I found this story intoxicating and fun. I loved the dynamics and the whole scene.
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Amanda Eyre Ward writes books that I find fun and relatable. I have enjoyed all her previous books and this one is no exception. A perfect beach read and one to add to your summer TBR.

I don’t know if anyone does character development better than Amanda Eyre Ward. Her books are full of lively, vibrant characters that walk off the page. They feel real, with real problems, and real lessons to learn. In Lovers and Liars, our main characters are the Peacock sisters: Sylvie, who is marrying British Simon ten years after the tragic death of her first husband; Cleo, powerhouse lawyer who is in love with her best friend despite her live-in boyfriend; and Emma, who has gotten herself into a bit of a financial mess. The sisters are keeping secrets from each other and everything comes to a head when they gather at Simon’s family castle in Northern England for Sylvie and Simon’s nuptials.

Lovers and Liars is a character study, and a phenomenal one at that. Pick it up TODAY!

Thank you to NetGalley and Amanda Eyre Ward for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Told in the POV's of three sisters, this book does not disappoint. Sylvie, the youngest is a widow, a librarian and about to get married again to Simon. Emma is the middle sister. She is married with 2 children and has put her family in a huge debt. Cleo is the oldest sister. She is a lawyer, very fashionable. She is living with Danny but has fallen out of love with him and is yearning for her best friend Isaac. The sisters have not been together for 10 years. But they are all coming together at Mumberton Castle for the upcoming nuptials. To top it off, their narcissistic mother is coming to the wedding. Even though the sisters have not been together for quite some time, they still love and look out for each other. Cleo is investigating Simon because he is mysteriously wealthy and that set off a red flag for her. She doesn't want Sylvie to get hurt. There is drama relating to the lives of the sisters and the secrets they are hiding from their loved ones and sometimes themselves. This is a fun read and you do become involved with all the characters and hope they can work out all their differences and enjoy the wedding. I highly recommend.
Thanks to #netgalley, #ballentinebooks and @amandaeyreward for an ARC for this great read.

This is a story of three sisters who, at first, seem to be on different wavelengths, but as you dive deeper, you realize they're more connected than they appear. The beginning was a little slow, but eventually, it picks up and I loved it.

The Peacock sisters are Cleo, the powerhouse attorney from New York; Emma, the heart-of-gold wife and mom holding down the fort in Montana; and Sylvie, the warm-hearted widow spinning tales as a librarian in sunny Miami.

This story contains complicated relationships, a toxic mother, a whirlwind romance, and a crumbling English castle.

Every character, except for that toxic mom, is someone you can't help but root for. You'll find yourself wishing them nothing but happiness and love.

If you're craving a story that's equal parts heartwarming and riveting, look no further. This book has all the ingredients for a satisfying read that'll keep you hooked till the very end. Loved it!

I adored theses women, I love a great sister story. We have Cleo, Emma and Sylvie, they were very close growing up, they had the worst type of mom and they battled through together, always. But as they have grown up they have each been distant, Sylvie lost her husband 10 years ago and finally found love, Cleo is a workaholic with this need to always be perfect, and also Emma is battling a huge secret from her own little family. Sylvie is getting married again and this time to rich man that no one really knows like that and Cleo takes it upon herself to try to find out who this man really is, because somehow she cant ever imagine that her sister will marry after 10 years and to a rich man (she sounded like a hater and I disliked her in the beginning.) As the secrets unraveled, I was so relieved that everyone still got their happy ending. I am such a SAP, I will say this Emma’s kids are sooo funny, they made the whole book even more enjoyable.

Lovers and Liars starts off like it is going to be about Sylvie, a librarian who is going to get married to the love of her life in a castle in England, far from Miami and far from her experience. But it's really about all three Peacock sisters. Cleo is a high-power attorney in New York and is in love with her best friend, not her boyfriend. Emma, in Montana where the sisters are from, sees herself as a clever entrepreneur but is many thousands in debt.

Lovers and Liars is amusing, but just a little bit overblown. The characters are in danger of becoming caricatures. Still, by chapter five, great secrets has been hinted at, so it's de riguer to finish and find it out.

Actually, I enjoyed it a great deal. Sure, everything is occasionally too neat or too perfect, but Ward’s book is a satisfying light read. The resolution for each of the sisters made me happy. In turn, I'm happy to recommend this (somewhat fluffy but fun) book.

3.5/5 stars. This book is about three sisters who only had themselves to count on growing up. Now, after living apart for years, they are getting back together for the wedding of one. As with any family, there is plenty of drama. There were also some quirky secondary characters that enhanced the story.

The destination wedding in the book takes place in a castle. There was lots of description and history given, which was very interesting. I had more trouble connecting to the characters than I did the castle. I found the first half of the book to be kind of slow, but the plot picked up in the second half.

Thanks to Ballantine Books and NetGalley or the gifted copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House - Ballantine for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

And honestly? I should have DNFed this. I don’t know if it was my mood or the fact that I’ve been in a bit of a slump or if the book was just not for me, but it took forever to read. The writing was too much telling instead of showing, which drives me nuts, and also made the story drag.

There was clearly something about it that intrigued me because I pushed through, but I wish I hadn’t because I also didn’t like the ending. It lost all momentum with major events happening off page, and then everything wrapped up too neatly to be realistic. Overall, not a book for me.

Lovers and Liars is out tomorrow

Three estranged sisters come together for a wedding and all are hiding secrets. The book follows the mess and drama as they all navigate being together at a castle for the wedding, trying to hide their respective secrets and process their childhood trauma. I didn't find the characters particularly likable, however there was a good amount of (big) drama that keeps you engaged and it's a fast read. Definitely perfect for an escape.

Thank you Penguin Random House Audio for providing this gifted audiobook, I loved it! Lovers and Liars is the perfect beach read.

Lovers and Liars is a lighthearted novel about three estranged sisters who come together for their youngest sister's wedding at an English castle in the countryside. The Peacock sisters were bonded closely as children but have long drifted in different directions. Now in their late thirties, they are well into adulthood. After grieving her departed husband for ten years, Sylvie, has found a vibrant love with Simon, a kindred spirit whose family owns a grand castle. Emma, the middle daughter, is married with two sons, living the life that was expected of her except for one thing. She was roped into a MLM and has put her family into financial turmoil unbeknownst to her devoted husband. Cleo is headstrong and career-driven, but not satisfied by her social life. She's no longer invested in her relationship and is in love with her best friend.

The Peacock sisters were so close as children because they needed respite from their narcissistic, mercurial mother, Donna. They each had a different relationship with and reaction to her parenting. Understandably, they're still trying to recover from and make sense of their tumultuous childhood. The characters are really well drawn and individual, and I loved the atmosphere of the expansive, beautiful castle and its grounds. It's very much a story about second chances. The sisters have a second chance to grow closer and relationships have the possibility of breaking or getting stronger. I listened to the audiobook, which was well-narrated by Nora Roux Meckel and Sarah Beth Goer. This was such an enjoyable novel. Pack this one in your beach bag!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC. All thoughts are my own.

What is it about weddings that brings out the worst (and sometimes the best) in families? Sylvie's getting married to Simon at his family castle (I know!) and her sisters, Cleo and Emma, as well as their mother, are there to, well, see her married (maybe) and work out their own issues. Because each of them has a secret and each of them tell this story. It's really about family, about learning about and leaning on one another. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

First off, this was the third book I read by this author, and...it's not my favourite, but I still enjoyed it a lot.
I'm pretty much always drawn to siblings/family drama, especially if there is a mystery included.
I did find this book a little predictable, but that didn't ruin my enjoyment. I was curious throughout the whole story to understand why those sisters became so estranged to each other, and why the fiancee was suspicious, and what secret one of the sisters was keeping.
Because this book is fairly short, I didn't get bored or find it repetitve. I had fun with (most of) these characters.
Thanks, NetGalley, for allowing me to read an eARC of this book.

I love books about sisters—Lovers and Liars has that! Emma, Cleo, and Sylvie have a strong bond, but they also have their secrets and these secrets impact their lives and relationships. However, the constant shifts in perspective, overall pacing, and the delivery of some plot devices were a little strange. This was also quite trope-heavy. However, it takes a lot of skill and finesse to have a book with such heavy topics and themes be funny and light most of the time—Amanda Eyre Ward truly shines in that aspect.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

Emma, Cleo, and Sylvie are three sisters who each have secrets that are really messing up their lives. I really wanted this to give me good vibes about sisters and how they could work through their issues and be happy in life. I read this and at the end of it knew that I did not like these women very much.
When I got to the end, I was very certain this is a book that won’t be with me long. I felt like the author put words in a sack, shook them up and dumped them out with hopes they would all land into a likable book.
Thank you NetGalley, Amanda Eyre Ward and Random House Publishing Group for the book Lovers and Liars. This is my personal review.