Lucinda hit it out of the park with this one. Her twists are just phenomenal. I’ll forever be the first in line for her next book!!

Let me start by saying that I'm normally a HUGE fan of Lucinda Berry. (And I really LOVED this cover!)

Unfortunately, this one just missed the mark for me. I had trouble connecting with any of the characters and didn't feel the spark that makes me want to read THIS "thriller" (as opposed to the thousands of others out there). Don't get me wrong, it's a fun read. But the spark in both the story and the characters was just missing for me.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"If You Tell a Lie" is a gripping psychological thriller that had me hooked from the very first page. Berry masterfully unravels a tale filled with suspense, secrets, and unexpected twists, making it difficult to put the book down.

The story delves deep into the complexities of truth and deception, exploring how lies can shape and shatter lives. The characters are well-developed, each with their own layers of intrigue and depth, making them both relatable and enigmatic. Berry's portrayal of their emotional and psychological landscapes adds an intense, almost haunting realism to the narrative.

The pacing is well-crafted, with just the right amount of tension building up to a climactic revelation.

"If You Tell a Lie" is a compelling read for anyone who enjoys psychological thrillers that delve into the darker aspects of human nature. Lucinda Berry has crafted a story that will stay with you long after you've turned the last page. Highly recommended for fans of suspenseful, character-driven narratives.

Four best friends meet at summer camp and reunite year after year. At their final year of camp, something is different. For one thing, Mr. Crosby is the handsome new tennis coach, who all the girls have their eyes set on. For another, this is the first summer the girls have started keeping secrets from each other. By the end of the summer, someone is dead, another is arrested, and the girls never speak to each other again. Years later, these former best friends all receive threatening letters in the mail and reunite one last time to see if they can finally put what happened that summer behind them.

The story is told in alternating perspectives and in different timelines with the past covering what happened that summer and the present showing how each of the women dealt with the aftermath and meeting up again for the first time. I think that some of the perspectives were a bit too similar in voice, so it could be difficult to tell the characters apart. The most interesting characters were also featured the least. Some of the backstory also seemed a bit unnecessary given how short the book was. There were also some parts set in the present, but focused entirely on past memories, which was a bit confusing as well. The plot is nothing super new, but it was entertaining nonetheless. There were some twists at the end that were surprising. I'd recommend this one to people who read a lot of thrillers or who like thrillers that focus on female friendships.

This was one of the best by Lucinda Berry. Just like her other books, you’re pulled in immediately by the story, and I really loved these characters. The story moved fast, which I always love. The twists are good, not just thrown in, but you don’t see them coming. Loved this book!

Great ending.. all the characters were well detailed but still took me a minute to figure out who was who but they kind of remind you throughout the book. A few bit shocking scenes that kind of came out of nowhere, but fit in just right

I wanted to love this one but the different perspectives made it had for me to get into. May translate better on audio so I ay try that in the future just to see if its more enjoyable for me that way.

I enjoyed the multiple POVs and dual timeline. I don’t really feel that it made much sense meshing the past and present drama the way it did though

So good. Lucinda is one of my favorite authors and this one is just as good as all the others. I love her writing style and the cover is great. Thank you so much for letting me read this in advance

Thanks to NetGalley for my ARC

I didn't like this one very much. There was just too much petty and/or over the top mean girl drama. I didn't care much for the characters.

I love every book this author writes! I’m always so conflicted but love every dark character she brings to life!

Felicia is a hard-working, single mother who gives back to the community as a suicide hotline dispatcher after the untimely suicide of her sister. One evening on the job, she gets a distressed call from a teenager girl who is distraught over the fact that a video is being passed around her high school after she was sexually assaulted by several of her classmates at a party -- and now she wants to end it all. Going against company ethics, Felicia takes down this girl's number and calls her after hours to deliver undying support and advice since she knows exactly what sort of pain this girl is enduring after being violently attacked by her son's father decades earlier.

After learning more and more about the girl, she begins to fear that perhaps her son might have known who did this brutal assault, for he was at that same party. After confronting Hunter, he's weird and standoffish, to a point that she even begins to speculate perhaps her son was more involved than she previously thought.

One of our Own is a tale of motherhood put to a test and those limits have been pushed. How far will she go to protect those she loves, and will she do what's morally right in the eyes of the law? You won’t be able to put this down.

A dual timeline thriller mystery – and a powerhouse of drama, with a twist that both doesn’t feel weird or unbelievable and yet somehow manages to stay totally unpredictable up until the time you reach it.

I don't usually like dual timeline stories, but I really enjoyed this one. Well-written story with great characters. Definitley recommend!

Thank you #netgalley and #thomasandmercer for the eARC.

I thought this book was a fair family drama. I felt that it delievered exactly what I expect. Shocking, fluff, but enough to keep me reading and engaged. I love Berry, and I will read her again and again.

What happens at summer camp doesn’t always stay at summer camp. Follow a group of girls into adulthood and watch their scary secret unfold and real havoc across all their lives.

Lucinda Berry could write out a receipt from Costco and I'd still read it. Such talent!!

If You Tell a Lie was not one of my favorites by Lucinda Berry however. I liked the dual timelines and everyone's point of view though I did get confused on whose point of view I was reading a few times and had to look back. Rich kids going to summer camp year after year and in their "senior" year at camp, things go awry and a tragedy occurs which affects so many people. I love books like this! This one felt a bit all over the place though and I wasn't thrilled with the ending. But I will never not read Lucinda Berry!

Finally, a book I didn't see the complete end twist! Wahoo!! That doesn't happen often.

A young girl brutally murdered in a small town watches as the town unravels trying to solve her murder. There are ghosts, there are false accusations, there are families torn apart.

Berry knows how to develop character create twists and keep you guessing. I will continue reading what she creates!

Lucinda is yet to write a book I haven’t rated lower than a four star. This one again is a great read. I loved the storyline I’m, always partial to a sex offender storyline! I enjoyed the flashback storyline and the present. There were a few little twists in there, and the larger one at the end was pretty good as well. My only mark down was that the flashback did get a little mucky at times and I got confused, but I listened to this on audio and I loved the use of different voices 👌🏽 I hate that I have to wait now for a new story from the author 😂🥲

Thank you so much for the ARC in return for a true and honest review, greatly appreciated.

This is a story of friendship, manipulation and murder.

When you have four friends that are together there a
is bound to be admiration but also jealously.
It’s hard to feel the same way for each friend in your group. There is always one that’s closer to you than the rest.

This is a story of one truly twisted mind and the lengths
She will go to get what she wants.

I'm going to be honest, I am very frustrated with this book. Personally, for me, for a thriller to hold much weight, it has to be somewhat rooted in reality. As a reader of this book, however, I felt like I had to suspend so much belief to make it be even plausible. For one, I felt like there were too many character points of views, especially with the dual timeline. There wasn't enough characterization to keep them apart, and it was certainly muddled in the beginning. Then there was the fact that none of the characters actually had any redeeming qualities about them. Sure, I don't always have to like every character I read, but dang, they were all just insufferable. It would have maybe been improved if we actually find out what happens to three out of the four main characters at the end, but we aren't even granted that! Overall, some people might find this book with the twists enjoyable, it just completely missed the mark for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced reader copy of this book. All opinions within this review are my own.