Review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery.

I would give this book 3.75 stars

This was a really enjoyable mystery.

There was a lot about the book that I really loved. I adored the island setting and I loved that this story sorrounded a 70s horror novel. It was a very atmospheric read.

The story kept me guessing and definitely threw up some plot twists I didn't see coming. I was entirely gripped while reading.

This is a fun mystery that I definitely recommend checking out.

The Weight of Lies was a very enjoyable read surrounding a forty year old murder and the fallout as a result of the bestselling novel based on the murder.

Meg Ashley leads an advantageous life due to her mother’s successful horror novel written forty years ago that became a cult classic. Meg is offered a book deal to write a tell all about what its’ like being the daughter of Frances Ashley and the truth of what happened on Bonny Island all those years ago. When Meg arrives in Georgia and begins to dig into the past, she discovers not everything is she was led to believe. After her life is threatened, she realizes there are people who will do anything to keep these secrets buried.

Meg is initially hard to like as she comes across as having no substance and is simply a rich girl living a life of privilege. Over the course of the book, we get more details on Meg’s life growing up as the daughter of a famous author. Her life isn’t all it appeared to be when we started the book and her relationship with her mother is strained to say the least. I enjoyed Meg’s dynamic with her mother and their interactions were some of the best in the book.

Meg goes through a lot of changes after she arrives on Bonny Island and I think she comes out a better person because of the experience. I really enjoyed her quest to uncover the truth and how it became about so much more than the book to her. I do think she allowed herself to be manipulated by those around her and she was far too trusting even after she discovered when people were lying to her.

The side characters in this book were excellent and very well done in my opinion. Frances is my favorite side character and I loved how there were several sides to her that Meg discovered for the first time while working on the book. Koa, the love interest, had a number of secrets and I enjoyed watching him and Meg try to establish a relationship while each hiding their motives for being on the island. Dorothy was an interesting woman and I enjoyed learning more about her past as the story went on. Asa, her mother’s assistant and the one who gets Meg to work on the book, was a very manipulative man and I disliked him instantly which didn’t change by the end of the book.

I enjoyed Meg’s search for the truth of what happened forty years ago when a little girl was killed and Frances wrote a bestselling novel surrounding the events. Meg is led in several directions, not all of which amount to anything but were all interesting paths for her to explore. From Kitty Cultists, super fans of the book, to secret theories found in an old copy of Kitten, Meg uncovers many secrets about the murder and all parties involved. The final reveal was a good one, although I did guess it before Meg figured it out.

There were excerpts of Meg’s mother’s book, Kitten, after each chapter, but I don’t know how well these tied to current events as they irritated me and I began skipping them after the second one. Obviously I missed out on some of the story due to skipping the excerpts, but I enjoyed the book more by not reading them.

Overall, The Weight of Lies was a very enjoyable mystery and I definitely recommend it.

I love this author's work. I read another book, Burying The Honeysuckle Girls and loved it. This one was even better

It was trilling, sad, sometimes funny, edge of your seat too. Not one that made me cry but still emotional. It was truly a wonderful story with so many turns and twists it was hard to figure out who was bad.

I loved it from the very start. You will not regret reading this wonderful story.
Another 5 stars for me.

Thank you NetGalley for the honor of reading this awesome book.

Rooted in a family drama the story follows Meg Ashley daughter of a famous writer Frances Ashley, who digs down deep to find the truth behind all the publicity and Chaos created by her mother's famous book ' Kitten ' who is said to be based on a real life murder mystery.
This book was amazingly beautiful. The plot was perfection, the short chapter from ' Kitten' after every proper chapter, made it all the more intense. I finished this book so quickly and wanted more of it.
Being thrilling and nail biting this story also reflected the bond of mother and daughter. And how it needs to be dealt with. The things that hold that bond together.
Justified with the title this book has a lot more lies and conclusion. You may never find the truth until the end. You can make theories but the truth will always be different.
I want to own this book. As I read as a ebook through #netgalley

Best summer read for all the lovers of thriller and mystery.

Oh my grits and gravy...this book. When I first requested it from NetGalley it seemed like it would be interesting. A bit of intrigue, a heap of family drama, and a dash of crazy thrown in for good measure. Oh it had all that but then took it to a completely different level...in a good way. Meg's mom wrote a cult classic that happened to capitalize on the horror fame of the 70s. It wasn't necessarily well written but it was well received. So much so that multiple movies were made of it. And here we are 40 years later with a re-launch of the book hanging in the balance on the anniversary of the first release. Meg doesn't really care about any of that. She's estranged from the mother she felt was never there for her to begin with. But of course, things happen that put them back together - sorta. Not necessarily in the same room but definitely in the same space. And most assuredly at odds with each other, again.

This book brought it all to the table for me. Most importantly, a good mystery. Throwing in the poor little rich girl (I say that in the nicest way possible) and the attention hungry mother just added fuel. Oh and don't forget the publishing guy who is out to make a name of himself at anyone's expense. Or the family on Bonny Island whose lives were forever altered because of this book. Kitten, or Doro as everyone knows her, was just a child when the book came out. The huge acceptance the book garnered also brought a lot of fingers pointing in her direction. Was she the inspiration for the murderous child in the book? Lots of theories were thrown out, lots of fans created their own sub-culture, and lots of lives were caught in the balance. Meg sets out to uncover the secrets and learn the truth. Was the book 'Kitten' really just a work of fiction? Was this book worth the end result of how it affected Meg's life, when she wasn't even born yet?

This book hit all the right notes, even though I still can't stand Ash - you know that publishing guy who would sell his grandma's soul for a contract. It kept me guessing, surprised me more than once, and had me checking over my shoulder as I read well into the dark of night. The ending was a bit predictable and trite, after of course it changed paths and kept me guessing. Once the secrets were out it lost originality but I can't fault like a chapter ya know. I'm definitely interested in reading more of this author and am seriously contemplating a paperback copy to reside with honor on the bookcase. Yup, it was THAT good.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

Meg Ashley is the daughter of a best selling horror author. The book that put her mother on the map is called Kitten which is woven into the story. Meg decides to visit the place that inspired the book, which she has never read, and see what she finds. Meg continues to uncover lie after lie. Was Kitten based on a true story? Is anything that she knows even real? I read this book in a sitting and loved all the twists and turns! I did not see the end coming and was very impressed with how invested I felt in these characters! Truly a great read.

This is one of my favorite books of 2017. Emily is also one of my Favorite authors. I highly recommend this book

Glad I stuck with this book!!! I was bored the first few chapters, then I got sucked in and loved it! Great story and kept me guessing until the end.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the ARC. This book started slow for me and I was worried it would end up a 3 star for me, like the first book I read by the author. However, I am glad that I stuck with it because the pace picked up and the atmosphere was deliciously spooky. I mean come on, gothic almost-abandoned island with a seedy past and a questionable cast of characters? This is the stuff the mystery/thriller genre is made of. I really couldn't predict the character of the real life grown up Kitten, and I enjoyed all the complex supporting characters. The climactic ending with all of the twists was great, and the overall premise of a novel turned real life felt exciting and meta :)

A book within a book, a story within a story.

I really enjoyed the premise of the story and the plot in general - definitely gripping, exhilarating and intriguing. The characters were a diverse set, physically and psychologically. The writer managed to not only perfectly execute the plot, but also made the reader care about the protagonists like they were real people, which hardly happens in my case. I was shouting "Megan, get out of there!" CONSTANTLY. I really cared about each and every character, and their development as well as dilemmas were presented so effortlessly, it was hard not to connect with them. I loved the fact that I finally got a book with a non-white protagonist with a confusing heritage, it was refreshing! I'm so accustomed to reading novels with white protagonists, there were so many times I completely forgot this wasn't one of them, thanks to the author I was reminded of the diverse world we live in!

Major props to the author for addressing the problems faced by specifically native americans, but generally all people of colour, in such a succinct, salient, and unabashed manner. White privelege as well as 'White Savior Syndrome' were presented the way they are - it wasn't only a psychological suspense novel but one which should be not read by racist people because it would severely hurt their weak hearts haha!

The twists and turns as well as the ending were amazing, I was on the edge of my seat which is exactly where I wanted to be! The only problem with this overall great read was that sometimes it just got too confusing because there was just so much going on all at once - I had to re-read some chapters just to make sure that my mind wasn't disoriented and hadn't lost pace with the story.

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

This is my first book by Emily Carpenter, although her debut did catch my eye- it’s just suffered from the fate of too many books, not enough time to read!

But The Weight of Lies really caught my attention with the description and the cover- so as soon as I was approved by Lake Union Publishing- I snapped this baby up and made plans to read.



What I liked:

The cover!

The excerpts from Kitten spaced throughout the book. Listen, Kitten was like THE book and I loved reading little excerpts from that- as they played perfectly with The Weight of Lies.

The location. Setting the book in Georgia was perfect. The area has just enough of a feeling that there are tall tales and big secrets hidden to keep you flipping pages.

Koa and his arms. 😉 😉 😉



Bottom line: The Weight of Lies shows that Emily has several tricks up her sleeve as an author and I can’t wait to see what she pulls of next.



*This book was sent to me for review consideration. All thoughts and opinion are mine alone.*



**The Weight of Lies is a 22 Beach Reads for your Summer Vacation selection by Traveling With T.**

I stumbled upon this book actually, having never read anything by the author before (but I downloaded her first novel, Burying The Honeysuckle Girls, straight after!), and what a pleasant surprise. The Weight of Lies is full of drama, suspense, and tragedy, and is a thrilling ride from start to finish. A true masterpiece on manipulative family members, and how to live through the drama.

I was so intrigued by the summary of the book and ended up loving the book much more than I thought I would. If I had to describe this book in one word, it would be "creepy". There were so many parts of it that left me with an unsteady feeling. And I think that stemmed mostly from the alternating chapters.

Ok - rewind. Meg and her mom, this famous author who wrote this incredibly Stephen King'esque book, don't have the best relationship, rocky at best. So when she is approached to write a tell-all about her Mom, she jumps in. She wants the world to see her mother for who she truly is, not the perfect celebrity as she is portrayed in the tabloids. The book leads her to this island, the setting for her mother's book. Meg wants to set some stories straight, but unfortunately she is opening a can of worms that should have stayed on the island.

The book is told through alternating chapters: Meg's chapters, followed by a chapter from Kitty, her mother's book. I kind of wish Kitty was a real book. I think I would have devoured it.

This was a great beach read for me. I found myself grabbing a chapter every chance I got, while the others were showering, eating lunch, etc. I couldn't put it down.

I'm sorry to say that I was not crazy about this book. It seemed to go on forever and frankly I was just bored. I was just ready for it to end. Not a favorite of mine, but perhaps others would enjoy it.

Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire! The Weight of Lies is addictive, fast-paced, and gripping. Carpenter gives readers the right amount of horror, romance, and mystery. The book had me speculating and guessing until the end (which I liked). It's clear, Frances (mother) and Meg (daughter) have a dysfunctional and antagonistic relationship. Meg has a lot of resentment toward her mother and decides the ultimate revenge is writing a tell-all memoir about the skeletons in her closet. And that's where the story takes off...Initially, what caught my attention about this book was the cover, but once I started reading it, I did not want to put it down. Carpenter spins a plot full of twists and surprises at a fast pace -- a lot happening at once so keep up! The novel shifts between the present and chapter excerpts from Frances's best-seller thriller, Kitten. Another great summer read to add to your tbr list!

I saw my own meanness and desperation for her to erase the past. As we stood there, eyes blazing, pulses racing, the inevitability of it all became clear. When the two of us came into contact, we were always going to do this- react like incompatible chemicals in a lab experiment. Sizzle. Spark, Then explode.

Meg Ashley is the daughter of the author Frances Ashley, whose best selling horror novel decades old may or may not be true. As with all things Frances, cold, distant, manipulative, selfish- what is true and what is imagined is impossible to decipher. Growing up in the shadow of her fame, but in a life of privilege afforded because of her cult classic novel, Meg’s childhood was lonely and at times far too adult and damaging. After three ‘Frances Free’ years, she has to face her mother. When she receives a party invitation, she decides to show up and is given an offer she cannot refuse. Write a tell all, exposing all her mother’s ugliest truths. So she must go back to the source of inspiration for her mother’s novel, Bonny Island, Georgia. Time to show the world the real Frances, if the fans want dirt, it’s dirt they shall get!

Excavating the secrets of the island, and the woman (Doro) whose life her mother destroyed, she must sift through the fiction and facts. But the woman she meets is nothing like the creepy child killer in the book. She is strong, warm, welcoming despite the horror story setting of the place. Finally reading the book her mother penned, while staying in the place is doing things to her mind. The lies her mother told crumble against the memories Doro shares, the questions she answers. The story has excerpts from the original horror story about Kitten, taking the reader into the eerie child killer. One who may or may not be Doro. If Kitten was strange, Doro comes off as more unique, fascinating. How could her mother destroy her entire life? She was just a little girl, in awe of Meg’s mother. As she pokes at the old real murder that occurred on the island, she discovers things that don’t sit right. Throw in some romance with Kao, with his own secrets, unsure if she can trust him when true terror overtakes her and you have one strange story. Passion, fear, facing ones strengths and weaknesses. With Wild horses running on the island, wild stories and lies, the atmosphere is fitting.

Everyone is damaged, you don’t know who to trust. Meg’s and Frances relationship is never really settled for me, not even at the end. I can’t going into why I think Meg’s cold mother doesn’t make sense knowing the full story without giving away the ending. Doro I wonder about too. Can all these people with wildness inside of them really be this controlled? The Kitten story at times bothered me, it’s a personal thing. I don’t like stories within stories, as it sort of breaks into the flow. I actually see Meg as not selfish so much as weakened by her life of privilege. I imagine it would be hard to step out of your famous mother’s shadow, to be strong and independent when you’ve never learned how to be. Money can be as great a manipulator as any abuse. She is a fledgling that never learned to fly, longing to flee her cold mother but without the confidence to do so. There are a lot of people out there that grow accustomed to control. It makes sense to me that she is still clinging to her mother’s support while pushing her mother away. It’s also why she falls for Doro in a sense, who has a natural way about her, a much warmer nature- or does she?

Revenge somehow has a way of pulling the avenger down too. Was Frances’s novel truth disguised as fiction, a way to show events as they really played out, the only way to expose Doro? Or is Frances more twisted than her evil character? The story is twisted and strange. I had to finish the novel, but I started to figure a few things out. It’s a good mystery/horror without being terrifying. It’s not all about the murder, there are parts of the book about Meg’s youth and love affair with an older man, exposing how in some ways she grew up too fast, wasn’t mothered properly despite all the wealth. Why are we less likely to feel bad for rich people? I know, sadness is less painful minus poverty, but let’s face it, abuse sucks for everyone regardless of financial status.

Available Now

Lake Union Publishing

Wow....I just did not see that coming.
This is the story of Meg, who is the daughter of a famous author. Meg has a difficult relationship with her Mother, who she feels has simply not done a heck of a job raising her, and who also seems to think only of herself. Meg comes home to go to her Mother's birthday bash, after she receives an invitation the day before, with a note on the back saying that Edgar, Mom's agent and the only father figure in Meg's life, is very ill. She arrives for the party to find that Mom has gone off to marry her 3rd husband, instead of stick around for Edgar who is dying and/or have the party that Meg showed up for. Meg is disgusted and finds her life hurtling in a new direction when her Mother's assistant sells her on writing a tell all book about her Mom. To do so, he sends her off to Bonny Island, the site of Mom's famous book, "Kitten." A story which was based on a woman who still lived on Bonny Island, who through the book, accuses this woman (Dorothy Kitchens) of murdering a friend of hers when they were children. Meg sets out to find out the truths about this long ago murder, truths about herself, and to unburden herself about the truths about her Mother and the relationship between herself and Mom, which can only be described as downright rotten. The story unfolds from there, and it is hard to put the book down when it really gets going.... as you simply cannot figure it all out until it comes to its mind blowing conclusion. This is a great summer read you won't regret picking up.

I WANT TO READ KITTEN.

There, that's out of the way.

The Weight of Lies is a family thriller TO THE MAX. Meg, a former party girl, starts down the path investigating the truth behind her mother's best seller, Kitten. Family drama, horses, a handsome man, MURDER...everything is included. Every chapter begins with an excerpt from "Kitten" the book behind all of this drama and everything inside of me wants Kitten to be a real book.

Emily Carpenter knows how to write. I felt like I was Meg, that I was getting those weird prickles in my arms and legs, that I was there, watching the horses run past.

I hate using "twists and turns" but...there are so many twists and turns!

Thanks to NetGalley, Emily Carpenter and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Book Received in Exchange for Review (NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing, Emily Carpenter)
This book delivered! If you love a good mystery, then add this to your must read list. I was guessing right up until the end. Nothing was predictable, and yet it all came together in a brilliant plot with a knock-out finish. At first, the book is a bit hard to get in to, because there's a book within a book, but after a few chapters you get into the flow of it. Every character you meet is untrustworthy, leaving you in a guessing game throughout the entire book. This is a MUST read for anyone that loves a good mystery / thriller.