I found 'Lies She Told' to be just ok. I found the second half of the book to be much more interesting than the first half, as the plot picked up and things started to happen.

Reading a work of fiction requires the reader to suspend disbelief, to forget, momentarily, that the author created this story. However, there was something about the way Liza spoke and thought about her writing that constantly reminded me that I was reading a work of fiction. I could never quite imagine that Liza was a real person; she was a character, just like the character she created in Beth. This made it difficult to really get into the story or care much about what happened to Liza or David or Nick. Beth's story was a distraction, although I understood how her life was meant to parallel Liza's own.

I appreciate what the author was trying to do, and it certainly is an interesting idea. I just didn't quite work for me.

*I was provided a free copy of this book in return of my honest review.

Well as you can see, I did finish this book in a day so it did at least keep my attention. The beginning does drag a little and there are times when you have to pay attention to keep up with which of the women the book is referring to at the moment.

The book gives you insight into two women dealing with the chaos and fallout of outside forces on their marriages. For the first time in a long time, I did not figure out the ending halfway through the book which is a very good thing. The ending may surprise you in some aspects, but everything is explained and tired up for by the final page.

A good book, well written and in a novel way of twisted two parallel story lines together until they merge into reality. Well worth a good read - settle down for a night in, because this one is difficult to put down.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This story has alternating chapters narrated by two women. The first is Liza, who promises her publisher that she will have written her second bestseller in 30 days. he second is Beth, the main character in Liza’s book. But where does the line between fact and fiction begin and end?

At first, the two stories didn’t seem to correlate, but as you read further you start to see similarities. Liza is married to David, whose business partner is missing. Was he murdered? Beth is married to Jake, whose lover is missing. Was she murdered? I don’t want to give away any spoilers, so I’ll stop there.

The book is well-written, engaging and, though slow at first, picks up about halfway through. here are some plot twists, most of which are not all that surprising, but still the story is suspenseful enough to hold your interest. Great character development, which made it easier to switch from one narrator to the other. The ending was a bit of a disappointment as I was hoping for a much stronger finish.

I recieved a copy of Lies from Netgalley in Exchange for an honest review


Lies She Told is the kind of book you start reading, but can't put down. The story is told from two perspectives, and I know it sounds confusing, but Cate does a great job at keeping things simple. You have the perspective of a character in a new novel, and the author herself who is going through her own personal crisis. As the novel progresses, things begin to spiral out of control, and fact blurs into fiction. Cate unravels the suspense slowly, just enough to tease you and then you're hit with an ending that I never saw coming. Liza is a character you can get behind, her story is interesting but not as interesting as the character she's creating. The action moves slolwy, but not too slow to bore you. It's a pace that adds depth to the story. You become interested in the characters, and want to know what the link is. A great suspense novel is a combination of great writing, and great characters, and Lies has that in spades.

At its core, Lies is a story about escape, and how things always aren't what they appear. Liza is an interesting character with secrets of her own. When the novel begins to mirror her own life, you see the cracks begin to form and this is where the novel becomes interesting. The subject of Nick's murder becomes the driving force of the last half of the book and this is when Cate really begins to shine. In a novel like this, it's easy to get plots entangles, or confuse your audience. That never happens. Instead, it becomes a perfect suspense thriller. You're engaged in the story, you can't put it down until it's all over. When it comes to great suspense thrillers this is one that deserves to be mentioned. It takes a few risks and succeedes. It's not your normal run of the mill story, nor does it follow the formula of most cookie cutter fiction novels. It's the kind of novel that gets an author noticed and I have a feeling we'll be hearing a lot more from Cate Holahan

This was a pretty good book but a little tricky to follow. The author keeps you guessing right to the end. As soon as you think you've figured it out there is a twist. A good psychological read.

An excellent novel. A struggling novelist, her mind lives between her real-life issues and the fictional character she is creating. Both have serious issues with eventual devastating events, life changing events. Of course, the fictional Beth is only in her mind but sometimes the fictional Beth advises the real-life Liza. Since Beth is a creation in Liza’s mind it seems only reasonable that Liza would heed Beth’s advice. With me so far? Both characters live out this great creation by the author as separate but joined stories. I have often wondered if fiction authors write under the influence of realistic occurrences in their lives. How could they not? This book is a masterpiece of creativity, a truly engaging story not to be overlooked no matter the readers gender. Centered on the two female characters, and other women, but also inclusive of their male partners and other men. Awesome reading.

This book bounces back and forth between the story of two different women. One woman is telling her story and then we learn about the character she writes about. We find out during the course of the story that the woman she writes about is not that different from herself and that she is likely dealing with some sort of mental health issues, following her own personal trauma. The story is engaging and the writing is intelligent and interesting. It kept me guessing and hypothesizing throughout and makes me want to read more by this author.

Wow. Gripping and kept me guessing throughout. You find yourself pulled into the insanity, asking what is real and what isn't. The weaving between stories built the tension and left you reading long past how long you intended. Entertaining through until the smashing end. Highly recommend

Lies She Told, a thriller by celebrated author, Cate Holahan, is two fascinating stories in one novel. Liza Cole is the author of one bestselling novel, and is struggling to write another. Her agent has given her 30 days to finish, and she is not only dealing with the stress of her writing deadline, but also is trying to get pregnant and is visiting a fertility doctor. She has some serious side effects from her fertility drugs, and is trying to help her husband through the grieving process due to the recent disappearance of his law partner and best friend Nick, whose body hasn’t yet been found.

In Liza’s novel, her protagonist, Beth, is a new mother suffering from post-partum depression, is seeing a psychiatrist, and suspects that her husband is cheating on her with a police woman he has met with on one of his cases. She travels to the mistress’s house to catch them in the act, and ends up murdering her and throwing her body in the river.

The book goes back and forth in chapters where Liza narrates what is happening in her life, and others that cover her novel starring Beth. The style is interesting, and makes it easy to follow both stories. Holahan is a good storyteller and writer, and while the novel isn’t particularly a fast read, the flow is steady and includes enough interesting scenarios and characters, that most readers won’t be able to put the book down. The building suspense is ongoing in both stories.

This thriller is quite unique, and readers will definitely not expect what happens at the end. It is recommended for those who want to stay on the edge of their seats.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

I enjoyed the dual writing (as the author and her characters developed) but I found the story to be forced much of the time. The relationships on all boards were hard to relate to.

I'll start by saying I'm unsure on how to even review this book. The description made it sound like it would of been a book I'd love. However, I did enjoy some of it but not enough to rate it a 5 star read. I felt lost and confused in this one. The author goes back and forth between two stories in this book. That was a bit tough to follow along and remember to keep them straight. I would say if your someone that doesn't get confused by two stories in one book then you'll love this one as it does have a good storyline. It's just not for me and I generally try to avoid these type of books when I can.

This one was difficult to review. I had a love hate relationship with this story. I loved the writing and the concept. This could have been one of those stories that light up a reader’s brain and resonate forever. Unfortunately, it turned dark and depressing.

Liza is an author…Beth is a character she’s writing into a book. We read both Liza’s story and the story she’s writing about Beth. It was a little confusing here and there due to lack of definition between the two stories, something that should be fixed in the final edit before publication. Reading the little details of Liza’s life that turned up in Beth’s story was fun! I loved that part. And Beth “talked” to Liza, something I have heard is fairly common for authors. I was enchanted through the first half of this book. When Liza’s very dark and painful past is revealed, it all fell apart for me and I was left with just one more story with an unreliable narrator…a trope that is wearing very thin.

The possibilities for this book were so good. If Liza had been trying to solve a mystery in her life while writing about a mystery Beth, her fictional character was solving, this could have been entertaining from beginning to end. What we get, though, is way more information about an overwhelming desire to become pregnant from Liza, who then writes Beth as a new mom. Then we get the back story. Sigh. Depressing. I read for entertainment. To me, this is not entertainment. If this wasn’t so well written, I would have given it 2 stars.

Beware!

2shay

The first part was a touch confusing. Alternating back and forth from Liza to Beth in each chapter, this book was a pretty good read. It's a bit cat and mouse chasing the murderer, following two stories in one novel.

There is of course the following the lies that were told, and each part comes into view and is unraveled. The ending was a bit of a let down though.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for an advance review copy (ARC) of Lies She Told.

Romantic suspense author Liza Jones has thirty days to write a bestselling novel while helping her husband David deal with the disappearance of his long-time friend and law partner, Nick, a man with whom she shares a tense relationship. Liza’s marriage is already strained by failed attempts at getting pregnant, and she suspects infidelity based on her husband’s emotional unavailability and time spent with a particular co-worker.

Seeking to cope with the possible betrayal, Liza spins her personal life into a fictional one, into the story of a new mother, Beth, whose husband is cheating with a police officer witness in one of his cases. Enraged Beth takes matters into her own hands, killing Officer Colleen and then working to get away with it.

When Nick is discovered, murdered, fact and fiction lines blur.

This book opens with a hard enough punch, Liza’s husband presumably reading her manuscript and seeing the places where her fictional story is inspired by their recent tragedy. It continues in alternating viewpoints between Beth and Liza’s stories. I liked that when push came to shove, Liza channeled Beth to react in the way her subconscious tells her character to behave, but Beth’s is the more gripping character. Overall, Lies She Told is a decent execution of a mediocre idea.

I prefer twists and turns, unexpected character behavior and devious motivations. I ask a lot from any mystery/thriller author, and this one falls short on delivery. It feels as though this author, herself, had a month to put together a book and a couple of weeks to make major editorial changes. The premise feels underdeveloped.

Liza’s headaches and potential forgetfulness read as repetitive, but the bigger issue is the reveal that Liza will never have children because she’s a sexual trauma survivor having sustained fertility-robbing scarring through incest. This comes from out of nowhere and feels dropped in for shock’s sake. Without a thread of tie-in, this is probably the point I became fed up with this book. Apparently Liza’s friend Christine knows about this, but neither Liza nor her doctors do? And it mimics endometriosis?

And maybe she killed Nick and hid the gun?
And maybe it gets blamed on David (who at no point feels invested in marriage or having a child, which makes Liza the most clueless character on earth)?

David is, in fact, gay for Nick (a ridiculous attempt at a twist). So gay for Nick he claims to “love” him and to have wanted to be with him instead of Liza. There’s her motive, though she pretends not to know either of them are homosexual. Really? They’ve known each other forever. Liza’s editor has even seen them kissing at a party (but doesn’t say anything because maybe they have an “arrangement”). Did I mention she’s dense? Yet still this seems like the perfect marriage to bring a new baby into.

There’s a lot of “maybe I did it!” “maybe it’s the hormones!” and a doctor who claims she won’t remove implants that may be driving an already mentally fragile patient over the edge because you know, it’ll affect the study’s outcome. In medicine this would be part of the study, and the side-effect would be noted. No drug company would risk liability for Liza’s actions under the influence of their treatment. If mania is truly a complication, and if it happened to other patients, the drug delivery system shouldn’t make it to market. That’s the point of human trials. Not to placate people into enduring torture.

And when Liza realizes her Ruger is missing. According to her she has either been at the range (or not based on lost memories caused by experimental hormones) and has left her handgun in a locker? Ranges apparently exist where lockers can be rented, but I (and others I asked about this who are avid shooters) have never been to one of these places nor would we store a weapon we’re responsible for so far out of reach. It’s just not standard. It’s one of a dozen conveniences included in this book for ease of explanation. More to the point, I guess, is Liza’s on treatment to become pregnant, enduring hormone implants that are giving her hellacious migraines and memory gaps, and she’d be at a range? Risking lead poisoning? Yes, lead is a consideration at a range, particularly an indoor one. She also drinks. This feels out of character for someone desperate to be a mother.

A lot about Liza (backstory, the execution of the crime and cover-up) feels half-baked. I would hope with time and distance the author might have found cleverer ways to move her story along without relying on the reader constantly suspending belief. I am surprised developmental editing didn’t call this out. Or a beta reader. Or anyone. When a mystery writer relies solely on unreliability and forgetfulness, a reader is robbed of the experience of solving the crime. Overall, this book started promising and fell apart. The more I read, the less I liked it, and it’s a shame because the writing itself is good. The author is descriptive, the sentences flow, but she spends more time focusing on breastfeeding and child-rearing than on anything to do with the crimes that should be the heart of this novel.

It's well past 2 am here but I wanted to write down my thoughts about this novel.

Of course the 'lies' and psychological fiction instantly gripped my attention and I knew I have to read. I also love stories about writers and writing, and this book happens to be about an author, Liza who has to write a novel in 30 days. As the story unfolds similarities between her writing and her life start to occur and soon the line between really and fiction blurs.

It's a fast paced and well written psychological thriller. I have to say it's very well structured, sometimes it even felt like it's been edited to have the perfect formula. The writing is like that as well at some places, it had a creative writing class feel.

It was very easy to read and held my attention to the end. Only the main character seemed to developed and her book's protagonist but I suppose that made it so fast flowing.

It kept me guessing for quite a while, always bringing a different character to be the suspect but I'm kind of disappointed with the last 30 pages because it wanted to tell too many things at once and at the same time it left me with an empty feeling, I did expect something more I think, a 'bigger deal'. But then maybe I've been reading too many books like this lately and the ways to craft it is not infinite.

But overall I still liked it, it was exciting and entertaining. Perfect for a quick read on the beach.

Wow! The synopsis wasnt kidding when it said the lines will blur between fiction and reality! What a thought provoking book. It started out a bit slow, but I think so the reader can get to know the characters Liza, the writer and a Beth, the character Liza creates in her own story. As the story goes on it really picked up and kept me turning pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Quite enjoyable!

Lies She Told is a gripping mystery/thriller that follows Liza and Beth as they deal with some horrible things that are going on in their lives. Liza is trying to start a family with her husband who is dealing the disappearance of his best friend. Beth just had a baby and is suspicious that her husband is cheating on her. But the catch is that Beth is a fictional character in a book that Liza is reading. Which reminded me of Inception except it was a book within a book instead of a dream within a dream within a dream.

I have read books like that before and they have always fallen short of the mark for me. But with Lies She Told, I was very impressed with how the author handled both stories. I mean, Beth’s story was completely different from Liza’s but they were the same (need to read the book). Which impressed me. The scene where everything was tied together kind of blew my mind because I honestly didn’t connect the two stories until then.

I did think that Liza was a bit flaky throughout the whole book. But I blamed it on the experimental hormones that she was taking. But the more I got into the book, the more I realized that there was more to her story than what the author was letting on. So when the author did her first plot twist, I wasn’t really surprised (I was expecting it) but I wasn’t expecting the other plot twists (yes, there are more than one).

Beth’s storyline was really good too. Again, I kinda saw what happened coming but I was pretty shocked at how her story ended.

The ending was not what I expected and I loved it. So many secrets were revealed that my head was spinning but in a good way.

How many stars will I give Lies She Told: 4

Why: A great mystery that keeps you guessing until the end of the book.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: Sex, language, and violence

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Cate Holahan knows her suspense/ Thrillers..This book was an exhilarating read from start to finish. Kudos!

This book has a lot of ups and downs that keep the page turning and the back and forth between the 'fictional character' and the main character was an interesting concept. I've never read a book done like that before and it did take me awhile to catch on what was going on. This has the potential to become a great movie if the movie gods so see fit. If you are looking for a suspense filled book, pick this one up, the stories will have you involved before you know it. The ending could have been a little more dramatic but it did bring a closure to the book as most psych thrillers leave you hanging. Thank you to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to review this in exchange for a free copy.


Review will be posted on blog on Thriller Thursdays in September near publication date.