This is definitely one of the harder mysteries that I have to review, or maybe I’m spoiled by the engrossing experience of the last mystery I read. The TL, DR version of this review: parts of it I really liked, and parts of it I didn’t.

This is the first book I’ve read from Cate Holahan, and I can say from the get go that I want to read more from the author in the future for sure. I’m just not certain what side of the fence I fall on in reacting to “Lies She Told”. It’s a dual perspective story, though not in the way that you would typically find in a mystery of this scope. It’s largely the story of a writer whose star has dimmed over the years (Liza Jones) and who struggles to write her next bestselling novel. But Liza throws herself into her work to distract from the fact that her life is falling apart – she wants to have a baby, but her husband is distracted by the sudden disappearance of his work partner, Nick.

The dual perspective is from the viewpoint of Beth, the heroine of Liza’s story. Beth is a jilted wife who realizes her husband is having an affair as she’s struggling to care for their newborn child. Beth becomes immensely jealous and wants to carve her own path to vengeance against her husband, but ends up murdering her husband’s mistress with some complexities to face in the aftermath of that.

Fiction somewhat mirrors truth when Nick turns up dead in a river and Liza’s husband is investigated for the disappearance/murder. The aim of the book makes it clear that the reader should question what is fiction and what is truth to Liza’s life as details from Nick’s murder surface. The aim of the book is fascinating and definitely something that intrigued me as I went through the story. However, there are some caveats that detracted from my experience a bit. The pacing in the story often lulled in moments where it switched between the perspectives of Liza and Beth. For a time, I found myself more immersed in Beth’s perspective because she had the more compelling strength of grief and rage associated with her story (cheated lover, new mother, seeking to fill the void her husband left with his frequent departures and keeping her sanity together).

Liza’s story wasn’t as compelling to start (basically wanting a baby, husband more preoccupied with Nick’s disappearance, and Liza wondering why she should care since Nick was a douchecanoe, though Nick and her husband lawyers who won a transgender rights case. I think as Nick’s backstory came to light and the inference that his disappearance/murder possibly might’ve centered on a hate crime, I found myself more intrigued. Too bad it fizzled a little after that.)

As the story wove its way towards the end, the goalposts shifted a bit in terms of the whodunit to keep the reader guessing. The climax was very intense, particularly in the confrontation between Liza and her husband. However, the ending to Liza’s story left me feeling unsatisfied from the experience, wanting a bit more meat than it provided for the set up. It tied up some loose ends, but not in a way that I really felt attached to. Beth’s ending was a suitable one given the framework of the story and knowing where Liza’s mind was by the end of the book, as well as her authorial choice to end Beth’s story the way she did. But I still was like “Ehhh, that could’ve been a little more fulfilling.”

In the end, I’m glad I read it. The writing had strong, compelling moments where it hooked me, yet the conclusion made it so the one-time read was enough for me. Definitely curious to see what else Holahan has in her bibliography.

Overall score: 3/5 stars.

Note: I received this as an ARC from NetGalley from the publisher.

I read these books on my Amazon Kindle. Once in awhile Amazon will delete a book that I haven't bought from them. This happened to this book. It's gone from my library. So sorry.

I just found the book. It was sent by mistake to my first Kindle, rather than the third. However, it was not worth the time in reading only part of it. The beginning features a woman who is writing a book. There is a whole large chapter on the book she is writing. It is obviously meant to show us that the woman is not a good writer, but why do we have to read a WHOLE chapter on a childishly written book. It would have been enough to summarize how inept she was in writing a book. I couldn't really go on and continue reading this childishly written book.

During the first few chapters, I was feeling rather indifferent to this story. Something about the writing just didn't resonate. Then I started getting sucked in to both stories...Lisa's and Beth's. Ultimately, this ended up being a fun little read. Nothing about it is particularly hard to figure out, but the interweaving of the stories is enough to keep any reader entertained.

Obviously, I have a backlog of review books on my Netgalley account and I am trying to read through them. This book, though released in 2017, still holds up well in the domestic thriller genre. In an interesting twist, the chapters alternate between the main character, an author, and her novel’s main character. I did listen to this on audio but I am confident that it would read the same in print. It was not one of those books with multiple POV’s that leaves you confused.

I did guess the main plot line twist about half way through however, it did not ruin the book for me. I enjoyed this book for what it was but I wasn’t blown away by it.

LIES SHE TOLD alternates between writer Lisa's struggles at home and and the story developing in the thriller she is writing. Suspense, blurred lines between fiction and fact, and unreliable narrators (times two!) make this a satisfying and compelling read.

This is my first Cate Holahan novel and I really enjoyed it, I love a good psychological thriller, something to keep me turning the pages and this certainly did that.

I enjoyed the parallel stories being told to us and could see how the lines between fiction and reality could become blurred. You definitely need to pay attention when reading this as it's easy to skim little bits but that's where the author has hidden some real twists to the story.

Absolutely worth a read and I think this young lady is someone to watch out for.

Read for an honest review Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books

DNF/No rating (on Goodreads...Netgalley is requiring a star rating so I have given 1 star). This is just not grabbing me. I'm a little tired of all of the domestic/suburban "thrillers" that are just unlikable people doing unlikable things.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a free digital copy of this book via NetGalley. Apologies this just wasn't for me!

This was an enjoyable book and I listed it as a best of 2018 book in my goodreads tags. Oddly enough though, I don't remember much about the book now.

This book was a little predictable but still held my attention. The back and forth between Beth and Liza was confusing but when you get to the end, you’ll realize it was meant to be like that.

I’m giving this book three stars because it was a good quick thriller read, but very predictable.

What a twist! I think Cate Holahan did a fanstasic job writing a between Liza and Beth. We see this parallel universe come together with so many twists and turns. I could not put this story down.

Lies She Told was such an original premise for me since I don't recall ever reading a book within a book. The setup sucked me in and I was a fan of how both Liza and "Beth" were unreliable narrators. The beginning was very slow and could've benefited from more action, but the second half of the book picked up tremendously. Portions of the narrative became confusing at times, but I believe the intention was to blur fiction and reality. Twist was well done and came as quite a surprise. Highly recommend!

Review posted on Amazon and Goodreads

Super edge of your seat...you think you know which way things are going...and then Wow...things shift. Great read...had to put down.

The story was unique and I enjoyed it - I didn't love it though. It was a bit hard for me to get into it at first. It’s a slow burning suspense that is told by changing characters. There were times I was a bit confused as to who the characters were, so you really need to concentrate/pay attention, as I found myself having to re-read parts of the book. It actually took me over a year to read this book, crazy I know... Unique story with twists. I enjoyed this book. I’d like to read more books by this author.
*A very special thank you to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for the advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review*

I've had this book for a while and I regret not reading it till now. OMG this book was amazing! It was so good.
The reader is guessing till the very end. Such an insane read.

This book has it all! Affairs, murders, trauma and betrayal. Perfect ingredients for a gripping story.

This book is a psych thriller, murder suspense that alternates between fact and fiction. Fact-Liza, a writer who is trying to get that next best seller, is married to David, an attorney who is a workaholic that cannot rest until he finds what happened to his best friend Nick who disappeared. Fiction-Beth is married to Jake who has an infant daughter Victoria. Jake is likewise a workaholic and is hardly ever home. Beth finds that Jake is cheating on her and soon there is a blur between what is reality in Liza’s life and what she writing in her novel regarding Beth and Jake.

Murders occur in both fact and fiction but who is the murderer?

While this book is well written for the most part there was a bit of wordiness in details making it seem more like filler than actual story.

Wholly implausible, but a real head-trip that kept me guessing. Just as I thought I'd 'figured it out' there was another twist, each more unbelievable than the last. So, why five stars you ask? Because the author skillfully foreshadowed all of her twists. None came entirely out of left field so as nutso as many of them were, I couldn't say I wasn't forewarned. And let's face it, when you read a certain kind of suspense, you have to be prepared to literally suspend your disbelief. This was one of those. Not entirely true-to-life in its situations, but definitely entertaining. The narration on this one was suitably unobtrusive. When the situation is melodramatic enough, you don't need too much of that in the narration, and these actors got that, thank goodness. Recommended for folks who like the occasional gasp-worthy moment.

I liked the parallel structure of the two couples: one the protagonist author of mystery books, the other the subjects of her novel-in-progress. Normally I am not a fan of the alternating chapters, and in this case it takes a while to sort out which couple is which, as both are dealing with cheating spouses and a potential murder rap. But the plots twist together in curious synchronicity and it all becomes clear what is going on eventually. I highly recommend this book.

Wow! Lies She Told is a one-of-a-kind thriller! Psychological thrillers top the charts on my favorite genre scale when done right and this one hit a home run for me. Excellent characters, unique storyline, perfect pacing. If you pick this book up clear your schedule because you won't want to put it down for anything. I will be stalking the rest of Holohan's books immediately.

LIES SHE TOLD is a dark and twisted mystery/psychological thriller by USA bestselling author, Cate Holahan, author of The Widower's Wife. This is a story of love and deceit.

This is one book that you must pay close attention to, to follow both the storyline and clues, as there exists a parallel story between Liza, the protagonist, a novelist and her fictional character, Beth in her novel.

Liza Cole, a once-successful novelist whose career has seen better days, has one month to write the thriller that could land her back on the bestseller list. Meanwhile, she’s struggling to start a family, but her husband is distracted by the disappearance of his best friend, Nick. As stresses weigh her down in her professional and personal lives, Liza escapes into writing the chilling exploits of her latest heroine, Beth.

Beth, a new mother, suspects her husband is cheating on her while she’s home caring for their newborn. Angry and betrayed, she aims to catch him in the act and make him pay for shattering the illusion of their perfect life. But before she realises what she’s doing, she’s tossing the body of her husband’s mistress into the East River.

But then everything gets blurry, between what is fiction and reality.

Nick’s body is dragged from the East River, and Liza’s husband is arrested for his murder.

This book will have your head spinning out of control. Pay close attention to the detail, or you will miss out.

I highly recommend this book for those that like a thriller. I loved it! A total pleasure to read.

Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley for my digital copy.