Her Last Lie by Amanda Brittany.
She thought she was free of the past. She was wrong.
Six years ago Isla was the only victim to walk free from Carl Jeffery’s vicious murder spree. Now, Isla vows to live her life to the fullest and from the outside it appears perfect.
This was a really good read. I did like Isla. 4*.

Great book, love this author and how they can keep my attention to the end! The plot is well developed, characters are believable and they obviously paid attention to detail to make the story worth your time to read.

This was a solid 4 stars for me. The writing was good and the storyline kept me interested. At times I couldn’t read it fast enough in order to know what was going to happen next. And the thing I love about psychological thrillers is being surprised at the twist when it happens. I had this one all wrong. I’m looking forward to Amanda’s next book!

Fantastic content from a wonderful author. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A story about a survivor of a serial killer is something I find hard to pass up. But despite the interesting premise, it didn’t catch my attention at first as I expected and almost abandoned it few times. It doesn’t help that Isla is a conflicted character that made it hard to like her and sympathizes with her completely, even after the truth comes out. The story dragged on for so long that when the twist was revealed, I’ve already figured it out. I was left wanting for a bit more details on the ending, too. Nevertheless, I’d still say it is a clever twist which made up for the slow start and taking a different turn that’s bound to surprise its readers. It is also a well-constructed debut novel which might be the reason that I managed to stick to it until the end. A decent psychological thriller overall.

note: I know and understand that some times even a thriller needs to be slow , and I've even read some in the past that took me a while to get in to them and after I did I ended up liking the story but this one, I just realized I had the same problem last year with it , and the story just didn't keep me wanting to read it. Someone else might like it better then I did or ever will. with that said I want to say thinks to Netgalley for at lest letting me to read it in change for my honest opinion

Isla was the victim of a serial killer six years ago and the only one to survive. She has been determined not to let Carl Jeffery’s violent actions sour the rest of her life and travelled to Canada and now is planning to go to Sweden alone to finish her book. She’s found it difficult to cope with what happened but had a sense of security that her nightmare was firmly in her past. Now, though, there’s a chance that her attacker will be freed. When strange things start to happen, Isla isn’t sure whether they are real, or if her past has found a way to come back and haunt her.

It's hard actually to believe that this is a debut novel. A psychological thriller with all the right ingredients to keep you on the edge of your seat. Scary, emotional, yet with touches of humour that are laugh out loud, I was intrigued and hooked from start to finish. Twists and turns galore, the brilliantly constructed plot and great characters make this a fabulous read. I stayed up well past bedtime to finish reading Her Last Lie. As the tension in the story built, I couldn’t stop reading. At one point I thought I knew where the book was going… I was wrong! I loved this fast-paced, atmospheric, scary book. I can’t wait to read Amanda Brittany’s next novel.

This was an ok thriller but there are better around. Isla was nearly killed in Australia, 6 years ago. Three other women died. The killer Carl Jeffery is in jail. However his sister has just launched an appeal for him. As a result Isla becomes very stressed and convinced Carl is stalking her, ready to finish the job.

Topsy turvy British psychological thriller

Isla Johnson is 29 years old and is a travel writer/photographer. That is what took her to Australia 6 years ago where she was almost murdered by a serial killer.

She now lives back in the UK, has a serious boyfriend, and does her best to deal with her memories of almost being killed.

But now someone is messing around with her mind and she finds she's not as unaffected by the past as she thought she was.

I had a difficult time finishing this book because I REALLY did not like Isla, the main protagonist of the story. I almost did quit reading the story because of her.

I am glad that I finished it. It had a satisfying ending. And I know why the author wrote it the way she did but I doubt I'll read more books by her (sorry to be cryptic here but I'm trying to leave out any spoilers).

I received this book from HQ Digital UK through Net Galley in the hopes that I would read it and leave an unbiased review.

Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the ARC and chance to review the book.

I have to confess I struggled with this book. It was written well enough, but I didn't feel enough affinity for the main character. I know she had already been through one hell of an ordeal, but her personality just didn't sit right with me.

I did think the blog posts were a clever device to use though.

Interesting read and great concept. Also, this had a great twist that I wasn't able to guess (for once). I wish I would have liked the protagonist a bit more, but overall a solid read. 4/5

3.5 Stars* (rounded down)
 
Several years ago, Isla survived the unthinkable.  Being attacked by serial killer Carl Jeffrey, who a close friend of hers ended up losing her life to.  Since then, Isla has had to overcome her anxiety and her fears in order to begin again.  Eventually she got her career back on track and has been working on a travel journal, which she is hoping to get published. Meeting Jack, her boyfriend has helped as he is calm cool and collected.  Unfortunately for Isla, it’s not enough.  She needs quiet time in order to find peace. Thus Isla takes off on a trip alone, to Canada, and what she finds there surprises her.  Upon her return, Isla starts to feel anxious, she feels like someone is following her. She begins having nightmares and she starts seeing Carl Jeffrey everywhere.  Isla becomes paralyzed with fear, yet she is unable to confide in anyone, afraid of being thought of as silly, weak or unstable. 

Is Isla imagination working overtime or does she have reason to be afraid? Only time will tell - unless hers runs out.

“Her Last Lie” is an extremely fast paced suspense novel that kept me entertained. I was all in when it came to the fright that Isla was living with each and every day and her angst became mine. For me, the ending didn’t quite add up and was tidied up too nicely all things considered. Overall however, I enjoyed the novel and would recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, HQ Digital and Amanda Brittany for an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley, Goodreads and Amazon on 1.31.18.

5☆ Perfectly Eerie..Loved It!

Her last Lie is the Perfect creepy, Psychological Thriller that plays with your mind, keeping you guessing, then second guessing, makes the hair on your arms stand on end, makes you  're- evaluate just what you put out there on social media!
Oh and I forgot to mention... Once you open this book... You will not be able to close it!

This is so hard to write this review without giving anything anyway! So I'll be brief!

Isla escaped a serial killer!
She met Jack her rock!
The two are very happy.

That is until Isla gets a letter... not just any letter... The Serial Killer Carl Jeffery has put in a appeal to try and get out of jail.... Just when Isla was getting her life back on track she's dealt this blow!

Pinging her elastic band on her wrist she feels the train walls closing in....then a blast from her past steps into the train....Trevor! Isla's Ex. She hurt Trevor really bad.
For some reason Isla tells him about the letter. They swaps numbers.
Will that be the last she sees of Trevor?

What happens next is a roller coaster of twists, turns, and Very unnerving moments.

Isla is very tortured. She has been through a horrific ordeal. But having Jack by her side she seems to draw inner strength from him.
You see Isla go through so many emotions and ordeals throughout the story.
You see so many unexpected sides... as all is not what it seems!

Her Last Lie, plays with your mind and emotions. It's very cleverly written in such a way you are always being fed lil pieces of the puzzle then it's snatched away with another theory!

We are teased with the brief past history of Isla's story, but I would of loved more!
There was so much more Amanda could of given us which I think would of strengthed the story and in turn adding to the already  perfectly chilling atmospheric plot.

Amanda has done a fabulous job at keeping the reader guessing the whole way through.
I had an inkling but I was completely wrong! I love thrillers that make you evaluate every character then deals you out a massive shock. Expect the unexpected!

For me I think Her Last Lie is going to be a big hit.
So much so I bought the book as well as having an advanced copy.

If you are looking for a perfectly eerie Psychological Thriller that really will unnerve you and get your pulses racing.
Then you definitely don't want to miss out Her Last Lie!
A Page Turner.... Must Read!!

When we first meet our main character Isla she had already been through so much in her life but then she receives a letter which brings the memories back up to the surface. She's tried to move on with her life, not exactly forget but cope with what happened to her, but now she's convinced that there's someone watching her every move. Has the letter triggered a mental breakdown or is there really someone following her looking for revenge?

This is a multi-timeline story giving us insight into events in the life of travel blogger Isla, from her days of travelling after university which led to her surviving a horrific attack to the current day, 6 years later, where she's working on a travel book and living with her boyfriend Jack. It would seem that she has the perfect life, with a boyfriend who loves her and doing something she loves working on a book photographing and writing about unique places she's visited, but then a chance encounter and the letter leads to everything spiralling out of control. Her way of dealing with what was happening to her is to go on another trip but that might just be the biggest mistake of her life!

At times I have to confess that I didn't really warm to Isla as I couldn't understand why she was doing the things she was doing and shutting out those that love her, her parents and sister, best friend Roxanne and boyfriend Jack, but then as I progressed towards the end of the book and things began to be unveiled I realised that I had been totally misdirected and I had misjudged her.

Her Last Lie has been billed by the publishers as a 'gripping psychological thriller' and I would wholeheartedly agree as from the moment I started reading I trusted no-one and suspected everyone which is testament to the skill of the writing from the author. I was living every paranoia along with Isla not knowing whether what she was experiencing was real or a figment of her imagination. So all I can see is that if this is Amanda Brittany's debut novel then I cannot wait to see where her writing takes us in the future.

Six years ago Isla Johnson was the only victim to survive Carl Jeffery`s vicious murder spree.It was Isla`s testimony that helped secure a conviction and get Carl sent to prison.But Carl`s sister has always believed that her brother was innocent and through her campaigning has somehow managed to get him granted an appeal.

Suddenly Isla`s seemingly perfect life begins to derail,she is plagued by memories of the man who tried to murder her.The threat that he could be back causes her to question everything,and everyone around her.

The story flips back and forth between the past and the present,the flashbacks being used to built up the background of the characters and explain the events leading up to and during the night that Isla was attacked.The story is mainly narrated by Isla but in the second part there is also some chapters voiced by Isla`s best friend Roxanne.I liked how the author added dimension to the story by including posts from Isla`s blog.Isla was a complex character who understandably had some major issues because of what happened to her in the past.The problem was I didn't feel any sympathy for her character because right from the start,I just didn't like her very much,even after the truth was revealed,I still didn't like her.I didn't like the way she treated other people especially poor Jack.I didn't like the way she pulled the victim card when it suited her but would happily disappear off to Canada and Sweden on her own to take photographs for her book.I really liked Roxanne,I thought she was a wonderful,fun character and I felt a lot of sympathy for poor,sweet Jack.

There is certainly a prevailing air of menace throughout the story,one of a number of the characters could have been the person who was terrorizing Isla.The author does a brilliant job of misdirecting the reader,not everything is what it appears to be,one of the twists is very ingenious,well it definitely caught me out.One small point,it was a shame that the events that occurred during the final confrontation weren't explained in more detail,rather than the reader being left feeling that an important part of the story was missing.Oh,and the ending was a bit too happily ever after for this readers liking but all in all,I did enjoy this debut thriller and would happily read another book written by this author.

Isla has escaped a serial killer and has found her soulmate in Jack. She has learned to live with what has happened to her in Australia and her life is going fairly well. Meeting an old class mate from university brings not only good memories back. Liked the cover, liked the suspense and the story kept me interested throughout the whole book. Seeing as this is a debut novel I will keep this authors name in mind and definitely read the next book. I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital!

Her Last Lie is an impressive debut from Amanda Brittany. It is well-written and clever, with a modern slant. It has an interesting structure and makes good use of social media. The story does jump around a bit but it totally works.

Isla has moved on from her previous trauma and now lives with new boyfriend, Jack. She seems to be happy and works as a freelance travel writer and photographer, regularly updating her social media with her latest activities.

“Sometimes she would grab her camera, jump into her car, and head to the nearby fields to snap photographs of the countryside: birds and butterflies, wild flowers, sheep, horses, whatever she could find – pictures she would often put on Facebook or Instagram.”

There are a couple of shocking points in the story where the plot takes off in surprising and unexpected directions and really drive the story forward. My jaw genuinely dropped both times! The different chapters and flashbacks give great insight into the story and help you start to piece together what is going on.

Isla finds her emotions spiralling out of control as a series of disturbing events occur – but who is really responsible? As her friends and family start to become concerned, Isla fears her sanity is unravelling.

“If she could only find a picture with both of them in it, Jack would have to believe her, and it would prove she wasn’t losing her mind.”

I did find that I needed to suspend my disbelief a little for the set up – which I was happy to do – as I found one or two of the characters’ lack of curiosity about some apparently key things difficult to believe, and I am very curious about how Isla was able to afford trips to Canada and Sweden to write a book she hadn’t even had commissioned yet!

The story is gripping throughout though and the second half of the book is even better than the first. The pace really ramps up to emotional rollercoaster proportions! The descriptions of snowy Sweden and the Northern Lights were breathtaking and the brutal landscape helped the book build to its stark and chilling climax.

“Her brain finally began to close down, and she was in a place between asleep and awake, when there was a tapping sound on her window. Her eyes shot open, her body drenched with sweat as her mind tumbled back to that terrible night.”

Throughout the book I wasn’t quite sure whether or not I liked Isla but she was certainly a great character: ballsy but shattered and vulnerable; struggling but determined. I really liked best friend Roxanne also, but all the characters were well put together.

I was quite chuffed with myself that I worked out part of the conclusion – but certainly not all of it and I was completely wrong about one key bit!

This is a brilliant, compelling and thrilling read, I highly recommend it and I can’t wait to see what Amanda Brittany does next.

Thank you to NetGalley and HQ Digital for the ARC of Her Last Lie.

Isla is the escaped almost-victim of a serial killer who has left her paranoid and mistrustful of men. Six years later she is almost over it, living with her partner Jack and her cat when she decides to fulfil her dream of writing a travel book and goes to Canada for research.

What follows is a very enjoyable thriller full of misdirection that will shock you til the very last page. A brilliant twist on the unreliable narrator genre.

(I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

This was a book I was interested in reading from the description. The only survivor of a vicious serial killer and six years later she starts remembering things about that night that she never realized before. Isla is a girl trying to deal with being the only one left alive and she has to deal with her life and new experiences. This book is well written and very interesting. I know I was left turning each page and wondering what would happen next. I was supplied this book through Netgalley as an ARC for an honest review.

This is usually exactly the type of book I choose. A good psychological thriller. However this book fell short for me. I found it to be lacking in places. I felt Isla was improbably as protagonist, With the exception of Gone Girl, it's difficult for me to continue with a book when the characters don't work for me, and this is exactly how I felt reading. I pushed through to finish it but this book just wasn't for me. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.