I received a free ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. This book was advertised to be a psychological thriller and compared to one of my favorite books, “The Couple Next Door”. However, “Liars” fell drastically short. There was no mystery or suspense in the book. It was very predictable from the beginning. There were a few times that I wanted to stop reading, but I wanted to confirm my sleuthing abilities. Jenny grew up in an abusive home with her mom, Sal, and her mom’s abusive boyfriend, Marc. Marc is physically abusive to Sal and sexually abusive to Jenny. Sal doesn’t believe Jen about the abuse. Jenny manages to convince Sal to leave Marc. Shortly after, his dead body is found and foul play is suspected. Years later, Sal is found dead by what police thought was falling in the snow. The deaths of those hurting Jenny seem to be adding up. Then Jenny announces she has a new boyfriend, David, who seems creepy from the beginning. This does not go with out notice from her best friend Freddie. But how far will David go to ensure Jenny is his?

I found this book slow at the start but it did improve the more I read. Lot of twists to the story

Frances Vick is a new author for me and her writing style excites me a true mysterious mysterious thriller making you wonder just who is telling the truth.
Jenny having had a traumatic and difficult childhood living with her alcoholic mother and her various no good boyfriends finally gets her mother to a refuge then a new house in a different town
David also had a difficult childhood even though he was from a loving home.
How do these two become involved, who is lying, who has something to hide, who is dangerous no spoilers you'll have to read it to find out well worth 4 stars

Liars is full of twists and turns and like its name, it seems like everyone is lying. Instead of trying to find the lies, it's easier for the reader to try to piece the truth together.

Jenny had a hard upbringing. She is now taking care of her mother. She has moved back home after her mother suffers a stroke. But, when her mother is found dead while Jenny was out, she feels devastated. She also seems to need an alibi. So this is how David enters the picture.

David seems to be the right guy to fall in love with. He's sweet, handsome, and rich. Yet, we know David is hiding secrets of his own.

Only one person is questioning David's intentions and that would be Freddy. Freddy is Jenny's best friend who has been there for Jenny whenever she needed a shoulder to cry on. He wants the best for her. He supports her blog and her decision to resume her studies. However, the more time Freddy spends with David, the more questions he has about him.

Well, I wanted to like Liars but I can only say that it was too predictable. Furthermore, it felt too long for me and it was in need of major editing. Unfortunately, I didn't like the main characters. Both felt flat for me. I never formed an attachment to them.

I do want to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for the advance digital copy.

Cliffhanger: No

2/5 Fangs

This is a very twisted thriller. The story is written from two perspectives, Jenny's and Davids. It is only towards the very end that the true story comes out. Everything is is very well written and the twists are a total surprise. The ending is really good. It brings everything together in a shocking way. This book will stay in my head for a while. I am still in shock. The deviousness in this book is so cleverly written and shows what some people are capable of.

I was totally sucked in to this storyline, avidly following David and Jenny as the plot wove through their lives. A great read.

Sorry, l didn't get a chance to read this. My amazon account has been hacked and l was having trouble getting it downloaded via another format. Thanks so much!

Wow! This is one of the best psychological thrillers I have ever read! So many twists! So many turns! I’ll be reading this one over and over! The writing was so intense, I read it in one sitting!
I would absolutely recommend this book!

LIARS starts with a young woman named Jenny, whose mother had died supposedly following a night of heavy drinking and walking alone in a deserted area of snow. Her best friend, Freddie, will do anything he can to make sure she is okay and feels emotionally supported. Then, she meets David, who says he went to school with her when they were younger. She doesn't remember him, but he quickly becomes a close person in her life. Freddie isn't sure what to think about it, but quickly feels that the "relationship" between Jenny and David is unhealthy, and decides to investigate his reasons for feeling that way.

I can't really say more without giving anything away. Even the book blurb doesn't really reveal much about the story. I was very torn between 3 and 4 stars. While I was initially interested in seeing where the story goes, the middle took a big dip and went into some background that I really just didn't find interesting. On top of that, the characters are all pretty unlikable. This doesn't always bother me, but in this book, it did.

The story eventually picks up in the third act, and it managed to shock me with the turns it took. I don't think I'm the only one who would say I didn't see it coming. I was happily surprised that it turned out to be a pretty good psychological thriller.

Frances Vick is a great writer, using imagery and mood to tell this story, along with the biting dialogue. While I wasn't particularly rooting for anyone and almost gave up in the middle, I'm glad I rode it out until the end. I would definitely be interested in reading another novel of hers, as this was not a bad one in my opinion. I just wish there wasn't the downfall in the middle.

Thank you to author Frances Vick, Publisher Bookouture, and NetGalley for an ARC of LIARS.

I had high hopes for this book. Jenny is a damaged woman with a difficult past. She has baggage. She finds some help in blogging about her troubles and reaching out to other damaged individuals online. Then there is David who seems so utterly perfect. Could her life be changing for the better?
I found it very difficult to get into this book. The first half in particular was very slow with paragraphs of descriptive thoughts that got rather tedious. When I find myself skipping chunks I know that I just haven't engaged.with the characters or the plot. The second half moved faster and improved but unfortunately I still hadn't engaged with the characters. This wasn't really the book for me.
I received a free copy of this book via Netgalley

See link to goodreads review

Rating: ★★★★☆

Jenny has had a rough life; a sick mother, an abusive ex-step father, no job and no money. She does have one thing though, David. David watches out for Jenny, knows how special she is and knows how much he needs her. Jenny, though, is clueless to David's existence. 

Liars, what a great title for this psychological thriller. The twists and turns throughout Jenny's story kept me guessing and wanting more. The majority of the book was great, but some areas did take some sloughing through, unfortunately. Altogether though, this was a great psychological thriller.

Ooooh this one was good - it is an excellent psychological thriller and I was hooked at the end!! It had a great pace and a really good plot, there were quite a few twists and even some shocks for me!

I really enjoyed the story and Jenny and David were fascinating characters - I thought I had guessed the ending about 75% of the way through - nope - completely wrong!!

Really enjoyed the whole thing and as this was my first book by Frances Vick, I am definitely looking forward to reading more from her - 4 stars from me for this one!!

Liars is set in a village named Marston and that’s all we really are told. The reader comes face to face with the past, alcoholism, abuse, mental health, misunderstanding, low self esteem, secrets, misinterpretations, guilt, the use/impact of social media, jealousy, manipulation and the truth.

Well OMFG what an addictive and mesmerising story! Told from multiple POV’s and unreliable narratives, you just have no clue who is telling the truth and what the real story is until BOOM! …everything unravels before you and you have to pick your jaw up off the floor …well I did anyway! The pace starts off slow, dripping with suspense and I have to admit, I wasn’t sure what I thought of it at first but something niggled at me that I just had to keep turning the pages.There is a real depth to this story, and each layer is revealed as you read on. I liked how we start off in the present and end up jumping to the past as the reader is delivered this intricate storyline. Absolutely brilliant!

There are various complex and compelling characters that move the plot forward but I am going to share my thoughts on the main three: Jenny (or Jay); Freddie and David. What a fascinating triangle of twisted craziness with this lot!

Jenny (also known as Jay on her blog) comes across initially as a worrier and very concerned at how others perceive her. Training to be a counsellor while caring for her alcoholic mom who has had a stroke we see many insecurities crop up. Online she seems to be a different person and I was completely unsure what I felt about Jenny or Jay as her character left me conflicted.

Freddie is Jenny’s BFF. He comes across as quite needy but would also do anything for Jenny. A bit of a softy but very protective I wondered a lot of the time if his jealousy made him look at things too deeply or if he was hiding secrets of his own….

David…hmmm…I didn’t particularly like him at all. I actually thought he was a bit of a weirdo but couldn’t quite put my finger on why. Then at times I thought I was being too harsh as he didn’t appear to have the greatest experiences in life himself. The thing with all the characters in the novel is, you just don’t know what to believe or trust..and I absolutely LOVED that!

If you like your psychological thrillers to really mess with your mind, then you will really enjoy Liars because when all was revealed I was left gobsmacked thinking WTAF!? There was an intensity to this story that well and truly had me reading cover to cover. Would I recommend this book – you bet your sweet arse I would! It is deliciously devious, twisted and grabs you by the cahonies before kicking you to the curb! I can’t wait to see what is next from Frances Vick’s clearly unscrupulous mind! Woohoo!

It took me a long time to get into this book, it was very wordy and not in a lyrical sense, but more the author was trying get you to see what they wanted you to see, not allowing you to imagine it in your own mind.
The protagonist was fantastic.

This is a book of two halves from my perspective and the pace certainly picks up in the second half. I found the early parts of the book a bit tedious to be honest, especially the 'blogs' where I found the responses to Jenny's blogs superfluous. The characters were all flawed personalities, apart from Freddie, so it was difficult to relate to them.

Kept me going. Didn’t know what route it was taking which is not a bad thing. Shows the damage bad parenting can do which is a tragedy. Well written

Liars delves into the art of manipulation, lies and secrets, the threads of psychology wrap around the two main characters Jenny and David, the shades of lies ever changing distorting the reality of each character. Or is it the whole truth of Jenny and David’s lives clouded by the different paths each has taken until they both collide.

Fliting between Jenny and David I was agog at how much I hated each character, but in the next instant I started to feel sorry for them. How could Frances torment my mind, churning my emotions before slamming back to the what the hell feeling, absorbed by the intense, unbelievable actions a character unfurls in front of me, sending me straight back to the edge.

Frances has certainly encapsulated the feeling of a multitude of layers which needed peeled back to determine which character is responsible for which lie. All the while bringing the conclusion one step closer, will all you questions be answered, the tension and knowledge gained is it enough, well we will just have to see…..

Liars, a book of masterful deception written with the intension of each reader absorbing the lies and determining the truth.

Thank you to Frances Vick, Bookouture and Noelle for the opportunity to read and review an advanced readers copy of Liars in exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.

This book has only three main characters and therefore I was impressed with how the story developed. After a while it seems you get to know Jane, David and Freddie better… till you spot the first lie. But although the story developed, I missed the real suspense. At some points it becomes rather predictable and I had some trouble getting my head around who was thinking wat at a certain stage.
One of the three is the really ‘bad person’ but this was no surprise at all because we read about how this person thinks and feels. It makes you shiver. Of the other two, one is a really deceptive person and the other is absolutely innocent and it is a pity what happens to this person.
All in all I enjoyed the book, but not so much as to give it more than 3 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My Review: 4/5

This is one of those books that I can say, “well I certainly didn’t expect that”. I get tired of books being so predictable and easy to figure out. Liars was a pleasant change from the predictability.

Liars started out slow for me. However, about a quarter of the way through it picked up. Jenny learns her mother has died from an accident. When the police question her, an unexpected witness appears stating he saw her the night of her mother’s death taking all suspicion off Jenny. Soon, the witness (David) becomes attached to Jenny and things start to take a curious turn.

Jenny’s best friend Freddie is suspicious of David, and when he starts uncovering hidden secrets he does everything he can to protect Jenny.

This is the beginning of the suspense and questions arise. Who is David? How long has he really known Jenny? The story unfolds and more and more secrets come out…just when I thought I knew the truth, more and more discoveries were made.

While the beginning of the book we a little confusin for me, the writing did a great job of pulling the story together. The characterization was superb, revealing each character just a little bit at a time, keeping the suspense alive.

If you want a story that will surprise you until the very end, pick up Liars today!

***Thank you to Bookouture for the opportunity of being part of the blog blitz.