This book had me hooked from the very first line.

"At first I mistook the severed head for something else."

This story is told in two narratives in alternating chapters:
1. from the past featuring Beth and her psychopathic daughter Hannah and
2. from present day, following Clara as she searches for her missing live-in boyfriend Luke.

For the first 75% of the book the reader is left trying to piece together the mystery of how these two seemingly unconnected stories are related.

The chapters featuring Hannah were by far my favorites despite the fact that Hannah is the cliché "bad seed". She's a deviant and violent child that presents with all of the typical behaviors as every other story with this same plot. But she's still fun no matter how many times I've read similar characters. I never tire of creepy kids.

I couldn't really relate to any of the characters nor did I like them. Aside from Clara, they were all self-serving and devoid of morals, especially the men.

Trying to piece together how this cast of characters could possibly be related is twisty suspenseful fun. I felt like the truth was always just right there in front of me, just enough out of reach to keep me fully engaged, eager to get to the hook.

And alas, that's where it all fell apart for me.

The final reveal is forgiveabley improbable had it not been so chaotic and rushed. Because of this, a book that up until that point had been a brilliant thriller turned mediocre for me.

The ambiguous last scene leaves the story open for a sequel that I would definitely be keen to check out.

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 for the first 75% of the book was riveting.


I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Clara and Luke are living a pretty good life in London, both young professionals who met working for the same company. They’re in love, they’ve moved in together. Then one day, Luke just disappears. Days go by, the police get involved, but no one knows what could have happened. And while it’s heartbreaking for Clara, it’s particularly tragic for Luke’s parents, warm and wonderful people who have felt like family to Clara, because 20 years earlier, their oldest child, Emily, just left one day … and never came home.

Clara, sick with worry, finally decides she’s going to try to start looking into some of Luke’s past girlfriends, because she finds on his computer that he’s received hundreds of disturbing texts and emails from a woman who is clearly unhinged and upset. What she finds out as she talks to some of these women isn’t necessarily helpful in the investigation. Or maybe it is. But she does find out some things that make her wonder how well she knew him.

The story alternates between the current day involving Luke’s disappearance and a few decades earlier, with the story of a young mother, Beth, who is worried her small daughter is sociopathic. Hannah is so young, but she doesn’t connect with her parents; she seems to be deliberately causing pain and problems in the people around her, enjoying the havoc, and it’s very disturbing. But Beth is harboring a secret, and it’s preventing her from being able to get help for Hannah — if professional intervention can even help her.

For much of the book, the stories don’t seem to intersect, and readers are left wondering, trying to piece together the possible connections. And then they do, and the results are explosive.

This novel is one of psychological suspense; the characters are dealing with secrets that are eating away at them, the effects radiating out into their relationships. Hannah is a dark and menacing figure, particularly because she is so young and exhibiting such disturbing behaviors.

I enjoyed the book, turning pages eagerly to see how it would all come together. It was interesting to get a few different points of view, including one near the end that was pretty brief, but I thought it was kind of tacked-on rather than a natural, seamless part of the story. My one main wish was that the book didn’t have SO much bad language. It just seemed so unnecessary.

Google doesn't much like duplicate content, so I will not copy-paste the entire review, since it is an original review on my site.

I will say this, however, that this was a great psychological thriller by a British author that I haven't heard of before but now has become one of my favorite thriller authors.

The full review can be viewed at: https://mysterysequels.com/book-review-lies-we-told-camilla-way.html

Oh my! The Lies We Told is a suspenseful, secrets & lies filled thriller!

Going back and forth between the past and the present we see the unfolding of two POVs. You know the stories will collide at some point but there is so much redirection and guessing that takes place along the way. I was riveted by both stories. The opening scene was chilling! First we meet Beth in 1986, a stay-at-home mother who is struggling with her daughter Hannah. Hannah was such a tantalizing character. There is something beyond frightening about a troubled child. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, waiting to see what would happen next with her. Then we meet Clara in 2017 who is the opposite of Hannah in every way. She personified trust, hope and goodness. Unfortunately, Clara wakes up one morning to discover that her boyfriend never made it home and is missing.

As I stated, you know these two stories converge. The questions are how and why. I'll be honest and say I was feeling pretty confident about having this one all figured out. The pieces began to fall into place and then I noticed there was still about 15% of the book left. What? How? Oh yes, plot twist!

This psychological thriller was filled with dark secrets, lies and satisfying twists!

I love a good psychological thriller and The Lies We Told by Camilla Way did not disappoint. The author gives us two story lines- one set in 1986 and the other in the present. I thought the dual story line worked *so* well- I was trying my best to figure out how they would be connected but will admit to not having it all figured out by the time it was revealed. I felt very invested in the characters- in particular Clara. There were so many twists and deep dark secrets! I really enjoyed this book and was quite surprised at the ending.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

I'm really on the fence about this one, rating-wise.  There was something about the plot that really drew me in, because I kept grabbing my Kindle to read a bit more when I should have been doing other things (I can do that because I am big).  My problem was that I struggled to find common ground with any of the characters.  With only a couple of exceptions, I didn't care one way or another how they would be affected when all was said and done.  But I sure did like the story line!         

<spoiler>With regard to the death of Lucy, the bird, I had to stifle myself when Daddy Doug lamely opined that maybe a fox did it.  Seriously?  Did the fox then trot upstairs and carefully place the severed head on the pillow, too?  Bah!</spoiler>

Wow ,just wow ,what a great story to read on this cold and wet gloomy day.What can I say I loved it, loved how creepy it was and dark ,loved how you get the stories told in 2 different perspective , and how the story comes together, how it reaches out and hooks you and won't let go , how twisted it is and how it keeps surprising you unit the very end .Thanks Netgalley for letting me read and review it in change for my honest opinion. Plus another thing I loved about it was how it kind of reminds me of The book baby teeth ,because of how creepy and crazy one of the characters are.

Twisted, excellent psychological thriller. I can’t say enough about this book! Many layered story woven together with excellent timing that will shock the reader and break their heart. I literally read this in less than 24 hours because I could not put it down. The story of a couple desperate for a baby who finally gets their wish, only to find that this child isn’t like other children. Several families lives are altered by the actions of one sociopath. Fantastic book. This is the first book I have read by Ms. Way but it will not be the last.

When Clara's boyfriend, Luke, disappears, everyone believes that he's left her, but Clara thinks she knows the truth. Recent evidence suggests that Luke had a stalker, and Clara worries that he's been kidnapped. Then Luke's older sister, Emma, who vanished twenty years ago, suddenly reappears.
Emma wants to help Clara with her search for Luke, but she refuses to talk about what happened--even though it nearly destroyed her family when she vanished. And the deeper Clara digs into Luke's mysterious disappearance, the more convinced she is that the two incidents are connected.

WOW! Talk about edge of the seat and not putting this book down. In this story you will meet 2 families and you will learn things from their past and then all of a sudden that story intertwines with what is going on. Clara will also learn things about Luke, from his best friend and then people in his past. You will come to care for Clare , Mac Rose and Oliver. Not to mention Doug and Beth. The very end will also surprise you as well. Well at least it did me. I also did not know what to think of Luke's brother Tom. I didn't trust him and he just seemed weird. I highly recommend this book.

I was granted access by netgalley.com to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was hooked my in the first few pages, and I had a tough time putting it down! Intriguing and suspenseful, I'll recommend to all lovers of psychological thrillers!

Clara’s boyfriend, Luke, disappears and is last seen getting into a van. Clara and Luke’s family and friends are beyond worried as they desperately try to figure out what has happened. In alternating chapters, we learn about Hannah, who has psychopathic tendencies from a very young age. She terrorizes her family and others in the community with absolutely no remorse. As the story progresses, we learn how the two stories are related in a shocking set of circumstances. The lives of many people are drastically impacted by one terrible act.

This had an absolutely frantic pace to it and I loved it. The alternating chapters really worked for me in creating intense drama that I couldn’t get enough of. There are layers upon layers of unexpected twists. Character development was also outstanding and I felt particularly invested in Clara’s destiny. An overused word I know, but this was truly “unputdownable.” A gem for fans of psychological thrillers. 5 stars!

Many thanks to Netgalley, Berkley Books and Camille Way for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Layered and suspenseful, The Lies We Told tells the stories of main characters Beth and Clara, their alternating perspectives switching from past to present. Beth is a mother with serious concerns about her daughter Hannah, Clara is a distraught girlfriend after her boyfriend goes missing one night, and somehow their stories are connected. The two stories are very different, one the picture of a loving family, the other of a relationship that might not have s secure a foundation as they thought. While the storylines are different, the fear is the same, someone is or already has been hurt. As Beth tries to protect her family and others from Hannah she uncovers holes in her relationship and realizes that her corner is empty, there is no one to fight alongside her. As Clara leans on those around her, hoping that diving into Luke's past will help them find his stalker, she realizes that no one is what they seem. The secrets that have shaped their lives are about to be revealed.

I really enjoyed The Lies We Told, though I admit I am always a bit freaked out by any book with genius smart children that lack empathy and exhibit seriously concerning behavior. No thank you. I'm glad I read on though, because it felt like I got a reprieve from Hannah while I read about Clara's hunt for Luke, at least until the stories met in the middle. There are so many secrets and lies, with those from the past, from Beth's chapters, still affecting life around those in Clara's chapters. The two do read very differently though, with Beth's perspective presented in first and Clara's perspective presented in third. When the stories do meet and the initial mystery is solved Camilla Way shocks readers with several new twists that both grab your attention and wrap the story up quite nicely.

The Lies We Told was a fairly quick read for me, the suspense really pushes you to want to know more and as soon as possible. The story is certainly plausible, which I appreciated, and I felt a lot of sympathy both for the main characters and the secondary characters that make up the lives of Beth and Clara. Though I did predict one of the secrets the rest were unexpected and surprising for me, which I find pretty rare with domestic thriller type novels. If you like your books suspenseful and your characters a bit creepy, The Lies We Told is a must read.

It is super rare for me to give a psychological thriller 4.5 stars, but this one was incredible, and I devoured it in one sitting. Electrifying, heart-stopping, and it gave me all the chills! This super twisty thriller had all my boxes ticked - terrifying child character, secrets, lies, and suspense. I did not see the ending coming, and thoroughly enjoyed the different POV's. Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to read this one!

Thank you so much for this ARC!

I see this book EVERYWHERE and was thrilled to receive a copy. It did not disappoint. I loved the story being told in two different time frames, ultimately coming together as one in the end.

I really wasn't sure how the plot would turn out. Usually I can figure things out, but this kept me guessing until the very end. This was definitely not a complicated novel at all, it was easy, enjoyable, yet still suspenseful. Keep writing!

I really liked this thriller and the suspense continued to build until the end. The characters were for the most part believable and their stories played out well. I received a copy from NetGalley and the publisher and this is my honest opinion.

The story in this psychological thriller is told by two different women from two different time periods. The first story comes from the past through Beth whose daughter Hannah isn’t quite like other children. In fact, she exhibits behaviors that cause Beth to fear for the safety of her family. Beth relates Hannah’s story from childhood until late into her teenage years. And each additional story about Hannah is more frightening than the previous one.

The story in the present is being told by Clara. Her boyfriend, Luke, has disappeared and she is trying to find out what might have happened to him. From his email correspondence she knows that he may have a stalker. But she is not sure if it could have anything to do with his disappearance. And also recently someone has broken into their apartment. She is at a loss as to where he might have gone or as to who might have taken him and she is on a mission to find answers.

The women continue telling their stories until the two threads converge nicely in an unexpected and thrilling conclusion. Until that point the reader is left to guess what relationship one might have to the other and many conclusions can be drawn along the way.

The narrative clues certainly keep the reader on pins and needles because every time there seems to be a logical answer to Luke’s disappearance a new path opens, and the reader along with Clara must start looking again for answers. The characters, especially Hannah, are well drawn. The plot moves along at a brisk enough pace with plenty of twists and turns to hold reader attention.

The book takes an interesting look at how one’s decisions can change the course of many lives including those of family members. And the book also, in its own way, addresses the question of nature versus nurture.

In concluding, I am not telling a lie when I say that it is an entertaining and suspenseful book that you should add to your reading list. Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this eBook.

In The Lies We Told, we alternate between the past and present. In the past, we meet Beth and Doug who are realizing that their young daughter is showing some very obvious signs of being a psychopath. She’s bullied kids at school, killed her mother’s precious pet bird (leaving the bird’s head on the pillow next to Beth while she slept), started a fire in a room while at daycare, and pushed her younger brother Toby down the stairs. All with no sense of remorse. Beth knows that something is terribly wrong, but visits with child psychologists do not provide any answers. Then, almost overnight, Hannah’s demeanor changes and for a time Beth and Doug think that perhaps Hannah has turned a corner and they breathe easy for a while. They’ll soon learn how very wrong they were.

In the present, we meet Clara and Luke, a young couple in love who have recently moved in together. Other than a weird upstairs neighbor who often blasts her music, Clara and Luke are in a really good place. Until one morning when Clara wakes to find that Luke never came home. She immediately tries to call him only to find his cell phone in the apartment. He’d had a very important meeting at work that day and it was completely unlike him to do anything that would jeopardize his job. When she begins to call friends and realizes no one has heard from him, she’s sure that something has happened to him. She goes to the police who are less than helpful until she shares information with them about soem threatening emails she finds on Luke’s laptop. Leaning that puts a whole new light on Luke’s disappearance, and they begin to investigate in earnest.

The story then unfolds, bouncing back and forth between the past and present so that the reader can begin to form their own conclusions and theories about what may have happened, who the bad guy is and how all these characters are connected. This is what I love about this genre. Trying to connect the dots, find the connections between the characters and attempt to figure out the mystery as the author tells her story.

I was totally drawn in. The character of Hannah had my skin crawling even as I was fascinated with her. As secrets and lies are revealed, it was easy to conclude that there was so much more to what was going on and that there was going to be some point where past and the present would intersect and collide. I was all in as I read through and just when I thought all had been revealed and maybe finally these poor people could get on with their lives, the author reveals one…more….thing…and then the story ends.

This was not okay with me. Perhaps this is the way of this genre, leaving a story open ended, causing the reader to question the whole freaking book, but whatever, I don’t like it. Not quite a cliffhanger, because there are some definite conclusions-but we are left hanging nonetheless. Still, I have to give props to this author for the way she weaved the story and brought it all together. I had to sit back and remove my being pissed at how the book ends from the equation, because the story is well thought out and keeps the reader engaged throughout. Additionally, there were two things that happened that didn’t quite make sense to me, but to reveal them would be a bit spoilery. I believe they may have been plot devices. One to cause the reader to question Luke’s personal character and the other to perhaps prove a point where Beth is concerned. I wish this particular item had been explored as we lose sight of Beth in the second half. I only mention because they do affect my overall feelings toward the story.

There’s something especially chilling about the evil kid genre. Whether she’s featured in a movie or a book, The Bad Seed (both the original and the new Lifetime version) is born this way, which makes her incorrigible, inexplicable, and destined for horrible things. A few months ago, Atlantic magazine even featured an article about treating child psychopaths, implying that it’s not an uncommon concern. Click on the link below to read my complete review.

It can be difficult to write a review of a psychological thriller without giving anything away. I will just say that this was a nice, quick read with some twisty plot developments. However, I think I had figured out all of the plot twists before they happened. I guess that's what happens when you read so many of these types of thrillers -- but I still enjoyed it.

From the beginning to the end of this book there are so many lies, twists and turns in this story. The story told in two time periods by different characters at first seem a little confusing. It took awhile to get into the story but by then I had to find out the ending. The one thing that really turned me off was the language. How many 'f' words does an author really need? This novel was not very realistic but very suspenseful.