White Lies was a uniquely written, edge of your seat thriller that took hold of me from the beginning! The back and forth of who was at fault, who was victim, who was predator... just screwed with my mind until the end! I absolutely loved this book!

I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Now this was a good one.

I read a lot of thrillers and yet I haven't really read anything like White Lies. The story starts with our doctor protagonist Alex sleeping with a random guy she meets in Ibiza, only to return home to realise that she has accidentally slept with a teenage patient of hers. The story flips perspectives so you hear her side first, followed by Jonathan's and then some other characters' as well for good measure. This is the kind of thriller that makes you doubt everything the characters say, but in a really enjoyable way that means you can't put the book down. I loved how the reader was made to doubt Alex and how this was mirrored by the doubts of both the media and her husband in-story. I also liked how Alex was kept at a little bit of a distance from the reader in comparison to the other characters, despite her being the first POV we get. Not returning to her head after we hear Jonathan's side continued that doubt and kept the reader guessing in a really effective way.

In general, the writing style here is very good. All the characters are well-developed and have a unique voice to them. The only minor gripe I had was that the author seemed to have certain vendettas which unfortunately leaked their way into the story. For example, at one point a character complains about how people can become famous on Youtube for doing nothing, and this is mentioned again later by a different character. It's not plot-relevant and it seems like Dawson just wanted to rant a little about social media. There are a few little moments like that with the teenage characters as well which just seem a bit off. However, I have read far worse-written teenage characters, especially in thrillers.

Overall, this was a nice little surprise in a genre I am very familiar with. The actual mystery aspect isn't too complicated which bumped down the rating a little, though there was still an unexpected moment or two. The strength of this thriller is the characters and how you get invested in finding out which ones you can trust, and it is this that drives the book rather than lots of surprising twists and dramatic happenings. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely seek out more from the author.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5

A really gripping thriller,a page turner but who is telling the truth.
I could not put this book down,looking for clues all the characters seem to be telling the truth definitely a must read,although it was a bit disappointed st the end thought that I had missed something but a grest thriller.

Ahhh! This book was so good! I could not put it down! So many twists and turns! You never knew who to trust! It was amazing!

OH MY....this one did not disappoint.
The twists, the turns....SOOO good.
What I loved: the author writes a great story. I loved not being sure who was telling lies and who was telling truths. It was so good. I had love/hate relationships with almost all the characters because I didn't know who I was supposed to trust!!!
What I liked: see above...I LOVED IT.
What I hated: honestly...the epilogue. I kind of wish it would have been left hanging more. BUT, had it been left hanging I wouldn't have hated that, too. SO...it's a catch-22.
Actual stars....4.75

This is hands down one of the best books I have read in a long time!!! Told in many perspectives this is either a story of a hideous exploitation of a young teenager, or a corrupt pack of lies designed to increase someone’s social media following! Obviously I won’t ruin it by telling everyone which one it is!
I felt physically sick with worry at times - the twists were slick and believable, and everyone’s side of the story was totally plausible. I couldn’t put this down - and was on the edge of my seat for most of it - always guessing who was lying! Just gutted I have finished it!

This was the first book I had ever read of Lucy Dawson's and boy what a first book!! I was finding every reason to sit and read this and I was so desperate to know what was going on!!
.
Alex is a well liked and well respected GP in a small community with a happy family...until she oversteps the mark with one of her patients, Jonathan. This could result in the breakup of her marriage and the loss of her job....her world starts to fall apart at the seams. .
I was surprised at the way this book panned out, there were some huge twists and turns that hit you out of nowhere and keep you wanting more!!
I was a little disappointed with the ending? I wasn't entirely sure why and I don't think I missed anything? But up until the last couple of chapters it was fast paced and exciting, an absolute must read 😍😍
.
I want to thank @netgalley and @lucydawsonbooks for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a full and honest review.

Alex is a respected GP and when she meets Jonathan in Ibiza and they sleep together Alex thinks that is all there is to it until she returns home and realises Jonathan is her patient and he is only 17.

In the story we are given Alex’s version of events, how she didn’t know Jonathan was her patient at the time and how he has began to stalk her. Jonathan’s version is completely different, Alex and he have been having an affair for three months and now she won’t leave him alone.

An excellent book full of suspense which leaves you not knowing which version of events is true, several twists along the way with an unexpected conclusion.

Wow! What a storyline, I was immediately sucked in this book from the very first page, we met Alex is who is a doctor and is on a girls weekend in Ibiza, she's pretty low after her husband had a one night stand with his work colleague, Alex wakes up in her hotel room in bed next to a man she dosent know... fast forward when Alex is back home and at work this man turns up at the doctors surgery and is in fact one of her patients and happens to be only seventeen years old! Alex swears she had no recollection of Jonathan being one of her patients. I sympathised with Alex and what she has been through, but then we hear Jonathan's side of the story and it makes you question everything?! Who is telling the truth? Just when I thought I'd figured out who was lying you'd be hit with another breath taking twist, I've seen a few reviews where other readers were a bit disappointed with the ending, I actually found the ending very satisfying and a twist I didn't see coming. I was kept guessing until the very end, I'd count down the hours until I'd get my next fix of the story. I've read other Lucy Dawson books and I'm a huge fan she definitely knows how to draw you in. Thank you to netgalley for my copy, I'm thrilled I enjoyed this book, you won't be disappointed.

Wow this was a thrilling read. The characters are so well written you can actually have empathy and are willing things to get better for a person who has committed a pretty awful act. This story drags you in and then BAM a whole change of scenario which leaves you open mouthed. A fantastic story with a great ending.

What a book! I loved it. I was gripped from page 1 right until the end.
I’ve read all of Lucy Dawson’s other books but this is definitely my favourite.

Gripping read with an unexpected ending. My first book by this writer.

Wow! I could not put this down once I started it. It was that good! Make sure that you leave a lot of time to read it, as you will want to read it in one sitting.

I'm not even sure where to start with this one as it literally blew my mind! I love that it references the Weinstein scandal and turns the tables on the subject of sexual harassment by questioning whether it is the adult woman doctor or the young 17-year-old male student telling lies and obsessing over the other. Is it truly a drunken one-night-stand at a "girls' weekend getaway" gone wrong, or is the good doctor looking to further her fantasies about a handsome young man? And is he obsessed with this attractive older woman or simply looking to further his social media platform and gain fame? Are these all little white lies or bigger, blacker lies intended to keep secrets buried deeper?
Told from alternating perspectives of the doctor, the young man, his girlfriend, the husband, and the doctor's associate, this novel literally left me breathless wondering where the truth really lies as it is not until the very end that it is revealed. This book tore out my heartstrings and stomped on them! It's one I will be thinking about for a long time. A must-read!

I was given an ebook arc of white lies and oh my goodness I couldn’t read it fast enough. It grabs you from page 1 and refuses to let you go. It kept me up at night I needed to know what happened. The outcome will not leave you disappointed!!

The book started with a bang (literally), a doctor (ahem ahem) Alex goes for girls' weekend to Ibiza to relax and enjoy. What happens in Ibiza should have remained in Ibiza! But unfortunately a night of fun, dance, drinks, and sex (a one-night stand) with a young man Jonathan soon gets exposed. Alex, back home, not only confesses to her husband, finds herself in the midst of a storm in the teapot. That young man who had done the dirty with her, is a 17 year school kid and her patient!!! Horrors!!! End of her  career as a doctor in a trusted position!!! Then the he says, she says begin....

Who is telling the truth? And who is the ultimate liar?

The entire book is written in the form of a testimony narration, initially by the young man Jonathan and is soon followed by the rest of the characters, Alex, her husband Rob and Jonathan's girl friend Cherry. The author, Lucy Dawson has found a very novel, interesting way to present this thriller. Each chapter made me feel like a pendulum swaying tick-tock by the second, as per the character's narration.

I love the author's way of writing. She made every character appear to be earnestly truthful and honest to the core. Jonathan and Alex had their own truths, and I had no way of verifying them. I kept searching for clues in each page. Every chapter made me believe in the veracity of their statement.

I literally breathed through the pages just to know one fact

Who the heck is telling me the truth???

And the truth is finally revealed. I felt a bit let down, as the ending could have been written better. I expected and I really wanted the grand rush of a finale, where the sound of the plot reaches a crescendo and reverberates in my ears, for days to come. But it was a good treble of an ending, a bit of a cop out, but nonetheless, an entertaining read!!

3.5* rounded up to 4*.

Alexandra ( Alex) Inglis is a respected family Dorcor, trusted by her patients to keep their most intimate secrets. When Alex oversteps a line with Jonathan, one of her patients, she knows she's gone too far.

At first I felt sorry for Alex, who, while on holiday, made a huge mistake in sleeping with someone. Then I did not know who to believe. Her husband is at home looking after their two young daughters. Then she finds out that the person, Jonathan, is a patient of hers and he is only seventeen! All the main characters tell their version of the story in blocks. Jonathan's version of his story is completely different from Alex's. I really liked this story until the conclusion. Then it all just seemed to fall apart. It would have been a definite 4* or maybe even more if the ending had been different.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bookouture and the author Lucy Dawson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

One simple mistake can ruin your life, except its not just one mistake.. or is it.....

This book blew my mind.. I could not have guessed the ending.

Who is telling the truth? You'd like to think it's Alex- the grown up who is a physician (even if this is about extramarital sex) but could it be 17 year old Jonathan? I liked the way Dawson played this out, with testimony and narrative from the whole range of people who know, or maybe don't know, what happened that night. It's a well written and creatively done novel. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. Try this for a different take in a psychological thriller.