After the first few pages, I knew this was a book I wasn’t going to be able to put down, until I got to The End. If you like absolutely unpredictable, twisted suspense as much as I do, you can't go wrong with this book!

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

Extraordinary storytelling! This is so well written that it was effortless to read. The only effort required was to stop reading. Multilayered and complex, the plot was engrossing and well paced. The characters were fully fleshed out, doing both reprehensible and admirable things, with both good and bad intentions. The locations were vividly described. I enjoyed virtually experiencing the beauty of the Outer Banks of North Carolina, and cringed at the terrible living conditions some characters were forced to endure. I could not believe the incredibly foolish choices made by people who were not generally foolish, reflecting my experience of how people behave. The ending was deeply satisfying and I appreciated that the final events were revealed from the perspective of years in the future.
Excellent book. I will be reading much more from this author and highly recommend her to you as well.

The Liar’s Child was released back in 2019, so it’s been a while since I read this one during a time when I just fell behind on actually writing up my reviews.

The main character Sara is supposed to be going into witness protection and is set up in a run-down apartment in a small town off the Carolina coast. Though she tries to avoid people and keep to herself, she continuously finds herself entangled with the family next door, particularly twelve-year-old Cassie.

Cassie is twelve trying to go on twenty. Since her mother’s disappearance, she is acting out and sneaking out more and more, but also takes care of her five-year-old brother while her father is frequently at work. Cassie’s situation broke my heart. She was this little girl trying to act so tough and grown-up, but really just needing someone to take care of her and her brother.

It is all too real how many kids grow up in this type of unhealthy environment without proper care or even food in the refrigerator. Some parents may be selfish and neglectful, but others are busy working for a paycheck that barely covers the rent. This novel really brought that conversation to the forefront and highlighted the circumstances when impoverished and overlooked.

It wasn’t particularly fast-paced, but it was definitely an emotional read and I still remember Cassie and Boon’s desperation for a loving family so vividly.

This book was a quick easy read, but I really enjoyed this story and would love to read more from this author.

The thing that first sold me about The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley was the cover. I saw it and was instantly intrigued, then I read the synopsis and knew I had to read it since I love a good book about family. Unfortunately, it ended up falling a little flat for me, but that wasn’t to say I didn’t enjoy it. I was really into it when I started, and I loved the way the chapters are broken up into different viewpoints. I also loved the mystery surrounding Sara's past as well as the aspect of missing kids, but neither of them ended up being quite what I was hoping for. I was a little confused about what this book wanted to be, and instead of the mystery I was hoping for after reading the beginning, it was more literary fiction with a few mysterious elements. The majority of the part the synopsis talks about isn't until towards the middle to end of the book and I think my favorite parts were those leading up to that.

I enjoyed The Liar's Child on audiobook and was happy with the narrator George Newbern, but I do wish there had been a female narrator for the many chapters from female viewpoints. That being said, I thought that his narration was very engaging, and in another book with more of a male viewpoint, I would have loved him. I think if you are going to read this you just have to go in expecting it to be more of a drama than anything else, and I don't agree with it being a thriller's pace either. This was more of a slow burn in my opinion with a very strong beginning. The middle is where I ended up not being as wowed as I was hoping to be, but then the last chapter made me tear up. Clearly, I am a little all over the place with my feelings. While this was not my favorite, I did enjoy Buckley's writing and I would definitely read her again with more aligned expectations.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This book starts of with several characters. They seem like cameos. Just here meet Hank. Then it's off to meet someone else. Eventually there is Sara, Hank, Cassie and her brother Boon, and Whit that become the main crux of this tale. They are all in North Carolina. Now, add the storm I hate the most, a hurricane to blow apart this little area called Paradise, where people drift through on vacations.

What I didn't like. They characters never really connected or resounded with me. I sure did try, as I guess they did. They didn't mesh. The events are very, very slow. A lot of big things happened "off screen." We get told that happened, but not much more. The MC's are so shallow.

What I did like. I liked the multiple POV's and that the author tried hard, and tried to make some twists for us.

Over all this book wasn't what I had hoped for and do you know who the liar's child is and why?
Thanks to NetGalley for my digital copy of this book. This review is my own, left freely.

I found myself enjoying this book immensely. The characters are relatable - I could easily pick out some of my own relatives in some of these characters. The storyline moves along nicely.

She has to protect her daughter. When her secrets start to unravel, she gets even more desperate to keep her daughter safe. Can she keep her daughter safe from her secrets?

Sara Lennox goes into witness protection. She is situated in a run down apartment on the Outer Banks. She is given an old car and a job with a cleaning service as she waits to testify at a trial for a former client of hers.

Meanwhile, she plans an escape. Things are interrupted when a hurricane threatens and she gets stuck rescuing two children in the apartment next door.
Their father has not shown up at home during the storm. Their mother disappeared or some harm came to her, about six weeks ago.

This is a good mystery. The best thing about it is Sara’s putting aside her own feelings to deal with some unpleasantness associated with the two children she rescues.

The Nelson family lives in an apartment complex called the Paradise. Unfortunately, is is anything but a paradise. Life is hard for Cassie and her brother, Boon. Although their parents tell them they love them they are lacking being able to help and protect their children, both mentally and physically. Cassie, who is in high school is hanging out with the wrong crowd and Boon still wet's his bed and sucks his thumb.

Sara Lennox, just relocated to the Paradise as a part of the Witness Protection program. She lives next door to the Nelson family. Sara is trying to live an anonymous life. The Nelson family, however, is a complete mess. The mother has made a very big mistake, and the father doesn't know what to do.

A hurricane hits suddenly changing everyone's life. An exciting and thrilling read written with great characters and depth. A great read!

This is absolutely not my usual sort of read.

I expected more of a thriller. What I got was a drama filled with painfully broken people. These characters were incredibly far removed from my own life - and I loved them.

Looking at the reviews, I think I loved this more than many readers. There's a certain sparsity of language about the author's style. You don't get lushly described settings and flowery language. Instead, each word is chosen with care, sparingly, and so much story is told in a line of dialogue or a fleeting expression on a character's face.

In fact, the author gives us a game changer - a huge holy crap what did I just read game changer - in a a few lines in one small paragraph - and it turns the story on its end!

I thoroughly enjoyed this and can't wait to read the author again.

Excellent Book! I love Carla Buckley! Just started reading her and really enjoy her. I have just recently started reading family dramas. I look forward to her next book coming out.

This one just didn't do it for me. The story didn't hold my attention and wasn't the thriller I expected. The characters also just didn't connect with me. I ended up marking it as a DNF at the 35% mark.

Sara Lennox has a lot to hide. She has a complicated past. So, the Paradise apartments, although a far cry from what its name implies, is the perfect place for her. Next door live two children who seem to be on their own a lot. As she puzzles out what is going on in that family, she reminds herself to mind her own business in order to protect her anonymity. But when a huge storm threatens the nearby , she decides to save those two children, driving them far from danger, risking her own safety.

I really enjoyed the building excitement of this book and I went through it quickly, wanting to know what would happen. The characters were well-developed, too. Sadly, I felt that the ending fell flat, and it lacked the details and resolution I had been hoping for. What a letdown!
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

She's on the run, in the witness protection program, using her new name - Sara Lennox.

She's a mother who disappeared after accidentally leaving her son locked in a hot car on a sweltering day. Diane has disappeared, and her husband and children don't know where she is.

She's in 7th grade, and is in charge of her little brother while her Dad works and her mom is who-knows-where. Cassie is angry, sad, and a typical teenager.

These characters are part of the make up this exciting thriller. We don't know exactly what Sara did, but we know she doesn't like her current situation. We don't know where Diane went, and we don't know what's going to happen to Cassie and her little brother. All of these questions, and then a hurricane bears down on the Outer Banks, where they live in an apartment complex called The Paradise. Everyone, and everything, is in turmoil.

Thanks to NetGalley and Ballentine Books for a copy of this suspenseful novel in exchange for my review.

4 stars

I had no idea where this was going. Twists and turns abound! It was an entertaining read. Many of the characters were flawed, but isn’t that life?

Loose ends...this one would have easily been five stars for me if not for the feeling that it wasn’t finished. Carla Buckley writes a great suspense story, and this one is no exception. When Whit's wife disappears, everyone assumes that she’s simply taken off as she’s done many times before. The author makes no secret of what really happened to her. Or so you’re lead to believe. Whit is left behind to pick up the pieces while trying to hold his fractured family together. Almost-teenager Cassie is moody and secretive and unpredictable. Five-year-old Boon is clingy while at the same time being far too independent for a child so young. Add in the intrigue of a new neighbor looking for a fresh start but not really. And then there’s the other missing children. Oh and the hurricane. Seems like a lot but it really does come together nicely. Except the ending...still wondering.

The Liar's Child by Carla Buckley was not the book for me although I know that others loved this book.

I was instantly drawn into this story and found it hard to put down. The main character, Sara Lennox, is in the Witness Protection Program until she testifies in a trial, and as a result, has been temporarily relocated to the Outer Banks. She is a very solitary individual and keeps to herself. Two children who live in the apartment next door appear to have a somewhat dysfunctional family situation and little by little Sara is pulled into their lives. When a hurricane hits the Outer Banks, Sara winds up taking the children with her to safer ground, as their parents are nowhere to be found.

Ms. Buckley has written a unique and absorbing story, with its occasionally brutal descriptions of the both the children and the weather. Strongly recommend.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Carla Buckley, and the publisher Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for allowing me to read this ARC. This is my honest opinion of this book.

THE LIARS CHILD
BY CARLA BUCKLEY

Carla Buckley is a skilled and effective storyteller who has a keen ability to develop complex and flawed characters perfectly nuanced to fit in with her plot. This narrative is told from multiple points of view. I had a good idea who to trust as their are many unreliable narrators who lie and this story is filled with characters who all have secrets. There are some pretty awful things that a few of these characters do that propels this story forward.

The Paradise apartments is a character itself in this story and the name is ironic due to the unfriendly people who live there. They don't stay long. It is located on the Outer Bluffs of North Carolina and a perfect place for Sara to lie low always looking for a way to escape. She will make a decision that could affect everybody and have deadly consequences for her. She has been placed in the Witness protection program by the FBI because she is to be a witness against a human trafficking ring. She has a dank one bedroom apartment and she witnesses her neighbors the Nelson's arguing through the thin walls of her next door neighbors. She is concerned for the welfare of the children and rightly so.

This is a domestic family drama that is a lo so thrilling and pulse pounding suspense Carrie's this story forward and kept me turning the pages. This novel really held my interest and kept me entertained throughout the entire story
I had read this author's book, "The Good Goodbye and it is one of my all time favorites. Which is why when I saw this book available to request I immediately did so. I am so glad that I did because I loved it. Even though at times I felt sorry for a few of the characters.

Diane and Whit Nelson are Sara's neighbors and although I felt sorry for Whit and could understand why he was trying to keep his family together, at times I would feel frustrated by Whit and his wife Diane's irresponsible parenting often leading their two children Cassie twelve and Boon five to fend for themselves. Diane went to work one day and left her five year old in a scorching hot car seat strapped in as she forgot him and went to work. Boon landed in the hospital and he is alright physically but psychologically damaged. Cassie also shows stains of Diane's absence from her family as she regularly takes off in her car for a few days or a week leaving Cassie only twelve to take care of Boon and do the things a normal mother would do to take care of her children.

There is a category three hurricane that is headed for the Outer Bluffs off the coast of North Carolina and Whit leaves his two children home alone to fend for themselves while he goes to help his elderly parents repair the damage done to their home. This gives Sara the idea on impulse to get the two children and drive of the outer Bluffs. Her car is the last one to escape the Island but could have deadly consequences for her. It also has consequences for Whit.

The two story lines converge and I was captivated by the thrilling story that ensues in the second half of the book. This was a great premise for a story filled with action and characters who I worried about. I really enjoyed this and am going to read Carla Buckley's other three novels I haven't read.

Thank you to Net Galley and Carla Buckley and Random House and Ballantine Books for generously providing me with my ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions are my own.