I loved “The Night Olivia Fell” and when I reviewed it, I described it as “emotional and suspenseful”.

The relationship between Mother and Daughter felt so authentic and having to say “GOODBYE” was “heartbreaking”!


In this book, I am guessing that the author was going for more of a “thriller with twists you won’t see coming” story.

But, I preferred the style of her first book.-more of a suspenseful, women’s fiction book.



I missed the well developed characters and relationships of her debut., the more realistic dialogue, the anguish....
The “GOODBYES” in this book seemed too easy. the characters didn’t seem to feel any loss or pain.


This book required the reader to SUSPEND DISBELIEF, the entire time.
I don’t do well with that.
At all.

But, as you can see from the many 5 star reviews, there are definitely readers who have no problem doing that!
Perhaps YOU will be one of those readers??

Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review. This title will be released on Feb. 4, 2020.

I wanted to like this but everything was just really unbelievable, even from the get go. The main character gets struck by lightning and her mom is murdered all in one night and she doesn’t really seem bothered by any of it. Also a subplot that didn’t add much to the story but I saw it coming from a mile away.

Behind Every Lie's author uses creative and vivid imagery throughout the book.
Feelings, smells, sensations all take over and you can feel it when you read.. Great writing with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end. I highly recommend this book.

I loved this book! Every twist every turn! I thought I had it figured out but I still didn’t! Loved the characters, can’t imagine being in their position. Wow! This book isn’t out until February 2020 so thank you to Netgalley for my advanced ebook! I couldn’t put this down!

A fast-paced thriller, great for a cold early Autumm weekend. A bit predictable in places. but sometimes (as in this case) that's not a bad thing when you just want to zone out in fiction.

Behind Every Lie was a pretty fast passed book that keeps you guessing from the very beginning. There was a lot of twists and turns, a great second novel by Christina McDonald. Thank you NetGalley for the advanced copy.

This is a fast paced novel and a quick read. It kept me guessing the whole way through, although the ending did seem a tad abrupt and in hindsight, I am really shocked I didn’t guess the ending. Do not let my three star rating deter you from grabbing this book. It’s worth a read if you like mystery and thrillers.

If you’re a fan of Christina McDonald's debut, THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL (which you absolutely should be), you’re going to love her sophomore novel! Eva wakes up from being struck by lightning only to discover that her mother has been murdered—and she’s a suspect. She has no memory of her mother’s death, but police have evidence that she was with her mother when she was killed. In trying to clear her own name, Eva stumbles upon decades of secrets that will change everything she thinks she knows about her family and herself. Told from Eva’s perspective, as well as that of her mother in the years leading up to her own murder, this story has so many surprises that you won’t be able to stop reading. What I really love about Christina’s books is how she pairs propulsive suspense with deep, complicated, heartfelt relationships between her characters. It’s difficult to finish one of her books without shedding a few tears, and in this novel in particular, I found the themes of strength coming from brokenness to be particularly poignant.

Behind Every Lie held my interest to finish in two sittings. The book begins as Eva regains consciousness to discover she's covered in blood and her mom has been murdered. Escaping outside, she is struck by lightening, wakes up in a hospital with memory loss and becomes the prime suspect in her mom's murder. Readers are drawn into the mystery from both Eva's point-of-view and that of her mom, Katherine. Several plot lines unfold which are easy to follow and relatively predictable. I found it a light, interesting read.

Christina Macdonald has done it again. Behind Every Lie is a five star thriller that grabs you from the first page. This book is incredibly hard to put down, you have to keep reading because you need to find out what happened.
Eva wakes up after being struck by lightning with vague memories of blood on her hands. She is then told that her mother is dead and that she is the prime suspect. Against her doctor's orders, Eva checks herself out of the hospital and starts to investigate the events that occurred before she woke up. When Eva returns to her mother's house, she makes a discovery that rocks her world and sets her off to London to uncover her mother's past, a past that has long reaching consequences for Eva.
The story is told from both Eva and her mother Kat's point of view, weaving past and present into one fabulous story. Eva has to come to terms with her mother's past, lies, and death, all while trying to come to terms with her own past and trying to solve her mother's murder.
Behind Every Lie has twists and turns that keep you guessing at every turn. Just when you think you know the truth you are taken down another path in the labyrinth. This is a definite must read.

Behind Every Lie, by Christina McDonald is the perfect psychological thriller. The characters are ones you instantly love or love to hate. This book is filled with so many twists and turns! I was pulled into this book from the very first chapter, which is hard to do for me. There are so many aspects about this book that are mysterious and have you wanting answers immediately, but you need to wait patiently as everything is revealed.

I was honestly skeptical about reading this book. I loved The Night Olivia Fell so much and wasn’t sure the author could produce two amazing books in a row, but she sure did. Christina McDonald has an amazing way with words and made everything flow seamlessly. She truly captivated me with this book and I can’t wait for her to put out another!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

Like "The Night Olivia Fell," "Behind Every Lie" gripped me right away. I had to keep reading... had to find out what happened.


The story is told from both mother and daighter's point of view, and alternates with past/present perspectives at just the right time. McDonald has a way with words, developing characters in a way that makes them feel real and relatable.

With every lie and plot twist, I found myself truly invested and needing to get to the bottom of things!

“Behind Every Lie” is a well written and addictive suspense novel. I’m excited to read more from Christina McDonald.

What a great thriller! Eva wakes up in the hospital and discovers she was struck by lightening, the same night that her mother was murdered and it seems to be that she is a suspect! Eva can't remember what happened and as she starts to delve into the truth, she starts to uncover that her reality may not be what she thought it was. The story is also told in the perspective of her mother, leading up to the night of her death. The way the author weaves these two narratives together is well done. The mystery of the story kept me reading and I devoured this quickly. If you are looking for an edge of your seat mystery, check it out! Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is my second McDonald book and I read both of them in a day. This one was just as thrilling as the first. I didn’t really know what had happened the night Eva’s mom was murdered until the very end. When the main character can’t remember the night herself, you don’t know whether she is innocent or guilty through the whole story.
It was a fast read with the chapters alternating between Eva now and her mom Kat years leading up to the night she died.
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for this advanced reader copy.

Eva wakes up in the hospital with no memory of the previous night. Her mother has been murdered and she is a suspect. Eva has her own demons and her traumatic memories make her question her own innocence. While looking for answers she finds a letter from her mother and an address In London. Now not only is she trying to piece together that night, but her mother’s past as well.

More pieces of the puzzle are revealed from the POV of Eva’s mother Kat with her story beginning 25 years ago and leading up to the night of her murder.

This was an entertaining thriller that kept me turning the pages. It was just what I needed after some slower paced reads. However some aspects were unbelievable and some twists predictable. While i did enjoy it, it didn’t leave a lasting impression.

Eva is in the hospital after having been struck by lightening. When she awakens, she has some flashbacks but doesn't admit to remembering anything. Her controlling fiancé, Liam, is brought in telling Eva that her mother died, also, on the day Eva was struck by lightening. Also, Eva finds out that she was in the area of her mother's house when the lightening strike took place. This she does not remember.

We see back and forth drama of Eva's mom, Kat, and her struggles. Eva's father had been abusive to Kat but he had been out of the picture before Eva was barely a toddler.

Jacob, Eva's old friend, becomes her voice of reason as she goes to London to find (?) David - whom she doesn't understand how he fits in to all of this. Andrew, Eva's brother, is a lawyer who wants Ava to turn herself in as the (circumstantial) evidence seems to be pointing towards Eva.

A great plotline and good character depiction.

Many Thanks to Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley for a good read!

If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?
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Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.

Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself. Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past.
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This book was a roller coaster ride of intense twists and turns. Just the way a mystery should be. It was written in alternating perspectives of Kat and Eva. It kept me wanting more and with each page questioning who and what.
The relationship between Kat and Eva shows the ever growing and struggling mother-daughter ties that bond two people together. It’s complex, shattering, loving and distorted by the secrets they keep.
The story line is intriguing and the characters well developed making you either love them or hate them. Plenty of times I thought I had it figured out only to realize I was wrong. It was fast paced and full of surprises. It keeps you wondering which character is strong enough to keep their lies and secrets buried until the end.
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Thank you to Netgalley, the author Christina McDonald, and the publisher for this digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Another great story by Christina McDonald. I was afraid I wouldn’t like this one as much as The Night Olivia Fell but it was just as gripping and interesting!

First Gripping Sentence:

What have I done?

Christina McDonald is quickly becoming one of my favorite thriller/suspense/mystery writers. I couldn’t put down the first novel I read by this fabulous author, The Night Olivia Fell, and it’s been the same experience with Behind Every Lie.

Eva wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning just a few blocks from her mother’s house. She has no recollection of events or how she came to be there but her mother has been murdered and Eva is the main suspect. Eva is a wonderful main character, she is flawed, traumatized and insecure.
The plot moves quickly and alternates between past and present effortlessly. I must admit, I had a pretty good idea that a certain someone in Eva’s life was there for nefarious reasons but I wasn’t *entirely* sure until the end. The twist is there with just enough red herrings to make me question myself. Love a book that keeps me turning pages to see if I’m right!

Such a great book and I would recommend this to any fan of the genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and Pocket books for providing Behind Every Lie for me to read and review.

I had the opportunity to read this book thanks to NetGalley. I loved her debut novel and I was thrilled to receive an ARC of the newest by Christina McDonald.
This book did not disappoint me. It was fast paced with several interweaving story lines that kept me guessing until the end. It was clearly well researched and it was also well written with interesting characters. I will be recommending it to all of my book loving friends.
Thanks again to NetGalley!