Christina McDonald did not fail to meet my expections with this book. Her first book, The Night Olivia Fell, was an excellent book. I wasn’t sure this book would be as good as the first one, but after the first 30 pages the storyline took off. Eva is faced with the possibility she killed her own mother and does not remember doing it. Flash-backs and current happenings combine to reveal circumstances aren’t always what we think. I pointed my finger at one of the characters, but until the end I did not know exactly what happened. Don’t miss this book if you’re a fan of mysteries

I received an advanced readers copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own

This book .... I don't even know what to say. I didn't think Christina could outdo How Olivia Fell, but somehow, she did!

Character development and storyline are amazing. I just love her writing and am left wanting more!

It was an overall good book . It had many twists and turns I enjoyed.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for letting me review this book

I finished this weeks ago and I still can’t stop thinking about it. Absolutely flawless. Christina McDonald is a name to watch for. I don’t have a single critique. This is one of my top 5 books of the year.

I had a really hard time with this book. If it were something I purchased or took out at the library, I would have DNF'ed it ten percent through. But I was determined to see it through since it was a NetGalley title.

The positives: I love the cover and the premise is a tremendous hook. Strained mother daughter relationships? The mother is brutally murdered and the daughter is the prime suspect? But she was struck by lightning and so doesn't remember? That's all pretty darn interesting. There are also some nice twists.

The book flashes back in forth between the past (mother Kat) and present (Eva). For me, Kat's chapters were far better. She was a much more sympathetic and compelling character. I hated when her chapters ended. Eva's, on the other hand, were much harder. I found her over-dramatic (the use of exclamation points was a bit excessive) and unlikable and repetitive. She's continually in disbelief that the police would have the audacity to suspect her given all the evidence.

No one acts/reacts normally either, given any situation. Dialogue is stilted and things are a bit too convenient (of course the neighbor/friend/crush has a flat in London she can crash in when she runs away there). Liam's character is over-the-top toxic masculinity. Even more so than Sebastian.

I did really want to like this one and there is some lovely stuff in here. But overall it fell a little flat. But I am grateful for the opportunity to have read it, so thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing this review copy.

I can't, in good conscience, write a public review of this. The typos alone were enough to make me unable to take it seriously - don't get me started on the tripey content.

I love when a book captures me in the very first chapter as Behind Every Lie did. Eve awakes in a hospital after being struck by lightning only to discover that her mother has been murdered and she is a prime suspect. From there, the storyline progresses through two POVs: Eve in the present trying to solve the mystery of her mother's murder and Kat, the mother, telling her story from 25 years ago forward to the night she was killed. This is a strong thriller/suspense offering, but it is also the story of a complicated mother/daughter relationship. I thoroughly enjoyed both aspects.

Behind Every Lie is extremely well written -- strong character development and good pacing. I was not aware of Christina McDonald before, but I will definitely search out her earlier novel now. I highly recommend this novel to all lovers of mystery and suspense.

Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for providing me a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I think I have found a new favorite author - I loved the Night Olivia Fell and was not disappointed by Behind Every Lie - I could not put this book down and every time o thought I had figured it out, there was another twist - enjoyable, fast paced and kept me guessing until the end - I cannot wait for more by this author!

#Behind Every Lie #Net Galley

When Eva Hansen wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightening with no memory of the immediate past, she gets very stressed! And with good reason - she is being accused of stabbing her mother to death.

She need to get some answers. But has her whole life been directed by lies? The answer to that takes her on a whirlwind trip, not only to clear her name but to find out who she really is and why she has had to live behind all these lies.

I selected this book because I so appreciated "The Night Olivia Fell". Christina McDonald did not disappoint! I enjoyed "Behind Every Lie" even more than the first book! This author has a wonderful understanding of suspense novels. I totally relish how all events are reasonably explained at the end of the book even though I didn't see them coming.

I loved this book! It was suspenseful from beginning to end. The telling from the main character’s perspective and the backstory from the mother’s perspective leading up to present really tied the events together. I felt awful for the main character because her life turned out to be a mystery she had to solve on her own and pretty much all the people she trusted were not what they seemed. Thankfully, she was able to get some closure and reconnect with people she lost touch with. I definitely recommend this book and will purchase a copy once it’s officially published.

I have been on a thriller/suspense reading kick lately and every book so far has been really enjoyable, including this one. This book was an absolute page turner. It goes deep into secrets and takes you down a story of emotions, grieving and trusting yourself. While some of the story was far fetched it still kept me intrigued with all the twist and turns. I also felt like the end was a little bit of a let down when it comes to Eva’s boyfriend/fiance. He seemed to get on my nerves so I wanted to skip over his character some but I understand because she ties him in the a twist at the end.

Behind Every Lie was a very intriguing book. The narrator is trying to remember the events that occurred the night she was struck by lightning, but starts mistrusting her memories. It was a very fast paced book. I felt like so much happened in not much time. The characters were well rounded, if not exactly relatable. I have already recommended this title to my book club!

I was given this book by NetGalley for an honest review -
Eva wakes up in the morning - not remembering -
Her mother has been killed -
As Eva tries to find the answers to her lost memory - she seems to find more questions than answers.
Liam, who she is engaged to, continues to remind her of her struggling mind - is he for real - or trying to make her think she is loosing it -
Who can she trust?
Who murdered her mom?
Why don't they want her to know the truth?

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy of Behind Every Lie!

Oh my goodness! This was just such a great book! Christina McDonald has done it again. As if “The Night Olivia Fell” wasn’t good enough, here comes “Behind Every Lie”. There was just so many great parts to this book. It had just the right amount of shocking twists and lies and family love and betrayal and happiness. Reading the lies of Eva’s life, her finding out who she really is the same time as us, was unputdownable. I couldn’t stop, wanting to know more and more and felt the ending was just perfect! While sad, as her mother Kat is murdered, finding out how she died and what she did throughout her life to keep her daughter safe, in a way gave me some happiness (if that makes any sense). Highly recommend!!

What a compelling read this was! I really enjoyed The Night Olivia Fell, so I figured I would enjoy this one too. The author has a knack for creating wonderful mother/daughter story lines. I was hooked from the very beginning with this one. Lots of twists and turns that I didn't see coming, which is always fun. Can't wait to see what Ms. Mcdonald brings to the table next!

I squealed when I saw Christina McDonald had another book coming out and I could not click fast enough on this one. Much like her debut I was on the edge of my seat until the very end with this one. Some twists are predictable but others will take you by surprise and you'll have to catch your breath.

McDonald has once again woven a story at the perfect pace to keep her readers engaged. Secrets are revealed at the most timely spots and POV timeframes switched at the perfect opportunity to give us more understanding of the bigger picture. The past and present POV's were the best part of this book for me.

The characters in this one were another huge plus for me. This author knows how to get her readers to feel everything from anger, sadness, empathy and even fear when it comes down to it. We feel these things not just for Eva, but her mother Kat as the story unfolds.

This book is for every reader who loves a good suspense and enjoys twists, even the predictable ones. McDonald definitely has a huge fan in me and I cannot wait to see what comes next!

I just finished Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald book and I will now read all of her books. This is another thriller and heart racing book. It is about the mother daughter relationship and the deeper you get into the book the more you learn. The story is told by 2 points the Daughter Eva and the mum Kat both past and present. If you loved The Night Olivia Fell you will also love this book I highly recommend both books.Thank you NetGalley.

I had been disappointed by The Night Olivia Fell, so I was nervous to read this novel. McDonald’s debut was well written but it felt like a lesser version of Reconstructing Amelia. Fortunately, Behind Every Lie establishes McDonald’s talents for crafting a wholly original and intriguing plot in addition to her engaging prose. The multiple POVs worked very well to structure the narrative as well, developing complex and realistic characters.

Christina McDonald has followed up her debut novel, The Night Olivia Fell, with another fabulous book.
Christina has taken psychological suspense to a whole new level with Behind Every Lie. The story was riveting and shocking, with scenes that had me catching my breath, my heart racing. There were lies upon lies, startling revelations, intricate details that kept me turning pages.
But there was so much more to this book than a compelling story—there is a depth and beauty to this story that was astonishing. Part of me wanted to read quickly to reach the end, but I’d slow down to appreciate the raw emotion that embodies the story and its broken, complex characters.
I slowed down to savor so many beautiful lines, sentences I read several times to etch the feelings in my heart.
“We can be strong and brave and broken and whole all at the same time.”

Could you imagine waking up in the hospital having been struck by lightening only to be told you're suspected of murdering your own mother? And with no memory of what happened?

Christina McDonald has once again created another thrilling story based around a complicated mother-daughter relationship. Determined to clear her name, Eva Hanson starts digging for answers. The deeper she digs, the more unbelievable her own story becomes. A fabulous book - full of family secrets, a mother's love, and huge regrets.

A must-read author for me and I'll surely be back for more!!