4.0⭐️
Leslie has to reconnect with her long-lost sister before she can get her hands on the $50,000 her father left her in his will. It’s a crazy ride from the start. I loved it. Twists and turns galore. Looking back…I should’ve figured it out way before the reveal but I was definitely surprised at all the right places. I would definitely recommend this to my friends who enjoy a thriller with complicated family relationships.

I’m not sure how I feel about this one still. I liked it while I was reading it but I found it very forgettable. I did really like the characters and the story line.

The Better Liar is the debut mystery novel of Tanen Jones. It released in 2020 but I am just now getting to it in 2023. Overall I enjoyed it. I did not guess the entire ending which I love. The story was a bit long and could have been edited down a bit to move along at a faster pace and one part causes a bit of incredulity on the part of the reader but overall I liked it. I will look for her next book.

I did a combination of reading and listening to the audiobook. The audiobook has 3 narrators, one of which is Karissa Vacker who I love to listen to. Definitely a good listen on my long trips to and from work.

**3.5 stars**

**Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc I received in exchange for my honest review, sorry it’s so late!**

Fast paced mystery that is told through multiple perspectives with well-written characters and a thrilling unexpected conclusion. Looking forward to reading more books by this author.

A tangled web indeed. Leslie Flores has nursed her father as he surrendered to cancer. Finding out he left half of 100,000 dollars to be split equally between she and her sister, she finds her sister only to see her body in a seedy room. Striking up a conversation with waitress/actress Mary in Vegas she constructs a play beneficial to them both. Will Mary play the part of Leslie’s sister Robin and walk away with half? Or is what you see with Mary a very well crafted character. It’s a plot worthy of any afternoon read.

I like a good thriller with lots of mystery but the foundation of the story needs to be strong in order to pull off certain elements. There were just way too many implausible aspects to this book that made me frustrated.

I'm not going to recap the plot here because it would be kinda confusing to rehash it. But I will say that if you're willing to suspend your disbelief for a bit, you might actually like the story. The characters are all pretty unlikeable, so that might also be a turn-off if that's important to you. At the end of the day, there were a few twists that I think were put there to shock the reader, but just ended up making me question what I had just read. I don't think the majority of the plot points could ever transpire in real life.

I think this was an interesting debut for a novelist. Maybe with a little bit of polishing, Jones could become more clear-cut and decisive with her writing. She definitely should lean more into her use of tone and theme (I actually did love the darkness and creepy vibes throughout) versus trying to pull one over on the reader.

This wasn't horrible by any means but certainly not a book I'll be rushing to tell people about.

This psychological thriller was fantastic. I loved the multiple point of views from Leslie, Mary, and Robin. I did figure out the twist early on, but this didn’t take anything from the book. My favorite character was Leslie. I do recommend this to anyone that wants to read a great thriller.

3 Stars. I liked the beginning and the end, but I got restless in the middle.
This tale is two ladies using and manipulating each other for their own personal schemes. Each lady has lots of secrets. These ladies make a deal to scheme and use each other for their own profit.
The author holds those big secrets until nearly the end of the novel. When the secrets were revealed, I felt let down and did not buy it.
The ending was twisty and surprising, but it did not end the way I would have liked. I was left feeling that both leading ladies were truly horrible and despicable. I think I am one of those readers who finds it necessary to like one of the leading characters, so my personal preferences effected my enjoyment.

This book was absolutely nothing like I expected, but wow was it good! Tanen Jones, I really hope you are working on your next book, because I can't wait to read it!

This book was a DNF for me. I found what I read to be disjoined and confusing.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review.

I was completely gripped by this story and was impressed with the writing quality. I was entertained throughout the story and would not hesitate to recommend this book.

Leslie Flores has inherited some money from her father, but she must appear in person with her sister to claim it. The problem is...her sister Robin is dead. So she enlists the help of Mary to impersonate Robin. Things don't turn out quite the way Leslie expects.

It's clear from the outset that something will go wrong with this plot, and that things are not as they seem either with Leslie or Mary/Robin. The plot is filled with twists an turns and, by then end, all is revealed. While this is a very readable suspenseful novel, it is just not great. Perhaps it's the chapters told by Robin's ghost, maybe it's just that none of the characters are very likeable. Not a bad story, just not great either.

Family drama, secrets and deception are the name of the game in The Better Liar. Leslie needs her sister in order to claim their father’s inheritance, but when she arrives in Vegas, she finds her sister dead of a heroin overdose and convinces a local waitress to take Robin’s place to claim the money. There are some good twists in The Better Liar and overall it was a fast paced, enjoyable thriller that will surely have people talking!

One desperate woman lures another into impersonating her dead sister in order to receive her inheritance. Leslie takes a trip to Vegas to bring her sister home to Alburquerque but when she gets there she discovers her sister, Robin, is dead. she meets a woman named Mary who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin, and talks her into coming to Alburqueue to impersonate Robin With the promise of collecting Robin’s half of the inheritance, Mary decides to come along. But Leslie is keeping a big secret. And Mary is keeping in an even bigger one. The idea of the twists that this set up could bring were good but ultimately they didn't pan out. I found myself bored and wondering when something was going to happen. I don't care for stories that rely on reflections and backstory that takes away from the current story and in this one felt like it was filler to drag out the story until the lackluster resolution

This novel was suspenseful and intriguing! I really enjoyed the alternating chapters between the two main character points of view within the novel. Learning and Leslie and Mary / Robin throughout their points of view helped to really tie together the story lines and ultimately the end of the book. If you are a fan of suspenseful fiction, mystery, and some drama - you will love this!

Thank you to NetGalley for a ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!

I lost interest and put it down. Not for me. I went back to it several time but just didn't hold my interest. Maybe I'll try again at another time to give it another chance.

The Better Liar was a fast-paced domestic drama, with its share of twists. This was a great debut novel by Tanen Jones. The writing made this book bingeworthy.

The title alone lets you know you are dealing with unreliable narrators. The dynamics between main characters Leslie and Mary are unique. The writing had me going back and forth on who was the “better liar” till the end. I had one of the twists figured out by the middle, but I was still pleasantly surprised with other parts that I never saw coming.

The story addresses a complex side of sisterhood and motherhood. The characters were developed well. I enjoyed piecing it all together.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Twin sisters can be miles apart but be heart to heart except these 2 sisters. One lives a perfect life with a beautiful life, a loving husband and precious new born baby. The other lives the life of crazy woman who causes trouble wherever she goes. When the good sister realizes she will never get her promised inheritance unless she brings her sister home she goes far and wide to find her sister. When she turns up dead how far will the good sister go and what lengths will she take to get a hold of her inheritance? Excellent book by Tanen Jones!

I didn't enjoy this book much. I thought it was really predictable. I really wanted to like it and was very excited to recieve a review copy of it but it just wasn't for me

She needs to find her estranged sister to receive their inheritance. But when she finally finds her, all she finds is a body. What would you do? Conceal the death of your sister of course, because you are all able that money