This book was excellent and totally got me out of my mystery / thriller slump!

Leslie’s sister Robin left home more than ten years ago and has been nothing but a nuisance from afar since. When Leslie’s ailing father finally passed, a condition of receiving his inheritance is bringing the sisters back together. But when Leslie tracks down Robin in Las Vegas and finds her a mere few hours too late (heroin OD), what can she do to ensure she still receives her piece of the pie? Panicked and stressed, Leslie flees her dead sisters apartment to collect her thoughts. That’s where she meets Mary - an extroverted, stunning, aspiring actress who with a little coaching a new hair color could maybe pass for the Robin that disappeared a decade ago. Can the women pull off the stunt? What other secrets are they hiding and what are their real motivations?

This is one to go into as blind as possible! Stop reading!!!

The breadcrumbs were there and whether I chose to ignore them so I could be ignorantly blissed or they totally fooled me I’m content either way! Thoroughly enjoyed this one - the writing style, character development, narration, and build up. It was over the top but in all the best ways.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! What a great debut novel by author Tanen Jones. If you enjoy psychological suspense, this is the book for you.
The book begins with Leslie looking for her sister, Robin who she hasn't seen in ten years. She needs her to come back to their home town to sign some papers to inherit $50,000 each. When Leslie arrives at Robin's apartment she finds her dead. Because of the agreement in the will she asks someone she meets who looks somewhat like Robin to come to Albuquerque and sign the papers. The stranger can take $50,000 and Leslie will get her half.

That is the beginning premise of the book...after this there are so many twists and turns that make you want to keep reading to find out what happened. I definitely recommend this book to thriller fans. You won't be disappointed.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for giving me an advanced copy of the book for an honest review.

5 plus stars! An absolutely riveting, chilling read that’s absolutely unputdownable! This book was very well written, the characters were so amazingly developed, I had to know what was going to happen and when and how! Kept me flipping pages all night, because I just had to find out what was next! Chilling, thrilling, twisted, and shocking! Unputdownable!!! Highly, highly recommend!
Will make sure I highly recommend and buzz it all around!

Lying takes center stage in this riveting page turner debut novel by Tanen Jones. But, who is the "Liar"? ... a triad of women is presented. Robin ("Rachel") ... dead when we first meet her ... but, cadaverous even before her death by overdose ... extremely beautiful at 16 when she runs away from home; Leslie, her older sister.... less attractive but very dependable .... and lastly: Mary - the red-headed bar waitress in Vegas ... on a collision course with Leslie and also the multiple men in her life.
Leslie is presented with a major roadblock ... when she finds it necessary to journey to Las Vegas only to find her estranged sister "stone cold dead" and emaciated in her apartment from an overdose. She was charged to return her sister home to Albuquerque to claim a dual inheritance after her father finally succumbs to a long battle with cancer. Leslie has devoted her life to ministering to the needs of her father while trying to build and foster her own family .... her loving and devoted husband and 11 month old son, Eli. Now she will not be able to claim her desperately needed inheritance ... But, why is she so desperate for the money? Is her family life really that stable? As she is wallowing in despair over her plight, she crosses paths with the charismatic Mary who bears a striking resemblance to her sister.. A plan is hatched in which Mary will impersonate her sister in exchange for receiving the $50,000 due Robin.
When Mary returns with Leslie to Albuquerque she soon suspects all is not what it seems. Leslie's life is replete with mystery and secrets prompting Mary to embark on her own investigation ... hoping to unravel her true motivations. What starts as a mystery novel evolves into a captivating study in psychological suspense..
Tanen Jones proves to be an uncanny storyteller and weaves a convoluted narrative gorged with unsuspecting twists exploding into an electrifying denouement. And, along the way she explores many contemporary problems of today .... the complexity of sisterhood and mother relationships ... and the far flung ramifications of depression of every day life and even postpartum depression, and how it effects not only the individual but also friends and family.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group and Ballantine Books for providing an Uncorrected Digital Proof of this gem in exchange for an honest review..
..... Please check out my Book Review blog at: readersremains.com ......

The Better Liar is an engrossing mystery with a superb plot and characters. Look forward to more from Tanen Jones!

This book just kept me reading until late in the night. It tells the story of Leslie who has spent time looking after her sick father. When he dies, his Will specifies that Leslie must find her sister Robin, so that they can collect their inheritance. She drives to Las Vegas to bring her sister back. She has not had contact with her for years, and they have not been close, but Leslie is in for a shock when she finally locates her sister.
This story flows along nicely but has some twists that you don't anticipate.
It also tells the backstory of Leslie's not so perfect marriage and her life growing up.

Leslie Voigt needs to find her sister, Robin. She hasn't seen her in 10 years, But when she finally tracks her down, Robin is dead. On her way home she meets, Mary, who is an actress and is willing to play the part of Robin for a meeting with estate lawyers.

It's hard to review this book without giving much away, but be prepare to be confused by names, and for lots of twists and turns, some predictable and some surprising. Overall, it was an enjoyable novel, with themes many mothers and sisters can identify with.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of this novel.

This book had great potential with the premise. The storyline was ruined for me with the lesbian sex scenes and predictable twists.

I will not leave any reviews anywhere.
Thanks for granting me access to this book

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this in return for an honest review.

This book was strange but it didn't really have the thriller like feel I was hoping for. I knew who Mary was from the start and that may have ruined some of the suspense for me, but it didn't really feel like that was set up to be a twist.

In the end this book just left me feeling sad. Sad for both of the main characters that we are reading about. I do appreciate that the author is trying to bring awareness to mental illness but I am not sure it left the reader with much hope.

We start out with what I would consider a very unreliable narrator, and it is always hard for me to get too invested in the character with that going for them. Although, since the book is title Better Liar, it is not a surprise that both of the main characters are set up to be unreliable and liars.

It wasn't a horrible book, but it was strange and the twists were not at all shocking.

I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. The characters really held my interest. The chapters were short and I enjoyed the flashbacks as well.
Leslie needs to find her estranged sister Robin, who she hasn’t had contact with in ten years. Both of their parents have died and the clause in her father’s will states that they both must be present to receive their shares of the inheritance. Leslie finds her sister in an apartment outside of Vegas but she is too late as Robin died of an overdose just a few hours before she got there. Leslie desperately needs the money and doesn’t know what to do when she meets a stranger Mary, who she saves from an ex-boyfriend and brings back to her hotel room. After several drinks, Leslie comes up with a plan to get the money. Mary seems to have an uncanny resemblance to Robin and Leslie has Robin’s passport. Since no one has seen Robin in over 10 years, Leslie talks Mary into impersonating Robin in exchange for 1/2 of the money. Leslie brings Mary to her home to meet her husband and son. Mary is convinced that there are secrets that Leslie is keeping from her and the money must be really important for her to bring a stranger home to her family. Mary is determined to find out Leslie’s secrets and follows her and goes through her home and starts to pit the pieces
of her story together and sift through the lies. Mary also has secrets of her own. Who will be the first to reveal their secrets and can they still play their parts in order to claim the inheritance?
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

I really enjoyed this book, the characters were well developed. It had an interesting plot. I would be interested in reading more

So, here's the thing: this is a wild ride, from start to finish. There are so many twists throughout - some obvious, some less so - that I was truly in it at the beginning. That said, are you ever reading something where you want to know what happens, but would be totally fine with just reading a synopsis with full spoilers? Because that's how I felt about halfway through. This book is twisty and the story is captivating, but it's also so nuanced that at some points, I was just skimming to get to the next big reveal.

Generally, motherhood as a plot point can be done really well or really poorly. In this case, it felt like a mix of the two. I totally understand why Leslie would be concerned about her capacity as a parent based on her mother, and why she may not recognize the signs of PPD. But also, if you recognize there may be an issue, how is your first thought to hire someone to kill you and/or run away entirely? I didn't love that point.

Thank you to Netgalley, Ballantine, and Tanen Jones for the digital ARC of this book!

I honestly don’t really know how to categorize this story. A psychological thriller? A twisted contemporary? A fantastic debut? I think all of those descriptions, and many others, suit this novel very well. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, and highly recommend it. Taken Jones’ writing is layered and immersive, perfectly capturing a moody and mysterious atmosphere in these pages. This story digs deeply into family relationships, and the shadows that parents cast over the lives of their children. Not to mention, the plot was extremely engaging and unpredictable. This book was a ride, and I loved it!

This incredibly engaging thriller will be one of those novels you stay up late to finish, racing towards the unpredictable conclusion. The characters are fascinating and multi-dimensional, and the intriguing plot will sweep you along on an unique ride.

Okay, you want unreliable narrators and mysteries that keep you reading late into the night? This is totally your book.

I was drawn into this story from the moment I started reading it, especially from Robin's point of view. I spent the entire book not really sure what was going on, who was telling the truth, and who was lying about what. Every time I thought I had figured out at least a part of what was going on one of the characters just slapped me in the face!

I also liked that this book speaks about family and grief and the things a woman may or may not feel after having a child. These themes run throughout this novel, and although it's supposed to be a suspenseful book, it also talks about things that can flow through all of our lives, which made it very real as well.

The fact that this is a debut novel from Tanen Jones shows that she's got some incredible talent and I really can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

Definitely would recommend this fabulous novel!

The Better Liar by Tanen Jones is a fiction about a game of deception to claim an inheritance. Leslie Voigt, who haven't seen her sister Robin for over ten years, finds her dead in her Las Vegas apartment. With her sister dead, she will be unable to claim the inheritance their father left behind, which requires both sisters to be present to claim their share of $50,ooo each. Leslie meets Mary, a girl strapped for cash, who bears an uncanny resemblance to Robin. She comes up with a plan; Mary impersonate Robin and get her share of the inheritance. Soon, Mary realizes there is more to what Leslie is telling her. Leslie finds out Mary has secrets of her own too.

The story switches from three different narratives: Leslie, Robin and Mary. The beginning of the story starts off slow and seemed to drag a bit. Robin's narrative caused a bit of confusion for me, as she was dead. However, I could see why the author told the story from her POV; it gave a bit of context to Leslie and Robin's childhood, and explains a bit as to why they are the way that they are at the end.

I enjoyed the storyline, but the ending ruined it for me. I am still confused about the reasoning behind the ending. I don't want to leave any spoilers so I will not say what happened, but the ending really took a huge plunge in my opinion. It did not leave me satisfied with answers.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author Tanen Jones, and publisher for providing me with an ARC, in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

If psychological thrillers are your thing then you need to read this book. I confess that I usually figure books like this out pretty quickly but with this one I had NO IDEA. Great book to seep you on the edge of your seat!!

Absolute page-turner. Unique characters, intriguing plot line that kept me reading late into the night. The twists and turns kept me guessing til the end. Highly recommended

I didn't read the synopsis of this book before starting it, so I was curious to see where it went. It was a twisty novel, and at its center, an exploration into mental illness and post partum depression. As someone who is bipolar AND who has experienced PPD, much of this book really resonated with me. It didn't end as I expected, but the ending made sense. I will definitely be looking for books by this author in the future.

Each book is like an unopened gift. We might have some idea what's inside and if we're lucky the inside is better than what we imagined. The Better Liar kept surprising me as I got further inside the story. The characters were interesting as layer after layer was uncovered. There were dynamic twists that changed the plot in unexpected ways. How families can fail at rearing healthy children and the consequences of hidden mental instability are explored. The story is told from the points of view of two very different sisters and held my interest right up to the very last page.

I received an Advanced Reader's Copy from Ballentine Books through NetGalley. The opinions expressed are entirely my own.
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