Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I requested this book based solely on it's synopsis, as it sounded like something I"d really enjoy. I think this book was a little too much of a slow burn for me, which sometimes works for thrillers, but it didn't really vibe with me through this one.

Jane and Marnine have been attached at the hip for as long as they can remember. But when happens when they grow up and fall in love, but have secrets to keep? And how many lies will be told?

It was long-winded and there wasn't much of a build up, leaving me with nothing to keep my interest and intrigue. I didn't overly connect with the characters or find many qualities I enjoyed. This was a quick thriller, but definitely not the best I've read in a while. Maybe pick this up for a quick in between read, but don't rush to it.

I'd like to thank the publisher via NetGalley for this copy for an honest review.

I was drawn to this book from the beginning. The ongoing suspense kept me drawn to the story to find out what was going to happen on the next page, what the next lie was going to be. I was thoroughly creeped out by Jane throughout the whole book, the the ending left me feeling unsettled, as though there was something else unsavory that was going to happen.

This was a good, suspenseful, quick read.

I was intrigued by the description of this book. It somewhat reminded me of You Are Not Alone with a similar storyline of friendship gone wrong.

This book did keep me interested in what was going to happen, but I feel like there were a few misses in the plot and telling of the story. There seemed to be a focus on Jane’s coworkers and one in particular, and then this amounted to nothing. Also, there seemed to be a big reveal about why the journalist was so invested in the story of the two friends and then she was never looped back into the story.

I was surprised by the twist of who she was talking to when revealed at the end of the book and was somewhat satisfied with the ending. I think I found it tough to relate to any of the characters and this made me read it through a more distanced lens.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Elizabeth Kay, and Penguin Random House Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest book review of Seven Lies. My thoughts and opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving an advance copy.

Here we are with another book about liars. This is an extremely common theme that I have ranted about before. Don’t worry I’m not going to rant now. I just wish that we didn’t always have to deal with liars. Yes, I know that is inherently a problem when you are dealing with bad people. They tend to lie. So, ya, I’m starting to go down the rabbit hole.

What I liked and very much appreciated with this book is that the narrator is reliable. I was a little concerned that I was going to get to the end of the book and find out I had been lied to the whole time. It’s happened before. Which is why I was pleasantly surprised that this wasn’t the case.

This is a story about two best friends. Marnie and Jane. They met in middle school and have been inseparable since. Sharing secrets, sharing an apartment, their lives were intertwined. Then Marnie met Charles. And everything changed. Marnie moves out and all of a sudden Jane finds herself on the outside looking in. Not only does she feel like she is losing Marnie, she does not like Charles. But Marnie is in love and when she asks Jane if she likes Charles, Jane says she does. That is lie number one.

There are six more to go, but Jane believes that if she didn’t tell that first lie, maybe Charles would still be alive. This was a really good story. Jane, as a narrator, has vowed to tell the whole truth, just this once, to get everything off of her chest. Each chapter is another lie that Jane tells and is another step in the solution of how Charles died. The story has some really good elements and I was swept away. The ending is unexpected.

The friendship seems so sweet in the beginning but by the end, you definitely get Single White Female vibes. Jane’s descent is slow and I felt for her because she almost had a shot at a happy life. How different her life would have been if it had worked out. You wonder about Marnie who seems oblivious to the cracks in Jane. I was also curious how Marnie never noticed the tension between Jane and Charles. I would have loved to have read the same story through Marnie’s perspective.

Even though you know Charles dies, there is still lots of story to be told. This is a great thriller and a really enjoyable read.

Seven lies that will rip their friendship apart !!I started reading this book and was instantly hooked , it’s twisted and entertaining, and I especially liked the narrative.
Throughout the whole book she’s talking to me or so I thought it was me, until she wasn’t and I was like wtf!!! that’s when the story really fell apart for me.
I hold such high expectations for endings or how a book is wrapped up and find I get let down easy and that’s exactly what happened with this one.
Have you read this? What are your thoughts

Seven Lies is a different slant on the domestic thriller.
Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House Canada for my eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jane and Marnie have been best friends since grade school. As adults they both suffer tragedies in their personal lives and media scandal threatens an already off-kilter friendship.
The action takes awhile to get going in this one. The pacing and slightly off storytelling style didn't capture my attention until nearly halfway through. It felt longer than it needed to be, yet did go toward building a detailed, unreliable character study.
The ending was quite worth it, though; some shocking moments in here!
Released on June 16, 2020.

The Seven Lies begins with Jane’s first lie. Jane and Marnie have been friends ever since they met as young girls at school. Even though the two girls have different temperaments they stay friends all through school and beyond. Marnie and Jane meet every Friday night for dinner at Marnie’s flat. Now that Marnie has a boyfriend named Charles he has becomes part of the weekly dinner. Sometimes Jane brings the current man she has been seeing but no man has yet to measure up to Jonathan who was her first and only true love. Marnie asks Jane one Friday evening if Jane thinks Marnie and Charles make a good couple. Despite the fact Jane finds Charles repellent Jane lies and says Marnie and Charles make a good couple.
The web of deceit Jane is weaving is compounded by the tragedy that follows. Since Seven Lies is a story told in layers a too detailed description would spoil the narrative.
I liked Seven Lies. I didn’t feel like there was any huge surprises. The suspense built nicely. I do like thrillers that have a plausible twist at the end of the story. I thought Seven Lies ended perhaps a bit too neatly.
I love the cover of the Canadian edition.
Seven Lies is easy to read. Although I was a bit disappointed with the ending I thought it was a well written first novel. Would gladly read Elizabeth Kay’s next novel.
Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for the advanced ebook.

This was very entertaing with lots of twists and turns. I really enjoyed the character development. It was a great thriller and did a good of the " how well you do know your friends/ how far would you go for what you want. I couldn't put this novel done, it was so good.

Seven Lies
By Elizabeth Kay

This book was from NetGalley. I am reviewing it too late, as it is out for purchase now. I saw it in Coscto the other day, and it is in Chapters and on Amazon. I didn’t love this book, but it was certainly compelling, and it has stayed with me. I think about it sometimes!

It’s about a friendship gone badly wrong. Jane and Marnie were best friends all their life, as children, until they grow up and fall in love with others. There are so many ways that this story could have unfolded differently, and you will likely keep thinking, as I did, if only... If only.

Jane tells seven lies throughout the novel. The first one is she tells Marnie, when Marnie asks, that she thinks Marnie’s husband is great. Yes, she says, I like him. Yes, you are right for each other, Jane said, when Marnie is not even sure herself. Jane thinks that one lie can’t hurt, and sometimes the truth hurts even more, right.

But one lie leads on. It has to, to protect itself.

This book is not a light summer romantic read. It’s a psychological thriller, about love, friendship and jealousy. The writing is outstanding, and the story is cleverly plotted, and as a reader, I kind of kept wanting to flip ahead, because I was so worried about what Jane would do next.

Spoiler - the book is told from Jane’s point of view, and she is a psychopath. She thinks that what she has done is justified, and even though I found her creepy, also kind of engaging, and empowering, as all the characters were, since they were all very real. But its also heartbreaking. You will be thinking about what could have happened, instead of what did happen.

Jane and Marnie have been tied at the hip since childhood. Marnie is the light to Jane’s dark, and Jane grew up dependent on her friendship with Marnie. They tell each other everything, their secrets and their lovers. However, Jane doesn’t approve of Charles, Marnie’s new lover. When their engagement is revealed, it threatens Marnie and Jane’s 20-year-old bond, and Jane will do anything to protect it.

Structured in the series of seven lies, the novel reveals that actions that lead to Jane’s growing obsession to keep Marnie for herself. The writing is utterly compelling. Jane is scary as she is obsessive. We see everything through Jane’s eyes, from the first time she meets Marnie, to her falling in love with Jonathan, and to her role in the death of Charles.

The book was an enjoyable read, however, I didn’t find it as thrilling as I had anticipated. The climax of the story occurred mid-way through, and by then Jane’s character felt very fleshed out. The last half lost momentum and the ending didn’t really surprise me.

Regardless, I think the strongest aspect of the book is the analysis of Jane’s character and her toxic relationship with not only Marnie but her dysfunctional family. I was drawn in by Jane’s character, that at points of the story, I was convinced that she was normal and was just suffering grief and jealousy. Though the plot fell flat, I was compelled to continue reading to know Jane’s past.

Received an advanced reader's copy courtesy of NetGalley. If you're looking for a quick psychological thriller read this is a good choice. Great read for a short getaway or a beach vacation.

Seven Lies is Elizabeth Kay's newly released debut novel. And what a debut it is!

Jane and Marnie have been the best of friends since childhood. They have forged what seems to be an unbreakable bond despite being polar opposites. Jane is the first to change their dynamic by marrying. But when her husband dies, she wants to retreat back to the ways things were. But Marnie's life is moving on as well - she too has found a man. But....Jane doesn't like him very much. When Marnie asks her if she does in fact like him... well, that's the first lie she tells Marnie.

Kay does a fantastic job drawing these two characters. Jane is flat out scary. And obsessive. And she wants Marnie all to herself, to have Marnie need her. Marnie is eminently likeable. It's hard to see what she sees in Jane. But that just tells the reader how good Jane is at, well, at lying. Kay does a fantastic job at drawing the dialogue and interactions between the two. Jane's mother and sister are just as wounded and add to the dysfunctional feeling of Jane's life.

The reader sees everything through Jane's eyes. The book is told almost as a confession, with Jane detailing how things got to where they are. The next six lies are revealed as we come closer and closer the final pages. I didn't see what was coming with the end of her confession. Brilliant! And then to discover an epilogue that was just as unexpected. But perfect!

Disturbing, unsettling and an excellent original debut. No lie. If you like domestic noir and suspense, you need to pick up Seven Lies

So I’m not sure what I came into this novel expecting, and I’m not sure what I ended up getting either.

It was a good read with some solid potential, but I feel like there was so much rambling and tangents that got tangled up in the story and drew away from it.

I can’t even begin to give a short summary, because I’m not sure what even happened nor what I could say that wouldn’t give the whole story line away. What I will say, is that it’s the story of Jane and the seven lies she told her best friend and how these lies came to be and why they were necessary.

It took me awhile to get through this one, partly because it was convoluted and lost my interest in places...although I have to say that my interest was piqued to try to figure out if the plot had an end destination; and partly because I’ve been working in a COVID centre during this pandemic and haven’t had much down time!

<i>I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher of this novel for allowing me to read this advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!</i>

What an incredible storyline. Jane being the main character telling her side of the story. It was just one of the best mysteries I have read in a very long time. Definitely a must read. Captivating and leaves you wanting more.

This was a truly compelling book. That is, until the end, which was oddly paced and a bit too disturbing. When we first meet the protagonist, Jane, she seems like a devoted friend but as the lies pile up, the story gets darker and darker. It’s a page-turner but by the last lie, I was about ready to put the book down as Jane’s behaviour becomes impossible to read. There are also some loose ends and characters and plot points that don’t amount too much, leaving me a bit frustrated with the story.

Great suspenseful story, set in London, England, that features an interesting plot that delves into the thoughts of a seemingly normal woman, who is obsessed with her best friend.

Jane and Marnie Have a friendship that is untreatable, or so Jane thought. Marnie was there for Jane during tough times, but then Marnie meets the someone who takes her time away from Jane. Jane doesn’t like Marnies new guy, Charlie, she thinks he’s not good enough for her. But when Marnie asks Jane what she thinks of him, Jane tells her first lie. This leads to more lies, seven in total that Jane tells.
#sevenlies #netgalley #indigoemployee

I found this book hard slogging. It dragged on and on with the main character's first person dialogue so much that I found myself speed reading only the major words just to get through it, for me, there were about three areas of the book that caught my interest for a couple of chapters. The only reason I completed the book was due to the fact it was given to me in return for a review.

Really enjoyed reading this book. It was an easy read and kept me interested in the story. I did not know what would happen in the last few chapters and the ending was satisfying, although leaving me wanting more. It's a great, east, entertaining thriller. Thumbs up!

A story of friendship, Jane and Marnie met in school and became intwined in each other life’s. In fact, inseparable until Jane fell in love with Johnathan. How life can change in an instant and how Jane discovers her friendship with Marnie can not go back to what it was, as now Marnie has fallen in love. The book is told from Jane’s perspective, and she numbers each lie she tells Jane. I cannot tell more with giving away vital parts of this intriguing story. I enjoyed it, a quick summer read.