I really enjoyed this book. The story is told from Janes point of view it is about lifelong best friends Jane and Marnie. And man oh man what a friendship.

This book is so well written, it concise and to the point, no extra details it’s very factual. You watch the main characters unravel in front of your eyes. It’s beautiful and chaotic. I will read anything Elizabeth Kay puts out!

Have you ever told a lie that morphed into another, then another then suddenly it becomes so easy that you’d rather tell more lies than speak the truth? No? Meet Jane, an obsessive compulsive lying psychopath, who’s one lie becomes seven. Jane and Marnie are best friends that know every little detail about one another, well at least Marnie thinks she does. How well do you know your best friend? Would she lie for you? Kill for you?

I was truly swept in by the novel. I couldn’t put it down, I craved more and wondered, what would crazy Jane do next. The writing was amazing. It can sometimes be tough for authors to get it right on their debut novel, but Elizabeth Kay got it right. Seven lies was a crazy wild ride that kept me turning the pages until end.


-I received an ARC of this novel through NetGalley for in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are that of my own.-

Seven lies by Elizabeth Key is written solely for Jane’s voice. It’s her account of a long friendship with best friend Marnie. Her first lie is innocent enough, she simply does not want to hurt Marnie’s feelings, or is that the real reason?
Jane takes lots of time to describe and explain the special relationship Marnie and she have. It`s a slow narrative that spans the first half of the book. I am glad, I persisted and read until the end, because the second half is the best, even though the pace of Jane`s story telling remains slow. I couldn’t help wanting to know what about the other lies and was not disappointed.
Thank you Netgalley, for an e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

SEVEN LIES is the debut psychological thriller novel by Elizabeth Kay. It is a compelling thriller about the toxic friendships between women, obsession and what we stand to lose in the name of love.

Marnie and Jane have been best friends for more than eighteen years. Growing up, Jane and Marnie shared everything. They knew the other's deepest secrets.

Marnie is open and invites warmth and love. Self-confident. She is light. Persuasion came naturally to Marnie.

Jane is an introvert who lacks confidence and is always waiting to be ridiculed. She is dark.

They were still two, Marnie and Jane, after University, when they moved into a flat. They were bonded by their intense friendship. Marnie was freelancing alongside her job. She wrote a blog about food, that quickly grew.

Then Marnie meets Charles and soon marry, but Jane is afraid of losing her best friend. Jane does not think that Marnie and Charles have a love greater than theirs. But when Marnie falls in love, things begin to change.

Because Jane has a secret: she does not like Marnie's wealthy, husband. When Marnie asks if she likes him, Jane tells her first lie. After all, even best friends keep some things to themselves. If she had been honest, then perhaps her best friend's husband might still be alive today. . .

Then one lie leads to another…

Jane moves in with Jonathan when they were both twenty-two, as Jonathan filled a gap for Jane, providing the home she always needed but had never really known, as her parents argued al the time and were later divorced. Soon after Jane and Jonathan were married.

They were two people that had shared so much, and over time they had been separated by romantic love.

Favorite Quote:
“Life moves in only one direction. Every decision that you ever make will be written in stone, permanent, never to be undone.”

Seven Lies is Jane's confession of the truth--her truth. It is a story about love, toxic friendships between women, hardships, changes, obsession, jealously, and grief. This novel will have you hooked and keep you guessing until the very end. Highly recommended!

Many thanks to the author, Penguin Random House Canada (Viking) and Netgalley for my digital copy.

Thank you to NetGalley and a Penguin Random House Canada for a DRC of this book.

Childhood friends.... an ill sister ... a mother with dementia ... a love lost too soon ... obsession ... Murder... accidents ... lies ( well actually 7 of them) ...

This story started off quite interesting, but often I felt like the narrator was rambling on , and I didn’t connect much to the story. There seemed to also be a lot of side stories that didn’t contribute much to the overall plot or even character development. Jane our narrator was definitely a disturbed soul. The ending was a bit surprising - I was expecting it to go in a bit different direction .

Jane is a very sad disturbing person. While she has suffered tragedies she feels that she is not to blame for wrongs that she has committed. A must read for psychology students

Jane has done some very dark things and has told a lot of lies. All of these deeds have been done in an effort to maintain her relationship with Marnie, her best friend of 20 years. In Seven Lies, Jane is confessing and detailing her obsessive need for Marnie, as well as recounting her relationships with her loved ones and with Marnie's husband. We don't find out until the end just who is on the receiving end of the confession.

This was a very good debut novel. I enjoyed the story, although I did not love the ending (even if it was fairly appropriate given the overall tale). My one issue would be with how much the writing drags everything out. I think that it could have been more concise and thus more enjoyable. I'm rounding up from 3.5 just because I liked this one.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and Penguin Random House/Viking for the opportunity to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley/Penguin Random House Canada for providing me with this review copy.

Seven Lies is a book about Jane’s obsession with her best friend Marnie and the lies Jane tells which causes their friendship to unravel.

I don’t think this book was for me. It did keep me hooked because even though I wanted to stop, I had to know what happened. I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would. I do think it was well written, and would try reading another book by Elizabeth Kay

2.5 stars

Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay  is a psychological thriller.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Penguin/Random House Canada, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)

Jane and Marnie have been friends since they were twelve.  Even when they went off to different universities, they spoke every day.  There were so many secrets to share, so many things to tell each other.  After university, they lived together for a time.  Jane was sure that nothing would ever come between their friendship.  But eventually something did.

His name was Charles, and he swept Marnie off her feet.  Jane was going through her own hell, but Charles took precedence with Marnie.  But Jane was sure Marnie would wake up soon, so even when Marnie needed her reassurance that she and Charles were a perfect match,  Jane lied and said she agreed.  This was the first lie that lead to the others...for Jane detested Charles.


My Opinions:   

Okay,  I think I will be in the minority on this one.  I didn't like it.  This book seemed to drag.  It was definitely a slow-burner.  There was so much back-story, that I started skimming.  The narrator (Jane) told her story, (you don't know who she is talking to until the end), but she told it in a rambling way that was boring.   I didn't like any of the characters, with the exception of Emma.

The story is basically about an obsessive friendship that gets out of hand.   Yes, it is about lies, but basically, it is about mental illness.  It is a sad, depressing book.

However, the writing was really good, especially for a debut novel, and I actually liked the ending.  Just not enough.

Seven Lies is Elizabeth Kay's debut novel and is a very dark read. It outlines what one woman thinks of her family, friends, and their significant others, especially a best friend's significant other. Follow the confession of lies and the subsequent trail of the woman's darkest deeds to a surprising end. While this was not quite what I was expecting, I will look forward to other books by Elizabeth Kay.

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Seven Lies is a great story with interesting characters and a dark twist. While I I enjoyed the book, and will definitely read Elizabeth Kay's next novel, the story was overshadowed by its own verbosity. This could have been an absolutely stellar book had it not been quite so wordy.

Jane and Marnie have been best friends since grade school. They have also been there for each other through good and bad. When the friendship is threatened one of the friends takes matters into her own hands, and tells seven (little) lies to ensure the friendship is protected at all costs.

Overall a solid debut novel and I'm sure Elizabeth Kay is going to be on everyone's lips very soon. Thank you to #Netgalley and Pamela Dorman Books for an advanced copy of #Sevenlies.

3.5 stars

Jane and Marnie are the best of friends, having grown up together. But sometimes things change, and when Marnie marries a man that Jane hates it sets off a series of lies. The only seven lies she told Marnie, that change the whole course of their friendship.
Seven Lies is told by Jane, separate through different section by each lie that she told Marnie. The first lie, is when Marnie asks if Jane likes her husband. A simple lie, to try not to hurt a friend, it seems to harmless right. Yet Jane realizes if she had just told the truth to begin, maybe Marnie’s husband would still be alive. It continues to outline the lies she tells Marnie, each more severe than the last.

I found the premise of Seven Lies interesting. Every friend has told a seemingly harmless lie, to try to prevent them from being hurt. Yet, Seven Lies takes those lies and escalates them, creating a world beyond friendship and moving into obsession. Each lies comes with a different consequence, and you start to realize Jane is not the ideal friend she tells herself she is throughout her story. It was an intriguing book that draws you in, as you try to sort out what is going to happen to Jane, do her lies get found out? What is the seventh lie? It is a very gripping story in that regard.

My biggest problem with the book though was the writing. I found it a bit flat, and a bit pretentious, the way that Jane told her story made it feel bland when it should completely draw you in. It didn’t feel realistic in the dialogue, and it felt wooden for some of the interactions. So while the story itself keeps you interested, the writing has some bumps that throw you out of the story. In some ways though, the dry sense that Jane presents her story does make the obsession surrounding Marnie just a little bit more ominous at parts, as you start to realize how unwell Jane is regarding their friendship.

This thriller will be one for readers who look for domestic thrillers, and tales of obsession. This may not be the best thriller I’ve ever read, I still think a lot of readers will get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and it is a quick enjoyable way to spend an afternoon if this is your genre of choice.

Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

PUBLICATION DAY: June 16, 2020!!!!!

A menacing thriller about an extremely toxic friendship...

PLOT SUMMARY:
Jane and Marnie are the best of friends, they have been since they bonded while being in school together as children. Nothing can come between them, right? Right...that is until they grow up and fall in love with their significant others and suddenly Jane realizes that she does not like Marnie’s partner Charles...in fact she hates him. And with everything else that Jane has had to deal with in her life, that just will not do….

PROS and CONS:
Woah, Seven Lies is a lot, and Jane tells some big ones over the course of her friendship with Marnie. Seven Lies is the story of Jane and Marnie’s toxic friendship, and it’s all from the POV of Jane. Insecurity, grief, jealousy, disappointment - there are a lot of issues to be dealt with!

Actually, not a lot happens in this one...it’s more about the internal conflict within Jane, all of which affects her relationships with her mother, sister and best friend.

When a devastating event occurs, fractures begin to appear in Marnie and Jane’s friendship. How will Jane deal with this, when everything else in her life is also crumbling? Will she handle it with grace? Or will she tell even more lies...well I guess you’ve seen the book title and can probably figure this one out for yourself!

YES or NO:
It’s a YES - I enjoyed it even as I cringed while reading, wondering what lie Jane was going to tell next!

4 Stars

I enjoyed this book very much. It is the story of 2 best friends. told in first person, with an underlying tone of malice. A great psychological thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat.

Posted on Good Reads
Butter is the New Bok Facebook book club

It all started with a lie...

...But we all know that once you start, you can't stop. Seven Lies is Jane's story - well more of her confession and how it all spiraled out of control.

Jane and Marnie have known each other ever since they were little and ever since the two BFF's have been miserable. That is until Marnie gets married to a man that Jane isn't fond of, which Jane doesn't admit when Marnie asks her opinion. This is her first lie. When Marnie's husband turns up dead (won't go too into detail without spoiling), Jane finds herself in countless lies trying to cover herself as much as she can. This is such a twisted story about toxic friendships, obsession, and what one will do for love.

At the start, I was confused because I didn't understand who Jane was telling the story to. As we got to the ending it just blew my mind, it connects everything so well. While reading this I felt myself getting anxious wanting to know how it turned out since some of the lies were catching up to Jane. This is done by adding a reporter in the mix, who is trying to stir up the pot between both ladies and uncover the real truth about Marnie's husband's murder.

Overall a really great story, I gave it 4 stars!
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Thank you to NetGalley and publishers for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are mine.

The format of this story was interesting, each chapter is a lie the main character, Jane, has told to her friend Marnie. On the surface each lie seems minor, but they build up as the story progresses. Jane and Marnie have been friends since elementary school, one fair haired (Marnie) and one dark (Jane). Jane is very attached to Marnie, obsessively so, and when something threatens that attachment, Jane will go to the extreme to ensure she has Marnie to herself. A disturbing story, I can’t recall reading a story between two women where one is so enamored with the other. Many novels depict that obsessiveness between a man and woman. I think the author was very successful in creating a main character that was flawed and the events that contributed to her actions. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book is about Jane and her obsession with her best friend Marnie. Over the course of the book, you really see how psychotic Jane is and how she slowly becomes more and more unhinged.
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Unfortunately though, I didn’t really enjoy this book overall. The concept was interesting but the execution didn’t entirely make sense to me. There was a seemingly main story that went nowhere and then when you got to the big reveal at the end it didn’t really make sense - I can’t say much because I don’t want to spoil it but the timing just didn’t add up to me. ⁣
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I did like the premise of the book - I don’t think I’ve ever read a story about an obsessive friendship. It was disturbing to read about Marnie interacting with Jane and treating her like any friend would, all the while not knowing everything she had done.⁣
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Overall I’m giving this book 2.5⭐️. If you enjoy thrillers it may be a higher rating for you! ⁣
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⭐️⭐️✨⁣

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random house and Elizabeth Kay for the opportunity to read Seven Lies
Seven lies
Very interesting, well written novel. The author addresses the reader throughout the story as if she is speaking directly to us and telling us about the events as they unfold
Jane is the main character, her life is woven into many other lives and her story describes her interaction with each individual, mostly her best friend Marnie. They have been best friends since they were young. Jane's story explains how people come and go through her life, she experiences love, joy, heartbreak and sadness. She has an overwhelming love for Marnie, almost to the point of obsession and cant stand to come second in Marnie's life.
This novel is certainly a must read, and I would recommend this book. It had my attention right from the beginning and I didn't want to put it down

I ended up putting this aside due to lack of interest. This just isn’t holding any of my attention, unfortunately. I'm finding it to be a slow start and nothing has captured or gripped me. I’d like to give this a go again once released in audio format as the premise was very interesting and still has me intrigued. Hopefully that format will hold my interest more than the ebook.

I don't have a real rating but based on what I'd read before putting this aside I'd give this a 2/5,

E-ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review

Life moves in only one direction. Every decision that you ever make will be written in stone, permanent, never to be undone. They are all entirely irrevocable.

I just finished Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay. What a story. I thoroughly enjoyed this one. I'm still trying to process that ending though. So many questions.

A story of two childhood best friends Marnie and Jane. Two different stages in life. Both married at different times. The men in their lives are tragically lost at different times, and this story is about how their friendship navigates through it all.

Thank you netgalley for this arc. I give this one ⭐⭐⭐