Elizabeth Kay’s debut novel Seven Lies is a phycological thriller, that gets you turning the pages quickly to see all seven lies. The story is based on two best friends told through Jane who is the master of manipulation and very cunning; her narration is original and addictive.

I liked that the story was told to you as if you were sitting over a cup of coffee, hearing the truth, well Jane’s truth…
I did find the book to be a little disjointed at times and perhaps a little longer than it needed to be.

I think Elizabeth Kay has made her mark in the thriller market; I look forward to reading her future books.

Thank you #netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A dark physiological thriller that explores how far one will go for love and friendship. Jane and Marnie have been friends since childhood. Teh6 share everything and know every secret about each other. That is until Jane starts with the first lie.
Great read. Recommended for anyone.
* I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review

Wowza, this book was not what I expected. I'd never heard of this book before my netgalley email, and I am so thankful for it! Seven Lies is filled with alot of description and information, while a little over bearing, it didnt deture of distract from what was going on in the story. Seven Lies makes for a good read, and I would reccomend this title!

Seven Lies by Elizabeth Kay is a gripping examination of friendship, obsession and, of course, untruths, and I quickly devoured this dark and deceptive tale.

Jane and Marnie have been lifelong friends. When Jane's husband dies unexpectedly, the relationship between the two women becomes more important than ever to the young and grieving widow. When Marnie meets the man of her dreams in Charles, she is anxious for Jane's approval, setting the stage for the first of many lies. But when Charles is found dead, the lies continue to mount, and a friendship becomes forever tainted in layers of deception from which neither woman will ever recover.

This was a fast-paced read that had me on board from the very first pages, and what a journey it is. This is a fascinating look at the nature of female friendship, for better and worse, and the ties that link us to our nearest and dearest. Chilling.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.

I enjoyed Seven Lies, a story about one friend's obsession with the other. Jane and Marnie grew up together and have been best friends for decades. When Jane's husband passes away, she find comfort in Marnie. However, Marnie is at a time in her life when she is in a committed relationship. Her priorities are different. Her boyfriend Charles ends up being the centre of Jane's hate, something she does not reveal to Marnie. Content notes to be aware of are depictions sexual assault, death of spouse, car accident, murder, stalking, and homophobia. One of the characters also has a sickness related to food which was not named.

This book offered a good commentary on growing out of childhood friendships and how they change when a significant other makes ones home. The first half of the book was fast-paced and engaging. The second half was slower and dragged on bit. Jane is an unreliable narrator, as is usually the case in thrillers, and her loss and loneliness are prevalent throughout the story. Marnie hardly spoke up in this book and her character was defined by how Jane saw her. The end could have had more punch to it, considering the first half of the book.

Many thanks to the publisher for the complimentary copy of the book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Jane Black has been friends with Marnie since school, they are best friends and will always be best friends. No one understands Marnie the way Jane does. Jane's life has been tough her husband passed away in accident and her career hasn't quite gone as she has expected. The story unfolds with Jane reflecting on her life and how things would have been very different if she hadn't told her very first lie to her friend Marnie.

As I was initially reading the book I liked Jane as the story progressed, there things about her that started giving me the creeps.

Overall I enjoyed reading the book and was happy to have a distraction while being at home during c-19. Thanks Netgalley for the Advanced Reader's Copy. If you are looking for something to read that will distract I would recommend picking this book up.

Jane and Marnie have been best friends since they were 11-years old. They’ve done everything together. As adults, though, Jane is now confessing (to the reader) that she told Marnie seven (big) lies; the first one was a lie that she liked Marnie’s boyfriend, Charles.

It’s not fast-paced, but I wanted to know what would happen. It’s one of those potentially unreliable narrators, as you wonder if Jane is telling the truth, or what really happened. I’m not sure I really liked any of the characters, but that didn’t change that it was still compelling reading for me.

Overall, this is a solid thriller. Jane deals with grief and doesn't quite seem to see how her hurt is becoming a toxic force to those around her. The pacing of the first half is much better than the first, but there are a few twists and turns I didn't see coming. Some content notes to be aware of: Sexual assault, death of spouse, car accident, murder, stalking, and homophobia.

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley and I’m so glad I did. It wasn’t on my radar before but I’ll be looking to catch more from this author. At first I didn’t realize all I was getting into. It starts off innocent enough. The first lie is probably one we’ve all told, we pretend to like someone we don’t. We do it to save someone’s feelings or even simply because we don’t want to explain why we don’t like them. We don’t want our friend to close themselves off in any way.

It doesn’t take too long for the reader to realize we are actually dealing with someone who is a bit emotionally unstable. Given the experiences in her life she has perverted her relationship in a very unhealthy and obsessive manner. The lies grow and each becomes just a bit bigger. The reader begins to wonder how much of her experiences are actually valid and what (if anything) happened only in her own mind. (Like the wedding)

There is a bit of side story that happens which I felt was unnecessary filler. I think it was meant to illustrate that she struggles a bit with all her relationships, especially her family ones and how she doesn’t actually deal with problems. It detracted a bit from the main story which is why I gave this story 4 stars instead of 5.

I am voluntarily leaving my unbiased honest review.

Wow. Just...wow. This story is told as a narrative, with one of the main characters telling her story to someone (we find out who in the end). It starts off with how she met her best friend Marni and continues to the present day. At first things seem great but little by little a sense of unease starts to creep in. Jane explains the seven lies she tells her best friend and how each one came about and the reasons behind them. In a twisted way they make perfect sense and I think that’s what makes it all the more disturbing. You can see yourself making similar choices and we all know that none of us are perfect and have told lies, whether they were small white lies or big dark ones. As things progress and their relationship changes an undercurrent of anger, obsession, and fear starts to surface. The ending is a total shocker and it leaves you wondering what is going to happen next and how. This is a story that stays with you and makes you uncomfortable with its brutal truths. It makes you wonder about your own relationships and friendships and how far you’d go to protect those ties. A truly gripping read that is at once both sad and horrifying because it is so relatable.

Seven Lies is a very different book. It is about 2 friends, Jane and Marnie. Jane is the narrator. I realize immediately that everything will be told from Jane's perspective.

Right away I sensed that something was “off” about Jane. There is lots of sinister foreshadowing from the very beginning.

The narrative is as if Jane is talking directly to the reader. Much more narrative than dialogue, something that I’m not normally fond of. This time it works for me.

The whole book is the retelling of the seven lies that Jane told Marnie and her rationalization of them. We find out the circumstances for each lie. Even though Jane is a creepy character I admire her ability to keep her lies straight. Strangely enough, Jane also does a lot of interesting philosophical thinking.

Interesting book though it might be too dark for some. The ending was a bit of a letdown.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Intriguing and somewhat disturbing. We all had childhood best friends but as we grow into adults most of those friendship change and become less. Do we expect them to, no but we do accept it as a fact of life, but not Jane. She goes to extreme means to get her best friend back, it makes you think about casting off friends. It's an interesting insight to a mind that has somewhat fractured. As you continue to read, you'll never know really know what will happen next.

Jane is a liar and a psychopath, and in case it still needs to be said, not a very good friend.

I guess this book wasn't really for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, I couldn't believe Marnie and Jane were friends to begin with, nevermind Marnie's inability to see the darkness in Jane, or at least some of the red flags surrounding her. I found that while Jane's darkness was revealed in such great detail (it was too much of her inner dialogue), I felt like I didn't have enough information about Marnie -- was she really a true optimist, or just shallow?

I appreciated the interesting style of writing -- feeling like I was in a conversation with Jane -- but in the end, I tend to struggle with books that I can't find a character that I'm fascinated with or at least one to root for.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced reading copy in exchange for my honest review.

Phew this was a tough read for me. Thank you to Net Galley for providing me with an early copy in exchange for my honest review.

First, I think this title should come with some content warnings, as I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book (especially at this time, June 2020) if I had known these warnings before reading it. I’d recommend content warnings for: stalking, eating disorders, dementia and perhaps child abuse.

Therefore I felt like this book just wasn’t for me. It was much darker than the thrillers or mysteries that I like. I would recommend this to people who enjoyed The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware, which I didn’t enjoy as much as I had hoped to.

I do want to be clear that the book itself was a page turner, I read it in two short days. I found it to be well written and had a consistently creepy tone. Even though the main character was clearly a psychopath, I found it disturbingly easy to connect with and sympathize for the main character. Because it’s all written as a story she is telling someone, it feels very intimate and we know only her thoughts and her motivations. The characters around her are only developed based on how she sees them and how they impact her life. I thought it was all extremely well done, and that it affected me and my mood more than I wanted it to. It really dragged my optimism down and had me feeling sad, lonely, and depressed by the end.

So, it wasn’t for me, but perhaps it will be for you. If you can handle the content warnings and a darker book, then I certainly do recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elizabeth Kay and Penguin Random House Canada for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t sure what to expect with this one and I think that maybe for once that was my downfall with this one. I enjoyed how the novel was split up by each different lie, but I had such a hard time getting through the first half and actually getting to the craziness of this novel. I liked that this one was so centered on this twisted friendship, but I didn’t like either character. There were two major twists and they were pretty good. This one isn’t for me, but I would recommend giving it a try if you love characters obsessed.

Out July 16th!

I received this book from NetGalley to read and review. When the bonds of friendship have become obsessive. Boundaries will be crossed, and lies will be told. A look into the mind of a damaged and obsessive soul. How well do we really know the people closest to us.

This book wasn't even on my radar until I saw it on Netgalley ... I was VERY impressed! Seven Lies is Elizabeth Kay's debut novel. Definitely adding to my watch list - can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve next!

With friends like Jane who needs enemies? Seven Lies is Janes confession of the truth - her truth. The thing is, she's a psychopath. Following her confession will have your full attention ... likely shaking your head or sitting with your mouth hanging open. There are definitely several wtf moments. Split into lies, this book takes the reader on a crazy ride ... Jane is obsessed, jealous and wants her best friend Marnie all to herself... but Marnie has other obligations in the form of a man named Charles who Jane can't stand. From there the lies start ...

Huge thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for my review copy!

I didn't particularly like this book. The story was told in a sedate, matter-of-fact way that didn't draw me in. I didn't feel any empathy or any other emotion for any character. I guessed the two big events in the book and as the last event was unfolding, I contemplated abandoning the book because of where it seemed to be going, but where I didn't want to read about if it did. I think if you have read previous books by Elizabeth Kay you will likely enjoy this book, but I was looking for a thriller/mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat and reading far too late into the night and I did not experience that with this book and, in fact, I had to struggle to finish it.

This was the first novel that I have read by Elizabeth Kay, and it won't be the last. I love when a book flows so smoothly that when I look up at the clock I realize that hours have passed without my realizing it. Kay made some great characters that I was starting to really love until the ending that I totally didn't see coming. Recommended!

(Thanks to NetGalley for this ebook in exchange for an honest review.)

This book held my attention to the end.. A dark, twisted lifelong relationship between Jane and Marnie is complicated. A lot of lies and twists makes for an interesting read. Great debut novel.