I couldn’t get into this novel. The pacing was too slow and the story became convoluted. A miss for me.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy of this one - all opinions are my own.

I sadly, did not totally connect with this book. While I deeply loved the premise of the plot, I felt like the direction of the story itself got lost about halfway through. Several of the subsequent subplots seemed to rear up and then disappear without note, and in reality provided nothing of substance to the overall story.

The characters are incredibly complex and interesting, and I just wish the story had stayed with them untangling the outcomes of the central twist, rather than veering off into several increasingly odd side twists.

Not my favorite but there are some strong domestic thriller pieces in here that I still found enjoyable.

Different. With plenty of strong points, this book captured my attention, as the characters tried to protect their private lives, the only way that they knew how. As the story kept building and building, something felt off as I read. Perhaps it was me, perhaps it was my own expectations that were getting in the way but I felt that the tempo of this story was off. Overall, I did enjoy the book, the story was captivating and I loved how all the twists worked and made my head spin.

Secrets and lies, what a combination and one to keep you on your toes. I enjoyed how the plot thicken as the story progressed. The story starts off with a flashback and then, the narration progresses forward. This short flashback is important as it sets the stage for one of the main characters. Just when I thought the story couldn’t get any deeper, something else is thrown into the pot and more events unfolded. I loved all the different reveals and how the author took the time to slowly introduce them. The connection to events and items in the story was nicely done and like a puzzle, they all fit together. I felt like at times, I was siding with one of the characters and then, I would learn something else and I would change my mind. I just didn’t know which end was up sometimes.

What I had a difficult time with while reading this novel, was the energy level in the book. There were some excellent twists in this book and based on these developments, I was expecting this book to become more tense or more dramatic as time continued. Some of these twists were pretty intense! Yet, I didn’t feel that way as I read it. I don’t know, perhaps I was expecting too much or again, it was just me. I did enjoy the book but I felt it was missing this intensity. It’s like hearing that music from the Jaws movie and expecting something exciting or intense to occur. The ending of the book, I didn’t really care for that part either.

I think this was a good read, it contained lots of twists and interesting characters. The story kept me on my toes and I look forward to reading more from this author. 3.75 stars
Subject matter: rape, death, alcoholism,

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Adele Parks, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book to me in exchange for an honest opinion.

I've been on a women's suspense kick lately and Lies, Lies, Lies was one of the best one that I read in 2020. Adele Parks has grown as a writer and I've enjoyed her journey

It took me forever to read this book because the first half is super slow and almost unnecessary. There are a couple of good twists after that but then I had to skim through parts of the ending because I had just had enough and I can’t read about certain things that she threw in there. This one just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher!

Simon and Daisy have a good life. He's in interior design, she's a teacher. They met and fell in love in their university days. Their marriage had some strain while they were trying and failing to have a baby, but the birth of their daughter, Millie, six years before had completed their union.
But is their life that perfect? Simon is drinking more than ever, veering ever closer to the line of being an alcoholic. Something is eating at him and Daisy thinks it started the day they went back to the fertility clinic to talk about having another baby. She is fine with just Millie but another child seems critical to Simon. They had left the office that day in a hurry and he has seemed different since then.

As Simon's drinking gets worse, Daisy tries harder and harder to cover it. She suspects that their circle of friends know exactly what is going on and while everyone likes Simon, these successful professionals expect everyone to have their lives together. But things get worse and worse. Simon loses his job and soon he is spending his days in bed, drinking until there is nothing left to drink in the house. When a horrific accident occurs, their lives explode. Now the lies on which their marriage were built start to come out.

As each layer of lies is pulled aside, more truth is revealed. Can they ever live with the brutal truths that are uncovered? Is the truth always better than the lies that covered it and made it more acceptable to society? Can they raise a daughter to a happy and successful adulthood if her foundation is constructed of lies?

Adele Parks has carved out a career with books that explore the darker side of relationships. The lies that paper over the giant holes in Simon and Daisy's marriage cannot hold and the slow exposure of each lie adds to the book's tension. Some of the surprises I saw coming; some hit me from left field. As each layer of deceit is peeled away, the reader will emphasize with the characters and hope for a happy ending. This book is recommended for readers of suspenseful women's fiction.

I’m at 50% and I’m calling it quits. I thought this was going to be a thriller. It started out that way and I was enjoying the back and forth of the main characters. Then it turned into a story of alcoholism and now? I don’t even know where it’s going but I need to quit. I’m not enjoying any of it.

This story was not what I was expecting. Yes, there were lies, several lies, but as the story unfolds, you learn the reasons behind the lies and most were to help or benefit someone else.

This story introduces us to Daisy and Simon, a married couple whose relationship is starting to show cracks. Simon has been drinking for a while, but seems to have it under control. Thanks seem to be good with the marriage and their daughter, Millie. When Simon finds out that he could not possibly be Millie's father, his drinking increases to a point that he can no longer stop or control his behaviour. As things go from bad to worse, I was worried about what was going to happen to this family. One night, something happens to cause things to spiral out of control.

Both of the main characters are flawed. Much of the story deals with Simon's drinking and the behaviour that goes with that. As the story moves forward, there are more and more lies. There were several twists that had me shaking my head and wondering what would come next. The story starts slow, but once it gets going, the suspense increases and the tension rises. There were a couple of storylines that I didn't like, but were necessary for this story. I liked how Adele Parks brought it all together in the end and I liked the conclusion, even with the final twist.

this was a really good mystery novel, the mystery was excellently done and I enjoyed trying to figure out what was happening.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this novel - however, I was very disappointed in this novel. I pushed through hoping that it was going to speed up and get more interesting. It doesn't and I found it just wild and very unlikely to occur. This isn't my first book by this author, so I will definitely give the other novels a try - but this one wasn't for me.

Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks is haunting dark read. It's full of betrayal, secrets, and abuse. It was darker than I originally thought it would be. The characters were well crafted for their parts in this book. They were not my all-time favorite characters. However, they fitted this story and that's what matters. As for the suspense this novel had it all. I was kept on the edge wondering what next. Or how much more can some of these character keep moving forward? Something was going to break their dark lives forever. It did. Adele Parks created an action-packed read filled with intense and emotionally charged scenes. This book is not for the faint of heart.

I received an eArc of Lies, Lies, Lies by Adele Parks from HARLEQUIN/MIRA and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
2 stars! I dove into this thinking it was more of a thriller when in fact it turned out to be a family drama focused on alcoholism. The characters were not likable and very troubled! I encourage you to read this book and decide for yourself.

I wanted to like this one way more than I did. Great premise, awful lies. They just weren't even believable and were way out of the left field. A very slow start to the book, and even slower finish.

I am 0/2 for Adele Parks. This was such a slow story and it wasn’t even believable, almost DNF’d. I can’t ever understand why husbands and wives are written to lie to each other constantly; it disgusts me. These lies were so off the charts ridiculous and then it’s all fine and dandy? Wtf. Nope. And the worst part is that there’s a child involved in this whole messed up ordeal and ugh... I was left feeling so disgusted I won’t pick up another of her books.

Everybody knows that Daisy and Simon’s marriage has had its ups and downs. Simon has always been a little too fond of drinking, but after the miracle conception and birth of their daughter Millie everything seems to be back on track. At least for a while. Then Simon starts drinking more heavily than he ever has before until finally one night disaster strikes. Near tragedy rips their family apart as both Simon and Daisy bury their secrets deep in an effort to protect their daughter and perhaps themselves.

VERDICT is that this was an interesting psychological thriller. I thought the author did an amazing job switching back and forth between Daisy and Simon’s point of view. It was really interesting to be inside both their heads and get a sense of what they were thinking and how they justified each others’ behaviours and their dysfunctional relationship. I didn’t particularly like and/or feel that much sympathy for either character but the writing and suspense were good enough to keep me reading. Secrets and communication are a big theme in this book. I thought I had everyone’s secrets figured out, but there were a few twists that surprised me!

Daisy and Simon want to have another child so their six-year-old daughter Millie can have a sibling. When they go to a fertility clinic, a doctor tells Simon that he could never have children, so he realizes Millie must not be his biological daughter. Instead of asking his wife about it, Simon drinks and becomes an alcoholic. His drinking gets so out of control that he loses his job, and causes an accident that changes all of their lives.

This was a slow burn thriller. There was a lot of time building up to the plot twists. Sometimes it took too long to get to a new development, with the characters reflecting on the past before an obvious plot twist or reveal. If some of the reflection was cut and the space between plot twists was shorter, it would have been a more suspenseful story.

There were some disturbing scenes that need some content warnings. There was alcoholism, abuse, rape, and animal abuse. These things really escalated at the end of the book. The final chapters were quite intense, but also more graphic than the beginning of the book.

Unfortunately this slow burn thriller didn’t work for me, but I’m sure other readers will like it.

Thank you HarperCollins for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Often when fiction portrays an ugly truth, such as alcoholism or the devastation of a terrible accident, it is hard to read. Yet, truth is what readers purport to want. That in your face truth is evident here.

The same this occurring day after day is what happens with alcoholism. Adele Parks’ courageously portrayed that here, even at the risk of this section of the book being called boring or repetitive.

The characters are flawed and unlikeable. Their redeeming qualities are not discovered until later in the book. Giving up on them instead of seeing them through to the end is presuming that having an unlikeable trait makes one unworthy. I certainly hope that is not the case. Give these people a chance to show that what appears on the surface may not be what is hiding under the surface.

This book is dark and disturbing. However, it does it well. You will not like Simon or Daisy but will come to respect their story.


I received an ARC from Harlequin MIRA through NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion or rating of this book. I am voluntarily submitting this review and am under no obligation to do so.

4.5⭐ A slow build leading up to so many twists and turns. It's funny when you think you know, but then your mind says can't be because it's a thriller. It's never what you think. But you get to the end and it is totally what you thought, but so much worse. There are quite a few #triggers in this one: alcoholics, rape, infidelity, violent (and unnecessary crime) 😥That poor kitten. Well written. For sure kept me flipping pages! Thank you to @netgalley, @harlequinbooks, and @adele_parks for a copy in exchange for my honest review!

I love to read, I really do. When this book was on a friends Instagram page as a great book I came to netgalley to request and was given the opportunity to read it early. Thank you.
While it started out interesting the story dragged on and on and since I don’t like to not finish a book I quickly skimmed through to the end.
Yes there are some twists and turns but personally I don’t recommend it for those looking for a juicy story to read.
I’m not one to give bad reviews either, I know writing books isn’t the easiest thing to do. I appreciate the author taking the time to write this story and while others may enjoy it it just wasn’t for me. Thank you netgalley for the early edition In exchange for my very honest review.

TW: alcoholism, rape, harassment, child abuse

This story is told in alternating voices of a husband and wife. For almost half of the novel, the story focuses on alcoholism and how it affects the lives of others. While depicted well, it got repetitive. But then the novel suddenly becomes a thriller. It was a jarring experience and I wish the author had just made this more of a domestic story. As abruptly as it began, the thriller ended. I felt like I had read 2 books in one, and neither book was that great.