‘Truth, Lies, and Second Dates’ is an extremely witty novel that is refreshingly self-aware. MaryJanice Davidson adeptly navigates through tropes while simultaneously embracing and subverting them.

Captain Ava Capp is perfectly happy flying commercial planes through the friendly skies. No roots, and definitely no commitments. Is she running away from the losses of her past? Maybe. Is she slightly emotionally closed off? Probably. All that aside, this pilot is about to be thrown back into her past troubles when she is unexpectedly grounded in her hometown. Add in Dr. Tom Baker, the medical examiner who is as hot as he is brainy? Things are about to get really interesting.

This is the first Davidson novel that I’ve read, and I was blown away by how incredible her dialogue writing is. It’s sharp, fast-paced, and thoroughly witty from beginning to end. It was honestly a joy to read. As I mentioned earlier, the writing in this book is wholly self-aware; in many ways, it’s an homage to the romance and thriller genres. Told in close third person, there are a couple of moments in the narrative where the viewpoint shifts abruptly, but said moments don’t have an injurious effect on the overall story. Ava is a strong, flawed protagonist who is fascinating to read. Tom is a refreshingly unique character who defies a lot of expected romantic stereotypes in the best ways. The supporting characters are also all entertaining and delightful to read.

‘Truth, Lies, and Second Dates’ is funny, witty, and well written. A definite must for your TBR stack.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC of this title in exchange for my honest review.

Initially, I was turned off by the publisher’s insistence that there be basically no details released about this book besides the author and cover, but as I read the book, I realized that the no blurb, no details rule that they we’re going for kind of worked for this story! To respect their apparent wishes at keeping the plot of this book tight-lipped, I’ll just say this: Five stars!