Even if I think it's well written the story didn't keep my attention and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The book follows the aftermath of Pax’s decision to ignore the sounds coming from the apartment above in favour of rushing to his audition with a big director, a decision which affects him later on.

The book jumps from past to present, from character to character which made me a bit confused at the start, the fast pace of the book evens out in the middle of the book. I did not like the writing style of the book, I could not connect to any of the characters so I did not care for the story, the book lacked any built up of tension or suspense and although the book is short the first half is boring.

I did prefer the second half of the book, there was more focus on how the characters felt rather than their history especially with Alex however I did not like the ending I felt like the book ended very quickly.

1/5

I did enjoy this book but was not blown away it if I’m honest because I didn’t really like any of the main characters apart from the mother who I felt really sorry for. I think we are all guilty of turning a blind eye sometimes to what others get up to and I guess in this case it had far reaching consequences than he could ever have imagined.

A bestseller in France I was glad to see it had been translated in English. It is a great book about regrets for the things you haven't done and lies. How those regrets can take over your mind and those lies can destroy your life. The end didn't disappoint either which is always hard to handle. Really liked it.

I had high hopes for this book, having read the blurb, describing “unputdownable” “a rare pearl” “intense and powerful novel”
Unfortunately, I didn’t feel any of those things. I finished it feeling disappointed.

It’s the story of an actor who, rushing for an audition, ignores some suspicious noises from the flat above...so far so good. Unfortunately, the story then takes a predictable turn into a strange relationship novel when the actor, Pax, falls for the victims mother, Emi.

There are good elements of the story, but, not enough.

I’m afraid I just couldn’t get into it at all.

1* did not like, although I’m very grateful to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to preview.

Thank You NetGalley/Publisher and Author for this ARC!
This review is my own!

This book was amazing.
I was hooked from the beginning.
The story was very well written,
The plot amazing.
The characters I loved.

Great book.

This book is not a thriller nor is it a twisty page turner.

All we got was a whole lot of telling and no showing whatsoever. We were told about events that took place but never got to read it as the reader. This made the book so darn boring.

The writing is stilted. I'm not sure if it's because it's been translated but it was not good. The change of perspectives within paragraphs made it really confusing to follow. Also so many random characters were mentioned at a drop of a hat expecting the reader to know who you're talking about. If you're going to do that then please show us what the characters are feeling, doing, thinking and saying. Don't tell us what they did, felt and thought.

And what the heck was the point of this story anyway?!?! This was quite abysmal.

I really struggled with this book. I'm not entirely convinced that the translation was completely right. There were some sections that had overly complicated adjectives or verbs that didn't fit with the style of the book. It has potential but it did not follow through that well.

I struggled to get through this one, which I feel like was due to the fact that it may have gotten lost in translation. It was confusing and lacked dialogue which made it seem as though it was dragging on.

Unfortunately I didn't enjoy this one.

This book was a struggle for me. I found it very jumbled & confusing. It promised to be thrilling but I found it very confusing & was really disappointed as I had so much hope for this book.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-ARC.

Valerie Tong Coung writes prose as though it is poetry and ends up crafting a hauntingly beautiful story, one that makes you sigh at the end and stare into the distance in the company of your thoughts.

Right from page one, I was completely taken in by the gripping narrative and the plot of this book. The author wastes no time in setting the tone and introducing the key characters to the story. Pax has an opportunity of a lifetime presented to him, and in the flow of the moment, he chooses to ignore the very alarming noises coming from the apartment upstairs. This decision will haunt him for months to come and will have devastating consequences on his life and of those that he loves so dearly.

It is easy to see how that the author has spent much time working out the character profiles of each of the protagonists; Emi, Pax and Alex are all very real and flawed characters with multiple layers. They exist in the middle spectrum of black and white, with their secrets and redeeming qualities, which make them very relatable.
They will stay with me for a very long time, as I revisit them and analyse their nature, their motives and their intertwining destinies.

I think it is hard to classify this book into a particular genre like 'crime' or ' thriller' solely because of the way the author has, so seamlessly, interwoven suspense, thrill and crime with themes of family and romance. The only thing that was slightly off-putting: being a translation from French to English, I found the flow to be slightly disjointed, and I will put this down solely to that which is lost in translation.

Give this book a read, and read carefully, to the last page, to the very last word. Chances are, like me, you'll probably want to read the book again.

I just couldn’t read all of this book. I managed a third and it just didn’t hold any interest for me.

The cover hints at it being twisty and a real page turner but really, from what I read was just a lot of inner dialogue and no motion. In the third of the book that I read there was hardly any verbal interaction between characters. There was so much description and detail offered for individuals past and their families relationships that the author seems to have forgotten to provide a story to move forward with.

I’m not sure why this was listed under crime/mystery. Yes, there is a crime committed at the beginning, but really it felt more aligned with troubled romance.

Thanks to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review and apologies that I did not finish. Life’s too short to read books you don’t enjoy.

I struggled to read this book. I don’t know if something was lost in translation but it lacked cohesiveness. The last twenty percent of the book did hold my attention a little better but the ending was very disappointing.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton 💕

This book was very impressive when it comes to character-building. Each character had their own back story and had undergone changes. The story was relatively character driven despite being a short story.

The plot was well described as well but sometimes, it felt a bit jumpy. I had a hard time following the timeline because it tends to jump from random back story to another. But when I got in the middle part, I got the timing.

The writing style was new to me and I found the sentences too long. Maybe because it was translated from French.

I'm really glad I requested for this. I enjoyed the story and enjoyed the depth of holding secrets fro the sake of love.

Not for me I'm afraid.

When I see a blurb / description that uses words like, "Twisty" and "page turner" I kinda expect something that IS those things, not a book that gives me 12 pages (2% of the entire book ) of introspection in the middle of an already dull dialogue.

I gave up at 40%.

This was the first book from the author I have read so I was very excited to read it!
I really enjoyed this book right from the start to the end, I could not put this down, every chapter ended with you wanting more. It had many twists and turns, which I love, and it was not predicable at all which is wonderful as the recent books I have read have all been quite predicable.
It is a fast paced book but easy to follow. I really liked the writing style of how the characters were described. I liked how it shows that everyone has many sides and no one is perfect.
I would defiantly read more from this author and recommend this book to anyone!

This has been so intriguing and captivating, I haven’t wanted to put this one down.
I have been completely hooked and unable to put this one down.

Pax Monnier is a middle-aged jobbing bit part actor who finally gets his big break. As he is about to leave for the audition he hears a commotion in the flat above his but chooses to ignore it rather than blow his big break. It turns out that the noises he heard were his neighbour,a young man called Alex, being brutally assaulted leaving him with life-changing injuries.
Pax's audition is a great success and his meaningless land disappointing life is further enriched when he meets and falls in love with the enigmatic Emi .
From this basic premise what seems like quite a simple tale develops into a powerful novel about choices,honesty,fate and relationships. Author Valerie Tong Cuong delves deep into the lives and feelings of the small cast of characters and aside from the unfortunate Alex all have secrets and have let down people to various degrees in their lives. Pax finds himself in a situation of his own making where he has to either live a lie or potentially destroy relationships that are precious to him..............as has another major character. Those choices make for a powerful finales,do they confess or do they cover their tracks and keep quiet?
From a slow start The Lies I Never Told You turns into a beautifully written tale of morals with reader's perceptions of the characters changing as their secrets are revealed,a truly memorable read.

Thanks to Valerie Tong Cuong, Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

I’ll be honest. When I started reading this book, I thought it very bumpy, mainly due to the narration. As it is a French translation, I was unsure if I would like it or not. However, since the book is relatively short, I continued reading. I am SO glad I did because I loved the story!

The story starts off bumpy but picked up once Pax meets Emi, and later when Alex enters the story. The author portrayed their emotions beautifully. Each character goes through a harrowing experience, because of which they suffer with inferiority, guilt, trauma or fear. They all fight their own inner demons, but don’t realize that they are overcoming their burdens when they are with each other.

Pax is amazing and the highlight of the story. I loved how involved he becomes with Emi and Alex’s lives. You can see him slowly start to change, and try to overcome being a coward to do what is right. Alex is also a wonderful character who you immediately love and root for. The author has written his emotions accurately, and I can only imagine survivors in real life being brave to live each day fighting their battles.

The story is short and simple, but yet so compelling. After reading this book, I feel like watching the movie “Dallas Buyers Club” since the author mentions it multiple times. Overall, The Lies I Never Told You is a beautiful contemporary tale of fighting your battles.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton, for the arc of The Lies I Never Told you by Valerie Tong Cuong.

This follows when Pax, whom is a middle-aged second-rate actor so B-List actor whom ends up, scoring an audition for a big blockbuster move..., he is seriously convinced in thst fate has taken pity and empathy on him and that is why he will finally get to spend some time in the limelight. He ends up leaving his own flat while ignoring the alarming sounds coming from the apartment above his... He is really beside himself when he finds out and learns what devastating consequences his decision actually had and not only was his neighbour Alex whom has been assaulted and left for dead... It is his girlfriend's Emi's son. He is then faced with an impossible decision in which should he continue to deceive and lie to Emi in which she is the one person who always believed and supported him, or tell her truth and will it destroy their relationship....

This was a short book of a mere 160 pages but it was 160 pages full of suspense and mystery and twists this made me wanting more!

4 stars⭐⭐⭐⭐