Cleverly done, somehow atmospheric and clinical at once, which - neat trick. Though the book is brief, every word counts.

When Pax, a middle-aged second-rate actor, scores an audition for a blockbuster, he is convinced fate has taken pity on him and he will finally get to spend some time in the limelight. He leaves his flat in a hurry, ignoring the alarming sounds coming from the apartment above.

He is beside himself when he learns what devastating consequences his decision had: not only was his neighbour Alex assaulted and left for dead, he is also his girlfriend Emi's son.

Pax is faced with an impossible choice: should he continue to deceive Emi, the one person who always believed in him, or tell the truth and destroy their relationship?

This was a quick read for me and an enjoyable one too!

The narration of this plot wasn't that good but it was a very thought provoking book. Sometimes we take selfish decisions in our life without realising the consequences it might create and how it might come back to haunt us later in life.

I wish the ending would have been a little better and more elaborate but this book is definitely worth a read !!

Thank You to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton for this ARC!!

Pax is an aspiring actor, who hears a violent assault take place in the flat above him. He chooses to ignore it! A year later and he has to deal with the guilt and consequences of that day as the boy who was assaulted is his new girlfriends son!

This was a short book at only 160 pages and I did find it quite difficult to read to begin with. It felt a bit all over the place. It’s definitely not my usual genre (it was classed as Mystery/Thriller) but I didn’t quite feel it was a mystery as there wasn’t anything to find out!

It’s a story about guilt and the lies we tell ourselves and others to justify the things we do. Pax is in turmoil over whether what he did that day was right and whether to come clean to his girlfriend Emi.

An abrupt ending but it definitely got me thinking and raised more questions!

A very good read. Most importantly a lovely depiction of scenery and background in a compelling drama of two
unlikely souls who meet and enter into a relationship.

Pax, an aging B level actor, lands a small role in an upcoming feature film. And Emi, a company head who has had to struggle all of her life to maintain her values and hold on to her career. Yet, there is more to both central characters than meets the eye at first...

A very good story!

Many Thanks to Hachette Company, UK and NetGalley for a fast, interesting read!

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

When Pax Monnier hears strange noises in the apartment above, he dismisses them. He is rushing to prepare for the audition which could reignite his acting career. He later learns that what he heard was a violent assault. The Lies I Never Told You takes a look at what happens when we're too preoccupied with our own lives; what do we miss and how can we justify our actions after the fact? These are the consequences of Pax choosing not to intervene.
The immediacy of the writing style is fantastic at capturing anticipation and mood in the characters, and a testament to both the author and translator. There are some really clever and subtle touches that put me right inside each character's mind, and I couldn't help but care how things would work out for them. It could be as simple as leaving a spoon in a teacup while drinking it, instead of removing the spoon first. Those moments told me as much about these people as the story itself, and it draws an incredibly rich picture.
The timing throughout the novel is a little jumpy (soon after the incident we have moved forward a year). The blanks are always filled in later on, but it took me a while not to wonder why I was missing some information.The changes in time seem to reflect the chaotic and uncontrollable nature of the book, but it seemed a little disjointed at times, and took me out of the story rather than engaging me in it.
Similarly, the characters' histories (particularly Pax and Emi's family backgrounds) are fully realised and show how well they have been created. But these descriptive moments were thrown at me all at once, just as I had thought the story was lacking in background. I could argue that they came at exactly the right time, but I might have preferred having snippets of information revealed over time, rather than all in one central section. These histories are so well developed and Emi's story in particular is lovely, but because they are thrust on you altogether it removed the emotion a little.
I really enjoyed this story, but I felt a lot of it could have benefited from being more drawn out. There are sub-plots that are thrown away as an afterthought, or that begin to develop but could have so much more added to them. In that sense it felt a little abrupt, but it is still a really clever and moving analysis of what motivates us and how fragile our lives can be.

The Lies I Never Told You was written by French author Valerie Tong Cuong and translated to English. I wouldn’t necessarily call this a mystery/thriller as the description leads you to believe, however, I did find myself drawn into the moral conflicts faced by the characters.

The story follows multiple characters and their internal struggles with truth. Pax is an actor on his way to an audition when he witnesses a suspicious event. Choosing inaction, Pax is left dealing with the guilt of his decision. When he then meets Emi and finds out her son, Alex, was the victim in the incident, he is torn between telling the truth or continuing to live with his lie. Emi also grapples with a truth of her own throughout the story. I found myself compelled by the genuineness and relatability of the characters facing real life dilemmas, especially Emi’s son Alex.

Although the book started off a little slow, it was an overall quick read and I finished the book in only a few hours. My feelings changed a few times during this book starting with disappointment at the slow beginning and lack of expected suspense, but by the end of the book I was invested in the characters and feeling empathy for their predicaments.

The Lies I Never Told You (Les Querres Intérieures) tells the story of Pax, a middle-aged actor who leaves his flat in a hurry to get to an audition for a blockbuster, ignoring the alarming sounds coming from another apartment. He has just heard the murder of his girlfriend's son but he doesn't know it yet.

This was an absolutely gripping, short novel that I could not put down. It is more than just a mystery thriller as it includes philosophical elements as well as commentary on social issues.

A wonderful read.

Disclosure: I'd like to thank the publisher for my advanced reader's copy. This is my honest review.

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I read the blurb for this book after seeing the striking front cover, and im so glad I opted to request it from NetGalley.
While only a short story with 160 pages it gets straight into the action, I really enjoyed it from the first page to the last. The way the book is written fits really well with the fast paced story and the characters and their feelings are really well portrayed. The story makes you question yourself and your priorities and weather you would do the same in the situation Pax was put in. The book isn't a light read as it is full of choices, decisions, turmoil and regret. It covers an assault that makes you think about your own surroundings and safety, but it does enlighten with hope and love. The ending is rather sudden and I expected more from it, but I'm hopeful for a second to clear up all my 'But what happens next?' issues.
Very cleverly written, brilliant short story and definitely worth a read.
Thanks again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton

Also Reviewed on - www.TwoIvy.co.uk

A really well written book. It kind of reminds me of Dan Brown in style. You just want to keep reading. It starts fast and you won’t want to put down. Excellent 5/5.

I did enjoy this and it was a quick read but I did find the language quite tough going. Was a little formal and verbose for me. Could have been written with more flow making it easier to
Read

The Lies I Never Told You is a short read, one I flew through in less than 24 hours. I found it to be thought-provoking and relatable.

Set in Paris, Pax is a divorced B-list actor approaching middle age. On his way out to an audition he believes will be his big break, he overhears what he thinks is a vicious attack on his upstairs neighbour. Convincing himself it’s nothing but a rearrangement of the furniture, he leaves his apartment and heads to his audition, lying to the police when questioned about the time he left home so as to avoid further hassle. Little does he know that this decision will haunt him for years to come.

I found the characters in this book likeable and relatable, and felt that the author did well to capture how we as humans feel guilt and the ways we deal with this, articulating the internal dialogue we have with ourselves when we perceive we have played a part in something bad or wrong. She also demonstrated the causality or ripple effect that our choices and actions create; the way one seemingly minor decision can set in motion a whole parallel set of events.

Unfortunately, for me, this book was just lacking something. There were times when I felt the author was over-explaining things, bordering on waffling, and yet despite this I also frequently found that I was having to work hard to put two and two together and make sure I ended up with four as other things were dropped into the storyline without any explanation at all. For example, there were times when the story switched to a different time frame, and yet this was not articulated at all, resulting in confusion and having to re-read sections to get to grips with it all.

Interestingly, this book is described as a mystery/thriller, but I wouldn’t say it matches either of those genres. There’s no big reveal or clues hinting at the truth behind a mystery, nor is there any kind of build-up of tension or suspense surrounding a catastrophic event that may or may not happen at the end. What stood out for me was the way the book highlighted the way we as humans deal with perceived guilt; our inner turmoil when we believe we’ve done something wrong, and the actions we then take in response to this. Personally, if we’re going to try to categorise this novel, I’d say it fits more snugly into Literary Fiction.

Despite my three-star rating, I did really enjoy this book and found that it definitely got me thinking. Being a short book, it’s a good one for people to pick up as an in-between and I would recommend giving it a try, but it’s not up there in my list of top-rated.

I loved the most the writing style portraying each character inner turmoil in an almost poetic way. Fast paced though not a light read. Characters are burdened with guilt, defeat, failure and shame. Pax and Emi both face themselves honestly facing their own choices that caused others damage.
The Book also highlights violence around the world, small acts of cowardly behavior everybody is committing without acknowledging, the multicultural struggle to fit and the stigma of some parents failure to connect with their kids.
I will sure seek other books for the author.

This was an overall interesting and quick read. It involves a complicated situation in which there are no real answers. I liked how the story had various POVs and we got to understand the emotions and thoughts behind each characters actions. I wish there was a little more to the ending but I enjoyed the book overall.

#TheLiesINeverToldYou #NetGalley
A perfect short read.
When Pax, a middle-aged second-rate actor, scores an audition for a blockbuster, he is convinced fate has taken pity on him and he will finally get to spend some time in the limelight.He leaves his flat in a hurry, ignoring the alarming sounds coming from the apartment above. He is beside himself when he learns what devastating consequences his decision had: not only was his neighbour Alex assaulted and left for dead, he is also his girlfriend Emi's son .Before long, Pax is faced with an impossible choice: should he continue to deceive Emi, the one person who always believed in him, or tell the truth and destroy their relationship?
Its characters were good. Narration was so so.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advance copy.