THE LYING CLUB by Anne ward coming out march 22 2022. Even when you are mega rich high school kid. Evil can touch you

Natalie's life is a bit of a train wreck. She came to Colorado to take care of her injured brother, but when he improves, she decides to stay. She gets a job as an office assistant at Falcon Academy, a private school. The story begins with her waking up in her car in the school parking lot with no memory of what happened or how she got here. When she goes inside, she finds someone lying in a pool of blood. Could she be involved and if so, what the heck happened.
Natalie crosses paths with two women whose daughters go to Falcon. Brooke and Asha aren't exactly friend, friends, but their children, Sloane and Mia are both on the soccer team and used to be quite close. Until Coach Nicholas starts focusing on their skills and how it would be highly unlikely for their chosen college, UCLA to accept both girls. In a highly competitive environment, you might understand them not being as close, but is there more going on?
Brooke's husband left her, and Asha is afraid her marriage is falling apart. When you add Natalie to the mix, the only thing all three women have in common is Coach Nicholas. He cares about their daughter’s and seems to like Natalie's company, but is there more to the picture that we can't see yet?
A lot of secrets, lies, miscommunications and downright ugly behavior will be exposed. Who exactly was lying in that pool of blood, and can anyone make it out of this mess, unscathed? I had fun trying to figure out how all the puzzle pieces would finally come together. I enjoyed Beautiful Bad, and it was great to spend some time again with this author.

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

This is the exact, exact, exact kind of easy reading, popcorn thriller that you sometimes need to just escape for a few hours. I super enjoyed reading this one, between the boarding school drama, the completely unlikable, love to hate them characters, and the simmering tension that something is just not right.

I flew through this story, because I absolutely had to see how all of the very wobbly threads of each of these women's lives was going to ultimately end up becoming knotted, and I was definitely not expecting the twisting outcomes of what happens.

A perfect winter must read - it will keep you excellent company on cold snowy afternoons!

The Lying Club by Annie Ward. Psychological drama with a bevy of unlikable and reprehensible characters. Character who were either privileged, entitled, narcissistic, predatory, substance abusers, sex starved, and the list goes on and on. Many twists, turns, backstabbing, actual stabbing, lying and cheating. Except for Rocky and Jackson, cannot think of any likeable character. With all that going on the action should have been nonstop but was actually a rather slow burn. A dark read, but it was hard to put down and an unexpected ending.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to preview the book.

Wow! I was so excited to read this book because it is my very first ARC and it looked like something different from what I normally read. I ended up LOVING this book! The mystery and thriller of it all sucked me in after the first 50 pages. I was interested and wanted to know what happened, and I think that the little excerpts from the future spread throughout really had you thinking forward and towards the end of the mystery throughout it all.
I was making my way through it fairly slow and steady until I got about halfway through and things started coming together and then I devoured the second half of the book in less than a day. I have to say, I am not really the best at figuring things out before they are revealed, but this book really had me in the dark. My favourite thing was the way that once more and more was revealed, clues from throughout the book were brought up and I would instantly remember them, but they were so small that at the time of reading them I would forget after a few pages that they had even happened. I don't read thrillers or mysteries that often, but when I read ones like The Lying Club or another favourite The Maidens, I am reminded of how much I enjoy them, especially in the moments where everything comes together.

I read Beautiful Bad, by Annie Ward, a couple years ago and was completely floored. Since then, I had been on the look out for Ward's next book. The anticipation was unreal, as I did not even know she was working on the Lying Club. In true Ward fashion, this book does not disappoint.

Annie Ward has an unbelievable talent to tell a great story. The story line is fluid, the characters all come to life and the twists are juicy and unable to be anticipated. This book hits every single check mark when it comes to providing a suspenseful thriller. I absolutely loved this book so much.

The Lying club rotates narration between 3 points of view. Secrets are exposed, families are hurt, and the big climax? YIKES! You will not be prepared for what is revealed.

Now, I am faced with a dilemma...

How can I possibly wait for her next release!

Five stars, mind blowing, the book hangover will last quite some time. I can not stop thinking about what I read. This is definitely a book I can see myself recommending to others for awhile.

The first line of the summary had me wondering if this was going to be one of those High School mysteries. Especially since it takes place at a Elite Private school. It was so so much more!
This is my first book by Annie Ward but it won't be my last. She has a wave of weaving a tangled web, but keeping it exciting and easy to follow.
Now some of the characters are super unlikeable (actually most are) and usually I can't read books where I cant relate or like the characters, but in this case, I don't think you are supposed to like the characters and in all honesty, I don't think the book would have been as good as it is IF there were likeable characters.

Thank you so much to #NetGalley and the publisher for the arc.

Privileged students and parents alike make-up the large and elite Falcon Academy in Colorado... well, except for Natalie Bellman, who is part of office staff at Falcon Academy.

Brooke Elliman is made of money due to her family's renowned bakery business. Her daughter Sloane Elliman-Holt is one of the stars of the Falcon Academy soccer team. With paid private sessions with Coach Nicholas McGuire, Sloane is nearly certain to follow in her mother's footsteps and get into UCLA, and Brooke won't take no for an answer.

Sloane's friend and teammate on the field, Mia Wilson, is equally skilled. And when her mother Asha finds out about the opportunity for Coach Nick to help prepare Asha, she buys in to the private sessions too.

At the middle is Natalie Bellman, the person who seems to know almost everything that goes on in the lives of the Falcon Academy families - the failing relationships, surprise pregnancies, and teen scandals. With tensions at the school arising, where does she fall in the web of lies? What are the truths and what are the lies? And how will Coach Nick help resolve the issues between the students?

Review Notes:
I give this book a 4/5 overall. It was suspenseful, but never had me feeling on edge like I just had to keep flipping pages. It also seemed unnecessarily long at times, and I felt like it might have been a bit better had it been a little shorter honestly. I kind of suspected what was going on about half-way through, and so the end didn't phase me at all. Overall I liked the book, but I feel like it will be one of those books that I forget most of within the next few months - there really wasn't anything stellar about the story that would stick with me ([ except maybe the poor, highly annoying, but probably intentional word choice made partway through the book (hide spoiler)]). I am glad the ending wasn't a cliffhanger or anything unfinished.

Wow! This book blew me away!
Absolutely engrossing in the vein of big little lies.
Private Academy.
Rich parents with nothing to do all day but gossip.
Spoiled rich kids.
But this one doesn’t end the way you think it will.
The twist keep coming, all the way into the epilogue. And each one got me a bit more than the last! You think everything’s worked out and tied up with a little now, than the author rips the rug out again. And again. And AGAIN.
I was honestly totally shocked and blown away by the ending of this. Kudos to Annie, you definitely have a new fan in me!!

Well Butter My Sweet Biscuits! 😳😯😳

Holy Mother Fluffer! Geez I did not see that ending coming by a mile away! I have to admit, o loved and hated each character multiple times but that's what made it so great to me. So much deceit, lies, deception, and dark moments! In an Elite Private School, things are about to get VERY interesting. We have Natalie, the school's administrative assistant; Brooke, an heiress and mother of Sloane who is like a lioness on the prowl, and Asha, who's daughter is Mia and is a real estate agent who's protective of her as well as believing her husband isn't who she thought he was. All of them are tied in by Nick, the assistant athletic director of the high school. But who will get what they want - what would you do to get it? How could this possibly end for all of them? This was so delish and the ending was juicy as ever!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.
Release date: March 21, 2022

I give this 4 / 5 snowflakes! ❄️

Twisty psychological thriller that is quickly-paced and quite the page turner! Set amongst the rich and entitled families at an elite private school. This book has you guessing until the end.

Rating: 4/5 Stars!

Boujee Colorado school, parents too involved in their kids lives, lying, deceit and more... this book had it all! Set in the mountains outside of Denver, this novel followed the lives of 3 women in a small town: 2 of which have students at an elite private school and 1 woman works as an assistant at the school. All 3 are intertwined in various ways, linked together by lies, other teachers, drama, and even murder.

Overall - I really enjoyed the pacing and writing in this thriller. It never scared me, but at times I felt chilled and the setting of freezing Colorado snowstorms helped the winter vibes be even more noticeable. My favorite storyline was definitely Asha, a pregnant real estate agent who is trying to figure out if her husband is cheating on her. I always love the juicy gossip that books like this include!

There are 3-4 smaller mysteries in addition to the BIG storyline (where someone is murdered in the first chapter) that constantly keep you guessing in the book. Also, the major twists at the end was something that I didn't see coming, which is really great in a thriller. I recently read a book about an elite private high school murder, so I was nervous that it would be similar.. but definitely wasn't! This book changed it up, which I liked a lot.

This book most definitely has "Big Little Lies" feelings about it, so if that show/book was something you enjoyed, definitely check out The Lying Club . I recommend it!

Thank you so much to Park Row, Harlequin Publishing & NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a story that centers around a posh private school in the Colorado mountains and the privileged students who attend and their parents. This book had a whole lot of unlikeable characters. There’s Natalie, the boring office assistant who steals prescription pills from the students, Brooke, a wealthy serial cheater whose husband has finally had enough and left her, Asha, a real estate agent who becomes pregnant late in life and thinks her husband is cheating on her. At the center of all this is Nick, the school’s coach and mentor who has taken a liking to his students, especially the daughters of Brooke and Asha who are the school’s soccer stars. One morning two bodies are taken out of the school and secrets, lies and a revenge plot are unraveled.
This was a fun read and I really enjoyed it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy.

The Lying Club is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time It's face paced, intriguing and keeps you guessing. Two bodies are discovered at a fancy private school in Colorado and suddenly everyone is a suspect. The tangled web of lies and secrets starts to unravel and you soon realize no one is who you think they are. All secrets lead to the school's handsome assistant athletic director who everyone seems to love and admire. The Lying Club is full of cheating, back stabbing, family drama and of course lies.

WOW -- I was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Lying Club but truly was not aware of the ride that I was in for. The plot of this book was genius. Told from alternating perspectives and timelines, you don't know who to believe or what is *really* going on until the very end. Annie Ward did a great job of developing likable characters, even with the most unlikeable personality traits. What a great thriller to kick off 2022!

The cover of the book says "Three Women, Two Bodies and One Big Lie" - although this is true...a fourth woman is involved and numerous other characters who had motive to commit the crime!!! Great suspense book!! This is the first book I've read by Annie Ward and look forward to more.

This past week I have just felt so flat when it has come to my reading, after managing to read 9 books in the first 10 days of the year - I was excited that I was on a bit of a roll, and then out of nowhere - I felt myself in a bit of a slump as the next handful of books I tried since Monday were DNFs- I couldn't get into anything as nothing was grabbing me. Often when this happens, I find myself needing something gritty like a mystery. The Lying Club has been one I have been wanting to read as it sounded right up my alley. This book once finished it reminded me heavily of the story Big Little Lies as it seemed a conspiracy, an all-for-one pact around the murder of an individual. The book starts the day of the murder and Natalie wakes up in her school carpark. She goes to the gym and sees a dead crumpled body. The book then flashes back and leads up to this moment. During the flashbacks we meet the other main players of the book - Asha who sells Real Estate, is pregnant and thinks her husband is cheating on her and has two children Oliver and Mia, Brooke - she thinks she is all that and is currently separated from her husband Gabe and has a daughter Sloane, Brooke is also a bit of a cougar and likes everything to be hers, Nick Maguire who is the school's hottie Coach for Soccer in which Sloane and Mia play and last but not least Natalie who is the School's Admin lady. In The Lying Club we have Sloane and Mia who are top soccer athletes and whose parents have paid for them to have private lessons with Nick but when scandals and moodiness start to happen, has Nick been doing more than teach Soccer? Natalie is young and pretty and has a Klepto problem but has she finally found a HEA with Nick or was he using her like everyone else? Asha is pregnant and feeling like her family is distancing themselves away from her, can Asha save her family before it's too late? Brooke is all too consumed with appearances, can she put her opinions aside before her daughter is marked with scandal and peer pressure? Nick has everyone eating out of the palm of his hands but what will happen when his dark secrets start to bleed into his facade as the great and caring Coach Nick Maguire? The Lying Club is perfect for those edgy psychological thriller readers as The Lying Club has got something for everyone from drugs, lies, secrets, cheating, and sexting pictures.

From the perch behind her desk Natalie watches them flounce in and out of the school with their perfectly dressed bodies, fancy jewels, and ability to catch the eye of every around them, and she wishes she had just a taste of what they have. She is envious of the lives they get to live and don't fully appreciate. The wounds of a miserable childhood ever present in her mind, constantly taunting her of the life she aches for and doesn't have the courage to go after. It makes sense that she'd be a suspect...

Brooke, the drop dead gorgeous heiress who always dresses to impress and manages to steal the spotlight every time she enters the room. From outward appearances one would assume her charmed life is perfect, but it's anything but. It's riddled with lies, marital affairs, and plots to take everyone down who dares to compete with her perfect children. It makes sense that she'd be a suspect...

Then there's Asha, the overbearing and over protective mother who is always hanging around the school trying to catch the attention of a certain handsome assistant athletic director. She is like a bulldog when it comes to her children, and making sure they get the best of everything shifted their way... even if it means playing dirty on her part. It makes sense that she'd be a suspect...

One elite private school in Colorado joins all these women together, and also wrecks their lives in ways they never imagined. When two bodies are carried out of the school and they top the long list of suspects you have to wonder what has been going on behind the walls of that school and just how deep are these women involved? It's anyone's guess as to whom carried out the crime and why?

The Lying Club is an enthralling domestic thriller that kept me up until the wee hours of the morning. Once my eyes found the words and I met this intriguing cast of characters I couldn't pry them away. I just HAD to know who was to blame! This action-packed page-turner had me second guessing myself every step of the way, just as I would start to settle on a suspect, another would appear. It was the perfect who done it!! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Harlequin Trade Publishing and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Thrilling read set in an elite Colorado private school. A fast paced read with non-stop adventure.

This was a pretty weird book. It's one of those books where you can't trust anyone and it goes back and forth in time.

Natalie works at a private school in Colorado full of rich kids. She deals with the parents who are constantly coming in. She moved there to help her brother after an accident. In the beginning of the book, she wakes up, finds a dead body at the school, and wonders what she did.

Brooke and Asha are moms to two young soccer stars. Brooke's husband recently left and her daughter is dating an older boy that she doesn't approve of. Asha thinks her husband might be cheating on her. Her daughter has been acting odd lately and fighting with her friends. The daughters, Mia and Sloane are both competing in soccer and want to play in college. Their coach, Nick, does private lessons and talks to the moms about the things they need to do. He encourages injections to help with minor injuries. Asha and her husband argue about this, but Asha wants what's best for Sloane. Mia has already been taking the lessons. Both girls decide they want to go to UCLA which makes the moms angry with each other since it's likely only one girl will get in. Asha sells houses and thinks that someone has been in her open houses when no one is there. Brooke has a huge crush on Nick. Things just get really weird with all of them. There is a lot of drama and it's hard to really like anyone in the book. But it was fun to read and try to figure out what happened and who the body actually was. All of the people in this book have secrets and lie constantly. Some are insecure and most use their money and power to get what they want. Their friendships aren't really real and anyone will backstab the other.

I gave this book 4 stars.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for my earc.