Lucy Green wanted her thirtieth birthday to be a perfect day when she made her wish. Little did she know it would would leave her with the inability to tell a lie. Though this “curse” was initially challenging, the results were rather surprising.

This was a rather interesting and entertaining exploration of the lies we tell ourselves each day. The beginning was utterly hilarious, and I found myself laughing and nodding my head as Lucy came clean with herself about everything from shape wear to restrictive eating. It offered quite a bit of social commentary about the way women are taught to accept certain things and convince themselves that they are onboard with all of it. Because Lucy was forced to tell the truth, many of her beliefs were challenged, and as a result, she grew tremendously. The story took a more serious turn that I wasn’t expecting, but I did appreciate the way the the author addressed and incorporated it.

I have seen this being noted as a romance. There was a romantic (sub) sub-plot which I really enjoyed, but it was a minor part of the story in my opinion. Nonetheless, I adored the love interest and enjoyed how he kept surprising Lucy (and me).

Overall: I really enjoyed this spin on “Liar, Liar”, and I appreciated the well the author kept the story fun while incorporating a serious issue.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group for providing the ARC.

I knew when I requested this book I'd get a rehashing of Liar Liar, but I was surprised by how much this book deviated from that particular plot. Lucy is not insufferable - she is a classic millennial wanting to do well and succeed, and focuses solely on what her industry, her friends, and even the world tell her to do to end up happy. Be thin. Wear makeup. Don't rock the boat too much. Deal with the chauvinistic crap of your workplace. Don't eat. Exercise until you die. The list goes on and on. But this books focuses less on her having a day where she can't lie and how hindering it can be, and more on her empowerment.

Suddenly, she doesn't care about the intense beauty and exercise routine she does. She decides to have an actual meal for breakfast instead of starving. She sticks it to her boss, her boyfriend, random people on the street, and in doing so, frees herself from the shitty injustices of the world.

A great way to show that living as your true self is not a hindrance. It's a blessing and empowering. This book was an absolute delight.

Lucy is a celebrity publicist who on the eve of her thirtieth birthday makes a wish for the perfect day. What ensues is a twenty four hour no good very bad, maybe actually kind of good day where Lucy is unable to lie and against her will speaks her truth in many less than ideal situations. Part work place drama, part love story and part magical realism Nothing But the Truth is a quick, witty read.

Thank you Dutton & NetGalley for this arc in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Time for women to be honest with themselves (and others). That's what this book really gets across. Holly James really hits on the things women do just to appease society & how we aren't being honest about how we are feeling. The main character, Lucy, really hit home for me (I work in PR) and sometimes our work (spin and white lies) can really start to bleed into our everyday life. Holly James hilariously creates a novel that is reminiscent of Jim Carey's Liar Liar -- but a 30 year old woman at the peak of her career, settling for man who won't commit.

Things I Liked!
- The MC was relatable
- The relationship between Lucy and Oliver made me giggle
- Having the curtain pulled back on the PR world (it was pretty spot on)

Not so much
- At times I thought the female empowerment cliches went a little overboard
- It could have been a bit shorter

Overall, it was a cute and quick read that packed a little punch.

3.5 I liked this.
A story about self discovery with a dash of romance. Over the course of her 30th birthday Lucy is unable to tell a lie. Disasters ensue. It really digs into all the expectations placed on women. In a hilarious and heartfelt story she discovers what makes her happy.
*TW for sexual harassment * not graphic.
Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

What a refreshing read! Lucy is the joyful voice of a woman who has lost the ability to lie, something I had no idea I did so much of in my daily life. With this curse/gift, Lucy must acknowledge that she is not ok, and what you did is not fine, and yes, she would like the burger rather than the salad, and so much more! Nothing But the Truth is about love, romance, self-awareness, and empowerment. I cannot lie, you will love this book!

A delightful feminist spin on Liar, Liar, Nothing But the Truth is the perfect read for your beach bag this summer. The author's humorous voice sparkles and I loved the "day in the life of a PR professional" Lucy is a heroine to root for, but I adored *most* of the side characters as well (Jonathan being the exception). I loved how the women supported each other and was appreciative that the author gave one of the men a redeeming character arc. I already can't wait to read the Deja Glitch next year!

This book in 3 words: Surprising. Engaging. Fun. 

Lucy Green, hard-working publicist, wakes up on her 30th birthday and is unable to tell a lie. What does an entire day of honesty entail? 

This one is unique and I liked it! It definitely had Liar Liar vibes (a Jim Carey classic.... the pen I hold in my hand is Ruhhhh--OOOOOoOoOoYAL BLUEEE).

The writing is sharp and the message is important. Nothing But the Truth focuses much on the insane beauty standards we live through, day to day, no matter how impractical, painful, or expensive. I absolutely adored this angle. Our main character was so refreshing and relatable. 

This also touches on harassment in the workplace in a VERY BIG way. Stories like this are worth it and important, even at a fictitious level. Buddying up to harassment comes sexism - and this story NAILS IT. So good (in the worst way but you all know what I mean). 

A necessary and fun juxtaposition of heroes and villains, good and bad, honesty and bullshit, throughout the entire story. I encourage you to pick this one up when it's released on July 12!

Dnf

The start didn’t really intrigue me and I don’t see the importance of describing a bra. I don’t really want to read about a thirty year old it’s not my cup of tea but maybe I’ll pick it up again another time

Also don’t take my rating seriously as I haven’t read the entire book.

This was so cute and bewildering all at once! If you can suspend your disbelief for long enough to get past the whole “little bit of magic in the real world” bit, you’re in for a whirlwind of fun, chaos, and sweetness (and a healthy dose of truth, of course!).

This book was a light and breezy read, and was a great palate-cleanser for after a few darker books.

Not a bad book at all! I don't think it was particularly my style but I still enjoyed it nonetheless.

In this rom-com novel, Lucy Green is a publicist for movie stars and music artists and it is her birthday. She makes a wish with a special drink and suddenly, she is unable to tell a lie. This unfolds in a birthday like no other, where she uncovers company secrets and discovers particular truths in her life that are life-altering.

It appears this is a first for Holly James and if this is truly her first published novel, look out world! She's going to blow up like Nora Roberts and Danielle Steele. I absolutely loved and totally enjoyed this book. I read it quickly as I couldn't put it down. I laughed and cringed along with the main character, Lucy. If you are looking for a light-hearted beach read rom-com, this is it for you and it comes out on July 12, 2022, so pre-order NOW!!!

I can't say enough about this and don't want to give away all the details, but it is such a cute read. Holly James, please keep writing, you will definitely be on my new favorite author list!

Honesty is a choice! Or is it?

When Lucy Green wakes up on the morning of her 30th birthday – things are definitely different! For starters, she cannot tell a lie. Like, physically, if she tries to even tell herself a lie the universe intervenes leading to some very comedic scenes! Lucy is a publicist with a big day planned: sign a superstar, land the promotion, and (hopefully) have her boyfriend propose to her at her birthday party. But maybe the wish she made the night before to have a “perfect day,” has actually turned into a curse (or has it?).

Nothing But the Truth is women’s fiction at it’s best. Holly James tackles some real-life issues, detailing “just how much nonsense women put up with,” and it was empowering to read about societal pressures that most women feel daily. As a female lawyer, I believe I had to work harder at the start of my career, and still to this day feel like I must dress the part (including having a full makeup drawer at of my office). When did beauty begin to matter more than brains?

For the first several pages I admit I was a little confused, and then I re-read the title of the book and it all clicked! It did begin a tad like Liar, Liar (even to the point of the color of my pen is blue / the color of my shirt is green etc.), but the similarities end there. James crafted an original, refreshing, unpredictable story that should be celebrated.

In addition, I loved the characters and their interactions throughout the novel – including Chase who is supposed to be the supervillain. The warmth that Nina and Oliver provided to Lucy demonstrated how important a good support system is, and let’s not forget to mention the charisma from Adam! (Plus, I loved their names! - I’m Nina, and I have a son named Oliver). And Lucy attempting to enlighten Oliver on “pee string” and “waxing” – hysterical!

This novel sends some very strong messages, starting with how essential it is for women to be honest with themselves and what power the truth can hold. As women, it is ok to not be ok all the time, and just because we “put up with it doesn’t mean [we] should have” to. My only gripes would be how many feminist statements were repeatedly made back-to-back (some were a tad over-the-top) and several of the in-your-face comparisons of men vs. women; not all men are bad and not all women make the right decisions. However, James put it perfectly stating: “too much expectation is put on women to adapt, when it is in fact the obstacles they face that need changing.”

We need be the change we want to see in this world. This was a great read with a perfect ending. 4.3 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC; all opinions are my own!

Smart, thoughtful story about being a woman in all aspects of life, from the workplace to our parents' expectations of us in society, to the things we are asked to accept. A fun story with a serious message about the lies we tell ourselves to conform, and there's a delightful (and seriously hot) love story in here. I loved it. James writes with an easy style, cleverly turning a male story (Jim Carrey's Liar Liar) on its head. Fresh and current, this story takes place in the span of one amazing day. I tore through it, loving every minute.

I was all set to give this debut novel 5 stars until I reached the last few chapters of the book. What happened? The story went from being a light-hearted, yet serious, exploration of a young woman’s personal and professional challenges to an over-the-top treatise about hostile work environments and white male entitlement.

Lucy Green is on the verge of receiving a promotion to senior publicist as well as having a major birthday – the big 3-0. Her firm, based in LA, represents a wide variety of clients associated with the entertainment industry. On the morning of her birthday she begins to question many of her lifestyle choices and over the next few hours completely dismantles her life as she discovers that she is unable to tell a lie. Some of her epiphanies are outright amusing and some require courage to face unpleasant truths. Basically she examines the deep, subconscious conditioning of woman and her denial of her own complicity with unreasonable standards.

I found Lucy an engaging protagonist and read the novel in one day. There are plenty of quirky characters that keep the story interesting and moving forward. As I mentioned above, I was slightly disappointed by the great lengths the author took to make her point about liberating women and holding men accountable for their part in making the workplace uncomfortable and even unsafe.

Overall, this is an entertaining and thought-provoking read and I look forward to more offerings from this author.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

this was just the cutest story. I feel like the main character was super relatable and I loved every second of it. this is the type of book that I would gift to my best girlfriends

This book got my attention right away. It was a really easy read and cute story. I love that the whole premise is that you have such a better life when you just tell the truth about how you’re feeling instead of lying to make others feel better.

What would you do if you could not lie for an entire day? Lucy is a publicist working for a well-known PR company J & J. The day before her birthday she wishes for a Great Day when a hot bartender pours her a drink. Her birthday is a big deal this year, she is expecting to get engaged to her boyfriend of two years, get a promotion, signing a rising star as her client and celebrate her birthday with friends. She wakes up the next day to put on her spin clothes and decides that she doesn’t want to do it, why should she force herself to be skinny and to fit ridiculous expectation of perfection. As she gets dressed for work, she wonders why she has to stuff herself into spanx, a thong, and high heels. She says forget this and goes into the office casual and comfortable. As soon as she enters her office, she realizes that she cannot lie to anyone, its physically impossible. As Lucy continues to blurt out the truth and wreak havoc around her office. Can she survive an entire day without lying, will she be fired for telling her truth?

I enjoyed this book. At first, I thought this was a love story, however it’s a book about expectations society places on women both in and out of the office. As a woman working in a male dominated field, I understand where that frustration of shoving your feelings down to not look “crazy”, “like its that time of the month” or “too aggressive.” I also identify working in a boy’s club, where women miss out on opportunities to advance their career because they do not have a penis. I also have experienced workplace harassment such as a hand grazing my breast, being told I look great in that dress, I need to “fix my hair” because it’s a mess and being propositioned by superiors after hours. It is a shame that we still live in this culture and for those reasons, this book truly resonated with me and makes me want to tell my truth without the fear of consequences of being truthful. (This has been my collective experience after 22 years in the workplace as an adult)

Loved this story!! I read it in a day because I could not put it down. The main character is so well written you almost want her to be real. It was a great story with some serious elements to it but also a lot of fun.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All Thoughts and opinions are my own. I loved this book, it’s a romance book with so much more. It have me smiling laughing and I couldn’t put it down. Lucky was a great and when her wish was granted it was in the most unexpected way and It had me saying what would I do if this was me. I think this is the perfect summer read for anyone who like female empowerment and romance books.