This is a very cute story about Lucy who is turning 30, successful, in a relationship, she has it all, or so we think. Like most women that age society expects them to have everything mapped out, marriage, career, kids, Lucy wants it all, but the day before her bday things go wrong, and everything she has set in motion for her life, she is questioning. This book gives you a mix of romance, a little magic, some huge GIRL POWER situations, and learning about living your own truth.

This is a cute lighthearted story. Lucy is excited about her 30th birthday and has a big party planned for the evening. When she wakes up on the day of her birthday she realizes she can’t tell a lie. Because of this she begins to become more aware of what she really wants her life to look like. She decides she is over living with many of the double standards women are being expected to abide by. Gone are the uncomfortable clothes, immaculate makeup and shoes that are a nightmare to walk in. Her goals and desires for the other aspects of her life are becoming more evident as she moves through the day. Lucy is a celebrity publicist so she has to figure out how to do her job without lying. How long, with whatever spell she is under, will she be unable to lie? This is a quick and fun read - perfect for summer.

Nothing But the Truth was such a fun novel! It reminded me of that old Jim Carrey movie Liar, Liar. But with a positive message!

Lucy Green is having a milestone birthday (30!) and she thinks her boyfriend of 2 years is going to propose at her birthday party like in romcom movies. She’s also expecting a big promotion at work, and the night before her big day, she is stood up by her bf. The hot bartender takes pity on her and makes her a special birthday drink on which she wishes for a perfect day.

When she wakes up, she finds she can’t put herself through her usual make up, hair and fashionista outfit as she had planned. When she arrives at work casually dressed, everyone is shocked. So is Lucy when she realizes she can’t lie! Not any half truths, fibs or white lies. She is forced to tell the truth to everyone. This isn’t great for her work day where she’s a publicist who has to smooth things over with her clients and has to deal with her creepy boss.

This novel was such a refreshing book! I loved the LA location and the publicist job was a fun change of pace. I personally love workplace novels and this book hit it hard with the #metoo movement. I loved that Lucy encouraged others to stand up for themselves even if she want quite ready to do it herself. I also loved all the jokes about LA traffic and being happy in your own skin.

This is a debut novel and I cannot wait for more from @hollym_james! Thank you so much to @duttonbooks for my gifted copy! Nothing But the Truth is out now!

2.5 Stars

The day before her 30th birthday, Lucy makes a wish for the perfect day. When she wakes the next morning, she realizes she’s physically incapable of lying in any capacity. This causes a whole slew of hijinks to occur as Lucy must face the truth when it comes to her relationships and the injustices she faces at work.

The novel started off very bumpy, with Lucy’s morning routine taking up a quarter of this novel as she realizes she hates every aspect of getting ready that she’s grown accustomed to. It started off witty, but turned repetitive and annoying.

Finally at work, the readers are introduced to the wonderful Oliver, Lucy’s work friend. He’s so bubbly and funny - anyone would kill for a ride or die like Oliver. Unfortunately, Lucy often goes on feminist tangents directed towards Oliver despite him not doing anything bad. Poor guy gets scolded so often, even Lucy admits to herself he doesn’t deserve her wrath but he just happens to be the nearest individual with a penis.

This was my biggest issue with this novel. The feminist message is nice in theory, but this sort of message is more feminazi. Lucy is such a massive man hater that when she meets a genuinely nice man she believes she’s delusional and is hallucinating him. This guy puts up with her craziness and has to prove he’s a real human being to her. Like… girl I know you’ve had lots of encounters with shitty men but shockingly they are not all like that.

I am a proud feminist, but messages like these are dangerous. Yes, queen, point out those workplace injustices and rant about the patriarchy, but don’t take it out on your male best friend and the cute guy treating you as you should. They’re innocent, yet are taking the brunt of your frustrations! It made me frustrated! I was cheering alongside the characters when the men who deserved it were told off, but when the other men were feeling the heat from the message too it made me feel uncomfortable. Lucy acknowledged herself that she was unhinged at times and I hate to agree. Such a great message lost through over-preachiness.

The birthday party scene at the end felt dragged out and the set up was a little ridiculous with all the characters of the book arriving one by one to close out their plot lines. I was having some fun with this book when Lucy and Oliver were trying silly online remedies to rid her of her “truth curse” and I enjoyed the Hollywood aspect of this novel, so it wasn’t a total flop. It was just way too preachy for me and Lucy wasn’t that lovable of a heroine.

Thank you PENGUIN GROUP Dutton and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I will be recommending this to my followers who are obsessed with romance. This will be a good beach read

It was such a beautiful read in how she discovers what she truly wants in her life.I will highly recommend this book

I liked this book and the concept, but it got a little long for me. I had a hard time making it through the last quarter of the book. I would give the first half four stars though. The story does wrap up nicely and tie up all the loose ends.

Thank you @netgalley and @duttonbooks for the gifted ecopy.

This is a cute read, that’s a little bit The Hating Game and a little bit Liar Liar. Lucy wakes up on her 30th birthday realizing she can’t tell a lie. At first she kind of freaks out thinking this is not a good thing but as the day goes on, Lucy realizes that maybe it’s not such a bad thing after all. Maybe she’s been lying to herself for a long time, about everything from spin class to spanx to her boyfriend.

Check this one out for a quick and fun read. I think it could be a super cute movie too!

There aren’t enough books out there about emotional growth, so this was a treat. I really enjoyed the storyline; and it was well written.

#FirstLine - Lucy Green stood on a precipice.

I am woman hear me roar! I loved that this book tackled topics we tend to not face head on. It was done so in a way that, most, if not all, woman can relate to. I loved that it made me laugh, feel and think. There is a great lead character and supporting characters that also are entertaining. This story may seem over the top to some, but to others it rings true. It is a great book for book clubs because there is a lot to unpack, which will be great for conversation!

Best described as Liar, Liar meets the #metoo movement, Nothing But the Truth takes us on a wild ride through one crazy day in Hollywood publicist Lucy Green's life. Why is this particular day, her thirtieth birthday, so different from any other day? Well, it starts with the realization that she is no longer able to lie. She can't speak lies, and she can't lie to herself about what isn't working in her life. Was all of this chaos caused by the "life-changing" cocktail the cute bartender whipped up for her the previous night? Who knows?

Lucy uses the effects of whatever truth serum magic this may be to take a stand against all the annoyances and injustices in her life. She takes painful bras, evil shapewear, and the ridiculous hours spent creating a fake image with hair and makeup and throws them all right out the window. Hushed conversations about periods? Eating a few blueberries for lunch instead of a burger? Waxing the lady bits? Lucy is DONE.

And while all of this is humorous and fun, this story does tackle some larger issues as well. When the CEO of Lucy's firm makes a pass at her, and then she finds out that the same thing has happened to another woman in the office, they are both ready to take a stand. And while I did enjoy the all-in feminist tone of the book, I did find it a little heavy-handed at times. But overall this was a fun read with a little bit of magic.

Thank you to @NetGalley and @DuttonBooks for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was not what I was expecting, but was a great read nonetheless!!

I went in anticipating a romantic comedy, and while there were laughs and romance there was also a TON more to this story. Definite content warnings for workplace harassment and sexual harassment. Lucy was a character who was easy to root for and her closest friends were gems,

I’ll definitely be recommending this book to fellow readers as a perfect late summer story

A lighthearted read with a strong message.

"The balm for the soul that I needed. We women don’t need to smile more or look pretty or conform to expectations…we just need to read this, buy a copy for our best friends, and toast to the truth."—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author of Wish You Were Here

Nothing But the Truth is a take on Jim Carreras classic film: Liar, Liar... female style!

Lucy Green was supposed to celebrate her last night in her 20's with her boyfriend. When he doesn't show up, a handsome bartender gives her a purple cocktail and tells her to make a wish. Little does Lucy know, this wish may actually be a life changer.

She wakes up the next morning saying no to spin class and wearing little makeup to work. And discovering she CANNOT lie anymore. What comes next is a me too movement worthy tale about standing up yourself and not taking anyone's piece of mind.

Nothing But the Truth was an enjoyable contemporary fiction tale about bring true to yourself. I could easily tell the love that debut author Holly James poured into her words and the care she took to tell her story. The side characters were noteworthy and made the novel even more enticing. While I wished for more romance, I realized that that needed to take a seat for the actual bombshell story to be developed. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys Sophie Kinsella.

I didn’t love this book, but I found the writing good and the story interesting enough. Good if you’re looking for a more thought-provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press Dutton for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely adored this book! It was so witty and well written! The storyline was well developed and I loved the main character Lucy. I felt like she was such a strong female lead and relatable as well. The story follows Lucy on the eve of her 30th birthday she makes a wish for the perfect day. What she gets seems at first to be less than perfect. She can’t lie, and she doesn’t know if that is a blessing or a curse. Telling the truth sets off a series of events in her career, relationships, and with herself, realizing that she tells herself lies a lot. One of the major storylines in the book has to do with workplace sexual harassment. It wasn’t the main focus of the book but I love how the author wrote this into the book. The timeline of the story taking place over one day was also well done. I found myself laughing out loud and rooting for Lucy and the other characters. I like how the overall message was deeper but the book felt more lighthearted at its core. Fans of Katherine Center will love this book! I can’t wait to see what this author puts out next!
Thank you Netgalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the e-galley in exchange for an honest review!

Lucy Green is about to have it all. The next day is her birthday, when she officially turns 30. She has a lunch meeting planned with a movie star, and if she can secure said star as a client, then Lucy will definitely be up for that promotion for senior publicist. And then there’s her party, at a hip rooftop bar over L.A., a perfect place should her boyfriend decide it’s finally time to propose. They already have plans to move in together. The day will be unforgettable.

But for now, it’s the night before, and Lucy is sitting at a bar waiting for her boyfriend Caleb to show up. They were supposed to be meeting for a drink, but Lucy is sitting there drinking her martini alone. When the hot bartender asks her about her drink, she tells him that it’s fine. But the expression on her face says something different. He offers her another drink, a specialty he created himself, and Lucy made a wish, a birthday wish for a perfect day, as she took her first sip. The drink was delicious, but the text from Caleb came soon after, sorry but he couldn’t get away from work. Lucy thanked the bartender and headed home, alone.

The next morning, Lucy thought through all the things she needed to do that morning before her lunch meeting. She had spin class, then a light breakfast, a shower, and then getting dressed in a dress so tight she needed to wear compression undergarments under it, and her intricate make-up and hair style. But when her friend Nina showed up to go to spin class, Lucy just couldn’t find the motivation. Instead, she admitted that she hated spin class and wanted to go out for breakfast instead. As she inhaled a bagel sandwich with cheese and a runny egg, Lucy watched Nina eat her yogurt with blueberries and wondered why she usually ate almost nothing, spending all morning hungry, just waiting until she could grab her mid-morning snack of a handful of almonds.

Instead of her usual face full of makeup and blowout, Lucy let her hair dry into its natural waves and added only some tinted lip balm. She put on a sundress that was flowy and comfortable and flats instead of her usual tight dress and high heels. She couldn’t understand why she chose to be so uncomfortable so often. And after changing up her morning routine so much, she couldn’t believe how much time she was saving.

It’s not until se gets to work and sees how people are noticing her new look that Lucy realizes just how differently she’s acting. She feels free to be more herself, to speak her truest thoughts, but she also realizes that she can’t lie to anyone else either. As a publicist in Hollywood, that could be a liability. Especially when she gets called into the CEO’s office and he once again makes her feel uncomfortable, making suggestive hints about her future with the company but not coming out and crossing an obvious line. But Lucy’s inability to hold her tongue means that gets herself into hot water with him, putting her promotion and maybe even her job in jeopardy.

Lucy tries to figure out what happened to keep her from lying to herself and to others, and as she thinks back over what happened that may have changed her, she remembers the hot bartender and that drink he gave her the might before, the one he had called “life-changing.” Did he put truth serum in her drink? Or was it some kind of spell that is keeping her from being able to lie? Lucy needs to track him down and find out what happened. But when she does, and he shows her the ingredients he used to make her drink—no potions, no serums, some lemon—and makes her another drink so she can taste it again, Lucy realizes it much have been her wish for the perfect day that was keeping her from lying. And when she explains it to Hot Bartender, he wonders if it is a curse, or it it’s a blessing.

As Lucy goes about her crazy day—her lunch meeting, the fallout from her meeting with the CEO, a difficult discussion with her boyfriend, and a PR nightmare—she too starts to wonder if the truth telling is maybe the best thing she’s done. With all the things women do to lie to themselves, what if letting go of all those lies are the way to true happiness in life?

Nothing But the Truth is author Holly James’s look at the things we tell ourselves and how those things aren’t always honest or in our best interests. She takes a deep dive at the things women are taught as they’re growing up and chasing success and how that can change the way they think of themselves, change the way they react in situations, and limit their potential. I have seen it, I have done it, and I applaud Ms. James for tackling such a complicated part of modern life.

I enjoyed Nothing But the Truth. I liked Lucy a lot, at least the Lucy that appeared on her birthday, and I thought the story of her not being able to lie was clever and fun. There are a lot of likeable characters in this book, and a few that aren’t, and I had a lot of fun reading it. But after a while, this one day seemed endless. It didn’t seem possible for so many things to happen in one afternoon and it got increasingly difficult to suspend disbelief that so much happened so quickly. But aside from that, Nothing But the Truth is a sweet book about important things, and it will probably be a good book for a book club discussion or for a buddy read, especially if there are bubbly purple vodka drinks involved. With a little lemon. .

Egalleys for Nothing But the Truth were provided by Dutton through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Nothing But The Truth is Holly James' debut novel.

Lucy Green seems to have it all, great job as a Hollywood publicist, a promotion in the works, great friends, and a boyfriend that she's sure is going to pop the question on her birthday. Which just happens to be today - her thirtieth.

Nothing But the Truth takes place over the course that one day - Lucy's thirtieth.. And on that day, she inexplicably finds that she cannot tell a lie!

James has created a very fun and engaging lead character. Though I know nothing about publicists, I really enjoyed the descriptions of Lucy's work and her clients. Her coworkers are a mixed bag and play a huge part of James' plotting. (I must admit I have a soft spot for Lucy's bestie Oliver) And it's very easy to suss out the character you'll not enjoy.

The premise of not being able to lie is one I've read before. But James puts her own spin on things. There are a number of light hearted scenes that me chuckling. Ditching the heels, torturous undergarments, makeup, eating what you want and more. But those lighter bits are sprinkled amongst some serious themes. Workplace harassments is the biggie, but the discrepancies between male and female expectations and reality is also highlighted. Holly James has a PhD in psychology and that knowledge definitely adds to her writing and plotting.

Oh, and did I mention there's romance as well? Uh, huh there is indeed! One with a fairy tale feel to it.

Nothing But The Truth makes for a great summer beach read. 3.5 rounded up

The perfect mix of romance and emotional growth journey. I loved all the different topics explored in this and how relatable this story was

I loved how I went in thinking this book would go one way but it came out a completely different way (it’s a good thing, it surprised me)!

Definitely a mix of women’s fiction and romance and I loved it! It was inspirational, smart, and I found I related to Lucy in so many ways. It was about being real and not letting others and their opinions shape who you are and your path — I feel like so many people approaching their 30’s feel this way. Thank you to the publisher for the early copy!