Meg Williams is back in town after flying off the radar ten years ago. A former journalist for the LA Times, Kat, is there to witness Meg's next con artist scheme the second the alert goes off on her phone that Meg has resurfaced. While Meg has it out for a greedy politician that ruined her life as a young girl, Kat has it out for Meg whom she blames for a traumatic event that happened in her life.

Following both women's points of view, we learn more about each of them along a wild ride of tricks, schemes, and lies. The entire novel was a roller coaster of a ride, and I found that I could NOT put this book down. I had to know what happened next, and I had to know the how and the why behind each betrayal and plot.

I felt that the two main characters were extremely strong, yet unique, women. The pacing was incredibly fast, as I flew through the story in only a day or two. And honestly? The justice dealt to some of the greedy and morally devoid men that deserved it was the icing on the cake. The epilogue was one my favorite parts.

Add this one to your to read list for the summer! You don't want to miss it!

I'm just on a roll with these arcs right now.

I really really loved this one. Think a dash of Catch Me If You Can, with a revenge plot, and a smidge of Robin Hood's "steal from the rich to give to the poor" ethos. When Meg Williams' family home was stolen by an unscrupulous business, she and her mom ended up living in a car, until her mom died of cancer. Meg has spent a decade reinventing herself, and honing a craft as a confidence woman until she can finally take her revenge upon the man who ruined her life. Now, she's back in town for the first time, using her real name for the first time in years, and setting up a house of cards. Journalist Kat Roberts has been keeping an eye on Meg Williams for years, ever since Meg's first revenge, against a creepy teacher who she exposed. Back then, Kat went for an interview with the friend of said teacher, an interview that Meg recommended, and ended up being drugged and sexually assaulted. So she thinks she knows who Meg is and what she stands for. But she's about to learn more than she ever dreamed of, as she gets closer to Meg and Meg starts sharing her past and intentions.

I read The Last Flight by Julie Clark about a month before this and also really enjoyed this. I think the thing that resonates the most with me, and that takes her books to the next level is the development of her characters. All of her leading characters are women, and they are so real and relatable. Add that to the extremely well-crafted and paced underlying story, and there are few authors whose work I find as satisfying.

Can't wait to share this one with my readers.

CW: Death of a parent, cancer, sexual assault/rape, gambling addiction

An atypical and brilliant con story that has it all—including a momentary crossover with The Last Flight.

Justice or revenge? ("The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who's is telling the story.")

Con artist or hero?

Grifter Meg Williams, 31, is in pursuit of a man who swindled her mother a decade ago. Investigative journalist Kat Roberts is in pursuit of Meg for derailing her life at that the same time.

"I'm struck with the irony of two women, each of them trying to spin a web of lies and manipulation around the other, never knowing whose strings are wrapped around whom."

Told in a first-person dual narrative over a 22-week span in 2019 (and taking the reader ten and two years, respectively, into the past), the story is a bit meta, with parts mirroring the action in it.

The author keeps adding to the twisty plot, layering and intertwining, and injects astute observations about people, places and things. So many quotes to pull from it!

Set in L.A. ("the capital of lip service and illusion"), there's a lot of substance, making it ripe for book club discussions: two sides of the same coin; fate; second chances and reinvention; mother-daughter relationships; women's intuition.

The title (spelled out for the reader at the 93% mark) befits both narrators ("[N]o one is a reliable narrator. Reliable narrators don't exist") in this story that is reminiscent in a way of "Pretty Things," with a soupçon of "Too Good to Be True." It's quite *con*vincing, utterly gripping, and has a perfect ending.

Bottom line: Julie Clark has outdone herself with this cat-and-mouse Robin (she/her) Hood tale that will have readers flipping the pages with one hand and flying the girl-code flag with other.

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CW: rape; gambling addiction

Note: "Sarah Jessica Parker's gorgeous brownstone on the Upper East Side" was her SATC character Carrie Bradshaw's.

Thank you to Sourcebooks and Bookreporter.com for the advance copy

I loved The Lies I Tell as much as I did The Last Flight.. It is a fast paced mystery about a female con artist. I enjoyed reading from the perspectives of both Meg and Kat. I also really enjoyed both of these characters. The mystery had me trying to guess what, when, and how things were going to happen next. The ending was a perfect ending for this book. I will be recommending it!

The Lies I Tell is not a mystery nor a thriller. I would not even say it is suspenseful. Did that prevent from enjoying this book? Not at all. In fact, it was just what I needed right now while I am angry about current events. If I had to classify The Lies I Tell, I would call it a feminist revenge story that left me feeling smug and satisfied.

The Lies I Tell is a novel about a con woman seeking revenge and an out-of-work journalist seeking justice whose stories are intertwined by their past. The Lies I Tell quickly sucked me into its pages. I initially was intrigued with its premise and then became invested in Kat and Meg's lives.

Told through both women's perspectives and flashbacks, this book was easy to read and left no confusion over timelines or speaker. Clark did an excellent job constructing and structuring the story. The main characters were well-developed for the most part. I came to feel like I was IRL friends with Kat and Meg.

I also thought that Julie Clark depicted trauma and PTSD in a compassionate yet objective manner. I cannot think of anything she could have done better in that regard.

Overall, The Lies I Told was like putting together a puzzle amid a web of lies, which brought be much joy. I will be recommending it many and encourage any BOTM member to snag a copy in June.

I love a good con and I just may have a new favorite con artist - Meg Williams. A woman who finds herself at the mercy of a society that does not value young women and finds a way to succeed no matter the cost. And if she can take down a few bad men along the way, all the better.

This is a deliciously juicy cat and mouse tale of a con woman and the journalist hot on her trail. I love the relationship between the two women and the time jumps back and forth to reveal the twists. Perfectly paced and unputdownable, this is one of my favorite thrillers of the year!

The Lies I Tell is a fast-paced mystery told in alternating perspectives by Meg and Kat. When Meg is a teenager her mother is bilked out of their family home and dies shortly after, leaving Meg alone and living out of her car - with an ax to grind. As she uses dates as a way to get free meals, an opportunity presents itself to get revenge on someone that took advantage of one of Meg’s few friends in high school. And so begins Meg’s life as a con artist. Kat, meanwhile, is investigating Meg as part of her initial scam when a phone call from Meg causes her unexpected trauma, and makes Kat more determined than ever to expose Meg. Ten years later Meg and Kat cross paths again while Meg is planning her biggest con yet. Each has each other’s measure and are quietly circling each other. Despite this the pair are becoming friends and it’s getting harder for Kat to keep her objectives in mind, until she’s the target of fraud. Is it Meg trying to distract her, or someone closer to home? Clark tells a great story and just like Kat, the reader begins to rethink their feelings about Meg. Can doing the wrong thing for the right reasons really be so bad? This is a great combination of a mystery, a cat-and-mouse game, and a thought provoking look at ethics. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Rating: 2.5
I liked the beginning of the book, but I was either bored or angry throughout the rest of it. The multiple timelines got convoluted and confusing and the plot really wasn't what I expected it to be.

A super engaging, fast-paced thriller. I enjoyed this one even more than The Last Flight by her. I really enjoyed both Kat and Meg's perspectives, and the ending was fun.

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

The Lies I Tell
by Julie Clark
Pub Date: June 21, 2022
Sourcebooks
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book. The Lies I Tell is a twisted domestic thriller that dives deep into the psyches and motivations of two women and their unwavering quest to seek justice for the past and rewrite the future.
* Thriller * Mystery

This is one of the best thrillers I have read this year. I have not read Last Flight, but this book makes me want to read it! The 2 main female characters in this book, Meg & Kat, are top-notch, complex, and very well developed throughout the book. The friendship that developed between them felt natural and real. The storyline was original and interesting! This was a face-paced book and just overall, an amazing read!! Highly recommend!!
5 stars

This is my first book by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last. I can’t wait to see what else she has in store.

Kat Roberts has been waiting 10 years for her to return -- Meg Williams, better known as the woman who ruined her life. Kat slowly integrates herself into Meg's life to see what she has up her sleeves; she knows it must be something good for her to return back home. Meg, Maggie, Melody is a con artist who becomes whomever she needs to be to get the job done, and 10 years ago she put Kat in harm's way. Kat plans on exposing Meg for the trickster she is, but finds herself growing to actually like Meg and starts questioning the people around her and the way the world is. Who will Kat believe in the end?

I really enjoyed the feminist bent of this book -- Meg was just following "girl code" the whole time. It was a great read, and I found myself wanting to know more about why Meg is the way she is and about ALL the cons she pulled off. She's like the Robin Hood for mistreated women, getting revenge on all the men who did her and others wrong. I had hoped for a great confrontation scene with Ron, but was a little let down by how anti-climatic that certain part of the book seemed. I want an epilogue from Meg's point of view and found Kat's to be exciting (maybe a sequel!). I'd love to hear about Kat, finally, getting sweet justice on Nate!

Thanks to the publishers for the ARC.

The Lies I Tell is FANTASTIC, wholly bingeable, and leaves you on the edge of your seat & the ENDING 🤯. I devoured this in a single sitting and absolutely loved it! I definitely recommend you grab this one if you need a thriller for your summer reading!

Loved this book Julia Clark writes the best twisty turning thrillers.Her characters come alive the story drew me right in.I could not put the book down I read way past my bedtime.Will be recommending.#netgalley #theliesitell.

Julie Clark does it again!
This author is an incredible thriller writer and takes her characters to the next level.

The entire time I am on the edge of my seat wondering how Meg and Kay are going to derail each other’s plans or come together and embrace the obvious friendship.

The ending was mind blowing!
I absolutely loved the nod to her first novel, THE LAST FLIGHT in the airport. I could see that happening in a movie.

If this book is not on your TBR you need to add it now!

This was an amazing suspenseful, character driven story. I absolutely loved. I definitely recommend..

Thanks Netgalley and publisher for alllowing me to read this story.

All thoughts and opinions are my own and are not influenced by anyone else,

The Lies I Tell is a fast-paced psychological thriller that you don't want to miss. Much like Clark's debut novel The Last Flight, the story in her newest book unfolds at breakneck speed, leaving readers unable to stop turning pages and keeping them on their toes with twists and turns along the way. Though both characters were a bit unreliable at times, I found myself able to empathize with both of them and really become invested in the story. If you are looking for a quick thriller which will leave you thinking "what the heck just happened," then look no further. Thank you for the early review copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

WOW.

It has been a while since I read a book that I did NOT want to put down or stop reading but this one hit all the boxes. It was engaging, well told and had interesting characters. I was hooked in early and was sucked straight into the book until the end.

Highly recommend to those wanting something suspenseful and hard to put down!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for an eARC copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

I was excited yet nervous to read this one because I enjoyed the author's previous novel so much. I'm thrilled to report this is a worthy follow up!

This story follows two women, each bent on revenge for different reasons. The characters are compelling and believable. The story is intense, I couldn't put it down and I couldn't guess what was happening next. This is a fast paced, twisty story that hops around in time yet is easy to follow. The writing is strong.

I highly recommend this one for readers of thrillers.

The Lies I Tell, described as a “twisted domestic thriller”, follows Meg Williams, a con artist and Kat Roberts, a journalist who has been waiting years to expose Meg for who she really is. When Kat hatches a plan to befriend Meg and get the scoop she needs for her career making story, Kat soon finds out that not everything is as it seems.

First off, the beginning of this book had me hooked. We get a glimpse of how Meg started her “career” as a con artist and how she targeted her former high school teacher, a man who supposedly had something to do with the disappearance of another student. Based on the first third of the book, I was expecting to love this story. Unfortunately, the plot started to meander around the 50% mark when Kat befriends Meg. There was too much real estate jargon to hold my attention, I became a bit bored.

While this book is predictable (I guessed the twist super early), the ending was satisfying and redeemed the slow parts, so I’m settling on 3 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 6/21/2022