I received this book as an ARC and this is my review. Wow! This amazing story introduces characters who are grifters or con men and their cons as they move through them to achieve the best deal. Talk about flawed characters! I loved this story but I am always fascinated by intriguing backstories and this is loaded with those. The twists and turns give the reader whiplash and the results are always satisfying - if the reader appreciates getting even and setting the record straight. I totally recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a psychological story with revenge served up to take back and settle a long overdue score.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. After reading Clark's "The Last Flight", I was leary of this one. However, I always give an author a second chance and I am so glad I did! The characters of Meg and Kat quickly draw you in and leave you always wanting to know more of what is going on. The premise of a female con artist drew me right in! Definitely recommend.

The Lies I Tell is told through the viewpoints of two women, Kat and Meg. Meg is a con artist, and Kat is a writer determined to expose the person she believes ruined her life many years ago.

This is the second book I’ve read by Julie Clark, and I really enjoy her clever, twisted plots and strong female characters. Domestic thrillers can be hit or miss for me, but I really enjoyed this one. It is one of those books I could put down and immediately be sucked back into as soon as I started reading again.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for the opportunity to read an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback.

There was not a thing I did not enjoy about this book. The Lies I Tell follows the lives of two women and how their lives are changed by one another, each on their own journey of self discovery and revenge. Thoughtfully written and believable, I could not put it down and savored it until the very end. I am sad that it could not go on forever but thrilled to see how it ended.

This book is soooo good! The story of a grifter and a journalist who is trying to find out her story. After loosing her mom at an early age and her home to a con man shortly before that, Meg had a difficult start in life. From living out of her car to mingling with rich politicians, Meg has leaned how to manipulate and con people the people who most deserve it. Enter Kat who has her own personal grudge against Meg and who is determined to out her for who she really is. Fast paced and addictive, do not miss this read.

Really enjoyed both of the protagonists in this one and how the stories wove together. Twist after twist... this one was good. 4.5 stars.

I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This entertaining twisty novel focuses on two strong women, both who overcome trauma in late teens and early twenties to have a jaded view on the world of men, and what to do about that.

Meg Williams, among her many aliases, cons men by precise planning and building a tight trusted relationship with them, their friends and family before taking their money and running. With guises from real estate agent to impoverished community college student, Meg morphs and then insinuates herself deeply into the lives of her soon to be victims. Con-woman or justice seeking vigilante for women? It’s complicated and the lines blur in this fast paced thriller Turns out Meg and her mother lost their treasured family estate and had to live on the streets in a van based on a man who conned them, and the nuances of Meg’s psyche and motivation unfurl as the plot thickens.

Then there’s her nemesis Kat Roberts, rising journalism star who has encountered an early version of Meg while on a huge story for her newspaper. Following the side story of Meg, Kat gets badly traumatized in process, quits her journalism job, and dedicates the next decade of her life to tracking and exposing Meg. Kat’s also dealing with an untrustworthy boyfriend who has a gambling addiction. As things go wrong for Kat, she struggles to separate who’s the bigger source of her woes.

As the two women inadvertently develop an unlikely friendship in the midst of Meg’s latest con, their assumptions about the other start to crack and eventually implode. And our assured assumptions about each of them erode in turn.

Prepare to stay up late turning the pages as the plot gallops along to a deeply satisfying ending, and the astute writing delights!


Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy. All the candid views expressed here are entirely my own.

I loved Clark's novel, The Last Flight, so I was thrilled to get an early look at her latest, and The Lies I Tell does NOT disappoint! This book is full of twists and turns that will have you doubting the characters, and yourself, until the very last page. Definitely do not miss out on this gripping thriller.

I loved this! This wasn't quite a thriller, more a suspense novel that slowly unfolds. Such badass female characters made this really fun to read!

Meg Williams has a grudge. Someone took her family's home out from under them as a teenager leaving her and her family to live in their car. Now she has a plan to make things right. Kat is a journalist eager to make a name for herself. She is on to Meg and knows she could write a major story exposing her plans. This story builds twists and turns right down to the end. Does Meg get her revenge? Does Kat get her story? I definitely would recommend this story. It is a great page turner. Julie Clark does it again!

I gave this story 3 stars. Sorry I just couldn’t get into it. thanks for the opportunity to read from NetGalley

Meg Williams is a con artist. Kat Roberts is a journalist who has been on the lookout for Meg for many years. Kat finally locates Meg…and now it’s time for revenge!

I love domestic thrillers and The Lies I Tell certainly didn’t disappoint. The plot of this book was clever. I actually enjoyed this one better than the author’s previous book, The Last Flight. This was a character driven book that kept me on the edge of my seat. I liked the fast pace of this book and the relationship between the two main characters. The characters were very well crafted and relatable to the reader, in my opinion. These two women will stop at nothing to overcome their past and get what they want. I loved the ending and didn’t anticipate what it held. That always scores bonus points for me when that happens. Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this ARC.

Julie Clark does it once again! This is a very clever book centering around two women, a con artist and the reporter who wants to write her story and expose the fraud. It’s about the empowerment of women who both try to settle a score. Wonderful writing keeps you engaged with the plot and you start to root for both characters. This will be a great summer read that I will be recommending to all! Not my first book by this author and definitely won’t be my last! #TheLiesITell #JulieClark #NetGalley

It's not often you get to root for "the bad guy," (or in the case of The Lies I Tell, the bad girl!) so enjoy it while you can. The Lies I Tell is about a con artist, but Meg is more Robin Hood than robber. Her victims aren't necessarily rich- Meg is a warrior against men who abuse women-physically, sexually, emotionally, or financially. Julie Clark relies on two strong female characters to carry the plot, and they excel in their roles. On Meg's tail is Kat-a journalist who suffered devastating "collateral damage" in one of Meg's cons. Kat pieces together Meg's schemes as the grifter changed names, locations, and careers. But what Kat uncovers is not at all what she expected. The Lies I Tell is fast paced and twisty-everything you want from a psychological thriller. The "bonus" is its message-sometimes doing the wrong thing for the right reason is the best revenge of all.

"The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who's telling the story."

I am in the minority here, but I didn't find this book to be exciting. Kat is a journalist, and Meg is a con artist and both want revenge. While this has been described as a cat and mouse situation, the book was a straight path. There was little to no shock value or mystery. The book is told alternating between Kat and Meg in present time and going back to the story of when they first crossed paths. The real issue is that this book is more fiction than the thriller it is being marketed as. I went in with difference expectations, especially after The Last Flight but I was let down. I am not going to go into more detail about the plot; except that I don't think this book could really be spoiled. I just got tired of all the lies that seemed silly to me. Sadly, I have to give this ⭐️ 1/2 rounded here up to ⭐️ ⭐️

This was a twisty, turny page-turner that gripped me from the start. It lost a bit of momentum partway through, but picked up again by the end. An enjoyable ride.

Julie Clark’s newest thriller The Lies I Tell was a stunning follow-up to her knockout The Las Flight. For me, she’s solidified herself as a trusted go-to author for thrillers. Lies gives us a new set of sharp, determined female protagonists entangled in a twisty game of wits as they both race toward their end goals. Practically impossible to put down once you start, this is sure to be one of the most anticipated and most loved thrillers of the year.

One thing I know I can depend on with Clark is her strong female protagonists. They are often on missions to outwit men or on a quest for justice against wrongs they’ve suffered at the hands of them. The Lies I Tell is no different, as we get into the heads of two flawed, but likable women trying to right wrongs of their pasts. We get two perspectives and a nonlinear timeline that works seamlessly in a fast-paced plot. The jump between our main narrators Kat and Meg makes it even more addicting as the fairly short chapters often end on cliffhangers. You’ll feel compassion for both women as you get inside their psyches despite the tightrope walk they do between right and wrong. While there is a fairly forceable climax, Clark works her magic in how the conflict is ultimately resolved. Lies is a compelling story of survival and justice, with two very different women who are much more alike than they initially realized. A dark domestic thriller with a heart, you’ll find yourself thinking about this book over and over again long after the final page. 4.5 stars.

I was extremely pleasantly surprised by this book. I was waiting in a long queue and decided to open my NetGalley shelf. Deciding on this title, I dug right in and never looked back. This book was so good from the very first page that I was sorry when my turn came in the queue.
A story about a grifter and the reporter who followed her for 10 years was interesting to me not only for the great characters, but also for the excellent and clean writing style of the author. I found myself rooting for the grifter, Meg Williams, the teenager wronged and scarred by living in a van with her terminally ill mother. They were forced into this life when they were swindled out of their home, the only home she’d ever known, by her mother’s lover. After losing her mother while she was a senior in high school and continuing to live in her van, she became obsessed with the idea of bringing the man down. She practices her game over the years on many marks to perfect her craft. During Meg’s first experience, a very young assistant reporter stumbled upon a story about a high school principal who was taking advantage of his female students. Desperately wanting a shot at a promotion, Kat begin to research this story and found another angle, involving the college student he was living with, Meg Williams.
It begins to affect Kat’s life immediately and it becomes her obsession to track and bring Meg down for the crimes she has committed.
I was so sorry to see this book end. I immediately researched other titles by Julie Clark so I can read them right away! Thank you so much for amending this along to me!

Meg Williams, a con artist and Kat Roberts, a reporter, crossed paths ten years ago when Kat's career took a downward spiral due to the actions she took to a tip Meg had called in. Kat has kept a file on Meg for the ten years, waiting for Meg's return so she can expose the con artist. However, as Kat gets to spend more time with Meg, the more questions she has. The story is told in alternating chapters by Meg and Kat of past and present times. Highly recommend the book.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy.

FIVE STARS! I just loved Julie Clark’s novel, The Last Flight so I had some high expectations for The Lies I Tell and it was just as amazing as I hoped it would be. I could not put this one down and was completely taken with the story from page 1.

Meg Williams. Maggie Littleton. Melody Wilde. Different names for the same person, depending on the town, depending on the job. She’s a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be—a college student. A life coach. A real estate agent. Nothing about her is real. She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear, and by the time she’s done, you’ve likely lost everything.

Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return. And now that she has, Kat is determined to be the one to expose her. But as the two women grow closer, Kat’s long-held assumptions begin to crumble, leaving Kat to wonder who Meg’s true target is.

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.

I know we are barely in 2022 but I think this will be one of my favorites of the whole year.

You don’t want to miss this one, get it as soon as it comes out on June 21!