I've enjoyed a few of Fishers' past novels, and while An Honest Lie was entertaining enough to finish, it wasn't gripping.
It's told in dual timelines and from two characters' points of view. The characters and certain elements of the plot were interesting, but I also thought it was lacking in twists for a thriller.

[TW- cults; kidnapping]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advanced copy of An Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher for me to preview.

I went into this expecting a generic domestic thriller but was immediately drawn in by the dual timeline and cult drama. Summer was an expressive and emotional character and I did find myself hoping she could find some happiness. True, the end was pretty predictable. Yes, the current timeline plot was a little tough to believe, but I was hooked and read this very quickly! Earth-shattering? No. Entertaining? Yes!

Probably my least favorite Tarryn Fisher books thus far. This was uneventful for a 'thriller'.  I liked the cultish vibes, but I wanted more twists. It was told from an alternating timeline POV, and it felt disjointed.

This book was a great surprise of a read for me and I will definitely be reading more of Tarryn Fisher’s books! Wow! 
I was drawn into the mc’s world instantly and loved the mean girls kind of buildup before finding out about the cult background. I was getting a definite “She’s All That” vibe, but the grown up version and this was a brilliant move by Tarryn Fisher. 

Cult backgrounds are so freaking scary to me, and this book brought that creepy feel in the most well-written way. Send me all the Tarryn Fisher books!

This book was riveting from the start! Rainy, a successful artist with a problematic past, moves from NYC to the northwest to be with her boyfriend. She is welcomed into his group of friends - women who are their neighbors. She is somewhat unwilling to get close to these people as she does not want to have to explain the fact that she and her mother were part of a cult when she was a child. The storyline moves back and forth between her childhood and current day. A trip to Vegas with her neighbor friends turns potentially deadly as her old and new lives collide. This would have been a five-star book for me but I found the ending too complicated, drawn-out, and overly dramatic. Overall, I would highly recommend, though. I love Taryn Fisher.

An Honest Lie kept my interest even though parts were disjointed. I particularly enjoyed the relationship story between Rainy and her Mother. I appreciated the parallel story lines and “Then” and “Now” sectioning. The setting of the cult compound was well done and believable. I really felt I was there alongside Rainy(Summer) and Lorraine. Taured’s character was well developed and played perfectly as the narcissist. The flip side of the novel with “Now” storyline was were I lost interest. I’m not interested in Women portrayed as middle years bullies and some of the threads were not believable such as Braithe not having at least a brain injury. I wish that Taured’s Son’s character was expanded and the whole character Ginger had been cut as the surprise villain. I liked that the book wasn’t predictable.

To say this was a page turner isn't understatement in the least! I absolutely loved this book I am actually not a fan of reading about cults. However this book truly drew me in and I couldn't put it down and it was such a non-stop read I definitely highly recommend this book!

Synopsis:

Lorraine aka Rainy lives in a remote area where she looks forward to starting a new life and hiding from her disturbing past. When she agrees to a weekend in Vegas, she's prepared for a parade of shots and slots but after a wild night, her friend Braithe doesn't come back to the hotel room. Then Rainy gets a text from Braithe's phone, someone has her - but Rainy is who they really want. If she wants to save Braithe - and herself - the only way is to step back into the past.

Review:

This was a page turner - there was a lot of suspense and a lot of awful people. As a reader, I felt bad for Rainy and how she had been let down by the very people who were supposed to love her and protect her - so I was rooting for her throughout the book. That being said, there were many characters and pieces of the plot where I felt we didn't get enough information and I couldn't understand how or why they fit into the bigger picture.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4. I received a copy of this book as host of The Gloss Book Club.

If you're a fan of cult reads and can suspend some belief, then this is the book for you.

The story follows Rainy, who is running from a past she would rather forget. Despite her best judgment, she agrees to go on a Vegas girls trip with her boyfriend's hometown friends. When her new friend Braithe is kidnapped, Rainy must move fast to find her -- all while confronting her own past.

While this didn't quite hit the mark for me, it was an easy Summer read. Thank you to NetGalley and Graydon House for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for this eARC.

Tarryn Fisher does it again, by writing a  captivating thriller about a woman who has the strength to face her very deepest darkest fears, and conquer them.

An interesting novel about sla woman raising her daughter who is left with few resources, and basically becomes involved with a cult, the mother ends up paying dearly for this, however after her daughter grows up - she evens the score.

Until next time, beware of camps masquerading as harmless alternatives!

This book seems to be a typical thriller. The twist was very easy to guess from very early on. Most of the plot just fell flat for me

Hi, thank you for the opportunity to read and review Tarryn's, An Honest Lie, but I have to apologize because this one is a DNF for me. I'm not reviewing it on GR since it's definitely a me thing and not anything to do with the book. I tried to read this one, multiple times, but I just can't do cults. That trope isn't my cuppa tea and it's rare I can get through one. I didn't realize that's what the book as about when I requested it. I just love Tarryn's suspense books so much I saw it and got all excited, and clicked the request button.

Well psychological thrillers are not my go to genre but I felt that this book was enjoyable. A dual timeline revenge thriller that follows Summer and her attempt to start over after escaping a cult. It was hard to put down, but at times things were predictable. Overall I did enjoy for my annual thriller.

This was my second book by Tarryn Fisher - and now I know that she is not an author for me. I found the story to be predictable - and I could not connect with any of the characters.

There’s something so enthralling about a cult novel. I don’t know why I’m so drawn to them. I loved the strong female characters. There’s something so hypnotizing about Fishers writing. I absolutely devoured this book and it kept me turning the pages. I really enjoyed the flashbacks most’

As a fan of Tarryn Fisher's work, this one was not what I expected. True to her style it was well written with intriguing characters, and twists you wouldn't see coming. For me though it just wasn't as gripping. It didn't really hook me, just kind of pulled me along at a lazy pace.

In what I have come to expect from Tarryn Fisher this book was extremely twisted. I wasn't quite prepared for the deep dive into a cult culture. It was very eye opening.

I truly felt for all that Rainey had survived in her life. I also admired the strong woman she became.

AN HONEST LIE is the latest from Fisher that I have read. No matter what I know that this author can bring the suspense and always infuses her books with characters I want to read about. However, with this one, I thought something was missing. I still liked the book, but I kept wanting more from the writing as well as the over all plot. I will continue to read the author, but this is not my favorite.

Didn’t finish this one. The storyline was so slow and drawn out. I fell asleep halfway through. I was hoping for more from this author.

A Honest Lie by Tarryn Fisher is an interesting read that kept me engaged, but ultimately fell short of my expectations. The story is about a woman named Yara who is stuck in an unhappy marriage and decides to embark on an affair with a man she meets online. The book explores themes of love, deception, and the complexities of human relationships.

The writing is well-done and the characters are well-developed, but I found myself struggling to connect with them on a deeper level. Yara's actions and decisions felt frustrating and often illogical, which made it difficult for me to root for her as a protagonist. The plot was also predictable at times, which took away some of the tension and excitement that I was hoping for.

That being said, there were still some elements of the book that I enjoyed. The online conversations between Yara and her lover were intriguing and added a layer of mystery to the story. The ending was also satisfying and tied up the loose ends in a way that felt appropriate.

Overall, I would give A Honest Lie a rating of 3 stars. While it was an engaging read, it didn't quite live up to my expectations in terms of character development and plot twists.