This was definitely a page turner! While the storyline seems straightforward at first, Lyons does a great job of making a web of complexity that keeps the reader wanting more.
I loved the structure of the book. Lyons structures the story to provide every perspective of a singular event. The story reminds us how complicated perspective taking can be. The reader moves between the jury point of view, as well as each individual character. This provided a sense of excitement and intrigue to see where the memories of the characters would differ.
Would recommend!

Good premise. Poor execution. The writing was good but moves so slowly that I had to force myself to keep reading. I think it could be am excellent book but for some editing. The cover is gorgeous, however. 🤷‍♀️

Enjoyment: 5
Total rating: 5

She Said, Three Said is not a book for everyone. It's not a spoiler to say that the book heavily revolves around SA. We start in the deliberation room when 12 jurors go over the evidence presented at trial to decide whether or not to convict three men of their alleged SA of a woman.

This book is heavy. I felt it in the pit of my stomach from the first page. We are in the room with the jurors, feeling their stress of taking the job seriously and the duty of only counting on facts to reach their decision. The juror scenes were intense, and they sometimes got me in tears.

Intercalated with the present juror deliberation, we get the PoVs of the titular her and them three. We leave the book knowing both the truth and the jury's decision.

I absolutely loved this book; I will be binging on Lyon's other books. This is the first of a trilogy, and I am so thankful to Dreamscape Media for producing this audiobook. Otherwise, I would have missed out on a fantastic author whose writing is gutwrenching and authentic. I felt like I was reading about a real case throughout the book.

This book could have gone very wrong, but Lyons nailed it. The whole subject was treated with so much respect, and the characters are multidimensional and nuanced. The audiobook has a full cast, and they DE-LI-VERED. Fantastic performance, outstanding book.

Disclaimer: In exchange for an honest review, I am thankful to the publishers, and NetGalley for providing a copy of She Said, Three Said.

I'm going to need some time to mull this over. I'm mad mad (which is what we're supposed to feel after reading this) so I'm just going to need to take a breather before I post a full review.
I do want to say though that Lyons seems to be in the camp of believing the victims regardless of how the justice system is set up to fuck them over.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and audiobook cast!!

Thankfully, the audiobook cast consists of multiple people and makes it really easy to follow along who’s perspective you’re taking in.

As far as the story, I stayed hooked the whole way through. I wanted to know what actually happened to Sabrina and who the 12 jurors actually believed. The cliff hanger threw me off a bit but maybe the author will give us another book with more info and maybe some sweet sweet revenge?

So while this book was a decent enough account of how difficult it can be to recount, and get all of the info after an attack- there really should have been more of a trigger warning. I don’t think this was worth the listen, suspense/thriller aspect wasn’t there, it was definitely more of a court room drama theme- but not something I would listen to again. I appreciate it giving some recognition and transparency to the personal accounts of all people involved in a sexual assault.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced copy of She Said, Three Said.

This book is jury's deliberations during a rape trial. Told from the perspective of the Jurors as they deliberate and then by the four people involved. Everyone saw the night a different way..

The ending was rather abrupt. I was told to go subscribe to an author's page to find out what happened to these characters after, which I found in really bad taste. Once you subscribe it is a video of the author answering questions and his option. So the book is unfinished in my eyes.


Publisher: Dreamscape Audio
Genre: Courtroom Drama
Pub Date: July 7, 2022

This book was great - until the end. The ending completely ruined it for me. This happens here and there and I can usually look past it, but this time I just can’t. Maybe it’s the subject matter. Three stars since everything but the end was great.

She Said, Three Said
David B. Lyons
Most of us have watched a courtroom drama as it is played out in a movie or on TV. Author David B. Lyons takes readers into the jury room as they discuss and deliberate on a rape case.
For five weeks the jury listened to the case as presented by the prosecutor and defense attorney, now it’s up to them to decide who is telling the truth. The twelve jurors retire to the jury room and begin their deliberations. They pour through the court transcripts and discuss the testimonies. There is very little evidence presented. This is mostly a she said/he said case. The transcripts which take them through the moment Sabrina first met Jason and his two friends Zac and Li. She claims the three men plied her with alcohol then took her to a hotel room and raped her. The three men claim she consented to sex with each of them.
How can twelve people decide what is the truth. There are two sides to every story with the truth somewhere between. How can twelve jurors remain unbiased, fair, without bigotry, and to leave their own individual feelings out of the mix. The jurors in this tale found it difficult to not reach an opinion before the trail was over. There were jurors who seemed to manipulate the others. Some jurors were bored. At least one juror wanted to exert control over the others. The lead jurist never seemed to have control. While this is a fictional account the stereotypes, theories, and assessments are what comes forth in a real case. Sabrina’s past was used against her. Jason’s celebrity status was in his favor.
In every trial each juror comes at the case through a different viewpoint. Twelve people are asked to come to an accord, guilty or not guilty. I am glad this is a fictional account. After listening to this book, I hope I never have to serve on a jury.

"SHE SAID
…all three men got her drunk, led her to a hotel room, and took advantage of her.
THREE SAID
…she was a willing participant and consented to sex with each of them."

This story is told in several point of views, those involved in the she said, three said as well as the jury deliberations. It was an interesting concept for telling the story and I wasn't sure who to believe as the story unfolded. However, the book seemed to end rather abruptly and I found myself feeling disappointed. The entire story seemed to be the men against the women, not just in the SA allegations but also during the jury deliberations. In the end it felt a little "dudes in a locker room" for me. In my opinion the story had potential, but fell short in understanding a woman's point of view.

The ending was rather abrupt--we found out what happened that night, but not what the jury decided (they last counted at a 9:3)

Overall I liked it, especially all the different ways the narrative was told (e.g. jurors talking about testimony, replays/flashbacks told from both parties at the time). I also wasn't sure who to believe the entire time, as the cover promised.

However, this book was so clearly written by a male, and one who doesn't really understand women or how they think. I was exhausted by the constant male narrative talking about, and describing their sex organs, but accept this may be how men think. However, this isn't how women think and so Sabrina was written like a man more than an actual woman. The fact she was so obsessed and repeated about sleeping with a celebrity also made her very...shallow... and again, I don't know many women who would obsess about THAT. I also found her vulgar descriptions of her own body parts very un-female like.

I also can't imagine trying to read this without the audio, there were just so many characters and narrators. It would have been hard without the voices and accents. Everyone was truly deplorable and unlikeable. I found a lot of flaws with the trial and facts presented as a lawyer (why wasn't it revealed what her job was and why she was there?) I did appreciate hearing about different legal practices in Ireland (e.g. how fascinating the names are withheld).

Finally, I appreciated the entire book was a huge meditation on the falsity of witness testimony and how we all interpret things VERY differently.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my advanced copy of She Said, Three Said.

MAJOR TW: This book centers around an SA trial, goes into descriptive detail about the alleged SA, and also discusses adulatory and uses abusive language (i.e.: slanderous words to describe a woman who enjoys sex)

I really tried to like this one. I usually enjoy multiple perspective storytelling but with this audiobook, it took me a long time to get used to the cadence and accents of the narrators. Blame it on my being American, for sure. But also the book didn’t captivate me in any way other than the anger I felt in the story being drawn out and the ending letting me down.

She said they abused her. They said they didn’t. It’s 3 vs. 1 in the ongoing rape trial and we get to hear the story from all 4 perspectives, as well as from the jury with the information they’ve received. Will the jury come up with the “right” verdict?

Did the ending have a twist? Yes. Was it expected? Not really. Did the twist ending in the last sentence make up for the rest of the book? In my opinion, no.

2⭐️

This book was a heavy hitter. Makes you think a lot for sure. It is definitely a he said she said type book. Very well written as well.

Where to begin? This was a very well written book. I found myself trying telling the main characters what to do (not that they could hear me). Three men in Dublin are accused of raping a woman. It comes down to what "she said" and what the "three said" in court. What a messy and convoluted testimony....certainly not clear cut. Or is it? You decide. Definitely a "do not miss" book. You will learn a lot about trials in Ireland and how rape is viewed. On another note, the narrator was fantastic.

One night when Sabrina‘s out doing a job for a private investigator she runs in to three blokes out for a night on the town. They’ve been the best of friends since they were little one is married when is the football star in one is happily in love with his Eva. The married one wonders who she’ll pick because he really has his eye on her. The football star knows she’s already made her Choice and it was him. They eventually get separated and wind up at a different bar. Sabrina finally finishes her call vert mission and when leaving wanted to the cheating married friend. She says she wants to go home but at the same time she feels butterflies in her stomach and he convinces her to stay. This book is all about what is consent and what is it. It is definitely a he said three sad situation the title is perfect. But everything she says the Calendar part the events she remembers and makes it beneficial to them or is it that how they remember it? I’m not even finish this book and that’s not all it’s about it also has the generous we’re voting on the trial in their discussions including Brian Hull O’Brien whore I forget his name everyone dislikes him but every now and then he does come up with great ideas. I truly am enjoying this book and highly recommend it if you love hydroma you’ll love this book. I am only 60% done with this book and I really want to scream to the world you should read this book! I was given this book by Nick Galli and I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any errors as I am blind and dictate my review but all opinions are definitely my own.

I really wanted to enjoy this book as much as I did his others but there are so many questions left unanswered. Did the men really get off Scott free? Did they know the the juror in the wheelchair was the one they’d hit with the car? Did Zach and Jason hear Sabrina say no to Li and if so did they try to help her? It was really well written and kept my attention but I wasn’t thrilled with the ending.

It’s been a while since I’ve had such a visceral reaction to a book. She Said, Three Said deals with a night that ends in a rape accusation. There are four individuals involved; three men and one woman.

Each character tells about the night from their perspective. As the evening slowly gets closer to the moment in question, each character reveals a bit more about who they truly are, and each character becomes a tad less likable.

I definitely felt very uncomfortable by the end of the book, which is a testament to the author’s story telling ability. However, if you have any sort of triggers about non-consensual sex, definitely skip this one.

Thank you Dreamscape Media and Netgalley for providing an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks NetGalley for an audio copy of this book. This book is different from a lot of legal thrillers. This one is from the point of view of the jury. Are the three men guilty of rape or did Sabrina make it up? The story is also told in chronological order from the view points of the three men Jason, Li, and Zach as well as Sabrina herself. This was great for me. I loved the speed with which the book moved. The story is set in Dublin and the narrators were great. HOWEVER, *spoiler alert*. The book ends with the jury making their decision. Then the narrator tells you that if you’d like to find out what happened to these people, you can go to a website. First, that’s the problem. I am listening to the book. I do not want to go to the website. I want to know. Now. It’s the end of the book. I have spent 8 plus hours listening. Don’t leave me hanging. This book was previously in print in 2020 and is just now coming to audio. Do yourself a favor and give it a listen. Three and a half stars rounded down

Thank you to the publishers, author and NetGalley for the free copy of this audio book.

This was an interesting read/listen. Pretty accurate portrayal of how much ones perspective can be so vastly different from another's in the same situation, and how complex that makes things in a situation like this. The narrators were perfect for this book.

Rating: 4
Author: David B. Lyons

I’ve been obsessively watching/listening to the Johnny Depp trial for entertainment while I was in my reading slump. So last week when I came across this audiobook on Netgalley I instantly requested it. I was approved that day and started listening to it immediately.

The author did a fantastic job with this book. It’s a book that will keep you questioning and will make you feel as though you too are a juror on this case. In the beginning I tried not to immediately pick a side but instead tried to be neutral as I was listening to all the characters' accounts of what happened that night. The way this book was written you might have a good idea of who is guilty in the beginning. However, the author did a great job of including negative past actions from all characters. None of these characters are saints and each of them lie about something.

The audiobook was so well done! Each and every narrator fit the role of who they were playing. They did a great job adding in emotion for certain scenes and staying neutral for others. I definitely recommend that if you want to read this one then you should pick up the audiobook. This is the type of book that you will want to read in one day and with an audiobook you can easily multitask while listening to this one.

I wish I could go on and on but you really need to go in blind. I think this book only really works if you don’t know much about it. I think if I had it spoiled for me I wouldn’t have enjoyed it as much. Heads up the beginning can be a little slow moving so turn up the audio speed. Read the synopsis for this one and if it intrigues you then give it a try!

Thank you so much @dreamscapemedia for the #gifted copy on #netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.