Less a suspense-thriller and more a character study of three women in a small town in Alabama, Kristen Bird’s I Love It When You Lie can’t quite seem to decide exactly what it wants to be. Which is a shame because there are glimmers of an intriguing story and character-study in each section of the novel.

The women of the Williams family have always been on the wrong side of the authorities in their small town. But now as they prepare for family to assemble for their grandmother’s burial, each of them holds a secret that could unravel their world. There’s Tara, the pastor’s wife, who doesn’t see why she can’t skim a little off the top of the offering plate to “pay” for her services at bookkeeper for her husband’s congregation. There’s June, who thinks that taking a newborn baby whose biological mother has passed away from the hospital where she serves as a nurse, will only jump-start the adoption process. Then, there’s Clem, who’s in a relationship with her professor/mentor who has a history of romancing his students and then moving easily from one relationship to the next.

Their stories are all wrapped by flash-forwards to another member of the family, sitting in an interrogation room and being interviewed about a potential crime.

As a character study of the Williams family and how each character makes less-than-ideal choices based on the circumstances life has presented to them, the novel works. As a suspense thriller about the sheriff of a small town holding a grudge and possibly finally finding a way to bring the hammer down on the family, the novel falls a bit short. As the story advanced, I found myself more invested in each of the Williams sisters and what led them to their grandmother’s funeral than most of the flash-forwards. The long-teased secret feels a bit too teased and drawn out, with this reader becoming tempted to skim these passages to get back to the stories of each sister.

All in all, there’s enough here for me not to look for future work by Bird, though.

I received a digital ARC of this novel from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This Southern family drama and mystery was excellent. Complex and fascinating characters combined with a story with subtle twists, and a great arc for the characters and plot.

I loved every thy about this book. The characters were
Complex. The plot was delicious. And the ending was superb.

I loved the multiple perspectives in I Love It When You Lie, and really enjoyed getting to know each of the characters. The book was fresh, suspenseful, and a super fast read - I could not put it down. Overall, it was not what I was expecting, but I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. I Love It When You Lie was an entertaining read with depth, a well-paced story line, and amazing characters. I would highly recommend!

This was my first Kristen Bird book and I really enjoyed it! 4.5 stars

Being a Williams woman means something. I loved how distinct every character was. When reading it I was able to immediately tell whose POV I was in. The way the story keeps throwing little revelations and twists your way, makes me see this as a successful TV show!

The beginning was a little too vague as to the premise of the story, since the characters were so compelling I was hooked. I look forward to check out more work from Bird in the future!

This was not a twisty thriller. More of a character driven mystery that you can just sit back and watch it play out. It did succeed in keep me engaged throughout. I loved the lives and stories of these women. Their strengths, weaknesses and insecurities. Overall a good solid read!

3.5 rounded up.

I Love it When You Lie by Kristen Bird is a domestic drama with an edge of suspense to the story. I was expecting more thriller in this one but it does land way over on the family drama side instead. The story in I Love it When You Lie is also one that is told by changing the point of view between the characters.

The story surrounds all of the Williams women as Pearl Williams, the grandmother of the family, passes away right before her eightieth birthday. Tara is the wife of a pastor that does things her own way regardless of what the church or anyone else would think. June wants nothing more than having a child but her husband is not as adamant about parenthood as June. Clementine just won’t admit that her relationship isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Then there’s their sister in law Stephanie who is right there with all the families secrets.

Even though I Love it When You Lie by Kristen Bird wasn’t what I was really expecting when I picked this one up it still was a good story that kept my attention. I found myself thinking of this one more as what I refer to as a popcorn read, one that you munch on your snack and wait for the secrets to unfold. The characters were not necessarily likable but certainly got up to some shenanigans that kept the pages turning. After finishing I’d certainly be willing to read more by this author in the future.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC!
I am super grateful for the opportunity to read this.

Rating - 4.5/5 Stars
This novel was told in multiple POVs. They portraited amazing strong women from the South. The timeline is written in such a unique way that leaves the reader with only bits and pieces of the backstory. The small details revealed made me want to keep on reading. I love the family secret aspect of this book because I didn't know who I could truly trust.

This was an interesting read. What starts out as a birthday party for Gran turns out to be her funeral. From the start we know something has happened to one of the men in the family that attends the funeral, but we don’t know who, what or why. We do slowly learn that everyone has a secret. And I do mean everyone. While a mystery, it is also focused on family, especially the women.

This one is a very slow burn. The first half or more of the book is spent getting to know the women of the Williams family. And what they are capable of. I waffled back and forth on whether I liked the women and can tell you I didn’t especially love the men, but I was hooked in knowing what happened at the funeral. I am not a huge fan of slow burn mysteries, but when they get my mind wondering, as this one did, then I have to know what happened.

This is well written with a lot of depth of character. You need to go into this one to care about the characters and know the mystery eventually works itself out.

This will appeal to those that love women’s fiction and like mysteries that don’t get too gory or scary.

I Enjoyed this one. It wasn't knock your socks off but it was a good twisted, fast paced thriller/Suspense.
I would definitely say it is a popcorning read which isn't a bad thing. I feel like this would be a great beach or plane read.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

REVIEW TO FOLLOW.

If you’re looking for a strong family drama, women’s fiction novel I highly recommend reading I Love It When You Lie. Kristen Bird is a new to me author and I was not disappointed.

This story twists and turns. The beginning really had me wondering who was dead. The multiple POVs add to the drama and build up the storyline – giving the reader a glimpse at each character. My only wish – was a more concrete ending. I read this in one sitting and was completely invested.

Thank you so much for allowing me to read and review your titles. I really enjoy the opportunity!

I do appreciate it and continue to review books that I get the chance to read.
Thanks again!

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing.

The four Williams siblings were raised by their Gran after their parents died when they were young. When Gran dies, they’re brought together again to her house for the funeral. But June, Tara, and Clementine, along with their sister-in-law Stephanie, find themselves in a different kind of situation - a man has gone missing, and the town Sheriff thinks the Williams sisters are to blame based on their history.

The story rotates through the POVs of the four women, with each of their lives unraveling in some way. I found all of them pretty unlikeable, except maybe Clementine since she seemed like she was more of a victim in her situation, whereas the other siblings were responsible for their own problems. But that was part of the point - the Williams women have always done what they felt necessary, even if it wasn’t exactly legal.

I did like how the story unfolded, with Stephanie in current POV talking to the Sheriff, and then going back to the events of the last few days with the sisters’ POVs. The twist was good, and I liked how the ending came together, even if some things were still left unresolved.

‘I Love It When You Lie’ by Kristen Bird was a little bit mystery/suspense, a little bit family drama, a bit ‘fierce sisterhood’ and sass, a lot witty, and very unique. It’s a slow burn that unfolds leisurely, like a deliciously indulgent summer day, and the morally grey Williams women—and their sister in law—with their layers upon layers of secrets and lies make it a lot of fun. I don’t always love multi-POV books, but for this one it worked: each sister was well-developed with distinctive voices and development. ‘I Love It When You Lie’ gave me Georgia Miller vibes from the show ‘Ginny & Georgia,’ and I loved it. Recommend!

I wanted to love this book. I felt that the writing was very engaging right off the bat. I was a bit confused by the way the timeline unfolded. I liked the character’s individual storylines, especially June and her stolen baby, but it felt like too much in one book. I ultimately gave up around the 54% mark, but I’d be open to reading the author’s other work. I enjoyed her writing; I just don’t think this was the right book for me.

Family issues - check, Multiple POV - check. Murder - check. I loved this book - it had all the delicious things I like in a story - see my checks. The story begins with Murder - you know someone is dead, you know where they are buried and you know whom might be involved. The story winds its way along multiple POV from the main characters and while the main story is along a linear timeline, you do get glimpses into each of the main characters life and how they wound up in a singular moment with a dead body. This was a very fast read for me because the writing made me invested in each of the characters and the anticipation of finding out the who, what, why of the main storyline.

Three sisters, are all keeping secrets. However, their sister-in-law knows the scoop. When their grandmother dies, far more than a funeral is soon to happen. No, those secrets? Well, the jig may very well be up for all involved.

Who are these women? They are the Williams sisters, Tara, June and Clementine. Each of them are facing serious difficulties in their lives and all will be forced to face the consequences for their actions. The funeral for their grandmother is at hand, but she might not be the only one who will be buried.

If a reader wants to read a book where one can root for the characters and also relate to them, then this is not the book. In fact, each of the women involved in the story, and not just Tara, June and Clementine, but also their sister-in-law Stephanie, are all more than a bit morally ambiguous.

This book has some sparks of humor, but also touches on the serious subject of racism and other serious matters, such as stealing funds from the church, baby kidnapping and sexual misconduct. Based in the South, Kristen Bird did a great job with this book and these characters, giving it a flavor of intrigue along with the secrets and lies.

Many thanks to MIRA and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved reading every minute of this! The way everything ties together with so much twist & secrecy. It truly encapsulizes "Blood is thicker than water". I couldn't stop reading. Every chapter left me wanting more. I've never been to Alabama but felt that I was transported there throughout the writing of the book. Kristen Bird has done such an amazing job with each of her characters. I especially loved Tara's. As the oldest sister, I definitely have had my fair share of having to defy expectations and learn as I go, helping my siblings with what I learned along the way. And am very familiar with the shared secrets of covering for one another. My mom would always get mad at my siblings and I for always covering up for the other and her never finding out what about, just having suspicion.

Reading from the different perspectives of the Williams women lets you get to know where the characters are coming from and just because questionable things were done, doesn't necessarily mean that you are a bad person... Or does it? Or are you just expediting karma? As Gran said "God helps those who help themselves"

I was very pleased with the ending. Gran would be proud. & would definitely like to have some of Gran's tea along with more tea on the family

This is my first novel by this author and won’t be my last. I loved every minute of this dark and twisty tale. I love a good character driven family saga with strong female leads. The book opens with a man missing and Stephanie being interviewed by the local sheriff. The identity of the missing man isn’t immediately revealed leaving the reader wondering who the missing man is.

Stephanie’s sisters-in-law are all very close yet their relationships are complicated. Including their relationship to their brother. Is her husband missing (and the siter’s brother) or is it someone else? What we do know is that once scorned, the Williams sister’s will stop at nothing to keep their secrets buried.

Filled with twists and turns I didn’t see coming, I was thoroughlyimmersed in this story and invested in the women’s storylines. This book is next to impossible to put down because the reader must keep reading until the final ending twist that will leave you flabbergasted! The book is well written with an intriguing cast of characters. I also appreciated the author’s attention to the invisibility of women and the vital role they play in not only keeping the family together but their communities as well. I look forward to reading more from this author