I Love it When You Lie by Kristen Bird is a Southern mystery where a family will do anything to protect each other. I loved how complicated these women were. They each had their own issues and getting to see their inner thoughts as they dealt with them was fascinating. There was no black and white here, rather many instances of gray. I enjoyed the writing and how humor was interspersed throughout. I wouldn’t call this a mystery, as much as women’s fiction.

This is only of my favorite reads of the year so far! The characters are so believable, they just come to life. Being from East Tennessee the location, the scenery, the traditions all spoke to me and touched me in a way that made it all seem real.

What a twisty tale! This novel confirms that we will truly do anything to protect our family! Even if it means buying secrets that will never be found,

Bravo Kristen Bird! You are a new instant read author for me!

The premise of this was really intriguing but I feel like the synopsis makes it sound more like a thriller than a family drama/suspense. I enjoyed the southern setting and always love a good morally grey character. June’s entire story seemed way too unrealistic and distracted me from the rest of what was happening. I just kept thinking of how that would never go down that way.

I liked the multiple POV formatting and how we learned what happened in a nonlinear order. Sometimes I was a bit confused to the timeline but it wasn’t too difficult to decipher.

This was entertaining but not surprising. The ending was a little to open ended and left me wanting a more concrete answer.

Finished ✔️ I Love It When You Lie by Kristen Bird

4 ⭐️’s
Publish Day: March 14th, 2023
Kindle Unlimited: No
Irresistible and compulsive
This book is packed full of surprises
Enjoyed the characters
Beautifully & brilliantly written
Yes, I’d recommend

#DeesReading #DeesRecs #DeesBookRecommendations #BookNerds #BookNerdProblems #BookNerdsUnited #BookProblems #BookProblems101 #BookNerds101 #Bookworms #BookwormProblems #BooksOfFacebook #DeeTheBookReviewer #DeesReadOfTheDay #DeesBookOfTheDay #DeesBookReviewsOfTheDay #BookReviewer #NewToMeAuthor #ReadOfTheDay #BookOfTheDay #ILoveItWhenYouLie #KristenBird #NetGalley

"𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘯𝘰 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢 𝘚𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘢𝘯...𝘪𝘵 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘹𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦."

I loved this fast paced read, as we showcase how a woman must always put family first, even if it means getting a little blood on their hands!

Told from the POVs of Grans 3 granddaughters and her granddaughter in law, from before Gran’s death and after.We learn the police are investigating a missing person, but the reader isn’t aware who that person could be as all the husbands in this family seem to be philandering or obstinate in his own way.

This is a blockbuster accurate account showcasing how Southern Women will do anything to protect their family.

Many thanks to Mira and HTPbooks for my gifted book in return for my honest opinion.
Happy Pub day! 4.5 stars!

3/5 stars! The cover of this thriller was really pretty and the premise was intense, so I was excited to read it. This is a women's thriller and was interesting to get through. Overall, it was enjoyable but it didn't live up to my expectations after reading the premise. It just felt like there were too many "villains" in this book. It messed with the pacing and kept me from truly engaging or rooting for any character. It was very drama heavy, which didn't really match how it was advertised.

I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review

Jut a PSA — don't mess with the Williams women. One may or may not have stolen a baby. One possibly hit a man with her car. And, one could have potentially killed her husband. As sisters Tara, June, and Clementine reunite to mourn their matriarch, and Stephanie, their sister in law, is waiting in the wings to watch as the family secrets unravel.

What's better than a good revenge novel? For most of the novel we don't know who the "missing person" is, it honestly doesn't matter. Kristen Bird makes us care about all of the Williams women. Not only is the backstory of each of the women fascinating, but they all have issues currently in their lives, some worse than others, but you just know, when Part 1 of the book is called "This one's going to be a scorcher" that it's going to be good. I loved it!

Thanks for the opportunity to review!

Tara, Clementine, June and their brother, Walker have had a tragic life. At the death of their parents, they were placed in foster care until their grandmother showed up to rescue them. They had never met Gran but she took them all in and raised them. Now, on the death of Gran, they have all returned back home. Each of their lives are different and they had no idea how much they needed each other until everything starts to fall apart.

This is a story in which you know someone or know a family very similar to this. I love when the characters are relatable. I knew everyone in this novel and they all live down the road. 😂. And for the life of me, I cannot tell you which character I liked the most. They are all flawed and have made terrible decisions. But, they are there for each other through it all!

Now, I don’t want to give away a spoiler, but the ending is so dang good. I swear I wanted to laugh, cry and tell them not to do it! But they did it anyway! Y’all need to read this to find out!

Need a good family drama…THIS IS IT! Grab your copy today.

I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

I primarily read romance books but occasionally venture into other genres. The blurb and cover are what caught my eye first, so I decided to give this one a shot. I enjoy a good mystery/suspense book, and this one really delivered. What I liked most about this story is how the author wrote the characters' voices. Each woman’s voice was very well established, and as they were all very different, I have to give Kristen Bird huge props for such a talent for doing this so well. While it took a little while to warm up to most of the characters, the suspense/mystery gripped me from page one and had me not wanting to put the book down. Some of the generalizations regarding small southern towns and their views rankled a bit. But all in all, I recommend this book if you enjoy suspense books that delve into a bit of women’s fiction where the character relationships are concerned.

An amusing read about a southern family maneuvering through tricky waters.
Told in alternative voice, the dialogue kept moving.
I just don’t connect with any of the characters and their situations didn’t resonate.

I received an advance review copy for free and am leaving this review voluntarily. Thank you Kristen Bird and Harlequin Trade Publishing. I'm excited to be a part of this tour.

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!

Secrets, secrets, secrets! Oh boy, the Williams women and their secrets.

I was hooked at the very beginning as we are introduced to the different women in the Williams family (3 sisters and a sister in law). Each one has their own drama that will be unveiled during the funeral of their grandmother.

As the novel went on, I did get a bit bored. I was hoping for more action instead of the women just going about their days. It was more of a domestic drama as opposed to a thriller.

3 calculators out of a potential 5. I wished there was more of a thriller aspect with more likeable characters.

Thank you to Netgallery and Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such great book and I loved the multiple POV! My first read from Kristen Bird and I absolutely loved it! The Williams’ women have generations of secrets that you see unfold as they gather home for their gran's funeral, but will she be the only one who is buried?

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC!

This is one that you will benefit from going in totally blind so you can just let yourself sink into the story. But should be on readers lists for this winter/spring, as it is one that will totally satisfy. All together, the sisters can each point to a man in their lives they’d like to get rid of. When they bury Gran, someone else will be buried with her. The author’s approach in bringing in Stephanie’s perspective works incredibly well. The book starts in the present and then shifts to the past to provide valuable context. Along the way, the characters evolve as their stories are developed. Gran’s past and the missing person could have been left out. any character who has an affair, that’s a personal thing. I’m not going to like that character but sometimes regardless of the circumstances i will change my view of them.

While described as a suspense, I didn't find it all that suspenseful. This is more of a women's fiction book, and it is enjoyable in its own right. I loved reading about the Williams women. Sadly, it didn't meet expectations by the mystery being a rather forgettable and unnecessary part of the story.

The characters were well developed and I love that they all had flaws. I also loved that they were willing to do what it took to stay ahead of the men in their lives.

3.5 stars, rounded up
Solid suspense novel

Three sisters, Clementine, Tara, and June, each with their own dark secrets and issues, come together after losing their beloved Grandmother. Also included in the mix is Stephanie, their sister-in-law who is married to their brother, and Lottie, the teen daughter of Tara. From the beginning, we know that one of the men involved with these women is missing, but we don't know what happened or what they are covering up.

Often when I read a book with family secrets I am underwhelmed with said secrets and wonder why they just don't come clean. Not here. These are some dark doozies that the women are hiding, and as the story unfolds, more things come to light. I appreciated the author's willingness to step into areas that other thriller writers might skate around: religion, subtle racism, grooming, white collar crime. And the strong point is that she avoids making these subjects into stereotypical rants. For example, Tara's husband is a pastor and he isn't the caricature of a pastor that one would expect, nor is Tara a stereotypical pastor's wife. Yet the author also doesn't denigrate them or their roles in the process. This is a delicate balance and really made the story a cut above for me.

There were some clunky parts that didn't really feel as strong to me, particularly the grandmother's past and the sheriff's attitude towards the family, as well as the investigation into the missing person. That could have been left out or presented on the front end of the story and then showed how everything unfolded without all of the back and forth. The sheriff and his family were definitely caricatured characters and that didn't fit as well with the rest of the book.

Overall, this was worth reading and was more of a domestic suspense novel than a straightforward mystery, but it delivered a worthy reading experience for me.

Review of I love it when you lie by Kristen Bird

I enjoyed this thriller. I really was invested in the female main characters and their stories. The women were such strong characters with a wonderful sisterly bond. I absolutely loved the mystery aspect.

Quick synopsis: The novel opens with Stephanie being interviewed by the town sheriff about a missing man. The reader isn’t aware of the identity. Stephanie’s three sister in laws are very close to one another and they all have very difficult relationships with their significant others. Is one of those men the missing man? Or is Stephanie’s own husband (the brother to the sisters) the missing one? And what happened to him?

Thank you to @_mira_books_ for the copy of this one. It is out tomorrow!

Kristen Bird’s intriguing novel I Love It When You Lie begins with Stephanie Williams, wife of the town mayor, answering questions in the sheriff’s office. Her three sisters-in-law- Tara, June and Clementine, along with Stephanie, are thought to be responsible for the disappearance of one of four men: “a preacher, a doctor, a professor and a mayor.”



The question to be answered is which one has disappeared and why. Tara is the oldest sister, the one who took care of her younger siblings when they spent a short time in foster care after the death of their parents. Their grandmother took the children in and lovingly raised them, and they are preparing for her funeral as the story begins.



Tara’s husband is the the town preacher, who spends most of his time tending to the needs of his parishioners rather than his wife and teenage daughter Lottie, who is rebellious. She is hiding a big secret from her husband and if it comes out, it could destroy their all their lives.



June is a nurse at the local hospital, married to a doctor from Peru. It took time for the townspeople to accept her husband, but he is well-respected now. June has had several miscarriages, and is despondent that they don’t have a baby. A tragedy with a patient becomes compounded when June does something desperate, something that her husband can never support.



Clementine is dating a much older married professor at her college, a man who is accused of sexual misconduct with his students. While she becomes wary of all of the signs that he is not the man she hopes he is, she knows that if she leaves him, he can destroy her career as a writer. When he accompanies her back home to her grandmother’s funeral, secrets are outed.



Stephanie catches her cheating husband during his grandmother’s funeral wake and decides she has had enough. Besides, she is the one who should be mayor of this small town, she has the brains and the drive to do it better than her husband.



The sisterly relationships are the core of this story. They protect each other, even if they are not always in agreement with the decisions each one makes. I liked the Alabama setting, and learning about the small town rituals, especially Decoration Day, when everyone gathers to honor those they lost with shared food, songs, and psalms.



So who disappears and who made him disappear? You’ll have to read to find out.

If you are a fan of the fantastic Apple TV+ series Bad Sisters, (as I am), put I Love It When You Lie on your TBR list.



Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Winter 2023 Mystery/Thrillers Blog Tours.

Meet the wild Williams women!

Set in Willow Gap, Alabama, Kristin Bird delivers a laugh-out-loud family saga of dark secrets and a cast of ruthless sassy Southern women in this highly entertaining domestic drama—I LOVE IT WHEN YOU LIE.

Pearl Williams is the matriarch of this highly dysfunctional family, and unfortunately, she died just days before her eightieth birthday!

Now the granddaughters will take over to keep the secrets buried and try and give their grandmother a proper send-off.

Meet the cast:
Tara, the eldest, has married the local Southern Baptist pastor. She is making a series of decisions that could scatter his flock.

June has become a nurse and has married a doctor. She will do anything to have a baby, even if her husband won't.

Clementine, the youngest, is still in college and having an affair with her professor and is blind to reality.

Their brother, now Willow Gap's mayor, has scandalized the townsfolk by marrying Stephanie, whose major crime is being a Northerner. She also knows all the family dirt.

Someone is DEAD. A slow burn mystery told from the POVs of the three sisters and the sister-in-law.

We know a crime was committed, but what happened?

The gals must bury a body and cover up a crime the weekend after their beloved grandmother dies. We don’t know who the body is until near the end. The drama alternates between the women’s lives and the unraveling leading up to the event.

Who is going to get what he deserves?

Intriguing. Different. A wicked blend of deeply buried family secrets, scandal, and lots of drama! A cracking Southern small-town suspense, crossing moral lines and landing smack in the gray areas.

A cast of strong women that will keep you entertained! For fans of author Alice Feeney and Mary Kay Andrews Will we see more of these ladies in the future?

Thank you to MIRA, the publisher, for providing an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

AUDIOBOOK: Looking forward to the audiobook starring a full cast of stars who will further make this book come alive! Narrators: Susan Bennett, Megan Tusing, Ferdelle Capistrano, Karissa Vacker, Brittany Pressley (all favorites)!🎧 by Harlequin Audio

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDColins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Put Date: Mar 14, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
March 2023 Must-Read Books