This is a book that starts out fast and keeps its most of its momentum. The plot and the characters immediately suck you in. Every single character is real and has major, real life flaws. I really liked how the main character, Cass, just had a way to keep messing up and digging herself deeper and deeper into a hole. So many times I wanted to be on her side, but then she would pop off and do something moronic.

Her husband, Ethan, is a mess. He is truly a worthless human being and even when he was "doing good" it was impossible for me to even like him. Emma thinks she is hot stuff, strutting around like she isn't sleeping with the husband of her boss. Then there's Cass's best friend who is her ride or die- could she be behind Emma's disappearance?

Full of plot twists but the second half gets repetitive and slows down a bit. It does pick back up with a bang you didn't see coming!

This was a 4 star read and I look forward to more thrilling novels from this author!

Thanks to Netgalley and Rising Action Publishing Co for allowing me an advanced digital copy to read and give my honest review.

"We're All Lying" is set to be released March 14, 2023 here in the U.S. so preorder now!

Happy Reading!

This story was jammed packed with secrets and lies! I held my breath as each secret was revealed, and was completely shocked at the twisted ending. I don’t think I will ever grow tired of domestic thrillers with unreliable narrators, stalking, obsession, and murder. I immensely enjoyed this page-turner, and it would make the perfect bingeable, weekend read.

Thank you @netgalley and the publisher @risingactionpublishingco for my e-ARC.

We're All Lying is the book people mean when they say they want an edge-of-your-seat, twists and turns thriller. Super tense and fast-paced with great characters and surprises you will never see coming. This book was delicious and I devoured it!

📚📖 BOOK REVIEW 📖📚

📖 Book - We’re All Lying
✍️ Author - Marie Still
📕 Publisher - Rising Action Publishing
🗓 Publication Date - 14th March 2023

Cass & Ethan have, what would seem to others, the perfect life! Loving marriage, fabulous kids, good jobs and a lovely home.
An email sent to Cass, changes everything! Everything in their lives starts to tumble ….. quickly!!

I think this is a good debut book - it had a great big twist at the end. I feel I could engage with Cass but found the other characters a bit more difficult to ‘like’ or engage with.

I wish you well with your debut book Marie.

Thanks #netgalley for the ARC and #risingactionpublishing #bookstagramshaz #bookreviews

https://www.instagram.com/Bookstagramshaz

This was a terrific story thanks net galley for sending me a early copy to read, loved it.

Cass has a wonderful life a successful business, two beautiful children and a husband she adores.
But life does not always run the way you want it to, and Cass was wondering what her husband gets up to so she follows him one day in the car and sees him run over a pedestrian and drive away.
It cannot be her husband he would never do that to someone, but who else would be driving his car in town when he was supposed to be away on business.
Loved this book very much I highly recommend it.

The writing really brings it. The actual writing is quick-paced and tight and leaves us clues while keeping us hooked, We watch Cass's life disintegrate into a mess and the tension keeps rising. Marie Still knows her genre and is rocking it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action for the ARC.

Review date: February 10, 2023
Publication date: March 14, 2023

This was a fast paced, domestic thriller that got my interest right from the first page. It is written from different POVs so you get to start shaping your own opinion about everyone pretty quickly. None of the characters were likeable but I think that was fitting to the story. Overall this was a great thriller. Does it stand out in any way? Probably not, but it was still entertaining, and hard to put down. I’ll look forward to checking out more books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley, Rising Action Publishing Co and the author for ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Cass Mitchell has everything that most people want. A loving marriage, two wonderful kids, and a successful career as an advertising executive. Until she gets a stomach curdling email from Emma Wallace, her husband’s apparent mistress. It seems that while she was happily content with her picture perfect life, it was being dismantled by someone she knows. Someone she should be able to trust.

Things, however, go from bad to worse when Emma’s behavior turns from merely shocking to dangerous. For it appears that Emma is not quite done with the Mitchells regardless of how badly they want to be done with her. Now Cass believes she’s being stalked and the only logical person behind it would be Emma. Quickly contacting the police, she hopes to stop her husband’s mistress in her tracks. But it rapidly becomes apparent that even that will cause problems for Cass and Ethan. For Emma has disappeared.

As Cass watches her life implode and she finds herself going from stalking victim to suspect overnight, her mental state takes a decided hit. But she has even more to worry about than simply being charged with a crime, for Cass has secrets buried deep in her past. Secrets that could implode her once enviable life. What has happened behind the facade of this quintessential American family? Is Cass responsible for the ultimate act of revenge? Or is it all a perfectly staged production with Cass cast as villain?

Filled to the brim with secrets, lies, and hidden pasts, We’re All Lying was quite the ride! For the first two-thirds or so, I found myself spellbound by the near perfect Fatal Attraction-esque plot line. And I found myself greedily reading much too late at night trying to figure out the big overriding question: who is behind the evil deeds?

Here is where I hit my first speed bump, however, for the start and finish of this book felt out of touch from one another. Hard to explain, but once the direction of the story drastically shifted in the last third or so of the novel, many of the characters took on a rather melodramatic soap opera quality. Unfortunately, by the end, I found it all a bit much. On top of that, I had figured out most of the twists as well as where it all was leading fairly early on. Disappointing for sure. For the majority of the book, though, it was an enjoyable read centering around the dramatic unraveling of a once enviable woman into a paranoid, histrionic shell. You know, the much loved trope for many a psychological thriller?

Second speed bump (or maybe third?) was what I felt were missed opportunities. From Ethan’s unexplored backstory and inferior character development (which is unusual for a narrator) to the lack of a deep dive into Cass’s childhood, they all would have built stronger, more authentic characters had they been delivered. Despite this, I found myself liking each of them each in their own way. Okay, maybe liking is the wrong word as it was hard to be particularly fond of any of them. But they all did provide some enjoyable albeit horrifying entertainment that had me cringing with their seemingly out-of-character and obsessive behavior. Cringing in a good way, of course.

Despite moments where I found the story somewhat over-the-top, this was, for the most part, a fast-paced, addictive psychological thriller, which fully lived up to its name. From characters you’ll love to hate (which is most of them) to the swirling paranoia that made me second guess what was really going on, I am already looking forward to debut author Marie Still’s next book. If you’re looking for a fun, quick, engaging novel that most certainly will keep your attention, give We’re All Lying a try! Rating of 4 stars.

Trigger warning: infidelity, stalking, obsessive relationship, blackmail, gaslighting, drug overdose, drug and alcohol abuse, embezzlement, child abuse, kidnapping and imprisonment

*Not currently up on my Instagram feed, but will be posted closer to the publication date (I’ve included a link to my feed below).

this was such a good thriller and I was invested in what was happening in this universe. It had what I was looking for from the description. The characters were what I was hoping for and it worked well in the universe set. I enjoyed how good the story was. Marie Still wrote this really well and I was glad I was able to read this.

"My joy morphed into horror as the gold band turned rusty and black, contracting around my finger, cutting off the circulation and turning it an angry red, then blue. I looked up to meet Ethan’s eyes, but a head of smooth flesh sliced open by a wide, menacing grin with sharp teeth hovered above me. As a forked tongue shot from the mouth, I jerked awake."

I struggled to engage with this story. Parts were just too ridiculous and repetitive. Parts were very predictable, and the ending felt rushed.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

My Thoughts:
This book starts off when Cass opens a email from her husband mistress Emma and informs her about their affair. Up till then Cass thinks she has the perfect life until she learns about this affair. What happens Next is what makes this mystery a great mystery. Emma goes missing and guess who the suspect. Right when I thought I knew what was going to happen I didn’t. This is a good book to read if your in the mood for a twisty mystery that’s Full of secrets. Thanks @netgalley for letting me read this

Unfortunately this book didn't work for me. Thanks for the copy in exchange for an honest review. But only two stars for me. Thanks

When I first started this one, I related it to Fatal Attraction, a 1987 film. It is a psychological thriller, but it quickly diffuses to something different. A lot of substance that mingles in so many directions. I didn't have a clear view where the main character was going or what I didn't like about her until 3/4 in. The story is told in 3 POVs with Cass, the wife, her husband Ethan and a coworker Alice.

The title sums up We're All Lying and they really are. When Cass finds out her husband is cheating on her with a very young woman Emma, she becomes obsessed with finding out more. Emma text pics to further make it realistic to Cass. Cass kicks him out, but she allows him to move back in. This is when it gets psycho! Emails are received, coworkers are on different wavelengths that I didn't know who could be trusted. When Cass is stalked, some suspenseful events go on in her house and office. Who is to blame?

Ethan is the real loser stirring a lot more outside his home than in. It is woven in with a lot of jealousy and out of character behavior, which becomes obvious they both are lying in this marriage. It will all come out in the end with a twist or two guiding you through this suspenseful thriller.
Thank you NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Entertaining enough, but grew tired of the drama, drama before the end!

I saw the so called "jaw-dropping" twists a mile away! This may be why it fell short for me. Yes, very short.

Also, Cass wasn't a very likeable character and her hubs, Ethan was even more maddening. In fact, you could shout, "Liar, liar" at most of the people in this book!

A marriage gone awry, a murder, and a lot of finger pointing! I was hoping for a shocking reveal, or just something that might dupe me. I love being caught off guard, but this was predictable and too vanilla for me (give me swirl)!

If you enjoy a mindless domestic drama, this one may be worth a read.

There was a lot to love about this book. The suspense was great, the pacing was quick, there was tension between the characters, and the author keeps you on your toes. The story is told between 3 POV's: Cass, Ethan, and Alice. Cass and Ethan are married and Ethan has cheated on her. The story follows the aftermath of Cass learning of Ethan's infidelity from his mistress, Emma, who has since disappeared. Alice is Cass's assistant and right from the start you know there is something off about her character. She is well written and the suspense of her role in the story is captivating. Cass is all over the place. Her character feels disjointed. She's dealing with a lot trying to figure out what to do about her cheating husband and his crazy mistress, but she's all over the place. This doesn't feel purposeful though, it's like the author wants her to seem unhinged but doesn't quite connect the dots. Cass does something in an effort to save face and there is a LOT of build up around it but it was very anticlimactic. Ethan is a grade A jerk. He's an unlikable character and very flat. I really disliked the chapters written from his POV because they all felt the same. He'd apologize then go about doing all of the same things. Even with unlikable characters, this book kept my interest and the twist at the end was expected but unexpected at the same time. You know there is SOMETHING coming but what it actually was was a surprise. While I appreciate a character driven story, in a thriller I appreciate more the suspense and if it will keep me turning the page. This book definitely does that.

This was entertaining but I felt like the main character was not consistent in the plot. Sometimes she was more afraid and whiny and other times she came off unhinged and hell bent on revenge (which I liked). I felt as though having the perspective from Alice was a bit of a spoiler as it would have been more shocking if it was just Cass and Ethan or only Cass's perspective. Overall, this was enjoyable and a quick read but I think the author missed some opportunities to make this one stunning.

How far would you go to keep what’s yours?

This debut domestic thriller begins with Cass, a successful advertising agency owner, receiving an email from Ethan’s (her husband) mistress. After stalking Cass for a while, she disappears and Ethan and Cass attempt to move forward.

Unfortunately, this crack in Cass’s perfect persona is all it takes for her past to come crashing down around her and reveal buried secrets. For the remainder of the story, readers will have a front-row seat to this domino effect and the devastation in its wake … all starting with one email. As the destruction steamrolls and gains speed, it’s fed with lots of jealousy.

Author Marie Still explores how difficult it is to balance everything in a world pre-wired to look for cracks and how the toxic emotion of jealousy prompts us to act impulsively out of character.

As the suspense escalates, you suddenly realize … we’re all lying.

I wouldn’t say I connected to any of the characters or even liked them, got frustrated with the unreliable narrator, and thought the plot was a tad predictable and repetitive, BUT it was a compelling read. This author shows promise.

I was gifted this copy by Rising Action Publishing Co and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

This domestic thriller is a quick read with emotional tension right from the start. Told from multiple perspectives, this story is full of drama and intrigue. Despite the layers of deception and number of characters, the plot unfolds in a pretty straightforward way that is easy to follow. Personally, I would have liked a slightly more tangled web to navigate, but there was still plenty to keep me interested. It is well written but occasionally focuses too much on the emotional experience of a given moment and causes the story to drag a little despite the tension being expressed. Overall, this is an enjoyable read for those who are looking for a light psychological thriller.

Before the email, Cass had it all; a partnership at a successful ad agency and a beautiful home with a loving family. Now, a woman named Emma claims to be her husband’s mistress and the life Cass has so carefully built begins to crumble under the pressure of mounting secrets. Just when things couldn’t get worse, Emma disappears and everything Cass has left is put at risk.

I was really interested in the premise of this story and excited to dig into all of the characters’ dirt. Though it certainly delivers on the promise made by the title and there are plenty of secrets to uncover, they didn’t feel as juicy to me as I had hoped. None of the ‘revelations’ really shifted my perception of the characters and most did not feel like they had ‘weight’ in the overall story. There is just a certain amount of predictability that undermines the impact some moments were supposed to have. There are plenty of readers that probably feel differently about this point and I will say that a lot rests on personal reading preference. No matter its level of impact, this story is well written and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

All of the characters in this story are unlikable, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Indeed I was expecting that going in. However, readers who need a character to ‘root’ for in order to get into a story might want to skip this one. Despite all of the drama, I don’t feel like there are any moments of ‘growth’ or lessons learned that make a character feel redeemable. On a surface level, they are well realized and Still does a good job walking us through their various mental/emotional states. I particularly love Alice, Cass’s personal assistant who is creepily obsessed with Cass. However, despite their strengths, the characters don’t really feel dynamic or deeply complex. For me, there was a lack of connection not because the characters were unlikable, but because I lost interest in them after a time. Overall, I was interested in where the story was going, but found I wasn’t entirely invested in where the characters would end up in the end.

A domestic thriller that grabs you and doesn’t let go. This book is ultra tense, gripping page turner! It starts fast, tension gets higher at each chapter, fast pacing, heart pounding Page turn. This is one you won’t want to miss out on.