Secrets, lies and deceit abound in Shari Lapena's "Everyone Here is Lying."

It’s hard not to give away spoilers for this book. You see, there’s so much going on and it all connects throughout the read.  "Everyone Here is Lying" is a twisty, disturbing mystery that takes you into the lives of a handful of residents of the Stanhope community, including the Wooler family. The world get turned upside down one afternoon when nine-year-old Avery Wooler vanishes without a trace. Some residents are eager to help while others point fingers at anyone they don’t get along with. And just about the whole town is trying to keep their darkest secrets hidden for good. 

This page turner is not only a fabulous thriller, but also looks at the dynamics of a family struggling to come to terms with a challenging child. The fallout from a family spat can have ripple effects that impact a neighbourhood or even an entire community. Some of the characters demonstrate how people in small towns look at each other. If you’re different, you’re an outcast.

LaPena's characters are manipulative, secretive, and unlikeable. "Everyone.." is an eerie, suspenseful tale full of twists, turns, secrets, surprises, lies, betrayal, family drama, neurodiversity challenges, adultery, and suspicious personalities. 

Many thanks to NetGallery and Penguin Group Viking for sharing Shari LaPena's great book for thriller lovers!

My shoulders tensed the moment I began reading Everyone Here is Lying and they didn’t relax until I turned the very last page. A gripping whodunit, this story will have you reading into the wee hours of the night, unable to put it down until you reach its startling conclusion.

Their affair was meant to be a fling. William Wooler, the handsome, affable doctor, and Nora, a hospital volunteer and literally the girl next door, had not planned on falling in love. Then one day, Nora ends things moments after their afternoon tryst in a motel. That’s when William realizes he has let his emotions get the best of him; he loves her, and her ditching him leaves him shaken and deeply hurt. He returns to the family home for some quiet time to mourn, only to find the supposedly empty house occupied. Nine-year-old Avery has been sent home from school – again. She has been disruptive and belligerent with a teacher – again. And she’s not finished. The moment she sees her father, she begins to misbehave with him as well. But William is in no mood for it and before he knows it, he’s lashing out to finally, finally teach her the lesson she deserves. Then he leaves the house, taking a long drive to a quiet, isolated location to pull himself together.

Hours later, he receives a call from his wife, Erin, telling him that Avery is missing. Erin and Avery’s brother Michael have searched their home, the woods surrounding their property, checked with friends, and double-checked with the school – Avery seems to have vanished into thin air. The police are called. And as the stalwart officers begin to question the inhabitants of the house, the neighborhood, and everyone else who has had contact with the girl, they quickly realize they have landed in the middle of a very sticky situation. Everyone claims to want her found – but this place is a den of secrets and everyone is more anxious to lie and protect their privacy than to find a difficult, missing elementary-schooler.

This is a stellar domestic thriller that encapsulates everything that makes Ms. LaPena’s work extraordinary. Her ability to craft believable villains out of ordinary humans is exceptional and it is easy to find yourself wondering just how far anyone will go to hold on to their secrets. The author also does a fantastic job of showing how ordinary lives can be filled with extraordinarily complex and violent undertones. She weaves interesting, intricate personas out of typical American suburban characters and convinces the reader that with just a bit of bad luck, the horrific events unfurling on the page could happen to you.

Something that I always find surprising is that LaPena can make these folks so sympathetic. Even as we peel back the layers and discover that they are not who we initially think they are, we recognize that we could easily turn into them, given the proper incentive. William, Nora, Erin, Nora’s husband Al – all of them are just average people with a few dark quirks, trying to hold on to their mundane, middle-class lives, who find themselves thrust into a situation that brings out their worst instincts.

Ms. LaPena also does a fantastic job of capturing the underlying fear of this generation’s professionals – that sense that everything we have is one wrong decision away from being gone forever. The fantastic job the author does of evoking these emotions makes it very understandable that the characters would go to great lengths to protect themselves.

Michael and the other children in the story capture perfectly how, as we age, the innocent belief that telling the truth will get you out of trouble leads to an understanding that protecting ourselves may often require keeping secrets. I loved how the wholesomeness and purity of the children is juxtaposed against the jaded wisdom of the parents.

The pacing of this novel is quick, and the last quarter of the book contains numerous surprises. I appreciated the way, as the police move forward with their investigation, more and more lives begin to unravel. This felt very realistic to me – the police will search every corner when looking for a child, and some of those corners inevitably contain hidden emotional bombs. The author does a superb job of showcasing how those little foibles can be devastating when held up to the light of day. And I have to say the conclusion is extremely satisfying – the punishments all fit the crime, so to speak.

If you enjoy domestic thrillers, Everyone Here is Lying is a must-read. I was absorbed while reading it and invested enough in the puzzle of what was happening that I finished it quickly just so I could have the satisfaction of knowing the ending. Fans of the author won’t be disappointed and this should make her plenty of new ones.

Note: There are several acts of violence against a child on the page, and there is mention of child sexual assault, although that is referenced rather than shown.

Excuse me while I write down another reason to not have children. Super fast paced and flowed well. I’m actually surprised this is my first Shari Lapena book! I’m gonna keep my mouth shut about the rest so I don’t spoil. 

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC!

First line: They don’t speak as William walks her to her car parked behind the motel; they never leave their cars out front, where they might be recognized.

Summary: Nine-year-old Avery Wooler has disappeared. How does this happen in Stanhope. It is a safe community. She was last seen at school that day but as tips come in from neighbors the police discover that there are more secrets than expected in this small town. Who took Avery? And can the police trust anyone to actually tell the truth?

My Thoughts: Another domestic thriller in a small town neighborhood. I feel as if I have read this story before. I think it is time I take a break from thrillers since I don’t find too much shocking anymore. The twists just do not seem to be all that twisted anymore. And like with many other books I have read recently there are very few likeable characters in the story. The points of view jumped around a lot that at times it became hard to follow. The plot just seemed to simple and straightforward to give it a higher rating. I had a good few hours with the story but it was not my favorite book by Lapena.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of Everyone Here is Lying.

I absolutely love Shari Lapena books and was excited to see she had a new one coming out. Suburban thriller with a missing 9 year old girl that slowly tears the neighborhood apart as people question who to trust. 

I devoured Everyone Here is Lying in 2 days and couldn't wait to find out the twist (which I figured out only about 2 seconds before the big reveal.) I normally don't appreciate alternating view point chapters but it worked really well here. Everyone Here REALLY Is Lying, but about what?! Neighbors accuse neighbors, spouses turn on spouses, parents question children. One child is missing but the affects are widespread and lingering. The ending was absolutely perfect! Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys mystery/thrillers!

I felt like the story was long and repetitive with not a lot of action, and then the ending was so abrupt and really left me hanging. I did not find it very thrilling but I liked it for a simple mystery.

This is my first by this author. I enjoyed the suspense a lot. I liked the twists. I did not like most of the characters. There was much left unresolved or, at least, unresolved for me. However, it does end in a way that makes you think there could be a follow up. Regardless, I wanted more information about the possible suspects during the investigation, besides their guilt or innocence. Michael, Derek, Ryan, and Adam all needed much more time for us to understand them.

I just finished Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena.  The story starts with the end of an extra marital affair and moves right into the main plot of the story- a missing child.  

Shari Lapena is one of my go to authors for mystery and thriller but this one fell a little flat for me.  I enjoyed the linear timeline in the story as well as the omniscient narrator rather than multiple points of view.  But I found some of the plot points towards the end to be a little unbelievable.  The end also seemed a little rushed to me.

Overall, it was a decent read, but did not meet the expectations I have
 for a Shari Lapena novel.

I have always enjoyed Shari Lapena's books and this is no exception. There is a missing child and a lot of suspects - all of whom have a secret and are lying. A fast-paced domestic thriller where we know all the motives but there are still twists and turns to throw us off their trail. I enjoyed this a lot but felt the ending was rushed and I would have liked another chapter or two to explore the wrap-up more thoroughly. I highly recommend it to fans of thrillers, especially domestic thrillers. Thank you to Netgalley and Pamela Dorman Books for an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Shari Lapena's books used to be some of my favorite thrillers but they are slowly going downhill for me.  This book didn't hold my attention one bit and I contemplated DNFing at multiple points in the story.  Everything felt very repetitive to me and for awhile I couldn't figure out where this story was supposed to be going.  I did enjoy the dual point-of-view characters but I strongly disliked the character Avery.  I felt like she wasn't a completely thought out character and most of it was completely unbelievable to me.

I know a lot of people are enjoying this book and rating it high so please don't let my review deter you from reading it.  It just wasn't for me sadly.

Many thanks to Penguin Group Viking, Pamela Dorman Books for the gifted copy for my honest review!

Nine year old Avery Woller has disappeared. During the investigation, everyone's secrets are brought to life. The more the detectives learn about the neighbors in this sleepy small town, they can't find someone who wouldn't want the girl gone. Will they be able to locate Avery, or is it too late?

Sadly I did not love this Lapena books. I usually find her books very interesting and thrilling and this one fell a little flat for me. I also thought the big mystery wasn't all that mysterious and could have done with a few more twists and turns.
Overall it was a decent mystery read just not one of my favorites.

This was a good story and I loved the plot and the twists. It would’ve been higher up in a rating for me but I felt the only real fleshed out character that didn’t come off cliche was Avery

My shoulders tensed the moment I began reading Everyone Here is Lying and they didn’t relax until I turned the very last page. A gripping whodunit, this story will have you reading into the wee hours of the night, unable to put it down until you reach its startling conclusion.

Their affair was meant to be a fling. William Wooler, the handsome, affable doctor, and Nora, a hospital volunteer and literally the girl next door, had not planned on falling in love. Then one day, Nora ends things moments after their afternoon tryst in a motel. That’s when William realizes he has let his emotions get the best of him; he loves her, and her ditching him leaves him shaken and deeply hurt. He returns to the family home for some quiet time to mourn, only to find the supposedly empty house occupied. Nine-year-old Avery has been sent home from school - again. She has been disruptive and belligerent with a teacher - again. And she’s not finished. The moment she sees her father, she begins to misbehave with him as well. But William is in no mood for it and before he knows it, he’s lashing out to finally, finally teach her the lesson she deserves. Then he leaves the house, taking a long drive to a quiet, isolated location to pull himself together.

Hours later, he receives a call from his wife, Erin, telling him that Avery is missing. Erin and Avery’s brother Michael have searched their home, the woods surrounding their property, checked with friends, and double-checked with the school - Avery seems to have vanished into thin air. The police are called. And as the stalwart officers begin to question the inhabitants of the house, the neighborhood, and everyone else who has had contact with the girl, they quickly realize they have landed in the middle of a very sticky situation. Everyone claims to want her found - but this place is a den of secrets and everyone is more anxious to lie and protect their privacy than to find a difficult, missing elementary-schooler.

This is a stellar domestic thriller that encapsulates everything that makes Ms. LaPena’s work extraordinary. Her ability to craft believable villains out of ordinary humans is exceptional and it is easy to find yourself wondering just how far anyone will go to hold on to their secrets. The author also does a fantastic job of showing how ordinary lives can be filled with extraordinarily complex and violent undertones. She weaves interesting, intricate personas out of typical American suburban characters and convinces the reader that with just a bit of bad luck, the horrific events unfurling on the page could happen to you.

Something that I always find surprising is that LaPena can make these folks so sympathetic. Even as we peel back the layers and discover that they are not who we initially think they are, we recognize that we could easily turn into them, given the proper incentive. William, Nora, Erin, Nora’s husband Al - all of them are just average people with a few dark quirks, trying to hold on to their mundane, middle-class lives, who find themselves thrust into a situation that brings out their worst instincts.

Ms. LaPena also does a fantastic job of capturing the underlying fear of this generation’s professionals - that sense that everything we have is one wrong decision away from being gone forever. The fantastic job the author does of evoking these emotions makes it very understandable that the characters would go to great lengths to protect themselves.

Michael and the other children in the story capture perfectly how, as we age, the innocent belief that telling the truth will get you out of trouble leads to an understanding that protecting ourselves may often require keeping secrets. I loved how the wholesomeness and purity of the children is juxtaposed against the jaded wisdom of the parents.

The pacing of this novel is quick, and the last quarter of the book contains numerous surprises. I appreciated the way, as the police move forward with their investigation, more and more lives begin to unravel. This felt very realistic to me - the police will search every corner when looking for a child, and some of those corners inevitably contain hidden emotional bombs. The author does a superb job of showcasing how those little foibles can be devastating when held up to the light of day. And I have to say the conclusion is extremely satisfying - the punishments all fit the crime, so to speak.

If you enjoy domestic thrillers, Everyone Here is Lying is a must-read. I was absorbed while reading it and invested enough in the puzzle of what was happening that I finished it quickly just so I could have the satisfaction of knowing the ending. Fans of the author won’t be disappointed and this should make her plenty of new ones.

Note: There are several acts of violence against a child on the page, and there is mention of child sexual assault, although that is referenced rather than shown.

This story opens with the ending of an affair; William is devastaed.  He is a prominent doctor in his town with an accomplished wife, and two children.  He goes home hoping for a bit of peace before having to resume his real life, and encounters his difficult daughter, Avery.  They engage in a difficult confrontation, and William leaves.  When Avery turns up missing later, EVERYONE is suspect, marriages are irrevocably broken, and a town is turned upside down.  A quickly moving plot, and (not always likable) well-drawn characters make this a great read!

Thank you to @vikingbooks and @netgalley for my e-ARC of Everyone Here is Lying!

𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐈𝐅 𝐘𝐎𝐔
👀 enjoy multiple POVs
🕵🏻‍♀️ like police procedurals
🌪️ love a good twist
🏘️ live in a small neighborhood 

• 𝐖𝐇𝐀𝐓 𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐀𝐁𝐎𝐔𝐓

Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families.

William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he’s been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. 

Hours later, Avery’s family declares her missing. 

Suddenly Stanhope doesn’t feel so safe. And William isn’t the only one on his street who’s hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged. 

Who took Avery Wooler?

Nothing will prepare you for the truth.

• 𝐌𝐘 𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐒

I was immediately thrown into this story and loved it. The multiple POVs were never confusing for me, which I really appreciate, especially when there are as many as this! My favorite POVs were probably Gully, the detective, and both of the mothers, as I related to them most with their concerns for their children (one missing and one presumed guilty). While I wasn’t 100% convinced with one character and their personality/agenda, I enjoyed it overall, and I can’t wait to see what Shari comes up with next!

I have read quite a few thriller duds lately, but really liked this one! Everyone is a suspect and the reveal is perfect. Great ending! The plot reminds me of a TV show I loved (can't tell you which one without spoilers).

WOW.  What a clever, deceptive, suburban thriller from the queen of wild plots!

William Wooler returns home one afternoon after his mistress ended their affair to find is 9 year old daughter Avery at home when she should've been at choir practice.  When she defies him, he loses his temper, and leaves the house.  

Hours later, Avery is missing, and suddenly everyone on their street is susceptible to their dirty laundry being aired as detectives try to find Avery Wooler.

It's best to go into this story as blindly as possible, so really that's all you need to know.  I was so impressed by Lapena's ability to hold me in suspense, even though her bold title already told me everyone was lying.  Every time I thought I had a grip on the story and where it was headed, she proved me wrong.  I have more to say, but I think if I dive into it, it could allude to some spoilers, so if you're a fan of shocking domestic thrillers, just add this to your list!

this domestic suburban thriller does not disappoint! Shari Lapena is the queen of the domestic thriller!
Literally, everyone on this quiet suburban street is lying through their teeth!  Even the victim, a 9 year-old girl, who couldn't be more manipulative. It's a wonder the police figure anything out. (Well, they don't really, but I'm not going to give it away.) 
9 year-old Avery returns home from choir practice (having been sent home early). Her father, Dr. Wooler, also returns home early, finds Avery, gets into an altercation with her, and then winds up leaving the house. This sets off a chain of events that will keep you guessing every which way. Avery goes missing after her father leaves the house and the whole neighborhood is turned upside down. 

*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this e-arc.*

I like the way Shari writes. No frills and long descriptions of what things look like or feel like. Just punchy paragraphs. Enjoyed the book, but didn't like the sudden ending. Not as gripping for me as Shari's earlier books.