I enjoyed the book generally as a holiday read, the story was a good idea but i did feel it wandered off a bit.

Ava and the big ‘secret’ about why they moved was such a hush hush thing right through but when it was revealed it was such a beige nothing.

The much maligned son - was he guilty or false accused - then a full on stalker, so hard to garner much sympathy

And Rose, highly unlikeable so it was tough to empathise.

The twist was pretty well signposted from early on.

It was a good beach chair book but nothing more.

Super enjoyable!! Took me about 50 pages to get into it but once I was hooked it did not disappoint!! A book I can easily see becoming a movie tbh!

Well crafted book whose twists and turns kept me enthralled and guessing until the last possible page. I loved it. Can't wait for Kathryn's next!

Description sounded like my kind of book but sadly I struggled with it. Sorry but this one isnt for me
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC

I liked the idea of this book and the storyline sounded interesting and unique. Unfortunately I struggled with it a bit as I didn’t like the main characters and couldn’t relate to them. This book didn’t really grip me and I guessed the twist

This one was twisty and kept me on my toes. Ultimately a mother’s love for her child and her instinct to protect them at all costs is at the heart of this one. Jacob walks Rose home and now Rose is missing. Jacob’s Mom wants to protect him, and Rose’s Mom wants Rose back and answers. It seems like such a simple plot, but is it?

The more I read this one the more I didn’t like any of the characters. Filled with lies and secrets, the story is told from the mothers’ POVs. Maybe it’s just that I am not a mom, so I don’t understand, but I think they needed to pay a little more attention to what was around them. But luckily for me I don’t need to like any characters to keep reading. I just needed to know what happened to Rose. I was still a little unsure at the end, but ultimately, I was entertained.

If you are a fan of suspenseful family drama, you should read this one.

If you want a good psychological thriller, this is a great one! Quick read full of twists and turns! #KathrynCroft proves she has a real talent for writing can’t miss books that keep you guessing!

Thank you, Kathryn Croft, Bookouture & Netgalley for my copy. All opinions are my own.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'The Lie' by Kathryn Croft.

Read and reviewed via NetGalley for Kathryn Croft, Bookouture publishers and Bookouture anonymous

Publication date 17th April 2023.

This is the second book I have read by this author. I have also read 'The Suspect' which I would also recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book by its eye catching cover and its intriguing synopsis and title. The synopsis stated that this book is 'A gripping and jaw-dropping page-turner with twists to die for. If you love Lisa Jewell, K.L. Slater and Jackie Kabler, you’ll love The Lie.' I am a MASSIVE fan of both Lisa Jewell and K.L Slater so am looking forward to seeing if this lives up to this statement. I am also a fan of Kathryn and if this books is as good as 'The Suspect' then it is guaranteed to be a page turner. I must admit I was also biased due to the publisher being Bookouture. I have yet to read a book published by Bookouture that I haven't enjoyed. Hopefully this won't be the first... Watch this space! (Written before I started reading the book).

This novel consists of 50 chapters set over 3 parts. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

This book is based in Surrey, England 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿, UK 🇬🇧. I always enjoy when books are set in the UK as I'm from Wales and have sometimes visited areas mentioned in the book. This makes it easier to picture where the scenes are set at times. I have actually visited London recently so am looking forward to seeing if I recognise any areas mentioned.


This book is written in a mix of third and first person perspective and the protagonists are Lucy Adams, Carrie, Rose. The benefits of books written in first person perspective are as long as they are well written it makes you feel that you are being spoken to by the protagonist and it can create more of a bond between yourselves and them. If there are several protagonists you also get to see more of what is going on. The benefits of third person perspective with multiple protagonists are that it let's you see the bigger picture of what's going on and you get to know more characters more, what they are thinking and what they are doing. It feels like you get to see the whole picture and not miss out in anything. To have the benefit of both first and third person perspective ensures you don't miss out on anything.

This book is fantastically written with vivid descriptions that absolutely grip the readers attention and puts them right in the middle of it all feeling the hair raise on your arms and feeling the sweat run down your back.

Lucy and Jack move from London to Surrey to try and make a fresh start for themselves and their children Jack and Ava after Ava had suffered from bullying. They decide to host a welcome party which turns into a BBQ. It goes well although Jack and his girlfriend Rose don't seem to spend much time together. The next morning Rose's mother Carrie phones Lucy to ask if she has seen Rose as she didn't seem to have come home after the party. Jack insists he dropped her off home. However is he telling the truth? This book is an intriguing psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages from the start. I ended up reading it in one sitting of several hours. Kathryn does a fantastic job of weaving the chapters from the three main characters perspectives perfectly so we start slowly getting a picture of what is going on and what happened but she doesn't give too much away to spoil it for readers. The character perspectives we are told the story from are Lucy who is Jack's mother, Carrie who is Rose's mother and Rose herself. Not only do we get to see the storyline from multiple perspectives but also from both past and present timelines which Kathryn also does a fantastic job weaving together to create tension and suspense as we turn the pages. This is one of those books that will continuously keep you guessing throughout while suspecting each and every character. I didn't work out who was doing what so a HUGE well done to Kathryn as after reading hundreds of crime books it is getting harder and harder to surprise me but you managed to do it especially when it came to the mega twist at the end!! You absolutely blew my mind with that one!! This book is definitely a rollercoaster ride of suspense, shock, twists, turns, family, secrets, mystery , crime and so, so much more that it will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout! It is very fast paced and every time I said I would just read one more chapter that chapter ended in a way that there was no chance I could put it down so I read one more and then another and another until before I knew it I had come to the explosive ending!! It really is an intriguing, chilling, suspenseful and action packed psychological thriller that will keep you guessing throughout!!


It is set over multiple time lines. When books show what has happened in the past and what is happening in the present I find it really helps the reader (if it is well done) understand why things are happening and what has lead to the present activities and decisions. It also shows the bigger picture.

The characters are realistic, strong and each have their own unique personalities. However, I must admit that I actually wasn't a huge fan of them which sadly turned this book from a 5 star to a 4 star. On the other hand, I normally wouldn't be able to finish a book if I didn't like the characters but due to me loving the actual storyline so much I still managed to read it and still enjoy it regardless of the character dislike which is very rare for me!! Just because I wasn't a fan of the characters it does not mean that other readers wont click with them but for me I just couldn't, unfortunately. The main characters we are told the story by are Lucy, Rose and Carrie. I must admit that as a parent myself I did see from both the mother's points of view in regards to some of the actions, conversations and accusations that went on. I have to be careful that I don't give anything away so I will keep this short and sweet in regards to the characters. I did think that Lucy was naïve when it came to her son Jacob and seemed to just take everything he said as the truth without questioning him as much as I would have as a parent. We all would love to think our children are innocent angels but the majority of parents have the sense to realise that most children will get up to at least something they are not meant to at certain points in their lives!! Carrie is also naïve when it came to her daughter Rose as when Rose tells us her story she most definitely isn't the girl that everyone thinks she is, including Carrie. Carrie is also determined that the guilty party must be Jacob and doesn't even consider anyone else. Out of the three main characters I found Rose to be the most mysterious and intriguing as we get to know a completely different person to the picture the other characters seem to paint of her. Each of the characters are complex as are their family dynamics and I did enjoy the character development throughout the book. Regardless of whether you love or hate the characters they all jump out of the pages and play their parts perfectly. I am looking forward to reading more books by Kathryn and seeing what she comes up with next!


Make sure you read to the very end of the book to read the prologue and first chapter of Kathryn's 'The Girl With No Past' which are promising to be just as good as this book and I look forward to reading it!


Overall an intriguing chilling and complex psychological thriller that will keep you hooked and guessing throughout.


Genres covered in this novel include Domestic Fiction, Suspense Thriller, Women's Psychological Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Thriller, and Psychological Fiction amongst others.

I would recommend this book to the fans of the above as well as fans of 'The Girl on the Train', Lisa Jewell, K.L. Slater, Jackie Kabler Shari Lapena, Catherine Cooper, Lucy Foxley, Ruth Ware, Clare Mackintosh and Alice Feeney.

363 pages

This book is just 99p to purchase on kindle, free with kindle unlimited and £8.99 in paperback (at time of review) via Amazon which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4 /5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

Feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow me on my website or Facebook for more reviews

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I have read a few books from this author and enjoyed most of them, but this one didn't quite hit the mark for me.

I enjoyed this read a lot. There was enough of a hook in the beginning to keep me wanting more and I definitely lost sleep over this book because I wanted to finish it. I predicted the WHO of the ending about 2/3 of the way through the book, but I did not see the WHY of it coming at all, so that was a fun twist.

This novel is full of twists and turns and at times, I found myself wondering who it could possibly be and why. I think the author left lots of little things in the plot that made it harder to predict exactly what happened because even if you looked at the information you had when reading, there were still things that made you think that maybe that wasn't what happened because of this piece.

The only thing I didn't like about this read was that some POVs were in 1st person and some were in 3rd person.

100% recommend for anyone who likes psychological thrillers!

When a teen goes missing, suspicion falls on her boyfriend. His mother fights to protect him from the police as the missing girl’s mother takes steps to get justice. Both mothers begin leaning on half-truths
to find out what actually happened. Author Kathryn Croft returns with her latest thriller in the somewhat intriguing but mostly predictable book The Lie.

Newly settled in the suburb of Surrey outside of London, the Adams family is throwing a barbecue for the neighbors. Lucy Adams notices the frosty air between her son, Jacob, and his girlfriend, Rose Nyler. She tries to justify the behavior as a normal bump in the road of young love. After all, Rose seems perfectly content to hang out with Ava, Jacob’s little sister. Ava adores Rose, and the feeling is mutual. Maybe, Lucy thinks, things will work themselves out with Jacob too.

The next day she gets a nightmarish call from Rose’s mother, Carrie. Rose has been missing since Jacob walked her home from the barbecue. The police are looking for her, and, worse, a witness claims that Jacob and Rose were arguing on the way to Rose’s house. Now no one knows where she is.

Lucy trusts Jacob when he says he has no idea what happened to Rose, that he loves her and would never harm her, but she also senses that Jacob isn’t telling her everything. As more information confirms that he has, in fact, lied about some things, Lucy’s instinct kicks into overdrive. No matter what, she’s Jacob’s mother first and foremost and she has to protect him.

Carrie, Rose’s mother, is sick with worry for her. A single mother since Rose was a small child, Carrie has always put her daughter first and done everything she could for her. Now it’s just her, and she doesn’t know what to do with herself. Then word comes that the police have found a body, and Carrie’s entire existence spins into chaos.

Her on-again/off-again boyfriend, Joe, tries to support her, but he has his own issues and lies that he’s told. The more Carrie discovers how those lies connect to Rose, the more she doesn’t want Joe in her life anymore. Then comes the biggest surprise of all: support from Tom, Lucy’s husband. Tom says he knows the police are doing their due diligence in considering Jacob a person of interest in Rose’s death, but he’s also concerned for Carrie’s welfare.

Both mothers make decisions that put their children first, and both end up lying to do so. As the investigation crawls forward, both mothers will fight for justice for their families. Only one, however, will truly get it.

Author Kathryn Croft sets up a likely cast of characters for her latest novel with the Adams family and Carrie and Rose. She does, however, give them more room beyond the tropes of regular thrillers. The reason for the move from the city to the suburbs doesn’t center on Jacob, a welcome change from some books in the genre, but readers may sense that he’s connected to that reason somehow. Also, Croft gives Carrie dignity with a purpose-filled job instead of painting her as the lazy, neglectful single mother.

In many ways, however, the characters’ actions don’t make sense. When the police’s interest in Jacob increases after the discovery of Rose’s body, Lucy takes Jacob away from town and hides him from law enforcement saying she needs time and space to figure out how to help her son. During their time away, however, she wrings her hands and agonizes about how Jacob got mixed up in the situation in the first place.

Carrie authorizes the use of a private investigator to figure out whether Jacob killed Rose, yet that entire subplot mysteriously falls by the wayside with no results. Tom, Lucy’s husband, tries to be the impartial party between both women but, other than declaring his impartiality from time to time, doesn’t do much else. Ava, Jacob’s little sister, shows up frequently to tell all of the adults they don’t understand anything, yet she doesn’t explain what she means.

The story finds its climax and closure from a surprising source, but the book needed more active involvement from everyone in it. Those who want a standard thriller that’s a quick read will probably like this one.

Rose is at her boyfriend’s family BBQ but when she does not return home they look to the boyfriend for answers. But his mother, Lucy, will do anything to protect him and lies will be told and secrets kept.

This is a thriller full of twists, told from multiple points of view to keep the reader engaged and the narrative going.

I found it dropped in pace in a section but it came back up and although I guessed a part of the twist it didn’t take away from the storyline or characters. This is another great read by Croft and one which will stay with you long after you have finished.

This story centers around the relationship between two teens, Rose and Jacob, and their families and the secrets they are keeping. When Rose goes missing, the secrets kick into high gear. The tension was maintained throughout the book, primarily because in Rose's narration, she alludes to something she knows but never really tells until near the end. The author leaves us constantly on the edge, wanting more information.

The characters were well developed, especially Jacob, who came across as a typical angsty teen, guilt ridden but trying to do the right thing, and Lucy who is the fierce mother, protective of her child no matter what. I wish some of the secrets had been revealed early on, because my anticipation made them worse in my mind (don't get me wrong - they were awful, just predictable), and I felt the book slowed down from the constant alluding to "something he did, something she did".

Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an advance reader's copy.

Gripping and shocking! The Lie looks at what happens when a teenager goes missing! Secrets, lies, twists and revelations keep the pace steady and had me flipping through the pages wanting to know what happened that night that Rose went missing.

A new home in a new town sounded like a dream to Lucy and Tom. A place to start over, make new memories, make new friends, and raise their children, Jacob, and Ava. After a BBQ that they hosted, their son Jacob walked his girlfriend, Rose home.

The next morning, Rose's mother calls to ask if Lucy has seen Rose as she never returned home. Jacob is adamant that he walked Rose home and that all was well. But a witness claims to have seen them arguing ….

Lucy will do anything to protect her son when he becomes a suspect. She believes in her son. She knows he would never hurt anyone. But how well does she know her son? Is he telling the whole truth? How well do we know those in our lives?

This book is told through multiple POV's which keeps things interesting and gives readers glimpses into various characters’ minds. This book moved at a fast pace, and I had my suspects lined up. Secrets are funny things; keeping them can be hard, and learning the secrets of loved ones can be even harder.

This book kept me on my toes and glued to the pages. This was a twist-filled journey to the truth. Croft knows how to create interesting characters who have their own motivations and agenda in this book. There are two mothers who want to know what happened. One wants to protect her child and one wants justice. Both are driven by love. Both will be shocked by the end of the book.

Gripping, shocking, twist filled and hard to put down!

I saw the twist coming very early in the book. Predictable thrillers don't always bother me, but I just wasn't entertained by this.

Sixteen-year-old Rose is nowhere to be found. Her boyfriend Jacob might have been the last one to see her alive. He claims that he walked her home after his parents’ barbecue. Someone is not telling the truth. Is it Jacob?

Jacob’s mother thinks he may be hiding something as there is a huge discrepancy as when he said he arrived home after a barbecue they had thrown. Quite naturally, Rose’s mother Carrie is very concerned when she realizes that Rose is gone. Someone took Rose. In fact, her body is found a few days later.

While it is clear that Jacob is lying in this thrilling story, he is not the only one. Deceit, lies and secrets make up the pages of Kathryn Croft’s latest book. With surprising twists, I was kept guessing as to who was responsible for what happened to Rose, especially since there was more than one untruthful character.

What a compelling read, especially with the shocking surprises! Kathryn Croft wrote another excellent book and I can’t wait to read her next one.

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

This is a good solid thriller read which keeps you guessing at every stage. It starts really strong as The Lie really throws you right into the action. Rose is missing and no one knows what happed to her after Jacob walked her home that night. Soon through it’s clear that Jacob is lying and everyone starts to question what actually happened.

The Lie got a little slow for me at around 40% when I wasn’t sure what would happen next to justify 60% of the book still to go, but it is a story which just keeps twisting. I was left realising that all my assumptions were wrong. It soon sped back up though and I managed to devour the rest of the book in a single night.

This is a great read for people who like their books to keep them guessing.

First, I want to thank Kathryn Croft, Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with this book so I can bring you this review.

WOW!!! WOW!! WOW!!! Kathryn Croft’s The Lie will have you holding your kids a little tighter! Every parent’s worst nightmare becomes reality in this fast paced read! It is definitely a must add to your summer TBR list!

Kathryn grabbed my attention straight away in the first paragraph of the book! For me this was a one sitting read! I just could not take my eyes off my Kindle until I knew how things were going to end!!

This is one read where I thought I figured it out but OMG I was so off base! Kathryn’s twists and turns totally blew my mind and left me speechless! My heart ached for so many of the characters.

After reading The Lie from Kathryn Croft I am very interested in checking out more of her titles!

After a BBQ at Lucy and Tom’s home their son Jacobs girlfriend is missing and he is the prime suspect. Lucy gets a phone call from her mother Carrie and says Rose never made it home. Jacob says he walked her home. Apparently he was the last one with Rose, but is he telling the truth? Rose is 16 and everyone is worried about what could have happened to her.

As the police show up to talk to Jacob, things take a turn. Rose’s keys are found on their grounds and witnesses claim they saw the couple arguing. Carrie is also question about her daughter’s habits. She claims she is not on social media and is always upfront with her mom.

Lucy knows something about Jacob, and wants to believe her son. She NEEDS to believe in her son! Will they find Rose? Did she just runaway? This novel kept me listening to find out what happened and to listen to the clues! I had no idea where this one was heading, which makes it all that more exciting for me.

This novel is told in multiple points of view by Rose, Lucy and Carrie. I enjoyed her last one The Suspect as well. If you enjoy psychological thrillers, I highly recommend this author.

The Lie by Kathryn Croft is a book that you won't be reading for long as you'll be flipping the pages at record pace! This is a thriller that draws you in from the start! I read The Lie in one day and it was full of twists and turns that keep you guessing! I thought I had the murderer figured out, but it changed a couple of times along the way. Lucy and Tom have just moved to the suburbs to get their 2 children, Ava and Jacob, away from the city life in London. Ava was having some trouble at school with bullying and she's only 12! Tom works in London as a lawyer but will just make the long drive each day. It's worth it for the children's happiness.

Lucy and Tom decide to have a barbecue to meet people from their new neighborhood and to bring friends to their new house. They've been in the suburbs awhile and want to celebrate with new and old friends. Jacob's girlfriend, Rose, is at the barbecue but doesn't seem to be spending any time with him. Rose is spending all of her time with Jacob's younger sister Ava. Ava loves Rose and the chats they have about books and stuff. Jacob thinks something is wrong with Rose as she's not acting like herself. He doesn't know of anything he's done to upset her and is surprised when she says they're over. When Jacob questions Rose about it, she won't discuss it. Later in the evening, Rose tells Ava she has to go. Rose's mother had arrived and she was on her way to getting drunk and dancing with Tom.
As Rose left, Jacob said he would walk her home. He still wanted to make things right and to find out why she was mad at him. Rose wouldn't have it and ran in front of Jacob to her front door. He stayed on the sidewalk and watched her go in the house.

Back at the barbecue things are coming to a close as it's getting late. Tom and Lucy decide to clean up in the morning as they can't face it now. Lucy has had more to drink than she has in a long time and is feeling the effects. Lucy ends up on the couch watching tv and falls asleep quickly. Ava is already in bed asleep. Did Jacob make it home? Is Tom home in his den working, asleep in the bedroom, or did he go out? Early the next morning Lucy wakes to her phone ringing. It's Carrie, Rose's mother. She wants to know if Rose is at Lucy's house because she's not at home and it looks like her bed was never slept in? Lucy looks around, but says that Rose is not there. She hands the phone to Tom as she goes to check with Jacob about Rose's whereabouts. Jacob is sound asleep, but Lucy wakes him to ask about Rose. Jacob said he walked Rose home last night and saw her go into her house. He left after that and hasn't seen her since. When Lucy tells him her mom is on the phone and that she hasn't slept in her bed, he's very concerned.

Lucy goes back downstairs to inform Carrie of what Jacob said. Carrie is terrified that something awful has happened to Rose. She explains that when she got home, Rose's door was shut and it's only shut when Rose is asleep. Carrie didn't want to wake her daughter who is a light sleeper so she never opened the door. When she got up this morning, she opened Rose's door to see the bed had not been slept in. Lucy tells Carrie to call the police and she'll be right over. The police arrive and take statements from everyone. No one seems to know what happened to Rose after the barbecue, except Jacob. He knows that she went into her house while he watched. Carrie's sometime live-in boyfriend Joe wasn't home the night of the barbecue as he had to work. Rose couldn't stand Joe and Carrie was growing tired of him. He does come over to comfort Carrie, but he thinks she's just trying to prove something. Carrie says she would never worry her and always texts or calls.

As the investigation goes on, who is lying? Someone knows something. Did Jacob really walk Rose home? Did he see her go in the house or did she go with him somewhere? Lucy remembers waking up briefly as Jacob came home and it was around 1 a.m. When she asked Jacob what time he got home he told his mom 9:30 or so. Why would he lie? Where was he for all that time? Is Jacob guilty of something? Will Rose turn up? Will Rose be with friends doing something totally innocent? Tom doesn't believe Jacob's story and that causes a rift between Lucy and him. Things are spiraling out of control as Carrie thinks her daughter is missing because of Jacob, too. Jacob swears he has nothing to do with Rose missing. Who's telling the truth? Will you be able to figure it out?

I thoroughly enjoyed The Lie and rate it 5 stars! Any book that I read in one day has got to be great! If you enjoy a good mystery that is a fast read then you can't miss this book! I'd like to thank NetGalley and Bookouture for an advanced copy of The Lie in exchange for a fair review. #TheLie