I’m going to be honest I wasn’t loving this book at first but once I got further in it I was hooked! This was another great psychological thriller! I also didn’t guess the twist which I loved! I felt connected to all the characters which I think is an important aspect for me to enjoy the book. I personally didn’t see the ending coming until everything became revealed to the reader. This was a slow paced book, so it was hard for me to get in to originally, but once I got about halfway through I couldn’t put it down! I think the plot was very well written and thought out! After reading this I would give it a 4/5!
I would like to thank @netgalley, Bookouture, and Kathryn Croft for giving me this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own!
This title releases on 4.20.23!

We meet Lucy and Tom the morning after their housewarming barbecue. They just moved outside of London to get away from the city. Lucy is a florist and building her business here, while Tom is a suit, still commuting to London for work.

They have two kids, Ava and Jacob. Jacob is dating a nice girl named Rose and her mother Carrie is calling early because Rose never made it home from the barbecue. That's discomforting because Jacob said he walked her home and watched her go inside.

Obviously, all eyes are on Jacob now. Our narrators are Lucy, Carrie and Rose, so we know that Rose is somewhat different from her public image.

There are plenty of people in Rose's life who draw suspicion but only one is responsible for her disappearance.

I liked this but parts of it were so similar to Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult that I had deja vu at times. It takes way different twists and turns and is different and unique in its own right but the similarities made it difficult to get through, especially since I felt it was a bit long anyway.

I would recommend it, especially if you haven't read Mad Honey.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review!

Lucy and Tom have moved from their home in London to make a fresh start in Surrey and escape the bullying their daughter Ava was suffering at school, things seem to be going well, even their eldest son Jacob has got a new girlfriend Rose, and appears to have got over the break-up with Isla back in London so Lucy decides to throw a barbecue for their neighbours. The following day their world comes crashing down when Rose's mum calls to say she never returned home, but Jacob is adamant he walked her home and saw her go into the house and Lucy believes him, then the police make a discovery and Lucy will do anything to protect her boy and also keep their past hidden.

The Lie is a multi perspective story told across three parts, following the lives of Lucy and her family and the devastating consequences the disappearance of Rose has on their lives. It's a fast paced read which drew me in right from the off, at first I wasn't sure where it was all heading but then I guessed the twist and everything slotted into place. This is a tale of secrets and lies with some very unlikeable characters, one thing was constant throughout and that was the unwavering belief Lucy had in Jacob that he truly was innocent in all of this. Another great read from Croft!

I'd like to thank Bookouture and Netgalley for the auto approval, I will post my review on Goodreads now and Amazon on publication day.

Omg I was truly blown away by the various twists and turns. The story is told through different characters perspectives
Fantastic character development and drip feeding if the story results in a fantastic page gripper..
Rose attends A Bq and is last seen walking hime with Jacob but is now missung. As the search intensifies lies and secrets are the order of the day.
Thank you net gallery for my arc

Okay this book is about Jacob his sister Ava mom Lucy and dad Tom all just recently moved from London to Suffix to the little village they now live. Jacob started dating Rose a 16-year-old girl who lives with her single mom Carrie after a barbecue at Jacob‘s parents house Rose does not return home and her mom is worried everyone except for Lucy thinks Jacob did it even his dad and little sister ever it is until her body is found that they know someone definitely murdered rose but who? No this isn’t the greatest summary but I want to say about this book is there is so much going on roses mom despite recently losing her daughter still flirts with Jacobs dad and he even goes to her house quite often to comfort her and then when the mom takes off with Jacob because people are bullying him accusing him of being a murderer Tom and Carrie see nothing wrong with her staying over to be with 13-year-old ever what time is at work I found this book to be strange and unlike any story I have ever heard with the victim and perpetrator‘s parents getting together even the mom and Carrie become pseudo-friends but the question still remains who killed rose? The answer shocked me but not so much because after reading the book I guess it could’ve went either way. I haven’t even touched on why they move from London in the first place which is two reasons one because little Ava was being bullied and secondly because of something to do with Jacob and his girlfriend at the time. Now having said all this would I recommend this book definitely if you like twisty dysfunctional families you’ve definitely found the right book because this is one of the craziest thrillers I have ever read. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher that I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

I have a lot of feelings about this one. I liked the various perspectives. I thought I had it figured out but there is a major twist towards the end that blew my mind completely.
I was amazed and shocked.
It was good.

Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to review this book by Kathryn Croft. I haven't read anything by this author previously. I enjoyed this novel and the alternating views of Rose, Lucy, and Carrie. The novel follows the story of Rose and her death following a bbq at her boyfriend Jacob's house. Jacob is the prime suspect to Rose's murder and his mother Lucy is committed to his innocence. There were a few red herrings and I didn't see the surprise ending. I would say 4.5 out of 5. Check it out! It is a quick read.

Thank you, Bookouture and NetGalley, for the advanced copy.

I found this book to be very predictable. It was still enjoyable. It felt like the storyline dragged at many points, and there were times where I felt like I was rereading the previous chapter that I had just read. The book never really just grabbed me, and I could take it or leave it when it came down to it. While I'm not overly impressed with this book, I would be willing to read another book from this author.

Rose, a sixteen-year-old girl, goes missing after her boyfriend, Jacob, claims to have walked her home after a neighborhood barbecue at his house. The story is primarily told through the eyes of the mothers of Rose and Jacob and also with flashback chapters from Rose's POV.

Smooth writing makes for easy reading! A thrilling domestic drama with a stupendous twist! There are a few moving parts and it's easy to follow as the characters are well developed and the story moves along at a great pace!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookoutuer for this ARC!

Lucy & Tom and their 2 children Jacob & Ava have recently moved from London to Surrey. Ava is struggling to adapt, while Jacob seems to have found himself a new girlfriend, Rose. It’s after a family barbecue one evening that Jacob walks Rose home. The following day she’s reported missing. Jacob denies being involved, after all, he swears he watched her walk through the front door, but it’s hard to believe someone who keeps lying.

I always enjoy books that are written from various POV and have an eye catching cover to draw you in, and this has both. However, I had high hopes for this story from the synopsis, but unfortunately it missed the mark for me on many levels.

Lucy, as a mother, frustrated me no end with her inability to deal with her family like an adult. She ignored her daughter Ava’s mental health struggles while putting her son Jacob on a pedestal, and refused to acknowledge any of the questions his lies were creating. There were also plot-holes and timeline inconsistencies which made the story harder to follow. And as for Tom and his role through the story, I have no words.

A missing child is every parents nightmare and when a teenage girl goes missing after a party at her boyfriend’s house he looks like the most likely suspect.

With each chapter devoted to the voice of different characters this is a really well told story of intrigue, deceit and ultimately abuse.

A great thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed reading and would definitely recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I couldn't put this book down!
The family had moved to a new home, for a fresh start, they are throwing a barbecue for their new neighbours, and everything was going well. The daughter was playing happily on the lawn, the son was with his girlfriend,, yet she appeared to be a little troubled.
Jacob, and his girlfriend, Rose, seemed to have a happy relationship, until Rose never returned home after the barbecue. Jacob says he walked Rose home, and watched her enter her house, yet, a witness says the two of them were arguing, and Roses keys were found in Jacobs garden.
The family does have secrets, and when Jacob is a person of interest in a murder case, these secrets are in danger of coming to light.
Someone is lying, and I changed my mind about who it was every several pages. Lots of twists and turns, and I never saw the ending coming. I loved it.

When a teenage girl goes missing, her boyfriend is the immediate suspect, especially since he walked her home. Things get even worse when he is caught in a lie. Alternating between the two mothers, Lucy, the mother of the accused boy, and Carrie, mother of the missing daughter, they both fight for they think is best for their child.

This thriller was ok for me. I predicted the "solution" pretty early on in the book, and I didn't like either main character, which didn't help. I think for a domestic thriller though, many people would enjoy this more than I did.

I received my copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

☀️ The Lie ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡ ☀️
ARC • Publication Date April 20, 2023

Author: Kathryn Croft
My Rating: I don’t know how I feel 3.5⭐️
•
Okay.. so I was interested in this book! I had the urge to pick up my kindles multiple times a day to see what happened… but…. I can’t pin point what I didn’t like about it. Maybe the writing style or the characters.. lack of development in characters? I was interested in the story and wanted to know how it ended, but also didn’t care about anyone in the story. I just didn’t know much about them… but the story dragged a little at the same time…
The twist was good.. a little predictable and I wasn’t like blown away.. overall .. I didn’t struggle reading this book.. I enjoyed parts, but I’d never recommend it to anyone.

Things to know:
•duel timeline
•3 POV
•1st & 3rd person
•unlikeable characters

#thriller #psycologicalthriller #crimefiction

⚠️ possible TWs ⚠️

Thank you to NetGalley and the Bookouture for providing me an ARC of The Lie for my honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Bookouture and Kathryn Croft for letting me read “The Lie” in exchange for an honest review.

For the first few chapters, I wasn't going to rate this book 5 stars. Too much dialogue, little character description and insight, which wasn't allowing me to connect.

However, this story blossoms. As you keep reading, more insight is provided from three women's POV and everything starts to become interesting and suspenseful, and you don't know who or what to believe anymore. You're absorbed in the mystery of what happened to Rose along with the characters. You're just as confused as they are. It was brilliantly done actually.

By the end, this story shocked to my core and left me speechless. I couldn’t believe who did it and why. I even reread the final chapters just to be sure! To contrast with the beggining, by this point, I was able to visualize everything that was going on.

If you love a great mystery, a whodunit type of read, with characters that aren't very complex then this book will be right for you!

After a bbq Jacob walked his girlfriend Rose home and saw her go indoors. But Rose is not at home in the morning and her bed hasn't been slept in. So begins 2 mothers nightmare. Jacobs mum Lucy insists he's telling the truth, Rose's mum thinks he's lying. The story then delves deeper with mounting evidence against Jacob.
Whilst I enjoyed the novel I guessed what was happening and where the story would take us. I didn't really find the characters likeable and found some of their decision making ridiculous. I understood that Lucy was protecting her son but I didn't feel really helped the situation in lots of ways.
Overall a good read

This was a very engaging read. It had me hooked right from the beginning and held my interest throughout. The Lie was a huge twist I did not see coming, I literally gasped! This book will have you thinking you have it all figured out multiple times, only to shock you and have you questioning it all. It is told from many different perspectives which was intriguing and added so much depth to the story.

I really enjoyed this book but I did still have a few minor questions after.

This was my first book by this author and it definitely won’t be my last!

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

I appear to be in the minority, but this book missed the mark for me. I struggled to stay engaged. Plot points were quite predictable, even the ending twist. None of the characters really grabbed me and made me want to root for them. The pace seemed off (often too slow, perhaps due to some unnecessary info and overdetailing). The premise was good, but the delivery fell flat.

Many thanks to Net Galley and Bookouture for opportunity to read this engrossing book. I loved the fact that there weren't too many characters to keep track of and that there were no time jumps. There were more than one liar and that made for a guessing game to try and figure out who was actually telling the truth. The story is told by three narrators - Lucy, Carrie and Rose. Rose was the most intriguing as she hints at the beginning about something big about to happen and it's what keeps the reader invested as to what she's referencing. I was sure I knew who was guilty until the twists and turns which made me rethink things again. It was a satisfying book, and I would recommend it to anyone.

I read this in one afternoon, it was hard to put down. It will keep you guessing until the end. I really enjoyed the story.