This book was a fun ride but I felt as if the end kind of fizzled out. I wanted more drama! I had to keep reaidng as I wanted to know what happened and I expected it to be a bit darker than it was. The pacing is well crafted; each chapter ends with a hook that compelled me to keep turning the pages. The twists and turns are somewhat unpredictable, and it left me guessing until the very end. Lapena skillfully builds tension, and just when you think you’ve figured it all out, she throws in a curveball that shifts everything you thought you knew

Missing Child, Lies Unraveled

Everyone Here Is Lying centers around the disappearance of nine-year-old Avery Wooler in the seemingly safe neighbourhood of Stanhope. The story begins with Dr. William Wooler, Avery's father, who is having an affair that ends disastrously at a motel. Upon returning home, he finds his daughter missing after a confrontation with her. The ensuing police investigation reveals secrets and lies among the residents, making everyone a suspect. The narrative unfolds through multiple points of view, heightening the suspense as the mystery deepens.

Everyone Here Is Lying excels in creating a suspenseful atmosphere with its intricate plot and flawed characters. Lapena's writing style keeps the reader hooked, and the themes of secrecy and deception are explored compellingly. The book's strengths lie in its fast-paced narrative and the psychological depth of its characters. However, the unlikability of the characters might be a drawback for some readers. Overall, the novel is a must-read for fans of domestic thrillers and those who enjoy unravelling complex mysteries.

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena is a solid, if somewhat predictable, psychological thriller. The book follows a web of secrets and lies in a small, seemingly idyllic community, where everyone has something to hide. Lapena's writing is sharp and accessible, making for a quick and engaging read, but it falls short of delivering the edge-of-your-seat suspense that her previous novels are known for.

The premise is intriguing, with a missing child setting off a chain of events that uncovers hidden truths about the residents of this close-knit neighbourhood. Lapena does a good job of building tension as the mystery deepens, and the multiple perspectives add layers to the story. However, while the setup is promising, the execution feels somewhat underwhelming.

The characters, though well-drawn, often fall into familiar archetypes, and their motivations sometimes feel a bit forced or implausible. I didn’t find any of the characters remotely likable and thus had a hard time caring about the premise as a whole.

Lapena's strength lies in her ability to capture the dark undercurrents of suburban life, and this is evident in Everyone Here is Lying. The atmosphere of distrust and paranoia is well-crafted, and the exploration of the facades people maintain adds a compelling psychological element to the narrative.

In the end, Everyone Here is Lying is an enjoyable read for fans of domestic thrillers, but it doesn't quite reach the heights of Lapena's best work. It's a decent book with moments of tension and intrigue, but it may leave some readers wishing for a bit more depth and originality.

3.5* rounded up on Goodreads! First, January LaVoy's narration of this was spot on! The book was a fast paced family drama/thriller with enough surprises to keep it interesting. There were so many suspects and really.. Everyone was lying!!!

My only problem through the whole book was Avery's character. She's aged 9, but the portrayal of her, the language she used, and her thought process throughout seemed SO much older and I felt that a teenager would have been more believable.

Regardless of that, it was still an enjoyable book with a good reminder that lies rarely work in your favour!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. (Audiobook copy from my local library)

After William Wooler, a doctor, strikes his 9 yr old daughter Avery, she disappears. Avery’s nowhere to be found. No one knows what happened or where she is. As the police begin to investigate it’s clear that everyone in the neighbourhood is hiding something. The neighbours all have secrets, have guilty consciences, and distrust everyone else in their neighbourhood. Their lies affect everyone. This book kept me turning the pages, not knowing whom to trust. Mysteries set in small closed communities are truly my favourite. I really enjoy seeing the clever connections that Shari Lapena, creates between her characters, and finding out how the mystery unfolds.
A very entertaining book!

Shari Lupena is my go to author when I need to get out a slump. This book did just that, twists turns and all the guessing makes this a fun read if you need a for sure 10/10

This was a fast-paced story that kept me intrigued. The title sets you up to distrust or at least second-guess almost every character and each chapter brings a new level of possibility and intrigue regarding what exactly happened. This was a good summer read that I wish lasted a little longer.

Thank you Netgalley,
Penguin Random House Canada | Doubleday Canada and Shari Lapena for free e-ARC of Everyone Here Is Lying in return of my honest review.

In "Everyone Here Is Lying," author delves into the dark underbelly of a seemingly idyllic neighborhood as the disappearance of a young girl sets off a chain of events that unravel the facades of the residents. William Wooler, a family man with a hidden affair, finds his world turned upside down when his daughter, Avery, goes missing after a heated confrontation. As the search for Avery intensifies, secrets and lies begin to surface, casting a shadow over the once-safe community of Stanhope.

The author skillfully weaves together a gripping narrative that keeps readers on edge, with twists and turns that lead to unexpected revelations. The tension in the story is palpable, drawing readers into the lives of the characters and the dark secrets they harbor. The exploration of family dynamics, betrayal, and the consequences of deception adds depth to the plot, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.

The pacing of the novel is brisk, with each chapter building upon the suspense and mystery surrounding Avery's disappearance. The shifting perspectives of the characters offer insight into their motivations and actions, creating a complex web of relationships that drive the narrative forward. The author's ability to capture the sense of unease and paranoia that permeates the neighborhood adds to the atmospheric tension of the story, keeping readers guessing until the shocking truth is revealed.

"Everyone Here Is Lying" is a riveting psychological thriller that explores the dark side of suburbia and the hidden truths that lie beneath the surface. With its well-drawn characters, intricate plot, and jaw-dropping twists, this novel is sure to captivate fans of the genre and leave them questioning the nature of secrets and lies.

Another absolutely stellar psychological suspense by Lapena- I will always read everything she writes....they have me holding my breath from start to finish, and I typically need to read them all in. one. sitting.

Every single person in this story is suspicious, guilty of something, and usually, outright lying. The detectives don't know who to believe. The characters don't know who to believe. And you as the reader, have NO idea who to believe either.

I read this one all in one evening, and loved every bit of it.

Shari Lapena is a master at turning seemingly ordinary neighborhoods into sinister places you’d want to run from. And Everyone Here is Lying is true the title and above mentioned setting.

This one started with an affair ending, an unfortunate interaction between a father and a child, and then a child goes missing. And that’s just the beginning of the story.

Things move pretty fast from there. There are secrets and lies around every corner. This is the kind of fast paced thriller you want to grab for a vacation read or when you have a lot of uninterrupted reading time.

And that ending! All kinds of dark & twisted. In addition to that, this book features one of the most unlikeable characters I’ve come across and of course I loved it!

A huge thank you to NetGalley, Penguin random house Canada & Doubleday ca for my gifted ARC!

I really enjoyed this book. I love a good neighbourhood mystery. We had so many point of views and yet so little clues. It kept me reading. The pacing was perfect. I never saw the twist coming.

I will only say that the ending felt a little rush. I wanted more resolution. But also I get it, an open ending does leave you thinking.

I consistently give Shari Lapena books chances, hoping that I'll enjoy the next one more. That the next one will be the one that hooks me and it seems that each time I am just as disappointed as the first time. This latest is no exception - I didn't hate it but I also didn't love it either. At some point I just wanted it to end and no one should wish that of a book. The last few chapters were great though, quite entertaining with a great twist and it's these last few chapters that will keep me coming back.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada (Doubleday Canada) for providing a digital copy in return for an honest, unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book. It was full of twists and turns, lies and deceit, and I was hooked from the start. Cannot recommend this one enough! I love books by Lapena and I am looking forward to her next novel.

This book was a world win.
A fast-paced book set in a small town - we start with an affair abruptly ended - then a child missing - but the neighbors?? They aren't so truthful. Everyone is lying.
Unlikable characters left, right and center.
The thing about this book is that I didn’t know what to expect. I kept guessing who was the person and I was always wrong. I did not expect the "who did it person" at all. The writing was fun and the unlikable characters made it to be an intriguing story where as a reader, I wanted to see if these characters had what was coming to them. The intricacies of a small town made it fun and exciting.

Honestly, the entire storyline was a little wild. I enjoyed the book because it was intriguing and it kept you guessing, but I felt like there was just like way some storylines that seemed slightly random (or seemed like they were pulling at strings to tie it together) or weren't completely fleshed out? This made the story seem disconnected... like the extra characters were added to throw you off a trail but then the dots weren't connected at the end.
Friends, I also didn’t enjoy how it ended... I wish that we got more clear insight of what happens to the individual. I believe the author did this on purpose to leave the reader reeling about the possible ways in which the story could go, but I personally felt it to be a little disjointed.

Overall, it was a fun read! However it wasn't a love for me friends.

This is one of. those books where you can't help yourself but keep turning the pages, one after another, never bothering to look at the clock. Every twist was well written and they'd lead to another twist, then another one until the final page with an ending you didn't expect to read.
The hype over this book is well deserved.

This book was everything I hoped for and more! I find myself recommending this to everyone, it’s a book I think all readers would enjoy!

For a short book, the characters and the plot were so well developed. There was mystery where it was needed but otherwise I felt like I knew every character’s deepest, darkest secrets. The main character, Avery, I didn’t see any of the twists the this book took and was thoroughly shocked from beginning to end!

I highly recommend this book - it kept me on the edge of my seat even after the last page! This was my first book by this author and I can’t wait to dive into more!

Read this if you:
- Want a book with perfect pacing
- Are looking for a quick, addictive read
- Like a “create your own ending” book

I really enjoyed this one and thought that overall it was a 4 star read for me. I didn't see the twist coming and was really invested in what would happen next once it was revealed. While it took me a while to get fully into this, once I was invested, I was really looking forward to seeing how it all would end and filling my partner in on the story the whole way.

This one moved a little slowly for my taste but I have to admit that I didn't see that ending coming and I loved it. Not sure if it was just a ARC formatting issue but I found that the character point of view changes happened suddenly and without any character headings or character names to distinguish the change, I found myself lost more than once and having to go back and figure out who was talking a lot. Hopefully the point of view changes are more distinguished in the final copy as that would have increased my enjoyment overall by quite a lot.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5)

𝑴𝒚 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔:
I absolutely LOOOOVED this book! It was so captivating!

When it comes to thriller and mystery books, I always prefer when I can’t guess what the ending will be. With this book I was left guessing the entire time. The ending especially surprised me, as I couldn’t easily predict what was going to happen. The ending truly did leave me speechless.

What I felt also added to this book were the characters in general. There were so many of them which were unlikeable or even unreliable, and that really left the reader second guessing everything. This really gave meaning to the title of the book!

If you are a fan of psychological thrillers, this is the book for you.

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆:
- 🧠 Psychological thrillers
- 🙅🏼‍♀️ Unlikeable characters
- 🧐 Guessing until the very end

𝑾𝒊𝒏𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈: Ricasoli Rocca Guicciarda Riserva Chianti Classico 🍷

Shari Lapena was one of the first authors i read within this genre a couple years back. this one was a struggle to get into. It wasn’t her best. but it was a good plot.