I’m going to keep this vague and un-spoilery. This is a who-and-why-did-they-do-it story between past and present full of twists. It takes you on this rollercoaster of emotions, causes tension and anxiety, and sets off this search for answers to so many questions, suspicions, and mysteries bringing suspense, intrigue, and danger. I needed to know so badly that I almost cheated and looked at the end, but made myself take it all in, let it build, put the pieces all together, to find out how we ended up where we were in the prologue and what was going to happen after that.

This book pulls you into this situation with different points of view and time jumps and trickles of information coming out at a time as Ariel receives a text from her ex-boyfriend from five years ago who not only left her but was also reported dead.

It set off this whole personal investigation into what really happened to Drew. Along the way, she gets help from another coworker as they start trying to dig deeper and figure out more about Drew’s past and what he was doing while working for the company that they both worked for.

The time jumps in different points of view add to the complexity and the way that information is provided to us. And then mystery and discovery build to suspense and danger. I read half of the book the first day and I hated to have to put it down to go to bed, but I honestly had to talk myself out of not skipping to the end because I really wanted to know if one of my theories would pan out.

So this story pulled me in from the tension-filled prologue and it kept me invested trying to unravel how she got there. Even when I started getting some answers, I was just anticipating more and more of what was still coming and I was jonesing for the conclusion.

I really liked seeing Ariel grow and mature as she becomes more focused and confident throughout the story. I loved little Buzz. And I also got attached to her partner in her investigation, Zain. He is just one of those honest, straightforward, inquisitive, and helpful people who often are left in the background, but is right in the middle of this with her. And I was obsessed with Drew and figuring out his motivations and the truth about his situation. And determining if he was really good, bad, or somewhere in between. He was charismatic and complicated, and I really wanted Ariel to find out a truth she could live with. There are multiple possible antagonists and many different moving parts to the story giving it more depth.

By the time the book ended, I was glad I took this five-year journey with these characters. Some things made me sad or angry but others made me happy. And I could finally let out a breath after being so tense while reading it. So even though this is a genre change for Sarina Bowen, I think that she did a fantastic job creating a multi-layered, suspenseful, mysterious, intriguing story about lost love, secrets, lies, revenge, manipulation, and corruption.

This was an incredible book!! I love this author and I was looking forward to this book!! I found this to be a fabulous book! I loved the plot and characters. I would recommend to others.

fans of <i>The Last Thing He Told Me</i> should enjoy this one - it follows quite a similar premise and pattern although it hits a little more on a romantic suspense note. it starts out strong as we follow Ariel, as she receives a mysterious text from an ex-boyfriend, father of her young child, who she presumed to be dead 5 years ago.

the initial mystery is interesting to follow but we pretty much get all the answers before the halfway mark, so I was left wondering where this story would go from there as this is a 400+ page book. it definitely starts to drag in the middle until the pace picks back up in the last quarter as the pieces fall into place. overall enjoyable but definitely could’ve used some editing down, and a bit too many mushy romantic scenes for my taste.

Ariel gets a text message from the love of her life. The problem, besides the disturbing content, is that he’s been dead five years.

I liked how romance and mystery were intertwined with neither taking over the other. We want the mystery to be solved because of the underlying romance. A lot is left unknown and we get a little bit of the past at a time, from different characters. I found the work atmosphere interesting but some of the details were dull at times.

The Five Year Lie comes out 5/7

Thank you, NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for this advanced readers copy. This was a super fun thriller. I did not know what to expect going into this book and I felt it was started off slow, but maybe that was because I didn't really know what was going on. Then the story really took off and I couldn't put it down! Ariel Cafferty thought she was in love, but he disappeared without a trace. Then she receives a text message from him out of the blue 5 years later, "Something's happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP." What is going on?! Ariel's life has changed in the last 5 years. What should she do and where did he go? What really happened 5 years ago? This thriller takes off and doesn't stop.

3.5 ⭐️'s - The Five Year Lie stands out as a compelling read but is another example of why Goodreads needs half-star ratings. It's a step above a 3 ⭐️'s, but not quite 4 ⭐️'s. Overall, I found the book to be a decent read and would recommend it to readers looking for a thriller that explores the pitfalls of modern technology.

I couldn't give The Five Year Lie a full 4 's for several reasons.

📚 The first 30-40% of the book is slow. The set-up to the main plot dragged on and felt repetitive.
📚 While the second half of the book is much more captivating, I didn't like the ending. It seemed like the author was placating readers instead of offering a final twist delivered by most thrillers.

Aspects of the book I enjoyed

📚 The character development was excellent, and I felt a connection to the MC.
📚 It was easy to read, and once I got through the first 100 pages, the story really took off and captivated my attention.
📚 Home cameras play a significant role in the plot, and while eery and disturbing, I liked how the author incorporated the dark side of modern technology into the plot.

If you like a slow burn that unravels into a heart-racing story, give The Five Year Lie a try. But if you prefer books that grab you from the first chapter, this book doesn't fit the bill.

I received an advanced copy from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

fans of <i>The Last Thing He Told Me</i> should enjoy this one - it follows quite a similar premise and pattern although it hits a little more on a romantic suspense note. it starts out strong as we follow Ariel, as she receives a mysterious text from an ex-boyfriend, father of her young child, who she presumed to be dead 5 years ago.

the initial mystery is interesting to follow but we pretty much get all the answers before the halfway mark, so I was left wondering where this story would go from there as this is a 400+ page book. it definitely starts to drag in the middle until the pace picks back up in the last quarter as the pieces fall into place. overall enjoyable but definitely could’ve used some editing down, and a bit too many mushy romantic scenes for my taste.

I loved the protagonists in this book. I felt they were relatable---I am a single Mom which Ariel is. How the story unfolded and how it came together in the end worked. I was glued to the book, needing to know how it was going to play out. The big bad in this book is technology---which I agree can be twisted from its original good purpose.

This is a great one! Ariel gets a cryptic text from the love of her life. The problem is...he's dead. This one gave me Harlan Coben vibes. It had me guessing up to the last page. It would be a good movie. Ariel has to keep herself and her son safe and she doesn't know who to trust. This is a page turner that I read in 2 days! The only thing that kept me from giving it 5 stars was the lack of plausibility towards the ending. The beginning was captivating but the ending got too far fetched. I don't want to give away anything with spoilers but I will say, "Wouldn't her son be on her Instagram?" I have so many questions!

A text from Drew?

How could that be - he left and has passed away.

April and Drew worked at a doorbell camera company, fell in love, she became pregnant, and then Drew disappeared.

THE FIVE YEAR LIE has the reader following April and Drew when they were together and then only April after the five years of her being alone and now wondering just who Drew really was.

April finds out a lot about Drew that she didn’t really want to know and things she didn’t want to know about her family’s doorbell company.

Computer geeks and mystery fans will enjoy this book even though it’s a bit frightening what can be found and hacked.

Lots of secrets, illegal transactions, shady characters, and a few unrealistic but good things that do happen.

This was my first book by this author, and I truly enjoyed it. 4/5

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

2.5 Stars

Would I call this a mystery/thriller? Or a tale of a woman who couldn’t get over a fling she thought was love? There is the “why did he disappear with no trace” and “mysterious text message years later” that need answering, but honestly, if I was Ariel and this happened to me, I’d have moved on and ignored the text, even if he was my baby daddy. I guess this is the crux of the issue for me: I don’t care about Drew and this supposed love and mourning Ariel had for him that was probably just lust.

If you can get past that much of it is Ariel obsessing over who and where Drew is, then you do get a mystery that needs unraveling. This is actually a good plot (sub-plot?). Ariel’s family owns Chime Co (think Ring) and Ariel stumbles onto some possibly illegal activity that may be connected to Drew vanishing five years ago. It’s intriguing, and I enjoyed uncovering the truth with Ariel; however, much of this is overshadowed by her constant thoughts, longing, mourning of a three month relationship she and Drew had.

The twists are decent, but the ending ridiculous and eye-rolling to me. I think if you are a fan of Bowen’s writing, then this will be an enjoyable read for you.

“Even as the young woman shuffles toward the door, breathing diesel fumes, the software is measuring the geometry of her face. ”
Here are reasons to read the Thriller book:

Text Message - Ariel receives a text message that causes alarm, but not just because of the message
Dead Boyfriend - It’s that it comes from her dead boyfriend and father of her child
Dive Deeper - It causes her to dive deeper into who he really was, why he disappeared without saying goodbye and what might have caused his death
I originally picked this up because of the dead boyfriend/ text message premise. And when you get down to it, it was a quick read, but also something I feel like I have read before. The ending was not really a surprise and for most of it I just wanted to know what happened to the boyfriend because he seemed like a good guy. You follow through his perspective in the past as well and the mystery is pretty disturbing overall. It’s a medium thriller for me, and I just wish it had been more memorable.

Thank you to Harper publishing and NetGalley for my e-ARC of this new thriller releasing May 7th.

Ariel’s ex ghosted her and then was killed in an accident nearly five years ago and she’s tried to move past her loss. Then one day she receives a mysterious text from him, begging her to meet with him at their favorite spot. When she learns this text was actually sent five years ago on the day he ghosted her (withheld by the cell carrier as a glitch), her entire world cracks open. She begins a quest to dig into his past to uncover what he was working on at his technology security job that possibly led to his disappearance and death. So many twists, turns, secret identities, and high stakes crime centered in AI facial recognition software. I was completely enthralled by Bowen’s plot, short chapters, variable POVs, and action! Fans of The Last Thing He Told Me should absolutely pick this one up!

A text from her ex Drew, who supposedly died years ago, propels Ariel into a labyrinth of lies. Betrayal stalks her and her son as she unravels the truth. Can she discover Drew’s fate before danger engulfs them all?

This is a tense story that kept me guessing until the end. I especially enjoyed Ariel’s relationship with her son.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is a fast paced and twisty thriller but there are infinite layers in the story and each layer unveils with a truth and secret. The story has everything; mystery, suspense, romance, secrets , revenge and plot twists.

Drew Died five years ago and Ariel is a single mother now, she has a four year old child. But after five years, she receives a text from him, it all seems to be a deceiving web of secrets, lies and hidden truths. The more she dig into Drew’s past and gather information about him, the more secrets unfolds.Drew ended the relationship with Ariel abruptly some years ago but the next second she could figure out her future. It was devastating. So many unthinkable things happened. The least she expected from people to hide something or keep secrets, the more secrets they kept. The truth is twisted and all the unthinkable happenings kept me on the edge. The suspense was good and mystery was too deep. Truth was twisted and ending has some good plot twists.

Many Thanks to the Author and Publisher.

Dead men don’t send texts… right? So when she receives a text from her ex, who supposedly died several years ago, Ariel is beyond confused. This same text upends Ariel’s whole life and reveals that she has been lied to for years. It then becomes Ariel’s mission to seek the truth in this domestic suspense.

This was a fun thriller that held my attention. I enjoyed following along on Ariel’s journey to find out what happened, who was lying to her, and why. Overall a solid book, and the audio was well done. Can’t go wrong with Kathleen Early!

4.5 stars I’m not going to lie: The Five Years by Sarina Bowen was a page-turner. Imagine getting a text from your dead ex-boyfriend who died five years ago? Ariel Cafferty learns that everything she thought she knew about her dead ex-boyfriend and her family business was a lie, and that she and her son might be in danger. One random text will change her life, and nothing will be the same after she unearths the truth. Sarina spins an intrica

Having read Sarina Bowen before, I already knew going in that I was going to enjoy the writing and overall story. I was not disappointed. What I love about mystery/thrillers is trying to piece together the clues and other information to find out who the culprit is; I was quickly engaged in the story and finding out what's going on. I did enjoy some of the relationship/romance aspects we got in the story, though I was expecting there to be more of it or a better balance with the mystery/thriller. While I did guess some of the twists and culprits and there were some parts/character behavior that didn't quite make sense, I still thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

I really enjoy Sarina Bowen's romance novels, so I was pretty excited to start The Five Year Lie. I found that the romance was definitely the strongest aspect of it and it really kicks into gear in the last third of the book, but for the most part, I wasn't too interested in the actual mystery because so much of it is told through flashbacks and my least favorite part of any mystery: villain POV chapters while hiding the identity of the villain. It wouldn't have been too glaring, if it wasn't pretty clear who the villain was going to be because of the small amount of characters who actually appear in the book.

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the advanced readers copy.

I’ve read Sarina’s romance books before and really enjoyed her story telling. She has also won me over with her thriller story telling. This book will keep you on the edge of your seat and turning the pages to see what happens.

The premise is so true to what we face today with technology and the story was very relatable/believable. Sarina takes us on a pulse pounding adventure that keeps us guessing where the text message came from and what does it mean.

That characters are quirky, smart, deceitful, determined…but who can you trust?

A delightful read and I highly recommend. I look forward to more thriller books from Sarina.