pril may inherit the fortune of the world's leading doorbell camera corporate empire, yet she leads a modest life, primarily devoted to her son Buzz, who is the heart of her world. She had come to terms with the loss of Buzz's father, who vanished before learning of her pregnancy, and whose death she accepted after discovering his obituary years later. However, an unexpected technology mishap — old text messages delivered after a five-year delay due to a cell tower error — reignites her desire for closure about his mysterious disappearance. With reservations about whom to trust, April is determined to uncover the truth.

The book opens with a gripping prologue and then unfolds through April's first-person perspective, also offering insights into various characters from half a decade ago. The narrative, infused with April’s humorous and relatable thoughts, kept me entertained from start to finish. It's a compelling mix that will likely captivate fans of both thrillers and romantic tales, offering a story that can be swiftly devoured.

Gratitude is extended to NetGalley, Sarina Bowen, and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the Advanced Reader's Copy. I'm sharing my thoughts on both NetGalley and Goodreads.

Publication Date: May 7, 2024

I am a long-time fan of Sarina Bowen's romance novels, so I was excited (and nervous) to read her first thriller. Thankfully, and probably unsurprisingly, I LOVED this, and it's definitely one of the best mystery suspense novels I've read in a long time.

The story revolves around single mom Ariel. It's been five years since the father of her son ghosted her, so she's unsettled when she gets a mysterious text from him one day at work. This kickstarts her investigation into a man she loved, but it's clear that she barely knew.

I don't want to give away too much of the plot because I really enjoyed how this story unfolded. Much of the mystery revolves around surveillance and AI technology, which already creeps me out (and this did nothing to alleviate those fears). Unlike most thrillers, this one had excellent character development, and I grew so attached to Ariel, her son, and the other main characters, that I dreaded the book's ending, even though I also HAD TO KNOW how it would all turn out in the end.

Overall, I highly recommend this and can't wait to read whatever else Sarina writes in the future (though I do hope that includes more books in a certain recent hockey series...). Many thanks to Harper and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was so excited to receive a copy of "The Five Year Lie" by Sabrina Bowen. Fans and new readers alike will love this book!

holy cannoli- i LOVED this book! i have found myself reading less thrillers over the past year, but this one really renewed my interest in the genre. so many amazing twists i could have never guessed, plus we love a little sprinkle of some romance. i will definitely be recommending to my friends to read!

One of the best thrillers I’ve read. I couldn’t put it down and it kept me engaged the entire time! I highly recommend reading this book and I can’t wait to read others by the author!

Five years after the love of her life dies, Ariel gets a text from him asking to meet her in an hour. When he doesn’t show, Ariel starts to dive into what happened to him and what secrets he may have been running away from.

This is a fast-paced thriller that jumps between past and present as we find out what really happened all those years ago. I found the characters to be likable, especially Ariel.

There is a romance element to this book which I typically hate, but it fit organically with the storyline and didn’t feel contrived or over the top.

I was able to guess some of the ending early on but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment reading the story and seeing how everything would ultimately unfold.

I would definitely pick up another domestic thriller from this author in the future.

This is a new author to me and can I just say how much I loved this romantic suspense story! A solid 4.5 stars! The story pulls you in and then twists you all over the place - what a ride! I loved interactions between Ariel and her son and felt so many of her decisions were definitely made from her Mama bear mode. I usually don't like books that skip back and forth but it works for this book. I hope this author writes more in this genre and will look forward to reading them all. I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley.

I seriously LOVED this book! So many twists and turns and I never saw the end coming, and I can usually figure books out. If you need a good thriller about family secrets then you will love this book too!

WHAT?! This book was so good! It kept me guessing. I loved the main characters and the plot. Wonderful thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this arc in exchange for an honest review!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This was a great mystery that has multiple POVs and goes between the present day and 5 years ago. We are presented with many possible bad guys, and we are given several clues along the way to keep us guessing. Is Ariel's father the one that caused all the illegal activity Chime Co is responsible for? Was it her office romance partner, Drew, that disappeared 5 years ago without a goodbye? How many police officers and judges are corrupt? I recommend you read this story to find out!

A hard-to-put-down page-turner | Great flow between different timelines and POVs | A thriller with a sprinkle of romance | The twist was somewhat predictable, but well executed | Loved the setting in Portland, Maine | Am looking at my doorbell camera differently now

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC! This was the best book I’ve read in a long time. The story had me hooked from the first page and I had to hurry and figure out what happened! I so much enjoyed the authors writing style and I will read anything she writes. It was funny and engaging and I actually liked most of the characters which is rare these days for some reason. 5 star read for sure! Do yourself a favor and read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read this arc.

Ariel works a part time job at her families business. She meets and falls in love with Drew when she wasn’t even looking for love. Fast forward to being ghosted, Ariel finds out she’s pregnant and Drew is dead. As years pass, Ariel receives a text from Drew which causes a rabbit hole of deceit and lies that Ariel needs to uncover.

Love love love- kept me interested and loved the ending and that I was kept guessing, highly recommend!

Ariel receives a text from the man she loves 5 years after he mysteriously disappeared. He's supposed to be dead and this leads Ariel on a wild chase to find out the truth about what really happened to Drew and the secrets he knew. I enjoyed about 75% of the book and watching the secrets unfold, but the ending felt rushed and too nearly tied up with a bow. I learned the author usually writes romance which makes sense to why the ending felt different to me than a typical thriller.

This one was quite the wild ride! I always love a good thriller mystery and this one really keeps readers on their toes. Alternating between two timelines five years apart, you follow along as Ariel puts everything on the line to learn the truth about her family’s company and the man she loves, and all the lies between them.

Welcome to my Netgalley era! I was so excited when I got approved for an ARC of this—thanks Netgalley and Harper Perennial for giving me early access to this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first time reading this author and the premise of this book at first felt somewhat unoriginal (women receives text message from former lover she thought was dead), but had a really interesting twist (texts from 5 years prior were not sent on the day they were supposed to be, and instead delivered 5 years into the future) that was STRONG. The wheels were spinning in my head for all the possibilities of where that could take the story and I was eager to see if any of it matched up with the author’s execution. I also thought the concept of privacy was explored in a thought-provoking way, as the main character’s family owns and operates essentially the equivalent of Ring Doorbell Cameras. The book overall felt unpredictable and digestible, which are two qualities I really appreciate in a thriller.

I don’t know much about this author, but it seems this is her first foray into thrillers and she normally writes romances, and there was definitely a strong romantic undertone between the two main characters. Though it can be hard to do a relationship justice when it has such a short timeframe, I found that aspect believable, which is a testament to Bowen.

As the story went on however, I started to find myself in a bit of a push and pull relationship with it. Push because I liked Ariel, despite her broodiness, and was rooting for her. Pull because the Disney names started to get a little grating (Buzz, Woody, Ariel…). Push because I wanted to find out what Drew was hiding and if he was actually still alive. Pull because the nonchalant attitude of the characters when it was clear they were in danger felt frustrating. I felt myself ping ponging in this, between enjoying it and picking up on small traits of the story that got under my skin. That didn’t make it unreadable for me, but by the end, I found the pace slowed down and was ready to move it along. And now I’m just being picky (are you surprised?) but the end wrapped up in a little bit too of a bow for me and gave me Hallmark-movie vibes.

Overall I think readers will have a lot of fun with this one and appreciate its twists and themes because most people are less picky than I am.

The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

April may be an heiress to the world’s largest doorbell camera company, but she is down-to-earth and living a simple side of the privileged life with her 4 year old son, Buzz. Buzz is her life and priority. She has worked hard to let go of what could have been with Buzz’s father when he disappeared 5 years earlier, before finding out she was pregnant. Eventually she stumbled upon his obituary. She came to terms with his death and moved on until a cell phone tower glitch sends out 5 year old text messages that were never sent until now. This spurs April to find out what really happened 5 years earlier. She needs help from others, but who can she trust?

The prologue instantly pulls the reader into an intense and thrilling world. Next we meet April (1st POV) and also have glimpses into various characters 5 years earlier. I enjoyed reading this cover to cover. Reading April’s inner dialogue made me laugh out loud at times. I like her! This read will be good across multiple genres. I think those who enjoy thrillers and love stories will gobble this up in a day or two.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sarina Bowen, and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for providing this ARC. This review is being shared on NetGalley and Goodreads.

Pub Date 07 May 2024

#TheFiveYearLie #NetGalley
Awesome. 5 ⭐
Ariel Cafferty's phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it's been several years since she learned he died. Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.
Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her.
The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew.
Loved it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for giving me an advance copy.

Sarina Bowen is one of my favorite authors. I have been reading her books for years. So of course I was excited to find out she was writing outside her normal genre and trying her hand at suspense.

This book had a little bit of everything. It gives you the thriller/suspense that you are looking for while also throwing in some romance and intrigue. I really enjoyed it.

I can't wait tor read more from this author!

3.5 stars rounded up because its Sarina Bowen

Tech heiress Ariel Cafferty finds herself entrenched in workplace intrigue after receiving a SMS from Drew Miller, her lover who vanished then died five years ago not knowing he has a son.

The mystery is enthralling and the time jumps - Ariel in present and Drew and the unknown perpetrator five years ago - drove the story along nicely. The story was a good brain bend as I was kept guessing with every character's motivations even though I guessed one of the villains quickly.

However some of the plotting and character choices were baffling, hence my rating. Ariel and Zain both work for a company which monitors employees via cameras and keystrokes. When Zain's flat is broken into neither paid attention to the danger. Ariel left out her laptop then took her time to act on Zain's warning. Additionally the some of Drew's chapters repeated what Ariel discovered about him and the repetitious domestic scenes with Ariel and Buzz (especially the bus ride) slowed the the pace.

This is a solid thriller debut from Sarina Bowen who is more known for her romances. It raises the ways institutions and corporations can abuse technology and citizens have no legal protection because governments haven't kept up.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the ARC.