Entertaining domestic mystery thriller.

A woman whose boyfriend disappeared and then subsequently died receives a text message 5 years later asking her to meet him in the park they had frequented during their time together. Shocked but eager to see him again, Ariel Cafferty rushes to the location. But he never shows up. Ariel has never forgotten Drew and the explanation for the text has her doing a deep dive into everything she thought was true about their relationship, her relatives, and the family business.

This was fast paced and quite interesting as it involved the technology behind door cameras and the subsequent threats to privacy that they can create. Having access to the footage of those cameras can be used for good and also, as is discovered, for evil. As Ariel searches for the truth, she discovers more than she anticipated. She's been lied to and it's cost her everything.

I liked the main character and though some stereotypical trope friends gave me pause, the narrative played out as I expected with some surprises along the way. A bit of romance and a harrowing cross country bus trip kept me glued to the pages. The conclusion was a bit anticlimactic but anticipated.

I was able to listen to the audiobook while following along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher. There were 3 narrators, a woman and two men. All did decent jobs for their related male and female spoken parts, but the voice for the child grated as did the instances where men spoke for women and vice versa. Overall, however, the production did enhance my appreciation of the book.

What a thriller!

This book had so many twists that I didn't see coming. The plot was original, and while I don't read a lot of thrillers, I am a fan of Sarina Bowen. And I think she can basically write anything.

Ariel Cafferty getting a text isn't unusual. But getting one from the only man she ever loved is. Because for the past five years, she's thought he's been dead. She goes to the place he tells her to, and of course, he's not there.

But getting that text changes everything for Ariel. She starts questioning what exactly happened to Drew. And not everyone is telling the truth.

A friendly coworker says he'll look into it for her. But can he be trusted?

All of this is bringing up the pain that Ariel went through long ago. But she wants answers.

I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Wow! I loved that this is different from the other books that I have read by Sarina Bowen. I absolutely could not turn the pages fast enough.

I highly recommend.

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

3.5 stars rounded up.

Interesting story, who wouldn’t be weirded out by a text from someone you know to be dead. But before long you are wondering what’s true and who can be trusted!

Struggled with the middle, it was draggy and slow for me. Skimmed some.

Last 30% made it better!

Liked Ariel and loved her son Buzz. All the characters were written with real qualities on good and bad sides.

Mild romance that went well with the suspense.

Mention of F2F romance/relationship several times. Also abusive parental/marital things but none of this is in depth.

Definitely would read more by this author.

Thanks to netgalley for my electronic advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest review.

This book was a page-turner! I loved the multiple viewpoints. It was well-written and easy to follow. this was suspenseful and kept me interested.

LOVED this one! A total page turner, A little big of everything- intrigue, suspense, romance. Multi point of view, lots of shocking reveals.

Wow, I apologize that it took me this long to read this one, but I really enjoyed the suspense!

The last 50% of the book really had me hooked and wanting to keep reading to find out what happened. My only wish is that it wasn't quite so predictable.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and Sarina Bowen for the ARC!

This one was not for me, but I thought the story and writing were all these. Thank you to NetGalley and Publisher.

I thought this book was excellent. I ended up listening on audio and I was worried that it would fizzle out because of the length, but I was pleasantly surprised to be engaged the whole way through. It was twisty and suspenseful and everything wrapped up neatly at the end.

I live for a good thriller but I also crave a lot more mystery in my thrillers than what I’ve been finding lately, and a side of romance is always a bonus. The Five Year Lie was perfectly what I’ve been seeking.

The characters were fun to spend time with. There were so many people that could be guilty and it had me questioning right up until the end.

I’ve not yet read any of Sarina Bowen’s romance books—though I may have to seek them out—but for a debut thriller they’ve definitely made it on my list of authors to follow for the next release!

A fantastic thriller from an amazing author, Sarina Bowen. I love her romances and this was a wonderful addition.

A really great read overall. This story had multiple different viewpoints and jumped from different timelines, but it was easier to follow than I thought it was going to be.

I enjoyed Ariel and Drew/Jays story and how connected they are!

I enjoyed the love story tied in to the thriller/edge of your seat storyline. Highly recommend if you’re looking for something easy to read, but exciting and hopeful!

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for giving me an ARC!

I've been a fan of Sarina Bowen for longer than I can remember so I was more than excited for this thriller adventure!

And. She. Did. Not. Disappoint.

We often talk of how a moment can change everything. In this case... a text changes everything.
Everything Ariel knew—everything she thought she knew—is altered.

I always find it hard to review a thriller or mystery as I don't want to reveal anything that might be a spoiler. Because we all know everything, every move, every line, has a purpose.

Sarina Bowen weaves a story that will pull you in and hold you close.

The Five Year Lie
By Sarina Bowen
Rating and Review 3⭐️

What would you do if five years after your ex suddenly disappeared, you received a text message from him out of the blue asking you to meet ASAP?
For Ariel, the message from her ex Drew upends her life and she soon finds that everything she thought she knew five years ago was wrong.
This was the first novel I’ve read by Sarina Bowen, a romance author, and this is her debut thriller. It did not disappoint. Smart, fresh, heart pounding, fast paced. I hope to see more thrillers from Ms. Bowen soon! 3⭐️

I want to thank Harper Perennials and Paperbacks and #NetGalley for the eARC. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Book Rating Key
⭐️ Not Recommended
⭐️⭐️ Readable Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️ Good Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Excellent Book
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Near Perfect Book
***Note*** I seldom give ⭐️or ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ratings. If I feel a book is a ⭐️sometimes I just prefer to not finish reading it and not rate it. As for 5 ⭐️books, I think of those as books I would want to take with me to a deserted island 🏝️, and this means I read a whole lot of ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star books. Happy Reading!

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. A daughter of a successful business man and his brother. She is the annoying office manager who always messes up. Then a new office worker arrives and they start to see eachother. To know one else’s knowledge of course. Then one day. He just leaves. There are unsuspecting occurrences with twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end. Honestly super loved the first 75% of the book. Without giving away what happens I was not disappointed how it ended but instead I will say the tone of the book at the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This review has been posted to Goodreads and Storygraph on September 9th, 2024. Links provided.

Ariel Cafferty thought she had moved on from the tragic loss of her first love, Drew, until a shocking text turns her world upside down. “Something happened. I need to see you,” it says, from Drew’s number, even though he’s been dead for five years. Unable to resist the pull of the past, Ariel rushes to the meeting spot, only to find herself alone and haunted by new doubts. As she digs deeper into Drew’s mysterious disappearance, dark secrets come to light, and Ariel realizes that everything she thought she knew might actually all be lies. With her own safety, and that of her son, at stake, she must unravel the truth before it catches up with her.

I quite enjoyed this book! I appreciated the duel perspectives/time-hop style of writing. I felt in doing so the author was able to provide the suspense needed to keep the storyline moving while also providing backstory/details to help the reader really understand the main characters, their relationship, and their motives. I found the idea of centering the drama around video privacy very intriguing and it definitely made me think about the reality of how so many people have private cameras in their homes and on their doors today and what would happen if the footage was found in the wrong hands. All in all, I would recommend The Five Year Lie to anyone who is looking for an interesting domestic thriller about questioning what you think you know, technological privacy, and a little splash of romance.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks and NetGalley for the opportunity to read to an ARC of The Five Year Lie in return for my honest review.

A compelling page-turner, from the gripping opening chapter to the satisfying last line. I enjoyed the mystery, despite wishing it was more sophisticated and had more depth. Still, I definitely did not see that whodunit coming! 👏 Loved how all the dots connected.

But what really got to me was the love story and when Ariel describes how she feels about Drew... whew, don't I know it. Them summer vibes too. And the bus scene with the stranger made me cry!!! 🥹

I enjoyed the social commentary about technology and surveillance being a double-edged sword, but feel that the book could have dug deeper. The climax also felt underwhelming after so much tension, with everything too neatly wrapped into a bow.

An engaging, breezy and riveting read that never lets up! Extremely readable and bingeable 👍

Wow I thought I reviewed this story a long time ago. Sorry.. I love how her stories come alive from the first page until the end. She takes you on an incredible journey. This was a nice surprise with twist and surprises along the way. Happy I read this one.

It took a while for the story to build, then it came in like a firehose.

When a cellphone tower outage 5 years ago wrecks your world....this get really complicated. Abandonment, corporate cover-ups, lost love, drug dealers.....there is a lot here.
The story begins when people get blasted with a text message from five years ago. Three people (related) get a message that sends their lives spinning. Secrets get uncovered, friends are threatened and lost loves are still being looked for.
The ending is not completely unseen but it is happy!

I've read Sarina Bowen for quite some time, but The Five Year Lie is very different from her previous romance books.

From the very beginning, the book pulls you in. Getting a text from someone you loved that you thought was dead? Umm... I need to know more!

I thought Sarina Bowen did a good job for her first thriller. It was suspenseful with some unexpected twists and turns. Without saying much to give away any of the plot, It kept me intrigued for sure. However, I did feel some parts were a little lack luster.