Full review to come... I need to marinate in all my thoughts because I have so many.


UPDATE:
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


This book is hands down Sarina Bowen’s best work.. ever!! And that's no small compliment because I've read most of her books and enjoyed them all.

I hope with all my heart that this is a new creative outlet of thriller/suspense, and we'll get more books in this genre in the future!

I could tell by how the story flowed so much research was put into this book.
I loved every single thing about this book!!!

Thought provoking.... great conversation starter regarding the concept of this book..

⭐️This will be my next book rec for my mom's book club!!

Best ending because I honestly didn't know how it would play out until the absolute end!!

Bravo Sarina for making me paranoid enough to rethink the 'helpful ' tech in my house. I've never wanted more than to go back to pre-smart phones era and all the other advancements that have taken advantage our societal complacency in the name of convenience.

Pardon me while I go disable EVERYTHING!

While reading The Five Year Lie, I went back and forth on how I felt about it. I loved the beginning, it sucked me right in and I was curious how the story would play out. As I started to put together the direction I thought the story was going to go in and who was behind everything, parts of the book dragged a little bit for me and I felt like they were stretched out to get to the conclusion. But, once I started the final quarter of the book, the action picked back up again and I couldn't turn the pages quick enough.

I liked the mix of the past and present throughout the book and the different points of view that were offered in the chapters. Domestic thrillers are one of my favorite in the genres and this mixed in some romantic suspense which was a nice added bonus. If you enjoyed The Last Thing He Told Me, definitely add this one to your TBR, and I think this book would make an excellent movie.

This is yet another book that is hard to review, because the synopsis tells us very little about the story itself. Everything else is in spoiler territory, because this book is crazy - in the best way possible!

Ariel and Drew met one summer at work, where she was the disinterested nepotism baby and he was a programmer. Ariel’s father and uncle are co-owners of Chime Co. (basically, Ring doorbells), and while her passion is glassmaking, she works there part time to appease her family. She and Drew started an immediate and passionate relationship, that ended with Drew leaving town and ghosting her. It also left her with a son, Buzz.

Ariel was heartbroken when Drew left out of nowhere, and she tried to find him many times, but it was almost like he didn’t exist. Finally, something about him pops up online. His obituary. The only man she ever loved is dead, never even knowing that he was a father. Her grief is compounded by the death of her own father - they were never close, but the two deaths combined leave her depressed and reeling.

Five years later, we are in the present. Ariel is living in her mother’s guesthouse with Buzz, still blowing glass and occasionally working at Chime Co. Her mom is marrying Ariel’s uncle (yes it’s weird), so the business will eventually be hers one day (whether she wants it or not). It’s during a meeting when she gets that text from Drew, begging her to meet under a candelabra tree because he needed to urgently speak with her. She runs to the tree, but nobody ever shows up. She calls the number, but it’s not in service. Someone has to be playing a terrible prank, but who would do that to her?

The reason for this text appearing is SO GOOD, but I don’t want to ruin anything so you’ll just have to read about it yourself! After Ariel receives it, she starts thinking back to that summer five years prior. That thinking leads to digging, then the digging puts her in a tailspin. With help from a trusted coworker, she soon realizes that she knew nothing about this man, the father of her child. She also knew nothing about how her family’s business was actually run…

This was not a short book, but it was definitely a fast read. We get dueling chapters that bounce between the past and present seamlessly, and quite an original story filled with thrills, chills, and lost love. The entire book was suspenseful, and the ending was the perfect action-packed closure for these characters. I give this one 4.5 stars and my definite recommendation!

(Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperback, Sarina Bowen and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on May 7, 2024.)

Imagine receiving a text message from the love of your life who you thought was dead. This sends our main character on a hunt for the truth only to unravel a dark web of secrets. The Fiver Year Lie captivated me from the first page. The story is suspenseful and fast paced with love, murder, and revenge masterfully woven into the storyline. The story alternates between the present and five years ago revealing more and more as the story goes on. I would highly recommend this one!

Thanks to Netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Harper Paperbacks for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5 STARS for THE FIVE YEAR LIE by SARINA BOWEN

I have to say that this book started off with a bang! It takes off from page one at runaway speed and never slows down.i loved the character development for both Ariel and Drew. There was a feeling of not knowing what was going on and not wanting to stop reading because you want to know where the author is going with the story. There was no dead area in this book and it was amazing. This book mixed a thriller with a romance which was a first for me but it was very well done. You won't want to stop reading this until you get to the bottom of the mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC!

The premise of The Five Year Lie had me intrigued. I loved the thought of what would you do if you got a text from someone you that died five years ago, urgently asking to meet you. We follow our main character, Ariel, POV in the present day and then our second main character, Drew’s POV from five years prior. The mystery is intriguing and I loved all the breadcrumbs the author Sarina Bowen leaves as you read through the book. The book also makes an interesting statement on all the security cameras we all now have for our “security” but at what cost does this come to our own personal privacy. I really did enjoy being challenged with this theme and it kept me invested in the mystery. There were some slower parts to this book and the ending felt a touch rushed, but overall I enjoyed The Five Year Lie.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4.5 stars!

I really enjoyed this book. A very captivating suspense/thriller with a dash of romance that has you very attached to the characters. Just when you think you’ve got the plot figured out another twist comes your way! I will definitely be alerting my friends to check this out around public date.

Thank you to Sarina Bowen Harper Collins and NetGalley for this ARC.

Just when I think I know what I can expect from a Sarina Bowen book she throws me a curve ball...a mysterious, suspenseful, glued-me-to-my-seat, page-turning curve ball! And, when you add just a bit of romance to that, this was a book I couldn't put down.

Written both in the present and with glimpses to what happened five years ago, we follow Ariel as she uncovers several mysteries...her own past and what happened with the father of her son, Buzz, and what actually happened to her family and the company they own. There's a lot going on in this book and, of course, I can't ruin it for you, but I can tell you that Ms. Bowen will lure you into the story, give you a tiny hint of what might have happened and how, and then make you question your assumptions...you never quite feel like you've got it figured out - at least until she wants you to feel that way!

I loved this story and am so glad that Sarina Bowen is branching out into other genres...I can't wait to see what she has up her sleeve for us next!

Oh My God this book had me on the edge of my seat I couldnt put it down. Like i finished it in one sitting. I dont tend to read books in one sitting because well thats not that easy but i needed to know who was this mystery texter. I also didnt guess the end right until i finished reading.

Oh my goodness, what a great book. And so different than what Sarina usually writes. Right at the beginning you get hooked. And you have to continue to read the book to find out what happens. Love the different points of view. And one of them, you have no idea who it is. At least I didn’t. This book also makes you think you have it all figured out too. But it also shows you that you are not always right. lol! This is a suspense. With a dab of mystery. A dab of thriller. And a dab of romance. Let’s not forget about Buzz either. This book also takes place in the present but also takes us back into the past. With it all coming to an a-ha moment at the end. So, get comfy and dive right in.

This was my first read from Sarina and her debut thriller! It was thrilling to follow Ariel and uncover the truth as to what happened to Drew. I found myself liking her character quite a lot. You bounce from past to present which just adds to the story; along with the multiple POV’s. Overall, a great domestic thriller and one I’d recommend if you enjoy those types of thrillers.

A mysterious text from someone who's dead - what will happen next? I wasn't entirely sure how this premise would play out for an entire book, but Bowen had me locked in. This was a book that I kept thinking about each time that I put it down. In fact, I couldn't stop reading the last 100 pages due to the twists and turns that the author cleverly wove throughout her book. I enjoyed the character development, especially of Ariel - in the flashbacks, she's a single, independent 20-something woman who loves her art and standing her ground. Then fast-forward to present day, a single Mom of a four-year-old, who's balancing figuring out a mystery and making sure she has ten watermelons for the preschool end-of-year picnic. As a Mom of a 4.5 year old and 20 month old, Bowen's descriptions of Ariel's feelings and motives really resonated with me. This was a quick read and one that I enjoyed from the first chapter. Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for the advanced reader copy of a truly one-of-a-kind book!

ARC review - publication date: May 7, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫/5

First, I loved this story. It has everything. Romance, murder, guns, drugs, motherhood, corporate espionage, Toy Story references. It is truly a brilliant story filled with suspense and mystery. Also, many mysteries do not offer satisfying endings. I often am left wondering what happened next? This book solves that problem too. I recommend going in blind, and to support that end, this review is thoughts and feelings instead of plot. But trust me, this story has a great plot.

Ariel receives one startling text message that upends her entire life and changes everything. This story is about what happens next.

This thrilling story contains a love story, several deaths and many deeper topics. It’s thought provoking in that it brings up questions of ethics in our society and the pervasiveness of technology in our lives. The questions brought up by technological advancements offering us security like ring doorbells, and of course, our phones. Is big brother protecting us or is our privacy constantly being violated in ways we cannot even begin to comprehend? Both?

This book was about 150 pages too long. It had fantastic potential, with a very gripping concept and complex characters, but was too long and slow for my liking. I was interested for the first 40% of the book, and couldn't wait for the reveals and the pace to pick up during the last 60%!

I loved the fact that I couldn't figure out how the book was going to end and who the antagonist actually was. I also loved how the author tied all the characters and storylines together.

If you love slow burn mysteries full of espionage, this is definitely the book for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for allowing me to read in exchange for my honest review.

Read if:
-you love espionage
-you don't mind slow-burn mysteries
-you have fallen in love hard, fast
-you have a problem with the Patriot Act

I love domestic thrillers mixed with interesting characters. I compared this book to works by two other authors I love, so I knew I had to give it a chance. It was easy to do so. Right away, this unique story captured my interest. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I was riveted from the very first chapter. 100% invested in Ariel Cafferty’s life.
I loved that she didn’t trust easily (neither do I), and that she suspected everyone at some point during the story (so did I). I rarely relate to main characters in stories, I’m normally more like the side kicks, but everything about Ariel resonated with me. I loved her. When she starts looking into her relationship 5 years previously she opened up a complex and dangerous can of worms, and she won’t stop until she finds the answers. Is that a good thing? Most definitely. But the more she delves into the life of her ex ‘boyfriend’ the more questions she has, and the more danger she puts herself and her loved ones in. I loved all the characters, good and bad, they all had their place in this story which had my mind working overtime trying to figure out what part they all played in the plot. I wish I could go back and read it for the first time again. I’m hoping we get more thrillers from Sarina Bowen, I’ll be first in line to read them. I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is my honest review.

This book has the most intriguing premise: woman receives text from her dead ex that he needs to talk to her and she should meet him under this one tree. When I read that, I knew I would be interested in reading the story and understanding how the author navigated this plot.

And it didn't disappoint.

The story is twisty and turny and I really couldn't stop reading it once I started. I really enjoyed that it wasn't trying to be too clever and that it didn't have a conniving unreliable narrator. It was just a great mystery!

with gratitude to netgalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review

Ariel Cafferty has dedicated the last 5 years of her life to raising her son Buzz after his father passed away before ever knowing she was pregnant. Until one day she recieves a text from him, asking her to meet. When he doesn't show for the meeting, Ariel upends her life looking for answers.

I really enjoyed this book. The prolouge pulled me in immediately and had me counting down to my kids bedtime so I could read more! This was a love story and a thriller. I was very invested in Ariel and her search for answers.

I will definitely recommend this book to others and look forward to checking out the authors other work.

I enjoyed this hook as a whole but it had a bit of a slow start. I thought it was a great story and unique from other thrillers I’ve read recently. However, the first 200 pages seemed slow and repetitive with the last half of the book almost moving too quick with an abrupt ending. All in all it was a fun read it just would’ve been improved with better pacing.

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