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.

Ariel, single mother of a young son opens her phone to find a text from a ex boyfriend, who disappeared from her life and she later learned died five years ago. So where and who did the text come from? I loved this story it was a great read with many twists and kept my interest till the ending. I highly recommend The Five Year Lie. Thank you Netgalley for my arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

The Five Year Lie was provided as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. The book is about a single mom named Ariel that is raising her son and working at her dad's company. She receives a text from her son's dad that left her and she thought was dead and then spends time uncovering a mystery within the company. This was my first experience with this author and the book pulled me in from the start. There were many twists and turns that kept me wanting to read. This seems like the type of book that would make an excellent movie!

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Perennial for allowing me to read The Five Year Lie early. I loved it! This had me hooked right away. So many books set in Maine are just idealistic quant little towns. This book has the setting right all the way down to local eateries. It was fast paced and twisty. Just when something seemed so obvious, another twist. There is a romance to the whole thing that felt Hallmark Movie Channel-like.

A random text from an ex-boyfriend who died 5 years earlier, who wouldn't get caught up in how that ended? I highly recommend this book for a quick read that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Sarina Bowen for an advance copy of The Five Year Lie in exchange for an honest review.

YES, YES, YES!!! My first 5 star read of the year and I absolutely loved this book. A little bit of romance, a lot of suspense, and all the best aspects of a domestic thriller are wrapped up in this novel. I fell in love with the characters (Ariel, Buzz, & Drew forever) and became so invested in their stories! This book will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can to figure out how all the pieces in the puzzle fit together.

This book gives me vibes like The Last Thing He Told Me so if you loved that book, you have to pick this one up on 5/7/24!!!

I loved this! I was shocked by the fact that there was more romance than what I was expecting. This was my first time reading from this author but won’t be my last.

This one really pulled me in and I was invested in the ending. Some of what was happening was super obvious but it was still entertaining. I think the point that was trying to be made about privacy needed to be fleshed out more. I didn't mind the Toy Story references with Woody, Buzz, etc. but then with her name being Ariel I felt like we were just trying to get more Disney out of this than needed. Plus, I don't see it being a name her parents would have chosen and I felt like she would have been named something much more basic. Also, what happened to Larri and Tara at the end? I feel like they just fell off the radar but should have gotten a mention in the last chapter.

Kindly received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow wow wow! I wasn't expecting that! Great book!! I haven't really been into romance books lately, they all seem the same?! But this book was definitely different! More of a mystery\thriller romance I guess?! I can easily say its one of my top favorites! This book had high suspense, intrigue, action packed, murder, mystery, bad cops, a fantastic who done it and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and totally awesome! I highly recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one! Definitely don't miss out on a great read! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for the opportunity to read Sarina Bowen's The Five Year Lie. I was intrigued from page one and could not put it down.

Can you fathom receiving a text from the presumed-dead love of your life, the father of your child, right in the middle of a crucial meeting? Is it a hoax, or has your lost love decided to make a mysterious return? This is the perplexing situation single mother Ariel Cafferty, employed at the tech company founded by her father and uncle, is thrown into. It turns out that this is the same company her beloved Drew joined five years ago to unravel fraudulent activities swirling around the workplace!

I must confess, the opening was captivating, and having enjoyed Sarina Bowen's romance books, my curiosity was piqued about how she would tackle a tech thriller—a challenging leap into the realm of successful romance authors who have delved into gripping thrillers, such as Alessandra Torre, Colho, and Tarryn Fisher.

As anticipated, the romantic elements of the story overshadow the mystery, which could use more development. Some of the explanations toward the end feel somewhat unreliable and far-fetched. Regrettably, I found it challenging to connect with the characters, who seemed a bit one-dimensional and in need of more depth.

At certain points, I found my interest in the mystery waning as well. Despite its shortcomings, the central concept compelled me to push through to the end, culminating in a semi-satisfying conclusion. While I couldn't fully embrace the explanations presented by the author in this thriller, I still had quite a bit of fun reaching the end. For me, this falls into the realm of solid reading, and I'm hopeful that Sarina Bowen, with her undeniable storytelling prowess, can venture further into the romance-thriller genre. It may be a modest beginning, but I've assigned it a solid three-star rating—it's not outstanding, but it's undeniably good and enjoyable.

I extend my sincere thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Paperbacks for graciously providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

Great story! I picked this up and devoured in two days. I was hooked straight from the epilogue. The story line was fast paced and kept me intrigued. This book made me laugh, cry and go WT… Not your normal domestic type thriller, which was refreshing. Some of the plot twists were easy to figure out and I felt the ending was rushed, but still tied everything up nicely. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the free ARC read,