A Lovely Lie, a thriller novel by Jaime Lynn Hendricks-
My rating is a GENEROUS 2 stars.

This is the only novel that I’ve ever read by this author. This was marketed as an “intricately twisted thriller,” though I didn’t find that to be true. Twisted? Yes. Intricate? Not necessarily. Thriller? Hardly.

When I think of a thriller novel, I imagine that it should be a gripping, page-turning experience that gets my heart rate pumping while I try to figure out the plot. This book elicited none of those feelings from me. There were a lot of “moving parts” to this plot and it resulted in a slowly paced story that was severely disappointing.

There is a large cast of characters and it’s difficult to pinpoint which characters to focus on. The primary characters are Scarlett and Zoey. Zoey shows up at Scarlett’s place of employment one day, stating she’s the daughter of Pepper, Zoey’s high school best friend whom she lost contact with right after graduation. (22 years ago.) Zoey informs Scarlett that her mother recently passed away and she had found a letter addressed to Scarlett in Pepper’s belongings. The letter references an accident that happened just before their graduation. Zoey has several questions for Scarlett, who is panicked at the mention of the accident all those years ago…a night she’s been trying to forget for the last 22 years.

This book was all over the place. The characters are memorable but only because they were all insufferable, with the exception of Luke. He rallies at the end and literally saves the day for his mom, Scarlett. The timeline jumps back and forth from present day to 22 years ago, with a mishmash of unbelievable events. There was zero suspense and a few attempts at plot twists that were so predictable, they failed.

I’m salty. This novel was a waste of time and I should have DNF’d it.

I received an advance reader copy and am leaving my review voluntarily.

Fast paced and entertaining!

Scarlett doesn’t think about that night in 1999 after the senior picnic. She can’t afford to. For all anyone knows, there was an accident and she and her then best friend Pepper had nothing to do with it. Now, Scarlett is hanging on to her marriage by a thread and hasn’t spoken to Pepper since that night. When Pepper’s daughter, Zoey, comes waltzing into the hotel where Scarlett works with news of Pepper’s untimely death, Scarlett’s whole life may be at risk. Pepper wants to know who her dad is and she also wants more information about an accident her mother talked about in a letter. Scarlett has the answers, but she’ll never tell a soul. Too bad Zoey is training to be an investigative reporter.

This was such a good story! It had a great premise and a lot of layers. Too bad I couldn’t get in to the writing or actual execution of it. However, it was fast paced and entertaining, even if predictable. There were some twists in there, but sadly I saw them all coming.

I hated the characters for the most part. Each were unlikeable to the point of I didn’t care what happened to them at all. The only one I really liked was Scarlett’s son, Luke. I didn’t mind Zoey as much toward the end, but she had her quirks too.

I was so excited to read this and it was good, but it had so much mor potential. I think there will be a whole bunch of people who love this, however it was just to telling and matter of fact for me.

This one was... Okay? I don't want to judge the author too much for this but the format of this digital ARC was hard to read. Otherwise, I didn't gel with these characters at all and I felt the story dragged on and on for an ending that was clear at about 50%. Wasn't the worst thriller but this is the 3rd straight 3 star read by the author for me.

Scarlett and Pepper were the best of friends all throughout high school until tragedy strikes the night of their senior picnic. Now two people are dead, and these two friends vow to share a lovely lie all the way to their graves. 22 years later, Pepper’s daughter Zoey shows up in their Florida hometown wanting answers as to who her father is and what really happened that night over two decades ago.

This is my first Jaime Lynn Hendricks novel, but I’d heard good things about her previous ones so I was intrigued. The book starts out extremely slow. The first 1/3 is almost so unbearably slow that I genuinely considered DNFing, but I pushed through and around 50% the story picked up steam and caught my attention. One of the hardest parts of the slow burn with this novel is an extreme use of over descriptive text. I understand wanting to use vivid imagery for the reader so they can really get a sense of the setting, thing, etc but when it’s overly descriptive again & again, it’s a bore to read. I really didn’t need two sentences to describe how pink something was. The repetition and drawn out “fluff” had me wanting to skim pages and really put a strain on the enjoyment level of the book.

While it did pick up in the second half, there were no real unpredictable twists that made this novel worthy of the thriller genre. Was it a decent story? Sure. You could see the ending coming a mile away. Also, the characters were all extremely unlikeable. 🥴 On the plus side, it’s a fast & easy read.

Because I did enjoy the second half of the book, although definitely not a thriller…. 3.5 ⭐️ rounded down

Thank you to NetGalley & Penzler Publishers for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinions.

This was a real page turner that some would deem a "popcorn thriller," and for me, I love these types of books. It was a highly entertaining read that I flew through and completely lost myself in. The characters were either a love or hate type, with the hate being high up there and the secrets piling up as the story progresses. The only thing that the reader would kind of have to suspend disbelief for is the police procedure/competence. I won't say more than that because I don't like leaving any spoilers of any kind. This was the perfect read for me right when I needed a breath of fresh air and not having to think too hard. Four stars.

Thank you Netgalley and Penzler Publishers for this ARC.

I freaking loved this book! So much drama and so many lies. I really never knew what to believe. Jaw dropping twists all the way through. Fantastic book!

Secrets, lies, twists and turns. Loved this page turner. I even learned to love a couple of the main characters that were hard to like. A 4.5 star read!

A decent 3 star read. A few twists were surprising to me, and while I hated all the characters in the beginning, some did grow on me by the end. This author is hit or miss for me but this is one of her better ones, and it was a quick read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I requested to read "A Lovely Lie" as I was in the mood for a good thriller and I have heard wonderful things about Jaime Lynn Hendricks.

Scarlett and Zoey were two best friends, but an accident that caused two deaths led to lies being told, secrets being sheltered, and Pepper disappearing. Two decades later, Scarlett is married with a teenager when she is contacted by Pepper, Zoey's daughter. Pepper has died and Zoey has questions about her mom and those skeletons that have been rattling around Pepper's (and Scarlett's) closet.

The story of adult females facing the past that they tried to hide is nothing new but Hendricks handles it in a fresh and intriguing way. There are more twists and turns than the reader can keep track up but if you like a good roller coaster, you're going to love this novel.

I plan to go back and read Hendrick's earlier work. Four out of five stars for this heart-stopping read.

My thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this nail-biter.

Sometimes the past should stay buried….
High school seniors have the worst night of their lives, that comes back to haunt them 20 years later..
it’s a well-worn rope, but Ms Hendricks makes it fresh with some extra twists and secrets.

Jaime Lynn Hendricks is the Queen of Twists and has not let us down with A Lovely Lie. From page 1 I was engulfed in this book and could not put it down for the life of me. Luckily I received this book during a snowy weekend and had an excuse to not move from my couch.

In 1999, the day after graduation, at the senior picnic two classmates end up dead after a car accident in which Scarlett and her best friend Pepper are in. They lie to the police about what caused the accident to protect each other from any consequence, then swear never to talk of that night again. Then Pepper leaves town, never to contact Scarlett again.

Twenty Two years later, Zoey arrives at Scarlett's workplace proclaiming she is Pepper's daughter and Pepper has passed away. After Pepper passed, Zoey finds a letter to Scarlett that was never mailed alluding to the accident. Zoey, studying to be an investigative journalist, will stop at nothing until she learns what occurred that fateful night, upturning several lives in the process.

The book is told from various points of view and interspersed with dialog from the police interviews the day after the accident. This non-linear story line will have to on the edge of your seat thinking you know what will happen next - but with each turn of the page another twist presents itself.

Jaime has outdone herself with this one.

Thank you NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Scarlet for the copy of A Lovely Lie by Jaime Lynn Hendricks. This was a really great story! It’s a shame the writing didn’t keep me engaged and the characters weren’t interesting enough to care about. If you love a good story with some amazing reveals you might love this book, but I think it wasn’t really for me.

Another great read by Hendricks!! I loved I Didn’t Do It and this was just as good! From the unreliable narrators, to the multiple POVs and suspenseful nature throughout the entire book, I was hooked from chapter one! What I love most about Hendricks’ writing style, is the way she just jumps right into the storyline and keeps the reader guessing after each plot twist. The ending was amazing and I loved how everybody was lying, including some of the protagonists!

Thank you NetGalley and Jaime Lynn Hendricks for an advanced copy.

I read this in one day and want more! I love Jaime Lynn Hendricks books. This was no different. I enjoyed the dual timeline and multiple POVs. I could not put it down. The ending was great and everything wrapped up nicely. 5 stars!

Another book that elicited complex feelings from me, leaving me torn between a grade of 3 to 4 stars! It's not that I found it boring or that the main plot lacked direction. On the contrary, the pacing was at lightning speed. I was so intrigued, as if I were watching scandalous episodes of one of the real housewives from any other city. It's perfectly scandalous, and I could barely keep up with the relationship dynamics—who's cheating on whom, which character is the biggest liar, and who is the most despicable one? It was challenging to choose when you have too many unlikable characters rubbing you the wrong way! But my winner is undoubtedly Pepper!

The story unfolds in two timelines: 1999, where an accident claims the lives of two innocent students. Chloe Michaels, who was drunk driving, hit Julian Ackers that night. It was considered an accident, but there were so many plot holes that didn't get investigated, like extra tire traces that proved somebody else was there and corrupted the crime scene. Chloe was cheating on her boyfriend, Chris, with Julian, the goth kid. Why would she kill the guy she fell in love with, even though she was under the influence? What really happened that night?

In the present, we're introduced to Scarlett Russo, perhaps the only likable character in the book, yet she got on my nerves for staying married to a husband who impregnated another woman and acted like a college student with his infamous boys' nights. This is not the only juicy part of their dysfunctional marriage: Vince, her husband of the year, was her best friend Pepper's college sweetheart. After the tragic accident night that Scarlett knows the partial truth of (she was also intoxicated), Pepper forced her to keep secrets and lie to the officers during interrogation. The preceding night, Pepper disappeared into thin air to move to NY. Heartbroken Scarlett finds herself in a fling with Vince, which resulted in pregnancy, and was forced to marry him at a young age. Scarlett is now trapped in a marriage with her troubled bestie's ex for the sake of their son, Luke, who is about to leave for college.

Oh, and did I mention Scarlett's first love, Chris, is also Vince's best friend/business partner and has a close relationship with their son Luke? I know things turn into a telenovela episode, but this is just the beginning.

A surprising guest introduces herself to Scarlett: Pepper's daughter, Zoey, at the age of twenty-two, looking for the identity of her dad! What? Wasn't Pepper dating Scarlett's husband for four years, already told her she was pregnant but was planning to get an abortion? Unfortunately, Pepper is a good liar, and her very nosy daughter says she's a victim of a drunk driver! Not only is Zoey adamant about wrecking her house by searching for her biological father, but she is also intrigued by what happened on the tragic, so-called accident night that Scarlett lied about to save Pepper. Zoey has already alerted the detective who still has unanswered questions.

How long can Scarlett keep her lies to protect herself and the family she's built? What if everything is doomed to crumple into pieces? What if everything she believes in is cemented with betrayal, more lies, and dangerous truths that could ruin everyone's lives in her circle?

Well, I have to admit, some parts of the story were too far-fetched! I'm not sure some of the characters get what they deserve at the end, but to be fair, Jaime Lynn Hendricks is truly the queen of page-turners. I didn't expect to read this book at lightning speed. I found things unreliable, but still, I couldn't stop reading. It was addictive!

I'm rounding up 3.5 stars to 4, even though this book has tons of unlikable characters more despicable than a lot of politicians, and the conclusion has still too many "no freaking way" kind of exaggerated explanations. But I still enjoyed it as great popcorn reading that kept me on my toes and made me boo most of the characters, especially Vince.

I had a great, entertaining time. That's why I rounded up my grade, and I cannot wait to read another unputdownable page-turner by Jaime Lynn Hendricks!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penzler Publishers/Scarlet for sharing this digital reviewer copy with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Thanks to Penzier and NetGalley for the ARC. Although the writing was a bit simplistic, I did enjoy this quick read. Recommend for a fast paced drama.

Many thanks to @NetGalley and Penzler Publishers, Source Books for the gifted eARC to read and review!

Hendricks has consistently made my annual top 5 lists with her prior releases, so it’s no surprise that 𝗔 𝗟𝗢𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗬 𝗟𝗜𝗘 is one of my 𝗠𝗢𝗦𝗧 𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗣𝗔𝗧𝗘𝗗 books for 2024. I even abandoned my current read so I could dig into this beauty!

This was another solid one from Ms. Hendricks! These characters confused the heck out me; one minute I hated them, the next I sympathized with them. JLH is the queen of complex characters and it’s so fun getting into each of their heads through the dual POVs! 🙌

Read this if you:
✨live for dual POVs
✨love a good narcissist
✨grew up in the 90s
✨geek out over sarcastic inner monologues

Also, how about this cover? 😍 So gorgeous! Can’t wait to display my preordered copy next to the rest of my JLH collection when this one pubs in May!

𝗡𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗪𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗛𝗬 𝗤𝗨𝗢𝗧𝗘𝗦:
“You have no idea about the backstabbing that goes on when people pretend to be friends.”

The catch line for this story is : Is it better to believe a lovely lie or to know the horrible truth?

Scarlett Russo is living a modern life with her wayward husband and 17 year old son when a young woman approaches her in town. Zoey is Pepper's daughter - Scarlett's best friend from high school and someone she has not spoken to in 20 years. Pepper left town without a word. It turns out she was pregnant and Zoey is searching for her father.

Scarlett has a sense of dread around Zoey and Zoey can sense it. She will stop at nothing to identify her father and if that rubs people the wrong way, so be it!. With police interviews interspersed between the chapters, it doesn't take long to realize that Scarlett and many others in town have secrets that they need to keep.

This was a fun story. I didn't always buy into the conversations and depictions of the "bad" guys but I enjoyed it all the same. Jamie Lynn Hendricks can always bring me right into a thrilling plot where I can feel the goosebumps on my arms.

A great thriller and domestic story!
.#Penzler #alovelylie #jamielynnhendricks

This book has it all-unreliable narrator, flawed characters, fast pace, twists and surprise ending. This draws you in on the first page and keeps you engaged until the end. Scarlet and Pepper were best friends in high school but on the night of the senior picnic there was an accident that changed everything. Now decades later Zoey, Pepper's daughter shows up wanting answers as to who her father is and what happened that night.

Scarlet and Vince have never talked about that night. Now all the secrets are going to come out.

This goes back to high school where you are stupid enough to do anything for your best friend. Just loved this book so much!

The book is so messed up. If you are looking for a twisted thriller that will hook you from page one and will keep you guessing till the end, this is for you. The twists and turns were so unpredictable and the truth was twisted and hidden behind the layers of lies and betrayal. The characters have infinite facades and it’s hard to differentiate between truth and lie in this book.

Scarlett and Vince are married and they have a son called Luke. While Pepper Wilson was Scarlett’s best friend. Somehow they got involved in a car accident some years ago since then Pepper vanished from everyone’s lives, no one knows about her whereabouts. After twenty-two years, Pepper’s Daughter Zoey shows up at Scarlett’s door and says her that Pepper is dead. Zoey is trying to find out about her father. She is trying to find truth out of the buried past. The more you will read it, the more you will get tangled in the mystery and the buried past that has some sinister secrets, lies, deception and truth embedded in it.

The author has truly unveiled the true facade of each character and a layer of mystery with each chapter and revelation. I must say the author has masterfully crafted this twisted and gripping thriller that will keep you guessing till the end. This is the best thriller.

Thanks to the Author, Publisher and Netgalley.