I'll start with the good: Ellie Banks is a strong writer. The overall set up is intriguing.
Now with the bad: Because she's a strong writer, she decides to take about 10 different ways to say one thing. The dialogue doesn't feel authentic. Everything is a reflection, and there's little of the plot moving forward. In what's meant to be a thriller, you need the plot to move forward. Once it finally does, it's over quickly, and you're wondering why you spent 20 pages on nothing.

This book is not unreadable by any maens. However, it gets boring and a little cringey. I wanted to find out the mystery, but the payoff was just not worth it. Once Banks fine tunes her writing style and intent, I think she could write some amazing stories!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this advanced copy in return for my honest review. I love a good cold case however this book started off a little slow and repetitive for me but I still enjoyed it!

'Lies Make Perfect' is a very odd combination of a great read, mix with 'where is this going'. I enjoyed reading it but kept asking myself why I was enjoying it... because nothing seemed to happen for the longest time.
The last 15% was the most interesting part for me, that's where things started picking up and coming together.
I would definitely want to pick up other books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Canary Street Press for the ARC.

It pains me to give such a low rating to an ARC, but I want to make sure my review is honest and transparent.

Plot: Margo is an author and true crime enthusiast. Six months ago, her husband vanished with her daughter. Many years earlier during high school, one of her best friends went missing during high school - she was believed to be in an inappropriate relationship with a teacher. Are the two disappearances connected? Will Margot be able to solve either of them?

What I liked:
- I think it’s hard to weave two separate and interesting crimes together and create a cohesive thriller. The story and ending did make sense. I didn’t notice any large plot holes.

What I didn’t like:
- The writing was all over the place - and times it kept me engaged, but most of the time, it either felt rushed or like a rambling stream of consciousness
- The author didn’t give many clues to the ending throughout, so the story felt a bit lazy
- The actions of the characters at times did not make sense. Why did Margo at times seem much more interested in solving her friend’s disappearance than finding her daughter? Her investigation also seemed too convenient at times.
- I didn’t buy into the love story, and it actually didn’t add much IMO
- Some of the details, like the library box, didn’t seem necessary

Overall, this book wasn’t for me. I think the author has potential, as there were certainly moments where I was briefly optimistic, so I hope to give this author another try in the future.

I LOVED the plot of this book but I felt the writing was extremely repetitive. Only a few chapters of actual content, the rest was the cyclical thoughts of the main character, Margo. On one hand, this drove me insane. On the other, Margo is to be obsessive in nature and as someone who struggles with ruminating thoughts, this is exactly what my thoughts sound like, constantly repeating. However, my own thoughts exhaust me let alone someone else's ruminations.

LIES MADE PERFECT by Ellie Banks. On sale- June 4/24

Margo Box is a true crime writer and her last 6 months have been worse then anything she could have imagined. Her husband, who she suspected was having an affair, has disappeared and taken their 5 year old daughter, Poppy.

She believes in her heart that Poppy is calling out to her and she is determined to find her daughter and to make her husband answer to her.

One night, during one of her walks in the neighbourhood when she can’t sleep, she discovers a book in the local free library. This book is one that, as teenagers she and her friends discussed over and over.

When she opens the book, a letter falls out and it takes her back to a time when one of her good friends disappeared with her teacher whom she was intimate with.

Margo, in an effort to disassociate herself from her pain, starts to do what she does so well… be an advocate for those who are missing.

This novel had me on the edge of my seat right up until the last few pages.

Thank you @harpercollinscanada for allowing me the privilege of reading this on @NetGalley.

"Lies Make Perfect" has a great synopsis that made me want to read the book. However, the pacing of the book itself was somewhat off. The story was slow to start which made it harder to engage with. The ending had a good twist, but also felt rushed. I would recommend for readers who enjoy mysteries and suspense. Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for the ARC.

Lies Make Perfect was suspenseful and thrilling. I really enjoyed the storyline and all the twists. The events were unpredictable and shocking. I was glued to the pages of this one. At times it was a bit repetitive and for that reason I gave 4 instead of 5 stars. A really enjoyable thriller that I would highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing | Canary Street Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was such an emotional read. This was hard to read at times due to the content, but this is a great thing to say about an author. It was believable and compelling.

This book was intriguing. (I really enjoy true crime)

So as a reader the parts about the “investigations” she conducted interested me.

Some parts felt redundant which is the only reason it is not 5 stars for me

Overall the book kept me interested, I enjoyed the writing style as well.

Lies Make Perfect was a slow burn. The book starts with Margo. She has been distraught ever since her husband disappeared with their five year old daughter, Poppy.

Margo is a true crime author, delving into two cold cases. One of the cars is similar to her daughter’s. Where is Poppy and where did her husband take her?

I found this slow pacing. Many of Margo’s thoughts and dialogue were repetitive. Parts of the story were confusing as well. However, I did enjoy the twist!

3.5 ⭐️ Thank you HTP, NetGalley and Ellie Banks for the opportunity. All opinions are my own.
Release date June 4, 2024

"In a web of lies, one mother fights for the truth…For popular true crime author Margo Box, the past six months have been a waking nightmare. Ever since her five-year-old daughter, Poppy, vanished—abducted by her own father—Margo has tortured herself the way only a mother with unrelenting blame. How could she have let this happen? Had she been working too hard to see the signs? Despite the guilt and unanswered questions, Margo holds on to the hope that Poppy is somehow still alive. Yet after years of solving other people’s cold cases, her own case proves impenetrable. That is, until she finds a cryptic letter hidden in a secondhand book in her neighborhood library box."

This book was a 3.5 star read for me.

I feel like the first 25 percent was very slow and I considered not finishing it. I will say that the story picked up at this point and the mystery was very interesting. The interweaving of the present mystery of her missing husband and child with the cold case from about 2 decades prior was an aspect that kept me interested and wanting to continue reading. The twists and turns that were presented kept my interest and I was shocked a few times.

I had a couple issues with the book that kept me from thoroughly enjoying it. Although the final reveal at the end was shocking, the ending felt rushed and there was a lack of buildup. One of my other main issues with this book was the dialogue. The dialogue felt flat and lacked real human emotion. It came across very stilted.

I will say that the story was interesting for a debut novel, and I am excited to see how the author improves in her future novels.

This was an okay read but I felt it was a little slow and disjointed overall . I had to keep forcing myself to read it
Thanks for review copy to Netgalley and the publisher

Thank you NetGalley, Ellie Banks, and Canary Street Press for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

I found this book to be enjoyable but I felt like there was a lot of repetition throughout the book. The book started slow but then did quickly pick up about 25% into reading. I enjoyed the two cold cases that were the main focus of this book. I also enjoyed the characters and how they were all intertwined with each other and all working to solve or hide the two cold cases.

“Lies Make Perfect” is a debut mystery by Ellie Banks. I will admit that the first 20-25% or so of this book moved so incredibly slowly (and repeated information) that I nearly put it down. But, push through. Once Margo starts her investigation, things pick up. I did find the love interest part a bit unnecessary, but I got it. I did like the twists along the way to figuring out what was going on. I agree with other reviewers regarding the “perfect” dialogue - it was great that the right words were said, but people don’t always say those “right words” at the right time. I really did like the idea of this book - though I found the convenience of things a bit too pat, but hey, sometimes in life things do work in odd and seemingly pat ways. Overall a good read (once things got rolling) and I look forward to reading more by this author.

This was a good book for the most part. It kept me engaged, I was just expecting more. It was really slow and I didn't see this as a mystery or a thriller. It was more of a story. Maybe if I had different expectations going in, I would have enjoyed it more.

I loved the dual narrative of this book - Margo trying to solve to find her missing daughter and husband, while also still grappling with the mystery surrounding the disappearance of her friend Sarah from back when they were teenagers. Two seemingly separate cases ended up a bit entwined in unexpected ways that hooked me in and left me wondering what was going to happen next. I finished reading in 2 days because I was gripped and couldn't wait to find out how it ends. A great read!

This is the first book I've read of Ellie Banks. I usually read Romantic Suspense, and this book had both. I'm used to more suspense in books but this author can definitely tells a great story. I was about halfway thru and a bit confused it wasn't because the story was lacking there were slot of different parts. I kept reading and she was just setting up the story line. In the end she brought it all together. Like I said before this isn't my usual type of book I read but I definitely will read another Ellie Banks books. The idea of a persons child dissappearing is a,very real occurrence and I can't imagine how people survive that. This author wrote the emotional side of this happening in my opinion perfectly.

Thank you @netgalley and @harlequinbooks for the eARC of Lies Make Perfect by Ellie Banks on exchange for an honest review.

📖📖 Book Review 📖📖 Margo Box is living every mother’s nightmare, she is a true crime writer whose own child has gone missing. Her world has changed in the blink of an eye and the true impact that her husband kidnapped their daughter six months ago is a deep blow, written perfectly by Ellie Banks. When Margo finds a note hidden in a book she finds in a Little Free Library (yay for a cameo by a LFL!!!), she discovers the inspiration needed to reignite her work and look back to a cold case close to her own life, the disappearance of her high school friend, Sarah. Lies Make Perfect is a hauntingly beautiful read about the raw and real layers that lie underneath the surface of a sometimes seemingly perfect exterior. Ellie Bank’s debut novel is a gripping and poignant reflection of our society’s fascination with true crime that absolutely shines.

Review is posted on Goodreads and will be on Instagram well ahead of the publication date!

This book felt somewhat repetitive and had a rushed ending, I still found it to be a decent thriller with potential shown by the author. However, personally, I found the book to be just okay. For some reason, I couldn't emotionally connect with the story. It held my interest but failed to grip me; it felt somewhat flat. The plot revolves around a woman whose child is missing, taken by her husband, who discovers a connection to a missing friend from her high school days. Despite my lukewarm feelings about this book, I remain open to exploring other works by the same author. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher!