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!

A popular true crime author Margo Box grapples with the agony of her daughter's abduction by her father, as she navigates through guilt and blame. Haunted by unanswered questions, Margo clings to hope of finding her missing daughter, Poppy. When a cryptic letter surfaces, hinting at a connection between her friend's disappearance years ago and her daughter's case, Margo's search for closure takes a chilling turn. This suspenseful novel weaves a captivating tale of mystery and intrigue, drawing readers into a web of lies and hidden truths. With its engaging storyline and poignant exploration of a mother's relentless pursuit for answers, "The Missing Truth" earns four stars for its riveting narrative and emotional depth that will keep readers invested until the final revelation.

I received a complimentary copy of this book "Lies Make Perfect" and all opinions expressed are my own. Unfortunately, this is a DNF for me. I just could not get into this book at all.

Unfortunately for me, this is one of those books that's categorized as mystery/thriller, but would be more appropriate in another category. Something like family drama or romance crime (?). I dunno--I'm not Melvil Dewey. Anyway, this means that while this wasn't a bad read, it just wasn't for me. It was too slow and more heavy on feelings than mysteries. Your mileage may vary, of course.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this one, I truly wanted to love it but I think it was maybe a little too slow for me to get into. I had to DNF.

This book tells the story of two crimes that seemingly unrelated, end up being related. My students who are fans of this type of book will like it. It is not necessarily one I would use in the classroom as there is less in it to spark a lively discussion, but think it will be enjoyable for those who read it

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this arc.

If you like thrillers and cold cases files, you’ll enjoy this debut book. For me, I did think this was a bit repetitive and the ending rushed but overall I enjoyed this thriller.

3.5 stars rounded up

Super thriller with twists and turns, one after another!
Margo Box's husband disappeared six months ago with their young daughter, and she has been slowly falling apart ever since.
A writer, committed to a new book, she has been unable to successfully string sentences together since the disappearance.
When she finds an old letter in a book stuffed into a local free library structure, it sends her off on mission to find the story behind
the letter which she believes may lead to the discovery of the location of two local residents who disappeared 18 years ago: a close friend of hers and a teacher - the father of another friend.
It gives Margo purpose and drive to move forward instead of stagnating in her home.
The discovery of the letter sets off a chain reaction that not only moves her search along but also intertwines with her missing daughter and
husband.
I never saw it coming; a phrase you will think over and over again.
Great characters with really good defined personalities and a story line that expertly weaves two different stories into one believable tale.

This book was just ok for me. For some reason, never got involved with the story emotionally. It was interesting but didn't grab me in any way, was a bit flat to me. A woman who child is missing, taken by her husband, finds a connection between that and a missing friend from her high school days. I would try others of this author

I want to start out by saying that I think Ellie Bank's debut thriller novel has shown she has a lot of potential. The plot was the major draw to me for this book, but unfortunately, it just didn't live up to it's potential.
I felt like I was reading a thriller/romance combination - the almost what I would call obsession the main character Margo has with her childhood friend Dane was distracting and I didn't feel like it added to the plot at all.
Most of the book felt repetitive and the ending felt very rushed. There was a lot of space in the middle that I thought could have been used to help map out the ending without giving it away. Also, the dialogue felt too perfectly crafted and did not flow as naturally as it could have.

On the flip side, it did keep me guessing and while I figured out some of what was going to happen, I didn't figure it all out so for that I gave the book 2.75 stars, rounded up to 3.

I hope the author tries her hand at another thriller because I do think she will be able to craft an excellent one if she keeps trying.

I love cold cases and trying to figure out along the way what happened. This book was exactly that!
Initially the start was slow and repetitive, I had a hard time focusing. But once the story line started to pick up and you got more background on what was going on in Margo's life it became a quick page turner and made me want to find out what happened that much quicker. Margo is a wife and mother who's husband and child go missing, along with that there is a cold case from 18 years prior from the same town with common threads. Margo is on the hunt to find all the answers.
There was a few details that I was able to guess along the way but the ending was still a shocker. I recommend this book to anyone that likes cold cases and mystery/thrillers.

Thank you NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing and the author for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I totally agree with my sister that this one was a bit repetitive and that the ending was rushed. But it was a decent thriller and the author showed promise!

*Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an e-galley in exchange for an honest review.

I love true crime and listening to podcasts about cold cases. Lies Make Perfect was like following along with my favorite show, hoping that the culprit would be found by the end. Fast-paced, full of twists and turns, this will be a winner for thriller lovers and true crime lovers alike.

Margo is an author of true-crime books. With her hard work and investigative skills, and managed to solve multiple cold cases and help bring closure to family victims of a notorious serial killer. As she is working on her next case, tragedy strikes too close to home when her husband disappears, taking their five-year-old daughter with him. Margo does what she knows best, and dives into investigative mode, and she tries to find her daughter and figure out why her husband would have done something so out of character.

There were a few instances in the book that evidence and circumstances worked out “too perfectly” for Margo and her team. While I agree that intuition is a powerful tool, I personally like to see facts backing up character actions instead of just dumb luck.

Overall, this was a fun and captivating read!
4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ellie Banks takes you on a journey following Margo; a wife, a mother, a writer - who is experiencing two events that occur 18 years apart and have more in common than expected. A story of heartache, despair and relentless hope.
Lies Make Perfect is a page turner! This book had me hooked from the beginning. I was invested at 10% and it kept me guessing the entire time.
There was a time or two when I guessed some details of the story but was still shocked as the truth unfolded.

Domestic thrillers tend to be hit or miss with me but this one was a definite hit! I love true crime cases and cold cases and this one reminded me of several podcasts I had listened to in the past. I was so captivated by the story I just couldn't put the book down until I found out what happened. Right around the 250 page mark I thought I had it all figured out but boy was I wrong. This book is full of twits that you won't see coming and will keep the pages turning until you find out what really happened.

I really enjoyed this book by Ellie Banks and will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press and Ellie Banks for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

We have all found a piece of someone's past hidden in a book from the little free library at some point in time. Whether it's a receipt, a bookmark, a ticket, or even a note. When Margo Box, true crime writer, grieving her missing husband and daughter finds a letter hidden in a book from her local little free library one night, she convinces herself it's related to her missing friend from her teenage years. She starts to investigate the crime that started her true crime obsession and the discoveries she makes shocks the entire community and everyone she loves.

This was such an emotional, well crafted mystery, executed in a way only seasoned authors can. Slow paced and meticulous, this pulls the reader into this fictional world, making us feel every emotion that the protagonist does. With a great plot and well developed characters, this was a brilliant story from beginning to end. Four Stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Harlequin Trade Publishing for this ARC.

I enjoyed this and had a hard time putting it down. I love true crime and cold cases! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to enjoy this ARC!

intriguing and uniquely well done thriller about a true crime writer whose daughter was kidnapped. thanks for the arc.