The story delves into the dark and twisted world of four friends bound by a chilling secret from their youth. That one fateful summer at Camp Pendleton, where the bonds of friendship were tested and shattered.
Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera, once inseparable friends, found themselves entangled in a web of deceit and betrayal when their actions lead to the death of Mr. Crosby, their charismatic tennis coach.
Sworn to secrecy by a pact forged in fear and desperation, the friends go their separate ways, burying their shared guilt and shame deep within their hearts.
Two decades later, a mysterious note threatens to expose their long-buried secret, forcing the women to confront the past they thought they had left behind.
As they reunite under the ominous shadow of Blakely's manipulative influence, old wounds are reopened and buried resentments resurface, casting a sinister pall over their fragile reunion.

I really enjoyed this book, it had a clever plot with carefully developed characters. Suspenseful pacing, which really ratcheted up as the story continued which built up to an unexpected twist.
Told through a dual timeline that seamlessly weaved between past and present.
Thank you Lucinda Berry and NetGalley for an early copy.

TW: SA, animal death and grooming

Lucinda Berry is one of my favorite authors. This book did not disappoint! There are 4 different POV’s, all with past and present. While the book does move around quite a bit, each chapter is labeled with the character as the narrator, and if it’s past or present at the time.

Enjoyable book about 4 friends and their time at summer camp at Camp Pendleton. The book discusses their time there with different thoughts, mention of early life, and their current status. They’re all traumatized from their last summer at camp and build their lives to move on without mention. Things heat up when the 4 are back together, years after camp. It was an awkward, but much needed, reunion as their past comes back to haunt them. What happens at camp doesn’t always stay at camp.

Thank you so much to Lucinda Berry and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to receive and read this eARC.

A great twisty story by Lucinda Berry. Although I could see how things would play out, it wasn’t quite what I expected. And that’s not a bad thing. A highly readable page turner. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

This is a dual story timeline about 4 friends who kept a secret when meeting at summer camp and reunite 20+ years later. I love Lucinda’s books but this one seemed a little rushed to get to the ending.


https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/200033983

Another hit by Lucinda Berry! This books starts off with an intriguing story from the beginning. Chapters switch back and forth between characters as well as past/ present. This can cause some confusion at first, but you'll quickly learn the character traits of the girls and it all comes together. Twists and turns for sure, and I didn't have every detail figured out, but I did see the end coming. Quite an enjoyable read. I only wish the ending hadn't been wrapped up quite so quickly.

3.5 stars. I do normally love this author, but this was not one of my favorites. It was still a decent read, and I was entertained.

As always Ms. Berry did not disappoint. The twists, the turns the storyline.

One of my favorite authors because she uses your mind to mess with you, trying the entire time to figure out who did it to only realize you are wrong at every turn.

Not only should you read this book you should read alllll of her books, just an amazing read.

I'm a huge fan of Lucinda Berry's work, but unfortunately, "If You Tell a Lie" didn't quite live up to my expectations. While Berry's writing is still engaging and thoughtful, the multiple POVs in this book overwhelmed me. The constant switching between perspectives made it difficult to fully invest in any one character's story, and the pace suffered as a result.

The plot was intriguing, but it unfolded at a slower rate than I'm used to from Berry's books. Despite my struggles with this particular novel, I remain a fan of the author and look forward to her future works. Berry's unique voice and talent for crafting compelling stories will continue to draw me in.

If you're a die-hard Lucinda Berry fan like me, you may still want to give this one a try. However, if you're new to her work, I'd recommend starting with one of her other titles that showcase her writing at its best

A Lucinda Berry book never lets me down and this one followed the same pattern. This book was very suspenseful and had me guessing a lot! I binged it in 2 days and could not put it down.

Thank you to Lucinda’s team for allowing me to be an ARC reader and NetGalley for making it possible.

I love Lucinda Berry’s novels and was waiting quite impatiently for her newest book! “If You Tell a Lie” is told from 5 different points of view, from two different time frames, and there are 2 main storylines. You have to pay attention to which character the chapters belong to, but it wasn’t too difficult and this method really kept the story going. All in all, the story was well written and the ending tied everything together. I just wish there was a bit more to the ending, although maybe there will be a sequel?!

As I hoped I would, I really enjoyed this book and I’m looking forward to the next Lucinda Berry novel!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for my advanced copy.

Four girls have been going to a summer camp for gifted children from early childhood until they are seniors in high school. During that last summer, something horrifying happens, leaving someone dead, someone in jail, and lotsssss of questions. Flash forward 26 years--they agreed to not have contact with each other after than final summer, until they all receive suspicious letters in the mail. What happens when they all come back together and their secrets, both past and present, get exposed along the way?

I personally am veryyyy picky about thriller reads. I’ve always loved Lucinda’s books because they feel different than the usual thriller plot. While this read was slightly predictable, it took me longer than usual to guess the ending. I don’t think any book will ever be as shocking to be as Saving Noah, but this one still had some twists and turns that I wasn’t expecting.

Much like many of Lucinda’s reads, this book includes multiple points of view (5) and dual timelines, splitting from present to 26 years ago. While I enjoyed having so many different POV’s, it did take me a little bit to remember/figure out which character had which storyline.

With that being said, I almost wish there was an additional POV (even if it was just a chapter) for the person who was killed that summer. I did feel like there were still some loose ends that I wish would have been addresses, but I know that Lucinda often leaves pieces of her books open to interpretation ◡̈

Of all the Lucinda Berry books I have read, this one is definitely the most recent. I absolutely love Lucinda Berry’s books, but this one just fell flat for me. There were so many characters involved that all of them felt two dimensional. There just wasn’t enough room in the story to flesh out all the characters properly.

The four main characters, Blakely, Meg, Grace, and Thera, are old friends from summer camp. I don’t want to give spoilers, but they discover a dead body while at camp and indirectly have something to do with the person’s murder. Sounds like a great plot to me. Unfortunately, the story is just messy and struggles to make any sense. I did, however, like how the ending wasn’t wrapped up in a perfect little bow.

I’m looking forward to Lucinda Berry’s next book and hopefully I will like it better than this one. This story just didn’t hit with me at all.

I received a free ARC of this book via NetGalley for my review. All opinions and reviews are my own.

If You Tell a Lie by Lucinda Berry. Pub Date: July 23, 2024. Rating: 3 stars. Set in past and present timeline format, this is the story about 4 women who were brought together one summer at a camp where a murder was committed. The 4 women are brought together with a note that presents 20 years later from that summer. All of the women come from different walks of life, have different insecurities and motives. Who was the murderer and what was the motive? Who covered up for whom? This book started off really strong and then lost some steam as the story progressed. I thought the premise was intriguing though. I love the fast paced nature of this author's books. Solid psychological thriller for the summer. Thanks to #netgalley and #thomasandmercer for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review. #ifyoutellalie

What I’m going to say feels weird. This was probably one of the most light hearted murder books by Lucinda. I would say it’s the perfect summer thriller. It was fun, it was dark, but not give you weird dreams for a week dark. The different perspectives of the 5 characters past and present kept the story flowing, and made me want to just read a little more. I’d fully recommend this to a brand new Lucinda reader, but maybe not to a long time fan.

This book was a great, quick read in true Lucinda Berry Fashion. When a teenager at camp develops an obsession over the new tennis coach, all hell breaks loose. Each character of the friend group were spotlighted to show their different backgrounds and personalities, and even how unlikely they were as friends.

In this dual time period book, you bounce back and forth between the girls as friends at a summer camp, and present day. The secrets they hold are brought to the surface and each girl must decide if they’ve grown up and apart or if they’re still blood sisters.

The nostalgia from the 90s came rushing back in the first few chapters. The description of camp was on point! I really enjoyed this story and always look forward to Lucinda’s books when they’re released!

Thank you NetGalley, Ms. Berry, and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!

I am blown away! At the beginning I couldn’t figure out how everything was going to tie in. There were so many points of view but they were all necessary to the plot. Towards the end I thought I had it figured out and in true Lucinda fashion here comes another curve ball! I can’t get enough of her books! I’m always sad when I finish the latest book knowing I have to wait for the next book to be written!

Kept me interested and up all night reading, definitely a story of twisted teens. I would say it was an intense story with a fairly predictable plot.

A six-week long summer camp filled with girls who are never told no, what could possibly go wrong? So so many things. This book dealt with some HEAVY stuff, bringing a lot of important things to light, making it a bit more than a thriller. The storyline alternates POVs and is told in a fast-paced manner, so you definitely won't be bored!

Overall a fast-paced thriller that definitely has some shock value.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc, all opinions are my own

Review posted on Goodreads

If you put a bunch of trigger warning topics into a blender you could spit out this story.

Four summertime friends make a foolish decision that results in tragedy then come together 25 years later to make some more foolish choices.

Told from a Then and Now timeline with multiple points of view that made this a chaotic and incoherent story. The twists did nothing to redeem the plot.

I loved Lucinda Berry! Yet, this book was not one of my favorites. As an educator, I do not know what the drive is to write about authority figures having or being accused of having inappropriate relationships with minors they are in charge of. It is just a gross topic.