A gripping tale of betrayal and deceit, this novel follows three friends who discover just how far they’re willing to go to protect their secrets. The story begins with the trio setting off on a bachelorette trip abroad, only to be harassed and stalked by a fellow hotel guest. As the tension builds, questions arise… what have they done to provoke such attention, and how does it end with one of them dead? The characters are flawed and relatable, yet also deeply frustrating. Despite wanting to root for them, I couldn’t help but feel that “Karma’s a bitch” as the story unfolded. Ichaso expertly explores the idea that while everyone has secrets, those hidden sins, especially when they come at the expense of others, can lead to devastating consequences.

*Thank you to Chelsea Icaso, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC copy. I am freely leaving my honest review.

So I Lied was very engaging and enjoyable. It tells the story from dual timelines and dual perspectives at the same time. Chelsea Ichaso did a great job keeping the story interesting by just giving you a little of each person at a time. There are just flashes of the current day, while trying to uncover the backstory of the friends which led them to be "best friends" and have lies that would make them "enemies." She gives you a little at a time to keep you distracted from uncovering the whole truth while still being engaged in the story. I listened to this using Audible. It was a great experience. I think it helps the story unfold clearly and keeps each character separated. The story was very engaging and I would recommend you try it.

I have loved other books by Chelsea so I was very excited for this one and it did not disappoint. It had me drawn into all the secrets and lies and I just had to find out the truth.

This was a fast paced thriller. I really enjoyed The Summer She Went Missing, so I was really excited about receiving this one from netgalley.
3 friends go to Europe for a bachelorette weekend, but when lies from the past come to the surface, the trip takes an unexpected turn. This is classic girl on girl drama. Friendship triangles and love triangles and murder and sinister vibes all dang day. Loved it.
Thank you netgalley for the arc!

"So I Lied" by Chelsea Ichaso is a fast-paced debut thriller that keeps readers hooked from start to finish. Three best friends, all with secrets of their own, travel to North Wales for a bachelorette party. The story opens with a death, and secrets are revealed from the beginning. This is a and suspenseful story that I finished in less than a day! The author has mastered the emotion and deception that come with "friendships" and years of hidden secrets. If you're into fast-paced thrillers with emotion, pick this one up!

Three American friends take a holiday to a remote part of Wales, where buried secrets inevitably erode their friendships and lead to some horrific discoveries along the way. Their plans further derail when sensing a backpacking couple getting claustrophobically close. Each friend is hiding a secret worse than the last..

I enjoyed the mystery, the secrets, and being kept guessing throughout on who the culprit could be. The story starts at the end, so we get a vague sense that one of the women was in a horrible accident leading to her death, and then we backtrack to the beginning.

It’s told through multiple perspectives, which builds the tension and adds a layer of truth each time. However I struggled with perceiving a strong distinctive personality between the three women (Jocelyn, Cadence, Rowan). Jocelyn is intended to be the attractive, assertive and arrogant one. Cadence is intelligent, organised and amiable. Rowan is quieter, empathetic and anxious. Yet they all blended into the same voice a lot of the time. And as they were each quite toxic to one another, it became even harder to distinguish voices. I often had to scroll back to the start of each chapter to identify whose voice I was reading. But if you can see past that, there is lots of interpersonal drama to get a guilty rush from.

I similarly disliked the depth of the characters. Occasionally there would be snippets of depth or reflection which could redeem the book a little. However, overall, the characters created a world almost based entirely on superficialness and possessiveness. Two very unlikeable traits for women meant to be in their mid-twenties. I had to double check this wasn’t intended for YA audiences.

Plot-wise, there are so many convoluted turns that, coupled with each characters superficial motives, just become unlikely agents in delivering a convincing story. The story did grow on me a bit more towards the end. But even the surprise towards the end didn’t strike me as reasonable or believable. When too many characters become suspects, it just tips the believability scales. Yet somehow the author made it work, so I was completely on the fence with this one.

I think you’ll enjoy this as a popcorn thriller if you like a lot of interpersonal drama and tension, with some cat-and-mouse, suspense, manipulation, secrets and murder.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Chelsea Ichaso for this advanced copy.

My reaction to each and every carefully crafted plot twist in this book: 😱👀🧐🤡😱

Chelsea has done it again, and impressively well! I would describe this book as Pretty Little Liars mixed with an Agatha Christie novel. The story follows 3 friends from high school all grown up and on a European bachelorette trip. They arrive at a cozy B&B in a small, rural area to get some well needed rest and relaxation. Until the kindness of some fellow travelers turns into stalking, missing persons, and murder.

This book kept me guessing as I read each chapter. The plot twists were at just the right moments, and the little red herrings had me accusing the wrong person more than once! This is an incredibly fun read!

Read this book if you enjoy:
👥 Multiple POVs
🌪️ Twisted friendships
🤫 Secrets
❓ Who done it thrillers
🔀 Multiple plot twists

Overall, I can’t say enough good things! One of my favorite things about this book is the multiple POV chapters and the “Now” sections. It was a genius way to go back and forth between the present and past. I enjoyed every moment of this book and it has been placed on my “favorites” shelf on Goodreads! This is Chelsea’s first adult thriller, and I think it may be her best work yet! If she writes it, I will read it!

Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for this copy of the book to read in exchange for an honest review! 💕

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I've been a fan of Chelsea Ichaso’s YA thriller books for several years, so when I heard she had an adult thriller coming out, I knew I had to get an ARC. So I Lied is a twisty tale of lies, love, betrayal, and secrets.

The book starts out with three friends going on a trip to North Wales as a celebration for Jocelyn’s bachelorette party. Rowan and Cadence go with her, and Jocelyn’s parents pay for the entire trip. The three women aren’t as close as they used to be back in high school, or even college, but Rowan and Cadence seem excited about a trip and a chance to rekindle their friendship. Joceyln’s aunt and uncle run a bed and breakfast out in the country, and they invite the women to stay there for free. They didn’t realize how far the B&B was from the sites they want to visit, or that it would be so difficult to get a taxi or transportation. What makes matters worse is that the two guests staying in the room next to their, Magnus and Valentina, start stalking them and show up everywhere they go. They aren’t sure what the strangers want from them, or why they’ve set their sights on harassing them. However, it soon becomes clear that everyone is harboring their own dark secret.

This book has multiple POVs, including one in the present that shows glimpses of what happens after one of the three women dies. I enjoyed guessing which person died based on the clues. So I Lied is a fun, fast-paced read. I read it in only a few sittings because I didn’t want to put it down. The plot twists were great and kept me hooked as the story progressed. I loved the way the book ended, BUT I could have done without the epilogue.

*Thank you to the publisher, Chelsea Ichaso, and NetGalley for the eBook ARC. This is my honest opinion.

So I QUITE ENJOYED THIS BOOK! From the moment I saw the cover, this book had me. Everything about it was a YES. The writing, the plot, the characters. Absolutely thrilled to have read this.

Three best friends with a past that each is hiding come to light when they set out on an all-girls trip. It was a fast-paced novel that had me guessing throughout. I enjoyed how easily it went from then to now and kept you wondering who was guilty. The believable characters drag you along with them as they tell their side of the story. As it all unfolds and you realize who was murdered the truth of why is revealed. The person responsible now has their secret to keep. Chelsea Ichasco writes a fast-paced thriller and I will be looking forward to reading more of her novels.

This book was super slow to start and slightly confusing with the 3 person point of view. But the set up was well worth the multiple twists in the end.

Three friends set off together to rekindle their friendship and celebrate Jocelyns upcoming wedding. But what the friends don't realize is that all 3 have secrets that are deadly and about to be exposed.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

When a girls weekend goes terribly, terribly wrong...

I loved the writing style of this author. The book was fairly fast paced and kept me engaged enough to keep reading.

However, I found that there were exactly zero likable characters in this book, and absolutely no one that I was rooting for in the end. I'd figured out who had done it fairly early in the book, but stuck around to figure out the why. I would say that this book was good, but not great. I did like the writing style enough that I will check out her other books. Perhaps, this is the one of hers that just wasn't for me.

Includes: non-linear timeline, multiple POVs
TW: murder, violence, stalking, manipulation

**Thank you NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for sending this book for review. All opinions are my own.**

3,5 stars!
I really had a great time reading this book. It was fast paced and the story was intriguing! I liked that the story was told in multiple POV's and that the chapters were not that long. The ending was mindblowing and I would never have guessed that. The reason that I gave this book 3,5 stars is because I thought that the story was a little bit repetitive. I recommend this book if you're looking for a quick read that will blow your mind!

Thank you to NetGalley, Chelsea Ichaso, and Thomas & Mercer for the ebook! This gripping story explores friendship and the lies that tie people together. With a chilling setting and plenty of twists, it's a book you won't want to miss!

True to its name, this book was full of lies- some so treacherous they were worth killing over.

When old friends, Cadence, Rowan, and Jocelyn, travel to North Wales for Jocelyn's bachelorette trip, they expected to spend their time sight-seeing and reliving old memories. However, that proves hard to do when they each have memories they can't share with the others. With their relationship already strained, the arrival of a mysterious couple, seemingly intent on stirring up trouble, only widens the gaps forming between them. And when all of their lies are finally brought to light, someone will have to pay the price.

I really enjoyed this twisty thriller! I liked how the author slowly revealed each character's secrets, it kept me guessing the whole book. With every revelation I thought I had the plot figured out, until the next chapter showed me how wrong I was. I also liked that the author told the story through each woman's perspective, because you could really see how each character viewed the dynamic of their relationship a little bit differently. I find the examination of female friendships so fascinating, even if this is obviously an extreme example, because there really is something about the competitiveness between women that can quickly turn a situation toxic.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso was so fast paced and entertaining!
Ichaso created another gripping thriller that hooked me from the first page.

I really liked the storyline, and I also enjoyed the twists. I liked how the story went back back-and-forth from the past to the present. There were times that I was confused between the three girls in the story and I had to stop and really think about who was who. Once I was able to do that I was able to get into the story And I definitely did not expect what happened.

This is a fast and twisty thriller about friends reuniting for a bachelorette weekend. The chapters alternate between the views of each character. That can be a confusing structure but it really works in this book. It really holds your attention and keeps you guessing about the mystery unfolding. The characters were pretty unlikeable so I wasn't too sad to find out the fate of the murdered friend but I enjoyed the path to get there. I think thriller readers will really connect to this one and anyone who enjoys a whodunnit plot. Thanks to Chelsea Ichaso, Thomas & Mercer, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

An account of the intricate web a lie can create and the lack of control over who gets entangled in it.

The thriller takes us on a journey of three “friends” Jocelyn, Rowan and Cadence as they take a bachelorette trip to North Wales. Each of the three has secrets they’ve kept from one another. One in particular is a direct result of a lie being intentionally told. As the trip progresses, the cracks begin to show as the pressure of said lie mounts with unforeseen consequences.

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.