Anna and Willow met at art school in 1996. They became friends quickly; Willow was her muse and Anna was sure that this would be a life-long friendship. Everyone was obsessed with Willow, so effortlessly cool and mysterious - and moody.

Fast forward to 2001 and Anna is tired. The realities of the art world weigh heavily on her and in the five years since they first met, Willow has shown time and again who she has always been. She is her own muse and cares little for others - even her supposed best friend.

So, one perfect day in September - with a sky so beautiful and blue that people will argue over it's color even decades later - Anna and her boyfriend plan to stage a little drama to send Willow back to her best friend. A fake mugging is the obvious way to do this, no?

If you hadn't guessed by the sky description, the day of their planned mugging turns out to be one of the worst days in the history of the United States. It is against the backdrop of 9/11 that the plan unfolds - or does it? Willow never returns home and Anna begins to panic. Hours, then days, crawl by and still no word from Willow. Is Anna the mastermind she thought she was by taking control back, or has Willow retained that power all along?

I liked the alternating timelines. We see the friendship develop during their art school days, and their 'current' lives in 2001 NYC.

I love a good toxic friendship story. The enigmatic girl who controls everyone around her, while being arrogant and manipulative and self-serving, can't exactly be blamed for the fact that people trip over themselves to be her friend. It's clear from the start that Willow is exactly this type of person, so it's hard to feel sorry for people who refuse to see her for who she is.

But everyone else is toxic in their own ways; they're self-centered and arrogant as well, though they all show it in different ways. They can't see that they cause as much damage as Willow.

Some reviews I saw said that 9/11 didn't need to be involved because it had nothing to do with the story, but...it's a pretty big part in terms of how it triggers Anna's panic. She has this elaborate plan to fake this mugging of Willow, basically to shake some sense into her I guess, and then once everything starts happening in Manhatten Anna is worried that something worse has happened to Willow as a result. I get how our minds can play tricks on us and always think of the worst possible scenario, and we shouldn't do that. But in this case, a really terrible unexpected scenario came true that day and Anna's fears seem justified. 9/11 occurring is the catalyst to make Anna freak out.

This one definitely kept me guessing because I had no idea what Willow was going to do. We know Anna's motivations because we are in her head. Willow is the big unknown here - though given her past behavior, we can ake educated guesses.

That being said, Anna drove me absolutely bonkers at times. It's like sometimes she had no concept of reality when she was so focused on Willow, when the world was falling apart around her. She continued to stay in Willow's orbit even after it was clear Willow was not nice to her, or even really a friend. Hence why I wasn't so worried about her disappearing. It was just another mean wake to wreck Anna and keep her around. But that didn't stop me from wanting to know what was really going on.

I didn't guess the ending entirely, though I got some things right. There were some decent twists that tripped me up, so that's always a bonus. I think the two timelines worked well and I would read this author again.

Recommended.

Tell Them You Lied is sharp and unsettling—a portrait of friendship gone toxic, ambition curdled, and art warped into something selfish and cruel. Laura Leffler perfectly captures the intoxicating pull of someone like Willow: magnetic, manipulative, and impossible to look away from, especially for someone like Anna, fresh to art school and hungry for meaning. The early chapters, set in the fever-dream world of their student years, are lush with creative energy and the kind of all-consuming intensity that can feel like destiny at 19.

Then the story cuts to 2001 New York, and everything is different—harsher, colder, lonelier. Anna’s desperation to pull Willow back into her orbit, even through something as twisted as staging a mugging, is both appalling and weirdly sympathetic. Leffler does an excellent job letting us sit in Anna’s unreliable perspective: we’re never quite sure where her self-justifications end and the truth begins.

And then there’s September 11th—the backdrop that shifts the entire novel into something heavier and more disquieting. The national tragedy amplifies the personal one, and Anna’s silence about her “prank” grows louder and more suffocating with every passing day. The alternating timelines work beautifully here, each shedding light on the other until the full picture comes into view.

It’s not an easy book—Anna isn’t always likable, and the moral murkiness might frustrate readers looking for neat resolutions—but it’s a compelling, tightly crafted story about obsession, guilt, and the lies we tell ourselves to live with what we’ve done. The ending leaves just enough unresolved to stick in your mind long after you’ve closed the book.

Many thanks to Netgalley for the e-arc!

So I really struggled reading this book, I kept putting it down because I wasn't really engaging in it. I'm sorry! I wanted to like it more than I did.

Most of this story is about aspiring artist, Anna, searching for her roommate/best frenemy, Willow, who went missing the morning of 9/11. Lots of flashbacks to the girls' love/hate relationship.
I don't think there was a single character in this book that I liked, which makes it tough to care what happens to them.
Thanks to #netgalley and #hyperionavenue for this #arc of #tellthemyoulied in exchange for an honest review.

I ended up DNFing this. It felt very meandering to me, and I felt that one plot point was being heavily hinted at, so I skimmed ahead to the end and my guess was correct. I also didn't understand why this was set during 9/11, it didn't really seem to add anything to the story, but again, I DNFed around 30% so maybe that came into play more later.

I just finished *Tell Them You Lied* by Laura Leffler and really enjoyed it — I’d give it a solid 4 out of 5. The story had a moody, almost haunting vibe that pulled me in right away, especially with the way the past and present were layered together. I liked how raw and complicated the characters were, even when they weren’t exactly easy to root for — it made their actions feel more real. The art school setting gave it an edgy, creative atmosphere, and I appreciated how the mystery unfolded gradually without being overly predictable. There were a few moments where the pacing slowed down a bit for me, but overall, it kept me curious and engaged. It’s not a new all-time favorite, but it was definitely a compelling, thoughtful read that stuck with me after I turned the last page.

Alternating between the friends' art school tenure and their lives in 2001 New York, Tell Them You Lied reveals how difficult the search for answers is when you'd rather have anything but the truth.

The book begins on September 11th in the midst of the attack on the United States. There is a concurrent plot to avenge someone's actions by other people enacted on that very day! Every action they took comes into focus as if we were not seeing enough on that day. Now, a young college student has not come back to school? Is she okay? What happened to her?
I was relieved when the action switched to the Ohio college ,Balwin, ,four years earlier.
Art class. Painting. . Anna has big plans for her future. Willow has befriended Anna , who is in her art class. So why did Anna set up a mugging for Willow, and why hasn't she returned. Surely, she must need her friend, Anna, after the mugging. Anna is having second thoughts about her plan to humble her friend. Is she responsible for something really bad? Are the two girls using and manipulating each other? Surely envy and the desire to be at the top of one's game are some of the world's worst motives. What role has Willow played in all of it?
It was hard for me to revisit the tragedy and losses of September 11th, and I found myself needing to skip the descriptions of New York at that time. The author was creative in giving a good look at the competitive nature of the art world, but the disturbing images of that day were too hard for me, and I didn't seem able to really get into it.
I found Anna and Willow to be a toxic combination because of the competitive nature of their craft. Neither one acted with love, respect, or admiration.. Is this modern friendship?
Thank you to the author and publisher for the ARC copy. Alk opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Solid 3 stars. This was an entertaining summer read that doesn’t require you to think too much. Lots of twists, and I have to admit I wasn’t expecting the ending to turn out the way it did, so that was a pleasant surprise.

If you are into books filled with pretentious, artsy young people and toxic friendships, you will love this.

I’d read another book by this author.

'Tell Them You Lied' by Laura Leffler was a good read. Dark, emotional, and thought-provoking enhanced by the post 9/11 setting. The story uses this backdrop to deepen the tension and guilt woven through the characters lives. The writing is sharp, and the complex friendship at its core kept me hooked. A noteworthy debut, congratulations to the author! I will definitely recommend it.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This debut thriller had me hooked from the start. It jumps between past and present to unravel a toxic friendship that began in the aftermath of 9/11 and spiraled into something darker. The writing is sharp and confident, and the story feels very rooted in place and time. I’ll admit the pacing slowed down a bit in the middle, but I was invested in the characters and the big reveal paid off. If you love stories about ambition, secrets, and the fine line between truth and perception, this one is worth picking up.

"𝑭𝒐𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒔𝒕 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒓 𝒚𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒔, 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒆 𝑨𝒏𝒏𝒂 𝒔𝒊𝒄𝒌 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒉𝒖𝒏𝒈𝒆𝒓. 𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒉𝒖𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒊𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓. 𝑼𝒔𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚. 𝑫𝒆𝒔𝒕𝒓𝒐𝒚𝒆𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒇𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆. 𝑻𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒂𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒆𝒓."

Special thanks to @hyperion & @netgalley for the #gifted eARC.

➡️ swipe for synopsis 👉🏼

𝙈𝙔 𝙍𝙀𝙑𝙄𝙀𝙒:
⭐️⭐️⭐️.75

I felt like this was definitely a slow burn, but so mysterious invitation the relationship of intrigue that I couldn't stop reading. I had to know what happened to Willow.

I did love the dual timelines and the academia/art school setting which is different from most thrillers I've read.

And let me tell you, the 2nd half of the book really puts you on edge and by the end, I said to my self "that was one hell of a book".


𝙋𝙐𝘽 𝘿𝘼𝙔:


ℚ𝕆𝕋𝔻❓️⁉️❓️ Do you like art? What about museums?

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#mysteryandthrills #thrillersandsuspense #thrillerfriendsunite #thrillerlover #thrilleraddict #thrillerjunkie #thrillergirlie #bookbuzz #lauraleffler #tellthemyoulied #netgalley
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Tell Them You Lied is an anxiety-inducing, tragic piece of literature. The story of Willow and Anna completely engulfed me. I was even surprised by how fast I finished this. Time went by so fast because I simply could not put down the book. I needed to learn more about the obsessive and devastating dynamic of Anna and Willow. From the first 30 pages, I felt as though I was looking down on a lake, a lake that I knew held secrets beneath its surface, and the anxiety that filled my body as I read, patiently waiting for the reveal, was unmatched. I had to pace around my living room at one point, in an attempt to burn off the anxious energy.

Laura Leffler's writing completely consumed me. I adore obsessive, and off-putting dynamics centred around women, and she delivered this flawlessly. Now I must go and contemplate the meanings of being a muse.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hyperion Avenue for the ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Tell Them You Lied had a lot of things I enjoy in a thriller: messy female friendships, art school rivalries, and the dark undercurrents of ambition and obsession. It definitely gave me summer thriller vibes—something quick to pick up, with just enough tension to keep me turning the pages.

I loved the focus on complicated female dynamics, but overall, it didn’t grip me as much as other thrillers I’ve read. The plot felt a bit uneven at times, and I wanted more intensity or twists to really pull me in.

Still, it was an enjoyable read with an atmospheric setting and some interesting commentary on friendship, jealousy, and the price of ambition—even if it wasn’t the most memorable thriller I’ve picked up.

Oh, wow, was this book intense! I appreciated the book being split between flashbacks and being in the present tense. There was definitely a dark and broody feeling, and adding in September 11th made it feel that much heavier. The book drew me in, and I didn't want to stop reading! There were a lot of twists and turns, which kept up the suspense. The book definitely makes you think about how women, especially young women, are seen in the world, still even today. As a fellow artist, I could relate to the struggle these women had just to be noticed and accepted in a male-domiated world. The book also deals with themes of control and trust. The friendship between the two women is definitely a toxic one. There are a lot of trigger warnings, so make sure to check those out before reading. Overall, I did enjoy the book.

Tell Them You Lied is Laura Lefler’s debut novel. The plot is fascinating, and the book is hard to put down. On one level, the book is based on a toxic friendship between two young women — Anna Vaughn and Willow Whitman — who become fast friends and competitors in art school, and later move to New York in 2001 after graduation seeking success. On another level, the book is a condemnation of the culture of the art world, where the works of women artists are trivialized, and women are too frequently objects of paintings by male artists or their muses.

While well-written, the novel’s plotting is uneven and often confusing, moving back and forth in time between art school (written in the third person) and
New York in the months between graduation and post-September 11th (written in the first person from Anna’s point of view). Nonetheless, the book has much to recommend it, and I think it will be well-
appreciated by fans of art and psychological thrillers equally. 4.0 out of 5.0 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion Avenue/Disney Publishing Group for a complimentary copy of this book.

Such a twisted story of an extremely toxic friendship. So well written that it kept me addicted to every word! Can't wait to read more from this author!

This one is hard to review—the toxicity between the two main characters, Anna and Willow, is off the charts. Alternating between two timelines, the author slowly closes the gap from when they first meet to a tipping point in NYC.

At a small liberal arts college, both art majors, Anna—a small-town girl with few friends and surprising talent as a painter—is immediately drawn to the sophisticated and enigmatic Willow. Willow grew up on Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive, draped in designer clothes and armed with a sharp eye for photography. The two seem like opposites, but somehow, they click.

After graduation, they find themselves together again in Brooklyn, each trying to break into the New York art scene. But Anna—still naïve—is finally starting to see Willow’s true colors. Tired of the manipulation and mind games, Anna hatches a plan to give Willow a taste of her own medicine. Then 9/11 happens, and everything unravels—both in the city and in Anna’s life.

What could have been a compelling exploration of toxic friendship and artistic ambition ultimately fell a bit flat for me. Anna came across as petty and, frankly, a little dim—even though she had every right to feel hurt and angry. Her character lacked the nuance that Willow’s seemed to have. I did appreciate the detailed art lessons woven into the story, which offered insight into Anna’s development as an artist. However, the 9/11 subplot felt tacked on and unnecessary to the emotional core of the story.

This angsty novel just wasn’t for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hyperion Avenue, and of course the author Laura Leffler for the advanced copy of the book. Tell Them You Lied is out now. All opinions are my own.

In Laura Leffler's TELL THEM YOU LIED, the scenes set at college are fantastic. They spark with tension between the main characters Anna and Willow as well as between classmates. The competition is fierce and the divide between the artists with money and those without is sharp. I could have read a whole novel on that campus with those characters.

But that's not the story of TELL THEM YOU LIED. Instead, it's a story that jumps five years after college, when Anna, Willow, and several of their classmates have moved to NYC. The competition is still there. The facade of friendship is still there. However, Willow disappears, which creates a new, fervent appreciation of her art. And causes even deeper jealousy in Anna. This made sense in the same way that people obsess over even the most tangential connection to someone when they are suddenly considered a star.

What does not work is using the setting of September 11, 2001 as the background. Of course, at some point, it's going to be in stories like any other historical event. But the way it is used in the plot feels ... not right. All of the characters were toxic, which made the 9/11 timing seem like it was designed to create a sense of sympathy the novel did not earn.

This book was really well done if the author was going for unlikeable characters- but it was genius in the execution. I could not stand either Milo or Willow. Milo was rude when it wasn't necessary. Willow was the quintessential mean girl- who ultimately got what she wanted at the end. This book captured toxic relationships flawlessly!