read if you like:
📍 NYC in the early 2000’s
🎨 artist drama
💁🏻‍♀️ missing people

summary:
This book follows Anna, an aspiring artist in NYC at the beginning of the 2000’s, and her friend Willow, a mysterious photographer Anna met in art school. Anna finds herself drawn to Willow when they meet, a fascinating woman ready to expand Anna’s horizons and view of the world. The book goes back and forth in time between when they met in the late 1990’s, and 2001, when the two live together in NYC when planes strike the Twin Towers. Their relationship had been strained, and Anna and their friend Milo had arranged for someone to prank Willow that day, to try to put her in her place. The problem? No one knows where she is. As she worries that her prank caused actual harm, she starts to learn there was more to Willow than met the eye.

This book is a journey!! It starts fast, then slows down in the middle, and picks up at the end. It centers around the theme — who do you really know, and who can you trust? Anna is a flawed main character — she’s likable but petty, empathetic yet cold-hearted. It’s hard to tell if you really like her, even up until the end. None of the characters are relatable, which makes the story a little hard to get into, but it keeps you guessing on who you can trust, and who really is your “friend”. The overlay with 9/11 adds another interesting element — for those of us that lived through it, it feels raw and tragically accurate. The story drags out a little bit more than it probably needs to, but it spends a lot of time going deep in the art world and community, which is an area I didn’t know much about. The ending feels complete — again tragic, surprising but also a little expected (in a good way).

Thanks to Hyperion Avenue and NetGalley for the ARC. For a different kind of page turner, I highly recommend checking this book out when it releases on May 27!

Review of Tell Them You Lie by Lauren Leffler:

Tell Them You Lie by Lauren Leffler is a gripping psychological thriller that explores the murky waters of truth, deception, and the lengths people will go to protect their darkest secrets. The novel follows the story of a woman named Emma, who is trying to rebuild her life after a traumatic event. As she navigates her new reality, she becomes entangled in a series of lies and manipulations that threaten to unravel everything she’s worked to protect.

What really stands out about this book is how expertly Leffler builds tension. The pacing is sharp and deliberate, keeping you on the edge of your seat as the plot twists and turns. As Emma’s past slowly comes to light, you’re forced to question the reliability of every character. Who can be trusted? And how far will Emma go to protect herself and her loved ones? The sense of paranoia and suspense is palpable throughout.

The central character, Emma, is complex and deeply layered. Her motivations aren’t always clear, and that ambiguity makes her both relatable and unpredictable. Leffler does a fantastic job of making you care about her, even when her actions are questionable, and the emotional depth of Emma’s journey is one of the novel’s strongest points. It’s a fine balance between sympathy and suspicion, which makes for a compelling narrative.

The writing itself is tight and focused, with just the right amount of detail to draw you into the story without overwhelming you. Leffler knows how to deliver just enough information to keep you guessing, without tipping her hand too early. The gradual unfolding of Emma’s past and the web of lies she’s caught in keeps you hooked until the very end.

The twists in this novel are satisfying, though they may not all be entirely unexpected for seasoned thriller readers. However, the way Leffler weaves them into the narrative feels fresh and engaging, especially as the stakes rise and Emma’s lies spiral out of control. The final resolution is tense and rewarding, providing a sense of closure without wrapping everything up too neatly.

Overall, Tell Them You Lie is a fast-paced, suspense-filled thriller that will keep you guessing and questioning what’s real. If you love psychological thrillers with unreliable characters, intricate plotting, and a sense of growing unease, this book will definitely deliver. It’s a great read for fans of domestic suspense who enjoy a strong, flawed protagonist and plenty of twists.

This was a quick and interesting read! Although non of the characters were likable to me, it was still interesting because of the backdrop of the 9/11 attacks. The characters were so invested in their own lives, it was as if they were living in their own bubbles! All in all - it was a good book

This type of book really isn’t my usual read so that could be why I struggled to get in to it. Personally I couldn’t connect with any of the characters, but I did enjoy the art aspect of the book.

This book has dual timelines, one being in 2001 during 9/11 (though that was just more background noise than an actual part of the book) and the other being 4 years earlier when the characters were in college. This books takes you through the highs and lows of toxic female friendships and what happens when you think you can manipulate the manipulator.

Thank you, Hyperion Avenue, for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Tell then you Lied is quite the twisted tale of friendship between Willow and Anna. Anna comes from a very sheltered home life due to her brothers illness. Willow comes from a wealthy family in Chicago. The two friends meet in college along with the third member Lindsey. The three attend the prestigious art school and are all competing for the top awards as well as trying to be friends. Anna wants to be like Willow in college. The book goes back and forth between the college experience and present day which happens to September 11th. The girls all live in New York City and no one knows where Willow is and if she is alive as she was in the area where the towers fell. Overall, good read. A little wordy at times as it goes back and forth but the telling of the relationship between friends and how we see people is amazing.

An excellent read for any and all readers! Author comes at you with both barrels and knocks you out of your shoes! Great job fleshing out all the characters. I give this book FIVE stars! Definitely recommend!

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I enjoyed the artist theme and learned many interesting things. The characters though - Willow, Anna, Boomer, Milo - all pretty horrible but Willow was by far the worst. She was dark and twisted and I almost stopped reading a few times.

The big miss for me was 9/11. If that was occurring as the one storyline evolved, their reactions just didn't make any sense. No one could have been that oblivious. I'm giving this 3 stars and hope that many others will enjoy it more than I did.

Thank you for the ARC.

I liked this book! It wad an easy read, I really didn't know what the ending would be until I got there. I did really dislike the some of the characters, which is probably by design. Definitely enjoyable.

Enjoyable read that still manages to artfully use a tragedy (9/11) as a frame story. The prose was excellent and put me right in the art world and in the general vibe of NYC at the turn of the century. I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a taut suspense about friendship and the circumstances that can derail even the best of bonds.

I love a campus novel, I love a deranged female friendship novel, I love an art novel, and I love a NYC novel...and this delicious novel is all four in one so it was perfectly suited to my reading taste. Paired with beautiful prose and a structure that maximized the effect of the storytelling and this was a 5-star read for me.

In the beginning, I was thinking that it was a take on a retelling of 9/11 but, then it became a missing person of a friend who wanted to fake their own death because of art due to something that happened and they wanted no one to find out about. I just wish that maybe and how did they know 9/11 was going to happen in the first place. It left me in question mode but, it sorta made sense in the end just not on the friend who faked her own death part. That was weird in itself and the dual timeline made it no better, I was in a ball of confusion but, after carefully considering it. I give it a solid 4.2 because the plot had me like what the entire time.

I had a really hard time getting into this book. The premise was intriguing to me having been around the same age as the main characters during 9/11 but it fell flat for me.

The characters were snobby, pretentious, arrogant, and just plain unlikable. Honestly, I found myself not really caring what happened to them.

The first half was very slow but it did pick up closer to the end. I’m glad I finished it, but it took awhile.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.

I want to thank NetGalley and publishers for my ARC copy of Tell Them You Lied.

The book opens with us first being introduced to Anna Vaughn on 9/11: the day the World Trade Center collapsed and all of America changed. That isn’t the only thing changing, however, as Anna is pacing the apartment she shares with her flat mate and best friend, Willow Whitman, waiting for her return.

Anna meets Willow at her first year at Balwin University. Both girls’ sparking up a friendship in Professor Kape’s class. This friendship with Willow becomes a deeply envious obsession for Anna, which is reminiscent of the Darren Aronofsky film, ‘Black Swan.” Yearning for the recognition that Willow seems so easily to obtain because all Anna craves most in life is to be recognized for her talent and art, while also coming from a lack of deep friendships before this moment because of an accident that happened with her younger brother that leaves Anna feeling ostracized from the ability of having deep connections with others. Anna yearns to be accepted, wanted, and desired so strongly it becomes her entire personality - desperate to please Willow for any form of gratification through praise. She’s wants to belong in the world that Willow resides so badly that in one chapter of the book she goes to visit Willow in Chicago during school break. When she’s greeted by the doorman, she considers being polite and smiling but decides against it believing this would further show she didn’t belong in a world like Willow’s. One of the key things I loved about the narrative was how Leffler implemented art throughout Anna’s inner dialogue describing things with a painter’s vision and terms; like Willows eyes and what names of paints would be used to resemble the color.

As we travel through the four years of this friendship and the abuse of power that happens from those we admire and those to be admired, a dark and unsettling story begins to unfold. Leffler weaves the story with a sharp tone that takes a look not only at how heavily art is influenced by women - either by being the artist or the muse - and the transgressions against their sexuality and presence is used to undermine them. To make them a simple pawn to men to be gawked at and used.

Leffler is able to create a knife-edged back and forth of timelines that only stands to heighten this story of envy, obsession, and betrayal. Every chapter gave the false security that we finally were going to understand the dynamics and the relationship of these two women just as quickly as it would take it away by the chapters last sentence. This was a fantastic book that centered around the trauma of being a woman, the female rage that comes from abuse of power, and the great lengths we are willing to go to get the ending we believe we truly deserve.

Enjoyable read. Not my favorite but it did have some good storyline.
will keep you on your toes and turning pages—a can’t-miss thriller that will reel you in immediately.

Worth the read.

Two wannabe art students share a room. Willow from a wealthy family and Anna from a poor family. Poor Anna is so determined to become an artist that sometimes she loses sight of Willow and her manipulative ways. The story starts 4 years previously, and gradually moves to the present.

Willow manipulates all their fellow students, but Anna gets caught time and time again believing in her only to recognize later she has been deceived. Willow is all about Willow. Most of the characters are not likeable and as time goes forward Willow shows her true character. It is worth a read and the author has done a good job of keeping the audience guessing how everything will turn out.
I give it between 3.5 and 4 stars.

This is a twisty story of 2 women who are " friends" but due to jealousy are more like enemies. One friend might be responsible for the disappearance of the other, all while 911 is the back drop for the story. It had a few twists and keeps you engaged. At times it does drag a bit.

this is a fast moving, twisty story of two very damaged women, in a codependent friendship. set during their college days and then young adulthood during 9/11. Both very ambitious artists, both very wounded. while it sometimes felt like it went too far, we were drawn into their world of beauty, power/powerlessness with men and in one case wealth. I found it interesting, and did get involved with the main character.

It is interesting to read this during the worst fires in Ca, to watch the devastation, part of this book is set in 9/11 and those descriptions amp up the mystery. I think my students will like this one, two timelines a toxic friendship over the years and one goes missing. The details about art might be interesting to some students but might be too much for most who aren't into art, but the ambition might be more relatable.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hyperion for the opportunity to review the ARC for this book that is publishing May 27th. This novel highlights the struggles, obstacles, and short-lived victories of two young women coming of age in the competitive art scene in the early aughts. Anna is a bright, ambitious and determined young adult from a modest background who befriends Willow, a wealthy, manipulative up-and-coming artist that she meets in college. They become roommates and struggle with what it means to be suffering artists, the notion of who becomes a 'muse', and how value in art is determined. Themes of sexual violence, exploitation, and the ways in which female relationships often buckle under the pressure of trying to succeed in a male-dominated world are also explored with great effect in the pages of Tell Them You Lied.

The writing was great and the characterization was okay (I didn't mind the 'unlikability' of the characters, but felt there was a shallowness and lack of exploration into some of the deeper mental health struggles they were experiencing, and their motives were, at times, too unbelievable, weird even for my taste). Themes of the patriarchy, sources of female toxicity, money and class were fleshed out enough in this high stakes world artist endeavour, and I also liked the narrative structure of two timelines drawing closer together until the intersection in the third act. What I'm unsure about was the author's effectiveness in using 9/11 as a backdrop, and I also wasn't invested in some of the plot twists because they seemed too unbelievable, or rather too convenient.

Undoubtedly, this book will find a readership as it is interesting, entertaining, and unique.

Tell Them You Lied by Laura Leffler is a captivating and suspenseful psychological thriller that keeps readers hooked with its well-paced plot and strong character development. The story follows a woman, Maddie, whose life begins to unravel after a lie she told spirals out of control, pulling her into a web of secrets, betrayal, and danger. Leffler expertly blends suspense, tension, and mystery, creating a compelling narrative that kept me turning pages.

The character of Maddie is complex and relatable, and Leffler does an excellent job of exploring her internal struggles as she deals with the consequences of her actions. Her emotions, fears, and motivations are depicted with authenticity, making her journey both believable and engrossing. The supporting characters are equally well-crafted, and their interactions with Maddie add layers of intrigue and uncertainty to the story.

Leffler’s writing is sharp and engaging, with a knack for building tension and creating an atmosphere of unease. The pacing is generally strong, with the plot moving steadily forward, although there are a few slower moments in the middle where the narrative could have been tightened. The twists and turns are satisfying, though some are more predictable than others. Still, the book keeps you invested with its gripping suspense and well-timed reveals.

While the book is generally well-executed, the resolution left a few questions lingering, and the ending, though fitting, felt slightly rushed. I also would have liked to see a bit more depth in the exploration of certain plot points, but overall, the book delivers a solid and engaging reading experience.

In conclusion, Tell Them You Lied is a strong 4/5 star read. It’s a psychological thriller that blends suspense, emotion, and mystery in a way that will keep readers engaged from start to finish. While it may not be the most groundbreaking thriller out there, it’s a highly enjoyable and gripping story that fans of the genre will appreciate. Leffler has crafted a novel that is definitely worth reading, with memorable characters and a plot that delivers on its promises. I was given an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my review.