Thank you for representing my culture in this novel (I am Mormon by association and live in Utah).
It has it all. It has creepy Brother Johnson, the damaged sister trying to protect her little sisters, the accusations of devil worship, and casseroles.
I really felt for all the girls and I understood Ruby. She is so flawed and obviously loves her sister immensely.
I understood why she did what she did.
I loved that ending.
The stuff with our girls mouth was very real to me as a survivor.
I liked the narration but I loved the story.

I think this book would land better if it were marketed toward a younger audience. The child protagonist read a little too YA for my taste, which pulled me out of the story. That said, I can see how it might click with other readers—it just wasn’t the right fit for me.

This book was just not for me. The plot was so unbelievable and i found myself getting bored. I gave this one 2 stars.

Laura Lee Bahr’s ‘Who is the Liar?’ is told from the perspective of tween Topaz. Some of it turned out to be a bit heavier than I had anticipated but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I liked the audiobook narration by Cicely Meadows and felt she got the tone just right.

A suspenseful story, told from the perspective of ten-year-old Topaz as she discovers a dark secret. I enjoyed the 1980's atmosphere and the tense premise.

‘Who gets to say who deserves what, and then who gives them what they deserve?… But sometimes innocent people pay the price for guilty people, and guilty people go free.’

I really enjoyed the audiobook narration by Cicely Meadows!

There were some far-fetched ideas throughout this story, which took away from the storyline and experience for me.

Who Is The Liar is told from the perspective of 10-year-old Topaz, and the childlike voice really works. She feels authentic—not overly precocious—and captures how a kid might try to make sense of something disturbing. The group dynamics between the children were also compelling, showing how they navigate complex adult situations with limited understanding.
The plot kept me guessing, with tension, creepiness, and emotional intensity throughout. The 80s setting added the perfect tone, with nostalgic yet grimy imagery that enhanced the story. By the end, the characters—especially Topaz—have grown, and the family dynamic is deeply altered.
Audiobook – The narration was excellent, bringing Topaz’s perspective to life in a believable, engaging way.

Unfortunately, this book was not the one for me. With the narrator being a fourth grader, this book felt like it would’ve been more appropriate for a much younger audience (with the occasional curse word).
The plot was unrealistic and I could 100% put that aside to enjoy the ride. However, the last quarter was just toooooo much.
The audiobook narrator did well, portraying a young character and her young sisters.
Although this book wasn’t for me, I hope other readers enjoy! Who Is the Liar by Laura Lee Bahr was released on August 1, 2025. Thank you to Netgalley and Brilliance Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Whenever I don't know what the heck to say in a review, I make lists, so here we go.

Liked:
-The narrator being a nine year old. I hate children, so I wasn't expecting to like it, but it was a very different experience and it was kind of cool.
-Super suspenseful, to the point of my heart actually started to beat faster a few times while I was reading.

Disliked:
-There's a lot of reallllly outlandish scenarios that would never actually happen. I can't say more without spoilers, but if you have a hard time suspending belief, this won't work for you.
Okay everything I didn't like has to do with the comment above. I won't elaborate further, just know that it's pretty ridiculous.

Ten-year-old Topaz discovers a secret. Her older sister, Ruby, has Brother Johnson tied up in the basement. Ruby says he's an evil man, but he seems nice, so who is the liar?

First of all, it's a big risk having a ten-year-old narrator. I think we can assume from the first sentence she speaks that she's unreliable. And while I generally enjoy an unreliable narrator, I didn't enjoy this one. I'm not a big fan of kid stories (as in stories about kids) in general, but this one had the infamous trope of the adults being so blindingly stupid. I hate that. While this story was compelling for a while, the ending really dove into WTF was happening territory. All through this whole book, Topaz told a story (that while unbelievable AF) actually made sense until like the last 4-5 chapters. I was so confused and then upset that the story just abruptly ended. Clearly Bahr made choices with her book, but in the end, they were choices that just weren't for me.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for this ALC. Cicely Meadows was a great narrator and really brought the story to life but this book just wasn't for me.

Intriguing premise and eerie 1980s atmosphere, but the pacing dragged and some character motives felt thin. The ending didn’t fully land for me. The MC was supposed to be 10 but the narrator made her sound like a 6 year old. Other than that narration was fine. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

3.5 stars rounded up.

I enjoyed this book, satanic panic is always fun, but I wish more was done with that aspect. It seems pretty fleeting and it may have ramped up the tension a bit. I like when the main character is a child and this one was a believable 10 year old. The choices Topaz makes and how she justifies them are very childish.

The audiobook narrator did a fantastic job, no notes.

Thank you Brilliance Publishing and NetGalley for this audiobook ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was both scary and hilarious. It is set in the 80s, which is one of my favorite time periods, and the nostalgia absolutely hit me hard! Especially with the sleepover! A child killer is on the loose and Topaz's older sister Ruby thinks she knows who it is, and she has done something about it. The book is unique because it takes the POV of 10 year old Topaz who is the youngest of four sisters. It is tragic because this story felt like one from my hometown. Because we didn't have cell phones to record things, many predators got away with their crimes. Ruby has taken Brother Johnson and tied him up with some help in the root cellar. She tells Topaz about it, and we see how Topaz handles all of this. Honestly, as an adult, we know why the adults are acting the way they are, and we are seeing how nonchalant Topaz is about the issues of a child killer out and about. Children have that magical thinking that nothing will happen to them. Therefore, this book was more serious that the POV lead us to believe.

This was a good thriller with horror themes!
You get a a story with an 80’s setting, told through the perspective of a 10yo girl, Topaz,
The plot kept me intrigued but I felt like it was the same circle for a long time and didn’t really figure out what was happening until the end.

This one seems to split readers, but for me - it worked! It had the same nostalgic yet unsettling vibe as the movie Summer of ‘84, which probably explains why I enjoyed it so much.

Set in a tight-knit and religious 1980s town, the story unfolds during the height of Satanic Panic and Stranger Danger - yet it’s also an era when parents left doors unlocked and kids roamed free after dark. Ten-year-old Topaz becomes caught in a chilling dilemma when her older sister, Ruby, claims she’s trapped the local child-killer in their root cellar. The “monster” turns out to be Brother Johnson from the church - kind, pleading, and claiming Ruby is lying. But Ruby does lie… she also likes to scare people. Still, would she lie about this?

What follows is an eerie, tension-filled game of trust, secrets, and moral choices. The book does require some suspension of disbelief, but that only added to the pulpy, retro thriller feel for me. I did wish there had been more depth to Brother Johnson’s wife and daughter - there’s a sense of ambiguity there (and with other characters) that left me curious.

Creepy, atmospheric, and a bit twisted - this was a fast, engaging read that I’ll be thinking about for a while.

I unfortunately decided to not finish this one at 34%.

I had a hard time connecting with the plot of this story and was just not getting into the characters. This book was just not for me, but it may be for someone else!

Thank you for the opportunity to listen to Who is the Liar!

⭐️⭐️.75

My true thoughts after finishing this book is why…and that all that for just one sentence at the end.

However… I did like the story up until the beast got out. After that it felt like the book was rushed to end.

The narrator did a good job. She definitely made it seem like a younger child was telling the story.

I’m still sitting with my thoughts. I did an immersion read.

A dark story about a young girl just trying to love her sisters. Topaz is the youngest of the four and has to share a bedroom with her oldest sister Ruby. Because of this, she knows all of Ruby's secrets, but it also means that she is frequently the target of Ruby's abuse. One night, Ruby takes her down to the cold space where Topaz discovers Ruby has somehow trapped a man in it. Topaz realizes that this is the same man from their church, the one who always smiles nicely at her, and questions why Ruby has done this. Ruby explains that this man is the person that has been taking and killing the kids, and she knows this because he hurt her when she was younger. Topaz doesn't understand and thus begins the long inner monolog of who is telling Topaz the truth and do they really have to kill this man?

A lot of blame on the satanic panic and Christian ideology at play here. Told only from Topaz's point of view, which as a young fourth grader can get draining after a while. Still, very enthralling and an ending I was hoping for but didn't expect. A sad ending to be sure.

This was definitely what felt like a unique premise, and it may have worked with a different execution. The biggest problem I had that was the most distracting was the narrator -- the little girl is ten but sounds more like six, especially in the audiobook.
It's short and entertaining though, and I liked the end. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me listen to this audiobook in exchange for an honest review

Started with a great premise, but between the boredom, cringy religious overload, and implausible plot, I bailed at 20%.
I couldn’t speed the narrator up enough to power though.

Thank you @NetGalley, Brilliance Audio, and Little A Books for this book in exchange for my honest review.

this was a quick read but also somehow slow paced - but it kept me riveted until the last page wanting to find out what the truth was - I didn't expect the twist at the end and am not convinced I liked it, but it was certainly compelling