Lie To Me

This made me think of Gone Girl, as I've read it not long ago, but it's not as boring. I actually did really like Gone Girl, but found it too literary and slow moving, where as this book cuts the crap and you're able to get on with the story. There are so many similarities, but it's still a completely different story and a real page turner. Thanking NetGalley for an early review copy

Oh my goodness - what a book!!! JT Ellison writes such fantastic stories and this one is no exception.

From the outside Sutton and Ethan Montclair have the perfect life - both writers, with a beautiful home and friends. But then Sutton disappears leaving a note for her husband not to look for her. Naturally the husband is suspected of foul play. It is a twisted tale of so many lies and betrayal and I loved it! Please let this be made into a movie or mini series.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Australia for an advance copy of this book to read and review. I devoured this book in a day and just loved the way it ended

Wow! This was a 'fly by the seat of your pants' read! So many twists and turns. Although I kind of suspected the culprit reasonably early on, it still made for a fast paced read. As I could not for the life of me work out why the culprit was wreaking all this havoc!!!

This book is chilling as it unfolds a scenario that in this day and age, I don't think is inconceivable. A Psychological thriller at it's best, with great character development, sucks you in and at times has you screaming at the characters!

Sutton and Ethan are, to those looking at them from the outside of their relationship, the perfect glamour couple. A good looking couple, with money, glittering writing careers. But things aren't always what they seem! Their marriage is disintegrating and someone is going to take advantage of what they perceive as a sham marriage and get what they believe is theirs! No matter what the cost!

This will have you hanging on the edge of your seat from page 1 to the end!

*Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Fiction for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.* What an intriguing novel, full of so many twists and turns. Just when you think you have worked out what is happening, the author throws in another plot twist that keeps you guessing. 'Lie to Me' is a thriller in the domestic noire sub-genre. It focuses on successful couple Ethan and Sutton Montclair, both of whom are successful writers living in Franklin Tennessee. However, when Sutton goes missing, all is not what it seems. The police are brought in to investigate the author's disappearance and secrets from the couple's past start coming out of the woodwork. A fast-paced and enjoyable read that will have you rapidly turning the pages to find out what will happen next.

I devoured this book. I could not put it down. The two main characters are both authors who are not very likeable. Their marriage is holding together after the death of their baby. But nothing is as it seems. There are rumors of domestic abuse when the wife disappears. An excellent story I never predicted at all. Well done.

5* Gripping Stars

What a fantastic Domestic thriller Lie to Me was! It was a captivating read with so many twists and turns and just when you thought you knew the answer to something it was not that at all!

The book had short chapters, which were told from the perspective of Ethan and Sutton as well as “another” (one does not find out who this is until much later in the book). The book was very well written and flowed well and kept your interest peeked in this rollercoaster of a journey. The web of lies that were spun kept me guessing until the last page was read. I thoroughly enjoyed this page-turner and highly recommend this read for fans of fast paced domestic thrillers.

ARC kindly provided by Harlequin Australia via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Book blurb...
Domestic noir at its best.
Readers will devour this stunning page-turner about the disintegration of a marriage as grief, jealousy, betrayal and murder destroy the facade of the perfect literary couple. New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison takes her exceptional writing to a new level with this breakout novel.
They built a life on lies...
Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.
Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.

My thoughts…
Lie to Me will capture you and hold you hostage to the story until The End. And WHAT an ending! This novel has everything you need: lies, jealousy and betrayal.
I loved it, devoured it, and felt for both Sutton and Ethan as their marriage falls apart over the pages.
I also loved the way the Author wrote the story, giving me insight into the evil mind of the perpetrator (narrator). Fabulous. Readers meet this evil narrator several times during the story, brilliantly foreshadowing what is in store for the both Sutton and Ethan.
If you love a thriller to keep you away from your daily chores, this is for you!

Ethan and Sutton Montclair are professional writers - he a famous author of literary fiction and she a commercially successful writer of romance novels. They seem to have it all - a beautiful house they renovated in style, a good marriage, financial security and a gorgeous baby boy. Although Sutton hadn't wanted to have a child at first, she has come to adore baby Dashiell and is devastated when he dies of SIDS. She suffers depression, Ethan starts drinking too much and cracks in the marriage start to appear. However, Ethan is still shocked when he wakes up one morning to find Sutton missing and a note saying she has left and not to look for her.

Sutton hasn't taken any clothes, purse or money, her accounts haven't been touched, her passport's not missing and none of her friends have any idea where she could have gone. The police think it's most likely that she has been murdered and Ethan is of course their number one suspect.

Neither Sutton nor Ethan are very likeable people and have kept secrets and told lies to each other. Ethan's guilt looks more likely as secrets he's covered up are found out. But there is a third narrative voice - someone who knows more than they should. Who is this person and what role have they played in Sutton's sudden disappearance?

This is a slow boiler of a psychological thriller, a dark domestic twisted drama, with the unexpected truth exploding in the last few chapters as all is revealed. If anything, perhaps it was all tied together a bit too neatly but was nevertheless a novel to be raced through until the the lies are gradually ferreted out and the truth becomes clear.

LIE TO ME – J.T. ELLISON

I received a free ARC of this book from Netgalley and Harlequin Australia. This in no way affects my review.
Ethan and Sutton Montclair have a seemingly idyllic life – they are both accomplished authors who live in a stunning, renovated house in a nice neighbourhood. They were so in love, until tragedy struck. Sutton fell pregnant, gave birth and then lost her baby, seemingly to SIDS and things were never the same in their marriage again.
One morning Sutton goes missing. Ethan wakes and comes into the kitchen to find a note from Sutton telling him not to look for her, that she needs time. He inevitably calls the police and what follows is a story of betrayal and lies.

I was hooked on this book from the very first page. It takes skill to create an addictive thriller that keeps you turning pages into the small hours of the morning, but J.T. Ellison has done it with LIE TO ME.
LIE TO ME has been billed as the next Gone Girl but I personally think that Lie to Me is more addictive than Gone Girl. I loved the character building and how we got to see into the past of Ethan and Sutton. I also liked the portrayal of the friends’ speculation as to what happened to Sutton. I think being told in the third person point of view was a very good choice for this story as it allowed the author a certain kind of freedom with the narrative devices chosen to further the story – flash backs, changing perspectives etc.
Throughout the first half of the book we are switched regularly between Ethan’s POV and one of the detective’s POV. Later on in the book we also see things from Sutton’s POV.
One of the most addictive things about this story is the unveiling of lies and how one person’s truth might not be the actual truth. Through the book you’re left wondering if Ethan is a reliable narrator or if he is lying the whole time which is great. It kept me turning the pages because I just NEEDED to know what was going to happen.

I loved how fleshed out the characters were, and how this was accomplished so gracefully in the flashbacks. The secondary characters were also written well – you get a look into Ethan and Sutton’s relationship through a number of her friends: Ivy is one notable example.
There is a giant plot twist that you don’t see coming at all about 2/3 through the book.

This book is a five star read for me and I’ll definitely be purchasing the physical copy when it is released.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin Australia for giving me the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.