LIES WITHIN ME

This is a gripping, immersive novel, full of psychologically astute characters, and dark, deceptive plot devices. It's beautifully written and delivers a firm emotional punch.
The author writes from the different perspectives of her characters using voices which have the ability to chill as they hint at their own dark pasts. And I was caught out more times than I care to admit by the subtley revealed red herrings.
I loved this book. It is captivating and totally absorbing with believable characters and more twists and turns than a corkscrew. It's a book where one holds one's breath for far too long until finally and embarrassingly gasping out loud. With more secrets and lies than the average UK politician, it is a story that is going to linger with me for a long time.

Thanks to NetGalley and The Book Folks for approval for an advanced reader copy of this book.

Alice, recently separated from her cheating husband, is coerced into going to a speed-dating event by her friends. Once there, she catches the eye of a man who drugs her and takes her home unwillingly. When Alice wakes up, she has no recollection of what transpired and heads home to put herself together. Once home, she turns on the news and sees that the man who assaulted her was brutally murdered...and she has no idea if she was the person who killed him.

This book was definitely not what I expected! Lots of characters separated by short chapters made for a quick, fast-paced read. Despite there being a lot of characters to keep track of, they eventually were easy to distinguish from one another. I love thrillers where the characters are all interconnected in some way by the end, following tons of twists and turns. My jaw dropped to the floor several times, and this was hard for me to put down. I really had no idea who to trust, who was lying, or what was going to happen.

This definitely gave me Desperate Housewives vibes, only with darker subject matter. I do think there should have been some trigger warnings (there were depictions of drug facilitated sexual assault, along with shaming/language that unfortunately go along with it) due to the nature of the storyline. However, it was a very intriguing, gripping read and I was excited to see the author has several other books available to read.

This is a perfect thriller if you want something quick and shocking to read!

Good book! This book had a bit of everything! It had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, date rape, cheating, mystery, a great who done it, great plot twist and some crazy twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I definitely recommend reading this book as it was well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Lies Within Me is a fast-paced psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages. The first chapter will absolutely have you hooked. The truth is slowly revealed through multiple POVS

The plot centers around a women, Alice, who following her separation from a cheating spouse, is forced into a speed dating situation. Only, the person she meets turns out to be pure evil. When she can’t recall events of the night before, her world shatters when she learns he is found dead.

As the characters' stories intertwine, the pieces of the puzzle begin falling into place. Disturbing events from the past collide with the dangers of the present.

I found myself totally engrossed in this thriller. The pacing and suspense made it almost impossible to put down. The characters come across as realistic and complex, haunted by their flaws and regrets. Even the unlikable characters are portrayed in a way that made me invested in their story.

If you like a fast-paced, can’t put down, multiple POV thriller, then this is MUST ADD to your to-be-read list!!

This was a really unique premise that I hadn't read before! Alice, shortly after finding out about her cheating husband, takes a stab at speed dating. While she meets some interesting contenders, one of them winds up dead. I'm typically a fan of changing POVs, but I really like how each switch revealed more about the story, leading the reader to the true story...that being said, it doesn't mean this book lacked any twists to throw you off! Some parts felt a little slow and I wish we had more back story from some of the characters, but, overall, I enjoyed the storyline and would be more than willing to read more from Garbin!

Another amazing book by vanessa garbin!!!! Couldnt fault it very good and twisty chapters ...love love love love!!!!

First I want to thank NetGalley, The Book Folks and Vanessa Garbin for my ARC of Lies Within Me.

This was my first book by Vanessa Garbin and it certainly won’t be my last! Right from the prologue this book drew me in. I liked the different POVs and how we got to see the story unfold from each character. Alice was a great main character and made me feel all the things. I was sad and hurt by everything this woman endured. I was also proud of how strong she was for keeping it all together for her kids.

This book had me hooked! I was guessing and second guessing every single character in it! Everyone has secrets and everyone will do whatever it takes to protect their families. I never saw the ending coming! This was a great read and I look forward to reading more from Vanessa. If you’re looking for a fast paced thriller that you wont be able to put down, this book is for you!

This was great. I loved the atmosphere and the vibes. Highly recommend. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review

"Lies Within Me" is an emotionally gripping psychological thriller that gives you insight into a murder from the perspective of all those close to it.

Alice, still sulking over the separation from her cheating husband Simon, is dragged out into a night of speed dating by her friends. Unfortunately for her, the man she ends up going home with that night ends up dead and she is in possession of a knife covered in blood. With no recollection of the events that transpired, Alice is looking for answers.

Vanessa Garbin created a story that takes you on a wild ride through revelation after revelation and the painful Alice experience. Pleasant read for anyone looking forward to a story short enough to read in one sitting, yet detailed enough to keep you enthralled.

Thank you to Vanessa Garbin and The Book Folks for the ARC. Hopefully I can add the physical copy to my collection soon!

I was given the chance to read this ARC through Netgalley. I really enjoyed this book. The chapters were short and each chapter represented a different characters pov. I wasn't expecting the ending, so many twists and turns. I probably would have given this 5 stars but the ending was kind of abrupt to me. There was all this stuff leading up to the end and once at the end, it just sort of ended it all rather, well, bluntly. I definitely recommend this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

Lies Within Me
Written by Vanessa Garbin,

Blurb:

Your attacker is murdered. Did you do it?
When her friends drag Alice out to a speed-dating night, she has no inkling just how bad it will turn out to be.

The next day, Alice wakes up in a stranger’s house with no memory of the night’s events, just a terrible feeling.

After returning home, she finds a bloodied knife in her room. And hears the news that the man who must have drugged and assaulted her has been found dead.

Alice falls under suspicion. Not least from herself. But was she really capable of such an act?

And if she didn’t commit the crime, who did?

LIES WITHIN ME is a nail-biting standalone mystery suspense thriller by bestselling Australian writer Vanessa Garbin.

My Review:

I found this book easy to get into, & an easy read, throughout. It had a good pace, & it had me hooked, from start to finish, was so hard to put down, - I literally sped through reading this! - & it kept me guessing right through to the very end! It had some great twists throughout, & had a very satisfying ending.

Based on a rating of 1-10, where 10 is the highest, I would give this book a rating of 10 out of 10! I can honestly say that this is one of the best Psychological Thrillers I’ve read in a good while, - it was such a compelling read! & is an absolute MUST-read! Very highly recommended!

Note: This book does contain the sensitive topic of date-rape, & of course, murder.

I LOVED this book! From the very first page it was intense! Definitely not a slow burn type of book, went straight in to pure brilliance. It had me guessing all the way through who the killer was, and it shocked me even more that Diane was the insta mummy and she was the one who killed her own son.

The only thing I would’ve loved to have seen is more of a back story on Diane , seems like there is more to her that could be said and why she is the way she is.

I love books about influencer or instagram moms!
Alice needs better friends, by far! Simon needs to get it together and stop being a jerk. Nina needs to not be sleeping with married men.
The other girls need to be better people.
Alice is date raped and her ex-husband Simon saw her with the man right before it happened. He knows and hates the guy.
Alice wakes up and slinks out the house and comes home to her bestie and former mother in law shaming her for her walk of shame.
Then later that day a man is murdered!
It is just one wonderful twist after another the whole way through. I absolutely loved this.

From the very start of this I was hooked. The storytelling, using different characters' perspectives is amazing!

There were a lot of characters and stories to follow however I didn’t find it confusing at all as each character had a unique voice.

This book had me playing detective, second-guessing every character! I trusted NO ONE!

I read another review that mentions desperate housewives vibes and I totally see that! With the drama and gossip that stirs around!

There’s some heavy topics that I would maybe check for some trigger warnings before reading!

But overall, it's a gripping read that'll keep you turning pages late into the night. I read this in a couple of hours!

I can’t wait to read more from this author!

A terrific story told from multiple POV, all the more rich a story for it.
Alice is speed dating following her separation from her cheating husband only the person she dates is awful, Alice cannot recall the night before but she learns to her horror that her date is dead!
The books plot intertwines perfectly to show the full picture, such a riveting read, fantastic thriller

Down the rabbit hole...

But in all seriousness, would the person who committed the murder please raise his or her hand now, because this is driving me completely crazy!

This story frustrated me immensely - and I mean that in a positive way - because every now and then I had to laugh when the POV was changed again, obviously with a cliffhanger from the previous POV, leaving you no further in solving what happened here.

It is a relatively short story in terms of pages, but because of the constant POV changes - and the use of several POVs - the author builds up the tension so much that you don't really find out who the killer is until the end.

Several characters are introduced at a rapid pace: friends, an ex-husband, in-laws, police officers who have to unmask the killer from this hodgepodge of stories. Oh yes, a few Instagram posts are also included.

Written in simple language, the author changes the point of view every few pages, leaving the reader unable to 'figure out' who/what/how.
I found it a bit of a variation on the so-called "prisoner's dilemma", especially when several people make statements that are contradicted a little later in the story, either by the person himself, or because the story differs from the forensic data, or because a new statement from another person appears.

The point of view changes quickly - the chapters are short and told by the unreliable first-person narrator. So you don't get to know which of the characters is complaining, but one thing soon became clear to me: what a mess. None of the characters are likeable, and some are crazier than others.
How do you leave a babysitter friend for a whole night without notice, only to dismiss her for days on end with 'I'm too busy'? Or let your ex back into your house? What kind of morals do these people have? And what about hiding the murder weapon next to your father's house! (How can you not find a place to hide something in Australia!?)

- I really enjoyed it. - Where a simple murder turns into an improbable labyrinthine quest through the multiple POVs; the author keeps the strings constant and doesn't really give away any clues to make sure you keep reading.
I loved the ingenious plot structure, but I'm also quite glad that I don't have to have these people around me! And in my opinion, the policeman should be on his guard with his Alice.

Highly enjoyable, 4.5 stars. Thank you for the review copy, the Book Folks.

Thank you to Netgalley and The Book Folks for this ARC of ‘Lies Within Me’ by Vanessa Garbin.

I loved this book from the first page to the last. So many plot twists and no one can be trusted in this. Definitely an amazing read!