The Lies We Tell

well done debut YA novel that also spoke to me. I've about the same age as Martie so much of the setting/atmosphere resonated with me. Hopefully teens will ignore the references to the 1970s (which is ancient history for them) and pick this up as there's a huge heart inside.

The Lies We Tell can destroy us. That’s the most important truth this poignant little novel carries.

This story takes place in a different era. In a time when psychiatrists and depression were tabu and the notion that trauma cannot be simply denied and shoved under the rug wasn’t recognized. A time before PSTD wasn’t recognized at large and didn’t even have a name and all you had was the, “get over it” speech. Not that we’re completely better now but in comparison we’ve improved immensely.

The author has done a great job in expressing the psychology behind this familiar drama, letting the reader see the depth of this family’s despair without telling but mostly showing. It’s a well written and honest depiction of grief and guilt.

My only peeve was the main character’s naïveté and denial, which I considered too much for her age, even in the seventies. I understand that the story and its profound conclusion depended on that but I think she could have been written a year or two younger for that effect and it’d have been more realistic. But that’s a completely personal approach and in the end it’s the author’s decision how to build their characters so I’m probably entirely out of bounds here. I strongly recommend this book.

I’d like to thank NetGalley and the Publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. This fact did not affect my opinion in any way.

Martie, our main character is plagued with anxiety that is very similar to the type I deal with on an everyday basis. Right from the beginning I could relate to her on a very personal level.Her anxieties where clearly brought about by the sudden death of her father, from a heart attack. She seems to have obsessive thoughts about bad things happening out of the blue and death. I thought the scenes where Martie was having extreme anxiety were depicted really accurately, an example being her racing thoughts. I’m drawn towards books that talk about mental illness, but I especially like that this one took place in 1974.
Her older sister Blaire seems to dealing with the death of her dad much differently and openly. Her mom tries to shelter her from bad things going on in the news and I understand why but I felt like it just made it harder for Martie to handle difficult situations. Martin keeps reaching out asking if she can see a psychiatrist, but her mom refuses to hear her. What really got me was she wanted her other daughter to see one but wouldn’t listen when her youngest daughter outright asked.
The one downside I saw to this book was it seemed a bit jumpy at first, one sentence would be a specific scene then the next would be an entirely different day, which made it a bit confusing to follow. For example the move to Wisconsin was so abrupt it felt rushed, and made the story feel choppy. Throughout the book the scene jumping seemed to just get more and more noticeable, almost annoyingly so. Other times it would jump so quickly to a flashback I would be so confused as to if I was reading about a part before her father died or after. The only time I liked the jumpiness of the story is when Martie is having obsessive thoughts, because that’s what does happen with anxiety.
Overall I really enjoyed this book and would definitely read another book by Jamie Holland. You can tell she has done a lot of research and is very knowledgable about what she writes about.

This is a well-told story set in 1974. I had to keep reading to find out what had really happened as 14 year old Martie struggles with her father's recent heart attack and obsesses about two young girls who had been kidnapped from a local mall. She does not understand how her seemingly healthy father could have had a heart attack and reads about the symptoms and questions her mother repeatedly. Things are not adding up, and eventually, she learns why. I received this book free to review from Netgalley and I highly recommend it.

Taking place during the era of Nixon and his leaving office, this book is a haunting tale of how one family deals with tragedy. The young girl, Martie and how she copes with the loss of her father will tug at your heartstrings. She draws you in and makes you want to make everything ok for her. Though it is in a certain era, there is no huge things that make this stand out in a certain time period, so it could be today or years ago. The healing of the family and the things they go through make this an emotional and well written read.

In The Lies We Tell, Holland deftly explores the heady topics of loss, grief, truth, and lies.

Set in 1974, Martie and Blaire have just lost their father, and their mother has moved them to Wisconsin for a fresh start. Martie is obsessed with the symptoms of a heart attack (what her mother told her her father died from), as well as the case of two sisters who have gone missing from what used to be Martie's hometown. Blaire, the older sister, is acting out, their mother is evasive and defensive, and Martie fears things will never be the same again.

So she searches for the truth, about what really happened to their family. But as she begins to find out more and more, she realizes that the truth may truly be what finally breaks her.

I read this book in less than a day. The writing style is simple and flows well, and Holland has a deft touch for getting into the head of thirteen year old Martie and making her feel real to the readers. It's a gripping story as well. I had to keep reading not only to find out the truth, but to find out if Martie and her family would be okay, where they would end up in life.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a quick, well-written read that tugs on your emotions and makes you think.

Story of a 13 year old growing up in the 70's dealing with her father's death. She uncovers truths about the death. I guess family think lies protect the children but usually just brings a whole different set of issues. Fast story to read and would recommend it. Thank you for netgalley for the opportunity to read this.

Amazon and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.

Thirteen year old Martie Wheeler's life changes suddenly, when her father dies and her mom moves her and her sister Blaire to Milwaukee. Desperately lonely for her hometown in Maryland, Martie forges a long distance phone connection with the girl that has moved into her house. Martie is full of anxiety over her father's death, over the two girls who went missing from a Maryland mall shortly before they moved, and over the witch that lives near their new house. Will Martie's constant questions finally give her the answers she needs to move on and gain some peace?

Written from the viewpoint of a thirteen year old struggling with loss and attempting to find the truth, The Lies We Tell is set during the aftermath of the Watergate scandal in 1974. Martie's zeal to find the truth mirrors the rest of the country at that time, when the lies told by the President were eventually revealed. This story received quite a few 5 star ratings, but I did not think that the author successfully forged an emotional connection with any of the main characters. The mother's reaction and basic neglect of her child just did not seem realistic and the issue with the phone bothered me. Martie should not have been able to talk with the daughter of the new owners of her house by dialing her old phone number, as phone numbers are issued to people, not to places. The conversations that Martie has with Sarah were forced and seemed to exist only to push forward the plot. This book might have been more successful with a few more pages, fleshing out more of the story and completing the connection to the lies told to the whole country.

A read that will keep you up way past your bedtime! Highly addictly YA Mystery!
An emotional rollercoaster that is both dark and sweet and will hae you begging more from this new author! I truly enjoyed and look forward to more from this author!