Emilia is the successful author of a popular series about detectives. But she’s feeling burned out and has writer’s block. When a friend suggests a storyline, Emilia takes the gift and writes her last book of the series. Then weird things start happening at her home and things escalate from there. A unique and interesting story!

Emilia is a crime writer with a popular series when her stories begin literally happening in eerie similarity to her fictional serial killer. She lives in London with a son and daughter, an X- husband, her current husband, a former best friend (now her X’s new wife!), a stressed editor - what a tangled mess! There are hard feelings, secrets and lies. Its not the perfectly blended family. She’s finishing the last book in her series. She’s only shared her drafts with a select few trusted people. How could a killer be using her methods and leaving the same descriptive symbol on his victims? When she takes her suspicions to the police they aren’t receptive. Does she know the killer, is she in danger too? There are plenty of suspects, a few red herrings and lies from everyone. I had strong suspicions about the secrets Emilia was keeping, but didn’t unravel the twisty plot. I’m a fan of the author and can’t wait to see what she’ll do next
An uncorrected Advance Reader Copy of “The Woman Who Lied” by Claire Douglas, HarperCollins Publishers, publication 07/06/2023, was provided by NetGalley. These are my own honest thoughts and opinions given voluntarily without expectation of compensation.

I was really excited about this one but it lacked so much for me. It took a while to get hooked, there were too many characters, the ending was boring, the pacing was slow. Just a no from me. Sorry.

Thanks to Harper Perennial and NetGalley for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

It took me a while to get stuck into this, but once I got into it, it was quite good.

Emilia is a mystery novelist whose latest book (as yet unreleased) kills off her long-running MC. Events from her books start occurring in real life to her and those around her, until finally the events are from her latest book which is still waiting for publisher approval, but Emilia has sent uncorrected proofs to her family and close friends (also, weirdly, to her ex husband and his new wife, who was once Em's close friend, I assume to embiggen the suspect list and toss a few red herrings around). Thus, it seems clear that the perpetrator, who eventually resorts to murder, is one of her close circle.

Douglas keeps the pages turning, and the book is well-written, but there are SO MANY complicated plot twists (it's been a couple of weeks since I read it, don't @me), many red herrings, that I felt like it got a bit bogged down. This is the culprit - actually, no, it's this person! I'm glad it didn't turn out to be who Douglas was breadcrumbing us along towards, but so many books now require a BIG TWIST and this one delivers, if that's your thing.

One more quibble: <spoiler>in this era of "ripped from the headlines," (which has been going on for the past 20 years?) would it really be that big of a deal for an author to admit that the inspiration for her story came from a real-life case? Emilia's reluctance to 'fess up about something seemingly minor was frustrating.</spoiler>

This was my first Claire Douglas book and I really enjoyed it. I love the theme of this book, an author kills off a character in her book and then things start happening in real life. Someone is obsessed and stalking this author so it takes you on a rollercoaster.

I tried really hard to get into this one, but I am still really thankful to the publisher, author, and netgalley for granting me advanced digital access to this book before it hits shelves on July 30, 2024.

3.5⭐️
this had the makings of a great domestic thriller, but it also had a main character that made absolutely ridiculous decisions (one of my biggest pet peeves)! i also found it hard to keep all the main characters straight in the beginning because they were introduced so quickly and all at once. i did find the second half of the book more thrilling, but saw the majority of the twist coming. overall, it was a quick, enjoyable read, but not an outstanding thriller!

thanks to netgalley and harper perennial for my advance copy of the woman who lied by claire douglas. all opinions are my own.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5 stars

I personally was obsessed with this book and what was happening to Emilia and her little family. I have discovered that a common theme of the 2024 for thriller/mysteries are books based about books/authors/libraries and mysteries that surround them. I was starting to get a little bored with the theme even though it is normally a theme that would draw me in, but Claire Douglas drew me in and kept me curious throughout the whole story. I guessed who I thought was the culprit of the mystery and pleasantly surprised to found out that I was wrong. And when I guess about things I tend to be able to guess who the villain of the story is and this made me like the book more and more when the twists would be introduced.

Claire Douglas also made Emilia easy to connect with and understanding about the chaotic energy she brought when she starts to realize that she is being stalked and intimidated by someone. Emilia is an author that has decided to kill off her main character in the final book of the series and things begin to happen in order of her previous books showing that the stalker is a fan of her novels, but things keep on-upping the stakes when the person starts messing with her house and her family.

This was so enjoyable and I am being purposefully vague because I believe it is best to go in blind or with little information and allow Douglas's story style to lead you through the plot to the ending. I recommend this for people who love books about books, and a stalker story that can make you slightly uncomfortable alongside the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Paperbacks for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Get me hanging on until the end even with some slow spots. A bit too much detail in places but what an ending! I wasn’t familiar with this author but now I will be on the lookout for her books.

3.75 stars

In THE WOMAN WHO LIED, Claire Douglas weaves a suspenseful thriller about an author who is seeing her books come to life in a threatening way around her. Even more distressing is that when things occur in her not-yet-published final book in a series, she knows that one of her early readers - all who are very close to her - is the culprit.

If you're not already paranoid, a plot like this will have you (or the main character Emilia) climbing the walls. Could it be Emilia's ex-husband Jonas, now husband Elliot, new friend Louise, old friend Ottilie, Elliot's father Trevor, her editor, her agent, or someone else that one of these people in her inner circle passed off the manuscript to?

Aside from the main plot, there are two other narrative threads throughout the novel - one from Daisy and one other.

Like many in its genre, there were a lot of twists. I also noticed that Chapter 5 had an influx of characters introduced, especially parents of other characters.

I did enjoy this one for being a fun, twisty romp that held my interest, but it probably won't land in my favorites of the year.

I’ve never read characters that were so lush. The mystery plot was nearly perfect. It’s very detailed which does make some areas slow to get into but the way it all comes together is so worth it.

This was a really good read! There were so many things I didn’t see coming. The characters are absolutely amazing. Highly recommend

Emilia Ward, a bestselling author of detective stories, finds her real life shadowing the eerie events of her latest book, leading to a wave of unsettling incidents that culminate in a friend's death mirroring the plot. As Emilia grapples with the mystery of how someone knows the unpublished contents of her book, a sense of threat looms over her family. While the premise captivates, the novel's slow start, over-detailed explanations, and convoluted plot hinder the narrative's pace and tension. Despite well-fleshed characterizations and clever plot twists, the execution falls short compared to the author's previous works. Though showing promise, the book struggles to fully deliver on its intriguing premise.

Emilia Ward resides in London with her second husband and two children. She is also a bestselling author known for her captivating Miranda Moody detective novels. As she gears up to write the series' tenth installment, she plans to conclude the series by killing off the main character.However, Emilia's life takes a sinister turn when events from her novels begin to unfold in real life. To her horror, someone she knows meets a fate eerily similar to a character in her current work-in-progress. With her life hanging in balance Emilia is forced to confront the question of whom she can truly as only those closest to her have access to her latest manuscript.

The Woman who Lied by Claire Douglas is a well crafted gripping story with numerous unexpected twists, which kept me guessing until the very end.

I would like to thank Harper Perennial and Paperbacks , Harper Paperbacks & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review

I enjoyed the book overall but did find it confusing at times with a lackluster ending. I also thought the pacing was a bit slow. This was not a book I was looking forward to picking up, but it was just good enough to keep me interested. I do enjoy books about books and authors writing about authors, and that honestly is what kept it from being a 2 for me. It felt like the author rushed the ending and tried to do too much in general.

3.75 ⭐️s rounded up to 4.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Woman Who Lied. The first half of the book was unimaginative. A main character who is a mystery writer being harassed by "crimes" from their own books is a little overdone, in my opinion. However, the second half of the book makes up for the earlier shortcomings. The plot was well-paced and took several twists and turns. I predicted the ending, but it was still a satisfying conclusion.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Claire Douglas is my go-to writer for "guilty pleasure" thrillers - atmospheric, fast, and not too complicated, her work is easy to read in one sitting.

What happens when life meets fiction? Or when fiction meets life? The Woman Who Lied by Claire Douglas had me absolutely riveted! Emilia Ward is a writer of a well known series and when her real life starts to mirror her writing life, things get very disturbing. I was hooked ot the last breathtaking end! Full of twists I couldn't even guess about if I tried!

I absolutely devoured this whodunit! It is so difficult for me to find the pacing in thrillers like these tolerable, but Claire Douglas masterfully rolls out the twists and turns and I was suspending belief and shaking my head in disbelief every dozen or so pages. I also feel like it's been a while since I've read a thriller that was truly suspenseful without feeling contrived.

Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperbacks, Harper Paperbacks, and NetGalley for providing an ARC!

The book is terrifying, suspenseful, gripping and unputdownable. Characters have a poignant back stories and the plot has been cleverly crafted with layers of mystery, suspense and secrets. I liked how past was linked with the unsettling and unthinkable occurrences that were happening in the present. Some characters had a hidden or mysterious demeanour while some were morally wrong and flawed. I liked the writing style and format of the book. Twists and turns were unpredictable.

Emilia Ward lives with her husband and her daughter from first marriage and a young son in Suburban London. She is a best selling detective novelist and she wrote the tenth book in series but her world turns upside down when unthinkable things from her book starts happening in real life. Either someone knows her or someone is trying to frame her. When secrets from the past unfolds and the truth comes in light, the mystery unravels. But how far the killer will go to bring out the truth in front of the world? Will Emilia be able to protect her family or one among them will become the next victim? It all feels like a tight knitted web of secrets and deception. Is someone close to her is leaking her secrets? Will she be able to find her way out of the invisible web?

Many Thanks to the Publisher and Author.