Adam Oliver hated me. Loathed my very existence. He had every right to, but that didn’t make my life any easier the afternoon I had to rescue him on the side of the road.But worse than rescuing a guy who hated me to his core was the lie I told my parents.Because I’d just told them that my long-term boyfriend was finally back in town.My long-term boyfriend who didn’t actually exist.The one named … actually exist.
The one named Adam Oliver—the guy I’d crushed on all through high school.
So the real Adam had no idea that he and I were engaged in a years-long, committed, serious relationship.
And, somehow, some way, I needed to convince him to play along with my one little lie.
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Enjoyable but with minor issues
Pretty weak storyline, predictable too. I couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t solid enough as a basis of hate and of development. I did enjoy the characters however, despite them being slightly overdone, I appreciated the way the words flowed and blended.
One Little Lie brings so much …trouble, joy, and love. Now don’t get me wrong lying is bad and in some cases life changing. Hollis had no idea the spiral of chaos that would ensue from telling her parents she is involved with someone. A simple way to keep from being paraded in front of eligible suitors that were solely there to impress her father.
And yet her lie became a living breathing entity. Adam, the model for her imaginary beau, is not exactly the right choice. He hates her and he doesn’t even know her.
One Little Lie is a sweet story about prejudices and pride. (See what I did there…) It is a learning experience for both but what a reward.
I really enjoyed this story. Fake relationships is a trending trope for me right now and this one didn’t disappoint. It’s labeled as a rom-com, but I didn’t find it to be funny – which I felt was a good thing here. It was sweet and poignant with a tiny bit of angsty emotions thrown in. This was my first book by this author and I would be happy to read more by her, specifically the books about the side characters we met here.
Whitney Barbetti did a wonderful job with this book! It was so sweet and was so well written I couldn’t put it down! I absolutely loved Adam and Hollis! She did a really great job building these characters. I can’t wait for Keane’s book next!
One Little Lie by Whitney Barbetti is a charmingly sweet hate to love turned fake relationship romance. It was a very slow-burning story that was delicious and angsty with fab ending.
Adam and Hollis both had issues with their parents that made their connection stronger. Watching them find their way through this fake relationship to the real thing was a sweet and sometimes tender journey, I’m glad I got to take it with them.
And hats off to the amazing secondary characters, they were a fun collection that brought out the best in the story.
I love Whitney Barbetti’s stories, I truly do, and given the blurb and that amazing cover, I had a lot of hopes for this book.
Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything me. It was a slow burn, which I honestly don’t mind because this gives me the feel of the characters and the chemistry they will share, but I had a hard time not only connecting to the characters, I also had trouble rooting for them.
Adam & Hollis just seemed to be flat characters, with really not a lot of development going on and I found this to be same for the side characters. The only one I truly enjoyed was Adam’s sister.
Overall, I feel there was a lot that Barbetti could have done in terms of fleshing out both the characters and the storyline. Sadly, this one was just wasn’t for me.
2.5 – 3 Stars!
Another great story from Whitney and another book to concrete her as one of my favorites to read. I don’t think there will ever be a time I don’t pick up a book from this author. One Little Lie was a labor of love and you can tell when reading it.
All of the characters were wonderful but I have to say that Whitney writes some of my favorite secondary characters ever and I usually gravitate toward them and want their stories. With that said, they do not take away from the main characters but only enhance the story as a whole. Relationships, whether romantic or platonic, are something this author writes well and she only gets better with every book.
I can’t wait to see where Whitney takes us next and I can only hope it’s one of my favorites from this book.
Its been a while since I read a Whitney Barbetti book and I’m wondering why I have left it so long.
If like me you like enemies-to-lovers tales then this will be the one for you. The hot/cold love/hate relationship between Adam and Hollis was intriguing to watch play out, the chemistry between them was palpable.
Whitney did a great job with this one, she pumped so much emotion into it with the pain, loss, revelations, forgiveness and acceptance mixed with the love and friendship.
I will be honest and its why I haven’t marked it higher is that I found it took me slightly longer to get into then usual. I am glad I didn’t give up as once I got through the 20% mark I was hooked and couldn’t put it down.
One Little Lie, and a Second Chance at Romance.
Can you imagine reading a romance where the two characters are so shy and insecure that they can barely get out of their own way? How does such a relationship move forward??
It does with great secondary characters and beautiful friends who actively encourage Hollis and Adam to put words to feelings instead of hiding behind non-communication and mis-understandings.
Our once almost-but-not-quite couple were painfully shy as teenagers, and three years later, Hollis has lost even more spark now at college and under the strict financial control of her parents. Her older sisters both escaped with their trust money, but she will not be so lucky. Trying to be helpful, her best friend drops her neck deep in doo-doo, and a fake relationship is born. Yes Mr and Mrs Hollis, she does have a boyfriend, and his name is Adam. Say what??
He’ll do it, but he needs her to tutor his younger sister, and in turn, their once budding romance appears, to all intents, to be re-kindled. It may be fake to them, but when their friends post pictures to social media in order to socially sell the relationship to her parents, it appears that those photos tell a different and more romantic story.
How Ms Barbetti writes about the feelings of these two is integral to the story. They are deep and internalise everything. And on top of that, Hollis is a thinker, her mind always going, and many of us can identify with that. What Adam mistakes as aloofness, is actually her extreme shyness, exacerbated by the continual control and haranguing of her parents, and I felt bad for both of them, even as I wanted to beat Adam about the head for his judgement of her.
The beauty of Ms Barbetti’s writing, is that I also understood Adam’s interpretation of events, all while I loved his spine of steel and his sense of social justice. Plus, he’s a budding rocker, so, anyone who knows me knows how much I love those rockers – oh yeah.
I can easily recommend this series and can honestly say I’m looking forward to the next one. 4 Stars.
I absolutely adore Whitney Barbettis writing! Her story’s are always filled with so much emotion, angst and reality. This book was no exception! What this particular book also had was witty funny banter and great characters, be it the main characters or secondary characters! It was a really really awesome book!
3.5 stars from me
I did really like this book but for me personally i needed more angst.
A slowburn read, sweet and endearing.
This book was so special to read.
I love the way she was totally swooning for him since chapter one.
Hollis is such a compassionate, lovable and loyal, and although she’s a little bit shy at the beginning, we can see how she grows towards the development of the story. I love how she cares for people and especially her interest in other cultures.
As for Adam, I found him as a really quiet and strange character at first, he did not want to share his feelings and thoughts with anyone and at one point I totally got it, so many tragedies happened in his life, that he built a wall so that he would never be hurt again.
The love story between them it’s very particular, they are both complete opposites but at the same time perfectly made for one another. The way he opened up to her and how he got to make her be braver was one of the things I loved the most about this book.
The angst, passion, and chemistry were so well developed on this story, I end up totally IN LOVE with them, and the other characters, I loved them too and I cannot wait to know more about them on the upcoming books !!
PS: I voluntarily received an ARC from the authorWhitney Barbetti One Little Lie
3.5/4 stars for me because I enjoyed this story.. mostly because I really like Adam, and Hollis makes me happy. But a lot because the side characters were people I wanted to know and I’m excited to see where else Whitney takes us in this world.
Ok back to One Little Lie. I thought this book was sweet with all around good characters. I jumped right in and read right through it. I think that there were a few messages in the book that had really good potential but fell a little flat, but still the message is out there.
I do wish there was a little more weeding done throughout the book. The book felt a little hot and cold for me and gave me a little whip lash trying to figure out where Hollis and Adam’s heads were at each minute. I also think that the overall conflict with Hollis and her parents just got swept under the rug at some point and just kind of disappeared leaving me feeling like I missed something.
So a few plot holes but overall sweet read.
Thoroughly enjoyed this slow-burn romance.
“I don’t know why being honest about my feelings was the hardest thing for me to do sometimes.”
Hollis Vinke had a huge crush on Adam Oliver in high school. For one brief moment in senior year, he seemed to connect with her, and then he seemed to hate her. Three years later, to avoid her wealthy but controlling parents’ attempts at matchmaking, Hollis has created a fake boyfriend – he might have been loosely based on Adam. When events happen that has her parents believing that Adam is actually her boyfriend, Hollis needs to take action.
“I couldn’t explain it really, except that she was different – multi-faceted in ways I was only beginning to discover.”
Adam Oliver is back in town for family reasons. He’s struggling to pay the bills and look after his family. When Hollis repeatedly comes to his rescue, he finds a way to repay her. However, entering into a fake relationship with her opens his eyes to Hollis’ true nature – and it’s a revelation to him. A revelation that has his feelings changing and moving in an unexpected direction.
“My attraction to Hollis wasn’t just a physical reaction, it was deep, something so intrinsic to my DNA that I couldn’t decipher it myself.”
This was a fantastic read. I enjoyed the depth of the story – the individual struggles of both Adam and Hollis. They might have been from different sides of the track but both had issues to contend with. The more time they spent together, the more they gelled and discovered new things about one another. I loved how Hollis’ beauty and goodness melted Adam’s heart. I loved that Hollis never gave up on him. She had such a giving soul and her goodness was admirable. They were both good people and I thought they were beautiful together.
This is a great summer read. I loved Hollis, she is sweet and she doesn’t have a lot of experience with the opposite sex. It’s cute how she and Adam are together. They have so much chemistry but Hollis isn’t sure what to make of Adam since their relationship is fake.
I feel for Hollis, her parents aren’t the ideal ones for any child. But Adam also doesn’t deserve the father he has, neither does his sister.
It’s sad that Adam knows what to expect from his father and wants to protect his sister from him. I truly felt for Adam and his situation and on top of it all his grandmother isn’t getting any better.
A great story to see how Adam and Hollis are drawn to each other. Loved Tori, Navy and Keane. They are great friends to Adam and Hollis.
I highly recommend this book.
This was okay for me. While a fake relationship story is one of my favorites, I just couldn’t get into this one. The story was very slow moving, and it took way too long for this couple to become real. The back and forth between Adam and Hollis got old after awhile. I did love the cover, it’s beautiful. I also like that Hollis started to learn to stand up for herself as the story went on. The ending was really sweet. I would have liked a longer look into their future, but I’m hoping to get updates on them in the next book.
I voluntarily reviewed and advanced readers copy of this book.
He cant believe her actions dont match her words.
She sees more than he knows. Not just the taunts but the girl draped over him.
Two hearts and minds left confused and disappointed.
Time escapes, until hes back in town due to circumstances beyond his control.
Shes in town to appease her parents, smile prettily and hopefully get one step closer to her trust fund.
Will destiny take them down the same road or send them in different directions again?
This is a beautiful story of hurt, regret and a second chance.
A moment in time that changed their destiny, made my heart fall but my thoughts sour with anticipation and expectations.
Two characters stuck, their freedom stolen, their hearts yearning for what could be.
Hollis the “put together girl” unable to say no, always the sheep but never the Sheppard. Shes sweet, and thoughtful but lacks confidence to voice her true thoughts. Silence is her friend when it shouldn’t be.
Adam grew up fast when life dealt him an unfair card, taunted by his peers he list himself in music. He has a beautiful soul, but hides is behind his anger.
I think both of them stole pieces of my heart. Hollis because I wanted her to fly, and Adam because of another his life was hard.
Whitney always digs deep with her books and gives you a story that resonates for days later in your mind.
I read this book quite slowly for me, and I’m glad. It’s a book to savour not devour.
Freedom came at a price for Hollis. Raised by wealthy parents who set high expectations Hollis felt compelled to please them. Rather than face her parents with different plans she lied.
Overall:
I appreciated Whitney taking the time to explain both sides of the judgment. I wasn’t completely sold on the idea of this fake relationship. At times, I felt I was beaten over the head by Hollis with her constant reminders that this was a fake relationship.
It took quite some time to warm up to Adam’s character. He was very opinionated and had expectations of Hollis that bothered me.
I questioned the basis of “hate” that Adam’s character had towards Hollis. While it was written extremely well I felt a disconnect with his accusations. I couldn’t shake how he unnerved me with his criticism and judgment. Hollis was the victim of it all for simply having a crush on a guy who built thick walls of judgment.
Whitney was so convincing detailing the characters personalities that I lost the connection that was slowly developing. I got too hung up on the judgment, accusations, and criticism.
My issues with this story isn’t the storyline. Whitney did an excellent convincing me on all areas of these characters faults. Yet, I still had concerns of disinterest. I suppose it was the quality of these characteristics that didn’t sit well with me.
When I saw this book cover I knew I had to read the book! I’ve read a few Whitney Barbetti books and have enjoyed them. They are generally deep and meaningful stories. I honestly grabbed this book without knowing one single word about the innards. I mean, y’all looked at that cover, right? So I jumped in, feet first and without looking. Well, imagine my surprise when this wasn’t a rip-your-heart-out story and had more fun and banter than I expected. This reader was tickled pink! I’ve been reading a ton of emotional books that have taken my hearts clear outta my chest. So I was pleasantly surprised with One Little Lie.
I’ll be completely honest, I totally did not like Adam at first. He had a chip on his shoulder and I struggled liking him due to it. But he grew as a character through the book and that chip slowly disappeared. Hollis was easily relatable. I loved the banter and fun between them and the secondary characters. Tori was just a gem!! There was this lovely slow burn and slight tension with it. I could feel it. The tension, the humor, and that inevitable chemistry made this a fabulous read that was hard to put down.
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
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One Little Lie was a sweet, if not, naive book about two characters connecting again after a high school misunderstanding. The book starts out in high school and then goes forward 3 years later. Unfortunately, for me, it felt like they were still in high school.
I felt like the main “misunderstanding” was taken out of context and made it larger than it needed to be.
Don’t get me wrong, I did enjoy the book. I enjoyed the story and the path Whitney Barbetti took the readers on. The plot of the book was an interesting choice of topic. I just wish the development of Adam and Hollis’s relationship/friendship had developed a bit more rapidly. I felt like the back and forth went on for a long time.
As for Hollis’s character, I could completely relate to. I am completely a yes person so I could definitely relate to her character in terms of letting people push her over because I let people push me over. I know it. It’s harder to change than you think. Hollis does develop in terms of getting a backbone throughout the story which I enjoyed.
The cover of this book is amazing. I’m not usually a fan of book covers with people on them but this one is so pretty. It also definitely goes well with the story line.
One Little Lie was a slow sweet read. This was the first book I’ve read by Whitney Barbetti. Overall, I liked her writing and will try another one of her books in the future.