The highly acclaimed author of Watching Edie returns with a new novel of dark psychological suspense that explores how those closest to us have the most to hide…A daughterBeth has always known there was something strange about her daughter, Hannah. The lack of emotion, the disturbing behavior, the apparent delight in hurting others…Sometimes Beth is scared of her and what she could be … of her and what she could be capable of.
A son
Luke comes from the perfect family, with the perfect parents. But one day, he disappears without a trace, and his girlfriend, Clara, is desperate to discover what has happened to him.
A life built on lies
As Clara digs into the past, she realizes that no family is truly perfect, and uncovers a link between Luke’s long-lost sister and a strange girl named Hannah. Now Luke’s life is in danger because of the lies once told and the secrets once kept. Can Clara find him before it’s too late?
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OMG! Did I love this book! Totally engaging and totally unpredictable. This is suspense writing at its best!
The Lies We Told by Camilla Way was full of mystery and suspense. I loved the dual timelines showing how two very different women’s lives will collide at some point. One whose child is showing dangerous behaviors while she tries to keep her other child safe. And the other where a woman fears for her boyfriend that has disappeared without a trace.
Clara is worried after Luke misses a big appointment at work and knowing he had a stalker. But he did not want her to worry. As Clara begins to search for him, what kind of discoveries will she make? On the other side, Beth begins to really worry about her daughter and some of the things she does. How will it all tie together?
The Lies We Told by Camilla Way was riveting and engaging as I tried to figure out how it would all end. This story had twists at every turn. I quickly fell into the story, wanting to know what would happen next!
Happy reading!
I found a new author to read! I read this book in 1 day. First book I have ever read in a day. It was so unpredictable and an absolute page turner from the first page to the last page. Brilliantly written with well developed characters and a solid story line all the way through. I rarely ever give 5 star reviews and this one was well deserved.
Oh my, what a twisty, terrifying story!
This book kept me interested throughout till the end.
I would have given this book 5 stars except for the four-letter words.
Really enjoyed this book.
Wow!
What a fabulous way to finish the year. It’s been ages since I read/listened to any tale as well plotted as The Lies We Told. I truly could not stop listening. I often use audio books to rest my eyes from my own writings. I became completely immersed. Each time I found a solution only to have it yanked from under me. The characters are believable. The narrators are excellent—but it’s the Hitchcock plot that’s sure to hold you in its grip.
Very well written psychological thriller with multiple twists and no loose ends. I enjoyed this book very much, and will read more by this author.
I liked this book for the most part. It is two stories, two timelines and they intersect. I was shocked at how they came together. I liked the characters. What I didn’t like the language, it seemed unnecessary. I was annoyed in the beginning of the book with the use of the language and then in the middle it seemed to have stopped, but picked up a bit at the end. I know this seems like a minor critique but it took away from the book a little bit. Overall, I enjoyed this book.
Wow. I read this book over this past weekend. I could NOT put it down. It had me back and forth on what was really going on and in the end I was surprised. An awesome thriller.
Layered and suspenseful, The Lies We Told tells the stories of main characters Beth and Clara, their alternating perspectives switching from past to present. Beth is a mother with serious concerns about her daughter Hannah, Clara is a distraught girlfriend after her boyfriend goes missing one night, and somehow their stories are connected. The two stories are very different, one the picture of a loving family, the other of a relationship that might not have s secure a foundation as they thought. While the storylines are different, the fear is the same, someone is or already has been hurt. As Beth tries to protect her family and others from Hannah she uncovers holes in her relationship and realizes that her corner is empty, there is no one to fight alongside her. As Clara leans on those around her, hoping that diving into Luke’s past will help them find his stalker, she realizes that no one is what they seem. The secrets that have shaped their lives are about to be revealed.
I really enjoyed The Lies We Told, though I admit I am always a bit freaked out by any book with genius smart children that lack empathy and exhibit seriously concerning behavior. No thank you. I’m glad I read on though, because it felt like I got a reprieve from Hannah while I read about Clara’s hunt for Luke, at least until the stories met in the middle. There are so many secrets and lies, with those from the past, from Beth’s chapters, still affecting life around those in Clara’s chapters. The two do read very differently though, with Beth’s perspective presented in first and Clara’s perspective presented in third. When the stories do meet and the initial mystery is solved Camilla Way shocks readers with several new twists that both grab your attention and wrap the story up quite nicely.
The Lies We Told was a fairly quick read for me, the suspense really pushes you to want to know more and as soon as possible. The story is certainly plausible, which I appreciated, and I felt a lot of sympathy both for the main characters and the secondary characters that make up the lives of Beth and Clara. Though I did predict one of the secrets the rest were unexpected and surprising for me, which I find pretty rare with domestic thriller type novels. If you like your books suspenseful and your characters a bit creepy, The Lies We Told is a must read.
ARC provided.
Wishing for something and getting something unexpected happened to Beth and Doug. They wished for a baby, and when she finally arrived, she was a frightening, evil child.
Wishing for a wonderful relationship was what Clara hoped for and thought that’s what she had until Luke disappeared and she found out unpleasant things about him.
THE LIES WE TOLD has two stories which somehow are connected, but how they are connected is cleverly woven and a well-kept a secret.
Hannah, the evil child, was a very frightening story line. The disappearance of Luke was not pleasant, but didn’t seem as bad. Hannah was the tie between both story lines, though.
THE LIES WE TOLD is so good you won’t want to stop reading. The plot is brilliant and tense in both stories and increases with each turn of the page and with each secret and lie revealed.
The only way you can experience this amazing thriller is to read it yourself. It is very twisted and very good, and you will be thrown off with each clue.
Those readers who like to figure out plots and usually do will most likely be baffled and incorrect in this case.
Read THE LIES WE TOLD so you can join in the discussion of this masterfully created book…the characters are quite cunning themselves…namely Hannah.
Make sure you have a large block of time available when you start reading this book. 5/5
This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher via NETGALLEY in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own.
Loved this page turner book. Secrets, lies, love, what more could you want. The end left you wanting more. I’m sure there will be a follow up book and I can’t wait!
This was quite an enjoyable thriller. Although there were only a few twists I didn’t see coming right away, the pacing and characters were engaging enough that I didn’t mind. At this point it must be exceptionally tough to write this type of psychological thriller. There are SO MANY of them, and readers are virtually programmed to expect mind-screws and herky-jerky contortionate plot twists – and let’s face it, if you know SOMETHING is coming, it’s not often that tough to figure out at least the broad-brush strokes of what that something is… Still, the writing was easy-going and the back-and-forth in narratives kept me guessing about connections for a while, and once the reveals came the action flowed fairly quickly and tightly, and that kept me engaged and eager to see how it would all tie together.
Thanks to Penguin First to Read for my review copy.
Hannah is not a normal child and her mother, Beth, is very much aware of that fact. But she has trouble convincing her husband, who insists that Hannah is fine and Beth exaggerates her behavior. But Hannah hurts her little brother, shows no compassion or remorse, and appears to Beth to delight in being cruel. Beth narrates events in 1986.
Meanwhile, Clara describes her 2017 relationship with Luke, who has gone missing without a trace. As Clara and Luke’s best friend, Mac, search frantically for Luke, strange and frightening events occur. Luke’s family does not speak about his older sister, Emily, who left many years ago and never looked back. And Luke’s brother, Tom, behaves is ways Clara finds suspicious. Meanwhile, the days go by with no word from Luke and Clara becomes increasingly frantic to find him.
As Clara carries out her investigation, with Mac’s help, she discovers disturbing details about Luke’s family. When a woman claiming to be Emily agrees to meet with Clara, but only so long as Clara agrees to keep the meeting a secret from Emily’s family, Clara eagerly proceeds, hopeful that Emily will provide clues to Luke’s whereabouts.
However, Clara soon realizes that looks are deceiving and Luke’s family, appearing so happy and perfect on the surface, might be harboring dark secrets. She stumbles upon a connection to an odd young woman named Hannah.
The dueling narrations of Beth and Clara eventually reveal precisely what transpired between Luke’s parents and Hannah’s so many years ago, and lead to a present-day showdown during which the truth is finally revealed. Author Camilla Way employs the two viewpoints and time frames to maximum effect. She keeps readers theorizing as to what actually transpired more than 30 years ago, why Emily ran away from her family, and just how far Hannah will go to exact revenge for perceived wrongs. Every character harbors secrets and any of them could be responsible — in varying degrees — for what has happened to Luke. Way maintains the level of suspense right to the very last page with a jaw-dropping ending that leaves readers wondering if, perhaps, a sequel could be forthcoming.
Like Watching Edie, The Lies We Told is a fast-paced psychological thrill-ride that readers will not be able to put down until the last secret is revealed.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Tense, unsettling, and keeps you guessing till the very end. We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Other People’s Children.
A child who’s not quite right, a missing boyfriend, a stalker, and a secret. All of these combine to make for a dark and sinister tale where not everyone is who you think they are. The story is told primarily by Clara in the present, searching for Luke, and Beth in the past, dealing with her daughter, Hannah. I have to say I was impressed with the distinct voices of both as the story progressed. In the beginning, it seems as if these two stories have little to do with each other, but if you’re paying attention, the hints are there to piece some of it together. The secret at the heart of this story is a combination of narcissism and desperation, and while I did figure out part of it, I certainly didn’t get it all until the big reveal. The author is talented and masterfully builds tension as we follow Hannah into young adulthood and Clara as she learns more and more about who Luke really is. The only drawback for me were the last two chapters. That extra little twist was unnecessary and for me, a bit of let down after an otherwise solid story. That aside, I did enjoy the read and would recommend it.
This is a dark suspense novel with two storylines that merge, and the reader is tasked with following both stories and finding out how they merge. One story is a young mother with an uncontrollable, anti-social daughter who is becoming more and more dangerous in her behavior. The second storyline seems to be more at the forefront; it is the tale of Clara and her missing husband Luke. Both stories are full of secrets as well as lies, making it difficult to know what is really happening and when. The movement back and forth from the different stories as well as the different timelines for each story just did not work for me. I would have preferred a part I, Clara’s story and a part II, Beth’s story. The way the book was written did not hold my interest but rather kept me frustrated trying to figure out what was going on with whom. I don’t care much for books that require me to take notes to keep up with what is happening and that is what I felt that I had to do with this book. That being said, all of the threads are brought together at the end, in a finale that seems rushed and frantic. Readers of dark psychological thrillers will enjoy this book, but it just wasn’t really for me.
Disclaimer
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Testimonials and Endorsements in Advertising.”
This book had so many things that I love in a psychological thriller. First off, a true sociopath, one that is so incredibly anti-social and inherently evil that she can’t be ignored. Secondly a host of other characters, well described, that I felt I cared about and wanted to see how this would all play out.
The author had me in her hands from the first pages. The story is told in two POV’s. One in the past and one in the present. The stories flow seamlessly, seemingly in their own individual plots, until everything finally comes together with a BANG!
We are first introduced to Beth and Doug who have finally gotten their wish of a child after many, many years of waiting and trying. But within a few years Beth is aware that something is not right with their beautiful, charming Hannah. I felt genuine unrest and worry for the young family of Beth and Doug. Hannah starts exhibiting strange, dangerous, cruel and worrisome behavior since the age of 3 when she intentionally seriously injures her mother. They do take her to a psychiatrist but Hannah is able to even manipulate the doctor into believing that she is alright. The parents are assured that this is just a “phase”. She is mean to other children as she is growing up and the school has had to talk to the parents multiple times about her behavior.
They now have a young son, Toby, and Beth lives in fear that Hannah will do something terrible to her brother, she has already been caught pinching and teasing him. Hannah has also convinced her father that it is her mother who is too hard on her, that she isn’t doing the things that Beth has described. This family is in trouble, but what will happen to them?
The second story is told from the perspective of Clara, a young woman who has recently moved in with her boyfriend Luke, they seem to be truly in love and have been living together happily for a few months. Then there is a night when Luke doesn’t come home, he doesn’t call. Clara reaches out to his parents and friends but no one has seen him or heard from him. She finally calls Mac, her and Luke’s best friend, and together they start to investigate further and further into Luke’s life and uncovering things that they had no idea they would find. Luke’s family, his mother and father and older brother Tom have secrets they are hiding, but what are they? Clara knows that Luke had a sister, Emily, who supposedly left the family when she was 18 and hasn’t been heard from for twenty years, or at least that is the story that she has been told, but what really happened to Emily?
There are so many secrets and lies it will make your head spin. This book kept me guessing until almost the end, when I figured out one of the main “connections” and because of that the end felt a little flat to me. It also seemed to almost be setting the reader up for a follow up? Don’t know if this is the case or not. This would have been a 5 if not for the rushed ending which left so many threads hanging, but perhaps this was the intention.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a great, page turning psychological thriller.
I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley.