THE LIES WE TOLD: The exciting new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Watching Edie

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When son Freddy comes home and admits he has done something terrible, Sarah and husband Tom are in a difficult position. Do they tell the police or try to cover it up to protect their son. Faced with a dilemma that could not only threaten the happiness of the family but also their marriage. Perhaps he had too much to drink and slept it off at a mate's flat, or he worked late and fell asleep at the office. Overall, I definitely see so much potential in Katie Zhao's thrillers. I just wish there was more complexity and nuance to the plot. That is until she wakes one morning to find Luke’s cell phone sitting in the apartment...but no Luke! Brushing away the foggy sleep, Clara realizes he never came home last night after work.

THE LIES WE TOLD by Diane Chamberlain | Goodreads

Aptly named, this story looks at the lies we tell and the repercussions of them, even if the lie was small to start with. The troublesome marriage between Tom and Sarah including several miscarriages, omissions of their own personal histories and staggering differences in their moral character leads to a complicated look at how this might have affected their child and ultimately whether they are responsible for his omission and ill-behaviour. I really liked the prospect of the moral dilemma facing the parents about protecting their son or following the law, and I think Corry handles this in thought-provoking means. One downfall that usually faces psychological thrillers of this kind is the pacing, but within this, I never felt like the onslaught of info about Tom and Sarah was too much or irrelevant. Instead, my only qualm with this one is that I do feel as though the ending is a tad too neat and tied up for my liking, it almost feels too conclusive and unrealistic, but otherwise I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping slow-burnThe hard-learned lesson here: no matter how forcefully that opening sentence grabs you by the throat and demands your attention, it’s not indicative of the entire experience you’re about to embark on. Not for this reader anyway. In fact, sometimes the difference between loving and simply liking a book comes down to execution and style, which we all know is tied to personal preference. Every single one of the fifteen women in my book club had children except for me. They were always warm and welcoming, but I felt left out as their conversations turned to colic and day care and the pros and cons of Raleigh's year-round school program. They thought I didn't care. Being a doctor set me apart from most of them to begin with, and I was sure they believed I'd chosen career over motherhood. Every one of them was a stay-at-home mom. Most had had short careers before getting pregnant, and a couple still did some work from home, but I knew they saw me outside their circle. They had no idea how much I longed to be one of them. I kept those feelings to myself. Now, though, I was ready to let them out. I'd tell my neighbors at our next meeting. I hoped I could get the words out without crying. Beth doesn’t know what to do. She’s desperate, and desperate people don’t always make the best decisions. Unfortunately, Beth makes a decision that has devastating results. Just when she thinks things can’t possibly get worse…they do. The other characters were very bland and were just there to move to the plot again. I didn’t care or connect with any of them which is always a real shame. Some were disliked more than others but explaining can lead to spoilers so I will leave it at that. My head is absolutely reeling from this. I did not see well the majority of the end section coming, while at the same time it all made complete sense.

Review: The Lies We Told by Camilla Way - Criminal Element Review: The Lies We Told by Camilla Way - Criminal Element

The plot is quite good and I enjoyed it. Mainly, it is about trying to solve a cold case which hit close to home for Anna. Her motivations were clear and I would probably do the same if I’d be in that situation. There’s a second, seemingly un-related story running simultaneously from the past regarding Beth, a wife and mother. She struggles bringing up her daughter Hannah, who is best and delicately described as... well let’s just say, not “an angel” and with NO heart of gold. (I think you get the picture.) I have to say, this part was so well done! So real. So believably chilling! The novel was too long, incredibly waffly and very repetitive; it just didn’t hold enough interesting elements to keep a reader engaged. I’ve read some slow paced books in my time, but this one wasn’t a slow burner, it was a nonstarter. Then she tried to throw in some character revelations to spice it up and it was just honestly mind numbing. The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Anna. She has just started college and it is the same one that a babysitter she had growing up was murdered at. This was definitely an interesting premise and one that I wanted to know more about. I don’t think that Anna is a bad character. She has goals and is looking for friendship. It’s very typical of any person. It’s just outside of that and the mystery there didn’t feel to be much to her. Not even the things listed were very developed.

CONCLUSION

You are here: Home / Read / Book Review: “The Lies We Told” by Camilla Way Book Review: “The Lies We Told” by Camilla Way On the whole, I liked the premise and felt that the first half of the book had a lot going for it, but ultimately it didn't really deliver on its potential. I don't understand why. Both the main characters were unlikeable - Tom a little more than Sarah - but unlikeable characters isn't a problem. It was the writing. The sentences were weird; a lot of the time, it was quite jerky and didn't flow well. There was an unnecessary amount of exposition as well - it's always better to SHOW an event happening rather than just TELL us about it, and for the most part, the memories of Tom and Sarah were shown rather than just talked about, but it still read like a pretty boring account of 'What I Did Before We Got Together'. Just ... dull. The Lies We Told" opens in Cambridgeshire in 1986. We see right away that something is very wrong. A mother isn’t sure what she’s looking at, but it’s not long before it becomes clear what has happened. She’s horrified at what her daughter has done. And she’s even more terrified when she sees that her daughter is smiling.

The Lies We Told: The exciting new psychological thriller The Lies We Told: The exciting new psychological thriller

I’m sure this was meant to be some sort of commentary on racism or something like that, but I could just not get over all the IDIOTIC choices the main character kept making!! She kept putting herself in danger over and over and over again. Are people REALLY that dumb?! Maybe. 🤦🏻‍♀️ Goodness I don’t know what took me so long to read this book! It was full of twists and turns and kept me guessing. It is definitely one of the what’s done in the dark will come to light type of booksThis book aims to equip Christians to navigate the minefield of current claims. To understand our inherent human significance, to know genuine freedom, and to work for real justice, we need to know the truth.

The Lies We Tell by Jane Corry | Goodreads The Lies We Tell by Jane Corry | Goodreads

Overall, I really enjoyed this well written slow burner psychological thriller, it has a very good premise and plenty of plot twists to keep you invested to the end. BAM! Finally a thriller that hit me right in the face, making me incredible happy to be pummeled by surprise after surprise. The POVs were absolutely perfect. In the beginning you had no idea who the mother was, and that made you pay very close attention to everything that was revealed. It wasn’t just that, though. The sociopathic child really made the hairs standing up on end. I felt chilled and unsettled and it was absolutely delicious. I needed to know where it all would end, and how the author would tie the different threads together. And boy, she delivered with an unique, believable and satisfying solution. The characters were also very well crafted. They felt like real, complex people. And the ending (after we knew all the secrets) left me wanting more! But maybe there is more going on than Clara realized. As she digs deeper, Clara realizes there may be more secrets in Luke’s past than she realized. Is it possible Luke disappeared of his own accord? Or did something more sinister happen? Who's that?" Daddy leaned forward to peer into the half light. "Does he have on a. . .is that a ski mask?" Then, there’s Luke—a young man from a respectable family who seems to be a loving, caring boyfriend—and his girlfriend, Clara. When Luke disappears, Clara seeks answers. In the process, she discovers the man she thought she knew so well was just an illusion. She also learns that Luke’s recent stalker might be more serious than they thought. With Luke’s life in the balance, Clara and Luke’s family and best friend struggle to get to the bottom of his disappearance, but they are dealing with too many old secrets and not enough straight answers.As far as “psychological thriller” goes, spot on. Obviously. Hence, the PTSD thing. This is such a good read and I’m honestly bummed that I had to stop halfway because I was wholeheartedly enjoying the story. If you’re looking for a great thriller, here it is.