Quercus Publishing The Lying Club.

by Annie Ward

"If you loved Big Little Lies and Little Fires Everywhere, allow me to introduce you to your next obsession. —Kim Liggett, New York Times bestselling author of The Grace YearA tangled web of lies draws together three women in this explosive thriller of revenge, murder and shocking secretsAt an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains, Natalie, an office assistant, dreams of having a life like the school moms she deals with every day. Women like Brooke—a gorgeous heiress, ferociously loving mother and serial cheater—and Asha, an overprotective mom who suspects her husband of having an affair. Their fates are bound by the handsome assistant athletic director Nicholas, whom Natalie loves, Brooke wants and Asha needs.But when two bodies are carried out of the school one morning, it seems the tension between mothers and daughters, rival lovers, and the haves and have-nots has shattered the surface of this isolated, affluent town—where people stop at nothing to get what they want.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Audiobook, Fiction, Adult, Suspense

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 22, 2022

About the author

ANNIE WARD


Annie’s sophomore novel and first psychological thriller BEAUTIFUL BAD will be published by Harper Collins/Park Row books in March, 2019.

Annie received a BA in English Lit with an emphasis in Creative Writing from UCLA and an MFA in Screenwriting from the American Film Institute. While studying at AFI, she sold her first short screenplay to MTV/ BFCS Productions. Starring Adam Scott, STRANGE HABIT became a Grand Jury Award Winner at the Aspen Film Festival and a Sundance Festival Official Selection.

After film school, Annie moved to Eastern Europe to work for Fodor Travel Guides, covering regions of Spain and Bulgaria. She remained in Bulgaria for five years spanning a civilian uprising and government overthrow. The novel THE MAKING OF JUNE, which Annie wrote with the Bulgarian revolution and Balkan crisis as its backdrop was sold to Penguin Putnam and published to critical acclaim in 2002.

During Annie’s five years in the Balkans she received a Fulbright Scholarship, taught at the University of Sofia, and script doctored eight screenplays for Nu-Image, an Israeli/American film company that produced a number of projects in Bulgaria for the SyFy Channel. She was later the recipient of an Escape to Create artist residency.

She lives in Kansas City, Kansas with her family.

Reviews

[Nilufer Ozmekik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bring out chilled Chardonnays, popcorn, pecans, potato chips, whatever suits for you! Don’t make plans and leave open your weekend night to have quality time with this wild ride!

Even though the book seems a little longer, it never gets bumpy or loses its direction! The opening is promising. The slow burn mystery keeps you guessing about the identity of victim and the culprit! Three heroines are flawed, dealing with their own insecurities but they were not one dimensionally portrayed that helps you to resonate with them easily.

This opens at the crime scene at elite school’s gym located on Colorado Mountains where Natalie: 25 years old office assistant, was high and dry, finding someone lying in blood pool and then we see how her testimony goes on! It seems like she’s the person of interest! What the hell happened in the school!

Natalie: an artist,moving to Colorado for taking care of her brother who recently had an accident, extending her stay by getting recruited by elite school, working on her art and selling it on Etsy, trying to form a lifestyle but still suffering from abandonment issues ( thanks to her useless father), hoping to heal herself with edibles.

Her faith crosses with two mothers of the school. Their common interest is gym teacher Nicholas. At age 45, charming, sexy, getting along with all those trophy wives. She actually has a huge crush on him!

Asha raises her two children, lately having troubles with her husband Phill who lies about his whereabouts, probably having a secret affair. And now she’s pregnant again when her relationship is on the rocks. Nicholas seems like great mentor and coach her daughter who can help her get approval any college she’s dreamed of!

And Brooke might be the bitchiest and less likable one: interestingly I got invested in her more than the others. Yes, she’s cutthroat bitch! She says her way or highway all the time. She’s cheater! She’s liar! But she does her best to take care of her daughter Sloane who turns into small version of herself- mean girl who always does anything she wants to win the game! She already lost her husband to his half age trainer girlfriend. Everything seems falling apart. Even Nicholas she likes to flirt dating with that skinny, pale faced assistant Natalie. She’s middle aged, slowly losing her charm and control of her life.

Brooke and Ash already declared war because their daughters are both talented soccer player and they both aimed the same college. Poor Nick stays in the middle of the chaos, trying to help both of the girls.

But things aren’t as it seems. Mia and Sloane’s rivalry is not based on their college choices. There’s something deeper going on.

The mystery of the book was building so slowly but I enjoyed to read the characters’ dilemmas, their cat fights, misdemeanors, revenge plans, hypocrisies. So I didn’t care to reach to the end of it faster.

It was absolutely entertaining, smart, unique, fun read! Highly recommended for book clubs!
I’m looking forward to read more works of the author! This was great!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing for sharing this amazing digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest opinions.

[Jasmine · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lying Club begins as “rich people problems” but slowly turns more insidious.

This slow-burn thriller follows three women in a wealthy Colorado community. There’s Natalie: a young woman working as an office assistant at a private school. Brooke: a mom with more wealth than she could ever spend in her lifetime. Asha: another mom trying to keep up with her daughter’s wishes.

The book opens with Natalie groggily waking up in her car in the school parking lot and trying to remember her actions leading up to this.

Secrets, lies, gaslighting, manipulation, and entitlement make up the majority of this thriller.

While not much happens until around the 70% mark, and nearly all of the characters are unlikeable, I still thought the story was compelling. It was interesting seeing how everything tied together. Although, I think a few pages could be trimmed to even out the pacing.

I saw another review compare this to the tv show Euphoria, which is definitely apt. They share a few similarities.

I enjoyed the author’s writing style and will definitely read more of their books!

CW: drug addiction/abuse.

Thank you to Park Row for providing an arc via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

https://booksandwheels.com

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another DNF for me wow that’s not like me well this book is not for me abuse gaslighting etc creeps me out onwards I go , oh I always pick up. books with rich people in it I can’t connect to dang I did it again.

[Melissa (Semi Hiatus Until After the Holidays) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure how the title actually comes into play, but overall I really enjoyed this twisty thriller.

This is the story of a private school filled with privileged wealthy students and their parents. The parents will stop at nothing to help their children succeed. It is told from three points of view:
Natalie, the office assistant who has a bit of a drug problem
Asha, realtor and mom of two, including Mia who plays soccer; married to Phil, who she thinks is cheating.
Brooke, mother of Sloane who also plays soccer, divorced and a serial cheater.
And Nick, the charming, handsome, dynamic soccer coach at the center of it all.

The book opens with Natalie waking up in her car and finding someone dead (possibly)on the gym floor. We spend the rest of the book looking backward and then forward at what led up to this event and what happens afterward.

There are serious Big Little Lies vibes here and if you loved that book you will definitely like this one. There are so many twists. So much manipulation, gaslighting, backstabbing, and entitlement. It's like a train wreck you can't pull your eyes away from because most of the characters are completely despicable, yet...somehow you root for their success in spite of it.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Jonetta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Natalie Bellman is an office assistant at the Falcon Academy, an elite school nestled in the Colorado mountains and attended by mostly the children of the town’s affluent families. But it’s their charismatic soccer coach Nicholas Macguire, better known as “Coach Nick,” who has her attention and heart. Coach Nick is popular with all the ladies and moms, including Brooke Elliman, the town’s wealthiest who also has a roving eye despite being married. Her daughter Sloane is one of the two soccer team standouts, along with Mia Wilson whose mother Asha is anxious to have him help her daughter get accepted at the university of her choice. Things get dicey when two bodies are brought out from the school one morning and police are there to investigate. But there are a few people there who know exactly what happened.

There was a comparison of this story to Big Little Lies, which got my attention. While there’s a similar, underlying vibe, it’s a completely different tale and one I enjoyed a lot. It opens with the event where two bodies are dispatched from the school and then goes back in time to tell the story leading up to that day. Told from the points of view of Natalie, Brooke and Asha, it was impossible to know where it was going but I got a clear view of all three of these characters, boils and all. I liked Asha a lot but Natalie and Brooke weren’t as likable, more like two trains on the way to wreckage you couldn’t stop watching. In the midst of it all was Nick who was sort of an enigma, someone you struggled to figure out whether he was a good guy or up to something.

I finished this book in a day because it was such a puzzler and I was desperate to get answers. Whenever teens are involved, you can count on them being unreliable narrators who muddle up the mystery. It’s just natural for them to keep secrets from adults and it was clear that was at play here. It’s a slow build while time is taken to fully flesh out Natalie, Brooke and Asha, which I’ve learned to be patient in the process. Thank goodness I did because it was worth it by the time the last third of the book unfolded. It’s a complicated and diabolical plot that was a popcorn-worthy listening experience. I’m such a fan of the narrator as Teri Schnaubelt is a talented storyteller. She mastered this story, keeping it edgy and well paced. I had a good time with this one, even though I was fairly clueless until close to the reveal. Someone needs to make this into a movie!

Posted on Blue Mood Café

(Thanks to Harlequin Audio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

[Pat · Rating 3 out of 5]

While there were a lot of lies being told in this book, it didn’t seem like there was a lying club. The story was about the parents, students and staff at an elite school - Falcon Academy where rich and entitled parents would do whatever it took to advance the prospects of their rich and entitled children while the school appeared to be oblivious. Reputation is everything!

I could not relate to these rich and entitled characters. The parents were almost worse than the children. The children were bratty and secretive and indulged in dangerous behaviour. The staff members that the story focussed mainly on were Coach Nick Maguire who liked to look at pictures of naked teens and Natalie Bellman, the naive young receptionist. Natalie was probably the only potentially likeable character in the book but she spoiled it by overdoing the uppers and downers, drugs she purloined from various sources. She also made breathtakingly stupid decisions.

So that’s the setup and clearly it is a recipe for disaster. So while we are waiting for the inevitable train wreck we have to slog through a lot of detail, much of it I didn’t think was necessary. It slowed the pace of the story down. I felt the book could have been shorter and would have crisper for it.

Overall it is a good story that, for me, got too bogged down. Others will disagree, I know a lot of people rated it higher but I’m giving it three stars. Thanks to Netgalley and Quercus Books for the much appreciated arc which I reviewed voluntarily and honestly.

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Multiple storylines with a few MC's in the Colorado Mountains at a Private School. The preface grips you when it starts off with two bodies found at the School. Your in for a dark and plotting thriller.

Think the storyline could have a been a bit more twisty. The ending wasn't extremely jaw dropping but still had a good close off.

[Frank Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars, rounded up!

This has several storylines, surrounding a group of soccer moms (literally) at a high school. The extremes some will go to in order to make sure their kids get the best shot at a future is jaw-droppingly delicious! And if anyone so much as crosses them, or God forbid their children, you better watch your back! This one was a bit sleazy, and EXACTLY what I needed to read, I ate it up!! The less you know, the better, but I will say this novel is full of over the top and insanely dramatic characters. While they were some times a bit too dramatic and came off as unrealistic it did not hurt my overall opinion of this. Heck, maybe people like this do exist and I just have not had the pleasure of meeting them?! This book touches on a variety of topics such as drug abuse, sexual assault, infedelity, underage drinking, violence, backstabbing... you get the drift!! recommend anyone who enjoyed Big Little Lies, The Sinful Lives of Trophy Lives, or any other high-drama suspense!

[Carrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lying Club by Annie Ward is a thriller novel. The story in The Lying Club is one that is done in a before and after format around an event taking place in the Prologue going back to before that event until it catches up and goes beyond. It also is one that changes the point of view between several characters to give all sides of the story.

The Lying Club is centered around an elite private school nestled in the Colorado mountains. Natalie works in the office at the school and wishes she had the life the rich families that attend have. Asha’s daughter Mia attends the school and is best on again and off again friends with Brooke’s daughter, Sloane.

The women Natalie envies may look perfect on the outside but they all have their own issues. Asha works in real estate and has found out she’s expecting all the while trying to figure out if her husband is cheating on her. Brooke on the other hand is usually the other woman even though she is married. The moms both have Mia and Sloane in private coaching with coach Nick who Natalie has had her eye on at the school.

I have to admit starting off The Lying Club I wasn’t sure if I would end up even liking it as the characters aren’t exactly the most likable, often thinking they were rather despicable really. However, what drew me into the story was the secrets and lies to eventually be followed by some twists and turns. By the end of the book I was loving the complete turnaround the author worked into the story and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out how the tangled web would finally unweave.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.com/

[Darla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is chock full of lies, deceit, and half-truths. I was beginning to wonder if we would ever get to the bottom of it. But I have met Annie Ward via Zoom when discussing her previous title Beautiful Bad and I had faith in a resolution that would not disappoint. Three women are at the center of the story: Natalie, Brooke, and Asha. Two of them are mothers and we know better than to underestimate the mother bear effect. Watch out if you are endangering their daughters. In the world of #MeToo, this book is a timely reminder to guard the hearts and minds of your children. Oh, and this old tried and true message still applies: Don't do drugs.

Thank you to Park Row and Edelweiss+ for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An elite private school, scheming, cheating parents, a terrible tangle of ambitions, secrets and lies, all the darkness hidden beneath the shimmer of glamour and privilege — what’s not to love? Annie Ward digs in deep to her richly drawn characters, revealing layer after layer with each twist and turn of this addictive, propulsive thriller. A deliciously juicy and unputdownable tale of revenge and all the twisted things we’ll do in the name of love.

[Mandy White (mandylovestoread) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lying Club was the first book by Annie Ward that I have read but I will certainly be on the lookout for more. This was such a fun read, quite the page turner, full of unlikeable characters and toxic relationships.

Spoilt, rich families who will do anything for their children. But how far will they go? I certainly wouldn't want to live in the community full of liars, cheats and egotistical people. In this town in Colorado, an elite private school becomes the centre of attention when 2 bodies are found in the gymnasium. Who are they and who would want them dead. 3 women all have different reasons, and we learn about these as the book progresses. IT is one you won't want to put down and become enthralled in from the start.

Thanks to Quercus Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Published March 7th, 2022

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

An elite, private school thriller with murder, mayhem, and a myriad of entitled liars? Sign me up every time.

The storyline centers around a private school in Colorado and focuses on Natalie, a school administrator; the athletic director, Nicholas; two moms, Asha and Brooke; and their daughters, Mia and Sloane. Mia and Sloane are best friends and soccer stars, but their mothers are driving them apart with their competitiveness. They all turn to the good-looking athletic director for help (and a bit more), but when the secrets, lies, and jealousies come to a head, things change in ways no one of them ever expected.

What I loved about this book was that it starts off with the deaths of two people on school grounds, and with Natalie waking up in her car after blacking out. Sounds like a similar plot of dozens of other thrillers, but this one is unique in that there is such limited information given about the deaths that you have no clue until almost the end of the book who the victims are - and even then, there is a twist you don't see coming. The plot is told through several POVs and through transcripts from police interviews following the deaths. None of the characters are all that likeable or sympathetic, and everyone is lying to everyone else; but damn, they all hold your interest somehow. The only negative for me was that the fact that once again, the protagonist is a pill-popper with blackout issues who makes one dumb decision after another. Seriously? That trope is so overdone and just makes me roll my eyes at this point. It would have been sort of a deal breaker, but I will say that the ending saved it. It was unusual and memorable and honestly saved it from being a mediocre read.

Overall, for once I agree that with the blurbs that say "if you are a fan of Liane Moriaty's Big Little Lies, you will love this one." It really has a similar vein to Moriaty's book, and has plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the last page.

[Crystal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you been disappointed by Liane Moriarty's last few books? Never fear because Anne Ward is here serving old school Moriarty vibes in The Lying Club.

The story revolves around three women:
Brooke is an entitled, filthy rich heiress and control freak who doesn't like to be told no. She also has a crippling fear of being alone despite her inability to stay faithful in a relationship.

Natalie is a red headed Bettie Page with a drug habit and an unhealthy obsession with Coach Nick. She's a real loose cannon, and she's convinced that Brooke is after her man.

Asha is a dedicated wife, mother and relator who is stressed out, may or may not be pregnant, and has a daughter and husband who are growing more and more distant. On top of that, she finds herself at odds with Brooke when both of their star athlete daughters start competing to get into the same college.

While their actions and behaviors weren't always likeable, I found myself very much liking all three of these women. They all had moments of weakness that made them complex and sympathetic.
In addition to these three, there's a whole cast of other unique and quirky characters to indulge in. And when the passive aggressive claws come out, it's one heck of a fun ride!

As for the plot, it's as outrageous and dramatic as an episode of Dynasty. This story is a perfect blend of women's fiction and thriller that kept me glued to the pages.
Issues of class privilege, addiction, consent and grief were also explored in a way that helped elevate the story.

If you're a fan of Big Little Lies, give this one a read. You won't be disappointed!

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as a ‘juicy thriller of revenge,murder and a shocking conspiracy’ I was immediately sold and looked forward to getting involved with the book and finding out just what had ‘gone on’…
Set mainly at an elite private school in Colorado all is not as it seems and nor are the parents, staff or pupils….everyone has a secret,some more disturbing than others and as these are revealed the plot thickens…..now as you might expect most if not all the characters are objectionable,demanding and entitled and you can’t help but dislike them but then that’s half the fun in a book like this isen’t it?
The writing is good and very easily you are drawn into this world,the twists unexpected and the comeuppance welcome!
A good read,enticing and at times quite dark

8/10
4 Stars

[Kelly (and the Book Boar) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy oh boy do I love the smell of a gaslight in the evening. This upcoming release has a little bit of everything that I enjoy. Haves and have nots, affairs, sex scandals and other toxic relationships – oh and dare I forget, an opening where two bodies are being hauled out of the elite private school that is the common denominator that brings the three leading ladies’ worlds together.

The players are Brooke, the beautiful heiress to a family fortune; Asha, overworked and overprotective mom who suspects her husband is cheating on her (and probably with Brooke); and Natalie, the lowly school office admin who spends her free time attending the open houses of the wealthy – dreaming of a better life, and hoping to score some pills from their medicine cabinets.

What a delicious onion this one was to peel back. For those like me who found themselves severely disappointed in Liane Moriarty’s latest offering, let me tell you Annie Ward is here to turn your frown upside down. This 100% had Big Little Lies style dark and dank reveals and I. WAS. THERE. FOR. IT.

After reading Beautiful Bad I could not wait to see what Annie Ward had up her sleeve next and lucky for me she offered me an advanced copy in exchange for a review. Now, please don’t get it twisted and think I’m some fangirl who will sell my soul for a paperback. First, I’m pretty sure my soul already has a place card at one of the nicest tables in Hell. And second, my library system is one of the best in the nation. While I enjoy the early copy, I am pretty much guaranteed instant gratification on release day so I don’t neeeeeed them. (But don’t listen to that publishers and NetGalley. I still want all of them.) I’m simply trying to make it clear that my ratings are brutally honest whether they are good or bad. I also rarely take a direct offer from the author, but as I said above, since I really dug the other book I’ve read by this author I didn’t hesitate to say yes to this one.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lying Club by Annie Ward is a twisty and drama-filled read that gave me serious Pretty Guilty Women vibes. The story is told from multiple female viewpoints interspersed with police interviews which is a very similar format to LaManna's novel. I personally love this format, and I really liked it here because it kept me on my toes and kept me wondering who the 2 dead people were. The pace moves along fairly well, and I would say this is a medium paced thriller, although I don't even know what a thriller is anymore. The Lying Club honestly felt more like a drama filled mystery than a thriller, but it does have its tense and suspenseful moments as well. Almost everyone seems to be hiding something, and I quite enjoyed the slow unraveling of everyone's secrets.

The audiobook is really good as well and narrated by Teri Schnaubelt. She had a lot to do narrating so many viewpoints, and I thought she handled them all perfectly. I would definitely listen to The Lying Club again, and I highly recommend the audio if you are so inclined. I also loved that this is set in my current home state of Colorado, and it was fun that while some of the places are made up, there are still things I recognized as well. I do wish, however, that Ward wouldn't have put a gas station in this book that doesn't exist in this state and is in fact a real gas station. Casey's General is a place I know well being from MN and there are definitely none of them in CO. This is just a weird thing I noticed that bugged me, but I'm sure will bother basically no one else. The Lying Club is quite the ride, and I am being vague since I don't want to give anything away. If you like books filled with secrets and when things take a dark twist, then I recommend you give this one a go!

Thank you to the publishers for my advanced listening and reader copies of this book. All opinions and thoughts are my own.

[Julie (JuJu) · Rating 5 out of 5]

📚BOOK REVIEW📚
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This psychological thriller is the definition of unputdownable! The first night I read until my husband woke and nicely suggested I turn off my light and get some sleep, whoops! First time ever, lol. The second night I decided to quit at a reasonable (kind of) time. There wasn’t much left by the third night.

When I heard Annie Ward had another book coming out I flew to NG. Then I saw the cover and fell in love! Colorado as a setting was a bonus. Because I was wild over “Beautiful Bad”, I was ecstatic to get my hands on this ARC! I would like to thank Kim at Harlequin Books for recommending BB. You opened many doors in the book-reviewing community and I will be forever grateful!

A private school, wealthy parents, entitled students, and jealousy are the perfect storm! It is scandalous, clever, and viciously satisfying, attempting to expose the liars and lies.

The students are hiding something. Or are they protecting someone? The women? These catty ladies are great at investigating and presuming. How about the committed coach? He devotes considerable amounts of time to his students. Apart from training them, he’s a confidant and advisor in personal matters.

Thank you to Park Row Books / HTP Books for providing this complimentary copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

#thelyingclub #annieward #bookstagrammer #htpbooks #parkrowbooks #marchreads #cantputdown #justfinishedreading #htpinfluencer #bookaholic #booknerd #psychologicalthriller #booklove #bookrecommendations #mysteryandthrills #readallnight #thrillerafterthriller #bethrillingbookclub #thrillerfiction #lovereading #readwithme #bookaddict #thrillersofinstagram

[For The Love of books · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really liked the beginning and middle of this book, however I hated the ending. The characters were well developed with the rich schoolgirls and their mothers and until just over midway through the book left me wanting to know more. I enjoyed the almost gossip like storytelling. However once it took the twist at the end, I found the story hard to believe, and was tempted not to finish. I’m not sure what I would have preferred as an ending but it was disappointing for me and I was sad not to be able to give a better review to a story I had initially enjoyed. I would have loved to have been able to have given this book more stars

[Elliot A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher, Park Row, for providing me with an ARC of The Lying Club in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


The Gist

Well, where shall I start with this one? It’s been a heck of a week, which isn’t anything new. Yet, it still makes for a rather grumpy mood and I’m wondering if that has influenced my perception of The Lying Club.

Anyone, who has read at least a few reviews of mine, would know that I love murder mystery stories. Having to deal with a cold and being denied the pleasure of a good murder mystery may have significantly added to my bad mood.

The Details

What was going on with the characters in The Lying Club? They are all stock characters!

We have the “bored”, rich housewife who is constantly looking for something else to nip, tuck, stretch, tighten or gloss. There is the worried working mom. The character with a secret. And, of course, the one character who is so obvious I knew exactly their role in the story as soon as I saw their name and title.

So predictable! I found none of the characters likeable or interesting enough to make The Lying Club easier to get through.

At this point I should jump ahead and talk about the writing style before I can comment on the plot. I have to say the writing style was really very good.

The writing is easy to follow, has a great flow and is very relaxing.That’s what makes the next part so frustrating for me: there are too many abrupt changes in scenes. It’s ridiculous how quickly the setting changes from “the gym” to “later on that same night”.

I was in a sort of trance, reading this very relaxed style of storytelling when all of a sudden I find myself a handful of scenes later and I had to backtrack to find out where the jumps were.
I appreciate a good writing style and a writing style that allows me to take a breath and be taken on a journey. But not at the expense of being ripped out of it by severe jumps in time. Doesn’t work for me.

Having said that, the plot in The Lying Club appeared equally there but not really. It begins all so promising, only to be jolted this way and that. Throwing a whole bunch of tangents, red herrings and distractions in the mix, combined with a lot of unnecessary details makes for a very frustrating read.

The Verdict

Overall, I can’t say I enjoyed this. It started out very strong but quickly nosedived into a slow jumble of details and false pretences that makes The Lying Club a tedious read.

I can’t really recommend The Lying Club, it appears I’m in the minority with my unfavourable review.

[DJ Sakata · Rating 5 out of 5]

Favorite Quotes:

Reade was an undeniably handsome seventeen-year-old. He played lacrosse in the spring, wrestled in the winter, and was the captain of the soccer team in the fall. To Natalie, he looked like the sort of boy who would go on to pledge a good fraternity, major in economics with a minor in sexual assault, and eventually become a businessman like his dad. Had his circumstances been less affluent, she assumed he would have been just fine because of his looks alone. There was always Chippendales, reality television, and porn.

Everyone had problems with everyone. The whole bunch. Every single last one of them had a reason to hate the other. Sometimes it felt like I was trying to do my job in a shark tank.

My Review:

There was a lot to unpack with this tautly written tale which featured a plethora of itchy elements that kept me on edge and debating the motivations and veracity of the entire cast of characters. And there was quite an oddly compelling and uniquely vile assortment to sift through.

The storylines were uncomfortably realistic, edgy, and disquieting. I had full-on cold prickles and was so immersed in her characters’ narratives I often found myself flinching during perusal. This was my second time falling into a well-contrived Annie Ward enclave of ghastly humans, torrid secrets, and twisty intrigue, and while I’m looking forward to many more, I need a spa day to release a boatload of tension and knots in my neck.

[Cortney - Bookworm & Vine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, fast-paced thriller!

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Falcon Academy is a wealthy private school. Natalie works as an administrative assistant there. She awakens in her car in the parking lot at work, goes into the building, and sees a broken body. She wonders what she did during her blackout. She knows she takes too many Vicodin and other pills.

Asha is a real estate agent whose daughter Mia is on the soccer team. Brooke is a rich, controlling mother whose husband has left her and daughter Sloane is on the soccer team. Nicholas Maguire is the soccer coach. The story revolves around these characters.

I will read any book with lie in the title. This book has a great cover with a magenta high heeled shoe and shattered glass. The last quarter of the book is best. I kept looking for a likeable character and couldn't seem to find one but by the end of the book, I liked the three ladies and felt justice had been served.

[Darinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lying Club is a slow-burning thriller set at an elite private school. Two bodies are found on campus, and what happened makes for a captivating mystery.

The Lying Club is told using alternating points of views and timelines. The viewpoints are from three women, Natalie, Brooke, and Asha. Natalie is the school’s office assistant. Brooke and Asha are mothers of teen girls at the school. All three women are a mess, but in different ways.

A mystery thriller full of drama, secrets, and lies. The Lying Club has unreliable and unlikable narrators, and complicated relationships. This novel kept me turning the pages to find out what really happened at the school.

I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Leslie McKee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've enjoyed other books by Ward, but I struggled with this one. It starts out with a bang and two dead bodies, but things quickly come to a crash as the pace slows down way too much with revealing who the bodies are and how they're connected. There are some interesting twists, but it wasn't enough to keep me as engaged as I'd hoped. The pace finally picked up--near the end of the book, which was way too late. And sadly, I didn't care for the characters (parents or children). I found myself skimming parts, as this one missed the mark for me.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy, but I wasn't required to leave a review.

[blondethrillerbooklover · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

This story centers around an elite private school in the mountains in Colorado.

The kids and parents are uber rich, arrogant, entitled and self-serving

Someone is found dead at the beginning of the book and then it goes back in time to chronicle the events that led up to this death.
_________________________________

It’s full of drama, backstabbing, lying, cheating, revenge and scandal 🔪
I loved it! 🙌

It definitely has a Big Little Lies vibe. You will love peeling back each juicy layer, assimilating the relationships of the characters and immersing yourself into the setting

[Robin Loves Reading · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three women, two of them mothers, find themselves embroiled but unsavory actions at a fancy boarding school.

The haves in this story would be Asha and Brooke. The have-nots would include Natalie, the school secretary. Before I continue, please disregard the title. The women were never in concert with one another and there was no such club.

What we have in this book are parents who want their children to succeed no matter the cost. Asha is worried that her husband Phil is cheating, and is also shocked to discover that she is pregnant. Brooke is gorgeous and glamorous and is also a serial cheater. Then there is Natalie, who works at the school where Asha and Brooke's daughters attend, and she is more than hooked on pills.

The book starts off with at least one dead body. So the mystery is not whether or not someone would be killed, but who the body was, how and why the individual was killed, and whether or not the killer would be identified.

The story shifts from past to present with warp neck speed as everything begins to come together, with the school's coach and trainer Nick right in the thick of things.

This book was incredibly compelling from start to finish. In fact, you have to read to the very end to see how much deception and lies is the underbelly of this book and how so many lives have been affected.

Please also see the YouTube video review for this thrilling book - https://youtu.be/AUU2KfX0j1s

Many thanks to Park Row and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Lying Club by Annie Ward has two murders occurring at the elite Falcon Academy where reputation is everything. Rich parents send their entitled children to this prestigious school which will set them up to get into an elite college. Lies abound in this story. The Lying Club is told from several points-of-view. It did take me awhile to adjust the changing viewpoints. The key is to try and figure out which are lies and which are truths. Who could have committed such heinous crimes? The beginning of The Lying Club is a little slow as the story (the characters, the setting, and the plot) is laid out. The author provides plenty of detail which allows readers to visualize the characters and the scenes. We get to meet the various characters (rich parents, bratty teenagers, staff tired of dealing with both parents and the students). The pacing picks up in the second half where there is more action and a twist or two. It is a disturbing story that delves into dark areas. The Lying Club starts out with a bang with a murder but then the pace slows down until much later in this long book. I did not like any of the characters in this book which made it hard for me to read. I like to connect with at least with one character. None of them had any redeeming qualities. I really did not care what happened to any of them (my fantasy was the killer could have gone on a rampage and wiped out the entire lot). Many of the characters are cliched. I do wish there had been a warning on the book. It deals with some disturbing issues. If I had known what The Lying Club would have delved into, I would not have picked it up. There is foul language and intimate situations. The Lying Club was too drawn out and, personally, I found it predictable. Annie Ward combines dysfunctional characters with drama, revenge, lies, deceit, secrets, and murder into one twisty tale called The Lying Club.

[Judy Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deceit. Lies. Secrets. Gaslighting. Manipulation.

Annie Ward returns from Beautiful Bad with a drama-filled, scandalous domestic thriller —THE LYING GAME. The haves and the have nots.

Meet the protagonist, Natalie Bellman, an administrative assistant at the elite Falcon Academy private school in the beautiful Colorado Mountains. She has a crush on Nick and would love to have the money and beauty of the moms whose girls attend the school. She has lots of problems.

Handsome Nick Maguire, the athletic director at the academy and the girl's soccer team coach, is at the center of all the trouble and attention. Is he as charming as he seems? Can he be trusted?

Then there are the privileged moms and daughters of the school.
Brooke, the gorgeous heiress, mother, and cheater.
Asha, a helicopter mom overachiever, suspects her hubby is having an affair.

Everyone seems to want a piece of Nick.
Natalie and Brook want him.
Asha needs him to assist her daughter's future at UCLA.

There are lies, jealousy, infidelity, and now it looks like murder when two bodies are carried out of the school. Sloane (mom Brook) and Mia (mom Ash) are daughters and friends. They both play on the soccer team.

The first part of the book deals with the background and character development.
Natalie is completely crazy and makes terrible choices.
She thinks Nick likes her.
She self-medicates and stalks.
All the while trying to develop a relationship with the two moms who have hired Nick to give private soccer lessons to their daughters.

None of the characters are likable and toxic. Of course, these moms are privileged and wealthy. But they soon realize maybe Nick may not be what he appears to be.

Natalie wakes up in her car in the school's parking lot and sees footsteps in the snow leading to the gym and back to her car. She does not remember, but she sees the body lying in a pool of blood. Does all this sound a little crazy? It is.

A slow-burn, dark, and disturbing domestic thriller. However, the book speeds up about 70% when all the action starts. A school scandalized. An entire town obsessed with wealth, prestige, and winning has been an obsession.

Fans of Big Little Lies will enjoy this dark and twisty thriller of manipulation, backstabbing, entitlement, revenge, and murder. If you like a lot of drama, it has plenty.

Thank you to @parkrowbooks and @netgalley for an ARC to read, review and enjoy.

Blog Posted @ www.JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pub Date: March 22, 2022

[Lisa Leone-campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Lying Club is an outrageously intense murder/mystery which takes place at a prestigious high school which caters to the wealthy families in Colorado.

First, we have Natalie. She is an office assistant in the principal’s office. She is the eyes and ears of the school. Although she is friendly with some of the mothers, she keeps her distance. She is dating the handsome Nick who coaches and trains the soccer team. That someone like her would even be on his radar is incredible! Although art is her passion, she has put her real love on hold to make money. She came here to be closer to help her brother Jay who was in a serious accident. Prior to this she had had breakdown and had been abusing drugs and alcohol. She had been clean for a while, until she met Jay’s medicine cabinet. She wakes up in her car one morning parked in front of the school. Unable to remember the night before she walks into the gym and finds a body. She immediately turns around for fear of what she has done.

Brooke is the mother of Sloane a rising high school soccer star who she has high expectations of going to an elite college and playing soccer. Coming from old money, Brooke has everything she needs plus more. She sits on multiple boards and travels extensively. She will do and pay anything to help Sloane achieve her goal. She is separated from Sloane’s father after cheating on him…again. Brook has a bit of a crush on Nick, but she seems to have many men on her radar. Brooke begins to notice Sloane’s personality shifting but figures it’s probably the teen years kicking in and her new boyfriend.

Asha is a realtor who has the perfect life. She has a son and daughter and a loving husband. Her daughter Mia is another rising soccer star and may perhaps be vying for the same spot as Brooke’s daughter when it comes to going to college. But Brook and Asha have been sort of friends for a long time. She feels they will be able to weather the storm. Then Asha’s husband begins to act strangely, very standoffish and not as connected to the family, traveling much more than usual. She suspects he is cheating, and she now has something very important to tell him but is hesitant. Mia begins to become quiet and stays in her room much more than she ever has. No matter how hard Asha tries, she can’t get Mia to tell her what’s wrong. Is her family falling apart?

So, what do these women have in common? Secrets. And lies. Sometimes that’s enough to bond people for life. As the police begin to investigate the mystery behind the dead body in the gym, the reader will be taken back in time and shown what has led up to the present pivotal situation. But not everything is clear cut. And not every secret can ever be told.

Everyone lies, but some do it much better than others. That’s why there is a Lying Club.

This book is brilliantly written with abounding suspense and mystery and shocking twists you don’t even see coming.

Thank you #NetGalley #ParkRow #AnnieWard #TheLyingClub for the advanced copy.