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The Lies We Inherit
Some families pass down heirlooms. Others pass down secrets that rot the foundation of every memory.
The house was never just a house.
The voices were never just in her head.
And the truth? It was buried under years of denial, silence, and the sweet-sick scent of lavender on her grandmother’s vanity.
When Delilah Monroe returns home to care for her mother—an Alzheimer’s patient whose memories flicker like a dying bulb—she walks back into a maze of half-truths, redacted family history, and rooms that seem to remember more than she does. The doors creak in patterns. The mirrors reflect things that aren’t there. And her mother’s mutterings carry the weight of old crimes dressed as bedtime stories.
What begins as caregiving quickly descends into obsession. Delilah’s search for clarity unearths a legacy soaked in gaslight and grief, where lineage is both weapon and wound. As the house reveals its hidden diaries, locked drawers, and photo albums with faces violently cut out, one question burns hotter than the
Who was the mad one? Her mother… or the woman she became to survive her?
Told in haunting prose and fractured timelines, The Lies We Inherit is a psychological gothic that doesn't just explore generational trauma—it eviscerates it. Angela Ruth Key delivers a debut soaked in unease and wrapped in the twisted intimacy of inherited madness. This is a story where the past is not past, and forgetting is more dangerous than remembering.
The walls talk.
The garden watches.
And every truth smells like something burning.
The house was never just a house.
The voices were never just in her head.
And the truth? It was buried under years of denial, silence, and the sweet-sick scent of lavender on her grandmother’s vanity.
When Delilah Monroe returns home to care for her mother—an Alzheimer’s patient whose memories flicker like a dying bulb—she walks back into a maze of half-truths, redacted family history, and rooms that seem to remember more than she does. The doors creak in patterns. The mirrors reflect things that aren’t there. And her mother’s mutterings carry the weight of old crimes dressed as bedtime stories.
What begins as caregiving quickly descends into obsession. Delilah’s search for clarity unearths a legacy soaked in gaslight and grief, where lineage is both weapon and wound. As the house reveals its hidden diaries, locked drawers, and photo albums with faces violently cut out, one question burns hotter than the
Who was the mad one? Her mother… or the woman she became to survive her?
Told in haunting prose and fractured timelines, The Lies We Inherit is a psychological gothic that doesn't just explore generational trauma—it eviscerates it. Angela Ruth Key delivers a debut soaked in unease and wrapped in the twisted intimacy of inherited madness. This is a story where the past is not past, and forgetting is more dangerous than remembering.
The walls talk.
The garden watches.
And every truth smells like something burning.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 16, 2025
51 people are currently reading
40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
November 20, 2025
Based on the description, this book had promise. However, I don't recall a Delilah and the mother in the story did not have a mention of althemizers.
I feel like there was a decent start and then it quickly fell apart. Things would jump one minute we would be at one location and the next sentence in a completely different place with not context or acknowledgement as to how that happened. The characters speak mostly in riddles that are never fully explained. The plot has a lot of promise but it's hard to follow.
The last 15 percent flowed alot better. It was quite enjoyable. I truly hope the rest of the book gets similar tweaks. Great premise, strong characters, just some flow/holes and very confusing.
I feel like there was a decent start and then it quickly fell apart. Things would jump one minute we would be at one location and the next sentence in a completely different place with not context or acknowledgement as to how that happened. The characters speak mostly in riddles that are never fully explained. The plot has a lot of promise but it's hard to follow.
The last 15 percent flowed alot better. It was quite enjoyable. I truly hope the rest of the book gets similar tweaks. Great premise, strong characters, just some flow/holes and very confusing.
December 22, 2025
This book pulled me in as I was trying to figure out what was going on with the girl. She seemed to be mentally unstable but why? Did she hurt someone or do something wrong or just her mind playing tricks on her. But when her dad’s will came everything changed. Why was he protecting her so much?
November 19, 2025
This ended up being a tough read to push through, which pains me to admit because the title and synopsis really pulled me in initially. Instead of the psychological thriller I was expecting, I found clunky dialogue and prose that just didn’t make sense at times with really poor pacing. Out of place adjectives were a recurring and glaring issue from the first chapter to the last and they stood out so much that they overshadowed the plot entirely as I was continually distracted by them. Definitely a story that could benefit greatly with a lot of line and developmental editing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Cipher for early digital access. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Thanks to NetGalley and Crown Cipher for early digital access. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
December 22, 2025
This book had a slow start but once I realized what was going on had me hooked! To me the family was really messing with the girls mental health and it was annoying me until she finally got the truth and realized what was really going on in her life. Definitely a book to add too your tbr if you haven’t already.
December 23, 2025
I believe the Goodreads synopsis is referring to another book. You will find a more accurate synopsis on Amazon.
...
I’m from the South, grew up reading a lot of southern literature, and while reading Lies We Inherit was constantly reminded of its cadence and slow build. I found this especially reminiscent of The Yellow Wallpaper. It has that same slow burn but quickly builds tension while unraveling any trust you have in yourself and credibility with the narrator. Let’s just say the gaslighting is effective.
I read this in a digital format and am usually a fast reader. However, this book deserves your undivided attention. The writing is beautiful. It is very poetic. However, this is almost like reading a book written in calligraphy. The timeline and story are not clearly laid out for you. Just like Elise, things are ambiguous in the first pass, and the story requires you to slow down and reread passages. I spent a good amount of time confused. I could see it in my mind, I could feel it in my chest, but I didn’t know what it all meant. I was about a third of the way through before I realized she was going back and forth between two houses. At first, I thought I was reading the main character relive the same day again and wasn’t sure if this was a competing timeline within the story or if the narrator’s memory was so unreliable she was living through her own Groundhog Day. This book made me doubt myself as much as Elise’s family tried to make her doubt herself.
I feel like I should read this a second time, but in a physical format and annotate the book while I read. I do recommend reading the synopsis on Amazon to give you some references before you begin so you can spend your time diving deep into the writing. Don’t try to rush the story, this is not a fast-paced thriller. Let characters gently pull you through to the end.
Thank you to Crown Cipher Publishing for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
...
I’m from the South, grew up reading a lot of southern literature, and while reading Lies We Inherit was constantly reminded of its cadence and slow build. I found this especially reminiscent of The Yellow Wallpaper. It has that same slow burn but quickly builds tension while unraveling any trust you have in yourself and credibility with the narrator. Let’s just say the gaslighting is effective.
I read this in a digital format and am usually a fast reader. However, this book deserves your undivided attention. The writing is beautiful. It is very poetic. However, this is almost like reading a book written in calligraphy. The timeline and story are not clearly laid out for you. Just like Elise, things are ambiguous in the first pass, and the story requires you to slow down and reread passages. I spent a good amount of time confused. I could see it in my mind, I could feel it in my chest, but I didn’t know what it all meant. I was about a third of the way through before I realized she was going back and forth between two houses. At first, I thought I was reading the main character relive the same day again and wasn’t sure if this was a competing timeline within the story or if the narrator’s memory was so unreliable she was living through her own Groundhog Day. This book made me doubt myself as much as Elise’s family tried to make her doubt herself.
I feel like I should read this a second time, but in a physical format and annotate the book while I read. I do recommend reading the synopsis on Amazon to give you some references before you begin so you can spend your time diving deep into the writing. Don’t try to rush the story, this is not a fast-paced thriller. Let characters gently pull you through to the end.
Thank you to Crown Cipher Publishing for providing this book for review via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
November 27, 2025
Angela R. Key’s The Lies We Inherit is a haunting, beautifully crafted novel that stays with you long after you’ve closed the book. At its heart is Elise Miriam Scott, a woman whose carefully constructed life begins to unravel when she returns to Ashdown, the family estate that holds more secrets than memories.
Key’s prose is elegant yet piercing, weaving together themes of memory, madness, and the fragile line between truth and illusion. The atmosphere is gothic and unsettling — every room, every photograph, every hidden record feels like a clue in a puzzle that refuses to resolve neatly. Yet beneath the suspense lies something deeply human: the ache of family loyalty, the weight of silence, and the courage it takes to confront the stories we’ve been told about ourselves.
What makes the novel so powerful is its refusal to let Elise be dismissed as “unreliable.” Instead, Key gives her voice the sharpness of lived experience, reminding us that memory, though fractured, can be its own kind of evidence. The result is a slow-burn thriller that is as much about identity and inheritance as it is about mystery.
The Lies We Inherit is not just a tale of secrets unearthed — it is a meditation on the cost of telling the truth, and the liberation that comes when we finally claim our own narrative. Elegant, tense, and deeply moving, it’s a story that continues to echo in thought and feeling long after the last chapter.
My thanks to Angela R Key, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
Key’s prose is elegant yet piercing, weaving together themes of memory, madness, and the fragile line between truth and illusion. The atmosphere is gothic and unsettling — every room, every photograph, every hidden record feels like a clue in a puzzle that refuses to resolve neatly. Yet beneath the suspense lies something deeply human: the ache of family loyalty, the weight of silence, and the courage it takes to confront the stories we’ve been told about ourselves.
What makes the novel so powerful is its refusal to let Elise be dismissed as “unreliable.” Instead, Key gives her voice the sharpness of lived experience, reminding us that memory, though fractured, can be its own kind of evidence. The result is a slow-burn thriller that is as much about identity and inheritance as it is about mystery.
The Lies We Inherit is not just a tale of secrets unearthed — it is a meditation on the cost of telling the truth, and the liberation that comes when we finally claim our own narrative. Elegant, tense, and deeply moving, it’s a story that continues to echo in thought and feeling long after the last chapter.
My thanks to Angela R Key, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC
December 17, 2025
This book moves like a careful unraveling. It’s a slow burn, so you have to commit to the mood and the character work but that’s where the tension lives. The story isn’t just about secrets; it’s about the way a family can make you doubt yourself until you start editing your own reality.
The suspense is steady, and when the plot starts to pivot, it hits with twists that feel personal like the truth isn’t just “revealed,” it’s weaponized. I also appreciated that it didn’t rely on cheap scares. It’s psychological, controlled, and increasingly claustrophobic.
For readers who like quiet dread that escalates into “wait… what?” moments: you’ll eat this up. There are a few things that could have tightened it a bit more so 4 out of 5 for me
The suspense is steady, and when the plot starts to pivot, it hits with twists that feel personal like the truth isn’t just “revealed,” it’s weaponized. I also appreciated that it didn’t rely on cheap scares. It’s psychological, controlled, and increasingly claustrophobic.
For readers who like quiet dread that escalates into “wait… what?” moments: you’ll eat this up. There are a few things that could have tightened it a bit more so 4 out of 5 for me
December 29, 2025
The Goodreads description was confusing. There is no Delilah and no caregiving of a mother with Alzheimers.
At the beginning I thought the girl around whom the story revolves was in a state of being unstable. Then one questions the mental state of the overpowering mother and the cruelty of the brother. It was not an easy story to follow or analyse, but I liked the style of writing. The characters were difficult to like.
The story also portrays how one can very insidiously mess up a persons head by planting misinformation and memories, getting the person to think in a very different way as to sequence of events and what actually happened. This is what happened to Elise in the story and she had to unravel years of wrong information to get to the truth.
At the beginning I thought the girl around whom the story revolves was in a state of being unstable. Then one questions the mental state of the overpowering mother and the cruelty of the brother. It was not an easy story to follow or analyse, but I liked the style of writing. The characters were difficult to like.
The story also portrays how one can very insidiously mess up a persons head by planting misinformation and memories, getting the person to think in a very different way as to sequence of events and what actually happened. This is what happened to Elise in the story and she had to unravel years of wrong information to get to the truth.
December 17, 2025
As a debut author, Angela Key weaves a strong tale of lies and legacy. The twists and turns were exciting and helped me feel like I was really inside the mind of Elise, the main character, as she unravels layers of fact and fiction & navigates through self doubt and broken trust. The characters are multidimensional and some are so carefully inserted into her life that it blurs the lines of what’s real and what’s been manufactured under the guise of protection. A solid read about the lives of people who used money and influence to bend things in their favor, and a woman who refuses to give up her quest for truth. Well done!
December 17, 2025
I admit the cover for this book initially drew me in with its dark, mysterious imagery. And the story definitely did not disappoint! Every chapter had me guessing about the real truth being uncovered, and what other secrets this family had buried. Elise Scott is a strong female main character who uncovers years of systematic mind games and betrayals that cause her to question her own sanity. The author does an excellent job pivoting between reality and her family’s imagined narrative. It’s a crazy ride through one family’s abuse of money and power that will keep you guessing until the very end.
December 17, 2025
This one is a slow burn, and it demands something a lot of thrillers don’t: patience. The writing leans into atmosphere and control—wealth, legacy, and the kind of family power that smiles while it tightens the leash. The tension isn’t loud at first. It’s quiet. Polished. And that’s exactly what makes it unsettling.
Once it starts turning, it doesn’t just “twist”—it reframes what you thought you knew. The reveals feel earned because the book takes its time laying down small details that only click later. If you go in expecting constant action, you’ll miss what it’s doing. If you go in ready for a measured descent into paranoia and secrets, it hits hard.
Once it starts turning, it doesn’t just “twist”—it reframes what you thought you knew. The reveals feel earned because the book takes its time laying down small details that only click later. If you go in expecting constant action, you’ll miss what it’s doing. If you go in ready for a measured descent into paranoia and secrets, it hits hard.
December 17, 2025
Fair warning: this is a slow burn. Not boring, just deliberate. It builds like pressure behind a locked door, and you have to let it do its thing. The payoff is worth it.
What I liked most is how the story keeps you questioning what’s real, what’s remembered, and what’s being manipulated. There are twists and turns, but they’re not random shock value they actually push the story forward and make the characters’ choices land heavier. By the end, I was flipping back mentally like, “Oh… that’s why that mattered.”
If you like psychological thrillers with money, image, and family secrets that rot from the inside out, add this to your list.
What I liked most is how the story keeps you questioning what’s real, what’s remembered, and what’s being manipulated. There are twists and turns, but they’re not random shock value they actually push the story forward and make the characters’ choices land heavier. By the end, I was flipping back mentally like, “Oh… that’s why that mattered.”
If you like psychological thrillers with money, image, and family secrets that rot from the inside out, add this to your list.
November 19, 2025
I like a toxic relationship as much as the next guy. But this one wasn't enough to carry the whole book unfortunately.
I enjoyed some of the family scenes, families can be the worst. This one certainly is.
It got a bit repetitive, the whole bump into someone you've not seen for years, they say something cryptic, followed by another recovered memory.
It interested me enough to keep reading, to find out the truth, but I'm a bit on the fence if the pay off was worth my time.
Rounding up to 3 stars
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy
I enjoyed some of the family scenes, families can be the worst. This one certainly is.
It got a bit repetitive, the whole bump into someone you've not seen for years, they say something cryptic, followed by another recovered memory.
It interested me enough to keep reading, to find out the truth, but I'm a bit on the fence if the pay off was worth my time.
Rounding up to 3 stars
Thanks to netgalley for the free digital copy
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2025
The Lies We Inherit is a haunting, emotionally driven story about the secrets families keep and the damage they quietly pass down. It’s a slow burn with real depth—rich characters, buried truths, and a lingering sense that the past never stays buried for long. Thought-provoking, unsettling, and beautifully written, this book stays with you after the last page.
December 23, 2025
The Lies We Inherit is a powerful reminder that family secrets don’t disappear—they echo. The story unfolds with quiet intensity, pulling you in through layered relationships and emotional tension rather than cheap twists. It’s thoughtful, unsettling in the best way, and deeply human. A compelling read for anyone drawn to psychological and generational drama
December 19, 2025
Different, cryptic, and I was not sure where it was going but it was well enough. Guilty of adding a star for it being a new author tackling such a tough Genre. Stay encouraged.
December 21, 2025
Did I miss something?…. Was the truth never revealed?
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 23, 2025
psychological, dark mystery. this is a suspenseful, emotional & powerful read that will have you questioning your own memory, and the memories of your family.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews