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Books Don't Lie, Husbands Do
After a failed marriage, Grace Nightly’s desire to get her life back on track seems hard to do when secrets and lies are around every corner.
Grace Nightly thought she married the love of her life—boy is she wrong. Putting all she has into a marriage that ultimately fails, Grace finds herself struggling emotionally, mentally, and financially after her husband up and leaves her. Her failed marriage isn’t the only thing wrong in her life—the bookstore that she runs with her elderly mother is struggling.
On top of that, her six-year-old daughter Isabella is obsessed with a fairy-tale book because it’s the last thing her father gave her before he left town. Grace tries to stop her daughter’s obsession with the book and keep the failing bookstore she and her mother own afloat.
Grace tries to move on with her new boyfriend Phil, but that relationship is doomed to fail if Grace can’t get out of her own head and learn to trust again. Along Grace’s journey, she finds out many secrets and lies. Some are almost too much for her to handle.
Can Grace fix her love life and move on with her new boyfriend Phil, even though she now fears love? Will she track down Craig to find out why he left her and Isabella to survive on their own? Will Isabella ever get over her father leaving? Can Grace stop her daughter’s obsession and save her struggling bookstore, or will she succumb to the pressure of everything failing around her?
This is a story about secrets and lies, how secrets make everything worse, and how they always seem to come out in the end.
Grace Nightly thought she married the love of her life—boy is she wrong. Putting all she has into a marriage that ultimately fails, Grace finds herself struggling emotionally, mentally, and financially after her husband up and leaves her. Her failed marriage isn’t the only thing wrong in her life—the bookstore that she runs with her elderly mother is struggling.
On top of that, her six-year-old daughter Isabella is obsessed with a fairy-tale book because it’s the last thing her father gave her before he left town. Grace tries to stop her daughter’s obsession with the book and keep the failing bookstore she and her mother own afloat.
Grace tries to move on with her new boyfriend Phil, but that relationship is doomed to fail if Grace can’t get out of her own head and learn to trust again. Along Grace’s journey, she finds out many secrets and lies. Some are almost too much for her to handle.
Can Grace fix her love life and move on with her new boyfriend Phil, even though she now fears love? Will she track down Craig to find out why he left her and Isabella to survive on their own? Will Isabella ever get over her father leaving? Can Grace stop her daughter’s obsession and save her struggling bookstore, or will she succumb to the pressure of everything failing around her?
This is a story about secrets and lies, how secrets make everything worse, and how they always seem to come out in the end.
400 pages, Paperback
Published November 27, 2025
19 people are currently reading
14 people want to read
About the author
L.J. Epps
5 books167 followersL.J. Epps is a lover of all things related to books: fiction and nonfiction novels, as well as biographies and autobiographies. She has also been known to sit and read comic books from cover to cover, several times over.
Over the last few years, L.J. has written several manuscripts; her mission is to publish all of them. She enjoys writing fiction in several genres, including contemporary romance and women’s fiction, as well as young adult dystopian, science fiction and fantasy. She loves to write because it immerses her into another world that is not her own.
Over the last few years, L.J. has written several manuscripts; her mission is to publish all of them. She enjoys writing fiction in several genres, including contemporary romance and women’s fiction, as well as young adult dystopian, science fiction and fantasy. She loves to write because it immerses her into another world that is not her own.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
January 16, 2026
Such a lovely book! So cozy and so inviting! Most of the characters are good people trying to do their best with the situations that they have been dealt in life. The small town in which they live is warm, welcoming, and a place of forgiveness. If I had to classify this novel as being in a particular genre, I would say it's a love story, but not just romantic love between two people. It's about familial love, i.e. mothers and daughters, grandmothers, step-children, old friends, new friends, best friends, co-workers, babysitters, neighbors, etc. It shows that if you live in a place long enough, that the tendrils of your life's tale get all tangled and intertwined with the tendrils of others. In this small town, the actions or inactions of each member affect the lives of everyone that they come into contact with. What I love most about reading this story is how real the people seemed, and how the plot was one that could easily happen anywhere in the real world, and probably has! It made me reflect on the importance of being honest and straightforward with our loved ones, even when we know that it might cause some pain and discomfort to do so. **I was provided an ARC by NetGalley, but all opinions are my own.
January 6, 2026
Books Don't Lie, Husbands Do, by L. J. Epps, tells the story of Grace Nightly, a single mother whose biggest desire is to bring her life back on track. She owns a bookstore with her mother, and despite their best efforts, time has made their business much slower than usual.
Grace's daughter is obsessed with this fairytale book that her father gifted her when she was only three years old, and this is the only connection she has to her dad. Grace's life is full of twists and turns: between her six-year-old daughter, who is obsessed with a book, and her mother, who is a very strong-minded person and thinks she knows better than anyone else, Grace has a lot to deal with on a daily basis. On top of that, her new boyfriend Phil is starting to be impatient towards Grace's distance and lack of commitment towards him. Adding to all of this, Grace soon will find out secrets that can affect her life, and a lot of unexpected situations will develop around her, and she will have to deal with all of them in order to get her life together.
This is a beautiful book that is impossible to stop reading and contains a lot of beautiful and meaningful moments, as well as moments when we feel empathy towards Grace and her life. This is a book that can tell a story that can happen to anyone: when we least expect it, our world can fall apart, and sometimes it takes a lot of strength to get back up again and keep 'fighting' against the bad things that happen around us.
Personally, I loved reading this book and couldn't put it down until I finished, and when I wasn't reading it, it was all I wanted to do! I definitely recommend this book to everryone that loves a book that catches your attention from page 1, and once you finish, you feel sad that there is no more of it to read! Definitely, one of my favourite types of books to read!
Lovely book. Would read it again from the beginning.
Many thanks to Netgalley for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.
Grace's daughter is obsessed with this fairytale book that her father gifted her when she was only three years old, and this is the only connection she has to her dad. Grace's life is full of twists and turns: between her six-year-old daughter, who is obsessed with a book, and her mother, who is a very strong-minded person and thinks she knows better than anyone else, Grace has a lot to deal with on a daily basis. On top of that, her new boyfriend Phil is starting to be impatient towards Grace's distance and lack of commitment towards him. Adding to all of this, Grace soon will find out secrets that can affect her life, and a lot of unexpected situations will develop around her, and she will have to deal with all of them in order to get her life together.
This is a beautiful book that is impossible to stop reading and contains a lot of beautiful and meaningful moments, as well as moments when we feel empathy towards Grace and her life. This is a book that can tell a story that can happen to anyone: when we least expect it, our world can fall apart, and sometimes it takes a lot of strength to get back up again and keep 'fighting' against the bad things that happen around us.
Personally, I loved reading this book and couldn't put it down until I finished, and when I wasn't reading it, it was all I wanted to do! I definitely recommend this book to everryone that loves a book that catches your attention from page 1, and once you finish, you feel sad that there is no more of it to read! Definitely, one of my favourite types of books to read!
Lovely book. Would read it again from the beginning.
Many thanks to Netgalley for sharing this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion/review.
December 19, 2025
This was a journey, a newly separated/divorced (for the past 3 years although she hasn't signed the paperwork) FMC Grace, is struggling. She is in a state of what I sense is emotional turmoil with coming to the end of her marriage. She has a 6-year-old Izzy, who is smart and witty. Husband walks out on Grace and Izzy and leaves them behind to start a new life. He just literally up and left (all through the book he didn't feel bad about it either, which I absolutely hated). Then there's Phil, Grace's current boyfriend who is always there for her but she keeps him at arm's length. I almost feel bad for the man cause Grace has dated him over a year and a half and doesn't want to go further in their relationship even though he shows up for Grace and Izzy always. Grace owns a bookstore after her father passed and left it to her and her mother. Grace is scraping by and at least putting food on the table but Rose, Graces mom is keeping secrets surrounding the bookstore and money issues.
I want to say that my mood throughout this book was extremely depressing. Things just kept piling up on Grace and at times I felt that she was just helpless. Phil her boyfriend lends a hand and treats Izzy as his own but Grace is so caught up in money issues, the business amongst her feelings she hasn't come to terms with along with trust issues that she doesn't see Phil's value to her life. At times I wanted to go through the book and shake up Grace and tell her to get herself together and handle business. She was always in that helpless state and I wanted her to scream and say what she felt without holding back. When she finally came face to face with the dead beat, I feel like she didn't do enough even though he was where all her problems stem from and I wanted her to go crazy put him on child support and not wait 3 years. I wanted her to fully express her anger. I felt like she went easy on him honestly. Her daughter thinking he was coming back all those years and when he finally comes back he has another WHOLE family. Girl, Grace is better than me. Especially after he ran away with all the bookstore money.
Listen, I think this read was enough for me to keep pushing to see what happens next so I will say it was entertaining; however, the ending and epilogue was just missing something. I think it was missing rage. Izzy was already calling Phil daddy, but of course here comes dead beat Craig asking to meet her after he done rejected that poor little girl, and Grace says she will think about it......SHE WILL THINK ABOUT IT !!??!! hell no. I think Craig hasn't learned any lessons and where is the justice for Grace? I give this book a 3 star as I think Grace should've grown a backbone.
In conclusion, was it a good read, yeah. The pacing was a little slow with all the secrets but I felt so down while reading this book to where my husband was like "are you alright?" and I had to tell him I need a drink. Overall good read just wish the FMC had a little UMPH in her step. 3 stars for me.
I want to say that my mood throughout this book was extremely depressing. Things just kept piling up on Grace and at times I felt that she was just helpless. Phil her boyfriend lends a hand and treats Izzy as his own but Grace is so caught up in money issues, the business amongst her feelings she hasn't come to terms with along with trust issues that she doesn't see Phil's value to her life. At times I wanted to go through the book and shake up Grace and tell her to get herself together and handle business. She was always in that helpless state and I wanted her to scream and say what she felt without holding back. When she finally came face to face with the dead beat, I feel like she didn't do enough even though he was where all her problems stem from and I wanted her to go crazy put him on child support and not wait 3 years. I wanted her to fully express her anger. I felt like she went easy on him honestly. Her daughter thinking he was coming back all those years and when he finally comes back he has another WHOLE family. Girl, Grace is better than me. Especially after he ran away with all the bookstore money.
Listen, I think this read was enough for me to keep pushing to see what happens next so I will say it was entertaining; however, the ending and epilogue was just missing something. I think it was missing rage. Izzy was already calling Phil daddy, but of course here comes dead beat Craig asking to meet her after he done rejected that poor little girl, and Grace says she will think about it......SHE WILL THINK ABOUT IT !!??!! hell no. I think Craig hasn't learned any lessons and where is the justice for Grace? I give this book a 3 star as I think Grace should've grown a backbone.
In conclusion, was it a good read, yeah. The pacing was a little slow with all the secrets but I felt so down while reading this book to where my husband was like "are you alright?" and I had to tell him I need a drink. Overall good read just wish the FMC had a little UMPH in her step. 3 stars for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 13, 2026
“Books Don’t Lie, Husbands Do” follows Grace, who is navigating a separation from her husband Craig while raising her daughter Izzy and tentatively dating Phil. She works alongside her mother in their family bookshop, which is facing serious financial strain. As an investor shows interest in buying the store also the ex husbands makes his appearance again...
The premise has plenty of emotional potential: a woman trying to rebuild her life, a struggling bookshop, complicated family dynamics, and the lingering sting of betrayal. There are moments where the story touches on the vulnerability of starting over and the weight of carrying a family legacy forward.
However, the character portrayals made it difficult for me to fully connect. Izzy shifts between precocious wisdom and toddler-like innocence — sometimes calling crying “your eyes are leaking” — which creates an uneven sense of her age and maturity. Grace herself often behaves more like a frustrated teenager than a grown woman, reacting dramatically, resisting her mother at every turn, and escalating minor conflicts into major ones. These choices may resonate with some readers, but for me, they made it challenging to root for her.
The writing style also didn’t quite land for me. Some scenes lingered on small details that didn’t contribute to the story, while other parts suffered from timeline inconsistencies that pulled me out of the narrative.
All that said, the book does explore themes of identity, motherhood, second chances, and the emotional messiness of divorce — and readers who enjoy character-driven domestic drama may find something here to connect with. Even when the execution didn’t always work for me, the heart of the story — a woman trying to redefine herself while everything around her shifts — remains relatable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
The premise has plenty of emotional potential: a woman trying to rebuild her life, a struggling bookshop, complicated family dynamics, and the lingering sting of betrayal. There are moments where the story touches on the vulnerability of starting over and the weight of carrying a family legacy forward.
However, the character portrayals made it difficult for me to fully connect. Izzy shifts between precocious wisdom and toddler-like innocence — sometimes calling crying “your eyes are leaking” — which creates an uneven sense of her age and maturity. Grace herself often behaves more like a frustrated teenager than a grown woman, reacting dramatically, resisting her mother at every turn, and escalating minor conflicts into major ones. These choices may resonate with some readers, but for me, they made it challenging to root for her.
The writing style also didn’t quite land for me. Some scenes lingered on small details that didn’t contribute to the story, while other parts suffered from timeline inconsistencies that pulled me out of the narrative.
All that said, the book does explore themes of identity, motherhood, second chances, and the emotional messiness of divorce — and readers who enjoy character-driven domestic drama may find something here to connect with. Even when the execution didn’t always work for me, the heart of the story — a woman trying to redefine herself while everything around her shifts — remains relatable.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
December 26, 2025
I wanted to like Izzy
Decent story, but the 2 main characters weren’t that likable. Izzy, age 6, was constantly described as whining, stomping and screaming. What a shame. The mother was simpering. And if I never hear or read the word “wet” again, I’ll be happy. Could have been so much better.
Decent story, but the 2 main characters weren’t that likable. Izzy, age 6, was constantly described as whining, stomping and screaming. What a shame. The mother was simpering. And if I never hear or read the word “wet” again, I’ll be happy. Could have been so much better.
January 17, 2026
I really enjoyed the main storyline of this book. A bookshop in a small town run by a mother and daughter; one of my favourite cosy tropes. The thing that took me out of enjoying it more was the FMC's personality and how she treated the people around her. Was she burned by her soon to be ex-husband? Yes. Was she doing her best to make ends meet to keep a food over hers and her daughter's head? Yes. BUT, she was so unnecessarily cold and distant and almost at times repulsed by her boyfriend when he was nothing but kind, supportive and a great father figure for her daughter. After years of dating and still not even letting the poor guy stay over or show her any affection aside from maybe holding her hand or even telling him how she feels got very old very quickly. I wanted to like her but for me that really made it difficult for me to understand and get past so that I could vibe with her.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews