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A Good Girl's Guide to Lying: Losing My Memory, Searching for Truth, & Confronting Complex Trauma
On paper, Michelle Hébert was a successful, high-functioning woman. A former social worker turned government executive, a mother of two, a wife, a published author. But there was a secret about her that nobody knew—one that her own brain was trying to keep from her. One that was destroying her from the inside out. Why couldn’t she recognize herself in mirrors? Why did her mind disconnect from her body for long periods, leaving her to deal with decisions she made while she was dissociated—like finding herself walking down the aisle at a wedding she didn’t remember planning? Why couldn’t she shake the gnawing fear that something was very wrong with her brain, or that she’d done something terrible?
A mystery disguised as a memoir, this deeply layered story of complex trauma takes readers on one woman’s search for decades of memories lost. Gaslighted by misogyny and a broken health-care system, and forced to reinvent herself over and over again, Michelle must piece together the fragments of her past to uncover what happened one August afternoon in the 1980s.
A sometimes heartbreaking, often darkly humorous, and ultimately redemptive memoir of identity, resilience, and resistance, and a compelling testament to the lengths our brains will go to protect us, A Good Girl’s Guide to Lying is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to become who you really are.
A mystery disguised as a memoir, this deeply layered story of complex trauma takes readers on one woman’s search for decades of memories lost. Gaslighted by misogyny and a broken health-care system, and forced to reinvent herself over and over again, Michelle must piece together the fragments of her past to uncover what happened one August afternoon in the 1980s.
A sometimes heartbreaking, often darkly humorous, and ultimately redemptive memoir of identity, resilience, and resistance, and a compelling testament to the lengths our brains will go to protect us, A Good Girl’s Guide to Lying is a powerful reminder that it’s never too late to become who you really are.
Paperback
Published September 15, 2026
About the author
Michelle Hebert
3 books8 followersMichelle Hébert grew up on the beaches and marshes of Cumberland County, Nova Scotia. She has an MFA in Creative Nonfiction, degrees in journalism and social work, and she studies tarot on the side. Her writing about mental health, social justice, and finding joy where it seems there’s none to be had has appeared in Writerly and Mothering magazines, The Coast, the Halifax Examiner, and on CBC Radio. Her writing was longlisted for the 2025 CBC Nonfiction Prize.
Michelle's debut novel, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, was a Toronto Star Must Read of Summer 2024 and a 49thShelf.com Book of the Year. Her memoir, A Good Girl's Guide to Lying: Losing My Memory, Searching for Truth, and Confronting Complex Trauma, will be published in September 2026. Her first book, Enriched by Catastrophe: Social Work and Social Conflict After the Halifax Explosion, was published in 2009.
Michelle has lived across Canada but makes her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Mi’kma’ki), with her two adult children, several cats, and a dog who thinks she's a cat. Learn more (and see cat photos!) at michellehebertwrites.com
Michelle's debut novel, Every Little Thing She Does is Magic, was a Toronto Star Must Read of Summer 2024 and a 49thShelf.com Book of the Year. Her memoir, A Good Girl's Guide to Lying: Losing My Memory, Searching for Truth, and Confronting Complex Trauma, will be published in September 2026. Her first book, Enriched by Catastrophe: Social Work and Social Conflict After the Halifax Explosion, was published in 2009.
Michelle has lived across Canada but makes her home in Halifax, Nova Scotia (Mi’kma’ki), with her two adult children, several cats, and a dog who thinks she's a cat. Learn more (and see cat photos!) at michellehebertwrites.com
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
"I'm fifty-one. But I never got to be twenty-one. I was never anything in between."
This memoir was excellent: engaging, mysterious, and heart-wrenching. The chapters are short, perfect for quick reading breaks throughout the day. I found the formatting very creative and engaging; some sections describe photographs, some include literal Post-its, and some offer brief analogies or reflections. All of it kept me hooked.
Michelle's story is both endearing and harrowing; while not graphic, the depiction of what happened to her still made my stomach turn. Like many survivors, she went through decades of being asked for "proof," of having her emotions and experiences mollified, and worse of all, simply not being believed at all or turned away, even by the mental health professionals and law enforcement whose role it is to help.
I enjoyed not only hearing Michelle's story read, but following along as she tells it chronologically and as she herself experienced it. There are tons of interesting facts, statistics, and historical information that are organically blended into the narrative, making this equal parts informative and engaging.
"In the good old days, they would've called this a good old-fashioned nervous breakdown. Dawn told me it was a breakthrough."
Thank you, NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
This memoir was excellent: engaging, mysterious, and heart-wrenching. The chapters are short, perfect for quick reading breaks throughout the day. I found the formatting very creative and engaging; some sections describe photographs, some include literal Post-its, and some offer brief analogies or reflections. All of it kept me hooked.
Michelle's story is both endearing and harrowing; while not graphic, the depiction of what happened to her still made my stomach turn. Like many survivors, she went through decades of being asked for "proof," of having her emotions and experiences mollified, and worse of all, simply not being believed at all or turned away, even by the mental health professionals and law enforcement whose role it is to help.
I enjoyed not only hearing Michelle's story read, but following along as she tells it chronologically and as she herself experienced it. There are tons of interesting facts, statistics, and historical information that are organically blended into the narrative, making this equal parts informative and engaging.
"In the good old days, they would've called this a good old-fashioned nervous breakdown. Dawn told me it was a breakthrough."
Thank you, NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing, for the opportunity to read an advanced reader's copy in exchange for my honest opinions.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This was a challenging book for me. As it's a memoir, it's hard for me to give it any less than a 5 star rating.
Michelle starts telling her story, and she really doesn't remember much, which begs the question, is something blocking her memories?
Her childhood seemed to be pretty normal, with a decent relationship with her dad, but a complicated one with her mom.
I did find it hard to read as she kept on referring to herself in the 3rd person. I found it weird and felt like she was disassociating herself from her memories. Shortly after that, her diagnosis from her therapist made it make sense. This made it easier for me to read, but she also started to write from a first person perspective nearing the end.
A good read if you like real-life stories. There is a lot of trauma speak, so that would be my warning to check the triggers.
Michelle starts telling her story, and she really doesn't remember much, which begs the question, is something blocking her memories?
Her childhood seemed to be pretty normal, with a decent relationship with her dad, but a complicated one with her mom.
I did find it hard to read as she kept on referring to herself in the 3rd person. I found it weird and felt like she was disassociating herself from her memories. Shortly after that, her diagnosis from her therapist made it make sense. This made it easier for me to read, but she also started to write from a first person perspective nearing the end.
A good read if you like real-life stories. There is a lot of trauma speak, so that would be my warning to check the triggers.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I love reading memoirs because it's such a great way to find commonalities with a person no matter how different they are from you.
Michelle Hébert dives deep and gets incredibly personal in this memoir. Michelle can't seem to remember her life. She frequently deals with memory issues going as far a blacking out and coming back to herself days or weeks later. The issue continues to escalate and she white knuckles her way through it. By finally connecting with a good therapist she begins to realize that something bad is blocking her memories. But she can't figure out if something bad happened to her or if she did something bad. The description says this is a mystery disguised as a memoir and I wholeheartedly agree. The writing style can feel disjointed and took some getting used to. But as I continued reading I think that the shifts between first and third person as well as messages from her younger self actually really serve the memoir and make it stronger. It brings the reader into her dissociations and the mystery. So what started as my main critique became one of my favorite parts of the reading experience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I love reading memoirs but rating them is so weird. I think anyone who can be so open and vulnerable is deserving of 5 stars
Michelle Hébert dives deep and gets incredibly personal in this memoir. Michelle can't seem to remember her life. She frequently deals with memory issues going as far a blacking out and coming back to herself days or weeks later. The issue continues to escalate and she white knuckles her way through it. By finally connecting with a good therapist she begins to realize that something bad is blocking her memories. But she can't figure out if something bad happened to her or if she did something bad. The description says this is a mystery disguised as a memoir and I wholeheartedly agree. The writing style can feel disjointed and took some getting used to. But as I continued reading I think that the shifts between first and third person as well as messages from her younger self actually really serve the memoir and make it stronger. It brings the reader into her dissociations and the mystery. So what started as my main critique became one of my favorite parts of the reading experience.
Thank you to NetGalley and Nimbus Publishing for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
I love reading memoirs but rating them is so weird. I think anyone who can be so open and vulnerable is deserving of 5 stars
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
A GOOD GIRL’S GUIDE TO LYING by Michelle Hebert
Thank you author and publisher I laughed out loud at this read!
Okay, this one was FUN.
I went in expecting one thing and ended up completely invested. The story kept me guessing, the characters kept me entertained, and every time I thought I had things figured out, I found myself questioning everything again.
Was it perfect? No. But did I enjoy it? Absolutely.
Sometimes you just need a book that pulls you in, keeps you turning pages, and leaves you saying, “Okay, just one more chapter.”
ARC REVIEW
Thank you author and publisher I laughed out loud at this read!
Okay, this one was FUN.
I went in expecting one thing and ended up completely invested. The story kept me guessing, the characters kept me entertained, and every time I thought I had things figured out, I found myself questioning everything again.
Was it perfect? No. But did I enjoy it? Absolutely.
Sometimes you just need a book that pulls you in, keeps you turning pages, and leaves you saying, “Okay, just one more chapter.”
ARC REVIEW
September 16, 2026
This is the most impactful and moving book I ever read. In tears in the last few chapters. I believe it is one of the most important books of the decade. A true story on dPTSD showing years of living with dissociation and how difficult it is to get treatment and support. Well written and absorbing. It is a must read. Kudos to the author for her bravery and strength.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews