Tell Me Lies Excerpt: The First Three Chapters

by Carola Lovering

GET HOOKED ON THE MOST ADDICTING NOVEL OF THE SUMMER—READ THIS EXCLUSIVE EXCERPT!

A thrilling, sexy coming-of-age story exploring toxic love, ruthless ambition, and shocking betrayal, Tell Me Lies is about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget.

Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.

Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.

Lucy knows there’s something about Stephen that isn’t to be trusted. Stephen knows Lucy can’t tear herself away. And their addicting entanglement will have consequences they never could have imagined.

Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s voices, Tell Me Lies follows their connection through college and post-college life in New York City. With the psychological insight and biting wit of Luckiest Girl Alive , and the yearning ambitions and desires of Sweetbitter , this keenly intelligent and staggeringly resonant novel chronicles the exhilaration and dilemmas of young adulthood, and the difficulty of letting go, even when you know you should.

37 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 17, 2018

About the author

Carola Lovering is the author of Tell Me Lies, Too Good to Be True, Can’t Look Away, and Bye, Baby. She is a graduate of Colorado College, and her work has appeared in Vogue, The Cut, Marie Claire, W Magazine, National Geographic, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. Her novel, Tell Me Lies, has been adapted into a television series for Hulu. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two young children.

Instagram: @carolatlovering
Twitter: @carolatlovering
Facebook: /carolatlovering

Reviews

[B]

DNF The first thing she does is complain about being size 4 instead of 2. Then we flashback to party-time, drug-fueled college. Then, I decided to read the reviews, not for me.

[Gabby · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was really enjoying the first 100 pages but then I just lost all interest and skimmed the last 100 or so pages. It is sooooo repetitive and their relationship doesn’t even seem deep just sex so I really couldn’t understand them being on and off for as long as they were. Literally no chemistry. I also thought it was weird that the main guy Stephen was described as being overweight and unattractive constantly but everyone tripping over this guy. Really didn’t enjoy this one. You can defs skip it or if you really want to read it get it from the library so you don’t waste your money.

[LeeAnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the ending was unfinished. I thought maybe there was a sequel to the story. It was a suspenseful read.

[Adél van den Bergh · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. By far the worst book of this year !! The writing is fine, but OMW the characters of this book is horrible !!

The main love interest, Stephen, what an ass? First of all, he is not likeable AT ALL. Shitty personality !! and douche written all over him !!

I'm also just struggling to understand what the girls see in this man, he's literally a compulsive liar and it is actually laughable - I mean if that is what the author wanted to achieve, wonderful, mission accomplished...

All in all, shitty characters making shitty decisions (it is probably the plot for this story I guess?) but the writing is really not that bad.

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE these first 3 chapters -- I'm hooked! Need the rest ASAP.

[Cassie · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED THIS- need more right now!!!