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The Lies You Told
In the playground it's the law of the jungle.
At the school gate, there are no rules at all...
Life is hard for Sadie Roper. Her ex-husband is unkind and domineering, she's struggling with her return to work as a barrister after nearly ten years away from chambers, and her children hate their new school. They haven't made any friends yet and neither has she. She's at rock bottom when Liza, queen of the school gate, befriends her. Sadie is drawn into the heart of the world from which she was previously excluded, and both she and her kids start to thrive. So when Liza's family comes under threat, Sadie is the first to offer support, too loyal to worry about the danger to which she and her children might be exposed. She's keeping her friends close---what Sadie doesn't know is that her enemies are closer still...
Life is hard for Sadie Roper. Her ex-husband is unkind and domineering, she's struggling with her return to work as a barrister after nearly ten years away from chambers, and her children hate their new school. They haven't made any friends yet and neither has she. She's at rock bottom when Liza, queen of the school gate, befriends her. Sadie is drawn into the heart of the world from which she was previously excluded, and both she and her kids start to thrive. So when Liza's family comes under threat, Sadie is the first to offer support, too loyal to worry about the danger to which she and her children might be exposed. She's keeping her friends close---what Sadie doesn't know is that her enemies are closer still...
371 pages, Paperback
First published June 11, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,342 reviews
October 12, 2025
After seeing Blood Orange’s author released a new book, I virtually gave myself a big high five ( which ended with slapping my face because of lack of coordination skills) and getting so excited to devour this book!
I’d liked to start a year with one seat, unputdownable, hands and minds are glued to the kind of book! But... yes, I found myself whistling Switzerland anthem, sharpening my Swiss Army knife... as you may imagine, I bumped into a mediocre: neither I liked it nor I hated kind of dull, boring reading!
Literally pages after pages and chapters and chapters, there are so many things happen in this book but at the same time nothing happens in this book! I know it’s really confusing but the problems a bunch of female characters’ dealing were going nowhere. Much ado about nothing! Unfortunately none of the women are Shakespearian characters! Nada!
Only parts I enjoyed the court drama parts of the book but I couldn’t relate with the characters! I found them so exaggerated, unreliable, caricatured, one dimensional!
I wish the author chose to concentrate on one intriguing, gripping storyline so we can be easily hooked on that one till the end!
Anyways, only Sadie and her dear daughter Robin were a little interesting and tolerable characters and court drama parts because of Sadie’s profession helped me a little not to be bored to death but I’m still giving 2.5 stars and rounding them up to 3 let’s meet in the middle: it was a meh read, I hope I can find a hit sooner stars!
I’d liked to start a year with one seat, unputdownable, hands and minds are glued to the kind of book! But... yes, I found myself whistling Switzerland anthem, sharpening my Swiss Army knife... as you may imagine, I bumped into a mediocre: neither I liked it nor I hated kind of dull, boring reading!
Literally pages after pages and chapters and chapters, there are so many things happen in this book but at the same time nothing happens in this book! I know it’s really confusing but the problems a bunch of female characters’ dealing were going nowhere. Much ado about nothing! Unfortunately none of the women are Shakespearian characters! Nada!
Only parts I enjoyed the court drama parts of the book but I couldn’t relate with the characters! I found them so exaggerated, unreliable, caricatured, one dimensional!
I wish the author chose to concentrate on one intriguing, gripping storyline so we can be easily hooked on that one till the end!
Anyways, only Sadie and her dear daughter Robin were a little interesting and tolerable characters and court drama parts because of Sadie’s profession helped me a little not to be bored to death but I’m still giving 2.5 stars and rounding them up to 3 let’s meet in the middle: it was a meh read, I hope I can find a hit sooner stars!
November 25, 2020
“Hell hath no fury like a school gate mum scorned”. That’s a fact. They are the scariest clique out there. Give me a serial killer to deal with any day before one of these mums on the war path.
After the end of her marriage, Sadie moves back across the ocean to her childhood home in London with her daughter Robin, enrolling her in her old school, complying with her dead mother wishes. But the move is anything but smooth, and to the stress of the competitive parents at school she must add her new job as a junior on a court case where she must defend a teacher accused of inappropriate conduct with a student.
Although there were several different plots, the writing was so good that the story flowed very smoothly and all of them were equally interesting.
It depicts perfectly what happens when parents put too much pressure on their children and how it feels to be the newbie at school, both as a parent and a student. I was so glad when Sadie stopped being shy around these mums and started behaving as a true Mama Bear.
The story slowly draws you in, making you completely invested in Sadie and Robin’s lives, leading to a heart stopping last third that kept me on the edge of my seat, doubting everything and everyone.
“The lies you told” is a phenomenal psychological thriller that confirms Harriet Tyce as a name to watch in the literary world.
After the end of her marriage, Sadie moves back across the ocean to her childhood home in London with her daughter Robin, enrolling her in her old school, complying with her dead mother wishes. But the move is anything but smooth, and to the stress of the competitive parents at school she must add her new job as a junior on a court case where she must defend a teacher accused of inappropriate conduct with a student.
Although there were several different plots, the writing was so good that the story flowed very smoothly and all of them were equally interesting.
It depicts perfectly what happens when parents put too much pressure on their children and how it feels to be the newbie at school, both as a parent and a student. I was so glad when Sadie stopped being shy around these mums and started behaving as a true Mama Bear.
The story slowly draws you in, making you completely invested in Sadie and Robin’s lives, leading to a heart stopping last third that kept me on the edge of my seat, doubting everything and everyone.
“The lies you told” is a phenomenal psychological thriller that confirms Harriet Tyce as a name to watch in the literary world.
April 27, 2023
This is a Psychological Thriller. I have to say that this book keep me pulled into it. There is so many things going on that you just wanted to keep reading, but there was times in this book I felt that it was a little to much. The characters made this book, but they are not the characters you loved. I did feel that they where developed. The last part of this book was full of twists and turns, and it will keep you guessing. I loved all the suspense in the last part of this book. I cannot say I would want my kids to go to a school like what is in this book. I won a Hard Cover of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway, but this review is what I think about the book.
March 17, 2021
CW: child abuse, child endangerment, kidnapping, murder of a child, paedophilia, workplace harassment, bullying.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for a review copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book. Where do I begin? First off, I was about 170 pages in when I realized Julia, our queen of the moms in the school that’s the centre of attention here, is named “Liza” on the dust jacket. Ouch. I spent 170 pages, wondering who Liza was, and why is Julia the queen when some Liza person is supposed to be it? Strike one.
The trial that Sadie works on. A “scandalous high-profile case” barely crossed into the realm of these moms. Just a passing “oh, I heard about that.” Like...if it was high-profile, I think it should’ve been way more dominant in the story, especially because of the subject matter it deals with? The character was just so obviously “off”, that even the reveal of who knew what wasn’t even a shock. Just....it was all stupidity. Strike two.
The moms. Oh, the moms. It started off really intense, which was great. But I just got lost along the way, and it turned from “oh damn, can’t believe she did that!” real fast to “this is so ridiculous it’s just laughable.” Talk about your mean girls, who come across as overwritten for the sake of being exaggerated as a way to keep things moving along. Strike three.
Sadie. Sadie, Sadie, Sadie. My one question: WHO goes to work when you have a very serious issue at hand to deal with? And then to go to your “high-profile case”, again, to keep that plot line moving and tie up loose ends? Ommmmgg. Strike four.
The issues explored in this book are important ones, and ones that require real special attention to them. I don’t think writing a psychological thriller in this manner is a way to do it. These are two separate issues that require one book dedicated to each....not an actual information overload of two things that have no correlation to each other, other than Sadie being the common factor here.
I just can’t get behind this book, or what it’s trying to do here. The writing was ok in the beginning, but the story just went downhill really fast for me, and for half of it I was just trying to get through it to see what would happen. Which, big shock, was not even exciting.
Thank you Grand Central Publishing for a review copy in exchange for an honest review!
This book. Where do I begin? First off, I was about 170 pages in when I realized Julia, our queen of the moms in the school that’s the centre of attention here, is named “Liza” on the dust jacket. Ouch. I spent 170 pages, wondering who Liza was, and why is Julia the queen when some Liza person is supposed to be it? Strike one.
The trial that Sadie works on. A “scandalous high-profile case” barely crossed into the realm of these moms. Just a passing “oh, I heard about that.” Like...if it was high-profile, I think it should’ve been way more dominant in the story, especially because of the subject matter it deals with? The character was just so obviously “off”, that even the reveal of who knew what wasn’t even a shock. Just....it was all stupidity. Strike two.
The moms. Oh, the moms. It started off really intense, which was great. But I just got lost along the way, and it turned from “oh damn, can’t believe she did that!” real fast to “this is so ridiculous it’s just laughable.” Talk about your mean girls, who come across as overwritten for the sake of being exaggerated as a way to keep things moving along. Strike three.
Sadie. Sadie, Sadie, Sadie. My one question: WHO goes to work when you have a very serious issue at hand to deal with? And then to go to your “high-profile case”, again, to keep that plot line moving and tie up loose ends? Ommmmgg. Strike four.
The issues explored in this book are important ones, and ones that require real special attention to them. I don’t think writing a psychological thriller in this manner is a way to do it. These are two separate issues that require one book dedicated to each....not an actual information overload of two things that have no correlation to each other, other than Sadie being the common factor here.
I just can’t get behind this book, or what it’s trying to do here. The writing was ok in the beginning, but the story just went downhill really fast for me, and for half of it I was just trying to get through it to see what would happen. Which, big shock, was not even exciting.
December 31, 2020
Sadie moves back to the UK from New York when her marriage ends. She enrols her daughter Robin in her old school in London. She resumes her job working in the law profession working on a courts case defending a teacher accused of inappropriate behaviour with a student.
I had high hopes of this one as I loved ‘Blood Orange’, sadly for me this one isn’t in that category. There’s far too much going on in the plot as there are several plot line and so it becomes a crowded place. This means that a number of issues are glossed over and /or distract. It’s fair to say it’s really good in places but it’s uneven in my opinion. I’m also getting rather tired of the rich=bitch trope and the school gate witchery. There’s one particular school gate cat, Julia, who is especially odious and is an alpha female but some of the dialogue exchanged there just made me cringe. Please. Give me strength. Let’s think of Julia as a leopard as apparently they don’t change their spots. Well, this leopard did a 180 and lo and behold is suddenly spotless, then hang in a minute, let’s swivel back another 180 and the spots are back until I had spots before my eyes or was that the headache trying to keep up with the plot strands? Quite a number of the female characters are too far fetched to be authentic with accompanying wince inducing dialogue..
Overall, it could have been so good if we’d had just one plot line to follow which would have been a more intense read instead of a full kitchen sink. Maybe I’ve read too many books of this type and I’ve become jaded because other readers loved this. Apologies to GR friends who recommended it and I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it more! Onwards and upwards.
I had high hopes of this one as I loved ‘Blood Orange’, sadly for me this one isn’t in that category. There’s far too much going on in the plot as there are several plot line and so it becomes a crowded place. This means that a number of issues are glossed over and /or distract. It’s fair to say it’s really good in places but it’s uneven in my opinion. I’m also getting rather tired of the rich=bitch trope and the school gate witchery. There’s one particular school gate cat, Julia, who is especially odious and is an alpha female but some of the dialogue exchanged there just made me cringe. Please. Give me strength. Let’s think of Julia as a leopard as apparently they don’t change their spots. Well, this leopard did a 180 and lo and behold is suddenly spotless, then hang in a minute, let’s swivel back another 180 and the spots are back until I had spots before my eyes or was that the headache trying to keep up with the plot strands? Quite a number of the female characters are too far fetched to be authentic with accompanying wince inducing dialogue..
Overall, it could have been so good if we’d had just one plot line to follow which would have been a more intense read instead of a full kitchen sink. Maybe I’ve read too many books of this type and I’ve become jaded because other readers loved this. Apologies to GR friends who recommended it and I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it more! Onwards and upwards.
December 24, 2020
This plot was a mess. It should have stuck with the school mom melodrama. That storyline wound up falling off of an extreme cliff, but at least it had potential. The husband side plot and the trial were pointless distractions. If you don’t have enough story for a book, please don’t pad it with irrelevancies. I skimmed to the end.
July 30, 2020
Having not read ‘Blood Orange’ the previous best seller by the author ( not sure why as was always one I wanted to ) I was not sure what to expect
What I got was a good, solid psychological thriller, well written, at times scary and at others had me laughing out loud ( the chapter where the main character goes to her first PTA drinks party is delicious in its humour and I had to look away a couple of times such was the ‘oh no, that cant be happening’ farce that was unfolding )
The books focus though is on a Mum and her daughter who move back to London and the stress of being ‘the newbies’ at London’s most prestigious day private school, in unflinching terms you learn how determined these Mum’s are for their daughters to succeed, and will stop at nothing and I mean nothing to reach their goals, another sub story in the book is the trial of a teacher accused of grooming a former student, will say no more on that but sometimes sub stories are there to just ‘fill in’, this isn’t
The book gets darker and darker until it reaches it’s twisty ending and then as suspected there was another little turn to make it even more horrific
Great characters take you through this shockingly good read that if your a parent will I am sure make you wary of ‘school gate’ friendships
Superb!
10/10
5 Stars
What I got was a good, solid psychological thriller, well written, at times scary and at others had me laughing out loud ( the chapter where the main character goes to her first PTA drinks party is delicious in its humour and I had to look away a couple of times such was the ‘oh no, that cant be happening’ farce that was unfolding )
The books focus though is on a Mum and her daughter who move back to London and the stress of being ‘the newbies’ at London’s most prestigious day private school, in unflinching terms you learn how determined these Mum’s are for their daughters to succeed, and will stop at nothing and I mean nothing to reach their goals, another sub story in the book is the trial of a teacher accused of grooming a former student, will say no more on that but sometimes sub stories are there to just ‘fill in’, this isn’t
The book gets darker and darker until it reaches it’s twisty ending and then as suspected there was another little turn to make it even more horrific
Great characters take you through this shockingly good read that if your a parent will I am sure make you wary of ‘school gate’ friendships
Superb!
10/10
5 Stars
August 12, 2021
So I'm FINALLY catching up with some of the 2020 books I eagerly purchased and hadn't gotten around to reading yet, and this one in particular was just screaming my name from its spot on my bookshelf! I'm glad I finally gave this one a shot, because I really enjoyed it!
If you are entertained, or at least fascinated by helicopter moms that take their children's schooling way too seriously, then this is definitely the book for you! The extremes the main antagonist, Julia, would go to in order to elevate her daughter, and in turn lower any other child's position in school were just that, EXTREME! The sad, yet also comical part about this is, I'm sure there are real-life parents like her out there! At the beginning of the book Sadie Roper and her 10-year-old daughter Robin have moved back to the UK from the U.S., on account of Sadie separating from her husband Andrew. Sadie is eager to leave her emotionally abusive spouse and come back home and get back to work as an advocate, however her late mother and her were estranged (to say the least) and in order for her to live in her family home and cash in on her family estate, her mother has set a few requirements - namely Robin must attend the prestigious girl's school that made Sadie's life a living hell as a child. Miraculously, a spot has opened up and Robin has been admitted, and almost immediately upon crossing the iron entry gates, Sadie and Robin are treated as intruders and ostracized by not only the students, but also the snooty mothers. As the weeks pass by Sadie and Robin are forced to endure numerous acts of bullying and cruelty....but why? Why are these mothers/students so unwilling to accept these newcomers? What, if anything, happened to the student Robin replaced? The mystery element to this, as well as the high-profile court case Sadie is assisting on, really had me captivated, and while I did predict pretty much everything, I was still very satisfied with how everything came together in the final pages. Needless to say, the pacing of this novel was incredibly fast, and I found myself reading 80+ pages in one sitting, which is incredible for me! Honestly, this read more like a 200 page novel, not one over 350 pages! While it wasn't one of those books that completely blew me away, it did enough to keep me guessing and intrigued throughout, which is becoming rather difficult to do it seems. Everything considered, I'm very impressed by Tyce. I haven't read Tyce's debut, but if it's anywhere close to as intriguing as this one was, I may just go pick it up! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a lightening-paced mystery/suspense/thriller you can race through in just a couple of sittings!
If you are entertained, or at least fascinated by helicopter moms that take their children's schooling way too seriously, then this is definitely the book for you! The extremes the main antagonist, Julia, would go to in order to elevate her daughter, and in turn lower any other child's position in school were just that, EXTREME! The sad, yet also comical part about this is, I'm sure there are real-life parents like her out there! At the beginning of the book Sadie Roper and her 10-year-old daughter Robin have moved back to the UK from the U.S., on account of Sadie separating from her husband Andrew. Sadie is eager to leave her emotionally abusive spouse and come back home and get back to work as an advocate, however her late mother and her were estranged (to say the least) and in order for her to live in her family home and cash in on her family estate, her mother has set a few requirements - namely Robin must attend the prestigious girl's school that made Sadie's life a living hell as a child. Miraculously, a spot has opened up and Robin has been admitted, and almost immediately upon crossing the iron entry gates, Sadie and Robin are treated as intruders and ostracized by not only the students, but also the snooty mothers. As the weeks pass by Sadie and Robin are forced to endure numerous acts of bullying and cruelty....but why? Why are these mothers/students so unwilling to accept these newcomers? What, if anything, happened to the student Robin replaced? The mystery element to this, as well as the high-profile court case Sadie is assisting on, really had me captivated, and while I did predict pretty much everything, I was still very satisfied with how everything came together in the final pages. Needless to say, the pacing of this novel was incredibly fast, and I found myself reading 80+ pages in one sitting, which is incredible for me! Honestly, this read more like a 200 page novel, not one over 350 pages! While it wasn't one of those books that completely blew me away, it did enough to keep me guessing and intrigued throughout, which is becoming rather difficult to do it seems. Everything considered, I'm very impressed by Tyce. I haven't read Tyce's debut, but if it's anywhere close to as intriguing as this one was, I may just go pick it up! I'd recommend this to anyone looking for a lightening-paced mystery/suspense/thriller you can race through in just a couple of sittings!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 18, 2024
I was really pleasantly surprised by this book, I found towards the end I just couldn't put this book down, it was suspenseful and so entertaining. This book follows two main plot points and both are as equally as intriguing as each other which is rarely the case for me. I found the main characters believable she isn't perfect and she isn't over dramatised just a normal mum trying to make her way in her new environment.
Having said all this I did guess the big reveal pretty earlier on I think the author made it a little too obvious instead of leaving tiny breadcrumbs which I would have preferred.
Even though I knew what the ending would be I was excited for the main characters to discover the truth, I thought the epilogue was so well done and we end this book knowing everything still isn't all sunshine and rainbows which I love in a thriller.
I would look out for more of this authors work, the writing really worked for me and I felt sucked into the story really early on. A nice start to a new year of reading!
Having said all this I did guess the big reveal pretty earlier on I think the author made it a little too obvious instead of leaving tiny breadcrumbs which I would have preferred.
Even though I knew what the ending would be I was excited for the main characters to discover the truth, I thought the epilogue was so well done and we end this book knowing everything still isn't all sunshine and rainbows which I love in a thriller.
I would look out for more of this authors work, the writing really worked for me and I felt sucked into the story really early on. A nice start to a new year of reading!
July 1, 2020
Sadie and her daughter Robin have returned to her childhood home after the death of her mother. She has enrolled Robin in her old school to comply with her mothers wishes.
Robin doesn’t feel that she fits in there and is unhappy.
A slow burning thriller with a twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
Robin doesn’t feel that she fits in there and is unhappy.
A slow burning thriller with a twist.
Thank you to NetGalley and Headline for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.
July 12, 2021
The Lies You Told is fairly typical of its genre in that the often unreliable narrator tells you their story leading up to the big twist at the end. These psychological thrillers for me ,are all very samey in their writing style and this book is no exception. Also,the twists were well sign posted leading me to guess quite early on thereby removing any tension from the plot.
However, it was very entertaining with some of the characters behaviour so deplorable, (especially the school gate mothers),that reading about them was great fun. Although I'd guessed the ending, there was a sting in the tail on the final page which I really liked .
So, The Lies You Told may not win any prizes for originality ,I greatly enjoyed the book and happily raced through it on my day off.
Happily recommend for an entertaining,easy read.
However, it was very entertaining with some of the characters behaviour so deplorable, (especially the school gate mothers),that reading about them was great fun. Although I'd guessed the ending, there was a sting in the tail on the final page which I really liked .
So, The Lies You Told may not win any prizes for originality ,I greatly enjoyed the book and happily raced through it on my day off.
Happily recommend for an entertaining,easy read.
November 7, 2023
Even my favourite authors can get it wrong sometimes
Oh I’m not talking about Harriet Tyce I’m referencing Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena who blurbed this book as “chilling” and “breathless” …. Ladies I kindly ask you… how and where?
The Lies You Told started off so well, I love a good School Mums behaving badly trope. But it soon became too unrealistic and OTT! Then the story itself wasn’t going anywhere.
So the author decided to add another separate drama in the mix that had nothing to do with the original story and it all just felt chopped and nonsensical after a while.
The twists and reveals were subpar at best!
Listening to the audiobook is what helped me get to the end. If I solely focused on just reading this book I probably would have DNFd 😖
Oh I’m not talking about Harriet Tyce I’m referencing Lisa Jewell and Shari Lapena who blurbed this book as “chilling” and “breathless” …. Ladies I kindly ask you… how and where?
The Lies You Told started off so well, I love a good School Mums behaving badly trope. But it soon became too unrealistic and OTT! Then the story itself wasn’t going anywhere.
So the author decided to add another separate drama in the mix that had nothing to do with the original story and it all just felt chopped and nonsensical after a while.
The twists and reveals were subpar at best!
Listening to the audiobook is what helped me get to the end. If I solely focused on just reading this book I probably would have DNFd 😖
December 30, 2020
This review can also be found at Carole's Random Life in Books.
This was good! I decided to read this book on a bit of a whim. I hadn't heard anything about the book or the author but I am always ready to give a thriller a try and I liked the sound of this one. Let me tell you that once I really got into the book, I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what was really going on. This was definitely an entertaining read.
Sadie has split from her husband and is back in London living in the home she grew up in. She did not have a good relationship with her mother, or really any relationship at all in more recent years, but her mother has left her the house under one condition. In order to stay in the home, Sadie's daughter, Robin, must attend the elite school that Sadie attended as a child. Robin is a great student but Sadie and Robin don't feel welcome at the school and the other mothers seem hostile at times. Eventually, everything changes and Sadie and Robin are suddenly part of the inner circle but should they trust anyone? On top of it all, Sadie is working a very complex case as a barrister which only adds to the stress of her situation.
I had no idea who I should trust in this book. The clique of mothers at the school was just horrible and I couldn't understand why they were so unwelcoming towards both Sadie and Robin. The competitive attitude was rather extreme and there were questions about what kinds of things had happened to other students. I wanted to know what was going on with the case Sadie was working on and what was causing her marriage to fall apart.
I thought that the book was very well written. There are some short chapters spread throughout the book that show the reader a glimpse of the future so it quickly became apparent that things would fall apart before everything was over. There were so many things going on and I liked the way that we learn things at a perfect pace to keep the interest level high on every topic. This was one of those books that I found really hard to put down since it kept me guessing until the very end.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very well-crafted thriller that had plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I would definitely read more of this author's work in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.
Initial Thoughts
This was definitely entertaining. There were a lot of twists that I did not see coming and I love that the book was able to keep me guessing until the end. I was never quite sure about any of the characters which added to the appeal.
This was good! I decided to read this book on a bit of a whim. I hadn't heard anything about the book or the author but I am always ready to give a thriller a try and I liked the sound of this one. Let me tell you that once I really got into the book, I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what was really going on. This was definitely an entertaining read.
Sadie has split from her husband and is back in London living in the home she grew up in. She did not have a good relationship with her mother, or really any relationship at all in more recent years, but her mother has left her the house under one condition. In order to stay in the home, Sadie's daughter, Robin, must attend the elite school that Sadie attended as a child. Robin is a great student but Sadie and Robin don't feel welcome at the school and the other mothers seem hostile at times. Eventually, everything changes and Sadie and Robin are suddenly part of the inner circle but should they trust anyone? On top of it all, Sadie is working a very complex case as a barrister which only adds to the stress of her situation.
I had no idea who I should trust in this book. The clique of mothers at the school was just horrible and I couldn't understand why they were so unwelcoming towards both Sadie and Robin. The competitive attitude was rather extreme and there were questions about what kinds of things had happened to other students. I wanted to know what was going on with the case Sadie was working on and what was causing her marriage to fall apart.
I thought that the book was very well written. There are some short chapters spread throughout the book that show the reader a glimpse of the future so it quickly became apparent that things would fall apart before everything was over. There were so many things going on and I liked the way that we learn things at a perfect pace to keep the interest level high on every topic. This was one of those books that I found really hard to put down since it kept me guessing until the very end.
I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very well-crafted thriller that had plenty of twists and turns that kept me guessing until the very end. I would definitely read more of this author's work in the future.
I received a copy of this book from Grand Central Publishing.
Initial Thoughts
This was definitely entertaining. There were a lot of twists that I did not see coming and I love that the book was able to keep me guessing until the end. I was never quite sure about any of the characters which added to the appeal.
October 22, 2022
1,5 Sterne. Was ein dummes Buch. Not sorry 🤯
Angeblich für Fans von The Good Wife und Big Little Lies? Kann ich nicht bestätigen.
Jede einzelne der gefühlt 17 Plotbaustellen wurde haarsträubend aufgeklärt; oder am Ende einfach gar nicht mehr erwähnt. Die zufällig eingestreuten Flashforwards sollten wohl das Gefühl von zunehmender Gefahr vermitteln. Für mich waren sie aber so vage und hysterisch, das ich ausschließlich mit den Augen rollen musste. Und schließlich Sadie: Das Buch war durchzogen von Situationen, in denen ihr Verhalten gänzlich unlogisch, unüberlegt oder unmenschlich wirkte. Byeeee.
Inhaltswarnungen: Missbrauch, Kindstod, Kidnapping, sexuelle Gewalt, Pädophilie.
Angeblich für Fans von The Good Wife und Big Little Lies? Kann ich nicht bestätigen.
Jede einzelne der gefühlt 17 Plotbaustellen wurde haarsträubend aufgeklärt; oder am Ende einfach gar nicht mehr erwähnt. Die zufällig eingestreuten Flashforwards sollten wohl das Gefühl von zunehmender Gefahr vermitteln. Für mich waren sie aber so vage und hysterisch, das ich ausschließlich mit den Augen rollen musste. Und schließlich Sadie: Das Buch war durchzogen von Situationen, in denen ihr Verhalten gänzlich unlogisch, unüberlegt oder unmenschlich wirkte. Byeeee.
Inhaltswarnungen: Missbrauch, Kindstod, Kidnapping, sexuelle Gewalt, Pädophilie.
October 24, 2020
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"
Oh! my word! What can I say? I have only just released that final breath I have been holding since reading the last couple of pages of this amazing story - and I still can't take in and believe what has actually happened!
Whilst I may not always get every detail of a story correct, I like to think I am generally a good judge of characters, in deducing which are the innocent and guilty parties. That all went out of the window with this mind bender of a plot, which took normal, sane rationale and turned it on its head! What a gruesomely vivid imagination and eye for detail, author Harriet Tyce has been gifted with!
This one got off to an intriguing opening chapter or two, which set the scene really well. So far, so good. From now onwards though, I never really knew up from down, in from out, nor just about anything else in between!
The slow-burner storyline, which had been fluidly crafted into one which was equally plot and character driven, was broken down into reasonably short chapters, which was just as well, as there was so much ground covered, with so many new twists thrown into the mix, that to have either rushed it further, or slowed down the pace any more, would have broken the spell completely. The courtroom scenes in particular, were very well defined and executed, by an author who was writing with total authority and confidence, in an arena she is completely familiar with.
The ending was something else entirely. From being led, by suggestion only, into believing one thing (Oh! how easily we are deceived), only to have that version of events disintegrate into a 'What!' moment; to the final two pages of the epilogue, when virtually everything which had gone before was thrown into disarray by one short, silent 'confession', which had me wondering what on earth was going to happen next, when I had closed that final page and the characters were left to their own devices once again!
This is a story told purely from the perspective of Sadie, except for that final, jaw dropping epilogue, and you can see quite clearly how this intense, multi-layered, multi-aspect storyline, plays with her mind, as she desperately tries to maintain some kind of firm hold on reality, whilst attempting to unravel the many complex strands of the new and very extreme normality her life seems to have disintegrated into, almost overnight. The air is menacing, permanently crackling with tension, most of the time you could cut the atmosphere with a knife and the very anticipation of what might happen next, grips your stomach and ties it up in knots.
The writing is expertly executed with skill and style, has a desperate intensity, is visually very descriptive, and at times emotionally draining. The plot is suspenseful and brooding, almost to the point of being 'dark', as we discover the lengths to which some parents, particularly mothers, will go, to ensure their children succeed, regardless of the eventual cost to their physical and emotional well-being, or that of anyone else who stands in their way. There are so many small sub-storylines which threaten to turn the tide of events and are in their own rights relevant and well developed, as a series of cameos, highlighting some of the most shocking of human traits and the brutal and thoughtless ways in which we so often treat one another. They are however, by and large, all red herrings and false twists in the tale, expertly designed to make you take your eye off the ball about what is really going on here.
There is quite a cast of totally twisted, unforgettable characters, forever branded in the memory banks, who you definitely wouldn't ever want to meet again, and who you would probably go out of your way to avoid at all costs, given their reprehensible behaviour. That they all have complex and disturbed personalities, with emotional baggage to spare, is only the tip of the iceberg. To say that almost all of them are duplicitous, scheming, self-centred and yes! - downright bullies, would be much closer to the truth. Harriet has built the characters in such a three dimensional way that I could clearly picture them all and almost hear them talking, both to me and about me behind my back, when they thought I couldn't hear them! In fact these are people I probably wouldn't have turned by back on in the first place, lest they got their daggers out!
I guess you can tell how totally immersed and invested I became in this absorbing and disturbing story. This is one of the most twisted thrillers I have read in some time and I highly recommend it.
Oh! my word! What can I say? I have only just released that final breath I have been holding since reading the last couple of pages of this amazing story - and I still can't take in and believe what has actually happened!
Whilst I may not always get every detail of a story correct, I like to think I am generally a good judge of characters, in deducing which are the innocent and guilty parties. That all went out of the window with this mind bender of a plot, which took normal, sane rationale and turned it on its head! What a gruesomely vivid imagination and eye for detail, author Harriet Tyce has been gifted with!
This one got off to an intriguing opening chapter or two, which set the scene really well. So far, so good. From now onwards though, I never really knew up from down, in from out, nor just about anything else in between!
The slow-burner storyline, which had been fluidly crafted into one which was equally plot and character driven, was broken down into reasonably short chapters, which was just as well, as there was so much ground covered, with so many new twists thrown into the mix, that to have either rushed it further, or slowed down the pace any more, would have broken the spell completely. The courtroom scenes in particular, were very well defined and executed, by an author who was writing with total authority and confidence, in an arena she is completely familiar with.
The ending was something else entirely. From being led, by suggestion only, into believing one thing (Oh! how easily we are deceived), only to have that version of events disintegrate into a 'What!' moment; to the final two pages of the epilogue, when virtually everything which had gone before was thrown into disarray by one short, silent 'confession', which had me wondering what on earth was going to happen next, when I had closed that final page and the characters were left to their own devices once again!
This is a story told purely from the perspective of Sadie, except for that final, jaw dropping epilogue, and you can see quite clearly how this intense, multi-layered, multi-aspect storyline, plays with her mind, as she desperately tries to maintain some kind of firm hold on reality, whilst attempting to unravel the many complex strands of the new and very extreme normality her life seems to have disintegrated into, almost overnight. The air is menacing, permanently crackling with tension, most of the time you could cut the atmosphere with a knife and the very anticipation of what might happen next, grips your stomach and ties it up in knots.
The writing is expertly executed with skill and style, has a desperate intensity, is visually very descriptive, and at times emotionally draining. The plot is suspenseful and brooding, almost to the point of being 'dark', as we discover the lengths to which some parents, particularly mothers, will go, to ensure their children succeed, regardless of the eventual cost to their physical and emotional well-being, or that of anyone else who stands in their way. There are so many small sub-storylines which threaten to turn the tide of events and are in their own rights relevant and well developed, as a series of cameos, highlighting some of the most shocking of human traits and the brutal and thoughtless ways in which we so often treat one another. They are however, by and large, all red herrings and false twists in the tale, expertly designed to make you take your eye off the ball about what is really going on here.
There is quite a cast of totally twisted, unforgettable characters, forever branded in the memory banks, who you definitely wouldn't ever want to meet again, and who you would probably go out of your way to avoid at all costs, given their reprehensible behaviour. That they all have complex and disturbed personalities, with emotional baggage to spare, is only the tip of the iceberg. To say that almost all of them are duplicitous, scheming, self-centred and yes! - downright bullies, would be much closer to the truth. Harriet has built the characters in such a three dimensional way that I could clearly picture them all and almost hear them talking, both to me and about me behind my back, when they thought I couldn't hear them! In fact these are people I probably wouldn't have turned by back on in the first place, lest they got their daggers out!
I guess you can tell how totally immersed and invested I became in this absorbing and disturbing story. This is one of the most twisted thrillers I have read in some time and I highly recommend it.
December 21, 2020
Sadie Roper moves from New York back to her childhood home in England with her daughter, Robin, after separating from her cheating husband. She is eager to move on with her law career, after putting it on hold for 11 years in order to raise her daughter. The only catch is that in order to receive her inheritance from her recently deceased mother, she must send Robin to the same exclusive school that she attended many years ago. However, things aren’t going as planned, as Robin has a difficult time making new friends and the mothers are fiercely competitive with each other. Sadie must deal with the caddy school gate moms, as she takes on a high profile court case. When the moms suddenly include Sadie and Robin in their inner circle, they remain suspicious. What are they up to and why are they suddenly being so nice?
This is the first book that I have read by Harriet Tyce. I’m glad that I took a chance on this thriller, as the characters contain a great deal of emotional depth. It is a fast read, that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Tyce spends a great deal of the book discussing the trial she is working on and it took me a long time to understand why this plot line deserved so much explanation. Ultimately, Tyce is making a general statement that parents need to be more aware of their actions, as their children are always listening and will mimic the behavior, good or bad. She uses many examples of controlling, overbearing, strict, pushy and critical parents in order to make her point. While I appreciated that this is a story with more depth, I did predict all of the twists, even the very last one. This is a twisty read that is sure to make you think about your own choices as a parent!
3.5/5 stars
This is the first book that I have read by Harriet Tyce. I’m glad that I took a chance on this thriller, as the characters contain a great deal of emotional depth. It is a fast read, that will keep you guessing until the very last page. Tyce spends a great deal of the book discussing the trial she is working on and it took me a long time to understand why this plot line deserved so much explanation. Ultimately, Tyce is making a general statement that parents need to be more aware of their actions, as their children are always listening and will mimic the behavior, good or bad. She uses many examples of controlling, overbearing, strict, pushy and critical parents in order to make her point. While I appreciated that this is a story with more depth, I did predict all of the twists, even the very last one. This is a twisty read that is sure to make you think about your own choices as a parent!
3.5/5 stars
June 9, 2022
Elitarna szkoła dla dziewcząt, obsesyjne matki i chora rywalizacja...
W „Wszystkie twoje kłamstwa” śledzimy równolegle trzy wątki, które łączą się w jedną spójną, fascynującą opowieść. Historię nienawiści i obsesji, historię matek i córek, poświęceń, na które jesteśmy gotowi, by zdobyć to, czego oczekujemy od życia i od innych. To niepokojąca, pełna suspensji historia, której mrok dostrzegamy dopiero z pewnego dystansu, dopiero, gdy wszystkie trzy ścieżki nałożą się na siebie i połączą w jedną spójną fabularną linię. Całość jest lekka, niezobowiązująca, a jednocześnie wciągająca, bo nie wiemy, czego się w gruncie rzeczy spodziewać. Tyce sprowadziła czytelników na manowce, podrzuciła ciekawe tropy, a całość zamknęła w fascynujący węzeł, z którego trudno się wyplątać. I aż strach bierze, że dla niektórych szkolna rywalizacja ma tak wielkie, tak drapieżne w skutkach znaczenie.
W „Wszystkie twoje kłamstwa” śledzimy równolegle trzy wątki, które łączą się w jedną spójną, fascynującą opowieść. Historię nienawiści i obsesji, historię matek i córek, poświęceń, na które jesteśmy gotowi, by zdobyć to, czego oczekujemy od życia i od innych. To niepokojąca, pełna suspensji historia, której mrok dostrzegamy dopiero z pewnego dystansu, dopiero, gdy wszystkie trzy ścieżki nałożą się na siebie i połączą w jedną spójną fabularną linię. Całość jest lekka, niezobowiązująca, a jednocześnie wciągająca, bo nie wiemy, czego się w gruncie rzeczy spodziewać. Tyce sprowadziła czytelników na manowce, podrzuciła ciekawe tropy, a całość zamknęła w fascynujący węzeł, z którego trudno się wyplątać. I aż strach bierze, że dla niektórych szkolna rywalizacja ma tak wielkie, tak drapieżne w skutkach znaczenie.
January 5, 2022
3.75
Școlile exclusiviste reprezintă atât un vis pentru părinții dornici să le amintească tuturor de statutul lor privilegiat, îndeosebi într-o comunitate mai mică, cât și un coșmar pentru copiii care trebuie să participe la nenumărate activități extrașcolare sau să învețe zi și noapte, astfel încât să obțină burse de merit și calificative mari, trezind involuntar invidia colegilor.
Romanul ne prezintă în antiteză mai multe legături dintre mame și fiice, fără să ascundă toxicitatea evidentă, anxietatea sau temerile copiilor, abuzul psihologic, invidia arzătoare sau atacurile verbale, resimțite din plin de ambele laturi. În plus, chiar dacă autoarea nu insistă asupra lor, știi că ele există. Uneori, le „auzi” în surdină. Iar asta e îndeajuns.
Minciuni mortale mi-a amintit întrucâtva de Marile minciuni nevinovate, cu toate că subiectele abordate nu au fost dezvoltate nici pe departe la fel de bine. Există mai multe mistere ce trebuie să fie elucidate, cum ar fi un accident mortal misterios, un caz de agresiune sexuală, o casă dărăpănată, plină de secrete și amintiri întunecate, o despărțire neașteptată, o prietenie fragilă sau o înscenare dureroasă. Pe scurt, potențialul uriaș al romanului a fost „temperat” de numărul mic de pagini.
Finalul m-a scos din minți (în cel mai bun sens), spoilerele mă împiedică să spun „de ce”, însă Epilogul mi s-a părut ingenios, cu toate că au existat câteva indicii strecurate în penultimele capitole, de parcă autoarea a vrut să ne încurajeze să ne punem mai multe semne de întrebare.
Ultimele 100-150 de pagini s-au transformat într-o cursă pe viață și pe moarte, în care alergi, urli și suferi alături de protagonistă, încercând să-ți dai seama cine reprezintă cu adevărat un pericol pentru copii. Răspunsul? Numele? Ei bine, dacă aveți dispoziția necesară pentru un roman de mister bunicel, încercați să descoperiți cine deține titlul de „maestru/maestră a minciunilor”.
Școlile exclusiviste reprezintă atât un vis pentru părinții dornici să le amintească tuturor de statutul lor privilegiat, îndeosebi într-o comunitate mai mică, cât și un coșmar pentru copiii care trebuie să participe la nenumărate activități extrașcolare sau să învețe zi și noapte, astfel încât să obțină burse de merit și calificative mari, trezind involuntar invidia colegilor.
Romanul ne prezintă în antiteză mai multe legături dintre mame și fiice, fără să ascundă toxicitatea evidentă, anxietatea sau temerile copiilor, abuzul psihologic, invidia arzătoare sau atacurile verbale, resimțite din plin de ambele laturi. În plus, chiar dacă autoarea nu insistă asupra lor, știi că ele există. Uneori, le „auzi” în surdină. Iar asta e îndeajuns.
Minciuni mortale mi-a amintit întrucâtva de Marile minciuni nevinovate, cu toate că subiectele abordate nu au fost dezvoltate nici pe departe la fel de bine. Există mai multe mistere ce trebuie să fie elucidate, cum ar fi un accident mortal misterios, un caz de agresiune sexuală, o casă dărăpănată, plină de secrete și amintiri întunecate, o despărțire neașteptată, o prietenie fragilă sau o înscenare dureroasă. Pe scurt, potențialul uriaș al romanului a fost „temperat” de numărul mic de pagini.
Finalul m-a scos din minți (în cel mai bun sens), spoilerele mă împiedică să spun „de ce”, însă Epilogul mi s-a părut ingenios, cu toate că au existat câteva indicii strecurate în penultimele capitole, de parcă autoarea a vrut să ne încurajeze să ne punem mai multe semne de întrebare.
Ultimele 100-150 de pagini s-au transformat într-o cursă pe viață și pe moarte, în care alergi, urli și suferi alături de protagonistă, încercând să-ți dai seama cine reprezintă cu adevărat un pericol pentru copii. Răspunsul? Numele? Ei bine, dacă aveți dispoziția necesară pentru un roman de mister bunicel, încercați să descoperiți cine deține titlul de „maestru/maestră a minciunilor”.
October 9, 2021
Having been introduce to Harriet Tyce when I read and enjoyed her outstanding ‘Blood Orange’ I always intended to read more of her work. So on getting this book my hopes were high for another exciting read. Maybe this book wasn’t at the same standard as ‘Blood Orange’ but nevertheless an exciting read.
Sadie’s mother dies and leaves her to inherit the family home. The house comes with the stipulation that Sadie’s daughter Robin must attend Ashams, the prestigious private school where Sadie went. Sadly Sadie’s marriage is now over and she returns to London from New York where her husband worked. The relationship between mother and daughter was never plain sailing and her mother believed that Sadie was a failure for choosing motherhood over her job. In fact she told her she would never be welcomed back into the family home again. Robin was not happy moving from New York and dreaded changing schools. Life was never going to be easy and was not helped by the attitudes of the school mothers. One of the mothers Julia was the worst and all the other mothers seemed to dance to her song which made life unbearable for both Sadie and Robin. Sadie worked previously as a barrister and through her connections manages to get a job helping on an upcoming case where a young woman has accused her teacher of sexual abuse. Life becomes more difficult for Sadie and Robin and nothing goes smoothly and to make things even worse Robin goes missing.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one many of which I would hate to meet. Twisty plot that covers many emotions and makes a very good read.
Sadie’s mother dies and leaves her to inherit the family home. The house comes with the stipulation that Sadie’s daughter Robin must attend Ashams, the prestigious private school where Sadie went. Sadly Sadie’s marriage is now over and she returns to London from New York where her husband worked. The relationship between mother and daughter was never plain sailing and her mother believed that Sadie was a failure for choosing motherhood over her job. In fact she told her she would never be welcomed back into the family home again. Robin was not happy moving from New York and dreaded changing schools. Life was never going to be easy and was not helped by the attitudes of the school mothers. One of the mothers Julia was the worst and all the other mothers seemed to dance to her song which made life unbearable for both Sadie and Robin. Sadie worked previously as a barrister and through her connections manages to get a job helping on an upcoming case where a young woman has accused her teacher of sexual abuse. Life becomes more difficult for Sadie and Robin and nothing goes smoothly and to make things even worse Robin goes missing.
I really enjoyed the characters in this one many of which I would hate to meet. Twisty plot that covers many emotions and makes a very good read.
September 28, 2020
This book basically has two plots, first is Sadie and what’s going on with her and a robin and second is a case that Sadie is working on, I love a bit of courtroom drama so I loved this!
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This book is a slow burn but sometimes that’s needed to really build strong characters.
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The protagonist, Sadie is waaaay more likeable than Alison was in Blood Orange so if that’s important to you, this book has you covered!
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This book is a slow burn but sometimes that’s needed to really build strong characters.
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The protagonist, Sadie is waaaay more likeable than Alison was in Blood Orange so if that’s important to you, this book has you covered!
December 9, 2020
A completely addictive reading experience! The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce is a top-notch psychological thriller that will have you sleeping with the light on. For those that like a little nightmare before Christmas this is perfection. Thanks so much to the team at Grand Central Publishing for sending this my way.
~Tanja
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August 8, 2020
Sadie Roper is back living in London. And, her daughter Robin is now going to the all-girls school that she once attended. Sadie hated her time there, so why would she want to put her daughter through it all now? Why did they leave America so suddenly? Leaving behind her husband?
Whilst trying to settle back into London life, living in her old family home. There's also questions here as to why they are back in the house? It seems Sadie hasn't got much options and her hand is forced. With help from her best friend, Zora. Sadie soon gets stuck back into her old place of work in the courts. She finds herself working on a case of a school teacher accused of grooming one of his pupils.
The Lies You Told is definitely a slow burner of a story. There are so many threads of storylines running through it, that we need to establish first what's going on before getting in on the action. Harriet Tryce deals with all the stories expertly. I particularly liked the court case story, I did feel that this could have been a book all on its own and we could have gone more in depth into the characters involved.
I could relate well to Sadie's dealings with the other mums at the school gate. Is this just a worldwide phenomena that parents need to compete and tell the world their kids are better? Maybe this is why I've been distancing myself from the cliques (well before it became compulsory 🤪)
The title of the book gives a good hint at what the main theme of the storylines are. LIES. And, I love the way that Tryce has interwoven all the storylines together highlighting how lying can have different effects. There's never a good outcome from lying people!
A slow burner of a book, but once the secrets and lies start to come to the surface. You won't want to stop reading.
Whilst trying to settle back into London life, living in her old family home. There's also questions here as to why they are back in the house? It seems Sadie hasn't got much options and her hand is forced. With help from her best friend, Zora. Sadie soon gets stuck back into her old place of work in the courts. She finds herself working on a case of a school teacher accused of grooming one of his pupils.
The Lies You Told is definitely a slow burner of a story. There are so many threads of storylines running through it, that we need to establish first what's going on before getting in on the action. Harriet Tryce deals with all the stories expertly. I particularly liked the court case story, I did feel that this could have been a book all on its own and we could have gone more in depth into the characters involved.
I could relate well to Sadie's dealings with the other mums at the school gate. Is this just a worldwide phenomena that parents need to compete and tell the world their kids are better? Maybe this is why I've been distancing myself from the cliques (well before it became compulsory 🤪)
The title of the book gives a good hint at what the main theme of the storylines are. LIES. And, I love the way that Tryce has interwoven all the storylines together highlighting how lying can have different effects. There's never a good outcome from lying people!
A slow burner of a book, but once the secrets and lies start to come to the surface. You won't want to stop reading.
Read
December 17, 2020Dnf 50% - not bad, just not feeling very interested atm
December 22, 2020
Sadie Roper abruptly leaves the U.S. and has returned to her childhood home in London after splitting with her husband. She enrolls her eleven-year-old daughter Robin in her old school, the prestigious, all-girls Ashams School. There’s a lot going on for Sadie. She is trying to help her daughter fit in at the school, with very competitive mothers and children. Anxious to get back to work, she is hired to serve as a junior barrister on a high-profile court case. Sadie is working to resolve a difficult childhood with a tough, judgmental mother who is now deceased and she has to deal with her anger over her husband’s betrayal.
Harriet Tyce’s The Lies You Told is aptly named as there are so many lies being told that you will need a scorecard at the end to tally them up. Each facet of Sadie’s complicated life will hold your interest. The school is a horror. The mothers are unwelcoming, cliquish and put terrible pressure on their children. The court case she is working on involves a young, male schoolteacher accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. Sadie is trying to create a happy home while she finds terrible reminders of her childhood. And her husband’s sudden sabotaging of their relationship is baffling to her. Just as Robin starts to make friends and Sadie is welcomed by the mothers, everything is not what it appears to be.
This is an entertaining psychological thriller with some good twists. Worth the ride.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
Harriet Tyce’s The Lies You Told is aptly named as there are so many lies being told that you will need a scorecard at the end to tally them up. Each facet of Sadie’s complicated life will hold your interest. The school is a horror. The mothers are unwelcoming, cliquish and put terrible pressure on their children. The court case she is working on involves a young, male schoolteacher accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. Sadie is trying to create a happy home while she finds terrible reminders of her childhood. And her husband’s sudden sabotaging of their relationship is baffling to her. Just as Robin starts to make friends and Sadie is welcomed by the mothers, everything is not what it appears to be.
This is an entertaining psychological thriller with some good twists. Worth the ride.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
August 3, 2021
Um thriller psicológico viciante e envolvente; li super rápido com vontade de descobrir o final. Na minha opinião, bastante mais surpreendente do que o Laranja de sangue. Confesso que não estava nada à espera do final.
September 25, 2021
3.5 stars
The Lies You Told follows a woman called Sadie Roper, as she, rather reluctantly, moves back to her childhood home in London after a terrible ordeal with her husband back in the states. She arrives with her ten year old daughter, Robin, to the house that carries many bad memories for Sadie, and Robin starts at the most exclusive school in London, where the pressure is really on from parents for their child to be the best.
It’s fair to say Sadie and Robin are greeted by some animosity from the other mums and they both find it hard to fit into this tight knit group, who aren’t particularly welcoming to outsiders…
There’s SO much going on in this plot that I didn’t include in the summary. There’s multiple subplots like a trial that Sadie is part of at her old legal chambers, and also the downfall of Sadie’s marriage is mentioned a lot.
I did find there was a lot going on at once and at times did find it hard to keep up with all the different plots going on. I would have probably preferred the focus to be more on the mystery surrounding the school and all the school mum drama, instead of all the subplots going on at the same time, nevertheless I still enjoyed the subplots too.
I did really like all the characters in this book and found all the complex relationships between the different so interesting to read about, and all the secrets they are keeping. I also loved the relationship between Sadie and Robin and loved their scenes together.
In terms of the mystery and the twists… I wasn’t very satisfied. I found the ending twist pretty predictable and it’s what I thought from quite early on but changed my mind because I thought it was too obvious. While I predicted it, there was still a lot of drama surrounding the reveal and the tension was off the scales. The last quarter of the book was a crazy ride!
This isn’t the best thriller I’ve ever read, but the characters and the writing still made it better for me and overall plot was intriguing!
April 2, 2021
#TheLiesYouTold
by Harriet Tyce
If you’ve recently read and enjoyed “Blood Orange” by Harriet Tyce, you will be gripped with this, her latest suspenseful read - “The Lies You Told”.
Sadie loves her daughter Robin and will do anything to keep her safe.
She can't tell her why they had to leave their home in America so quickly - or why Robin's father won't be coming with them to London.
She can't tell her why she hates being back in her dead mother's house, with its poisonous memories. And she can't tell her the truth about the school Robin's set to start at - a school that doesn't welcome newcomers. But even lies with the best intentions have deadly consequences......
Having had my fair share of school gate experiences with cliques of mothers, I could genuinely relate to how Sadie felt, when she found herself in the covert competitive parenting trap. Albeit more so in independent schools, social comparisons causes much envy and anxiety and the desire to have the top pupil in the class leads to many a fall out among adults. “The Lies You Told” showed women at their worst and this produced some very satirical antics that you had to laugh at but unfortunately it’s also disturbing to know that it actually occurs in real life.
I loved the relationship between Sadie and Robin and the connection they had and I admired Sadie for how she handled the obtuse mothers and the school. The side story featuring her work at the courts and the case she was working on was interesting and formed an integral part of the thriller without overwhelming the reader with court jargon. The whole story clicked together perfectly with each interacting theme and the denouement was tense and had me on the edge of my seat. The quick intermittent chapters told by one of the characters kept the intrigue going and by the ending I did feel very emotional. This was my first Harriet Tyce novel and I was thoroughly gripped throughout, finding myself thinking about the story when in between reads.
An easy five star read for me and a book I’d be very happy to recommend.
Harriet Tyce practiced as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade and recently completed an MA in ‘Creative Writing - Crime Fiction’ at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel “Blood Orange” published in 2019, received huge critical acclaim and was talked about incessantly on social media. “The Lies You Told” was published in Hardback in the summer of 2020.
Thank you to Rosie Margesson and Headline for inviting me on the #BookTour for “The Lies You Told” and my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
by Harriet Tyce
If you’ve recently read and enjoyed “Blood Orange” by Harriet Tyce, you will be gripped with this, her latest suspenseful read - “The Lies You Told”.
Sadie loves her daughter Robin and will do anything to keep her safe.
She can't tell her why they had to leave their home in America so quickly - or why Robin's father won't be coming with them to London.
She can't tell her why she hates being back in her dead mother's house, with its poisonous memories. And she can't tell her the truth about the school Robin's set to start at - a school that doesn't welcome newcomers. But even lies with the best intentions have deadly consequences......
Having had my fair share of school gate experiences with cliques of mothers, I could genuinely relate to how Sadie felt, when she found herself in the covert competitive parenting trap. Albeit more so in independent schools, social comparisons causes much envy and anxiety and the desire to have the top pupil in the class leads to many a fall out among adults. “The Lies You Told” showed women at their worst and this produced some very satirical antics that you had to laugh at but unfortunately it’s also disturbing to know that it actually occurs in real life.
I loved the relationship between Sadie and Robin and the connection they had and I admired Sadie for how she handled the obtuse mothers and the school. The side story featuring her work at the courts and the case she was working on was interesting and formed an integral part of the thriller without overwhelming the reader with court jargon. The whole story clicked together perfectly with each interacting theme and the denouement was tense and had me on the edge of my seat. The quick intermittent chapters told by one of the characters kept the intrigue going and by the ending I did feel very emotional. This was my first Harriet Tyce novel and I was thoroughly gripped throughout, finding myself thinking about the story when in between reads.
An easy five star read for me and a book I’d be very happy to recommend.
Harriet Tyce practiced as a criminal barrister in London for nearly a decade and recently completed an MA in ‘Creative Writing - Crime Fiction’ at the University of East Anglia. Her first novel “Blood Orange” published in 2019, received huge critical acclaim and was talked about incessantly on social media. “The Lies You Told” was published in Hardback in the summer of 2020.
Thank you to Rosie Margesson and Headline for inviting me on the #BookTour for “The Lies You Told” and my copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2020
This book got off to such a good start for me, but unfortunately by the end I found the subject matter extremely disturbing and disappointing. Sadie moves back to London with her daughter and tries to get her career back as a barrister and settle her daughter into a new, high-flying school. But the school does not make Sadie or her daughter feel welcome at all, and all of the mothers seem to only be concerned with competition. At the same time, Sadie is also working on a case of a scandalous alleged grooming of a school girl. As time goes on, Sadie begins to become friendly with the other Mums at the school and her work on the case is going well; but does everything seem too good to be true?
I absolutely loved this book for about the first third. I thought that Tyce's writing had become much more sophisticated since Blood Orange and although this one started a little slower, I was really gripped and I was enjoying it. Things however started to fall a little flat for me in the middle section of the book; I wasn't finding the drama with the school mums that thrilling and it all just seemed a little false and manufactured. I really struggled to believe the events and the characters' actions. The ending of the book then totally ruined it for me as I just did not like how the plot unravelled and what the plot unravelled to reveal. I don't think that everyone will have such a problem with the plot, but I was still having reservations with the pace and thrill beforehand anyway and so by the end I just felt completely disappointed. Such a shame for me.
Thanks to Headline for a copy of this book.
I absolutely loved this book for about the first third. I thought that Tyce's writing had become much more sophisticated since Blood Orange and although this one started a little slower, I was really gripped and I was enjoying it. Things however started to fall a little flat for me in the middle section of the book; I wasn't finding the drama with the school mums that thrilling and it all just seemed a little false and manufactured. I really struggled to believe the events and the characters' actions. The ending of the book then totally ruined it for me as I just did not like how the plot unravelled and what the plot unravelled to reveal. I don't think that everyone will have such a problem with the plot, but I was still having reservations with the pace and thrill beforehand anyway and so by the end I just felt completely disappointed. Such a shame for me.
Thanks to Headline for a copy of this book.
May 8, 2021
An Average book. 2.5 stars. Some areas were repetitive, some were tediously boring. The characters were not award winning, by any means.
The only two things that were of any interest in the story was the character of Sadies mom, and her dysfunctional mothering/single parenting. Obviously she was not cut out to be a mother and let Sadie know it every time and every way she could. Her mother manipulates her even from the grave. Sadies dad died early on - well, what happened? How about a peek into her parents marriage?
The second was the court room process of a teacher being accused by a young student of seducing and sexual relations. Now I’m not looking for a full tilt police procedural, but come on! I’m surprised the jurors were not snoozing.
Sadies mom could have been developed in more of a negative way (because she sounds like a real trip - not making eye contact with Sadie when Sadie was growing up, smashing Sadie’s belongings, throwing her out, etc.). We are not given a lot. Fleshed out, it could have raised the star levels.
That’s really the gist of it - those things could have been made into so much more, but every event is done in a bland and mediocre way.
The only two things that were of any interest in the story was the character of Sadies mom, and her dysfunctional mothering/single parenting. Obviously she was not cut out to be a mother and let Sadie know it every time and every way she could. Her mother manipulates her even from the grave. Sadies dad died early on - well, what happened? How about a peek into her parents marriage?
The second was the court room process of a teacher being accused by a young student of seducing and sexual relations. Now I’m not looking for a full tilt police procedural, but come on! I’m surprised the jurors were not snoozing.
Sadies mom could have been developed in more of a negative way (because she sounds like a real trip - not making eye contact with Sadie when Sadie was growing up, smashing Sadie’s belongings, throwing her out, etc.). We are not given a lot. Fleshed out, it could have raised the star levels.
That’s really the gist of it - those things could have been made into so much more, but every event is done in a bland and mediocre way.
June 6, 2020
⭐️⭐️⭐️ three average stars
This book had so much potential to be better however a couple of things let it down for me.
There are too many sub plots that add nothing to the story and are a bit of a red herring, such as the school teacher case.
The theme of the pressure of exams - really?
The whole reason she returned from the UK was flimsy, then we get descriptions of a vile partner. But then at the end it’s all nicely tied up in a storyline which makes no sense.
Julia’s character.
The rushed end.
Overall it lacked suspense for me but having read all the rave reviews for Blood Orange maybe I will give that a read.
This book had so much potential to be better however a couple of things let it down for me.
There are too many sub plots that add nothing to the story and are a bit of a red herring, such as the school teacher case.
The theme of the pressure of exams - really?
The whole reason she returned from the UK was flimsy, then we get descriptions of a vile partner. But then at the end it’s all nicely tied up in a storyline which makes no sense.
Julia’s character.
The rushed end.
Overall it lacked suspense for me but having read all the rave reviews for Blood Orange maybe I will give that a read.
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