Reviews

I have read Sarina Bowen's romances, but this is her first foray into suspense thrillers. It was an average Monday morning when Ariel received a text message from the only man she ever loved, asking to meet her. The problem is, that Drew vanished and it has been several years since she learned he died. When he doesn't show, it takes her on a journey to uncover what was happening when he vanished. She is unsure who is lying to her and she will do anything to keep herself and her son safe.

This book kept me on my toes and I was unsure who to trust. Sarina Bowen pulled me in with the characters and the need to figure out what happened. What I loved about this, is that the author nabbed my attention with the mystery, but kept me going with the story of Ariel and Drew's romance. My heart broke for her and her son, and I started to feel some of the panic and worry she was feeling.

This book had my attention the full way through, and I kept turning the pages as we unravelled everything that was happening. If you like a great story with mystery and intrigue, this is it!

catbooklover's review

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challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

bringmybooks's review

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

~~Bring~~ | ✨Borrow✨ | ~~Bypass~~

Thank you to Edelweiss, Harper Paperbacks, & HarperCollins for the opportunity to read and review this book before it's publication date! This in no way affected my review, opinions are my own.

Review: First things first, this seems to be a super unpopular opinion. Second things second, if you liked Laura Dave's The Last Thing He Told Me, I think you'd enjoy this novel.

Now for my thoughts -> *hides behind hands*

This one is difficult - I think it could have made a really decent movie where you got to see chemistry between Ariel and Drew, but I didn't really feel connected to their romance, and, unfortunately, the majority of the plot hinges on you feeling that theirs was an absolutely impossible and once in a lifetime love.

The ending would also have worked better in a movie, because I think it's easier to suspend disbelief when you're watching a film than when reading (too much time to go "uhhhhh would that happen though? really?" as opposed to just going with the flow!).

The middle was the strongest part for me, and I thoroughly enjoyed Zain's parts in the story

(but do not get me started on how his part in the story ends because wtf)

. Zain & Ariel figuring out the mystery was really interesting, and I liked their banter/conversations.

I will say I liked the writing / characterization / dialogue well enough, and I would read another from Sarina Bowen - just hoping the plot & romance feels stronger in the next one.

Overall Rating: ★★★ / 2.88

Rating each element of the book out of 5★
Characters ★★★
Atmosphere ★★★
Writing ★★★
Plot ★★
Intrigue ★★
Logic ★★
Enjoyment ★★
Pacing ★★★
Dialogue ★★★

★ did not like / ★★ it was okay / ★★★ liked it / ★★★★ really liked it / ★★★★★ loved it

Content Warnings

coffee_and_wool's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

therealgenesisb's review

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fast-paced

4.0

thecozyfambam's review

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5.0

The Five Year Lie is marketed as a domestic thriller, and while that’s not wrong, it’s not exactly right. This story is so much more than a thriller. There is a romance plot that is deeply heartbreaking and moving. But even more than that, the story is really a coming-of-age as an adult story.

We all want to believe we know who the bad guys are in life, but the reality is the people you thought you could trust… maybe you can’t. The face people show you isn’t the only face they wear. And sometimes, you truly can trust people. How do you know who to trust? How can you trust yourself? You have to choose to trust, and sometimes, you’re going to get it wrong.

tanazbookz's review

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adventurous mysterious tense

4.0

abookwormwithwine's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

I fully believe that the tagline for The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen should be once you start you can't stop, literally. I did not put the audiobook of this down for a SECOND and if I had to pause it for any amount of time it made me angry. And that's the story of how much I loved it. 🤣 It makes total sense to me why there was a dash of romance in the book now that I know what Bowen's normal genre is, and I have to say I loved how she weaved it in with the suspenseful and mysterious storyline. Her writing sucked me in immediately, and I hope she will write more thrillers, but I feel like it would be a crime not to read her romance now.

The audiobook is narrated by Kathleen Early, Gary Tiedemann & Jason Clarke who all did spectacular jobs, and this was a great book to have a full cast for. Even though there are only 3 viewpoints, the different narrators brought a lot to the story IMO, and I loved every minute of it. The pace moved along nicely without any dull moments, and I completely fell in love with Ariel and her son. She was one smart cookie, and I thought all of the characters were very relatable in at least one way or another, well, maybe not the evil ones. 😜 The Five Year Lie is worth all of the hype it has been getting and gave me The Last Thing He Told Me vibes while being completely different. Clear your calendars people, and make sure you don't put this one off if it's on your TBR!

I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

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