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secre's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I struggled with this to begin with, so it's a near miracle that it almost ended up being a four star read. The first half of the novel could almost be cut in it's entirety, and I was trudging through it waiting to get to the actual meat of the piece. But then it finally caught up, and oh boy was it worth waiting for. I flew through the second half and was absolutely invested in the characters and events.
So why three stars? Because, dear Lord, did the first half draaaaag. You start with a tense confession of murder from a teenage son and then... it skips. All the way back to when the parents first met and you read all about the challenges of their relationship, their fertility journey, how they are chalk and cheese, the early years of parenthood and more relationship struggles and... it's boring. Completely unnecessary. It's a 500 page book, supposedly about a teenage boy who confessed to murder and yet at least 250 pages are before he was born, or too young to remember much.
I kind of understand why Corry wanted to display the background with the parents, but somewhere along the line an editor needed to say enough is enough. A hundred pages, done as flashbacks, might have worked. Two hundred and fifty pages in one bulk before you hit the interesting stuff? Less so. It dragged badly.
That said, the second half of the novel absolutely makes up for it. Everything about the tale of Sarah's time in Cornwall and her battle to protect her child was beautifully portrayed. The characters jumped off the pages and I absolutely fell in love with them. Corry really brings the setting and the people to life, along with Sarah's fears and anxieties. It's just a pity it took so long to get there.
So a mixed bag. Corry absolutely is an author I'll follow, but I hope future novels have distinctly less padding in them.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.
So why three stars? Because, dear Lord, did the first half draaaaag. You start with a tense confession of murder from a teenage son and then... it skips. All the way back to when the parents first met and you read all about the challenges of their relationship, their fertility journey, how they are chalk and cheese, the early years of parenthood and more relationship struggles and... it's boring. Completely unnecessary. It's a 500 page book, supposedly about a teenage boy who confessed to murder and yet at least 250 pages are before he was born, or too young to remember much.
I kind of understand why Corry wanted to display the background with the parents, but somewhere along the line an editor needed to say enough is enough. A hundred pages, done as flashbacks, might have worked. Two hundred and fifty pages in one bulk before you hit the interesting stuff? Less so. It dragged badly.
That said, the second half of the novel absolutely makes up for it. Everything about the tale of Sarah's time in Cornwall and her battle to protect her child was beautifully portrayed. The characters jumped off the pages and I absolutely fell in love with them. Corry really brings the setting and the people to life, along with Sarah's fears and anxieties. It's just a pity it took so long to get there.
So a mixed bag. Corry absolutely is an author I'll follow, but I hope future novels have distinctly less padding in them.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for my free review copy of this title.
philippakmoore's review
4.0
A domestic drama full of emotional tension, moral dilemmas and turmoil that had me gripped!
Sarah has been anxiously waiting up for her teenage son, Freddy, to return home. When he finally does show up, he is subdued, traumatised and drops a bombshell that he has killed someone.
Sarah immediately wants to protect Freddy and is prepared to lie to cover for him. Her husband and Freddy's father, Tom, however, believes no one is above the law and if Freddy has done the wrong thing he must face the consequences.
What unravels is not only the situation in the present and how they deal with it, but the backstory of Sarah and Tom, what very different people they are, how they ended up together and why they are reacting in the ways they are to the situation Freddy has put them in.
It was such an interesting story and really made me think about the lengths we might be prepared to go to to protect those we love, and the fine line between protection and enabling. Highly recommended to those who enjoy a gripping emotional thriller!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
Sarah has been anxiously waiting up for her teenage son, Freddy, to return home. When he finally does show up, he is subdued, traumatised and drops a bombshell that he has killed someone.
Sarah immediately wants to protect Freddy and is prepared to lie to cover for him. Her husband and Freddy's father, Tom, however, believes no one is above the law and if Freddy has done the wrong thing he must face the consequences.
What unravels is not only the situation in the present and how they deal with it, but the backstory of Sarah and Tom, what very different people they are, how they ended up together and why they are reacting in the ways they are to the situation Freddy has put them in.
It was such an interesting story and really made me think about the lengths we might be prepared to go to to protect those we love, and the fine line between protection and enabling. Highly recommended to those who enjoy a gripping emotional thriller!
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC.
libbyjo8's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
helenpickett's review
3.0
This is the story of many parts.
It is initially written in the present but the book is written as a dual narrative of how two unlikely meet and goes into detail of how despite many difficulties, they have a much wanted child.
The unlikely couple, both have secrets about a past before they met which neither one of them knows of each other that they are ashamed of.
Moving forward, their 15 year old son comes home with a dark guilty confession.
The book then moves into single narrative as Sarah does what she thinks is best to protect her son or is it?
Like Jane Corey’s other book that I have read, Blood Sisters, it keeps you guessing until the end. A theme that I also noticed with Blood Sisters is prison and artistry.
It was a book that I felt dragged slightly in the middle but definitely picked up at the end when everything comes together.
Many thanks to NetGalley for this preview read in return for this honest review.
#TheLiesWeTell #NetGalley
It is initially written in the present but the book is written as a dual narrative of how two unlikely meet and goes into detail of how despite many difficulties, they have a much wanted child.
The unlikely couple, both have secrets about a past before they met which neither one of them knows of each other that they are ashamed of.
Moving forward, their 15 year old son comes home with a dark guilty confession.
The book then moves into single narrative as Sarah does what she thinks is best to protect her son or is it?
Like Jane Corey’s other book that I have read, Blood Sisters, it keeps you guessing until the end. A theme that I also noticed with Blood Sisters is prison and artistry.
It was a book that I felt dragged slightly in the middle but definitely picked up at the end when everything comes together.
Many thanks to NetGalley for this preview read in return for this honest review.
#TheLiesWeTell #NetGalley
aimees03's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
windy_witch's review
4.0
What would you do to protect your only child? When Sarah’s 15 year old son comes home one night and admits to killing someone she decides she will do all she can to protect him from going to prison.
The story tells of a mother desperate to prevent her son from going through the same experiences as her and lies that both parents have told that have devastating affects on their lives.
carlg88's review
4.0
So, I started off with no preconceptions for this one. I had never even heard the name Jane Corry, let alone read any of her work. At first getting into this book was hard - the book had some formatting issues that only went away (somewhat) during the middle stage of the book. However, once I really got into the meat of this story - wow, I could not stop reading! I have been gripped for the last several days and haven't been able to stop thinking about this story. There's essentially three characters that get talked about initially, Sarah, Tom and Freddie. Although we don't hear much directly from Freddie for the majority of the book, there is a lot said about him. It seemed that each one of these characters had hidden secrets in their past which they did NOT want to come out.
I liked how the story ended also and overall I was very pleased with the this book. One small thing that annoyed me was near the end, one character visits another in a police station. All fine = however one moment they are separated by a Perspex screen, then the next they are hugging each other. This certainly broke the immersion of story for me.
I'd certainly read more of this author and am glad I put the time into this one. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
I liked how the story ended also and overall I was very pleased with the this book. One small thing that annoyed me was near the end, one character visits another in a police station. All fine = however one moment they are separated by a Perspex screen, then the next they are hugging each other. This certainly broke the immersion of story for me.
I'd certainly read more of this author and am glad I put the time into this one. Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.
marijemulder's review
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
crystal7's review
5.0
Another absolute cracker from Jane Corry!
What things do you hide, is all what it seems with your family and friends?
What would you do for your son?
This is an absolute page turner!
What things do you hide, is all what it seems with your family and friends?
What would you do for your son?
This is an absolute page turner!
k_west1984's review against another edition
3.0
Probably would give this 2 and half stars. It started well but I was getting bored. The story is very unbelievable. I kept waiting for The twist and turns but sadly there wasn't any.