Scan barcode
emiliaruby's review against another edition
3.0
3.5
I got through this book really fast, whilst i didn’t hate it i felt
that it kind of leveled out to be quite underwhelming like the plot twists were easily figured out by like halfway through the book
I got through this book really fast, whilst i didn’t hate it i felt
that it kind of leveled out to be quite underwhelming like the plot twists were easily figured out by like halfway through the book
carimayhew's review against another edition
2.0
Death, manipulation, and deception are the foremost themes in this suspense-thriller! Sophie arrives at her childhood home to find her mum dead, hanging from a tree, and her father stabbed to inches of his life on the floor.
Before she has time to grieve, Sophie discovers that her mum, Nina, was writing a memoir and had a publication deal. Sophie finds two of her mother’s notebooks, and another life is revealed where Nina had been seduced into a controlling cult.
The book is aimed at Sophie and begins with “Everything is Lies, and nobody is who they seem”. Sophie uncovers her mother’s secrets slowly, page by page. When a death is hinted at, Sophie is determined to find out more.
When she can’t find the third and final notebook, Sophie tries to contact people referred to in the book, and soon finds herself in danger. She even decides to meet the cult leader, where a monumental revelation is made to her. (No spoilers!)
During the course of events, there’s an attempted break-in and an attempt made on Sophie’s life! Just when all seems revealed, there is more action to follow! (No spoilers!)
I don’t normally find thrillers predictable, but this time I’m sorry to say I did. Not all of it, but enough so that most of it was no surprise, but not enough to ruin the book for me. I also felt that the author was needlessly showing off her vocabulary when more well-known words would have been more effective. Rating 5/10.
Before she has time to grieve, Sophie discovers that her mum, Nina, was writing a memoir and had a publication deal. Sophie finds two of her mother’s notebooks, and another life is revealed where Nina had been seduced into a controlling cult.
The book is aimed at Sophie and begins with “Everything is Lies, and nobody is who they seem”. Sophie uncovers her mother’s secrets slowly, page by page. When a death is hinted at, Sophie is determined to find out more.
When she can’t find the third and final notebook, Sophie tries to contact people referred to in the book, and soon finds herself in danger. She even decides to meet the cult leader, where a monumental revelation is made to her. (No spoilers!)
During the course of events, there’s an attempted break-in and an attempt made on Sophie’s life! Just when all seems revealed, there is more action to follow! (No spoilers!)
I don’t normally find thrillers predictable, but this time I’m sorry to say I did. Not all of it, but enough so that most of it was no surprise, but not enough to ruin the book for me. I also felt that the author was needlessly showing off her vocabulary when more well-known words would have been more effective. Rating 5/10.
hainyh's review against another edition
2.0
This book was quite the slog to get through! The plot was interesting and I liked that it was about a cult, and the far-reaching effects this has on individuals and those around them. I liked that the narrative alternated between the present and the daughter's perspective, and the mother's experience of being in the cult. That being said, I think that's where the positives end. The first 20% of the book did a great job at building up momentum and setting the scene, making me think this would be a real page-turned and that I'd want to read 'just one more chapter' again and again before being able to get off to sleep. Unfortunately, the middle chunk of the book was incredibly boring, long-winded, and slow-moving. It did catch up and get a lot more interesting for the last 20&, and I enjoyed the twist, but for 60% of the book to be slow and unenjoyable, I certainly wouldn't recommend this one.
owls_rainbow's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
fuzzywuzzy's review against another edition
3.0
⭐️⭐️⭐️A solid 3.5 stars!
The description of this book was amazing and I couldn’t help but want to read it.
It opens with Sophie out living it up in London when she gets a call from her mother to please come home. She brushes her off and promises to come the next day, but when she arrives she finds a horrible scene.
From there the book really slowed down. I wanted to quit reading so bad and move onto something else but I pushed through and I’m glad I did. At first I was disappointed by the “shocking twist” so many other reviewers reveled at, but as I kept going I saw that the real twist (or should I say twists) don’t come until near the end. Have no fear... they don’t disappoint.
The cult subject matter is what was really hard for me to read through. The subject matter just didn’t appeal to me and it took too long for things to get interesting.
I was excited to see Rosie’s mothers notebooks get introduced and expected some really juicy information, but it just didn’t happen. I could’ve done without them. They could have all been summed up into a letter. They just weren’t packed full of need to know information to me. They didn’t really add to the book.
The author did a good job with the twists, just not the best telling of the story. All in all, it was an ok read.
The description of this book was amazing and I couldn’t help but want to read it.
It opens with Sophie out living it up in London when she gets a call from her mother to please come home. She brushes her off and promises to come the next day, but when she arrives she finds a horrible scene.
From there the book really slowed down. I wanted to quit reading so bad and move onto something else but I pushed through and I’m glad I did. At first I was disappointed by the “shocking twist” so many other reviewers reveled at, but as I kept going I saw that the real twist (or should I say twists) don’t come until near the end. Have no fear... they don’t disappoint.
The cult subject matter is what was really hard for me to read through. The subject matter just didn’t appeal to me and it took too long for things to get interesting.
I was excited to see Rosie’s mothers notebooks get introduced and expected some really juicy information, but it just didn’t happen. I could’ve done without them. They could have all been summed up into a letter. They just weren’t packed full of need to know information to me. They didn’t really add to the book.
The author did a good job with the twists, just not the best telling of the story. All in all, it was an ok read.
the_aesthetic_booktrovert's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
snazzybooks's review against another edition
4.0
Book reviews on www.snazzybooks.com
Everything Is Lies is an intriguing read that took me by surprise - the synopsis doesn't really give much away, and so I didn't have any expectations about what was to come (and therefore, in this review, I'm going to avoid giving anything away that can't be worked out from the back cover. Keeps it interesting!).
There are two main narratives in play here - one set in the present day and told through the eyes of Sophia, who heads to her parents' house one day to find her mother has seemingly hung herself - but not before stabbing her father. Distraught, Sophia starts to uncover things she never knew about her mother which means all might not be as it seems... We then go back in time to the 80's, and into the journals that her mother Nina has written. Through these we see what exactly happened all those years ago as it all intriguingly unfolds right in front of our (and Sophia's) eyes...
Although this is, ultimately, a mystery/ thriller, I found that I could imagine a lot of it actually happening, particularly the storyline set in the past. I don't want to give much away but Helen Callaghan writes in a way that makes you realise how easy it actually could be to find yourself in a situation like Sophia's mother Nina, especially if you're young, impressionable and have grown up without too much love and attention from your parents. This makes it all the more chilling, really, and I think I enjoyed this storyline more than the present day one, as it was just so engaging and gripping; it's like a car crash - you know it's all going to go wrong for Nina somehow, but all you can do is buckle in and watch everything unfold... I liked the way Sophia pieced everything together in the present-day storyline, though, and how it all came together.
Everything Is Lies is a well-written, gripping peek into a different world - of depravity, control and influence - which kept me turning page after page.
Many thanks to Michael Joseph for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
Everything Is Lies is an intriguing read that took me by surprise - the synopsis doesn't really give much away, and so I didn't have any expectations about what was to come (and therefore, in this review, I'm going to avoid giving anything away that can't be worked out from the back cover. Keeps it interesting!).
There are two main narratives in play here - one set in the present day and told through the eyes of Sophia, who heads to her parents' house one day to find her mother has seemingly hung herself - but not before stabbing her father. Distraught, Sophia starts to uncover things she never knew about her mother which means all might not be as it seems... We then go back in time to the 80's, and into the journals that her mother Nina has written. Through these we see what exactly happened all those years ago as it all intriguingly unfolds right in front of our (and Sophia's) eyes...
Although this is, ultimately, a mystery/ thriller, I found that I could imagine a lot of it actually happening, particularly the storyline set in the past. I don't want to give much away but Helen Callaghan writes in a way that makes you realise how easy it actually could be to find yourself in a situation like Sophia's mother Nina, especially if you're young, impressionable and have grown up without too much love and attention from your parents. This makes it all the more chilling, really, and I think I enjoyed this storyline more than the present day one, as it was just so engaging and gripping; it's like a car crash - you know it's all going to go wrong for Nina somehow, but all you can do is buckle in and watch everything unfold... I liked the way Sophia pieced everything together in the present-day storyline, though, and how it all came together.
Everything Is Lies is a well-written, gripping peek into a different world - of depravity, control and influence - which kept me turning page after page.
Many thanks to Michael Joseph for providing a copy of this novel on which I chose to write an honest and unbiased review.
cheryl59's review against another edition
5.0
I had read Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan last year and thought that was a great book, so I was pleased to get the oppotunity to read her second. This book was amazing, I was awake until 3.30am trying to finish it as I had to know what happened. I read it in two sittings in the end and what a book it was. I will be telling all of my friends and family to read it.