Reviews

Everything Is Lies by Helen Callaghan

carl_still_reading's review against another edition

3.0

The story was ok, nothing I haven’t read before, the twists were good, but due to the slow pace of the book I found it hard to get through, however the last 100 pages I could not put it down.

fishey's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

Was a bad idea to this book up for a quick 10 minute read before bed because I could NOT put it down. This story is really interesting and explores cults in a really interesting way, such as how we can see cults in everyday life. Maybe it's because I read too many thrillers and crime shows though because I guessed the book's major twists very early on, but the story kept me engaged the whole way through nonetheless. I also really love the idea of the 3 notebooks throughout the text. I found myself sometimes skipping over some of Sophie's bits to get to the next notebook because they were really the highlight of the book. 

However, I thought when

Sophie's fake dad or whatever Jared tries to murder her is kinda lame and I feel like it was kinda included for shock value but there wasn't really any like motive for him to do that idk. Also I felt like Aaron saving her as sort of a redemption thing was really unnecessary and I don't like how it tries to make the reader sympathise with him. Also, I kinda wish Nina's death was left a mystery, because honestly I feel like the ending makes her look naive and stupid when she isn't. Also I thought that bakery lady was an old woman or something like how did she have that much strength but maybe I just imagined her differently or something. Also I really wish that Sophie did more than just investigate in this story, like she didn't really have character development because she was the same person throughout the whole story.

But other than those things, I pretty much loved it and it was an interesting read :) 

nourthelibrarymouse's review against another edition

4.0

•Everything is lies tells the story of Sophia, a single child of two overprotective parents. After getting a worrying call from her mom and ignoring her at night, Sophia wakes up early and heads to her parents house to find her mom hanged, and her father stabbed and lying in his blood. Persuaded that this wasn’t a Murder-Suicide, Sophia strives to clear her mother’s name and begins to uncover the secrets of her parents’ past that wasn’t as innocent and casual as she thought.
•I really enjoyed this book. I didn’t expect it to be this thrilling so i was pretty stressed the majority of my time reading it. We go through Sophia’s findings through her mother’s notebooks, which are addressed to her. This made the story so much more enjoyable because we get to read about her experience in a direct way. The plot is pretty impressive too, and the actions are so detailed. I recommend this book to anyone who’s into this genre, and to people looking to read books outside of their comfort zone too.
•QOTB• ‘I was adrift in a cosmetic darkness, with only luminescent plastic planets to guide me.’
•2020: Book 9/40•

khadija_reads's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.25

  ** spoiler alert ** I'm gonna be honest, this wasn't the best. the plot twist at the end isn't even a plot twist; ever since I found out her mom was in a cult, I figured her dad would be too. lets not even talk about her dad being wolf cause it was awfully obvious. by the end of the book, i was hoping the author would prove me wrong about all my assumptions, but no, the author merely confirmed them. the only reason I'm rating it 2 is because it wasn't boring to read. I certainly wouldn't recommend this book to anyone, unless for revenge. 

fkroll's review against another edition

3.0

THIS BOOK IS SO WIERD

WHAT DID I JUST READ?!?!?

I am so concerned for this book, it is about this weird cult, I am not sure I have to say anything else...

she falls involve with a weird psycho who runs a cult.... WHAT

But this was actually highly entertaining

yetanothersusan's review against another edition

4.0

This was pretty near a perfect thriller. Maybe I am jaded a bit but many of the twists and surprises were a bit expected. Thankfully not all of them and it made for a very enjoyable read! Once again, Ms. Callaghan has given us a book full of imperfect characters that all make for a story that feels like it really could have taken place. In this one, Sophia gets a call to find out her mother is dead and her father is near death. Going home, she finds some notebooks her mother has written detailing her youth. Many of us don't know much about our parents when they were younger, but what Sophia starts to unravel is more than basic youthful indiscretions. While I found the pulls on Sophia by her job a bit of an annoying distraction, it didn't take away from the main story as Sophia uncovers her mother's past, as well as her own.

A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph in exchange for an honest review.

geekylou's review against another edition

4.0

I was lucky enough to get this book for free and loved every minute of it. It's like two books in one - one is the story of a woman who's mother is found hanging from a tree and the other tells the story from books found written by the mother telling her story... Some great twists and I didn't want to put this down.

elosuss's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

barnsey's review against another edition

5.0

London architect Sophia MacKenzie receives a phone call from her mother asking her to return home to Suffolk because they need to talk. Sophia, enjoying a night out with colleagues and over the legal limit to drive, puts her mother off until the following day. But when Sophia does arrive home, her parents aren't there. Venturing into the garden she finds her mother's lifeless body hanging from a tree and her father lying near-death in a pool of blood.

Sophia is astonished to learn her mother was a member of a cult in the 1980s and had written three notebooks about her life inside The Order of the Ascendants, which are going to be published. As Sophia begins to read the notebooks, it becomes apparent her mother's hanging and the near-fatal attack on her father are somehow connected to their contents.

Oh what a wonderful tangled web of intrigue this book is! The timeline is split seamlessly between Sophia in the present and her mother Nina in the past. The reader is given small pieces of the puzzle. Some are easily figured out - which I suspect is the author's intention, but others are cleverly interwoven until the final chapters. The suspense gradually builds as the two timelines come together and Sophia finally discovers the truth about her mother's past and the repercussions for the present.

The book title tells the reader Everything is Lies; therefore I was constantly questioning motives - was everything as it appeared to be or was there something much more sinister lurking under the surface? Oh boy, was I paranoid or was I paranoid?! When that happens, I know I'm reading a a quality piece of fiction.

I thought the main characters were developed to a tee. Cult leader Aaron Kessler literally jumped off the pages as he was brought to life by the author. His charisma and control were both unsettling and disturbing. The two timelines worked extremely well and the conclusion was exactly as it should have been.

In my opinion this is an excellent psychological thriller and I have no hesitation in placing it as a Top Read of 2018.

* I received an Advance Reader Copy. My thanks to NetGalley, Helen Callaghan and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph.

Read my review on my blog: http://bit.ly/2ExA20Q

hena_31's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5