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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I picked up Sometimes I Lie for a book club, and honestly, I don’t think I would have grabbed it otherwise. I listened to the audiobook from my library, which added a layer of challenge. It was sometimes hard to follow, and the narration dipped so low at times that I’d miss entire lines, only to be blasted a second later when the voice shot up in volume. That made the reading experience uneven, though I know that’s more on the audio production than the story itself.
The story itself is a tangled web of lies, family trauma, and childhood secrets. Amber is in a coma, piecing together the events that led her there while listening to visits from her husband, her sister, and her stalker. Flashbacks, diary entries, and memories all come together in ways that kept me guessing who to trust, and whether anyone was telling the truth at all. Claire, Amber’s sister, is a standout character, both chilling and manipulative, and her presence is felt in every twist. Edward, the stalker, added another deeply unsettling layer, and the shifting ground of what was real versus what was remembered or manipulated made for a tense reading experience.
The ending, though, is where things really exploded. Fires, betrayals, poisonings, custody twists, and one reappearing bracelet left me with more questions than answers. I can see why this book divides readers. It’s clever, dark, and haunting, but it’s also chaotic at times. I found myself equal parts frustrated and intrigued, which probably means Alice Feeney did her job as a psychological thriller writer.
This wasn’t my favorite thriller, but I did appreciate the originality, the sense of unease it created, and the sheer boldness of the twists. It’s one of those books where you close it and immediately want to talk it out with someone, just to process what you’ve read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Death, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
I did figure out a lot of the twists but what a wild ride this book was!
challenging
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
It was a tense book. It’s an interesting plot but I couldn’t fully get into it and that one plot twist is very confusing. I still don’t understand what was a lie and what is what. Also that one storyline was weird and felt out of place. I feel like some points should’ve been explained a lot more.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes