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3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Violence, Murder
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Rape, Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The ending wasn’t fleshed out enough in my opinion. I think a book with so twists and turns and so much detail needed a more explained ending. There were way too many holes in it for me. However Lucinda Berry is still one of the best thriller writers out there.
dark
mysterious
medium-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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Life got in the way but I FINALLY finished and O.M.G!!
Lucinda, Lucinda, Lucinda, you got me again!!
I had 8! 8 different theories, and guess what!? None of them were correct! And I’m pretty decent when it comes to figuring out the twist. I was NOT expecting this ending! Probably the best one she’s written yet!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy of If You Tell a Lie.
Bestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer―and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later.
They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead―even when they knew it was dead wrong.
The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again.
Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings.
Unfolding in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie is a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure―with a bone-chilling twist you’ll never see coming
Lucinda, Lucinda, Lucinda, you got me again!!
I had 8! 8 different theories, and guess what!? None of them were correct! And I’m pretty decent when it comes to figuring out the twist. I was NOT expecting this ending! Probably the best one she’s written yet!
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this advanced copy of If You Tell a Lie.
Bestselling author Lucinda Berry serves up a haunting thriller about four friends sworn to secrecy over the events of one fateful summer―and the dark truths that threaten to erupt years later.
They never considered how his wife might react, or that by the end of the summer a man would be dead. But Blakely always got her way, and the others followed her lead―even when they knew it was dead wrong.
The girls had been friends from day one at Camp Pendleton, a haven for gifted children. But their senior summer was different. When Mr. Crosby, the handsome tennis coach, wound up murdered after a reckless lie, Blakely, Grace, Meg, and Thera swore themselves to secrecy. And never spoke to each other again.
Until now. Twenty years later a sinister note claiming to know what they did brings them back together. And once again Blakely is pulling the strings.
Unfolding in a dual timeline, If You Tell a Lie is a disturbing journey into the dangerous, sometimes deadly consequences of peer pressure―with a bone-chilling twist you’ll never see coming
Picked this up expecting another solid Lucinda Berry thriller and got exactly that - which somehow left me feeling oddly neutral about the whole thing.
The setup is classic Berry: four friends from a gifted summer camp, a dark secret involving a dead tennis coach, and a present-day reunion twenty years later. The dual timeline structure worked well enough, and I genuinely didn't see the ending coming, which should be a win.
But here's the thing - I finished it feeling like I'd just eaten a perfectly adequate meal that I'll forget about by next week. Berry's usual psychological insight is there, especially around peer pressure and teenage group dynamics, but everything felt strangely sanitized compared to her darker work.
The characters blurred together despite the multiple POVs, and that ending everyone's raving about? Sure, it was unexpected, but it also left me with more questions than satisfaction. Not the good kind of ambiguous ending that haunts you, just the kind that makes you wonder if pages were missing.
It's not bad - I read it in one sitting and wasn't bored. But when people ask for thriller recommendations, this won't be the one I mention. Sometimes a book just exists in that weird middle space where it's fine enough to finish but not memorable enough to matter.
If you're already a Berry completist, go for it. Otherwise, start with her better work.
The setup is classic Berry: four friends from a gifted summer camp, a dark secret involving a dead tennis coach, and a present-day reunion twenty years later. The dual timeline structure worked well enough, and I genuinely didn't see the ending coming, which should be a win.
But here's the thing - I finished it feeling like I'd just eaten a perfectly adequate meal that I'll forget about by next week. Berry's usual psychological insight is there, especially around peer pressure and teenage group dynamics, but everything felt strangely sanitized compared to her darker work.
The characters blurred together despite the multiple POVs, and that ending everyone's raving about? Sure, it was unexpected, but it also left me with more questions than satisfaction. Not the good kind of ambiguous ending that haunts you, just the kind that makes you wonder if pages were missing.
It's not bad - I read it in one sitting and wasn't bored. But when people ask for thriller recommendations, this won't be the one I mention. Sometimes a book just exists in that weird middle space where it's fine enough to finish but not memorable enough to matter.
If you're already a Berry completist, go for it. Otherwise, start with her better work.
challenging
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes