Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - Never Lie

Writing is juvenile and repetitive. The main character’s feelings in the beginning of the book make no sense by the end (don’t want to give anything away) Disjointed story.

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jennyoli96's review against another edition

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mysterious fast-paced

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

3.0

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phantomgecko's review against another edition

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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

4.0

Not impressed with the writing. But the plot was aight.

I had my doubts going in though. And I remained dubious through most of the beginning as well.

Specifically, I assumed EJ was Ethan, and I was afraid that would be the "big twist" at the end. That her husband was an abusive narcissist. So it's nice that I was wrong about that.

Books with domestic abuse are a little frustrating to read because I'm always like, girl run! But this was alright. Though I found the portrayal of the relationship unrealistic for the given timeline. If you've known someone a year, you should definitely know some of the things she said she didn't. idk, if you suck at communicating anything ever at all, maybe it makes sense.

Alas, poor, Luke.

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abbyweber's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-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

2.75

This was so fast to listen to on audiobook. This book, I think, would have been more successful as a third person, because there is a difference between an unreliable narrator and a liar. Fair warning, almost no one in this book is likable, but I think that’s the point. The writing was meh, the story wasn’t terrible, but could have been better if it had been written a bit better. It’s like two different people wrote the beginning and the end and the person who wrote the end didn’t read the beginning. Overall, I would say this was a fine 2.5-3 star.

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sarah_amy's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.0

The mystery kept me interested enough, but I didn't seem to like this one as much as McFadden's other books, most of which average a 4-star rating at least. Perhaps because there were so few characters and I disliked them all, so didn't really care what happened to any of them? I think I prefer either a diverse cast that keeps me guessing, or if it's a smaller set of characters, ones that have a few redeemable qualities among their flaws, so theyre more human and I cant decide how I feel about them in the end. Again though, the plot was intriguing enough to have me power through this in 2 days so it was still time well spent.

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yassmonn's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

This was my first Freida McFadden book, and the first thriller book I have read in years. I got it for Christmas and struggled to put it down, as I kept itching to read more and find out more. For myself there were multiple plot twists and I could not figure out the ending or what happened when reading the book. It was only when I finished with my jaw on the floor where everything had come together.

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nc_unknown_user's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-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

3.75

This book was fine. Not the most thrilling or craziest twists but… it’s fine. It’s not one I’ll probably think about down the road but it was an easy read and kept my interest for the most part.

This is my second book by this author so I’m starting to pick up on the themes of unlikeable main characters and twists that happen in the last few chapters. The entire book I found myself questioning the obviousness of the “clues” and knew it was a set up. I didn’t find the eventual revelation to be as thrilling as I had hoped, but maybe that was due to my distrust all along.

Something about the story felt lacking in some way I couldn’t place but all in all, I enjoyed the read. I think the thing that leaves these books feeling a little shallow are also ironically, some of the reasons I appreciate the author’s writing. It lacks detail in things that usually go into far too much detail. Like murders or sex scenes… these topics are glossed over whereas other authors seem to feel the need to “overshare” the details. I like that these parts aren’t exaggerated in her books and we can get on with the main plot line. Especially as I often listen to audiobooks while working or doing other tasks that don’t have me in the mood to hear about gore or graphic details. However, the lack of details seem to spill over into other areas and leaves the storyline feeling somewhat flat. Which leaves me feeling less than moved by the story when it’s all said and done. But not every book needs to send me on an emotional rollercoaster and I appreciate that I can quickly read one of these books without being bogged down by a heavy story or too much detail. It’s just wild to walk away from a book about murders and psychological twists and feel kinda “meh” about it.

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kaetlingrigsby's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

5.0

This book is full of twists and turns, one’s that make you say, “HOW DID I NOT SEE THIS COMING” then another, “omg DUH!” and then a “holy shit!” That’s the only way I can describe this book without giving away spoilers. If you’re on the fence about reading it, just do it. If you love glimpses into psychology and how the brain works, you’ll find yourself highlighting sentences like you’re in PSYCH101.

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