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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
A tense thriller from author C.L. Taylor, The Lie is a story of friendship, deception, secrets and betrayal.
"A couple of weeks ago I found a picture of the four of us, taken by a stranger outside Kathmandu airport...We all look so fresh faced and hopeful in the photo, and we were. It was supposed to be a holiday of a lifetime."
Best friends since university, Emma, Al, Daisy and Leeanne, are heading to Nepal for the holiday of a lifetime, where, in between exploring Kathmandu and treking in Chitwan, they are planning on spending a week relaxing at an isolated spiritual retreat. 'Ekantra yatra' initially seems to be everything the brochure promised but within days the friendship between the four girls sours, corrupted by the charismatic leader, Issac.
Five years later Jane Hughes receives an anonymous note, 'I know your name's not really Jane Hughes'. Whoever sent it knows the truth, 'Jane' is really Emma, but do they know she has been lying about more than her identity?
Jane/Emma has been keeping the whole secret of what really happened in Nepal for five long years. When the anonymous note is followed by sinister texts, purportedly from Daisy, Jane reaches out to Al, the only other member of their foursome who returned from 'Ekantra yatra'.
"I was lying to myself when I said that your past doesn't shape your future. Or maybe it was wishful thinking. Your memories are the one thing you can't run from, the one thing you can't change."
As the narrative shifts between the past, revealing what actually happened five years previously at 'Ekantra yatra', and the present, Taylor skilfully builds suspense in both timelines. As Jane/Emma's carefully constructed life in Wales is falling apart in the face of escalating threats from her stalker, the friendship between the four best friends begins to disintegrate in Nepal. Within days of their arrival at 'Ekantra yatra' it's clear the retreat is not what it seems. Manipulated by Issac who preys on their insecurities and petty resentments, the girls turn on each other with frightening ease and as their friendship implodes, the danger escalates.
"How had our holiday gone so wrong? We'd arrived at Ekanta yatra as friends, friends with issues rumbling beneath the smiles and excitement, but ours was a friendship that had outlasted uni and survived relocation, jobs and relationships. Or so I thought. And yet the bonds I believed were strong were only ever superficial and, like a game of Jenga, all it took was one false move and everything collapsed."
With a strong premise, supported by interesting characterisation, The Lie is a well paced, dramatic and atmospheric tale of psychological suspense.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ugh. Catty girls, a shiny bow ending, and some unrealistic explanations really killed this novel for me.
A good enjoyable read but not as good as her other books. Also not much of a twist, I was expecting more.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Strange
This is one of the strangest books I have ever read! It really messes with your brain! I would truly recommend this book to those who love thrillers! If you love this book you should read 'The Lying Game' by Ruth Ware!
This is one of the strangest books I have ever read! It really messes with your brain! I would truly recommend this book to those who love thrillers! If you love this book you should read 'The Lying Game' by Ruth Ware!
I was blown away by The Lie. I don't know anyone who has read it. I could not put down this psychological thriller that told the story Emma/Jane in alternating bits of the past and the present. At its core, it is a story about the bonds of friendship falling apart during a holiday abroad gone wrong.
Well, this was a mediocre experience all around. To be fair, I didn't have very many expectations when I picked this book up. I only bought it because I was at the airport a month ago and wanted a book to read on the plane. And my mother suggested it because the blurb on the back said "partner" so she thought the main character was gay. (Yay, for supportive mothers!) Anyways, didn't get a chance to read it on the plane, but I've read it now.
Unfortunately, the main character was not gay so that was a minor disappointment. There was a gay main character, or lesbian character depending on which term you prefer to use. So, I guess I'll consider that fulfilling the LGBT check mark for this particular read.
More importantly, the plot itself is mediocre. For a thriller, I wasn't very thrilled. The past was much more interesting than the present. Like literally this book would have been so much better if it had only been set in the past. The going back and forth between the present and the past was annoying, and the present parts of the book were just mind-numbingly boring. The characters were all rather annoying. The main character, Emma/Jane, is particularly annoying and does some incredibly stupid stuff during the course of the book. The only reason I give this 3 stars is because I did like the basic idea of the story. And it was interesting enough that I still kept reading despite the many issues I had with the characters.
I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil any of the plot for people who might be interested in reading this book, but I will say that the book was good enough to read. I wouldn't recommend going out to buy this book brand new though.
Unfortunately, the main character was not gay so that was a minor disappointment. There was a gay main character, or lesbian character depending on which term you prefer to use. So, I guess I'll consider that fulfilling the LGBT check mark for this particular read.
More importantly, the plot itself is mediocre. For a thriller, I wasn't very thrilled. The past was much more interesting than the present. Like literally this book would have been so much better if it had only been set in the past. The going back and forth between the present and the past was annoying, and the present parts of the book were just mind-numbingly boring. The characters were all rather annoying. The main character, Emma/Jane, is particularly annoying and does some incredibly stupid stuff during the course of the book. The only reason I give this 3 stars is because I did like the basic idea of the story. And it was interesting enough that I still kept reading despite the many issues I had with the characters.
I won't say anymore because I don't want to spoil any of the plot for people who might be interested in reading this book, but I will say that the book was good enough to read. I wouldn't recommend going out to buy this book brand new though.
thanks to netgalley and harpercollins uk, avon for an ARC copy of this book.
wow, what can i say apart from i absolutely loved this book. i was literally on the edge of my seat by the end. a story of a friendship pushed to the limits that is full of lies and jealousy and trying to make a new start but can you ever truly forget your past and the people in it? a brilliant book which i highly recommend and will certainly be reading more books by this author.
wow, what can i say apart from i absolutely loved this book. i was literally on the edge of my seat by the end. a story of a friendship pushed to the limits that is full of lies and jealousy and trying to make a new start but can you ever truly forget your past and the people in it? a brilliant book which i highly recommend and will certainly be reading more books by this author.