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3.61 AVERAGE
3.61 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
As posted on: http://www.hollieinwanderlust.co.uk/2015/08/book-review-lie-cl-taylor.html
Recently I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about THE LIE by C.L. Taylor on the book blogosphere so I thought I’d do the done thing and get myself a copy of it. I did so on amazon kindle and paid a ridiculously cheap 99p for it and it’s honestly one of the best 99p’s I’ve spent in a long time. I’ve never read anything by the author before so was quite eager to get stuck into it!
The story focuses on a group of 4 girls. Friends since university, Emma, Daisy, Al and Leanne decide to go on a girls retreat to a camp in Nepal. The story follows their journey there and the events that have passed since, 5 years later. It focuses on the portrayal of friendship and just how far you would go to protect someone you love. We learn that Emma has changed her name and relocated to escape the aftermath of an accident that happened while they were in Nepal, and we also learn that the surviving girls are no longer in contact with one another. We learn that the characters are flawed and broken and that each of the four girls has demons which have affected them their entire lives- all of this is explored whilst they are in Nepal and contributes beautifully to the plot. I particularly enjoyed the flashback scenes and was very keen to keep reading once I’d gotten started, eager to find out what was going to happen next.
The novel is quite fast paced but at the same time it is very easy to keep up with. The descriptions are fantastic, as are the character developments and I really found myself both liking and disliking certain characters. I really enjoyed the storyline right up to the last few pages, and while the ending was fair and made sense once I’d read it, I felt that the book was heading in a completely different direction to the one it did.
The switches between time periods was done consistently and equal focus was placed on the present day and the events happening 5 years previously. Certain aspects of the novel were incredibly tense and I found myself shocked by particular happenings. I’ll definitely be picking up “The Accident” by C.L. Taylor at some point in the next few weeks and I’m very excited to see what she has to offer in the future.
3.5/5
Recently I’ve been hearing a lot of good things about THE LIE by C.L. Taylor on the book blogosphere so I thought I’d do the done thing and get myself a copy of it. I did so on amazon kindle and paid a ridiculously cheap 99p for it and it’s honestly one of the best 99p’s I’ve spent in a long time. I’ve never read anything by the author before so was quite eager to get stuck into it!
The story focuses on a group of 4 girls. Friends since university, Emma, Daisy, Al and Leanne decide to go on a girls retreat to a camp in Nepal. The story follows their journey there and the events that have passed since, 5 years later. It focuses on the portrayal of friendship and just how far you would go to protect someone you love. We learn that Emma has changed her name and relocated to escape the aftermath of an accident that happened while they were in Nepal, and we also learn that the surviving girls are no longer in contact with one another. We learn that the characters are flawed and broken and that each of the four girls has demons which have affected them their entire lives- all of this is explored whilst they are in Nepal and contributes beautifully to the plot. I particularly enjoyed the flashback scenes and was very keen to keep reading once I’d gotten started, eager to find out what was going to happen next.
The novel is quite fast paced but at the same time it is very easy to keep up with. The descriptions are fantastic, as are the character developments and I really found myself both liking and disliking certain characters. I really enjoyed the storyline right up to the last few pages, and while the ending was fair and made sense once I’d read it, I felt that the book was heading in a completely different direction to the one it did.
The switches between time periods was done consistently and equal focus was placed on the present day and the events happening 5 years previously. Certain aspects of the novel were incredibly tense and I found myself shocked by particular happenings. I’ll definitely be picking up “The Accident” by C.L. Taylor at some point in the next few weeks and I’m very excited to see what she has to offer in the future.
3.5/5
** 5 stars**
Not sure the title is appropriate, however, I did really enjoy this book!
5 years ago, four best friends went on what was supposed to be the 'trip of a lifetime'. Emma (our protagonist), Daisy, Al and Leanne have been best friends since university. After Al breaks up with her longtime girlfriend, her friends decide to take her on a trip to Nepal. What starts out as an amazing trip, quickly becomes a nightmare leaving two friends missing or dead. In present day Wales, Emma has recreated her life under the name of "Jane". One day she receives a note that makes it clear... Her secret is no longer safe.
This book takes place over two timelines both told from the perspective of Emma/ Jane. In the present timeline, we see Emma's life begin to fall apart as secrets she has kept hidden for five years start to be exposed. In the second timeline, 5 years ago, we learn about just what happened on that nefarious trip.
I really enjoyed the character of Emma/ Jane. Sometime horrible happened to her, but she didn't let it define her. She tried to make a new life, by doing what she knew would make her happy. I also enjoyed reading about the unhealthy friendships she had with her friends. This book definitely looks at unhealthy relationships/ friendships, and rivalries in friendships. It is amazing to see how quickly some of these seemingly strong friendships begin to fall apart.
The "cult" aspect of this book is interesting as well. I don't really know that it is a cult because of how new "community members" find themselves here. I also enjoyed reading about the dynamics between some of the original members of community; particularly that of Isaac, Cera and Isis. Not really sure how Isaac managed to gain (and keep) so much power and influence. I am also curious about how this "cult" managed to go unnoticed by authorities, all these people coming and none of them leaving? It is illegal to overstay your visa... It was clear the authorities or "maoists" knew that something untoward was happening by the way the friends were treated when they were getting ready to climb the mountain and how their guide behaved.
Something that bothered me, and this might have been a slight oversight in editing is Will's job. Is he a primary teacher or a secondary teacher? On pg28 it says he teaches ten year olds, yet on pg 149 it says "the year 11s are hell" and later he is referred to as 'the head of biology'. Others might not have picked up on this, but it bothered me. I was really happy to see a male primary school teacher represented in the novel, but then the author changes it? Also, I could be wrong (I am not Welsh) but I thought that Welsh schools were inspected by Estyn not Ofsted?
Not sure the title is appropriate, however, I did really enjoy this book!
5 years ago, four best friends went on what was supposed to be the 'trip of a lifetime'. Emma (our protagonist), Daisy, Al and Leanne have been best friends since university. After Al breaks up with her longtime girlfriend, her friends decide to take her on a trip to Nepal. What starts out as an amazing trip, quickly becomes a nightmare leaving two friends missing or dead. In present day Wales, Emma has recreated her life under the name of "Jane". One day she receives a note that makes it clear... Her secret is no longer safe.
This book takes place over two timelines both told from the perspective of Emma/ Jane. In the present timeline, we see Emma's life begin to fall apart as secrets she has kept hidden for five years start to be exposed. In the second timeline, 5 years ago, we learn about just what happened on that nefarious trip.
I really enjoyed the character of Emma/ Jane. Sometime horrible happened to her, but she didn't let it define her. She tried to make a new life, by doing what she knew would make her happy. I also enjoyed reading about the unhealthy friendships she had with her friends. This book definitely looks at unhealthy relationships/ friendships, and rivalries in friendships. It is amazing to see how quickly some of these seemingly strong friendships begin to fall apart.
The "cult" aspect of this book is interesting as well. I don't really know that it is a cult because of how new "community members" find themselves here. I also enjoyed reading about the dynamics between some of the original members of community; particularly that of Isaac, Cera and Isis. Not really sure how Isaac managed to gain (and keep) so much power and influence. I am also curious about how this "cult" managed to go unnoticed by authorities, all these people coming and none of them leaving? It is illegal to overstay your visa... It was clear the authorities or "maoists" knew that something untoward was happening by the way the friends were treated when they were getting ready to climb the mountain and how their guide behaved.
Something that bothered me, and this might have been a slight oversight in editing is Will's job. Is he a primary teacher or a secondary teacher? On pg28 it says he teaches ten year olds, yet on pg 149 it says "the year 11s are hell" and later he is referred to as 'the head of biology'. Others might not have picked up on this, but it bothered me. I was really happy to see a male primary school teacher represented in the novel, but then the author changes it? Also, I could be wrong (I am not Welsh) but I thought that Welsh schools were inspected by Estyn not Ofsted?
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Murder
Jane is happy with her job at an animal shelter, her little cottage and a great boyfriend. Only he doesn't really know her and her life is a lie.
After five years of hiding, there's this new volunteer, who explicitly wants to work with her, people start asking questions and she gets messages from Daisy, who apparently isn't dead.
Five years earlier, Jane was Emma. She went to a retreat in Nepal with her friends. It was the most beautiful place and Isaac warmly welcomed them to his community. But it didn't take much for the friends to turn against each other and Emma was soon dismissed.
The trip of a lifetime quickly turned into a nightmare and two of the women, never made it out of there.
Such a good read! The atmosphere is calm, the pace is fast, there are little twists and turns. And told back and forth between now and then, all the time you can sense something coming up, you know something big is going to happen.
And I rushed through this, needing to find out what. I just wanted answers.
The whole story just had me so involved, from the first description of the relationship between the girls, to the first impressions of the retreat, I felt the dynamics change. I watched the girls change and was stunned by the mind games Isaac played and just wanted it all to stop, while needing it to go on. I wanted Daisy to see, I wanted Emma to get out, I wanted somethig bad to happen to Isaac, I just could feel how meesed up the situation was and I couldn't put it down.
Strangely, I just love a book about new age type of cults, full of manipulating characters, toxic people and toxic relationships. And there were these perfect little details like the creepy woman with rabbits and a dead dog or that message "Only the good die young, that's why you're still alive."
Only the end was then a huge-let down. But this author is something and I'm going to read more of her.
After five years of hiding, there's this new volunteer, who explicitly wants to work with her, people start asking questions and she gets messages from Daisy, who apparently isn't dead.
Five years earlier, Jane was Emma. She went to a retreat in Nepal with her friends. It was the most beautiful place and Isaac warmly welcomed them to his community. But it didn't take much for the friends to turn against each other and Emma was soon dismissed.
The trip of a lifetime quickly turned into a nightmare and two of the women, never made it out of there.
Such a good read! The atmosphere is calm, the pace is fast, there are little twists and turns. And told back and forth between now and then, all the time you can sense something coming up, you know something big is going to happen.
And I rushed through this, needing to find out what. I just wanted answers.
The whole story just had me so involved, from the first description of the relationship between the girls, to the first impressions of the retreat, I felt the dynamics change. I watched the girls change and was stunned by the mind games Isaac played and just wanted it all to stop, while needing it to go on. I wanted Daisy to see, I wanted Emma to get out, I wanted somethig bad to happen to Isaac, I just could feel how meesed up the situation was and I couldn't put it down.
Strangely, I just love a book about new age type of cults, full of manipulating characters, toxic people and toxic relationships. And there were these perfect little details like the creepy woman with rabbits and a dead dog or that message "Only the good die young, that's why you're still alive."
Only the end was then a huge-let down. But this author is something and I'm going to read more of her.
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I have read other reviews, and don’t share the same sentiment. This was a good book, well-written, however, the story is flat. The author tried to build up suspense by giving out the story a bit at a time, however, it never worked up the suspense it should have. The characters were well-developed in the beginning of the story, but we never seem to understand their thinking when the story is at its most intense. As for Emma/Jane, she was really a bit too naive in her belief that maybe someone was in my house, but maybe not. Maybe someone tried to kill me, but maybe not. Yes, she was a wishy washy character all along, but if we were to believe what happened in Nepal had changed her, she should have been wiser. That was supposedly the theme of the book (and part of the author's discussion guide), but it never is exemplified by the main character.
Unfortunately, the story never worked up the suspense it should have, never become a psychological thriller and the story ending up being predictable and preposterous in some places.
I have read other reviews, and don’t share the same sentiment. This was a good book, well-written, however, the story is flat. The author tried to build up suspense by giving out the story a bit at a time, however, it never worked up the suspense it should have. The characters were well-developed in the beginning of the story, but we never seem to understand their thinking when the story is at its most intense. As for Emma/Jane, she was really a bit too naive in her belief that maybe someone was in my house, but maybe not. Maybe someone tried to kill me, but maybe not. Yes, she was a wishy washy character all along, but if we were to believe what happened in Nepal had changed her, she should have been wiser. That was supposedly the theme of the book (and part of the author's discussion guide), but it never is exemplified by the main character.
Unfortunately, the story never worked up the suspense it should have, never become a psychological thriller and the story ending up being predictable and preposterous in some places.
Really interesting plot that literally gave me NIGHTMARES IT WAS THAT CREEPY but the writing was iffy at points.