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A review by thephdivabooks
Lie, Lie Again by Stacy Wise
5.0
This is a fun, grab-your-popcorn sort of book that was so fun to read! Three women connected by proximity, and a whole bunch of lies!
The opening chapter starts with a bang—a body found at the bottom of the stairs at 1054 Mockingbird Lane. From there the book travels back in time and the story is told in a mostly linear format, as we lead up to who the body is at the bottom of the stairs and how it came to be there. And let’s just say there are several characters who may have done something to deserve ending up there!
The book reads more like contemporary suspense than psychological thriller through most of it, but in a good way. Don’t go in expecting a straight thriller because I’m not sure that would completely capture this story. While the book begins with a hint as to the mystery, I’d say this is more about the journey that gets you to that mystery.
Three women are at the center of the story, each connected to the others by the proximity of living in apartments at 1054 Mockingbird Lane. There is Riki, a private school teacher in her mid-twenties who has a dream boyfriend but can’t help but fall in love a bit with her very attractive aspiring-actor neighbor Brandon. Embry, a southern belle beauty and mom of two (with one on the way) who happens to be married to Brandon, and also happens to be keeping her latest pregnancy a secret. And finally, there is Sylvia, a successful marketing professional who suspects her boyfriend may be keeping something from her related to his needy ex-girlfriend.
As you learn more about these three women, let’s just say that while they are all compelling in their own way, Stacy Wise has truly written quite a character in Sylvia. Sylvia is a wild ride and she is not someone to cross. She is smart, driven, and completely unafraid to be a little bit devious.
One thing that was really compelling were the glimpses we got of the backstory to these three women. None of them are quite as simple as what meets the eye. Even Sylvia, whose hardened exterior can make her seem unsympathetic at times, really connected with her elderly land lady, developing a friendship that was sweet. There are lots of small moments like this that humanize the women in different ways. Because Sylvia is so strong, hers serve to show her softer side. For Embry and Riki, the opposite is true. They seem outwardly sweet and naïve, but each has a bit more steel to her than meets the eye.
I got lost in their stories, so I nearly forgot we were heading towards that dead body for a bit! Expect lots of secrets, lies, and revenge along the way, and then a slam-dunk ending.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Suzy Approved Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.
The opening chapter starts with a bang—a body found at the bottom of the stairs at 1054 Mockingbird Lane. From there the book travels back in time and the story is told in a mostly linear format, as we lead up to who the body is at the bottom of the stairs and how it came to be there. And let’s just say there are several characters who may have done something to deserve ending up there!
The book reads more like contemporary suspense than psychological thriller through most of it, but in a good way. Don’t go in expecting a straight thriller because I’m not sure that would completely capture this story. While the book begins with a hint as to the mystery, I’d say this is more about the journey that gets you to that mystery.
Three women are at the center of the story, each connected to the others by the proximity of living in apartments at 1054 Mockingbird Lane. There is Riki, a private school teacher in her mid-twenties who has a dream boyfriend but can’t help but fall in love a bit with her very attractive aspiring-actor neighbor Brandon. Embry, a southern belle beauty and mom of two (with one on the way) who happens to be married to Brandon, and also happens to be keeping her latest pregnancy a secret. And finally, there is Sylvia, a successful marketing professional who suspects her boyfriend may be keeping something from her related to his needy ex-girlfriend.
As you learn more about these three women, let’s just say that while they are all compelling in their own way, Stacy Wise has truly written quite a character in Sylvia. Sylvia is a wild ride and she is not someone to cross. She is smart, driven, and completely unafraid to be a little bit devious.
One thing that was really compelling were the glimpses we got of the backstory to these three women. None of them are quite as simple as what meets the eye. Even Sylvia, whose hardened exterior can make her seem unsympathetic at times, really connected with her elderly land lady, developing a friendship that was sweet. There are lots of small moments like this that humanize the women in different ways. Because Sylvia is so strong, hers serve to show her softer side. For Embry and Riki, the opposite is true. They seem outwardly sweet and naïve, but each has a bit more steel to her than meets the eye.
I got lost in their stories, so I nearly forgot we were heading towards that dead body for a bit! Expect lots of secrets, lies, and revenge along the way, and then a slam-dunk ending.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and Suzy Approved Book Tours for my copy. Opinions are my own.