Review by smackerel_of_hunny - Never Lie

smackerel_of_hunny 's review for:

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

4.0

dark mysterious tense 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

“I believe that any human being is capable of terrible things if you push them hard enough.“

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

335 pages

The genre is a dark, mysterious, and tense thriller.

Some tropes and themes include: pregnancy, isolated location, plot twists, missing person.

Some possible warnings or triggers in the book include: blood, gore, murder, death, sexual harassment, mental illness.

This is a standalone book, though the author has written many other books in the same genre.

I borrowed this book off Kindle Unlimited and read it digitally.

First thoughts:

This is the first book I picked up after a long reading slump, and it was definitely the correct choice. I picked this particular book up due to its genre; it is the opposite from what I usually read, and despite picking it up on a hunch, I thoroughly enjoyed it and unintentionally discovered my new favourite genre.

My rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Spice: 🌶️

Briefly mentioned a sex scene, and the morning after, but didn’t go into detail about the act.

Enjoyability: 4.5/5

Quality of writing: 4/5

Plot: 4/5

Characters: 2/5

Ending: 3/5

What I liked:

I absolutely loved the way this book was written. It was detailed, yet easy to follow. The detailed depiction of the scenes, settings, and characters made it easy to have a picture in your head of what was going on.

The book also portrayed a dual timeline and point of view. I loved how the author incorporated this; it definitely helped the pacing of the book, keeping each chapter fast-paced and leaving you wanting more. This style of writing is what kept me as hooked to the book as I was.

The writing didn’t feel too dragged; it gave each stage of the book just enough space to express and have their moment without going over the threshold of repetition.

I also—as somebody who absolutely despises surprises— surprisingly loved the plot twist aspect of the book. I found myself writing down various theories and engaging thoroughly. And at the final reveal, I was gobsmacked and truly had to pause to contemplate my existence.

What I disliked:

One thing to note is that the plot was better than the characters. I found that I wasn’t attached to any individual whilst reading. I found the majority unlikeable, even the ‘main’ characters, and I didn’t form a connection with any of them— which is unusual for me. This all left the book feeling a tad short for me.

A second thing to note is the plot holes. The main plot twist was huge and truly left me shocked to my core, but that was in large part due to the fact it didn’t make much sense. If you were to reread it, I don’t believe you would find many small hints or Easter eggs along the way that build up to that twist. Instead, you may be left feeling more confused and finding that the writing may be contradicting itself— and the upcoming conclusion.

Final thoughts:

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I truly feel like the pros outweigh the cons— at least for me. This book was an easy read and pretty fast-paced; however, I did (as somebody who analyses everything) find myself making notes at every turn… so I did use a lot of brain power when reading and took my time with it— at least I did until the last few chapters. I binged those at one in the morning!

I wouldn’t be inclined to reread this book, but it was truly a great introduction into Freida McFadden’s writing and I will undoubtedly read more of her work.

If you love mystery or thriller books with lots of tense moments… or if you’re looking to get into the genre, I’d definitely give this a go. Furthermore, I would undoubtedly recommend this book to others.

“After all, my mother always said that the only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.“

Content Warnings