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A review by nicolem_young
So I Lied by Chelsea Ichaso
3.0
Book/Story: ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
Book Cover: ⭐⭐️
Trigger Warnings: Murder
Cancer (mentioned)
Loss of partner
Loss of sibling
Drug Overdose
Infidelity
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Trope(s): Whodunit
Spice: None
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Debut Novel: No
Slow or Fast Burn: Slowish
Safe or Dark: Darkish
Release Date: January 28, 2025
Jocelyn, Rowan, and Cadence are three best friends who met in high school.
Or are they?
As soon as the story starts, we pick up on the fact that these women aren’t as close as they seem on the surface level. Each woman is resentful toward the others for one reason or another.
All three of them are keeping secrets—ones they desperately do not want to get out.
- Rowan has sticky fingers.
- Cadence is in love with Jocelyn's fiancée.
- Jocelyn can’t stand to have a relationship with her niece (Rowan’s daughter) because she is a constant reminder of her late twin brother.
The list above is only the tip of the iceberg and is revealed very early on in the story, so they aren’t spoilers.
These three women are so messy, and I AM LIVING FOR IT!
We get to sit back and relax while we watch this decade-long friendship implode.
Each woman was pretty damn unlikeable. They seem fine on the surface, but once you get to the root of who they are, you quickly realize that they’re terrible people. They all had their awful flaws. All of them made choices they weren’t proud of.
Each of them also made dumb decisions while on a group vacation. Like befriending Magnus and Valentina, two backpackers from Norway and Argentina, respectively. Who have a weird friendship of their own. I wanted to scream at them more than once. At the same time, I didn’t find myself wanting any particular person to come out on top.
The short chapters and easy flow of Chelsea Ichaso’s writing make this a quick read. This was a twisty ride, and although it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, I was entertained enough to want to find out what was going to happen next.
The pacing of the story was well done. There are a lot of tiny plot twists sprinkled throughout the story, and that was fun. Even if the red herrings were poorly placed (more about that below).
However, this book did have its faults.
All three characters sounded the same. Other than their dirty little secrets, it was hard to differentiate their voices and determine whose point of view you were reading from. If each chapter wasn’t one of the character's names, you’d never know. I guess the only difference between them was that Cady had a more “woe-is-me" attitude than her two friends.
The issues between Magnus, Valentina, and the three women got rather confusing. We had a lot going on within the friend group and outside of it. At times, it was hard to untangle the mess.
We eventually get to the BIG plot twist. If you can call it that. There is nothing that points to the turn of events. Nothing even hints that the twist might be coming. It came out of nowhere. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. IT’S NOT A PLOT TWIST IF THE READER HAS NO IDEA WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON!
For a while, this was a four-star read for me. Right up until we get to the ending.
The ending was shotty and sloppy. It wasn’t very believable and seemed a bit rushed. Things were just thrown together to try and finish the events that had occurred on the trip. None of it made sense. The pieces just didn’t fit together. I wasn’t satisfied with how things were wrapped up.
All in all, this was an entertaining read. I didn’t leave this book feeling completely disappointed. I will eventually check out more of Chelsea Ichaso’s catalog.
TLDR: A FUN AND EASY THRILLER! GREAT FOR BREAKING UP HEAVIER READS!
As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great.
Book Cover: ⭐⭐️
Trigger Warnings: Murder
Cancer (mentioned)
Loss of partner
Loss of sibling
Drug Overdose
Infidelity
POV: Multiple, Third Person
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Trope(s): Whodunit
Spice: None
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Debut Novel: No
Slow or Fast Burn: Slowish
Safe or Dark: Darkish
Release Date: January 28, 2025
“This is the kind of deception that can suck you dry.”
Jocelyn, Rowan, and Cadence are three best friends who met in high school.
Or are they?
As soon as the story starts, we pick up on the fact that these women aren’t as close as they seem on the surface level. Each woman is resentful toward the others for one reason or another.
All three of them are keeping secrets—ones they desperately do not want to get out.
- Rowan has sticky fingers.
- Cadence is in love with Jocelyn's fiancée.
- Jocelyn can’t stand to have a relationship with her niece (Rowan’s daughter) because she is a constant reminder of her late twin brother.
The list above is only the tip of the iceberg and is revealed very early on in the story, so they aren’t spoilers.
These three women are so messy, and I AM LIVING FOR IT!
We get to sit back and relax while we watch this decade-long friendship implode.
“An innocent enough lie. Harmless, really, compared to some of the ones I’ve told over the years.”
Each woman was pretty damn unlikeable. They seem fine on the surface, but once you get to the root of who they are, you quickly realize that they’re terrible people. They all had their awful flaws. All of them made choices they weren’t proud of.
Each of them also made dumb decisions while on a group vacation. Like befriending Magnus and Valentina, two backpackers from Norway and Argentina, respectively. Who have a weird friendship of their own. I wanted to scream at them more than once. At the same time, I didn’t find myself wanting any particular person to come out on top.
The short chapters and easy flow of Chelsea Ichaso’s writing make this a quick read. This was a twisty ride, and although it didn’t keep me on the edge of my seat, I was entertained enough to want to find out what was going to happen next.
The pacing of the story was well done. There are a lot of tiny plot twists sprinkled throughout the story, and that was fun. Even if the red herrings were poorly placed (more about that below).
However, this book did have its faults.
All three characters sounded the same. Other than their dirty little secrets, it was hard to differentiate their voices and determine whose point of view you were reading from. If each chapter wasn’t one of the character's names, you’d never know. I guess the only difference between them was that Cady had a more “woe-is-me" attitude than her two friends.
The issues between Magnus, Valentina, and the three women got rather confusing. We had a lot going on within the friend group and outside of it. At times, it was hard to untangle the mess.
We eventually get to the BIG plot twist. If you can call it that. There is nothing that points to the turn of events. Nothing even hints that the twist might be coming. It came out of nowhere. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. IT’S NOT A PLOT TWIST IF THE READER HAS NO IDEA WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON!
For a while, this was a four-star read for me. Right up until we get to the ending.
The ending was shotty and sloppy. It wasn’t very believable and seemed a bit rushed. Things were just thrown together to try and finish the events that had occurred on the trip. None of it made sense. The pieces just didn’t fit together. I wasn’t satisfied with how things were wrapped up.
All in all, this was an entertaining read. I didn’t leave this book feeling completely disappointed. I will eventually check out more of Chelsea Ichaso’s catalog.
“These lies are who I am, part of my charm. Nothing to worry about.”
TLDR: A FUN AND EASY THRILLER! GREAT FOR BREAKING UP HEAVIER READS!
As always, please remember that reading is subjective, and that’s what makes it so great.