A difficult at times to read but very thought provoking & enjoyable book really enjoyed it & look forward to reading other titles by the author

Extremely well written. Thought provoking. How one person can affect another person's life and those around them so dramatically. Kept me guessing until the end as to who was telling the truth. I really felt for both main characters as you could see both their points of view.
Great depths of characters with a twist at the end.
Has left me with questions about the main character.

This is a classic tale of he said/she said so who can you believe? A drama teacher is accused of sexual assault by young pupil. The book follows the repercussions for Nick, a married father of two who is adamant he is innocent and Angela, the unhappy almost teenager who accused him. We see the way both families are hugely affected. My sympathies for both characters changed several times throughout as more was revealed. I didn't particularly like either of the main characters and I'm not sure I can say I enjoyed the book, given the subject matter. It's an uncomfortable read but it's certainly compelling nonetheless. 3.5*

A really well written He Said/She Said book.

A multi-layered tale that doesn't take the path of least resistance... actually bothers to explore the issues and how it affects the people involved.
The story is told from both parties and their families, secrets are uncovered throughout and sympathy swings between the angry young girl and the husband/father who has everything he wants from life and is set to lose it all.
Lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing the outcome... which I had kind of guessed but had to keep reading to find out for sure.

Thank-You to Netgalley for the opportunity of an ARC.

This book has me hooked from the beginning and kept me guessing right until the end. It is a story of two families. Nick is happily married to Marina and has two young children. They are enjoying their evening when there is a knock on the door and the police inform Nick that he has been accused of sexual assault on a young girl, Angela, a pupil at the school where he works. His nightmare then begins and his world and his families, begins to fall apart. Angela is 12 years old and has a lot of issues. She lives with her mother but blames her for the split from her father that led to their divorce. Did Nick really abuse her or is she making it up? The book is a graphic and disturbing read at times and as the investigation begins to unfold lots of secrets are revealed. We see both families falling apart. The story is told from both families points of view and I found myself sympathising with both Nick and Angela. This was a book I could not put down as I raced to find the ending. A compelling and fascinating read. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.

I can’t resist an author that pushes the boundaries of their readers beliefs and Lisa Ballantyne is prepared to do just that in Little Liar.

The premise is quite straightforward. Upstanding businessman Nick Dean is at home when his life is ripped apart when the police come to his door and accuse him of inappropriate touching of young girl. And this girl is young, just twelve years old. She is part of a group he is teaching drama to at a local school. Nick Dean also has a wife and two children so the consequences of the accusation rock every facet of his life.

Angela Furness is the girl who has stated that Nick Dean inappropriately touched her. He did so behind the stage when he asked her to help with some equipment. She was too shocked to do anything at the time… There seems to be no reason for her to make anything up, sure she’s angry, she’s been violent at school but could this explain why?

The opening scene of the book is a fight between Angela and another girl called Jasmine. She’s no longer the keen child she was when she moved from primary to secondary school but in the intervening period her parents have split up, she’s a little girl angry at the world. Is she ripe for exploitation too?
Lisa Ballantyne is one of the ‘brave’ authors who challenge the orthodox views on subjects. I initially became a fan on reading The Guilty One which has the premise of one child killing another, one of the most inflammatory storylines you could choose and yet she wrote a thoughtful novel that challenges the masses to think about the story behind the headlines and appreciate the tragedy in its entirety and not from only one perspective. She works a similar feat within Little Liar. There is doubt about Angela’s story, she’s not painted as an appealing child but the reader is fully aware that at just twelve she can't be considered on a par with a predatory adult. Nick’s story isn’t clear cut either. During any police investigation of this nature, secrets are bound to be unearthed, and some of those secrets may be hard for the friends and relations to handle. His guilt, or innocence, is up for judgement, have no qualms about that - you will judge and maybe your views will change with the evidence, maybe they won't.

With both Nick and Angela under the microscope as the accusation seeps into their life it is natural that the wider family becomes involved. What happens if part of the family believes in your guilt and the others don’t. Well one thing for sure in fiction it tends to raise the tension to unbeatable levels. I needed to know the answer, and also what life would look like for all those we met along the journey.

With superb characterisation alongside the fearless nature of the twists and turns the author takes us through, this book was gripping with a capital G. The subject matter is a tough one but the author handles it sensitively, there aren’t graphic scenes of abuse but there is a real connection of the range of emotions that those at the centre, and on the side-lines, experience. Most of all this is a book that will make you think!

I would like to thank Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read ‘Little Liar’ in exchange for my honest unbiased review.

One word. WOW!!!!!!

Tough subject to write and read about but this book has been writing in such a way that you want and need to finish it to find out the truth.
It gives the view points of each of the main characters which is vitally important and shows the impact allegations can have on a person and family.
Strong characters. Suspends and you just don’t know or you cannot second guess what’s going to happen next.

A thought provoking read. There is much in this book that was uncomfortable to read and probably more so as it all felt fairly true to life (unfortunately). The chapters switch point of view between the accuser Angela, the accused Nick, Nick’s wife Marina and Angela’s parents Donna and Stephen giving a more personal perspective of how the accusation affected their lives. Angela was a difficult character to like due to her behaviour but very much the stand out character for me.

Scarily realist story of what a false (or is it) allegation can do to the life of a family! ' No smoke without fire' as the saying goes; means that even members of his own family are suspicious of the alleged abuser. Great use of the power of the media and social media to show how people are now judged as guilty until proven innocent, instead of the opposite. Truly realistic characters, the pre-teen Angela is especially well written, as is her mother. This novel may appear to be a 'beach read', but is actually a modern day parable.

Angela Furness is an angry and violent twelve year old girl. (We first meet her beating up another girl; her teachers regard her, not unreasonably, as a bully.) It quickly becomes clear, though, that Angela is also full of unhappiness and self-loathing.

Actor and drama coach Nick Dean is good looking and happily married, to charity director Marina, with two young children. When Angela accuses him of sexually assaulting her, his life goes into free fall.

Obviously, Angela’s lying. Isn’t she? We hear both sides of the story along with Nick’s wife and Angela’s mother, but where does the truth lie?

Every other book at the moment that doesn’t have Sister in the title seems to have Lie or Liar. (Sister Liar must be around somewhere.) Of course, you have to make your mind up who to believe; somebody must be lying. Angela’s allegation will both throw a grenade into Nick and Marina’s marriage and careers, and further strain her own already damaged relationship with her mother, Donna.

I did guess the ending from quite early on - though I wasn’t completely certain. But it wasn’t a surprise when revealed; however, it was effectively done and did make narrative sense, although there were a couple of loose ends which I wasn’t convinced were entirely tied up.

This was a really compelling and engaging read which I very much enjoyed. The characterisation in particular is very good. Lisa Ballantyne has written Angela as a generally unsympathetic character - she comes over as unattractive, aggressive and generally unloveable. I found this a brave choice which made the story all the more powerful - a more obviously likeable Angela would have made for a very different read. Donna is hardly mother of the year either, unable to deal with her troubled daughter, but ultimately it’s possible to understand her. I found both of them more interesting than Nick and Marina, though I did like and sympathise with Marina.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a difficult one to review as I don’t want to give anything away.
I really enjoyed this book and felt sympathy for both Angela and Nick at different times.
Angela is twelve years old and after her behaviour at school becomes erratic she has a blazing argument with her Mum. She tries to kill herself but when she fails, her Mum asks her why she did it. Angela then says that one of her teachers has touched her....
Her mum calls the police and Nick is taken in for questioning but later released on bail, pending further investigations.
We see how this statement causes Nick’s family life to unravel and see that telling someone about it, doesn’t stop Angela from behaving badly.
Due to the title of the book I knew someone was lying but I won’t say who!
There’s a lot more to this story than first meets the eye and it had me hooked as I just wanted to know the truth.
Thanks to Piatkus, Little Brown Book Group and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

It chills me to the core that there are so many accusations of sexual abuse made today, and it is distressing that in so many cases no charges can be brought due to insufficient evidence. The word of the accused is forever pitted against the word of the accuser.
In Little Liar by Lisa Ballantyne, Angela Furness, a troubled and angry school girl, alleges that her drama teacher, Nick Dean has sexually assaulted her thus beginning a compelling examination of the impact of such an allegation on the victim, the alleged abuser and their respective families.
As expected with a novel which deals with legal process, the themes of innocence and guilt are played with and twisted about themselves throughout, transcending the legal and moving into the idea of moral guilt/innocence and often blurring the lines between what it actually means to be guilty or innocent.
Little Liar provides a fascinating insight into the lives of its characters with Angela, Nick, Angela’s parents (Stephen and Donna) and Nick’s wife (Marina) each earning focused third person narration on a chapter by chapter basis. This technique cleverly allows the reader to understand the full impact of the events as felt by different characters. You feel that you know the characters well, are privy to their innermost thoughts and emotions serving to create and enhance an engaging story.
The repercussions of the allegation are far reaching and life changing and serve to challenge the very basis of the UK justice system: ‘innocent until proven guilty’. It is very thought provoking, and reminiscent of a Jodi Picoult novel which I always find to sensitively shed alternate viewpoints on controversial and taboo subjects.
I enjoyed the novel immensely as a whole, but for me there is a bridge missing between the main part of the novel and its conclusion. The ending, which delivered a wonderful and chilling twist, felt slightly hurried and in stark contrast to the tantalising build of tension throughout. As I was nearing the end I had a sudden feeling of disconnect, as if I had accidentally skipped over a chapter. Having said that, the focus of the novel is the impact of the accusation, which Little Liar deals with thoroughly and sensitively.
Despite this, I enjoyed the novel enormously. It is very readable and I was hooked right from the first chapter, finding myself eagerly awaiting my next reading session! I will definitely read more by Lisa Ballantyne.

Little a liar is a story of Nick, a drama teacher who gets accused of sexually assaulting one of his students. Nicks life changes in an instant, he has no Jon, he is not allowed to be alone with his own children and does his wife really believe him after that accusation?

Then we have Angela, the accuser, who seems to be angry all the time. She seems to have lots of secrets which make her lash out and hurt people. What has happened to her?

A hard story to read, but I really enjoyed it. It shows how mud sticks and no one will ever forget bad things. Everything can be gone in a second just from one accusation. A brilliant read which kept me going from beginning to end to find out what really happened.

Thank you to Little Brown Book UK for an invite to read this book for my honest review.

Enthralling & thought provoking book with lots of twists to keep you hooked.

This was my first book by Lisa Ballantyne but won’t be my last.

4.5 stars

"Little Liar" was my introduction to Lisa Ballantyne as I haven't read her previous books "The Guilty One" and "Redemption Road" published by Piatkus in August 2012 and January 2015 respectively. She lived and worked in China for many years and started writing seriously while she was there. Even before being published Lisa was short-listed for the Dundee International Book Prize. Her debut novel ("The Guilty One") was translated into over 25 different languages, long-listed for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and short-listed for an Edgar Allan Poe Award. As if that wasn't enough she also was declared winner of the Richard & Judy book club in Autumn 2012. So, to say she has a few accolades would be an understatement. I couldn't let this book pass me by when the author is so highly rated in the industry, and you shouldn't either!

This is a compelling and exciting read which is easy-to-follow and engage with. I really liked the writing style as it was accessible and made it simple and quick to get invested in the story and to stay that way throughout. I thought the charactisation was excellent - they were well developed with the customary flaws you often find in crime fiction, and as they aren't perfect they are simple to relate to and appear realistic. Ballantyne does a wonderful job of making you care about them and you continue to read long into the night/am in order to find out their fate.

The plot is one that could've come from a crime programme on the television and deserves a special mention, I loved the concept and luckily Ms Ballantyne executes it well. It suits the recent events such as the #MeToo movement and arguments for a fairer balance between the sexes - e.g. equal pay. So, not only is this a stonking great read, it actually explores deeper topics in the meantime which I loved - it's not just a throwaway read it will also make you think about ethics and morality along the way.

All in all, I have no hesitation in recommending this book to all readers of the genre, I was pleasantly surprised when I begun to turn the pages at the speed it grabbed a hold of me. Although there is use of topical ideas here I still found it effortless to keep up with. The fine balance between all of these aspects I have mentioned takes a lot of skill showing that Ms Ballantyne is a endlessly talented writer. I look forward to her next offering and i'm off to purchase the other two I missed!

Many thanks to Piatkus for an ARC. I was not required to post a review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

A really fantastic read, a story that goes to show how things can be when a lie is told, great characters, the story flowed from start to finish, struggled to put this down

An event. Two sides of the story,two difference views. Who is the real teller of the truth- or the truth as they see it.. What secrets do we hide from the ones we love.? A traumatic event and its fall out shows the devastating consequesences it has on two sets of families. Whilst the many different viewpoints offer insights to the long term effects, I felt one viewpoint was not only unreliable and misleading but wasn't compatible with the ending. A compelling read but with an unsatisfactory ending that didn't ring true and made me feel cheated.

This was the first book by Lisa Ballantyne that I have read and I really enjoyed it. It had me needing to keep going, I just had to know how it was going to end and who was telling the truth. The characters definitely have their flaws but at the same time you do warm to them and hope that everything works out ok for them.

It tells the story of 2 families and how the accusation of abuse threatens to tear them apart. Nick is a happily married actor who is working at a school teaching kids drama in between roles. It comes as a total shock to him and his family when the police come knocking and arrest him for abusing a young girl under 13. The girl, Angela is dreadfully unhappy with her life.

We learn about both these characters lives while the police continue to investigate. Something like this really makes the families suffer, and start to question everything.

Thanks to Little Brown Book Group UK and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

What a wonderfully written book, harrowing yet immensely readable. Angela appears at first to be a wee brat, she is violent at school, horrible to her mother and thinks her indulgent dad can do no wrong, playing the separated parents off against each other at every turn (not an unfamiliar situation to me). She makes an accusation of sexual assault against her drama tutor Nick and events are set in motion. My heart just broke for Nick at the start of the book, he is married to Marina with 2 small children and the ideal family life. Once an accusation has been made, even if there is no sufficient evidence, it has to be investigated and and Nick ends up unable to be alone with his own children while this goes on. Angela's father is outraged that someone has touched his little girl and vows revenge.
This is a fascinating character study, as events unfold we begin to learn the truth about what is really happening and Nick and Marina's marriage is strained beyond belief as secrets begin to be uncovered. I would argue that this is a strong character led family drama and unfortunately very true to life. It had me extremely angry at times and heartbroken at others. Extremely well written, excellent book, I would certainly recommend.

This is a brilliant book ,very well written which keeps you guessing from start to finish .The subject of sexual assault on a young girl by a teacher is written with great sensitivity .The characters are very believable ,Angela the stroppy twelve year old and Nick the handsome drama teacher accused of the assault.Both their lives spin out of control but who is "the little liar" ? Many thanks to The Publishers ,the Author and NetGalley for my review copy in return for an honest review .