Well well well! That was a big twist in the tail. Who would have guessed it. Not me.

A remarkable book by a genius author who I’ve always loved reading from way back.
I do have several books on my shelf yet to read and I’m making a good dent in them and thoroughly enjoying them.

This one I listened to and sometimes followed my book too with my eyes, I do enjoy doing that where I can.

The narrator did an awesome job I think between me able to decipher who was who.

I didn’t have a clue who and what and especially why.

I have so many things buzzing in my head right now because of this book, however, I don’t want to say too much and give things away.

I just love how Susan Lewis a prolific author and talented in her craft has moved with the times as I’m a mostly “thriller” reader and I love a bit of drama! Family stuff etc.

This ticked so many enjoyable boxes for me.

Don’t think Susan Lewis historical, or “I used to read her books” because I can assure you, she’s moved on and kept up with “fashion changes” in the book world. You’d be surprised.

Did I enjoy it ? Yes
Was it worth investing my time in ? Yes
I like suspense mystery thrillers will this engage me? Yes

Wow- just wow. What a great read. Such an unexpected twist. What a fabulous book.
Thank you to the publisher & NetGalley for gifting me this book.

In this thriller by Susan Lewis, the main character of Joely, having been recently left by her husband for her best friend takes on a job as a ghostwriter for a woman writing her memoirs.
The story takes an unexpected twist and Joely finds out more about her life than she ever expected.
A little slow to start with but a fairly good book.

I’ve read a couple of Susan Lewis books before, but this one wasn’t really my cup of tea.
The story was slow and didn’t grip me and I found the characters unlikeable and wasn’t really rooting for any of them.
I continued to read as I wanted to see where it was going, and it did get slightly better, but I was glad to finish it.

This was...not an easy story to read. Clever and well plotted, yes - I did not see those twists coming, but not easy. Teacher/student relationships are never going to be pleasant, even when they are fictional. For me, this was also a lesson in empathy and forgiveness. Susan Lewis has a way of adding such shocking twists to a story, that have me hating a character one minute and feeling sad for them the next. The first half of this book made me feel very uncomfortable, but that was before the truths of these characters were revealed, things are never as straightforward as they seem. I did not foresee any way for My Lies, Your Lies to have a happy ending, but it did have a satisfactory one. I ended up liking certain characters I never thought I would.

Another great book by a great author – didn’t disappoint!

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

The pacing in the first half was very slow but improved later in the book
The twist in the story was both gripping and unexpected.
I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t as thrilling as I was expecting

SPOILERS AHEAD!






Uhmm. What the hell? I've read a lot of Susan Lewis' books before, and this was completely insane and unlike any of them. First of all, the tone is completely off - even if it was the 60s, an 'affair' between a teacher and an underage student is not an affair, it's abuse. This book instead completely accepts that a child can consent to sex with an adult (uhm, no), and there's several scenes that are very much like slut shaming of the victim in question. If he truly loved her, he could have waited until he wasn't her teacher and she was above the age of consent. Plus, repeated mentions of the difference between hebophilia and peadophilia - both involve abusing underage children, both are heinous, so to try and justify one as better than the other is just weird. Then, there's an insane twist which ends up with Joely locked in a tower. Yes, literally locked away in a tower. And it's all excused in the end! All in all, nothing at all like her normal books, and I'm still in shock at how bizarre the whole thing was.

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to be provided with an advance reading copy of this book by NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I got really invested in the characters and thought it to be a really enjoyable story that kept me engrossed throughout. Definitely worth a read.

It's a family drama but with so many layers, each one increasing the emotion and intensity. Two viewpoints and timelines, as ghostwriter Joely attempts to write a famous author's memoir. The story she wants to tell is poignant, full of betrayal, deceit and lies. There's a powerful twist that changes the story's dynamic and quickens the pace.

It's engaging, mysterious and menacing but something you can't put down.

I received a copy of this book from Harper Fiction via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

I've read a few Susan Lewis novels and find I have a mixed response to them. Some i have found gripping and others weakly written and disappointing. I'm afraid that for me My Lies, Your Lies fell into the latter category. It is an easy read but I found it slow paced and had difficulty engaging and connecting with the characters. It won't put me off reading future Susan Lewis novels, but this one was not for me
Many thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the digital ARC.

Great book, I love Susan Lewis - and this did not disappoint. She keeps you guessing right until the end.

'My Lies, Your Lies' by Susan Lewis was featured on Caboodle from National Book Tokens.

There are two sides to every story...
Sunday Times bestseller Susan Lewis has returned with another timely mystery and we're giving one lucky Caboodler the chance to win a signed copy of her new book, My Lies, Your Lies, a beautiful matching set of Le Creuset stoneware – including a teapot, two coffee mugs and two espresso cups – and a signed paperback of Home Truths. 10 runners-up will each receive a signed copy of My Lies, Your Lies.

His life was destroyed by a lie.

Her life will be ruined by the truth.

Joely tells other people's secrets for a living. As a ghost writer, she’s used to scandal – but this just might be her strangest assignment yet.

Freda has never told her story to anyone before. But now she’s ready to set the record straight and to right a wrong that’s haunted her for forty years.

Freda’s memoir begins with a 15-year-old girl falling madly in love with her teacher. It ends in a way Joely could never possibly have imagined.

As the story unravels, Joely is spun deeper into a world of secrets and lies. Delving further into Freda’s past, Joely’s sure she can uncover the truth… But does she want to?

As usual in my reviews, I will not rehash the plot (there are plenty of reviews like that out there already if that's what you are seeking!).

I've read several other books by this author, so was looking forward to this one. It started off promisingly, taking our heroine away from a tricky home situation to a seemingly idyllic - if remote - location and a new assignment as a ghostwriter. As you would expect, it quickly became apparent that all was not as it seemed...

Yes, there were some great twists and turns in this book (as in every Susan Lewis novel I've read to date!), and the characters are very well written. However, I'm afraid I didn't really like ANY of the main characters, and I liked them even less when the truth was finally revealed. Maybe it's me, but I also found it difficult to imagine that people in the situation described could have then gone on to bond (I'd have been on the first stagecoach out of Dodge, never to return!)

** So, this is 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars (as I can't see now to do 3.5 stars!) **

Anyway, I'm still glad I read it, and will happily read more by this author.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an ARC. All opinions my own.

I almost gave up on this book. It's so slow to start with. I couldn't warm to either protagonists. The ending was ok but quite unbelievable. Thanks to netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Ghost writer Joely Foster has been asked to write the memoirs of an eccentric Freda Donahue proffering her own company in her remote house. As Joely has just seen her marriage blown apart by the affair her husband was having with her best friend, leaving home for an islolated house in Devon was a perfect respite. As Joely starts to listen to Freda’s tale, essentially of a young girl falling in love with her music teacher and the ensuing trauma that follows. However as the tale begins to unfold Joely is determined to get to the truth, believing that the young girl was equally to blame for the seduction and only when she was caught did she lay the blame elsewhere. As Joely delves deeper into the events and times that she is writing about the truth somehow seems linked to Joely herself.
Once again another incredible read from Susan Lewis . The writing is so enthralling that once I start reading, I cannot stop until I reach the end. The story is told in two time frames, that of Joely in the present and young Freda in the past. A fabulous read not to be missed

I enjoyed this book, but not quite as much as Susan Lewis' other books, if I'm honest. The story was interesting, but I found that I had to suspend belief slightly too often for my liking and several events had me thinking 'would that have happened in real life?'

Still good, just not my favourite.

Joely accepts the job of ghostwriter for reclusive writer Frieda's memoir. Frieda wants the truth about an affair between her 15 year old self and her music teacher set straight in the memoir. So far so good. The twist is clever but the execution of how the full truth is revealed is a tad too unbelievable. (Spoiler alert) By the ending Frieda turned from a dislikeable but interesting character to an unrealistic kindly old lady.

I enjoyed the intrigue of the first half of My Lies, Your Lies but the second half not so much. I've not read any of this writer's books before and this book didn't make me want to reach for more, sadly. Many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins for the opportunity to read it.

Once again Susan Lewis delivers an engrossing family drama that both captivates and thrills. With its beautifully fluid prose, engaging characters and clever edge of intrigue and mystery, it’s a hugely enjoyable read.

When Joely accepts a job as ghostwriter for the memoir of best-selling author Frieda, she has no idea what lies in store. Eccentric recluse Frieda apparently wants to “set the record straight” about events that took place 50 years ago, concerning a passionate but illegal love affair between a 15 year-old schoolgirl and her music teacher. But who was the schoolgirl? And who was her lover?

I adored Lewis’ portrayal of the forbidden affair — the joy, the passion, the infatuation. And the idea that true love never dies, regardless the turn of events and passage of time. Her chosen location, the stunningly beautiful North Devon coastal towns of Lyndon and Lynmouth, is also magnificently rendered.

I can’t say too much more about this book without giving away the extraordinary twist in the plot that had me going WHAAAT? Let’s just say that the shift from absorbing but essentially innocuous drama to a tale of dark secrets, lies and revenge pretty much knocked me off my feet.

Some things could have been done better. I didn’t really buy into the point of the sub-plot about Joely and her husband. There were some elements to the story that weren’t terribly convincing. And I felt that the narrative dragged out too much after the climax. These, however, were all minor irritations and did not spoil my overall enjoyment of the book.

Lewis is always a comfort read for me. She’s an author who understands feelings and desires, fears and regrets, and who writes with a genuine warmth for her characters. I look forward to her next book with pleasure.

My Lies, Your Lies By Susan Lewis
It took me a while to get into this book, however the pace did pick up in the middle of the book.
I liked the storyline, although did have to suspend belief a little at times, asking myself if the events in the book would really happen, although its fiction so anything is possible.