I have previously said that a new SE Lynes book was a major event in the Devonport household; would the same be true for The Lies We Hide which is a departure from the author's usual genre? Heck yes of course it was!! This may not be a psychological thriller but it contains the heart and soul of Lyne's beautiful writing which shines through regardless of the genre. Essence de Lynes if you will, it permeates every page!

Nicola Watson has returned home for her mother’s funeral. But as she returns to her mother’s house and remembers the woman who sacrificed everything for her children, Nicola has to confront the guilt that she feels for leaving her family behind. And the belief that she played a part in the events that led to her brother going to prison for murder. As a child she was oblivious to why her mother Carol woke them in the middle of the night and the reasons behind them fleeing. All Carol wanted was to protect her children, but escaping her husband was only the beginning of the story. And when Nicola learns the truth of what her mother did, it will change everything she thought she knew about herself and her family.

The Lies We Hide is a family drama/saga; I was gripped from the beginning and desperate to find out all the truths that were hidden. This is a very emotional read and highlights the impact domestic abuse has on the whole family (and beyond) and the lengths people will go to to ensure the safety of their children.

One of the standout characters for me was Richard, the clergy man that Graham (Nicola's brother) speaks to during his time in prison. I loved the face that their chats helped both of them overcome their personal issues with the past. I'd happily read a novel just about Richard!

In summary, while The Lies We Hide is not a thriller as such it contains plenty of shocks and twists. I urge you not to dismiss this just because it's a shift of genre for the author, embrace the change! Five stars from me!

👩‍👧‍👦Excellent, gripping tale of family tragedy and rebirth👍👍

😍 I ended up loving this novel about a fractured family and their sacrifices made to protect each other. This was a powerful story and often dark and depressing, but so realistic and ultimately uplifting. Carol and her son Graham weather so many trials as a rage-filled bully starts the path to abuse, flight and murder.

I loved the twists, the suspense and the supportive side characters like neighbors Pauline and Tommy, chaplain Richard and Jim, Carol's giant Scotsman. But broken Carol and troubled Graham are the heart of the drama which is told alternating between the present after Carol's funeral, in the early days of her marriage, her early years as a single mother, and at a crucial transition time in Graham's adult life. The conclusion is a shocker for Nicola, Graham's successful younger sister, as some long-held secrets are unveiled and others don't bear exposure to the light of day.

Definitely a recommend from me!🤗

Thanks to publisher Bookouture and NetGalley for providing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review.

The Lies We Hide is a domestic family thriller. Ted and Carol are married and have two children, and lead a turbulent life, as Ed is a very abusive man. The children grow up witnessing the abuse of their mother. The book describes the strong will of a mother that would do anything to save herself and her children. *** The book was very emotional, and a tearjerker. It entails how being in a situation such as this affects the entire family, even as you grow older. This is the first book I have ever read by this author and I definitely will read more. Thanks so much @Bookouture @Netgalley for giving me the chance to read this book. It will be releasing Dec 4. A definite must read!!! I will leave my review on Instagram ,Twitter and Amazon when it is released.

Another great book by this author. This is a story about domestic abuse and how it affects a family. It is very well written and believable. It held my attention the whole way through. I would definitely recommend this book and any other book by this author.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

What can I say? Another masterpiece by S.E. Lynes ! I have read her many times and will never stop!

Like always it is well written and oh so full of emotions!

Family drama, how situations, things from the past, domestic abuse... can deeply affect people, damage a family, the scars it leaves.

A read that makes you think, that gets to you, this happens, people never know, people don't talk about it, people wear the scars on their body and soul. A really emotional and scary read that stays with you forever.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC of this book. This is my honest review. All opinions are my own.

When I see this author's name come up, I think psychological thriller straight away, but she had me there. It was not what I had expected (because I don't read blurbs, remember ;) )

Not what I expected is certainly not synonym to not good. It was heartbreaking and Carol was found herself and her family in very dire situations. But she never gave up even if she, more than once, hit rock bottom. 

A mother is like a lioness. She will protect her children even if they have crossed a line, but sometimes it's the child who sees the clearer picture ...

You can make a u-turn if you want to. You deserve a second chance even if you think you don't. Your children are important, but so are you.

A fascinating story that takes you to the past and back again until every secret is revealed. 4 stars

Thank you, S E Lynes and Bookouture.

The Lies We Hide is a disturbing, heart-breaking and cleverly observed story of abuse and its repercussions on a family. This family drama delves into the moments that constitute the obvious physical abuse from a cruel husband but also the malignant psychological torment and fear that affects the whole family.

Carol is married to Ted and they have a son Graham and daughter Nicola (Nicky). Their childhood has been spent witnessing their mother being beaten, leaving home and returning into a cycle of violence, distress and fear. While this theme is common, Susie Lynes creates a story that wraps a poignant narrative around the impact abuse has on each member of the family and how they fought to escape their damaged existence and build a better life.

One night Carol is held underwater in the bath and as she feels her life slipping away, she makes a promise to herself, that if she survives, she will leave that very night and never return. Which she does, and they move to a refuge with the help of neighbours, Pauline and Tommy.

S.E. Lynes structures her book to provide a perspective from Carol, Nicola and Richard. There are time shifts from Carol living through the misery and recovering in the 1980s and from Nicola as a qualified barrister in 2019 as she returns to the family home for the funeral of her mother. Richard is a prison chaplain and has developed an interest in trying to help and bring some resolution for Graham, as he hardly ever speaks and is serving time for murder.

“I remember my brother withdrawing into himself. His stutter made it hard for him. He constructed a new identity: silent, since speaking was difficult; violent, since no one speaks out against a fist; mean, since kindness got you nowhere.”

The narrative is keenly observed as it explores the various directions Graham and Nicky take from their damaged upbringing and a mother that fought every inch to keep her children safe. How Carol made some very difficult choices and sacrifices, to try and give her children a chance of happiness and a better quality of life. There are interactions and relationships that add depth to the characters and illustrate how their past haunts them and affects the perceptions they have of the world. Balance is provided in the novel with moments of humour and the selfless acts of love that come from genuine caring. In many respects, this is a story of love overcoming adversity.

I cared about all the characters but considering the theme, I had expected to be more consumed with their well-being. Trying to maintain multiple threads and time shifts felt laboured at times and seemed to affect the flow of the story.

I recommend reading this book and I would like to thank Bookouture and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC version in return for an honest review.

This is the kind of book that will stay with you, long after you've finished the last page. It is beautifully, sympathetically, respectfully and insightfully written. Skilfully crafted to leave you never entirely certain what has exactly taken place in the lives of this family. It's a challenging subject matter, and yet The Lies We Hide also gives us moments of heart and warmth that demonstrate the beauty in human beings, even at their very lowest. I've read other novels from S. E. Lynes and have always found them to be intelligently written, this is no different, in fact, perhaps, it has brought her writing to a whole new level of brilliance.

’m a huge fan of S.E. Lynes and I was a little worried when I realised that she had taken a slightly different approach with her newest book but I should have had more faith!! The Lies we Hide is a superb, highly emotional family drama that quite took my breath away at times. This book is a tough read at times as it focuses on domestic violence but it is so much more than that. It looks at how events shape everything and everyone that they touch and have a far reaching effect. Carol was such an amazing woman and I completely understand her. S.E. Lynes fleshed out her character from the inside out and she became a real person to me and I desperately wanted her to have a decent life with her children.

The book spans a number of years, starting with a marriage proposal back in the 1960s. We then flash forward to Nicola in the present day who gets a call from her brother Graham to say that her mother has passed away. Heading home for her mother’s funeral, Nicola is able to look back at her life and we flash back again to the 1980s. It’s here that we start to unravel the truth behind Carols marriage. And it is difficult to read at times. The night that Carol wakes her children to escape the violent prison that her life has become should be the start of a better life. But the damage has already been done. It was heartbreaking to watch how Carol and her children survived after their escape. Graham especially had been affected in more ways than one and we gradually come to realise just how much as his life starts to fall apart.

I loved that although this is more of a family drama, S.E. Lynes still manages to throw in some rather shocking twists. I was completely gripped by this tragic tale from start to finish and felt personally bereaved by Carols death myself by the time I turned the final page. The sense of time and place really brought this story to life for me as a lot of it was set in places I’m familiar with so I totally got the northern mentality towards family life and friendship that formed the basis of Carols character and disposition.

I can’t remember another book I’ve read this year that touched me as much as The Lies We Hide did. It is hard hitting but heartbreaking in equal measure and it became the sole focus of my world whilst I was reading it. I absolutely loved it and can’t recommend it highly enough.

Thank you to the author, the publisher (Bookouture) and NetGalley for an ARC for an honest review.

This book was a much different type of book for this author, but I truly love emotional books, so this one kept me up late at night in order to get this one read.
This book is about domestic abuse and how it truly effects the family; not just the spouse, but how it also affects the children of the family. Some of the characters I learned to love, but there was one or two, that I definitely couldn't stand throughout this book.

Everyone should add this one to their TBR list.

This is an emotional and scarily believable look at how domestic abuse can cause ripples throughout the family and beyond.
Told from multiple different character perspectives over different times to give an almost 'now and then' narrative, the story unfolds over a tumultuous thirty years.
I have really enjoyed the other books by this author, but this was written so well and the characters so realistic that I felt that it could be a true story. On reading the Authors letter after finishing the book, I found that the premise of the story is based on a lady that she met in a refuge and that just makes this story all the more gripping.
As good as the story was anyway, the ending blew me away.
Highly, highly recommended.

What a wonderfully, beautifully written book. It was a real tear jerker. It had me in tears for days. This book was definitely different then her other dark hearted mystery books that she normally writes. I really thought she nailed it with this one.

This book was about a woman and her children stuck in a dark past that shaped their future and how they all overcame it. A family trying to put back the pieces that were broken such a long time ago. It was a subject that we as society should talk more about. Violence is with us all but it’s how we deal with it that makes a difference. It was very near and dear to my heart.

I want to start off by saying I normally do not read this type of book but the description had me hooked and I’m so glad it did. I finished this book in two days. I couldn’t stop reading, I was highly addicted to this book. As each chapter went on I couldn’t get enough n really felt each characters pain. It was an emotional roller coaster that I never wanted to end. The best part was all the confessions at the end. I couldn’t believe the twists. I did not see any of that coming. Wow, what a great ending to a great book.

Between the plot, characters and all the twists in this book it made it an easy and fast read. I would definitely recommend it and happily give it 5 Hearts❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

The Lies We Hide is a story about a family trying to make it through the trials and trauma life throws their way. A story about secrets, lies, guilt and forgiveness. Of a mother’s strength and sacrifice to keep her children safe.

The story is told in three timelines: In 1984 Carol flees with her children in the middle of the night after her abusive husband, Ted, tries to kill her. In 1992 Richard is a prison chaplain trying to reach an inmate, Graham, and help lift the heavy burden of guilt he feels. And in 2019 Nicola is grieving their mother, looking back on her life and trying to assuage her own feelings of guilt. The author effortlessly weaves between these timelines to tell the story of the Watson family and slowly unveil the secrets they’ve kept hidden for decades.

I loved this book. I’ve heard lots of praise for S.E. Lynes but this is the first time I’ve read one of her books (though shamefully I have four of them sitting on my kindle). I am now one of those singing her praises. Her writing is honest, raw, emotional and captivating. The Lies We Hide deals with a log of difficult subjects such as abuse, addiction and murder, but she handles them all with sensitivity.

The characters were all well written and it felt like a book made up of troubled and fragmented souls. I liked how nuanced the author wrote them as it made them feel real. Although I expected Nicola to be the main character of this book, she ended up being the member of the Watson family we know least of all. She is telling a story where she’s on the fringes, that she only learned the details of as she got older, some that she is even finding out as we do. Carol was far from perfect but I liked her most of all. She was a strong, brave woman who would do anything for her children. Leaving an abuser is incredibly hard and for her to flee with nothing but a few things in a bag was courageous. Her struggle to not go back to Ted and to build a new life for her and the kids was true to life and heart-rending. I longed for her to find the happiness she deserved and finally feel free of Ted both inside and out. Ted was a vile, disgusting man who I hated. I could understand why Carol had loved him once and why she found it hard to leave, but he was a perfectly written example of an abusive alcoholic and I was hoping he’d get his just desserts from early on.

Graham is a mess but my mother’s heart broke for him with all he went through in his young life. I liked that I was able to both be disgusted at how he was acting and want to wrap my arms around him and tell him he’d be okay at the same time. For me, Graham was the character where the author’s writing shone most of all as he had such a richly developed character with so many different parts and was both awful and lovely at the same time. I particularly loved the relationship between him and his chaplain, Richard. There were so many great scenes between them and they got me feeling ALL the emotions at one stage or another. I could vividly picture the two of them in that room during the sessions and I think it was a great choice to have Richard, rather than Graham, tell that part of the story so we got a broader perspective and a chance to see things from the outside.

Secrets and guilt play a huge role in this novel. All our main characters are hiding things, sometimes because they believe it’s best for those we love, and are living with guilt over those secrets and things they’ve done. Experly plotted, the secrets remained hidden even from the reader for most of the book, and showed that this author knows how to surprise you with a great twist.

Spectacularly written, The Lies We Hide is an emotional, captivating, unflinching novel that I would highly recommend. That ending alone was worth reading the book for! I am glad I’ve finally had the pleasure of reading this author’s work and can’t wait to finally read her back catalogue.

Thank you too Bookouture and NetGalley for the copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Returning home for her Mother's funeral, Nicola Watson, now a successful lawyer, looks back on the life she led with her Mother and older brother, Graham. She remembers the sacrifices her mother made for her children. She especially recalled how her Mother made sure she did everything she could to ensure her daughter received a good education. She also recalls how her older brother changed after the night they fled from their father - the man who abused their Mother. That night changed everything for them.

I found this book a hard book to rate as I thought the author did a tremendous job showing how domestic violence impacts every member of the family. How starting over, takes time, the thoughts of returning home, hoping things would change, relying on the kindness of others, the fear, the doubt, the confidence, and the way it changes relationships. I also appreciated how this book portrayed how domestic violence affected the children involved and their responses to their mother leaving their father. This book isn't just about domestic violence, it is also about love, friendship, sacrifices, family secrets, guilt, addiction, etc.

Although I found this Author did a great job showing how lives are changed and affected by domestic violence and the sacrifices a mother makes for her children, I also found that I did not care for the POV changes. They took away from my enjoyment of the book. For a book dealing with such a serious subject, I wasn't as invested in the characters or emotionally moved by them. I wasn't surprised about the reveals. I guessed most of what happened in the book (but not all). Having said that, I was not put off by figuring things out, I liked how the reveal was told. It was in a quiet subtle way and worked very well. But I was left still waning more.

I found this book to be enjoyable and extremely thought provoking. I'm in the minority with my rating. Many are enjoying this more than I did.

I think this book would work quite well as a movie. I have a feeling I would enjoy it more in movie form than I did in book form.

Thank you to Bookouture and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a book which would stay with me for a long time. A gritty tale of domestic abuse and secrets. Some families had it tough and they made sacrifices. Love bound them even when they didn't know how to show it.

Carol was abused, she left her husband, Jim came into her life. But her son Graham was lost to her. Daughter Nicky made something out of herself.

In between these lines, there was a story of a family's journey from 1984 to 2019.

Author S. E. Lynes has surpassed herself, her previous books have nothing on her. This was by far the best. Her writing with its authentic words and accents pulled me in. It was hard hitting and raw. It bespoke of a truth with honesty underlying the words. I couldn't help but read it at one go.

The writing evoked a wealth of emotions as the story progressed. I couldn't help but empathize with the characters as they found their own niches in life. The hard knocks sure kept coming. But the frail string of love bound them together and kept them afloat. But this was a suspense novel, and the author has weaved it in such a way that throughout the book, I kept wondering what it would be.

I suspected one of them but the others were pretty shocking. One of the best reads, I would say!!

When Nicola returns to her mother's home to sort out her possessions, after she had died, she comes across things that jolt her memories from childhood. She had only been 10 years old when her mum woke her and her brother up to leave in the middle of the night. The memories that her mum Carol had shared with her, began to fit together like a jigsaw, her innocence of childhood was going to crumble around her the more she dug into the past.
Susie Lynes captured the late 1960s and 70s perfectly as the story drops back to the night Ted asked Carol to marry him. She was expecting their first child, Graham, then Nicola came along later. They lived in a really nice place but Ted had a quick temper and heavy hand which made Carol a punch bag and left Graham with a stammer.
The story follows the family and how it affected all of them through their lives. Escaping wasn't the end of it for the family it was the beginning of a completely different life for them all. The fear had been in the house where they lived but now it was straight outside their door as their lives moulded into their environment. Graham particularly had been affected the most of the two children.
There are some salt of the earth people in the story, life long friends and men that are true gentlemen but the story has a much deeper darker side, heartbreaking, tragic and desperate. This isn't an easy story to read for its content. It is unforgettable. It is an era captured perfectly. It is what love is, unconditionally protection.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Bookouture and S.E. Lynes for the opportunity to read and review her latest book - definitely a gripping family drama - 5 stars for a multi-faceted book that I couldn't put down.

So many secrets even within a family. An angry, abusive husband and a wife trying to hide his abuse from everyone, including her kids. Carol finally escaped her husband but leaving with their kids, Graham and Nicola, wasn't easy and didn't solve all their problems. Graham became involved with the wrong crowd and eventually was put in prison.

Told in different viewpoints and from different time periods, we see Nicola, a successful attorney, returning home for her mother's funeral. We learn about all the family secrets as well as those along the way who helped them become a family again.

This is the story of a family in crisis and how they survive. It's the story of how we can let others help us along the way, learning to trust again. Beautifully written - gritty and real. Highly recommended!

I loved the characters in this book. They were written in a genuine and realistic way which made the reader be able to feel the emotion coming from them. As you read Carol’s story through Nicky’s memories you see the agony of Carol trying to make the best decisions possible for her family. I found this to be a wonderful book about family, secrets, and redemption.

I got a free advance readers’ copy in exchange for my honest review.

Domestic violence is one of society’s darkest secrets. What is the worst part of domestic violence is the fact that many times the victims blame themselves. They think that the violence is due to their wrongdoings.

The Lies We Hide started off as a domestic violence story. Nicola is now a successful lawyer with a beautiful family. However, her mother, Carol, has recently died. She now has to return home for the funeral. Nicola knew the basics about what was going on with her parents and she could vaguely remember the night her mother woke up both Nicola and her brother, Graham, and got them out of the house. She always knew her mother was a woman who sacrificed everything for her children, but she does not realize the lengths she was willing to go. Nicola also does not realize that the secrets she also held had a massive part to play in the events which unfolded.

This story was beautiful. It showed the second life that women can have even after experiencing one of the most traumatic experiences of life. Carol blossomed with the help of her best friend, Pauline, and in this book I got to see how important true friends are in situations like this.

The characters of this story were all likable except for Ted, Carol’s abuser. To read about the struggles of Carol and her family was such an emotional experience. Jim, a friend of Carol’s, was quite hilarious in some spots.

This book was powerfully evocative and I enjoyed every second of reading it.

Violence: Domestic violence was a recurring theme throughout this book. This may be a trigger for some readers
Sexual Content: There was not much but this book may be better suited to older teens and adults
Profanity: Moderate
Religious Themes: None
Alcohol/Drugs/Smoking: Mention of all three

I loved this book from the very first page, I could not put it down. I loved the characters and the twists of the plot. The ending was brilliant. Highly recommended. Five stars

Many thanks to Netgalley and S.E. Lynes did the advanced copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.