I found this book addictive. I read it in two days and was desperate to find out all of the "why's". There was a lot going on, and I had to re-read a few parts as the information didn't sink in the first time round. The entire book was great though. Well worth a read.

Harriet Tyce's newest novel The Lies You Told is a tense, gripping thriller with an interesting and complex set of characters that will keep readers on their toes. This story follows Sadie, a mother and criminal barrister who has returned to her hometown of London to get her daughter into a prestigious school.

The novel is suspenseful and engaging, exploring the complexity of friendships, parenting, and criminal cases. Through these themes, the novel speaks to issues such as the tension between mothers trying to get ahead at the school gate, the perils of temptation, and how far people are willing to go to win a case. As Sadie navigates the London legal landscape and grapples with the ethical challenges of her profession, readers will be captivated by her plight.

The Lies You Told is a fast-paced, thrilling read that is sure to have readers on the edge of their seats. With plenty of twists and turns, this novel is perfect for those who love suspenseful mysteries. Highly recommended.

This is a difficult one... do I like it or don't I?
There's some controversial topics here, that's not bad at all. On the other hand there's to much drama going on, a sidestory which is useless and a plot wich needs some work.

3 Stars fo rthe book, but the cover is one of the nicests ones I've seen this year! That's not the one with the apple...

First book by Harriet tyce and i really enjoyed it. Great characters amd and story line.. Wasn't sure where it was going at times though.

I enjoyed this dark domestic noir / psychological thriller. Very fast paced and taut plot, with excellent characters and a very cleverly crafted storyline. Excellent book. Recommended.
Many thanks to Netgalley.

Shocking ending to this story with a second twist you just don't see coming but totally believable nonetheless. The preceding tale is pretty good too. A lesson in trying to understand who is or isn't acting out the role you see and what impact that has on your view of now and what came before.

Brilliantly written, I read it in a day and loved the way I looked at everyone with suspicion. There were a few times that I was shouting at the book, just like I would the tv in a horror film, “Don’t do it!” Overall, I would highly recommend this book.

3.5 stars
I think because Blood Orange was so wow I was expecting more. Nothing wrong with this book but it was just an ok thriller.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

There is nothing worse than mothers gathering in packs at the school gates like a bunch of hyenas. Mean & nasty. This book although a little slow-paced in places. A great mystery. Recommended.

A decent psychological thriller, although I found myself disconnected from the storyline when some of the incidents became less believable

I loved Blood Orange so was keen to read Harriet Tyce's follow up as I really liked her style of writing. I wasn't disappointed as this was great, fast paced and dark with good strong characters. I read it quite quickly as I was interested to see what the twist might be at the end. And I didn't see it coming!

I enjoyed this well written book. The different plotlines were seamlessly woven and I found the characters believable.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book. Sadie has returned home from USA with her daughter Robin after separating from her husband. Both Sadie and Robin are adjusting to their new lives. Robin is attending the prestigious school her mother went to. Its hard to fit in.
Sadie is trying to get her old job back in chambers and is struggling to fit in with the other mums.
There a few different stories in this book, Sadie haunted by her past living in her old childhood home again, trying to juggle a court case about a teacher who is charged with having a relationship with a pupil - the case looks easy won with the young girls lies being discovered. But is it all as it seems?
Robin is struggling to make friends at school and its only when the mums find out Sadie is an 'old girl' that they are finally both welcomed.
Mystery surrounds the death of a girl, another girl is in a coma in hospital. Is Robin safe,?
Few good twists, thought I had figured it out. Although with the ending I'm still unsure.

I really enjoyed Blood Orange so couldn’t wait to read this one!

Can you tell the truth from the lies?

Sadie loves her daughter and will do anything to keep her safe.

She can't tell her why they had to leave home so quickly - or why Robin's father won't be coming with them to London.

She can't tell her why she hates being back in her dead mother's house, with its ivy-covered walls and its poisonous memories.

And she can't tell her the truth about the school Robin's set to start at - a school that doesn't welcome newcomers.
Sadie just wants to get their lives back on track.

I thought this was a good book, well written and worth a read!

Having read Blood Orange, I was looking forward to this novel. But it just didn’t resonate with me, it's not so well written and seems to have quite a few sub plots that almost distract from the main story. Some parts of the story seemed more credible than others, and I found myself speed reading through the middle of the book instead of enjoying every page. The ending was a bit ambiguous, in my opinion, and I’m still not sure who really was to blame. I’m sure others will really enjoy this book, it just wasn’t for me.

Great courtroom thriller! Really pacey, well drawn, unpredictable. Clever and realistic. Loved it; would recommend to friends.

"Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer"

Oh! my word! What can I say? I have only just released that final breath I have been holding since reading the last couple of pages of this amazing story - and I still can't take in and believe what has actually happened!

Whilst I may not always get every detail of a story correct, I like to think I am generally a good judge of characters, in deducing which are the innocent and guilty parties. That all went out of the window with this mind bender of a plot, which took normal, sane rationale and turned it on its head! What a gruesomely vivid imagination and eye for detail, author Harriet Tyce has been gifted with!

This one got off to an intriguing opening chapter or two, which set the scene really well. So far, so good. From now onwards though, I never really knew up from down, in from out, nor just about anything else in between!

The slow-burner storyline, which had been fluidly crafted into one which was equally plot and character driven, was broken down into reasonably short chapters, which was just as well, as there was so much ground covered, with so many new twists thrown into the mix, that to have either rushed it further, or slowed down the pace any more, would have broken the spell completely. The courtroom scenes in particular, were very well defined and executed, by an author who was writing with total authority and confidence, in an arena she is completely familiar with.

The ending was something else entirely. From being led, by suggestion only, into believing one thing (Oh! how easily we are deceived), only to have that version of events disintegrate into a 'What!' moment; to the final two pages of the epilogue, when virtually everything which had gone before was thrown into disarray by one short, silent 'confession', which had me wondering what on earth was going to happen next, when I had closed that final page and the characters were left to their own devices once again!

This is a story told purely from the perspective of Sadie, except for that final, jaw dropping epilogue, and you can see quite clearly how this intense, multi-layered, multi-aspect storyline, plays with her mind, as she desperately tries to maintain some kind of firm hold on reality, whilst attempting to unravel the many complex strands of the new and very extreme normality her life seems to have disintegrated into, almost overnight. The air is menacing, permanently crackling with tension, most of the time you could cut the atmosphere with a knife and the very anticipation of what might happen next, grips your stomach and ties it up in knots.

The writing is expertly executed with skill and style, has a desperate intensity, is visually very descriptive, and at times emotionally draining. The plot is suspenseful and brooding, almost to the point of being  'dark', as we discover the lengths to which some parents, particularly mothers, will go, to ensure their children succeed, regardless of the eventual cost to their physical and emotional well-being, or that of anyone else who stands in their way. There are so many small sub-storylines which threaten to turn the tide of events and are in their own rights relevant and well developed, as a series of cameos, highlighting some of the most shocking of human traits and the brutal and thoughtless ways in which we so often treat one another. They are however, by and large, all red herrings and false twists in the tale, expertly designed to make you take your eye off the ball about what is really going on here.

There is quite a cast of totally twisted, unforgettable characters, forever branded in the memory banks, who you definitely wouldn't ever want to meet again, and who you would probably go out of your way to avoid at all costs, given their reprehensible behaviour. That they all have complex and disturbed personalities, with emotional baggage to spare, is only the tip of the iceberg. To say that almost all of them are duplicitous, scheming, self-centred and yes! - downright bullies, would be much closer to the truth. Harriet has built the characters in such a three dimensional way that I could clearly picture them all and almost hear them talking, both to me and about me behind my back, when they thought I couldn't hear them! In fact these are people I probably wouldn't have turned by back on in the first place, lest they got their daggers out!

I guess you can tell how totally immersed and invested I became in this absorbing and disturbing story. This is one of the most twisted thrillers I have read in some time and I highly recommend it.

A great read, a very gripping page turner. Fascinating insight into the workings of the law combined with a chilling expose of motherhood and the politics of the playground gate. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Lies You Told by Harriet Tyce
I give this book 4 stars

Can you tell the truth from the lies?
But even lies with the best intentions can have deadly consequences….

I loved the way the storylines interweaved........a dead mother and her house,courtroom drama,husband and wife relationship and school playground mums and daughters.
A twisty page turner with a shocking last paragraph!
Highly recommended
Thanks to Netgalley, the Author and the Publisher for my chance to read and review this book

There are two separate plots in this book, one about a court case in which the lead character Sadie is defending a male teacher accused of having a relationship with one of his pupils and the other about how Sadie’s daughter struggles to adopt to her new prestigious school and the complex relationship Sadie has with the school mums.

I found the ending a bit strange around who the perpetrator was, but maybe the author was doing that on purpose to make you think

Overall I found this book a bit slow and underwhelming

I’d like to thank net galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an unbiased review