I hadn’t realised this book was by the best seller of Blood Orange, which I haven’t read but seen a lot of hype about, so had no expectations for it being so good.
I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t wait for the time in the day to allow me to pick it up again to continue the story of Sadie and her daughter Robin. The writing was gripping , flowed well and was fast paced. Characters were relatable and I’m actually missing them now I have come to the end.
There are two main stories – both of which follows Sadie and her daughter Robin and the return to Sadie’s childhood home after fleeing the US, leaving her Husband behind.
Sadie returns to the courtroom, which she left 11 years ago, to look after Robin and move to the US with her husband. Her first case as a Junior is to help defend a teacher, accused of grooming a pupil aged 15.
The other storyline follows the enrolment of daughter Robin into Sadie’s old London school, which is highly competitive – not so much by the pupils but by the pushy toxic school-gate mums – brilliantly illustrated at their very worst!
I’m so happy for Harriet Tyce and send my congratulations on your second book – I have read many 2nd books after having an initial top hit debut release and can understand how hard it must be to keep the bar so high. Well done, you’ve certainly done it with this one. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you NetGalley.

Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book was easy to get in to from the word go, and the main story flowed nicely making it easy to read and follow. I found the short interludes throughout the book a bit irritating as I wasn't quite sure who the narrator was.

The actual storyline regarding the school mums seemed a bit far fetched, but I managed to put that to one side to enjoy the story.

I found the ending a bit confusing as to who the perpetrator actually was.

Overall I did enjoy the story, but I have read worse and I have read better.

The Lies You Told is very slow paced and seems to throw different things in. Is the story about the court case Sadie is helping with or is it about the dodgy wealthy mums at the school gates? I found it boring until I'd read 80% of it and the rest was good.

After separating from her husband and leaving him in New York, Sadie moves back to her childhood home in London.⁣
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Determined to get her life back on track, Sadies first mission is to get her daughter into one of the most exclusive schools in London, one that she too attended as a young girl, where places are like gold dust!⁣
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Unfortunately the school is still very much as Sadie remembers, not overly friendly to newcomers and with some fiercely competitive mothers. ⁣
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Sadie is also desperate to return to her once beloved career as a criminal barrister, one that she gave up when her daughter was born.⁣
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After one of Sadies friends manages to pull a few strings, she begins working on a pretty juicy case which piques the interest of some of her fellow school mums. Sadie is then quickly taken under the wing of the Queen school mum Liza.⁣
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Sadie struggles to juggle her re-kindled career and single parenthood, but with the support of her new found ‘mum friends’, Sadie starts to feel more settled and included. But do these other mums genuinely want to be her friend, or is there something more sinister lurking behind those smiles and kind gestures?? ⁣
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This is the second book by Harriet Tyce I have read after reading Blood Orange earlier this year. Both books have a ‘law themed’ plot, which is unsurprising given that Harriet Tyce was a Lawyer prior to her foray into writing fiction.⁣
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I have to say this book was just an ok read for me. There have been a number of thriller books that I have read this year that have all seemed to have a ‘mean girls’ school mum vibe to them, this one included.
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Whilst I was kept guessing about where the plot line was going, I wasn’t overly surprised or thrilled by the way the story went towards the end of the book. ⁣
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In summary, a little underwhelming and ‘samey’ to a lot of other reads this year for me, not the psychological thriller I was expecting!

I really enjoyed Blood Orange so had high hopes here and it didn't disappoint! A mystery around an old school, a friend behaving strangely, secrets kept within the court room. I had to keep reading, completely compulsive and I think (controversial!) better than blood orange. I look forward to reading more of Harriet Tyne's work!

Sadie Roper has fled back to London with her daughter, Robin, when her marriage ends. Homeless she has to return to her mother's home which has been empty for years. Having given up her career when she had Robin, she has to find work too.
I really liked the way we are shown the threads of dealing the marriage fallout, Robin's welfare at a prestigious private school, the mum mafia associated with that, and juggling a demanding job.
The story was really good but I did feel that the last part (after the holiday) wasn't as neat as the rest. I found myself thinking, that doesn't work. I know that I would have been much more furious with Andrew, Sadie's husband. The court case was great though and the twist was clever.

This was a good read, however my main disappointment was that I found it faded towards the end. Good character development and solid storyline made it a pleasure though.

Inititally, I was a little confused by the many-layered plot of this pyschological thriller, as we balace Sadie's marriage, her daughter's school as well as the court case that she's balancing. However, Tyce has a way of drawing all these intricate points into play that delivers what you think is a high-adrenaline outcome anyway, before throwing in a twist that I did not see coming at all – my favourite! Brilliant!

A slow-burner, but worth the wait!

As always, I dove into the book without reading the blurb as that’s what I like to do with thrillers mostly. So, I didn’t know what to expect as this was my first book from the author. I have seen the first book Blood Orange by the author and was meaning to read it but never came around it. Anyway, I am so glad that I got to read this book. Thankyou Netgalley and Headline for the e-arc.

Sadie Roper has separated with her husband and just moved back to London from America with her daughter Robin to her childhood home where she had unpleasant memories with her mother. She gets to inherit the house and few other stuffs that has left by her mother only if Robin goes to this particular school which is also Sadies old school where she got bullied and doesn’t have fond memories of it. Sadie has to completely start again from moving into the house and her career as a barrister. Both Sadie and Robin find themselves being dominated by the mothers and students from the school who dislike new people coming in the school but things quickly turn into their favor when other mums find out she is an old girl. However, I didn’t like how the bullying kinda kept dragging for a while.

I liked how The author keeps us engaged with Sadie’s personal and work life making it more interesting and addictive. The side story of her court case was definitely gripping. Also, the tension towards the end/ climax of the book is so unnerving and made me feel anxious. The author has done a brilliant job to make us feel thrilled with such twisted stuffs. The ultimate twist was absolutely shocking and chilling and had to read that twice to understand what was happening but that’s also exactly how I ended it to end.

So overall I did like and enjoy reading the book and finished it in a day. I had to give myself a nights sleep to recover and review the book. The book covers a story of a single parent, fresh start, sexual assault, well written characters, jealousy, friendships and so on. I loved Harriet Tyce’s writing and will definitely pick up his other books.

After the breakdown of her marriage, Sadie decides to move back to London from America after her daughter Robin is accepted in the prestigious school. However, things do not get off the a great start when Sadie offends one of the other mother's at the school gate. They set out to make Sadie's lives hell, well until they find out Sadie used to attend the school herself. In a complete 360, they accept her into their circle. But is all forgiven? Or is this just a case of keeps your friends close and your enemies closer?

This is a tale of two halves for me. I absolutely loved the first half with all the school gate drama and the rumours surrounding the 'cursed' school. The atmosphere was creepy and tense and I was really excited to see where this was going. I didn't enjoy the second half so much, I felt it spiralled a bit out of control.. I also wasn't a biggest fan of the side story with the court case.

That being said I did enjoy this and it's the first book I've read by this author and would definitely read another thriller from then. This also had a few twists I didn't see coming. The writing overall was excellent and every chapter left you wanting more!

I hate writing negative reviews, but I had so much hope for this book! I was so excited to read it as I absolutely loved Blood Orange, but this one just did not capture me! I found myself rushing through it towards the end because I just wasn't interested in the plot. I found it slow and a little dull at times. Although I'm disappointed with this one, I know that some people will enjoy it - it just definitely wasn't for me, though I would definitely read more of the author's books in the future!

A compelling tale with interesting characters. Sadie and Robin move from America to live in Sadie’s childhood home and Robin to attend her mum’s school. But some parents are unfriendly for no apparent reason
I’m not sure the back story to her marriage added to the story but the ending made up for it

Thank you to Netgalley, Harriet Tyce and Wildfire for my arc of The Lies You Told in exchange for an honest review.

Synopsis: life is beginning again for Sadie Roper and her daughter Robin, when her marriage breaks down and she has no choice but to move back to her childhood home in London and enrol Robin into her old school. But things at the school gates aren't right, Julia head of the PTA takes an instant dislike to Sadie and the mothers and children alike are very competitive. Not to mention Sadie is struggling to get back into chambers and her old job as a barrister, with so much on her mind not to mention the old wounds being reopened with her return home, it's easy for things to start slipping before Sadie even has chance to notice.

The first part of this book was really good, there were great build ups of suspense and mystery and I enjoyed the trips into the past. But overall I felt something was missing, the ending fell a bit flat, and unrealistic and was left fairly open (I hate open endings) and in addition I felt that the story could have been more 'meaty' for example the stuff about Sadie's mother or Julia's past could have been delved into more. Overall an ok read but not one that would make me rush out to get a book by this author again.

I was slow to engage with the story! But once I got into it I read it in one sitting! Loved all the different dimensions to the story! The tension starts to build and your questioning everyone! No one seems to be who they appear to be! Loved that the reader is left wondering at the end! Great read!

I really enjoyed this book.
Centred around Sadie and her daughter Robin who have returned home to England from America after her marriage breaks down, the story follows the two of them as they try and settle into the old family home that Sadie left, under a cloud, before Robin was born, and navigate a new school and finding a job.
It had a few separate storylines going through it and a constant, growing creep factor where I knew something was wrong, but couldn't decide what! It was a really good slow burn story, but when everything did all click together it motored along to an exciting ending.

The Lies You Told is 400 pages of a domestic - psychological thriller, that will captivate from the first chapter and hold you until the last page. I read this book in a day, completely agreeing with Sophie Hannah's blurb in concerns to it being 'Totally addictive'. Let's firstly talk the characters, the core of any thriller, Sadie and Robin, mother and daughter who have moved to London, to Sadie's childhood home and Robin to Sadie's childhood school - a prestigious all girls school where all newcomers are looked upon with disdain. What initially gripped me was the intrigue of why Sadie and Robin moved to London away from their US home, as well as the swarm behaviour of the 'mothers' who congregate at the school gates and are quickly rubbed up the wrong way by the newbies. I have experienced the hellish congregation of these type of parents at the school gates, the PTA and at times the overbearing nature of them - I identified the way Sadie felt but this part of the storyline had so many layers that it kept me glued, I wanted to know why, especially when events begin to turn more sinister as the best intentions become deadly consequences.

Sadie is our protagonist, apart from injected chapters from an unknown point of view, the entire novel is told from Sadie's view point. As with Blood Orange Harriet has created an educated female lead, that is ready, after ten years of focusing all her attention on her family, returns back to work as a court junior. I felt that this was her fresh start, to give herself an identity more than 'mother' and 'wife'. I felt that this character development provided Sadie with a further depth, along with it a sense of vulnerability as her life begins to slot into place. Sadie is unlike the 'perfect parents' at the school, she knows that she is flawed but she is also aware that she is doing the best that she can with what she has in work and as a parent.

The Lies You Told is a domestic thriller with an air of suspense that ticks so many boxes, I couldn't put it down and flew through it with greedy reader speed. With an inclusion of sub-plots that I felt both distracted from the main storyline, yet to some degree fitted into it as a way of distraction worked quite well. I enjoyed the main plotline the most with the teeth grinding unbearable parents, with characters that i'd love to slap - i'd have loved a bit more focus on that side, especially in regards to the relationships between the mothers, children and mothers on a deeper level. Overall, a well written intricate novel that is both complex and easy to follow, filled with lies, betrayals and a spin on the perfect domestic home life. This read will have you promising yourself that you'll read one more chapter then go to bed, then find yourself still reading at 2am

My usual complaint about the blurb on the cover of so many books - there is too much information setting out the story. Having said that the story moves along quite quickly but I am not sure which plot is supposed to be the primary one - the court case or Sadie's change in circumstances which require her to send her daughter to a school she hated as a child! The behaviour of the mothers at this school and what they will do to progress their children is so extreme I found it hard to accept. Also how Sadie could continue to attend court when her daughter needs her didn't sit well with me. The premise was too far-fetched for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Harriet Tyce/Headline for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. Sadie and her 11 year old daughter, Robin, have returned to London after a marriage breakdown, and are living in the house left to Robin by Sadie's late domineering mother. Robin is starting at the exclusive girls' school that Sadie herself attended. Sadie soon finds herself navigating the extremely choppy waters of the school mums, finding herself ostracised and then suddenly befriended by Julia and her 'gang'. This is a creepy story which will keep you guessing right to the end and beyond! Thanks to NetGalley for a preview copy.
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Hmmm. I wanted to love this because I'd heard so much positive about Blood Orange. Unfortunately, The Lies You Told just didn't do it for me; there wasn't enough at stake until about 80% of the way through. I found myself asking why I should care about the obsessive mothers and the reasons behind their bullying, and although the court case was intriguing and well-researched, it didn't really tie in well enough with the A plot to justify itself, in my opinion. I would have been much more interested if the court case was the main thread, instead of competitive bully mothers. I also felt there wasn't enough explanation of why Lydia was so hateful.

When life crumbles around your feet, the only way to recover is to return home, even if you promise to never come back again. What you don’t expect is that your life will be much worse than the one you left behind…
This is the story of Sadie Roper and her daughter who decided to return from US after a long time living there; Sadie needs to reconstruct her life at her mother’s house, with all the hunting memories falling from the walls. As you can imagine life will not be easy, a “new” house, a new school and some new people who will start appearing in their life. They are both strong and hopefully they will survive everything that future will prepare for them… or not? The school will be full of bullies, the students and the mothers, and the first case that Sadie works again will seem too easy.
This is a story with multiple layers; the personal story of Sadie and her past, the ending of her marriage, the mothers at the “posh” school, the case… I can’t say that any of them wasn’t interesting, they all had their dark side and keep the reader wanting to know more. I discovered the truth of the story early on the book, but there were so many secrets hidden on the story that it didn’t matter, it was only one secret in a sea full of lies!
If you are looking for a gripping and addictive read, this is be your delight; well written and with complex story you’ll not be able to put it down.
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