Hidden Lies, the debut novel by Rachel Ryan, was a surprise book that popped through my letterbox just before Christmas. I rarely read books in the thriller genre so it has to be really good and gripping to keep me reading. The cover had a brilliant recommendation from one of my favourite authors Liz Nugent so I had to give it a go. Boy, am I glad I did because this was insanely good. The short concise chapters and with it being less than 300 pages meant it was a quick read which I read in one sitting simply because I was hooked from the first word until the turn of the last page. The line on the cover says - what if your child’s imaginary friend was real?

A scary thought and one that our main character, Georgina, has to grapple with as her son Cody seems convinced that he has met his Granny in the park whilst playing with his friends. This seems innocent enough but the problem is, his Granny passed away several months before. Cody is convinced he met someone in the bushes in the park and that he had a conversation with this person. Georgina catches Cody on the phone to his Granny and her suspicions and fears are aroused even more. Is this just Cody’s way of dealing with his grief and the loss of a person who he loved so much and who was such an important figure in his life? For Georgina this just seems to be such a cruel and devastating blow. It’s like Cody, despite his young age, is trying to torment her when already she is struggling with her loss. It’s like being taunted in a way and even more horrible that Cody speaks as if this is all real. None of his friends saw this person he was speaking to and when Georgina tells her husband Bren, he is almost dismissive putting it down to a young boy just having some fun and dealing with his loss the only way he knows how.

Georgina is under enormous strain and the unusual activities surrounding Cody and the firm beliefs he seems not to want to waver from only adding to the pressure she is feeling. Since her decision to return to college to continue her degree, she feels she is jugging many balls and not all of them successful. Add to that she is not managing to cope that well since she lost her mother and she is just one ball of anxiety. She feels Bren is not very supportive and that their marriage is starting to falter. The closeness they once had is no longer present and she shies away from him with excuses whenever he tries to get close. Bren dipped a toe over the line and she is not quite sure whether he ventured further and if he did is she willing to embrace him once more?

I loved how the chapters were short in nature, sharp, concise and to the point. It meant we got straight to the heart of the story from page one and there were no filler pages or paragraphs thrown in for the sake of it. The pace was perfect, not too slow which allowed your mind to wander but yet there wasn’t endless information thrown at you and therefore you became confused and couldn’t keep track of what was going on. The reader is kept on their toes constantly guessing and mulling over whether this imaginary friend of Cody’s was real and if so who could it be and what were their motivations? It all really messed with Georgina’s head and she began to see things that possible weren’t there or feel as if someone was watching, waiting and observing in the shadows. As she is on such high alert she begins to read more into everyday situations which may or may not have a simple explanation. To this end the reader starts to do the same, there are so many red herrings thrown in. You think you have it all solved and have a reasonable explanation for the main premise of the story then bang the plot moves off in another direction and all your suspicions are wrong. I love to be proven incorrect and I really enjoyed seeing how all the twists and turns developed.

This quick read may have started off about Cody’s imaginary friend but there is so much more to it. A string of unsettling coincidences has Georgina questioning every aspect of her life. Is she losing her mind? What exactly is the state of her marriage? Does she wish to continue living the way she has been? Will her past help or hinder her now in the present? Hidden Lies is an eerie unsettling read that has that special something that takes a hold of you from the beginning and keeps pulling you rapidly through the pages. You are desperate to know is this real and if so what is the cause of it or is this all just a load of fiction? It’s psychological suspense at it’s very best. The plot took quite an unexpected and for me shocking turn, my heart was in my mouth and I was willing things to not be true and for things to turn out in a different way.

For a book I hadn’t heard anything about until it arrived unexpectedly in the post, it turned out to be superb read and I am so glad I didn’t leave it linger in my TBR pile until it reached a stage where it was forgotten about as can quite often happen. I honestly had to resist the temptation to look at the end to discover the truth. Something I would never normally do but that’s a sign how good this book really was. With an assured pace, rising tension and crafty twists, Hidden Lies had it all for me and I highly recommend it. I hope Rachel Ryan is hard at work writing book number two as I definitely can’t wait to see what more she has in store for us.

This was a good and enjoyable read, but didn't grab me completely and say "you can't put this down" unfortunately.
I thought the plot was well constructed, but I got a little tired of the 'granny gave it to me' and 'there's someone there' until it picked up and the story developed.
The characters were good, Cody was a funny, boisterous boy who reminded me of my own nephew when he was little.
I would recommend it for people who are just starting out reading thrillers.

This book is short but intense! It starts on the premise of every mother’s nightmare, your son starts telling you he has a “new granny”. Georgina starts to look for evidence while her husband Bren is convinced it is an imaginary friend.

Georgina feels she is going mad as she simultaneously finds more evidence while her son admits new granny is imaginary.

The tension builds as more is learnt about Georgina’s family, with a side line of Bren’s betrayal.

A fast paced, page turner that has a chilling start and a heart-breaking end!

Gripping, fast paced and brilliant!
This is the first book I have read by this author but it won't be the last. I read this book in one day. It gripped me from the start. I had suspicions about lots of people for what was happening but I didn't guess until it became apparent.
Really great writing and had me turning the page as quickly as possible! Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers and the author for the privilege to read this book for my honest opinion

What a fantastic book. It had me gripped from the very beginning. There were twists and turns that I never expected. The characters were all likeable and story line made me want to just keep reading to find out what was going to happen next.

Completely compelling and utterly chilling. I absolutely could not put this down and have been talking about it non-stop.
Loved it.

I was unable to finish this book. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but it was so sinisterly spooky that I was able to relate too well to the unease of the protagonist. It was very well written, the beginning had me gripped but worried immediately.
I give it five stars for pure ‘unable to read its brilliance.

I am definitely a huge thriller fan and I love when a book throws twists and turns at me whenever appropriate. This book for me was great but I did think it went on for longer than it needed to - I think the story was strung out too much.

I loved the plot and the characters were well established within the story, making it seem believable and real.

Thank you NetGalley and Rachel for allowing me to read this ARC.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I really enjoyed this book, loved the characters and had a really good storyline. Would recommend.

When Georgina’s son Cody tells her about his new imaginary friend, she’s not worried - all children have imaginary friends. But when Cody refers to her as ‘New Granny’, Georgina turns cold. Her beloved mother Rose died only six months ago and Georgina’s husband Bren is convinced Cody has just found a childlike way to deal with his grief. But as Cody reveals more and more chilling details about New Granny, Georgina isn’t quite as sure that this character is so imaginary after all...

Overall, I enjoyed this story - it’s definitely a slow burner and there are multiple secrets and twists revealed throughout that kept me relatively entertained. It’s a pretty easy read and provides a good element of creepiness however I did find some threads of the plot to be typical and predictable which meant I wasn’t exactly on the edge of my seat while reading it.

Rachel Ryan mastered the development of her characters and it was interesting gaining an insight into the trials and tribulations of Georgina and Bren’s marriage, alongside their history and how they have ended up where they are. There were also links to Georgina’s mental health and how she struggled after giving birth to Cody which I found interesting and relatable to her present frame of mind. I also think the secondary characters such as Kelly-Anne, Anthony, Vera and Jimmy were portrayed well and their stories added intrigue to the plot. I didn’t see the ending turning out how it did - Rachel throws in a real curveball so you think you know what’s happening until you suddenly don’t.

My summary is that this book is a decent psychological thriller and while it was obvious in places, this didn’t necessarily take away from my overall enjoyment of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Book Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a real mind bender wondering if Georgina is at best overreacting or at worst having a mental breakdown or so it seems from her husband Bren’s perspective, When their son Cody starts talking about a new granny Georgina finds it unnerving but get increasingly concerned when she starts to think that this might be a real person not just a figment of her imagination, With her marriage struggles thrown into the mix you really do question her sanity and it’s hard to work out what’s real and what’s imagined. Bit of a slow starter for me but definitely started playing with my brain as I got increasingly absorbed.

The plot looked promising so I persevered but I was really struggling to stick with it. The ending was just one big disappointment. The characters were not interesting or detailed either. I was left with a very unsatisfied feeling.

Not a bad read for me personally, a bit long and drawn out in parts and I didn't particularly like the characters.

I like a book to 'grab me' from the very beginning but unfortunately this one didn't.

Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

There’s the bones of a good story here but the writing doesn’t slow down, it feels rushed? I would have preferred the story to be slower with more detail, in its current format it’s difficult to keep up. A reader needs to process what they’ve read!

New Granny wasn’t a threat, I forgot about her a lot. I wasn’t on edge and I had no fear for the characters.I didn’t get to know the characters enough which I always find sad. The ending was really interesting but I wish we’d had more clues!

This isn’t a bad book, I enjoyed it. I don’t think it’s going to stand out enough. Especially from some amazing thrillers coming out soon that I’ve just finished. It’s a tough market!

3.5/5

I felt Georgina was a bit on edge from the start,and so wasnt entirely sure if I trusted her.
I thought maybe this was going to be another unreliable female narrator book,especially as there were references to things yet to be explained.
She grew on me slightly as the book went on.
To be honest,I enjoyed the book,but I also found it pretty unbelievable.
If you're looking for a bit of escapism for a few hours,this might be the one for you.

#HiddenLies #NetGalley
I didn't read such a clever thriller in 2020. An excellent debut. Highly recommended.
Paranoia, twists and suspense are the heart of this story.
Georgina's young son Cody tells her about his 'New Granny', a mysterious friend from the park, the words send shivers down her spine. Georgina's beloved mother died only months ago.
Her husband Bren is certain the woman is an invention, Cody's way of grieving for his grandmother, but there's something in the way Cody talks about his new friend that feels so real.
Is someone out there, watching Georgina's family from the shadows?
I loved Georgina, Been, Cody. I loved the antagonist too. I was not expecting that to happen in the end.
Narration of the story is mind blowing.
Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown Book UK Piatkus for giving me an advanced copy.

Thank you NetGalley for this advanced copy. I originally saw this book posted on facebook and was happy to find it on here. The cover drew me in. It sounded so good. The suspense and writing were awesome...until about the last 20%. Extremely disappointed in the ending and who the new granny was. Like lost my attention and i skimmed the last part of it. I feel like this was a great book at the beginning and could have had an awesome ending, but it fell flat.