I would firstly like to thank Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

With the truth and fiction blurred, I honestly had no idea to believe! This read certainly kept me constantly guessing and questioning everyone. It may of been quickly established that Lucy was an unreliable narrator, but she was so incredibly well-written, that I couldn't help but like her. Eliza may be a questionable bad influence, but I strangely enjoyed her presence in the story, while Lucy's husband, Dan, was an easy character to dislike, meaning that I struggled to massively care about his disappearance.
The story, as a whole, was dark, unnerving, and heartpoundingly intense, and while the ending wasn't completely satisfying, I still very much enjoyed this read!

To Tell You the Truth is the fourth stand-alone novel by British author, Gilly Macmillan. Married to Dan, Lucy Harper - author of the highly successful DS Eliza Grey books - has just completed the fifth book in this series. Surely a cause for celebration? While Lucy has been absorbed in her writing and immersed in the life of DS Grey, Dan, a failed writer, has been busy with plans of his own. He's bought a house near Lucy's childhood neighbourhood. But Lucy isn't happy as she has a few secrets closeted away, where she would rather they remain...

Gilly Macmillan writes a tense, multilayered and complex character-driven story of concealment, tainted memories and duplicity, where everyone has secrets and where no one can be taken at face value. The author particularly excels in the characters she creates, of their depth and in the way she develops them. Lucy is the ultimate unreliable narrator as she has her secrets and shares her thoughts with her imaginary friend, Eliza, who also happens to be the protagonist of her novels. This is an exciting and emotionally intense, bold read and the reader is bombarded with shock surprises and twists, all of which leaves me eagerly awaiting Gilly Macmillan's next novel.

I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel at my request from Random House UK, Cornerstone/ Arrow via NetGalley and this review is my unbiased opinion.

To Tell You The Truth is a psychological thriller written by Gilly Macmillan. I have read most of Gilly Macmillan’s work and I enjoy the twisted nature of her books.

Lucy Harper is a best selling author that has had major success in her industry. She lives a lavish lifestyle and overall has a great life. All is well until her husband Dan mysteriously goes missing and his disappearance evokes dark memories that take her back to her childhood and mainly to the day that her brother went missing.

Lucy’s past and present intertwine as her neighbours begin to place her as the main suspect into Dan’s disappearance. Too many coincidences happen to Lucy and things begin to look like she is not only guilty in Dan’s disappearance but her brother’s as well. Is Lucy telling the truth and saying she had nothing to do with either of the disappearances or will the detectives find holes in her stories and ultimately arrest her for both disappearances. Read this one to find out!

Overall I give this book # # #. I liked it but didn’t love it. I usually really like Macmillan’s work but I wasn’t satisfied with the ending and found the story a little confusing. The ending was a little disappointing and not believable. I would say this was an easy read that was slow to start but the ending was quite fast paced.

I enjoyed this book, but it was not as good as her previous novels. I felt that the ending let the book down a bit but still all in all an enjoyable read. Thank you NetGalley for my review copy.

Rating ⭐️⭐️

This was Ok! I think the book had great potential but there were some elements that didn’t work for me. I’m a huge fan of the author but this one didn’t work for me that much

In this novel we meet that main character Lucy, she is an author and a successful one at that. She is married to Dan and he mysteriously disappears. There are many questions asked during this novel, as to where and why Dan has gone? We also get to learn of Lucy's past, her brother, Teddy went missing also and there is an element of mystery surrounding this part of the novel also.

I enjoyed very much reading this book, it is written from the present day and Lucy is looking for answers and we also learn about Teddy and his disappearance. Lucy is quite an unreliable character and narrator but an interesting one. This is my first by Gilly Macmillan and I will be looking at reading some more of her books.

I do not want to give too much details away but this is a fabulous read if you enjoy a really good written mystery/thriller.

Thanks to Gilly Macmillan, NetGalley and the publishers for an advanced copy of this book.

Secrets, lies, truth. All jumbled up together in one big heap in this novel.
To Tell You the Truth, is an unsettling story of an unresolved past, and a devious present. A fast paced read that will leave you wondering what the truth really is.

I was so looking forward to reading this book, unfortunately I was left really disappointed.

The story seemed to drag on forever without anything really happening and I found the main character, Lucy quite irritating.

There were no real twists but it did keep my attention till the very end hoping for some conclusion to what happened to Lucy's little brother... which never came. Sorry to say, this book just didn't do it for me.

. The book starts with a childhood trauma, where Lucy 'Harper's little brother Teddy went missing, and the repercussions of that night have been felt ever since. She is now a multi million selling crime fiction author, whose main character, Eliza Grey, is all too real and a presence in Lucy's life; its hard to know where one starts and the other ends sometimes.

The book explores the mystery of what happened to Teddy, and what part Lucy or Eliza might have played in the incident. It includes a delightfully awful husband Dan who is Lucy's dissatisfied assistant and a host of unlikeable neighbours who all have their part to play in the story.

I enjoyed reading it, the story took a twist or two that I wasn't expecting, and overall, an entertaining read.

I enjoyed this book but I was a bit disappointed by the ending.
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK for this ARC in exchange for my honest review

This is the first book I've read by Gilly MacMillan and I found it to be an uneven and ultimately unsatisfying read. The novel is atmospheric , with some twists and turns with a plot that is reliant on an unreliable narrator. However, for me it was rather slow paced, I found Lucy to be an unlikeable character and was not convinced by the use of the invisible friend as a plot device.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital ARC.

A really good thriller read from Macmillan. I was immersed in the book and the twists and turns. I really enjoyed the unique style of this read and it added to the atmosphere and overall enjoyment.

Another psychological thriller, this time Gilly MacMillan’s To Tell the Truth, her fourth standalone novel. Whilst these domestic noirs seem so popular these days, this one relies on a damaged bestselling novelist whose brother went missing when they were children. Now her husband is missing and through the use of flashbacks, the story slowly unfolds until the hasty finale. One of the more average examples of this type of thriller, so a satisfactory suspenseful two-and-a-half-star rating. With thanks to NetGalley and the author for a preview copy for review purposes. All opinions expressed herein are bias free and totally my own.

I have several of Gilly Macmillan’s novels, and this was another blinder! They have all been page turners and I get drawn straight in from the first chapter.
And that is exactly what happened again to me, so in retrospect starting this just before I went to bed may not have been the smartest idea but at least it meant I knew the next day I was in for a treat of a book.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

To Tell You The Truth is the first book by Gilly Macmillan that I have read and I found it to be interesting. I found myself not being able to trust Lucy or her narration whatsoever. The fact that she still speaks to her imaginary friend her from childhood makes me wonder if there is something more going on with her mental health. I really don’t know what to trust except for the fact that Dan was a total waste of space.

There were a lot of twists, turns and secrets that I never saw coming. But I am still left with the one question that was never answered which I won’t mention because it will spoil the book.

I did not work this out at all! The twists and turns were written SO WELL in this book, I can’t stress that enough.
I loved the way it was written, I always do with Gilly MacMillan books, I find them so fast paced and engaging which is exactly what you want from a thriller!
I love the perspective of an unreliable narrator as if you’re not exactly sure whether to believe her or not, it’s a very cleverly written book and I urge anyone who wants a fast paced thriller to go and read this right now/purchase it when it’s out - you will not be disappointed!

To Tell the Truth tells the story of successful author Lucy, who is plagued by the memories of her childhood, where she was partly responsible for her younger brother going missing. When her husband also goes missing, police are quick to suspect that Lucy could be involved, and it brings the past crashing back into the present.

I really struggled with this novel, as I just found it rather dull and mundane. The beginning was so long and drawn out, and I was actually bored of Lucy and her ranting about her book and this invisible friend who she then turned into a book character but who she was also seeing in real life.

Lucy as a protagonist is so irritating and not engaging at all. Her husband Dan is even worse, so I couldn’t wait for him to actually go missing. I thought the way he treated her was appalling and I was very surprised by her reactions to the things he did; I just didn’t find them believable. She gave the impression to the reader that she was annoyed and would do something about it, but then she didn’t; she was so submissive and let Dan walk all over her, yet we were supposed to think she was a strong, assertive, accomplished writer. The two sides didn’t tally.

I found it very difficult to read the flashbacks about Teddy, knowing what was about to happen to him. I just felt it could be very triggering for some readers and wasn’t hugely necessary; the author could have told us the history in a different way, rather than make us endure the flashbacks.

The ending was rushed and just slightly ridiculous in my opinion. I’m not surprised no one could have guessed the ‘twist’ because it was so unexpected and a bit farcical. We were also left with unanswered questions, which was hugely frustrating.

I wanted to like this book, but I couldn’t wait for it to end.

Lucy Harper has achieved what many writers dream of: her detective novels about Eliza Grey have become highly successful and she built up a huge fan base. Her husband Dan supports her and takes care of their finances and everyday life. When he, without asking her first, decides to buy a house, she gets angry, even more so when she learns where exactly the house is located: close to where she grew up, next to the woods where her younger brother once disappeared and which she connects with her most dreadful nightmares. How could he do something like this, knowing about her childhood? Quite obviously, he is gaslighting her – that’s what Eliza tells her. Eliza, not only the protagonist of her novels but also the voice that has been in her head as long as she can remember. What has been useful for her writing now becomes complicated when Lucy struggles to distinguish between what is real, what is fiction and what is only in her head and when her husband is found murdered, the writer finds herself the main suspect of a story just like her novels.

I have several of Gilly Macmillan’s novels, always liking how she plays with the reader’s sympathies for the characters and the unexpected twists which keep suspense high. “To Tell You the Truth” is also masterfully crafted in terms of being vague and keeping you in the dark about what is real within fiction and what is only imagined by Lucy. Just like the protagonist, it takes a long time to figure out where the actual threat comes from, many different leads offer options for speculation which makes reading totally enjoyable.

Having a crime writer who finds herself suddenly suspect in a crime in which the police use her own writing against her, is a setting which has been used before. Yet, Gilly Macmillan added a lot of aspects to make the case much more complicated. On the one hand, the voice in Lucy’s head is quite strong and surely a negative character whom you shouldn’t trust. Again and again, Lucy also seems to suffer from blackouts thus opening the possibility of actions she simply cannot recollect and which therefore remain blank spaces also for the reader. The backstory of her vanished brother and the big question looming over all if she herself might be responsible for his likely death – maybe even willingly – also add to the unpleasant feeling that she might not be a victim in this story at all.

Her husband, too, raises many questions. He is, quite obviously, envious of his wife’s success since he also dreams of a career in writing but lacks talent. The bits and pieces of information one gets directly lead to the assumption of him gaslighting her. However, the possibility of Lucy getting it all wrong due to her hallucinations and the Eliza-voice is also in the air.

A creepy thriller which keeps you alert at all times. Even though I found the end a bit too simply for the plot, a fantastic read I totally enjoyed.

A really enjoyable mystery!

This is the second book of Gilly Macmillan that I've read and I really enjoy her style of writing. It flows well and it keeps you entertained from the beginning to the end. There's also always a nice twist that you don't see coming.

This is the story of Lucy Harper. She is a successful author of a popular crime series but her life is not moonshine and roses. She is married to Daniel who is jealous of her success and she made the mistake of letting him be in charge of her/their money. A very traumatic event when she was young is also still haunting her. Her brother disappeared and was never found and people suspected that she killed him. She has an imaginary friend, Eliza, who steps in when she can't cope. It feels like her life is spiralling our of control. Then her husband disappears and is found dead and soon her life turns into 1 of her own stories.

If you dont feel like too much gore and want to read an easy mystery this is definitely the book to read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

I have mixed feelings about this book, the beginning was fresh and intriguing, but closer to the ending it kind of fades and gets pretty weird. There was no real resolution so this disappointed me.

Thank you NetGalley / Random House Cornerstone for providing me with this arc in return for an honest review.