I loved the ending. I had slightly suspected that Danny was the one adopted. Great young reader book.

Thank you NetGalley and Literally PR Ltd!

This book is extremely clever, and once I worked out the back and forth of the two different timelines, it became a not to be put down, very quick read. Pearl is just trying to find out the answers to several mysteries in her life, and although she really has to work at it, questions are answered by the time the crazy, exciting ending comes around!

Denise Brown's "It All Started With A Lie" is a gripping young adult thriller that completely captivated me. The story revolves around Pearl, who comes across a newspaper clipping on her father's desk and embarks on a journey of betrayal, obsession, and murder. As Pearl delves deeper into the mystery surrounding the abandoned baby in the newspaper clipping, she uncovers dark secrets and twists that kept me on the edge of my seat.
I was immediately drawn into the story by the intriguing premise and the author's engaging writing style. While the novel is geared towards a YA audience, I believe adults who enjoy YA fiction will also appreciate the thrilling and suspenseful narrative. The intensity of the subject matter and the multiple storylines added depth to the plot, although at times the pacing may have felt a bit inconsistent.
One of the standout aspects of the book for me was the author's skilful weaving of various storylines to create a cohesive and suspenseful narrative. I found myself constantly guessing and second-guessing the twists and turns, and the unexpected ending left me in awe. Denise Brown's ability to keep the suspense high and the reader guessing until the final reveal is commendable.
Overall, "It All Started With A Lie" is an excellently crafted thriller that kept me engaged from start to finish. The fast-paced plot, well-executed twists, and intriguing characters made for an enthralling reading experience. I highly recommend this book to fans of YA fiction and thriller enthusiasts looking for a suspenseful and compelling read. Denise Brown is an author to watch, and I look forward to reading more from them in the future.

It All Started With A Lie was a brilliant page-turner, following a group of four teens who undertake there own investigations after finding a hidden news article from sixteen years earlier.

With a number of plot twists, the teens investigations uncover a murder, a house fire, a mugging, a lost baby and a scandal. But trying to piece together how these events are linked is the real mystery.

3 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Special thanks to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

*Thank you so much to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the chance to review an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Well written and enjoyable novel. A group of kids start exploring an incident that
happened 16 years earlier to try and figure out if Pearl is the baby her dad found in the park. This all started with her finding a news article about this incident. Does it connect to the murder that happened, her uncle being in jail, and if she is not the baby then who is?

Pearl has always felt like the odd one out in her family, she is close to her Dad but her Mum is a different story. One night while playing hide and seek, Pearl discovers some newspaper clippings of her father finding a baby. It also happens to be around the same time she was born. Is her parents, not her real parents? Pearl along with her best friend Danny and a couple of others including Samantha decide to do some research about the unknown baby that was left behind. During the same month, they will discover that not only the murder of a teacher, a house caught fire, a teacher got fired as part of a student scandal, several students were pregnant and a male student was sentenced to prison for the murder. It was a time that the adults were trying to forget in the small town and it seems like the scandals are revolving around Pearl's family. What happened that summer and is Pearl ready to open a box of worms with her family as secrets are revealed and lies are confronted which can have deadly consequences? The book also has a past/present timeline which connects with what happened back then to now and how everyone is tied together. I do have to say when the ending was revealed and the true identity of the baby was revealed, I was like OMG. I did like the added twist of the final chapter. If you love YA Thrillers, Family secrets, and hidden truths - then It All Started With A Lie by Denise Brown is the read for you and fans of Karen M. McManus and Diana Urban will enjoy it.

I couldn’t get through this book fast enough! Pearl, Danny, Leon and Samantha make a great wee team as they try to figure out the mystery or mysteries as they unfold more happenings. I was really kept guessing and although I thought I knew, I really didn’t! I liked that it flipped from present day to the text messages. A fantastic YA novel that I can’t wait to share with the pupils at school!

Pearl finds a newspaper clipping in her Dad's desk during an innocent game of hide and seek, about a baby found abandoned. Could it be her?

This discovery sets Pearl off on wild ride, looking into a murder committed in her town years previously. I loved it! I gave it four and a half stars in my "I red this and rated it" quick BookTok review. It is definitely written for a YA audience but I do think that adults who enjoy YA will like this too.

The subject matter is quite intense and there a re a few different story lines to follow. This can affect the pace a little, hence why it lost half a star, as I would be page turning like a maniac one minute and then the direction would change and I would put it down. However, the author did a great job of weaving all these story lines together to ensure it stayed cohesive while not revealing anything too soon and keeping the suspense high.

I pride myself on my ability to work out thriller twists and turns but this one really did keep me guessing till the end! I am not sure if there is a follow on planned but wow - that ending!

YA and thriller fans alike alike will enjoy this one! An author to keep an eye on for sure!

Gosh I really wanted to love this book, but something about it is off and I can’t figure out what.
When Pearl discovers a newspaper clip about her father founding an abandoned baby, she jumps to the conclusion that she is that baby and that her parents had been lying her entire life. Pearl with the help of her friends Dany, Leon and Samantha—start investigating what happened in the days before that baby was found, and what her family has to do with everything. What follows is a twisty mystery that involves way too many people trying to keep a single secret quiet.
Told in 2 timelines, current time and then text messages between 2 sisters during the time of the events they are investigating. It wasn’t a horrible read, definitely a YA with lots of teen angst and drama. It kept me engaged, but I just didn’t love it.

Took awhile for me to get through. I found it very slow at the start. I almost DNF'd the book, but held off. It became confusing approx 70% of the way through. I had high hopes for this book but was let down.

Definitely a pager turner. YA with a crime & mystery twist! Pretty good for its genre but perhaps not the most memorable?

Very quick read which I like when I want to sit down and finish in a day or two! Would recommend reading if you like thrillers.

Thank you!

This was a great quick read. The story built well and sells it well. Think this is going to be great for those who are just delving into the world of mystery stories.

This is a an excellent well-crafted story that I really enjoyed! It's fast-paced and the twists are really well done! I would recommend this! Special Thank You to Hashtag Press, Denise Brown and NetGalley for allowing me to read a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

The premise here is okay. It seems predictable but does a decent job of subverting expectations. The plot turns, on the other hand, rely on some pretty questionable coincidences and secrets. The reveals are more confusing than shocking and it fails to drive

Pearl is playing an innocent game of hide and seek when she finds newspaper clippings about her father finding a baby. She immediately wonders if SHE is the baby, and so starts her journey for answers. Pearl and her friends -- Samantha, Danny, and Leon, take on an investigative role, looking for answers. What they find, only brings up more questions.

For the most part, I liked this. I had my doubts about the storyline because a lot of it seemed to be obvious to me from the beginning, but there was some twists I didn't see coming. But it also felt like answers came to easily to these teenagers who were just wandering around asking weird questions. On that note, I do feel like I still had some unanswered questions, but the big ones were resolved by the epilogue.

It All Started With a Lie delves into the gripping tale of Pearl, whose world is upended when she stumbles upon a newspaper clipping featuring her father cradling an abandoned infant outside a hospital. Convinced that the baby is her, Pearl embarks on a journey of investigation alongside her three closest friends. However, their quest for truth takes an unexpected turn as they unearth not the identity of the abandoned child, but a buried secret that has haunted Pearl's family for years—a revelation that plunges them into the depths of a dark and unsettling mystery. As Pearl grapples with the shocking truths uncovered, she must navigate the tangled web of secrets and lies that threaten to unravel her family's carefully constructed facade.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

This was a really well done thriller novel and had everything that I enjoyed from the genre. It had a tense atmosphere that I was looking for and enjoyed the overall feel of this story and characters. It left me wanting to read more from Denise Brown. Denise Brown has a great writing style and I wanted to read more from them.

Thank you NetGalley for giving me the chance to read this book ahead of time in exchange for a review. You should read it!