I was intrigued by the summary of this book and was pulled into this story from page one.

I enjoyed the characters, Jess Adams and Kay Whiting, the mothers in the plot. Their character development is interesting. Their children, Dyan Whiting (19) and Issie Adams(17) are in a relationship and they go travelling to Portugal for Issie’s 18th birthday. Jess does not like Dylan and thinks he is controlling Issie and Kay thinks Issie is not for Dylan but he is in love with Issie. Jess tries phoning Issie on the day of her 18th birthday but cannot contact her. A few days later, Jess is still unable to contact Issie and asks the UK police for assistance and finds they are unhelpful.

The writing style was good with twists and turns to the very end. And the ending? I loved it! I found the plot compelling.

I give a 4 star rating and would recommend this novel.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED READING COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

After her A levels, 17-year-old Jess goes travelling with her boyfriend but when she fails to respond to any messages on her 18th birthday her mother becomes worried and raises the alarm. Two teenagers on their first overseas adventure together - what could possibly go wrong?
This is a story of two mothers and the book is told from their dual perspectives. Someone Is Lying taps into every parent’s fear that their child has been harmed, and in this case both mothers are prepared to stand by their child no matter what. This tension filled story is character-led with some twists along the way as we work out who is telling the truth and who isn’t. I enjoyed the tension in the first half, the dilemmas that emerged and the final twist which felt quite realistic.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Perks has the Midas touch, everything she produces is pure gold for me and this mystery full of suspense and twists does not disappoint.

It challenges the notion of how far would a parent go to protect their child and how far would a child go to ensure they were not punished even if it meant someone else would pay.

The plot starts with the disappearance of two teenagers in Portugal. Issie is just shy of her eighteenth birthday while her boyfriend Dylan is nineteen. A body has been discovered and we immediately suspect that it is the body of Issie. Her mother Jess Adams has flown out to Lisbon to find her daughter who she suspects has been manipulated and harmed by her boyfriend- She has lost her friends and withdrawn her application from art college. Through her perspective we see how she has changed and become distant from Jess. It’s easy to blame Dylan.
The story line is picked up by a True crime podcast, which follows the case. It’s bare facts allows us to see an alternative evidence based account. Perks cleverly introduces Dylan’s mum Kay’s perspective and our opinion of Dylan shifts, perhaps it is Issie who is the manipulator.
When the two teenagers are found, Inspector Melo who has been tasked with finding them is left with the added problem of investigating the body of another missing women. As Dylan and Issie present their own accounts of their missing 4 days it turns into which one of them is lying and whose mother is lying to protect their child.
This is a brilliant novel and well worth the read. You get a sense that you have never quite got to the truth but that’s ok.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication. This is a smashing piece of writing from Heidi Perks.

Oh my goodness what a story!! Heidi Perks has absolutely outdone herself with this one. All her books are amazing but this one had me glued to it until the end, so many twists and turns, believable characters…. Not all nice! A true 5* read

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review- can’t recommend enough

Thank you #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for the advanced read “Someone Is Lying” by Heidi Perks is an absolute page-turner that kept me hooked from start to finish! The story follows two teenagers, Issie and Dylan, who come from very different worlds but are united. Issie, with her privileged background, and Dylan, from a family struggling to get by, embark on a journey that is filled with unexpected twists and gripping suspense.

The characters are beautifully flawed, and their complex relationships kept me invested in their story. Just when you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, Heidi Perks throws in a twist that turns everything upside down. The tension builds with each chapter, making it impossible to put down. The emotional depth and the shocking revelations make this book a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. I highly recommend it!

Great read. Raises the question - just how well do we know our teenage children? Jess is a single mum to teen Izzy who starts to become distant after finding a slightly older boyfriend, Dylan.
The teens decide to go off travelling together but on the day of Izzy’s 18th birthday Izzy can’t be contacted. The teens appear to have gone missing while visiting Portugal.
This is Jess’s quest to find her daughter and along the way we learn the ways that Izzy has changed and how Jess didn’t necessarily understand what was going on with her daughter.
Recommended.

Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the privilege of reviewing this ARC, this is my review. I remembered I read Heidi Perks book 'For the last time' here on NetGalley in 2023 again having access to its pre release. Again I was surprised at how Heidi continues to surprise the reader with her deep insights into the human psychic, the intricacies of relationships stripped bear as mother and daughter and all that they held dear can be overturned by a lie. Fascinating deep delve into how we may think about our own relationships with our children and as they grow into adulthood might they just be telling you a lie and all that you thought of your child comes crashing down around the whole family. Good twists and a bit of a whopper at the end to keep you thinking and 'what if's'. Well recommended.

A great book that had me gripped from the start. We find out at the beginning of the book that something is badly wrong but who or what has happened? Told mostly through the perspective of the couples 2 mums some of the twists I could guess what it was but that didn’t detract from the good solid storyline. I don’t think the views of the podcaster added a whole lot to the story but that’s just my opinion. Another great book by Heidi Perks.

From the start of this book we know something has gone devastatingly wrong and someone is dead, but who? And who is the culprit? This is mostly told through the eyes of the mother's of our main characters and I found it fascinating to see the differences between the two and how they can interpret the same events differently. It really adds to the sense of not knowing who to trust and only served to increase the tension and atmosphere.
I found this a gripping read and I was pleasantly surprised by the complexity of the plot, there is a lot more going on than I first thought there would be and Perks throws in plenty of twists along the way. This was a very gripping read that I highly recommend.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House UK for an advance copy.

Having read and enjoyed previous books by Heidi Perks I had high expectations for 'Someone is Lying' and I wasn't disappointed.
Against her Mum's wishes Issie, aged 17, sets of travelling to Europe with her boyfriend Dylan (19). When Jess doesn't hear from Issie on her 18th birthday things turn serious and a missing person case opens. However, all is not what it seems in this suspenseful thriller.
The story is told from the perspective of the two mothers, Jess and Kay who each have their back stories, and a true crime podcaster who in my opinion, doesn't add a great deal to proceedings!
Some of the twists were a little predictable but it didn't stop me enjoying the book and I was highly invested in what had really happened to the main characters whilst engaging with the moral dilemmas the parents found themselves in.
I am grateful to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC of this very enjoyable book and am leaving my honest review voluntarily.

Issie and Dylan, a teenage couple, decide to go on holiday together for the first time - what could go wrong?

Jess is devastated when she doesn’t hear from Issie on her 18th birthday and when Dylan doesn’t answer his phone either, she really starts to worry.with local police being little help she gets in touch with the police in Lisbon. With so few answers, Issie is declared a missing person. Until she reappears…..

A story about motherhood, manipulation and missing persons that is cleverly told by multiple narrators. Will be recommending it highly.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review.

I am a huge fan of this author and her new book did not disappoint. There were so many twists and turns, I had no idea how it was going to end. i could definitely see this being made into a TV series. Highly recommend !!

This was a good read with twists and turns that kept me hooked, I wish it went into more detail as to Issie's character but I suppose leaving you wondering makes it more suspenseful. I enjoyed this book and would look forward to more from this author.

Brilliant read and I couldn’t put it down. Look forward to this author’s future books. Lots of twists and dilemmas.

Since her husband left her and their daughter. Life has just been Jess and Issie until Issie meets Dylan.

Issie a shadow of her former self, and something isn’t quite right about the relationship. Them Issie announces her and Dylan are going travelling and she’ll be spending her 18th Birthday away. Jess has an awful feeling about this but is unable to stop her.

The days of Issie’s 18th arrives but Jess can’t get hold of Issie. Her Instagram hasn’t been updated.

Will Jess’s worst nightmare come true and who is Dylan?


This book is full of twist and turns and bad you captivated from the beginning.

How far would a mother go to protect her own child?

Definitely not one to be missed. You’ll be hooked from the start!

Issie is travelling in Portugal with her boyfriend Dylan. Issie's mother doesn't trust Dylan and becomes very worried when she doesn't hear from her daughther. She sets off to Portugal to investigate.
This is a well-written novel exploring the themes of secrets and lies and the extent to which parents will go to protect their child. It had me hooked from the first page and kept up the intrigue and suspense throughout. Highly recommended.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

As usual, Absolutely loved this new one from Heidi Perks, never fails to disappoint with the twists and turns and leaves you guessing right until the end.
5* read

Well, well, well, what a complete 360 this did to my head!!

Jess, a single mother to Issie, finds herself at the centre of a missing persons case…except, the missing person is her teenage daughter.

Issie (17 due to turn 18), against her Mother’s advice, decides to celebrate her 18th birthday abroad with her boyfriend, Dylan (19). All seems picture perfect until the day of her birthday when she suddenly goes off grid and disappears. A frantic Jess knows immediately that something is wrong and decides to take matters into her own hands.

I honestly cannot applaud the author enough for being able to keep me guessing throughout. I thought I’d cracked the case on more than one occasion to find I was completely wrong. Even the little twist at the end made me “OMG” to myself.

I actually quite liked Jess until I saw her from Kay’s perspective and then I wasn’t too sure. Strangely enough, Kay was someone I immediately wrote off and disliked but eventually, I did feel sorry for her.

This book has the ability to keep you guessing throughout and the split POV’s are great to build more tension and add more to the story.

Someone is lying - Heidi Perks- ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Told from the perspective of two mothers and a true crime podcaster this is a thriller that will keep you guessing to the end.

Issie is travelling with her boyfriend Dylan and she doesn’t get in contact with her mum on her 18th birthday which is very out of character. Her mum, Jess is really worried that something has happened so starts to try and find her daughter.

This story was ringing some clear bells of the horrific case of Gabby Petitio. Right down to instagram posts her mum didn’t this she had made. At around 35% in Gabby was actually mentioned and it actually shocked me slightly to hear of an actual true crime being referenced in a fictional book.

The story kept me hooked and I really did like the two characters and the moral questions it raised. How far would a mother go to find the truth, and what happens when they do.

Characters- 7
Atmosphere- 6
Writing Style- 8
Plot- 7
Intrigue-6
Relationships-6
Enjoyment- 7
6.71

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The blurb of this is surely every parent’s worst nightmare but as the story continues and the truth comes out in pieces, it gets worse for Jess, I liked the way the author gives the POV of both mum’s and also the podcaster’s voice. A somewhat chilling end to a great story