I was really looking forward to reading this book. From the blurb this sounded right up my alley.

I found the characters of Jess and Kay to be well written and developed and really enjoyed reading from their points of view. On the other hand, the characters of Issie and especially Dylan didn’t feel as well rounded.

I worked out where the plot was going fairly early on, though when this happens it doesn’t takeaway from my enjoyment of a book. However I felt the author could have gone further and made it darker, especially once the truth was revealed.

I read this fairly quickly and found myself wanting to keep reading but felt let down by the revelations. Lots of promise but it just fell short for me.

Wow this book had some twists and turns!!!
I thoroughly enjoyed it and couldn't wait to get back to reading it, thankfully I was able to keep dipping in and out.
I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out and I times I found myself holding my breath!
I liked how it was told from 3 different perspectives.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

oh wow this was so much more than the blurb or the cover hinted lines. and it felt so much deeper hitting because of how familiar it sounds to many weve seen in the news. and it feels relatable as a mother or to someone you love. and so what youd do to find them, protect them....or cover for them?
Jess was such a powerhouse of a mother. and i was behind her all the way in her stubborn need and then action to make sure her daughter was ok.
the fear of her missing daughter was felt through the pages. and the frustration too when noone would help or take it seriously! i wanted to scream for her. the book felt very realistic at points which held you gripped to keep reading even more.
we are also told from different pov which added intrigue,suspense and depth to it. and i felt conflicted at times to how i felt about all the characters involved. especially when something comes out about just what and where her daughter is or what she may have done, been part of. i definitely felt conflicted of whos side i was on because i could relate to so many of the mixed up feeling and also what love must do rightly or wrongly to peoples actions.

Issie and her daughter Jess have always been inseparable.
Then Jess meets Dylan and he becomes her life. They go off travelling and then Jess goes silent.
Issie tries to convince everyone she is missing but no one believes her. Then Dylan reappears but is not talking and Issie is scared.
Where is her daughter?

2 families, one son, one daughter, a summer travelling in Europe. When the daughter goes off the radar and can’t be contacted even on her 18th birthday the mum reports her missing and flies to Portugal. A body is found, a car goes missing. Who is telling the truth and what lengths would a parent go to to protect.

4.5 rounded up to 5

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱
- I'm a sucker for books with strong mothers trying to sace their children so I was dragged into this story straight away
- I'm also a sucker for unreliable narrators, and in this book I was certainly not disappointed
- The prologue threw me way off course compared to where the book was going! It definitely made some things very unexpected
- The ending left me with a steong feeling of unease, right when I thought everything was over. Very well done

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝘀𝗼 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱
- Some parts of the story felt a bit slow but overall the pace wasn't bad

A book I would definitely recommend!

Thank you NetGalley and Random House UK for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

I'm normally a fan of Heidi perks books but I really struggled with this one. I found it a slow burn and couldn't get into it.

A good premise which started off strong. It became a very slow burner about halfway through which made it hard going to finishing it. I usually love this author’s books so would definitely read her next one. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the chance to review it.

This is my first book by Heidi Perks and it was fantastic. I really enjoyed the differing points of view that told the story. I also thought that the podcast that revealed more and more the further I read on, was a great addition to the story.

This book had me hooked from the beginning and was packed full of twists I didn't see coming. I'd highly recommend reading it.

Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. I found myself still asking questions and finding unexpected twists and turns right to the end. The characters were very interesting and created really well. The route that the story follows is intriguing and unexpected. I also really like the ending of the story. It was drawn to a close super well and answered so many questions. It also left the story feeling complete and at a peaceful end. Overall I thought this was great.

How far would you go to protect your child? This was a great read that had me hooked until the last page as I couldn't wait to find out the outcome would definitely recommend

Two teenagers go missing in Lisbon and when both go off grid their mothers, Kay and Jess, are unable to contact either of them. The chapters are split between each of these two single mums, both from very different backgrounds. One is affluent and the other is less well off and struggling but each one has her own child's interests at heart so when it emerges that a person has been killed and either of the teens, Dylan or his girlfriend, Issie, may be to blame the story becomes really riveting. I was totally hooked throughout as the twists and red herrings ensured that I was totally at a loss as to who was lying and why. There was a huge moral dilemma regarding the two mothers. How far would you go to protect your child even if you doubted their innocence? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and am grateful to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me the opportunity to read an ARC in return for my honest review.

I really liked the premise of this story especially the dynamics of the mother/daughter relationship and as a single mum, what it can be fraught with. I totally agreed with the idea that most parents will defend their children to the Nth degree if they do something wrong , and liked that the author challenges that. The story swaps between the two mums involved and how life is like a pendulum swinging to and fro. It also highlights that you can have friends where you least expect but also that having money or the lack of it, distorts views. Good strong story.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC to review

I enjoyed this but I'm not really a thriller girlie so I did try, thank you again for allowing me to read this

Two teenagers go missing in Portugal, whose side of the story do you believe? This is mostly told by their mothers with excerpts from a podcast about the case. Plenty of red herrings along the way to keep you guessing.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book.

Gripping from beginning to end, lots of twists and turns, I couldn’t put it down. Good characterisation and well paced which is what you expect from Heidi Parks books. If you’re a parent it does make you wonder what you would do. I highly recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book.

A clever and twisty mystery which morphs in several directions as you complete the journey and pretty much reads as an A-Z of possible nightmares if you have a teenage girl. Topics covered in the storyline include a teenager, seemingly, missing whilst overseas on holiday with again a, seemingly, controlling and coercive older boyfriend. The truth is sketchy and hard to ascertain the whole way through which makes you question your own viewpoint and reality. There are plenty of very chilling and tense sections and all the more so for me as I have two teenage daughters myself. Some real money is power moments are also part of the mood but the truth and the right thing to do overarches ultimately. I’m not a hundred percent sold on the podcast being used as part of the narrative or the lack of forensics involved which could easily have proved the truth quickly and decisively. Overall a good tense read which made me question the truth right to the very end. Recommend.

When I first picked up Someone Is Lying, I couldn’t believe I was reading another book about a missing person in Lisbon! Just two books ago, I read Two Nights in Lisbon by Chris Pavone, and before that, I had never read a book set there. What are the chances? Luckily, that’s where the similarities ended because this one was completely different—and, in my opinion, so much better.
The story follows Issie, a teenager who has gone travelling with her boyfriend, Dylan. But when her mother, Jess, can’t get hold of her on her eighteenth birthday, panic sets in. At first, Jess reassures herself with the usual explanations—maybe Issie is busy, maybe her phone is lost—but as the hours pass with no word, a mother’s worst fears begin to creep in. Then comes the bombshell: Issie has vanished without a trace.
What I loved about this book was the dual perspective, switching between Jess and Dylan’s mother, Kay. These two women, who barely know each other, suddenly find their lives intertwined in the most terrifying way possible. Both are fiercely protective of their children, but they see things from very different angles. Jess is desperate to uncover the truth, no matter what it takes, while Kay is convinced her son is incapable of wrongdoing. Their contrasting emotions and instincts made for a fascinating dynamic, and I found myself questioning whose judgement I could trust.
The prologue stuck with me throughout, always sitting in the back of my mind as I tried to figure out how it would all fit together. And then, when the twist hit in the middle, I was completely floored. This one took me by surprise in the best way. The tension was masterfully built, with just enough clues to keep me guessing but not so many that the reveal felt predictable.
Heidi Perks has a knack for pacing. The chapters were short and addictive, and I found myself racing through the book much faster than I expected. Every time I thought I’d put it down, I found myself reading just one more chapter—and then another, and another. It’s the kind of story that demands to be read in as few sittings as possible because the need to know what happens next is overwhelming.
Beyond the mystery itself, the book also explores the complex nature of mother-child relationships. Jess and Kay are both flawed yet deeply human, and their love for their children is palpable. Perks does an excellent job of portraying the lengths to which parents will go to protect their kids, even when that protection might come at a cost.
Overall, Someone Is Lying is a gripping, cleverly structured thriller that kept me guessing right up until the final pages. It was filled with unexpected turns, emotional depth, and just the right amount of psychological tension. If you enjoy books with multiple perspectives, strong character development, and a mystery that keeps you hooked, I highly recommend picking this one up.

Not quite as nailbititing as usual from Heidi Perks but a good story nonetheless.
When teenagers Issy and Dylan go travelling in Europe, Issy's mum, Jess, gets worried when she can't contact her on her birthday. This is not like Issy at all. She's convinced that something has happened as the non contact time lengthened. Issy wouldn't turn off her phone. She'd know that her mum would worry. Contacting Dylan's mum, Kim, she finds that Dylan has been no contact either.
Told via the 2 mums and a podcast about .the young couple's disappearance, someone is lying about what happened.

Your seventeen year old daughter has gone on holiday with her nineteen year old boyfriend. She will be away on her eighteenth birthday. You don't like him, your daughter has lost lifelong friends, stopped doing what she enjoys, and has changed her future plans since she met him. You are sure that he is controlling her. You hear from her every day, and then on her eighteenth nothing, no text, no voice note, no call. As her mother You can sense,, and Portuguese police...and so unfolds a mystery full of lies and deceit...Read it!