My Last Lie

My last lie by Ella Drummond.
Theo and Pilar have it all but when Pilar has a car crash and loses her baby they are nearly torn apart. But when Theo finds the perfect house can they rebuild their marriage? But someone knows their secrets. Who are they?
This was a very enjoyable read. I liked Pilar and Theo. Wasnt sure about Natalie. Didn't trust her. Wasnt sure about Anna. I had my theory who it was though. It was who I thought it was but not for the reason I thought it was. 5*.

My Last Lie by Ella Drummond had a bit of a slow start but once it going it was a fantastic book. I did find that a lot of things were repeated throughout the book and I did guess the who but not the why early on. Other than that I really enjoyed it and read it quite quickly. I look forward to seeing what Ella has up next for us.

Theo and Pilar are the golden couple, they have a fabulous life. Or they did until a year ago when Pilar was involved in a car accident and they lost their baby. Needing a new start they sell up and move to a beautiful home in Cornwall. They keep their secret from their new neighbours, but Pilar is also keeping another secret from her husband. But somebody in town seems to know and is targeting her, scaring her and making her life miserable. There are a lot of twists and interesting characters in this book, not all of them pleasant!

Thanks to Hera Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

# My last Lie # Netgalley
Wow tihis as twists and turns throughout the book, After Theo and Pilar suddenly suffer the loss of a child, they decided to move away to make a fresh start. At first everything seems ok yet someone knows their secret. Now enjoying the book so far, my interest really peaks. The first thing I thought of they lost a child, so what do either of them have to have a secret about losing a child. More and more intriguing by the minute, ok it’s not something you go around shouting about,,yet WHY IS IT SUCH A SECRET. Unless, they didn’t just lose a child. Perhaps one of them or both are responsible in someway. Loved the book, it kept peaking my interest more and more as I got further into the book, I would recommend this book, you will have to read this, I am not a person to give away spoilers, never have been, you will be shocked at the ending I know I was. Truthfully I thought it was going to be a predictable ending. How wrong was I this is a must read

I really enjoyed this book overall. The pace was high throughout the book with lots of suspicious events and people to suspect as you read on. I found the ending a bit disappointing as perhaps I was expecting more of a twist but I would still recommend this as a good psychological thriller to read.

Pilar was very heavily pregnant when she had an accident and lost her baby. Her husband Theo although very supportive chose this time to have a short lived affair. Pilar ended up in therapy. We know she had a secret at the time but don’t know what it is. A year or so later Theo surprises her by taking her to a new house, their new start. She knew they were going to move but not where. She had always wanted a house by the coast and although this one is a short distance it is her perfect house and even has a studio for her to do her art work. On arrival odd things begin to happen to Pilar, silent phone calls, pictures altered around, things she can’t quite account for. As she is now pregnant again she puts it down to baby brain but knows that something is amiss- just not quite what. Her new friend Natalie is very taken by Theo and when she finds her at his office she wonders if things are beginning all over again. I loved this. I took to Pilar her situation of being in recovery from a breakdown whilst knowing something eerie was going on. Theo I didn’t quite trust somehow , rightly or wrongly. I guessed who the perpetrator was but this is no way marred the book as there were so many unanswered questions. (that got answered by the end - hence the 5*- if they weren’t I would have deducted at least one star) The excellent standard of writing bringing them both vividly to life. Pilar’s mother and her toxic voice and how Pilar does her very best to acquiesce when she visits. A compelling read that I didn’t want to put down (real life hindrance). A very enjoyable read 5*
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
or follow me on Twitter @nickijmurphy1
Amazon Top 1000 reviewer.
(rest of links as part of blog tour)

This book really packs a punch - I was a little shell-shocked after I finished it!

What I love about this book is the “is she or isn’t she” element, which questions the author’s sanity. She has a history of some mental health issues, but something does seem “off” throughout the book. It’s subtle, just a creepy thing hanging over the story like a cloud, and I loved it!

Plus there were some great twists in there that I did not see coming. The “who” in “whodunnit,” I had some suspicions about - but I did not guess the “why,” and that was quite a great reveal. Like I said, everything seemed to come with a nice little twist that threw a wrench in what I thought was going on.

I really felt for the main character, Pilar, and I liked her as a narrator. The tension surrounding her was palpable and it really created a great atmosphere - plus the parts with her parents would make anyone feel for her. Seriously.

This book is a great drama/mystery for anyone looking for a quick read to keep them turning pages late into the night. I know I was!

A tense and well written novel.

The moment I read the blurb I knew this was something that I really wanted to read. The story itself is well executed and the characters are interesting and full of life.
I would recommend this for sure!

4-5 stars. A book that chilled, thrilled, and broke my heart! I thought that it was very suspenseful, but also a tough read, because of the loss of a child. It’s very hard to read about it, as mother, but it was a fast paced read that while my heart broke, I continued reading.
Will be using in a challenge, as well as recommending to the members of chapter chatter pub!

The story is mainly set in Cornwall and the reader is faced with oh-so-many-secrets, blame, guilt, the past, starting over, loss, jealousy, revenge, survival- both mental and physical and a search for the truth.
Told from first person POV, this novel has a refreshingly sinister feel as the suspense builds. The opening had me hooked from the get go and I absolutely LOVED the unreliable nature of the characters- who or what to believe – OMG it really gets you! I was absolutely intrigued by the mystery of it all. This is one of those books that you just totally immerse yourself in – the story had my brain going a million miles a minute – I just couldn’t put it down until I knew what the hell was happening and why! I did figure a few things out but the ending is a whirlwind of revelations – BOOM! BOOM! OMG BOOM!
There are so many characters I want to talk about – but I won’t because I would bore you to tears as I try an analyse them – but I will mention a few because they really got under my skin. Pilar (love that name) is the main character – she has a secret (OH MY!) and early on she faces a devastating loss and wants to start over somewhere fresh. But like life – you can’t escape your problems, can you!? At times I found her to be very strong, and other times, I just wanted to shake the hell out of her. But I love when a character grabs you like that!
Theo is Pilar’s husband and I have to admit, I didn’t quite get him a lot of the time. One minute I think he is so kind, caring and making a big effort to start over, and then other times I thought he was a major arsehole.
Anna just freaked me out from the get go. I just got some bad vibes off of her but then other times I thought she was a good friend, helping Pilar and Theo out. I’d love to know what others made of her – so if you’ve read the book, let me know!
Finally there was Natalie – what the actual F? She just didnt make a lot of sense to me (not in a bad way- I just mean, I thought what kind of person is this? ha ha ha).
I loved that this novel had me guessing every step of the way, pulling on my emotions – ALL THE EMOTIONS – and really had my mind buzzing! Would I recommend this read? In a friggin heartbeat, I would! Compelling, engaging, dark and bloody twisted – this psychological thriller will give you an adrenaline rush! Grab your copy today!

Really liked this book. Wasn't what I expected it would be but still really good and found it hard to put down. I liked the characters and was hard not to feel sad for them that their baby died

I really enjoyed this book. The characters were easy to follow and the story wasn't overly predictable. Great thriller

My Last Lie is a novel about Theo and Pilar, told from Pilar’s perspective. They’ve been through a terrible tragedy that led to Pilar having a breakdown and now they’ve moved to a new house in a new area and are trying to re-build their lives. There’s something unsettling about the house though, and Pilar begins to feel rattled by the situation.

My Last Lie opens with a car accident that leads to Pilar’s baby being stillborn. The novel then moves forward a year with Theo and Pilar moving in to their new home in Cornwall. They’re both clearly still trying to find a way through their grief, and Theo is protective over Pilar. I did find him a bit contradictory at times and couldn’t quite weigh him up – he seems a devoted husband but then he buys a house for his wife that she has never seen before and immediately tells her he has to be away over night once a week while his business gets sorted out and fully moved more locally. This is at a time when she’s still finding her feet and feeling vulnerable and alone so it seemed a bit unfair of him.

Pilar is clearly still very affected by the loss of their baby, and the time she spent in hospital recovering from the initial grief and trauma that she’s been through. I felt like I was right there with her in this big new house, it sounds like such a stunning house and yet it felt a bit unsettling. When odd little things begin to happen I wasn’t sure whether Pilar was an unreliable narrator due to everything she’s been through, whether Theo somehow secretly blamed her for losing their baby and was trying to gaslight her and make her think she was losing her mind, or whether someone had taken against this couple and wanted to scare them off. This made for a great, thrilling read as I could never quite make my mind up. The unease is there from the beginning but it slowly creeps up until the point when you feel like you’re holding your breath wondering how it’s all going to turn out!

My Last Lie is a novel that keeps you on your toes. The people in the village all have their own secrets and dramas, which made me wonder if any of them has a connection to Pilar and Theo and could wish them ill. There are also a few red herrings thrown in throughout the novel which keeps you guessing about what’s going on and I loved that.

I very much enjoyed this book, it kept me hooked all the way through. It’s a gripping, intriguing and thrilling read – I recommend it! I’m really looking forward to seeing what Ella Drummond writes next, I’ll definitely be first in the queue to buy it.

You know when you read a story and months later you still remember everything about it. Well you won't want to miss this creepy domestic noir!

I first read this story in October 2018 but it's just one of those stories that has stayed with me. I was drawn into Pilar's story right from the beginning, where after a night out, her life is torn apart when she’s involved in an accident that kills her unborn son. True to its genre, the story has a first-person narrative that lets the reader know the protagonist is harbouring a secret that riddles her with guilt.

There’s some serious juxtaposition going on here. One minute Pilar is living an idyllic life in her gorgeous new home in Cornwall, making new friends and building her dream career: the next she’s creeped out with a feeling of being watched. Her home, the place where she should feel the safest is the place that threatens her safety. Is her guilty past about to catch up with her?

Nobody is above suspicion: just how well does she know those who live in the village around her? And what about Theo? Pilar knows he’s been unfaithful in the past. Has he learned from his mistakes? Can she trust him now? And just how reliable is this first-person narrator? Is it all in her mind? There’s definitely some weird and creepy stuff going in. I don’t want to give any spoilers but just for a little teaser, there’s a great twist at the end involving the relationship between two of the characters. But you’re just going to have to read this book for yourself to find out who. You won’t see this coming!

This was a great read which I devoured over two sittings. I recommend this book for anybody who likes Shalini Boland or Louise Jensen.

What a tragic beginning to a story, a death of a new life in a random car accident. So Theo and Pilar just want to get away from everything that reminded them of their loss. They wouldn’t forget, ever, but the constant reminders had just been too much. They left everything and everyone behind them and headed to new beginnings where no-one knew them.
A beautiful house and the perfect place for Pilar to take up painting again and even start teaching her skills a little. The perfect couple, so everyone thought, beautiful, successful and a chance to privately mend the gap that their loss had put between them. But when little things begin to happen Pilar doesn’t know if she is losing her mind.
This is a story that makes you feel a little uneasy to begin with working to whoa what is cracking off is pretty serious stuff. There are quite a few characters who all have problems, so I easily got quite paranoid about who could be playing round with their lives and why?
The more that the story unfolds, the more cracks are discovered in all the relationships in the story, be it husband and wife, mother and daughter or friends. That is what I liked a lot about this story, no-one was perfect, with an accumulation of everything in their lives that made them who they were.
I loved how the story came together in the last few chapters, super ending. A brilliant debut, very much looking forward to more.

Theo and Pilar are the envy of all their friends. Happy, in love, they appear perfect for each other.

There was a tragedy a year ago that almost ripped apart their marriage. The tragedy was the loss of their precious baby.

Now they are working to rebuild their marriage, and they buy an exquisite house in Cornwall.

But the truth is, they have secrets, and someone knows them… and that person will not let go until the truth comes out. Pilar and Theo also have secrets from each other.

My Last Lie is an original and shocking page-turner. I found it easy to read, and I had to know who the untrustworthy player or players was/were. Pilar’s mother was so toxic I loved to hate her. Captivating characters and a nicely-paced plot made My Last Lie a wonderful read overall.

I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.

I found this one a bit of a slow burner at first, very secretive throughout. Keeps the reader turning the pages to find out what the big secret is about Pilars past. It does pick up drastically towards the end and the outcome is a jaw dropper. Unexpected. Sneaky. Twisted. Clever.

I found it an easy read with short chapters. Enjoyed reading this one. I did have my eye on Theo throughout suspecting him as a dodgy one… hmm. Kept me suspecting everyone in this story even Pilar herself. Trust noone. Lots of spooky, creepy incidents occuring throughout. I did feel sorry for poor Flo’s character and her mother.

I awarded a well deserved four stars. Highly recommend.

An eerie and engaging story that kept me riveted from first page to last!

This book was a slow burner that had me suspecting everybody. This is Ella Drummond’s debut and I think she did a marvelous job with Miss direction and twists. The characters were all very well drawn, even though most weren’t all that likable and one was downright despicable. A special shout out needs to go to Pilar’s mother, such a wonderful fascinating character that you will love to hate! A cast of interesting characters and a clever plot, makes for one unputdownable compulsive thriller!

Pilar and Theo have just suffered a terrible tragedy followed by a breakdown of both spirit and marriage. Theo surprises Pilar with a new start and a new home in Cornwall. However soon after moving into their new home strange things start happening, things are moved around, mysterious phone calls, just to name a few. Convinced that someone is messing with her as well as watching her, Pilar is compelled to figure out who knows the secrets that she is hiding. But Pilar is not the only one with things to hide.

Pilar was a sympathetic character. Not only has she suffered this terrible tragedy, but who hasn’t been convinced that somebody move something from where they are sure they left it? Throughout the story I was never quite sure if Pilar was completely sane or not? So many crazy twists and even though I was pretty convinced of the who, I had no idea of the why! And that last lie? Wow!

An addictive intriguing story that will completely draw you in! Recommend!

*** many thanks to Hera Books for my copy of this book ***

At the very start of the book we are introduced to a very happy and loved up couple, Theo and Pilar. I couldn't help but feel happy for the couple I had only just met - they were going to have a baby and their family was going to go from two, to three. So, when tragedy struck, I felt devastated for them both and the journey they were about to endure. How could they come back from the death of their child? How can ANYONE move on from that? Theo and Pilar tried their best to move forward by moving house and starting again, but, with the feeling of constantly looking over her shoulder weighing on Pilar's mind, the storyline of 'My Last Lie' didn't take long to turn sinister.


If you enjoy stories which contain a truck load of characters and a toppling mountain of red herrings, all wrapped up in highly suspenseful wrapping paper, then you will absolutely adore 'My Last Lie'. There is a lot going on throughout the book, and there are a lot of characters coming and going who do their own fair share of making the tension between Theo and Pilar mount. It's safe to say that poor Pilar hadn't gotten over their tragedy, nor has she managed to put her faith back in her husband after what he did. However I could see that she was trying - I really did feel for her, I must admit.

Ella Drummond's novel isn't one which screams 'ROLLERCOASTERRRRRR' from the onset, it's more of a story which drip feeds readers snippets of information, upping the level of suspense with each new chapter. Yes, it is a slow burner but given the nature of the storyline and the main characters lives, I don't think it would have worked if it was anything but. I'm not saying that the story doesn't pick up speed as it progresses, because it does, but it's very subtle and cleverly done which, in all honesty, knocked me sideways as I wasn't expecting it to happen.

I thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of things mucking with my head and being unsure of whom to believe in the storyline, and I adored just how engaging Ella Drummond's storytelling was - this author certainly knows how to set the scene and get her readers on side. Well, we're led to believe that!

A gritty, psychologically twisted novel which left me trusting nobody, not even myself. I cannot WAIT to read more from this author if this 'debut' is anything to go by. Such a cracking read.

My Last Lie starts with a shocking and rather distressing prologue which would test any couple not matter how strong their relationship. Fast forward twelve months (and what a year that was by the sound of it) and Pilar and Theo are starting afresh.

Throughout I had a constant niggle that the author was hiding something from me; what it was, I just didn’t know. I had to suspect everyone. Who was out to disrupt Pilar and Theo’s new life in Cornwall? Is it someone in this idyllic Cornish village terrorising this damaged couple or has a ghost from the past followed them to their new home?! Given Pilar’s turbulent past year, it could be easy to think it was all in her mind but as things escalate, I was left with no doubt there was a third party involved.

This engrossing domestic noir had me hooked, whizzing through the pages in two evenings and keeping me up past midnight to get to the climactic end. This is the first I’ve read from Ella Drummond and based on My Last Lie, it won’t be the last!

After a devastating tragedy and a long road to recovery for Pilar, she and her husband Theo move to Cornwall for a fresh start. But you can’t leave the past behind when someone knows all your secrets.

Pilar starts to notice odd things around their new house. Items that have been slightly moved or suddenly end up in a place where she’s sure she didn’t leave them, that horrible feeling of being watched and odd noises from time to time. Is she just forgetful? Imagining things? Losing it? Or is it Theo playing games with her? Can he be trusted?

My Last Lie is one heck of a slow-burner and admittedly, I prefer my psychological thrillers with a bit more “thrill” and tension to them. Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but get utterly invested in the lives of Theo and Pilar although I never quite warmed to either one of them. Then again, I thought the stand-out character was Pilar’s mother; quite a vile and toxic woman who spits venom everywhere. She intrigued me no end. I’m not entirely sure what says that about me.

As to the character who knows all of Pilar’s secrets, with a move to another part of the country come new friends and acquaintances and not all of them are particularly likeable. Pretty much every single one of them seems to have something to hide or act in a rather suspicious way. That said, I quite quickly zeroed in on a “suspect”, even though I was left guessing at their motives for it all. Nor did I have any clue as to what that big last lie could be and I just had to keep reading to find out what it was.

All in all, My Last Lie is an enjoyable debut by Ella Drummond which, I’m sure, has added quite a few frown lines to my forehead. I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.

An addictive intriguing read which will draw you in and you won’t be able to put it down.
An amazing debut novel from this author. The book kept me captivated from the first page to the last

A slow start but this turned into a great book. The characters are well described and there are lots of twists. Read and enjoy

I was immediately taken with the blurb of My Last Lie. I was intrigued by the exotic sounding Pilar and her husband, Theo, and what had happened to them to require this new life in Cornwall.

That something was the loss of their unborn baby in a car accident. Devastated by their loss, they need a new start and move to an enormous and beautiful, minimalist art deco house. Pilar is uncomfortable though at certain things that are happening there. They're unsettling things and she doesn't quite know who to trust. She's making new friends but are they all they seem? Is Theo to be trusted or is he not the wonderful husband she thought he was?

Well, I'm not going to tell you, of course. You'll have to read the book for yourself and I would certainly recommend that you do so if you enjoy the psychological thriller genre. All the way through I was changing my mind about who to trust. Pilar is the narrator of the story and again, I didn't know if she was all that she seemed or not. Right up to the end I was kept guessing. There are certainly some sinister goings on.

The very end of the book was a very slight disappointment for me but apart from that this is an engrossing read. It's also a very easy read so I raced through it. The story itself is quite a slow burner in that the tension builds as it progresses but that is by no means a criticism as I found it kept my interest all the way through.

Ella Drummond's book is tense and has a sense of foreboding about it. I found it very enjoyable and look forward to seeing what this author does next.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC, which I have enjoyed reading.
This was an interesting psychological thriller with an unexpected twist at the end. It was an easy book to sit and read and wonder who was the one causing the problems.
Recommended.

Enjoyed this book and really got into it after a slow start. I did expect a bit of a twist but it was still a great read. Full of tension and twists and turns, and quite a few characters you don't know whether to trust.