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Everyone Is Lying to You
9 hours, 16 minutes
The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . .
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated.
Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.
One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition—an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference.
At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.
Piazza’s master storytelling and razor-sharp insight into the world of social media brings us a pulpy, juicy, and cleverly plotted read that will have you guessing all the way through and leave you gasping for more.
The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . .
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated.
Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.
One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition—an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference.
At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.
Piazza’s master storytelling and razor-sharp insight into the world of social media brings us a pulpy, juicy, and cleverly plotted read that will have you guessing all the way through and leave you gasping for more.
Audiobook
First published July 15, 2025
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About the author
Jo Piazza
13 books1,481 followersI write books about strong women defying the odds. I love an adventure and a book that both sweeps you away and starts a conversation with your friends.
Book club visits are one of my favorite things to do and I zoomed into hundreds of them for my Good Morning America Book Club pick You Were Always Mine. I'm a former travel editor who has gotten to visit 47 countries and I met my husband Nick in the Galapagos islands on a reporting trip. After living in NYC and San Francisco I have settled into Philadelphia (the greatest city on Earth) to raise my three feral children.)
Book club visits are one of my favorite things to do and I zoomed into hundreds of them for my Good Morning America Book Club pick You Were Always Mine. I'm a former travel editor who has gotten to visit 47 countries and I met my husband Nick in the Galapagos islands on a reporting trip. After living in NYC and San Francisco I have settled into Philadelphia (the greatest city on Earth) to raise my three feral children.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 3,229 reviews
July 19, 2025
this was a fun popcorn thriller! i listened on audio and liked that version as it had a “full cast” and different narrators for each POV 🎧
ultimately this book will be forgettable long term (the story has been done before and the my-life-is-actually-fake-and-miserable-but-im-a-famous-influencer trope is way overdone by now in my opinion), but if you want a fun whodunnit beach read, consider it! you get some drama and a good murder mystery.
this was my first book by this author and i believe it’s her first thriller and i liked her writing style. would certainly consider reading more by her in the future!
ultimately this book will be forgettable long term (the story has been done before and the my-life-is-actually-fake-and-miserable-but-im-a-famous-influencer trope is way overdone by now in my opinion), but if you want a fun whodunnit beach read, consider it! you get some drama and a good murder mystery.
this was my first book by this author and i believe it’s her first thriller and i liked her writing style. would certainly consider reading more by her in the future!
August 15, 2025
Pretty decent until the end which I personally think was botched
June 22, 2025
I don't know why it continues to shock me when the most misogynistic books I read are written by women.
The tag discusses (aka rants and raves about) the final chapter. DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR SPOILERS.
The tag discusses (aka rants and raves about) the final chapter. DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR SPOILERS.
August 25, 2025
What a banger! This should have been the hit of summer. Truly a “when worlds collide” combining my obsession with the world of Instagram influencers whose lives probably aren’t as they seem and the stabby stabby. Talk about poolside perfection. If you’re looking for some fun over Labor Day weekend, well here she is and just as tasty as pie ; )
July 8, 2025
Quick fun audiobook with multiple narrators! Influencer books are usually redundant for me, but the murder mystery was a fun spin! I was gripped to the end. Would be super fun this summer or on vacation.
October 15, 2025
I went into this with high expectations (which is a silly thing to say because don’t we all crack a spine with anticipation of a great read?)
A tradwife thriller would be fun. And influencer culture is fun. Right? Silly me.
Don’t get me wrong. I was completely invested in the mystery and the dynamics between the characters. Until I wasn’t and then I was too far along to dnf.
But, after the big reveal, which I admit was unexpected and shocking, the story devolved into a trope that is tired. Very tired and I’m sick of it. I’m sick to death of demonizing a certain gender (note I didn’t say which one. Considering the topic, it could go either way. No spoilers). Maybe this is a me issue.
I had to suspend disbelief with the reveal, the evilness that bordered on caricatures, and the dramatic Scooby-Do ending, but I can easily do that if I’m having fun with the story/themes/tropes. I wasn’t, so I’m giving it 3 stars.
A tradwife thriller would be fun. And influencer culture is fun. Right? Silly me.
Don’t get me wrong. I was completely invested in the mystery and the dynamics between the characters. Until I wasn’t and then I was too far along to dnf.
But, after the big reveal, which I admit was unexpected and shocking, the story devolved into a trope that is tired. Very tired and I’m sick of it. I’m sick to death of demonizing a certain gender (note I didn’t say which one. Considering the topic, it could go either way. No spoilers). Maybe this is a me issue.
I had to suspend disbelief with the reveal, the evilness that bordered on caricatures, and the dramatic Scooby-Do ending, but I can easily do that if I’m having fun with the story/themes/tropes. I wasn’t, so I’m giving it 3 stars.
February 21, 2025
ARC for review. To be published July 15, 2025.
3 stars
Lizzie is a magazine writer, formerly with one of the big news weeklies, (or monthlies, I forget) but now she’s grateful to have a job with benefits at a women’s magazine and she’s praying it doesn’t fold before her husband finds a new job or finishes his book. In college she was BFFs with Bex who is now Rebecca Simmers, one of the most popular #tradwife influencers. They had a major falling out not too long after college so they haven’t spoken in years but Lizzie secretly stalks her on Instagram (not in a bad way, just like, you know, how you would if you were Lizzie.) Now Bex has contacted Lizzie, pitching her a big story she insists she can only share with Lizzie. They agree to meet at a conference for influencers.
Cut to swanky-ish hotel in the desert somewhere in the….I don’t know, Utah area? I can’t tell. It’s not important. I just like to situate myself. Lizzie meets with Bex and they reconnect over alcohol and cheeseburgers, the great equalizers. That same night Bex’s husband Gray is murdered at their ranch which is a few hours away and Bex is the number one suspect. And she has disappeared. However, she’s left some clues for Lizzie and has declared her innocence. Can Lizzie find Bex and figure out what is going on?
This is my second #tradwife thriller in the past month, and, just like in the first book, one of the first things that happens is that these videos (and these people’s lives) are all revealed to be a great big sham. Of course they are. These women don’t live on some godforsaken ranch fifty miles from everything with a husband who think it’s their job to wear dresses, (and these are always beautiful dresses, right? I’ve seen the dresses those LDS sister wives on the Jeff’s’ properties wear. THOSE are the Godfearin’ woman dresses that look like the Amish decided to start wearing Easter Egg pastels for Spring to change things up a little. Not these Scott McClintock for Gunne Sax (trust me, they were big in the day) beauties that have gorgeous full skirts that make your waist look tiny, but then a tight bodice that pushes your boobs up and out. That’s not what Jesus wants!) have babies with the same first initial, homemake everything (I mean, if you make a homemade angel food cake once you’ll curse yourself as an idiot then go buy the one at Kroger for $6.99 the next time and not spend $38 in ingredients plus use every bowl you have) and keep sweet.
Now, full disclosure. I am not above hate watching/reading. I hate watched the Duggars all the time. I hate watched an episode or two of that horrible Kate Gosselin woman with all the kids. Every “Housewives” show I’ve ever seen is a hate watching. Just looking at a photo of any Kardashian/Jenner is a hate watching/hate crime against me.
I got this book because I love to hate on the idea of #tradwives. But the shameful part is….I’ve only ever seen one #tradwife video and that was attached to a BuzzFeed story. You know, BuzzFeed. Where I get all my hard news. So, basically I’m just a hater. Is it because I feel bad about myself? Is it because I don’t really cook, don’t have six perfect children (or any imperfect children) and I’m taking it out on these women who have everything I cannot? Friends, I have searched my heart and the answer is…..no. Those things are facts, but it’s really that I don’t like the idea in ANY woman being submissive to ANY man for ANY reason unless you guys have some sex games thing going on that isn’t my business, but please have a safe word. And I hear your arguments, “well, that’s what the Bible says” and “isn’t feminism all about choice?”
As to point 1, um, fuck that. The Bible, while having a few lovely passages and some nice thoughts also advocates for the killing and rape of women, the killing of children, the killing of almost everyone, slavery (HUGE fan of slavery) and about a thousand other things that no decent person can support. It was written by men, and only men a long, long time ago. Point 2: I hear what you are saying, but nearly all of these women have children. Many children. Boat loads of children. What about their choices? For both the boys and the girls. If this is only type of relationship they see, how will the girls know they have the choice to have equality with their partner? And how will the boys know that very few women today are willing to submit to anyone? But I digress.
As a lawyer in the book notes, this is likely just a fad (except for those poor FLDS women,) soon the zeitgeist will move on. I generally avoid these “shocking twist” thrillers, as the twists generally aren’t all that shocking (notable exception, obviously: GONE GIRL). The book is fine, not terrible at all, except for the author confuses east and west at one point, which then made me wonder if _I_ was the one confused for a minute, like you do. So, read if you like reading about influencers.
3 stars
Lizzie is a magazine writer, formerly with one of the big news weeklies, (or monthlies, I forget) but now she’s grateful to have a job with benefits at a women’s magazine and she’s praying it doesn’t fold before her husband finds a new job or finishes his book. In college she was BFFs with Bex who is now Rebecca Simmers, one of the most popular #tradwife influencers. They had a major falling out not too long after college so they haven’t spoken in years but Lizzie secretly stalks her on Instagram (not in a bad way, just like, you know, how you would if you were Lizzie.) Now Bex has contacted Lizzie, pitching her a big story she insists she can only share with Lizzie. They agree to meet at a conference for influencers.
Cut to swanky-ish hotel in the desert somewhere in the….I don’t know, Utah area? I can’t tell. It’s not important. I just like to situate myself. Lizzie meets with Bex and they reconnect over alcohol and cheeseburgers, the great equalizers. That same night Bex’s husband Gray is murdered at their ranch which is a few hours away and Bex is the number one suspect. And she has disappeared. However, she’s left some clues for Lizzie and has declared her innocence. Can Lizzie find Bex and figure out what is going on?
This is my second #tradwife thriller in the past month, and, just like in the first book, one of the first things that happens is that these videos (and these people’s lives) are all revealed to be a great big sham. Of course they are. These women don’t live on some godforsaken ranch fifty miles from everything with a husband who think it’s their job to wear dresses, (and these are always beautiful dresses, right? I’ve seen the dresses those LDS sister wives on the Jeff’s’ properties wear. THOSE are the Godfearin’ woman dresses that look like the Amish decided to start wearing Easter Egg pastels for Spring to change things up a little. Not these Scott McClintock for Gunne Sax (trust me, they were big in the day) beauties that have gorgeous full skirts that make your waist look tiny, but then a tight bodice that pushes your boobs up and out. That’s not what Jesus wants!) have babies with the same first initial, homemake everything (I mean, if you make a homemade angel food cake once you’ll curse yourself as an idiot then go buy the one at Kroger for $6.99 the next time and not spend $38 in ingredients plus use every bowl you have) and keep sweet.
Now, full disclosure. I am not above hate watching/reading. I hate watched the Duggars all the time. I hate watched an episode or two of that horrible Kate Gosselin woman with all the kids. Every “Housewives” show I’ve ever seen is a hate watching. Just looking at a photo of any Kardashian/Jenner is a hate watching/hate crime against me.
I got this book because I love to hate on the idea of #tradwives. But the shameful part is….I’ve only ever seen one #tradwife video and that was attached to a BuzzFeed story. You know, BuzzFeed. Where I get all my hard news. So, basically I’m just a hater. Is it because I feel bad about myself? Is it because I don’t really cook, don’t have six perfect children (or any imperfect children) and I’m taking it out on these women who have everything I cannot? Friends, I have searched my heart and the answer is…..no. Those things are facts, but it’s really that I don’t like the idea in ANY woman being submissive to ANY man for ANY reason unless you guys have some sex games thing going on that isn’t my business, but please have a safe word. And I hear your arguments, “well, that’s what the Bible says” and “isn’t feminism all about choice?”
As to point 1, um, fuck that. The Bible, while having a few lovely passages and some nice thoughts also advocates for the killing and rape of women, the killing of children, the killing of almost everyone, slavery (HUGE fan of slavery) and about a thousand other things that no decent person can support. It was written by men, and only men a long, long time ago. Point 2: I hear what you are saying, but nearly all of these women have children. Many children. Boat loads of children. What about their choices? For both the boys and the girls. If this is only type of relationship they see, how will the girls know they have the choice to have equality with their partner? And how will the boys know that very few women today are willing to submit to anyone? But I digress.
As a lawyer in the book notes, this is likely just a fad (except for those poor FLDS women,) soon the zeitgeist will move on. I generally avoid these “shocking twist” thrillers, as the twists generally aren’t all that shocking (notable exception, obviously: GONE GIRL). The book is fine, not terrible at all, except for the author confuses east and west at one point, which then made me wonder if _I_ was the one confused for a minute, like you do. So, read if you like reading about influencers.
December 7, 2025
3.25⭐
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ out west (Oregon or Idaho, maybe?)
Publication date ~ July 15, 2025
Est Page Count ~ 331 (p+ 24 chapters + 3 e's)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 16 minutes
Narrators ~ Rachel F. Hirsch, Sarah Reny, Vas Eli, Saskia Maarleveld
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ influencers, long chapters (1 was 50 minutes!)
We start off with a transcript of Detective Jim Walsh interviewing Elizabeth Matthews about a murder.
Lizzie & Bex/Rebecca were college bff's until Bex just upped and ghosted Lizzie one day. Now 15 years later Bex, who now goes by Rebecca, is a homestead influencer with 6 kids and over 11 million followers. Lizzie is an editor for Modern Mom magazine and Rebecca reaches out hoping she'll run a story on her. She jumps at the chance in order to find out why she left town all those years ago.
Ugh, I'm really not a fan of influencer plots, but I was really intrigued about the secrets. I just had to know why Rebecca's handsome hub turns up dead. Certainly not a new plot point about him, so he got what he deserved.
Overall, there were some things that surprised me and it was enjoyable enough to keep me listening. I suppose I’d give this author a go again.
PS ~ Am I the only one that had to look up what a tradwife is??
Narration notes:
Whoop! All did great.
Genre ~ psychological thriller
Setting ~ out west (Oregon or Idaho, maybe?)
Publication date ~ July 15, 2025
Est Page Count ~ 331 (p+ 24 chapters + 3 e's)
Audio length ~ 9 hours 16 minutes
Narrators ~ Rachel F. Hirsch, Sarah Reny, Vas Eli, Saskia Maarleveld
POV ~ dual 1st
Featuring ~ influencers, long chapters (1 was 50 minutes!)
We start off with a transcript of Detective Jim Walsh interviewing Elizabeth Matthews about a murder.
Lizzie & Bex/Rebecca were college bff's until Bex just upped and ghosted Lizzie one day. Now 15 years later Bex, who now goes by Rebecca, is a homestead influencer with 6 kids and over 11 million followers. Lizzie is an editor for Modern Mom magazine and Rebecca reaches out hoping she'll run a story on her. She jumps at the chance in order to find out why she left town all those years ago.
Ugh, I'm really not a fan of influencer plots, but I was really intrigued about the secrets. I just had to know why Rebecca's handsome hub turns up dead. Certainly not a new plot point about him, so he got what he deserved.
Overall, there were some things that surprised me and it was enjoyable enough to keep me listening. I suppose I’d give this author a go again.
PS ~ Am I the only one that had to look up what a tradwife is??
Narration notes:
Whoop! All did great.
July 11, 2025
4.25 stars
"The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . ."
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, and Lizzie hasn't seen her for fifteen years. Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “trad wife" influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her children and handsome husband. Lizzie is struggling as a remote magazine writer with two young children and an unemployed husband.
One night, Bex asks Lizzie for an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, a high-profile influencer conference. At the conference, Bex goes missing, and her husband is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes not knowing what is real and what is staged for public consumption. Does she really know who Bex is, and will she be to solve this and help her?
Piazza is a master storyteller with sharp wit and insight into the realities of influencers and human nature. It is also an examination of motherhood and marriage and how what we see on social media is often far from the truth of reality. I found this to be gripping from start to finish and a very well-written, entertaining read. It is one of the better thrillers I have read this year. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Jo Piazza for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
"The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . ."
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, and Lizzie hasn't seen her for fifteen years. Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “trad wife" influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her children and handsome husband. Lizzie is struggling as a remote magazine writer with two young children and an unemployed husband.
One night, Bex asks Lizzie for an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, a high-profile influencer conference. At the conference, Bex goes missing, and her husband is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes not knowing what is real and what is staged for public consumption. Does she really know who Bex is, and will she be to solve this and help her?
Piazza is a master storyteller with sharp wit and insight into the realities of influencers and human nature. It is also an examination of motherhood and marriage and how what we see on social media is often far from the truth of reality. I found this to be gripping from start to finish and a very well-written, entertaining read. It is one of the better thrillers I have read this year. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Jo Piazza for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
December 24, 2025
3.5💫
the drama was so good and i was so invested the whole time. I loved the whole tradwife and influencer wife theme going on, even though i know it was exaggerated for entertainment purposes.
i would have given this a much higher rating if it weren’t for the ending. it kinda ruined the whole book imo, but i absolutely do not regret reading this one and had sm fun with it. it just would have been way better with a different ending😞😞
the drama was so good and i was so invested the whole time. I loved the whole tradwife and influencer wife theme going on, even though i know it was exaggerated for entertainment purposes.
i would have given this a much higher rating if it weren’t for the ending. it kinda ruined the whole book imo, but i absolutely do not regret reading this one and had sm fun with it. it just would have been way better with a different ending😞😞
July 19, 2025
4.5 stars. Trad wife thriller.. unputdownable. 📖🎧
July 8, 2025
Jo Piazza's upcoming domestic thriller, EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU, is my first venture into this author's writing, but this is my first time hearing that she is releasing this type of story (please let me know if I'm wrong), so I figured why not? The synopsis sounds SO MUCH FUN!
Two estranged college friends reunite when influencer Rebecca offers Lizzie a career-making interview—then disappears after her husband is found murdered. As Lizzie searches for answers, she’s thrust into a world of lies, affairs, and influencer drama. I didn't know that this would be the twisty, addictive, and satirical tradwife murder mystery that I needed.
Although if you ask me in a few months, I may completely forget about this book, it is a total beach binge read vibe and I really enjoyed it. I alternated between audio and physical and both installments gave me exactly similar vibes throughout the story, so I didn't prefer either one over the other (hey! sometimes it really makes a difference for me!). If Jo Piazza continues to write popcorn thrillers, I'll be here for it!
Two estranged college friends reunite when influencer Rebecca offers Lizzie a career-making interview—then disappears after her husband is found murdered. As Lizzie searches for answers, she’s thrust into a world of lies, affairs, and influencer drama. I didn't know that this would be the twisty, addictive, and satirical tradwife murder mystery that I needed.
Although if you ask me in a few months, I may completely forget about this book, it is a total beach binge read vibe and I really enjoyed it. I alternated between audio and physical and both installments gave me exactly similar vibes throughout the story, so I didn't prefer either one over the other (hey! sometimes it really makes a difference for me!). If Jo Piazza continues to write popcorn thrillers, I'll be here for it!
July 1, 2025
I had no idea what a tradwife was before I read this book but that was a fun tidbit of information to find out! For those who don’t know tradwife refers to a woman who takes on the traditional household roles (like a 50’s housewives). She takes care of the household chores, children etc. while the husband is solely responsible for the financial aspects of their lives. Even more, men are considered the dominant group and women exist to serve them as wives. Hmm… LOL
In Everyone is Lying to You, a fun and JUICY murder mystery, the author explores the darkness behind being a tradwife. It follows social media star Rebecca who has become one of the biggest tradwife influencers and her ex best friend who decides to take her up on an offer at a once in a lifetime interview (something she desperately needs because MONEY). But soon after, things start to go wrong, Rebecca has disappeared, and her husband is dead.
This was a really fun popcorn thriller, and I binged it in a few hours. The author knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to BEING a trad wife, so it was fun to see how she depicted it in this story. I also love books that take a look at the dark side of social media, so this one really hit the spot.
If you’re looking for a juicy thriller to binge this summer then you won’t want to miss this one! I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to fellow readers.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In Everyone is Lying to You, a fun and JUICY murder mystery, the author explores the darkness behind being a tradwife. It follows social media star Rebecca who has become one of the biggest tradwife influencers and her ex best friend who decides to take her up on an offer at a once in a lifetime interview (something she desperately needs because MONEY). But soon after, things start to go wrong, Rebecca has disappeared, and her husband is dead.
This was a really fun popcorn thriller, and I binged it in a few hours. The author knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to BEING a trad wife, so it was fun to see how she depicted it in this story. I also love books that take a look at the dark side of social media, so this one really hit the spot.
If you’re looking for a juicy thriller to binge this summer then you won’t want to miss this one! I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to fellow readers.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
July 6, 2025
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Unfortunately this was a huge miss for me. This book is being marketed as a “tradwife thriller,” but the execution is severely lacking. First and foremost, the influencer angle is tired and surface-level, like, yes, we all know the curated perfection on social media is fake. Nothing new is being said here. The central friendship didn’t feel believable or earned. They partied in college, haven’t talked in 8 years, and now they’re suddenly trauma-bonded overnight? Yeah, no. The plot gets more and more unhinged as the story goes on…like secret sperm swaps, conveniently recorded murders, and characters making the wildest decisions with the flattest logic. Don’t even get me started on the ending- way to make a pointless story even more pointless! This felt more like satire than thriller and not in a good way. I kept reading because I had to see how off-the-rails it would go. Sadly, the answer was very.
July 9, 2025
This was the most fun I’ve had with a thriller in a long time, it was such a blast! It explores the dark side of social media and influencers in a way that felt fresh and the murder mystery was surprising. The entire thing was engaging, my attention never wavered and I listened to in a day, so perfect for a binge read. The multicast of narrators made a dream team, they are all so talented and impressive. Add this one to your summer TBR for sure!
December 28, 2025
Had no idea that there was a Tradwife Thiller trope but there is and this book falls under that category. The tradwives in this tale are all influencers, conniving unlikeable ones. The book was a quick read with alternating narrators, can't disclose much more than it's bombastic and scathing with regard to the influencers without spoiling the fun for other readers.
Fans of the Real Housewives programs and those who roll their eyes when others mention following influencers will likely eat this up like candy. Fun fact, apparently henfluencer is also a thing. Love learning new facts from books...
Fans of the Real Housewives programs and those who roll their eyes when others mention following influencers will likely eat this up like candy. Fun fact, apparently henfluencer is also a thing. Love learning new facts from books...
September 22, 2025
Rebecca Sommers is the Instagram tradwife no one can look away from, complete with millions of followers, a herd of children, and a gorgeous ranch. She’s also Lizzie’s former best friend. Since college, their lives have gone in very different directions. Lizzie’s a mom too—but one with a precarious magazine job, stretched finances, and a handful of Instagram followers. It’s been 15 years since the women have talked, so Lizzie is shocked when Rebecca DMs her. She says she has BIG news, and Lizzie is the reporter she wants to break it. So Lizzie flies out to a giant momfluencer conference to interview her former bestie, and at first it’s just like old times. But then Rebecca disappears…and her husband is found dead. Is the picture-perfect super mom actually a cold-blooded killer? It’s up to Lizzie to find out.
I’ve listened to many episodes of Jo Piazza’s excellent podcast, so I know she has interviewed a TON of mommy influencers. And the depth of her research really shows in this book. The influencer characters embody different archetypes without being stereotypical, and the tone is both satirical and sympathetic, which can be a tricky balance to strike. This book is also just overall very well-written. It’s told from both Lizzie and Rebecca’s perspectives, and each narrator’s voice feels very distinct. The mystery is a compelling one and the plot is taut with tension. I had a great time reading this and look forward to checking out more of the author’s fiction.
I’ve listened to many episodes of Jo Piazza’s excellent podcast, so I know she has interviewed a TON of mommy influencers. And the depth of her research really shows in this book. The influencer characters embody different archetypes without being stereotypical, and the tone is both satirical and sympathetic, which can be a tricky balance to strike. This book is also just overall very well-written. It’s told from both Lizzie and Rebecca’s perspectives, and each narrator’s voice feels very distinct. The mystery is a compelling one and the plot is taut with tension. I had a great time reading this and look forward to checking out more of the author’s fiction.
August 29, 2025
Lizzie hasn’t seen Bex since she ghosted her on her visit and sent a horrible email afterwards. She was devastated by the loss of her friendship but has managed to move on. Now she watches “Rebecca” from afar on social media. Rebecca has become one of the most influential trad wives. When she reaches out and offers to fly Lizzie to a conference next week where she will get the scoop of a lifetime, Lizzie gives in. On day two though, Rebecca is nowhere to be found…oh and her husband was found dead on their homestead.
Talk about a wild ride! Jo Piazza has the ability to pull you in on page one, and not let go until well past when you’ve finished. This book will have the trad wives scrambling to figure out how they too can break out of the cycle, and remind the single ladies why they may want to stay that way. I mean, it sure as heck reminded me why I am! Grayson and Marsden were PHEW…so much. Such truly terrible men, I can’t say I was sad to see Grayson dead, not gonna lie! Seriously though…if you follow Jo Piazza on instagram (which you should) then you have seen her trad wife content (and the massive amount of hate she gets from trad wives and trad wife lovers.) This book takes the research she has done into the trad wife world, and mixes it with a phenomenal fictional thriller/mystery. I seriously could not put this book down and am 99.9% sure you won’t be able to either! Wild ride is an understatement…pre-order this one friends, you won’t regret it!
Thank you to @jopiazzaauthor for my gifted copy of this book! So honored to be a super early reader!
Talk about a wild ride! Jo Piazza has the ability to pull you in on page one, and not let go until well past when you’ve finished. This book will have the trad wives scrambling to figure out how they too can break out of the cycle, and remind the single ladies why they may want to stay that way. I mean, it sure as heck reminded me why I am! Grayson and Marsden were PHEW…so much. Such truly terrible men, I can’t say I was sad to see Grayson dead, not gonna lie! Seriously though…if you follow Jo Piazza on instagram (which you should) then you have seen her trad wife content (and the massive amount of hate she gets from trad wives and trad wife lovers.) This book takes the research she has done into the trad wife world, and mixes it with a phenomenal fictional thriller/mystery. I seriously could not put this book down and am 99.9% sure you won’t be able to either! Wild ride is an understatement…pre-order this one friends, you won’t regret it!
Thank you to @jopiazzaauthor for my gifted copy of this book! So honored to be a super early reader!
October 19, 2025
Momfluencers Gone Mild.
Fifteen years after college, Lizzie reconnects with her former best friend Bex — now "Rebecca Sommers," a mommy blogger turned #tradwife influencer with millions of followers and a picture-perfect life on a Montana ranch. When Bex invites Lizzie to an exclusive momfluencer conference to write a career-making profile, it feels like a second chance - until Bex disappears and her husband is found brutally murdered.
At this point, is it really "truly shocking" that everyone - and especially any influencer - is lying to us, as this book claims? With "Everyone Is Lying to You", Jo Piazza delivers a fast, gossipy read that satirizes the mommy-blogging and #tradwife world, but while the social commentary lands, the mystery itself feels less convincing. And with so many epilogues, why not just add more chapters? Still, it’s a bingeable, beach-ready thriller that's as entertaining as scrolling through someone else's perfectly staged breakdown.
A juicy peek behind the influencer curtain, but not quite the twisty thriller it wants to be.
Fifteen years after college, Lizzie reconnects with her former best friend Bex — now "Rebecca Sommers," a mommy blogger turned #tradwife influencer with millions of followers and a picture-perfect life on a Montana ranch. When Bex invites Lizzie to an exclusive momfluencer conference to write a career-making profile, it feels like a second chance - until Bex disappears and her husband is found brutally murdered.
At this point, is it really "truly shocking" that everyone - and especially any influencer - is lying to us, as this book claims? With "Everyone Is Lying to You", Jo Piazza delivers a fast, gossipy read that satirizes the mommy-blogging and #tradwife world, but while the social commentary lands, the mystery itself feels less convincing. And with so many epilogues, why not just add more chapters? Still, it’s a bingeable, beach-ready thriller that's as entertaining as scrolling through someone else's perfectly staged breakdown.
A juicy peek behind the influencer curtain, but not quite the twisty thriller it wants to be.
August 12, 2025
I was hoping this would be more of a nail biting page turner , but it was farfetched and scooby-dooish
Read
August 14, 2025Listened.
I certainly learned a lot about influencers, that's for sure.
I certainly learned a lot about influencers, that's for sure.
July 20, 2025
If it wasn’t for some dark themes I would have thought this book was written for children. The writing is very simplistic. Everyone’s thought process is very black and white. The bad men are very bad. The influencers are all liars. The prairie is vast.
It is an odd choice to write about influencers when the author seems to hate all of them. The women influencers are all liars at best and unhinged criminals at worst. The only one that seems somewhat pleasant is a man.
Lizzie has such a hard time seeing influencing as a job and understanding the pure mechanics and reality of it, it is completely unbelievable that she was once an investigative journalist or works for a woman’s magazine. For example, she sees that a company rents out space for influencers and then immediately decides that’s what they are all doing. Her friend is a liar and possible murderer because she has a neat kitchen she films in and a messy playroom she doesn’t show.
She’s very suspicious of Olivia, the agent/lawyer and only Black character for no particular reason. In fact, Olivia was the only person who gave her a full bio and was blunt with her about her job, how others felt about it, and how it worked. The book kept making her out to be shady but it just seemed like she was good at her job? And knew a restaurant where they could get dinner? She is the only person to really take Lizzie seriously and help her out but Lizzie is really negative and distrustful of her.
It does turn out Olivia does something “bad” very late in the book but there is nothing until that clunky reveal that merited how Lizzie thought about her—the interactions between them happen before the event takes place.
No one seems to care that six children are missing after their father dies and their mother disappears. The police don’t do the most basic bits of their job—they don’t even search half of the house.
The last two chapters recap over and over what we already knew happened and spell out what happens to every other character in a very flat way. He wrote a book. She wrote a book. She made money. She is with her kids. He left his job. She has a tv show. So many happy endings! It was a strange way to end a book where so many horrible things happened to so many characters.
It is an odd choice to write about influencers when the author seems to hate all of them. The women influencers are all liars at best and unhinged criminals at worst. The only one that seems somewhat pleasant is a man.
Lizzie has such a hard time seeing influencing as a job and understanding the pure mechanics and reality of it, it is completely unbelievable that she was once an investigative journalist or works for a woman’s magazine. For example, she sees that a company rents out space for influencers and then immediately decides that’s what they are all doing. Her friend is a liar and possible murderer because she has a neat kitchen she films in and a messy playroom she doesn’t show.
She’s very suspicious of Olivia, the agent/lawyer and only Black character for no particular reason. In fact, Olivia was the only person who gave her a full bio and was blunt with her about her job, how others felt about it, and how it worked. The book kept making her out to be shady but it just seemed like she was good at her job? And knew a restaurant where they could get dinner? She is the only person to really take Lizzie seriously and help her out but Lizzie is really negative and distrustful of her.
It does turn out Olivia does something “bad” very late in the book but there is nothing until that clunky reveal that merited how Lizzie thought about her—the interactions between them happen before the event takes place.
No one seems to care that six children are missing after their father dies and their mother disappears. The police don’t do the most basic bits of their job—they don’t even search half of the house.
The last two chapters recap over and over what we already knew happened and spell out what happens to every other character in a very flat way. He wrote a book. She wrote a book. She made money. She is with her kids. He left his job. She has a tv show. So many happy endings! It was a strange way to end a book where so many horrible things happened to so many characters.
July 27, 2025
Started off great, but then it nose dived into terrible for the second half.
July 19, 2025
In an era where curated Instagram feeds masquerade as reality and influencer culture has become a multibillion-dollar industry, Jo Piazza delivers a scathing and thrilling exposé disguised as a page-turning murder mystery. Everyone Is Lying to You doesn't just entertain—it excavates the rotten foundation beneath the glossy veneer of social media perfection, revealing truths so uncomfortable they'll make you question everything you've ever double-tapped.
A Murder That Exposes More Than Blood
The Setup: When Friendship Meets Influence
Piazza crafts her narrative around two women whose lives have diverged dramatically since college. Lizzie Matthews, a struggling magazine writer drowning in the mundane chaos of modern motherhood, receives an unexpected lifeline from her former best friend Rebecca "Bex" Sommers. But this isn't the wild, ambitious Bex from their university days—this is @BarefootMamaLove, a tradwife influencer with millions of followers who worship her picture-perfect ranch life with husband Gray and their five photogenic children.
The premise appears straightforward: old friends reconnecting, career opportunity, exclusive interview. Yet Piazza immediately signals that nothing in this world operates at surface level. The very invitation feels calculated, orchestrated, almost predatory in its timing.
The Unraveling: Violence in Paradise
When Grayson Sommers is found brutally murdered in his barn and Rebecca vanishes without a trace, the story explodes beyond typical thriller conventions. Piazza doesn't simply present a whodunit—she dissects the entire ecosystem that enabled the tragedy. The MomBomb influencer conference becomes a pressure cooker where jealousy, ambition, and desperation simmer beneath designer smiles and ring lights.
Character Complexity: More Than Instagram Archetypes
Lizzie: The Everywoman's Descent
Lizzie Matthews emerges as Piazza's most relatable creation—a woman caught between professional ambition and domestic reality, scrolling through others' highlight reels while her own life feels increasingly small. Her character arc from passive observer to active investigator mirrors our collective relationship with social media: we consume, we judge, we yearn, but rarely do we truly see.
Piazza's decision to make Lizzie both unreliable narrator and determined journalist creates fascinating tension. Her desperation for a career breakthrough clouds her judgment, making readers question whether she's uncovering truth or manufacturing it for her own benefit.
Rebecca: The Prisoner of Perfection
The gradual revelation of Rebecca's reality—that the woman who appeared to have everything was actually trapped in an abusive marriage, financially supporting a controlling husband while maintaining the facade of traditional submission—represents Piazza's most damning indictment of influencer culture. Rebecca's transformation from college rebel to digital stepford wife isn't just character development; it's a cautionary tale about the price of algorithmic approval.
The Puppet Master: Olivia Jackson
Perhaps the novel's most intriguing figure is Olivia Jackson, the mysterious manager/accountant/manipulator who orchestrates events from the shadows. Piazza creates in Olivia a character who embodies the dark side of the attention economy—someone who profits from others' carefully curated trauma while remaining essentially invisible herself.
The Art of Social Media Satire
Authentic Inauthenticity
Piazza demonstrates intimate knowledge of influencer culture, from the exhausting performance of daily content creation to the behind-the-scenes machinery that turns personal moments into profit. Her descriptions of sponsored posts, engagement metrics, and brand partnerships feel surgically precise, suggesting deep research into this world.
The author's background as creator of the "Under the Influence" podcast clearly informs her writing. She captures the specific language, rhythms, and psychology of social media addiction with uncomfortable accuracy. When Lizzie finds herself compulsively checking her suddenly exploding follower count during a murder investigation, it feels both absurd and entirely believable.
The Economics of Exploitation
One of the novel's strongest elements is its examination of how influence monetizes femininity, motherhood, and vulnerability. Piazza reveals the financial infrastructure behind the aspirational content, showing how companies profit from women's insecurities while maintaining plausible deniability about their role in perpetuating harmful standards.
Plot Mechanics: Ambitious but Uneven
Strengths in Structure
The novel's dual timeline approach—alternating between the present-day investigation and Rebecca's gradual entrapment—creates effective dramatic irony. Readers understand Rebecca's desperation long before other characters do, which adds layers of tension to every interaction.
Piazza's decision to include multiple epilogues provides necessary closure while highlighting how easily truth can be commodified and repackaged for consumption. The revelation that everyone involved has found ways to profit from the tragedy feels both cynical and entirely plausible.
Areas Where the Formula Shows
However, the novel occasionally succumbs to thriller conventions that feel less sophisticated than its social commentary. Some plot twists rely on characters withholding information in ways that serve dramatic purposes more than psychological authenticity. The final confrontation, while satisfying on a visceral level, doesn't quite match the intellectual complexity of the story's setup.
The revelation about Veronica Smith's role in orchestrating events feels somewhat rushed, though her character's transformation from victim to manipulator aligns with the novel's themes about how trauma can breed complicity.
Writing Style: Authentically Digital
Voice and Pace
Piazza adopts a conversational, almost compulsive narrative voice that mirrors social media consumption patterns. Her sentences flow with the addictive quality of scrolling through feeds—short bursts of information, sudden revelations, constant forward momentum. This stylistic choice makes the reading experience feel appropriately unsettling and modern.
The author excels at capturing the specific anxieties of digital life: the fear of being left behind, the pressure to perform happiness, the way online relationships both connect and isolate us simultaneously.
Contemporary Relevance
The novel functions as both entertainment and cultural criticism, examining how social media has changed not just how we present ourselves but how we form relationships, make decisions, and understand reality. Piazza's insights about the psychological toll of constant performance feel particularly timely.
Thematic Depth: Beyond the Algorithm
The Cost of Connection
At its core, Everyone Is Lying to You explores how digital connections can substitute for genuine intimacy while ultimately leaving us more isolated than before. The friendship between Lizzie and Rebecca serves as a microcosm for how social media relationships operate—built on carefully curated presentations rather than authentic understanding.
Power Structures in Digital Spaces
The novel's examination of who profits from influencer culture reveals disturbing parallels to traditional media exploitation. Olivia Jackson's character represents the largely invisible financial infrastructure that monetizes women's content while keeping them dependent on systems they don't fully control.
The Violence of Perfection
Perhaps most powerfully, Piazza demonstrates how the pressure to maintain perfect online personas can enable real-world violence. Rebecca's inability to reveal her abuse stems not just from shame but from her brand requirements—admitting to marital problems would destroy her carefully constructed identity and livelihood.
Critical Assessment: Accomplishments and Limitations
What Works Brilliantly
The novel succeeds most completely as cultural critique disguised as entertainment. Piazza's understanding of influencer psychology feels authentic and deeply researched, making her fictional world entirely believable. Her ability to generate sympathy for characters trapped in systems they've helped create demonstrates sophisticated moral complexity.
The pacing maintains thriller momentum while allowing space for social commentary, a difficult balance that Piazza manages effectively. Readers genuinely care about solving the mystery while absorbing lessons about digital culture.
Where It Falls Short
Some character motivations feel underdeveloped, particularly in the novel's final act. The resolution, while satisfying, doesn't quite earn its dramatic implications through sufficient psychological groundwork. Certain plot devices—convenient coincidences, overheard conversations, perfectly timed discoveries—feel more mechanical than organic.
The novel's ambitions occasionally exceed its execution, particularly in balancing multiple themes without losing narrative focus. Some metaphors about authentic versus performed identity become heavy-handed in later chapters.
Final Verdict: Imperfect but Important
Everyone Is Lying to You doesn't achieve perfection as either thriller or social commentary, but its ambitions and insights make it valuable reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary digital culture. Piazza's ability to embed serious criticism within entertaining fiction creates accessibility without sacrificing intellectual rigor.
The novel functions as both warning and mirror, showing us how easily we become complicit in systems that exploit the very connections we seek. It suggests that in our hyperconnected age, the most dangerous lies aren't the ones influencers tell their audiences—they're the ones we tell ourselves about what constitutes authentic human relationship.
While the mystery mechanics sometimes creak under the weight of cultural commentary, Piazza's vision remains compelling and necessary. Everyone Is Lying to You earns its place among contemporary fiction that wrestles with technology's impact on human behavior, even if it doesn't solve all the puzzles it raises.
A Murder That Exposes More Than Blood
The Setup: When Friendship Meets Influence
Piazza crafts her narrative around two women whose lives have diverged dramatically since college. Lizzie Matthews, a struggling magazine writer drowning in the mundane chaos of modern motherhood, receives an unexpected lifeline from her former best friend Rebecca "Bex" Sommers. But this isn't the wild, ambitious Bex from their university days—this is @BarefootMamaLove, a tradwife influencer with millions of followers who worship her picture-perfect ranch life with husband Gray and their five photogenic children.
The premise appears straightforward: old friends reconnecting, career opportunity, exclusive interview. Yet Piazza immediately signals that nothing in this world operates at surface level. The very invitation feels calculated, orchestrated, almost predatory in its timing.
The Unraveling: Violence in Paradise
When Grayson Sommers is found brutally murdered in his barn and Rebecca vanishes without a trace, the story explodes beyond typical thriller conventions. Piazza doesn't simply present a whodunit—she dissects the entire ecosystem that enabled the tragedy. The MomBomb influencer conference becomes a pressure cooker where jealousy, ambition, and desperation simmer beneath designer smiles and ring lights.
Character Complexity: More Than Instagram Archetypes
Lizzie: The Everywoman's Descent
Lizzie Matthews emerges as Piazza's most relatable creation—a woman caught between professional ambition and domestic reality, scrolling through others' highlight reels while her own life feels increasingly small. Her character arc from passive observer to active investigator mirrors our collective relationship with social media: we consume, we judge, we yearn, but rarely do we truly see.
Piazza's decision to make Lizzie both unreliable narrator and determined journalist creates fascinating tension. Her desperation for a career breakthrough clouds her judgment, making readers question whether she's uncovering truth or manufacturing it for her own benefit.
Rebecca: The Prisoner of Perfection
The gradual revelation of Rebecca's reality—that the woman who appeared to have everything was actually trapped in an abusive marriage, financially supporting a controlling husband while maintaining the facade of traditional submission—represents Piazza's most damning indictment of influencer culture. Rebecca's transformation from college rebel to digital stepford wife isn't just character development; it's a cautionary tale about the price of algorithmic approval.
The Puppet Master: Olivia Jackson
Perhaps the novel's most intriguing figure is Olivia Jackson, the mysterious manager/accountant/manipulator who orchestrates events from the shadows. Piazza creates in Olivia a character who embodies the dark side of the attention economy—someone who profits from others' carefully curated trauma while remaining essentially invisible herself.
The Art of Social Media Satire
Authentic Inauthenticity
Piazza demonstrates intimate knowledge of influencer culture, from the exhausting performance of daily content creation to the behind-the-scenes machinery that turns personal moments into profit. Her descriptions of sponsored posts, engagement metrics, and brand partnerships feel surgically precise, suggesting deep research into this world.
The author's background as creator of the "Under the Influence" podcast clearly informs her writing. She captures the specific language, rhythms, and psychology of social media addiction with uncomfortable accuracy. When Lizzie finds herself compulsively checking her suddenly exploding follower count during a murder investigation, it feels both absurd and entirely believable.
The Economics of Exploitation
One of the novel's strongest elements is its examination of how influence monetizes femininity, motherhood, and vulnerability. Piazza reveals the financial infrastructure behind the aspirational content, showing how companies profit from women's insecurities while maintaining plausible deniability about their role in perpetuating harmful standards.
Plot Mechanics: Ambitious but Uneven
Strengths in Structure
The novel's dual timeline approach—alternating between the present-day investigation and Rebecca's gradual entrapment—creates effective dramatic irony. Readers understand Rebecca's desperation long before other characters do, which adds layers of tension to every interaction.
Piazza's decision to include multiple epilogues provides necessary closure while highlighting how easily truth can be commodified and repackaged for consumption. The revelation that everyone involved has found ways to profit from the tragedy feels both cynical and entirely plausible.
Areas Where the Formula Shows
However, the novel occasionally succumbs to thriller conventions that feel less sophisticated than its social commentary. Some plot twists rely on characters withholding information in ways that serve dramatic purposes more than psychological authenticity. The final confrontation, while satisfying on a visceral level, doesn't quite match the intellectual complexity of the story's setup.
The revelation about Veronica Smith's role in orchestrating events feels somewhat rushed, though her character's transformation from victim to manipulator aligns with the novel's themes about how trauma can breed complicity.
Writing Style: Authentically Digital
Voice and Pace
Piazza adopts a conversational, almost compulsive narrative voice that mirrors social media consumption patterns. Her sentences flow with the addictive quality of scrolling through feeds—short bursts of information, sudden revelations, constant forward momentum. This stylistic choice makes the reading experience feel appropriately unsettling and modern.
The author excels at capturing the specific anxieties of digital life: the fear of being left behind, the pressure to perform happiness, the way online relationships both connect and isolate us simultaneously.
Contemporary Relevance
The novel functions as both entertainment and cultural criticism, examining how social media has changed not just how we present ourselves but how we form relationships, make decisions, and understand reality. Piazza's insights about the psychological toll of constant performance feel particularly timely.
Thematic Depth: Beyond the Algorithm
The Cost of Connection
At its core, Everyone Is Lying to You explores how digital connections can substitute for genuine intimacy while ultimately leaving us more isolated than before. The friendship between Lizzie and Rebecca serves as a microcosm for how social media relationships operate—built on carefully curated presentations rather than authentic understanding.
Power Structures in Digital Spaces
The novel's examination of who profits from influencer culture reveals disturbing parallels to traditional media exploitation. Olivia Jackson's character represents the largely invisible financial infrastructure that monetizes women's content while keeping them dependent on systems they don't fully control.
The Violence of Perfection
Perhaps most powerfully, Piazza demonstrates how the pressure to maintain perfect online personas can enable real-world violence. Rebecca's inability to reveal her abuse stems not just from shame but from her brand requirements—admitting to marital problems would destroy her carefully constructed identity and livelihood.
Critical Assessment: Accomplishments and Limitations
What Works Brilliantly
The novel succeeds most completely as cultural critique disguised as entertainment. Piazza's understanding of influencer psychology feels authentic and deeply researched, making her fictional world entirely believable. Her ability to generate sympathy for characters trapped in systems they've helped create demonstrates sophisticated moral complexity.
The pacing maintains thriller momentum while allowing space for social commentary, a difficult balance that Piazza manages effectively. Readers genuinely care about solving the mystery while absorbing lessons about digital culture.
Where It Falls Short
Some character motivations feel underdeveloped, particularly in the novel's final act. The resolution, while satisfying, doesn't quite earn its dramatic implications through sufficient psychological groundwork. Certain plot devices—convenient coincidences, overheard conversations, perfectly timed discoveries—feel more mechanical than organic.
The novel's ambitions occasionally exceed its execution, particularly in balancing multiple themes without losing narrative focus. Some metaphors about authentic versus performed identity become heavy-handed in later chapters.
Final Verdict: Imperfect but Important
Everyone Is Lying to You doesn't achieve perfection as either thriller or social commentary, but its ambitions and insights make it valuable reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary digital culture. Piazza's ability to embed serious criticism within entertaining fiction creates accessibility without sacrificing intellectual rigor.
The novel functions as both warning and mirror, showing us how easily we become complicit in systems that exploit the very connections we seek. It suggests that in our hyperconnected age, the most dangerous lies aren't the ones influencers tell their audiences—they're the ones we tell ourselves about what constitutes authentic human relationship.
While the mystery mechanics sometimes creak under the weight of cultural commentary, Piazza's vision remains compelling and necessary. Everyone Is Lying to You earns its place among contemporary fiction that wrestles with technology's impact on human behavior, even if it doesn't solve all the puzzles it raises.
August 21, 2025
I admit that I myself am a traditional wife (in almost all aspects of the term )- married, having a baby, being a homemaker and practicing Catholic in a traditional parish - am probably not the target audience of this book. But I read on.
I was struck that the author lifted so many details for her main character Rebecca from real life Hannah from Ballerina Farm (baby wearing debates in comments, Aja stove, blonde hair, ranchers wife, online retail store, clothing choices, sourdough etc etc list goes on) of course Rebecca unlike Hannah is a victim who is treated terribly by her husband - the book is rife with DV, blackmail and mistreatment.
I think this story further perpetuates the idea that all traditionally minded or religiously observant large families are inherently abusive (they aren’t) and the idea that conservative men are violent with wives and children and do not contribute to their families (they do)
I felt like lifting basically all of Hannah’s life was not ethical and frankly maybe a bit lazy.
The writing could be clever and certainly the influencing industry can be critiqued on many planes but this book wasn’t it.
I was struck that the author lifted so many details for her main character Rebecca from real life Hannah from Ballerina Farm (baby wearing debates in comments, Aja stove, blonde hair, ranchers wife, online retail store, clothing choices, sourdough etc etc list goes on) of course Rebecca unlike Hannah is a victim who is treated terribly by her husband - the book is rife with DV, blackmail and mistreatment.
I think this story further perpetuates the idea that all traditionally minded or religiously observant large families are inherently abusive (they aren’t) and the idea that conservative men are violent with wives and children and do not contribute to their families (they do)
I felt like lifting basically all of Hannah’s life was not ethical and frankly maybe a bit lazy.
The writing could be clever and certainly the influencing industry can be critiqued on many planes but this book wasn’t it.
September 25, 2025
If you love Mormon mommy bloggers, influencers and all the hot tea in between, this is the book for you!
Read
August 21, 2025Had a ton of fun reading this quick read...a thriller and murder mystery about influencers.
Review Yet To Come
Review Yet To Come
September 4, 2025
More than ten years have passed since Bex and Lizzie, once best friends, last communicated. Lizzie is a writer for a women's magazine, married, and a mother of two. Bex, who now goes by her full name, Rebecca, is a highly successful influencer with six children and a handsome, wealthy husband. They live on a ranch and uphold traditional, conservative values. Lizzie has never gotten over the way their friendship ended yet still follows Bex's career online. Rebecca is planning a major career announcement and reaches out to Lizzie to offer her an exclusive story and to invite her to MomBomb, an influencer conference. This opportunity could be the career boost Lizzie needs. As they reconnect, Lizzie begins to suspect that Rebecca's life is not as perfect as it seems. The next day, Lizzie learns that Rebecca's husband, Grayson, has been brutally murdered, and Rebecca has disappeared, along with her children. Lizzie is determined to find out where Rebecca is and if she was involved in her husband's death.
In Everyone Is Lying to You, Jo Piazza examines the darker aspects of influencer culture through the lens of a murder mystery. Told from multiple perspectives, the truth unfolds with some good twists and a touch of snarkiness. It's an entertaining social satire.
3.75 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
In Everyone Is Lying to You, Jo Piazza examines the darker aspects of influencer culture through the lens of a murder mystery. Told from multiple perspectives, the truth unfolds with some good twists and a touch of snarkiness. It's an entertaining social satire.
3.75 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
February 27, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars - Really, really enjoyed this one!
Wow, I really loved Everyone is Lying to You! This book was such a fun and unpredictable ride that had me hooked from the first page.
The story centers around Lizzie, a struggling writer, and Rebecca (or Bex, as Lizzie used to know her), a now-successful social media influencer who’s gone full "trad wife" and has a massive following. When Bex reaches out to Lizzie with the chance for an exclusive interview that could revive her career, it seems like a golden opportunity. But, of course, things get way more complicated and twisted from there.
What I really enjoyed were all the layers in the story. Each piece of the puzzle was revealed so perfectly, and the twists—wow—caught me totally off guard. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, and it kept me guessing the whole time.
I also loved how the book brings in social media culture. There are tons of references to influencers, scandals, and the wild world of online fame. It felt so real and relatable, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
Wow, I really loved Everyone is Lying to You! This book was such a fun and unpredictable ride that had me hooked from the first page.
The story centers around Lizzie, a struggling writer, and Rebecca (or Bex, as Lizzie used to know her), a now-successful social media influencer who’s gone full "trad wife" and has a massive following. When Bex reaches out to Lizzie with the chance for an exclusive interview that could revive her career, it seems like a golden opportunity. But, of course, things get way more complicated and twisted from there.
What I really enjoyed were all the layers in the story. Each piece of the puzzle was revealed so perfectly, and the twists—wow—caught me totally off guard. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, and it kept me guessing the whole time.
I also loved how the book brings in social media culture. There are tons of references to influencers, scandals, and the wild world of online fame. It felt so real and relatable, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
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