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Sometimes I Lie
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it's the truth?
262 pages, Hardcover
First published March 23, 2017
About the author
Alice Feeney
9 books13.7k followersAlice Feeney is a New York Times million-copy bestselling author. Her books have been translated into over twenty-five languages, and have been optioned for major screen adaptations. Including Rock Paper Scissors, which is being made into a TV series by the producer of The Crown. Alice was a BBC journalist for fifteen years, and now lives in Devon with her family. Daisy Darker is her fifth novel.
You can follow Alice on Instagram/Twitter: @alicewriterland
To find out more, visit her website: www.alicefeeney.com
You can follow Alice on Instagram/Twitter: @alicewriterland
To find out more, visit her website: www.alicefeeney.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 19,195 reviews
March 7, 2018
There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm in a coma.
2. My husband doesn't love me any more.
3. Sometimes I lie.
HOLY MOTHER OF TWISTS.
I'm not usually a fan of books that hang everything on their twists or reveals, but it seems I can make an exception when my mind explodes multiple times from all the surprises. This is a book where it's important to go into it knowing as little as possible, which makes it difficult to review. But I shall try.
Amber Reynolds wakes up in hospital, but to everyone else she is in a coma. She can't move or speak. She can hear the people who visit her, but they're not aware of it. The narrative jumps between the "Now" in the hospital room where Amber attempts to uncover what happened, a "Then" leading up to what happened, and childhood diaries from decades ago.
It all starts very intriguing but it also seems like a standard mystery. Amber knows her husband is somehow involved in what happened to her, but she can't remember why. Through her narration, we must piece together the truth. Well, the truth as Amber sees it. Or the truth she gives us.
Sometimes I Lie is compelling, but I gave it four instead of five stars because it lingers a little too long on the not-knowing in the earlier chapters, through hallucinations and dream sequences. There was a very clear point to me when this book went from "not bad" to "really effin' good". I'll let you work out when that is.
If you figure out all the twists and turns, then you must be one hell of an astute reader. I thought the author set it up perfectly, framing the narrative secrets just right so that I didn't even fully work out the questions I should be asking, never mind the answers. There were parts that left me speechless in shock.
The epilogue leaves the story open for a sequel. I'm interested to see what the author will do with it; I only hope it is actually necessary, seeing that all the secrets seem to have been given up in this book. But who knows? Maybe the author has even more wild surprises up her sleeve.
Trigger warning:
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February 8, 2018
2 Stars
This book is absolutely raved about on Goodreads, tons of 5 star reviews and I'm sorry I'm going to have to fall in the minority here by saying, "no I don't like you book!" This book follows our protagonist Amber as she wakes up in the hospital, in a coma with no memory of the past 24 hours as she attempts to work out in her mind how and what and why this is all happening to her. We as readers are trapped in the head of a less then reliable narrator (as subtly implied by the title of this book) as she pieces together the events leading up to her tragic predicament.
This book to me was a bit of a mess. The author decided instead of really developing and working on one or two major shocking reveals or duplicitous characters she would throw in every possible thriller cliche imaginable. Which in the end worked against her (at least in my eyes) because it became borderline comical, like how many horrific events can happen to one woman within a week time span? It got ridiculous and just cheesy. Murder, rape, sociopaths, impersonating, fire, revenge and hallucinations Amber seemed to have experienced all spectrums of human depravity at some point with in the week.
One of the biggest reveals was based on these diary passages from what we are led to believe is Amber's childhood and can I just say the reveal with those bloody diary entries in the end was not good enough to justify me drudging through chapter after chapter of the whiniest and most dull diary in the world. So much of this book was a set up yet at the same time nothing of importance was truly set up properly. The reveals were so random and out of no where that I was left uninterested and not at all shocked, you can't really be stunned by a characters behaviour when you never truly got to know them in the first place.
Overall, this is cluster fuck of a novel that has the trappings of a thriller without any rhyme or reason or proper execution. I would not recommend this read.
This book is absolutely raved about on Goodreads, tons of 5 star reviews and I'm sorry I'm going to have to fall in the minority here by saying, "no I don't like you book!" This book follows our protagonist Amber as she wakes up in the hospital, in a coma with no memory of the past 24 hours as she attempts to work out in her mind how and what and why this is all happening to her. We as readers are trapped in the head of a less then reliable narrator (as subtly implied by the title of this book) as she pieces together the events leading up to her tragic predicament.
This book to me was a bit of a mess. The author decided instead of really developing and working on one or two major shocking reveals or duplicitous characters she would throw in every possible thriller cliche imaginable. Which in the end worked against her (at least in my eyes) because it became borderline comical, like how many horrific events can happen to one woman within a week time span? It got ridiculous and just cheesy. Murder, rape, sociopaths, impersonating, fire, revenge and hallucinations Amber seemed to have experienced all spectrums of human depravity at some point with in the week.
One of the biggest reveals was based on these diary passages from what we are led to believe is Amber's childhood and can I just say the reveal with those bloody diary entries in the end was not good enough to justify me drudging through chapter after chapter of the whiniest and most dull diary in the world. So much of this book was a set up yet at the same time nothing of importance was truly set up properly. The reveals were so random and out of no where that I was left uninterested and not at all shocked, you can't really be stunned by a characters behaviour when you never truly got to know them in the first place.
Overall, this is cluster fuck of a novel that has the trappings of a thriller without any rhyme or reason or proper execution. I would not recommend this read.
May 9, 2017
5 Stars
Absolutely Fanfrakkingtastic!
A Crazy, Intriguing, Twisty-Turny Psychological Thriller that Makes Your Heart Pound and leaves you Completely Dumbfounded.
I am not lying or trying to josh you. Upon finishing "Sometimes I Lie," I re-read the last few pages over and over and then I just sat there, staring out, shocked; wild eyed - almost in disbelief.
You've heard about the plot:
My name is Amber Reynolds.
There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm in a coma.
2. My Husband doesn't love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
And that is all I will say about it, as you must read this one for yourselves.
The characters are flawless. But can they be trusted? Is Amber's memory of them reliable? Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't tell you.
When reading the book more often than not, my heart pounded and my breath caught in my throat. I constantly tried to figure out what was real and what was not real and more often than not, I was wrong. It blew my mind. I finished the book a few days ago and I'm still trying to find it.
Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 5.9.17.
Absolutely Fanfrakkingtastic!
A Crazy, Intriguing, Twisty-Turny Psychological Thriller that Makes Your Heart Pound and leaves you Completely Dumbfounded.
I am not lying or trying to josh you. Upon finishing "Sometimes I Lie," I re-read the last few pages over and over and then I just sat there, staring out, shocked; wild eyed - almost in disbelief.
You've heard about the plot:
My name is Amber Reynolds.
There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm in a coma.
2. My Husband doesn't love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
And that is all I will say about it, as you must read this one for yourselves.
The characters are flawless. But can they be trusted? Is Amber's memory of them reliable? Sorry, but I'm afraid I can't tell you.
When reading the book more often than not, my heart pounded and my breath caught in my throat. I constantly tried to figure out what was real and what was not real and more often than not, I was wrong. It blew my mind. I finished the book a few days ago and I'm still trying to find it.
Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 5.9.17.
February 10, 2018
ALL THE STARS !!!!
Amber Reynolds wakes up and doesn’t know where she is. For a moment she wonders if it might be a hotel. But then she realizes she’s in a hospital. She doesn’t know how she got there.
Why can’t she open her eyes?
She knows her name, that she’s thirty-five years old, and that she’s married to Paul. Memories come but she pushes them away. Something very bad has happened but she can’t remember what or when.
“Why isn’t he here?”
But she may already know the answer.
She screams but no one can hear her.
“I just need someone to switch me back on”
There is a word that she doesn’t like. She’s alone with the word. She can’t move. She can’t speak.
Coma
She wonders how badly she’s injured. She’s all there in body and mind. She’s starting to have a hard time separating dreams from reality. Time has a different meaning. She counts seconds. She realizes just how long she’s been alone.
She doesn’t know what happened to her…
Now HE’S there. He’s crying. She doesn’t want to be alone with him but she doesn’t know why.
“Hold on” he says.
So many questions…
Another person comes in …another voice.
“You did this to yourself”
Whoa! My head is spinning. What a mind-bending and engrossing read! I had been hearing great things about this novel, and I’m happy to say that for me, it absolutely lived up to the hype.
So many things I didn’t see coming. I thought I had things all figured out until something would happen that had me second guessing myself. Nothing is as it seems. With so many great twists and turns, you have no idea who you can trust.
“Sometimes I Lie” is Alice Feeney’s debut novel and what a debut it was! This was a well-written and compelling psychological thriller. I can’t wait to see what Alice Feeney writes next.
Amber Reynolds wakes up and doesn’t know where she is. For a moment she wonders if it might be a hotel. But then she realizes she’s in a hospital. She doesn’t know how she got there.
Why can’t she open her eyes?
She knows her name, that she’s thirty-five years old, and that she’s married to Paul. Memories come but she pushes them away. Something very bad has happened but she can’t remember what or when.
“Why isn’t he here?”
But she may already know the answer.
She screams but no one can hear her.
“I just need someone to switch me back on”
There is a word that she doesn’t like. She’s alone with the word. She can’t move. She can’t speak.
Coma
She wonders how badly she’s injured. She’s all there in body and mind. She’s starting to have a hard time separating dreams from reality. Time has a different meaning. She counts seconds. She realizes just how long she’s been alone.
She doesn’t know what happened to her…
Now HE’S there. He’s crying. She doesn’t want to be alone with him but she doesn’t know why.
“Hold on” he says.
So many questions…
Another person comes in …another voice.
“You did this to yourself”
Whoa! My head is spinning. What a mind-bending and engrossing read! I had been hearing great things about this novel, and I’m happy to say that for me, it absolutely lived up to the hype.
So many things I didn’t see coming. I thought I had things all figured out until something would happen that had me second guessing myself. Nothing is as it seems. With so many great twists and turns, you have no idea who you can trust.
“Sometimes I Lie” is Alice Feeney’s debut novel and what a debut it was! This was a well-written and compelling psychological thriller. I can’t wait to see what Alice Feeney writes next.
March 18, 2017
** 4.5 STARS**
All psychological thrillers mess with your head, that's what we expect, but Alice Feeney has taken it a step further with this clever, compelling story. A story related to us by Amber Reynolds as she lies in a hospital bed whilst in a coma.
I really don't want to give anything away here - it would be way too easy to give away a crucial segment of the plot and spoil the whole thing for anyone else, let's just say that this is possibly one of the most twisty turny books that I've had the pleasure to read.
The characters are brilliant ( some of them are chilling ) but they're very much at home in their own skins. As I've already indicated, the plot is superb, and has everything that a great psychological thriller should have. I don't know whether I'm on my head or my heels right now. What an almighty twist awaits those of you who have yet to read this book - phew!
Alice Feeney is one talented writer, the narrative was spiced with some wonderful phrases, almost poetic. Here are just a couple of examples -
'I tread carefully over a carpet of lies, trying not to disturb them'
'We all have to have something or someone to love, otherwise the love inside us has nowhere to go '
Well, I think I've rattled on enough right now - if I were you, I'd just grab myself a copy just as soon as I could. I'm sure it'll keep you as enthralled as I've been.
*Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin and Alice Feeney for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review*
All psychological thrillers mess with your head, that's what we expect, but Alice Feeney has taken it a step further with this clever, compelling story. A story related to us by Amber Reynolds as she lies in a hospital bed whilst in a coma.
I really don't want to give anything away here - it would be way too easy to give away a crucial segment of the plot and spoil the whole thing for anyone else, let's just say that this is possibly one of the most twisty turny books that I've had the pleasure to read.
The characters are brilliant ( some of them are chilling ) but they're very much at home in their own skins. As I've already indicated, the plot is superb, and has everything that a great psychological thriller should have. I don't know whether I'm on my head or my heels right now. What an almighty twist awaits those of you who have yet to read this book - phew!
Alice Feeney is one talented writer, the narrative was spiced with some wonderful phrases, almost poetic. Here are just a couple of examples -
'I tread carefully over a carpet of lies, trying not to disturb them'
'We all have to have something or someone to love, otherwise the love inside us has nowhere to go '
Well, I think I've rattled on enough right now - if I were you, I'd just grab myself a copy just as soon as I could. I'm sure it'll keep you as enthralled as I've been.
*Thank you to Netgalley, Harlequin and Alice Feeney for my ARC in exchange for an honest unbiased review*
February 14, 2018
Sometimes I Lie is all kinds of crazy! Here’s the thing-- l love crazy, but in this case it was just too unbelievable. I just couldn’t suspend my disbelief long enough to get sucked in and love this book like I wanted to!
Three narratives intersect:
A woman lies in a hospital bed in a coma. She can hear everything that is going on around her but cannot communicate to let those who love her know that something is very wrong.
Switch to days before her accident, and we learn about her life. Her marriage is failing, she’s about to lose her job, and she’s sick of playing second fiddle to her sister.
We also go back in time to read a young girl’s diary written in the 1990’s, which gradually reveals that all is not what it seems.
I found myself really bored while reading this. The only part that piqued my interest was the young girl’s diary. Her voice was chilling, and I loved reading her POV on the events that defined her childhood. I love a manipulative narrator, and the author of the diary did not disappoint. On the other hand, the other two narratives moved slowly (too slowly IMHO), and then when all was revealed and said and done my first thought was that was just ridiculous! Are there really that many psychos out there?
Maybe I have just read too many thrillers and have become too jaded to enjoy outrageous plots and twists, which was certainly the case with this book.
Three narratives intersect:
A woman lies in a hospital bed in a coma. She can hear everything that is going on around her but cannot communicate to let those who love her know that something is very wrong.
Switch to days before her accident, and we learn about her life. Her marriage is failing, she’s about to lose her job, and she’s sick of playing second fiddle to her sister.
We also go back in time to read a young girl’s diary written in the 1990’s, which gradually reveals that all is not what it seems.
I found myself really bored while reading this. The only part that piqued my interest was the young girl’s diary. Her voice was chilling, and I loved reading her POV on the events that defined her childhood. I love a manipulative narrator, and the author of the diary did not disappoint. On the other hand, the other two narratives moved slowly (too slowly IMHO), and then when all was revealed and said and done my first thought was that was just ridiculous! Are there really that many psychos out there?
Maybe I have just read too many thrillers and have become too jaded to enjoy outrageous plots and twists, which was certainly the case with this book.
March 22, 2018
Wow! Now that my friend, is a thriller!!
Amber wakes up in the hospital, able to hear everyone around her. Only she can’t move a muscle, can’t speak a single word. She is trapped in her own body and has no way to communicate. How did she get here? What happened?
What a finely-crafted whodunit!! It will have you questioning absolutely everything! What’s real, what isn’t! What’s the truth, and what’s a lie!
As the story unfolded and I tried wrapping my brain around the mind-blowing twists, my head actually started to throb! But that’s a good thing with a thriller...right?
Every guess made as to what was truly going on - every theory I conjured up how this would play out...all wrong! Love that.
Alice Feeney has delivered a diabolically twisted thriller that will leave you speechless. Did I mention this is a debut from this author! Seriously! I cannot wait for — follow up! I’m already standing in line.
Highly recommend!
A superb, extra-large Traveling Sister read that we all couldn’t stop talking about!:)
For this review and all of Brenda and Norma's Traveling Sister reviews please visit their fabulous blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/
Amber wakes up in the hospital, able to hear everyone around her. Only she can’t move a muscle, can’t speak a single word. She is trapped in her own body and has no way to communicate. How did she get here? What happened?
What a finely-crafted whodunit!! It will have you questioning absolutely everything! What’s real, what isn’t! What’s the truth, and what’s a lie!
As the story unfolded and I tried wrapping my brain around the mind-blowing twists, my head actually started to throb! But that’s a good thing with a thriller...right?
Every guess made as to what was truly going on - every theory I conjured up how this would play out...all wrong! Love that.
Alice Feeney has delivered a diabolically twisted thriller that will leave you speechless. Did I mention this is a debut from this author! Seriously! I cannot wait for — follow up! I’m already standing in line.
Highly recommend!
A superb, extra-large Traveling Sister read that we all couldn’t stop talking about!:)
For this review and all of Brenda and Norma's Traveling Sister reviews please visit their fabulous blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com/
April 21, 2018
I'd like to thank Macmillan Audio and Goodreads Giveaways for this copy! 🖤
I never have as much time to plow through Audio books as I do print, due to small children, but don't let the amount of time I took getting through this fool you. I've seen varied reviews of this one and I'm definitely on the love it side of the spectrum! While I was expecting a little bit of the ending (only because I'd heard of this book many moons ago from my U.K. Friends), it didn't ruin the story for me one bit. There were plenty of twists and turns I didn't see coming throughout the entire book. It's been awhile since a novel took me by surprise in such a way.
Don't read reviews going into this; just go in blind. You will be so glad that you did. For what it's worth, I think a good amount of the reason as to why this was a 5 star book in my experience was the narrator! Holy cow was she amazing! She knew just the right, subtle inflections to give throughout for each character; there was none of that awkward trying to fully change her voice in a cheesy form. She was absolutely brilliant, so much so that I immediately went to audible to find out what other books she's narrated as I would listen to her reading out her grocery list. She's THAT good!
Highly recommended to all psychological suspense fans.
I never have as much time to plow through Audio books as I do print, due to small children, but don't let the amount of time I took getting through this fool you. I've seen varied reviews of this one and I'm definitely on the love it side of the spectrum! While I was expecting a little bit of the ending (only because I'd heard of this book many moons ago from my U.K. Friends), it didn't ruin the story for me one bit. There were plenty of twists and turns I didn't see coming throughout the entire book. It's been awhile since a novel took me by surprise in such a way.
Don't read reviews going into this; just go in blind. You will be so glad that you did. For what it's worth, I think a good amount of the reason as to why this was a 5 star book in my experience was the narrator! Holy cow was she amazing! She knew just the right, subtle inflections to give throughout for each character; there was none of that awkward trying to fully change her voice in a cheesy form. She was absolutely brilliant, so much so that I immediately went to audible to find out what other books she's narrated as I would listen to her reading out her grocery list. She's THAT good!
Highly recommended to all psychological suspense fans.
April 16, 2018
They say a picture is worth a thousand words.. do you agree?
There were these moments..
And definitely this:
There were moments where there were feelings of:
But overall, I felt like this:
There were these moments..
And definitely this:
There were moments where there were feelings of:
But overall, I felt like this:
November 6, 2018
oooh, goodreads choice awards semifinalist for best mystery & thriller 2018! what will happen?
People are not mirrors - they don’t see you how you see yourself.
a careful, careful tiptoe review for a book whose hook is how twisty its twists, how shocking its conclusion.
the publisher-letter slipped into this ARC says:
It has an ending that completely messes with your head in the very best sense - and if you can see it coming, you’re smarter than everyone I know!
which is the best way to sell a book to me.
i’m positive that i’m not smarter than anyone anyone knows, but i read a lot, and pursuing that english degree in my youth both diminished my chances of amassing great material wealth and also ruined me for many of these “twists for days” books. you’re trained to close-read, you’re gonna close-read. and unlike a lot of readers, i’d rather be surprised than validated. i get angry if i figure things out too soon - you had one job, writer! fool me!
but this book did not make me angry. i figured out jo’s deal pretty early on, but nearly everything else was a delightful surprise.
as far as plotting goes, it’s pretty tight. it cheats a little, but you were warned by the title and the opening bit that there would be some misdirection coming your way:
the story alternates between three different points in amber’s life: now/then/before. or more precisely, in coma/leading up to coma/childhood journal, and it’s full of messy relationships, tangled secrets, plots, lies, and much shade.
it’s a fun ride full of toxic people with plenty to chew on. and the promises of
you’re a twist! and you’re a twist! and you’re a twist! are no lie.
at the end of it all i have a couple of blurry areas - some timeline turbulence, some questions about edward and some miscellaneous loose ends, but for the most part it was fun smooth sailing. i read it in one day (or one night, since my night job has made me a daysleeper), in a mad dash to get ALL THE ANSWERS!, and if ever there was a one-sitting book, it's this one. call in sick and be cozy. you have four months to work on your fake cough.
***********************************************
FOUR AND A HALF STARS!
this is one hell of a debut. and it requires a careful careful tiptoe review.
which will come SOON - i got behind again - eep!
come to my blog!
People are not mirrors - they don’t see you how you see yourself.
a careful, careful tiptoe review for a book whose hook is how twisty its twists, how shocking its conclusion.
the publisher-letter slipped into this ARC says:
It has an ending that completely messes with your head in the very best sense - and if you can see it coming, you’re smarter than everyone I know!
which is the best way to sell a book to me.
i’m positive that i’m not smarter than anyone anyone knows, but i read a lot, and pursuing that english degree in my youth both diminished my chances of amassing great material wealth and also ruined me for many of these “twists for days” books. you’re trained to close-read, you’re gonna close-read. and unlike a lot of readers, i’d rather be surprised than validated. i get angry if i figure things out too soon - you had one job, writer! fool me!
but this book did not make me angry. i figured out jo’s deal pretty early on, but nearly everything else was a delightful surprise.
as far as plotting goes, it’s pretty tight. it cheats a little, but you were warned by the title and the opening bit that there would be some misdirection coming your way:
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
the story alternates between three different points in amber’s life: now/then/before. or more precisely, in coma/leading up to coma/childhood journal, and it’s full of messy relationships, tangled secrets, plots, lies, and much shade.
it’s a fun ride full of toxic people with plenty to chew on. and the promises of
you’re a twist! and you’re a twist! and you’re a twist! are no lie.
at the end of it all i have a couple of blurry areas - some timeline turbulence, some questions about edward and some miscellaneous loose ends, but for the most part it was fun smooth sailing. i read it in one day (or one night, since my night job has made me a daysleeper), in a mad dash to get ALL THE ANSWERS!, and if ever there was a one-sitting book, it's this one. call in sick and be cozy. you have four months to work on your fake cough.
***********************************************
FOUR AND A HALF STARS!
this is one hell of a debut. and it requires a careful careful tiptoe review.
which will come SOON - i got behind again - eep!
come to my blog!
July 15, 2020
my name is jessica. there are three things you should know about me:
and i think the thing that prevented me from being really wowed by this was how much was going on. i feels like the author threw in everything but the kitchen sink. it was one twist after another, to the point where it started becoming unrealistic. i know many readers will find that exciting, but i found it difficult to believe, which took me out of the moment.
overall, not a terrible book by any means, but my interest unfortunately declined with each reveal.
↠ 3 stars
1. i rate mystery/thrillers a little more critically than other genres.for a debut, i suppose this is pretty decent, but with mystery/thrillers (especially psychological ones) i feel the need to be shocked - i believe that element is critical for this genre - and thats quite difficult to do, so my opinions tend to be more subjective.
2. i believe that less is more.
3. sometimes im in the minority with my opinions.
and i think the thing that prevented me from being really wowed by this was how much was going on. i feels like the author threw in everything but the kitchen sink. it was one twist after another, to the point where it started becoming unrealistic. i know many readers will find that exciting, but i found it difficult to believe, which took me out of the moment.
overall, not a terrible book by any means, but my interest unfortunately declined with each reveal.
↠ 3 stars
March 21, 2019
5 clever blockbuster stars to Sometimes I Lie 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟 🌟
Here’s all you really need to know:
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
The very start of the book says it best! From the beginning, you don’t know who to trust or even what is real! I was so excited to read this book I couldn’t wait for its release in the US. I had to order it from the UK to get my fix! It was...worth it!
Amber is the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever encountered. This book will have you questioning everything you thought you knew all along the way. I found the premise completely original.
The only fault I found was that, while the diary chapters were necessary to propel the plot forward and connect the loose threads of the intricate web, they were a bit too lengthy.
If you like endings that are tied up neatly, or even endings with simple closure, this book may drive you mad! 🙃 There is quite a bit left to interpretation, and I liked that because it fit with the whole questioning tone of the book. That’s about all I can say. I don’t want to give even the tiniest bit away and spoil the fun for you. Curl up with this blockbuster early in the day, and you’ll be wondering where the time went! 😴
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
Here’s all you really need to know:
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I’m in a coma.
2. My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.
The very start of the book says it best! From the beginning, you don’t know who to trust or even what is real! I was so excited to read this book I couldn’t wait for its release in the US. I had to order it from the UK to get my fix! It was...worth it!
Amber is the most unreliable narrator I’ve ever encountered. This book will have you questioning everything you thought you knew all along the way. I found the premise completely original.
The only fault I found was that, while the diary chapters were necessary to propel the plot forward and connect the loose threads of the intricate web, they were a bit too lengthy.
If you like endings that are tied up neatly, or even endings with simple closure, this book may drive you mad! 🙃 There is quite a bit left to interpretation, and I liked that because it fit with the whole questioning tone of the book. That’s about all I can say. I don’t want to give even the tiniest bit away and spoil the fun for you. Curl up with this blockbuster early in the day, and you’ll be wondering where the time went! 😴
My reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com
May 10, 2023
Oh. My. God.
The twists in this book have literally turned my brain to mush. I'm sitting here dumbfounded by the final twist unable to find more words to do this book justice. This book is one of the best twisty-turny psychological thrillers Ive ever read. Pure genius and you won't see half of it coming until it slaps you across the face.
The plot sizzles. It's electrifying and intriguing. A woman in a coma. Secrets. A past that impacts the present. Loyalties. Dysfunctional, damaged and screwed up characters that I loved to love then loved to despise. I thought this book was good from the start but by the ending it propelled into the brilliance category.
This makes The Girl on the Train looks like child's play. This novel messed with my head. I may be recovering for quite some time. Everything just works.
Plot. Characters. Reveals. Twists. Prose. Everything is 5 star in this one. If they don't make a movie about this book I'll be starting a personal petition to do so. Absolutely brilliant, entertaining and clever fiction!
This is one talented author. Oh yes indeed. If you love a good twist you will adore this book. I recommend it to everyone. Anyone that reads books. I was honestly stunned at the end of the book. You know those moments? What the..? Holy flak Batman!
I'm revealing nothing. I'll be annoyed at any review that drops in spoilers for this one. The less you know the better. I couldn't put it down and it left me wanting for more. More of the story. More from this author. Alice Feeney take a bow.
Don't miss this one. Let it take you on it's journey to mess with your head and emotions. Just when you think you've got it all worked out...I bet you don't. Sublime!
Thanks so much for reading my review of this book. Join me as a friend or follower and feel free to browse my shelves for your next great book! I love to connect with other readers.
The twists in this book have literally turned my brain to mush. I'm sitting here dumbfounded by the final twist unable to find more words to do this book justice. This book is one of the best twisty-turny psychological thrillers Ive ever read. Pure genius and you won't see half of it coming until it slaps you across the face.
The plot sizzles. It's electrifying and intriguing. A woman in a coma. Secrets. A past that impacts the present. Loyalties. Dysfunctional, damaged and screwed up characters that I loved to love then loved to despise. I thought this book was good from the start but by the ending it propelled into the brilliance category.
This makes The Girl on the Train looks like child's play. This novel messed with my head. I may be recovering for quite some time. Everything just works.
Plot. Characters. Reveals. Twists. Prose. Everything is 5 star in this one. If they don't make a movie about this book I'll be starting a personal petition to do so. Absolutely brilliant, entertaining and clever fiction!
This is one talented author. Oh yes indeed. If you love a good twist you will adore this book. I recommend it to everyone. Anyone that reads books. I was honestly stunned at the end of the book. You know those moments? What the..? Holy flak Batman!
I'm revealing nothing. I'll be annoyed at any review that drops in spoilers for this one. The less you know the better. I couldn't put it down and it left me wanting for more. More of the story. More from this author. Alice Feeney take a bow.
Don't miss this one. Let it take you on it's journey to mess with your head and emotions. Just when you think you've got it all worked out...I bet you don't. Sublime!
Thanks so much for reading my review of this book. Join me as a friend or follower and feel free to browse my shelves for your next great book! I love to connect with other readers.
May 3, 2018
FOUR STARS
This book is best read quickly. Perfect for a plane or train ride. There is a flow to the lies, the twists and the plot. The twists intensify and once you think you have it figured out....you sure as hell don't.
The addictive writing is very nicely done and the author presents the most unreliable narrator in recent memory: Amber Reynolds. The plot is compelling and tense, it reminds me of one of my old favorites Before I Go to Sleep.
However, I didn't love the ending and I wish to the high heavens the characters were more complex and illuminated. I'm so done with superficial, twisty for twists' sake and I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THAT!!! 😢
There are plenty of books that offer much more in the way of characterization and believable plot twists. The Flight Attendant, Unraveling Oliver, Sharp Objects The Kind Worth Killing to name a few.
I would absolutely recommend SOMETIMES I LIE for a quick, entertaining read! Just know that you’re getting a little guilty pleasure without a lasting payoff🙈
This book is best read quickly. Perfect for a plane or train ride. There is a flow to the lies, the twists and the plot. The twists intensify and once you think you have it figured out....you sure as hell don't.
The addictive writing is very nicely done and the author presents the most unreliable narrator in recent memory: Amber Reynolds. The plot is compelling and tense, it reminds me of one of my old favorites Before I Go to Sleep.
However, I didn't love the ending and I wish to the high heavens the characters were more complex and illuminated. I'm so done with superficial, twisty for twists' sake and I CAN'T BELIEVE I'M SAYING THAT!!! 😢
There are plenty of books that offer much more in the way of characterization and believable plot twists. The Flight Attendant, Unraveling Oliver, Sharp Objects The Kind Worth Killing to name a few.
I would absolutely recommend SOMETIMES I LIE for a quick, entertaining read! Just know that you’re getting a little guilty pleasure without a lasting payoff🙈
March 14, 2018
For a good portion of this novel, I couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. I will say that I read it over the course of twenty-four hours because I COULD NOT STOP reading it, so that’s certainly something.
Amber Reynolds tells her story from her hospital bed where she’s in a coma. She can hear the voices of nurses, her husband, and her sister, but she can’t react to them in any way. She shares her tale of what happened in the few days leading up to the coma and in the past.
Because she has partial amnesia and is high on drugs, she makes for the ultimate unreliable narrator so you can’t figure out what is real and what is scrambled. Once you make it to the end and all the deceptions are unraveled, it makes for an extremely satisfying story.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, which will be RELEASED MARCH 13, 2018.
For more of my reviews, please visit: http://www.theresaalan.net/blog
Amber Reynolds tells her story from her hospital bed where she’s in a coma. She can hear the voices of nurses, her husband, and her sister, but she can’t react to them in any way. She shares her tale of what happened in the few days leading up to the coma and in the past.
Because she has partial amnesia and is high on drugs, she makes for the ultimate unreliable narrator so you can’t figure out what is real and what is scrambled. Once you make it to the end and all the deceptions are unraveled, it makes for an extremely satisfying story.
Thanks so much to NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book, which will be RELEASED MARCH 13, 2018.
For more of my reviews, please visit: http://www.theresaalan.net/blog
April 20, 2018
A main character who is in a coma and sometimes lies. I'm all in!
Quite a spellbinding read from start to finish. We are not sure how Amber ended up in the hospital in this coma , but she does admit that sometimes she lies. This was like a puzzle and I was trying to put the pieces together, but couldn't entirely trust all the pieces. Very cleverly written and I loved hearing what Amber was thinking while in this coma sizing up everyone in the room and giving us her insight. There was so much going on, I had to hold my breath too keep up.
The narrative switches from Now (in coma) to Then (before the coma). I loved trying to figure out what the lies were and who to trust. It is super twisty and just when you think you have it figured out another twist flies your way. A fast read for me because I needed to find out what was going on.
The ending was my favorite part because it leaves you questioning yourself and if you perhaps missed anything. I have a theory, but I am still questioning myself. Just read it and see what you think .
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron books for my copy.
Quite a spellbinding read from start to finish. We are not sure how Amber ended up in the hospital in this coma , but she does admit that sometimes she lies. This was like a puzzle and I was trying to put the pieces together, but couldn't entirely trust all the pieces. Very cleverly written and I loved hearing what Amber was thinking while in this coma sizing up everyone in the room and giving us her insight. There was so much going on, I had to hold my breath too keep up.
The narrative switches from Now (in coma) to Then (before the coma). I loved trying to figure out what the lies were and who to trust. It is super twisty and just when you think you have it figured out another twist flies your way. A fast read for me because I needed to find out what was going on.
The ending was my favorite part because it leaves you questioning yourself and if you perhaps missed anything. I have a theory, but I am still questioning myself. Just read it and see what you think .
Thanks to NetGalley and Flatiron books for my copy.
January 8, 2018
Here’s the thing about hyped books: some people read it and rave, the reviews spread like wildfire and you get your hopes up for some false promise of something out of this world only to be inevitably let down. I get it, it’s happened to me too. But please, reader, *try* to go into this one with an open mind and no preconceived notions and just enjoy the ride. Because it is quite a ride to enjoy.
So this isn’t really a review but more of a recommendation😆 read it, enjoy it, and let me know what you think after you have here👇
Traveling sisters group read, review to come when everyone is finished😊
So this isn’t really a review but more of a recommendation😆 read it, enjoy it, and let me know what you think after you have here👇
Traveling sisters group read, review to come when everyone is finished😊
May 26, 2018
Audiobook.....Library Overdrive....read by Stephanie Racine
I was itching to throw in the towel. I got fidgety - bored - and confused- but kept listening because of the many “FANTASTIC, UNPREDICTABLE & GREAT READ”, high ratings.
I waited - and waited ( soaking in my pool was nice) - for a SPARK of genuine interest to kick in. It picked up a little - but overall this story gave me brain pain!
A woman in a coma — with all her shticks - and self pity whining - read by a reader with an uninteresting English accent - made me more agitated than curious.
Silly Sally ending!
Thumbs down from this girl.
I was itching to throw in the towel. I got fidgety - bored - and confused- but kept listening because of the many “FANTASTIC, UNPREDICTABLE & GREAT READ”, high ratings.
I waited - and waited ( soaking in my pool was nice) - for a SPARK of genuine interest to kick in. It picked up a little - but overall this story gave me brain pain!
A woman in a coma — with all her shticks - and self pity whining - read by a reader with an uninteresting English accent - made me more agitated than curious.
Silly Sally ending!
Thumbs down from this girl.
September 29, 2021
I’m so utterly, deliciously confused. Seriously. All my little grey cells are battling to work out the twists and ending of this, and after re-reading and re-listening to the last several chapters three times now, I’m not at all convinced they’ll completely succeed.
You know what?
I DON’T CARE.
Alice Feeney is a freaking genius, and I’d gladly exhaust my brain trying to work out the twists and turns in anything she writes at this point. It blows my mind that this was her debut novel. What a gift this woman has with a turn of phrase too, like these:
“Some people are ghosts before they are dead”
“I tread carefully over a carpet of lies, trying not to disturb them”
Ugh. I love it. Back to the story:
Amber Reynolds is in a coma. She doesn’t know why - all she knows is that, while she lays there helpless, she hears different voices: her husband Paul, sister Claire, nurses, her parents, and another familiar voice, all of whom come and go at different times, and some of whom are making her afraid. Which ones can be trusted? To further complicate things, the book opens with her saying three things about herself - one of which is:
Sometimes I lie.
Whoa. Can she be trusted?
That’s what makes this such a brilliant story - Amber is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and there’s not a single additional character in the story that you feel comfortable trusting either, which kept me off-kilter from beginning to end, never finding sure footing in any of my theories. Feeney swatted them down like pesky flies, one after the other.
The book is divided into chapters as such: Amber in a coma, Amber in the days leading up to it, and her diary entries from when she was 11 or so - each time period offering puzzle pieces of what brought her to this point, but all of them keeping the picture obscured and indiscernible until it comes into full view in the final chapters.
Seriously … if you love big twists and a book that’ll make you think, this is good stuff! The narration by Stephanie Racine was even more enthralling than her work in Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors, which I just read and enjoyed. She nailed every voice - even the male ones, and she creeped the hell out of me with her singing of the nursery rhymes. Don’t ask … just go get this on audio and find out for yourself. It’ll be worth it!
★★★★★ ❤
You know what?
I DON’T CARE.
Alice Feeney is a freaking genius, and I’d gladly exhaust my brain trying to work out the twists and turns in anything she writes at this point. It blows my mind that this was her debut novel. What a gift this woman has with a turn of phrase too, like these:
“Some people are ghosts before they are dead”
“I tread carefully over a carpet of lies, trying not to disturb them”
Ugh. I love it. Back to the story:
Amber Reynolds is in a coma. She doesn’t know why - all she knows is that, while she lays there helpless, she hears different voices: her husband Paul, sister Claire, nurses, her parents, and another familiar voice, all of whom come and go at different times, and some of whom are making her afraid. Which ones can be trusted? To further complicate things, the book opens with her saying three things about herself - one of which is:
Sometimes I lie.
Whoa. Can she be trusted?
That’s what makes this such a brilliant story - Amber is the ultimate unreliable narrator, and there’s not a single additional character in the story that you feel comfortable trusting either, which kept me off-kilter from beginning to end, never finding sure footing in any of my theories. Feeney swatted them down like pesky flies, one after the other.
The book is divided into chapters as such: Amber in a coma, Amber in the days leading up to it, and her diary entries from when she was 11 or so - each time period offering puzzle pieces of what brought her to this point, but all of them keeping the picture obscured and indiscernible until it comes into full view in the final chapters.
Seriously … if you love big twists and a book that’ll make you think, this is good stuff! The narration by Stephanie Racine was even more enthralling than her work in Feeney’s Rock Paper Scissors, which I just read and enjoyed. She nailed every voice - even the male ones, and she creeped the hell out of me with her singing of the nursery rhymes. Don’t ask … just go get this on audio and find out for yourself. It’ll be worth it!
★★★★★ ❤
May 22, 2020
finally finished a book this month but at what cost
(this had my least favorite trope so it was a no for me)
(this had my least favorite trope so it was a no for me)
April 15, 2018
Review was originally published on Through the Chapters|Blog
*4.5 stars*
Sometimes I lie because I have to. Sometimes I lie because I need to. Sometimes I lie because I want to.
We all lie for multiple reasons. Sometimes the lies are harmless or even essential to heal the ones we love. But, there are some other types of lies that destroy families, careers and lives.
You may wonder which type of liar is the main protagonist of the captivating psychological thriller “Sometimes I Lie”. Well, you have to read the book to find out. #sorrynotsorry
Provided that, let’s stay a little bit on the plot. Amber Reynolds is in comma. She doesn’t remember what happened to her in the past 24 hours. She can’t move, speak or even breathe on her own. The only thing that she is still able to do is to listen what is going on around her. The narrative switches between “Now” where Amber attempts to figure out what led her to comma; “Then” a short period of time prior the accident; and “Before” where the readers are able to track her childhood through the entries of some diaries.
The most compelling evidence of the novel is the introduction. Amber confesses that she lies; we know that we have to do with an unreliable narration. Nevertheless, we also know that she has a partial amnesia, she is under drugs and thus, it is a real struggle to comprehend where the illusion ends and where the truth starts.
On the one hand, I caught myself multiple times considering that I’m into a mind of a psychopath. On the other hand, I could trust no one since they all gave me vibes of sociopath. As a result, after a certain point I gave up attempting to conceive a reasonable explanation. I just dissolved into the narrative.
There were some lines that drove me completely insane as I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was like being into a dream.
And then came the reveals and the twists and I was completely mind blown. I was like that:
And then like that:
And at the end I was completely demented as the story came to the end and I have been left with so many questions.
Feeney plays with our minds skillfully through her well plotted, addictive, awe-inspiring, and creepy story. She is not afraid to sketch her characters by giving them the freedom to get lost into illusions and mind traps and at the same time to find their way back to the reality and truth in order to declare that:
So, I’m asking you that:
*4.5 stars*
"Sometimes the right thing to do is wrong, but that’s just life."
Sometimes I lie because I have to. Sometimes I lie because I need to. Sometimes I lie because I want to.
We all lie for multiple reasons. Sometimes the lies are harmless or even essential to heal the ones we love. But, there are some other types of lies that destroy families, careers and lives.
You may wonder which type of liar is the main protagonist of the captivating psychological thriller “Sometimes I Lie”. Well, you have to read the book to find out. #sorrynotsorry
Provided that, let’s stay a little bit on the plot. Amber Reynolds is in comma. She doesn’t remember what happened to her in the past 24 hours. She can’t move, speak or even breathe on her own. The only thing that she is still able to do is to listen what is going on around her. The narrative switches between “Now” where Amber attempts to figure out what led her to comma; “Then” a short period of time prior the accident; and “Before” where the readers are able to track her childhood through the entries of some diaries.
The most compelling evidence of the novel is the introduction. Amber confesses that she lies; we know that we have to do with an unreliable narration. Nevertheless, we also know that she has a partial amnesia, she is under drugs and thus, it is a real struggle to comprehend where the illusion ends and where the truth starts.
On the one hand, I caught myself multiple times considering that I’m into a mind of a psychopath. On the other hand, I could trust no one since they all gave me vibes of sociopath. As a result, after a certain point I gave up attempting to conceive a reasonable explanation. I just dissolved into the narrative.
There were some lines that drove me completely insane as I couldn’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. It was like being into a dream.
"…but nightmares are dreams too…"
And then came the reveals and the twists and I was completely mind blown. I was like that:
And then like that:
And at the end I was completely demented as the story came to the end and I have been left with so many questions.
"… X told me to do it…"
Feeney plays with our minds skillfully through her well plotted, addictive, awe-inspiring, and creepy story. She is not afraid to sketch her characters by giving them the freedom to get lost into illusions and mind traps and at the same time to find their way back to the reality and truth in order to declare that:
"The thing about the truth is that it sucks."
So, I’m asking you that:
How often do you lie?
May 25, 2023
**4.5-stars**
Waking in a hospital bed, Amber Reynolds quickly realizes she cannot move, cannot speak, cannot even open her eyes.
She can hear everything going on around her, but has no way to make her consciousness known.
She can let the Reader know three things, however: 1. Her name is Amber Reynolds, 2. Her husband doesn't love her anymore, and 3. Sometimes she lies.
Somtimes I Lie is a taut-Psychological Thriller that kept me entranced from beginning to end. This was Alice Feeney's debut novel. Stunning.
First, I can't believe it took me this long to pick it up. Second, I can definitely see why there has been buzz about Feeney from the very start. This was such a well-executed debut.
The narrative is broken into three perspectives: Amber's thoughts whilst in her coma, her remembrances of the events leading up to the accident that put her in the hospital, and diary entries from 1992.
Along the way, you meet the various players in Amber's life: her husband, sister, an ex-boyfriend, work colleagues, etc. No matter how many people I met, or how much information I seemed to be getting, it took a long time for the fog to begin to clear.
The portions where Amber is in her coma are genuinely terrifying. Just the thought of being in her shoes in those moments, it made me feel claustrophobic.
Additionally, her memories seem so muddled. I felt like I was squinting trying to see past the hazy details. It reminded me of watching a movie where the scenes are mostly dark and your just trying to see what's there.
The pace continued to increase, as well as the intensity, as more and more about Amber's past is revealed. There were some truly shocking moments.
I listened to this audiobook while traveling over Christmas holiday and honestly, I don't think I could have chosen a better way to pass the time. It was fantastic.
I was so pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this story is actually set during Christmas time. That small detail just gave it a little something extra that I needed during my long and slightly stressful journey!
A little boost, if you will.
I'm so glad I took the time to pick this one up. If you haven't picked it upvyet and have been enjoying Feeney's newer releases, like I have, you should definitely give this one a shot.
I highly recommend it, particularly the audiobook!
Waking in a hospital bed, Amber Reynolds quickly realizes she cannot move, cannot speak, cannot even open her eyes.
She can hear everything going on around her, but has no way to make her consciousness known.
She can let the Reader know three things, however: 1. Her name is Amber Reynolds, 2. Her husband doesn't love her anymore, and 3. Sometimes she lies.
Somtimes I Lie is a taut-Psychological Thriller that kept me entranced from beginning to end. This was Alice Feeney's debut novel. Stunning.
First, I can't believe it took me this long to pick it up. Second, I can definitely see why there has been buzz about Feeney from the very start. This was such a well-executed debut.
The narrative is broken into three perspectives: Amber's thoughts whilst in her coma, her remembrances of the events leading up to the accident that put her in the hospital, and diary entries from 1992.
Along the way, you meet the various players in Amber's life: her husband, sister, an ex-boyfriend, work colleagues, etc. No matter how many people I met, or how much information I seemed to be getting, it took a long time for the fog to begin to clear.
The portions where Amber is in her coma are genuinely terrifying. Just the thought of being in her shoes in those moments, it made me feel claustrophobic.
Additionally, her memories seem so muddled. I felt like I was squinting trying to see past the hazy details. It reminded me of watching a movie where the scenes are mostly dark and your just trying to see what's there.
The pace continued to increase, as well as the intensity, as more and more about Amber's past is revealed. There were some truly shocking moments.
I listened to this audiobook while traveling over Christmas holiday and honestly, I don't think I could have chosen a better way to pass the time. It was fantastic.
I was so pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this story is actually set during Christmas time. That small detail just gave it a little something extra that I needed during my long and slightly stressful journey!
A little boost, if you will.
I'm so glad I took the time to pick this one up. If you haven't picked it upvyet and have been enjoying Feeney's newer releases, like I have, you should definitely give this one a shot.
I highly recommend it, particularly the audiobook!
March 28, 2018
2.5 ⭐️. This is a review of the audio version. I know that I’m in the very minority but this was just too crazy. I found the first half of the book very creepy. It almost read a bit like horror for me. Maybe that’s because I hate hospitals. I’m not sure. Then came a point in which the book took on massive twists and soooooo many twists. The last couple hours of audio were over the top in my opinion. Too many outrageous twists!!! It was like Gone Girl on steroids. Maybe I just read it wrong because most people loved the book.
Definitely give it a try if you enjoy psychology thrillers. The narration was fantastic by the way.
Definitely give it a try if you enjoy psychology thrillers. The narration was fantastic by the way.
December 22, 2017
I swallowed this book in two, big gulps!
The book starts with Amber waking up in a hospital unable to move but able to listen and smell everything around her. She's in a coma!
She can't remember how she ended up there but little by little she starts reconstructing the events from the conversations of her visitors and memories. Amber suspects her husband and maybe her sister but is not sure...
This was an excellent psychological thriller! The story alternates between the present and the past. It takes place in England and is intriguing and fast-paced. There are elements of dysfunctional relationships and you must read this book carefully, if you blink you may miss very important details.
I can't say much about the book without entering into spoilers but overall I enjoyed it and recommend it to all readers of thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.
The book starts with Amber waking up in a hospital unable to move but able to listen and smell everything around her. She's in a coma!
She can't remember how she ended up there but little by little she starts reconstructing the events from the conversations of her visitors and memories. Amber suspects her husband and maybe her sister but is not sure...
This was an excellent psychological thriller! The story alternates between the present and the past. It takes place in England and is intriguing and fast-paced. There are elements of dysfunctional relationships and you must read this book carefully, if you blink you may miss very important details.
I can't say much about the book without entering into spoilers but overall I enjoyed it and recommend it to all readers of thrillers.
Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for providing me with a copy of this publication in exchange for an honest review.
January 12, 2018
From the title alone, one knows they will more than likely be dealing with an unreliable narrator. Not to believe everything you are reading, and not to even try to figure out where this is going. Despite knowing this going in, this novel still made my head spin. I began to doubt everything I was being told, or most of it, and honestly couldn't figure out where this was going. I liked that, it has been a very long time since I have read a novel quite this psychologically twisty.
The chapters alternate with Amber, now in a coma, but able to think but not move or reach out, with chapters from before, detailing what happened, and journal entries of a young girl. Creepy too, since Amber is my eldest daughters name. Does anyone remember the bad seed? For the longest time couldn't quite figure out what the journal had to do with anything, but as with most everything else in this novel, the author reveals exactly when the author wants to reveal. Unlikable characters? You bet! Didn't matter though, was too caught up in the story.
It was nice to read a thriller where I could just go with the flow, just follow along. Not that I had much choice since I could never quite figure out what was going on. Well, some things were obvious and as they appeared but the ending, in my estimation very, very well done. With a cliffhanger to boot.
This was another sisters read that made for a great discussion.
ARC from Netgalley.
The chapters alternate with Amber, now in a coma, but able to think but not move or reach out, with chapters from before, detailing what happened, and journal entries of a young girl. Creepy too, since Amber is my eldest daughters name. Does anyone remember the bad seed? For the longest time couldn't quite figure out what the journal had to do with anything, but as with most everything else in this novel, the author reveals exactly when the author wants to reveal. Unlikable characters? You bet! Didn't matter though, was too caught up in the story.
It was nice to read a thriller where I could just go with the flow, just follow along. Not that I had much choice since I could never quite figure out what was going on. Well, some things were obvious and as they appeared but the ending, in my estimation very, very well done. With a cliffhanger to boot.
This was another sisters read that made for a great discussion.
ARC from Netgalley.
March 21, 2018
Believe me........
Not all the chess pieces have been placed on this gameboard.
Alice Feeney creates a storyline with a "dig and delve" theme here. Prepare yourself for the task of sifting through, chapter by chapter, of what is really real and what is really not.
Case in point: Amber Reynolds wakes up in a hospital bed in which she can hear the voices around her, but she cannot react in a physical manner. Our girl is in what's perceived to be a deep coma. She identifies the hospital routine and workers by their perfumes, tobacco use, etc. Amber still doesn't know why she is here until the pieces slowly start to fit together. She recognizes her husband's and her sister's presence. What role did they play in all this?
While Sometimes I Lie is an intense psychological freefall into the great unknown, it did have some questionable sequences in its construct for me. I think that we lovers of mystery/thrillers have just about had our fill of the over-use of "Then and Now" along the lines of every story in the past few years. This one also implements diary inserts from 1992. Admittedly, this was the only way to keep our finger on the pulse of Amber through the past years to the present situation. But, seriously, this can be exhausting for the reader along with an unreliable narrator. The lies do begin to stick to your socks like chunks of sticky velcro.
Feeney ratchets up the ending to a frenzy of unbelievable events......a sort of Ninja mixer on high speed drowning everything out. Sometimes I Lie has garnered many 5-star reviews. You have to go into this one without any outside influences and details. See for yourself if there's a final checkmate on this multi-tiered gameboard for yourself.
Not all the chess pieces have been placed on this gameboard.
Alice Feeney creates a storyline with a "dig and delve" theme here. Prepare yourself for the task of sifting through, chapter by chapter, of what is really real and what is really not.
Case in point: Amber Reynolds wakes up in a hospital bed in which she can hear the voices around her, but she cannot react in a physical manner. Our girl is in what's perceived to be a deep coma. She identifies the hospital routine and workers by their perfumes, tobacco use, etc. Amber still doesn't know why she is here until the pieces slowly start to fit together. She recognizes her husband's and her sister's presence. What role did they play in all this?
While Sometimes I Lie is an intense psychological freefall into the great unknown, it did have some questionable sequences in its construct for me. I think that we lovers of mystery/thrillers have just about had our fill of the over-use of "Then and Now" along the lines of every story in the past few years. This one also implements diary inserts from 1992. Admittedly, this was the only way to keep our finger on the pulse of Amber through the past years to the present situation. But, seriously, this can be exhausting for the reader along with an unreliable narrator. The lies do begin to stick to your socks like chunks of sticky velcro.
Feeney ratchets up the ending to a frenzy of unbelievable events......a sort of Ninja mixer on high speed drowning everything out. Sometimes I Lie has garnered many 5-star reviews. You have to go into this one without any outside influences and details. See for yourself if there's a final checkmate on this multi-tiered gameboard for yourself.
March 12, 2023
Feeney is an excellent writer - her prose is top notch, creative and powerful without straying into purple.
I had a couple of issues with this book but overwhelmingly it was a positive reaction - I enjoyed reading it.
The story twists, twists, and then twists some more. So if you like your fiction twisty...
The characters are engaging - well, really it's overwhelmingly focused on one person in one point of view so maybe I should say the character is engaging. And the world feels real even though a bare minimum of detail is given, such that American readers will hardly notice it's set in the UK.
Our single point of view spends (and here I will be vague to avoid spoilers) A LOT of time in a coma in the book - possibly all of it. Thus the story is delivered in flashback, dream sequences, and fragmented snatches of overheard conversation.
The title of the book is a clue that not everything we're told is necessarily true. This combined with a confused/fragile mental state means that the picture of her situation that is being slowly assembled for us is subject to change.
I enjoyed the slow reveal and the rapidly changing suspicions. It's all good, artfully done stuff.
My issue is simply that by the end so much is revealed as false and such changes are wrought in the characters and our perception of them that it's hard to have any faith in what we're left with. And so if you were to ask me to tell you what happened I really wouldn't be able to tell you with any conviction - all I could do is tell you where the shifting picture I was observing stopped shifting - and to say that I felt it stopped shifting because we hit the last page in the book rather than we'd finally landed on the truth. Which for me was a little unsatisfying.
However - it's a very entertaining read, very well written, and if it sounds like your thing then it probably is!
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.
I had a couple of issues with this book but overwhelmingly it was a positive reaction - I enjoyed reading it.
The story twists, twists, and then twists some more. So if you like your fiction twisty...
The characters are engaging - well, really it's overwhelmingly focused on one person in one point of view so maybe I should say the character is engaging. And the world feels real even though a bare minimum of detail is given, such that American readers will hardly notice it's set in the UK.
Our single point of view spends (and here I will be vague to avoid spoilers) A LOT of time in a coma in the book - possibly all of it. Thus the story is delivered in flashback, dream sequences, and fragmented snatches of overheard conversation.
The title of the book is a clue that not everything we're told is necessarily true. This combined with a confused/fragile mental state means that the picture of her situation that is being slowly assembled for us is subject to change.
I enjoyed the slow reveal and the rapidly changing suspicions. It's all good, artfully done stuff.
My issue is simply that by the end so much is revealed as false and such changes are wrought in the characters and our perception of them that it's hard to have any faith in what we're left with. And so if you were to ask me to tell you what happened I really wouldn't be able to tell you with any conviction - all I could do is tell you where the shifting picture I was observing stopped shifting - and to say that I felt it stopped shifting because we hit the last page in the book rather than we'd finally landed on the truth. Which for me was a little unsatisfying.
However - it's a very entertaining read, very well written, and if it sounds like your thing then it probably is!
Join my Patreon
Join my 3-emails-a-year newsletter #prizes
.
January 13, 2018
3.5 stars
This was a twisty, creepy, suspenseful story revolving around Amber who is in a coma after an unknown event occurs. The narration switches from Then – Amber before the coma, and Now – Amber while in the coma. It was very interesting to follow Amber’s thoughts as a coma patient who could hear all going on around her, but could not interact. I also enjoyed the journal entry chapters from Amber’s past.
I think my overall enjoyment of this novel was negatively affected by two things. 1) I came down with the flu while reading it. 2) I finished a fantastic thriller right before this book that had similar narration styles. With that being said, I enjoyed this novel, but didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I didn’t like or connect with any of the characters. The storyline was interesting but not outstanding for me. I enjoyed the suspense of trying to figure out exactly how it all would come together in the end, but it didn’t ‘wow’ me. There were a few questions left at the end that left me intrigued to see if there would be a follow up novel.
I read this along with the Traveling Sisters and there was a ton of great discussion! I would recommend this novel because it was enjoyable for me overall and the majority of readers, along with my Traveling Sisters, seem to absolutely love it.
This was a twisty, creepy, suspenseful story revolving around Amber who is in a coma after an unknown event occurs. The narration switches from Then – Amber before the coma, and Now – Amber while in the coma. It was very interesting to follow Amber’s thoughts as a coma patient who could hear all going on around her, but could not interact. I also enjoyed the journal entry chapters from Amber’s past.
I think my overall enjoyment of this novel was negatively affected by two things. 1) I came down with the flu while reading it. 2) I finished a fantastic thriller right before this book that had similar narration styles. With that being said, I enjoyed this novel, but didn’t love it as much as I thought I would. I didn’t like or connect with any of the characters. The storyline was interesting but not outstanding for me. I enjoyed the suspense of trying to figure out exactly how it all would come together in the end, but it didn’t ‘wow’ me. There were a few questions left at the end that left me intrigued to see if there would be a follow up novel.
I read this along with the Traveling Sisters and there was a ton of great discussion! I would recommend this novel because it was enjoyable for me overall and the majority of readers, along with my Traveling Sisters, seem to absolutely love it.
May 25, 2019
Q: The house didn���t explode exactly. (c) I seem to be picking the books with the most unimaginably fucked-up heroes lately. I wonder what it tells about me, my luck, my choices, my preferences, etc? BEWARE OF SPOILERS!
Q: People are not mirrors, they don’t see you how you see yourself. (c) Poignant and engrossing to the point of obsession. Unputdownable and read in a single sitting.
Q: I’ll always remember what she said then.
I’m always going to look after you, Amber Taylor, take my hand.
I always did what Claire told me, I still do. (c)
Q:
She didn’t say a word, just held my hand too tight and stared up at the house smiling. (c)
Q:
Claire is the kind of person who sees what they want to instead of what’s actually there. (c) Imaginary friends, imaginary career, imaginary life... Obsessions! Lies, OCD and psychopathy. Q: Terrible twins. (c) A beautiful rollercoaster of a novel. Incredibly fucked-up (anti)heroes, however the hell they got that way!
The half- office dynamics of this gal is FABULOUS. And not in a good way. I wouldn't have been surprised if the others just decided to off her at some point. Actually, no office, no job ever is worth all that back-stabbing. And of THAT quality: the fucked-up TV interview, laxatives in the coffee, Twitter rumours, envelopes with threats... And something else disguised along the way... Something that would be a major spoiler...
On the other thought, this freakishly twisted plot can't humanly be spoiled. So I can as well knock myself out posting my fav quotes. No one will be able to decifer anything before reading the whole thing, anyway.
Q:
Madeline, however, is not feeling at all well. She’s been waddling back and forth to the toilets throughout the morning and is covered in sweat. She thinks it must be food poisoning. I think it is far more likely to be the laxatives I put in her coffee just before we went on air. (с) Best coworker ever! (c) That's uh, way too gross.
Q:
She wasn’t happy about the tank being almost empty and informed me that she wouldn’t have time before work the following day. She assumed I’d be upset about her demands, so I arranged my face to fit her expectations but secretly I was rather pleased with myself. It meant that the mouthful of petrol I’d endured in the staff car park when I syphoned her tank earlier that morning had not been in vain. (c)
Q:
There is only one person inside, I’m sure of it. ... A person who will not be missed. (c)
Q:
A lot of people would think I have a dream job, but nightmares are dreams too. (с)
Q:
I’ve always delighted in the free fall between sleep and wakefulness. Those precious few semi-conscious seconds before you open your eyes, when you catch yourself believing that your dreams might just be your reality. A moment of intense pleasure or pain, before your senses reboot and inform you who and where and what you are. For now, for just a second longer, I’m enjoying the self-medicated delusion that permits me to imagine that I could be anyone, I could be anywhere, I could be loved. (c)
Q:
On the outside, I am nobody and I have no name. (c)
Q:
Surrounded by piles of books, old scripts and empty mugs, they tap away on their keyboards as though their cats’ lives depend on it. (c)
Q:
Until then, I am existing in an infinite space where delusion is married to reality. That is all I am doing right now, existing and waiting, for what, I do not know. I’ve been returned to my factory settings as a human being, rather than a human doing. (c)
Q:
I’m nothing special, I’m not like her. I’m more of a shadow really. A dirty little smudge. (c)
Q:
Although I am frightened, some primal instinct tells me that I will get through this. I will be OK, because I have to be. And because I always am. (c)
Q:
Despite my internal cries, on the outside I am voiceless and perfectly still. (c)
Q:
‘Drama really follows you like a shadow, doesn’t it?’
‘I’m fucked, aren’t I?’ (c)
Q:
Nana always said that books made better friends than people anyway. Books will take you anywhere if you let them, she used to say, and I think she was right. (c)
Q:
Nothing happens by accident. (c)
Q:
She looks tired and there is a sadness behind her eyes that makes me want to save her. (c)
Q:
Being popular isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, people expect too much from you. Far better to blend in with the crowd, that way, when you do shine, people notice. (c)
Q:
The dead are not so very far away when you really need them; they’re just on the other side of an invisible wall. Grief is only ever yours and so is guilt. It’s not something you can share. (c)
Q:
I thought today was a victory, but now it feels like I’ve been playing the wrong game. (с)
Q:
She said Jo was really good at going to new places and meeting new people, that she was brilliant at listening and keeping secrets. (c)
Q:
Some people are ghosts before they are dead. (c)
Q:
History is a mirror and we’re all just older versions of ourselves; children disguised as adults. (c)
Q:
She gave up on Claire as well as life in the end and it made me realise that people who do nothing are just as dangerous as those who do. (c)
Q:
She said she killed them for me. She said she thought it was what I wanted, so that we could stay together, so that she could keep me safe. (c)
Q:
When Claire chooses to love you, it’s forever. (c)
Q:
I told them I was one of the doctors here and they believed me. But then you believed me too, didn’t you? (c)
Q:
‘Did you never wonder why he stopped harassing you in the end?’ ...
‘What did you do?’ I ask. ...
‘Not much. I wrote some letters, that’s all. It’s a shame people don’t write to one another any more, don’t you think?’ ...
‘I wrote some letters to the head of the medical school from women who wanted to complain about his conduct. Your ex. I wrote them all on different paper, using different handwriting. It was really very clever.’ She smiles. ‘Then I rang him from a payphone and said the letters would only stop if he left you alone.’ Her smile erupts into laughter. ... I’m only telling you in case you happen to “bump” into him again. I wouldn’t advise it.’ ...
‘Because I think I might have said the letters were from you.’ (c) And this is what happens when your family goes rampant.
Q:
‘She’ll kill you.’
He laughs. He doesn’t understand that I’m not joking. She won’t let anyone take me away from her, she never has. She’s done terrible things to people over the years – friends, colleagues, lovers, none of them good enough for me in her estimation. She thought I needed saving from every single one. I thought once the twins were born, once she had a family of her own, things might change, but they didn’t, she held on more tightly than ever before. I think she was even a little bit pleased when I couldn’t get pregnant, worried that my love for a child would somehow diminish my love for her. It was different with Paul, the celebrity author. She decided he was good for me and she was delighted when he was happy to live less than a mile away. It was like a test – he passed because he didn’t try to take me away from her. But now he’s failed. (C) And even more so!
Q:
‘David is upstairs. He passed out not long after you and your husband left,’ she says, reading my mind. My husband, not Paul any more. She’s already disassociating herself from the person she has identified as a problem. Her eyes are dark, cold. I can see that she’s already gone to that place inside herself that scares me so much. (c) Rationalizing before the strike.
Q:
‘I’ll take your silence as a no. What a shame. But then it’s hard to make people better when you’re not really a doctor. And it’s hard to be a doctor when some silly little bitch sabotages your career by sending bullshit letters.’ (c)
Q:
It feels like I’ve reached a full stop and there is nothing after it. (c)
Q:
It’s a life I should have left behind by now, but something has always stopped me from moving on. Fear of the unknown is always greater than fear of the familiar. (c)
Q:
We became independent states with liquid borders ... It was like having a front row seat for a slow suicide. (c)
Q:
Edward tried to kill me, I’m sure of that, but I’m still alive. I suppose it must be hard to kill something that’s already dead. (c)
Q:
She has dreams about the fire all the time and wakes up screaming. It’s really annoying. Sometimes she just can’t sleep at all. I sing her the song that Nana used to sing me when I couldn’t sleep: The wheels on the bus go round and round. I’m not sure it helps. ... She said she’d tell on me, but she won’t. I told her what would happen if she did. (c) Psycho!
Q:
Beth left me alone in the room and told me to play with some toys. I didn’t want to, I’m not a child, but she said I should then left. I knew she was watching me through the mirror, I’ve seen the films where they do that, so I got up and walked over to the toy box. There was a doll inside, it looked expensive, not like the plastic stuff. I sat her on my lap and told her how sad I was about my mum and dad and how grateful I was that Taylor’s parents had been so kind to me. Then I said a little prayer; I even said ‘Amen’ at the end because I thought Beth would be the sort of person who would like that. She did. She came back in and said I could go, she even said I could take the doll with me, For being so brave. I decided I’d give it to Taylor. Tell her the doll was watching her, even when I wasn’t. I liked that idea a lot, it made me smile and that made Beth smile because she thought she had made me happy.
I’m not stupid, I knew what I had to do. I started crying in my room that night, just loud enough for Taylor’s mum to hear me. She opened the door without knocking, but I didn’t mind because it’s a different door in a different house and she is a different mum. She tucked me back into bed properly, the way Nana used to and then she sat with me and stroked my hair for a while. She was wearing a white robe and she had taken her make-up off, but she still looked beautiful and smelt of that pink shower gel she uses. When I grow up I want to be just like her. I told her I was scared of going to live with strangers and cried a bit more. She told me I mustn’t worry and kissed me on the forehead before leaving the room and turning out the light. I heard them talking for hours after that, not shouting like my mum and dad used to, just talking quietly in the same bedroom as each other, like a proper married couple. The next day I saw the fostering paperwork on the dining-room table, so things really have worked out for the best. (c) Otherworldly.
Q:
The world seemed so fast, so loud and so real. Perhaps it was always that way and I just never really noticed before. It took a while to adjust, to process it all. ... There was a bunch of dead flowers by the tree. Someone kind must have thought that I died that night. I think a version of me did. (c)
Q:
People think that good and bad are opposites but they’re wrong, they’re just a mirror image of one another in broken glass. (c)
Q:
He fills our glasses and I realise I am happy. Things are so much better between us now. Back to how they used to be. This is all I ever wanted. I am in paradise with my family and this is what happiness feels like. I’m not sure I have ever truly known it before. (c)
Q:
We are all made of flesh and stars, but we all become dust in the end. Best to shine while you can. (c) Amen.
And the final twist. Seriously? Are we going to have a twisty-tangly #2?
Q: People are not mirrors, they don’t see you how you see yourself. (c) Poignant and engrossing to the point of obsession. Unputdownable and read in a single sitting.
Q: I’ll always remember what she said then.
I’m always going to look after you, Amber Taylor, take my hand.
I always did what Claire told me, I still do. (c)
Q:
She didn’t say a word, just held my hand too tight and stared up at the house smiling. (c)
Q:
Claire is the kind of person who sees what they want to instead of what’s actually there. (c) Imaginary friends, imaginary career, imaginary life... Obsessions! Lies, OCD and psychopathy. Q: Terrible twins. (c) A beautiful rollercoaster of a novel. Incredibly fucked-up (anti)heroes, however the hell they got that way!
The half- office dynamics of this gal is FABULOUS. And not in a good way. I wouldn't have been surprised if the others just decided to off her at some point. Actually, no office, no job ever is worth all that back-stabbing. And of THAT quality: the fucked-up TV interview, laxatives in the coffee, Twitter rumours, envelopes with threats... And something else disguised along the way... Something that would be a major spoiler...
On the other thought, this freakishly twisted plot can't humanly be spoiled. So I can as well knock myself out posting my fav quotes. No one will be able to decifer anything before reading the whole thing, anyway.
Q:
Madeline, however, is not feeling at all well. She’s been waddling back and forth to the toilets throughout the morning and is covered in sweat. She thinks it must be food poisoning. I think it is far more likely to be the laxatives I put in her coffee just before we went on air. (с) Best coworker ever! (c) That's uh, way too gross.
Q:
She wasn’t happy about the tank being almost empty and informed me that she wouldn’t have time before work the following day. She assumed I’d be upset about her demands, so I arranged my face to fit her expectations but secretly I was rather pleased with myself. It meant that the mouthful of petrol I’d endured in the staff car park when I syphoned her tank earlier that morning had not been in vain. (c)
Q:
There is only one person inside, I’m sure of it. ... A person who will not be missed. (c)
Q:
A lot of people would think I have a dream job, but nightmares are dreams too. (с)
Q:
I’ve always delighted in the free fall between sleep and wakefulness. Those precious few semi-conscious seconds before you open your eyes, when you catch yourself believing that your dreams might just be your reality. A moment of intense pleasure or pain, before your senses reboot and inform you who and where and what you are. For now, for just a second longer, I’m enjoying the self-medicated delusion that permits me to imagine that I could be anyone, I could be anywhere, I could be loved. (c)
Q:
On the outside, I am nobody and I have no name. (c)
Q:
Surrounded by piles of books, old scripts and empty mugs, they tap away on their keyboards as though their cats’ lives depend on it. (c)
Q:
Until then, I am existing in an infinite space where delusion is married to reality. That is all I am doing right now, existing and waiting, for what, I do not know. I’ve been returned to my factory settings as a human being, rather than a human doing. (c)
Q:
I’m nothing special, I’m not like her. I’m more of a shadow really. A dirty little smudge. (c)
Q:
Although I am frightened, some primal instinct tells me that I will get through this. I will be OK, because I have to be. And because I always am. (c)
Q:
Despite my internal cries, on the outside I am voiceless and perfectly still. (c)
Q:
‘Drama really follows you like a shadow, doesn’t it?’
‘I’m fucked, aren’t I?’ (c)
Q:
Nana always said that books made better friends than people anyway. Books will take you anywhere if you let them, she used to say, and I think she was right. (c)
Q:
Nothing happens by accident. (c)
Q:
She looks tired and there is a sadness behind her eyes that makes me want to save her. (c)
Q:
Being popular isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, people expect too much from you. Far better to blend in with the crowd, that way, when you do shine, people notice. (c)
Q:
The dead are not so very far away when you really need them; they’re just on the other side of an invisible wall. Grief is only ever yours and so is guilt. It’s not something you can share. (c)
Q:
I thought today was a victory, but now it feels like I’ve been playing the wrong game. (с)
Q:
She said Jo was really good at going to new places and meeting new people, that she was brilliant at listening and keeping secrets. (c)
Q:
Some people are ghosts before they are dead. (c)
Q:
History is a mirror and we’re all just older versions of ourselves; children disguised as adults. (c)
Q:
She gave up on Claire as well as life in the end and it made me realise that people who do nothing are just as dangerous as those who do. (c)
Q:
She said she killed them for me. She said she thought it was what I wanted, so that we could stay together, so that she could keep me safe. (c)
Q:
When Claire chooses to love you, it’s forever. (c)
Q:
I told them I was one of the doctors here and they believed me. But then you believed me too, didn’t you? (c)
Q:
‘Did you never wonder why he stopped harassing you in the end?’ ...
‘What did you do?’ I ask. ...
‘Not much. I wrote some letters, that’s all. It’s a shame people don’t write to one another any more, don’t you think?’ ...
‘I wrote some letters to the head of the medical school from women who wanted to complain about his conduct. Your ex. I wrote them all on different paper, using different handwriting. It was really very clever.’ She smiles. ‘Then I rang him from a payphone and said the letters would only stop if he left you alone.’ Her smile erupts into laughter. ... I’m only telling you in case you happen to “bump” into him again. I wouldn’t advise it.’ ...
‘Because I think I might have said the letters were from you.’ (c) And this is what happens when your family goes rampant.
Q:
‘She’ll kill you.’
He laughs. He doesn’t understand that I’m not joking. She won’t let anyone take me away from her, she never has. She’s done terrible things to people over the years – friends, colleagues, lovers, none of them good enough for me in her estimation. She thought I needed saving from every single one. I thought once the twins were born, once she had a family of her own, things might change, but they didn’t, she held on more tightly than ever before. I think she was even a little bit pleased when I couldn’t get pregnant, worried that my love for a child would somehow diminish my love for her. It was different with Paul, the celebrity author. She decided he was good for me and she was delighted when he was happy to live less than a mile away. It was like a test – he passed because he didn’t try to take me away from her. But now he’s failed. (C) And even more so!
Q:
‘David is upstairs. He passed out not long after you and your husband left,’ she says, reading my mind. My husband, not Paul any more. She’s already disassociating herself from the person she has identified as a problem. Her eyes are dark, cold. I can see that she’s already gone to that place inside herself that scares me so much. (c) Rationalizing before the strike.
Q:
‘I’ll take your silence as a no. What a shame. But then it’s hard to make people better when you’re not really a doctor. And it’s hard to be a doctor when some silly little bitch sabotages your career by sending bullshit letters.’ (c)
Q:
It feels like I’ve reached a full stop and there is nothing after it. (c)
Q:
It’s a life I should have left behind by now, but something has always stopped me from moving on. Fear of the unknown is always greater than fear of the familiar. (c)
Q:
We became independent states with liquid borders ... It was like having a front row seat for a slow suicide. (c)
Q:
Edward tried to kill me, I’m sure of that, but I’m still alive. I suppose it must be hard to kill something that’s already dead. (c)
Q:
She has dreams about the fire all the time and wakes up screaming. It’s really annoying. Sometimes she just can’t sleep at all. I sing her the song that Nana used to sing me when I couldn’t sleep: The wheels on the bus go round and round. I’m not sure it helps. ... She said she’d tell on me, but she won’t. I told her what would happen if she did. (c) Psycho!
Q:
Beth left me alone in the room and told me to play with some toys. I didn’t want to, I’m not a child, but she said I should then left. I knew she was watching me through the mirror, I’ve seen the films where they do that, so I got up and walked over to the toy box. There was a doll inside, it looked expensive, not like the plastic stuff. I sat her on my lap and told her how sad I was about my mum and dad and how grateful I was that Taylor’s parents had been so kind to me. Then I said a little prayer; I even said ‘Amen’ at the end because I thought Beth would be the sort of person who would like that. She did. She came back in and said I could go, she even said I could take the doll with me, For being so brave. I decided I’d give it to Taylor. Tell her the doll was watching her, even when I wasn’t. I liked that idea a lot, it made me smile and that made Beth smile because she thought she had made me happy.
I’m not stupid, I knew what I had to do. I started crying in my room that night, just loud enough for Taylor’s mum to hear me. She opened the door without knocking, but I didn’t mind because it’s a different door in a different house and she is a different mum. She tucked me back into bed properly, the way Nana used to and then she sat with me and stroked my hair for a while. She was wearing a white robe and she had taken her make-up off, but she still looked beautiful and smelt of that pink shower gel she uses. When I grow up I want to be just like her. I told her I was scared of going to live with strangers and cried a bit more. She told me I mustn’t worry and kissed me on the forehead before leaving the room and turning out the light. I heard them talking for hours after that, not shouting like my mum and dad used to, just talking quietly in the same bedroom as each other, like a proper married couple. The next day I saw the fostering paperwork on the dining-room table, so things really have worked out for the best. (c) Otherworldly.
Q:
The world seemed so fast, so loud and so real. Perhaps it was always that way and I just never really noticed before. It took a while to adjust, to process it all. ... There was a bunch of dead flowers by the tree. Someone kind must have thought that I died that night. I think a version of me did. (c)
Q:
People think that good and bad are opposites but they’re wrong, they’re just a mirror image of one another in broken glass. (c)
Q:
He fills our glasses and I realise I am happy. Things are so much better between us now. Back to how they used to be. This is all I ever wanted. I am in paradise with my family and this is what happiness feels like. I’m not sure I have ever truly known it before. (c)
Q:
We are all made of flesh and stars, but we all become dust in the end. Best to shine while you can. (c) Amen.
And the final twist. Seriously? Are we going to have a twisty-tangly #2?
September 27, 2021
Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney is a 2017 HQ publication.
Amber awakens to the horrible discovery that she is in a coma. That doesn’t prevent her from hearing people around her, or from telling the reader about the events leading up to her current predicament.
Meanwhile, her family, and other visitors arrive, speaking as though Amber has no idea what is going on around her...
Except for one visitor, a voice she doesn’t instantly remember or recognize, who speaks directly to her and has made it quite clear they intend to see that she never wakes up…
This is another book that has languished on my list for years. It got stellar ratings, but for some reason it just kept sliding down my list.
Weeding through all those psychological thrillers I had stacked up over the past few years, and trying to decide which ones I should delete, and which ones to keep, has not always been an easy decision- but this one was so well received, and appeared to be somewhat controversial- so I had to see what the fuss was about.
At first, I really couldn’t see why everyone was so impressed with this book. It reads just like a hundred other psychological thrillers.
Granted, there is some originality, but the same plot devices were present and accounted for…
Until…
A very unusual twist knocked me for a loop! Ha! Oh, my goodness- now I see why some folks have read this book multiple times. I’m mighty tempted to do that myself- but I don’t have the time.
Still, I would love to go back over everything again to be sure I grasped the author’s intentions. Reading it in hindsight, looking for hints and seeing everything through a different lens would be fun.
I’m sure there's an array of theories, and this book would make a great book club read- for other no other reason than to toss around various assumptions and interpretations. I had to really think it through for a while before I finally decided I had it all straight and I’m positive others will have drawn a different conclusion.
There is one thing, though, I know with an absolute certainty- I will definitely read this author again!
Overall, I got a little more than I had bargained for! Tackling my TBR is turning out to be great fun!!
Amber awakens to the horrible discovery that she is in a coma. That doesn’t prevent her from hearing people around her, or from telling the reader about the events leading up to her current predicament.
Meanwhile, her family, and other visitors arrive, speaking as though Amber has no idea what is going on around her...
Except for one visitor, a voice she doesn’t instantly remember or recognize, who speaks directly to her and has made it quite clear they intend to see that she never wakes up…
This is another book that has languished on my list for years. It got stellar ratings, but for some reason it just kept sliding down my list.
Weeding through all those psychological thrillers I had stacked up over the past few years, and trying to decide which ones I should delete, and which ones to keep, has not always been an easy decision- but this one was so well received, and appeared to be somewhat controversial- so I had to see what the fuss was about.
At first, I really couldn’t see why everyone was so impressed with this book. It reads just like a hundred other psychological thrillers.
Granted, there is some originality, but the same plot devices were present and accounted for…
Until…
A very unusual twist knocked me for a loop! Ha! Oh, my goodness- now I see why some folks have read this book multiple times. I’m mighty tempted to do that myself- but I don’t have the time.
Still, I would love to go back over everything again to be sure I grasped the author’s intentions. Reading it in hindsight, looking for hints and seeing everything through a different lens would be fun.
I’m sure there's an array of theories, and this book would make a great book club read- for other no other reason than to toss around various assumptions and interpretations. I had to really think it through for a while before I finally decided I had it all straight and I’m positive others will have drawn a different conclusion.
There is one thing, though, I know with an absolute certainty- I will definitely read this author again!
Overall, I got a little more than I had bargained for! Tackling my TBR is turning out to be great fun!!
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