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The Day The Lies Began
'Big Little Lies' meets 'The Party'
“It seemed simple at first – folding one lie over the next. She had become expert at feathering over the cracks to ensure her life appeared the same. But inside, it didn’t feel fixed.”
It happened the day of the Moon Festival. It could have been left behind, they all could have moved on with their lives. But secrets have a habit of rising to the surface, especially in small towns.
Two couples, four ironclad friendships, the perfect coastal holiday town. With salt-stung houses perched like lifeguards overlooking the shore, Lago Point is the scene of postcards, not crime scenes. Wife and mother Abbi, town cop Blake, schoolteacher Hannah and local doctor Will are caught in their own tangled webs of deceit.
When the truth washes in to their beachside community, so do the judgements: victim, or vigilante, who will forgive, who will betray? Not all relationships survive. Nor do all residents.
Sometimes, doing wrong can feel completely right…
“It seemed simple at first – folding one lie over the next. She had become expert at feathering over the cracks to ensure her life appeared the same. But inside, it didn’t feel fixed.”
It happened the day of the Moon Festival. It could have been left behind, they all could have moved on with their lives. But secrets have a habit of rising to the surface, especially in small towns.
Two couples, four ironclad friendships, the perfect coastal holiday town. With salt-stung houses perched like lifeguards overlooking the shore, Lago Point is the scene of postcards, not crime scenes. Wife and mother Abbi, town cop Blake, schoolteacher Hannah and local doctor Will are caught in their own tangled webs of deceit.
When the truth washes in to their beachside community, so do the judgements: victim, or vigilante, who will forgive, who will betray? Not all relationships survive. Nor do all residents.
Sometimes, doing wrong can feel completely right…
370 pages, Paperback
First published August 19, 2019
37 people are currently reading
463 people want to read
About the author
Kylie Kaden
8 books96 followersHi there, and thanks for taking the time to pop by.
Writing is an isolated occupation, so feel free to drop me a line!
Okay, writers make the stuff up, but the stories only come to life when they get let out into the real world. It is the readers that breathe life into characters, and the readers who I hope to connect with. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
find me at: hello@kyliekaden.com.au
(or www.kyliekaden.com.au)
Raised in Queensland, she spent holidays camping with her parents and two brothers at the Sunshine Coast, where much of Losing Kate was set. She now lives in Brisbane with her husband and three young sons. As the only female in a house of males, Kylie tops up her sanity by writing whilst her youngest naps (and the washing mounts). She is adamant the next addition to the Kaden household will be female…and canine.
Kylie graduated with an honours degree in psychology from Queensland University of Technology in 2000, but cites it helps little with meeting the challenges of parenting in the real world. She shares her frazzled parenting experiences in her regular column in My Child magazine, and is a strong advocate for telling it like it is when it comes to the struggles (and joys) of raising kids.
After postgraduate study, Kylie went on to train and manage staff in both the corporate and government arenas, where she met her surfer/lawyer husband at an end-of-year function (at the pub). She wrote her debut novel,Losing Kate whilst on maternity leave from an executive role in the Australian Public Service.
Kylie knew writing was in her blood from a young age, using her brother’s Commodore 64 to invent stories as a child. Her current novel took shape as she drank tea at the kitchen bench, often with a toddler on her lap and ABC Kids chirping in the background.
Kylie considers being a novelist the best job in the world – what other occupation lets you wear Ugg boots to work and make things up for a living?
Losing Kate, a Women’s Contemporary Novel was Kylie's debut (April 2014), published by Random House and later translated internationally. Her second novel, also published by Penguin Random House was the critically acclaimed, Missing You (2015). The Day The Lies Began - a domestic noir (2019) Pantera Press and One Of Us (2022) and After The Smoke Clears (2023).
Writing is an isolated occupation, so feel free to drop me a line!
Okay, writers make the stuff up, but the stories only come to life when they get let out into the real world. It is the readers that breathe life into characters, and the readers who I hope to connect with. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
find me at: hello@kyliekaden.com.au
(or www.kyliekaden.com.au)
Raised in Queensland, she spent holidays camping with her parents and two brothers at the Sunshine Coast, where much of Losing Kate was set. She now lives in Brisbane with her husband and three young sons. As the only female in a house of males, Kylie tops up her sanity by writing whilst her youngest naps (and the washing mounts). She is adamant the next addition to the Kaden household will be female…and canine.
Kylie graduated with an honours degree in psychology from Queensland University of Technology in 2000, but cites it helps little with meeting the challenges of parenting in the real world. She shares her frazzled parenting experiences in her regular column in My Child magazine, and is a strong advocate for telling it like it is when it comes to the struggles (and joys) of raising kids.
After postgraduate study, Kylie went on to train and manage staff in both the corporate and government arenas, where she met her surfer/lawyer husband at an end-of-year function (at the pub). She wrote her debut novel,Losing Kate whilst on maternity leave from an executive role in the Australian Public Service.
Kylie knew writing was in her blood from a young age, using her brother’s Commodore 64 to invent stories as a child. Her current novel took shape as she drank tea at the kitchen bench, often with a toddler on her lap and ABC Kids chirping in the background.
Kylie considers being a novelist the best job in the world – what other occupation lets you wear Ugg boots to work and make things up for a living?
Losing Kate, a Women’s Contemporary Novel was Kylie's debut (April 2014), published by Random House and later translated internationally. Her second novel, also published by Penguin Random House was the critically acclaimed, Missing You (2015). The Day The Lies Began - a domestic noir (2019) Pantera Press and One Of Us (2022) and After The Smoke Clears (2023).
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 120 reviews
August 26, 2019
I started this book, read about thirty pages and put it aside to try again later as I was just not able to get into it. On my second try I managed to get to the bit where the secret was exposed (at last!) and things became a bit more interesting.
There was a pretty good story in there somewhere but it was outweighed by the overwrought characters, most of whom were rather unpleasant. I felt that they all deserved each other and I was not at all involved in their problems.
I read on to the end as I wanted to see what happened. Sadly they all seemed to get away with their awful behaviour so the ending did not really do it for me either.
There was a pretty good story in there somewhere but it was outweighed by the overwrought characters, most of whom were rather unpleasant. I felt that they all deserved each other and I was not at all involved in their problems.
I read on to the end as I wanted to see what happened. Sadly they all seemed to get away with their awful behaviour so the ending did not really do it for me either.
October 11, 2019
No gonna lie, this was a bit of a drainer.
I feel like the story was maybe there but it just went wrong in so many places.
Things that frustrated me:
-Pacing
-Characters
-Lies and secrets
-Explanations
-Lack of action
-Random vulgarity
The story took a long time to gain momentum and then when the big plot point came to light it was handled really badly. Instead of a nice reasonably structured amble towards the conclusion it was just a mess of characters lying and moaning about their lies and then allusions to more lies that were top secret ... I get that it's all about lying but this was really too much, and not nearly clever enough to make all the lying and secrets actually shocking or even interesting.
Also, THESE CHARACTERS ARE SO MESSED UP.
Abbi: The feisty mum who would do anything to protect her family, including manipulate her adopted brother
Blake: The cop with no spine who has an unhealthy affection towards his adopted sister despite being madly in love with his ex, Hannah, who has always treated him like trash
Hannah: The ex of Blake and ex-best-friend of Abbi who constantly sticks her nose and stuck up opinions into everyone else's business. I FKN HATED HANNAH
Will: Abbi's perfect husband who is morally above everyone else and is so perfect and also did I happen to mention that he's perfect? Like, the perfect husband, and father, and friend and, oh yeah, he's just perfect basically.
Molly: Hannah's younger sister who is actually pretty cool but why would we bother learning any of her story when everyone else is doing that exciting lying thing and Molly's arc is seemingly completely unrelated?
So it's like ... Abbi and Blake have secret conversations about 'the forbidden thing' that they did together which basically has you wondering how well you're gonna cope if that turns out to be incest (coz that's definitely what it's trying to hint at). Then the *plot reveal* and everyone is all, 'ooooh who did this thing?' and of course then Abbi and Blake's conversations have more context and there's a slow release of what we're actually trying to solve here and then ... lies. This person was lying about this to this person while that person lied to this person about that ... it becomes less about the actual plot point and more about how everyone has a secret. And, for the most part, these are terrible secrets. It's basically a soap opera. But without the fun drama element and zero tension or build up. There's no atmosphere, no setting the scene, no emotions built. I just did not give a crap. All in all, these are pretty trash secrets and some seemed really pointless?
Also the resolutions were weak and terrible.
NO WORRIES MATE.
I liked the Aussie-relevant references and slang but also felt like it was trying too hard. Also some parts were really crass and vulgar which just felt awkward instead of believable. I just feel like there was so much in this story that didn't need to be there.
It rambled on about secrets and lies far too much and overall felt incredibly messy. I felt nothing for the characters (aside from a strong loathing for Hannah) and the story was so all over the place it made keeping track of things a little difficult. It took me a long time to read it because I honestly just didn't care about what was happening at all.
Also FKN EADIE'S KIDDIE ACCENT WAS THE WORST. She's supposed to have a lisp but she talks like the worst stereotype of a kid EVER. Lots of 'pwease' and 'winbisible' and 'outgrowded' and SWEET CHEESES who taught this kid English? Coz she is absolutely TERRIBLE. Also how the EFF do you turn 'invisible' into 'winbisible' with a friggin LISP? GET OUT.
So yeah I guess the writing kind of annoyed me. It was really terrible.
All in all, a pretty disappointing read. Felt very amateur, so even though I think the idea was there it absolutely tanked on delivery. Hopefully others will appreciate it a little more than me.
With thanks to Netgalley for an uncorrected proof e-copy to read and review.
I feel like the story was maybe there but it just went wrong in so many places.
Things that frustrated me:
-Pacing
-Characters
-Lies and secrets
-Explanations
-Lack of action
-Random vulgarity
The story took a long time to gain momentum and then when the big plot point came to light it was handled really badly. Instead of a nice reasonably structured amble towards the conclusion it was just a mess of characters lying and moaning about their lies and then allusions to more lies that were top secret ... I get that it's all about lying but this was really too much, and not nearly clever enough to make all the lying and secrets actually shocking or even interesting.
Also, THESE CHARACTERS ARE SO MESSED UP.
Abbi: The feisty mum who would do anything to protect her family, including manipulate her adopted brother
Blake: The cop with no spine who has an unhealthy affection towards his adopted sister despite being madly in love with his ex, Hannah, who has always treated him like trash
Hannah: The ex of Blake and ex-best-friend of Abbi who constantly sticks her nose and stuck up opinions into everyone else's business. I FKN HATED HANNAH
Will: Abbi's perfect husband who is morally above everyone else and is so perfect and also did I happen to mention that he's perfect? Like, the perfect husband, and father, and friend and, oh yeah, he's just perfect basically.
Molly: Hannah's younger sister who is actually pretty cool but why would we bother learning any of her story when everyone else is doing that exciting lying thing and Molly's arc is seemingly completely unrelated?
So it's like ... Abbi and Blake have secret conversations about 'the forbidden thing' that they did together which basically has you wondering how well you're gonna cope if that turns out to be incest (coz that's definitely what it's trying to hint at). Then the *plot reveal* and everyone is all, 'ooooh who did this thing?' and of course then Abbi and Blake's conversations have more context and there's a slow release of what we're actually trying to solve here and then ... lies. This person was lying about this to this person while that person lied to this person about that ... it becomes less about the actual plot point and more about how everyone has a secret. And, for the most part, these are terrible secrets. It's basically a soap opera. But without the fun drama element and zero tension or build up. There's no atmosphere, no setting the scene, no emotions built. I just did not give a crap. All in all, these are pretty trash secrets and some seemed really pointless?
Also the resolutions were weak and terrible.
NO WORRIES MATE.
I liked the Aussie-relevant references and slang but also felt like it was trying too hard. Also some parts were really crass and vulgar which just felt awkward instead of believable. I just feel like there was so much in this story that didn't need to be there.
It rambled on about secrets and lies far too much and overall felt incredibly messy. I felt nothing for the characters (aside from a strong loathing for Hannah) and the story was so all over the place it made keeping track of things a little difficult. It took me a long time to read it because I honestly just didn't care about what was happening at all.
Also FKN EADIE'S KIDDIE ACCENT WAS THE WORST. She's supposed to have a lisp but she talks like the worst stereotype of a kid EVER. Lots of 'pwease' and 'winbisible' and 'outgrowded' and SWEET CHEESES who taught this kid English? Coz she is absolutely TERRIBLE. Also how the EFF do you turn 'invisible' into 'winbisible' with a friggin LISP? GET OUT.
So yeah I guess the writing kind of annoyed me. It was really terrible.
All in all, a pretty disappointing read. Felt very amateur, so even though I think the idea was there it absolutely tanked on delivery. Hopefully others will appreciate it a little more than me.
With thanks to Netgalley for an uncorrected proof e-copy to read and review.
August 14, 2019
Abbi and Blake had birthdays on the same day. They weren’t twins; not even siblings – but they were so close that Abbi thought of Blake as her brother. Blake had been fostered by Abbi’s parents and their closeness developed from the beginning of their association. Will, the town’s doctor was Abbi’s husband and he was devoted to her. Their five-year-old daughter, Eadie, was adorable. Hannah was Abbi’s best friend, and she and Blake had had an “on again, off again” relationship for a long time. Blake idolized Hannah, while she wasn’t as keen, but happy enough in his company.
Lago Point was a small coastal town in Australia; Blake was the town policeman. He and Abbi had declared – vowed – never to speak of what had happened. The secrets and lies multiplied; were those secrets destined to be released into the community? What would be the outcome for the four who had found themselves tangled in webs of deceit?
I was really looking forward to reading The Day the Lies Began by Aussie author Kylie Kaden. I’ve read and enjoyed her work in the past, but this one left me cold. The first half of the book was drawn out with no real character development, so my interest struggled. It wasn’t until after the halfway point (and much skimming) that it gained momentum, moving along quickly to the end. I will try Ms Kaden again but can’t recommend this one I’m afraid.
With thanks to Panterra Press and NetGalley for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
Lago Point was a small coastal town in Australia; Blake was the town policeman. He and Abbi had declared – vowed – never to speak of what had happened. The secrets and lies multiplied; were those secrets destined to be released into the community? What would be the outcome for the four who had found themselves tangled in webs of deceit?
I was really looking forward to reading The Day the Lies Began by Aussie author Kylie Kaden. I’ve read and enjoyed her work in the past, but this one left me cold. The first half of the book was drawn out with no real character development, so my interest struggled. It wasn’t until after the halfway point (and much skimming) that it gained momentum, moving along quickly to the end. I will try Ms Kaden again but can’t recommend this one I’m afraid.
With thanks to Panterra Press and NetGalley for my ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.
August 12, 2019
This is one of those stories in which you know right away a few of the characters are hiding some big, dark secret. And as the story progresses you will learn that there are many other characters with stuff to hide as well. Unfortunately, in my opinion it takes too long to get to the point in which everything gets interesting. I don't mind when an author drags out a storyline but the characters need to be well-developed if that's the case. The biggest problem I had with this book is I just didn't feel all that invested in the characters or even the story until past the halfway point. I did however really like the last quarter or so of the book as the story was way more complex than I had anticipated. I feel like the author came up with a good idea for a story but it just needed some more work particularly in the first half. Not a horrible book, but I wouldn't say it's a must read either.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review!
October 29, 2019
*www.onewomansbbr.wordpress.com
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**2.5 stars**
The Day The Lies Began By Kylie Kaden. (2019).
It happened on the day of the Moon Festival. They could have moved on but secrets tend to rise to the surface, especially in small towns. Wife and mother Abbi, town cop Blake, schoolteacher Hannah and local doctor Will are caught up in their own tangled webs of deceit. When the truth washes in, so do the judgements and not all relationships survive.
I really wanted to like this book more but I just didn't end up thinking that much of it. It was OK however I felt like the plot got messy with all the secrets and reveals by the main characters. Most of those secrets didn't end up being that interesting or unexpected as well. The relationships between the main characters were also a bit messy; specifically the relationship between Abbi and Blake was just quite strange and odd to read. The best character in my opinion was Molly and not enough time was spent on her.
This book was definitely readable but as someone who reads a lot of this genre it wouldn't be one I'd really recommend, however if you didn't read a lot of the genre you might enjoy this one.
*www.facebook.com/onewomansbbr
**2.5 stars**
The Day The Lies Began By Kylie Kaden. (2019).
It happened on the day of the Moon Festival. They could have moved on but secrets tend to rise to the surface, especially in small towns. Wife and mother Abbi, town cop Blake, schoolteacher Hannah and local doctor Will are caught up in their own tangled webs of deceit. When the truth washes in, so do the judgements and not all relationships survive.
I really wanted to like this book more but I just didn't end up thinking that much of it. It was OK however I felt like the plot got messy with all the secrets and reveals by the main characters. Most of those secrets didn't end up being that interesting or unexpected as well. The relationships between the main characters were also a bit messy; specifically the relationship between Abbi and Blake was just quite strange and odd to read. The best character in my opinion was Molly and not enough time was spent on her.
This book was definitely readable but as someone who reads a lot of this genre it wouldn't be one I'd really recommend, however if you didn't read a lot of the genre you might enjoy this one.
September 9, 2019
*https://mrsbbookreviews.wordpress.com
It has been awhile since we heard from Kylie Kaden, the author of two novels I have rated highly, Missing You and Losing Kate. The Day the Lies Began heralds Kylie Kaden’s return to the literary scene, and her first domestic noir release, a sub genre that is really gaining momentum, both in Australia and overseas. As the title suggests, The Day the Lies Began is a twisted and tangled tale full of truths that have been withheld for various reasons. I was very much taken by this slow burn domestic fiction title.
Revolving around the Moon Festival, a pinnacle event on the calendar of all residents of the small coastal Queensland town of Lago Point, The Day the Lies Began concerns itself with the relationships, friendships and dark truths of a group of individuals residing in this small town locale. This is also the story of a tragic and defining event, the cover-up, acts of deceit, the protective lens and the power secrets have to transform lives. The Day the Lies Began is defined by a crime, striking at the heart of the lives of key members of the Lago Point community, with the town’s police officer, doctor and teacher among this crowd. Kylie Kaden’s third novel considers the slippery slope of lies, deceit and the impact of withholding the truth. When a secret can no longer stay buried, it forces the group to consider where their loyalties lie.
The domestic noir sub genre is really on the rise and it is a category of fiction that I personally enjoy very much. When I discovered that Kylie Kaden, the author of The Day the Lies Began was launching into the domestic noir market with this novel, I was very pleased. The Day the Lies Began is a slow burn style novel from this genre, it left me hanging and it afforded plenty of opportunities to speculate about the core secret that runs through the course of this book.
Kaden devotes plenty of air time in the first half of this novel to foreshadowing. The atmosphere is intense, tight, swirling, complicated and convoluted. I really appreciated the small town setting and the world building Kaden conducted to help orientate her reader in the upcoming events of her story. Lago Point, the central locale of this novel, is vividly portrayed. Thanks to Kaden’s involving prose, I often felt like just another resident of this town the entire time I spent with the book. Kaden’s descriptions of this setting are a joy to immerse yourself in. I also got the strong feeling that this was a close knit town, where it would be impossible to keep secrets and withhold information. It adds another level of complication to this already complex and morally polarising novel.
Kaden’s character development is impressive, despite that fact that a number of the key characters in this story will earn the reader’s ire. I didn’t particularly warm to any of this cast, nor did I feel sympathy for them. I questioned their decisions and intentions. It did seem like I was overly critical of their actions, but they seemed to take the wrong path, or the complicated road to solving a problem. I apologise if this is an evasive approach to discussing the plot, but I am mindful of retaining this information for the reader to discover themselves.
I appreciated the structure of The Day the Lies Began, the pacing was reduced in the first half and then by the second half it really it ramps up. The adrenalin rushes through you as you reach the bitter end of this surprising story. The drip feed style approach to the narrative and the central mystery worked well to hold my interest. The events of The Day the Lies Began pivots around the town’s local festival showcase, the Moon Festival, where something big occurs. I enjoyed being thrown again and again into the series of happenings around this festival, it was a great approach. It sure sucked me in and I was more than a little surprised by the final curtain call.
There are some weighty themes in this novel, which may be a struggle for some readers. I appreciated the way these issues were tackled by the author and with the central focus on lies, I found this to be a book I couldn’t resist reading in a couple of short bursts.
If domestic noir is you preferred genre, The Day the Lies Began will definitely satisfy your reading preferences. I look forward to another foray in this field from an author I have come to admire very much.
*Please note that a free copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes through Beauty & Lace and Pantera Press. To read the original review on the Beauty & Lace website please visit here.
The Day the Lies Began is book #115 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
It has been awhile since we heard from Kylie Kaden, the author of two novels I have rated highly, Missing You and Losing Kate. The Day the Lies Began heralds Kylie Kaden’s return to the literary scene, and her first domestic noir release, a sub genre that is really gaining momentum, both in Australia and overseas. As the title suggests, The Day the Lies Began is a twisted and tangled tale full of truths that have been withheld for various reasons. I was very much taken by this slow burn domestic fiction title.
Revolving around the Moon Festival, a pinnacle event on the calendar of all residents of the small coastal Queensland town of Lago Point, The Day the Lies Began concerns itself with the relationships, friendships and dark truths of a group of individuals residing in this small town locale. This is also the story of a tragic and defining event, the cover-up, acts of deceit, the protective lens and the power secrets have to transform lives. The Day the Lies Began is defined by a crime, striking at the heart of the lives of key members of the Lago Point community, with the town’s police officer, doctor and teacher among this crowd. Kylie Kaden’s third novel considers the slippery slope of lies, deceit and the impact of withholding the truth. When a secret can no longer stay buried, it forces the group to consider where their loyalties lie.
The domestic noir sub genre is really on the rise and it is a category of fiction that I personally enjoy very much. When I discovered that Kylie Kaden, the author of The Day the Lies Began was launching into the domestic noir market with this novel, I was very pleased. The Day the Lies Began is a slow burn style novel from this genre, it left me hanging and it afforded plenty of opportunities to speculate about the core secret that runs through the course of this book.
Kaden devotes plenty of air time in the first half of this novel to foreshadowing. The atmosphere is intense, tight, swirling, complicated and convoluted. I really appreciated the small town setting and the world building Kaden conducted to help orientate her reader in the upcoming events of her story. Lago Point, the central locale of this novel, is vividly portrayed. Thanks to Kaden’s involving prose, I often felt like just another resident of this town the entire time I spent with the book. Kaden’s descriptions of this setting are a joy to immerse yourself in. I also got the strong feeling that this was a close knit town, where it would be impossible to keep secrets and withhold information. It adds another level of complication to this already complex and morally polarising novel.
Kaden’s character development is impressive, despite that fact that a number of the key characters in this story will earn the reader’s ire. I didn’t particularly warm to any of this cast, nor did I feel sympathy for them. I questioned their decisions and intentions. It did seem like I was overly critical of their actions, but they seemed to take the wrong path, or the complicated road to solving a problem. I apologise if this is an evasive approach to discussing the plot, but I am mindful of retaining this information for the reader to discover themselves.
I appreciated the structure of The Day the Lies Began, the pacing was reduced in the first half and then by the second half it really it ramps up. The adrenalin rushes through you as you reach the bitter end of this surprising story. The drip feed style approach to the narrative and the central mystery worked well to hold my interest. The events of The Day the Lies Began pivots around the town’s local festival showcase, the Moon Festival, where something big occurs. I enjoyed being thrown again and again into the series of happenings around this festival, it was a great approach. It sure sucked me in and I was more than a little surprised by the final curtain call.
There are some weighty themes in this novel, which may be a struggle for some readers. I appreciated the way these issues were tackled by the author and with the central focus on lies, I found this to be a book I couldn’t resist reading in a couple of short bursts.
If domestic noir is you preferred genre, The Day the Lies Began will definitely satisfy your reading preferences. I look forward to another foray in this field from an author I have come to admire very much.
*Please note that a free copy of this book was provided to me for review purposes through Beauty & Lace and Pantera Press. To read the original review on the Beauty & Lace website please visit here.
The Day the Lies Began is book #115 of the 2019 Australian Women Writers Challenge
July 13, 2019
As much as I wanted to like this book, I really struggled with it.
I very nearly gave up reading but persisted. It was annoying that it was not until half way through the book I started to find out what Abbi and Blake were trying to hide. I think the plot is based on a good premise but it is messy and unrealistic in the telling. I found the numerous characters and their continual secrets quite frustrating and quite frankly I just wanted to finish it and move on to something else.
There were a few errors where I think the author had confused the characters herself at times, this did not help. I also found some terms used in the book kept making me think the book was not based in Australia this also confused and frustrated me.
Not my cup of tea and I am afraid that I will not be recommending it.
Thank you Pantera Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this digital ARC.
I very nearly gave up reading but persisted. It was annoying that it was not until half way through the book I started to find out what Abbi and Blake were trying to hide. I think the plot is based on a good premise but it is messy and unrealistic in the telling. I found the numerous characters and their continual secrets quite frustrating and quite frankly I just wanted to finish it and move on to something else.
There were a few errors where I think the author had confused the characters herself at times, this did not help. I also found some terms used in the book kept making me think the book was not based in Australia this also confused and frustrated me.
Not my cup of tea and I am afraid that I will not be recommending it.
Thank you Pantera Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this digital ARC.
September 1, 2019
Let me start by saying I find Kylie Kaden’s style compelling and I will continue to read her titles. However, like many others, I think she missed the mark a few times with The Day the Lies Began meaning it was all a little confusing. Also, to be honest, I found a lot of the book’s content very uncomfortable and this was very off-putting overall.
Even the book’s title is confusing. It refers to the day of a local festival where Abbie and Will’s daughter Eadie goes missing. What happens following this incident and the lies the various characters tell as a consequence forms the bare bones of the book’s plot. By the end of the book the reader learns the town's characters have been lying well before this incident and day, however.
Abbie and Blake are the lead characters and their relationship is uncomfortably confusing. Abbie is married to Will and Blake is her foster brother. But… It’s complicated. I gave up counting the amount of times Abbie and Blake insisted they thought of each other as siblings but then, in the next breath, noted they really weren’t siblings and as such, felt an attraction. With this idea, Kaden crept into inappropriate territory too much for my liking.
Not so confusing but uncomfortable to the extreme is the character of Trevor and his crimes. At times Kaden handled this well but at other times it made me want to just slam the book shut. To be very modern, I think there needs to be some sort of trigger warning involved and I’m sorry, I think this subject matter will put a lot of readers off.
The other major characters are Blake’s on again, off again girlfriend Hannah and Hannah’s sister, Molly. Hannah is not the most likeable of characters and her and Blake’s relationship is really confusing (and weird). I thought Hannah and Molly’s secrets were extremely obvious too.
The book was confusingly long. Even though Kaden doesn’t repeat scenes verbatim, the general gist of some scenes are recapped far too many times. Tighter editing could have helped a girl out.
The book wasn’t all bad though. Kaden captures the Australian bush and scenery spectacularly. Her descriptive passages are often so beautiful that I found myself reading some lines twice. The setting, although fictional, is obviously based on a couple of Queensland towns I know pretty well and I loved this entire aspect of the book.
I also love the Australian slang Kaden uses but, alas, I have to wonder if even this would be confusing for the non-Australian readers (or even the non-Queenslanders!).
There is a satisfying ending and a couple of twists that I never expected. Those who are tempted to add this to their DNF pile will be happy if they persist, I think.
Confusingly, considering this review, I didn’t hate the book but it did fall short of my love mark. As I said, I will continue to read Kaden’s books and I think she’s fantastically talented but maybe she just bit off more than she could chew with The Day the Lies Began. 3 out of 5
Even the book’s title is confusing. It refers to the day of a local festival where Abbie and Will’s daughter Eadie goes missing. What happens following this incident and the lies the various characters tell as a consequence forms the bare bones of the book’s plot. By the end of the book the reader learns the town's characters have been lying well before this incident and day, however.
Abbie and Blake are the lead characters and their relationship is uncomfortably confusing. Abbie is married to Will and Blake is her foster brother. But… It’s complicated. I gave up counting the amount of times Abbie and Blake insisted they thought of each other as siblings but then, in the next breath, noted they really weren’t siblings and as such, felt an attraction. With this idea, Kaden crept into inappropriate territory too much for my liking.
Not so confusing but uncomfortable to the extreme is the character of Trevor and his crimes. At times Kaden handled this well but at other times it made me want to just slam the book shut. To be very modern, I think there needs to be some sort of trigger warning involved and I’m sorry, I think this subject matter will put a lot of readers off.
The other major characters are Blake’s on again, off again girlfriend Hannah and Hannah’s sister, Molly. Hannah is not the most likeable of characters and her and Blake’s relationship is really confusing (and weird). I thought Hannah and Molly’s secrets were extremely obvious too.
The book was confusingly long. Even though Kaden doesn’t repeat scenes verbatim, the general gist of some scenes are recapped far too many times. Tighter editing could have helped a girl out.
The book wasn’t all bad though. Kaden captures the Australian bush and scenery spectacularly. Her descriptive passages are often so beautiful that I found myself reading some lines twice. The setting, although fictional, is obviously based on a couple of Queensland towns I know pretty well and I loved this entire aspect of the book.
I also love the Australian slang Kaden uses but, alas, I have to wonder if even this would be confusing for the non-Australian readers (or even the non-Queenslanders!).
There is a satisfying ending and a couple of twists that I never expected. Those who are tempted to add this to their DNF pile will be happy if they persist, I think.
Confusingly, considering this review, I didn’t hate the book but it did fall short of my love mark. As I said, I will continue to read Kaden’s books and I think she’s fantastically talented but maybe she just bit off more than she could chew with The Day the Lies Began. 3 out of 5
August 14, 2019
Kylie Kaden's third novel, The Day The Lies Began, is an absorbing contemporary story of secrets, lies, love and loyalty.
“Doing the wrong thing had felt entirely right at the time.”
It begins for Abbi Adams with a lie told with the best of intentions - to protect her husband, and her five year old daughter, Eadie - but she is soon struggling under the burden of her deception. As is Blake, Abbi’s (foster) brother and loyal co-conspirator, who has everything to lose, including his career as a police officer, if their duplicity is revealed. The dark secret Abbi and Blake share is central to the plot, but even they are not in possession of all the facts, and as the story unfolds, so too does the truth, which results in some stunning surprises for the characters, and the reader.
“And in every choice since; in every betrayal covering the one before, it lingered. She could never quite escape the stench.“
Kaden has created provocative, complex characters who are burdened by secrets which threaten to undermine the stability of not only their own lives, but the lives of those they love. The Day The Lies Began focuses on five characters, Abbi and her husband, Will; Blake, Abbi’s (foster) brother, and his on/off girlfriend Hannah; and teenage Molly. The truth for each of them is complicated by guilt and regret, loyalty and love.
“...now you know the truth, it’s your truth to do what you want with.”
While the first half of the novel is important in establishing character, relationships, and motives, it dragged on about fifty pages too long with a repetitive cycle of Abbi’s panic. Persistence is rewarded however, and the last half of the book is compelling after the shocking incident that sparked Abbi’s lie is finally revealed.
“She’d have to stay a killer. It was simpler.”
The Day The Lies Began is an enjoyable and provocative novel of domestic suspense.
“Doing the wrong thing had felt entirely right at the time.”
It begins for Abbi Adams with a lie told with the best of intentions - to protect her husband, and her five year old daughter, Eadie - but she is soon struggling under the burden of her deception. As is Blake, Abbi’s (foster) brother and loyal co-conspirator, who has everything to lose, including his career as a police officer, if their duplicity is revealed. The dark secret Abbi and Blake share is central to the plot, but even they are not in possession of all the facts, and as the story unfolds, so too does the truth, which results in some stunning surprises for the characters, and the reader.
“And in every choice since; in every betrayal covering the one before, it lingered. She could never quite escape the stench.“
Kaden has created provocative, complex characters who are burdened by secrets which threaten to undermine the stability of not only their own lives, but the lives of those they love. The Day The Lies Began focuses on five characters, Abbi and her husband, Will; Blake, Abbi’s (foster) brother, and his on/off girlfriend Hannah; and teenage Molly. The truth for each of them is complicated by guilt and regret, loyalty and love.
“...now you know the truth, it’s your truth to do what you want with.”
While the first half of the novel is important in establishing character, relationships, and motives, it dragged on about fifty pages too long with a repetitive cycle of Abbi’s panic. Persistence is rewarded however, and the last half of the book is compelling after the shocking incident that sparked Abbi’s lie is finally revealed.
“She’d have to stay a killer. It was simpler.”
The Day The Lies Began is an enjoyable and provocative novel of domestic suspense.
August 18, 2019
‘Killers look exactly like their victims.’
Well. If ever there was a cautionary tale that screamed: CALL THE POLICE, then this is it. Domestic noir, that new sub-genre born out of the Gone Girl phenomenon, is a bit of a tricky beast for me. Overall I found this novel, The Day the Lies Began, a compelling read, one of the better ones within this genre for me. Once I got past the first 25% of not knowing at all what was going on, I was pretty much hooked and unable to put it down. But that kind of characterises this genre, doesn’t it? You spend much of the first half of the novel in this zone of not having a clue about what’s happening, the main characters alluding to ‘the event’ without actually mentioning it. I think this is my main problem with this type of crime fiction: it gets old very quick. I don’t enjoy the dangle, trying to work out the unsaid. But fortunately, this doesn’t go on for too long in this novel, so I was able to really settle in for a good story without being too frustrated by the pacing. But seriously, people really can be their own worst enemies. Jumping to conclusions, covering stuff up, heaping lies upon lies. Just call the police. Dial 000. Anything else is just not going to work out for you.
‘She convinced herself that these acts of duplicity weren’t betrayal at all, but instead were well intended, planned measures to protect their family. Impulsive, misguided, perhaps, but ultimately acts of love.’
There’s plenty of twists throughout this story and for the most part, realisation arrived with me at the right time. Kylie definitely doesn’t show her hand too early, but, and perhaps more importantly, nor does she disclose her twists too late, which is often the reason why stories within this genre lack credibility. In essence, this is a very sad story, and it’s also one that is particularly pertinent to our current times. There were however some things about it that made me angry, particularly around the notion of people covering stuff up about the people in their family. I don’t want to spoil any part of the mystery, so I’ll need to be vague, but honestly, if you know someone in your family has an abhorrent interest that is also a crime, but you just sit on it, apologising after the fact when it all goes wrong just doesn’t cut it. I think you’re complicit. The idea that there are people out there who know these things but don’t ever really disclose them disturbs me. I was also bothered by the angle presented that we should be sympathetic to certain types of perpetrators, that they may not ‘choose’ to be the way they are, but rather, it’s an ‘illness’ that compels them to act the way they do. This doesn’t fly with me. Ever. I think maybe you have to be a certain type of person for that level of understanding and I’m definitely not one of them. I kept wondering why everyone was concerned the creep was dead. I guess in this sort of situation, for me, any good a person has ever done is nullified by their depravity. I make no apologies for that view.
‘He thought about their relationship trajectory, more aware now of her flaws. The power had always been with her, from the day he’d arrived at her home as the latest in a production line of troubled kids. She’d shown him the ropes, and held them ever since.’
Now, I’ve often encountered novels where I don’t like the main character but still really like the story. It’s lucky these two don’t go hand in hand for me, because I really disliked both Hannah and Abbi, the two women at the helm of this story. I think that by the end, I was supposed to feel sympathy for Hannah. I didn’t. If anything, she just got on my nerves even more. As to Abbi, she was a first class manipulator and I am never tolerant of characters who ‘can’t adult’. I mean, really? That’s not a thing. Grow up. But, these people do exist, and we all have to suffer them. Just as I think I was supposed to feel sympathy for Hannah, I’m pretty sure I was supposed to feel empathy for Abbi, but again, nope. They were just two very big pains that never eased. Abbi’s motivations for her actions were fundamentally selfish, born out of a need to have someone there for her to make all of life’s decisions and bear all of the responsibility for her actions (remember the no adulting thing?), while Hannah was just a whiny ‘poor me’ selfish cow who kept claiming to have been through a lot but really didn’t go through much at all. I hated both of them and felt really sorry for both Will and Blake for having to put up with them. Abbi also did a lot of really trashy things to Blake that fully crossed the line of brother and sister. This is why I don’t read much of this genre. Honestly, the women are mostly the pits. Both of them realise the error of their ways far too late and the idea that either of them could break the habits of a lifetime was pretty thin on the ground to me. But if anything, hating both of these women kind of increased my enjoyment of the novel, if that makes any sense. It’s like I got a macabre sense of enjoyment out of seeing just what stupid thing each of them would do next!
‘This farce was all on her. From the start, she’d directed this play. She’d cast the roles, and wrote the script. A wave of self-loathing pummelled her, before panic overcame her.’
The Day the Lies Began is a gripping story, with twists and turns that will keep you guessing and plenty of characters to love and hate. It would make for a good television series. Kylie Kaden’s first foray into domestic noir is most definitely a successful one. I highly recommend this to fans of the genre.
Thanks is extended to Pantera Press via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Day the Lies Began for review.
Well. If ever there was a cautionary tale that screamed: CALL THE POLICE, then this is it. Domestic noir, that new sub-genre born out of the Gone Girl phenomenon, is a bit of a tricky beast for me. Overall I found this novel, The Day the Lies Began, a compelling read, one of the better ones within this genre for me. Once I got past the first 25% of not knowing at all what was going on, I was pretty much hooked and unable to put it down. But that kind of characterises this genre, doesn’t it? You spend much of the first half of the novel in this zone of not having a clue about what’s happening, the main characters alluding to ‘the event’ without actually mentioning it. I think this is my main problem with this type of crime fiction: it gets old very quick. I don’t enjoy the dangle, trying to work out the unsaid. But fortunately, this doesn’t go on for too long in this novel, so I was able to really settle in for a good story without being too frustrated by the pacing. But seriously, people really can be their own worst enemies. Jumping to conclusions, covering stuff up, heaping lies upon lies. Just call the police. Dial 000. Anything else is just not going to work out for you.
‘She convinced herself that these acts of duplicity weren’t betrayal at all, but instead were well intended, planned measures to protect their family. Impulsive, misguided, perhaps, but ultimately acts of love.’
There’s plenty of twists throughout this story and for the most part, realisation arrived with me at the right time. Kylie definitely doesn’t show her hand too early, but, and perhaps more importantly, nor does she disclose her twists too late, which is often the reason why stories within this genre lack credibility. In essence, this is a very sad story, and it’s also one that is particularly pertinent to our current times. There were however some things about it that made me angry, particularly around the notion of people covering stuff up about the people in their family. I don’t want to spoil any part of the mystery, so I’ll need to be vague, but honestly, if you know someone in your family has an abhorrent interest that is also a crime, but you just sit on it, apologising after the fact when it all goes wrong just doesn’t cut it. I think you’re complicit. The idea that there are people out there who know these things but don’t ever really disclose them disturbs me. I was also bothered by the angle presented that we should be sympathetic to certain types of perpetrators, that they may not ‘choose’ to be the way they are, but rather, it’s an ‘illness’ that compels them to act the way they do. This doesn’t fly with me. Ever. I think maybe you have to be a certain type of person for that level of understanding and I’m definitely not one of them. I kept wondering why everyone was concerned the creep was dead. I guess in this sort of situation, for me, any good a person has ever done is nullified by their depravity. I make no apologies for that view.
‘He thought about their relationship trajectory, more aware now of her flaws. The power had always been with her, from the day he’d arrived at her home as the latest in a production line of troubled kids. She’d shown him the ropes, and held them ever since.’
Now, I’ve often encountered novels where I don’t like the main character but still really like the story. It’s lucky these two don’t go hand in hand for me, because I really disliked both Hannah and Abbi, the two women at the helm of this story. I think that by the end, I was supposed to feel sympathy for Hannah. I didn’t. If anything, she just got on my nerves even more. As to Abbi, she was a first class manipulator and I am never tolerant of characters who ‘can’t adult’. I mean, really? That’s not a thing. Grow up. But, these people do exist, and we all have to suffer them. Just as I think I was supposed to feel sympathy for Hannah, I’m pretty sure I was supposed to feel empathy for Abbi, but again, nope. They were just two very big pains that never eased. Abbi’s motivations for her actions were fundamentally selfish, born out of a need to have someone there for her to make all of life’s decisions and bear all of the responsibility for her actions (remember the no adulting thing?), while Hannah was just a whiny ‘poor me’ selfish cow who kept claiming to have been through a lot but really didn’t go through much at all. I hated both of them and felt really sorry for both Will and Blake for having to put up with them. Abbi also did a lot of really trashy things to Blake that fully crossed the line of brother and sister. This is why I don’t read much of this genre. Honestly, the women are mostly the pits. Both of them realise the error of their ways far too late and the idea that either of them could break the habits of a lifetime was pretty thin on the ground to me. But if anything, hating both of these women kind of increased my enjoyment of the novel, if that makes any sense. It’s like I got a macabre sense of enjoyment out of seeing just what stupid thing each of them would do next!
‘This farce was all on her. From the start, she’d directed this play. She’d cast the roles, and wrote the script. A wave of self-loathing pummelled her, before panic overcame her.’
The Day the Lies Began is a gripping story, with twists and turns that will keep you guessing and plenty of characters to love and hate. It would make for a good television series. Kylie Kaden’s first foray into domestic noir is most definitely a successful one. I highly recommend this to fans of the genre.
Thanks is extended to Pantera Press via NetGalley for providing me with a copy of The Day the Lies Began for review.
November 13, 2022
Audiobook read by Casey Withoos.
First half was a little slow but holy Hannah the twist and the turn in the last half caught me unawares. Great read, albeit a little dark and a little sad.
First half was a little slow but holy Hannah the twist and the turn in the last half caught me unawares. Great read, albeit a little dark and a little sad.
August 25, 2019
When I discovered this book was set on Queensland’s subtropical coast, not far at all from where I live, I was really excited to read it. Kylie Kaden does a wonderful job of painting the small town of Lago Point - a two-cop town where the most exciting thing that ever happens is the tourists coming in to watch the turtle hatchings. You can almost feel the humidity in the air, smell the salt on the hot breeze. The locals all know each other, and each other’s business, and gossip is faster than the speed of light.
The story centers on Abbi, her husband Will, her adoptive brother Blake, and Blake’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Hannah, who’s recently returned from spending several years in America. Abbi’s the main protagonist, and from the beginning it’s clear she has a secret, something Blake (one of the town’s two cops) is helping her cover up. Something Will doesn’t know about and Blake is determined to keep from Hannah at all costs. Abbi and Will’s young daughter Eadie and Hannah’s teenage sister Molly also have significant parts to play, and the first half of the book is really a lot of character development, getting to know these people as they adjust to the changed dynamic of Hannah returning to town.
There are a lot of clues planted to the mystery - everything’s there for you to put it all together - but I have to say that I found the first half of the book really slow. I stuck with it, though, and I’m glad I did, because at around the halfway point of the book the secret Abbi and Blake have been hiding is finally revealed and the pace suddenly starts to pick up.
I have to admit I really disliked Hannah by the time the book ended. She was judgemental and entitled, using those around her to validate herself and refusing to believe others when they told her the truth just because it didn’t align with how she thought the world should be. She justified her own bad behaviour by making incorrect assumptions about other people, and it painted her in a pretty bad light. Abbi, Will and Blake (and later Molly) were all much more likable and easy to root for, people who you wanted everything to turn out okay for because they deserved it.
The book does need to include a trigger warning for child sexual abuse, which becomes something of a theme in the latter part. There’s a lot of Australian vernacular which could confuse some international readers, but I enjoyed it as scene-setting and local colour. My only complaint is that the first half really is way too slow. As a fast reader I bulldozed my way through to the second half where it gets really good, but I could see a fair few readers just noping out and quitting because nothing happens for way too long. Overall, I’ll give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
The story centers on Abbi, her husband Will, her adoptive brother Blake, and Blake’s on-again, off-again girlfriend Hannah, who’s recently returned from spending several years in America. Abbi’s the main protagonist, and from the beginning it’s clear she has a secret, something Blake (one of the town’s two cops) is helping her cover up. Something Will doesn’t know about and Blake is determined to keep from Hannah at all costs. Abbi and Will’s young daughter Eadie and Hannah’s teenage sister Molly also have significant parts to play, and the first half of the book is really a lot of character development, getting to know these people as they adjust to the changed dynamic of Hannah returning to town.
There are a lot of clues planted to the mystery - everything’s there for you to put it all together - but I have to say that I found the first half of the book really slow. I stuck with it, though, and I’m glad I did, because at around the halfway point of the book the secret Abbi and Blake have been hiding is finally revealed and the pace suddenly starts to pick up.
I have to admit I really disliked Hannah by the time the book ended. She was judgemental and entitled, using those around her to validate herself and refusing to believe others when they told her the truth just because it didn’t align with how she thought the world should be. She justified her own bad behaviour by making incorrect assumptions about other people, and it painted her in a pretty bad light. Abbi, Will and Blake (and later Molly) were all much more likable and easy to root for, people who you wanted everything to turn out okay for because they deserved it.
The book does need to include a trigger warning for child sexual abuse, which becomes something of a theme in the latter part. There’s a lot of Australian vernacular which could confuse some international readers, but I enjoyed it as scene-setting and local colour. My only complaint is that the first half really is way too slow. As a fast reader I bulldozed my way through to the second half where it gets really good, but I could see a fair few readers just noping out and quitting because nothing happens for way too long. Overall, I’ll give it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review via NetGalley.
August 21, 2019
This book was a frustrating one to me. It was really hard to get into at first, but I'm a sucker for lies and secrets and I kept going with it. Only when the lies started coming out did I get interested.
The writing in this book is really good, the plot is decent. I thought the characters were interesting. My issue with it is that there is a whole lot of filler though, which can be useful in slowing down the pacing, but personally it was too much for me.
It's a solid read. And if you're into slow pace, this one is definitely for you.
*Copy received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
*Rating: 3/5 stars
The writing in this book is really good, the plot is decent. I thought the characters were interesting. My issue with it is that there is a whole lot of filler though, which can be useful in slowing down the pacing, but personally it was too much for me.
It's a solid read. And if you're into slow pace, this one is definitely for you.
*Copy received through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
*Rating: 3/5 stars
August 17, 2019
‘It seemed simple at first – folding one lie over the next.’
Lago Point, a perfect coastal town. This is where Abbi and Will and their young daughter Eadie live. Blake, the local policeman, is like a brother to Abbi. Hannah, Blake’s girlfriend, has just returned to Lago Point after some years in the USA. Blake and Hannah are hoping that this time things will work out.
But there’s a secret between Abbi and Blake which they want no-one to know about, a secret which eventually threatens both of their relationships. It takes a while before we learn what that secret is (it isn’t what I thought it might be). There’s nothing straightforward about the secret: assumptions have been made, conclusions have been formed, loyalties will be tested, information is slowly revealed, relationships will be tested to breaking point (and perhaps beyond). I kept reading, wondering why a different, more sensible course of action hadn’t been taken initially. I really can’t write more without spoiling the story, but if you read it you will know what I mean.
And then, just when I thought I had it all figured out, there were another couple of twists. Domestic noir is an interesting genre. When it is done well, it makes for riveting reading. This novel has some unfortunately topical issues, including secrets which should never be kept.
Did I enjoy the story? Mostly. I liked Will and Blake a whole lot more than Abbi and Hannah. While most of the twists worked well (for me) there were a couple that did not. I did enjoy the way in which Ms Kaden slowly built the scene, making me wonder about the secret, making me wonder exactly what had happened and why.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Lago Point, a perfect coastal town. This is where Abbi and Will and their young daughter Eadie live. Blake, the local policeman, is like a brother to Abbi. Hannah, Blake’s girlfriend, has just returned to Lago Point after some years in the USA. Blake and Hannah are hoping that this time things will work out.
But there’s a secret between Abbi and Blake which they want no-one to know about, a secret which eventually threatens both of their relationships. It takes a while before we learn what that secret is (it isn’t what I thought it might be). There’s nothing straightforward about the secret: assumptions have been made, conclusions have been formed, loyalties will be tested, information is slowly revealed, relationships will be tested to breaking point (and perhaps beyond). I kept reading, wondering why a different, more sensible course of action hadn’t been taken initially. I really can’t write more without spoiling the story, but if you read it you will know what I mean.
And then, just when I thought I had it all figured out, there were another couple of twists. Domestic noir is an interesting genre. When it is done well, it makes for riveting reading. This novel has some unfortunately topical issues, including secrets which should never be kept.
Did I enjoy the story? Mostly. I liked Will and Blake a whole lot more than Abbi and Hannah. While most of the twists worked well (for me) there were a couple that did not. I did enjoy the way in which Ms Kaden slowly built the scene, making me wonder about the secret, making me wonder exactly what had happened and why.
Note: My thanks to NetGalley and Pantera Press for providing me with a free electronic copy of this book for review purposes.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
July 14, 2019
I received this book through NetGalley, hopeful at the comparisons with Big Little Lies. However, I was left very disappointed. I didn’t feel the characters were brought to life. The constant use of Australian vernacular became frustrating, and the use of “teenage speak” just further alienated me. Overall, not an enjoyable experience for me.
November 2, 2019
Loved this new story by Kylie Kaden.
Review to follow.
Review to follow.
March 16, 2022
DNF on page 126.
Now some people have argued that one cannot claim to have 'read' a book you did not finish. However I disagree, this was 126 pages that I spent time on, I can review, rate and discuss them any way I like.
Also, my memory is terrible, I forget even good books, this one will have erased itself from my memory in a few weeks and I need a review to remind future-Deb to never pick it up again. I mean it future-Deb, DO NOT do this to yourself again!
I was really looking forward to this book, it sounded so promising and I had heard such good things about the author. The beginning was a poor start, several characters I could not bond with in any way, there was some jumping back and forth in time (a tactic I mostly loath), at least I THOUGHT they were jumping back and forth in time.... I could not be sure...
I tried scanning the chapter heading the next day, to confirm the chronologically challenged chapters, that seemed to be true. Set in a mythical QLD coastal town, probably Sunshine Coast inspired with one of the characters being the local policeman, Black another the local GP, Will and a few other characters. The descriptions are vague but seem to point to a one pub coastal town with a Moon Festival and everyone knowing each other (though, somehow, it seems to have it's own international airport, which is weird).
I think the characters are well done in that they are district, so that is something but they are also ultimately pointless. We keep getting vague hints of events that maybe-happened, all of them nasty or upsetting or whatever, but there is no timeline to help them make sense and no emotive connection to the characters to make you care what may or may not have happened to them.
It is just all very vague and muddled. As are the unlikable people described.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally committed to walking away from this one.
Now some people have argued that one cannot claim to have 'read' a book you did not finish. However I disagree, this was 126 pages that I spent time on, I can review, rate and discuss them any way I like.
Also, my memory is terrible, I forget even good books, this one will have erased itself from my memory in a few weeks and I need a review to remind future-Deb to never pick it up again. I mean it future-Deb, DO NOT do this to yourself again!
I was really looking forward to this book, it sounded so promising and I had heard such good things about the author. The beginning was a poor start, several characters I could not bond with in any way, there was some jumping back and forth in time (a tactic I mostly loath), at least I THOUGHT they were jumping back and forth in time.... I could not be sure...
I tried scanning the chapter heading the next day, to confirm the chronologically challenged chapters, that seemed to be true. Set in a mythical QLD coastal town, probably Sunshine Coast inspired with one of the characters being the local policeman, Black another the local GP, Will and a few other characters. The descriptions are vague but seem to point to a one pub coastal town with a Moon Festival and everyone knowing each other (though, somehow, it seems to have it's own international airport, which is weird).
I think the characters are well done in that they are district, so that is something but they are also ultimately pointless. We keep getting vague hints of events that maybe-happened, all of them nasty or upsetting or whatever, but there is no timeline to help them make sense and no emotive connection to the characters to make you care what may or may not have happened to them.
It is just all very vague and muddled. As are the unlikable people described.
I breathed a sigh of relief when I finally committed to walking away from this one.
August 12, 2019
This was a difficult book to continue reading. The first half has too much padding, meandering over relationships and taking too long to get to the real crux of the story. It wasn’t until half way through the novel that the main theme of the story emerged so that was frustrating. The story itself is complicated and with a lot of depth and social issues that were explored through several of the main characters. Despite a lot of emotional tension the ending was perhaps a little too convenient.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Tandera Press for a copy to read and review.
Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Tandera Press for a copy to read and review.
August 16, 2019
I’ve been pondering on my review for this book over the last 24hrs since I’ve finished and it’s given me a lot to think about. There are a number of secrets and intertwined characters but your not aware of how much till the end.
The first half of the book was spent setting up the main characters and their complex and convoluted relationship. Abbi’s relationship with her foster brother Blake, who is also the local town policeman. Abbi is also married to Will, the town’s Doctor. Then there is Hannah, Abbi and Blake’s childhood friend who has been in America for a number of years, but someone who Blake has been infatuated with during his teenage years and with whom he has had an on/off relationship with.
All through the first half Abbi and Blake kept alluding to their big secret (but not in front of others). Nothing was given away until mid way and it was way off my thought process. I think this is what actually threw me off the book a bit because there was no hint of the subject matter to come. In fact I could have easily put the book aside at this point, as it made me very uncomfortable, more so because I wasn’t prepared.
But I did keep reading and I’m really glad I did. In fact the more I think about it, the more I believe this could be a really interesting book club discussion.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.
The first half of the book was spent setting up the main characters and their complex and convoluted relationship. Abbi’s relationship with her foster brother Blake, who is also the local town policeman. Abbi is also married to Will, the town’s Doctor. Then there is Hannah, Abbi and Blake’s childhood friend who has been in America for a number of years, but someone who Blake has been infatuated with during his teenage years and with whom he has had an on/off relationship with.
All through the first half Abbi and Blake kept alluding to their big secret (but not in front of others). Nothing was given away until mid way and it was way off my thought process. I think this is what actually threw me off the book a bit because there was no hint of the subject matter to come. In fact I could have easily put the book aside at this point, as it made me very uncomfortable, more so because I wasn’t prepared.
But I did keep reading and I’m really glad I did. In fact the more I think about it, the more I believe this could be a really interesting book club discussion.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.
July 3, 2019
It's been a while since I read a thriller kind of book so when I received a copy of this one via Netgalley and Panterra Press I was excited to read it. I do enjoy these domestic intrigue kind of books, as they're so easy to get sucked into. The tension built really well throughout the book, and the descriptions of characters was super detailed. There were a few issues with the formatting on my kindle, but in terms of the story I enjoyed it, and I like reading books set in Australia so that was another plus. The female characters, especially Hannah, weren't my favourite, and all of the relationship problems tied up a little too easily by the end- I don't love when books end with everything falling perfectly into place- but there were a few plot points I didn't see coming, and I was pretty invested in finding out what happened so it was a quick read.
September 24, 2019
An intriguing storyline but I've never been much of a fan of the domestic noir genre...I need a book with at least one likeable character. The four central charcters weren't people I'd like to meet ;) but i guess they provide the 'noir' for the plot...Molly had an interesting story, I would have liked more of her?? I felt the beginning dragged on a bit but once the secret was revealed things got a move on... always love an Aussie book and I'm looking forward to Kylie's next one.
October 11, 2019
This book really got to me. For the first half of the book I felt really unsettled as I tried to work out what had been happening to the characters. I felt sickened, frustrated and concerned about what would happen to these people as the story unfolded. I haven’t had a book have that effect on me for a long time.
March 30, 2020
Where would your loyalties lie, what would they lead you to do. What secrets hidden in the community can lead to people doing things that are not natural to their personality. This very cleverly crafted book presents a small community and the people in it under circumstances that are sad and change lives forever. Worth a read.
January 11, 2020
Ok I read this book on the recommendation of a friend (who happens to work with the author).
Like some of the other reviewers of this novel, I found the first part of this book very difficult to be interested but around about chapter 17 (of 40) I was glad I'd hung in there and persevered. The story takes a turn and next minute the story is filled with possibilities and potential twists and turns at every angle so much so you can't help but be filled with anticipation where the story will lead to next.
A great book by a Brisbane author and I love to support local talent.
Like some of the other reviewers of this novel, I found the first part of this book very difficult to be interested but around about chapter 17 (of 40) I was glad I'd hung in there and persevered. The story takes a turn and next minute the story is filled with possibilities and potential twists and turns at every angle so much so you can't help but be filled with anticipation where the story will lead to next.
A great book by a Brisbane author and I love to support local talent.
February 11, 2020
I really liked the premise of the story but unfortunately the characters were all highly unlikeable and it made it hard to really get into.
January 9, 2023
Dnf sooooooo boring. Absolutely awful. Gave up 1/3 through.
August 17, 2019
Australian writer Kylie Kaden has produced a very good novel with twists and turns throughout.
Abbi & Blake have been brother and sister for a long time – but not in the traditional sense. Abbi is now married to Will – a local doctor and they have a 5-year-old daughter Eadie. Hannah has returned home to teach at the local school after an extended absence away overseas. She has always had a crush on Blake who is the local cop from their school days. She has a younger sister Molly who is a troubled teenager and she hopes to rekindle her romance with Blake.
On the night of the Moon Festival, Eadie goes missing and everyone is looking for her. What they find will devastate all concerned and opens a tangled web of lies between these four characters.
I really enjoyed the setting and my only criticism is that at times it had a little too much descriptive narrative when telling the stories of the 4 main characters and this section dragged a little. However, once you get through that the story really ramps up and keeps you guessing throughout the remainder of the book – even down to the last page.
This is the second book of Kylie’s that I have read – looking back at Missing You I also rated it 4 stars – I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers and books in the domestic noir genre.
Thank you to @panterapress for the complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Abbi & Blake have been brother and sister for a long time – but not in the traditional sense. Abbi is now married to Will – a local doctor and they have a 5-year-old daughter Eadie. Hannah has returned home to teach at the local school after an extended absence away overseas. She has always had a crush on Blake who is the local cop from their school days. She has a younger sister Molly who is a troubled teenager and she hopes to rekindle her romance with Blake.
On the night of the Moon Festival, Eadie goes missing and everyone is looking for her. What they find will devastate all concerned and opens a tangled web of lies between these four characters.
I really enjoyed the setting and my only criticism is that at times it had a little too much descriptive narrative when telling the stories of the 4 main characters and this section dragged a little. However, once you get through that the story really ramps up and keeps you guessing throughout the remainder of the book – even down to the last page.
This is the second book of Kylie’s that I have read – looking back at Missing You I also rated it 4 stars – I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys reading thrillers and books in the domestic noir genre.
Thank you to @panterapress for the complementary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2019
This book is no “Big Little Lies”... which I loved. I persevered until 25%, but aside from one character returning from New York, and drinking nothing has happened. There is too much description, not enough happening. For example
“The red lanterns swinging from greasy beams at the Willow Garden Restaurant gave Will’s face a spruce of colour Hannah hadn’t seen before. Shaking her hair, wet from the rain, Hannah took a seat opposite him while they awaited their food. His thick thighs barely fit on the plastic seat and he wore three shades of blue, but there was something about how comfortable he looked, casually waiting for order fifty-three, that had Hannah intrigued.“
And
“Cicadas hummed a scratchy chorus as the dregs of dreary daylight succumbed to the stormy night. Hannah and Will exchanged cursory glances when they returned to Blake’s house with three bags of oily Chinese to hear the tell-tale sounds of silliness down on the lawn; Abbi had her Cannon SLR slung around her neck and was making crazy faces with abandon to catch Eadie in a smile. Hannah always thought Abbi laughed too much for a grownup –as if no one told her you’re supposed to grow out of that. But earlier she’d been prickly, melancholy, even and Hannah wasn’t sure which of tonight’s moods was the realer.”
People have come hope with takeaway.. and we have a whole paragraphs of detail that doesn’t seem to relate to anything.
Not my type of novel unfortunately.
“The red lanterns swinging from greasy beams at the Willow Garden Restaurant gave Will’s face a spruce of colour Hannah hadn’t seen before. Shaking her hair, wet from the rain, Hannah took a seat opposite him while they awaited their food. His thick thighs barely fit on the plastic seat and he wore three shades of blue, but there was something about how comfortable he looked, casually waiting for order fifty-three, that had Hannah intrigued.“
And
“Cicadas hummed a scratchy chorus as the dregs of dreary daylight succumbed to the stormy night. Hannah and Will exchanged cursory glances when they returned to Blake’s house with three bags of oily Chinese to hear the tell-tale sounds of silliness down on the lawn; Abbi had her Cannon SLR slung around her neck and was making crazy faces with abandon to catch Eadie in a smile. Hannah always thought Abbi laughed too much for a grownup –as if no one told her you’re supposed to grow out of that. But earlier she’d been prickly, melancholy, even and Hannah wasn’t sure which of tonight’s moods was the realer.”
People have come hope with takeaway.. and we have a whole paragraphs of detail that doesn’t seem to relate to anything.
Not my type of novel unfortunately.
July 28, 2022
So, sometimes I’ll read a book that’s badly written or has annoying characters and I’ll give up on it. This book was well written, but it annoyed me so much to had to keep reading it so I could rant at it.
Firstly, the characters. I didn’t like any of the main characters. Abby is manipulative, Will is arrogant, Blake is a complete pushover and Hannah is self-obsessed and whiney. I preferred some of the minor players like Molly, Gwen and Catfish.
Secondly, the pace. In the first half in particular it feels like several pages are spent describing each person’s facial expressions in minute detail, and it goes at a glacial pace. It speeds up a bit in the second half but I ended up putting the audiobook on 1.25x speed to get through it.
Thirdly, the plot. The whole thing revolves around a secret, which, when it was uncovered, made me make one of the disbelieving “tch” sounds out loud. Without spoilers there were so many things wrong with the entire premise and the whole debacle could have been avoided by anyone with half an ounce of brain. And despite the central role of Abby and Will’s child, you hear very little about her and the impact the event has on her.
I found it frustrating because, as I said, the book is well written but I couldn’t enjoy it because of those factors.
From what I’ve read the author’s other books are better, so I’ll reserve judgement till I try another one.
Firstly, the characters. I didn’t like any of the main characters. Abby is manipulative, Will is arrogant, Blake is a complete pushover and Hannah is self-obsessed and whiney. I preferred some of the minor players like Molly, Gwen and Catfish.
Secondly, the pace. In the first half in particular it feels like several pages are spent describing each person’s facial expressions in minute detail, and it goes at a glacial pace. It speeds up a bit in the second half but I ended up putting the audiobook on 1.25x speed to get through it.
Thirdly, the plot. The whole thing revolves around a secret, which, when it was uncovered, made me make one of the disbelieving “tch” sounds out loud. Without spoilers there were so many things wrong with the entire premise and the whole debacle could have been avoided by anyone with half an ounce of brain. And despite the central role of Abby and Will’s child, you hear very little about her and the impact the event has on her.
I found it frustrating because, as I said, the book is well written but I couldn’t enjoy it because of those factors.
From what I’ve read the author’s other books are better, so I’ll reserve judgement till I try another one.
June 15, 2019
Two couples find themselves entwined in a series of lies that lead to a secret that could have very dire consequences.
Abbi is married to Will - he is an intelligent doctor who is charitable and loves Abbi completely. Abbi really loves Will, too. She is a bit to handle as her (sometimes) thoughtless free spirit tends to lead her astray. They have a beautiful 5 year old daughter, Eadie.
Blake (adopted by Abbi's parents) is like a brother to Abbi. They confide in each other about everything. Eventually, this may become a problem for Hannah and Will...
At the present, Hannah, the love of Blake's life, returns to Australia after 6 years in the States. This time for good, hopes Blake. A rocky start does not help things along, either.
In good times and in bad the four interact as the story rolls out. There is a definite secret between Abbi and Blake that no one can EVER know about. What is that secret? How will it affect Will & Abbi's marriage and Blake and Hannah's new start together?
The secret and what happens afterward will both surprise you as it shocks the two couples.
Find out what happens in this twisty, suspenseful thriller!
Many Thanks to Pantera Press and NetGalley for another roller coaster ride !!!
Abbi is married to Will - he is an intelligent doctor who is charitable and loves Abbi completely. Abbi really loves Will, too. She is a bit to handle as her (sometimes) thoughtless free spirit tends to lead her astray. They have a beautiful 5 year old daughter, Eadie.
Blake (adopted by Abbi's parents) is like a brother to Abbi. They confide in each other about everything. Eventually, this may become a problem for Hannah and Will...
At the present, Hannah, the love of Blake's life, returns to Australia after 6 years in the States. This time for good, hopes Blake. A rocky start does not help things along, either.
In good times and in bad the four interact as the story rolls out. There is a definite secret between Abbi and Blake that no one can EVER know about. What is that secret? How will it affect Will & Abbi's marriage and Blake and Hannah's new start together?
The secret and what happens afterward will both surprise you as it shocks the two couples.
Find out what happens in this twisty, suspenseful thriller!
Many Thanks to Pantera Press and NetGalley for another roller coaster ride !!!
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