Tiny White Lies in Aussie Readers

Jul 23, 2020 Brenda rated it it was amazing

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, 2020-release, aussie-authors, read-on-kindle, net-galley, own-read, arc

4.5★s

Ash was shocked when she saw that her daughter Emily was being bullied at school and at first had no idea what to do about it. Em hadn’t told her mother, but gradually they talked about it and worked out what they could do. Ash had lost her husband Owen eight months previously, so as a now single mother, she was finding it hard. Her best friend Nikki worked in a dress shop in the shopping centre where the pharmacy was that Ash worked at, and they often had lunch together. With the upcoming ...more

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Aug 12, 2020 Shelleyrae at Book'd Out rated it really liked it

Shelves: aussie-author, netgalley-reviews, arc-are

Tiny White Lies is an engaging contemporary tale from best selling Western Australian author Fiona Palmer.

When Ashley discovers her fifteen year old daughter is the subject of bullying both at school and online from her classmates, she is heartbroken. Already struggling to cope in the aftermath of her husband’s recent suicide, she suggests that they escape for the school holidays in the hopes of at least temporarily leaving bad memories behind.

After a difficult year that has left her feeling di Tiny White Lies is an engaging contemporary tale from best selling Western Australian author Fiona Palmer.

When Ashley discovers her fifteen year old daughter is the subject of bullying both at school and online from her classmates, she is heartbroken. Already struggling to cope in the aftermath of her husband’s recent suicide, she suggests that they escape for the school holidays in the hopes of at least temporarily leaving bad memories behind.

After a difficult year that has left her feeling disconnected from herself, her husband and her device-obsessed teenage children, Nikki, inspired by her best friend’s idea for a vacation, suggests Ash and Emily join them at her husband’s cousins farm near Bremer Bay on the southern coast of W.A.

Ash and Nikki are delighted as their children adjust to a new tech-free routine, enjoying the ocean, bushland and farm activities Luke’s farm provides, but for the adults the lack of distractions becomes uncomfortable as the little white lies they have told one another, and themselves, cast a pall over their vacation.

A story of relationships, secrets, lies and love, there is plenty of high emotion, drama and even romance on offer in Tiny White Lies. Palmer briefly examines a raft of serious issues including mental illness, suicide, bullying, cancer, marriage difficulties, and body-image but its strongest focus is on the theme of disconnection.

I found Ash and Nikki to be likeable and sympathetic characters, though I don’t have much in common with either of them, I still felt they were relatable. As a mother of teenagers their concerns about their children, particularly in relation to electronic media use, are familiar, as are their children’s attitudes.

I loved the setting, having spent plenty of school holidays in southern Western Australia, and in both Albany and Esperance, which are west and east, along the coast, of Bremer Bay respectively. Palmer evokes the wild beauty of the area with its dense bushland and gorgeous white sand beaches, spending a few weeks at Luke’s farm would definitely be no hardship.

Written with warmth and insight into the challenges faced by modern families, I enjoyed reading Tiny Little Lies, as I’m sure all fans of Australian rural contemporary fiction will. ...more

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Jul 17, 2020 Marg added it

Shelves: aww-2020

Tiny White Lies is the story of two best friends, who share everything. Or do they? They became friends when their daughters started high school but whilst the girl's friendship doesn't seem to have survived, Ashley and Nikki are very close.

Ashley has reached breaking point. She is recently widowed, her daughter Emily is being cyber bullied and now she has been let go from the job that she needs in order to survive financially. But that's something she can't tell anyone just yet.

Her best friend ...more

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Aug 29, 2020 Helen rated it it was amazing

I do love Fiona Palmer’s stories they are so good to read with characters that are very easy to make friends with and this one takes on some issues that I am sure are high up there for a lot of us these days and she did it so very well, two friends and two families go on a three week break and tiny white lies open up a lot of emotions, a fabulous story that should not be missed.

Ashley has not long ago lost her husband, she has one daughter Emily they are very close but Ashley thinks that Emily i ...more

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Jun 25, 2020 Janine rated it liked it · review of another edition

This novel was a beach read for me, I have been a fan of Fiona’s previous novels but I’m afraid that even though the story line showed promise in the beginning it didn’t measure up as the book went on and became fairly predictable.
First we have Nikki and Chris and their two children who are addicted to technology and their daughter has a serious problem with self-image. Nikki also has self-image issues and Chris is receiving text messages from an unknown person.
Single mother and widow Ashley has ...more

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