Don't Believe It

From the acclaimed author of Twenty Years Later comes a twisting, impossible-to-put-down novel of suspense in which a filmmaker helps clear a woman convicted of murder—only to find she may be a puppet in a sinister game. Fans of Freida McFadden and Alice Feeney will be left breathless by this unforgettable thriller that builds to a shocking conclusion...

The Girl of Sugar Beach is the most watched documentary in television history—a riveting, true-life mystery that unfolds over twelve weeks and centers on a fascinating question: Did Grace Sebold murder her boyfriend, Julian, while on a Spring Break vacation, or is she a victim of circumstance and poor police work? Grace has spent the last ten years in a St. Lucian prison, and reaches out to filmmaker Sidney Ryan in a last, desperate attempt to prove her innocence.

As Sidney begins researching, she uncovers startling evidence overlooked during the original investigation. Before the series even finishes filming, public outcry leads officials to reopen the case.

Delving into Grace’s past, Sidney peels away layer after layer of deception. But as she edges closer to the real heart of the story, Sidney must decide if finding the truth is worth risking her newfound fame, her career . . . even her life.

“You can’t blame Charlie Donlea if the ending of his novel makes your jaw drop. The title alone is fair warning that his characters are no more to be trusted than our initial impressions of them.” —The New York Times Book Review

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400 pages

Average rating: 7.7

88 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

b_marie
May 01, 2025
8/10 stars
More like 4.7 but I couldn't find in myself to rate it 5 stars "officially". I try to write spoiler free reviews, but I am too angry to do so. The story up until the big reveal was great. It was beautifully written, and I became so invested in the book, I was having palpitations. During the entire book, the author keeps you so captivated with how and when he chooses to reveal things and also with Gus's point of view. You are reading his pov and thinking you are reading the pov of the killer and surprise you aren't. I was surprises like that that kept me so interested and impatient for more information.

Sidney is my dog and her search for the truth was inspiring. When they killed her, I got rightfully upset. Like why Charlie why. But wasn't what dropped it from a 5 to a 4.7. It was how things were handled afterwards. Ellie (who I will admit I thought was the killer at one point) gets blamed! I fell in love with Sidney and not getting justice for her death was terrible. I was fine with Marshall being the killer. I had even guessed him at one point. But the ending of paralleling what how Sidney helped Grace and now Gus is helping Ellie is kind of poetic objectively, as someone who read this book in 3 days because she couldn't put it down, just made me angry and left me unsatisfied. Gave the same vibes of the ending of Gone Girl.

Also if you (Marshall) are doing this to keep Grace in your life forever and be her number one, why the hell did you frame her for a murder you committed? Did you think that she would get away with it? I need answers Charlie!

OK. That's it. Thanks for reading my rant.
JoyfulReader_82
Dec 11, 2024
7/10 stars
Fast read, descriptive writing. Time line jumps around a bit to set the scene and plot. This book will keep you on your toes and make you second guess yourself! You won’t believe who the killer is you just simply don’t believe it!
TheTeaWitch
Sep 25, 2024
6/10 stars
A quick book to get through, and set up a nice little mystery. However it felt like a cheap and somewhat unfinished ending. Perhaps just to give one character (who is only introduced halfway through, and somewhat randomly at that) more of a voice. Overall a nice story, but it didn't feel like a great payoff.
Ali Nurmikko
May 14, 2024
10/10 stars
Whatever you do, pick this book up as your next read IMMEDIATELY!!!!!! Wow. Just, WOW. The novel earned every one of its five stars. Exquisitely written and remarkably well developed, this thriller/mystery/crime blew every other book of the like out of the water. Each character was so profoundly developed and echoed their style throughout the story. The way the author pieces together the story from real time, to articles, to development was so engaging that you just wanted to keep the pages turning- and that I did! This book played so much like an episode of 48 hours in my mind and I couldn’t get over how great the details and set up were without it being too much or dragging it out. And when you think you’ve got it, Don’t believe it!!! This is a MUST READ!
Megan H.
Apr 07, 2024
7/10 stars
Great plot twist at the end that I wasn't expecting. I liked how the characters and their connections grew and became more clear as I read the book. The ending left me wondering what was going to happen next!

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