Sometimes I Lie: A Novel

I typically don’t care for books with unreliable narrators. I actually enjoyed this read more than I expected. It was a quick and entertaining read. Why the 2 stars? 1. The diary enteries were interesting but as a social worker I thought they needed more psychological development. For instance she hates her mother for no particular reason. 2. The ending had so many plot twists that it became unbelievable.

Just when you think you have it all figured out, plot twist. And when you think the chnage of plot is all figured out, another plot twist... this book may have to be reread at least one more time because I feel like I may have missed some details with the plot twists. There are some trigger points in this book related to sexual assault, rape, and miscarriages. So take warning if you are emotionally susceptible to those triggers. I struggled to get into the book within the first.... 50 pages or so, but once I was about 35 - 40% into it, I couldn't put it down until the every end. I needed to know what was going to take place.

I picked up Sometimes I Lie for a book club, and honestly, I don’t think I would have grabbed it otherwise. I listened to the audiobook from my library, which added a layer of challenge. It was sometimes hard to follow, and the narration dipped so low at times that I’d miss entire lines, only to be blasted a second later when the voice shot up in volume. That made the reading experience uneven, though I know that’s more on the audio production than the story itself. The story itself is a tangled web of lies, family trauma, and childhood secrets. Amber is in a coma, piecing together the events that led her there while listening to visits from her husband, her sister, and her stalker. Flashbacks, diary entries, and memories all come together in ways that kept me guessing who to trust, and whether anyone was telling the truth at all. Claire, Amber’s sister, is a standout character, both chilling and manipulative, and her presence is felt in every twist. Edward, the stalker, added another deeply unsettling layer, and the shifting ground of what was real versus what was remembered or manipulated made for a tense reading experience. The ending, though, is where things really exploded. Fires, betrayals, poisonings, custody twists, and one reappearing bracelet left me with more questions than answers. I can see why this book divides readers. It’s clever, dark, and haunting, but it’s also chaotic at times. I found myself equal parts frustrated and intrigued, which probably means Alice Feeney did her job as a psychological thriller writer. This wasn’t my favorite thriller, but I did appreciate the originality, the sense of unease it created, and the sheer boldness of the twists. It’s one of those books where you close it and immediately want to talk it out with someone, just to process what you’ve read.

Twists to the very end! Very much enjoyed this story.

3.5 ⭐️ This is my first Alice Feeny novel and I enjoyed it, but it left me a little confused. Glows: * I enjoyed the time period switching * The buildup to the twist was interesting * Some parts were predictable, but I was still intrigued when I got there * It was fast paced * I enjoyed how detailed it was without being over baring. This made it easy to visualize each scene * All the characters are unlikable, but there are likable moments for some you don’t see coming. Grows/Confusion: * Where did Jo go and why did she just disappear like that?? * The little girl in the pink dress was mentioned quite a few times, but nothing came of it. What was her purpose?? What was that memory all about?? * With the ending we got, Claire being the dominant one doesn’t make any sense. * Why was everything left to Claire and not Amber?? * Why was there animosity between Paul and Claire?? What were they hiding? * Why was Edward feeding info to the police trying to incriminate Paul when the accident wasn’t a plan of Edward’s?? * How did Claire not recognize Edward when she’s the one who ruined his life?? * Edward’s story seems unfinished * The entire novel feels unfinished It seems the Grows might out weigh the Glows, but I did enjoy it. It’s not a literary masterpiece, but it was enjoyable.