Sometimes I Lie: A Novel

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney is a wild psychological thriller that keeps you questioning everything. The plot twist was genuinely surprising, and I loved how the story constantly kept me guessing about who could be trusted. It started off a bit slow, but once it picked up, I couldn’t put it down. A smart, suspenseful read with a layered storyline and unreliable narration that keeps you hooked until the end.

I read this in a few hours. Quick read. Easy read. Picks up suspense quickly. I loved it.

3.8/5 Very well written and good story line. Definitely has some shocking turns that weren’t expected. It’s a great quick read!

In the description of this book, Amber is in a coma, her husband doesn't love her and sometimes she lies. Amber believes that her husband has something to do with her being in the hospital. I started out reading this book and I really didn't like it. I didn't like Amber, I didn't like her sister Claire. I hated their parents. The only two people I liked were Matthew, her producer and Jo, her best friend. Neither of these characters had big parts. Then about half way through, this book turned around. I still didn't like the characters, but more was happening and it held my interest. This book is written in 3 different timelines. The first is the childhood diary, written between 1991 - 1992. This gives enough of the background, as the story goes on, to understand the writers childhood, her fears, her anger and her hurt. The 2nd timeline is December 2016 - 1 week before the accident. As this unfolds, we can see what the events were leading up to the accident. Then the 3rd and final timeline starts the day Amber realizes she is in a coma. She can hear things, she can feel things but she cannot communicate. She has dreams, she has memories, she has fears. A few readers have questioned if they has missed the "twist". There seem to be a few twists in this storyline. NO SPOILERS - the biggest one for me happens when the diaries are discovered by Paul, (Amber's husband). I had to re-read that section a few times to grasp what was really happening. The very end seemed to be left open. A bit of a cliffhanger perhaps. I found myself wondering, "where are the lies?". I also wondered why she appeared to have OCD, that didn't seem to be addressed. There were parts of the story that seemed unfinished or I had forgotten about them until I got close to the end, THEN they were all answered. Overall - 4*s since I found myself hating the characters, I had a hard time getting into the story. But I am glad that I stuck with it.

New to reading and this book was amazing! I was wanting to read something that kept me guessing and that I didn’t see the ending. This is that book. It had my brain confused in the best ways! A must read!

Sometimes I Lie: A Novel – Incredible psychological suspense! Durable paperback, gripping story, and the size is comfortable for long reading sessions. Great value for mystery fans.

What a wild ride! This is better than Girl Gone, which I enjoyed a lot. And this is a debut novel. If you enjoy psychological thrillers with truly unpredictable endings, then you should read this book! I always enjoy an unreliable narrator. But when the narrator tells you at the outset that she lies, you have to wonder if even that statement is true. Are these lies, misperceptions, or lies to protect someone else? Will we ever know the truth? The book begins with Amber Reynolds lying in a hospital bed in a coma. We don’t know what happened and neither does she. What we do know is that she works on a morning radio program, her husband is a struggling author and her sister is ever present. Amber also has OCD. The story rotates among three perspectives. Amber narrates her current experiences in the hospital as well as the week prior to her accident. The third perspective comes from Amber’s diaries from 25 years ago when she was 10 years old. Which perspective is true? Are any of them true? A lot of books are advertised as having surprise endings and I am often disappointed when I am able to predict the outcome. I never suspected how the pieces would fall together. I think that this will genuinely be a surprise ending for most people. In fact, I will give $10,000 to anyone who can prove they knew the ending in advance (not really; I’m lying about the money!) The chapters are short, tightly written, and the suspense keeps building. You will want to read this in one sitting, so plan accordingly. This book would make an excellent movie. I eagerly await Ms. Feeney’s next book.

I really want to rate this a 3.5-3.75. A 3 is too low but it’s not a 4. It took me a while to really get into this book. After the first twist, I was locked in. As the twists grew more plentiful, so did my confusion which I know thrillers do BUTTTT this might have been a little overdone. I couldn’t put the book down at one point because I was intrigued but partially because I had to reread parts to make sure I was getting it right. It was a good read that kept me on my toes while scratching my head.