Lie to Me: A Novel

Authors Ethan and Sutton lived an idyllic life up until the tragic loss of their six month old son. Even though the death was ruled as accidental, each of them blames the other, and their marriage has been tense. Despite trying to get their relationship back on track, Ethan wakes up one day to a note from Sutton stating she's left him and tells him not to look for her. Despite the fact that their relationship has been volatile, Ethan thinks something is wrong - all of Sutton's things are still at home, including her cell phone, clothes, and wallet.

As the police and the media start to speculate about what happened, Ethan finds himself at the center of the investigation. Did Ethan really have something to do with Sutton's disappearance? Is he being framed? Lie to Me is full of twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the thrilling conclusion!

Lie to Me was told through a few different POVs, including Ethan's, the police officer's, and an anonymous POV that talks directly to the reader, and claims to know what's happened to Sutton in a viscous, spine tingling voice. I thought these POVs worked flawlessly together, and I loved each of them, which is something I can't say about every book that uses multiple POVs. The first half of the book had me absolutely gripped! About halfway through the book, the POVs change, and while I was interested, I started to wonder where the book was going with the POV shift, and I felt that there were parts in the middle that didn't hold my attention as much as the first half did. Luckily, that quickly resolved, and as the puzzle pieces started coming together, I was hooked again.

This book is full of tons of twists that constantly left me guessing. I had no idea what to think, or who to trust, and I love books that can make me feel this way! Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, J.T. Ellison threw another wrench in the story and I was totally clueless again! The chapters were short - generally 1-3 pages, which made it really easy to tell myself "just one more chapter!" and then end up binge reading it. I absolutely loved the ending of the book, and was a huge fan of how everything came together.

Lie to Me is a fast paced domestic thriller, that is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and B.A. Paris. This was the first book I've read by J.T. Ellison, and I can't wait to read more from her! Overall, I rated this one 4.5 out of 5 stars, largely because there was a part in the middle that I felt was a little slow. That said, I rounded up because of how much I loved the first half and the end of the book! Thank you to Netgalley, J.T. Ellison, and Mira for an advanced copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

I’ve fallen for the main characters: Ethan and Sutton. There I’ve get it out of my chest first, hopefully the next ones will be easier. Warning spoiler alert ahead, it’s impossible to talk about a novel without revealing some of the plots and most importantly the characters, which in this novel one of the main characters is said to be missing. First of all, I love how Ethan met Sutton. With so many novels and stories on how a couple meet their soul mate and loved ones, it’s nearly impossible to come up with another story which will intrigued us anymore. In this novel, the author: J.T. Ellison has made a short yet interesting ‘how-I-met-my-partner’ story. Although I don’t really get it why the author had to create that story in two different point of view: both from Ethan and Sutton, and they’re told a little bit different from one another. I am left wondering which story is the right one. One tiny bit of detail I’d like to know: both of Ethan and Sutton says they were on the right side of where he/she was standing when they first met, that can’t be right. If Ethan says she was on his right side, then Sutton should say he was on her left side, but she also says he was on her right side. Confusing. Second in order; yes, the beginning of the story sounds very much alike the Gone Girl story. I had to check whether this novel is actually the one which was made into film, it turns out it just a coincidence, they’re just very close similar in the beginning. And like in the Gone Girl story, the note left behind and the missing wife really intrigued us, make us wondering what had happened. It is thrilling to read before Sutton shows up, and it gets a little boring when the story tell us how she is, up until she gets closer to Ethan again. Afterwards, the readers will mostly paced through their reading to the end to know how it will end. That tells you how good this novel is. I’m not going to lie, after done reading, I tried to search on the internet for pictures of red hair women and Irish women, to imagine what Sutton might look like. The same for Ethan. If just the author give us photos, some kind of a hint on who she was imagining the characters based on. I’m dying to know, hopefully she’ll grant my wish someday...

They built a life on lies…

Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.

My Thoughts:

At first, I thought the book might be a variation of Gone Girl, but it turned quote a few corners and went in a much more twisted direction. Right plot, excellent character development and scenes. I loved the Paris neighborhoods which I know quite well.

Such an excellent portrayal if how we can get sucked into the he'll created by psychopaths! There were times when I had to put it down for a time out.

If you Luke psychological thrillers, do read!

It pains me to give this book so few stars. JT Ellison is one of my favorite writers; I've read (and enjoyed!) all of the books in both of the series she writes. I was excited when 'LTM' was listed for presale, expecting another exciting, captivating mystery/thriller. Instead, 'LTM' is essentially a book we've already read, one that was better done the first handful of times. I did finish the book, partially just out of respect for an author I usually enjoy, partially to see what was the true driving force behind the story. However, by ~35% of my way through the book I had correctly intuited who-done-it, and, though I was never positive, the why-done-it had circled in my head from ~65% onwards. The story is well enough written, and definitely readable and enjoyable. But, I found it extremely difficult to separate what I was reading here from previous books of this ilk, 'GG' being the best written, and most famous. Still, I'm looking forward to the release of the next series book, and still consider Ellison one of my favorite authors. I just also consider this book to be that rare bird, a miss.