Just One Lie
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- Create Date：2022-06-12 21:21:38
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Ruth Harrow
- ISBN：B0B297TGJM
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Summary
Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。
Alison loves being a mother which is why she is finding it so hard to come to terms with the recent loss of her baby daughter。 She still has her young son Adam whom she adores， but the grief is always there…
Everyone can see she is struggling。
And they don’t know the half of it。 Alison has a terrible secret she has never shared with anyone – not even her husband， Dan。 She knows if he ever discovers what she did， her family will be destroyed forever。
But someone seems to know， because Alison gets a sinister message。 And then bad things start to happen – her website is hacked， her business is sabotaged， there’s a fire in her home… then more threatening messages。
Alison is in no doubt that someone means to destroy her by exposing her to the world。 But who？ And why？
Can she discover the truth before it’s too late？ Or is the terror that fuels her sleepless nights about to become all too real？
Alison loves being a mother which is why she is finding it so hard to come to terms with the recent loss of her baby daughter。 She still has her young son Adam whom she adores， but the grief is always there…
Everyone can see she is struggling。
And they don’t know the half of it。 Alison has a terrible secret she has never shared with anyone – not even her husband， Dan。 She knows if he ever discovers what she did， her family will be destroyed forever。
But someone seems to know， because Alison gets a sinister message。 And then bad things start to happen – her website is hacked， her business is sabotaged， there’s a fire in her home… then more threatening messages。
Alison is in no doubt that someone means to destroy her by exposing her to the world。 But who？ And why？
Can she discover the truth before it’s too late？ Or is the terror that fuels her sleepless nights about to become all too real？
Reviews
LORRIE
，
ExcellentThis was just fantastic。 There were different side stories that all seemed to be working together。 It was a fantastic thriller
Viktorija
，
Just One Lie follows Alison， who is recovering from the loss of her child。 She and her husband Dan are trying to heal and settle into a routine taking care of their son Adam。 However， the consequences of their trauma clearly permeate the marriage and family life。 Alison and Dan grow distant， and Alison’s anxious thoughts about all the things that could happen to take Adam away from her consume her thoughts。 In the midst of it all， she is working hard to launch her new photography business。On the Just One Lie follows Alison， who is recovering from the loss of her child。 She and her husband Dan are trying to heal and settle into a routine taking care of their son Adam。 However， the consequences of their trauma clearly permeate the marriage and family life。 Alison and Dan grow distant， and Alison’s anxious thoughts about all the things that could happen to take Adam away from her consume her thoughts。 In the midst of it all， she is working hard to launch her new photography business。On the surface， it is quite endearing to follow these ordinary people as they do ordinary things， but it soon becomes apparent that something is seriously off。 As paranoid as Alison is， it looks like someone really is trying to hurt her little family。“I know what keeps you awake at night。”Somehow， someone knows she spends her nights worrying and staring at the ceiling。 And somehow， someone knows why。 Strange messages， the sensation of being watched， various incidents at the shop， and worst of all， someone is trying to get to her little boy。 Frantic， Alison questions everybody around her – her old friend， her new friend， and even her husband of many years。 It is disturbing to see how her opinions of the people around her change dramatically， and how deeply she is rattled by what is happening to her。 This shows how important and potentially devastating the secret she is hiding is。After the grippingly tragic prologue， some chapters are narrated by Alison， and some by a narrator whose identity we think we know。 There is no indication as to whose point of view it is except for the labels “before” and “now” before some of the chapters。 This can be a little confusing in the beginning， but once the characters become a bit more familiar， it gets easier to follow。 We get the parallel voices of two mothers whose love for their children drives them to unreasonable extremes。 Their grief and their fear distort the reality around them， until we as readers are not sure who we can trust。 This creates tension and keeps us guessing。 Тhe book moves slowly and the reveals are offered gradually。 It would have been even nicer for the twists to occur a little more organically rather than in the form of confessions， but they are quite shocking in and of themselves。 All of the initially confusing and intentionally ambiguous places in the first part of the book make sense after the big reveals。The descriptions of setting up and running the photography business are interesting to read， and there is a lot of charm in the simple， mundane tasks the characters perform。 This is again offset by the shocking nature of the major reveal and its repercussions for the characters。 It would have been nice to see some more in-depth characterization for Dan， even though it is understandable that he is seen the way he is seen through Alison’s eyes。 Since there isn’t too much background information regarding the way their relationship used to be， we are limited to what we can find out about him through Alison's filter， and so comes across as a little flat。 Adam and Rebecca are probably the most likeable characters。Overall， Just One Lie is a chilling exploration of the darker side of motherhood and the way one decision can spiral out of control and trap people in a web of lies。I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。 。。。more
angie
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This is the story of Alison's life that started to crumble because of one lie。Alison is the kind of character in books that I don't like。 I should have expected that basing it on the title and synopsis of the book。 I honestly don't know what prompted me from downloading this on netgalley。 Alison tends to lie her way out of difficult or even mildly uncomfortable situations。 Or just try to forget and procastinate when problem arises。 It was frustrating to read and made me almost dnf this book。The This is the story of Alison's life that started to crumble because of one lie。Alison is the kind of character in books that I don't like。 I should have expected that basing it on the title and synopsis of the book。 I honestly don't know what prompted me from downloading this on netgalley。 Alison tends to lie her way out of difficult or even mildly uncomfortable situations。 Or just try to forget and procastinate when problem arises。 It was frustrating to read and made me almost dnf this book。The book in my opinion tried so hard to be VERY MYSTERIOUS that it became a confusing read for me。 A lot of hints and foreshadowings were thrown in to confuse the reader that it became a chaotic mess。The characters did a lot of dubious things that can be explained in two ways that also added to my confusion。 There was one character that was there clearly just to hide the fact of who the real villain is。 This character in my opinion is very weird， like she's there to be a shield to prevent readers from knowing about the villain。 The excuses to defend her is flimsy and lame。The means by which the villain did all those things to Alison was not explained。 How is the villain able to do those？ 😑I gave a passable rating because it was a fast read and the attempts at mystery are quite interesting at some parts。 But unfortunately， it was just a so-so read for me。*Thanks to the publisher for making this book available for review via Netgalley。 This review is voluntary and contains my honest thoughts and opinions of the book。* 。。。more
Esther Bultitude
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3。5 stars Just one lie is told from a dual perspective。One side of the story is told from Alison’s point of view - she’s recently lost a baby and is trying to come to terms with her loss whilst raising her son Adam with her husband Dan。 Their relationship is strained and the baby was supposed to help mend the cracks in their marriage。She also harbours a secret; one which someone has discovered and everyone close to her could be a suspect in the mishaps which keep happening to her - escalating to 3。5 stars Just one lie is told from a dual perspective。One side of the story is told from Alison’s point of view - she’s recently lost a baby and is trying to come to terms with her loss whilst raising her son Adam with her husband Dan。 Their relationship is strained and the baby was supposed to help mend the cracks in their marriage。She also harbours a secret; one which someone has discovered and everyone close to her could be a suspect in the mishaps which keep happening to her - escalating to messages on her website and notes in her son’s school bag。The second side is from ‘then’ told from an older woman’s point of view and someone we have no idea who they are。 I must admit at first this POV was a little confusing but it came together in the end。This was a fast paced domestic thriller。 Alison was clearly suffering from post natal depression and didn’t seem to have any support from her husband or family relating to this。All in all a great thriller with enough suspense to make me not put this book down。 。。。more
Kaila Karg
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very good。。 this was a rollercoaster of emotions。。。 it was an interesting read。。。 with 2 pov's and noone can be trusted because everyone has secrets。。 and i would think i knew the secrets to find out i totally didnt。 it was a good story！ very good。。 this was a rollercoaster of emotions。。。 it was an interesting read。。。 with 2 pov's and noone can be trusted because everyone has secrets。。 and i would think i knew the secrets to find out i totally didnt。 it was a good story！ 。。。more
valerie gosling
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BrilliantDear god what is it with mother's of sons，marvellous plot believable characters first-class story tense keeping you turning the pages to the end BrilliantDear god what is it with mother's of sons，marvellous plot believable characters first-class story tense keeping you turning the pages to the end 。。。more
Augenette Botha
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How far will you go to protect the truth。。。Alison Burnham is living every mother's nightmare - a nightmare that is keeping her from sleeping and functioning。 Moving to Rishworth with her husband Dan and son Adam was supposed to be a new beginning for the small family - but everything is falling apart because of a horrible secret that Alison is keeping。When Alison starts receiving mysterious messages， she knows that someone is watching。 Someone out there knows her secret。 They are not only going How far will you go to protect the truth。。。Alison Burnham is living every mother's nightmare - a nightmare that is keeping her from sleeping and functioning。 Moving to Rishworth with her husband Dan and son Adam was supposed to be a new beginning for the small family - but everything is falling apart because of a horrible secret that Alison is keeping。When Alison starts receiving mysterious messages， she knows that someone is watching。 Someone out there knows her secret。 They are not only going to expose the secret and the horrible and tragic truth - they are also going to destroy Alison and everything she holds dear。I could not put this book down - Ruth Harrow delivers a magnificent thriller with twists and turns to the very end！ 。。。more
Billie
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This is an absolutely brilliant read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review。 This is an absolutely brilliant read。Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start。Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable。Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously。Can't wait to read what the author brings out next。Recommend reading。I read a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest review。 。。。more
Stina
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Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。 And it all started with a lie。So many people have said that this was a slow paced book， so when I read that I thought "oh no" as I hate slow burns。 But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I didn't think it was slow paced at all。 It does begin with a build up that does， admittedly， leave the reader a little confused at first。 Especially with the alternating narratives changing every few chapters and BOTH are in the first person， so it is e Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。 And it all started with a lie。So many people have said that this was a slow paced book， so when I read that I thought "oh no" as I hate slow burns。 But I was pleasantly surprised to discover that I didn't think it was slow paced at all。 It does begin with a build up that does， admittedly， leave the reader a little confused at first。 Especially with the alternating narratives changing every few chapters and BOTH are in the first person， so it is easy to mistake the second narrative as Alison's。。。until there is a few words that hint at it being an entirely different narrator。 Some of the chapters are titled with "Before" making them easier to identify but some of the others are not which makes it confusing。 I found this to be a confusing inconsistency。The main narrator is Alison and is told predominantly from her perspective When the second one stealthily makes their way into the story in the second chapter， we stop to wonder who this could possibly be。 We are drip-fed information to lead us thinking we know where the story is leading and who the mysterious narrator is。。。but we don't。 I was left scratching my head cluelessly until a light bulb went on in my brain and it all became comparatively clearer。 Didn't it？ But like all good psychological thrillers， JUST ONE LIE has us chasing our tails and second guessing ourselves all the way through。Beginning with an intriguing prologue another unnamed person is swimming with their child in the warm waters of somewhere quite obviously abroad until fate deals them a deadly blow。 And the reader is left wanting to know who， what， why and when this all happened。 But one thing we learn throughout the story is that time is relative。Alison Burnham thought she had the perfect life。 She thought she and Dan had the perfect marriage and they were incredibly happy together。。。until Adam was born。 It was a difficult birth and for a time， Alison and her son were separated with him being in the neonatal unit shortly after his birth。 But it wasn't long before they returned home together and the perfect life Alison thought they would be enjoying crumbled。 She spiraled into a postpartum depression and found caring for a newborn incredibly trying as well as the changes to their family unit。 It wasn't until a year or so had passed that Alison finally found her feet and a new appreciation for her beautiful baby son。 But her's and Dan's relationship had taken a battering and they found it even harder to regain that equilibrium again。Eight years later， and Alison is now mourning the loss of their stillborn daughter she had hoped would get her and Dan back on an even keel again。 Now they couple barely speak and when they do she finds Dan patronising instead of understanding。 Having lost her previous successful career in marketing after Adam's birth， Alison has been through a few failed ventures to help contribute financially to the household while Dan works as an undervalued chef at a local restaurant。 Now Alison has begun a career as a photographer specialising in maternity and family photos， an idea that formed during her own recent pregnancy。 She takes on an employee， Rebecca， who thrives in being at the forefront of organising bookings and the photo shoots， an ability Alison can only admire and envy in equal measure。But then strange things begin to occur。 Her studio is broken in。 The electrics short-circuit having been filled with water。 Strange phone calls where no one speaks。 Anonymous messages sent to her Facebook account。 And then her website is hacked。 And she has this strange sense of being watched。 Is it any wonder that Alison has trouble sleeping？ That she barely eats？ But is it the mysterious happenings occurring now or the deep dark secret she has carried for so long？Her behaviour becomes so erratic Dan believes she is falling into a depression again and instead of showing her understanding， Alison finds every thing he does and every thing he says patronising。 But when she returns home one day to find he has done the unthinkable without discussing it with her first， she is livid。 And to be honest， I thought she had every right to be。 What he did was cruel， even if he thought he was doing the right thing at the time。 Just because it was right for him doesn't mean it was right for Alison。 But to go behind her back without telling her。。。well， that was just cruel。 As if she hasn't got enough to contend with。And then she gets a phone call from the school。。。Adam has disappeared whilst on a school excursion。 Has Alison's greatest fear come to fruition at last？Pretty much WOW！ Despite the ambiguity and confusion with the failure to clearly separate the two narratives in the beginning， JUST ONE LIE is just one wild ride！ It wasn't slow paced at all。 I found it began with a relatively steady pace that offered mystery and intrigue， picking up quickly as I raced to turn the pages long into the night。 Just when I thought I knew who the unnamed narrator was， I discovered I'd been cleverly hoodwinked。Alison is not an entirely likeable character and she is clearly unreliable as a narrator as well。 Do we believe her perception？ Or is it all in her mind？ Is she suffering postpartum depression again only adding to her grief？ Or is she right to be worried？ Does someone know her secret？I didn't particularly like Alison much but I liked Rebecca。 Dan was not a very understanding husband particularly with some of his actions。 But Alison was constantly second guessing herself and throughout the entire book she just figuratively threw her hands up and declared "That's it！ I've failed as a wife！ I've failed as a mother！" What mother hasn't thought that at times？ But she just goes on about it every time something went wrong or threatened Adam's safety。。。which in Alison's was just about everything。 Including a harmless birthday gift of walkie talkies， thus thinking someone could hack the frequency and lure her little boy away。 Seriously？ She just got on my goat a bit。However， regardless of how annoying she could be， I thoroughly enjoyed JUST ONE LIE。 It was fun， fast paced and entirely intriguing and entertaining。 I had fun trying to work out who it could possibly be and I was able to work out the anonymous narrator long before their identity was revealed。JUST ONE LIE is a brilliant， fun fast pace read with all the thrills and chills and clever twists along the way to keep you entertained throughout。 I did find it ended a little abruptly though and found that a bit of a letdown considering everything else had concluded nicely， only for it to end。。。just like that。Still an intriguing read that I recommend for fans of psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators。I would like to thank #RuthHarrow， #Netgalley， #InkubatorBooks and #ZoolooTours for an ARC of #JustOneLie in exchange for an honest review。This review appears on my blog at https://stinathebookaholic。blogspot。com/。 。。。more
Patricia
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We know three things about Alison。 She lost a little girl， she has a son named Adam who she is inordinately protective of， and she has a secret。 The story moves slowly in alternate chapters between Alison and an unknown narrator， and between then and now。 Alison is desperately trying to make a success of her start-up photography studio， but weird things keep happening that make us suspect the people around her。 Could her husband， Dan， be sabotaging her？ Or maybe it's the all too eager assistant， We know three things about Alison。 She lost a little girl， she has a son named Adam who she is inordinately protective of， and she has a secret。 The story moves slowly in alternate chapters between Alison and an unknown narrator， and between then and now。 Alison is desperately trying to make a success of her start-up photography studio， but weird things keep happening that make us suspect the people around her。 Could her husband， Dan， be sabotaging her？ Or maybe it's the all too eager assistant， Rebecca， who Alison hired without checking references。 Then there's Alison's web instructor， who Alison knows from a past relationship with the instructor's husband。 I found the story to be heart wrenching， with interesting characters， and a great twisty ending。 I'm still thinking about the characters， and I look forward to reading more titles from this author。Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an advance reader's copy。 。。。more
Leanne
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#netgalley I enjoyed reading this book， it was a bit of a slow burn but really picked up pace in the middle of the book。 Not the best but definitely not the worst。 If you're after a slow burn physcological thriller then I would recommend this。 #netgalley I enjoyed reading this book， it was a bit of a slow burn but really picked up pace in the middle of the book。 Not the best but definitely not the worst。 If you're after a slow burn physcological thriller then I would recommend this。 。。。more
Lynette
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Took me a wee while to get into this， but it did eventually pick up the pace quite well。 Pretty well thought out plot。
Sophie Sheppard
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Alison and Dan are married and live together with their son Adam。 Recently Alison and Dan had a baby girl who sadly died。 Alison has clearly struggled with this and Dan is worried about his wife， she doesn’t eat properly， she doesn’t sleep well and she has a terrible deep dark secret that literally keeps her awake at night。 Alison throws herself into starting up her own photography business but again it’s clear she’s struggling and is quick to become suspicious of her new employee when strange t Alison and Dan are married and live together with their son Adam。 Recently Alison and Dan had a baby girl who sadly died。 Alison has clearly struggled with this and Dan is worried about his wife， she doesn’t eat properly， she doesn’t sleep well and she has a terrible deep dark secret that literally keeps her awake at night。 Alison throws herself into starting up her own photography business but again it’s clear she’s struggling and is quick to become suspicious of her new employee when strange things start to happen， her website is hacked， pictures are trashed along with a few other incidents。 When it becomes clear to Alison that someone knows her secret she panics。 She is terrified of losing her son and knows that her heartbreaking secret could destroy her whole family。 After a slow start I really enjoyed this book。 It was very easy to read and I loved the ending， it was so action packed and fast paced I think I read it quicker than I’ve ever read anything in my life。 I also loved the fact that I didn’t join the dots and the ending came together so well and I was shocked by the conclusion。 Not guessing the ending myself is always an added bonus for me。 Thank you to NetGalley the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for this review。 。。。more
Sue Wallace
，
Just One Lie by Ruth Harrow。Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。A brilliant read。 Read in one sitting。 I like Alison and Charlotte and Adam。 Evelyn I really didn't trust at all。 5*。 Just One Lie by Ruth Harrow。Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。A brilliant read。 Read in one sitting。 I like Alison and Charlotte and Adam。 Evelyn I really didn't trust at all。 5*。 。。。more
Norie
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Two chapters in and you’re like wait， what？！ And just like that you are hooked trying to figure out what the heck is going on with this book！ Really good psychological thrillers always make me want to read the last two chapters because I can’t handle the suspense。 This is one of those… do not look ahead… do your best to follow along… and brace yourself！ Side note， this book deals with mental health and manipulation。 Was interesting to see who was struggling and who was being tricked。
Connie
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Alison Burnham has decided to use her photography talent and open a shop for taking maternity and family portraits。 She has hired a woman named Rebecca to help her。 Alison’s husband， Dan， is a chef and they have a son Adam， age 8。 Her baby daughter， Dorothy， was stillborn which caused her much sorrow and has taken her some time to come to grips with her loss。The book switches back and forth from Alison to an unknown person。 This is where the book got too kooky for me。 It’s fine to add a bit of m Alison Burnham has decided to use her photography talent and open a shop for taking maternity and family portraits。 She has hired a woman named Rebecca to help her。 Alison’s husband， Dan， is a chef and they have a son Adam， age 8。 Her baby daughter， Dorothy， was stillborn which caused her much sorrow and has taken her some time to come to grips with her loss。The book switches back and forth from Alison to an unknown person。 This is where the book got too kooky for me。 It’s fine to add a bit of mystery to a book but this story was so confusing that it took me to the 92 percent mark to finally figure out who was who and what was going on。 There is so much angst that it had me rolling my eyes。 I’m sorry I can’t give a better review than that， but this book left me cold。Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review。 。。。more
Caroline 'reading with Buddy'
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The author kept enough little tidbits and hooks to keep you interested and I just wanted to finish the story to see where it ended。 Yes you do have to suspend belief but hey isnt that what a book is all about - I dont want real life especially know。 This was a very pleasant way to spend the afternoon relaxing。 I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review。
Louise Wilson
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3。5 stars rounded upEveryone can see she's struggling。 And they don't know the half of it。 Alison has a terrible secret she has never shared with anyone - not even her husband， Dan。 She id he ever discovers whet she did， her family would be destroyed forever。 But someone seems to know， because Alison gets a sinister message。 And then bad things start to happen - her website is hacked， her business is sabotaged， there's a fire in her home。。。。 then more threatening messages。The pace is slow to beg 3。5 stars rounded upEveryone can see she's struggling。 And they don't know the half of it。 Alison has a terrible secret she has never shared with anyone - not even her husband， Dan。 She id he ever discovers whet she did， her family would be destroyed forever。 But someone seems to know， because Alison gets a sinister message。 And then bad things start to happen - her website is hacked， her business is sabotaged， there's a fire in her home。。。。 then more threatening messages。The pace is slow to begin with and it can be a bit confusing at times。 Alison is struggling after the loss of her baby。 She comes across as a little unhinged。 She has a big secret she hopes no one would ever find out about。 The story is told from Alis0n and an unknown narrators perspectives。 There's a few characters who I didn't like or trust。 Filled with suspense and twists makes it harder to figure the story out。 You never know who you can trust。I would like to thank #NetGalley #InkubatorBooks and the author #RuthHarrow for my ARC of #JustOneLie in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Haley
，
Firstly， thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this title！ Woah！ What a wild read！ This story is told from alternate points of view telling two stories that are connected in life altering ways。 We know the main point of view is Alisons but the second one is a mystery until the last few chapters。 This was a little confusing the first bit but， once you realize the second POV is supposed to be a mystery it quickly begins to make sense and take off。 Alison is a mother who is t Firstly， thank you to Netgalley for giving me the opportunity to read this title！ Woah！ What a wild read！ This story is told from alternate points of view telling two stories that are connected in life altering ways。 We know the main point of view is Alisons but the second one is a mystery until the last few chapters。 This was a little confusing the first bit but， once you realize the second POV is supposed to be a mystery it quickly begins to make sense and take off。 Alison is a mother who is trying to move past the recent loss of her baby girl while constantly being on edge about a deep secret she’s harbouring。 With threatening emails， little things going wrong with her business and unease stirring in the pit of her stomach， who can she trust？ Just One Lie is full of suspense， mystery and twists you won’t see coming！ You’ll think you have it figured out and then BAM！ Another thing thrown your way！ While there was some slow parts and a bit of “Jeeze， what can go wrong now” moments the overall story was such a wild and thrilling read！ I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend to someone who’s looking for a thriller full of WTF moments！ 。。。more
Chris
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This novel certainly held my interest although I did find it a little frustrating in the middle section。 Whenever the lead character did anything or went anywhere， something went wrong and I personally found it a little too much。 The ending however was action packed and wrapped everything up in a satisfactory manner。Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 This novel certainly held my interest although I did find it a little frustrating in the middle section。 Whenever the lead character did anything or went anywhere， something went wrong and I personally found it a little too much。 The ending however was action packed and wrapped everything up in a satisfactory manner。Thanks to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for providing me with an Advance Reader's Copy in exchange for an honest， unbiased review。 。。。more
Vicky Chapman
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Thanks to netgalley for the arc ebook。I found the characters really unlikeable， the pace a little too slow to start with， and the story just a tad too unbelievable。
Jenny
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*I received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review*The book was a slow start to be honest， but I'm glad I read it as it has some very interesting twists in the story of who the culprit is and what actually happened in the past。 It had me at the edge of my seat and I couldn't put the book down in the end！ If you like suspense then this book will not disappoint！ *I received an e-ARC of this book via NetGalley in return for an honest review*The book was a slow start to be honest， but I'm glad I read it as it has some very interesting twists in the story of who the culprit is and what actually happened in the past。 It had me at the edge of my seat and I couldn't put the book down in the end！ If you like suspense then this book will not disappoint！ 。。。more
Caffeine books bound
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Thanks to Inkubator Books， NetGalley and Ruth Harrow for an ARC of this book。this book was VERY slow， VERY！there were jumps from past to present which is something i usually like but here it gave me whiplash。 the FMC was very unlikable and always in her head。 yes this book does talk about grief and loss but it also makes the FMC into this person who is stuck in the past and won't let her child live without her if that makes sense。 like she can't digest that her SON has a kid and is very weird to Thanks to Inkubator Books， NetGalley and Ruth Harrow for an ARC of this book。this book was VERY slow， VERY！there were jumps from past to present which is something i usually like but here it gave me whiplash。 the FMC was very unlikable and always in her head。 yes this book does talk about grief and loss but it also makes the FMC into this person who is stuck in the past and won't let her child live without her if that makes sense。 like she can't digest that her SON has a kid and is very weird towards her daughter in law。i skimmed the last chapters and know there is a plot twist too。 which was a bit interesting but which again in turn made me not like the FMC more。Once again thank you for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kaitlyn
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I liked the concept of this but honestly I was lost half of the time and didn’t really understand what was going on。 I didn’t really connect with any of the characters or the plot which is a bit of an issue。 It was quite slow pacing which you don’t expect from a suspenseful story。Would I recommend？ Probably not because I don’t really know how I could sell this to someone if I didn’t enjoy any of the aspects other than concept。
Vishnupriya Balasubramainian
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I thought the premise was enthralling and believed I would really love the book。 But instead， the unclear transitions in POV put me off from the first。 Didn't like the characters either。 I didn't feel as much sympathy for Alison as was intended。 Besides， the way the plot revolved around caring for children was exhausting （I mean， seriously， mothers love their kids。 Yes！ And they go to any extent for their kids。 But not every mother has only kids as their entire world。 They have a life apart from I thought the premise was enthralling and believed I would really love the book。 But instead， the unclear transitions in POV put me off from the first。 Didn't like the characters either。 I didn't feel as much sympathy for Alison as was intended。 Besides， the way the plot revolved around caring for children was exhausting （I mean， seriously， mothers love their kids。 Yes！ And they go to any extent for their kids。 But not every mother has only kids as their entire world。 They have a life apart from kids。）and the climax was too unrealistic。I thought I would love the book。 But unfortunately， I didn't。 。。。more
Kelly
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I wanted to like this book， but I felt the writer went too far with ambiguity in the plot in order to create suspense。 This tactic made the story seem disjointed and it was difficult for me to care about the characters。 That said， there are some unexpected twists and turns。 If you're in the mood for a light suspense book you may enjoy it。I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are mine。 I wanted to like this book， but I felt the writer went too far with ambiguity in the plot in order to create suspense。 This tactic made the story seem disjointed and it was difficult for me to care about the characters。 That said， there are some unexpected twists and turns。 If you're in the mood for a light suspense book you may enjoy it。I received a free copy of the book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review。 All opinions are mine。 。。。more
Madison MacDonald
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“Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。Alison loves being a mother which is why she is finding it so hard to come to terms with the recent loss of her baby daughter。 She still has her young son Adam whom she adores， but the grief is always there…Everyone can see she is struggling。And they don’t know the half of it。 Alison has a terrible secret she has never shared with anyone – not even her husband， Dan。 She knows if he ever discovers what she did， her family will be destroyed forever。But “Everyone has a secret。 But not like Alison’s。Alison loves being a mother which is why she is finding it so hard to come to terms with the recent loss of her baby daughter。 She still has her young son Adam whom she adores， but the grief is always there…Everyone can see she is struggling。And they don’t know the half of it。 Alison has a terrible secret she has never shared with anyone – not even her husband， Dan。 She knows if he ever discovers what she did， her family will be destroyed forever。But someone seems to know， because Alison gets a sinister message。 And then bad things start to happen – her website is hacked， her business is sabotaged， there’s a fire in her home… then more threatening messages。Alison is in no doubt that someone means to destroy her by exposing her to the world。 But who？ And why？Can she discover the truth before it’s too late？ Or is the terror that fuels her sleepless nights about to become all too real？”I loved the premise of this book， but the execution was lacking。 The main characters were not particularly likable for me， and the book was confusing to read in a lot of places。 I felt like I should’ve been catching on to something， but I wasn’t given enough information to put two and two together。 I love multiple POVs in a book but I feel like it just added to the confusion here。 Once I got to the plot twist and all the juicy bits the came with it， I was flipping pages like there was no tomorrow。 But the first…eh， 3/4ths of this book was a drag for me。 I liked it， didn’t love it。 Thank you to NetGalley and Inkubator Books for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review！ 。。。more
Sabrina
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I was able to read this book via NetGalley， thank you very much for the opportunity。 I will give my honest opinion， I swear。 :D This book had me on the fence。 I was finding myself constantly rolling my eyes， close to throwing my kindle against a wall - a thing I would never do。 A very slow paced book， which is fine， if the story was going somewhere。 It was told from two POVs and even when we think we know who the second one is， we actually don’t。 Would have been too obvious。 I had two problems w I was able to read this book via NetGalley， thank you very much for the opportunity。 I will give my honest opinion， I swear。 :D This book had me on the fence。 I was finding myself constantly rolling my eyes， close to throwing my kindle against a wall - a thing I would never do。 A very slow paced book， which is fine， if the story was going somewhere。 It was told from two POVs and even when we think we know who the second one is， we actually don’t。 Would have been too obvious。 I had two problems with this。The first problem was， all the characters were totally… blah。 That’s a serious problem when the main characters annoy you。 A lot。 The only character I liked was Rebecca and we were feed suspicions， because come on， she can’t be that nice？ Problem number two is more my own and will probably have some stones flying my way。 But I can’t stand it， when everything has to revolve around having children。 It made me feel super uncomfortable。 And then the grandparent that knows everything better and things her son and baby are the holy grail。 Sorry for saying it， but no， not for me。 And that should be ok。 For some people it works， for some not。 I am not against having children， no， but these characters were so extreme and Not relatable for me。 So sorry。 It was more the style of writing that was really disturbing。 Sorry， but I did not get it。 Yeah， a mother would do everything for their child， but this book？ Nope。 。。。more
RK_reads
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A plot that explores the lengths that a mother would go to for her child。 Alison Burnham， a photographer， is constantly on edge from the secret and lies that she has been harbouring for many years now。 Coupled with the recent loss of her unborn baby， her grief and her guilt makes it difficult for her to let go of the past and focus on the future。 And when she begins to receive threatening messages and her business is attacked， Alison realizes that her lies have finally caught up with her， and t A plot that explores the lengths that a mother would go to for her child。 Alison Burnham， a photographer， is constantly on edge from the secret and lies that she has been harbouring for many years now。 Coupled with the recent loss of her unborn baby， her grief and her guilt makes it difficult for her to let go of the past and focus on the future。 And when she begins to receive threatening messages and her business is attacked， Alison realizes that her lies have finally caught up with her， and that she can trust no one。 I am a bit on the fence regarding this book。 It was slow-paced with a gradual build-up in the suspense over the chapters。 The two main characters were totally unlikeable。 The parts depicting Alison's grief were repetitive and exhausting - as a reader， I just wanted to skip it and move on。 I do not know if the author intended for Alison's character to garner sympathy， but I must say that I felt absolutely none for her; considering her one 'little' lie， she was dealt with pretty lightly at the end。 I found the story pretty much meh until the plot twist and the antagonist were revealed - that part was simply awesome - and couldn't help wondering if only the narrative until then had a bit more depth to it， with a little less rambling， then I'd have enjoyed it more。 The climax was quite thrilling， but the denouement was disappointing。 Overall， an average story with a great climax。 Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a digital copy of the book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Christina Faris
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Alison is under a lot of stress starting her new photography business while still coping with the recent loss of her daughter。 Even though she still has her young son and husband， her heart is shattered。 It makes the secret she is keeping even that much more unbearable。 This story was wild！ It is told from alternating points of view from Alison and another person （no spoilers， we don’t find out who that person is til later）。 As Alison is trying to move forward with her life， the grief of her los Alison is under a lot of stress starting her new photography business while still coping with the recent loss of her daughter。 Even though she still has her young son and husband， her heart is shattered。 It makes the secret she is keeping even that much more unbearable。 This story was wild！ It is told from alternating points of view from Alison and another person （no spoilers， we don’t find out who that person is til later）。 As Alison is trying to move forward with her life， the grief of her loss and the burden of her secret make her question her own sanity at points。 But the one thing that keeps her going is her devotion to her son。 The other people in her life even become questionable and at points I suspected them of all of being sketchy。 I love when books have multiple characters that make it difficult to guess who is the “bad guy”。 At times， it was a little confusing differentiating the points of view but other than that， this book was SO good！ The first I’ve read by this author but it won’t be the last。 “Just One Lie” comes our June 6th！ Thanks to Netgalley， Inkubator books and Ruth Harrow for the ARC。 This review will be posted to my Instagram blog （books_by_the_bottle） shortly。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Just One Lie
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Just One Lie&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Just One Lie&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0