#CJSReads REVIEW: Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison @thrillerchick #MIRABooks @harpercollins
Lie to Meby J.T. Ellison
Mira Books
🎂 Happy Publishing Day! 9/5/17 🎂
A domestic thriller that keeps you guessing! J.T. Ellison is back and delivers again!
Synopsis from Goodreads:
They built a life on lies Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. The couple seems 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.
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 Review:
Sutton and Ethan, both successful authors, made for each other but what goes on behind closed doors is more than you could imagine. One tragic event magnifies smaller nuances that lead to financial problems, secrets and infidelity. Then one morning Ethan wakes up with a note from Sutton not to try and find her. Things don't add up though and he becomes worried, hiring a lawyer and contacting the police. Soon the common theory of the husband being the first suspect comes to fruition - did he kill Sutton? Did Sutton unravel so far after the death of their child that she's a danger not only to herself but to those around her?
So many plot twists that my head was spinning like the Exorcist - but done so intricately well that I rarely saw them coming. A little nudge here, a little nudge there and then BAM! Ok Ellison, you got me... you got me good. Seems everyone in this book is a bit bat shit, but I don't mind that in the least. With short chapters (all cleverly titled), you'll be nose deep and before you know it, hours have passed by. Clear out some time when you decide to pick this up, and you SHOULD!
Good lawd does J.T. Ellison know how to tell a story. Told through several narrators and traveling from past to present, she keeps the reader on the edge of their seat with wondering what in the hell is exactly going on! Completely addicting from page one, this is a book that is impossible to put down. I found myself hating and then empathizing and then hating Sutton and Ethan throughout the book. What I love is that from the different points of views, we see how a single night can be perceived in different ways. Have you ever told a story and the person you were with in your story told the same story but it seemed different than the way you remembered it? Add alcohol and uh-oh! Who is right and who is wrong if you both had the same experience but just remember it differently?
Jessica's Thoughts:
I've only read one other book by J.T. Ellison, so I was very excited when the #CJSReads ladies and I were able to review this one. LIE TO ME was fantastic! I loved every word of this domestic thriller. The classic, what really goes on behind closed doors theme, but with fresh twists to make it stand out.
Sutton and Ethan are a seemingly happily married couple. They were a match made in heaven, bother successful authors, but do we ever truly know what goes on in the confines of their home? Financial problems, adultery, and secrets are beginning to tear at the seams of their marriage. Everything changes one morning when Ethan finds a letter from Sutton. Telling him not to try and find her. Ethan goes to the police and immediately becomes the prime suspect - did he kill his wife?
All of my favorite elements are in this story. Multiple perspectives, going from past to present, and plenty of twists that I did not see coming! This is a book you need to make sure to start when you have a lot of free time because you won't want to stop! This is one of those truly addictive reads. This definitely reminded me of GONE GIRL when it came to the characters. First you love them, then you hate them, and then you go back to empathizing with them. Just a whirlwind of complex and emotional characters.
The multiple perspectives will always be a favorite of mine in thrillers. You learn more information about events and characters as you go. Questions slowly get answered along the way and the reader gets to see the stories in different lights. What really happened? Who is telling the truth?
If you want a domestic thriller that will keep you on your toes and that will blow your mind, then you need to stop what you're doing and grab this! The short chapters make this fly by and you won't be able to stop!
I give this 5/5 stars!
Sam's Thoughts:
J.T. Ellison is an author whose books top my TBR pile but never actually make it to my reading list; for whatever reason, I get distracted and put them off so I was thrilled to be able to make Lie To Me, the newest novel by J.T. Ellison, a priority for my September. Now that I have finished this book, I have a feeling I’ll be going back to binge read her other novels pronto; Ellison’s writing style is incredibly entertaining!
Sutton and Ethan have built their life on lies; this idyllic couple is not as they seem. With a plethora of betrayals and financial trouble, the couple’s passionate nature and tension filled relationship comes to a boiling point when Ethan wakes up to find Sutton missing and a note stating she has went away and does not want anyone to look for her. As Ethan’s worry mounts and the police become involved, Ethan finds himself at the center of the investigation. Did he kill his wife? Is he being set up? They appeared to be the perfect couple...
The beginning of this book felt like a lot like Gone Girl to me initially; a missing wife, a husband confused that finds himself the lead suspect and police on the case. However, after about the first one hundred pages I was pleasantly surprised to see how Ellison flipped the typical domestic noir/thriller narrative and brought something so much more original to the plot. I loved the multiple layers, the characterization and the different character POV. It made this one incredibly easy to binge read. I found myself completely consumed as Ellison through out twist after twist.
Told through alternating POVs (Ethan and the police investigator on the case) and also through alternating time periods (then and now), the reader is privy to their complicated relationship between Ethan and Sutton and the police case that unfolds. Characterization is a strong suit of Ellison’s writing and I was so impressed with his ability to develop these characters in such a way that I really felt something. I found myself hating Sutton, a character I really didn’t know and feeling conflicted about my feelings for Ethan. This book had me all over the place on the emotion scale.
I also really liked the tiny touches in this book as well; each chapter is named. I appreciated that! It is so rare now to have cleverly titled chapters.
Overall, if you are a fan of the domestic thriller style novel, you will love this book. In all the books I have read that have been compared to Gone Girl, this is as close as it gets! 5/5 stars from me!
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