Social Media Icons

Sunday, December 20, 2020

#ATBR2020 Review: The Truth Hurts by Rebecca Reid

The Truth Hurts 
by Rebecca Reid

Thanks to Thriller Book Lover for this copy.

Publisher: Harper Perennial
Publish Date: July 28, 2020 (first published August 27, 2019)
Paperback
368 Pages
Standalone
Genres: Psychological Thriller, Suspense

In this twisty, compelling thriller, a young woman quickly embarks on what she thinks is the relationship and love of a lifetime, and she’s thrilled when her new husband insists they follow one rule: they don’t talk about the past, but it’s a rule that has dangerous consequences—perfect for fans of A Simple Favor and The Kiss Quotient.  

Is her new husband hiding something? 

Caught up in a whirlwind romance that starts in sunny Ibiza and leads to the cool corridors of a luxurious English country estate, Poppy barely has time to catch her breath, let alone seriously question if all this is too good to be true. Drew is enamored, devoted, and, okay, a little mysterious—but that's part of the thrill. What's the harm in letting his past remain private? 

Maybe he's not the only one… 

Fortunately, Drew never seems to wonder why his young wife has so readily agreed to their unusual pact to live only in the here and now and not probe their personal histories. Perhaps he assumes, as others do, that she is simply swept up in the intoxication of infatuation and sudden wealth. What's the harm in letting them believe that? 

How far will they go to keep the past buried? 

Isolated in Drew's sprawling mansion, Poppy starts to have time to doubt the man she's married, to wonder what in his past might be so terrible that it can't be spoken of, to imagine what harm he might be capable of. She doesn't want this dream to shatter. But Poppy may soon be forced to confront the dark truth that there are sins far more dangerous than the sin of omission…

My Review:


I'm a bit torn with this one.  It starts off interestingly enough - nanny gets fired and meets the man of her dreams in a random spot that turns into a whirlwind marriage with the caveat that they never speak of their pasts.  What's the worry, right? 🤷 Two timelines and I'm intrigued with both of them.  The pacing is quite nice and it definitely held my interest.  But then.... then...

I wasn't really surprised with any of the revelations here.  And that was ok - sometimes I'm perfectly fine with seeing what's coming if it keeps me entertained and interested like The Truth Hurts did.  But for some reason, that very last part before the epilogue... while it may have been fitting, I huffed a bit because it also seemed like a bit of a 180.  So yes, maybe a *little* surprised by that finality but (again) while fitting, seemed like a forced puzzle piece.  Am I making any sense here?

What I really liked about this is that I totally get why a couple might try a *forget the past, we are only in the present* type of situation because OMG, fights that bring up the past are THE WORST.  So I loved the intrigue of a couple doing this. Now, obviously this means there are some secrets we need to learn about and if both parties are agreeable then clearly .... well, I need to know what they are SO YES TO THIS.

And as I sit here and simmer, I gain a little more appreciation for that ending ... BUT, I still feel like something was off there.  I can't quite put it into words on exactly why but it made me use more muscles to frown and one of my eyes rolled... and yet I'm also still like okkkkkkkkkk. Coolio.  So yeah. I'm TORN.  I'm sure this review was mighty helpful!

★★★ 

This premise had my interest from the beginning - two people agreeing TO NEVER speak of their pasts with each other. I don't just mean past relationships, but EVERYTHING from their pasts. That alone has me asking so many questions. Who thought of this? Why would someone agree? What is so bad in their pasts that they are determined to never speak of it? 

While I couldn't put this down and it kept me entertained, I had some things that didn't particularly work for me. I'm really divided on my feelings on how it ended. On one hand, like I previously mentioned, I loved the concept. On the other, it was fairly predictable and I'm on the fence about the ending. BUT I know there are a lot of other thriller/domestic suspense fans that loved this one. 

I say give it a try if the synopsis catches your attention. The author has a great writing style that just reels you in right away and you'll find yourself binging it until the end. I will definitely keep my eyes peeled for more from Reid!

3 stars 

No comments

Leave a Comment