Blunt Scissors Book Reviews

Book Details:

LIES LIES LIES

Author: Adele Parks

ISBN: 9780778360889

Publication Date: August 4, 2020

Publisher: MIRA Books

Book Summary:

LIES LIES LIES Centers on the story of Simon and Daisy Barnes. To the outside world, Simon and Daisy look like they have a perfect life. They have jobs they love, an angelic, talented daughter, a tight group of friends… and they have secrets too. Secrets that will find their way to the light, one way or the other.

Daisy and Simon spent almost a decade hoping for the child that fate cruelly seemed to keep from them. It wasn’t until, with their marriage nearly in shambles and Daisy driven to desperation, little Millie was born. Perfect in every way, healing the Barnes family into a happy unit of three. Ever indulgent Simon hopes for one more miracle, one more baby. But his doctor’s visit shatters the illusion of the family he holds so dear.

Now, Simon has turned to the bottle to deal with his revelation and Daisy is trying to keep both of their secrets from spilling outside of their home. But Daisy’s silence and Simon’s habit begin to build until they set off a catastrophic chain of events that will destroy life as they know it.

Review:

This book follows a fairly typical formula for domestic thrillers. Secrets, lies, unreliable narration, and bombshell revelations.

I enjoyed the book at the beginning. It was engaging and I was curious to see where it went. I like multi-POV plots and this one was done well. It allowed for good character development, even if they were flawed individuals.

Now for the things that were not my favorite – first being the portrayal of Simon’s alcoholism. He had a severe problem and the author probably could have done a bit more research on the subject. When written well, addiction can draw a reader even further into the story. Here, it became a distraction to me. And Daisy – she ultimately came off weak which was disappointing when she started off as a strong character with a sense of humor and a solid identity.

There were some good twists in this plot but after a few, they felt implausible and over the top. This of course is just my opinion – for die hard domestic thriller lovers, I suspect they will enjoy chain of events in this book.

This was not my favorite Adele Parks book but this won’t stop me from reading her next book. We can’t love all the books and again, there will be plenty who do enjoy this book. It’s a quick read and a nice summer escape.

About the Author:

Adele Parks was born in Teesside, North-East England. Her first novel, Playing Away, was published in 2000 and since then she’s had seventeen international bestsellers, translated into twenty-six languages, including I Invited Her In. She’s been an Ambassador for The Reading Agency and a judge for the Costa. She’s lived in Italy, Botswana and London, and is now settled in Guildford, Surrey, with her husband, teenage son and cat.