Nothing like I was expecting and so much more which was a pleasant surprise.
It was thrilling but in a refreshing way which made it a proper page turner.
I didn’t see the twists coming tho one or two I could guess.
The character of Wolf was a complete surprise, just when you are pleased Nina made it out you got the feeling she went from frying pan into the fire. Strangely I started to like, at least be intrigued by Aaron but was a little unnerving.
I would love to read a sequel which explores what happened next.
What a thrilling, scary but addictive read, clever writing. Big well done to Helen

Helen Callaghan certainly knows how to write a page turner. The 'Dear Amy' author returns with another psychological thriller that is equally as gripping as her previous novel.

After receiving a strange phone call from her mother, Sophia returns to the family home to find her mother dead and her father nearby surrounded by a pool of blood. The police are convinced it is a straightforward case of suicide and attempted murder but Sophie suspects this is not the case. When she discovers a series of notebooks written by her mother, she starts to search for answers and begins a journey into the past that reveals dark secrets.

Emotionally-charged, gripping and packed with plenty of twists and turns!

Sophia, a 26 year old architect is used to receiving calls from her stressed and needy mother but on this particular night Sophia chooses not to run to her mother's side as she is bid and continues to enjoy a night out with he work colleagues. The following morning Sophia makes the journey to her childhood home where she finds her mother hanging from a tree and her father also barely alive. As the story unfolds we learn of Sophia's mother's past. Could this have any bearing on what has happened in the present? There are plenty of twist and turns to keep you entertained and guessing the final outcome. A story of complicated relationships and family dilemmas.

A really good thriller, with some quite adult scenes so maybe keep this away from the teens. There were some Americanisms which pulled me out of the story a bit as it's supposed to be set in Britain, but overall this was a really gripping novel.

This was a gripping and tense psychological thriller with an emotional plotline. I loved the writing style and was kept on the edge of my seat. Another brilliant book from the author.

I was expecting something different than I found on this book, it wasn't bad though. In the end it was a good surprise and a bit of fresh air. Loved the twists and turns the story took, the writing style was ok, and most of all I was intrigued by the plot and kept me reading through out the end.

QUOTE: He told me not to be scared, and I wasn't, not really, at least until he took the condom out of the drawer in the bedside table. He bore me down on the bed and I realized that this was It, as the girls said in school in hushed voices. I squeezed my thighs together anxiously until he teased them apart with deft fingers and soft words. My hands were pressed against that perfect skin and it was smooth and warm; his mouth was on mine and he was crushing me, pushing into me, and it hurt in a vague way, like an afterthought. But more than anything, it was unbearably exciting, just to be wanted, just to be desired, and I yielded completely to him.

And...

QUOTE: Every time I shut my eyes I saw things - myself shamelessly splayed on the bed under Aaron's gaze, or the thick purplish rod of his erection as he urged me to take it into my mouth.

Why the fuck is a woman including in-depth sex scenes in what's supposed to be a memoir to her daughter about some secret society that she used to be a part of? I would understand if it included details important to the plot, but it didn't. She could have just said 'we had sex,' and I'm not even sure THAT would have been relevant information - IN A MEMOIR! But I'm sure the daughter enjoyed reading how purple some random dude's cock was as it was thrust into her mother's willing mouth. The author was distracted by her own erotic thoughts and, somewhere along the way, lost the plot.

Terrible writing.

DNF @ 27%

Really enjoyed this book and would recommend to anybody! I was looking for a good thriller and this is definitely one of those.

Everything is Lies is a gripping and tense psychological thriller with an emotional plotline. A brilliant second book by Helen Callaghan.

I liked this book, it was an interesting premise and I liked Sophia, I liked the story of the cult and how that was done. I did see some of the twists coming but I understood why Sophia didn't. I like Helen's books, will look forward to the next one.

Wow this book is amazing! I literally could not put it down and have stayed awake until 5am to finish it. The story draws you in and doesn't let you go until the last page is turned. The ending is breathtaking it blew me away. It's the kind of book I'd read again and I'll definitely be recommending it. Thanks to netgalley for allowing me to read before its released

An unusual and very well-written story (I'll forgive the 'was stood' and 'was sat' (grrr!!) and random use of Americanisms in an otherwise very British thriller), this was an enthralling, compelling book. It didn't quite have me guessing until the end, but although I connected all the dots beforehand, there was enough to make me wonder if I had got it right after all.

It's a story about cults and how devastating, manipulative and endangering they can be to the innocents on whom cult members prey. Callaghan really did her homework to bring credibility to the story and characters.

Sophie leaves her ordinary country-style upbringing to be a city dweller and worker, while her parents carry on with their modest, uneventful lives running a farm café. So when she visits them one weekend and finds her mother noosed and hanging from a tree and her father seriously injured, she finds it hard to accept the police's verdict of a murder suicide. As information about her mother and her life gradually comes to light, she discovers a past she would never in a thousand years have attributed to her quiet and accepting mum.

The tension and addictiveness builds gradually to classy unputdownable thriller.

More of this author to be read most definitely!

I’ve read a lot of intense and amazing books recently, and after a while it can feel like you need a palate cleanser. Mystery/thrillers always do the job perfectly for me, as 99% of the time they are easily engrossing and interesting. This is definitely true for Everything is Lies (which I have really struggled to put down). I’m excited to see what the author will bring out next.

This book was so gripping and the twist at the end was very unexpected. Not my usual genre but I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved the jump between the past and present.

Absolutely loved this book. It was very well written and had a pacy style to it. It really was hard to put down. I raced through it and thoroughly enjoyed the plot twists and turns.
The oppressive feel of a cult was quite realistic and the disbelief that Sophia felt when she discovered the whole story. Very very good.
Really look forward to more from this author.

This is a story about what happens when your whole life turns out to be a lie and what appears to be a murder-suicide hides something more sinister. This book has many twists and turns.

I loved this psychological thriller about a young London architect (Sophia) who receives a phone call from her mum (Nina) while out drinking with colleagues one Friday night. She drives down the following morning to find her mum dead and her dad close to death. She soon discovers some of Nina's journals which detail a surprising and disturbing tale of a charismatic rock star / cult leader, his devoted followers, a death and all its repercussions.

The book follows two timelines - Sophia's today and her mother's story from the 1980's. Both parts were equally riveting. I really loved the author's style of writing, so much so that I found myself re-reading and highlighting bits because they were so enjoyable and visual:
"...a deeply lined forehead, as though it had been built out of flesh-coloured bricks and the mortar had worn away over time."

The 1980s journals were frustrating because the reader can clearly see all the mistakes that Nina is making and how she falls for the bullying and manipulative behaviour of the cult leader. Having said that, there are some interesting parallels between this and the behaviour of the firm of architects that Sophia works for - the hours demanded, the drinking expected, the bullying behaviour of the partners and colleagues, and the not-so-subtle reminders about the terms of her contract.

The book had a surprising yet satisfying ending with loose ends tied up. Thoroughly recommended!

No-one is who you think they are

Sophia's parents lead quiet, unremarkable lives. At least that is what she's always believed.

Everyone has secrets

Until the day she arrives at her childhood home to find a house ringing with silence. Her mother is hanging from a tree. Her father is lying in a pool of his own blood, near to death.

Especially those closest to you

The police are convinced it is an attempted murder-suicide. But Sophia is sure that the woman who brought her up isn't a killer. As her father is too ill to talk it is up to Sophia to clear her mother's name.

And to do this she needs to delve deep into her family's past - a past full of dark secrets she never suspected were there . . .

What if your parents had been lying to you since the day you were born?

I struggled a bit with this book at the start, as it seemed slow going, and I debated abandoning it (!!) But I'm so glad I continued as once all the pieces started coming together, it made for am exciting read. I'd definitely recommend this book and have only knocked a star off for the slow first half of the book.

No one is who you think they are.

One day, Sophia returns home to visit her parents to find her mother hanging from a tree and her father near to death. The police rule it as an attempted murder suicidde, but Sophia knows that her mother was not a murderer. Her father is too ill to talk, Sophia investigates the murder. As she does, she finds that her past has been full of secrets and nothing was as it seemed,.

I absolutely loved this book. I found Sophia to be engaging character and the plot was exciting, interesting and enthralling.

I did not guess the ending and found that the novel was full of twists and turns.

The book explores tales of obsessions, family ties and just how far a mother would go to protect her daughter.

I loved Helen previous book Dear Amy which was perfect , so I started this book with high expectation.
The first few chapter was quick and good start , but then when I was reading the mum diary (it was slow and build up was not as good as I hoped ). every time we get back to the present I feel more engaged with Sophie than her mum.
It didn't disappointed at the end which was fast and astonishing .

I really liked Sophie but I couldn't understand or forgive her mum