I enjoyed the previous book by Helen "Dear Amy" so I was keen to read this one and I enjoyed it every bit as much as her last book.

The title is certainly true! When you read "what if your parents had been lying to you since the day you were born" you may think you could second guess what will happen in the book - but believe me you won't.

The book begins with Sophia and the background of her working and living in London, not wanting to return to her Suffolk roots, despite her Mother being very needy. Sophia is then informed that her parents have been involved in an incident. Her mother has committed suicide but not before attacking her father who was left for dead.

The book then begins a flip flop to the past of the mother. What follows is very unnerving reading.
With flips back to present day the plot became like an MI5 novel with Sophia being followed and a knife attack of her own.

Towards the end of the book I found the events very chilling and was inwardly screaming at Sophia not to follow a request she receives. Such an usual subject for a book - I will not spoil it by going into any details.

Although I thought I had guessed some of what was going to be found out, the very final twist I never saw coming. There are a few loose ends in the book - I wonder if a follow on book is planned?

I'm giving this book 5 out of 5 stars and my thanks to Netgalley for a ARC to review.

I really enjoyed this author's book Dear Amy so I was excited to be accepted to review Everything is Lies. I enjoyed this book as much as Dear Amy. The twist and turns kept me engaged in this thrilling suspense. Would I recommend this? Highly. I rank it as one of my favourite reads this year. I appreciate the digital copy provided by Netgalley and publisher in exchange for this honest review and am looking forward to more reads from this author.

I enjoyed this psychological tale about relationships and hidden truths. I immediately liked Sophia’s character and really felt for her. Sophia returns home to visit her parents Nina and Jared after her mother asked to see her the day previously; where she finds her mother hanging by a tree dead and her father barely alive. She is obviously shocked by what she has found and wants to know more about her family, and what could have brought them to this point. Sophia soon uncovers secrets about her mother via her written memoirs.
I love the flipping between Sophia’s narrative in the present day and her mothers in the past. With being a strong independent and intelligent woman myself; her mother Nina’s character irked me but I guess that was the author’s intention. As Sophia delves deeper, her gut feeling is realised and she discovers her dull and dependable mum was not who she thought she was; her strange and secretive past shows her vulnerabilities and suffered manipulation and control at the hands of Aaron. A past which almost certainly had something to do with her death.
The plot is slowly and carefully crafted and encourages you to read on, I sensed impending doom in the first few pages but was unsure how things would play out and just as I thought I had it sussed, came the most unexpected curveball, turning the whole story on its head.
Thank you to Netgalley for a complimentary copy in return for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Even though this story kept me turning the pages it was certainly very strange! Lots of twists & turns, some predictable & some not, but my overwhelming feeling is relief that the book is now finished

Sophia has escaped the boredom of her childhood home and is living in London, working as an architect. Her mother, who she recognises has issues, bothers her constantly, and as the novel opens, she calls Sophia when she is out with her new colleagues, asking her to come home. Irritated, Sophia refuses, a reaction she’ll come to regret, because her mother has been hiding a huge secret for years, and nothing about her quiet, reclusive parents is what Sophia thought it was.
There’s loads of mystery here, and intrigue, and lots of twists and turns, all centred on a book Sophia’s mother was writing about her past. Sophia reads the first two parts of the manuscript and discovers her mother was part of a cult headed by a rock star. But the third part is missing and it seems that someone will go to any lengths to stop Sophia finding out exactly what it contains.
The clever part of this novel is that you often think you know exactly what has happened, and then something shifts, something new is discovered, and you realise you’re wrong, again. The plot is flawless, the writing tight, suspenseful and really well-paced. I really enjoyed reading this – it was pure escapism. The only thing stopping me giving it five stars is that I just didn’t connect fully with Sophia. I didn’t feel her horror and grief at her mother’s death or her fear or shock when she begins to discover her mother’s past. But that doesn’t stop me recommending this book – if you like twisty, turny, well-written thrillers, then it’s definitely for you.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy

With huge thanks to the publishers for allowing me an advanced Netgalley copy of this book prior to publication, having read the description of this new book by Helen Callaghan I was eager to get my hands on it ASAP and bump it to the top of my reading pile!


Sophia knows her parents, at least she thought she did but when she returns home to find the unthinkable has happened, her mum dead and her dead now in a critical condition she can't believe how this could have happened. Her perceptions are challenged even more when she learns her mum was writing her book and the discovery of her hidden notebooks reveals to Sophia a whole hidden life her mum had before she was born, and the truth of that life could be dangerous to Sophia.


A bewitching novel about control and revelation - Sophia is a strong central character around which events unfold. In contrast her mother's voice revealed through her notebooks is someone who seems to have been easily led and controlled, there are however parallels with Sophia's own current situation at work, so the novel does show how control can take different routes. I found this to be a very powerful story with many twists and turns in its delivery, thought-provoking with a tight grip! Get this on your reading list now!

Sophia, whilst at an office celebration, gets a phone-call from her mother asking her to come and see her urgently. Having been drinking, Sophia uses this as an excuse for not being able to drive down until the next day. Unable to sleep, however, she ends up driving down very early the following morning. However, on arriving at her parents' home she finds she has walked in on her worst nightmare. Seeking clues she comes across parts of a memoir that her mother, Nina, has been writing. Will this provide the answer to the mystery now facing Sophia or is it just fiction?

This is not my normal or preferred genre to read, and I only started reading it as I had run out of books on my kindle and was stuck on a train. But I definitely got hooked. I went through phases of trying other books while I was reading this, as for some reason I was convinced I would not like it, but I very quickly ended up coming back to this one. I think I ended up reading the whole thing in a few days spread across long train journeys. It is a very intriguing story that really plays with the ideas of family bonds and lives in cults. Written across two timelines, Sophia's and her mothers, you get a real honest and open view of their differing life styles and you get pulled into the mystical cult world that Sophia discovers.

The book would make a great summer read as it is a real page turner and also makes great train reading! I will definitely keep an eye out for other books from the author in the future.

An entertaining read! From the opening, I wasn't expecting the book to follow on how it did with the revelations of the Morningstar cult. The book switched well between the past (narrated by Sophia's mum in her diaries) and the present day. There were lots of twists and turns along the way and I didn't correctly guess the ending! It was good how it all came together at the end. Worth a read! I've already bought the author's other book, Dear Amy.

Sophia's parents lead very quiet lives or so she has been lead to believe. On returning home she finds her mother hanged and father left for dead. When Sophia finds her mother's notebooks does she uncover her mother's past and her time spent at Morningstar.

I really enjoyed this book. The cover is very non descript with a torn notebook and the word lies. I like to delve into thrillers blind so was excited to find that this story involves a cult.

The story is a now and then, with Sophia coping with the mysterious attempted murder / suicide of her parents and her reading of the notebooks about her mothers time involved with a cult. I really could not turn the pages fast enough and wanted to return to the past to see what happened. The story had me invested from the beginning and I never got bored with the story.

As Spohia starts to unravel her mother's past then the reveals begin. One of them I did guess but not the other, to say would spoil. I didn't guess at all so for me it made the story. The ending was satisfying as some thrillers for me have poor endings. This book for me was a total surprise and I throughly enjoyed it.

When I started reading the book, I was so sure I knew exactly how it would end.And then oh my word! I had to stop and rethink the entire story in my head! Absolutely loved it.

I loved this book. An intriguing thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I would highly recommend this to thriller lovers!

I did not know what to expect with this book, but wow, I was seriously surprised and entertained. Nothing in the book was the way it seemed, just as soon as you thought you had it figured out, whoops, another twist in the plot. I just had to finish this one, and did it in one sitting. Highly recommended!

A great psychological page-turner. It had everything; fear, romance, love, terror. The book draws you in as soon as you discover that Sophia's life has been built on a pack of lies.
Receiving a call Sophia returns to her childhood home and tea-shop after hearing her mother had hung herself and her father admitted into hospital. Her mother had written a series of three manuscripts two of which were hidden in the shed and one that was no-where to be found. She learns that while at university her mother was manipulated into joining Morningstar not realising at the time it was a cult.
Wanting to know more Sophia starts to track and make contact with ex members to find out about Morninstar for herself. What she finds is emotionally scary and unbelievable.
Helen Callaghan has yet again written a great piece of fiction and I cannot wait for more.

I've been in a reading funk recently where every book I read seems to bore me so instead of properly reading the book I just skim read the entire thing. This novel is the first in such a long time where I've read it entirely. The book tells two different stories one set in the past and one set in the present. I tend to find that books like this, with different stories within one book, i prefer one story over the other and practically skip the other story however I found both stories interesting in this novel. 

I feel like the story is presented as a mystery thriller which I don't believe it is, a lot of the plot is quite predictable but I enjoyed the sort of mystery that came from the story from the past. The build up/tension is written really well through the constant bad things happening to the main character and her feelings of paranoia and fear. 

I am undecided on how I feel on the ending. Throughout the middle half of the novel there's a build of mystery and tension that when everything wraps up neatly at the end, it just doesn't suit the story. 

4/5

Quite enjoyed reading this as the plot and everything grind it was very different to anything else I’ve read before. This is the first book I’ve read by Helen so I can’t wait to read her previous book.

While I did find this book a little bit predictable, it was still an enjoyable read. If you're a fan of twisty thrillers you'll enjoy this.

An architect, Sophia,  goes home only to find that everything that she thought she knew about her parents was untrue. It all comes out when she discovers her parents dead at their small nursery garden - only her father survives the stabbing. the police believe that it had been an attempt at a joint suicide, or that her mother had attempted to kill her father and then hung herself in remorse. neither scenario makes sense.

This follows a series of break-ins at the nursery - which seems odd as it was small and not doing well and thus would have little to offer a would-be burglar. perhaps there was another reason for he crime?

Sophia then meets her estranged grandmother and things begin to change, and the mystery deepens as a lost manuscript that her mother was apparently writing, comes into play.

A good suspense story with Sophia gradually discovering the truth about her parents' lives and her own family. nicely written with the plot becoming more tense as Sophia finds out more.

Sophia works in London and is constantly being harassed by her mother to come back to their quiet family home. After delaying her while on a night out, Sophie goes home the next day to find her mother dead and her father close to it. The police are convinced this is a murder-suicide, but Sophie knows her mother isn't capable of this. Instead, she has to delve deep into her mother's past, unearthing secrets she could never have imagined.

I loved this. I went into this knowing nothing about it and I had no idea where the story was going. I didn't work any of it out in advance which is quite unlike me, and I found this so refreshingly original and clever. If you like psychological thrillers, you'll love this!

This was amazing!!! As soon as I had finished this it was one of those books that you rush to your nearest electronic device, summon carrier pigeons and start semaphoring to anyone who will listen-this is a wonderful sophomore book from the author of 'Dear Amy'.
It twists and turns right until the end, you feel as though you are experiencing the plot reveals along with main character Sophie.

She is a 26 year old architect with parents, who ring, like most parents, at inopportune moments. Snapping at her mum and saying she'll ring her tomorrow after a disastrous night out with work colleagues, Sophie wakes up full of remorse and goes to see her parents.
What happens next completely dismantles her entire world-her mother is found hanging from a tree in the garden with her father collapsed, near death from stab wounds nearby.
What seems like an open and shut case of murder/suicide to the authorities, becomes a nightmare as the hippy, off grid lifestyle of her parents is now viewed as them being in hiding .But from whom and why? Why was Sophie not aware that her parents had been subject to 6 months of harassment and burglaries? When did her mother find time to write a book and approach publishers?? Where is the manuscript and who is watching her?

This was a brilliant read that I am very grateful to the publishers and Netgalley for letting me read in return for an honest review (honestly best not to start it in the evening as you will up all night trying to finish it!)