I didn’t know what to make of this book when I started but should have rested assured that in the hands of Susan Lewis all would be revealed in good time. The characters were credible and the plot unusual. I’ve downgraded my review from 4.5 to 4 stars because there were a few plot failures that irritated me ie who would leave a stranger who obviously has dark intent alone in their home while they hightail off. However overall this didn’t stop me from enjoying the book.

Another good book from Susan.
Joely is asked to be a ghostwriter for a mysterious author and following her marriage breakdown heads off to meet the reclusive Freda to help write her memoir.
But not everything is as it seems and things don't go according to plan.
Just what is Freda hiding? What secrets does Joely have herself?
In this book we get to know more about Freda and Joely and are briefly reintroduced to Andee Lawrence she is however only a side character in this book.
There were parts of this book I found interesting and unputdownable but there were also parts I felt were slow, far fetched and slightly unbelievable.
That said. I did still enjoy it

This is a very unusual, imaginative and unique novel. Susan Lewis has a writing style that draws you in and keeps you hooked. Lots of twists and turns in the storyline and well drawn characters.
My thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Bereavement, adultery and betrayal feature at the start of this book. Welcoming the opportunity to get away and be a ghost writer for Freda a recluse with a 40 year old secret that needs telling. There are many things to uncover as new characters are introduced along the way. A gripping book.

Really,, this is sensational .. really disturbing in a way that propelled me to read on .. parallel stories from past and a woman using ghost writer to write up her memoirs .. it's a little long winded, and I did (slightly) worry about coincidence .. same woman involved!! .. but I set that aside as minor issue just to get on with it. A grooming issue in past resurrected .. great exploration too of male malfeasance, perhaps irritating its being taken out on a woman in first instance. I don't want to give it away but this is clever, ambitious and talented author who I've never read before but will in future. Wow

I am quite a fan of Susan Lewis books but this one I couldn’t engage with and struggled. I particularly found the first part of the story hard going and confusing which unfortunately took my interest away. The character of Freda I found complex and made for a disappointing read.

That said it will not put me off reading Susan’s books in the future as I have found her previous stories well written and interesting..
My thanks to Net Galley for the ARC this is my own thoughts on this book

Wow, is this a dysfunctional family or what! The novel is written in two time frames - 1968-9 and current day. It deals with the repercussions of a teenage affair and is told with Susan Lewis's usual flair. Freda's house near the Valley of Rocks is very atmospheric and the characters are sympathetically described.
A great read.

When Joely is asked to be a ghost writer for a famous author, she jumps at the chance, heading to Devon and reclusive Freda’s life is not what Joely was expecting, and as Freda’s memoirs unfold Joely wonders where the story is going.
Neither a fantastic twist that I didn’t see coming I really enjoyed this book.

Another great read from Susan Lewis.
She rarely disappoints, and this was another enjoyable read, although not my favourite, perhaps because there are a couple of things within it that push things just beyond the realms of reality.
I don't want to include spoilers - but there is a level of forgiveness towards the end that seems unlikely.

To be honest though, I am getting a little bored with Kesterley on Sea and one or two of the same characters turning up time and time again, and I would just love to read a novel by this author that doesn't have a link to the same location or Andee!

Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

"One Minute Later" by Susan Lewis was one of the best books I read last year, so I was really looking forward to getting stuck into "My Lies, Your Lies."

Joely is a ghostwriter who is used to telling other people’s secrets for a living. But something feels a bit "off" about her latest assignment. Her client Freda has never told her story to anyone before but is hoping to put the past to rest by righting a wrong that’s haunted her for forty years.

Her memoir begins with a 15-year-old girl falling madly in love with her teacher. It ends in a way Joely could never possibly have imagined.

As the story unravels, Joely is spun deeper into a world of secrets and lies. Joely is sure she can uncover the truth… But does she want to?

I felt like the first part of this book was a little slow to get going but I was interested in finding out more. I had my suspicions from the start that a big "twist" was coming. When it came, it was a surprise, and there were a few chapters that were truly gripping. However, I felt like the characters' actions towards the end didn't make a lot of sense. It was quite frustrating at times.

I wouldn't say I disliked it, but it wasn't as gripping or thought-provoking as I was expecting it to be.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There’s lots of twists to this book, but even so it didn’t quite keep my suspense as I thought it would. It is still an enjoyable book though

I have always loved Susan Lewis books and she is one of my go to authors when I am in a reading slump.

When I got the email saying that I had been accepted for this novel, I immediately downloaded it and set off reading

The book is full of twists and turns.

The storyline is unique.

Susan writes beautifully, leaving her readers not quite wanting the book to end, but also needing to know what happens.

Great book!

I was pretty surprised to have enjoyed this one as much as I did. I didn't particularly feel any suspense - partly because I didn't really gel with any of the main characters, BUT the plot itself was quite exciting. Totally unusual and something you can easily slip into whilst forgetting the real world.

I liked the way the story writing was almost a flashback - wickedly clever, I'm also pretty pleased with myself for guessing the twists pretty early on. Nevertheless it was executed well and I'd definitely recommend this book to thriller readers!

Freda has a story to tell - one that she has kept to her self for 40 years.
Joely is a ghost writer but can she help Freda.

It all begins with a 15 year old falling in love with her teacher and Joely needs to find out the truth of how it ended.

Joely likes being a ghost writer, hearing the inner thoughts and secrets of others, so taking on Freda and her story was just another job. But of course, Freda's biography takes on a darker turn as her secrets seep out.

So far, so good. But when it becomes a tale of the grooming and abuse experienced at the hands of a teacher, my blood ran cold. No, this could not be consensual love! It was rape, and a teacher with such power and influence over a child should never be described in such a loving way. It belittles the actual truth, which will make it a hard read for many. I finished it because I felt I should for this review, but it was hard going, far fetched and had a dreadful ending. I think the publisher description should be more open about the delicate topics that confront you when reading this.

An absolutely thrilling read! Joely has been asked to ghost write an eccentric old lady's story that appears to relate to her life as a 15 year old school girl who is infatuated with her teacher and has an affair with him. However all is not as it seems! I got to about 40% in and was wondering where the story was going when suddenly it all turned into such a tense and gripping read that I stayed up reading until past 4am, I simply couldn't put the book down! So many secrets and lies unfold as the novel progresses, it certainly keeps you on your toes.

Thoroughly recommend this book and as always Susan Lewis hasn't disappointed.

thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an unbiased review

My thanks to NetGalley and publisher HarperCollins UK for the ARC.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a great psychological thriller; atmospheric, with sinister twists and turns, and heart-stopping moments of fear, together with great characters and dialogue.

Joely, still grieving for her father who died 18 months before, and accepting her husband Callum leaving her for her best friend (with 15yr-old Holly their daughter) two weeks previously, accepts an assignment to ghost write a memoire with established author Freda Donahoe. Travelling to Devon by train Joely stays overnight with her friend Andee who then drives her over Exmoor to impressive and secluded Dimmett House. Only Joely's mother, Marianne, and Andee know where she is and who she is working for.

Freda is in her seventies, eccentric and reclusive. She has a story to tell as a means of righting a wrong that occurred 40 years before. Lots of people lied and they had to be exposed.

Told between 2 timelines - Freda's story in 1968 and present day. The memoire is of the actions and feelings of a 15yr-old schoolgirl, her all-encompassing crush on, and subsequent traumatic love affair with her 25yr-old music teacher. As Freda's story unfolds through her dictation and dialogue with Joely, Joely constantly tries to second-guess who the characters really are, especially after Freda opens up about her own family. But...…..how could she get it all so wrong?

Joely's isolated, very rarely able to get a phone or WiFi signal without walking onto the moors or into Lynton or Lynmouth and, after a devastating revelation from Freda, becomes scared for her life and her own family.

Freda plays mind games and has just one purpose in life, to expose the lies of the past which become entangled in Joely's present. Lots of twists you don't see coming and a major one which sends the reader spinning.

PS. never try to second-guess an author!

Another brilliant book from Susan Lewis.

This was a great book that dealt with mystery and intrigue, secrets and lies, friendships and fallouts. All the characters were great and despite myself, I loved Freda and her funny old ways.

The book spans two different timelines, but these are easy to follow, and several relationships with their problems easy to understand and empathise with.

I could see this being made into a film with Judi Dench playing Freda and Helen Mirren as Marianne. What a combination for a great feud.

The song and classical music references in it were enjoyable too, and placed you in the moment with Freda and David, especially Young a Girl.

The subject matter was at times uncomfortable but nevertheless I really loved the story.

Susan Lewis does not disappoint, and once again she has written an original, intriguing story based on a recluse writing her memoir, and the relationship which she develops with her ghost writer.

With a cast of impeccably drawn and rounded characters, I believed in them all ; the troubled Joely; her cheating husband; her enigmatic mother ; her bolshi teenage daughter; her loyal friend; and most of all her employer/author Freda, who had a faint air of menace about her right from the outset. They all combined to make a chilling narrative that kept me turning the pages. The mysterious memoir of Freda was uncovered layer by layer, but not in the direction I had foreseen. The twists and turns in this story were unexpected and shocking.
Descriptions of Freda’s large country house by the sea, isolated and lacking in communications, added to the ominous feeling of the story. It was all deliciously sinister.

It does take a few chapters for the main story to get underway, hence four stars. But it is more than worthwhile persevering, as it is a very satisfying read, I really enjoyed it.
My thanks to the author, publisher and Netgalley for my advance copy.

This book is a complete blinder. Loved it. Had to stop all activities to get back to reading it, it was that good.
The plot, the location and the characters were brilliant. I now want to revisit the Valley of the Rocks, having not been there for many years. Have enjoyed Susan Lewis books before so knew it would be good, but this one was incredible. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to reading this