Wow, wow, wow and some more wow. This was brilliantly written. It was so suspenseful, a really brought the story to life. I connected with the main character, I wanted to know what happened to her brother, how she was and then we get twists thrown at us, with her husband and everything becomes layer after layer of deceit and mystery. Truly, I was hooked from the first page and any thriller lovers would be as well. I highly recommend this book!

I read To Tell You The Truth over the course of the weekend and really enjoyed it. It had the right amount of tension and a couple of twists to keep you entertained throughout. This is only the second book I’ve read by this author but I’m eager to read more. Thank you to NetGalley, Random House UK, Cornerstone and the author for the chance to review.

A well-known author, an imaginary friend, a controlling husband jealous of her success and a devastating secret from her childhood.
Torn between the demands of her controlling husband and her imaginary friend it is no wonder Lucy is beginning to unravel.
The final scenes are a disappointing finale to the story.

I liked the idea of the storyline but I felt like the ending let the story down.
The story was built up throughout then the ending felt a little rushed.
I wasn’t keen on the whole imaginary friend telling Lucy what to do or say.
Thank you for letting me read this book, unfortunately it wasn’t completely to my taste.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Overall I enjoyed the initial storyline, the tension as it built throughout the story and I thought the idea was fantastic.

As someone who loves a traditional whodunnit I was rather dissatisfied with the ending, it seemed to come out of nowhere but not in a good way. Although plausible it did not meet the standard of the first 75% of the novel.

Saying that I would try another book by this author.

I have read and enjoyed all of Gilly Macmillan’s books and this was no exception. In fact it’s one of my favourites - so twisty and fast-paced with a likeable narrator, Lucy, whose younger brother Teddy disappeared when she was young. The two strands of the story are beautifully woven together. I kept thinking I’d worked out what was happening but I was wrong every time! The scenes in the woods are so gripping and visual but the pace never flags. I couldn’t put the book down! Definitely five stars from me.

I expect that I will be in the minority with this one, but I’m sorry to say that this novel just wasn’t for me.

There were things that I liked about it. I like having a main protagonist who is an author. I think that this gives an interesting insight into the publishing process, and Lucy being a crime writer puts her in an awkward position when her husband, Dan, goes missing – was all of that research purely for her own fiction, or has she turned it to a more practical use? Lucy is a sensitive character, introverted and lacking in confidence, and it’s clear that her research has affected her in other ways, particularly as she becomes convinced that her husband is gaslighting her. It’s hard to say whether this is paranoia on her part or if there is indeed something going on – she’s an unreliable narrator and while Dan’s behaviour raises some questions, it’s hard to know how much of Lucy’s view of events is accurate as she lets her imagination run wild.

There were some aspects to Lucy’s character that didn’t work for me, however. I wanted to shake her repeatedly and tell her to grow a backbone. She’s far too accepting of her husband’s behaviour as he spends the money that she has earned through her writing and pursuing deadline after deadline while he lives the life of Riley. Additionally, much of the novel relies upon Lucy having an imaginary friend, Eliza, and while I could understand this if it were simply Lucy giving her internal monologue an identity as she thinks things through, I felt that it went beyond that. I may have taken too literal a reading of this aspect of the novel, but “Eliza” sometimes takes control, becoming something of an alter ego – one who is braver and spunkier than Lucy, and while it was good to see a stronger side of her, I just didn’t get on with the concept.

That said, the story itself is interesting, although I struggled a little with the first third of the novel as it builds up to a pivotal moment in the novel. After that point, I found the narrative more engaging, and I wanted to know what happened. I thought that the flashbacks to Lucy’s childhood worked well, helping the reader to understand more about her brother’s disappearance all those years ago. The mystery of her husband’s disappearance is also intriguing, particularly with Lucy being an unreliable narrator.

Many thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the novel in advance of its publication. I think that it will find wider appeal, but sadly just didn’t work for me.

I found this a somewhat unusual read. Chapters alternate between the current day, narrated by main character Lucy, and past events narrated by a mysterious third person. Initially these past chapters don’t quite make sense but as the book progresses it later becomes clear that these pages are not exactly what they seem.

Lucy is a natural born storyteller with a tendency to live in a dream world - traits which have secured her a career as a best-selling author of crime fiction but also makes her the ultimate unreliable narrator. I really couldn’t decide throughout whether Lucy was a blatant liar or just an inventive storyteller. Was she a murderer or a victim?

One of the other characters, and what made this an unusual read, is Eliza the fictional star of Lucy’s novels and childhood imaginary friend. The idea that a writer may live with their characters, talk to them, see them is a lovely romantic notion and something that I can relate to as a reader - the feeling that a much-loved character is actually someone you know in real life. But, this ‘notion’ was taken a bit far with adult Lucy still seeing and speaking to Eliza continuously and even on occasions seemingly taking over Lucy’s actions. At one point there was even the suggestion that she may be ‘the murderer’. 

I wondered if the author was questioning Lucy’s mental health but that wasn’t the case so perhaps it was more about challenging perceptions of reality. As Lucy herself says: “I had sometimes studied my own reflection, to see if I could detect madness there. It wasn’t something I did all the time, only when I’d become worried that my storytelling and my imagination were not assets, but a danger to me. Now, looking at James, I understood that it wasn’t easy to see madness, to know whether someone was afflicted by it or not. It wasn’t written on people’s faces permanently. Instead, madness was something that sometimes swam to the surface.” So, I’m still not sure what was intended but I just didn’t really get the Eliza angle if I’m honest.

Anyway told through the current and past narratives there are two strands to this story; the disappearance of Lucy’s brother when she was nine years old and also the disappearance of her husband Dan some thirty years later. As such I was totally expecting these two strands to be related in some way and so whilst Dan’s disappearance was pleasingly unexpected it was also oddly disappointing. What’s more, whilst some people like to draw their own conclusions, I’m someone who likes things neatly tied up and that didn’t happen with Lucy’s brother's story which was left largely unresolved.  

On the plus side this was still a really enjoyable and easy read with short snappy chapters which also helped build the tension and urgency. I also particularly loved the very real insight into life as an author from the demanding yearly schedules to the challenge of balancing creativity and marketability for a successful franchise.

A riveting read!

I just love books which are definitely full of twists and turns, so that when you reach the conclusion, you certainly feel you’ve enjoyed a riveting read! “To Tell You The Truth” ticks all of my boxes.

Lucy is an extremely successful crime thriller writer, whose popular books feature Detective Sergeant Eliza Grey. It is interesting to note that when Lucy was a child, she invented her imaginary friend... “Eliza!” Rather clever, I thought, because as an adult, Lucy frequently hears her heroine Eliza talking to her!

Lucy’s character is multi-faceted, which becomes quite clear as her rather upsetting childhood becomes deeply embroiled in her adult life. We learn that something catastrophic occurs to Lucy’s little brother, Teddy, and it seems that Lucy can never escape from her past traumas.

Dan is Lucy’s husband whose own writing career didn’t really take off, so he’s quite content to “assist” as Lucy’s PA plus financial business, so enjoying a comfortable lifestyle. Would their relationship stay on an even keel? Also, would Dan’s suggested house move be successful, moving from Bristol city to the much quieter rural retreat over the Clifton Suspension Bridge?

Gilly Macmillan expertly weaves all of her characters into this deep, dark, deceptive and dangerous game! I shall certainly lookout for this author again. Thanks for a great ride!

Galadriel.

Elite Reviewing Group received a copy of this book to review.

This book, although well written was really only okay for me I'm afraid.
I just couldn't bond with or even like the characters, so I found myself not particularly interested or bothered about what happens to them.

For me, a likeable character makes a book, I want to feel for them and go through the journey with them but sadly, that just didn't happen in this book.

Having read and loved The Nanny by this author I was eager to read this one. Well I certainly wasn’t disappointed. This book was simply superb. I devoured this book in two sittings and will be recommending it to all my bookish friends. This author has such an amazing talent when it comes to writing excellent suspense thrillers..

A sincere thank you to the publisher, author and Netgalley for providing me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is not my usual genre, I’m more into romance stories and literary fiction however I wanted to take the opportunity to read something from outside my norm. And I am glad I did!! Thank you for opening up my mind to something totally different.

📚Suspense fans—read this now!📚 By day, I edit crime, suspense and thriller, and by night, well, I read crime, suspense and thriller. It's a genre that I have always loved; there is something about a complex, changing narrative of intrigue and mystery and a bloody good twist that I just can't resist.

And an author who delivers on this level with every single book is the masterful @gillymacmillan. Her latest novel TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH is my favourite yet (and I actually helped edit her previous book THE NANNY, so that's saying something). Gilly has created a complex and fascinating character in Lucy – a novelist whose talent for imagination may have gone too far. She narrates a dark and multi-layered tale of deception, death and lies – or so you think. With twists at every turn, I was compelled to read the novel late into the night, desperate to uncover the truth.

Set in Gilly's hometown of Bristol, I was transported back to my university days in a city that I loved, but this also added an extra level of intrigue as much of the action takes place on the other side of the Suspension Bridge from the city, which I actually only visited a couple of times. This created an otherworldy sense for me in a, which was unnerving and built on Lucy Harper's complex world that Gilly has weaved together so well.

(On an aside, this book is also a delight for those who work in the world of books and publishing; I couldn't help but smile at Lucy's interactions with her publishers – everyone loves a treat hamper!)

TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH by Gilly Macmillan publishes on 25th June 2020 in ebook and hardback. But if I were you, I'd preorder it now...

Thanks to the author and publishers for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. #gifted

I enjoyed this story, right up until the end. There was so much going on in the story and so many ways the story may have been expanded, with the character Eliza, Lucy’s brother and her husband, it just felt like they didn’t get the ending they all deserved.

I wasn’t overly into this at first but a while in and I realised I was hooked. I didn’t especially like the characters however I’m not sure they’re meant to be likeable. I was fascinated with following the thought process of what went through Lucy’s head though especially the Eliza side which was truly compelling. I really did wonder if she had a heightened imagination, mental illness or what, she’s really quite an extraordinary character. I had no idea where this would lead but wasn’t disappointed with the ending. This was a book I was glad I stuck with as it did, ultimately, get under my skin.

This is a taut and engaging thriller with a mystery of a lost little boy - and later a lost man - at the heart of the story. I really enjoyed this book, racing through it in two sittings. This may be partly because as an author myself, I could identify with the main character Lucy Harper and how much she gets lost in writing her books. I loved her alter-ego/imaginary friend Eliza, and the line between them was blurry and interesting. As was Lucy’s unreliable narration, which often made me wonder if she was sane or not, and made me ache to know what happened to Teddy.

The quality of writing was high, and Gilly has created an atmospheric thriller where at times I could practically feel the woods creeping up on me... This is one I won’t forget for a while, and I am excited to find Gilly’s backlist and read them.

What a book!

I read The Nanny by Gilly Macmillan last year and loved it so I was excited when I heard that she had a new book out this year.

It was fantastic! A brilliant plot and riveting storyline, which had me hooked from the first page.

I'm afraid, like some other reviewers, this book just wasn't for me. The story line seemed inventive and the chapters covering Lucy as a writer were very good but other parts were a bit far fetched, her imaginary friend, the way Dan treated her and the ending was sadly disappointing. I felt that this book had a lot of excellent themes but somehow certain aspects and passages clogged it up unnecessarily so it became a bit far from reality.

This book was gripping. There are so many twists, thrills and secrets. Once started I could not put this book down. The characters are believable and it brings in so much darkness and terror. Lucy Harper an author married to Dan who loves the money from Lucy’s successful career but is also jealous and a little sadistic. As a child Lucy had a younger brother who went missing when she was looking after him. After moving away and changing her name Dan found a house near where she used to live. But when Dan vanishes old wounds are opened, lies unfold and secrets come to light. This is a story of manipulation, fear, despair and resentment.
Gilly Macmillan has written this brilliant psychological thriller and I will certainly be reading more of her books. I will definitely be recommending To Tell You The Truth.

I’m sorry, but I felt cheated by this novel. A mystery should have a ‘proper’ finish! I loved the inner workings of the novelist’s mind; but I wanted to shake her at her responses to her husband. I really disliked the imaginary friend idea, which started well but became unreadable. When I finished the book, I could have thrown it at the wall...... felt like a waste of good reading time.