I was looking forward to reading this but was left disappointed.

The story is an interesting concept - 9 year old Lucy sneaks out with her toddler brother one night but only she returns... as an adult Lucy, now an author, has to face the past to try and work out what happened.

However, I felt the plot dragged in places and was then too rushed at the end. And despite that there was no satisfactory conclussion!

I didnt particular like any of the characters either. Especially Lucy who was self absorbed and liked to make every wrong decision at every turn.

There were several questions left unanswered such as who exactly was Eliza? Was she more than an imaginary friend? This could have been a really interesting thread which was never developed fully.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

I flew through this gripping thriller in about 24 hours and couldn’t put it down. I was completely hooked from the start and fully invested. I loved Lucy’s character and the clever way the main character from her books, Eliza, became such an important and obsessive part of her life. I also couldn’t stand her husband Dan. I love it when an author writes characters so well you either love them or hate them, and it’s a sign of great writing.

I loved the way this was structured, with the present day and then also flashbacks to the time Lucy’s brother went missing which added intrigue and makes you question Lucy’s actions and state of mind. It was also starting to give me ‘Basic Instinct’ vibes at one point.

This was full of twists and turns and I did not see any of them coming, the ending was also unexpected and I was captivated all the way through. I would highly recommend this, and will be catching up with the remaining books I haven’t read yet by this author.

I was pretty excited by the impending release of TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, after reading and enjoying the author's previous thriller "The Nanny" , so much I apparently requested it twice! I kid you not. Apparently there is a paperback edition coming out next month that I had requested, not realising I had already requested (and been approved) for what I believed to be the ebook edition for last June. Needless to say, I can now kill two birds with one stone...or should that be two editions with one review!

So Lucy Harper is a successful mystery thriller writer of an equally lucrative series featuring her literary heroine DS Eliza Grey. Her fans adore the series and eagerly await the next "Eliza" book, some even creating a fan fiction forum featuring the popular detective.

But what people don't know is that Lucy's character is based on her own imaginary childhood friend who has remained with her throughout her life. Only her husband Dan knows about the real Eliza...the one that lives in Lucy's mind. She has become her alter ego speaking up for her when Lucy doesn't have the courage and acting in her place when she doesn't have the strength. Eliza has always been there for her when she's needed her. She has always understood her and known what she needs. And now Lucy realises that she needs Eliza now more than ever.

When Lucy was nine years old, she went into the woods behind her home on the summer solstice with her three year old brother Teddy to watch the bonfire. But something happened...and Teddy disappeared. He was never seen again. When Lucy returned home her parents were frantic and as the days passed, they grew further distant from her...somehow blaming her for his disappearance. Police believed that Lucy knew more than she was letting on, as do her parents, and that she was making up stories to cover the truth.

Wanting to put the past behind her as an adult, Lucy changed her surname so she could not be connected to the tragedy of her past. Then she met Dan and they married. And then one drunken night she confided in Dan her deepest secret ever...the night when Teddy disappeared. Every last detail. Only Dan and Eliza knew everything that happened that night. And now it's about to all come crashing back.

Dan, who also aspired to be a writer, is coercive and manipulating, secretly jealous of his wife's success and living in her shadow though he doesn't have a problem with spending her money. So upon finishing her latest book in the Devon cottage they had rented for the duration, Dan announces that they would be returning to Bristol the following day without giving Lucy some down time to recharge after spending months living in her own head. But instead of going back to the flat they shared, he drives them further afield...closer to Charlotte Close where she grew up...closer to Stoke woods where Teddy disappeared...and up an almost deserted lane to a derelict mansion bordering the woods, announcing that the house is theirs...that he bought it for Lucy (with her money, I might add). He even began renovations (also with her money) - which are much needed - setting up an office for her with a desk at the window overlooking the woods...as if he wants her to relive Teddy's disappearance all over again. What was he thinking? There is no way she can live here. But Dan can be persuasive when he wants to be and so Lucy half-heartedly agrees...for now.

They meet the other neighbours in the quiet lane for welcoming drinks at the house of one of Dan's old university friends, Sasha. And she might be imagining it but her husband and this woman appear to be very close...intimate even. Are they having an affair?

And then one night Dan leaves the house...and doesn't return. Lucy thinks he has gone off on one of his disappearing acts and will return a day or so later. Instead, police come knocking to let her know that their car has been found abandoned and burnt out just outside the city. And Lucy begins to fear that something may have happened to Dan. Then she recalls discovering the following morning after he walked out the blood on the tiles with no clue as to how it got there. Questioning her own sanity at the time and egged on by the ever present Eliza, Lucy scrubbed the tiles and grout clean with bleach until she could see no trace left. Now the police are here asking about her and Dan's relationship and why he would walk out in the middle of the night?

In her quest to discover the truth, Lucy uncovers a whole lot more. But is her narrative reliable? Can we trust what she is saying, thinking, seeing and doing? Or does she know more than she is letting on? And why is Dan digging into her painful past knowing how she feels about it? Is any of what is happening real? Does "Eliza" really have her best interests at heart? Or is she just the product of an overactive imagination? Is she being gaslighted? Is she losing her mind? Could what is happening now be related to what happened then? Is someone messing with her head? Or is she truly mentally ill? And what is with the creepy neighbours?

And above all...is she about to discover what happened to Teddy all those years ago?

I was immediately pulled in from the first page of the prologue and found the story to be engaging and addictive. I wanted to know what was happening to Lucy now as well as finding out what happened to Teddy then. I couldn't turn the pages quick enough. There were so many twists and revelations I was kept on my toes throughout. And then there was Dan. I wanted to kill him myself 10% in. I didn't like him from the first moment he stepped onto the pages. He certainly didn't have Lucy's best interests at heart nor was he looking out for her. If he was, then why force her to live in a decrepit old mansion bordering the very forest her brother disappeared in when she was a child? The night from which she has run ever since. I was glad to see the back of him when he slammed the door and stormed out...but I also knew he was up to something. But what, exactly?

Lucy herself was a complex character and an incredibly unreliable narrator. You just didn't know if what she was saying was truth or her imagination. And the whole "Eliza" business...OMG! That woman drove me insane! Eliza, that is. It took me a little while to establish when Lucy was a child that Eliza wasn't a real person but one of her own imagination. But now that she is an adult and Eliza is still with her, I had to wonder if her imaginary friend was actually an alternate personality that her subconscious formed to protect her. Her behaviour and ramblings with an imaginative person screamed dissociative identity disorder...and her unreliable narrative pretty much backed that up. But it made it hard to work out whether how much she saw, did and know was true and how much was imagined. And honestly, as riveting as it was simply everyone in the book was unlikeable.

To tell you the truth, I had high hopes for this book and was sadly disappointed...with the way it ended. After all that build up and tension, I felt kind of cheated out of what really happened which felt like a rushed afterthought. And then without proper closure for the rest of it! By the end of it, I felt like checking into a psychiatric unit myself I was so disappointed with that half-baked conclusion.

TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH is a riveting thriller that will keep you engaged throughout but don't hold your breath for an ending that will wrap everything up nicely and give you closure...because it doesn't. But as a whole, the book was brilliantly disturbing and twisty which is why I have settled on 3.5 stars. It was a fantastic read throughout but that ending really spoiled it for the rest of the story.

A perfect thriller for those who like theirs twisty, disturbing with a touch of delusional.

I would like to thank #GillyMacmillan, #NetGalley and #CornerstoneDigital for an ARC of #ToTellYouTheTruth in exchange for an honest review.

Fast paced and full of lots of twists. I could not put this book down. I definitely recommend this book.

While reading To Tell You the Truth, I had to suspend my disbelief a little more than I usually like to with thrillers, there was some plot convenience, a few of the characters' motivations seemed off and the action could have been ratcheted up a little more toward the end of the book. That being said, the pacing was done well, the characterisation was excellent, the suspense was great toward the climax and the often beautiful prose flowed effortlessly.
Even though there are unanswered questions regarding one of the mysteries introduced in the story, the profoundly compassionate way the author closed it hit me hard in the feels and made the book stand out among others in its genre.

4*

Another masterpiece from Gilly, has you gripped from page one and on the edge of your seat and doesn’t let up, brilliantly written with great set of characters and the plots fab, excited for her next one already.

This book did keep me gripped throughout with its various twists and turns, however should possibly have addressed the clear mental health issues playing out in the book more.

3.5 stars

This was my first book by the author.
Interesting book. That kept me entertained.

I was able to read it with two friends they also enjoyed.

Thank you to Netgalley for an arc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A new author for me. I enjoyed this book looking forward to reading more books by her. A good psychological thriller. Recommended

“I had mixed feelings about it: a queasy combination of flattery and discomfort, but sometimes mixed feelings are the hardest to resist indulging in. They can make us feel alive again.”
― Gilly Macmillan, To Tell You the Truth

Let me just start this review by saying.... 


WHAT!!!! IS!!!!! THIS!!!!!

I was so excited to start this because I am an avid fan of mystery and thrillers. But this one was wild. And I am talking about this-book-is-confusing-but-I-wanna-know-more kind of wild. Because first of all, our protagonist, Lucy, has something she's been hiding from everyone. Her unresolved issues from her childhood are also probably the reason why she can't fully trust someone. I get that she probably has a trauma but her relationship with her husband was just so weird. I mean... they aren't even talking that much. And from reading a lot of books, you all probably know what that means.

SECRETS!!!!!!!! MISCOMMUNICATIONS!!!!!!!!!!! And other shady stuff!!!!!!

And yes, that's what their relationship looked like all throughout the book. Don't get me wrong. I loved all the mess. It's just like a 막장 드라마!!! I am not even kidding. So when they moved to a place that Dan wanted (btw, he didn't tell his wife about it), she was shocked because it was near where Lucy's life changed forever.

Surrounded by neighbors who are probably familiar with what happened thirty years ago (or who probably discovered Lucy's past right after they have moved), she is careful about talking and interacting with them.

And then, one night, her husband gets missing. No one knows where he is and what actually happened. That's when everything gets dark. The blame game starts and Lucy is not even sure about herself anymore. She also realizes that Dan kept on digging the details about her childhood. Everything about it makes the police and the media curious.

What I wanted to say is, most of the problems in the book were because of Lucy and her secrets or basically everything she's trying to run away from.


The story is suspense, fast-paced and intriguing. 



Did I like it? Yes.
Did I love it? I can't really say.
Will I recommend it to others? Yes, of course.

Although I wanted a darker ending, it was a good read.

⚠️Content warning ⚠️ accidents, death, blood, PTSD

Lucy is a bestselling author of a crime thriller series, starring Eliza. Eliza is her childhood imaginary friend, but it seems Lucy still talks to her as an adult.

I liked Lucy’s character, even though I found her a bit naive at times. Her husband is a real piece of work and I felt so sorry for Lucy. She worked so hard and he just spent her money and brought her down. It becomes apparent that he’s gaslighting her, but he’s not the only one.

Lucy had a traumatic childhood following the disappearance of her brother. This has never been solved and she feels responsible, but she isn’t sure of what really happened as Eliza interferes with her story.

When Dan moves himself and Lucy to a mansion near Lucy’s childhood home, she really struggles to cope as memories of her past resurface. Dan goes missing and Lucy doesn’t think she has anything to do with it, but did Eliza?

This is an easy read that keeps you guessing. I couldn’t work out whodunnit at all, but when it was revealed it seemed a bit implausible but still enjoyable.

The chapters are fairly short and are mostly set in the present day. There are some flashbacks to Lucy’s childhood, around the time of her brother’s disappearance.

I enjoyed the story and liked the mix of characters. The plot was a little different and very readable. Some parts I felt were unrealistic but I enjoyed this novel overall.

3.5 stars and I look forward to reading more from this author.

Thanks to Random House UK, Cornerstone and NetGalley for a copy of this novel for review

I love an unreliable narrator so this dragged me straight in. I spent a whole day curled up on the settee not even noticing day turning to night whilst reading this book. Well written and another great story by this talented author.
A strong 4/5

Absolutely loved this book, it was so well written and the suspense was a constant theme. At times I actually felt afraid, nervous and held my breath as the I read the words.
I couldn’t read it fast enough and I finished it in one sitting.
I love just south of Bristol so this was an added bonus for me to know some of the names and locations that featured in the book. It helped put me right there along side the characters.
This is a book to escape into.
Gilly Macmillan has done it again!! 👏🏻

This was my first Gilly Macmillan book and I’m very much looking forward to reading her others.

The store centres around Lucy Harper, a crime writer who at the age of 9 had her 3 year old brother Teddy go missing in the woods near their house. Her husband Dan purchases a house in the same area as the disappearance despite Lucy’s reluctance. When Dan goes missing it sparks awful memories from Teddy’s disappearance many years ago which makes Lucy’s past and present suddenly collide.

It had me absolutely hooked from the start and had trouble putting it down. It was full of unlikeable characters and had me guessing right up until the end.

I want to thank Random House UK, Cornerstone and Netgalley and the publisher for generously providing me with this book in exchange for an honest review.

An unusual addictive read. Fast paced and full of lots of twists. I could not put this book down. I definitely recommend this book.

An atmospheric suspense story that drew me in from the start. A good tale well told that always left me wanting to read the next chapter. I wondered what would happen at the end and although it was a bit sudden it was a satisfactory ending which fitted into the story line

Gilly MacMillan is an accomplished author of mystery and suspense, she incorporates so many twists and turns its neigh on impossible to keep up with her..
Lucy Harper is a bestselling author of mystery books with a leading detective that her readers love. But having just finished another book her publisher and her husband, Dan, are not happy that she’s removed her leading detective.
Dan who was once a budding author himself but now has the role of her manager and controls their finances has been acting strangely and has presented her with a fait accompli by buying an estate and mansion in the county where she had a troubled childhood knowing how much she enjoys and is inspired living in London.
When Dan goes missing it is very quickly picked up by the media who begin to park themselves outside the mansion hoping to catch Lucy for a photo shoot or even a statement but Lucy is doing everything in her power to avoid them. Very soon after some digging mystery surrounding Lucy’s childhood are brought into the picture making Lucy’s relationship with the police a little fragile.
Lots of twists and turns make compelling reading, most enjoyable..

Intriguing, a wee bit implausible but very addictive!

Lucy Harper should have it made. She's a best selling writer, her creation DS Eliza Grey has an army of devoted fans. But her husband Dan is a little more than invested in looking after the financial side of thing than he should be even in his role as her manager. When decisions he's made without her input cause friction between them Lucy isn't too surprised when he stays away for a few days. After all he's done it before. But this time he doesn't come home and the onslaught of publicity threaten to reveal the truth about Lucys past and Eliza Grey....

Well that was a roller coaster. This book was so enjoyable. True, there are moments that veer to the crazy side of believability but I an forgive that because it's a great story. Looking forward to more from this author.

I am not quite sure about this story. There were lots of twists and turns and several threads but it didn't feel very convincing. A rather implausible story.

Well this book had my emotions on a Rollercoaster. Upset, angry, concerned, puzzled. Every emotion going was felt whilst reading this story. The main character is certainly complex and I found that I didn't take to her very well. Either way, I was hooked and could not wait to see how it all ended. My first book by this author and it certainly won't be my last.