3 for neutral, will update if able to finish at later date. Tried to read on multiple occasions, but it never grabbed me. I am a moody reader, so may be me, but will update if finally able to read to end!

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
While only 160 pages it gets you on the edge of the seat! I really enjoyed it from the first page to the last, I was totally hooked. It's a fast paced story and the characters and their feelings are really well portrayed. Loved how the story is written and the characters. I'd totally recommend it.

This book had me torn right down the middle. On the one hand, the writing is quite flat and at times fairly rambling, but on the other hand, there were times when I actually started to enjoy it.

This is a fairly short book however I don't think the story could've been dragged out any longer. Even now writing this review I'm still torn over whether or not I truly enjoyed this book. It is a very easy read, with an interesting plot but I wouldn't say it was suspense-filled or full of twists as the blurb describes it! I did like the ending however... the character growth was definitely a good point.

A middle of the line book for me which I'd still recommend due to it being an easy enough read that won't take up too much of your time. I'm glad I read it as I haven't read anything by Valerie Tong Cuong before.

Thank you to NetGalley, Valerie Tong Cuong and Hodder & Stoughton for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

A second-rate actor leaves his flat in hot pursuit of a part in promising blockbuster film, but on leaving, hears noises from the flat above which don't sound good. He makes the decision to go to the audition anyway, then later discovers that his actions resulted in dreadful consequences. His neighbour Alex, who is also his girlfriend, Emi Shimizu's son, was attacked and left for dead. Now, Pax Monnier is faced with the awful choice of continuing to keep quiet about the assault, thus deceiving forty-four year old Emi who has always believed in him, or telling the truth thereby destroying their great relationship.

In The Lies I Never Told You themes of guilt and human weakness are explored. In a moving narrative between past and present day, the reader is treated to an intense slow-burn thriller. Amongst the veritable cocktail of emotions, including trauma, fear and self-esteem lurks affable, tormented Pax, and beautiful, efficient, and capable Emi. Valérie Tong Cuong's in depth descriptions of each characters' psyches are intimate and brilliantly explored. A captivating, powerful and very highly recommended, if short, compelling contemporary tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley, and this review is my unbiased opinion.

This was the first book from the author I have read so I didn't know what to expect. What I didn't expect to find was to enjoy this book from beginning to end, and not knowing what's going to happen next! Recommended and I will definitely read some more by this author.

Intense edge of your seat reading. I couldn't put it down and neither will you. Strong writing and vivid characters. An absolute must read. Happy reading!

When Pax chooses to ignore a strange noise in favour of running off for an opportunity to reignite his failing career it has life changing consequences for Alex. The book focuses on life choices, relationships and fate. The story jumps forward a lot and you have to wait for the gaps to be filled in. As things are revealed your perception of the characters change. Once you get into the plot it is an enjoyable read.

<b><i>A twisty, suspenseful page-turner that will have you on the edge of your seat</i></b>

Ummmmm, NO. Not one of those statements is true. This isn't about this being a bad book or bad writing. This review is about a book being touted as something it's not. Valérie Tong Cuong can write and write well. This review isn't about that. This review is about me being sick and tired of publishers trying to pull one over on us readers.

Everything about the story is pretty much in the blurb, so there are no twists nor suspense. I wasn't on the edge of my seat at any time while reading this book. I was, however, reading this very quickly as it has a great pace. The language is beautiful and the translation was well done. I am giving this book a middle of the road rating and rounding up to three because the author deserves that.

The Lies I've Never Told You is a mystery/Thriller.

I didnt like some aspects of this read. It didn't seem like a thriller. The mystery aspect was just fine but I didnt understand where the thriller part came into it.

I did like the characters. They were written very well

I really wanted to love this book, as its premise poses all kinds of interesting questions about twists of fate and the way one small action can have a butterfly or domino effect on so many other things. I also loved the very accurate look into the acting world. Unfortunately though, in my opinion, this book is hampered by the translation. I did not know going into this book that it was originally translated from the French, but from almost the first page I found myself squinting and rereading what to me was very stilted prose that was hard to understand. Somewhere in In the beginning, it dawned on me that what I was reading was a very literal translation from another language that didn’t really capture any kind of natural narrative flow or author vision when translated in English.

I only know a little French, so I wouldn’t be able to read this in its original language but I suspect it might be better in other translations and definitely in the original. I could see the good ideas and interesting philosophical questions behind the story, but they just couldn’t overcome the weird structure of the narration for me.

I am hopeful that this author will get a better translation next time because under other circumstances I think I might have really liked what she had to say. In this form unfortunately it was difficult to read and I was not able to fully grasp what I think the author probably achieved in her original language.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hachette UK for the advance copy. My review is honest and my own. I would be willing and interested to give this author another try in the future.

I enjoyed this book, I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it either. I think, the French translation made it a bit tricky to follow at times and that's what made it a 3* read for me.

A quick read about the choices we make-= and how those choices can linger forever,. Pax ignored the scream and other sounds he heard from the apartment above him because he was busy prepping for a possible role which would revive his career, Easy enough to understand. Sadly, though, Alex was killed, Does he tell Emi, Alex's mother? He's in love with her. Cuong has packed a lot into this novella. It's less a thriller or a drama than an ethical dilemma with good characters, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

The story here is simple. Emile Moreau, stage name Pax Monnier, has an audition for a blockbuster movie. He is late and just as he leaves is apartment, he hears the sounds of a terrible fight in the apartment above him and glimpses the fleeing assailant. He thinks about calling the police but decides against it, has a successful auction and gets the part. Weeks later, he meets Emi Shimizu and slowly builds a relationship with her. Then he learns the the man who was attacked the day of his audition is her son Alex. What does he do? Should he tell her? And if he does, what will happen?

This short novella is filled with emotion. Sadness, regret, anger and pain slide through the pages. The four main characters with their imperfect lives could be characters in a play. The translation form the French, while impressive, could have been smoother. And the English title, The Lies I Never Told You, is surprisingly clunky. A better translation of the French title Les Guerres Intérieures would be Interior Wars or The Wars Inside. It’s still a 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Valérie Tong Cuong for this ARC.

As a suspenseful thriller -- which is how this book is being advertised -- it's a letdown. There was no suspense, no mystery, and it was slow. However, if it had been marketed as fiction or literary fiction, I probably would have liked it more.

Pax, a wannabe actor, is rushing to a meeting for what he believes will be his big break in the industry after so many years, when he hears a scream and some noise from the apartment above him. He chooses to ignore it in favor of his audition, only later to discover that a young university student was beaten and left for dead. By a twist of fate, Pax ends up in love with the boy's mother, and has to come to terms with how his actions affected all of them.

This is said to be a bestseller in France, so perhaps the slow, plodding nature of the story has something to do with the translation. But, for such a short book, it took me way too long to get through it.

Some of it was compelling -- a middle age man coming to terms with being a failure in his industry and as a human, a young man trying to come to terms with his new normal after being the victim of a random crime, the mother of that child blaming herself for everything and trying to dig herself out of the hole of depression. And there is an underlying commentary on living in a society -- especially a large, busy city like Paris -- where one must balance the desire for an anonymous and solitary life against what one owes to the other members of society.

While interesting as literary fiction, I was really in the mood for a true thriller when I picked up this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an arc of this book. It has not influenced my opinion.

# The Lies I never told you #Netgalley
It started of slow, that at one point I almost put the book down. Then when par ignored the alarm it really picked up, how can anyone carry a lie, secret whatsoever you want to call it with it not seeming as if he’s bothered.. He his. It’s he’s got to show no guilt. This really takes you to the edge of human emotions. That you genuinely think you can no longer go on. Oh and the trust. Well without giving anything away. What do you have if you don’t have trust. I was a bit surprised with its slow start I have read quite a few book by this author and they do not normally start slow. Definitely with reading though

When Pax is rushing for an important interview for a part in a big film, he decides the disturbing noises from the neighbouring apartment are nothing. A young man is badly beaten and Pax could have helped but didn't. His guilt is intensified when he falls in love with Emi, only to discover the young man is her son. The story tells of how he tries to make amends and cover his guilt. It's a good story, a bit wordy in places and a fairly slow start but I did enjoy it. Would have preferred a more in depth ending. It's left very open for a sequel.

Drawn right in so well written so tense.Kept me on the edge of my seat.Could not put down read late into the night.Highly recommend,#netgalley #hodderstougton

Unfortunately, this book did not do it for me.

I truly wanted to like it, since the premise seemed promising. However, I felt that the story did not flow as naturally as I wanted.
A lot of the story is quite long winding, and I was eager for it to speed up, just so I could finish this book and put it away.

Even if I think it's well written the story didn't keep my attention and it fell flat.
Not my cup of tea.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine.

The book follows the aftermath of Pax’s decision to ignore the sounds coming from the apartment above in favour of rushing to his audition with a big director, a decision which affects him later on.

The book jumps from past to present, from character to character which made me a bit confused at the start, the fast pace of the book evens out in the middle of the book. I did not like the writing style of the book, I could not connect to any of the characters so I did not care for the story, the book lacked any built up of tension or suspense and although the book is short the first half is boring.

I did prefer the second half of the book, there was more focus on how the characters felt rather than their history especially with Alex however I did not like the ending I felt like the book ended very quickly.

1/5