Quite enjoyed this after I got into it. The different timelines and characters worked. I cant say much more because if I do there will be spoilers as everything is so interlinked and comes right in the end.

This was very different but do totally recommend it.

I was given an advance copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

What will happen when your child was left for adoption more than fourteen years ago and you want to reunite with him again? Well, that's what happened to Phoebe who wants to reunite with her son, Charlie, known as Ben and adopted by a rich family.

The plot seemed to be interesting for me. The story is mainly told from Phoebe's point of view, dividing between Present and the event that happened back in 2005 that caused her to separate from Charlie, and Ben who seemed to be struggling with his school work and have seemed to be having a strained relationship with his adopted parents. There were no unexpected twists and turns you would normally expect in a thriller but surprisingly, I was actually hooked into the story and couldn't wait for the ending, wondering what the ending was going to be like that, though I personally liked the fact that Phoebe in the end had a happy ending. The characters were ok. The only thing was to me, this was more like a family drama than a thriller to me in my opinion.

Overall, I give this book 3.5 stars! Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion.

To say that reading this book became addictive is a huge understatement. I would stupidly pick the book up only intending to read a couple of chapters to fill in the odd half hour but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would still be sat there well over an hour and several chapters later. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a debut novel!! I was hooked from the first page and this book did not disappoint as it developed. Tracking the story of Phoebe, who has recently moved back into her parents’ home after an (initially) unexplained absence and searching for her son that she reluctantly gave up adoption years previously. The story is beautifully and cleverly told over the interspersing years and despite the stark revelations, I found myself empathising so much with the main character and willing her to a happy ending. An emotive, well paced book that I literally could not put down. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the chance to read in return for my honest review - I can’t wait to read more from this engaging author.

I’m so happy the publisher sent me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book grabbed from the start and kept my interest until the last very last sentence. Great debut novel by the author. Highly recommend!

Wow I adored this book - a fabulous story, very well written. The sort of book you don’t want to stop reading, the storyline keeps you wanting more - a great ending. I would thoroughly recommend this.

A debut book by Sarah Clarke which is a good thriller which keeps you interested until the final chapter,Pheobe is married to Dan and have Charlie their 3 year old son,but she is in trouble one night when she comes home early from a party and catches Dan out and from then on Pheobe’s and Charlie’s lives change forever in an instant.14 years later Pheobe tracks down Charlie who has been adopted and has a new life now and then she try’s to learn as much about Charlie as she can,but with plenty of secrets to hide for both of them it’s hard going and when events come to a head they both realise what they have done.The story is told in flashbacks to their past lives and also the people and family around them and is good enough to keep you interested in the the book.For a first book I think Sarah Clarke has a winner on her hands and I can recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre.A good 4 star read for me.

For her first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, Sarah Clarke has undoubtedly garnished worthy attention! “A Mother Never Lies” is a remarkable debut novel that forces us to discover the truth behind Phoebe’s actions and why she was compelled to give three year old Charlie up for adoption.

After a 14-year absence, Phoebe is back in town and has tracked down her son. Unfortunately, he hasn’t been told about her and Phoebe can’t reveal who she really is, so she’s got to carefully consider her actions. After all, she knows only too well how one minute she can have it all and the next, it can all be taken away from her. Clarke has successfully portrayed the emotional trauma her protagonist has experienced; readers are ever aware of Phoebe’s anguish many years later

There are wording and pacing issues that you’d expect from a debut novel, but Clarke was able to maintain my interest and surprised me with a big reveal at the finish. Told from alternating POV, Phoebe and her son, between 1998 to present, you’ll be forced to consider how we can learn from our mistakes, whether we can right the wrong and how, if possible, we can search for and elicit forgiveness.

You’ll need to read to find out for yourself if Phoebe is deserving of sympathy, if she’s unable to put the welfare of her child first, or if it’s a bit of both.

I look forward to Clarke's next psychological thriller featuring Grace and Marcus in February 2022, and her third novel, featuring Annie and her daughter Sasha, in 2023.

Publishes August 27, 2021
I was gifted this advance copy by Sarah Clarke, HQ Digital and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions. I understand that this is a debut novel for Sarah Clarke and WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sarah knocked it out of the park with this as it was so good and kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time!! I can't wait to read more by her in the future.

This book is an emotional rollercoaster! A mother tracks down her adopted son after fourteen years apart, but where has she been? And who is the victim in the murder really? It’s a very good debut from a promising author, and I will be looking forward to her next book.

Had me from page one. Riveting and suspenseful, with characters that tug at your heartstrings. Highly recommend this one.

Phoebe had the perfect life. A wonderful husband, a beautiful son, and is now expecting a baby girl. And then one night, a chain of events ends in the most horrible way possible and she loses everything.

Now, many years later, living with her parents, she is determined to reconnect with the son she lost. Once she finds him, she goes about developing a relationship with him, although he does not know who she is.

This is a wonderful story. It is told in alternating time frames, and it takes a while to find out why Phoebe lost everything. Once you do, things start to fall into place. This is a story about learning from our mistakes, dealing with the consequences of our actions, and finding forgiveness. I cannot recommend this story enough!

Excellent book, it had me gripped from start to finish, and the story was well thought out and I enjoyed the ending. highly recommend!

Heartbreaking and dangerous.

I found A Mother Never Lies to be a truly excellent story, engaging, full of suspense with plenty of surprises along the way. Went in blind and found myself blown away!

Very well written with flawed yet realistic characters and an emotional story.

Devoured this within a matter of hours!!
5/5.

A mother's greatest treasure, her child.
And when that child is taken away from her she has lost something more precious than her own life.
Phoebe returning from a stint at prison is full of remorse and of determination to find her son who she was forced to give up for adoption, and when she does find him, will she tell him the truth if it means devastating all life he's knoen ? Or will she continue to be a part of his life keeping him in the dark?

I'd like to thank Sarah Clarke and Netgalley for the ARC, a lovely book that I read in a day!

This was a great debut in terms of characterization and detailing. I loved the time the author spent in bringing out the angst of the mother who had to give up her child due to circumstances, but loved him dearly. That was Phoebe and her child was Charlie who had his own problems at his adopted parents home.

With dual POV and timelines, the author managed to tell me the entire story between 1998 to present. I liked how suspense was built up in the prose, was curious to know more about past.

Slightly slower than most thrillers that diluted the suspense, the detailed characterisation and good emotions made it a good read.

I'm obsessed with thrillers and domestic noirs so this book was definitely not what I had been expecting. Its more of a drama really but it does have an undercurrent of suspense and tension...... just not the kind before a masked man jumps out.... more the kind you feel over the breakfast table the morning after a fight with your partner! It was a nice story and nothing was too unrealistic which I liked, the fact that you might know these people and can empathise and understand means it does get under your skin a bit. It won't keep you up all night but then again, sometimes we need a nice easy book to dip in and out of that won't have us up half the night so there's definitely a place for this book and I have no regrets about reading it. Just go into it expecting more of a family drama and appreciate it for what it is rather than what it's not. Which is entirely a flaw of the marketing or whoever and doesn't take away fron the fact that it is a good little book

I go into all 'thrillers' expecting plot twists and blindsides....and so I excitedly started reading A Mother Never Lies, expecting a huge plot twist.

A Mother Never Lies is not that kind of book...well at least for me!

It's filled with tension and emotions that will have you see sawing w.r.t. how you feel about the protagonist, Phoebe, as she tries to worm her way into her son's life, a son she was seperated from 14yrs ago.

The book follows Phoebe's life from the time she met and married Dan in the late 90's, to 2019.

I enjoyed the writing style, and for a debut novel....I really was impressed. The plot was really interesting, especially being a mother myself.

So even though this wasn't the darkest, most twisted thriller, the type that I gravitate towards, I thought this was a good read. Definitely a good palate cleanser I'm between books for me.

I can't wait to see what this author does next!

3.5 stars

This should appeal to admirers of Linda Green's work.

Rating: 3.8/5

This is Sarah Clarke's debut novel and an impressive entry into the world of fictional literature it is too, although it is quite a different read to the one I had been anticipating based on the marketing blurb. This seems to have been positioned as a psychological thriller and supported by the suggestion that it will appeal to fans of Lisa Jewell. However, this is far more of a family / domestic drama and put me in mind of the kind of work produced by Linda Green.

Sarah Clarke doesn't quite display the same deftness of touch to rival Linda Green yet, but she shares a similar, intelligent and emotive style of writing. There is certainly much to like about this novel and it exhibits plenty of promise. The narrative takes place across dual timelines and and is described from the viewpoints of several key protagonists. The characterisation is impressive and the author has succeeded in creating credible personas with distinct and authentic voices.

Part of the problem with this being pitched as a "thriller" is that readers may well pick it up expecting the usual style of shocking twists, turns, red herrings and misdirection. However, as I indicated at the start of the review, this really isn't that kind of book. Yes, there is drama and dramatic tension and, yes, the plot does, at times, develop in ways that the reader wouldn't necessarily expect - but it is generally delivered in a more considered style, akin to a slow reveal.

There are aspects of the novel that I think could have been improved: For example, it would have benefitted from the use of more light and shade. This would have helped both the overall tonality and the pacing, which was prone to being overly pedestrian at times. It would have also helped to heighten the dramatic impact of the narrative at points where there were significant events or disclosures. However, the positive elements significantly outweigh any possible criticisms and I will be looking forward to reading more from Sarah Clarke.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for supplying an ARC in return for an honest review.

A story of flawed people trying to find a way to move forward in the world. Phoebe is been separated from her son, Charlie, for 14 years, ever since she signed her rights over when he was only 3 years old. When she finally spots his picture in the paper, she knows it’s him, even with a new name and a new family. He doesn’t know who she is however and she works her way into his life, building a relationship with the troubled young man.
Lots of twists and turns as the story builds into a slow crescendo. Don’t miss this one!