I went into this one thinking it was a domestic thriller. Can you trust your friend? Lots of twists and turns maybe. But for me, this was too slow to be a thriller. Halfway through, Mary finds out some information on her dead mother. Her new friend April is married to Leo and on the surface they are perfect but April starts showing signs of abuse. It took forever to get to the plot twist. I liked the writing style, I just wanted more from the story.

Another brilliant book
Great characters
Plenty of twist and turns
You will not want to put this one down
Thanks NetGalley

I enjoyed this book. It kept me guessing until the very end with just the right amount of twists and turns. I didn’t want to put it down! I can’t wait to read more by this author in the future

A gripping read.
We meet Mary just before her school reunion. The first few chapters set the scene for the reader, we learn more about her relationship status; her childhood; her job; her life in general.
There are two plots to this story with one being the minor one but still important in the development of our lead character. The major plot ensnares Mary, due to her history, and takes the reader on a thrilling ride.
You think you know what is going to happen, until you realise you have no idea anymore. The ending is best savoured slowly to appreciate the brilliance of it.
I loved the fact that the author is South African and set her book in South African and used South Africanisms to keep it authentic. So often to reach an international market the author introduces terms/words/expressions to catch the international eye and then some spirit of the story gets lost.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me the chance to read this book.

Mary Wilson is happy with her current life, raising her son with the help of her father. When an invitation comes for a high school reunion, she accepts, not knowing the turmoil and events that occur as a result. Mary attends the high school reunion with a friend, and ends up reestablishing relationships with former high school classmates. Mary recreates a fast friendship with April, but all is not well with April’s life. Is April in a happy marriage? Mary begins to suspect that something is off. I enjoyed this book. I felt that it started slow, but picked up at the end. I was surprised at the ending and that is what I thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

Had me reading for hours. Really love it. Look forward to more from this author





Would recommend

This book was definitely different, with a totally different setting (South Africa) than I am used to. Something about this book and me just didn't click. I don't know exactly what it was, but it was almost a DNF for me. I usually like stories of old friendships, but not this time.

A book about friendships, the people we trust and the lives we tell. This book was lighter than expected, despite the content. It is a quick, light read, which perhaps makes the twists and turns more meaningful.

Never Tell a Lie follows Mary Wilson, who's life takes a turn right as she attends her 20th High School Reunion. We are quickly introduced to a cast of characters we get to know well, and how they influence and impact Mary's list. If you like a large, meaningful cast, then this book will deliver.

Thank you to Amazon Publishing UK and NetGalley for a digital copy of this book for review.

I really enjoyed this book and loved the characters. The story line was great. I would definitely read another book by this author. Was an awesome read

Domestic abuse can look very different from one case to the other; Gail Schimmel touches on some of the ways it can look like. What gave this book an extra layer of meaning is that the main character was herself in an abusive relationship, yet has trouble seeing the truth about her former high school classmate’s marriage—a truth that, quite honestly, isn’t very clear until the very end of the book. One of my main conclusions is that building a strong and vibrant community is the best way to both prevent domestic abuse, as well as to be able to identify it and deal with it. If the couple with the domestic abuse problem hadn’t been as isolated as they were, perhaps the issues at the heart of the abuse could have been dealt with before said abuse occurred, or, at the very least, the abuse would not have gone on for as long as it did. A book in the “mind-opening” category.

This novel keeps you on your toes. Mary who is a survivor of domestic abuse is finally free from her husband. She with her son and Father nearby have hope for a brighter future. The only thing that could have been better is if she hadn’t lost her mother at such a young age.

Ready to branch out and finally line her life without fear of repercussions from her ex, Mary finds herself very excited to attend her upcoming high school reunion. When she arrives she makes connections with long lost friends and acquaintances and finds she had really missed this socializing and reminiscing. There are two notable people at the reunion a long lost friend who Mary feels an instant spark with and a women named April. And although Mary’s memories of April are hazy she is drawn to April and her lifestyle. April has it all. The beautiful house and kids and a very loving husband. Mary and April soon become fast friends meeting for coffees, having each other and their kids over for get together and always in contact. But some of April’s stories don’t match up. At the same time she begins a relationship with Will. The first healthy relationship April has ever had. But all too soon, Mary finds a postcard that will turn Mary’s life upside down. And April’s stories are becoming self evident that April’s marriage may be very similar to the abusive one Mary is now out of. She has Will to talk to and things are going very well there however when Mary admits her suspicions to him he just can’t believe it. Slowly but surely April drives a wedge between Mary and Will because Mary will side with her abused friend no matter the cost…..

got this book as an arc from NetGalley in return for a honest review.


This book was not what I was expecting. Mary and her best friend go back to their high school reunion and become reacquainted with some friends. After the night she starts dating one of the guys but takes it slow as she doesn’t trust easily due to her late husband and the way he was.

She also becomes friends with April. They don’t live to far from each other and their sons are close in age. As time goes on things April say don’t seem to make sense. She is always late and forgetting things. Slowly it seems that her husband might be an abused but on the surface you would never know. Especially with the job he has supporting those who are victims of abuse.

You think you finally have the story figured out but then things change and your not sure who is in the wrong and where they stand…..

This story reminded me why I don’t go to high school reunions! I really liked that this book took place in South Africa, Mary is widowed and invited to her class reunion. She becomes fast friends with April. There’s something totally off about the friendship… just a heads up, the main characters are both not too likeable. Still an intense read!

This title was not a top book for me this year. The characters were intriguing but it was missing something. I would give this title a 3.

Attending a high school reunion after 20 years is daunting right.
Stacey a really good friend.
Find a piece of material that makes her question things about her past why would her dad hide this. What does this mean. Catching up with others you use to go to school with can be a shock how lives have turned out right. Finding out a family true was a shock to for Mary. Reading about all the characters and their intreactons with each makes you feel warm at parts and in other parts think about how real this is as well. Leo and April realtionships not what I expected.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle by Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley for my honest opinion. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Compelling characters, unique premise, suspenseful read.

How can a high school reunion change your life? Mary Wilson finds out in Gail Schimmel’s Never Tell a Lie.

Up until she finds a mysterious postcard within her fathers sprawling bookcases, Mary’s life is enjoyable and predictable. She is happily widowed after a turbulent marriage, dotes over her son, has a dream job of freelance writing and keeps in constant contact with her father. When she bumps into April Short at her twenty year reunion she is left wondering exactly who this woman is, for she has a complete lack of memories of her from school. Schimmel goes on to write perhaps the most accurate portrayal of the awkwardness such events can take, talking to your not quite acquaintances though not quite strangers either.

There was a real pulling force that drew me through this novel. I barely took a break from it bar for cooking my dinner, desperate to find out what the postcard meant and how Mary’s date would go and before I really knew what was happening I was hurtling through the book at a pace quick even for me.

We get the feeling something is not quite right with April’s life as soon as she introduces herself. She seems rather downtrodden over things a person should usually be proud. It is not just the reader who gets this feeling either, for Mary is also immediately drawn in to the woman.

The writing style in this book was right up my street, playful and fun even in the darker topics. I definitely enjoyed it, and enjoyed branching out into a genre I don’t typically read, and would recommend to anyone looking for something new!

Thanks to NetGalley for this book!
This was a bit of a slow starter for me and I nearly gave up reading it. I’m glad it pushed on with it as it turned out to be a really good book with a few turns that I didn’t expect. Would definitely recommend this book!

Mary & April reconnect at their high school reunion & become good friends. They begin hanging out together, have play dates with their kiddos & share common interests. But Mary feels there is something is just a bit ‘off’ with April (and her husband). Secrets from the past surface and now Mary has to figure out if April really is the person she says she is.

I always love the story line of reconnecting with a friend from the past but to me the ending fell a little flat.

Thanks to NetGalley & the publishers for the ARC.

thanks for the opportunity to review Netgalley and the publisher. unfortunately this one was not for me could not get into it no reflection on the author though