Amazing edge of your seat story you won't be able to put down this is a thriller which will keep you turning the pages long into the night

I really enjoyed this book, not as fast paced as I would have liked however still very well written. Was a very intriguing read

Very slow burner but I kept at it! Please keep reading if you feel the same as its worth it. It's set in two times, now and 25 years ago so I found that a bit hard to keep a track of

Follows Zoe and Lex, stepsisters brought together for the whirlwind wedding of Lex’s to Zoe’s mum
The story jumps between then and now, which is 25 years later and showing them as mothers themselves, returning to the Greek island where the wedding took place for Lex’s Dad’s funeral.
A bit of a slow burn as someone disappeared on the night of the wedding and neither has seen or spoken to each other since that night.
What happened and the eventual reveal are worth it - stay with it.
A fabulous atmospheric mystery - the perfect holiday read
Thanks @kateriordanauthor @michaeljbooks & @netgalley for the atmospheric read

Many thanks to NetGalley, author and publishers for an ARC of The Liars.

Overall, this was an enjoyable whodunit with a compelling need to get to the end. However I found some parts of the story could drag along. Nonetheless, it was still a good read.
Recommend
3.5 stars

i love a holiday mystery and this was brilliant. get me on that plane and on holiday! thank you all for allowing me to read!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author.

The book is slow paced but has twists to keep you interested.

It’s set over 2 time lines now and 25 years ago.

Abigail disappeared 25 years ago now the family meets up again in the family home in Greece.

I enjoyed this book

A blended family are brought back together on Eos after the death of Richard- Lex’s Dad and Zoe’s step-Dad- twenty five years after a tragedy which the women, both 15 then, know more about than they’ve let on to everyone, including authorities.

There are things I liked about this book- the backdrop of Eos and Calliope (though the personification was over egged for me at times) and the way that girls coming of age and the difficulties of friendship at that time was dealt with. However I felt like the book could have been pithier, shorter, more to the point as the climax came in more of a whisper. The jeopardy felt a little immature for me (it wasn’t as though the girls were directly responsible for Abigail’s death and was rather a storm in a teacup). I finished this book on holiday which perhaps magnified the setting of it. A good holiday read but a little frustrating at times for me. I did very much enjoy the characters and would have liked a “6 months later” chapter to finish off- were Ben and Zoe back together? Were Zoe and Lex still in touch? Was there any investigation into Liam’s death?

Having read this author before I was more than happy to read another. I wasn’t disappointed. Addictive and clever writing. Highly recommended

It took me a while before I got into this book. It is told in two timelines, the now, when the family reunites 25 years later in Greece for Richard’s funeral and the ‘then’ , when teenagers Lex and Zoe get thrown together for the wedding.

On the day of the wedding Abigail disappears and is never seen again. What happened to her, who is the culprit or has she just disappeared? What are Lex and Zoe not saying?

A well written story, with some interesting twists that I was not expecting. Loved the location and description of the area. Fab summer read or for whenever you fancy being transferred to sunny Greece.

I usually love a thriller set between then and now buy this one didn't really do it for me unfortunately. I felt like it took quite a while to start and was pretty stale paced from then on.

A slow paced read .
Zoe and Lex return to the family home on a Greek island , they haven’t seen each other for twenty five years.
What happened to make them become estranged ?
I really wanted to enjoy this story but it was too slow for me and I didn’t get invested in the characters either .
Thanks. To NetGalley and Michael Joseph , Penguin Random House .

I found "The Liars" to be quite slow-paced, which made it difficult to maintain my interest. Although I did manage to finish it and it concluded well, the pace was just too slow for my liking.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC.

The book tells the story of what happened twenty five years ago to three teenagers and current day events. Each chapter tells you if it’s Then, or Now. It’s well written, with believable characters, I just didn’t care for them. I so wanted to enjoy it, but I found I wasn’t invested in them, and it took me way too long to get through the book. It does have a satisfying ending and I am sure it will appeal to other readers. Thank you #netgalley

A story of teenage angst and how the smallest of problems are magnified at that age but when one girl disappears without trace suddenly the nightmares become all too real. Based on a small idyllic island in Greece, Zoe’s mother has begun a relationship with Richard who owns a delightful property called Calliope. His daughter Lex, is just a few months older than Zoe but the gulf in their maturity is vast. However, as time goes on they begin un uneasy relationship but when Abigail, an old family friend arrives the dynamic shifts. The story alternates between the past, twenty five years earlier and the present time when the girls are now grown up with daughters of their own. A slow build that doesn’t really have huge twists or shocks as the reader is aware of the main point of the story from early on. The exact details are gradually revealed with a satisfying conclusion.

This book was so much more than I thought it would be
Complex characters and relationships and the agony that can be being 15

‘The Liars’ by Katherine Fleet is an atmospheric sun-drenched thriller set across dual timelines on a gorgeous Greek island full of dark secrets and long-buried lies. Reunited on Eos after 25 years of estrangement for a funeral, step-sisters Zoe and Lex find themselves back at the scene of their happiest yet most tragic summer… and chapters alternate between the present and that simmeringly tense time when three teenage girls became two.

The book has strong themes of friendship, rivalry and guilt, reminding the reader that the past will always find a way to catch up with you and eventually lies will rise to the surface. The scenes set in the past are painfully accurate about the insecurities of fifteen year old girls and the awful feeling of not wanting to be rejected. They also contain an abundance of contemporaneous references which made me reminisce (£50 Levi jeans! Alcopops! Anti-drug education in PSHE). The way both girls have daughters in the present chapters, bringing a new perspective, works well - and Lex’s daughter Cleo especially is a driving force of the plot.

I found the book addictive even if a bit slow at times, and definitely agree with the observation towards the start of the novel that fifteen is a dangerous age! I didn’t connect with the characters as much as I would have hoped, but couldn’t stop reading.

Overall, giving this 3.5 stars and recommending as a beach read for fans of slow burn, nostalgic thrillers.

I received a Digital Review Copy of this book from the publisher Michael Joseph, Penguin via NetGalley. The opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I was invited to read this and the concept looked intriguing. I'm really happy I read it because it was a great thriller.

It had me hooked from the start and held my attention throughout. The girls were interesting and relatable and the age of 15 is described so well. Not kids but not women and of course, the cruel words that a teenager can say but not quite mean.

I highly recommend this book especially if you're looking for a beach read as it is set on a Greek island and made me wish for a nice long vacation.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House for the e-ARC! I'm looking forward to reading more by Katerine Fleet.

Lex and Zoe, both fifteen, first met on the Greek island of Eos twenty five years ago, brought together by the coupling of their parents, Lex's dad Richard and Zoe's mum Marilyn, staying at Richard's holiday home, Calliope. Marilyn announces they are getting married and the girls, who have started to bond, accept they will be stepsisters. They spend the summer with Lex showing Zoe round the island including the mysterious Circe Pool which is deemed to have magical qualities. Abigail, the fifteen year old daughter of Lex's godmother, Penny is annoying to many people and follows Lex round like a puppy, on the night of the wedding Abigail disappears, only the girls know what really happened and they swear to keep it secret. Fast forward to the present day and the girls, now with daughters of their own, are reunited on the island for Richard's funeral. Will being back here dredge up the memories of that summer and what will happen if their lies are revealed?

The Liars is a dual timeline, told by Zoe in alternate chapters of Now and Then, telling the story of what happened all those years ago and, even though they haven't seen each other since that summer, up until now, how it has defined their lives and never really been far from their minds and they are determined that nobody can find out. This is the authors debut novel and, even though it's a slow burn, she builds up the atmospheric mystery of the story with the vivid descriptions of the island and it was all worth it for that final reveal. I wasn't invested in any of the characters, I especially didn't like sleazy Liam, who even in the present day didn't seem any nicer. This was an intriguing tale of families and complex dynamics in a beautiful Greek setting that is definitely worth a read.

I'd like to thank Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House and Netgalley for inviting me to read this book, I will post my review on Amazon and Goodreads.

If you have a week (or two) planned on a sun lounger, run to your nearest book shop and buy this atmospheric, tense and well written novel. (To be honest, if you are planning a weekend on the sofa - this is also for you.)
Set on a small Greek island over two time frames, Katherine Fleet's writing literally takes you there, both in 2024 and twenty five years before. The heat, the scenery, the 'pinkness', the food, the myths, and the sea - it is all there. This is mostly Zoe's story, outlining a trip to Eos for her mother's wedding, where she meets her new step sister. The two girls developing relationship is at the heart of the tale and made the book for me. I love a complex girlfriend dynamic. Twenty five years later they are back for Zoe's step father's funeral. Both girls have avoided the island since the wedding and it's aftermath, and the memories and fear of someone finding out what happened last time they were there is the main focuis of the plot.
I really enjoyed the book and Fleet's writing. Highly recommended.