Wonderfully descriptive of a Greek Island in summer but with the chill of a missing girl hanging over it. The dual timeline makes it an interesting read as the story is slowly revealed. The initial paragraphs made me hope for more of a fantasy edge but it is definitely just a mystery caused by a series of lies. A good read.

I wasn’t expecting to enjoy this quite as much as I did. It’s a complex mix of mystery thriller, coming of age and familial relationships alongside an almost quantum physics exploration of time. What is time? What would we change if we could go back and how would that affect our futures. And through this narrative constant echoes of ‘oh what a tangled web we weave…’

Stepsisters are central to the story which involves the disappearance of Abigail on a Greek island twenty five years earlier. The stepsisters couldn’t be more different, but they have one thing in common. They’re both inveterate liars, bound by a bad decision which has stayed with them. The setting is stunning; there’s a really strong sense of place with a Greek island backdrop. I’ve never visited Greece but this story gave me a real feeling of warmth, sun, relaxation and sparkling sea. However, there’s a sinister turn and the suspense builds that summer. The ties that bind…and then come back to bite you. Skilled plotting and clever storytelling make this a very satisfying read.

This is a great read, exploring all the flaws and intricacies of the human psyche. Deep and involving, it looks at the lies of two women, current and in the past and how they intertwine and influence the outcome of their lives. Zoe and Lex are stepsister who couldn't be more different. This story is how we learn from life and our mistakes. It was intriguing and made me look at myself, without the added suspense and mystery. A fabulously well crafted story with clear and realistic characters.

A story of endless lying as suggested by the title.
The story moves between two time zones and there are a few interesting moments as it progresses but I felt from the start that it read like a list of excuses for lies and behaviour from before. Both main characters lied and hid facts when they were young and describe their lives as seriously affected by this for 25 years.
Towards the end of the book, they do the same again to protect their daughters.
I’m not sure about the lessons learnt

I loved THE LIARS by Katherine Fleet and am already telling my friends it will be their book of the summer. Why? Essentially, it’s three wonderful reads in one. A gripping cold-case crime novel, a moving coming-of-age novel, and a glorious shenanigans on a Greek holiday novel, all ticking along as one.
The two girls at the heart of it all, Zoe and Lex, are suddenly stepsisters when their parents decide to marry. A set of more unlikely best friends it's hard to imagine. Lex, blonde, beautiful, brave, and bold, just waiting to get out into the world and make her mark on it, and her new stepsister, Zoe, dark-haired, bookish, watchful, and cautious. On their own, each is on the cusp of adulthood and should surely be manageable, but put them together and the adults laughing and drinking by the pool don’t stand a chance.
The crime story at the centre of the novel forces the two girls to grow up sharpish, as their lives suddenly change forever. But even before this, I was struck both by how uniquely drawn each girl is, and how sudden, unexpected observations they make about what was happening managed to be both clever observations about how we live now, and vehicles for informing the current story. At times Ms Fleet’s deft use of adolescence reminded me of the way Donna Tartt’s central character in THE GOLDFINCH, Theo viewed the world through jaded glasses before he was old enough to drink (as if) or hire a motorbike (double ditto).
Similarly, I was struck by how Zoe talks about something she learned about time in a physics lesson and how according to Einstein it's not linear in the sense that we think of it so much as always there, it's just that we can't access all of it, we can't get back to all of it. This, of course, is the central problem for the characters, they can't get back to that summer and fix one small mistake. Okay, so maybe two or three small mistakes. Read it yourself and see, but Holden Caulfield anyone?
The setting is glorious and I cannot wait to visit the nightclub one of the characters has built up in the hills. Sadly, I know I am stuck waiting for Netflix to finish with their set-building, but what a scene that’s going to be. Just like the scary emerald pull of Circe’s pool and the way, the more books Zoë reads on the subject, the more Greek myths are merging dangerously with the girl’s lives in the endless, oppressive heat, heat, heat.
So often in THE LIARS, I thought I knew what was going to happen but I was always blissfully wrong. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, and I didn't want to, I wanted to stop and slow down because the prose is beautiful, there are plenty of things to think about, and the girls are so compelling to tag along with. I’ve often heard it said that for a book to work - really, really work, like this one does - the author must know their characters. But here, there's another principle at work, which is that while Ms Fleet knows the characters, the characters also really know each other. Herein lies the great success of THE LIARS. Everyone Is tight, it’s groups of families on holiday together, and so they know each other's flaws, they know which buttons to push, they know how to make things run smoothly, or to bring the house crumbling down around themselves.
Frankly, five stars seems churlish here. Surely the two girls, Lex and Zoë, should get five each at least? Plus five more for the setting. Oh my, when can I book?

With thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph for allowing me to see an advance copy of the #TheLiars.

Who are the Liars? Throughout you get a feeling that it’s Lex and Zoe, but as the story unfolds what could they possibly have lied about?
Abigail besotted with Lex as is Zoe what draws them to her what makes her so attractive to be her friend when she is mean even without that ever being said.
Calliope holds the secrets safe.
The suspense and the mystery were crafted that I couldn’t put the book down. However it failed to live up to the thrilling experience I was hoping for. The plot was intriguing and the characters were well developed, but there were moments where the story seemed to drag on and loose momentum. I found myself wanting more twists and turns. Thank you #Netgalley #The!iars

Zoe and Lex haven't seen each other since they first met 25 years ago and became stepsisters. Now they have been brought back together by grief but their past is bubbling back to the surface as well.
Only they know the truth about what happened to Abigail that fateful summer.
They've been running from their lies for 25 years but now it's all catching up with them.

This was a really enjoyable read, the complex relationships and family dynamics were interesting alone, the underlying mystery just adds to it all. The beautiful Greek island setting makes this a wonderful beach read.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph Penguin Random House for providing an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting read by an author that I was not familiar with having never read their work before. I always enjoy a new to me author and I wasn’t disappointed.
I found the characters interesting and really had a depth to them with lots of details described for me to portray them in my mind and really get inside them.
The story line took me to a place I wasn’t expecting and kept me intrigued right until the end.
I would recommend to anyone interested in this genre and will be reading more.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. This book had me hooked from the first page to the very last word. I couldn’t put it down but at the same time, didn’t want it to end. The setting alone, and the house, were entrancing. Calliope was a character in itself.

The family dynamics, and the relationship between soon-to-be stepsisters, of wildly different characters and backgrounds, that have just met, were perfectly portrayed. So elegantly woven, characters and story were completely immersing. Perfect ending for a beautiful book.

Will definitely be suggesting this to any fans of destination thrillers.

It wasn’t a bad read, the way it was written was quite enjoyably in fact, the prose was extremely evocative and it was easy to picture yourself in the Greek island in the middle of the story. I want to say thank you to Netgallt for lending me the ARC and to the publisher for asking me for an honest review. The characters were well developed and as I say the descriptions were fantastic, I just felt that the story was slow at times and there wasn’t much of an intrigue created. I wish there was more making want to keep reading rather than just their petty teenage feud, likewise I wish there was more of a twist at the end or in fact a twist at all as it did feel rather predictable

There’s something about Greece that comes with its own sense of mystery and allure for me. I really enjoyed this book. The plot itself is nothing too far from mysteries I’ve read before but the characters and setting of this novel drew me in from the start. I liked the twists and turns alongside the sense of magical realism

The perfect holiday thriller!

This book enticed me from the beginning. The build-up throughout the first two thirds had me on edge. Sometimes this can feel a bit tedious and you just want to ‘get on with it’ but this book wasn’t like that at all.

I think the parallel timelines were a great way to tell the story and it wasn’t confusing at all. The characters were fantastic and endearing in their own ways.

I was full of suspense throughout and was so sad to finish the book. It would be great to have a sequel! I think this would make a fantastic TV show too.

Thank you so much to Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for sending me this ARC. It was a pleasure to read.

The setting, the characters, the story - all amazing. It centres around Zoe and lex, they become step sisters, meeting in Eos where lexs Dad has a holiday home.
The story goes back and forth between then, when they were 15 and now 25 years later. So much changed that summer when they were 15. A missing girl, Abigail, do Zoe and lex know more than they've told. After 25years of not talking to each other, they're back on Eos for a funeral, The funeral coincides with the 25th anniversary of Abigails disappearance. Memories return as do some other faces from the past. Is the truth going to finally come out?
I loved this book and will definitely recommend it.
Thank you netgalley for the arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t quite sure what to make of this story to begin with and it took me a couple of chapters to get into the plot and the characters. It is extremely well written and very descriptive but I did think it was a smidge too long towards the end. An interesting plot once you get into it though.

This is one of the books where the setting almost becomes a character in its own right. Lex and Zoe have shared a secret for far too long, but things come to a head when they find themselves together in Eos all these years later, attending a funeral.

Many secrets we shared and kept that long ago island summer, but none as vital and dangerous as their shared knowledge of what *really* happened to Abigail...

While is this is based on a familiar trope, the author has done a good job of delivering an interesting and readable story. An enjoyable read, it gets 3.5 stars.

An enjoyable read of a well written story. The picturesque descriptions of the island were particularly well writen , evoking a desire to visit.

I often don't like stories that jump back and forth in time but this tale clearly needed to be told in that manner and it was well paced.

Some of the characters were a bit atypical and yes there have been a lot of books of this type but overall it was worth reading even if I found the ending a tad rushed and not unexpected.

Brilliantly paced drama and the descriptions of the island made me feel I was walking alongside everyone. A definite must read. Superb.

I kind of feel like this plot has been overdone. Kids share a secret about how someone really died, then come back years later and all is revealed. These girls spend a summer going through some scary things-grooming, drugs, jealousy etc, and it ends bad. When they return years later for a funeral, they talk about how guilty they have felt throughout the years. Secrets are revealed about where people were that night and what really happened. Overall, it was just ok to me. Little slow. I couldn't get into it that much.

A good all round well paced drama. Zoe and Lex's relationship is full of jealousy and secrets and all set in beautiful surroundings. This is definitely one to take on holiday. An enjoyable read.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

Impeccable scene setting made the Greek Island of Eos as much a part of this novel as the well written characters. Be warned though, its not all sunshine and bougainvillea, tavernas and tzatziki, at the heart of this novel is a very readable tale of guilt, remorse, suspense, and lies... so many lies.

Zoe, Lex and Pabs, that summer they were friends, close in age but miles apart as individuals. This novel portrayed perfectly teenage girls at their most vulnerable, most secretive and most dangerous. They spent one summer together on Eos, step-sisters Zoe and Lex didn't return again until the death of their father twenty five years later gave them no choice.

Told in the then and now this novel seamlessly moved back and forth and slowly the secrets of a long gone summer revealed themselves. Perfectly paced with great characters, take this one on holiday with you - its the perfect summer read.

My thanks to Penguin Random House and NetGalley for the review copy, I was under no obligation and all opinions expressed are my own