3.5 stars

My Mother’s Lies is an interesting psychological thriller. The book is told from 2 points of view, mother and daughter and 2 timelines. I found the timeline going back into the mother’s past to be the more engaging and interesting of the two.

At time I found the story to move a bit slowly. Especially in the beginning in the daughter's timeline. However, the story did get to a point where both perspectives converged and the outcome was satisfying.

Part of the story felt like filler and didn’t feel needed, it made the book feel longer than it needed to be. There were a few story lines that were tangentially related but not fully resolved by the end. They didn't change the outcome of the story but so much time was spent on them that having that cleared up would have enhanced the story, for me.

Overall, if you are a lover of thrillers, you should definitely give My Mother's Lies a try.

Thanks for Netgalley and Boldwood Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

My mothers lies is another excellent story from Diane Saxon, it’s a gripping psychological rollercoaster of a read, it starts with Siobhan (the daughter) telling how her mother Grace fell and broke her hip and states that she has no daughter, which understandably rocks her world and her relentless digging into her mothers past, the story bounces between the past and the present day exploring Graces life and what happened for her to deny her daughters existence, and without giving to much away I thought Siobhan really should have talked about it all with her Mum abit more. But as always Diane Saxon writes great characters that you can not help but become engaged with and this is a great story.

Saxon is one of my favourite popcorn thriller authors and her books are always too good to be read over anything longer than several hours.

Narrated across dual timelines Saxon takes us back and forth through the past and present day, giving us glimpses into the life of Grace, from her unsettling childhood to the revelation she makes whilst under the influence of anaesthesia.

Could you actually say something like that if it wasn't true. Words guaranteed to hurt those you love the most?

My Mother's Lies is a dark and engaging read. The pace steadily changes to suit the scene, and the twists came thick and fast. The characters are solid and replete with secrets, lies and deceit.

I thoroughly enjoyed it the read and it's definitely one to recommend.

Many thanks to Rachel's Random Resources for my tour spot.

4⭐
Genre ~ psychological fiction
Setting ~ Wales & England
Publication date ~ August 21, 2024
Publisher ~ Boldwood Books
Est Page Count ~ 357 (45 chapters)
Audio length ~ 10 hours 41 minutes
Narrators ~ Charlotte Worthing, Sophie Dora Hall
POV ~ single 3rd & 1st
Featuring ~ dual timeline ~ present & 50 years earlier progressing to the present, neglected child, miscarriage

Siobhan is the daughter of Grace, or is she? Her chapters are told in the 3rd.

Grace has taken a tumble and broken her hip. While in the hospital it's discovered that she has cancer. She has no clue who this Siobhan is that claims to be her daughter since she can't have kids. We head back to 1974 and hear Grace's story in the 1st, present tense, which reveals a deep, dark secret that’s better left untold.

I really enjoyed Grace and James’s relationship. A man that lives on the street, he was always there for her, especially when she needed it the most. She was a strong woman and I appreciated how she stood up for herself in the workforce back in a time when it was tough to do so.

Overall, I found this to be well paced in bringing out the secret. Even though Grace’s timeline tells the story first, I didn’t feel like I was hearing it all over again when Siobhan slowly learns the truth. However, there was some repetition within Siobhan’s timeline when she was questioning things over and over again, but it didn’t bother me too much.

I'm reviewing this via NetGalley, as part of a tour with Rachel's Random Resources.

This psychological thriller follows two characters - Siobhan and Grace. I connected with both of these characters in different ways. I sympathised with Siobhan, as I felt that anyone in her situation, anyone might feel as though their world was turned upside down. In spite of this, she seemed compassionate, strong and determined.

Initially, I found Grace more difficult to warm to than Siobhan, but I found it saddening to read about the struggles she faced. She narrated her experiences with such honesty that it was difficult not to feel a connection with her.

In parts, I found this quite a dark, harrowing read, but I was very emotionally invested in the story and the characters. This book was certainly a page turner, and once I became invested, it was difficult to put down.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rachel's Random Resources, Boldwood Books, and to the author, for the opportunity to read and review this.

Good book awesome thriller. I liked this book and it was worth reading. The suspense was really good.

This is a fabulous book......A mother and daughters happiness shattered but why??
This is written in chapters about Grace the mother, then and now and Siobhaun the daughter.. when Grace breaks her hip and ends up in hospital, siobhaun is told her mothers condition is alot worse than what they first thought......As they live on a farm Siobhaun tends to the farm in her mother's absence. When she goes to visit Grace in hospital she seems like a different woman, swearing/shouting and spitting, she also screams words that Siobhaun would never have believed of her mom., as the nurses explain she is delirious...... Will siobhaun ever find out the truth??? Definately 💯 per cent recommend this book..... it's gripping........

Oh I love this author. Dementia Is already so scary and sad. I love how her mom's moments of dementia/confusion lead out gal on a journey like no other. I also love the explanations. I love James.
I love the explanations of dynastic wealth as well.
What an amazing ending. I cannot wait for the next novel.

My Mother's Lies
by Diane Saxon
Pub Date: Aug 21 2024

My Mother's Lies is both a psychological thriller, with an emotional family drama told in dual timelines. The writing was excellent, interesting characters. The book was full of twists and turns with an emotional storyline. A psychological thriller I highly recommend!

Synopsis: She’s been lying my whole life... As if my mum breaking her hip and being rushed to hospital isn’t shocking enough for one day, now in her post-operative delirium, she’s just told me I’m not her daughter. That she has never been able to have children. Which begs, Who am I? Where did I come from?

Many thanks to #MyMothersLies #NetGalley and Boldwood Books for providing me with an E-ARC of this book.

How startling it would be to discover your entire identity was a lie. Siobhan uncovers some hard truths about the woman she never had any reason to question before when her mother becomes ill.
Interlaced with Grace’s backstory the chapters coincide to reveal the complete truth and even just a bit more.

A gripping read, combining a psychological thriller, with an emotional family drama.

Told in dual timelines, Grace is abandoned by her mother and has to make her own way in the world. In the present day, Siobhan's mum is rushed into hospital and, delusional from the effects of her medication, tells Siobhan she is not really her daughter.

The writing is so immersive, I found myself completely drawn to these well developed characters, particularly young Grace and James, who I thought was wonderful. As the two stories came together and the truth was revealed, it was so much better than I had expected, just brilliant!

5 ⭐️ Thanks to Netgalley, Diane Saxon and Boldwood for an ARC in return for an honest review.

A gripping psychological thriller that is hard to put down.

Martha lives with her mother and they have a difficult relationship, she has so many questions, but with a mother that isn’t truthful it’s difficult for her to get the info she wants.

Plenty of twists and turns, this is my first. Ok by this author, but I will be reading her other books
Great read

I received an E-ARC with a request for my honest review.

This shocking thriller follows Siobhan and her mother Grace. When Grace is admitted to hospital, in a delirious state she states she is not Siobhan’s mother.

Surprised by her mother’s comment, at first, she doesn’t believe it to be true. However, the doubt starts to creep into her thoughts, and she decides she must delve deeper into her past.

Back when Grace was younger, she didn’t have a great childhood, but growing up she was determined to achieve more in her life. However, this life does involve a few lies and secrets.

Will Siobhan discover the truth? What secrets are lying in Grace’s past?

This thriller is shocking as you delve into the mystery of Siobhan’s and Grace’s past. The mystery lasts right to the end, as the secrets are revealed.

I found this an enthralling read and I didn’t want to put it down, I don’t want to reveal too much as I wouldn’t want to spoil any of the secrets and lies.

You get to hear from both characters, in the past and present for Grace and in the present for Siobhan. This helped unravel what was behind all the mystery.

Overall, a shocking thriller where a surprising comment leads to uncovering a mother’s lies.

When Siobhan’s mum Grace wakes up in hospital calling her by a strange name and saying things like “I can’t have children”, Siobhan - rightly - decides to investigate. But when the resulting DNA test opens a huge can of worms, it turns out Siobhan is in way over her head.

I really enjoyed this dual timeline, dual perspective novel - it’s a 3.5 stars from me! Though the contemporary storyline moved a little too slowly for me, I was captivated by the past and loved how the pieces all eventually started slotting into place.

Would recommend!

Not at all what I was expecting! It is slow paced at times and fast at others keeping the reader engaged and on your toes. I felt like it was more family drama than physcological thriller but it was great. The characters were slowly unraveled as the story progresses through the process of getting to know what happened.

This was such a dark read that gripped me with its twists / turns and intensity. I was hooked right away.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
An enjoyable read, although a little slow in places, although the plot was really good and the narrative was well-written. Recommended..

Written in a duel time line this book tells the stories of a mother and daughter. Grace and her daughter Siobhan are extremely close. Living on a small holding where Grace looks after her rescue animals and Siobhan goes out to work as an estate agent life is good. After an accident one day when Grace breaks her hip things suddenly take a turn for the worse. During her delirium Grace starts mumbling strange things which leave Siobhan wondering if her life is the one she thought she knew. This is a page turner of a book which leaves you wanting to read just one more chapter before you can put it down. So much is going on but you never realise everything right until the end.

This book was unlike anything I could have expected. I really enjoyed lots of it however the multiple time frames was a bit tedious at parts. The book starts with Sibohen's mother, Grace, breaking her hip and being rushed to the hospital for major surgery. Worried about her mother Sibohen rushes to her side only to be blindsided when her mother proclaims that she isn't her daughter and she is unable to have children. This has to be just the medicine right? Or is there some truth to Grace's delirious outburst? Confused, Sibohen is determined to get to the bottom of what is really going on with her mother and in turn with her own life. This book flashes back and forth not only between mother and daughter but also between time frames when each was younger. This gave the story a lot more depth and also a huge opportunity to talk about other issues. This was a very fast paced thriller that really kept me guessing. I loved how the reader was slowly trying to figure things out with our main characters. I was desperate to find out what really happened with Grace in the past and to see how that will affect Sibohen now. This was a thriller that really took you in all directions however the journey was amazing. I loved trying to figure out what really happened at Sibohens birth and find out what was really true. While some parts at the beginning were a little slow the second half really takes off and that is where you get invested. The ending had me flabbergasted. I loved this book and can't wait to see it hit the shelves. Really good read and unlike anything I have read lately.

Told in a dual timeline and dual perspective, we are given the tale of a mother and daughter whose lives are torn apart when the mum takes a fall and long held secrets come to the fore. It is twisty and thought provoking but overall I loved how it featured Beau, the black lab. A totally compelling read, as I kept turning the pages to find out what was really going on. Highly recommended.


Thanks to Netgalley/Boldwood books for the ARC to review.