This was outstanding! I loved it. I did not expect that at all. The story was kind of heartbreaking having the two mothers describe this story. Wasn’t a fan of the podcast bits but it tied in so well. A mother’s worst nightmare come true. It felt very real reading this and it’s quite refreshing to read that it’s not always men and there is justice being done to the women as well.

Heidi Parks is adept at making her characters instantly like or dislikeable, only to have their realities completely contradict your first impressions.
Issie is lucky to have Jess searching and fighting for her after she disappears on holiday with her slightly suspect boyfriend, whose own Mother doesn't seem the least bit concerned about his complete silence.
However, when the plot changes from a missing person search by a desperate Mum to a hit and run investigation things get messy very quickly.
A great read- edge of seat stuff!

This book does not go the way I expected it too. Issie and Dylan go on a holiday to Lisbon, and then suddenly are no longer reachable. Jess, Issie's Mum, immediately thinks something is wrong,
and the story immediately picks up there.

I really enjoyed reading this book and would definitely recommend it

OMG what a truly great novel really enjoyed every page. read in one sitting that’s how gripped I was with the storyline.so many twists and turns right to the last page.It portrays how far mothers will go to protect their children. I wasn’t really sure how this would end but it was a very good ending
Thankyou to net galley and the publishers for letting me read this novel and of course to the author for her amazing storyline

I received this the other day and so glad I was . This was a brilliant read . I was gripped by the authors writing , fast paced intense, family drama .
There were twists in book that I never seen coming.
I enjoyed the character buliding as well , and loved how you could actually relate to some of the storyline in your own family .
I see this being a great beach read , highly highly recommend this book to readers . Five starts from me .

Enjoy this tightly written psychological thriller from Heidi Parks. Pacy, with a relatable MC in Jess. Good beach fodder!

Issie and her mother, Jess, previously shared a wonderful relationship. However, since Issie's father relocated to America, it has been just the two of them—until Dylan entered the picture. Issie's behaviour changed, and she became a different person from the girl Jess once knew. Could Dylan be the cause of this transformation?

Dylan and Issy travelled to Portugal, but on the day of Issy's 18th birthday, she failed to answer her phone. This led Jess to fear that something terrible had occurred.

Concerned for their well-being, Jess reported the teenagers as missing.

Upon Jess's arrival in Portugal, secrets began to surface. Will the truth about what transpired finally be revealed?

Initially, I found it challenging to engage with the book, but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it once I became familiar with the characters.

The gripping nature of the story kept me captivated, and I couldn't resist the urge to continue reading.

The inclusion of true crime podcast segments added an intriguing dimension to the narrative, providing an additional layer of depth to the story.

Overall, I highly recommend this well-written piece of work.

A dark love story with an unpredictable twist!
I really enjoyed this fast-paced, cleverly crafted crime thriller cum love story.
Evie must escape the dark forces that puppeteer her from dangerous job to dangerous job.
But when her identity is mutilated beyond recognition, she must fight for her freedom and her life.
Great read! 👏

This is my first Net Galley read and review and I couldn’t have got a better book for my first. This book had been hooked and pulled in from the start. Love the twists in it as well as the love of a parent and how we only want what’s best for our children.

I absolutely love Heidi Perks books and this is definitely up there with my favourites. Would 100% get your hands on a copy when this is released in March 2025! You don’t want to miss out :-)

Dyland and Essie set of to go travelling, but Issie's mum Jess doesn't trust him and is suspicious.
Jess tries to contact her on her 18th birthday but she doesn't answer her phone and Jess is convinced Dylan has harmed her in some way. Jess then travels to Portugal because nobody else believes she is missing; it's a journey that uncovers a web of lies

How far will a mother go to protect her daughter?

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 27th March 2025. This book was addictive, pacy and gripping.

I liked the way the chapters alternated between the two mothers. I also loved the podcast chapters as it built suspense and had me gripped to my kindle.

Overall, a great book with plenty of suspenseful moments and I’d highly recommend it!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars

Issie and her boyfriend Dylan go to Portugal travelling. Jess, Issie's mother is not happy as she thinks Dylan is controlling.
Jess doesn't hear from Issie on her 18th birthday, and she starts to worry. Dylan is also not answering his phone.
Jess reports them missing but is told that the British police can't do anything, so she travels to Portugal and involves the police there.
This was unputdownable. There were many twists to this, and you just don't know who is lying.
I loved the podcast sections and really thought it added to a terrific story.
I could empathise with both mothers. They came from totally different backgrounds, so I was kind of rooting for the underdog.
Many thanks to Random House for the invitation to read this in return for an honest review.

I was intrigued by the summary of this book and was pulled into this story from page one.

I enjoyed the characters, Jess Adams and Kay Whiting, the mothers in the plot. Their character development is interesting. Their children, Dyan Whiting (19) and Issie Adams(17) are in a relationship and they go travelling to Portugal for Issie’s 18th birthday. Jess does not like Dylan and thinks he is controlling Issie and Kay thinks Issie is not for Dylan but he is in love with Issie. Jess tries phoning Issie on the day of her 18th birthday but cannot contact her. A few days later, Jess is still unable to contact Issie and asks the UK police for assistance and finds they are unhelpful.

The writing style was good with twists and turns to the very end. And the ending? I loved it! I found the plot compelling.

I give a 4 star rating and would recommend this novel.

THANK YOU TO NETGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED READING COPY OF THIS BOOK IN RETURN FOR AN HONEST REVIEW

After her A levels, 17-year-old Jess goes travelling with her boyfriend but when she fails to respond to any messages on her 18th birthday her mother becomes worried and raises the alarm. Two teenagers on their first overseas adventure together - what could possibly go wrong?
This is a story of two mothers and the book is told from their dual perspectives. Someone Is Lying taps into every parent’s fear that their child has been harmed, and in this case both mothers are prepared to stand by their child no matter what. This tension filled story is character-led with some twists along the way as we work out who is telling the truth and who isn’t. I enjoyed the tension in the first half, the dilemmas that emerged and the final twist which felt quite realistic.
Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the ARC.

Perks has the Midas touch, everything she produces is pure gold for me and this mystery full of suspense and twists does not disappoint.

It challenges the notion of how far would a parent go to protect their child and how far would a child go to ensure they were not punished even if it meant someone else would pay.

The plot starts with the disappearance of two teenagers in Portugal. Issie is just shy of her eighteenth birthday while her boyfriend Dylan is nineteen. A body has been discovered and we immediately suspect that it is the body of Issie. Her mother Jess Adams has flown out to Lisbon to find her daughter who she suspects has been manipulated and harmed by her boyfriend- She has lost her friends and withdrawn her application from art college. Through her perspective we see how she has changed and become distant from Jess. It’s easy to blame Dylan.
The story line is picked up by a True crime podcast, which follows the case. It’s bare facts allows us to see an alternative evidence based account. Perks cleverly introduces Dylan’s mum Kay’s perspective and our opinion of Dylan shifts, perhaps it is Issie who is the manipulator.
When the two teenagers are found, Inspector Melo who has been tasked with finding them is left with the added problem of investigating the body of another missing women. As Dylan and Issie present their own accounts of their missing 4 days it turns into which one of them is lying and whose mother is lying to protect their child.
This is a brilliant novel and well worth the read. You get a sense that you have never quite got to the truth but that’s ok.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ahead of publication. This is a smashing piece of writing from Heidi Perks.

Oh my goodness what a story!! Heidi Perks has absolutely outdone herself with this one. All her books are amazing but this one had me glued to it until the end, so many twists and turns, believable characters…. Not all nice! A true 5* read

Thank you to Netgalley the author and publishers for an arc in exchange for an honest review- can’t recommend enough

Thank you #NetGalley and #RandomHouse for the advanced read “Someone Is Lying” by Heidi Perks is an absolute page-turner that kept me hooked from start to finish! The story follows two teenagers, Issie and Dylan, who come from very different worlds but are united. Issie, with her privileged background, and Dylan, from a family struggling to get by, embark on a journey that is filled with unexpected twists and gripping suspense.

The characters are beautifully flawed, and their complex relationships kept me invested in their story. Just when you think you’ve figured out what’s going on, Heidi Perks throws in a twist that turns everything upside down. The tension builds with each chapter, making it impossible to put down. The emotional depth and the shocking revelations make this book a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers. I highly recommend it!

Great read. Raises the question - just how well do we know our teenage children? Jess is a single mum to teen Izzy who starts to become distant after finding a slightly older boyfriend, Dylan.
The teens decide to go off travelling together but on the day of Izzy’s 18th birthday Izzy can’t be contacted. The teens appear to have gone missing while visiting Portugal.
This is Jess’s quest to find her daughter and along the way we learn the ways that Izzy has changed and how Jess didn’t necessarily understand what was going on with her daughter.
Recommended.

Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the privilege of reviewing this ARC, this is my review. I remembered I read Heidi Perks book 'For the last time' here on NetGalley in 2023 again having access to its pre release. Again I was surprised at how Heidi continues to surprise the reader with her deep insights into the human psychic, the intricacies of relationships stripped bear as mother and daughter and all that they held dear can be overturned by a lie. Fascinating deep delve into how we may think about our own relationships with our children and as they grow into adulthood might they just be telling you a lie and all that you thought of your child comes crashing down around the whole family. Good twists and a bit of a whopper at the end to keep you thinking and 'what if's'. Well recommended.

A great book that had me gripped from the start. We find out at the beginning of the book that something is badly wrong but who or what has happened? Told mostly through the perspective of the couples 2 mums some of the twists I could guess what it was but that didn’t detract from the good solid storyline. I don’t think the views of the podcaster added a whole lot to the story but that’s just my opinion. Another great book by Heidi Perks.