While on holiday in Portugal with her boyfriend, Jess’s daughter Issie, has gone missing. Jess had been sure that Issie would phone, especially as it’s her eighteenth birthday. She becomes increasingly concerned when unable to contact her, mainly as she doesn’t trust Dylan, Issie’s boyfriend.

Expertly written, this begins a pacy suspenseful thriller which keeps you turning the pages. Jess becomes more anxious as no-one seems to be taking her daughter’s disappearance seriously, but when a body is found tension becomes overwhelming.

The story is mainly written from Jess’s viewpoint, with various chapters added by Kay, Dylan’s mother. Insight is given into their characters, and I felt empathy for both women as they become increasingly concerned about what has happened. Occasional chapters are from a podcast detailing the disappearance, which was an original concept and gives extra dimension.

The book is an absorbing blend of twists and turns, making you wonder who to believe. It’s one of those books that you can’t put down until reading the last page. A great read, recommended.

What would we do for our children? Or how far would we go for them. The story of Issie and Dylan and their relationship with mothers Jess and Kay. The story is an interesting scenario but a little overdrawn in places. I did enjoy the book but I’m not sure that I liked the conclusion.

This was a fascinating story with a dilemma created by a young woman. Does the mother support her child or believe that justice is more important. Great conclusion.

Loves this book, Very gripping, great twist, would highly recommended. Some of the chapters are long but fantastic read

I was so excited to get hold of this book as my first ever ARC, following my first read of Heidi Perks in the summer. This book did not disappoint!

I was gripped from the beginning and found myself trying to sneak a chapter in whenever I could - definitely the sign of a great book.

The story centres around Issie and Dylan, boyfriend and girlfriend who go travelling to Portugal, however the book is mainly told from the perspective of their mums. I found myself feeling really persuaded by one mum and then in the next chapter my allegiance would switch to the other.

The book also includes chapters of a true crime podcast telling the story of Issie and Dylan. The podcast is after the event whilst the rest of the book is set in the present. I really liked that these chapters would often end in a mini cliffhanger making you want to read on further.

I would definitely recommend this book. It was full of twists and turns.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance copy.

This book resonated with me as, many years ago, my teenage son went off travelling and I can empathise with how the mother in the story, Jess, worried about her daughter Issie doing the same. Like Jess, I also was a single mum and had a very close bond with my son. Luckily my son returned unscathed and kept in touch all the time he was away. Jess was not so lucky. When she stops hearing from Issie, especially on her 18th birthday, Jess does everything she can to find out what is happening. She flies to Portugal, contacts the police and sets in motion a manhunt which is not quite how it seems! Is Issie's boyfriend, Dylan, to blame for her disappearance and is he, as Jess suspects, a controlling, jealous boyfriend? As the story progresses we see how Jess's attitude to Dylan may be influenced by her own relationship with Issie;s father. Has she misjudged Dylan? Who is the innocent party in this whole affair? A good read that was hard to put down.

Gripping story told from different view points. It was interesting how my allegiances shifted after each chapter which made it a fascinating read. I couldn’t wait to get to the end and see how it all unfolded.
Highly recommended

Wow! This was a fantastic thriller with many shocking twists and turns, I loved how it kept totally changing direction, and what a conclusion! Absolutely brilliant, I loved it!

Thank you to the author and NetGallery for this ARC.

I unfortunately really struggled with this book, the chapter at the start felt confusing and the podcast littered throughout made me more and more confused with what was happening. I constantly struggled to get a grip on who was lying and what was happening and I didn’t enjoy that. It just felt messy.

I think the idea of how far you’d go for your children was interesting and I appreciated Jess coming clean at the end. But overall I felt it was messy and difficult to follow.

This book was exciting up to a point and then it got a little bit boring and went on for longer than necessary.

Issie and her boyfriend Dylan go travelling in Portugal when issue stops reply to her mum who has her reservations about Dylan, and Jess reports her missing. She flies to Portugal herself to look for Issie who turns up in hospital. Fast forward and a girl is found dead and Dylan and Issie are involved blaming each other for her death and who was driving. The back and forth is long winded and Issies dad Scott is a pointless character. I also didn’t see the relevance of including Billy, Dylan’s brother.

Sadly, this one wasn’t for me.

Someone is Lying delivers a gripping and emotional psychological thriller that taps into the deepest fears of any parent—losing their child and not being able to find them when no one believes they’re missing. The story revolves around Jess, a single mother who has always had a close bond with her daughter Issie. Their relationship begins to unravel when Issie meets Dylan, a mysterious and controlling boyfriend, and makes plans to go travelling with him. Jess’s worst fears come true when Issie disappears, and no one seems to take her disappearance seriously.
What makes this novel so tense is the emotional journey Jess goes through. As a mother, you feel her desperation and helplessness at every turn, especially when the authorities and those around her don’t seem to believe her fears. Perks does an excellent job of portraying the isolation Jess feels, where even the people closest to her start questioning whether Issie is truly in danger or if Jess is simply overreacting. It’s a nightmare scenario—one that ramps up the suspense as Jess tries to piece together what happened to her daughter.
The character dynamics in this book are compelling, particularly the tension between Jess and Dylan. As the story unfolds, you are left questioning who is trustworthy and whether Jess’s instincts about Dylan are correct. There’s an undercurrent of mistrust and unease that fills the narrative, keeping you guessing about everyone’s motives.
Heidi Perks keeps the pace fast and the twists unexpected, which makes for an engaging, edge-of-your-seat read. While some of the plot points may feel familiar to fans of the missing-person genre, Perks injects enough emotional weight and intrigue to keep things fresh. Jess’s raw emotions and determination to find her daughter make this more than just a thriller—it’s a story of a mother’s unshakable bond and the lengths she’ll go to protect her child.

My first read from Heidi Perks and it won’t be the last!

The book is so much more than the the main plot of the Dylan and Issie’s relationship and their trip to Europe. It explored complicated family relationships, a mothers love and moral dilemmas. There are plenty of twists throughout that kept me gripped!
With thanks for the ARC of the book.

An absolutely fantastic book that I read in a day. It was a book that really got me thinking what I’d do if it was my child. This is a very easy five stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC in return for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Very good, full of complicated family relationships and also some twists and turns. Compelling and unputdownable.
Would recommend.

This was an interesting read from the start. Jess' daughter has gone travelling with her boyfriend. When Jess doesn't hear from her for a few days, she reports her as missing. The problem is, nobody believes her.

What I found enjoyable about this book is that it didn't just have you guessing on who is lying. It makes you wonder why they may be lying to begin with. This makes the characters all the more colourful, and it will leave you wondering "what would you do?"

It's not a "all wrapped up" ending, which works well given the story. Definitely worth a read.

Thank you NetGalley and the publishers for the ARC of this book #SomeoneisLying #NetGalley

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for my advanced copy in exchange for a review. Some good plot twists but soon became clear what the outcome would be. However I did enjoy the book and would recommend it

This started out as an intriguing thriller about a missing daughter but segued into more of a family drama as the story developed. Told from the viewpoints of mums Jess and Kay interspersed with some extracts from a podcast this does a good job of showing the differences and conflicts between the two from the point they meet when Jess tracks Kay down as she’s worried about her daughter who is travelling with Kay’s son. The fact they were abroad adds another interesting element to this as does the attitude of the police both home and in Portugal. There’s some good twists but nothing that really surprised me however the dilemma Jess was left with made her a much stronger character than she first seemed and added a very thought provoking dilemma.

Jess is a single mom who's really close to her daughter, Issie. When Issie starts dating a guy named Dylan and wants to travel with him, Jess gets worried. She doesn't trust Dylan and thinks Issie is too young.

Then, Issie suddenly stops talking to Jess. Jess is really scared and tries to find out what happened, but Dylan won't help her and the police don't do much.

This book is about Jess's search for her daughter. It's a suspenseful story that will keep you on the edge of your seat. It's about a mom's love for her child and the things she'll do to protect them.

Another fantastic read by this author based upon a single mum navigating her daughter’s poor choices. A thriller but thought provoking in that do you ever really know someone. Great plot twist!

Thank you to the publishers and Net Galley for this arc in exchange for an honest review..
As soon as I read the synopsis I knew this book would be on my “to read” list.
The intrigue started from the first page, along with the first twist, of which there were several along the way.
The storyline is very thought provoking and will leave you with plenty of food for thought long after you’ve finished reading.