I have read all Louise’s books and was thrilled to be given an advance copy of this book - many thanks! I find Louise’s style of writing easy to read and very descriptive meaning you can actually put yourself in their position and feel an integral part of the story. This book really kept me gripped and I admit I jumped to a few wrong conclusions before the ending! I would recommend this to anyone who likes a twisty, turning thriller with characters you can really relate to. Hopefully we won’t have to wait too long for the next book!

This is a gripping physiological thriller with alot of deception. I love the authors writing style and it pulls in the reader and also does a fast paced plot and builds up tension making the book hard to put down. This one is perfect for thriller lovers and especially if you like character driven books with a good few unexpected twists along the way. Would highly recommend this one. Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for this arc.

Wow this is a thrilling rollercoaster of a book. Great cast of characters, hugely intricate and devious plot and gasps at the end with oh my god moments as the pages turn.

The Abbots are a close family who have moved due to events in their past that they needed to get away from. Mum Mel is a huge part of the family at home and as a social worker out doing her best to protect the vulnerable. When she disappears and a lodger arrives on the same day, could the two be connected? Photos from the past threaten to come back to life and family secrets aplenty rise to the surface leading to a tumultuous ending which was so well written I read long into the night to finish it.

One to recommend and enjoy. I will definitely be passing this on to friends as a must read.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This one is so addictive! A jaw dropper of a thriller with so many twists and turns.
I loved how fast paced the storyline was and the short chapters made it impossible to put down.
I’m a sucker for a multi POV book and it’s done very well here

The book started off well, with lots of mystery surrounding the secret as to why Mel and her 2 dsughters had moved and were hiding from someone. It's quite a slow paced thriller though and i found it didn't quite hold my attention, especially as when the secrets were revealed it didn't quite live up to .my expectations. I found it got a bit bogged down in the storyline and by halfway I struggled to keep going. Skipped pages to get to the end (sorry) and felt a bit disappointed from what was a promising start

The Liar by Louise Jensen is a gripping psychological thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The story follows the Abbott family, who take in a mysterious lodger named Luke. Though he hasn't shared much about himself, his curious behaviour—asking about their family photos and going through their personal belongings—soon raises suspicions. When their daughter Jen starts to feel like someone is watching her, the tension escalates.

Things take an even darker turn when Mel, the mother of the family, suddenly texts them to say she needs a break. This is completely out of character for her, and as the days go by with no word from her, the family becomes increasingly alarmed. The Abbott household is soon filled with secrets, lies, and unanswered questions.

Jensen masterfully weaves a web of twists, turns, and red herrings that leave readers second-guessing everything. The story’s pacing is spot on, keeping the suspense high throughout, and the unpredictable ending will leave you hooked. If you enjoy thrillers with plenty of surprises, The Liar will not disappoint. It’s a solid read, with plenty of suspense, mystery, and intrigue that makes it Louise Jensen’s best book to date.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

A good suspenseful read . Plenty of twists to keep you guessing. Everyone seems to be lying at some point. A bit slow to get going but the second half of the story makes up for that.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Who is the liar in this book? The answer is everyone! So many secrets and lies and twists and revelations that I was not expecting and was completely blown away. This book was impossible to put down with the nice short chapters that made me keep saying just one more until I finished it. Yes, there are multiple viewpoints but that just made it more wonderfully twisty, especially the creepy I am watching you parts!

No family is perfect and the Abbotts have many secrets that are exposed in this book in a delightfully written suspenseful novel, starting with Mel going missing, a new lodger showing up shortly after, and ending with murder, mistakes, accidents, and dark deeds galore! It is thrilling, dark, tragic, and I loved it all! This is one great twisty suspense filled ride that I highly recommend. I definitely will be looking up the other books by this author for more fun reads.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a chance to dive into this twisty thriller!

Another good psychological thriller by Louise Jensen that kept me turning the pages. An atmospheric novel with family secrets, paranoia and full of suspense.

The Abbott family take in a mysterious lodger, Luke. All appears well but Luke seems to have an obsession with their family photos and belongings. The Abbotts teenage daughter Jen senses that she is being watched which leaves her with an eerie feeling. Jen’s mother, Mel suddenly goes missing and only sends a text saying she “needs a break.” Days pass but Mel doesn’t return.

The story is full of deception and the tension builds as we learn that the Abbotts house is full of hidden truths. There are lots of twists and it is difficult to know who to trust and who is lying. The Liar is well written and I found it to be a genuine page turner.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and HQ for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Another great book by Louise! Dual POVs, plenty of twists and turns and a great ending! Amy annoyed me, I felt sorry for Camilla, Jen is a bit naive and Mel is the type of Social Worker you’d want in your corner! I didn’t feel gripped until 60% in but after that, I couldn’t put this book down! I felt we learned so much about the characters as the book progressed and I would definitely recommend this to others!

I have been reading Louise Jensen books since the beginning and she is absolutely an auto read author for me. She has a way of taking her seemingly innocent and normal characters and throwing them into a world of chaos and drama, with short chapters that leave you wanting more, this is a tough book to stop reading.

The Abbott family seems from the outside to be your average family, very loving and caring. But when Mel, the mother goes missing, their lives become as series of confessions or secrets. At the same time the lodger they had arranged arrives and the girls, Jen and Amy start to think that he knows more than he is letting on about their mother’s disappearance.

Now there is much more to the story than that and it does get a bit complicated. I was never confused though, as the author is so clever with her multiple points of view and timelines. There are so many unexpected twists and turns that you won’t be able to out this book down until you know what on earth is happening, and why. So well done.

Thanks so much to HQ for my advanced copy of this book to read. Get it on your TBR, out on April 24th.

✨ 𝐋𝐨𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐉𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐧 ~ 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐢𝐚𝐫 ✨

📍 Publication Date: 24th April 2025 📍

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

@fabricating_fiction

I was elated to be sent an Advanced Readers Copy of The Liar from @netgalley 📕

This is a suspense filled psychological thriller that intricately builds on strong female family bonds and friendship. How friends can become family and how family is everything. Amongst these tight connections there are woven secrets and lies that threaten to blow a family apart.

The Abbott family consists of Mum Mel and daughters Jen and Amy. Camilla is Jen’s best friend who the Abbott’s have wrapped their arms around and included her as their own along with her small son Mason.

An odd lodger moves in and Mel goes missing. Who is this lodger? Where is Mel? Would she really leave her family so suddenly with no real warning!

Louise’s characterisation of Mel, Jen and Amy is impeccable and reminded me of the closeness between my Mum, sister and I.

There were clues left throughout that nicely bring you to your major plot twist along with further unexpected events and shocks that blindsided me along the way causing huge ripples throughout the story.

Can poor decisions, made under intense pressure and panic make someone a bad person?

It was a book that I wanted to quickly read to figure out what happened to Mel and on the flip side I wanted to savour every word!

I have only read All For You but it’s time I started making my way through Louise’s back catalogue! Will you be preordering this? You’re crazy not too!

#bookstagram #booknerd #booklover #bookaddict #thrillerreads #thrillerreadsrecommnedation #thrillerbooks #bookreview #booklove #bookcommunity #crimefiction #crimebookjunkie #thrillerbookvibes #thrillerbookreccomendations #thrillerbookaddict #thrillerbooksaddict #advancedreaderscopy #ARC #louisejensen #theliar

THE LIAR BY LOUISE JENSEN.
Release date set for the 24th of April 2025.
This is my first book by this author so i went in with a fresh set of eyes.
I thought this story was well written.
There are multiple POVs.
Also there were plenty of twists and turns which were really good.
Fast paced and really engaging throughout.
I will definitely be looking to see what other books this author has released

✨️Another Louise Jensen book that I just loved! If you know me you know I love a multiple POV, and this was done incredibly well! The character development and the attachment you can build with the characters on so many different levels is something that will forever amaze me about Louise's writing! The bond between all of the female characters is something that comes through in so many different aspects.

I found myself going through a roller coaster of emotions throughout this read, and I must admit, Amy is probably my favourite character! She was funny, courageous, and determined to get to the bottom of where her mum was and unearth all the secrets that seem to have been buried within the family for many years✨️

So in The Liar, we meet the Abbotts; mum Melissa who lives with her daughters Jennifer and Amy. There's also Jen's best friend Camilla and her young son.
Mel tells her daughters that she is taking in a new lodger called Luke, that she has met, thoroughly vetted, and that he will be arriving on a certain day, but that she won't be there as she's going to visit her brother for the night. Whilst Mel is gone, a man arrives at the door and seems to make himself at home. Luke is asking lots of personal questions, looking at family photos, and Amy even finds him going through her mums desk!
They start to wonder if Luke is who he says he is.

The girls then receive a message from their mum saying she needs a break, which is completely out of character, and then radio silence. Hours then turn to days and nobody has heard from Mel or managed to track her down.
Maybe the Abbott family aren't what they seem either?

📍The Liar is out 24th April 2025📍

I was luckily enough to be approved for this ARC on Netgalley, but then I also had a proof of The Liar sent to me by Louise herself, and I'm incredibly grateful to Louise for doing so!
*All opinions are my own*

“There's a saying that goes something like in life, you only regret the things you didn't do but that's not true, is it? There's so much I'd change if I could.”

Meet the Abbott family - Mel and her daughters, Jen and Amy - whose seemingly ordinary lives take a dark turn when they welcome a lodger, Luke, into their home. At first, he appears to be the perfect tenant, but it soon becomes clear that he’s hiding something.

But Luke isn’t the only one with secrets. This family is absolutely drowning in them, and when Mel suddenly disappears, the truth begins to unravel in shocking and unexpected ways.

Told from multiple perspectives (Mel, Jen, Amy, and their friend Camilla) across different timelines, The Liar is a masterclass in suspense. If that sounds complicated - don’t worry. Jensen executes it flawlessly, keeping the narrative clear and immersive without ever losing momentum. Just when you think you’ve figured things out, she delivers a twist that flips everything on its head. The short, punchy chapters - especially toward the end - make it impossible to put down.

The characters are deeply layered, neither fully good nor bad, but flawed, impulsive, and intensely human. The dynamic between the Abbott women is one of the book’s strongest elements, and Amy, with her inquisitive nature and love of classic detective shows, stands out as an especially endearing character.

While the novel leans into a familiar thriller trope - the mysterious lodger (which I personally love!) - Jensen breathes new life into it with fresh twists and an unpredictable, gripping plot.

This is my second read by Louise Jensen, and I’m officially a fan! I already have The Fall and The Family waiting on my shelf and I can’t wait to meet The Finch Family in book eleven, coming in 2026! 🤩

A huge thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this - all opinions are my own.

When Camilla and her son Mason leave the Abbott family home to get a place of their own. It leaves a big gap in the Abbott’s lives and a spare room. They decided to get a lodger in. Luke arrives although Mom Mel isn’t there when he arrives. Luke tells Amy that everything has already been arranged.
But Luke is not all that he seems, when he starts asking questions about the family Then Mel disappears texting Amy that she needs ‘A break’ Amy senses something is not right with it all.
I thank the publisher for a copy of the Liar by Louise Jensen. This is another gripping, tense thriller about secrets and lies and family values. I found this to have an intricate plot, and I did enjoy this for me personally but at times I got a bit confused when the character kept reflecting back and forth of what was then and the present. But like the authors other books. It is well worth the read. 4 stars

Louise Jensen for me has become a must read over the years. An automatic buy author, so my expectations were high with this one. It didn’t disappoint.

It had all the elements I’ve come to expect from Louise Jensen over the years. It had mystery and suspense, was tense & emotional. The author perfectly weaves these elements together with lighter moments, that perfectly balances out.

I love stories with multiple timelines, when it’s done properly I find it exciting and it brings a lot of depth to the book, it really allows the author to explore more of the plot line and add extra dimension to it.
Combine that with the multiple p.o.v.’s and you have a fully fledged, multi layered read that has everything you could want from a book in this genre.
I’d happily recommend this to everyone, if you don’t usually read this genre, I’d still say to pick it up and give it a go. There’s enough going on in it, that there’s sure to be something to grab your attention.
5 stars!

When family friend Camilla decides its time to move into her own place with son Mason it leaves a gaping hole in the Abbott family home and an empty room. Mel decides to get a lodger, though she's very clear that it has to be someone that both her and the girls feel comfortable with and when Luke arrives on their doorstep he seems the perfect fit.

From the outset its apparent that Luke is hiding something, though in fairness that doesn't alter his suitability as contrary to my initial thoughts regarding the closeness of the Abbott family, they have so many secrets from each other it rattled my brain.

A tense, engaging domestic thriller, more than once I thought I'd guessed where it was going only to be proved wrong. There's a lot going on and with multi threads and differing narratives The Liar certainly kept me on my toes. Started strong, levelled out a bit and from midway through was edge of the seat stuff that had me reading late into the night.

This is the easiest 5 ⭐️ rating I’ve given in a while! Sometimes I’ve to think a little about if it’s a 4/4.5 or 5 but this was an easy decision. From a strong, tense opening, to a tough, heartfelt but hopeful ending, Louise Jensen wrote an excellent story.

I’m going to have a major book hangover from this one!

It was both tense and suspenseful, funny and familial, and I don’t think I’ve connected more with a family than I did with the Abbotts. Their closeness seeped out of every page, and their highs and lows really pulled on my heartstrings.

The story is told from 4 POVs (Mel, Jen, Amy and Camilla). It pulls you into 3 different timelines; now, 5 years ago and 4 weeks ago. The storyline of 4 weeks ago brings the reader through the events that lead to the present mystery of Mel’s disappearance.

The storyline from 5 years ago seems separate to the current storyline, but we quickly learn how Jen and Cam’s time in college have shaped them and their story, and how the past can never stay hidden.

Much like Mel’s view of people, Jensen writes characters who aren’t good or bad, rather they are complex, impulsive, emotional, and just trying to find their place in a chaotic world.

I didn't love this as thrillers go, it was a bit all over the place with the plot and the multiple POVs, the story is good but it just felt like it was missing a bit of 'oomph' which was a shame!