The Lies I Never Told You

#TheLiesINeverToldYou #NetGalley
A perfect short read.
When Pax, a middle-aged second-rate actor, scores an audition for a blockbuster, he is convinced fate has taken pity on him and he will finally get to spend some time in the limelight.He leaves his flat in a hurry, ignoring the alarming sounds coming from the apartment above. He is beside himself when he learns what devastating consequences his decision had: not only was his neighbour Alex assaulted and left for dead, he is also his girlfriend Emi's son .Before long, Pax is faced with an impossible choice: should he continue to deceive Emi, the one person who always believed in him, or tell the truth and destroy their relationship?
Its characters were good. Narration was so so.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hodder Straighten for giving me an advance copy.

I loved the most the writing style portraying each character inner turmoil in an almost poetic way. Fast paced though not a light read. Characters are burdened with guilt, defeat, failure and shame. Pax and Emi both face themselves honestly facing their own choices that caused others damage.
The Book also highlights violence around the world, small acts of cowardly behavior everybody is committing without acknowledging, the multicultural struggle to fit and the stigma of some parents failure to connect with their kids.
I will sure seek other books for the author.

A really well written book. It kind of reminds me of Dan Brown in style. You just want to keep reading. It starts fast and you won’t want to put down. Excellent 5/5.

I read the blurb for this book after seeing the striking front cover, and im so glad I opted to request it from NetGalley.
While only a short story with 160 pages it gets straight into the action, I really enjoyed it from the first page to the last. The way the book is written fits really well with the fast paced story and the characters and their feelings are really well portrayed. The story makes you question yourself and your priorities and weather you would do the same in the situation Pax was put in. The book isn't a light read as it is full of choices, decisions, turmoil and regret. It covers an assault that makes you think about your own surroundings and safety, but it does enlighten with hope and love. The ending is rather sudden and I expected more from it, but I'm hopeful for a second to clear up all my 'But what happens next?' issues.
Very cleverly written, brilliant short story and definitely worth a read.
Thanks again to NetGalley and Hodder & Stoughton

Also Reviewed on - www.TwoIvy.co.uk

Really good read. Would recommend to friends and family. I could sympathise with characters (important for any fiction novel!) and looked forward to picking it up and reading the next few chapters! Interesting plot line and a good ending. Will look out for more novels by the author. Thank you.

A very good read. Most importantly a lovely depiction of scenery and background in a compelling drama of two
unlikely souls who meet and enter into a relationship.

Pax, an aging B level actor, lands a small role in an upcoming feature film. And Emi, a company head who has had to struggle all of her life to maintain her values and hold on to her career. Yet, there is more to both central characters than meets the eye at first...

A very good story!

Many Thanks to Hachette Company, UK and NetGalley for a fast, interesting read!

Cleverly done, somehow atmospheric and clinical at once, which - neat trick. Though the book is brief, every word counts.

Many thanks to Hodder & Stoughton and Netgalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

I’ll be honest. When I started reading this book, I thought it very bumpy, mainly due to the narration. As it is a French translation, I was unsure if I would like it or not. However, since the book is relatively short, I continued reading. I am SO glad I did because I loved the story!

The story starts off bumpy but picked up once Pax meets Emi, and later when Alex enters the story. The author portrayed their emotions beautifully. Each character goes through a harrowing experience, because of which they suffer with inferiority, guilt, trauma or fear. They all fight their own inner demons, but don’t realize that they are overcoming their burdens when they are with each other.

Pax is amazing and the highlight of the story. I loved how involved he becomes with Emi and Alex’s lives. You can see him slowly start to change, and try to overcome being a coward to do what is right. Alex is also a wonderful character who you immediately love and root for. The author has written his emotions accurately, and I can only imagine survivors in real life being brave to live each day fighting their battles.

The story is short and simple, but yet so compelling. After reading this book, I feel like watching the movie “Dallas Buyers Club” since the author mentions it multiple times. Overall, The Lies I Never Told You is a beautiful contemporary tale of fighting your battles.

Pax Monnier is a middle-aged jobbing bit part actor who finally gets his big break. As he is about to leave for the audition he hears a commotion in the flat above his but chooses to ignore it rather than blow his big break. It turns out that the noises he heard were his neighbour,a young man called Alex, being brutally assaulted leaving him with life-changing injuries.
Pax's audition is a great success and his meaningless land disappointing life is further enriched when he meets and falls in love with the enigmatic Emi .
From this basic premise what seems like quite a simple tale develops into a powerful novel about choices,honesty,fate and relationships. Author Valerie Tong Cuong delves deep into the lives and feelings of the small cast of characters and aside from the unfortunate Alex all have secrets and have let down people to various degrees in their lives. Pax finds himself in a situation of his own making where he has to either live a lie or potentially destroy relationships that are precious to him..............as has another major character. Those choices make for a powerful finales,do they confess or do they cover their tracks and keep quiet?
From a slow start The Lies I Never Told You turns into a beautifully written tale of morals with reader's perceptions of the characters changing as their secrets are revealed,a truly memorable read.

Thanks to Valerie Tong Cuong, Hodder and Stoughton and Netgalley for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Thank you Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton 💕

This book was very impressive when it comes to character-building. Each character had their own back story and had undergone changes. The story was relatively character driven despite being a short story.

The plot was well described as well but sometimes, it felt a bit jumpy. I had a hard time following the timeline because it tends to jump from random back story to another. But when I got in the middle part, I got the timing.

The writing style was new to me and I found the sentences too long. Maybe because it was translated from French.

I'm really glad I requested for this. I enjoyed the story and enjoyed the depth of holding secrets fro the sake of love.

This was the first book from the author I have read so I was very excited to read it!
I really enjoyed this book right from the start to the end, I could not put this down, every chapter ended with you wanting more. It had many twists and turns, which I love, and it was not predicable at all which is wonderful as the recent books I have read have all been quite predicable.
It is a fast paced book but easy to follow. I really liked the writing style of how the characters were described. I liked how it shows that everyone has many sides and no one is perfect.
I would defiantly read more from this author and recommend this book to anyone!

This has been so intriguing and captivating, I haven’t wanted to put this one down.
I have been completely hooked and unable to put this one down.

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-ARC.

Valerie Tong Coung writes prose as though it is poetry and ends up crafting a hauntingly beautiful story, one that makes you sigh at the end and stare into the distance in the company of your thoughts.

Right from page one, I was completely taken in by the gripping narrative and the plot of this book. The author wastes no time in setting the tone and introducing the key characters to the story. Pax has an opportunity of a lifetime presented to him, and in the flow of the moment, he chooses to ignore the very alarming noises coming from the apartment upstairs. This decision will haunt him for months to come and will have devastating consequences on his life and of those that he loves so dearly.

It is easy to see how that the author has spent much time working out the character profiles of each of the protagonists; Emi, Pax and Alex are all very real and flawed characters with multiple layers. They exist in the middle spectrum of black and white, with their secrets and redeeming qualities, which make them very relatable.
They will stay with me for a very long time, as I revisit them and analyse their nature, their motives and their intertwining destinies.

I think it is hard to classify this book into a particular genre like 'crime' or ' thriller' solely because of the way the author has, so seamlessly, interwoven suspense, thrill and crime with themes of family and romance. The only thing that was slightly off-putting: being a translation from French to English, I found the flow to be slightly disjointed, and I will put this down solely to that which is lost in translation.

Give this book a read, and read carefully, to the last page, to the very last word. Chances are, like me, you'll probably want to read the book again.

Thank You NetGalley/Publisher and Author for this ARC!
This review is my own!

This book was amazing.
I was hooked from the beginning.
The story was very well written,
The plot amazing.
The characters I loved.

Great book.

A bestseller in France I was glad to see it had been translated in English. It is a great book about regrets for the things you haven't done and lies. How those regrets can take over your mind and those lies can destroy your life. The end didn't disappoint either which is always hard to handle. Really liked it.

Drawn right in so well written so tense.Kept me on the edge of my seat.Could not put down read late into the night.Highly recommend,#netgalley #hodderstougton

When Pax is rushing for an important interview for a part in a big film, he decides the disturbing noises from the neighbouring apartment are nothing. A young man is badly beaten and Pax could have helped but didn't. His guilt is intensified when he falls in love with Emi, only to discover the young man is her son. The story tells of how he tries to make amends and cover his guilt. It's a good story, a bit wordy in places and a fairly slow start but I did enjoy it. Would have preferred a more in depth ending. It's left very open for a sequel.

The story here is simple. Emile Moreau, stage name Pax Monnier, has an audition for a blockbuster movie. He is late and just as he leaves is apartment, he hears the sounds of a terrible fight in the apartment above him and glimpses the fleeing assailant. He thinks about calling the police but decides against it, has a successful auction and gets the part. Weeks later, he meets Emi Shimizu and slowly builds a relationship with her. Then he learns the the man who was attacked the day of his audition is her son Alex. What does he do? Should he tell her? And if he does, what will happen?

This short novella is filled with emotion. Sadness, regret, anger and pain slide through the pages. The four main characters with their imperfect lives could be characters in a play. The translation form the French, while impressive, could have been smoother. And the English title, The Lies I Never Told You, is surprisingly clunky. A better translation of the French title Les Guerres Intérieures would be Interior Wars or The Wars Inside. It’s still a 5 star read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Valérie Tong Cuong for this ARC.

A quick read about the choices we make-= and how those choices can linger forever,. Pax ignored the scream and other sounds he heard from the apartment above him because he was busy prepping for a possible role which would revive his career, Easy enough to understand. Sadly, though, Alex was killed, Does he tell Emi, Alex's mother? He's in love with her. Cuong has packed a lot into this novella. It's less a thriller or a drama than an ethical dilemma with good characters, Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Intense edge of your seat reading. I couldn't put it down and neither will you. Strong writing and vivid characters. An absolute must read. Happy reading!

When Pax chooses to ignore a strange noise in favour of running off for an opportunity to reignite his failing career it has life changing consequences for Alex. The book focuses on life choices, relationships and fate. The story jumps forward a lot and you have to wait for the gaps to be filled in. As things are revealed your perception of the characters change. Once you get into the plot it is an enjoyable read.

A second-rate actor leaves his flat in hot pursuit of a part in promising blockbuster film, but on leaving, hears noises from the flat above which don't sound good. He makes the decision to go to the audition anyway, then later discovers that his actions resulted in dreadful consequences. His neighbour Alex, who is also his girlfriend, Emi Shimizu's son, was attacked and left for dead. Now, Pax Monnier is faced with the awful choice of continuing to keep quiet about the assault, thus deceiving forty-four year old Emi who has always believed in him, or telling the truth thereby destroying their great relationship.

In The Lies I Never Told You themes of guilt and human weakness are explored. In a moving narrative between past and present day, the reader is treated to an intense slow-burn thriller. Amongst the veritable cocktail of emotions, including trauma, fear and self-esteem lurks affable, tormented Pax, and beautiful, efficient, and capable Emi. Valérie Tong Cuong's in depth descriptions of each characters' psyches are intimate and brilliantly explored. A captivating, powerful and very highly recommended, if short, compelling contemporary tale.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley, and this review is my unbiased opinion.

Thanks to Netgalley and Hodder & Stoughton for my e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
While only 160 pages it gets you on the edge of the seat! I really enjoyed it from the first page to the last, I was totally hooked. It's a fast paced story and the characters and their feelings are really well portrayed. Loved how the story is written and the characters. I'd totally recommend it.

While not the suspenseful thriller, this is a well written, thoughtful story of the choices we make and their consequences. Are we being selfish when we put our needs before others. When the small actions we take have profound repercussions for those we love. Perhaps. When we lie, hide the truth, change the story, yes they do. This is a study in guilt and longing told in two timelines and is a moving account of how our choices are never personal but universal.

Thank you to the publisher for a copy of
This book via netgalley!

This book keeps you on the edge of each page as you navigate through the impact a decision can make in the lives of
Multiple people. You navigate between anger, sadness and empathy. At the end of the day, as humans we all make mistakes but as we see firsthand the snowball effect This can have on loved ones, are we willing to sacrifice everything to finally reveal the truth and do the right thing for
Them? Are we that selfless? This book explores this aspect of humans in a great way.

I’m afraid I found the shifting perspectives and timeframes hard to follow, and it seemed to end rather abruptly. I did however enjoy the concept and story and the relationships between the characters.

I did not like some aspects of this read. It didn't seem like a thriller. The mystery aspect was just fine but I didnt understand where the thriller part came into it.

I did like the characters. They were written very well