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lizzie_readsandwrites's review against another edition
4.0
⏳ Would I Lie to You by Aliya Ali-Afzal ⏳
It’s been a while since I’ve shown la femme behind the account!
This is another of those books that’s been sat on my shelf for a long time, but has finally been given life – why didn’t I pick this up sooner?! This book, at its base, is nicely written with a good, original story.
Set in London (which I’m always a fan of), it follows mum-of-three Faiza. It quickly becomes apparent that she is a bit spoilt and whiny and has a nice life thanks to husband Tom who makes a decent living in finance, where she’s grown used to the nice Wimbledon house, cars, kids in private school, meetings with mums and keeping things in order at home.
You’d think things are perfect, until Tom loses his job and struggles to find a new one, but is chilled knowing they have a healthy pot of savings… or so he thinks. It turns out Faiza has been keeping a secret: she’s blown their £75,000 in savings!
‘Would I Lie to You?’ – turns out, yes. It doesn’t stop at one lie for Faiza, as she tells many more to keep the truth from Tom, whilst trying to find a way to top it up before he finds out.
I liked this book: it has everything for an original storyline: constant lies; how many more lies can she tell; ultimatum; blackmail; as well as highlighting cultural differences, racism and class.
How long before the truth – the full truth - comes out for Faiza… A wonderful read, particularly for those who are fans of London-based novels ☺️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
It’s been a while since I’ve shown la femme behind the account!
This is another of those books that’s been sat on my shelf for a long time, but has finally been given life – why didn’t I pick this up sooner?! This book, at its base, is nicely written with a good, original story.
Set in London (which I’m always a fan of), it follows mum-of-three Faiza. It quickly becomes apparent that she is a bit spoilt and whiny and has a nice life thanks to husband Tom who makes a decent living in finance, where she’s grown used to the nice Wimbledon house, cars, kids in private school, meetings with mums and keeping things in order at home.
You’d think things are perfect, until Tom loses his job and struggles to find a new one, but is chilled knowing they have a healthy pot of savings… or so he thinks. It turns out Faiza has been keeping a secret: she’s blown their £75,000 in savings!
‘Would I Lie to You?’ – turns out, yes. It doesn’t stop at one lie for Faiza, as she tells many more to keep the truth from Tom, whilst trying to find a way to top it up before he finds out.
I liked this book: it has everything for an original storyline: constant lies; how many more lies can she tell; ultimatum; blackmail; as well as highlighting cultural differences, racism and class.
How long before the truth – the full truth - comes out for Faiza… A wonderful read, particularly for those who are fans of London-based novels ☺️
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
ljcl_'s review against another edition
5.0
Thoroughly enjoyed this book - I was gripped from the beginning and had to stop myself from scanning the bottom of the pages to find out what was going to happen next!
Great storyline and really well written.
Great storyline and really well written.
helenpickett's review against another edition
4.0
Fazia is a British Pakistani married to a white man with their mixed race children.
They have an indulgent life, with Tom earning enough money to keep them very comfortably well off with two children in private schools, living in a large house in an expensive area of London and Fazia not needing to work.
That it until Tom looses his job. It’s okay though, they have a substantial emergency fund. Or have they?
The characters really pop out at you, giving a feeling that you know them well. Well enough that you know you like some and some you would really like to give a slap.
Fazia is a good person, all she’s done is tried to do her best. Fazia has struggled to come to terms (and her can blame her) with the blatant racism she suffered as a child. This has left consequences in her adult life. She recognises that some of the mothers are arrogant self obsessed snobs but wanted to blend in with them. Not to be ‘othered’. The sickening realism is, racism is still around in subtle undertones of peoples language.
I really felt for Fazia, the twists and turns of trying to make things better and how she just got into this spiral of disaster.
It was a page turner though, you just wanted to read a bit of good luck coming Fazia’s way right up until the very end when everything looked so bleak.
I’ve never really thought about the colour of the author before and look back at the many books I have read, have they all been white? Surely not.
This book was interesting though, with Muslim culture becoming part of the plot in Britain. This lady could be our neighbour and she has all of the internal struggles that just shouldn’t be an issue in 2021.
It was a refreshing insightful read and I do think that this is an author to look out for.
I would to thank NetGalley for the preview read in return for my honest review.
#WouldILieToYou #NetGalley
They have an indulgent life, with Tom earning enough money to keep them very comfortably well off with two children in private schools, living in a large house in an expensive area of London and Fazia not needing to work.
That it until Tom looses his job. It’s okay though, they have a substantial emergency fund. Or have they?
The characters really pop out at you, giving a feeling that you know them well. Well enough that you know you like some and some you would really like to give a slap.
Fazia is a good person, all she’s done is tried to do her best. Fazia has struggled to come to terms (and her can blame her) with the blatant racism she suffered as a child. This has left consequences in her adult life. She recognises that some of the mothers are arrogant self obsessed snobs but wanted to blend in with them. Not to be ‘othered’. The sickening realism is, racism is still around in subtle undertones of peoples language.
I really felt for Fazia, the twists and turns of trying to make things better and how she just got into this spiral of disaster.
It was a page turner though, you just wanted to read a bit of good luck coming Fazia’s way right up until the very end when everything looked so bleak.
I’ve never really thought about the colour of the author before and look back at the many books I have read, have they all been white? Surely not.
This book was interesting though, with Muslim culture becoming part of the plot in Britain. This lady could be our neighbour and she has all of the internal struggles that just shouldn’t be an issue in 2021.
It was a refreshing insightful read and I do think that this is an author to look out for.
I would to thank NetGalley for the preview read in return for my honest review.
#WouldILieToYou #NetGalley
thereadingspoonie's review against another edition
4.0
This book was absolutely fab! I was lucky enough to win a beautiful hardback copy in a giveaway by the author so I couldn't be more grateful to @aliyaaliafzalauthor! I actually entered the giveaway because of @reemareads and her rave review about this book and I was not disappointed. It was funny, relatable, frustrating and heartwrenching in places. I adored the character of Faiza even though at times I wanted to shake the woman as she made stupid decisions. This book is an own voices and the representation was so good, I have never read a book like it and I devoured it.
At the school gates, Faiza fits in. It took a few years, but now the snobbish mothers who mistook her for the nanny treat her as one of their own.You'd never guess, at the glamorous kids parties and the leisurely coffee mornings, that Faiza's childhood was spent following her parents round the Tooting Cash 'n' Carry.
When her husband Tom loses his job in finance, he stays calm. After all, they can live off their savings. But Faiza starts to unravel. Raising the perfect family comes at a cost and the money Tom put aside has gone. When's Tom's redundancy package ends, Faiza will have to tell him she's spent it all. Unless she doesn't. It only takes a second to lie to Tom. Now Faiza has six weeks to find £75,000 before her lie spirals out of control. But as the clock ticks down, and Faiza desperately tries to put things right, she has to ask herself: how much more should she sacrifice to protect her family?
This book is so original and it was such an escapist read! It's real and raw and poignant but funny and warm and so so clever! I highly recommend it and can't wait for the authors next book!
At the school gates, Faiza fits in. It took a few years, but now the snobbish mothers who mistook her for the nanny treat her as one of their own.You'd never guess, at the glamorous kids parties and the leisurely coffee mornings, that Faiza's childhood was spent following her parents round the Tooting Cash 'n' Carry.
When her husband Tom loses his job in finance, he stays calm. After all, they can live off their savings. But Faiza starts to unravel. Raising the perfect family comes at a cost and the money Tom put aside has gone. When's Tom's redundancy package ends, Faiza will have to tell him she's spent it all. Unless she doesn't. It only takes a second to lie to Tom. Now Faiza has six weeks to find £75,000 before her lie spirals out of control. But as the clock ticks down, and Faiza desperately tries to put things right, she has to ask herself: how much more should she sacrifice to protect her family?
This book is so original and it was such an escapist read! It's real and raw and poignant but funny and warm and so so clever! I highly recommend it and can't wait for the authors next book!
laurae27's review against another edition
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
cyireadbooks's review against another edition
5.0
“Oh what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive.” Sir Walter Scott
Faiza and Tom appeared to have the perfect marriage and family. They lived in an affluent area, had a beautiful home and could afford to send their three children to private schools. And Faiza didn’t have to work. Instead, Faiza spent her days volunteering at exclusive charities, transporting her children, dining and shopping at high end restaurants and boutiques. And Faiza could indulge in the regular spa treatments with friends in those elite social circles that most other women of modest means would envy.
Being a person of color, Faiza desperately wanted to fit in with the other ladies of social status. After all, social status is what made you noticed, right? So Faiza would secretly withdraw money from her and Tom’s emergency fund for what most people would call extravagant purchases. But Faiza told herself that she would eventually replenish the fund. After all, her husband Tom had a well paying job. Until that one day he didn’t… No problem, Faiza thought. They had enough to tide them over until Tom found another job. But when Faiza went to check their account balance, they had nothing. Faiza had spent all of their emergency fund money. Faiza was shocked and did not dare want to tell Tom what she had done for fear of him leaving. Faiza feared for her marriage, and she had six weeks to make things right before Tom’s severance ran out.
Would I Lie to You is Aliya Ali-Afzal’s debut novel. Hard to believe because her writing style is so captivating.
The characters are well developed and I enjoyed how Ali-Afzal captured the trials and tribulations of an interracial marriage along with the stigma of being a person of color in a caucasian dominant environment. It’s a sensitive topic but being a person of color myself, I could relate to the feelings of Faiza and how she tried to fit in.
The plot is intriguing and it takes the reader down a rabbit hole of desperation. What would be the cost of rectifiying all the wrongs? Family? Marriage? Social Status? All of the above?
Would I Lie to You is an outstanding novel that is sure to resonate with a wide range of readers. Five masterful stars.
I received a physical finished copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Faiza and Tom appeared to have the perfect marriage and family. They lived in an affluent area, had a beautiful home and could afford to send their three children to private schools. And Faiza didn’t have to work. Instead, Faiza spent her days volunteering at exclusive charities, transporting her children, dining and shopping at high end restaurants and boutiques. And Faiza could indulge in the regular spa treatments with friends in those elite social circles that most other women of modest means would envy.
Being a person of color, Faiza desperately wanted to fit in with the other ladies of social status. After all, social status is what made you noticed, right? So Faiza would secretly withdraw money from her and Tom’s emergency fund for what most people would call extravagant purchases. But Faiza told herself that she would eventually replenish the fund. After all, her husband Tom had a well paying job. Until that one day he didn’t… No problem, Faiza thought. They had enough to tide them over until Tom found another job. But when Faiza went to check their account balance, they had nothing. Faiza had spent all of their emergency fund money. Faiza was shocked and did not dare want to tell Tom what she had done for fear of him leaving. Faiza feared for her marriage, and she had six weeks to make things right before Tom’s severance ran out.
Would I Lie to You is Aliya Ali-Afzal’s debut novel. Hard to believe because her writing style is so captivating.
The characters are well developed and I enjoyed how Ali-Afzal captured the trials and tribulations of an interracial marriage along with the stigma of being a person of color in a caucasian dominant environment. It’s a sensitive topic but being a person of color myself, I could relate to the feelings of Faiza and how she tried to fit in.
The plot is intriguing and it takes the reader down a rabbit hole of desperation. What would be the cost of rectifiying all the wrongs? Family? Marriage? Social Status? All of the above?
Would I Lie to You is an outstanding novel that is sure to resonate with a wide range of readers. Five masterful stars.
I received a physical finished copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
martynahanna's review against another edition
1.0
Great premise and idea, but the writing was just not up to par. And the ending was super cliched for me. I got my hands on it as my local library was giving it out as part of the national reading week, and I was curious what sort of book they’d use to encourage readership. I pretty much hate-read it in the hope it’d improve.
ruby_99's review against another edition
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
princetore's review against another edition
5.0
I have small criticisms of the book but after staying up until 6AM to finish it I couldn't not give it 5 stars. An amazing read.