savmacallister's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, was this book good. The plot was confusing, twisted, heart racing, etc. I loved the two person view between mother and daughter, it really explained both sides. I highly recommend.
sarahwuzhere's review against another edition
5.0
This is one of those books that you pick up, start reading and are left with questions so you keep reading.
At some point in the story you yell “oh my gosh! Seriously?!” Then read some more.
Everything ties in at the end and you wish there was more to read. This is the authors second book and it is just as good as the first. Great writing, not repetitive, and leaves you wanting more.
At some point in the story you yell “oh my gosh! Seriously?!” Then read some more.
Everything ties in at the end and you wish there was more to read. This is the authors second book and it is just as good as the first. Great writing, not repetitive, and leaves you wanting more.
bellapursellbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This book was not was I was expecting. It is a riveting work about the power and love of motherhood, family secrets, trauma, tragedy, and self-discovery. Eva & Kat’s intertwined stories highlight the rollercoaster that is the human experience.
My only negative point is that I found it slightly hard to keep everything straight because there was a lot going on. But overall, a great book!
My only negative point is that I found it slightly hard to keep everything straight because there was a lot going on. But overall, a great book!
renwar96's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved The Night Olivia Fell and was looking forward to Christina McDonalds next book. This book was full of suspense and creepy at just the right moments as Eva was trying to figure out if she killed her mother. As I was getting towards the end of the book I didn't even have a guess of how Eva's story was going to end. Eva struggled a lot through her young life and I really felt for her and all that she went through. Her coming into herself was evident through the story but her memories were so muddled that she couldn't quite complete her journey. I like this book and am looking forward to Christina's next book!
nahyee's review against another edition
3.0
Publisher’s description: If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.
Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
************
Told from the alternating perspectives of Kat (starting 25 years ago and moving toward present day) and Eva, Christina McDonald’s “Behind Every Lie” does a great job of grabbing the reader and keeping things moving with the shifts between the two and the hints that get dropped along the way. I kept trying to figure out who the bad guys were even though I was pretty sure I knew who the bad guys weren’t. That’s what kept me reading.
What knocked the book down to 3 stars for me was that all of the things that happen to Eva seem like too much by the end of the book. I don’t want to give anything away because there are clearly other reviewers who felt otherwise, so I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. That said, for me, when the situations pile on and on and on, I get to a point where I’m thinking, “Enough already,” and I just want to finish so I’m not really enjoying the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This title will be available April 1, 2020.
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.
Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
************
Told from the alternating perspectives of Kat (starting 25 years ago and moving toward present day) and Eva, Christina McDonald’s “Behind Every Lie” does a great job of grabbing the reader and keeping things moving with the shifts between the two and the hints that get dropped along the way. I kept trying to figure out who the bad guys were even though I was pretty sure I knew who the bad guys weren’t. That’s what kept me reading.
What knocked the book down to 3 stars for me was that all of the things that happen to Eva seem like too much by the end of the book. I don’t want to give anything away because there are clearly other reviewers who felt otherwise, so I don’t want to ruin it for anyone else. That said, for me, when the situations pile on and on and on, I get to a point where I’m thinking, “Enough already,” and I just want to finish so I’m not really enjoying the story.
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for an advance digital copy in exchange for an honest review. This title will be available April 1, 2020.
j3nnar3ads's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
cyndi1966's review against another edition
5.0
“I’m not entirely certain one can ever become unbroken, but I do know we can be strong and brave and broken and whole all the same time. It’s called being human.”
Eva is broken when she wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning and learns her mother has been murdered. Eva was found down the street from her mother’s house, but she can’t remember anything about that night. The police are suspicious of Eva, and she sets out to prove her innocence. She soon learns that her mother was full of secrets, and someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And Eva has secrets of her own.
The novel alternates the first-person narrative between Eva’s search for the truth and her mother’s strange past. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me hooked in the story. Enjoyed this one!
Thank you to Gallery Books for the giveaway!
Eva is broken when she wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning and learns her mother has been murdered. Eva was found down the street from her mother’s house, but she can’t remember anything about that night. The police are suspicious of Eva, and she sets out to prove her innocence. She soon learns that her mother was full of secrets, and someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And Eva has secrets of her own.
The novel alternates the first-person narrative between Eva’s search for the truth and her mother’s strange past. There were lots of twists and turns that kept me hooked in the story. Enjoyed this one!
Thank you to Gallery Books for the giveaway!
l_hathz's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.0
katkinney's review against another edition
5.0
This twisty thriller opens with a lot of murky scenes as Eva, who has been struck by lightning and is now being accused of having murdered her mother, struggles to remember what happened the night her mother died. Told in dual timelines, we explore Eva trying to piece together what happened in the present (including other past events where she’s had memory lapses) and Kat, her mother’s timeline, from when Eva was a little girl. Suffice it to say there are lots of surprises and this went in directions I wasn’t expecting! Loved the vivid descriptions and the wonderful sense of suspense.
Trigger warning:
Please excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.
Trigger warning:
Spoiler
rape, graphic death of a childPlease excuse typos/name misspellings. Entered on screen reader.