Reviews with content warning for Mental illness - Tell Me Lies

I usually don’t read book descriptions before I start reading, and in this instance it really came back to bite me. The plot prominently features disordered eating and serious emotional abuse in the form of a toxic relationship. That aside, Lovering did a phenomenal job bringing these deeply flawed characters to life. I appreciated the dual perspective chapters — and am particularly impressed with the way she got into Stephen’s head. It felt reminiscent of several really bad relationships I was in when I was younger and I think that’s ultimately what kept me reading.

The ending gave Lucy some much-needed closure, though I do find it somewhat unbelievable that time alone (versus therapy or more conversations with her friends about Stephen) helped her feel over him. I wanted a bit more from the Macy storyline but in the end I’m glad that Lucy figured it out.

I had nightmares about the characters and generally felt sick the whole time I was reading, so take that for what it’s worth.

Content Warnings

cosycourtney's review

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dark emotional slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

After watching the trailer for the tv show coming out shortly I was really excited to read this book. However, I was greatly disappointed. Considering this book was under 300 pages, it felt like the longest short book I’d ever fucking read. The reasons I didn’t like this book were because 90% of it was female suffering with a sneeze of female empowerment. Did the author just want to wonder what it felt like to be a toxic male for the period of her life she wrote this? The focus on the male POV in this novel made me sick as I felt like Stephen was the most developed of the two characters and I felt like I knew more about him than Lucy by the end. Stephen is the worst type of person and there is no arguments there, well executed because I was mad and disgusted; bravo. However, LUCY was such a wildly disappointing character. The potential for growth, retribution, and happiness was so ripe and just ignore. Mind you, the lack of showing and just telling was infuriating. I only finished this book because I had high hopes it would be closed out with a bang and I could launch my fists in the air and say for good her but like what we got was pathetic. The entire 4 year relationship being rounded out by an epilogue felt lazy. For Lucy to end up in another pathetic relationship where a man only wants her for her body, still in a run down job & he gets the “happy ending” was just annoying. PLUS don’t even get me started in the Macy thing. Also, the amount of content surrounding Lucy’s eating disorder for her to just suddenly not have one anymore ???? And also the notion that she was “better” and yet she was still exercising ferociously and binging sweets. Overall, I was so disappointed with this book and hope the show is better.

Content Warnings

ivy01's review against another edition

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dark emotional medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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