Review: Liars
Title: LIARS
Author: Frances Vick
Published by: Bookouture on Jan 26th, 2018
Kindle Edition, 420 pages
Genre: Pyschological Thriller
I am thrilled to post today’s review post for the debut of Frances Vick’s latest book. Liars was released on Friday. I’m partnering up with Bookouture again to take part in a blog tour to aid with promotion of this novel — be sure to check out some of the other blogs for their thoughts.
From the publisher:
He loves you. He’d do anything for you. But you don’t even know his name.
Jenny hasn’t had an easy life – no job and no money, with a sick mother and an abusive ex-stepfather. Not that anybody cares, she’s from the wrong side of town.
David has taken care of Jenny ever since they were at school together. He knows how special she is, how much she needs his support. David has a lot of love to give.
Jenny and David aren’t in a relationship. They aren’t even friends.
Jenny thinks she’s free to do what she wants, see who she likes. What does David think? Well, you’ll have to find out.
A gripping psychological thriller about the lies we tell ourselves, perfect for fans of Friend Request, The Couple Next Door and Teresa Driscoll.
My review:
Bookouture just released another thrilling novel, all set to keep you turning the pages as you figure out just who these characters really are.
“The first snowflakes were hesitant and watery, but soon they were as big and solid as cats’ paws.”
Liars opens as Jenny’s mum is found, alone and frozen, outside of her home in a sad accident while Jenny had been out at a friend’s home.
Jenny, or Jay as she is known on the internet, lives an open book. She has been writing a personal blog “You Can’t Go Home Again” for years, detailing her upbringing and struggles as she takes care of her sick mum and trains to be a counselor. It’s her brutal honesty and openness that has attracted a large following of readers.
“I did Bring Myself Up. I am self-made. But, sometimes–often–especially now, I feel like a child’s first attempt at pottery–all misshapen and dented.”
Jenny and her closest friend, Freddie have been thick as thieves for ages. He’s been her constant support and cheerleader through the ups and downs of the past few years. And then she meets David Crane. David, who she knew in school years ago. David, who came to her rescue after her mother was found. But who is David really? And are these events really as coincidental as they seemed at first?
As she begins to establish her life without her mother, these two men are there to support her as she gets back on her feet, but then little things start to happen, and it seems only Freddie can see them. Has Jenny fallen into a trap? In this book, nothing and no one is quite what they seem. Just when you think that you’ve figured someone out, you’re in a for a surprise. Sometimes it’s the honest people that have the most to hide.
The writing style was interesting. I found the dialogue easy to read. There was a bit of a slow start while establishing the characters, but then as things started to move as no one was quite what they seemed. It’s not easy to write an unreliable narrator, but I think she managed to balance it well. This book is fabulous for readers who enjoy looking for the hidden motives of people. The book’s timeline wasn’t linear, going back and forth between the past and now, which helped to unravel the story in a nice fashion.
This was the first book I’ve read by Frances Vick and I don’t think it will be the last. She has a nice knack for capturing the everyday and mundane and how real people communicate with each other.
This review is part of a promotional blog tour for this book. I was given a free copy of the book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for a review, however the thoughts and opinions on this page are my own and were not influenced by the publisher or author.
Author Bio: 
The only child of parents who worked at a top security psychiatric hospital, Frances Vick grew up receiving disquieting notes and presents from the patients. Expelled from school, she spent the next few years on the dole, augmenting her income by providing security and crewing for gigs, and being a medical experiment guinea pig. Later jobs included working in a theatre in Manhattan, teaching English in Japanese Junior High Schools, and being a life model in Italy, before coming back to London and working with young offenders and refugees. Her first novel ‘Chinaski’ was published in 2014, her second, bestselling novel ‘Bad Little Girl’ came out in February 2017. Liars is out now.
Find her on social media here:
Twitter @franvicksays | Website | Facebook | Goodreads