The Five Year Lie

I received this book for free from the publisher. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen
Narrator: Kathleen Early, Gary Tiedemann, Jason Clarke
Published by HarperAudio, HarperCollins on May 7, 2024
Genres: Fiction / Thrillers / Domestic
Length: 12 hours 40 minutes
Pages: 432
Format: ARC, Audiobook
Source: Publisher, Purchased
Goodreads
Amazon | Audible | B&N | Kobo | Libro.fm

“I devoured this book in one day, and I guarantee you will too.”—Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell

“An expertly woven story of love, revenge, and murder. In a world where so many books feel so similar—this was a refreshingly unique read and an addictive blend of love and mystery that I couldn’t put down. This is storytelling at its finest and I can’t recommend this book enough.”—AR Torre, New York Times bestselling author of Every Last Secret

Bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen’s debut thriller, about one woman’s search for the truth after receiving a text from her deceased ex.

She thought it was love. Then he vanished.

On an ordinary Monday morning, Ariel Cafferty's phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it's been several years since she learned he died.

Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.

Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her. 

The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew. 

For fans of Laura Dave and Julie Clark, but with a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.

Why did I wait so long to read this book? Sarina Bowen is one of my favorite romance writers so it was a given that I would need to read her debut thriller. And it was excellent! I was drawn into this story immediately. I couldn’t imagine receiving a text from someone no longer living. If it is the man you love and the father of your child, the stakes are even greater. That text message sends Ariel on a mission to learn the truth about what happened five years earlier.

This story was filled with twists and turns that kept the story moving. I had such a hard time putting this book down that I grabbed a copy of the audio just so I could find out how things would work out a little bit faster. I enjoyed watching Ariel and Drew fall in love, while I watched for clues, in the parts of the book that flashed back to the time before Drew left. It quickly became obvious in the scenes set in the present day that there was more to the story than Ariel had previously known.

Kathleen Early, Gary Tiedemann, and Jason Clarke did a wonderful job narrating this story. I thought that their voices worked well together and the use of three narrators made it easy to tell when the story’s point of view changed. I liked that all three narrators were able to add just the right amount of emotion to their reading which helped to bring the story to life. I am certain that their performances added to my overall enjoyment.

I would highly recommend this book to others. This was a fast-paced story that kept me guessing until the very end. I cared about Ariel and her son, Buzz, and wanted to see things work out for them. I am crossing my fingers that we see more thrillers by this talented author in the future.

I received a review copy of this book from HarperCollins.

Related Posts