Review: The Girl Who Lied by Sue Fortin

Title:The Girl Who Lied

Author:Sue Fortin

Published:February 2017, Harper Impulse

Format:Paperback, 384 pages

Source:Publisher

The truth hurts…

Erin
and Roisin were once friends until a fatal accident ruined both their
lives. Now, Roisin has discovered a secret—one Erin has kept for over a
decade—and she’s determined to make Erin pay for her lies.

Erin
wants nothing to do with Roisin. She has a new life in London and no
intention of going back home. Yet when her father is mysteriously and
critically injured, Erin has no choice but to return and face Roisin—and
her past. Erin knows if the secret of what she gave up got out, the
consequences could be devastating.

When Roisin suddenly
disappears, suspicion soon lands on Erin. She would do anything to
protect her family, but just how far is she willing to go when time is
running out…?

My thoughts:Sue Fortin is a new-to-me author, but I knew I wanted to read this book. It sounds like just the type of book I like to read…and I was right! It’s not so much a fast-paced thriller as it is a psychological drama – an in-depth study into family dynamics and the lengths a family will go to protect their own. I was captivated by this book once I started and had a hard time putting it down until I finished it.

I loved the way this story was told, alternating between the two narrators, Erin and Roisin. But be warned – this book will get under your skin. Once you get into it, be ready to be totally consumed by it. The story is told through flashbacks to help flush out the plot and as it unfolds the bigger picture emerges, slowly! 

The characters are well-developed – almost to be the point of being over-developed. All the relationships between the characters and their backstories are flushed out. At times, this is a bit tedious, but as a psychological story looking into the family dynamics, this would and should be expected. It’s the secrets that really make this story what it is and how they have that ripple effect not only at the time of the secret but for many years to come. 

I loved the way the secrets were ever so slowly revealed bit by bit. Each time something came to light, a new twist was thrown into play, I was left scratching my head trying to put all the pieces together. This one really kept me on my toes, wondering just how things would play out in the end and boy oh boy was I in for a surprise. While I had some things figured out, I was still left with a shock or two, and that’s good! 

I really enjoyed this book and will definitely be keeping Sue Fortin on my radar. I have her newest book, Sister Sister, on my shelf to read and hopefully I’ll be getting to that really soon!