The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen is live!
“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
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Blurb
Bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen’s debut thriller, about one woman’s search for the truth after receiving a text from her deceased ex.
Dead men don’t send texts . . .
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.
Review
3 stars!
Sarina Bowen’s first mystery/suspense novel, this is an intriguing read with just a touch of romance, and I really enjoyed this one.
Ariel’s world is rocked when she receives a text message from the man she loves… who died five years ago. Though she and Drew were only together for a brief time, it was enough for Ariel to fall madly in love, but Drew left and broke her heart, only to die shortly afterwards. She hasn’t moved on from his loss and is now raising their now-four-year-old son on her own.
It turns out that there is an explanation for the text message, but it opens up a whole world of confusion for Ariel as she begins to doubt the events that took place all those years ago. With a trusty hacker colleague by her side, she begins to investigate Drew’s past, his motives for coming to town, and his reasons for leaving the way he did.
As expected, it’s a twisty read, and I was on board with Ariel as she uncovers the truth. The story kept me guessing, and some of those twists were quite unexpected. The tech-centric premise was smart and scarily plausible, though the actions and motives of the major players seemed a bit extreme. But I think Bowen did a good job pulling all of the different elements together.
I wasn’t as fully invested in the story as I would have liked – granted, this isn’t my usual reading genre, but it dragged a bit for me, and it probably didn’t need to be as long as it was. The final chapters bring some excitement though, and I was happy with how it ended.
There’s enough of the things I love about Bowen’s writing in the story to keep me engaged. There are great character dynamics, snappy dialogue, and some sweet and funny moments, and I enjoyed this one.
3 stars.
An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.
For more great reads, check out our Sarina Bowen Author Spotlight