"Never Lie"

Never Lie by Freida McFadden

Pages: 333 Genre: thriller

Rating: 3 Stars

While I was actually reading this book, I really enjoyed it. In fact, at the big plot twist, my jaw physically dropped. But once I stepped back a little bit and really thought about it, it was just fine, and honestly, a little underwhelming.

Tricia and Ethan are newlyweds who are looking for their dream home. When they visit the phenomenal estate that once belonged to renowned psychologist Dr. Adrienne Hale (a woman who disappeared mysteriously 4 years ago), things start to feel like they might not be everything Tricia dreamed of. They're stuck due to the snowstorm, and Tricia finds a hidden room that contains audio transcripts of every patient that once worked with Dr. Hale, giving her new clues about the days that led up to Dr. Hale's disappearance.

The writing in this book was very hit-or-miss to me. When it came to the voice as a whole, I really liked it. The way Dr. Hale in particular was written (very clinical and matter-of-fact) was fun and was executed well. it added a lot of life to her. The more specific sentences were sometimes odd, though. I've tried to find the words to explain it, but I think the best example comes from the book itself (page 10, so it's not a spoiler):

"The more I learn about Ethan, the more I fall in love with him. And he feels the same way about me. It's so amazing sharing my life with him. Except for the one big secret he doesn't know about yet."

Like ... okay, got it. Big revelations ahead. You could just let the story play out instead of throwing it at me on page 10. It's not constant, but the moments when we would get this meta-awareness of an unfolding mystery plot felt so abrupt and out of place with the greater narrative that it just never read well.

The narrative device of listening to the tapes was cool in theory but didn't really do much. I did like how the story was told. The book takes place over two timelines: Dr. Hale narrating in the past and Tricia narrating in the present. Tricia was okay, but felt overly passive for most of the book; she was just scared, jumpy, and arguably being gaslit the whole time. I really enjoyed Dr. Hale's story, though, and I wish we had just expanded on her life more. She felt like much more of an active participant in the narrative.

The ending really started to lose me. This is another book that would be better as a true thriller instead of trying to create a sense of mystery. Personally, I just cannot stand mysteries where the first person detective is lying to me. If I'm in your head, you should be giving me your real thoughts, not just fabricating a plot off of deception. Like, yes, I was surprised by the plot twist, because you couldn't leave any clues without giving it away outright. And, unfortunately, everything that happened after the twist reveal made no sense because there wasn't enough of a foundation for it.

Again, the actual experience of reading Never Lie was fun. If you let yourself just go with the flow (and overlook some interesting writing choices), it's an enjoyable read. I don't feel like I wasted my time with it. But if you like to really think about your books or try to solve mysteries, this one should be a pass for you.