If you thought psychological thrillers were only for light reading, Alice Feeney's Sometimes I Lie will convince you otherwise. The narrative centres on Amber Reynolds, an intriguing character who awakens in a hospital bed to discover that everyone thinks she is unconscious, in a coma, as she is unable to move or speak. Amber is in a frustrating yet fascinating situation where she can hear the discussions around her, making her desperate to find out the truth about her situation.

The book advises readers to dive in with the least amount of prior knowledge. Knowing too much may spoil the exciting voyage full of surprising insights, and I completely agree.
The narrative alternates between “Now” (Amber's hospital experience) and “Then” (the circumstances that led up to her current condition), as well as insights from a childhood diary, which made me keep guessing and trying to piece together the mystery by this multilayered storytelling.

Alice Feeney has created a compelling plot, and her writing style turns into a special way of presenting the novel, which becomes uniquely enthralling for the reader.

On a final note, Sometimes I Lie is an absorbing psychological suspense story with unexpected turns that will keep you awake. The journey from "not bad" to "really compelling" in some places is long, and there are slow spots, especially in the early chapters. 

Title: Sometimes I Lie
Author: Alice Feeney
Genre: Thriller
Rating: 3.25
Pub Date: March 23, 2017

T H R E E • W O R D S

Dizzying • Disturbing • Shocking

📖 S Y N O P S I S

My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
1. I'm in a coma.
2. My husband doesn't love me anymore.
3. Sometimes I lie.

Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can't move. She can't speak. She can't open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn't remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it.

💭 T H O U G H T S

Sometimes I Lie was another one of my 12 recommendations from 12 friends challenge for 2024. I didn't know anything about the plot ahead of time (other than that the person who recommended it to me absolutely loved it) and it was my first foray into Alice Feeney's repertoire, so I didn't really know what the expect.

Alternating between the present, the week prior to the accident, and a series of childhood diaries from years ago, the format really allows the reader inside Amber's mind. Alternately, it also has the ability to confuse the reader, which disrupts the flow. It also contains a cast of really unlikeable and unreliable characters. I honestly didn't know who or what to trust.

The plot if packed full of twists and turns, but for me there were a few too many twists making it seem unrealistic and as though the author was trying to pack as much as possible into one story. The ending left more questions than answers and while normally I enjoy this type of ending, with this one the ambiguous ending felt unjust.

Alice Feeney's debut, Sometimes I Lie, is a psychological thriller that is dark and disturbing. One that takes a lot of patience and attention to detail to fully grasp. While I am glad I read it, I can easily say it was not my favourite recommendation for this project. Simply put, it's a mediocre thriller that is highly forgettable.

📚 R E A D • I F • Y O U • L I K E
• unreliable narrators
• diary entries as part of the plot
• psychological thrillers

⚠️ CW: infertility, pregnancy, miscarriage, abortion, rape, sexual assault, sexual violence, stalking, emotional abuse, murder, death, death of parent, fire/fire injury, car accident, medical trauma, medical content, toxic relationship, toxic friendship, mental illness, alcoholism, gaslighting, cursing, abandonment

🔖 F A V O U R I T E • Q U O T E S

"Nana always said that books made better friends than people anyway. Books will take you anywhere if you let them, she used to say, and I think she was right."

"Sometimes I think it's best to say nothing at all, silence cannot be misquoted."

"People think that good and bad are opposites but they're wrong, they're just mirror images of one another in broken glass." 

This is my first psychological thriller, checked it out on a whim. I absolutely loved it. Couldn’t set it down, especially towards the end. Ending was a bit confusing. I’m still wondering, wait WTF happened? But I guess that’s the point. Story of 2 sisters and their twisted relationship. Didn’t see any of it coming. New fan of this genre. 

Hm