Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**4.5-stars**
Waking in a hospital bed, Amber Reynolds quickly realizes that she cannot move, she cannot speak, she cannot even open her eyes.
She can hear everything going on around her, but has no way to make her consciousness known.
She can let the Reader know three things, however: 1. Her name is Amber Reynolds, 2. Her husband doesn’t love her anymore, and 3. Sometimes she lies.
Somtimes I Lie is a taut Psychological Thriller that kept me entranced from beginning to end. This was Alice Feeney’s debut novel. Stunning.
First, I can’t believe it took me this long to pick it up. Second, I can definitely see why there has been buzz about Feeney from the very start. This was such a well-executed debut.
The narrative is broken into three perspectives: Amber’s thoughts whilst in her coma, her remembrances of the events leading up to the accident that put her in the hospital, and diary entries from 1992.
Along the way, you meet the various players in Amber’s life: her husband, sister, an ex-boyfriend, work colleagues, etc. No matter how many people I met, or how much information I seemed to be getting, it took a long time for the fog to begin to clear.
The portions where Amber is in her coma are genuinely terrifying. Just the thought of being in her shoes in those moments, it made me feel claustrophobic.
Additionally, her memories seem so muddled. I felt like I was squinting trying to see past the hazy details. It reminded me of watching a movie where the scenes are mostly dark and your just trying to see what’s there.
The pace continued to increase, as well as the intensity, as more and more about Amber’s past is revealed. There were some truly shocking moments.
I listened to this audiobook while traveling over Christmas holiday and honestly, I don’t think I could have chosen a better way to pass the time. It was fantastic.
I was so pleasantly surprised when I discovered that this story is actually set during Christmas time. That small detail just gave it a little something extra that I needed during my long and slightly stressful journey!
A little boost if you will.
I’m so glad I took the time to pick this one up. If you haven’t picked this up yet and have been enjoying Feeney’s newer releases, like I have, you should definitely give this one a shot.
Highly recommend, particularly the audiobook!