Everyone Here Is Lying: A Novel
Another thrilling domestic suspense novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door "The most addictive book I've read in ages--so slick and disquieting and clever. Just brilliant."
--Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Remains "Lapena is a master of manipulation." --USA Today Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families. William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing. Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged. Who took Avery Wooler? Nothing will prepare you for the truth.
--Lisa Jewell, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Family Remains "Lapena is a master of manipulation." --USA Today Welcome to Stanhope. A safe neighborhood. A place for families. William Wooler is a family man, on the surface. But he's been having an affair, an affair that ended horribly this afternoon at a motel up the road. So when he returns to his house, devastated and angry, to find his difficult nine-year-old daughter, Avery, unexpectedly home from school, William loses his temper. Hours later, Avery's family declares her missing. Suddenly Stanhope doesn't feel so safe. And William isn't the only one on his street who's hiding a lie. As witnesses come forward with information that may or may not be true, Avery's neighbors become increasingly unhinged. Who took Avery Wooler? Nothing will prepare you for the truth.
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Community Reviews
What a rollercoaster! Right from the start, there were a lot of twists and turns... exactly what you want in a thriller.
By chapter 3 or 4, I was hooked. And once again, I found myself yelling at the book ("NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!","WHAAAAAAAAAAAT???", etc.). To be honest, the character building was not strong; I didn't care about any of them, really. But I was okay with that. I just wanted to know who took little Avery. The pacing was enough to keep me engaged. Before I knew it, I had read 80% of the book. Couldn't put it down. I was on the edge of my seat to find out if the author would really "go there or not."
After the climax, it felt a lot like an avalanche to the end.
If you are looking for rich character development, deeper understanding of people on the spectrum or who are neurodivergent, plausible child/adult friendships, or plot that is total unpredictable, this is not the book for you.
While I can certainly understand the negative reviews this book has received, this was, nonetheless, an enjoyable read (for me) overall.
My second book from Shari Lapena and it didn't disappoint! I was about 60% in the book and kept screaming who did it?? Who is responsible???😆
I have seen lots mixed reviews and we sometimes like books others don't. I happened to like this one. Both books I have read were fast paced and super unexpected. This one was a bit creepy suggesting the little girl is... no spoilers 😳
I've tried to get into this author's work, since she's one of the more popular domestic thriller writers, but I just can't really get into it.
There's just nothing I hate more in fiction than unearned twists for shock value - and nothing in the first 3/4 of the book sets up the explanation in the last quarter.
I mean, seriously. A character we've never even HEARD OF up to this point? And this random woman is apparently SO in love with William that she teams up with a 9-year-old(?!) to make him suffer and get his attention.
Also - the demonization of a child with adhd-related behavioral issues, and an abused child nonetheless? She's an elementary-age girl who has a problem with authority and acts out and not only that but we learn that her father is abusive (as much as they try to brush under the rug that he 'slaps her sometimes') and that she is desperately lonely and has no friends. And the author portrays her as so cold and calculating that she runs away and hides in a neighbors house for days with the intention of making her father look guilty for her disappearance. It's basically the plot of gone girl but we're supposed to believe this child is capable of being that cold and calculating?
It's also kind of disappointing considering how sympathetic she is about the Adam character - Gwen, Adam's mom, gets to call out the police officers and neighborhood moms for assuming the worst of her son just because he's autistic - but all of everyone's worst assumptions about Avery because of her neurodivergency are proven true by the narrative.
And the way the narrative vindicates the abusive father for being the only person who is 'right' about Avery, portraying everyone else as manipulated by her, feels like abuse apologism.
And I found the way the story continues for a few days after the 'mystery' has been solved and Avery returned home JUST so that this nine-year-old girl can get her comeuppance on national television a little gross.
Maybe I'm biased as a neurodivergent girl myself but I've spent too much of my life dealing with people assuming the worst of me because of it to not be offended by this depiction.
There's just nothing I hate more in fiction than unearned twists for shock value - and nothing in the first 3/4 of the book sets up the explanation in the last quarter.
I mean, seriously. A character we've never even HEARD OF up to this point? And this random woman is apparently SO in love with William that she teams up with a 9-year-old(?!) to make him suffer and get his attention.
Also - the demonization of a child with adhd-related behavioral issues, and an abused child nonetheless? She's an elementary-age girl who has a problem with authority and acts out and not only that but we learn that her father is abusive (as much as they try to brush under the rug that he 'slaps her sometimes') and that she is desperately lonely and has no friends. And the author portrays her as so cold and calculating that she runs away and hides in a neighbors house for days with the intention of making her father look guilty for her disappearance. It's basically the plot of gone girl but we're supposed to believe this child is capable of being that cold and calculating?
It's also kind of disappointing considering how sympathetic she is about the Adam character - Gwen, Adam's mom, gets to call out the police officers and neighborhood moms for assuming the worst of her son just because he's autistic - but all of everyone's worst assumptions about Avery because of her neurodivergency are proven true by the narrative.
And the way the narrative vindicates the abusive father for being the only person who is 'right' about Avery, portraying everyone else as manipulated by her, feels like abuse apologism.
And I found the way the story continues for a few days after the 'mystery' has been solved and Avery returned home JUST so that this nine-year-old girl can get her comeuppance on national television a little gross.
Maybe I'm biased as a neurodivergent girl myself but I've spent too much of my life dealing with people assuming the worst of me because of it to not be offended by this depiction.
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