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Tell Me Lies
A thrilling, sexy coming-of-age story exploring toxic love, ruthless ambition, and shocking betrayal, Tell Me Lies is about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget.
Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.
Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.
Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s voices, Tell Me Lies follows their connection through college and post-college life in New York City. Deep down, Lucy knows she has to acknowledge the truth about Stephen. But before she can free herself from this addicting entanglement, she must confront and heal her relationship with her mother—or risk losing herself in a delusion about what it truly means to love.
With the psychological insight and biting wit of Luckiest Girl Alive, and the yearning ambitions and desires of Sweetbitter, this keenly intelligent and staggeringly resonant novel chronicles the exhilaration and dilemmas of young adulthood, and the difficulty of letting go, even when you know you should.
Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college, and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother, whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer—new friends, wild parties, stimulating classes. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.
Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.
Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s voices, Tell Me Lies follows their connection through college and post-college life in New York City. Deep down, Lucy knows she has to acknowledge the truth about Stephen. But before she can free herself from this addicting entanglement, she must confront and heal her relationship with her mother—or risk losing herself in a delusion about what it truly means to love.
With the psychological insight and biting wit of Luckiest Girl Alive, and the yearning ambitions and desires of Sweetbitter, this keenly intelligent and staggeringly resonant novel chronicles the exhilaration and dilemmas of young adulthood, and the difficulty of letting go, even when you know you should.
352 pages, ebook
First published June 12, 2018
6358 people are currently reading
104937 people want to read
About the author
Carola Lovering
5books2,767followersCarola Lovering is the author of Tell Me Lies, Too Good to Be True, Can’t Look Away, and Bye, Baby. She is a graduate of Colorado College, and her work has appeared in Vogue, The Cut, Marie Claire, W Magazine, National Geographic, and Yoga Journal, among other publications. Her novel, Tell Me Lies, has been adapted into a television series for Hulu. She lives in Connecticut with her husband and two young children.
Instagram: @carolatlovering
Twitter: @carolatlovering
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,908 reviews
April 16, 2019
DNF at 160 pages
Jesus fucking Christ I can't even deal with any of the characters in this book. This is a "thrilling" coming-of-age story that follows this couple Stephen and Lucy. They are both from New York, but they are going to college in California, where they meet. This novel is told in their dual POV's. My main issue with this book is: Stephen. I'm not sure if I've ever hated a character more than I hate him. Lucy isn't my favorite character either, but holy fuck Stephen makes me want to slam my had into a wall.
Stephen is the typical annoying douche-bag who pressures Lucy into dating him by repeatedly asking her over and over again even though she said no many times. He thinks he can fuck Diana (his ex), Nicole (his fling) and Lucy (his girlfriend) without getting caught and he thinks it's perfectly okay. He says he doesn't understand people who read fiction because he's a non-fiction guy *insert eye roll here* and as soon as he convinces Lucy to open up to him he stops paying attention because 'he can't stop staring at her tits'. He tells Lucy to get on birth control because he 'hates condoms' and he says, and I quote: "Girls are generally psychotic." He desperately wants to get back together with his ex Diana throughout his entire relationship with Lucy, and when he finally gets her back he says: "When you get what you want, it almost automatically decreases in value" like are you fucking kidding me? He's such an asshole! I had actual STEAM coming out of my ear reading from his POV.
And then don't get me started with Lucy. She is so superficial and all she cares about is trying new drugs like weed and cocaine and losing weight and achieving a thigh gap, but then she doesn't want to date guys that look a certain way and she's super judge-y and hypocritical and ughhhhh.
I do realize that the author most likely wanted these characters to be very unlikable, but I don't see the purpose of reading a book like this. I can deal with unlikable characters to an extent but god damnnnnnnn. I absolutely love this cover but that's about the only thing I love about this book. I'm so bummed because I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it's one of the worst I've read this year so far.
Thank you to Atria Books for sending me an ARC!
Jesus fucking Christ I can't even deal with any of the characters in this book. This is a "thrilling" coming-of-age story that follows this couple Stephen and Lucy. They are both from New York, but they are going to college in California, where they meet. This novel is told in their dual POV's. My main issue with this book is: Stephen. I'm not sure if I've ever hated a character more than I hate him. Lucy isn't my favorite character either, but holy fuck Stephen makes me want to slam my had into a wall.
Stephen is the typical annoying douche-bag who pressures Lucy into dating him by repeatedly asking her over and over again even though she said no many times. He thinks he can fuck Diana (his ex), Nicole (his fling) and Lucy (his girlfriend) without getting caught and he thinks it's perfectly okay. He says he doesn't understand people who read fiction because he's a non-fiction guy *insert eye roll here* and as soon as he convinces Lucy to open up to him he stops paying attention because 'he can't stop staring at her tits'. He tells Lucy to get on birth control because he 'hates condoms' and he says, and I quote: "Girls are generally psychotic." He desperately wants to get back together with his ex Diana throughout his entire relationship with Lucy, and when he finally gets her back he says: "When you get what you want, it almost automatically decreases in value" like are you fucking kidding me? He's such an asshole! I had actual STEAM coming out of my ear reading from his POV.
And then don't get me started with Lucy. She is so superficial and all she cares about is trying new drugs like weed and cocaine and losing weight and achieving a thigh gap, but then she doesn't want to date guys that look a certain way and she's super judge-y and hypocritical and ughhhhh.
I do realize that the author most likely wanted these characters to be very unlikable, but I don't see the purpose of reading a book like this. I can deal with unlikable characters to an extent but god damnnnnnnn. I absolutely love this cover but that's about the only thing I love about this book. I'm so bummed because I really wanted to love this book but unfortunately it's one of the worst I've read this year so far.
Thank you to Atria Books for sending me an ARC!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 13, 2018
My reviews can also be seen at:
“Tell Me Lies is about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget�
This was such an addictive read. The blurb and that cover pulled me right in. I started the book and was finished a few hours later. Thankfully, I had no plans for the day. Groceries and cleaning house? Bah…they could wait!
2017 - Lucy Albright is on her way to a friend’s wedding. She is extremely anxious…because HE’S going to be there.
“the sickness in my stomach is growing worse by the minutes, the familiarity of the pain creating a nauseating déjà vu. The same gut-wrenching dread I lived with for years.�
2010 - Lucy’s mother doesn’t understand why Lucy won't attend University closer to home. But Lucy chose Baird because she wanted to be as far away from her mother as possible. A few years ago her mother did what Lucy calls � The Unforgivable Thing �.
Now she’s finally at college. A new start. She loves it. She has great classes, awesome new friends, and attends great parties. She meets Stephen DeMarco at one of these parties.
When they first meet, Lucy isn’t really interested. Something about him seemed a bit off. She almost wished she could ask her mother but “when you have a mother who did the Unforgivable Thing, you can’t ask her those kinds of questions.� She runs into Stephen a few more times and it's not long before she realizes she's falling for him.
To say Steven is confident and self-assured is putting it mildly. He’s charming when he wants to be, and when he wants something, he goes after it full throttle. � When I decide I like someone, my first step is to gather as much information as possible about every aspect of her life in order to more closely resemble her ideal partner.�
Stephen has secrets. Things he doesn’t want anyone to know. The night he meets Lucy, Stephen is drinking to get rid of the anxiety that often creeps up on him…reminding him of THAT night.
Wow...what a read!
This is definitely NOT your typical love story. This is about a toxic and an all-encompassing obsessive kind of “love�.
Many of us have had � the one that got away � some have “the one that we would have done anything to keep �. I think many people could relate to parts of this story. But there were times I wanted to scream at the characters. Yes, I found a few parts a bit over the top, but relationships are like that sometimes�. over the top. Many of us have known a Lucy. Some of us have been Lucy.
The story is told from Lucy and Stephen’s alternating perspectives. The storyline also alternates, focusing on the years from 2010 to what is happening currently in 2017. There is a bit of repetition, but for the most part, I found it interesting reading both perspectives of some of the situations that came up.
I'm pretty satisfied with how it all came together although part of me wishes things ended a little differently. I really wanted a couple of things…sorted out. But we can’t always have what we want and like I mentioned at the beginning, I was still addicted to this story, unable to put it down.
“Tell Me Lies� is a fascinating and gripping read about toxic love, addiction, obsession, secrets, and betrayal. Carola Lovering got me hooked on Stephen and Lucy’s story and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
I'd like to thank Atria books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
“Tell Me Lies is about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget�
This was such an addictive read. The blurb and that cover pulled me right in. I started the book and was finished a few hours later. Thankfully, I had no plans for the day. Groceries and cleaning house? Bah…they could wait!
2017 - Lucy Albright is on her way to a friend’s wedding. She is extremely anxious…because HE’S going to be there.
“the sickness in my stomach is growing worse by the minutes, the familiarity of the pain creating a nauseating déjà vu. The same gut-wrenching dread I lived with for years.�
2010 - Lucy’s mother doesn’t understand why Lucy won't attend University closer to home. But Lucy chose Baird because she wanted to be as far away from her mother as possible. A few years ago her mother did what Lucy calls � The Unforgivable Thing �.
Now she’s finally at college. A new start. She loves it. She has great classes, awesome new friends, and attends great parties. She meets Stephen DeMarco at one of these parties.
When they first meet, Lucy isn’t really interested. Something about him seemed a bit off. She almost wished she could ask her mother but “when you have a mother who did the Unforgivable Thing, you can’t ask her those kinds of questions.� She runs into Stephen a few more times and it's not long before she realizes she's falling for him.
To say Steven is confident and self-assured is putting it mildly. He’s charming when he wants to be, and when he wants something, he goes after it full throttle. � When I decide I like someone, my first step is to gather as much information as possible about every aspect of her life in order to more closely resemble her ideal partner.�
Stephen has secrets. Things he doesn’t want anyone to know. The night he meets Lucy, Stephen is drinking to get rid of the anxiety that often creeps up on him…reminding him of THAT night.
Wow...what a read!
This is definitely NOT your typical love story. This is about a toxic and an all-encompassing obsessive kind of “love�.
Many of us have had � the one that got away � some have “the one that we would have done anything to keep �. I think many people could relate to parts of this story. But there were times I wanted to scream at the characters. Yes, I found a few parts a bit over the top, but relationships are like that sometimes�. over the top. Many of us have known a Lucy. Some of us have been Lucy.
The story is told from Lucy and Stephen’s alternating perspectives. The storyline also alternates, focusing on the years from 2010 to what is happening currently in 2017. There is a bit of repetition, but for the most part, I found it interesting reading both perspectives of some of the situations that came up.
I'm pretty satisfied with how it all came together although part of me wishes things ended a little differently. I really wanted a couple of things…sorted out. But we can’t always have what we want and like I mentioned at the beginning, I was still addicted to this story, unable to put it down.
“Tell Me Lies� is a fascinating and gripping read about toxic love, addiction, obsession, secrets, and betrayal. Carola Lovering got me hooked on Stephen and Lucy’s story and I can’t wait to read what she writes next.
I'd like to thank Atria books for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.
June 23, 2018
Sometimes we can't help loving a person who is utterly wrong for us. It's not that we might not have anything in common, or we come from different backgrounds—it's when we love a person despite the fact that they treat us horribly, and yet we keep coming back, pretending this time everything is going to be different.
Lucy is a freshman at Baird College, a small school in California. She's so happy to leave her stifling Long Island home behind, full of preppy social climbers and those with no ambition except to marry each other, have preppy babies, and hang out at the country club. She wants more out of life than that—she wants to be a travel writer and see the world.
When she meets upperclassman Stephen DeMarco at a party she isn't impressed. He's intriguing, perhaps slightly attractive, but she just doesn't feel into him. Even though he tries to ask her out occasionally, she's just not interested in starting anything with someone for whom she doesn't feel anything.
Most men would walk away; Stephen sees Lucy's disinterest as a challenge. Little by little, he pursues a campaign to win her, using tried-and-true techniques which have worked on numerous girls and women through his life. He makes Lucy believe she is worth pursuing, makes her believe that she is beautiful and he wants her more than anything else. It changes something in Lucy, although it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on her to maintain what she believes Stephen wants and sees.
"People always say that you can't have your cake and eat it, too, but you can. I know what girls in Lucy's position want to hear, and I can provide that. More flattery doesn't make the girl feel better, just addicted, and then you've hooked her because she continues to be hungry for that certain category of feedback."
It's not too long before Lucy and Stephen start an intense, on-again, off-again relationship that spans Lucy's entire education at Baird, as well as after she returns to New York following graduation. Her relationship with Stephen consumes her—she's either thinking of him, wondering what he is doing when he's not with her, or making herself sick that she's not with him. It exposes her every vulnerability and puts her other relationships and her education in jeopardy.
Both Lucy and Stephen have secrets they hide from one another. And as Lucy tries, over and over, to regain control of her life, she can't resist her feelings for Stephen, and she knows that if everything was perfect, he'd feel the same. Is she wrong to keep pinning her hopes on someone who keeps disappointing her? Will it ever be different?
"What was I doing? Why was I still chasing him? Did I even like him as a person? How could I ever bank on a future with someone I couldn't trust? There was that one stubborn, annoyingly veracious part of me that knew wanting Stephen had to be wrong. If you ignored the gray and got really honest, if everything in the world was separated into black and white, into good and bad, Stephen would fall into bad."
Narrated in alternating chapters by Lucy and Stephen, Tell Me Lies is a compulsively readable, soapy, and fascinating look at both sides of a relationship. You see the unvarnished, unlikable truths about both characters, their vulnerabilities and foibles, and what they'd like to portray to the other. And as each feels that pull from time to time, you see how a relationship—whether or not it's love—can be all-consuming.
I couldn't get enough of this book, even though the characters are pretty unsympathetic. Carola Lovering does a fantastic job of drawing you in to this push-and-pull, this obsession of sorts between the two characters. You almost want to look away at times when the characters' vulnerabilities are so exposed, and you also may look back on your own life and wonder which of the characters' behaviors you might have emulated at one time or another.
At times, this is a pretty brutal book, and the relationship and the periods between encounters dragged on a little more than I would have liked, but I couldn't stop reading. I was glad that Lovering didn't go for full melodrama with one plot point, and I was glad another major issue was settled before the book ended. While it's not quite the sunny beach book you might want, it's definitely an addictive read you'll devour.
See all of my reviews at , or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at .
Lucy is a freshman at Baird College, a small school in California. She's so happy to leave her stifling Long Island home behind, full of preppy social climbers and those with no ambition except to marry each other, have preppy babies, and hang out at the country club. She wants more out of life than that—she wants to be a travel writer and see the world.
When she meets upperclassman Stephen DeMarco at a party she isn't impressed. He's intriguing, perhaps slightly attractive, but she just doesn't feel into him. Even though he tries to ask her out occasionally, she's just not interested in starting anything with someone for whom she doesn't feel anything.
Most men would walk away; Stephen sees Lucy's disinterest as a challenge. Little by little, he pursues a campaign to win her, using tried-and-true techniques which have worked on numerous girls and women through his life. He makes Lucy believe she is worth pursuing, makes her believe that she is beautiful and he wants her more than anything else. It changes something in Lucy, although it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on her to maintain what she believes Stephen wants and sees.
"People always say that you can't have your cake and eat it, too, but you can. I know what girls in Lucy's position want to hear, and I can provide that. More flattery doesn't make the girl feel better, just addicted, and then you've hooked her because she continues to be hungry for that certain category of feedback."
It's not too long before Lucy and Stephen start an intense, on-again, off-again relationship that spans Lucy's entire education at Baird, as well as after she returns to New York following graduation. Her relationship with Stephen consumes her—she's either thinking of him, wondering what he is doing when he's not with her, or making herself sick that she's not with him. It exposes her every vulnerability and puts her other relationships and her education in jeopardy.
Both Lucy and Stephen have secrets they hide from one another. And as Lucy tries, over and over, to regain control of her life, she can't resist her feelings for Stephen, and she knows that if everything was perfect, he'd feel the same. Is she wrong to keep pinning her hopes on someone who keeps disappointing her? Will it ever be different?
"What was I doing? Why was I still chasing him? Did I even like him as a person? How could I ever bank on a future with someone I couldn't trust? There was that one stubborn, annoyingly veracious part of me that knew wanting Stephen had to be wrong. If you ignored the gray and got really honest, if everything in the world was separated into black and white, into good and bad, Stephen would fall into bad."
Narrated in alternating chapters by Lucy and Stephen, Tell Me Lies is a compulsively readable, soapy, and fascinating look at both sides of a relationship. You see the unvarnished, unlikable truths about both characters, their vulnerabilities and foibles, and what they'd like to portray to the other. And as each feels that pull from time to time, you see how a relationship—whether or not it's love—can be all-consuming.
I couldn't get enough of this book, even though the characters are pretty unsympathetic. Carola Lovering does a fantastic job of drawing you in to this push-and-pull, this obsession of sorts between the two characters. You almost want to look away at times when the characters' vulnerabilities are so exposed, and you also may look back on your own life and wonder which of the characters' behaviors you might have emulated at one time or another.
At times, this is a pretty brutal book, and the relationship and the periods between encounters dragged on a little more than I would have liked, but I couldn't stop reading. I was glad that Lovering didn't go for full melodrama with one plot point, and I was glad another major issue was settled before the book ended. While it's not quite the sunny beach book you might want, it's definitely an addictive read you'll devour.
See all of my reviews at , or check out my list of the best books I read in 2017 at .
February 16, 2018
THANK YOU to Carola Lovering for getting me out of my book slump!! Oh my god I loved this. I LOVED IT. Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering was so relatable to me that I read this in one day! Have you ever seen that meme where it’s a picture of a guy with a cell phone and the meme reads “hmm I haven’t talked to her in a few months, let me text her before she moves on�. That meme makes me laugh every time I see and it reminds me of this book.
Have you ever had anxiety while reading a book? Or your just smiling like a lunatic because you are LOVING a novel. No? Just me? Okay. And, seriously, the cover?! I love it!
This book is read with alternating POVs between Lucy and Stephen. We start off in present time but most of the novel is in the past during their college years.
Lucy moved across the country for college in California. She has made some great girlfriends there and is loving her freedom. Lucy ends up meeting Stephen, a cute, kind of chubby guy. At first, she wants nothing to do with him but then Lucy finds herself have feelings for Stephen. And, so their up and down relationship begins. I don’t want to give to much detail as I believe a reader should just go into this blind.
TOXIC, betrayal, lies, secrets oooo so juicy!!! This is not a cute, fluffy love story. It’s messed up which is why I enjoyed it so much 😂😂😂 what is wrong w me?!
I literally laughed out loud at Stephen’s thought process. I know guys like Stephen. I’ve been with one like him.
I seriously could not stop reading this. The anxiety I felt reading Lucy’s thoughts! Omg. I wanted to reach out and tell her You’ll be okay!. Ugh just ugh read this book. So so so good!
Highly recommended 5 banging stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to Atria for proving me a copy via netgalley!!!!
Have you ever had anxiety while reading a book? Or your just smiling like a lunatic because you are LOVING a novel. No? Just me? Okay. And, seriously, the cover?! I love it!
This book is read with alternating POVs between Lucy and Stephen. We start off in present time but most of the novel is in the past during their college years.
Lucy moved across the country for college in California. She has made some great girlfriends there and is loving her freedom. Lucy ends up meeting Stephen, a cute, kind of chubby guy. At first, she wants nothing to do with him but then Lucy finds herself have feelings for Stephen. And, so their up and down relationship begins. I don’t want to give to much detail as I believe a reader should just go into this blind.
TOXIC, betrayal, lies, secrets oooo so juicy!!! This is not a cute, fluffy love story. It’s messed up which is why I enjoyed it so much 😂😂😂 what is wrong w me?!
I literally laughed out loud at Stephen’s thought process. I know guys like Stephen. I’ve been with one like him.
I seriously could not stop reading this. The anxiety I felt reading Lucy’s thoughts! Omg. I wanted to reach out and tell her You’ll be okay!. Ugh just ugh read this book. So so so good!
Highly recommended 5 banging stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thank you to Atria for proving me a copy via netgalley!!!!
October 28, 2021
I kind of went back and forth between 2 and 3 stars, but here are some reasons why I gave it 2.
Stephen is just awful. Terrible. The fact that Lucy couldn't see it or refused to see it for SO long just got tedious for me. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for her to finally get a clue, but she kept going back to him over and over again despite the fact that he treated her horribly most of the time.
I get it--I was involved with a relationship that turned toxic and I stayed with him far past the expiration date. Looking back now I marvel at how weak I was and how low my self esteem was to remain in it for so long. But that's real life, in this book I wanted Lucy to begin to grow a backbone midway through the book, not right at the bitter end.
The narrative shifts back and forth between Stephen's POV and Lucy's. I was kind of surprised and disappointed that Stephen's POV just disappears right after the phone call told from both sides, I would have liked to have seen things from his perspective through to the end.
I liked the other book I read by this author, so I'm going to give her some other chances. I just didn't connect with this one as much as I was hoping I would. I listened to the audiobook with narrators for each of the main characters and that helped me with my interest in the story.
Stephen is just awful. Terrible. The fact that Lucy couldn't see it or refused to see it for SO long just got tedious for me. I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for her to finally get a clue, but she kept going back to him over and over again despite the fact that he treated her horribly most of the time.
I get it--I was involved with a relationship that turned toxic and I stayed with him far past the expiration date. Looking back now I marvel at how weak I was and how low my self esteem was to remain in it for so long. But that's real life, in this book I wanted Lucy to begin to grow a backbone midway through the book, not right at the bitter end.
The narrative shifts back and forth between Stephen's POV and Lucy's. I was kind of surprised and disappointed that Stephen's POV just disappears right after the phone call told from both sides, I would have liked to have seen things from his perspective through to the end.
I liked the other book I read by this author, so I'm going to give her some other chances. I just didn't connect with this one as much as I was hoping I would. I listened to the audiobook with narrators for each of the main characters and that helped me with my interest in the story.
August 16, 2018
Eyes were rolling -
Thoughts were evaluating-
This book made me feel old. It lowered my mood.....and somewhat my faith in humanity.
Expect drugs - sex - cheating - profanity- and dislikable characters.
While Russian literature was mentioned- ( the class was killing Lucy) � what was really occupying her mind had nothing to do with her college course load.
Slimball Stephen was her major course study.
As the reader of this book -I was the assigned TA - (teachers assistant), for Lucy during her college years of ‘Stephen�.
I gave her a passing grade at the end....but she struggled a lot until finally she ‘mastered� her subject.
I understand the frontal lobe of these college kids brains were not fully developed - but sometimes I’ve seen 7 to 10 year olds with more wisdom and maturity than these young adults. Oh well!!!
Readable - not particularly likable for me.
And no...I never did fall for ‘The Bad Boy�. Wasn’t my attraction pull.
Thoughts were evaluating-
This book made me feel old. It lowered my mood.....and somewhat my faith in humanity.
Expect drugs - sex - cheating - profanity- and dislikable characters.
While Russian literature was mentioned- ( the class was killing Lucy) � what was really occupying her mind had nothing to do with her college course load.
Slimball Stephen was her major course study.
As the reader of this book -I was the assigned TA - (teachers assistant), for Lucy during her college years of ‘Stephen�.
I gave her a passing grade at the end....but she struggled a lot until finally she ‘mastered� her subject.
I understand the frontal lobe of these college kids brains were not fully developed - but sometimes I’ve seen 7 to 10 year olds with more wisdom and maturity than these young adults. Oh well!!!
Readable - not particularly likable for me.
And no...I never did fall for ‘The Bad Boy�. Wasn’t my attraction pull.
Read
September 16, 2024I just could not get over my strong dislike for both main characters :(
June 17, 2018
4 Stars.
Have you ever met someone who is completely and utterly bad for you? It’s something you know and feel from the moment your eyes meet theirs - yet you are like a moth to a flame? Consumed.
When Lucy meets Stephen, his green eyes, piercing into her, she knows it from the start. She can feel it in every fiber of her being. He is no good for her, and yet she needs him, wants him and has to have him. When Stephen wants something, he gets it. For now, he wants Lucy, at least some of the time. He also likes controlling, manipulating and deceiving women. The best part? They always come back for more.
In this instance however, the stakes are higher than just a little broken heart.
This is a novel that takes you back to that day, that time, when you were looking to someone else to make you feel whole and when, they ended up doing the exact opposite. There are parts of this novel that can’t get anymore real. You might remember exactly what its like and you can almost feel that someone’s eyes on you and then the air around you starts filling with tension and then whoosh!.. it’s not your reality, at least not now.
“Tell Me Lies� by Carola Lovering is both entertaining and horrifying. Basically, I am oh so glad it’s not my reality! That said, I hope you’ll enjoy reading this wicked novel, as much as I sure did!
Thank you to Atria, NetGalley and Carola Lovering for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley, ŷ, Twitter and Amazon on 6.16.18.
Have you ever met someone who is completely and utterly bad for you? It’s something you know and feel from the moment your eyes meet theirs - yet you are like a moth to a flame? Consumed.
When Lucy meets Stephen, his green eyes, piercing into her, she knows it from the start. She can feel it in every fiber of her being. He is no good for her, and yet she needs him, wants him and has to have him. When Stephen wants something, he gets it. For now, he wants Lucy, at least some of the time. He also likes controlling, manipulating and deceiving women. The best part? They always come back for more.
In this instance however, the stakes are higher than just a little broken heart.
This is a novel that takes you back to that day, that time, when you were looking to someone else to make you feel whole and when, they ended up doing the exact opposite. There are parts of this novel that can’t get anymore real. You might remember exactly what its like and you can almost feel that someone’s eyes on you and then the air around you starts filling with tension and then whoosh!.. it’s not your reality, at least not now.
“Tell Me Lies� by Carola Lovering is both entertaining and horrifying. Basically, I am oh so glad it’s not my reality! That said, I hope you’ll enjoy reading this wicked novel, as much as I sure did!
Thank you to Atria, NetGalley and Carola Lovering for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Published on NetGalley, ŷ, Twitter and Amazon on 6.16.18.
July 31, 2018
"People always talk about realizing they’re in love during the happy moments, but I think you realize it in the bad ones. The ones that knock you off center, scaring you when they prove that no matter what kind of logic is in your head, it’s what’s in your heart that determines fucking everything."
All I can say is that any book that can evoke so much anger and frustration in a reader (me!) has successfully accomplished what it set out to do.
This is the story of the completely unhealthy and toxic relationship between Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco that begins in college in California and the several years that follow. I wanted to scream into my kindle so many times to RUN!!! RUN AWAY!!! YOU DO NOT NEED HIM!!!! But that's the beauty of this one. It's so damn realistic. I've been a part of and witness to these types of relationships and they aren't so cut and dry. Sometimes the brain knows what is right but the heart persists convincing us that things will change in time. Sadly for some it can take years for the relationship to finally run it's course.
This book brought out so many feelings in me and I honestly had a hard time putting it down and when I did I kept thinking about it. Carola Lovering you have made a new fan! 5 stars!
All I can say is that any book that can evoke so much anger and frustration in a reader (me!) has successfully accomplished what it set out to do.
This is the story of the completely unhealthy and toxic relationship between Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco that begins in college in California and the several years that follow. I wanted to scream into my kindle so many times to RUN!!! RUN AWAY!!! YOU DO NOT NEED HIM!!!! But that's the beauty of this one. It's so damn realistic. I've been a part of and witness to these types of relationships and they aren't so cut and dry. Sometimes the brain knows what is right but the heart persists convincing us that things will change in time. Sadly for some it can take years for the relationship to finally run it's course.
This book brought out so many feelings in me and I honestly had a hard time putting it down and when I did I kept thinking about it. Carola Lovering you have made a new fan! 5 stars!
June 10, 2018
Narcissistic and sociopathic men always manage to see which women are their easiest prey. They don't even have to really be anything completely horrible - no physical abuse, no kicking kittens, just there on the spectrum... doing everything on their terms. And it seems completely logical to them. What the author does here is put us right into the mind of one of these men and one of the many women he's preyed upon. The thing about men like this is that they feel no guilt, they have no true feelings and it's just a means to their own end. Do what society expects - get married, have kids, be proper on the surface but yet underneath all of that is someone who constantly wants more. He will always get tired of whoever he is with - finding some reason to cheat, move on or even get them back. Cat/Mouse.
Women with anxiety and low self esteem are somehow pulled right into their orbit. Changing the way they live their life, postponing or canceling plans they otherwise wouldn't have - some affecting their lives dramatically. This man becomes their world.... and he knows it.
The thing about this book - it's SO REALISTIC! I'm equally pissed off at both Stephen and Lucy. I've been Lucy. I've dated Stephen. I've seen friends also go through these toxic relationships. And unfortunately, there is NOTHING you can do but let it run its course and hopefully lessons will be learned on the other side.
I did get extremely frustrated with the repetitiveness of their actions. HOWEVER, this is pretty much as real as it gets. Those panicked and anxious feelings... how things seemingly change over night and for no reason at all. The promises, the lies... and deep down you know... you just don't want to know.
The ending also fell a little flat for me. Again though, this is just life. Unhealthy, toxic, in your face LIFE. Women - my advice to you, and to myself, don't change who you are or your trajectory in life for anyone. There IS someone out there who will love you for you. Don't compromise your integrity, your self worth or your heart for someone who clearly won't do the same for you.
Brilliantly written and all too realistic.
Thank you to Atria for this copy.
Women with anxiety and low self esteem are somehow pulled right into their orbit. Changing the way they live their life, postponing or canceling plans they otherwise wouldn't have - some affecting their lives dramatically. This man becomes their world.... and he knows it.
The thing about this book - it's SO REALISTIC! I'm equally pissed off at both Stephen and Lucy. I've been Lucy. I've dated Stephen. I've seen friends also go through these toxic relationships. And unfortunately, there is NOTHING you can do but let it run its course and hopefully lessons will be learned on the other side.
I did get extremely frustrated with the repetitiveness of their actions. HOWEVER, this is pretty much as real as it gets. Those panicked and anxious feelings... how things seemingly change over night and for no reason at all. The promises, the lies... and deep down you know... you just don't want to know.
The ending also fell a little flat for me. Again though, this is just life. Unhealthy, toxic, in your face LIFE. Women - my advice to you, and to myself, don't change who you are or your trajectory in life for anyone. There IS someone out there who will love you for you. Don't compromise your integrity, your self worth or your heart for someone who clearly won't do the same for you.
Brilliantly written and all too realistic.
Thank you to Atria for this copy.
June 21, 2018
Just published in June 2018, Tell Me Lies is an in-depth examination of a young woman's toxic relationship with the wrong person, a guy she meets her first year in college and stays more or less entangled with over the next several years. If you've ever dealt with a sociopathic lover who's hard to give up, or known someone in that situation, or would just find it fascinating to see the same situations from the points of view of both the vulnerable partner and the user who has no mercy or conscience ... I'd recommend this book.
Lucy Albright has no idea what she's in for when she lets Stephen DeMarco into her life when she's a freshman in college. He's attractive but not all that, but he knows how to appeal to women. In fact, he makes a study of it, deliberately creating a persona that his target young lady will like ... and lying ruthlessly and without conscience. Mostly so he can juggle several different sexual relationships at the same time. Sex and money are his only real cares - well, along with alcohol and drugs. And both Stephen and Lucy have secrets they're hiding.
The chapters alternate between Lucy's and Stephen's points of view. Stephen's chapters were chilling but effective. The author never tries to hide the ball or surprise you about what's going on in his head.
Some readers will love this book; others will hate it. Know yourself.
I received a free copy of this book from the publicist through NetGalley for review. Thanks!
Lucy Albright has no idea what she's in for when she lets Stephen DeMarco into her life when she's a freshman in college. He's attractive but not all that, but he knows how to appeal to women. In fact, he makes a study of it, deliberately creating a persona that his target young lady will like ... and lying ruthlessly and without conscience. Mostly so he can juggle several different sexual relationships at the same time. Sex and money are his only real cares - well, along with alcohol and drugs. And both Stephen and Lucy have secrets they're hiding.
The chapters alternate between Lucy's and Stephen's points of view. Stephen's chapters were chilling but effective. The author never tries to hide the ball or surprise you about what's going on in his head.
Stuff like that used to happen throughout my childhood and into my teenage years—events or moments when I’d lack the specific emotional response expected of me. Time and time again, the empathetic reactions that seemed to be required never came... I learned about appropriate responses; I began simulating them when appropriate. And somewhere in that haze of it I came to the realization that I was different. I didn’t want to hurt people, but I could, and when I did, there was something cathartic and liberating about it, especially because any collateral damage was almost always rectifiable. I know about guilt, and it doesn’t apply to me—I don’t carry the burden of it. It actually works to my advantage, most of the time.Tell Me Lies kind of accidentally got put on my NetGalley approvals (I was asking the publicist for two other books and this one just got approved along with them) so I took a look at it, even though this really isn't my type of book. It's hard R-rated, with lots of college parties, drinking, drugs and sex. F-bombs litter the pages like confetti. I ended up skimming most of it, and it was rather slow-paced, but it was compelling in a hard-to-look-away kind of way.
Some readers will love this book; others will hate it. Know yourself.
I received a free copy of this book from the publicist through NetGalley for review. Thanks!
July 24, 2019
View this review and many more at:
Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this novel.
I will rarely be recorded saying this, and I know I will be in a very small majority, but I absolutely hated this book. It hurts me to say something so negative about a debut novel, but I just could not feel anything but happiness over finishing this story.
In such a character-driven novel, completely loathing the main characters makes liking the book nearly impossible. The beginning of the story had its moments and I was hoping I would see something new happening, but as the story crept on, the same events continued to repeat. It felt endless. After about 60% of the way through this novel, I was so fed up with the characters, I had to start skimming. I couldn't take much more of their nonstop drivel. Sadly, the biggest thing I found through skimming this novel, was that I was still able to understand it perfectly without reading every word. To me, it shows what little substance was actually within the pages of this story.
I can understand why someone may feel empathy toward Lucy, but after the fifteenth weak moment of going back to Steven, I had nothing left to give her. One of my biggest pet peeves in life or in books is indecisive people. Wishy-washy characters who waver constantly about the choices they have made makes me furious! Grow a backbone, choose something and stick by it, for goodness sake! By saying this, I'm not saying I don't understand Lucy's plight. Plenty of women experience these types of relationships with men who simply feel so comfortable to them, they can't ever seem to break away, despite how negative the relationship might be. I've experienced these feelings myself. However, I don't think the story was presented in a way to make me empathize with Lucy. I wasn't able to get in her shoes and understand her mindset enough to feel anything but contempt for her. If I could impress my will on any young girl, it would be for them to never become a Lucy.
Steven was the epitome of everything I hate in a man: semi-attractive, full of himself, the type of man who thinks the world owes him something. I feel like I can sniff out these types of men in real life and know they are the guys who sneak away for "work" to cheat on their wives or girlfriends. These guys are usually a little pudgey, or completely dumpy, but somehow have landed and continue to land stunning women. The draw women feel to these particular men makes no sense to me whatsoever, and I'm always disgusted by the slimeballs.
I also hated the characters' continuous drug use and partying. If they weren't looking to hook up with someone, they were snorting something up their nose, sometimes both. The whole story revolved around these things, rather than any exciting events. It became repetitive and boring. I know college life for many young adults includes the same subjects, but these things simply do not interest me in the least.
I really expected to enjoy this story but it was probably the biggest dud I have ever read to the end. I know many people will disagree with my review and will find Lucy a relatable character and easy to understand, but I'm not that person.
If the blurb interests you, pick this title up on June 12 or pre-order now!
...
Initial thoughts: 5/31/18
Oh my goshhhh. I hated these characters and their endless drivel. Such a waste of time.
Thank you to Atria and Netgalley for the chance to read and review this novel.
I will rarely be recorded saying this, and I know I will be in a very small majority, but I absolutely hated this book. It hurts me to say something so negative about a debut novel, but I just could not feel anything but happiness over finishing this story.
In such a character-driven novel, completely loathing the main characters makes liking the book nearly impossible. The beginning of the story had its moments and I was hoping I would see something new happening, but as the story crept on, the same events continued to repeat. It felt endless. After about 60% of the way through this novel, I was so fed up with the characters, I had to start skimming. I couldn't take much more of their nonstop drivel. Sadly, the biggest thing I found through skimming this novel, was that I was still able to understand it perfectly without reading every word. To me, it shows what little substance was actually within the pages of this story.
I can understand why someone may feel empathy toward Lucy, but after the fifteenth weak moment of going back to Steven, I had nothing left to give her. One of my biggest pet peeves in life or in books is indecisive people. Wishy-washy characters who waver constantly about the choices they have made makes me furious! Grow a backbone, choose something and stick by it, for goodness sake! By saying this, I'm not saying I don't understand Lucy's plight. Plenty of women experience these types of relationships with men who simply feel so comfortable to them, they can't ever seem to break away, despite how negative the relationship might be. I've experienced these feelings myself. However, I don't think the story was presented in a way to make me empathize with Lucy. I wasn't able to get in her shoes and understand her mindset enough to feel anything but contempt for her. If I could impress my will on any young girl, it would be for them to never become a Lucy.
Steven was the epitome of everything I hate in a man: semi-attractive, full of himself, the type of man who thinks the world owes him something. I feel like I can sniff out these types of men in real life and know they are the guys who sneak away for "work" to cheat on their wives or girlfriends. These guys are usually a little pudgey, or completely dumpy, but somehow have landed and continue to land stunning women. The draw women feel to these particular men makes no sense to me whatsoever, and I'm always disgusted by the slimeballs.
I also hated the characters' continuous drug use and partying. If they weren't looking to hook up with someone, they were snorting something up their nose, sometimes both. The whole story revolved around these things, rather than any exciting events. It became repetitive and boring. I know college life for many young adults includes the same subjects, but these things simply do not interest me in the least.
I really expected to enjoy this story but it was probably the biggest dud I have ever read to the end. I know many people will disagree with my review and will find Lucy a relatable character and easy to understand, but I'm not that person.
If the blurb interests you, pick this title up on June 12 or pre-order now!
...
Initial thoughts: 5/31/18
Oh my goshhhh. I hated these characters and their endless drivel. Such a waste of time.
March 24, 2021
DNF around page 170. This reads like a really cringe WattPad fanfic circa 2013. She’s quirky, not like the other girls, and doesn’t know that she’s beautiful, he’s an attractive psychopath, and they’re addicted to each other. The writing is awful, the characters are awful, I honestly hated just about every aspect of this book. I rolled my eyes so many times in the first 30 or so pages. I should have taken that as a sign to stop instead of trying to power through. When I eventually did consider quitting, I tried to read ahead to see if anything exciting happened. Nope, just several more years of the same toxic relationship, the same manipulative asshole, the same insecure and naive girl. I was mislead into reading this by some decent reviews (that I’m now really questioning) and the recommendation from an influencer (yeah okay that’s on me).
June 21, 2018
���️⭐️⭐️ / 5
by is one of those books that I really wanted to love, but I just couldn't. It took me awhile to get into, and when I was done I felt oddly disappointed.
Tell Me Lies is about a woman named Lucy Albright who we initially meet as a 20-something working in sales at an online publication called The Suitest in New York City. She really wants to be a journalist but was attempting to get her foot in the door by starting in sales. We learn that she is pretty blasé about her current situation. The chapters alternate between Lucy and her college "boyfriend" Stephen. The book also skips around between past and present then it all comes together at the end of the book in present time. I really liked this style a lot, although I felt like we would start in one (either past/present or a particular month) and end up somewhere else by the time the chapter was over. This happened quite a bit and did irritate me.
Tell Me Lies is a scarily accurate description of what it is like to be in a toxic relationship. Even though Stephen proves himself to be absolutely no good, Lucy still hangs onto him and is completely enamored with him. That being said, this got old really fast and I felt like the book was way too long for what all happened in it. By the end I had completely lost all empathy for Lucy and wanted to knock her upside the head for many things. Frankly the only character I did like wholeheartedly was Lucy's dad who we don't see much of.
Final Thought: There are going to be a lot of people that love this book, heck there already are, but unfortunately it just fell a little flat for me. However, I think that Lovering is extremely talented and although it took me awhile to get into, her writing made me want to keep reading. I definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in reading a book about a toxic relationship and don't mind a bunch of unlikable characters in their books. If you are a fan of great writing I also recommend giving this book a shot. It wasn't a perfect fit for me, but I am definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future.
Tell Me Lies in 3-ish words: Charismatic, Realistic, Haunting
by is one of those books that I really wanted to love, but I just couldn't. It took me awhile to get into, and when I was done I felt oddly disappointed.
Tell Me Lies is about a woman named Lucy Albright who we initially meet as a 20-something working in sales at an online publication called The Suitest in New York City. She really wants to be a journalist but was attempting to get her foot in the door by starting in sales. We learn that she is pretty blasé about her current situation. The chapters alternate between Lucy and her college "boyfriend" Stephen. The book also skips around between past and present then it all comes together at the end of the book in present time. I really liked this style a lot, although I felt like we would start in one (either past/present or a particular month) and end up somewhere else by the time the chapter was over. This happened quite a bit and did irritate me.
Tell Me Lies is a scarily accurate description of what it is like to be in a toxic relationship. Even though Stephen proves himself to be absolutely no good, Lucy still hangs onto him and is completely enamored with him. That being said, this got old really fast and I felt like the book was way too long for what all happened in it. By the end I had completely lost all empathy for Lucy and wanted to knock her upside the head for many things. Frankly the only character I did like wholeheartedly was Lucy's dad who we don't see much of.
Final Thought: There are going to be a lot of people that love this book, heck there already are, but unfortunately it just fell a little flat for me. However, I think that Lovering is extremely talented and although it took me awhile to get into, her writing made me want to keep reading. I definitely recommend this book to people who are interested in reading a book about a toxic relationship and don't mind a bunch of unlikable characters in their books. If you are a fan of great writing I also recommend giving this book a shot. It wasn't a perfect fit for me, but I am definitely interested in reading more from this author in the future.
Tell Me Lies in 3-ish words: Charismatic, Realistic, Haunting
June 15, 2018
This book brought out many feels in me: nostalgia, regret, anger, but also strength and peace. Each chapter was more addicting than the one before and I could not wait to finish. I felt anxious all the way up until the end.
Before I get to it, I just have a message for Stephen DeMarco and all the other “Stephen DeMarco’s� out there:
Where was this song and Taylor Swift’s We Are Never Getting Back Together when I was younger? I feel like I would have made different decisions had I belted these songs out with my bffs (or maybe not, but it would have been fun anyhow).
Lucy Albright is a naive, self-conscious and conflicted freshman who becomes bewitched by a narcissistic, charming and manipulative upper classman, Stephen DeMarco. He always has a girlfriend and is always cheating on said girlfriend. He certainly has a type, one that is easily swayed by his words and he knows exactly what to say to get what he wants. He might have had genuine feelings at moments, but his feelings easily changed and he only thought of himself: no guilt, no remorse, no empathy (what a sociopath!)
Lucy knows better, but can’t help walking into the burning fire of what is their “relationship� over the course of 5 years. She thinks he will change, she believes his words (even when she doesn’t). The question is: when � and at what cost � will she realize that she deserves better, if she ever does.
I think everyone can see a bit of themselves in Lucy; or at least I certainly did. Wanting so badly to be the reason for someone to be different or want something different that it consumes you, and in the end the only person that is different is you; and not the different you aspire to be. Your friends and family can say all they want to make you realize the mistakes you are making, but only you can decide for yourself. When you are ready to listen to yourself what a glorious day that is. Your head and your heart rarely agree without some blood, sweat and tears.
I whipped through this book in 3 days. I would have finished sooner if I had more free time. Any spare minute I had was used to read this book. If you don’t have the same connection as me, you may still eat up each chapter. They alternate between Lucy and Stephen’s POVs, and the curiosity of how � and if � their relationship will end rides out on each page.
This is the author Carola Lovering‘s first novel and I thought she did a stellar job! I won a copy of this book in a giveaway she held on Instagram and I am so happy that I was chosen; that this book found its way to me.
Still not sure if you want to read? The first 3 chapters are available on Barnes & Noble for free if you want to give it a go.
To read my reviews visit:
Before I get to it, I just have a message for Stephen DeMarco and all the other “Stephen DeMarco’s� out there:
Where was this song and Taylor Swift’s We Are Never Getting Back Together when I was younger? I feel like I would have made different decisions had I belted these songs out with my bffs (or maybe not, but it would have been fun anyhow).
Lucy Albright is a naive, self-conscious and conflicted freshman who becomes bewitched by a narcissistic, charming and manipulative upper classman, Stephen DeMarco. He always has a girlfriend and is always cheating on said girlfriend. He certainly has a type, one that is easily swayed by his words and he knows exactly what to say to get what he wants. He might have had genuine feelings at moments, but his feelings easily changed and he only thought of himself: no guilt, no remorse, no empathy (what a sociopath!)
Lucy knows better, but can’t help walking into the burning fire of what is their “relationship� over the course of 5 years. She thinks he will change, she believes his words (even when she doesn’t). The question is: when � and at what cost � will she realize that she deserves better, if she ever does.
I think everyone can see a bit of themselves in Lucy; or at least I certainly did. Wanting so badly to be the reason for someone to be different or want something different that it consumes you, and in the end the only person that is different is you; and not the different you aspire to be. Your friends and family can say all they want to make you realize the mistakes you are making, but only you can decide for yourself. When you are ready to listen to yourself what a glorious day that is. Your head and your heart rarely agree without some blood, sweat and tears.
I whipped through this book in 3 days. I would have finished sooner if I had more free time. Any spare minute I had was used to read this book. If you don’t have the same connection as me, you may still eat up each chapter. They alternate between Lucy and Stephen’s POVs, and the curiosity of how � and if � their relationship will end rides out on each page.
This is the author Carola Lovering‘s first novel and I thought she did a stellar job! I won a copy of this book in a giveaway she held on Instagram and I am so happy that I was chosen; that this book found its way to me.
Still not sure if you want to read? The first 3 chapters are available on Barnes & Noble for free if you want to give it a go.
To read my reviews visit:
February 17, 2018
I devoured this book in under 24 hours and I really need more now. From the first pages, Lucy is heading to Soul Cycle in her Lululemon leggings after a night out at the William Vale hotel in Brooklyn and I’m like THIS GIRL COULD BE ME. Then, I find out Lucy grew up on Long Island (same) and in college meets Stephen, a man who is not in her league looks wise but manages to win her over. But Stephen is really just the worst!
Told in alternating perspectives of both Lucy and Stephen, you will want to wring Stephen’s neck and try to shake Lucy into reality - but I promise you will more than likely relate and love every minute of this story. Doesn’t every girl have a Stephen?
I received an advance copy courtesy of Atria Books. All opinions are my own.
Told in alternating perspectives of both Lucy and Stephen, you will want to wring Stephen’s neck and try to shake Lucy into reality - but I promise you will more than likely relate and love every minute of this story. Doesn’t every girl have a Stephen?
I received an advance copy courtesy of Atria Books. All opinions are my own.
February 15, 2023
WARNING. This book is NOT a love story. This book is not romantic. This book is like a psychological soap opera on paper. And it recounts the toxic relationship between two people who, just like the blurb says, can’t let go even though they know they should.
Watching this story unfold and their ‘relationship� unravel was a train wreck I couldn’t look away from. And though I hate to admit it, I’ve been Lucy. I’ve dated a Stephen. And reading about this girl fall for this master manipulator but defend his behaviors because of the 'connection' they share is something I think will resonate with a lot of people.
Stephen, the male lead, is probably my most hated yet most interesting males I’ve read about. He’s manipulative scum. Yet being in his brain was so fascinating. Everything he said made me want to reach into my kindle and punch his smarmy face. And still, I couldn’t read his chapters fast enough.
I can already see a lot of people not liking either character. I know that statement doesn’t seem like a raving recommendation to read this book, but hear me out. Stephen - for obvious reasons � isn’t a male lead people will swoon over. And Lucy will undoubtedly make people uncomfortable. While it’s easy to disagree with how she handles a lot of things, the author’s portrayal of her issues and insecurities is just down right accurate. ANYONE who has dated someone like Stephen will understand (though may not like) a lot of things Lucy does.
If you happen to pick this up and are going into it expecting a redeeming love story, don't. You won't get that here. But if you do want to dive into the minds of two dysfunctional characters who have no business being in a relationship, then this is for you =)
Tell Me Lies is out now! |
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June 27, 2018
Find all of my reviews at:
Full Disclosure: I never read a synopsis for this before I decided I had to read it. Full Disclosure 2.0: I 100% wanted this book as soon as I saw the cover . . . but I also 100% didn’t want it because of the cover. Tell Me Lies (from the cover alone) was a story that could have either gone really well for me . . . or gone terribly bad. Luckily . . . . .
“I know what I know. Lust and love erase ethical parameters, and that’s just the way it is.�
Yes please. Even Mitchell could get on board with a “romance� book like this.
If you enjoy reading the darker side of love à la The Rules of Attraction, Tell Me Lies is a book you don’t want to miss. Told in alternating chapters by Lucy and Stephen, this is the story of a clinically depressed girl who fell in love with a narcissistic sociopath. It’s not very fast paced and there’s not a whole lot of action, but somehow it was still completely un-put-down-able.
Readers will be pleased to know that the pink elephant in the room is addressed and that the author doesn’t try to play dumb when it comes to the title. . . . .
But since I am super young and definitely not a person who has Tango in the Night on vinyl, I had a couple of different songs playing the loop in my head. Classics from The Biebs and Brit Brit . . . .
Okay, for serious I am super old but I did totally think of those other lyrics as well.
4 Stars because there was a lil' something something extra added (that I won't spoil here) I found to be absolutely unecessary.
Oh and NetGalley, you can go ahead and decline my pending request for this one. The pornbrarian hooked me up.
Full Disclosure: I never read a synopsis for this before I decided I had to read it. Full Disclosure 2.0: I 100% wanted this book as soon as I saw the cover . . . but I also 100% didn’t want it because of the cover. Tell Me Lies (from the cover alone) was a story that could have either gone really well for me . . . or gone terribly bad. Luckily . . . . .
“I know what I know. Lust and love erase ethical parameters, and that’s just the way it is.�
Yes please. Even Mitchell could get on board with a “romance� book like this.
If you enjoy reading the darker side of love à la The Rules of Attraction, Tell Me Lies is a book you don’t want to miss. Told in alternating chapters by Lucy and Stephen, this is the story of a clinically depressed girl who fell in love with a narcissistic sociopath. It’s not very fast paced and there’s not a whole lot of action, but somehow it was still completely un-put-down-able.
Readers will be pleased to know that the pink elephant in the room is addressed and that the author doesn’t try to play dumb when it comes to the title. . . . .
But since I am super young and definitely not a person who has Tango in the Night on vinyl, I had a couple of different songs playing the loop in my head. Classics from The Biebs and Brit Brit . . . .
Okay, for serious I am super old but I did totally think of those other lyrics as well.
4 Stars because there was a lil' something something extra added (that I won't spoil here) I found to be absolutely unecessary.
Oh and NetGalley, you can go ahead and decline my pending request for this one. The pornbrarian hooked me up.
July 2, 2018
A Waste of Money
Unfortunately I was lead astray by the great reviews. This book was pure drivel...in content and writing. The writing was so trite and juvenile, I had a hard time even finishing it. I try to always finish a book I pay for but finishing this one was excruciatingly painful. Leave it.
Unfortunately I was lead astray by the great reviews. This book was pure drivel...in content and writing. The writing was so trite and juvenile, I had a hard time even finishing it. I try to always finish a book I pay for but finishing this one was excruciatingly painful. Leave it.
July 4, 2023
Updating my rating on this from 4 stars to 5! This book has stuck with me since I’ve finished reading it. I really enjoyed it so much I even watched the Hulu series. 10/10 recommend!
December 9, 2019
This book was totally not what I was expecting. I expected that Stephen would be a jerk, but a lovable one. Especially since every second chapter was in his point of view. But no, Stephen is a jerk (and every other terrible word I can't think of right now) FULL STOP.
For the first half of the book I was a bit confused and I didn't see where the plot was taking me.
This is not a fluffy/happy read. Lucy will make you angry with her stupid decisions. And Stephen's manipulative nature will make you loath him. Their relationship is unhealthy/toxic. But I've know many people in relationships like Lucy's with Stephen. And I always wondered what could make you go back to someone over and over again when they treat you like trash.
“You have to be careful with charm,� Dr. Wattenbarger had said. “You know what they say—charm is the ability to make someone think that both of you are quite wonderful.�
Stephen's character really bothered me. Just the way he views women and how he plots in his head ways to manipulate them. Especially with Lucy, he knew her weaknesses and exploited them over and over. It then become clear to me that Stephen is a sociopath.
I’d watched her sacrifice so much of herself on my behalf, even though I’d never given her what I knew she wanted.
It’s helpful for me to observe the way couples interact with each other.
I really felt sorry for Lucy. And throughout reading this it really boggled my mind how she kept giving in to him. But I loved that this story shows her journey of becoming a stronger person.
I surprisingly liked this book. I couldn't put it down. I literally sat with a huge bowl of popcorn XD
August 12, 2018
“Tell Me Lies� is a novel that exemplifies a male dating predator and how he “grooms� his subject. It’s a story that proves how an at-one-time confident young woman can be manipulated into an insecure, needy woman. It’s a story of stormy and passionate relationships.
The story is told with two first person protagonist. Lucy starts the story, living in NYC as a single woman, about to go to a wedding of a college girlfriend. She’s nervous about going, and we learn it’s because a guy she’s had an involvement with will be there.
Stephen, who we learn is the man that Lucy is not looking forward to seeing, takes the next chapter, and informs the reader of his first vision of Lucy at their small college in Southern California. Stephen is a junior while Lucy is an incoming freshman. He takes one look at her, and he knows he can make her “his�>
Lucy doesn’t even notice him, and when she does, she’s not impressed. Stephen does not capture her interest and she easily dismisses him.
What author Carola Lovering does in the remainder of the novel, is illuminate how such a relationship is formed. This story is a seven year story, of their hooking up, splitting, getting back together, and so on. Stephen is a known philanderer. That trait is known by all of his girl friends, and yet they keep coming back. Lucy isn’t the only victim. And these girls keep setting themselves for more abuse.
If you know of a smart friend who makes these illogical choices, and you just don’t understand what is going through their minds�.this is a novel for you. I’m sad to say that I know of a few women who just can’t shake some guy, who they now is inherently bad for them, but just can’t say no. It’s always been a bit of a mystery to me. Lovering gives voice to these women. In fact, in her dedication page she writes, “To everyone who’s ever had a Stephen DeMarco---this book’s for you.�
And Lovering uses the perfect verb tense “had� in the dedication. Lovering does write her female characters with the ability to grow up. Women do shake these guys; some take longer than others. It’s tragic, non-the less.
The story is told with two first person protagonist. Lucy starts the story, living in NYC as a single woman, about to go to a wedding of a college girlfriend. She’s nervous about going, and we learn it’s because a guy she’s had an involvement with will be there.
Stephen, who we learn is the man that Lucy is not looking forward to seeing, takes the next chapter, and informs the reader of his first vision of Lucy at their small college in Southern California. Stephen is a junior while Lucy is an incoming freshman. He takes one look at her, and he knows he can make her “his�>
Lucy doesn’t even notice him, and when she does, she’s not impressed. Stephen does not capture her interest and she easily dismisses him.
What author Carola Lovering does in the remainder of the novel, is illuminate how such a relationship is formed. This story is a seven year story, of their hooking up, splitting, getting back together, and so on. Stephen is a known philanderer. That trait is known by all of his girl friends, and yet they keep coming back. Lucy isn’t the only victim. And these girls keep setting themselves for more abuse.
If you know of a smart friend who makes these illogical choices, and you just don’t understand what is going through their minds�.this is a novel for you. I’m sad to say that I know of a few women who just can’t shake some guy, who they now is inherently bad for them, but just can’t say no. It’s always been a bit of a mystery to me. Lovering gives voice to these women. In fact, in her dedication page she writes, “To everyone who’s ever had a Stephen DeMarco---this book’s for you.�
And Lovering uses the perfect verb tense “had� in the dedication. Lovering does write her female characters with the ability to grow up. Women do shake these guys; some take longer than others. It’s tragic, non-the less.
October 28, 2020
Do not be fooled by this gorgeous cover. This book was rough.
I started off decently interested in these characters, I mean, who hasn't wasted their time on an awful relationship with a person that doesn't deserve you? But by page 200, I literally hated everyone.
The incident between Lucy and her mom would be upsetting to anyone, but Lucy took it to such an extreme that you didn't even feel any sympathy for her. And I love a good villain, but Stephen was such a piece of shit, I wanted him to get hit by a cab or fall on the subway track.
Ugh, really wish I hadn't wasted my time with this book. 1.5 rounded up (I guess)
I started off decently interested in these characters, I mean, who hasn't wasted their time on an awful relationship with a person that doesn't deserve you? But by page 200, I literally hated everyone.
The incident between Lucy and her mom would be upsetting to anyone, but Lucy took it to such an extreme that you didn't even feel any sympathy for her. And I love a good villain, but Stephen was such a piece of shit, I wanted him to get hit by a cab or fall on the subway track.
Ugh, really wish I hadn't wasted my time with this book. 1.5 rounded up (I guess)
September 15, 2024
“People like Stephen, they don’t change. He will always come back for more. He won’t give it up until he has to.�
“Players only love you when they're playing.�
You have toxic men like Jamie Shaw, BJ Ballentine and then you have Stephen DeMarco.
When you lot said this book is triggering you didn’t lie.
I thought no one could be worse than my ex but oh was I wrong.
I only read this book because I want to watch the series.
The book was just a toxic cycle. I wanted to see more of how Lucy moved on.
“Players only love you when they're playing.�
You have toxic men like Jamie Shaw, BJ Ballentine and then you have Stephen DeMarco.
When you lot said this book is triggering you didn’t lie.
I thought no one could be worse than my ex but oh was I wrong.
I only read this book because I want to watch the series.
The book was just a toxic cycle. I wanted to see more of how Lucy moved on.
June 20, 2025
If this isn't the plainest explanation of what it means to hit twenty-five and realise your brain has fully developed, idk what else could the meaning be.
In total honesty, I do prefer the changes the show’s writers have made and the way some things are portrayed, but the book also made me understand aspects of the show I didn't quite get at first.
As for the book version, I especially loved reading Stephen’s POV and the switches always caught me off guard because well, he belongs in a psychiatric ward and reading how he justified himself every time he did something bad was quite the stretch.
Let's look at it for what it is: the reminder that the world is full of people (mostly men), ready to gaslight you at the first chance they get, ready to make you feel wrong and crazy, ready to destroy your world in a second only to come back to you when it most please them.
But it's not you, it's them. Maybe you're not the best person in the world; maybe you've done some stuff you regret and you'll do some more, too; maybe you don't think you're worth something; maybe you need a Stephen DeMarco to really understand your value.
The most important thing is that everything’s gonna be fine, especially you.
And when he'll crawl to you one more time, you’ll be able to remember all that, look him into his eyes, and shut the door on his face.
� 4 stars
In total honesty, I do prefer the changes the show’s writers have made and the way some things are portrayed, but the book also made me understand aspects of the show I didn't quite get at first.
As for the book version, I especially loved reading Stephen’s POV and the switches always caught me off guard because well, he belongs in a psychiatric ward and reading how he justified himself every time he did something bad was quite the stretch.
Let's look at it for what it is: the reminder that the world is full of people (mostly men), ready to gaslight you at the first chance they get, ready to make you feel wrong and crazy, ready to destroy your world in a second only to come back to you when it most please them.
But it's not you, it's them. Maybe you're not the best person in the world; maybe you've done some stuff you regret and you'll do some more, too; maybe you don't think you're worth something; maybe you need a Stephen DeMarco to really understand your value.
The most important thing is that everything’s gonna be fine, especially you.
And when he'll crawl to you one more time, you’ll be able to remember all that, look him into his eyes, and shut the door on his face.
� 4 stars
May 9, 2025
This is an example of a book that is a great idea, but poorly executed.
The beginning started off really good, but the middle was extremely bland and boring. The book went from being about Stephen’s narcissism and being drama filled to being 200 pages of Lucy’s mental health issues. It honestly got to the point where I didn’t even feel like Stephen was the problem at all and I felt Lucy needed to be put in inpatient counseling. Her eating disorder played a major role, but then disappeared out of nowhere with no reasoning or anything? I felt like that subject matter was not handled properly.
I love the show, and everything the book got wrong, the show did better. They took a great idea and executed it better.
Overall, I liked the beginning and then liked the ending. Hated about 200 pages in the middle. I am giving it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3, because I am being generous since this book gave us a great show. There were great characters introduced in the beginning and if the book was more like the show, it would have been awesome.
The beginning started off really good, but the middle was extremely bland and boring. The book went from being about Stephen’s narcissism and being drama filled to being 200 pages of Lucy’s mental health issues. It honestly got to the point where I didn’t even feel like Stephen was the problem at all and I felt Lucy needed to be put in inpatient counseling. Her eating disorder played a major role, but then disappeared out of nowhere with no reasoning or anything? I felt like that subject matter was not handled properly.
I love the show, and everything the book got wrong, the show did better. They took a great idea and executed it better.
Overall, I liked the beginning and then liked the ending. Hated about 200 pages in the middle. I am giving it 2.5 stars rounded up to 3, because I am being generous since this book gave us a great show. There were great characters introduced in the beginning and if the book was more like the show, it would have been awesome.
June 11, 2018
Hi everyone—this will be my first blog tour post ever, so I'd like to thank Atria Books for choosing me to participate!
I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you how real, honest, and raw Tell Me Lies is. Lucy Albright, young Long Island twenty-something year old has moved across the country to California to enroll in college. Embracing her new chapter at life, Lucy makes new friends, enjoys the college lifestyle of partying while balancing school work, and venturing into romance. Lucy stumbles across Stephen DeMarco one night and the duo's chemistry is magnetic. While Stephen isn't as physically attractive as the stunners that Lucy typically dates/hooks up with, she is intrigued by Stephen and his charm.
Stephen begins investigating into Lucy's life—in hopes of tailoring his personality to match hers and win her over. (I can't even hate because I've definitely done that in college as well). Stephen's antics end up winning Lucy over and the two forge a romantic relationship. The duo's relationship, at best, can be deemed problematic. Lucy knows that Stephen isn't the right man for her, but she just can't let him go.
The one aspect of why Tell Me Lies is such a profound and shockingly (I typically don't read romance) compelling story for me is because it's so relatable, while also maintaining it's entertainment factor. We have all been in Lucy's position before; dating the wrong person, knowing how bad the match is, but refusing to let go. As the token gay best friend in many of my friends' lives, I have seen my girlfriends date horrendous excuses for boyfriends countless times. I have tried time and time again in helping them ditch these losers to no avail. Seriously ladies, what's in the water?! #LoveYou #GotYourBack #GBFF
Tell Me Lies should be introduced to young women everywhere (either as a summer reading for High Schoolers or promoted on college campus book clubs) because this all too real situation between toxic men with serious personality disorders. Carola Lovering, I am buying a copy for my younger sister and telling her to learn from Lucy's mistakes so they don't happen to you.
I resonated with both Lucy and her friends so much because I used to be them. Partying, hooking up, dating the wrong person—this coming of age story is not too unfamiliar for me. The likability of these characters is hard, because at some point of another you've been them. I ended up finishing Tell Me Lies , questioning myself as a person, but also how to work on myself and learn to prevent missteps in the future.
Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I've just launched my blog at if you'd like to see my latest reviews.
I'd be lying to you if I didn't tell you how real, honest, and raw Tell Me Lies is. Lucy Albright, young Long Island twenty-something year old has moved across the country to California to enroll in college. Embracing her new chapter at life, Lucy makes new friends, enjoys the college lifestyle of partying while balancing school work, and venturing into romance. Lucy stumbles across Stephen DeMarco one night and the duo's chemistry is magnetic. While Stephen isn't as physically attractive as the stunners that Lucy typically dates/hooks up with, she is intrigued by Stephen and his charm.
Stephen begins investigating into Lucy's life—in hopes of tailoring his personality to match hers and win her over. (I can't even hate because I've definitely done that in college as well). Stephen's antics end up winning Lucy over and the two forge a romantic relationship. The duo's relationship, at best, can be deemed problematic. Lucy knows that Stephen isn't the right man for her, but she just can't let him go.
The one aspect of why Tell Me Lies is such a profound and shockingly (I typically don't read romance) compelling story for me is because it's so relatable, while also maintaining it's entertainment factor. We have all been in Lucy's position before; dating the wrong person, knowing how bad the match is, but refusing to let go. As the token gay best friend in many of my friends' lives, I have seen my girlfriends date horrendous excuses for boyfriends countless times. I have tried time and time again in helping them ditch these losers to no avail. Seriously ladies, what's in the water?! #LoveYou #GotYourBack #GBFF
Tell Me Lies should be introduced to young women everywhere (either as a summer reading for High Schoolers or promoted on college campus book clubs) because this all too real situation between toxic men with serious personality disorders. Carola Lovering, I am buying a copy for my younger sister and telling her to learn from Lucy's mistakes so they don't happen to you.
I resonated with both Lucy and her friends so much because I used to be them. Partying, hooking up, dating the wrong person—this coming of age story is not too unfamiliar for me. The likability of these characters is hard, because at some point of another you've been them. I ended up finishing Tell Me Lies , questioning myself as a person, but also how to work on myself and learn to prevent missteps in the future.
Thank you Atria Books and Netgalley for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review. I've just launched my blog at if you'd like to see my latest reviews.
August 10, 2024
I havent been this captivated by a book IN MONTHS! I seriously could not put it down!! If you need a thriller/toxic romance you MUST READ! I can conclude Stephen Demarco is officially my most hated male main character EVER bc WTF?!? Insufferable but it makes it SO GOOD OMG.
Deff look up the TW!
But omg so good, so different from the show!
Deff look up the TW!
But omg so good, so different from the show!
June 12, 2018
This book was wild. This book took me right back to college, to a time where hormones and alcohol and insecurities rolled out the red carpet for bad decisions and toxic relationships. I feel like every one of us has been a Lucy at some point, or a Diana, or a Pippa. And we all know a Stephen, unfortunately. And as brutal as it is to take this journey with Lucy, as frustratingly clear as our own hindsight reveals her path to us, we've still all been there, wanting something that is so terribly wrong for us just because it's out of reach.
This story is hauntingly relatable for much of it. Sure, there are twists and dark turns that elevate it into a story that is both shocking and riveting and crazier than any life experiences I've had personally. But the bones of it are so real, so ugly, so honest. Tell Me Lies is a seriously twisted story of a college student convincing herself that something toxic and unhealthy is actually something perfect. It's a story of desperation and narcissism. It's a story of growing and learning and having to go through a whole lot of unsavory experiences in order to learn and grow and change.
Stephen is pretty horrible. At first, I saw every college guy in him. He just wants to get laid. He's selfish and self serving. He cheats on his girlfriend. He's a partier and a drinker and he says all the right things, flirts with every girl in the room, is underhanded and can manipulate any situation to make himself seem like a solid guy. We all knew that guy in college. But as this story unfolds, as Stephen shares more of himself from his own twisted point of view, it becomes disturbingly clear that there's something way off about Stephen. His unpredictable personally makes for a story that's precisely that.
These characters are so hard to like at times and I think it's because they represent everything we should've done differently at their age. They can't see beyond the superficial things they want. They don't see how self absorbed they are, or how ridiculous their behavior is, or how they should want more than what they're settling for. As infuriating as it is to watch, Lovering's portrayal of twenty somethings trying to figure out love and life while their perspectives are clouded by emotions and drugs and alcohol is disturbingly accurate.
Tell Me Lies is a story about a character who loses herself and finds herself thanks to the manipulative, detached, charming, deplorable guy she meets in college. This book is kind of a mindf*ck for so many reasons. I didn't know whether to throw my kindle in rage over the games Stephen plays or if I should just shake my head in shock over all that he gets away with. But it's kind of a kick to the stomach as well because I related to this story in ways I'm ashamed to admit. I've been a Lucy and I've been a Diana and I sold myself short by allowing myself to be treated like crap, let myself cry over a guy that was never worth it, and let myself stupidly grasp at straws for a relationship that I never should've held on to. This is NOT a feel good story. It's a cautionary tale for every college girl who will undoubtedly lose themselves in a guy. It's a hypnotic novel of heartache and desperation. It's funny in a baffling way, shockingly shameless and it's unputdownable the whole way through. This is one of those books that you know can't end well and you are SILENTLY PRAYING that it doesn't because what these characters desperately want is exactly what SHOULDN'T happen. Tell Me Lies is unlike anything I've ever read, a mind boggling portrayal of dysfunction that never felt good to read yet I couldn't look away. It's peppered with twists and turns that left my chin on the floor and knots in my stomach and a desperate need to get away from it despite the fact that I just couldn't put it down. And it ends in a way that is unsettling but right all at once. I was entertained. I was transfixed. I really enjoyed this story in a sick, twisted way and I look forward to much more from Carola Lovering.
This story is hauntingly relatable for much of it. Sure, there are twists and dark turns that elevate it into a story that is both shocking and riveting and crazier than any life experiences I've had personally. But the bones of it are so real, so ugly, so honest. Tell Me Lies is a seriously twisted story of a college student convincing herself that something toxic and unhealthy is actually something perfect. It's a story of desperation and narcissism. It's a story of growing and learning and having to go through a whole lot of unsavory experiences in order to learn and grow and change.
Stephen is pretty horrible. At first, I saw every college guy in him. He just wants to get laid. He's selfish and self serving. He cheats on his girlfriend. He's a partier and a drinker and he says all the right things, flirts with every girl in the room, is underhanded and can manipulate any situation to make himself seem like a solid guy. We all knew that guy in college. But as this story unfolds, as Stephen shares more of himself from his own twisted point of view, it becomes disturbingly clear that there's something way off about Stephen. His unpredictable personally makes for a story that's precisely that.
These characters are so hard to like at times and I think it's because they represent everything we should've done differently at their age. They can't see beyond the superficial things they want. They don't see how self absorbed they are, or how ridiculous their behavior is, or how they should want more than what they're settling for. As infuriating as it is to watch, Lovering's portrayal of twenty somethings trying to figure out love and life while their perspectives are clouded by emotions and drugs and alcohol is disturbingly accurate.
Tell Me Lies is a story about a character who loses herself and finds herself thanks to the manipulative, detached, charming, deplorable guy she meets in college. This book is kind of a mindf*ck for so many reasons. I didn't know whether to throw my kindle in rage over the games Stephen plays or if I should just shake my head in shock over all that he gets away with. But it's kind of a kick to the stomach as well because I related to this story in ways I'm ashamed to admit. I've been a Lucy and I've been a Diana and I sold myself short by allowing myself to be treated like crap, let myself cry over a guy that was never worth it, and let myself stupidly grasp at straws for a relationship that I never should've held on to. This is NOT a feel good story. It's a cautionary tale for every college girl who will undoubtedly lose themselves in a guy. It's a hypnotic novel of heartache and desperation. It's funny in a baffling way, shockingly shameless and it's unputdownable the whole way through. This is one of those books that you know can't end well and you are SILENTLY PRAYING that it doesn't because what these characters desperately want is exactly what SHOULDN'T happen. Tell Me Lies is unlike anything I've ever read, a mind boggling portrayal of dysfunction that never felt good to read yet I couldn't look away. It's peppered with twists and turns that left my chin on the floor and knots in my stomach and a desperate need to get away from it despite the fact that I just couldn't put it down. And it ends in a way that is unsettling but right all at once. I was entertained. I was transfixed. I really enjoyed this story in a sick, twisted way and I look forward to much more from Carola Lovering.
July 22, 2018
If I could give this zero stars I would. This book was horrible and maybe of the worst books I read in 2018. The problem? Nothing happened, it was painfully boring and I hated all the characters. Not hate buy simply didn't care a single damn about any of the character. It went nowhere and I could care less about their toxic relationship. Also the writing felt painfully juvenile.
I couldn't even finish it. It was just insufferable.
I couldn't even finish it. It was just insufferable.
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