January is a new year, a marking for a new beginning. A fresh start. That’s exactly what Sutton Montclair strives to do in J.T. Ellison’s novel Lie To Me, published September 5th, 2017. I really enjoyed reading this book a lot, I definitely had a hard time putting it down. It’s a physical thriller just filled with spice and suspense. It’s a very captivating story created by a talented writer. What I love the most about this book is the fact that you never really know what’s going on, even if you think that you figured it out. I’m gonna do my best to give this review without revealing too many major spoilers, but guys this book is such a fun read. And honestly, there are so many twists and turns so prepare yourself.
The story focuses on Ethan and Sutton Montclair, a wealthy and successful married couple who appears to be picture perfect – but that is far from the truth. The first half of the book focuses on Ethan who becomes the town’s newish gossip story after Sutton goes missing. It’s the typical stereotype, the wife goes missing and the husband is always suspect #1. Prying eyes, nosey neighbors, and a dedicated detective start to break down the facade of the perfect marriage between Ethan and Sutton. We jump around through the timeline of their relationship, slowly piecing together how their two paths crossed and slowly drifted apart. The author does an excellent job slowly leaving little clues to make you truly believe that Ethan is the reason she went missing. He’s not the good man that he markets himself to be, he’s a man with some flaws that can’t be overlooked. His charm and skills as a writer doesn’t hide the monster within.
The second half of the book focuses on Sutton, we follow her footsteps to days before she goes missing to the aftermath revealing where she went. It turns out, Sutton was never dead. She ran away to Paris. Shocking right, a rich woman wants to get away and the first place she goes is to France. Being married to Ethan Montclair is not for the weak hearted, but the same can be said about Sutton. You start the book thinking she’s the victim at the hands of her abusive husband. Then halfway through the book it clicks that both of them are messed up in their own ways and somehow balance each other out. They love and hate each other at the same time and it’s the most toxic relationship I’ve ever seen, oh my god. Those two deserve each other. What’s interesting is when we first meet them, they’re likeable people who you want to get together. Their chemistry is through the roof, they play off of each other perfectly. Their passion runs hot and heavy and it starts a chain reaction for the rest of their relationship. They experience a heart wrenching trauma early in their marriage that sets the tone for the controlled chaos that follows them.
In between the chapters focused on Ethan and Sutton, we have a third person narrator talking directly to us about them and how they were wronged by the happy couple. Now we do find out who the mystery figure is and the reveal blew my mind. Trust me when I say, you will not figure out who it is. At first I was lost, it felt like way too much was happening but once I got more into the reveal – everything clicked. Everything about Sutton suddenly makes perfect sense, her downfall happened long before she met Ethan. One thing I will say about the reveal, it did happen a little fast. There was a lot of build up to that point and once we find out who that person is, we only have like two chapters left. As a reader, I would’ve loved it if we had more time to really sit with the reveal and get a little more than confusion from everyone else. I wouldn’t say this took from the reveal, not at all, but I think it could’ve elevated it a little more but that’s for you guys to decide for yourself.
I wanna give a little shoutout to my girl Detective Holly Graham. She stole the show for me. I love her character so much. She’s this badass detective who immediately sees through the bullshit that is Ethan. She sees him for the fraud that he is while also seeing that Sutton is no better. She gives her all into solving this case. She’s such a likeable character, she’s a breath of fresh air in this town of fake frauds. She’s an unbiased point of view, it’s instinct to assume that Ethan did it but she’s one of the first to realize there is something bigger than Ethan’s ego going on in the Montclair home. She’s the real hero of the story if you ask me.
A prominent theme that I love throughout this novel is trauma and how it can really change a person. These characters go through so much in their lives, it’s no surprise they are the way they are. It doesn’t excuse some of the heinous actions they do but it shows how they came to make the decisions they did. They truly are products of their environment. The ending of the book really showcases that in my opinion. After all the heartache, trauma, lies, abuse – you would think their marriage comes to an end. No. It doesn’t. Ethan and Sutton are not only reunited but they are back to their “blissful” happy marriage with yet another huge secret lingering between them. They supposedly get their happy ending after realizing all the pain they put each other through stems from how much they love each other. Crazy, right? Just wait until you read it yourself. If you’re looking for a psychological thriller gone girl style – then this is the right book for you. Trust me. Let me know if you guys think!
– Lexi N. James
RealisticDreamer 