White Lies by Lucy Dawson

I received an ARC from Net Galley and publisher Bookouture in exchange for an honest review.

Now this was a good one.

I read a lot of thrillers and yet I haven't really read anything like White Lies. The story starts with our doctor protagonist Alex sleeping with a random guy she meets in Ibiza, only to return home to realise that she has accidentally slept with a teenage patient of hers. The story flips perspectives so you hear her side first, followed by Jonathan's and then some other characters' as well for good measure. This is the kind of thriller that makes you doubt everything the characters say, but in a really enjoyable way that means you can't put the book down. I loved how the reader was made to doubt Alex and how this was mirrored by the doubts of both the media and her husband in-story. I also liked how Alex was kept at a little bit of a distance from the reader in comparison to the other characters, despite her being the first POV we get. Not returning to her head after we hear Jonathan's side continued that doubt and kept the reader guessing in a really effective way.

In general, the writing style here is very good. All the characters are well-developed and have a unique voice to them. The only minor gripe I had was that the author seemed to have certain vendettas which unfortunately leaked their way into the story. For example, at one point a character complains about how people can become famous on Youtube for doing nothing, and this is mentioned again later by a different character. It's not plot-relevant and it seems like Dawson just wanted to rant a little about social media. There are a few little moments like that with the teenage characters as well which just seem a bit off. However, I have read far worse-written teenage characters, especially in thrillers.

Overall, this was a nice little surprise in a genre I am very familiar with. The actual mystery aspect isn't too complicated which bumped down the rating a little, though there was still an unexpected moment or two. The strength of this thriller is the characters and how you get invested in finding out which ones you can trust, and it is this that drives the book rather than lots of surprising twists and dramatic happenings. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely seek out more from the author.

Overall Rating:

.5