The Lies I Tell (Julie Clark)

An intelligently conceptualized world of a con artist with a flawless delivery. The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark is an exciting tale of revenge, deception and morality. The book benefits from a unique plot, a never told before story – which makes it so exhilarating. The fast paced and crisp writing makes this book truly unputdownable. Since this was my first Julie Clark book, I wasn’t sure what to expect. And to be honest, I am left marveling at the beauty of it!

The Lies I Tell is the story of Meg Williams. Having being swindled out of their home, Meg and her terminally ill mother are forced to live out of their car until her mother finally passes, leaving Meg all by herself. There are some gripping accounts of the problems that present and how she survives dependent upon her dates she manages to attain on dating apps. With a steel resolve and desire to survive, how she pulls herself out of the mess, and ultimately becoming the con artist who finally avenges her mother’s wrongdoer.

And as we talk of Meg, I feel this is a character you cannot help but fall in love with. I simply love such characters. Someone socially awkward – the odd one out in a group, either laughed upon as The Bag Lady, or totally ignored as non-existent. It is quite a thing to see how a little act of kindness comes back to you in some form when you least expect it. Kristen had shown kindness towards Meg when none did, and long after they lost touch – Meg returns the kindness by destroying Kristen’s culprit in the most remarkable manner – quite aware that Kristen may never even get to know of it. She still honors Kristen’s Girl Code.

As you read through, you marvel at how Meg perfects her skills – relentless and determined. You also realize the goodness in her heart. She is a con artist all right. But she does so with a good ulterior cause, returning some power to the ones who were robbed of it. Her victims are only those who have wronged someone vulnerable and weak. All the while she adheres to Kristen’s Girl Code of helping other women whenever you can.

There are in all three such heists detailed in this book. First with Cory, next of Phillip and then the ultimate revenge on Ron Ashton. These form the highlight of this book and are most enjoyable as Meg goes about her job, restoring some justice in her own way! Each of these is a joy to read. Absolutely entertaining and delightful. A most thrilling experience which catapults this book to the top. Worth an applause.

Kat and Meg: In addition to these, there is this cat-and-mouse parallel story of Kat Roberts running along. Kat, who holds Meg responsible for her misfortune, is all along trying to uncover Meg’s truth and expose her. It makes for a scintillating read as this part of the story brings in it’s own small set of suspense and revelations. While Kat gets caught in an inexplicable debt, its a tossup between her beau Scott and Meg – as to who is responsible and targeting her. Meg’s handling of Scott is outrageously hilarious and admirable.

One also must not forget the significance of friendships in this absorbing story. While Meg is always genuine in her friendships, she has no choice but to keep leaving them behind being a con artist. Be it her loyalty towards Kristen, her best pal Cal or her friendship with Kat – they were all real. And this emotion touches you somewhere.

A fascinating facet of The Lies I Tell is the smart use of social media and the internet. The way Meg creates those fake profiles on The Love Circle dating site to extract the intimate details about Cory is simply astonishing. And later the use of Insta to get to Veronica. What a mind really! A mind that can work in this manner! Hah leaves you awestruck at how simple yet lethal it is to mine the info out as you need it!

Conclusion:

The Lies I Tell is typically the sort of book that has shades of grey. A story where your protagonist is an antihero in some ways. Where she does some bad for a bigger good. The backstory, the motive or the cause that more than justifies the act. And you can only love the character at the end. Be it The Lost Apothercary, The Maid or A Tidy Ending – they all exemplify this theme. And I truly have loved all these books. They have something different from the routine, a running excitement throughout and a tinge of grey that makes them alluring. Even their protagonists were somewhat similar being a bit eccentric or socially awkward. And it is the same with The Lies I Tell. It is a most original plot, intelligent writing and perfect execution. The end of this book is most fitting and will have you applaud at this wonderful read that leaves nothing amiss. Julie Clark doesn’t put a foot wrong in this book.

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