Author: Stacy Wise
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: January 2021
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Buy The Book: Amazon | BN | Audible
Description: For three women with so much to hide, there’s no such thing as a little white lie…
All three women who live at 1054 Mockingbird Lane have secrets…and with a body at the bottom of their apartment building’s staircase, those secrets need to stay buried.
Sylvia Webb has a plan. And a potential Mr. Right. He’s sweet, simple, and dependably clueless about what she’s up to. The only thing unpredictable about him is his needy ex-girlfriend, who is this close to shattering Sylvia’s dreams. But Sylvia’s not going to let that happen.
Riki McFarlan has a good career and an amazing boyfriend who wants to settle down. If only she didn’t have feelings for her neighbor—who happens to be her close friend’s husband. With everything going so right, why is Riki flirting with something so wrong, so…dangerous?
Embry Taylor is as devoted to her children as she is to her husband, who’s a bartender by night, an aspiring actor by day. She is his biggest fan. But with his career not taking off and tensions high, even sweet Embry has something she’s desperate to keep hidden.
Lies, secrets, and revenge. For three neighbors with stakes so high, someone is headed for a downfall.
My Thoughts: So, first of all, this book’s description is very misleading. I started this book expecting a murder mystery or domestic thriller since I was told in advance there was a body at the bottom of the stairs. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Where is this dang body? Who dies? When the corpse finally makes its appearance, the book is pretty much done. Not sure there needed to be a body in the first place, at least not that body.
That issue is pretty much the only problem I had with this story. The rest of the story was riveting. Getting to know the residents of 1054 Mockingbird Lane and what a bunch of liars these people turn out to be was quite entertaining. First, we have Sylvia. She’s a hard person to get to know. She plays her cards very close to the chest. She longs to find the perfect man to father her future perfect child. The problem is that the man she has set her sights on is already married, but she doesn’t know that. Yet…she hates being lied to and when she discovers the deception, she devises a plan that she hopes will get her everything she wants, even if she has to tell a few lies herself.
Next up is Riki, a young woman who seems to have her life together. She is dating a nice guy who appears to want to take their relationship to the next level and she’s teaching at an exclusive private school. If she could just get past lusting over her neighbor’s husband and pull her head out of her posterior, she might find happiness is within her reach.
Lastly, we have Embry. She’s a stay-at-home mom with two small children. Her husband is the hottie that Riki is fantasizing about and his career consists of a lot of auditions and a lot of rejections. There’s a lot of tension and worry in the household and Embry isn’t coming clean about the new bun in the oven.
The tension in this quaint apartment complex continues to build when the property owner dies and her money-grubbing bum of a son shows up with dollar signs in his eyes, looking to sell the property as quickly as possible. Real estate is not cheap in Hollywood and the tenants are less than pleased with his plans, especially since he won’t fix the broken stair outside Sylvia’s apartment. Honestly, someone is going to take a fall and things are going to get ugly. I tell you this story just pulled me in and I was spellbound, unable to look away and in high anticipation of what would happen next.
The story flows very smoothly, for so much going on and so many people to keep track of, but the author does it well with each chapter’s focus on a different tenant. The characters are well-written, making it easy for me to get to know them and understand what is happening, even if I don’t necessarily like any of them. Each of these women have strengths and weaknesses and I would probably want to get to know them better, though I would probably agree with Riki and Embry that Sylvia is hard to get to know.
My Final Verdict: I have not read anything by this author before and will definitely be looking for more of her written works. I recommend this book to readers who like lots of drama with each layer revealed bringing more drama but keeping the story fun and entertaining.
Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of Lie, Lie Again from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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