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Cover of Tell me lies

Tell me lies

Carola Lovering

384 pages

A thrilling, dual-perspective dive into the intoxicating and destructive gravity of the one person you can not let go of.

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What it feels like

This thrilling, sexy coming-of-age story pulls the reader into the intoxicating and suffocating atmosphere of a toxic romance. Alternating between two distinct, psychologically complex voices, the narrative moves with a propulsive, addictive energy that mirrors the central relationship itself. The mood is seductive yet tense, steeped in ruthless ambition, hidden secrets, and the lingering shadows of past betrayals. With biting wit and sharp psychological insight, the prose captures the devastating gravity of an entanglement you know is wrong but cannot escape. It is a dark, compelling read designed for those who devour stories about messy, obsessive love, the painful process of confronting deep-rooted familial wounds, and the dangerous allure of the person who haunts you long after they are gone.

Mood
  • intoxicating
  • toxic
  • tense
  • seductive
Tone
  • biting
  • psychological
  • sexy
  • cynical
Pace
propulsive
Themes
toxic relationships · coming-of-age · ruthless ambition · maternal betrayal · addictive love
The writing
Sharp and psychologically insightful, alternating between two distinct, compelling voices with biting wit.
The arc
Moves from the intoxicating thrill of a fresh start into the suffocating grip of an addictive, toxic entanglement, culminating in a necessary confrontation with past wounds.
Who it's for
Readers who crave dark, sexy coming-of-age stories about the messy, addictive relationships that are impossible to walk away from.
Content notes
  • toxic relationships
  • betrayal
  • emotional manipulation

About the book

"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"--

Description from Open Library.

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