By: David Barker
Is it worth it to lie? How do lies build and impact relationships? Do you get what you want or does it all fall apart? Is truth the best way forward?
I read a lot of thrillers, mysteries and whodunnits – they are my main genre, so I was very interested to read ‘Count My Lies’ by Sophie Stava.
The publisher tells us that our main character, Sloane Caraway, is a liar (we discover this right at the start of the book) and that there are more liars and there is a dangerous truth.
They say it is a “read-in-one-night suspense thriller”. I read it in one day; it’s quite the page-turner!
Sloane sees her life as dull, she’s had to move around a bunch, she lives with her mum, while her dad is unknown and long gone.
Sloane is in her early 30’s – she lies to embellish her life so she can be liked and accepted.
This starts in her later childhood and grows from there.
She tells us she has been caught a couple of times and promises not to do it again, but… her desire to be liked and accepted continues to drive her habit of lying.
She longs for connection, friendship, safety and acceptance. She finds this with the Lockharts – Jay, Violet and their daughter Harper.
Friendships develop and deepen, and Sloane is invited into their lives.
Of course, not all is as it seems, and this is where the plot really develops and moves along at a good pace.
This is a good thriller and did not progress as I thought it would, which I really appreciated.
The journey does end, but is there happily ever after? I’ll leave you to decide.
This book made me reflect upon our perceived self-value, how others see us, how we want to be liked, have friends, and feel safe and accepted.
I kept thinking that we are all created in God’s image and so we have amazing worth from a God who knows and cares for us, just as we are, even if we might struggle to do this for ourselves.
God loves us always, we don’t have to be perfect or beautiful or have special skills, He loves us exactly as we are.
So, we can have confidence in Him, we don’t have to dress up for Him.
Who is telling lies? That is the interesting premise of this book. I think it works well.
I give ‘Count My Lies’ 3.5 stars out of five.
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
Feature image: Book Cover Used with Permission
