Our Little Lies by Sue Watson | Book Review | (@suewatsonwriter @bookouture) #OurLittleLies

Published by Bookouture

Available in ebook and paperback (11 October 2018)

318 pages

My thanks to Kim Nash of Bookouture for the invitation to take part in the blog blitz for Sue Watson’s first foray into the psychological thriller genre with Our Little Lies.  Illness prevented me from posting this on Saturday for the blitz.

|   About the Book   |

Marianne has a life others dream of. A beautiful townhouse on the best street in the neighbourhood. Three bright children who are her pride and joy.

Sometimes her past still hurts: losing her mother, growing up in foster care. But her husband Simon is always there. A successful surgeon, he’s the envy of every woman they’ve ever met. Flowers, gifts, trips to France – nothing is too good for his family.

Then Simon says another woman’s name. The way he lingers on it, Caroline, gives Marianne a shudder of suspicion, but she knows she can’t entertain this flash of paranoia.

In the old days, she’d have distracted herself at work, but Marianne left her glamorous career behind when she got married. She’d speak to a friend, but she’s too busy with her children and besides, Simon doesn’t approve of the few she has left.

It’s almost by accident that Marianne begins to learn more about Caroline. But once she starts, she can’t stop. Because what she finds makes her wonder whether the question she should be asking is not ‘should she be jealous’, but… ‘should she be scared’?

|   My Thoughts   |

Well what a change of genre for Sue Watson. From Lemon Cakes to the dark side!

To outsiders, Marianne and her successful, handsome surgeon husband Simon might seem to have the perfect life and marriage. Three lovely children, a beautiful house and a lifestyle to envy, however not everything is as it seems.

Marianne wants to be the perfect wife. She cleans and cooks and looks after the children so that her busy husband Simon isn’t bothered by the minutiae of domestic life. After all, he never stops telling her that he works long and hard to give her the house and the nice life and if he complains because there is a smear on the expensive German kitchen worktop or a crumb on the floor – well that’s his prerogative!

Marianne has had her share of past trauma and being of an anxious personality, she is still on medication which Simon encourages her to take. She trusts him implicitly – after all he is a doctor, he should know what is best for her.

The true nature of Marianne and Simon’s marriage is gradually laid bare in this domestic thriller with accusations, counter-accusations, allegations and denials. Just what is the truth – that is something the reader has to decide however the author doesn’t make it easy and is very good at sowing doubts in your mind.

Marianne’s medication causes memory issues and this, together with her fragile mental state, makes her the perfect unreliable narrator. As more of their married life was exposed I did feel some sympathy for Marianne – she came across as broken, and Simon as controlling in the extreme but I also found her exasperating at times; on occasions Marianne was her own worst enemy and I found myself cringing as she dug herself into a deeper hole giving Simon just the ammunition he needed.

Sue Watson kept up the tension and suspense all the way through very well, with the story becoming darker as it went on. Excellent characterisation together with the reference to stalking on social media and the use of hashtags in the narrative, made this a relevant and a realistic read.

I really enjoyed Our Little Lies, this was an impressive debut thriller and I would happily read more of this from Sue Watson.

|  About the Author   |

Sue Watson was a journalist then TV Producer at the BBC until she wrote her first book and was hooked.

She’s now written thirteen novels – many involving cake – and her books have been translated into Italian, German and Portuguese. Originally from Manchester, Sue now lives with her husband and teenage daughter in Worcestershire where much of her day is spent procrastinating while eating cake (for research purposes), and watching ‘My 600lb Life,’ on the sofa.

Sue explored the darker side of life for her latest book ‘Our Little Lies,’ a dark, psychological thriller completely devoid of cake. She’s hoping this change in direction will be reflected on the weighing scales.

Website   |   Twitter   |   Facebook   |   Amazon UK    |   Goodreads