Review: Lovers and Liars

Lovers and Liars by Amanda Eyre Ward
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I really don't know if I can give this book a star rating, but a 5-star rating seems appropriate.

As you can tell, this book is about lies; it is also about a family of 3 sisters, a mother, and the men in almost all their lives. This book had me feeling several emotions as I was reading it. I had a twisty, anxious feeling in my stomach for some parts, deep anger for other parts, and a nearly ho-hum feeling for a lot of it. But this book blended these parts well and kept me fascinated, so that I just had to finish it!

One sister - Sylvie - annoyed me with her dreaminess and longing for her long-dead husband (I know that sounds cold, but if you read this book, I think you'll see what I mean). Another sister -Emma- is keeping a HUGE secret (lie) from her husband that may destroy her family, and the last sister- Chloe- just can't seem to get her act together romantically even though she is an intelligent, sharp-witted woman.

Sylvie is getting married, and the whole family, including their estranged *itch of a mother, is going to England to a castle to see it happen. Of course, this castle happens to be Sylvie's fiance's castle!

Things go from excellent to bad to worse and then to nearly excellent again.

Everything is tied up neatly in a nice epilogue.

A perfect beach read, in my opinion. This was a fast read, told from three different views, and kept me riveted.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Ballantine Books/Random House, the author, and NetGalley. My thanks.


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SYNOPSIS : " Three wildly different sisters reunite for a destination wedding at an English castle in this heartfelt and rollicking novel from the New York Times bestselling author of The Jetsetters.

Once upon a time, the Peacock sisters were little girls who combed each other’s tangled hair. But decades of secrets have led them to separate lives—and to telling lies, to themselves and to one another.

Sylvie is getting married. Again. A librarian and widow who soothes her grief by escaping into books (and shelving them perfectly), Sylvie has caught the attention of an unlikely match: Simon Rampling, a mysterious, wealthy man from Northern England. Sylvie allows herself to imagine a life beside him—one filled with the written word, kindness, and companionship. She’s ready to love again . . . or is she?

Cleo is the golden child. A successful criminal defense lawyer with the perfect boyfriend, she is immediately suspicious of Simon. Is he really who he says he is? Cleo heads to Mumberton Castle with a case of investigative files, telling herself she will expose Simon and save her sister from more heartbreak . . . but who is she really trying to save?

Emma is living a lie. She can’t afford this fancy trip—and she definitely can’t tell her husband and sons why. She once dreamt of a line of her own perfumes. Fragrances allowed her to speak in silence. Now, that tendency for silence only worsens her situation. Will she emerge with her dignity and family intact?

When their toxic mother shows up, the sisters assume the roles they fell into to survive their childhood . . . but they just might find the courage to make new choices.

Set over a spectacularly dramatic weekend, in the grand halls of a sprawling castle estate—amidst floor-to-ceiling libraries, falconry lessons, and medieval meals—Lovers and Liars is the unforgettable story of a family’s ability to forgive and to find joy in one another once again."