This is the latest novel from author Jaime Lynn Hendricks. Her debut novel, FINDING TESSA, won a “Best of 2021” in the debut category from Suspense Magazine. Jaime spent over twenty years in the printing industry before becoming an author. She lives in Florida with her husband.
In 1999, during the night of their senior picnic, Scarlett Russo and her best friend Pepper Wilson were involved in a car accident that left two of their classmates dead. Afterward, they lied to the police, stating that they were nowhere near the accident, protecting each other from the consequences. Afterwards, Pepper, who was pregnant at the time, left town for New York City, and Scarlett never heard from her again. The baby’s father was assumed to be Vince Russo, Pepper’s longterm boyfriend, but Vince was never made aware of the pregnancy. In a twist of fate, a few years later, Scarlett also becomes pregnant with Vince’s child after a drunken night together, and the two decide to marry for the sake of their child.
Seventeen years later, Scarlett has built a comfortable life for herself, working in a hotel on the west coast of Florida and raising her teenage son, but she remains in a loveless marriage with Vince. Her peace is disrupted, however, when twenty-one-year-old Zoey Wilson, Pepper’s daughter, shows up with news of Pepper’s death. Zoey has a cryptic letter from Pepper addressed to Scarlett that alludes to the night of the fatal accident and Pepper’s initial intentions to get an abortion. Zoey wants answers about what happened on the night of the senior picnic and also wants to know who her father is. Scarlett wants nothing more than for Zoey to go away, as she knows that Vince is likely Zoey’s father, and this revelation will only wreak havoc in their family.
As Zoey continues to dig into the past, all of Scarlett’s secrets threaten to rise to the surface. Scarlett informs Vince of what’s happening, and Vince agrees to do a paternity test to determine if he’s Zoey’s father. When the test results are revealed, Zoey becomes even more determined to unravel her mother’s lies. Meanwhile, Scarlett will stop at nothing to keep the truth from coming out and keep her family safe.
This is a wildly entertaining, fast-paced, “secrets and lies” domestic thriller. The storyline is straightforward and has a slow burn of building intensity. The story alternates timelines between present-day and 1999, from both Scarlett’s and Pepper’s perspectives. This enables the audience to clearly see how each character evolves throughout the book and also to better understand this multi-layered story. What’s especially pleasing is that the twists and revelations are scattered throughout the story and not just presented at the end.
There’s a fairly small cast of characters who are all entangled, making for both a messy and engrossing story. Each character has their own flaws and suspicions, making the unravelling of mysterious two-decade-old deaths more complex and intriguing! Despite all her lies and secrets, Scarlett is a very likeable character, willing to do anything to keep her family together and her son protected. Her constant antics to be one step ahead of Zoey are both hilarious and compelling. In the end, both Scarlett and Zoey have to come to terms with the hands they are dealt, and their subsequent decision-making and attitudes are quite admirable.
After all the drama, revelations, and final pleasing twists, the ending feels a bit rushed compared to the rest of the book. It would have been more effective to have included an additional chapter or epilogue that matched the intensity and entertainment value of the rest of the book.
Narrator Hillary Huber delivers another standout performance, keeping listeners fully immersed in all the drama and elevating the entertainment value of the story. Hubert’s portrayal of Scarlett is especially impressive and captivating, as she uses a wide range of emotion and dark humour to convey a woman suddenly faced with her life unravelling and secrets exposed. Huber delivers an equally impressive and contrasting portrayal of Zoey. Huber’s narration of the dialogue between Zoey and Scarlett is full of dramatic flair and suspense, making for a very enjoyable listen.
If you’re looking for a domestic thriller with delicious characters, a fast-paced plot, and some pleasing twists, look no further than The Lovely Lie. Since the audiobook is expertly narrated and fully entertaining, it is definitely the preferred medium for enjoying this story!
