The Better Liar by Tanen Jones

Cover art from GoodReads

I was given an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. 

The Better Liar  hit stores today. For fans of thrillers, this one is a fairly decent one. It was a bit slow to start off, but about 50% of the way through I couldn't put it down. I'm sure I looked strange reading it at my desk on my phone, but I had to know what was going on. 

The story starts with Leslie looking for her sister Robin, in order to get some money she needs from their deceased father's estate. The problem is that Robin is dead, and there is only Mary, a look alike actress with an unknown past. Mary agrees to pretend to be Robin to help Leslie, but there's a huge twist to it all. It's hard to go into any more detail without spoiling, and I don't want to do that. 

I will say that I saw one of the twists coming, I just wasn't sure WHY it was the way it was until the end. This book kept me guessing just enough to make me want to read but not enough so that I was confused and frustrated. 

Trigger Warning: In this book there is a description of miscarriage, suicide, and a fairly accurate description of postpartum depression. That last one is a resounding theme throughout the book, and having read the author's note at the end where she says she is not a mother, I was impressed with her ability to write about PPD knowing she had not suffered from it herself. 

Not to get on my soapbox, but PPD is more common than we tend to think. It is something that is not widely talked about, because it can make the sufferer feel like she is unnatural or like she is a failure at being a mother. The truth is that being a mom is HARD. Everyone has their struggles, and if we don't talk about it, we're all just going to suffer in silence. And that's not doing anyone any good. I admire Tanen Jones for taking a taboo subject and starting a much needed conversation on it.