Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena

Shari Lapena has been writing thrillers since at least 2009, several of her books becoming international bestsellers. Everyone Here is Lying was released in July of 2023 and became one of those bestsellers. My uncle read it first, who gave it to my grandmother, who gave it to my sister, who passed it to me. We all liked it. It deals with child abuse and child death, infidelity, mental illness, confinement, toxic relationship, violence, kidnapping, murder, and injury detail, but it was a very easy read.

When Avery Wooler's older brother gets to choir practice to pick her up for their walk home, he finds out that she was sent home early for being disruptive. When he gets home, she isn't there yet. That is the beginning of the search for Avery Wooler, who no one has seen since she left school that day. As the police question the families that live on the street, they discover secret after secret, destroying families and ruining reputations. But will they find Avery?

This book held my attention from the very first chapter. I liked none of the characters except for one very minor character that had a sizzling one-liner. To be completely transparent, that character had maybe four lines total. That being said, I read this book very quickly and it held my attention the entire time. The writing was good, the story was different than I expected, the characters were mostly believable. It was nothing transcendent or ground breaking, but if you're looking for an easy, interesting read to get you out of a slump, this may be the book for you.

I'm giving Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena 4 stars out of 5. I enjoyed it, it was one of the rare books that I liked while simultaneously disliking every character.

For more from the author, check out their website at https://www.sharilapena.com/

Pairs well with a grilled cheese and a having a treehouse for the kids (or for yourself).