Tell Me Lies
A Novel
-
-
4.1 • 1.3K Ratings
-
-
- $13.99
Publisher Description
Now an original series on Hulu! Catch up on Season 1...Season 2 streaming now!
“A twisted modern love story” (Parade), Tell Me Lies is a sexy, thrilling novel about that one person who still haunts you—the other one. The wrong one. The one you couldn’t let go of. The one you’ll never forget.
Lucy Albright is far from her Long Island upbringing when she arrives on the campus of her small California college and happy to be hundreds of miles from her mother—whom she’s never forgiven for an act of betrayal in her early teen years. Quickly grasping at her fresh start, Lucy embraces college life and all it has to offer. And then she meets Stephen DeMarco. Charming. Attractive. Complicated. Devastating.
Confident and cocksure, Stephen sees something in Lucy that no one else has, and she’s quickly seduced by this vision of herself, and the sense of possibility that his attention brings her. Meanwhile, Stephen is determined to forget an incident buried in his past that, if exposed, could ruin him, and his single-minded drive for success extends to winning, and keeping, Lucy’s heart.
Lucy knows there’s something about Stephen that isn’t to be trusted. Stephen knows Lucy can’t tear herself away. And their addicting entanglement will have consequences they never could have imagined.
Alternating between Lucy’s and Stephen’s voices, Tell Me Lies follows their connection through college and post-college life in New York City. “Readers will be enraptured” (Booklist) by the “unforgettable beauties in this very sexy story” (Kirkus Review). With the psychological insight and biting wit of Luckiest Girl Alive, and the yearning ambitions and desires of Sweetbitter, this keenly intelligent and supremely resonant novel chronicles the exhilaration and dilemmas of young adulthood and the difficulty of letting go—even when you know you should.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
We were totally into this risqué drama about a young woman’s challenges of growing up and letting go. College student Lucy is trying to escape the orbit of her overpowering mother when she meets Stephen, a guy so alluring—and so terribly manipulative—that she instantly becomes obsessed. Switching between the past and the present, Carola Lovering digs deep into her characters’ psychology, showing us what fuels Lucy’s hopes, fears, and unhealthy attachment as well as Stephen’s disturbing tendencies. From teen angst to college antics to trying to make it big in New York City, this is a beguiling and sometimes shocking coming-of-age story.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Lovering's winning debut chronicles the on-again, off-again relationship between beautiful Lucy Albright and the charismatic sociopath Stephen DeMarco. As a freshman at California's Baird College in 2017, Lucy is depressed and still disturbed by the memory of glimpsing her mother having sex with a younger guy when she was 14. She keeps her knowledge of the incident a secret until she has a heart-to-heart with Stephen, a junior whose mother is bipolar. Lucy misinterprets Stephen's reaction, thinking he cares for her, when, in reality, Stephen is a calculating, unempathetic person who has a history of cheating on his girlfriends. He views Lucy as his latest conquest. While alternating Stephen and Lucy's points of view, Lovering does an excellent job of showing how Lucy's depression drives her codependency. Stephen's sections allow for a look at his remorseless Machiavellian sensibilities: unable to genuinely feel affection, he studies people in order to learn how to act normal and get what he wants. The story falters slightly when one too many coincidences pile up, but that doesn't detract from this potent novel or its strong characters. Correction: An earlier version of this review misspelled the author's name.
Customer Reviews
Book & Tv Show are two different stories, in a good way.
Okay, I’ll admit it, I watched the show first. The show is great because the rewrites turn it into a completely different story with the same character names. Definitely 10/10 recommend the show.
As for the book, just as good but in a different way. The book is more relatable and it is a page turner. I finished this book in 2 days, I absolutely loved the story and the way the book was written with both Stephens & Lucy’s sides of the story. Unfortunately, I felt the ending was rushed. Didn’t love how Macy’s storyline ended (wanted more from stephen in that department) and felt like we could’ve gotten more from Stephens and Lucy’s relationship as well. Overall 8.5/10 book, would recommend.
Heart Wrenching and Incredible
Tell Me Lies is a fav TV show, so had to read the book. 1000% better than the show even! Couldn’t put it down.
Quit comparing to the show
The book came first, okay.
Look i get it, the show is sexy, dramatic, & has that dark toxic fantasy quality everyone jumps on.
The book is REAL & delves into the mindset of these two characters, more than their actions.
That’s what makes it hard to translate to film & why Hulu changed a million things. If they made show stephen like book stephen, the audience would have a stomachache. It wouldn’t be sexy. The book isn’t trying to be sexy.
The book is relatable & i would suggest ALL YA women give it a read. Most of us have been Lucy.