19 June 2025

Twisty, tense, and emotionally charged—The Lies You Told is another gripping addition to Harriet Tyce’s dark domestic thrillers, and a strong finish to her backlist.

From the very first chapter, I felt immersed in Sadie Roper’s world: a woman navigating single motherhood, a messy return to a cutthroat legal career, and the brutal social politics of the school gate. Tyce does a brilliant job of layering the tension—both psychological and situational—without ever losing the emotional thread that makes Sadie’s journey so compelling.

The elite North London school setting is claustrophobic and cutthroat, and Tyce captures the toxic dynamics of playground politics perfectly. The way social alliances form and fracture, the subtle manipulation and exclusion—it’s all disturbingly believable. Sadie is such a relatable protagonist: flawed, overwhelmed, but doing her best to stay afloat while everything around her threatens to crumble. You can’t help but root for her, even as you start to suspect that the people she trusts most may not have her best interests at heart.

This book is less about a single shocking twist and more about the slow, creeping sense of dread as the walls close in. Tyce is a master of psychological pressure, and that skill is on full display here. Every new detail adds another layer of unease, right up to a satisfying, emotional payoff.

Having read all of Harriet Tyce’s books now, I can say she’s incredibly consistent in delivering complex female protagonists, morally grey situations, and darkly realistic narratives. The Lies You Told may be quieter than Blood Orange, but it’s no less powerful—and it left me thinking about the costs of loyalty, the dangers of underestimating people, and the lies we tell ourselves to survive.