Review: A Suitable Lie by @michaelJmalone1 @OrendaBooks


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Release date: January 1, 2017

Publisher: Orenda Books

Genre: Psychological Thriller 

Blurb: 

Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match, and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it—a dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. 

Review: 

Remember a few months back when I was raving everywhere I possibly could about Behind Closed Doors? I even said it was domestic noir at its finest. I still adore that book, but A Suitable Lie is edging it out of it’s spot now. This book really gets under your skin, it consumes you and I mean that in the best possible way. 

I don’t think this is a huge spoiler, but just in case here is your warning. Andy and Anna are in a abusive relationship, but the unique twist here is that Anna is the abuser and Andy is the victim. There are loads of books about domestic violence where women are being abused, but there are not many with a male victim. Malone sheds some light on an important issue in a profound and harrowing manner. 

I totally fell in love with Andy right from the start. He’s bold, funny, vivacious, strong, and loving. He’s a single father as his first wife, Patricia passed away. When he meets Anna, he’s immediately drawn to her and as they fall in love he feels like the happiest man alive. As soon as the marriage begins, Anna reveals a side of herself that is ugly and cold. As the story progresses, watching the breakdown of Andy truly broke my heart. Seeing him shrink and wither away before my eyes was both upsetting and unsettling. He became a shell of his own self and was almost completely unrecognizable. The beauty of this unraveling is that as a reader I was able to experience the awful transformation of Andy right along with him. This brought up so many different feelings that by the end, I was emotionally spent. I don’t mean that in a negative way, it was quite the experience and it left a lasting impression with me that I won’t soon forget.

A Suitable Lie is exquisitely crafted and tightly plotted. Watching a dysfunctional relationship was much like watching a car accident in that I couldn’t look away even if it was painful to watch. This book is truly special and unforgettable, I was moved to tears more than once but there were also moments of joy and laughter. I can’t recommend it more highly and I only hope that my review conveyed how highly I regard both this novel and the author. 

Overall rating: 5/5

Thanks to Karen at Orenda Books for my review copy.

24 thoughts on “Review: A Suitable Lie by @michaelJmalone1 @OrendaBooks”

  1. Annie says:
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    This was a wonderful book! My only complaint was the work story, I found it a bit predictable. But the central storyline was so gripping! Andy was great , but I think my favorite “husband” this year was the one from Distress Signals.

    Now I’m reading A Mother’s Confession which I know you also loved and it also deals with this… I don’t remember, but have you read Between you and me? YOU NEED TO READ IT haha

    Liked by 2 people

  4. amandalynn9204 says:
    Reply

    Ok, the twist around of the woman being the abuser has me SO interested! I have been waiting for a great book to portray that type of abuse so I must read this. And a bit higher on the ranks than Behind Closed Doors which I absolutely loved!? Even more reason for me to read it. Your review was fantastic, can’t wait to get my hands on A Suitable Lie!

    Liked by 1 person

  8. Donna says:
    Reply

    Andy has become of one of my favorite characters. I fell in love with him so fast! It’s impossible to stay cold faced with such a great man. A Suitable Lie is on my top 3 of the year, I just devoured it and suffered from a massive hangover after. The writing is brilliant, the emotions are raw and painful and I couldn’t help but hope. I was so happy to see the roles being reversed. Malone has done a great job with it.

    Liked by 1 person

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