Book review: The Lies Our Children Tell by Lisa Timoney

Genre: Mystery

Release date: January 7, 2026

Goodreads rating: 4.25

My rating: 4

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How well do we really know the people closest to us? Lisa Timoney’s newest book, The Lies Our Children Tell, delves into this question.

This story follows Nicky, a recently separated mom who—following a difficult relationship—heads to Greece with her longtime friend Sabine, hoping for a restorative holiday. Instead, she finds herself in a tense situation when her daughter Lola strikes up a romantic relationship with Elias, Sabine’s son. When Nicky spots a suspicious bruise on Lola’s leg, tensions rise between the two families… but it’s unclear exactly what happened and whose perspective you should trust.

I was invested in this story. I enjoyed the format: short chapters and alternating points of view. I also enjoyed that Timoney builds suspense not through shock but through her characters’ fears.

A key theme in the book is parenting…  Nicky and Sabine have clashing parenting styles and as secrets slowly get revealed, it becomes interesting to see how these different parenting decisions may (or may not) have had an impact, or caused a ripple effect. In my opinion, Timoney masterfully pulls the reader into the fragile boundary between loving parental guidance and overprotection, and makes us question where that line truly lies.

It’s an absorbing domestic mystery that keeps you questioning everyone’s version of the truth until the end.

 Thank you to Boldwood Books and NetGalley for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

Trigger warning: domestic abuse

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