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Once upon a Lie cover art

Once upon a Lie

By: Lisa Ballantyne
Narrated by: Sarah Barron
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Summary

The truth can hurt...but a lie can hurt more....

The gripping and emotional new moral thriller from the Richard and Judy and international best-selling author of The Guilty One.

Clare and Lorraine have been friends since college and trust each other with their lives. So when Lorraine, a single mother, needs a much-needed night away without her children, she calls on Clare and her husband, Sam, to look after them. They're godparents - what could go wrong?

While Clare and Sam believe the children to be asleep, the unimaginable happens and Clare finds baby Theo lifeless in his room. The police are called. Statements are taken. But the biggest nightmare for any parent is about to spiral out of control. Because a lie has been told. An enormous and terrible one. 

Out of Clare, Sam and Lorraine, one of them isn't telling the truth.... 

A tragic, gripping and thought-provoking moral thriller, exploring the themes of parenthood and friendship and the murky grey areas between right and wrong.

©2020 Lisa Ballantyne (P)2020 Hachette Audio UK

What listeners say about Once upon a Lie

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A good twist

Story was ok but the backwards and forwards in time was confusing as the reader did not change her tone - also quite monotonous voice.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Almost perfect

Loved the excellent writing, and the narrator who truly brought the characters to life. However one star knocked off due to guessing very early in the book who had murdered the boy. This knowledge did detract from my overall enjoyment as I felt it was so obvious. Nevertheless a very good audiobook.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

A sad story, one I almost stopped listening to but glad I didn’t

I’m not keen on reviews as they can put people right off or encourage them to listen. They also say too much at the very beginning when the ending is almost disclosed. I guessed at the beginning of this but the ending still revealed a surprise. I wanted to stop listening half way through because it’s a sad story throughout, but I’m glad I stuck with it.This review isn’t telling you much only that it’s a book worth listening to but be aware it’s a sad, sensitive subject.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Highly recommended

Amazing book
Unique and believable storyline with so many different facets. Did not predict the end at all which makes it more enjoyable. Will be following this author closely now.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Brilliant

What a great read really good. A real page turner definitely recommend. The characters really good and loved the fact set in Edinburgh.

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3 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Good book

Guessed the ending very early on but I still enjoyed it. The narrator just sounds so depressed!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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the raw pain of it

loved the way this story dealt with the cycle of pregnancy and miscarriage, the raw pain of endless loss of a child with a real and honest empathy. Then it led us through the fallout of that loss, the endless aftermath of despair, guilt, separation; the slow rebuilding of a life that is different. Then there's that twist at the end.....

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book from one of my favourite authors

One of my favourite books is Lisa Ballantyne's The Guilty One, this new book is good but not in the same league. Essentially a child dies whilst in the care of friends understandably the fall out sees the friendship torn apart and lives changed forever. The characters are beautifully developed and I felt real empathy for the two women. The narration was also very good. I did sort of guess the end and found the lead up to the twist brilliant and very clever. A very satisfying listen from a good author.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Excellent

Excellent, I really enjoyed this book and the audio was brilliant.
I highly recommend it.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Disappointed

Well narrated and a good listen but I guessed the ending really early on in the book which was disappointing. It was all far too obvious

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