The Five Year Lie: A Domestic Thriller

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars | 8,280 ratings

Price: 22.04

Last update: 01-06-2025


About this item

“I devoured this book in one day, and I guarantee you will too.”—Julie Clark, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight and The Lies I Tell

“An expertly woven story of love, revenge, and murder. In a world where so many books feel so similar—this was a refreshingly unique read and an addictive blend of love and mystery that I couldn’t put down. This is storytelling at its finest and I can’t recommend this book enough.”—AR Torre, New York Times bestselling author of Every Last Secret

Bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen’s debut thriller, about one woman’s search for the truth after receiving a text from her deceased ex.

She thought it was love. Then he vanished.

On an ordinary Monday morning, Ariel Cafferty's phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it's been several years since she learned he died.

Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.

Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her.

The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew.

For fans of Laura Dave and Julie Clark, but with a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.


Top reviews from the United States

karebare1003
5.0 out of 5 stars SO good!!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024
Immediately the wheels started turning, the questions bubbling in my mind. And the more I read, the more I had to know! It was SO good!! It had sweet romance, jaw dropping suspense, and all the twists and turns!

Ariel had fallen in love with Drew but then he vanished. And not too long after that, she learned he died. Fast forward five years, she got a text from him asking her to meet at their spot. She knew she had to go but of course, no one showed. Every question she asked created even more questions. One thing she knew - both her son and herself were in trouble.

Oh my goodness!! I could NOT stop reading. I stayed up way too late (or too early) with absolutely no regrets! I have been sitting on writing this review for a few days because I don’t know what to say without giving anything away! This book is a must read! Do yourself a favor and check it out!!
Sharon Thérèse
4.0 out of 5 stars Debut Thriller Not To Be Missed
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2024
Bowen’s romance novels have never failed to entertain me, so I was looking forward to reading her debut thriller. Every time I put The Five Year Lie down, I was itching to dive back in since I found the premise intriguing. And even though I was impatient to see how the dual timelines would come together, the author wove in original life-changing events that attracted my attention.

The crux of the matter is loads of messages sent don’t show up until five years later, upsetting the applecart for one person in particular. Ariel Cafferty is not only confused–who wouldn’t be if you think the text is in the now, but also dead set on finding out why the secret love of her life’s few words had a sense of urgency, and why he’d disappeared into thin air.

The mystery causes Ariel’s wounds to reopen, but a trusty coworker I truly liked offers to help try and make heads or tails of what looks like fishy business goings-on at a successful tech company co-founded by two of her family members. It’s complicated; the reader has to pay attention, but even so, I was on the ball regarding who was behind such dastardly deeds.

Halfway into the book, the pacing slowed down a tad too much for my liking and the technical detail felt overloaded. However, this didn’t stop my reading enjoyment as, by now, I was anxious to know more about the whys and wherefores. Nearly to the end, and something that happened upset me no end. I’m still doubting if what floored me was necessary, yet I’m glad I went with the flow.

I adored Buzz! The character connection to Toy Story was perfect and Ariel’s way of letting off steam blew my mind! Hmm…no pun intended! Of course, the conniving baddie had to come across as super likeable, and family secrets had to come to a head. But what I liked more than anything else was how Bowen didn’t steer away from her writing roots, giving the story that angsty romantic feel she always does superbly.

The interesting character arc, conflictive family dynamics, and running-against-time action make for a worthy read. I do hope there’s more where this came from. Bravo, Bowen!                             
llilly
5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing page turner
Reviewed in the United States on July 5, 2024
I loved this story! It was so full of twists and intricate the plot unfolded masterfully. THE FIVE YEAR LIE has this interesting triggering event that knocks over more than one person’s dominoes. The characters are done so well the only one I trusted completely was the 4 year old. Well done.
Nicole
3.0 out of 5 stars quick read
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2024
I’d round up to 3.5 this was a good quick read. I read it in a weekend. A little predictable though
Carissa Janes
4.0 out of 5 stars Great wrap up
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2024
I'm happy because the ending was happy but this book was kind of hard to read. I love the author's romance books so I wanted to give this a try. It really was good and suspenseful and maybe that's why I found it hard to read-that sense of wanting to read to find answers but not wanting to read because I may not like the answers. I can't say that I much care for Ariel's mother either.

The last quarter of the book when everything came together was crazy. We got everything wrapped up nice and tidy but I'm still sad about Zain. And one question I had was why wasn't the dog barking or attacking? But it's always a good book when the dog is ok!
Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
Reviewed in the United States on July 29, 2024
Your nose will be in this book for hours because the story has so many twists and turns! The snarky humor is funny and not overdone. The story unfolds in an easy to read manner and characters are perfectly introduced. I like the loyalty of friendships. What I will never understand is why a billionaires daughter has no car. That’s so unrealistic even though I get it’s a part of the main characters core value system. Excellent read, nobody has cancer, and I can’t wait to read more of the authors books.
Kathryn Shupe
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent read!
Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2024
This is an interesting book. Although I didn’t understand some of the business part at times, it eventually got explained. The characters are very well written. The author’s descriptions make it easy to picture what she is talking about. Very much enjoyed this book. Definitely recommend!
Amazon Customer
4.0 out of 5 stars good book
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2024
Interesting characters. Sometimes the main character seemed to whine too much. Otherwise I liked the story line. I’d read another of Sarina Bowens books.

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