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The Five Year Lie
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.
With a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.
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.
With a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.
421 pages, Paperback
First published May 7, 2024
4580 people are currently reading
64427 people want to read
About the author
Sarina Bowen
101 books18.6k followers
Sarina Bowen is the 24-time USA Today bestselling and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary fiction, including: The Five Year Lie, the True North series, and the Brooklyn Hockey series. She's the co-author of Him/Us and the WAGs series with Elle Kennedy. And more!
You can find a complete reading order list of Sarina's books on her website. Or see what's coming next from Sarina, and sign up for her newsletter so you don't miss a new book or a deal.
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May 14, 2024It's here! The Five Year Lie is live! And it's shaping up to be my best-reviewed book...well, ever. It's an Amazon Editor's Pick for May. And the audio narrators are getting raves!
More about the book here: https://sarinabowen.com/five-year-lie
And thank you for reading me!
More about the book here: https://sarinabowen.com/five-year-lie
And thank you for reading me!
August 21, 2025
Holy amazing amazeballs of amazingness! The Five Year Lie just might be my favorite book of the year—and it’s not even half over. From the gripping mystery to the sweet romance, it just got better and better with each additional page. Best of all, though, was how the synopsis was just the beginning. A complex plot that revealed plenty of secrets, I didn’t have a shot of guessing even a one. Trust me when I say, this will win you over for sure. After all, there wasn’t a thing not to love.
The characters had me from hello. Told via dual main POVs plus a mysterious third, each identity was crystal clear. And let me tell you, there were plenty of shocking cliffhangers and explosive reveals. It was the last half of the book, however, that really got me going. A thrilling game of cat-and-mouse that offered up twice the thrills thanks to dual timelines, my adrenaline was pumping and my fingers were flying as I raced to learn all the whos, the whats, and the whys.
As for the characters, I was instantly pulled in by the narrators. From a revenge seeking techie to a snarky, intelligent mom who focused on learning the truth, both of their personalities won me over hook, line, and sinker. Add in the burgeoning love affair, and even this non-romance reader wanted them to ride off into the sunset. Paired with the mystery/thriller plot, it all brought a very real Laura Dave vibe. Somehow Bowen managed to perfect not one but two genres in this debut thriller.
All in all, what the heart-pounding prologue started, the rest of the book easily finished. Thanks to compelling characters, fast-paced storytelling, and ever ratcheting suspense and foreboding, Sarina Bowen knocked this original premise out of the ball park. On top of all of that, it was wholly realistic in an utterly chilling way as it had me thinking long and hard about the repercussions of having technology intricately entwined in our daily lives. Quite frankly, this book had it all—intrigue, revenge, love, mystery, and plenty of dirty dealings. In short, it was simply sublime. Rating of 5+ stars.
SYNOPSIS:
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.
Thank you to Sarina Bowen and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: May 7, 2024
Trigger warning: none of substance
The characters had me from hello. Told via dual main POVs plus a mysterious third, each identity was crystal clear. And let me tell you, there were plenty of shocking cliffhangers and explosive reveals. It was the last half of the book, however, that really got me going. A thrilling game of cat-and-mouse that offered up twice the thrills thanks to dual timelines, my adrenaline was pumping and my fingers were flying as I raced to learn all the whos, the whats, and the whys.
As for the characters, I was instantly pulled in by the narrators. From a revenge seeking techie to a snarky, intelligent mom who focused on learning the truth, both of their personalities won me over hook, line, and sinker. Add in the burgeoning love affair, and even this non-romance reader wanted them to ride off into the sunset. Paired with the mystery/thriller plot, it all brought a very real Laura Dave vibe. Somehow Bowen managed to perfect not one but two genres in this debut thriller.
All in all, what the heart-pounding prologue started, the rest of the book easily finished. Thanks to compelling characters, fast-paced storytelling, and ever ratcheting suspense and foreboding, Sarina Bowen knocked this original premise out of the ball park. On top of all of that, it was wholly realistic in an utterly chilling way as it had me thinking long and hard about the repercussions of having technology intricately entwined in our daily lives. Quite frankly, this book had it all—intrigue, revenge, love, mystery, and plenty of dirty dealings. In short, it was simply sublime. Rating of 5+ stars.
SYNOPSIS:
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.
Thank you to Sarina Bowen and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: May 7, 2024
Trigger warning: none of substance
June 14, 2024
Can you fathom receiving a text from the presumed-dead love of your life, the father of your child, right in the middle of a crucial meeting? Is it a hoax, or has your lost love decided to make a mysterious return? This is the perplexing situation single mother Ariel Cafferty, employed at the tech company founded by her father and uncle, is thrown into. It turns out that this is the same company her beloved Drew joined five years ago to unravel fraudulent activities swirling around the workplace!
I must confess, the opening was captivating, and having enjoyed Sarina Bowen's romance books, my curiosity was piqued about how she would tackle a tech thriller—a challenging leap into the realm of successful romance authors who have delved into gripping thrillers, such as Alessandra Torre, Colho, and Tarryn Fisher.
As anticipated, the romantic elements of the story overshadow the mystery, which could use more development. Some of the explanations toward the end feel somewhat unreliable and far-fetched. Regrettably, I found it challenging to connect with the characters, who seemed a bit one-dimensional and in need of more depth.
At certain points, I found my interest in the mystery waning as well. Despite its shortcomings, the central concept compelled me to push through to the end, culminating in a semi-satisfying conclusion. While I couldn't fully embrace the explanations presented by the author in this thriller, I still had quite a bit of fun reaching the end. For me, this falls into the realm of solid reading, and I'm hopeful that Sarina Bowen, with her undeniable storytelling prowess, can venture further into the romance-thriller genre. It may be a modest beginning, but I've assigned it a solid three-star rating—it's not outstanding, but it's undeniably good and enjoyable.
I extend my sincere thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Paperbacks for graciously providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest feedback.
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I must confess, the opening was captivating, and having enjoyed Sarina Bowen's romance books, my curiosity was piqued about how she would tackle a tech thriller—a challenging leap into the realm of successful romance authors who have delved into gripping thrillers, such as Alessandra Torre, Colho, and Tarryn Fisher.
As anticipated, the romantic elements of the story overshadow the mystery, which could use more development. Some of the explanations toward the end feel somewhat unreliable and far-fetched. Regrettably, I found it challenging to connect with the characters, who seemed a bit one-dimensional and in need of more depth.
At certain points, I found my interest in the mystery waning as well. Despite its shortcomings, the central concept compelled me to push through to the end, culminating in a semi-satisfying conclusion. While I couldn't fully embrace the explanations presented by the author in this thriller, I still had quite a bit of fun reaching the end. For me, this falls into the realm of solid reading, and I'm hopeful that Sarina Bowen, with her undeniable storytelling prowess, can venture further into the romance-thriller genre. It may be a modest beginning, but I've assigned it a solid three-star rating—it's not outstanding, but it's undeniably good and enjoyable.
I extend my sincere thanks to NetGalley, Harper Perennial, and Paperbacks for graciously providing me with a digital reviewer copy in exchange for my honest feedback.
Follow me on medium.com to read my articles about books, movies, streaming series, astrology:
medium blog
May 21, 2024
3.5 stars, rounded up
This was an intriguing book with an interesting twist on the "misdirected letter" trope. Ariel Cafferty receives an urgent text message from Drew asking to meet. The problem? Drew died five years ago. When she goes to the meeting place and he doesn't show up, Ariel begins to investigate just what happened all those years ago.
I really liked the combination of romance and suspense here. We go back and forth between the present and the past so we can see how everything unfolded. The pacing is a bit slow in the middle, as things go around and around with the same avenues of investigation. It was pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain was, but learning how it all played out was fun. I was also a fan of the way everything wrapped up. Ariel and Drew are well written characters, as was Buzz (despite his kooky name), who acted age appropriately whiny at the right times.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
This was an intriguing book with an interesting twist on the "misdirected letter" trope. Ariel Cafferty receives an urgent text message from Drew asking to meet. The problem? Drew died five years ago. When she goes to the meeting place and he doesn't show up, Ariel begins to investigate just what happened all those years ago.
I really liked the combination of romance and suspense here. We go back and forth between the present and the past so we can see how everything unfolded. The pacing is a bit slow in the middle, as things go around and around with the same avenues of investigation. It was pretty obvious from the beginning who the villain was, but learning how it all played out was fun. I was also a fan of the way everything wrapped up. Ariel and Drew are well written characters, as was Buzz (despite his kooky name), who acted age appropriately whiny at the right times.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.
March 16, 2024
Unofficial Synopsis:
Ariel gets a text, but it’s five years late, and from Drew, who’s dead.
The text throws Ariel for a loop and ends up bringing back memories of that fated day. As she starts asking questions, things start to get sinister and it becomes clear everything she thought happened, didn’t.
But in order for Ariel to safely reveal the truth, the only way she can safeguard herself is by finding it before it finds her.
Review:
This book was amazing! I love a good romance thriller crossover and this book hit the mark for me. I also loved that this book dealt with technology and cybersecurity. Those are always fun for me because it’s a topic I care about and work with. It’s always creepy to me how much privacy people give up, and this book did a good job highlighting some important issues. I enjoyed that this book was written in dual POV with Ariel’s POV being the present and Drew’s POV being the past. I think that the writing style was great. I felt that the character development was nicely done and unfolded nicely as the story unfolded. The ultimate twists were a lot of fun and I think were well done. Everything in this book is wrapped up nicely with a nice bow, and it was nice to get that type of ending every once in a while. I do think that you need to suspend your beliefs a little for the ending, but it worked for me.
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.
Ariel gets a text, but it’s five years late, and from Drew, who’s dead.
The text throws Ariel for a loop and ends up bringing back memories of that fated day. As she starts asking questions, things start to get sinister and it becomes clear everything she thought happened, didn’t.
But in order for Ariel to safely reveal the truth, the only way she can safeguard herself is by finding it before it finds her.
Review:
This book was amazing! I love a good romance thriller crossover and this book hit the mark for me. I also loved that this book dealt with technology and cybersecurity. Those are always fun for me because it’s a topic I care about and work with. It’s always creepy to me how much privacy people give up, and this book did a good job highlighting some important issues. I enjoyed that this book was written in dual POV with Ariel’s POV being the present and Drew’s POV being the past. I think that the writing style was great. I felt that the character development was nicely done and unfolded nicely as the story unfolded. The ultimate twists were a lot of fun and I think were well done. Everything in this book is wrapped up nicely with a nice bow, and it was nice to get that type of ending every once in a while. I do think that you need to suspend your beliefs a little for the ending, but it worked for me.
4.5 rounded to 5 stars
Thank you to the publisher for my review copy.
August 4, 2024
3.75 stars
This was overall a very enjoyable read. It has a very strong and intriguing beginning and, even though I found the story predictable and knew certain things early on, I was fully invested in it and its characters.
I liked Ariel and I liked learning about her and Drew's past. Though my favourite part would probably be her relationship with her son. He is adorable.
I feel the story is a good combination of suspense and romance without either one overshadowing the other. The pacing is very slow at times, but I think it worked well for the audio version. My only real complaint is that it got a bit too far-fetched and unrealistic toward the end.
This was overall a very enjoyable read. It has a very strong and intriguing beginning and, even though I found the story predictable and knew certain things early on, I was fully invested in it and its characters.
I liked Ariel and I liked learning about her and Drew's past. Though my favourite part would probably be her relationship with her son. He is adorable.
I feel the story is a good combination of suspense and romance without either one overshadowing the other. The pacing is very slow at times, but I think it worked well for the audio version. My only real complaint is that it got a bit too far-fetched and unrealistic toward the end.
April 29, 2024
"Dead men don't send texts..." Ariel receives one from her boyfriend that ghosted her 5 years ago. She never told him they have a son because she saw an obituary of his death releasing any hope of finding out why he left.
The text "Something's happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP." A glitch on the internet 5 years ago left many texts unsent until now. She begins to investigate the company her family owns ...a camera security system... where she met Drew working. With the help from her friends, she begins to investigate and finds some sinister and dangerous events Drew had uncovered. She realizes boundaries have been crossed. As she dives deeper into a spiral of danger, she endangers her life, her friends and her son's.
This is so fast paced and keeps you on the edge of the investigation. While some clues led to dead ends, it is the mountain of clues that will keep you racing to the end with Ariel. I loved it and loved the fight Ariel had in her becoming a tough character to contend with.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Paperbacks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
The text "Something's happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP." A glitch on the internet 5 years ago left many texts unsent until now. She begins to investigate the company her family owns ...a camera security system... where she met Drew working. With the help from her friends, she begins to investigate and finds some sinister and dangerous events Drew had uncovered. She realizes boundaries have been crossed. As she dives deeper into a spiral of danger, she endangers her life, her friends and her son's.
This is so fast paced and keeps you on the edge of the investigation. While some clues led to dead ends, it is the mountain of clues that will keep you racing to the end with Ariel. I loved it and loved the fight Ariel had in her becoming a tough character to contend with.
Thank you NetGalley and Harper Perennial and Paperbacks | Harper Paperbacks for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
May 8, 2024
I enjoyed this thriller and read it mostly in one sitting. While I had figured out large portions of it there were a couple of bits where the twists caught me. It’s just a normal day at work but Ariel gets a disturbing text asking her to meet, but the text came from the love of her life who ghosted her and then turned up in an obituary robbing her of the chance to let him know he was a father. When she realizes it was a glitch where a bunch of text messages hadn’t gone through 5 years ago she starts to investigate and realizes that there was much more to the man she loved that she could have guessed. The mor she finds the more she realizes she didn’t know anything. There were some bits I liked more than others and some that confused me (I will never understand Ariel’s mother), but I really liked it. Of course Buzz definitely stole this show with his awesomeness. I liked that while there was romance in it, this book was a thriller all the way. The story is told in two timelines present tense and past tense which was mostly from Drew’s perspective.
May 25, 2024
I am in the minority on this one - I really didn’t enjoy this and should have DNF’d it. It felt so contrived and like a an amateurish go at a suspense
June 5, 2024
Getting through this book was my Mt Everest. So long and drawn out for 0 reason.
February 28, 2024
I did not enjoy this book at all. This pacing of this book is incredibly slow, and there is no suspense built up at all, in my opinion. There were “twists” I guess you could say, but all of them were completely predictable. I almost couldn’t finish this book because it was so boring. It was far too “techy” and all of the unnecessary tech jargon ended up making this book a solid 30% longer than necessary. There were too many characters and it made the plot completely convoluted. The “surprise” at the very end was what made this book go from three stars to two for me. Absolutely do not recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for honest feedback!
Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for the opportunity to read this advance copy in exchange for honest feedback!
April 27, 2024
fans of The Last Thing He Told Me should enjoy this one - it follows quite a similar premise and pattern although it hits a little more on a romantic suspense note. it starts out strong as we follow Ariel, as she receives a mysterious text from an ex-boyfriend, father of her young child, who she presumed to be dead 5 years ago.
the initial mystery is interesting to follow but we pretty much get all the answers before the halfway mark, so I was left wondering where this story would go from there as this is a 400+ page book. it definitely starts to drag in the middle until the pace picks back up in the last quarter as the pieces fall into place. overall enjoyable but definitely could’ve used some editing down, and a bit too many mushy romantic scenes for my taste
the initial mystery is interesting to follow but we pretty much get all the answers before the halfway mark, so I was left wondering where this story would go from there as this is a 400+ page book. it definitely starts to drag in the middle until the pace picks back up in the last quarter as the pieces fall into place. overall enjoyable but definitely could’ve used some editing down, and a bit too many mushy romantic scenes for my taste
June 6, 2024
3.5stars
I found this quite entertaining although it was predictable.
I found this quite entertaining although it was predictable.
October 21, 2024
I started this a few weeks ago. But I never got a chance to input it because I have it as a paperback. This just really didn’t work. The entire over arching plot was so thin and it seems like Bowen was just too scared to actually make this a really strong thriller in my mind by going one way. The weird happily ever after that she kind of tacked on just didn’t work. The flow of the book was also really really weak. It just jumped back-and-forth between five years earlier in the present day and it just didn’t work with following Drew [five years ago] and Ariel [today].
"The Five Year Lie" follows Ariel. Ariel is a single mother to her four year old son, Buzz. She works at her dead father's camera security company [think Ring doorbell]. Ariel though gets a text message from her son's father, Drew. The only problem is, she hasn't seen or heard from him for five years. And when it's revealed that text messages are being sent to people all over her town from five years previously, Ariel realizes that something may have happened to Drew and him leaving town, may not have been as straight forward as she thought.
Okay, Ariel sucks. Full stop. At times she acts like a teenager because she really is selfish as the day as long and seems to be only be focused on Drew. She spent not even I think 3 months with the guy but it didn't make sense that he had such a hold on her since all of the Drew flashbacks just show them having sex and drinking all the time. True love it was not. And she spends most of the book dumping her son on her mother, borrowing her mother's car, and oh yeah lives in a place on her mother's property. The whole thing was just giving me "Arrested Development."
The other characters were bare bones. We have Ariel's only friend in this one, but it's one she never talks to until the events in the book start spinning out of control. She "makes" a friend at work who helps her investigate, but she spends time judging them it felt. Her mother and her relationship isn't super great, but you read about her father and get why.
Drew wasn't great. We find out [so freaking slowly] what he was up to and why and it didn't pass the smell test even a little. I won't get into the ending reveal about things because it was so dumb it made my head hurt.
We also get another point of view by someone calling themselves "The Brainz" and I just think that whole thing should have been cut.
The flow was awful. I think I saw a reviewer said this was a sad "The Last Thing He Told Me" knock-off and goodness knows I loathed that book, but definitely see the similarities in plot and just poor development/flow.
The ending as I said was just a mess. It didn't even make sense and I just had a hard time even accepting what we got.
"The Five Year Lie" follows Ariel. Ariel is a single mother to her four year old son, Buzz. She works at her dead father's camera security company [think Ring doorbell]. Ariel though gets a text message from her son's father, Drew. The only problem is, she hasn't seen or heard from him for five years. And when it's revealed that text messages are being sent to people all over her town from five years previously, Ariel realizes that something may have happened to Drew and him leaving town, may not have been as straight forward as she thought.
Okay, Ariel sucks. Full stop. At times she acts like a teenager because she really is selfish as the day as long and seems to be only be focused on Drew. She spent not even I think 3 months with the guy but it didn't make sense that he had such a hold on her since all of the Drew flashbacks just show them having sex and drinking all the time. True love it was not. And she spends most of the book dumping her son on her mother, borrowing her mother's car, and oh yeah lives in a place on her mother's property. The whole thing was just giving me "Arrested Development."
The other characters were bare bones. We have Ariel's only friend in this one, but it's one she never talks to until the events in the book start spinning out of control. She "makes" a friend at work who helps her investigate, but she spends time judging them it felt. Her mother and her relationship isn't super great, but you read about her father and get why.
Drew wasn't great. We find out [so freaking slowly] what he was up to and why and it didn't pass the smell test even a little. I won't get into the ending reveal about things because it was so dumb it made my head hurt.
We also get another point of view by someone calling themselves "The Brainz" and I just think that whole thing should have been cut.
The flow was awful. I think I saw a reviewer said this was a sad "The Last Thing He Told Me" knock-off and goodness knows I loathed that book, but definitely see the similarities in plot and just poor development/flow.
The ending as I said was just a mess. It didn't even make sense and I just had a hard time even accepting what we got.
October 22, 2024
Started off strong, but then all the characters started making rookie mistakes. Storing a bunch of research on your laptop? Don't leave it at home. People's homes start getting broken into? Go stay somewhere else.
And can I just say the people breaking into the main characters' house and smashing her vibrator while looking for something was a particularly weird nonsensical detail.
And can I just say the people breaking into the main characters' house and smashing her vibrator while looking for something was a particularly weird nonsensical detail.
May 11, 2024
Having read so many of Bowen's romances, I was very interested to see how she'd tackle a romantic suspense/thriller-y mystery and.. well, it was pretty not bad.
The strength of the story is very much in the beginning stages where we wonder where things are going, and why, which is helped by the flashbacks from her presumed-dead baby daddy and what happened to him leading up to his disappearance and subsequent death. And what sets it all off is probably the most clever bit for me : a cell tower sending texts, which were all sent within a one hour window five years ago, but were never delivered. Now that is an intriguing hook. And the fallout impacts more than just Ariel.
As for the corporate espionage and sleuthing, it was all mostly interesting, but it fell apart a little for me in the lead-up to the reveals because I found it hard to buy the reality of the players involved. It just didn't really line up for me. The premise of it, however, feels very real and very scary and the use of it, the catalyst that sends Drew in Ariel's orbit all those years ago, is awful. I thought that in particular was very well done.
So, clever hook. Scary crime. It worked. Everything else though, the romance, the characters themselves? Eh. Kind of standard. Not really memorable. Plus everything just felt a little too convenient for all involved.
But this was an easy read and I wouldn't say no to more thrillers from this author.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss+ and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
--
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
The strength of the story is very much in the beginning stages where we wonder where things are going, and why, which is helped by the flashbacks from her presumed-dead baby daddy and what happened to him leading up to his disappearance and subsequent death. And what sets it all off is probably the most clever bit for me : a cell tower sending texts, which were all sent within a one hour window five years ago, but were never delivered. Now that is an intriguing hook. And the fallout impacts more than just Ariel.
As for the corporate espionage and sleuthing, it was all mostly interesting, but it fell apart a little for me in the lead-up to the reveals because I found it hard to buy the reality of the players involved. It just didn't really line up for me. The premise of it, however, feels very real and very scary and the use of it, the catalyst that sends Drew in Ariel's orbit all those years ago, is awful. I thought that in particular was very well done.
So, clever hook. Scary crime. It worked. Everything else though, the romance, the characters themselves? Eh. Kind of standard. Not really memorable. Plus everything just felt a little too convenient for all involved.
But this was an easy read and I wouldn't say no to more thrillers from this author.
** I received an ARC from Edelweiss+ and the publisher (thank you!) in exchange for an honest review. **
--
This review can also be found at A Take From Two Cities.
June 19, 2024
once again unsure if i read the same book as everyone else.. giving this a very generous 2⭐️ here’s why
- the disney names? i can’t
- this was about 100 pages too long. there were too many unnecessary details, too many characters, too much time spent on the tech jargon
- as soon as i thought it was getting better, something would happen and prove me very wrong
- tbh i didn’t even read the epilogue, i was so over this. it was a miracle i got to the last chapter
- on that note, so so so so slow. i don’t think there was one moment where i wanted to keep reading to see what happened. where were the twists?!
- overall, you can definitely tell this is a romance author’s first go at a thriller. there was romance thrown in randomly that really did not feel necessary.
- the disney names? i can’t
- this was about 100 pages too long. there were too many unnecessary details, too many characters, too much time spent on the tech jargon
- as soon as i thought it was getting better, something would happen and prove me very wrong
- tbh i didn’t even read the epilogue, i was so over this. it was a miracle i got to the last chapter
- on that note, so so so so slow. i don’t think there was one moment where i wanted to keep reading to see what happened. where were the twists?!
- overall, you can definitely tell this is a romance author’s first go at a thriller. there was romance thrown in randomly that really did not feel necessary.
September 21, 2024
I have had major FOMO over this book!! Thank you so much to @harperperennial #oliveinfluencer for my gorgeous gifted copy!! 🥰
PING… Ariel looks down a sees a text from Drew… her love of her life… father of her son… Which is really disturbing..🤔…because Drew had disappeared five… yes five years ago….and it gets even weirder.. he is dead. 😳
That was just the beginning… things just continue to get more twisted…the further I got into it. Something sinister is going on and our girl Ariel is suspicious of everyone… including her own family. 😳
This was a suspenseful thrill ride that was hard to put down. Every single time I thought I knew what was going on… I didn’t. 😂 There were so many twists and they weren’t out of left field. They were cleverly intertwined and made this so intriguing all the way until the end. 👏👏
PING… Ariel looks down a sees a text from Drew… her love of her life… father of her son… Which is really disturbing..🤔…because Drew had disappeared five… yes five years ago….and it gets even weirder.. he is dead. 😳
That was just the beginning… things just continue to get more twisted…the further I got into it. Something sinister is going on and our girl Ariel is suspicious of everyone… including her own family. 😳
This was a suspenseful thrill ride that was hard to put down. Every single time I thought I knew what was going on… I didn’t. 😂 There were so many twists and they weren’t out of left field. They were cleverly intertwined and made this so intriguing all the way until the end. 👏👏
July 4, 2024
4.5. I loved this smart, savvy domestic thriller of a book. A woman falls in love with a co-worker who disappears and then dies. But what if he wasn’t who he said he was? Then a technical cellular glitch happens and a text from 5 years ago comes thru on her phone - from her dead boyfriend and it’s a cryptic message that leads her on a fast-paced corporate who dunnit. So intriguing and good
May 9, 2024
When I first heard Author Sarina Bowen was releasing a domestic thriller, I knew I had to read it as I've enjoyed several of her contemporary romance titles, especially the True North series. THE FIVE YEAR LIE kicks off with a captivating, heart stopping prologue designed to grab readers' attention while enticing them into shutting off their phones, setting aside all snacks and drinks and settling in for the duration so plan accordingly. You don't want any distractions once starting this mysterious story.
Ariel Cafferty is a single mother living in her mother's guesthouse while pursuing her passion of glassmaking and putting in required appearances at the family business, the Chime Co. Five years prior, the man Ariel loved ghosted her - disappearing without a trace unaware she was carrying his child. Years later, she reads his obituary in a newspaper, effectively closing that chapter of her life. Drew was a programmer with her family's cybersecurity company, secretly exploring suspicions of fraudulent activity when he left. In the present, Ariel is sitting in a business meeting when a disturbing text pings her phone - a text that rocks her to the core. A text from a dead man asking her to meet him immediately. Is this a cruel hoax or is Drew alive? Needing answers, Ariel goes to the meeting spot, but no one shows. Confused and unsettled, Ariel begins digging into the past, looking for answers about what really happened to Drew. What she uncovers alarms her, leaving her wondering if she ever really knew the man she loved at all and quite certain that someone has been lying to her all along. Pushing ahead, it's soon obvious someone doesn't want the truth to surface. Can Ariel solve the mystery of what happened to Drew before the same danger claims her and her son?
Through concise, alternating chapters of past and present, a chilling story of deceit, secrets, and family drama emerges in THE FIVE YEAR LIE. The past becomes known via Drew's point of view, and readers are apprised of present events through Ariel's point of view. The transition is seamless and highly engaging. A sinister tone drives the plot forward at a steadily increasing pace with mini shockers keeping characters and readers on their toes as they work to unravel a mystery. Bowen does an excellent job of incorporating the dangers posed to careless, unsuspecting victims of technology and cyber security schemes into a riveting plot line that's relevant today. Long time readers of her work will appreciate the well-developed, relatable characters like those everyone loves from her contemporary romance stories.
THE FIVE YEAR LIE is a riveting, thought provoking suspense thriller that blends an engaging mystery with a light side of romance. Readers and characters are challenged with solving a mystery while considering the many ramifications and ethical questions involving technology in today's world. Author Sarina Bowen successfully makes the transition to suspense with an immersive, chilling thriller that will keep readers on alert from start to finish. Highly recommended to fans of good mysteries and engaging romance suspense.
Special thanks to Harper Perennial for an arc of this title. All opinions expressed are my own. This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.
Ariel Cafferty is a single mother living in her mother's guesthouse while pursuing her passion of glassmaking and putting in required appearances at the family business, the Chime Co. Five years prior, the man Ariel loved ghosted her - disappearing without a trace unaware she was carrying his child. Years later, she reads his obituary in a newspaper, effectively closing that chapter of her life. Drew was a programmer with her family's cybersecurity company, secretly exploring suspicions of fraudulent activity when he left. In the present, Ariel is sitting in a business meeting when a disturbing text pings her phone - a text that rocks her to the core. A text from a dead man asking her to meet him immediately. Is this a cruel hoax or is Drew alive? Needing answers, Ariel goes to the meeting spot, but no one shows. Confused and unsettled, Ariel begins digging into the past, looking for answers about what really happened to Drew. What she uncovers alarms her, leaving her wondering if she ever really knew the man she loved at all and quite certain that someone has been lying to her all along. Pushing ahead, it's soon obvious someone doesn't want the truth to surface. Can Ariel solve the mystery of what happened to Drew before the same danger claims her and her son?
Through concise, alternating chapters of past and present, a chilling story of deceit, secrets, and family drama emerges in THE FIVE YEAR LIE. The past becomes known via Drew's point of view, and readers are apprised of present events through Ariel's point of view. The transition is seamless and highly engaging. A sinister tone drives the plot forward at a steadily increasing pace with mini shockers keeping characters and readers on their toes as they work to unravel a mystery. Bowen does an excellent job of incorporating the dangers posed to careless, unsuspecting victims of technology and cyber security schemes into a riveting plot line that's relevant today. Long time readers of her work will appreciate the well-developed, relatable characters like those everyone loves from her contemporary romance stories.
THE FIVE YEAR LIE is a riveting, thought provoking suspense thriller that blends an engaging mystery with a light side of romance. Readers and characters are challenged with solving a mystery while considering the many ramifications and ethical questions involving technology in today's world. Author Sarina Bowen successfully makes the transition to suspense with an immersive, chilling thriller that will keep readers on alert from start to finish. Highly recommended to fans of good mysteries and engaging romance suspense.
Special thanks to Harper Perennial for an arc of this title. All opinions expressed are my own. This review first published in Mystery & Suspense Magazine and is also available on my blog Cross My Heart Reviews.
August 22, 2024
too many people named after disney characters
May 6, 2024
Ariel is a 30 year old single mom living in Maine and working for her family's Door-Bell-Camera company.
The father of her four year old son Buzz - Drew - left her without a word when she was only a few months pregnant. He never knew he was going to be a dad because he died a short while later.
But now she suddenly gets a text from him! To come meet him by their favorite tree in the park.
He's not there ... but what is happening? Is someone pranking her? Or is something dangerous going on?
READ THE BOOK TO FIND OUT!
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Something completely different from Sarina Bowen.
And I kinda loved it.
At first I wasn't so sure about things. I have no idea why, but when I started reading I had the feeling that I was somewhere in the past. Like 1989 or something like that. It felt a bit oldish. No idea why though.
You immediately like Ariel and Buzz and you want them to get that happy end with Drew. He might be alive, right? But it doesn't look good at all. And with every new thing Ariel finds out ... a happily ever after seems more and more impossible.
But still we need to find out what happened. Who was Drew? Why did he come to town back then?
It's all so very interesting and mysterious!
And all through the book we never lose that tiny bit of hope for that happy end...
I really enjoyed reading this!
I will definitely want to watch this on TV one day!
There were a few .. not really plot holes .. but a few things that I would've changed or just written a bit differently or more mysteriously or .. no idea.
I still loved it reading it!
Great mystery with a great cast of people and I wouldn't mind if Sarina retired her hockey romance writing for more mysteries or romantic suspensies and a few Vermont romances!! LOL!
THE FIVE YEAR LIE was a really great (romantic) mystery! I loved reading it! Run to your nearest bookdealer to find out all the things!
💜
💜
June 1, 2024
I fully believe that the tagline for The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen should be once you start you can't stop, literally. I did not put the audiobook of this down for a SECOND and if I had to pause it for any amount of time it made me angry. And that's the story of how much I loved it. 🤣 It makes total sense to me why there was a dash of romance in the book now that I know what Bowen's normal genre is, and I have to say I loved how she weaved it in with the suspenseful and mysterious storyline. Her writing sucked me in immediately, and I hope she will write more thrillers, but I feel like it would be a crime not to read her romance now.
The audiobook is narrated by Kathleen Early, Gary Tiedemann & Jason Clarke who all did spectacular jobs, and this was a great book to have a full cast for. Even though there are only 3 viewpoints, the different narrators brought a lot to the story IMO, and I loved every minute of it. The pace moved along nicely without any dull moments, and I completely fell in love with Ariel and her son. She was one smart cookie, and I thought all of the characters were very relatable in at least one way or another, well, maybe not the evil ones. 😜 The Five Year Lie is worth all of the hype it has been getting and gave me The Last Thing He Told Me vibes while being completely different. Clear your calendars people, and make sure you don't put this one off if it's on your TBR!
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The audiobook is narrated by Kathleen Early, Gary Tiedemann & Jason Clarke who all did spectacular jobs, and this was a great book to have a full cast for. Even though there are only 3 viewpoints, the different narrators brought a lot to the story IMO, and I loved every minute of it. The pace moved along nicely without any dull moments, and I completely fell in love with Ariel and her son. She was one smart cookie, and I thought all of the characters were very relatable in at least one way or another, well, maybe not the evil ones. 😜 The Five Year Lie is worth all of the hype it has been getting and gave me The Last Thing He Told Me vibes while being completely different. Clear your calendars people, and make sure you don't put this one off if it's on your TBR!
I received a complimentary copy of this book via NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
February 1, 2024
This is yet another book that is hard to review, because the synopsis tells us very little about the story itself. Everything else is in spoiler territory, because this book is crazy - in the best way possible!
Ariel and Drew met one summer at work, where she was the disinterested nepotism baby and he was a programmer. Ariel’s father and uncle are co-owners of Chime Co. (basically, Ring doorbells), and while her passion is glassmaking, she works there part time to appease her family. She and Drew started an immediate and passionate relationship, that ended with Drew leaving town and ghosting her. It also left her with a son, Buzz.
Ariel was heartbroken when Drew left out of nowhere, and she tried to find him many times, but it was almost like he didn’t exist. Finally, something about him pops up online. His obituary. The only man she ever loved is dead, never even knowing that he was a father. Her grief is compounded by the death of her own father - they were never close, but the two deaths combined leave her depressed and reeling.
Five years later, we are in the present. Ariel is living in her mother’s guesthouse with Buzz, still blowing glass and occasionally working at Chime Co. Her mom is marrying Ariel’s uncle (yes it’s weird), so the business will eventually be hers one day (whether she wants it or not). It’s during a meeting when she gets that text from Drew, begging her to meet under a candelabra tree because he needed to urgently speak with her. She runs to the tree, but nobody ever shows up. She calls the number, but it’s not in service. Someone has to be playing a terrible prank, but who would do that to her?
The reason for this text appearing is SO GOOD, but I don’t want to ruin anything so you’ll just have to read about it yourself! After Ariel receives it, she starts thinking back to that summer five years prior. That thinking leads to digging, then the digging puts her in a tailspin. With help from a trusted coworker, she soon realizes that she knew nothing about this man, the father of her child. She also knew nothing about how her family’s business was actually run…
This was not a short book, but it was definitely a fast read. We get dueling chapters that bounce between the past and present seamlessly, and quite an original story filled with thrills, chills, and lost love. The entire book was suspenseful, and the ending was the perfect action-packed closure for these characters. I give this one 4.5 stars and my definite recommendation!
(Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperback, Sarina Bowen and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on May 7, 2024.)
Ariel and Drew met one summer at work, where she was the disinterested nepotism baby and he was a programmer. Ariel’s father and uncle are co-owners of Chime Co. (basically, Ring doorbells), and while her passion is glassmaking, she works there part time to appease her family. She and Drew started an immediate and passionate relationship, that ended with Drew leaving town and ghosting her. It also left her with a son, Buzz.
Ariel was heartbroken when Drew left out of nowhere, and she tried to find him many times, but it was almost like he didn’t exist. Finally, something about him pops up online. His obituary. The only man she ever loved is dead, never even knowing that he was a father. Her grief is compounded by the death of her own father - they were never close, but the two deaths combined leave her depressed and reeling.
Five years later, we are in the present. Ariel is living in her mother’s guesthouse with Buzz, still blowing glass and occasionally working at Chime Co. Her mom is marrying Ariel’s uncle (yes it’s weird), so the business will eventually be hers one day (whether she wants it or not). It’s during a meeting when she gets that text from Drew, begging her to meet under a candelabra tree because he needed to urgently speak with her. She runs to the tree, but nobody ever shows up. She calls the number, but it’s not in service. Someone has to be playing a terrible prank, but who would do that to her?
The reason for this text appearing is SO GOOD, but I don’t want to ruin anything so you’ll just have to read about it yourself! After Ariel receives it, she starts thinking back to that summer five years prior. That thinking leads to digging, then the digging puts her in a tailspin. With help from a trusted coworker, she soon realizes that she knew nothing about this man, the father of her child. She also knew nothing about how her family’s business was actually run…
This was not a short book, but it was definitely a fast read. We get dueling chapters that bounce between the past and present seamlessly, and quite an original story filled with thrills, chills, and lost love. The entire book was suspenseful, and the ending was the perfect action-packed closure for these characters. I give this one 4.5 stars and my definite recommendation!
(Thank you to Harper Perennial and Paperback, Sarina Bowen and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review. This book is slated to be released on May 7, 2024.)
February 20, 2024
4.5⭐️As I am familiar with Bowen’s romance novels, my curiosity got the best of me when I was browsing through Netgalley and I am so glad it did!!
It is so hard to write a synopsis about this book without spoiling the plot, but it all begins when Ariel receives a text one morning from Drew that was meant to be delivered five years ago. This text changes everything she once believed about her son’s father and the only man she ever loved, and leads Ariel down a dangerous path as she searches to find answers about his presumed death.
This was truly a brilliant story with suspense, mystery, twists, family drama and just enough romance to make it impossible to put down. I adored Ariel as a protagonist. She wasn’t overly clever or unreliable, which could have easily happened with the series of events, but rather an average person who was easy to relate to and route for. As her family found a doorbell camera company, this book really made you think about ethics and how invasive technology can be without us even knowing.
Read if you like:
-Technology
-Toy Story references
-Love stories within a thriller
-Single parent
-Portland Maine setting
Thank you Harper Perennial for the ARC! Pub 5/7
It is so hard to write a synopsis about this book without spoiling the plot, but it all begins when Ariel receives a text one morning from Drew that was meant to be delivered five years ago. This text changes everything she once believed about her son’s father and the only man she ever loved, and leads Ariel down a dangerous path as she searches to find answers about his presumed death.
This was truly a brilliant story with suspense, mystery, twists, family drama and just enough romance to make it impossible to put down. I adored Ariel as a protagonist. She wasn’t overly clever or unreliable, which could have easily happened with the series of events, but rather an average person who was easy to relate to and route for. As her family found a doorbell camera company, this book really made you think about ethics and how invasive technology can be without us even knowing.
Read if you like:
-Technology
-Toy Story references
-Love stories within a thriller
-Single parent
-Portland Maine setting
Thank you Harper Perennial for the ARC! Pub 5/7
June 17, 2025
This was a solid 3-star read for me. The book started off strong and hooked me early on, but it eventually felt a bit too drawn out.
The story follows Ariel, who receives a mysterious text one morning telling her to meet at a specific tree. The strange part? The message comes from her dead husband’s phone. Curious and shaken, she goes to the tree—but no one is there. Instead of closure, Ariel is left with even more questions: Who sent the text? And why is someone messing with her past?
While the premise is intriguing and eerie, the pacing slowed down in the middle, and I found myself wanting things to move along faster. Still, the mystery kept me turning pages, and the twists will satisfy readers who enjoy suspense with emotional depth.
The story follows Ariel, who receives a mysterious text one morning telling her to meet at a specific tree. The strange part? The message comes from her dead husband’s phone. Curious and shaken, she goes to the tree—but no one is there. Instead of closure, Ariel is left with even more questions: Who sent the text? And why is someone messing with her past?
While the premise is intriguing and eerie, the pacing slowed down in the middle, and I found myself wanting things to move along faster. Still, the mystery kept me turning pages, and the twists will satisfy readers who enjoy suspense with emotional depth.
April 8, 2025
I'm not sure about this but Sarina should stick to romance books, this felt like a book entirely on ✨ miscommunication ✨ instead of been a domestic thriller.
The premise sounded interesting when everyone got a random text message that was supposed to arrive 5 years ago (hence the title of the book) but my lord, the characters were annoying and nowhere near likable.
📱 Ariel acts like nobody understands her but she is a single mother working for her father's camera security company.
📱 If Ariel really wanted to figure out what happened to Drew, you would think she would have done something to try to find him? She knew exactly what the company was doing behind closed doors.
📱 At the same time, I think Drew could had done something else to let her know what was going to happen. They both decided to act like dumb people and not think what would happen with miscommunication.
📱 Ariel sometimes will remember she has an actual son to take care of but most of the time she just leaves him with grandma and do whatever she wants.
📱 The twists weren't doing anything for me besides giving me headaches. It took me a couple of times to finish the story because it was boring.
📱 I think the only person I was starting to like was the weird techy guy, Zain and of course the author had to ruin it. He deserved better.
📱 Don't get me started with that ending, it's like the author forgot this was thriller and she was writing another romance book.
The premise sounded interesting when everyone got a random text message that was supposed to arrive 5 years ago (hence the title of the book) but my lord, the characters were annoying and nowhere near likable.
📱 Ariel acts like nobody understands her but she is a single mother working for her father's camera security company.
📱 If Ariel really wanted to figure out what happened to Drew, you would think she would have done something to try to find him? She knew exactly what the company was doing behind closed doors.
📱 At the same time, I think Drew could had done something else to let her know what was going to happen. They both decided to act like dumb people and not think what would happen with miscommunication.
📱 Ariel sometimes will remember she has an actual son to take care of but most of the time she just leaves him with grandma and do whatever she wants.
📱 The twists weren't doing anything for me besides giving me headaches. It took me a couple of times to finish the story because it was boring.
📱 I think the only person I was starting to like was the weird techy guy, Zain and of course the author had to ruin it. He deserved better.
📱 Don't get me started with that ending, it's like the author forgot this was thriller and she was writing another romance book.
December 23, 2023
When Ariel Cafferty receives a message from her child's father she is speechless. Drew disappeared from their lives more than four years ago and an obituary was published soon after. Ariel does not know what to think.When a few more clues turn up, Ariel confides in a work colleague and the two go full on Veronica Mars to get to the bottom of the story. The problem is there are some truths that people close to her would do anything to keep
secret, even at the cost of human life.
Together they work against the clock to find out what really happened to Drew. Fun story, more romance then I expected. Great plot!
#HarperPerennial #netgalley #thefiveyearlie #sainabowen
secret, even at the cost of human life.
Together they work against the clock to find out what really happened to Drew. Fun story, more romance then I expected. Great plot!
#HarperPerennial #netgalley #thefiveyearlie #sainabowen
June 8, 2024
This was a very slow burn, whodunnit mystery that was a little slow paced at times but really became interesting at around the halfway point of the book. It includes romance, abandonment issues, family issues, and the life of a single parent raising a child on her own. I enjoyed the read, but became quite bored when all the computer technical issues came to the surface in the storyline. The ending was a little phoney and predictable but at least it was happy. I felt the ending was wrapped up a little too quickly. A good read otherwise.
August 11, 2024
This book, while confirming my guesses, still kept my attention, and I was very much invested in the story. I like the main characters a lot, and I am very pleasantly surprised by this author foray into the new sub genre, and I wish she would write more similar books in the future. I would recommend this book to all romantic suspense readers out there. Audiobook was excellent, too.
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