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Everyone Is Lying to You
The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . .
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated.
Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.
One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition—an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference.
At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.
Piazza’s master storytelling and razor-sharp insight into the world of social media brings us a pulpy, juicy, and cleverly plotted read that will have you guessing all the way through and leave you gasping for more.
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, leaving Lizzie confused and devastated.
Fifteen years later, Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “traditional” Instagram influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her five children and handsome husband, Gray. Lizzie is a struggling magazine writer, watching reels while her young children demand her attention.
One night out of the blue, Bex calls Lizzie with a career-making proposition—an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, the high-profile influencing conference.
At the conference, Bex goes missing and Gray is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes jealousy, sordid affairs, swingers, and backstabbing. She must learn who her old friend has become and who she has double-crossed to try to find her, clear her name, and maybe even save her life.
Piazza’s master storytelling and razor-sharp insight into the world of social media brings us a pulpy, juicy, and cleverly plotted read that will have you guessing all the way through and leave you gasping for more.
336 pages, Paperback
First published July 15, 2025
1708 people are currently reading
43768 people want to read
About the author
Jo Piazza
12 books1,312 followersI write books about strong women defying the odds. I love an adventure and a book that both sweeps you away and starts a conversation with your friends.
Book club visits are one of my favorite things to do and I zoomed into hundreds of them for my Good Morning America Book Club pick You Were Always Mine. I'm a former travel editor who has gotten to visit 47 countries and I met my husband Nick in the Galapagos islands on a reporting trip. After living in NYC and San Francisco I have settled into Philadelphia (the greatest city on Earth) to raise my three feral children.)
Book club visits are one of my favorite things to do and I zoomed into hundreds of them for my Good Morning America Book Club pick You Were Always Mine. I'm a former travel editor who has gotten to visit 47 countries and I met my husband Nick in the Galapagos islands on a reporting trip. After living in NYC and San Francisco I have settled into Philadelphia (the greatest city on Earth) to raise my three feral children.)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,466 reviews
July 19, 2025
this was a fun popcorn thriller! i listened on audio and liked that version as it had a “full cast” and different narrators for each POV 🎧
ultimately this book will be forgettable long term (the story has been done before and the my-life-is-actually-fake-and-miserable-but-im-a-famous-influencer trope is way overdone by now in my opinion), but if you want a fun whodunnit beach read, consider it! you get some drama and a good murder mystery.
this was my first book by this author and i believe it’s her first thriller and i liked her writing style. would certainly consider reading more by her in the future!
ultimately this book will be forgettable long term (the story has been done before and the my-life-is-actually-fake-and-miserable-but-im-a-famous-influencer trope is way overdone by now in my opinion), but if you want a fun whodunnit beach read, consider it! you get some drama and a good murder mystery.
this was my first book by this author and i believe it’s her first thriller and i liked her writing style. would certainly consider reading more by her in the future!
August 25, 2025
What a banger! This should have been the hit of summer. Truly a “when worlds collide” combining my obsession with the world of Instagram influencers whose lives probably aren’t as they seem and the stabby stabby. Talk about poolside perfection. If you’re looking for some fun over Labor Day weekend, well here she is and just as tasty as pie ; )
August 15, 2025
Pretty decent until the end which I personally think was botched
July 8, 2025
Quick fun audiobook with multiple narrators! Influencer books are usually redundant for me, but the murder mystery was a fun spin! I was gripped to the end. Would be super fun this summer or on vacation.
February 21, 2025
ARC for review. To be published July 15, 2025.
3 stars
Lizzie is a magazine writer, formerly with one of the big news weeklies, (or monthlies, I forget) but now she’s grateful to have a job with benefits at a women’s magazine and she’s praying it doesn’t fold before her husband finds a new job or finishes his book. In college she was BFFs with Bex who is now Rebecca Simmers, one of the most popular #tradwife influencers. They had a major falling out not too long after college so they haven’t spoken in years but Lizzie secretly stalks her on Instagram (not in a bad way, just like, you know, how you would if you were Lizzie.) Now Bex has contacted Lizzie, pitching her a big story she insists she can only share with Lizzie. They agree to meet at a conference for influencers.
Cut to swanky-ish hotel in the desert somewhere in the….I don’t know, Utah area? I can’t tell. It’s not important. I just like to situate myself. Lizzie meets with Bex and they reconnect over alcohol and cheeseburgers, the great equalizers. That same night Bex’s husband Gray is murdered at their ranch which is a few hours away and Bex is the number one suspect. And she has disappeared. However, she’s left some clues for Lizzie and has declared her innocence. Can Lizzie find Bex and figure out what is going on?
This is my second #tradwife thriller in the past month, and, just like in the first book, one of the first things that happens is that these videos (and these people’s lives) are all revealed to be a great big sham. Of course they are. These women don’t live on some godforsaken ranch fifty miles from everything with a husband who think it’s their job to wear dresses, (and these are always beautiful dresses, right? I’ve seen the dresses those LDS sister wives on the Jeff’s’ properties wear. THOSE are the Godfearin’ woman dresses that look like the Amish decided to start wearing Easter Egg pastels for Spring to change things up a little. Not these Scott McClintock for Gunne Sax (trust me, they were big in the day) beauties that have gorgeous full skirts that make your waist look tiny, but then a tight bodice that pushes your boobs up and out. That’s not what Jesus wants!) have babies with the same first initial, homemake everything (I mean, if you make a homemade angel food cake once you’ll curse yourself as an idiot then go buy the one at Kroger for $6.99 the next time and not spend $38 in ingredients plus use every bowl you have) and keep sweet.
Now, full disclosure. I am not above hate watching/reading. I hate watched the Duggars all the time. I hate watched an episode or two of that horrible Kate Gosselin woman with all the kids. Every “Housewives” show I’ve ever seen is a hate watching. Just looking at a photo of any Kardashian/Jenner is a hate watching/hate crime against me.
I got this book because I love to hate on the idea of #tradwives. But the shameful part is….I’ve only ever seen one #tradwife video and that was attached to a BuzzFeed story. You know, BuzzFeed. Where I get all my hard news. So, basically I’m just a hater. Is it because I feel bad about myself? Is it because I don’t really cook, don’t have six perfect children (or any imperfect children) and I’m taking it out on these women who have everything I cannot? Friends, I have searched my heart and the answer is…..no. Those things are facts, but it’s really that I don’t like the idea in ANY woman being submissive to ANY man for ANY reason unless you guys have some sex games thing going on that isn’t my business, but please have a safe word. And I hear your arguments, “well, that’s what the Bible says” and “isn’t feminism all about choice?”
As to point 1, um, fuck that. The Bible, while having a few lovely passages and some nice thoughts also advocates for the killing and rape of women, the killing of children, the killing of almost everyone, slavery (HUGE fan of slavery) and about a thousand other things that no decent person can support. It was written by men, and only men a long, long time ago. Point 2: I hear what you are saying, but nearly all of these women have children. Many children. Boat loads of children. What about their choices? For both the boys and the girls. If this is only type of relationship they see, how will the girls know they have the choice to have equality with their partner? And how will the boys know that very few women today are willing to submit to anyone? But I digress.
As a lawyer in the book notes, this is likely just a fad (except for those poor FLDS women,) soon the zeitgeist will move on. I generally avoid these “shocking twist” thrillers, as the twists generally aren’t all that shocking (notable exception, obviously: GONE GIRL). The book is fine, not terrible at all, except for the author confuses east and west at one point, which then made me wonder if _I_ was the one confused for a minute, like you do. So, read if you like reading about influencers.
3 stars
Lizzie is a magazine writer, formerly with one of the big news weeklies, (or monthlies, I forget) but now she’s grateful to have a job with benefits at a women’s magazine and she’s praying it doesn’t fold before her husband finds a new job or finishes his book. In college she was BFFs with Bex who is now Rebecca Simmers, one of the most popular #tradwife influencers. They had a major falling out not too long after college so they haven’t spoken in years but Lizzie secretly stalks her on Instagram (not in a bad way, just like, you know, how you would if you were Lizzie.) Now Bex has contacted Lizzie, pitching her a big story she insists she can only share with Lizzie. They agree to meet at a conference for influencers.
Cut to swanky-ish hotel in the desert somewhere in the….I don’t know, Utah area? I can’t tell. It’s not important. I just like to situate myself. Lizzie meets with Bex and they reconnect over alcohol and cheeseburgers, the great equalizers. That same night Bex’s husband Gray is murdered at their ranch which is a few hours away and Bex is the number one suspect. And she has disappeared. However, she’s left some clues for Lizzie and has declared her innocence. Can Lizzie find Bex and figure out what is going on?
This is my second #tradwife thriller in the past month, and, just like in the first book, one of the first things that happens is that these videos (and these people’s lives) are all revealed to be a great big sham. Of course they are. These women don’t live on some godforsaken ranch fifty miles from everything with a husband who think it’s their job to wear dresses, (and these are always beautiful dresses, right? I’ve seen the dresses those LDS sister wives on the Jeff’s’ properties wear. THOSE are the Godfearin’ woman dresses that look like the Amish decided to start wearing Easter Egg pastels for Spring to change things up a little. Not these Scott McClintock for Gunne Sax (trust me, they were big in the day) beauties that have gorgeous full skirts that make your waist look tiny, but then a tight bodice that pushes your boobs up and out. That’s not what Jesus wants!) have babies with the same first initial, homemake everything (I mean, if you make a homemade angel food cake once you’ll curse yourself as an idiot then go buy the one at Kroger for $6.99 the next time and not spend $38 in ingredients plus use every bowl you have) and keep sweet.
Now, full disclosure. I am not above hate watching/reading. I hate watched the Duggars all the time. I hate watched an episode or two of that horrible Kate Gosselin woman with all the kids. Every “Housewives” show I’ve ever seen is a hate watching. Just looking at a photo of any Kardashian/Jenner is a hate watching/hate crime against me.
I got this book because I love to hate on the idea of #tradwives. But the shameful part is….I’ve only ever seen one #tradwife video and that was attached to a BuzzFeed story. You know, BuzzFeed. Where I get all my hard news. So, basically I’m just a hater. Is it because I feel bad about myself? Is it because I don’t really cook, don’t have six perfect children (or any imperfect children) and I’m taking it out on these women who have everything I cannot? Friends, I have searched my heart and the answer is…..no. Those things are facts, but it’s really that I don’t like the idea in ANY woman being submissive to ANY man for ANY reason unless you guys have some sex games thing going on that isn’t my business, but please have a safe word. And I hear your arguments, “well, that’s what the Bible says” and “isn’t feminism all about choice?”
As to point 1, um, fuck that. The Bible, while having a few lovely passages and some nice thoughts also advocates for the killing and rape of women, the killing of children, the killing of almost everyone, slavery (HUGE fan of slavery) and about a thousand other things that no decent person can support. It was written by men, and only men a long, long time ago. Point 2: I hear what you are saying, but nearly all of these women have children. Many children. Boat loads of children. What about their choices? For both the boys and the girls. If this is only type of relationship they see, how will the girls know they have the choice to have equality with their partner? And how will the boys know that very few women today are willing to submit to anyone? But I digress.
As a lawyer in the book notes, this is likely just a fad (except for those poor FLDS women,) soon the zeitgeist will move on. I generally avoid these “shocking twist” thrillers, as the twists generally aren’t all that shocking (notable exception, obviously: GONE GIRL). The book is fine, not terrible at all, except for the author confuses east and west at one point, which then made me wonder if _I_ was the one confused for a minute, like you do. So, read if you like reading about influencers.
June 22, 2025
I don't know why it continues to shock me when the most misogynistic books I read are written by women.
The tag discusses (aka rants and raves about) the final chapter. DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR SPOILERS.
The tag discusses (aka rants and raves about) the final chapter. DO NOT CLICK UNLESS YOU WANT MAJOR SPOILERS.
July 11, 2025
4.25 stars
"The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . ."
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, and Lizzie hasn't seen her for fifteen years. Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “trad wife" influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her children and handsome husband. Lizzie is struggling as a remote magazine writer with two young children and an unemployed husband.
One night, Bex asks Lizzie for an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, a high-profile influencer conference. At the conference, Bex goes missing, and her husband is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes not knowing what is real and what is staged for public consumption. Does she really know who Bex is, and will she be to solve this and help her?
Piazza is a master storyteller with sharp wit and insight into the realities of influencers and human nature. It is also an examination of motherhood and marriage and how what we see on social media is often far from the truth of reality. I found this to be gripping from start to finish and a very well-written, entertaining read. It is one of the better thrillers I have read this year. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Jo Piazza for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
"The #tradwife murder mystery we’ve all been waiting for. From the bestselling author of The Sicilian Inheritance and the creator of the Under the Influence podcast comes an explosive thriller about two estranged friends, a grisly murder, a sudden disappearance, and the truly shocking revelation that everyone is lying to you about something . . ."
Lizzie and Bex were best friends in college. After graduation, Bex vanished, and Lizzie hasn't seen her for fifteen years. Bex is now Rebecca Sommers, a “trad wife" influencer with millions of followers who salivate over her perfect life on her ranch with her children and handsome husband. Lizzie is struggling as a remote magazine writer with two young children and an unemployed husband.
One night, Bex asks Lizzie for an exclusive interview with her about her multimillion-dollar business venture and an invitation to MomBomb, a high-profile influencer conference. At the conference, Bex goes missing, and her husband is found brutally murdered on their ranch. Lizzie finds herself plunged into the dark side of the cutthroat world of social media that includes not knowing what is real and what is staged for public consumption. Does she really know who Bex is, and will she be to solve this and help her?
Piazza is a master storyteller with sharp wit and insight into the realities of influencers and human nature. It is also an examination of motherhood and marriage and how what we see on social media is often far from the truth of reality. I found this to be gripping from start to finish and a very well-written, entertaining read. It is one of the better thrillers I have read this year. I highly recommend it.
Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin Group Dutton, and Jo Piazza for an advance reader's copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 19, 2025
4.5 stars. Trad wife thriller.. unputdownable. 📖🎧
July 8, 2025
Jo Piazza's upcoming domestic thriller, EVERYONE IS LYING TO YOU, is my first venture into this author's writing, but this is my first time hearing that she is releasing this type of story (please let me know if I'm wrong), so I figured why not? The synopsis sounds SO MUCH FUN!
Two estranged college friends reunite when influencer Rebecca offers Lizzie a career-making interview—then disappears after her husband is found murdered. As Lizzie searches for answers, she’s thrust into a world of lies, affairs, and influencer drama. I didn't know that this would be the twisty, addictive, and satirical tradwife murder mystery that I needed.
Although if you ask me in a few months, I may completely forget about this book, it is a total beach binge read vibe and I really enjoyed it. I alternated between audio and physical and both installments gave me exactly similar vibes throughout the story, so I didn't prefer either one over the other (hey! sometimes it really makes a difference for me!). If Jo Piazza continues to write popcorn thrillers, I'll be here for it!
Two estranged college friends reunite when influencer Rebecca offers Lizzie a career-making interview—then disappears after her husband is found murdered. As Lizzie searches for answers, she’s thrust into a world of lies, affairs, and influencer drama. I didn't know that this would be the twisty, addictive, and satirical tradwife murder mystery that I needed.
Although if you ask me in a few months, I may completely forget about this book, it is a total beach binge read vibe and I really enjoyed it. I alternated between audio and physical and both installments gave me exactly similar vibes throughout the story, so I didn't prefer either one over the other (hey! sometimes it really makes a difference for me!). If Jo Piazza continues to write popcorn thrillers, I'll be here for it!
July 1, 2025
I had no idea what a tradwife was before I read this book but that was a fun tidbit of information to find out! For those who don’t know tradwife refers to a woman who takes on the traditional household roles (like a 50’s housewives). She takes care of the household chores, children etc. while the husband is solely responsible for the financial aspects of their lives. Even more, men are considered the dominant group and women exist to serve them as wives. Hmm… LOL
In Everyone is Lying to You, a fun and JUICY murder mystery, the author explores the darkness behind being a tradwife. It follows social media star Rebecca who has become one of the biggest tradwife influencers and her ex best friend who decides to take her up on an offer at a once in a lifetime interview (something she desperately needs because MONEY). But soon after, things start to go wrong, Rebecca has disappeared, and her husband is dead.
This was a really fun popcorn thriller, and I binged it in a few hours. The author knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to BEING a trad wife, so it was fun to see how she depicted it in this story. I also love books that take a look at the dark side of social media, so this one really hit the spot.
If you’re looking for a juicy thriller to binge this summer then you won’t want to miss this one! I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to fellow readers.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
In Everyone is Lying to You, a fun and JUICY murder mystery, the author explores the darkness behind being a tradwife. It follows social media star Rebecca who has become one of the biggest tradwife influencers and her ex best friend who decides to take her up on an offer at a once in a lifetime interview (something she desperately needs because MONEY). But soon after, things start to go wrong, Rebecca has disappeared, and her husband is dead.
This was a really fun popcorn thriller, and I binged it in a few hours. The author knows exactly what she’s talking about when it comes to BEING a trad wife, so it was fun to see how she depicted it in this story. I also love books that take a look at the dark side of social media, so this one really hit the spot.
If you’re looking for a juicy thriller to binge this summer then you won’t want to miss this one! I very much enjoyed it and recommend it to fellow readers.
𝗠𝗬 𝗥𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
August 29, 2025
Lizzie hasn’t seen Bex since she ghosted her on her visit and sent a horrible email afterwards. She was devastated by the loss of her friendship but has managed to move on. Now she watches “Rebecca” from afar on social media. Rebecca has become one of the most influential trad wives. When she reaches out and offers to fly Lizzie to a conference next week where she will get the scoop of a lifetime, Lizzie gives in. On day two though, Rebecca is nowhere to be found…oh and her husband was found dead on their homestead.
Talk about a wild ride! Jo Piazza has the ability to pull you in on page one, and not let go until well past when you’ve finished. This book will have the trad wives scrambling to figure out how they too can break out of the cycle, and remind the single ladies why they may want to stay that way. I mean, it sure as heck reminded me why I am! Grayson and Marsden were PHEW…so much. Such truly terrible men, I can’t say I was sad to see Grayson dead, not gonna lie! Seriously though…if you follow Jo Piazza on instagram (which you should) then you have seen her trad wife content (and the massive amount of hate she gets from trad wives and trad wife lovers.) This book takes the research she has done into the trad wife world, and mixes it with a phenomenal fictional thriller/mystery. I seriously could not put this book down and am 99.9% sure you won’t be able to either! Wild ride is an understatement…pre-order this one friends, you won’t regret it!
Thank you to @jopiazzaauthor for my gifted copy of this book! So honored to be a super early reader!
Talk about a wild ride! Jo Piazza has the ability to pull you in on page one, and not let go until well past when you’ve finished. This book will have the trad wives scrambling to figure out how they too can break out of the cycle, and remind the single ladies why they may want to stay that way. I mean, it sure as heck reminded me why I am! Grayson and Marsden were PHEW…so much. Such truly terrible men, I can’t say I was sad to see Grayson dead, not gonna lie! Seriously though…if you follow Jo Piazza on instagram (which you should) then you have seen her trad wife content (and the massive amount of hate she gets from trad wives and trad wife lovers.) This book takes the research she has done into the trad wife world, and mixes it with a phenomenal fictional thriller/mystery. I seriously could not put this book down and am 99.9% sure you won’t be able to either! Wild ride is an understatement…pre-order this one friends, you won’t regret it!
Thank you to @jopiazzaauthor for my gifted copy of this book! So honored to be a super early reader!
July 9, 2025
This was the most fun I’ve had with a thriller in a long time, it was such a blast! It explores the dark side of social media and influencers in a way that felt fresh and the murder mystery was surprising. The entire thing was engaging, my attention never wavered and I listened to in a day, so perfect for a binge read. The multicast of narrators made a dream team, they are all so talented and impressive. Add this one to your summer TBR for sure!
July 19, 2025
In an era where curated Instagram feeds masquerade as reality and influencer culture has become a multibillion-dollar industry, Jo Piazza delivers a scathing and thrilling exposé disguised as a page-turning murder mystery. Everyone Is Lying to You doesn't just entertain—it excavates the rotten foundation beneath the glossy veneer of social media perfection, revealing truths so uncomfortable they'll make you question everything you've ever double-tapped.
A Murder That Exposes More Than Blood
The Setup: When Friendship Meets Influence
Piazza crafts her narrative around two women whose lives have diverged dramatically since college. Lizzie Matthews, a struggling magazine writer drowning in the mundane chaos of modern motherhood, receives an unexpected lifeline from her former best friend Rebecca "Bex" Sommers. But this isn't the wild, ambitious Bex from their university days—this is @BarefootMamaLove, a tradwife influencer with millions of followers who worship her picture-perfect ranch life with husband Gray and their five photogenic children.
The premise appears straightforward: old friends reconnecting, career opportunity, exclusive interview. Yet Piazza immediately signals that nothing in this world operates at surface level. The very invitation feels calculated, orchestrated, almost predatory in its timing.
The Unraveling: Violence in Paradise
When Grayson Sommers is found brutally murdered in his barn and Rebecca vanishes without a trace, the story explodes beyond typical thriller conventions. Piazza doesn't simply present a whodunit—she dissects the entire ecosystem that enabled the tragedy. The MomBomb influencer conference becomes a pressure cooker where jealousy, ambition, and desperation simmer beneath designer smiles and ring lights.
Character Complexity: More Than Instagram Archetypes
Lizzie: The Everywoman's Descent
Lizzie Matthews emerges as Piazza's most relatable creation—a woman caught between professional ambition and domestic reality, scrolling through others' highlight reels while her own life feels increasingly small. Her character arc from passive observer to active investigator mirrors our collective relationship with social media: we consume, we judge, we yearn, but rarely do we truly see.
Piazza's decision to make Lizzie both unreliable narrator and determined journalist creates fascinating tension. Her desperation for a career breakthrough clouds her judgment, making readers question whether she's uncovering truth or manufacturing it for her own benefit.
Rebecca: The Prisoner of Perfection
The gradual revelation of Rebecca's reality—that the woman who appeared to have everything was actually trapped in an abusive marriage, financially supporting a controlling husband while maintaining the facade of traditional submission—represents Piazza's most damning indictment of influencer culture. Rebecca's transformation from college rebel to digital stepford wife isn't just character development; it's a cautionary tale about the price of algorithmic approval.
The Puppet Master: Olivia Jackson
Perhaps the novel's most intriguing figure is Olivia Jackson, the mysterious manager/accountant/manipulator who orchestrates events from the shadows. Piazza creates in Olivia a character who embodies the dark side of the attention economy—someone who profits from others' carefully curated trauma while remaining essentially invisible herself.
The Art of Social Media Satire
Authentic Inauthenticity
Piazza demonstrates intimate knowledge of influencer culture, from the exhausting performance of daily content creation to the behind-the-scenes machinery that turns personal moments into profit. Her descriptions of sponsored posts, engagement metrics, and brand partnerships feel surgically precise, suggesting deep research into this world.
The author's background as creator of the "Under the Influence" podcast clearly informs her writing. She captures the specific language, rhythms, and psychology of social media addiction with uncomfortable accuracy. When Lizzie finds herself compulsively checking her suddenly exploding follower count during a murder investigation, it feels both absurd and entirely believable.
The Economics of Exploitation
One of the novel's strongest elements is its examination of how influence monetizes femininity, motherhood, and vulnerability. Piazza reveals the financial infrastructure behind the aspirational content, showing how companies profit from women's insecurities while maintaining plausible deniability about their role in perpetuating harmful standards.
Plot Mechanics: Ambitious but Uneven
Strengths in Structure
The novel's dual timeline approach—alternating between the present-day investigation and Rebecca's gradual entrapment—creates effective dramatic irony. Readers understand Rebecca's desperation long before other characters do, which adds layers of tension to every interaction.
Piazza's decision to include multiple epilogues provides necessary closure while highlighting how easily truth can be commodified and repackaged for consumption. The revelation that everyone involved has found ways to profit from the tragedy feels both cynical and entirely plausible.
Areas Where the Formula Shows
However, the novel occasionally succumbs to thriller conventions that feel less sophisticated than its social commentary. Some plot twists rely on characters withholding information in ways that serve dramatic purposes more than psychological authenticity. The final confrontation, while satisfying on a visceral level, doesn't quite match the intellectual complexity of the story's setup.
The revelation about Veronica Smith's role in orchestrating events feels somewhat rushed, though her character's transformation from victim to manipulator aligns with the novel's themes about how trauma can breed complicity.
Writing Style: Authentically Digital
Voice and Pace
Piazza adopts a conversational, almost compulsive narrative voice that mirrors social media consumption patterns. Her sentences flow with the addictive quality of scrolling through feeds—short bursts of information, sudden revelations, constant forward momentum. This stylistic choice makes the reading experience feel appropriately unsettling and modern.
The author excels at capturing the specific anxieties of digital life: the fear of being left behind, the pressure to perform happiness, the way online relationships both connect and isolate us simultaneously.
Contemporary Relevance
The novel functions as both entertainment and cultural criticism, examining how social media has changed not just how we present ourselves but how we form relationships, make decisions, and understand reality. Piazza's insights about the psychological toll of constant performance feel particularly timely.
Thematic Depth: Beyond the Algorithm
The Cost of Connection
At its core, Everyone Is Lying to You explores how digital connections can substitute for genuine intimacy while ultimately leaving us more isolated than before. The friendship between Lizzie and Rebecca serves as a microcosm for how social media relationships operate—built on carefully curated presentations rather than authentic understanding.
Power Structures in Digital Spaces
The novel's examination of who profits from influencer culture reveals disturbing parallels to traditional media exploitation. Olivia Jackson's character represents the largely invisible financial infrastructure that monetizes women's content while keeping them dependent on systems they don't fully control.
The Violence of Perfection
Perhaps most powerfully, Piazza demonstrates how the pressure to maintain perfect online personas can enable real-world violence. Rebecca's inability to reveal her abuse stems not just from shame but from her brand requirements—admitting to marital problems would destroy her carefully constructed identity and livelihood.
Critical Assessment: Accomplishments and Limitations
What Works Brilliantly
The novel succeeds most completely as cultural critique disguised as entertainment. Piazza's understanding of influencer psychology feels authentic and deeply researched, making her fictional world entirely believable. Her ability to generate sympathy for characters trapped in systems they've helped create demonstrates sophisticated moral complexity.
The pacing maintains thriller momentum while allowing space for social commentary, a difficult balance that Piazza manages effectively. Readers genuinely care about solving the mystery while absorbing lessons about digital culture.
Where It Falls Short
Some character motivations feel underdeveloped, particularly in the novel's final act. The resolution, while satisfying, doesn't quite earn its dramatic implications through sufficient psychological groundwork. Certain plot devices—convenient coincidences, overheard conversations, perfectly timed discoveries—feel more mechanical than organic.
The novel's ambitions occasionally exceed its execution, particularly in balancing multiple themes without losing narrative focus. Some metaphors about authentic versus performed identity become heavy-handed in later chapters.
Final Verdict: Imperfect but Important
Everyone Is Lying to You doesn't achieve perfection as either thriller or social commentary, but its ambitions and insights make it valuable reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary digital culture. Piazza's ability to embed serious criticism within entertaining fiction creates accessibility without sacrificing intellectual rigor.
The novel functions as both warning and mirror, showing us how easily we become complicit in systems that exploit the very connections we seek. It suggests that in our hyperconnected age, the most dangerous lies aren't the ones influencers tell their audiences—they're the ones we tell ourselves about what constitutes authentic human relationship.
While the mystery mechanics sometimes creak under the weight of cultural commentary, Piazza's vision remains compelling and necessary. Everyone Is Lying to You earns its place among contemporary fiction that wrestles with technology's impact on human behavior, even if it doesn't solve all the puzzles it raises.
A Murder That Exposes More Than Blood
The Setup: When Friendship Meets Influence
Piazza crafts her narrative around two women whose lives have diverged dramatically since college. Lizzie Matthews, a struggling magazine writer drowning in the mundane chaos of modern motherhood, receives an unexpected lifeline from her former best friend Rebecca "Bex" Sommers. But this isn't the wild, ambitious Bex from their university days—this is @BarefootMamaLove, a tradwife influencer with millions of followers who worship her picture-perfect ranch life with husband Gray and their five photogenic children.
The premise appears straightforward: old friends reconnecting, career opportunity, exclusive interview. Yet Piazza immediately signals that nothing in this world operates at surface level. The very invitation feels calculated, orchestrated, almost predatory in its timing.
The Unraveling: Violence in Paradise
When Grayson Sommers is found brutally murdered in his barn and Rebecca vanishes without a trace, the story explodes beyond typical thriller conventions. Piazza doesn't simply present a whodunit—she dissects the entire ecosystem that enabled the tragedy. The MomBomb influencer conference becomes a pressure cooker where jealousy, ambition, and desperation simmer beneath designer smiles and ring lights.
Character Complexity: More Than Instagram Archetypes
Lizzie: The Everywoman's Descent
Lizzie Matthews emerges as Piazza's most relatable creation—a woman caught between professional ambition and domestic reality, scrolling through others' highlight reels while her own life feels increasingly small. Her character arc from passive observer to active investigator mirrors our collective relationship with social media: we consume, we judge, we yearn, but rarely do we truly see.
Piazza's decision to make Lizzie both unreliable narrator and determined journalist creates fascinating tension. Her desperation for a career breakthrough clouds her judgment, making readers question whether she's uncovering truth or manufacturing it for her own benefit.
Rebecca: The Prisoner of Perfection
The gradual revelation of Rebecca's reality—that the woman who appeared to have everything was actually trapped in an abusive marriage, financially supporting a controlling husband while maintaining the facade of traditional submission—represents Piazza's most damning indictment of influencer culture. Rebecca's transformation from college rebel to digital stepford wife isn't just character development; it's a cautionary tale about the price of algorithmic approval.
The Puppet Master: Olivia Jackson
Perhaps the novel's most intriguing figure is Olivia Jackson, the mysterious manager/accountant/manipulator who orchestrates events from the shadows. Piazza creates in Olivia a character who embodies the dark side of the attention economy—someone who profits from others' carefully curated trauma while remaining essentially invisible herself.
The Art of Social Media Satire
Authentic Inauthenticity
Piazza demonstrates intimate knowledge of influencer culture, from the exhausting performance of daily content creation to the behind-the-scenes machinery that turns personal moments into profit. Her descriptions of sponsored posts, engagement metrics, and brand partnerships feel surgically precise, suggesting deep research into this world.
The author's background as creator of the "Under the Influence" podcast clearly informs her writing. She captures the specific language, rhythms, and psychology of social media addiction with uncomfortable accuracy. When Lizzie finds herself compulsively checking her suddenly exploding follower count during a murder investigation, it feels both absurd and entirely believable.
The Economics of Exploitation
One of the novel's strongest elements is its examination of how influence monetizes femininity, motherhood, and vulnerability. Piazza reveals the financial infrastructure behind the aspirational content, showing how companies profit from women's insecurities while maintaining plausible deniability about their role in perpetuating harmful standards.
Plot Mechanics: Ambitious but Uneven
Strengths in Structure
The novel's dual timeline approach—alternating between the present-day investigation and Rebecca's gradual entrapment—creates effective dramatic irony. Readers understand Rebecca's desperation long before other characters do, which adds layers of tension to every interaction.
Piazza's decision to include multiple epilogues provides necessary closure while highlighting how easily truth can be commodified and repackaged for consumption. The revelation that everyone involved has found ways to profit from the tragedy feels both cynical and entirely plausible.
Areas Where the Formula Shows
However, the novel occasionally succumbs to thriller conventions that feel less sophisticated than its social commentary. Some plot twists rely on characters withholding information in ways that serve dramatic purposes more than psychological authenticity. The final confrontation, while satisfying on a visceral level, doesn't quite match the intellectual complexity of the story's setup.
The revelation about Veronica Smith's role in orchestrating events feels somewhat rushed, though her character's transformation from victim to manipulator aligns with the novel's themes about how trauma can breed complicity.
Writing Style: Authentically Digital
Voice and Pace
Piazza adopts a conversational, almost compulsive narrative voice that mirrors social media consumption patterns. Her sentences flow with the addictive quality of scrolling through feeds—short bursts of information, sudden revelations, constant forward momentum. This stylistic choice makes the reading experience feel appropriately unsettling and modern.
The author excels at capturing the specific anxieties of digital life: the fear of being left behind, the pressure to perform happiness, the way online relationships both connect and isolate us simultaneously.
Contemporary Relevance
The novel functions as both entertainment and cultural criticism, examining how social media has changed not just how we present ourselves but how we form relationships, make decisions, and understand reality. Piazza's insights about the psychological toll of constant performance feel particularly timely.
Thematic Depth: Beyond the Algorithm
The Cost of Connection
At its core, Everyone Is Lying to You explores how digital connections can substitute for genuine intimacy while ultimately leaving us more isolated than before. The friendship between Lizzie and Rebecca serves as a microcosm for how social media relationships operate—built on carefully curated presentations rather than authentic understanding.
Power Structures in Digital Spaces
The novel's examination of who profits from influencer culture reveals disturbing parallels to traditional media exploitation. Olivia Jackson's character represents the largely invisible financial infrastructure that monetizes women's content while keeping them dependent on systems they don't fully control.
The Violence of Perfection
Perhaps most powerfully, Piazza demonstrates how the pressure to maintain perfect online personas can enable real-world violence. Rebecca's inability to reveal her abuse stems not just from shame but from her brand requirements—admitting to marital problems would destroy her carefully constructed identity and livelihood.
Critical Assessment: Accomplishments and Limitations
What Works Brilliantly
The novel succeeds most completely as cultural critique disguised as entertainment. Piazza's understanding of influencer psychology feels authentic and deeply researched, making her fictional world entirely believable. Her ability to generate sympathy for characters trapped in systems they've helped create demonstrates sophisticated moral complexity.
The pacing maintains thriller momentum while allowing space for social commentary, a difficult balance that Piazza manages effectively. Readers genuinely care about solving the mystery while absorbing lessons about digital culture.
Where It Falls Short
Some character motivations feel underdeveloped, particularly in the novel's final act. The resolution, while satisfying, doesn't quite earn its dramatic implications through sufficient psychological groundwork. Certain plot devices—convenient coincidences, overheard conversations, perfectly timed discoveries—feel more mechanical than organic.
The novel's ambitions occasionally exceed its execution, particularly in balancing multiple themes without losing narrative focus. Some metaphors about authentic versus performed identity become heavy-handed in later chapters.
Final Verdict: Imperfect but Important
Everyone Is Lying to You doesn't achieve perfection as either thriller or social commentary, but its ambitions and insights make it valuable reading for anyone trying to understand contemporary digital culture. Piazza's ability to embed serious criticism within entertaining fiction creates accessibility without sacrificing intellectual rigor.
The novel functions as both warning and mirror, showing us how easily we become complicit in systems that exploit the very connections we seek. It suggests that in our hyperconnected age, the most dangerous lies aren't the ones influencers tell their audiences—they're the ones we tell ourselves about what constitutes authentic human relationship.
While the mystery mechanics sometimes creak under the weight of cultural commentary, Piazza's vision remains compelling and necessary. Everyone Is Lying to You earns its place among contemporary fiction that wrestles with technology's impact on human behavior, even if it doesn't solve all the puzzles it raises.
Read
August 14, 2025Listened.
I certainly learned a lot about influencers, that's for sure.
I certainly learned a lot about influencers, that's for sure.
Read
August 21, 2025Had a ton of fun reading this quick read...a thriller and murder mystery about influencers.
Review Yet To Come
Review Yet To Come
February 27, 2025
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars - Really, really enjoyed this one!
Wow, I really loved Everyone is Lying to You! This book was such a fun and unpredictable ride that had me hooked from the first page.
The story centers around Lizzie, a struggling writer, and Rebecca (or Bex, as Lizzie used to know her), a now-successful social media influencer who’s gone full "trad wife" and has a massive following. When Bex reaches out to Lizzie with the chance for an exclusive interview that could revive her career, it seems like a golden opportunity. But, of course, things get way more complicated and twisted from there.
What I really enjoyed were all the layers in the story. Each piece of the puzzle was revealed so perfectly, and the twists—wow—caught me totally off guard. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, and it kept me guessing the whole time.
I also loved how the book brings in social media culture. There are tons of references to influencers, scandals, and the wild world of online fame. It felt so real and relatable, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
Wow, I really loved Everyone is Lying to You! This book was such a fun and unpredictable ride that had me hooked from the first page.
The story centers around Lizzie, a struggling writer, and Rebecca (or Bex, as Lizzie used to know her), a now-successful social media influencer who’s gone full "trad wife" and has a massive following. When Bex reaches out to Lizzie with the chance for an exclusive interview that could revive her career, it seems like a golden opportunity. But, of course, things get way more complicated and twisted from there.
What I really enjoyed were all the layers in the story. Each piece of the puzzle was revealed so perfectly, and the twists—wow—caught me totally off guard. There’s a lot going on beneath the surface, and it kept me guessing the whole time.
I also loved how the book brings in social media culture. There are tons of references to influencers, scandals, and the wild world of online fame. It felt so real and relatable, and it added a lot of depth to the story.
February 27, 2025
This was SUCH a fun and addicting read! I loved every minute of it.
Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC!
Thank you NetGalley and Dutton for the ARC!
September 4, 2025
More than ten years have passed since Bex and Lizzie, once best friends, last communicated. Lizzie is a writer for a women's magazine, married, and a mother of two. Bex, who now goes by her full name, Rebecca, is a highly successful influencer with six children and a handsome, wealthy husband. They live on a ranch and uphold traditional, conservative values. Lizzie has never gotten over the way their friendship ended yet still follows Bex's career online. Rebecca is planning a major career announcement and reaches out to Lizzie to offer her an exclusive story and to invite her to MomBomb, an influencer conference. This opportunity could be the career boost Lizzie needs. As they reconnect, Lizzie begins to suspect that Rebecca's life is not as perfect as it seems. The next day, Lizzie learns that Rebecca's husband, Grayson, has been brutally murdered, and Rebecca has disappeared, along with her children. Lizzie is determined to find out where Rebecca is and if she was involved in her husband's death.
In Everyone Is Lying to You, Jo Piazza examines the darker aspects of influencer culture through the lens of a murder mystery. Told from multiple perspectives, the truth unfolds with some good twists and a touch of snarkiness. It's an entertaining social satire.
3.75 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
In Everyone Is Lying to You, Jo Piazza examines the darker aspects of influencer culture through the lens of a murder mystery. Told from multiple perspectives, the truth unfolds with some good twists and a touch of snarkiness. It's an entertaining social satire.
3.75 stars.
Review posted on MicheleReader.com.
July 6, 2025
Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. Unfortunately this was a huge miss for me. This book is being marketed as a “tradwife thriller,” but the execution is severely lacking. First and foremost, the influencer angle is tired and surface-level, like, yes, we all know the curated perfection on social media is fake. Nothing new is being said here. The central friendship didn’t feel believable or earned. They partied in college, haven’t talked in 8 years, and now they’re suddenly trauma-bonded overnight? Yeah, no. The plot gets more and more unhinged as the story goes on…like secret sperm swaps, conveniently recorded murders, and characters making the wildest decisions with the flattest logic. Don’t even get me started on the ending- way to make a pointless story even more pointless! This felt more like satire than thriller and not in a good way. I kept reading because I had to see how off-the-rails it would go. Sadly, the answer was very.
July 27, 2025
Started off great, but then it nose dived into terrible for the second half.
September 11, 2025
Bex and Lizzie were best friends in college, but after a falling out, they haven't spoken in years. Sure, Lizzie has stalked Bex, now Rebecca, and a "tradwife" influencer on Instagram, but they haven't actually talked in years; that is, until Bex sends Lizzie a message. Bex would love to reconnect with Lizzie and involve her in an interview with her to break some big news that Bex is hinting at. Bex isn't on social media for fun; this is her livelihood, and she is raking in the dough as she peddles farm life, baking, and other "tradwife" hobbies. Lizzie, a struggling journalist, jumps on this opportunity despite her hesitation and agrees to meet Bex at Mombomb, an influencer conference. After a night of reconnecting with Bex and many drinks, Lizzie wakes up to the news that Bex is missing, along with her six children, and her husband, Greyson, is dead...murdered! Lizzie, the journalist, wants to find out what is happened, but also wants to help her friend. And that's when the murder mystery part of the story unravels, and it will keep readers guessing. Jo Piazza's Everyone is Lying to You is a fun murder mystery that kept me flipping the pages, but it is also a peek into the behind-the-scenes life of an influencer.
Read the rest of my review here: http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
Read the rest of my review here: http://www.confessionsofabookaddict.c...
September 9, 2025
3.5 stars rounded down to 3!
This was a fun and fast-paced audiobook that kept me intrigued throughout and was highly entertaining for my morning commute and while cleaning my house. While the concept is nothing new and ground-breaking, I really enjoyed the first half and was totally sucked into this influencer world. However the second half or so really brought down my overall rating and went places that didn't seem fitting for the story or main character's motivation.
I've seen some reviewers who LOVE this book because of the ending, so definitely take my personal opinion of it with a grain of salt. If you enjoy stories about influencer culture and its dark underbelly, this would be a fun one to binge in the summer by the pool!
This was a fun and fast-paced audiobook that kept me intrigued throughout and was highly entertaining for my morning commute and while cleaning my house. While the concept is nothing new and ground-breaking, I really enjoyed the first half and was totally sucked into this influencer world. However the second half or so really brought down my overall rating and went places that didn't seem fitting for the story or main character's motivation.
I've seen some reviewers who LOVE this book because of the ending, so definitely take my personal opinion of it with a grain of salt. If you enjoy stories about influencer culture and its dark underbelly, this would be a fun one to binge in the summer by the pool!
July 16, 2025
A fun trad wife mystery. Influencer culture.
If you are drawn to and fascinated by trad wives, and a “simpler” time when women stayed home, grew their own vegetables, and home schooled 6 kids, ask yourself….
Is this cool? Or…
…am I just exhausted by late stage capitalism?
If you are drawn to and fascinated by trad wives, and a “simpler” time when women stayed home, grew their own vegetables, and home schooled 6 kids, ask yourself….
Is this cool? Or…
…am I just exhausted by late stage capitalism?
July 26, 2025
The beginning of this book was really fun. Then it started to slow down. The ending had a twist, but it wasn’t super exciting. Unfortunately, this one is forgettable.
July 12, 2025
Twisty tradwide/social media thriller with great audio narration!
July 27, 2025
This book had me hooked from the very first chapter! Full of secrets, twists, and surprises, it is a juicy, suspense-filled story that dives deep into the curated chaos of influencer culture. It’s fast-paced, incredibly bingeable, and impossible to put down.
I loved how Jo Piazza pulled back the curtain on the influencer lifestyle - showing just how much of it is performance and business, and how little of it is real. The behind-the-scenes look at that world felt so believable, with all its polished facades, scandals, and power plays. You really start to wonder how much of what we consume online is honest - or how much is manipulation for likes and brand deals.
The dynamic between Lizzie and Bex was one of my favorite parts. Their friendship, the sense of betrayal and longing, and the way their lives have diverged made for a fascinating emotional layer beneath the murder mystery. Lizzie is such a relatable character - juggling work, kids, and the messiness of adulthood while being drawn into something so much darker than she expected.
And the mystery itself was wild! Just when I thought I had it figured out, another secret would be revealed, each more shocking than the last. The epilogue especially left my jaw on the floor, it was the perfect final twist to end on.
This is the kind of book you finish in one or two sittings, preferably on a beach or curled up under a blanket. Highly recommend for anyone who loves domestic thrillers, stories about complicated female friendships, or just a really well-told mystery with a modern twist.
My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Dutton for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I loved how Jo Piazza pulled back the curtain on the influencer lifestyle - showing just how much of it is performance and business, and how little of it is real. The behind-the-scenes look at that world felt so believable, with all its polished facades, scandals, and power plays. You really start to wonder how much of what we consume online is honest - or how much is manipulation for likes and brand deals.
The dynamic between Lizzie and Bex was one of my favorite parts. Their friendship, the sense of betrayal and longing, and the way their lives have diverged made for a fascinating emotional layer beneath the murder mystery. Lizzie is such a relatable character - juggling work, kids, and the messiness of adulthood while being drawn into something so much darker than she expected.
And the mystery itself was wild! Just when I thought I had it figured out, another secret would be revealed, each more shocking than the last. The epilogue especially left my jaw on the floor, it was the perfect final twist to end on.
This is the kind of book you finish in one or two sittings, preferably on a beach or curled up under a blanket. Highly recommend for anyone who loves domestic thrillers, stories about complicated female friendships, or just a really well-told mystery with a modern twist.
My copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Dutton for review purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
July 9, 2025
I would like to preface my review by saying, this is an unpopular opinion. It has over 4⭐️s on Goodreads and lots of people have enjoyed this one, so if this is on your tbr you should still read it.
Now, this book was not for me. Which is weird, because the influencer trope is one of my favorites! I think this book just had too much filler and didn’t pick up until halfway through. I did like the reveals though, it was dark dark which HELLO, I’m all about. I just wish maybe, it was a bit more fast-paced.
TW: sexual assault, abuse
Now, this book was not for me. Which is weird, because the influencer trope is one of my favorites! I think this book just had too much filler and didn’t pick up until halfway through. I did like the reveals though, it was dark dark which HELLO, I’m all about. I just wish maybe, it was a bit more fast-paced.
TW: sexual assault, abuse
July 29, 2025
Fun ride!
July 21, 2025
Oooooh I loved this audiobook. I couldn’t stop listening, I deep cleaned my house today so I could finish. 🤣 I found all aspects of the story- influencer culture, tradwives, the mystery- SO COMPELLING. Absolutely fantastic.
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