Review: Lies You Wanted to Hear

It's been quite some time since I've accepted any review books.  I just couldn't commit.  I have stacks of books that I accepted for review that I haven't touched.  I didn't want to agree to something I just couldn't deliver on.  However, when I received an email from the publisher (Sourcebooks) about James Whitfield Thomson's first book, "Lies You Wanted to Hear", I said yes.  The synopsis was very compelling. 


From Sourcebooks: 

Alone in an empty house, Lucy tries to imagine the lives of her two young children. They have been gone for seven years, and she is tormented by the role she played in that heartbreaking loss. You can hardly see a glimpse of the sexy, edgy woman she used to be. Back then, she was a magnet for men like Matt, who loved her beyond reason, and Griffin, who wouldn't let go but always left her wanting more. With shattering, unthinkable turns that will wrench every mother’s heart, this suspenseful story probes the issue of how well you know the person you married. How much can you trust them with your heart— and with your future? 

I actually read this quite fast and I was engrossed from the beginning.  I have to be honest, I am not really sure of my emotional feelings about this book. 

************SPOILER ALERT**************

Okay, trying to find the right words to describe this book is difficult.  I think this is what the author wanted.  You aren't sure WHO the bad person really is.  It's like a Jodi Piccoult book- the bad person isn't the enemy nor is the good person as good as they seem to be.  You see both sides to the coin and you can understand why they make the choices they did even if you don't agree with them.

Matt refused to face the issues plaguing his marriage with Lucy.  He runs away.  He refused to see the faults within himself or the any positive traits in Lucy.  Don't get me wrong, he did in the beginning.  He adored Lucy.    Lucy, on the other hand, saw her faults but refused to see she was human.  They saw each other as the enemy but they both loved their kids.  

I understood why Lucy couldn't be with Matt.  I understood why Matt kidnapped the kids.  

I didn't like either of them much but I could understand them.  They lied to themselves as much as they lied to each other and to the kids.  They refused to acknowledge the lies to confront them or to fix them.  

The ending leaves you wondering... it's really open to interpretation.  I love a book that let's you decide how it truly ended.  Not a cliffhanger (in my opinion). 

I had tears in the last few chapter.  The emotions were raw.  The book was so well written and the story maintained a great pace from the beginning to the end.  I could read this again.  The insight into their lives is quite deep.

Honestly? This is a GREAT book club book.  The discussions are endless.   The morality is quite complex. 

Have you read this book yet? What did you think?  
Could you feel the anguish of both Matt and Lucy? 
Do you think Lucy was destined to fail in her relationships (after all, her mother....)?
Do you think Lucy settled on Matt? I think she loved him but wasn't in love with him like he was with her.
What do you think Matt did in the end?
Did the end (reunion) make you cry like I did? LOL.

I can't wait to read your thoughts!