Tell Me Lies

Rating:
Summary: READ THIS BOOK!
Review: If you've already discovered Jennifer Crusie, you don't need me to tell you to find this book now. If you haven't discovered her yet (try to keep up, okay?), you're in for a real treat. TELL ME LIES isn't laugh-out-loud funny -- it's howl-at-the-moon funny.

Rating:
Summary: Crusie's best book yet!
Review: And that's saying something. Jennifer Crusie's first venture into so-called hardcover respectability is really a triumph. Brand new readers and her many, many category fans will be equally delighted with Maddie and C.L., Treva and Emily, and all the other colorful denizens of Frog Point. You want laugh-out-loud humor, hot sex, murder, intrigue, and lovable characters growing up emotionally before your very eyes? Do yourself a favor--read TELL ME LIES.

Rating:
Summary: One great rollicking wonder of a book!
Review: Okay, I got hold of an Advance Reading Copy of this book. Oh, my. Hold on to your seat, because this is a marvelous rollercoaster of a ride through murder, mayhem, crotchless underwear, great chocolate, and lost love refound. Besides great characters and an engrossing plot, Crusie is true to form in her unique ability to crack perfect one-liners. My fave: "Was it as bad for you as it was for me?" Oh, I loved this book!!!

Rating:
Summary: An 11. You have to read Cruise to appreciate her brilliance
Review: C. J. Sturges has loved Maddie all his life, but when she dumps him following a one night stand to return to her fiancee, the Frog Point bad boy leaves town to become a successful big city accountant. Two decades later, he returns with a mission: to discover if Maddie's spouse Brent is embezzling money from his own company. When he sees Maddie, hurting and fragile, C. J. realizes that he still loves her. Maddie tells him that Brent has been cheating on her again. The comfort he offers her turns into a passionate love making session, but this time C. J. refuses to leave.

Maddie is frightened as she worries what the townsfolk and her daughter Emily will say when she files for divorce. Still, she is relieved that the obstinate CJ will not let her go this time around. However, Brent's cheating and her own adultery are the least of Maddie's problems. She soon learns more about her spouse, her family, and her best friend than anyone should have to cope with in a lifetime, let alone a few days. As her world spins out of control, Maddie even begins to doubt CJ, thinking he too is just another liar.

Although this is Jennifer Cruise's first mainstream fiction, the novel has all of the warmth and charm readers have come to expect from this category romance writer extradinaire. The story line focuses on several serious topics such as adultery and murder, but the talented Ms. Cruise magically brings a smile and a laugh or two to the reader. TELL ME LIES is grand reading written by an author whose star is just beginning to shine all over the literary sky. It will prove impossible to wait for her next book to be released.

Harriet Klausner

Rating:
Summary: Tell Me Lies-good but frustrating
Review: I read this book after "Crazy for You," and I found that I didn't like it nearly as much. While "Tell Me Lies" has a lot of Crusie's trademark quick wit, super-sharp dialogue, and appealing characters, it seemed often frustrating and jumbled. I think Crusie maybe tackles too many serious themes, and though with each she is beautifully perceptive & articulate, I found myself getting irritated by the constant distraction away from Maddie's central problem. For instance, Crusie's narrative would touch on something that really built tension and curiosity, and then suddenly there would be long passages dedicated to Maddie's daughter Em and all her precociousness, Em and her friend Mel in their treehouse, etc. I couldn't help but feel that Em's place in the story detracted from the fluidity of the plot. Another example - while Crusie successfully captured how stifling the gossipy small town of Frog Pointe could be, at the same time, it got to the point where I just wanted to tear my hair out in frustration that everyone was seriously THAT obsessed with "what will people say" that they seemed to base every single action on what the neighbors would think - including Maddie at many critical points in the novel. Very irritating, at least to me. The upside of the book was the beauty of the writing itself, the sweetness of C.L., and most importantly, the development of Maddie's self-identity. Enjoyable read, but "Crazy for You" and "Welcome to Temptation" are more polished and more fun.

Rating:
Summary: Way to go again, Crusie!
Review: This was a fun and exciting read! I have yet to be disappointed in a Crusie novel. Although some parts were of a very serious nature, Crusie has a way of making you still laugh out loud! Great book from start to finish. You will never be able to guess who the murderer is, but it is fun trying to figure it out! You have just gotta read this book! It will make you a die hard Crusie fan forever!



Rating:
Summary: Tell Me Lies, But Wil I Believe Them
Review: I haven't read a Cruise novel for a while and I was happy to see her sense of quirkyness has not disappeared. There is just something so realistic about Maggie and small town live (which I know about) I just had to laugh. Although sometimes I cannot understand why the main character choose to stay in a loveless marriage, this book surprised me with all its twists and cooky situations. There were even a few surprises that will make your jaw drop (which my neighbor on the train mistook for me having an anxiety attack). All in all, I enjoyed this book.

Rating:
Summary: SEXY and Great
Review: This is the first book I've read by Jennifer... and I love it! It's sexy! A very romantic novel that is for all romantic novel lovers to read!

Rating:
Summary: You won't be able to put it down! (4.5 stars)
Review: I thought this book was a great suspense novel. It was a great mystery about murder, mischief, and adultery. Maddie Faraday finds out her husband is cheating on her, plus C.L, the guy she lost her virginity to in high school, shows up. The events that follow will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The only think I didn't like about this book was that it was a little unrealistic. (WARNING: Don't read the rest of this review if you don't want to know the ending!) Only two weeks after Maddie's husband gets killed, she says she loves C.L. and might want to marry him.

Rating:
Summary: Good.. but Crusie's done better!
Review: I had one irk with this book, and it was the writing style. When characters were speaking it was always "and Maddie said", and "and so and so said" I got so sick of the and said style of speaking by the end of this book.
Good book, but at times it could have been the latest Belva Plain novel with the theme and storyline of finding your high school sweetheart while your marriage is going downhill. The usual Crusie humor does lie beneath though.