Amber Reynolds does a lot of laying. She’s in a coma from a car accident, so she can’t do much else but lay in her hospital bed and try to remember who she is. But she admits right from the start that she is a liar, so you have to believe she’s also doing some lying.

Slowly, she finds moments of wakefulness, in her mind if not in body. The nurses talk to each other and occasionally to Amber, so she gains information on her condition from them. Her husband David also visits, and her sister Claire, offering her hints of her relationships, of recent arguments, of concerns she’s been having with them and with her job at a radio station. As she listens to the conversations around her, Amber slowly starts to piece together what may have happened to her and eventually her memories start to come back.

Amber’s memories are interspersed with diary entries from a ten-year-old girl. She is strong and confident, certain of who she is, and that her parents no longer love her. She has no friends until she meets Taylor, who is being bullied at school. When she helps Taylor out, they become fast friends. The friendship that develops between these two girls saves them both, one from troubles at school and the other from troubles at home.

As the days go on and Amber recovers more of herself, from the conversations around her and her own memories coming back, she starts to wonder if if wasn’t an accident that put her in the hospital. But if it was someone trying to kill her, who was it? And will they come back to try to finish the job? Just how much danger could Amber be in? And most importantly, will she wake up in time to save her own life?

Talk about an unreliable narrator! Having Amber be in a coma with no memory of who she is and how she got there is a fascinating way to journey towards the truth. Sometimes I Lie is a phenomenal thriller, one of the best unreliable narrator stories I’ve read yet. Alice Feeney has created a story with twists and turns all the way through, and as satisfying as it gripping. I listened to the audio book for this one. Narrator Stephanie Racine provided the perfect voice for Amber, and I highly recommend this as a fantastic way to experience this story!

A copy of Sometimes I Lie was provided by Flatiron Books, but I bought the audio book myself from Audible, with many thanks.