This was such a riveting story and a very close examination of Lydia and Mark's marriage. My heart went out to Lydia as she tried to keep her secrets buried, and Mark is so lovely that I kept yelling 'tell him' but completely understand that the longer you take to tell somebody something, the harder it is. Lydia is so troubled with her burden that it isn't any wonder that she makes reckless decisions that put her marriage in further jeopardy.

We all know that secrets don't stay buried for long, and it's so typical that Sean McAllister, the one person Lydia never wanted to see again ended up living in her village and she was unable to avoid him. I could feel the tension crackling through the pages every time Lydia came into contact with Sean. It was no surprise that she started to take her angst out on her husband and two children. It is so true that we always hurt the ones we love.

After the Lie certainly highlighted the dangers of our 'snap your fingers and it's all over the internet' day and age we live in. If Lydia had been a teenager in present times, she wouldn't have a secret to keep buried as the whole world would know about it!

Whilst all of this tension and drama is going one, we have some laugh out loud moments to lighten the mood courtesy of the family dog, Mabel and Lydia's busybody mother, Dorothy. Mabel had me in absolute kinks of laughter as she virtually sprang to life out of the page - the inspiration for Mabel was Kerry Fisher's own naughty dog, Poppy, who I'm sure could provide enough entertainment for a whole book! Lydia's mother was so funny how she still treated 40-odd year old Lydia as a child, trying to tell her what clothes to buy and how to live her life. Her heart is in the right place but Lydia's exasperation is completely understandable and it's heartening to see what a close and strong family unit they have.

Having now read two of Kerry Fisher's books (see also The Island Escape that I named as one of my top reads of 2015), I am becoming quite a fan. Kerry's books are so true to life that you feel as if you are one of the family, I find that I care about the characters and I relive moments from the book long after I have turned the final page.

After the Lie is a thought-provoking, poignant and funny book that doesn't disappoint. The eye-opening comparison between then and now of a moment that should have remained private was simply marvellous.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Bookouture, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

Lydia has a secret which she and her family have kept for 30 years, and all is well with her world until a new family move in nearby - will the secret be a secret for much longer? I loved the way this was written, the references to places in Surrey and the cover which was enticing. I'm not too sure why I liked it so much as some of the characters were rather unpleasant, nor was the secret too earth shattering. Lydia was often irritating and weak - does the woman not have a backbone? Her father was a lovely man despite what had happened and her mother was often unintentionally funny. This is the first book I've read by Kerry Fisher and it won't be the last. ( )

You know, sometimes you read only a page or two, and you know you're going to love the book? That's what happened when I glanced at the prologue of After The Lie. I simply fell in love with the writing style. I'm really OC about reading my NetGalley books in order of publication date but once I saw the prologue that system of mine went out the window. I put away my other book and devoured this one in a day.
Lydia and her parents have been keeping a secret for thirty years. Lydia never told her husband, Mark, or her children or any friend. Actually, it's hard to have friends if you're keeping a secret. And then one day, the fact that you have kept secrets and have lied to your loved ones becomes more destructive than the original secret ever would have been.
This happens to Lydia when she is suddenly confronted with her buried past at her children's posh private school.
I thought I knew where this story was going to go at that stage, but the author took a totally different route. It was utterly brilliant. I never expected the whole Tomaso debacle.
After The Lie was unpredictable, it was extremely witty, and it was heartbreaking as well as heartwarming. I went through a lot of emotions reading this.
The characters were wonderfully realistic and relatable. I loved Jamie's teenage talk. Lydia was a fantastic character, so likeable, and I enjoyed all her sharp observations. It was incredibly easy to become fully immersed in her life. Don't even get me started on Mabel, the dog. And as for Mark, if there was an award for book-husband of the year, he'd have my vote. I'm afraid I didn't feel any sympathy for Lydia's mother, though.
After The Lie is a very poignant story about family relationships, parenting, life pre-Internet versus social-media-ruled life, delivered with flawless prose which contained some delightfully creative metaphors. To say Kerry Fisher has a way with words is an understatement. The ending was perfect even for someone as cynical as me.
This was an easy 5-star read. Needless to say, I'm hoping to read more by Kerry Fisher soon.
Many thanks to Bookouture for my copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I really enjoyed the writing style of the author. I soon as I started reading it I was hooked and wanted to find out what happened to Lydia in school that caused her whole life to change. I'm not sure how Lydia managed to to to hide what really happened to her for 30 years. She wasn't even able to share it with her husband. The worst part was her mother. Heaven forbid Lydia left something out on the counter or tried to show her real self. I knew her mother had to be very religious with the wonderful gifts she purchased for Lydia like the Pope Francis thimble, Pope John Paul II commemorative plate and the china Popemobile complete with waving pontiff. Her mom always made it out to be Lydia's fault for what happened to the family. I think that and Sean coming back into Lydia's life caused her to be able to confide in a complete stranger. Naturally all these lies caused history to repeat itself with Sean and Lydia's children. ( )