My enormous thanks to lovely Annabel Kantaria for giving me a signed copy of You Lied First. I had meant to read and review You Lied First immediately, but this was at Capital Crime last year, my Mum was ill and then died shortly afterwards so sadly You Lied First has languished on my night stand ever since. However, it was so worth waiting for and I’m delighted finally to share my review.

You will find an interview with Annabel, writing as Anna Kent, here on Linda’s Book Bag.

Published by Harper Collins imprint HQ on 17th July 2025, You Lied First is available for purchase through the publisher links here. 

You Lied First

Sara is about to spend a week in a villa with people she barely knows.

She’s been invited to join her daughter, Liv, her boyfriend and his parents on their holiday. She can’t say no. After what happened, she’ll jump at any chance to spend time with Liv.

She tries to be the perfect guest, and they seem like the perfect hosts. But something about the Forrest family isn’t right.

By the end of the trip, someone will be dead. Lies will bind the rest of them together. But who can lie the best?

My Review of You Lied First

Sara’s on holiday in Oman with her daughter, Liv, her boyfriend and his parents.

What a fabulous thriller. I loved You Lied First. 

The setting is wonderful. Oman is depicted in such an evocative way, through the souks and desert, the heat, the food and the markets, so that Annabel Kantaria truly transports her readers to her setting – especially when it is contrasted with the wintery landscape of the UK. There’s a real sense of affection for the Middle East that I found compelling. 

The plot is superb. It’s pacy, dynamic and enthralling. There’s an underlying tension and sense of menace from the beginning, but I didn’t foresee the pivotal event at all. Neither could I be certain how the narrative might finally resolve itself because the twisty and psychological skill in its execution was so accomplished. I found the entire narrative very exciting. It also had the effect of making me tense and it unsettled me. My sense of right and justice was challenged, but you must read You Lied First to see why! 

The characters and relationships are deliciously toxic but completely believable. I loathed Guy from start to finish. Through him, we are given a sensitive insight into controlling and coercive behaviour and we see the veneer of respectability that powerful men can exude. I loved the fact that he was called Guy as it hinted that any guy as charming as he is might have that negativity beneath the surface. He’s a kind of negative Everyman. That’s not to say that You Lied First contains misandry. Both Flynn and Sara’s estranged husband Michael are positive individuals. Rather, Guy is so well delineated that it’s impossible not to loathe him! 

There’s an intimacy from having just half a dozen characters. We get to know and understand them thoroughly. I thought it inspired to have Sara’s sections written in the first person as it forms a bond with the reader because they and Sara are usually outside the social sphere of the Forresters. There’s a Gatsby-esque hedonistic sense of social glitterati, especially with Celine’s personality that raises alarm bells. The way this strand of the novel unravels is superb. Even the teenagers Liv and Flynn feel rounded and realistic. 

Themes of parenthood, marriage, relationships, society, truth and manipulation weave through You Lied First. I lost count of the number of times I questioned what I might do in similar circumstances, so thoroughly did Annabel Kantaria draw me into the story. This is a narrative to give the reader pause for thought as well as to entertain them brilliantly. 

In case it isn’t entirely obvious, I thought You Lied First was fabulous. It’s elegantly written, cleverly plotted, packed with action and contains events, themes and characters that won’t be forgotten in a hurry. It’s a cracker of a book and not to be missed. 

About Annabel Kantaria

Also writing as Anna Kent, Annabel Kantaria became a published author when the manuscript for her first novel, Coming Home, won the Montegrappa Prize for First Fiction at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in 2013. It was published in 2015. You Lied First is her sixth book. 

Annabel lives in Dubai, UAE, with her husband.

You can follow Anna on Twitter @BellaKay and Instagram, find her on Facebook or visit Anna’s website for more information.