by Lisa Unger
November 13, 2014
Beautiful Lies is a character driven fast paced psychological thriller with a storyline about how the consequences of a good deed reveals the sad truth of the early life of Ridley Jones, the main character. Ridley’s story is revealed with the help of a new neighbor, Jake. He enters her life at a time when she has questions about a long term relationship with a former boyfriend and family friend, Zack
The focus of the story is about child abuse and rescue, adoption, and the unintended consequences of good intentions gone badly. Family secrets spiral out of control to reveal concealed truths about parents, siblings, her Uncle Max, family friends, biological and adoptive parents, and lost children. Events in the story are realistic and readers said that the family dynamics of adoption likely could have happened. Ridley was not close to her mother but was indulged by her rich Uncle Max. Her father was supportive of her and her brother Ace was a lost soul addicted to drugs.
Another theme was that of choice and how important freedom was to Ridley. She was determined to uncover the true relationships of her adoptive and biological families and her place in both. Upstairs neighbor Jake is determined to find out about his early life and how both of them are connected to each other.
Readers liked the conversational style of the story along with the first-person narration. Book club members agreed that issues about adoption raised in the story were less likely to be the same in the younger generation today. This led to a discussion of how readers raised their own children. Children are raised in a more permissive society, and secrecy -- although it surely exists -- is not as prevalent as in previous generations. Open adoption and the Safe Haven law were discussed as examples.
Readers are ready to read Sliver of Truth, the next book in the Ridley Jones series.
