Trust No One: Never Lie by Freida McFadden Will Keep You Guessing

A twisty-turny thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat, but doesn't quite reach the mind-blowing mark.

You know those books that keep haunting your social media feed like a persistent ghost in a Victorian manor? Yeah, Never Lie by Freida McFadden was that book for me. And let me tell you—I finally gave in, cracked open the first page… and disappeared for six hours straight. No regrets. Only goosebumps.

Tricia and Ethan, newlyweds house-hunting like it's HGTV meets The Shining, stumble across a secluded mansion once owned by the mysterious psychiatrist Dr. Adrienne Hale (cue thunderclap). When a snowstorm traps them inside, instead of calling for help or, you know, leaving, they poke around like two characters in a horror movie who clearly didn’t learn from every horror movie ever.

Enter: the tapes.

Yes—cassette tapes. Therapy session recordings. Dusty secrets. Psychological skeletons in every closet. It’s giving Gone Girl meets The Haunting of Hill House with a side of Dateline.

Tropes We Love (and Freida Totally Nails):

• The Isolated Setting: Classic "let's trap our characters in a murdery place" move. Effective as ever.

• Found Footage / Found Recordings: Like stumbling on someone’s diary—except it’s way more unethical and way more fun.

• The Mysterious Husband: Is Ethan shady? Sweet? Secretly a serial killer? Place your bets.

• The Unreliable Protagonist: Tricia is smart and persistent, but as things unravel, so does your confidence in what's real.

• Twist After Twist After—wait, WHAT?! Just when you think you’ve solved the mystery, McFadden dropkicks your theory out the window.

McFadden doesn’t just write twists—she weaponizes them. Every chapter ends like a "Wait... WHAT!?" moment. Think cliffhangers so sharp, you'll consider just skipping sleep altogether.

The pacing is chef’s kiss. The characters feel real—especially Tricia, who’s no passive victim, but a woman on a mission with nerves of steel and just enough doubt to keep you guessing.

Also, the mansion? Basically a character on its own. It's dripping in gothic vibes and makes you wonder why anyone in fiction ever buys real estate.

Final Thoughts:

Never Lie is one of those deliciously bingeable thrillers that throws you into a storm, hands you a flashlight with dying batteries, and says, “Good luck.” If you like stories that toy with perception, mess with your trust issues, and drop final twists like mic bombs, this one demands a spot on your TBR.

Rating: 4/5 stars

A near-perfect psychological thriller with impeccable pacing, spine-tingling atmosphere, and gasp-worthy reveals. The only reason it didn’t get a full 5 stars? It didn’t quite leave me breathless by the end, but it sure did come close. If this book were a rollercoaster, it’d be the kind where people lose their shoes—but not their lunch.