Here we Lie by Paula Treick DeBoard is a 2018 Park Row Books publication.


A timely topic mingled with a bittersweet ode to friendship-

Megan Mazeros and Lauren Mabrey come from entirely different backgrounds, but when they end up being college roommates, in the late 1990s, the unlikely pair forge a strong bond.

But, when Megan is invited to spend the summer with Lauren at her family’s private retreat, something happens that forces a wedge between the two girls and their friendship never fully recovered.

Now, Megan is married, having put that summer and Lauren out her mind all these years, until a startling news report regarding a serious allegation against a member of Lauren’s family brings the past sharply into focus. After a flood of memories overwhelms her, Megan knows she can’t stay quiet. She must come forward with her story, forcing her to reveal long buried secrets and shocking, undeniable truths to herself, her family, and the world.


The subject matter at the center of the story is so timely and the scenario is so familiar, so plausible, this story could make tomorrow’s headlines and we’d believe it was a real news story.

The events surrounding the summer of 1999 may be the center of the story, but the heart of the story is about a friendship that manages to survive against incredible odds.


This review has been a difficult one to write, not just because this is an uncomfortable topic, because it happens to be very, very important to me, and I am quite vocal about it on social media, but mainly I’m worried about giving too much away. But, I must say, I think the author did a terrific job of laying out all the angles and complexities without passing judgement on the characters for their decisions and choices.

I also don’t’ want to get preachy about victim blaming, or lecture on spouting platitudes about not facing adversity head on. I think enduring something that traumatic, in a situation where you feel especially powerless and vulnerable, with added emotional connections, could make facing things ‘head-on’ a thing that is easier said than done. Sometimes the mind is so stunned and shocked, the only way to cope is to the bury things deep in the subconscious mind until we are strong enough to face it, to admit it, to deal with it. Not only that, we should all know by now there are many psychological reasons behind these actions, as well as the threats demanding silence, and the disbelief and monumental scrutiny one will most certainly face.

Yet, I am of a mind that you should never keep quiet. Run- don’t walk- speak up and speak out- immediately!! Your voice just might be the one that gives someone else the courage they need to do the right thing and you may prevent someone else from becoming a 'survivor'.

This book highlights the plethora of complexities of situations like this one, adding areas of gray, blurred lines, and the difficulties of calling out men of power. This book could open up a much- needed discussion on this issue, perhaps making it a good book club selection.

But, at the end of the day, the book is also about the mysterious bonds of friendship. Lauren and Megan’s relationship had a rocky foundation, was built on lies and misrepresentations, and both girls are deeply flawed in their own way.

However, once you strip away all the complications that got in the way, the friendship was sincere and legitimate at its core, which gives the book a positive spin, rather than one that leaves you feeling angry or hopeless.

Overall, this is a compelling novel, a cautionary tale, and one that addresses the need to be more informed, educated, less judgmental and a whole lot more supportive of those who come forward, no matter when they find the courage and strength to do so. Maybe this would make it easier for more people to speak up, hopefully sooner, rather than later.

4 stars

Drama, sex, politics, secrets, friendship, betrayal. Heavy page-turner, with no plot twist, we are told from Chapter 1 the way the book ends, and it still finds a way to be intriguing.

I have such interest in books with two female characters from such different social backgrounds - because it always leads to conflict. This book doesn’t disappoint. It’s not a fun read, dealing with some serious issues - and the impact it has both in the moment and years later. Overall, I felt for the characters and enjoyed the read.

The present day is Oct. 2016. Amid the references to the presidential election taking place and women pushing back against "locker room talk" and "boys will be boys" as excuses for the behavior of powerful, fully grown men, Senator Mabrey is accused of rape days before his own election.

*flashback*
College roommates Lauren & Megan have wildly different backgrounds: Lauren is the youngest daughter of a wealthy Connecticut state senator, soon to be US senator, and Megan is an only child from Kansas who inherits an insurance payout after her father dies and chooses to spend it at on an all-girls school in CT. They each keep their secrets to themselves despite a quick, burgeoning friendship after they've been reassigned to the same dorm when each of their original roommates leave the school.

The novel goes on to cover a lot of ground. The 19-year-olds become 34-year-olds who've lost touch and as you read on it slowly becomes clear what drove the best friends apart.

Although certainly tedious at times relaying details of a date or parental conversation or descriptions of Lauren's amateur photographs, which all get in the way of what really happened. I take issue with the timeline here, starting with the "big event" instead of naturally approaching the drama at the end after the several hundred page lead-up, but the actual writing was quite good and kept me interested. Though do go read the print or ebook, not the audio.

Really enjoyed this book. One moment, one word can change a life so much!

Paula is one of my go-to authors; after devouring [b:The Drowning Girls|27069952|The Drowning Girls|Paula Treick DeBoard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445267529s/27069952.jpg|47198482] last year I immediately consumed [b:The Fragile World|20821541|The Fragile World|Paula Treick DeBoard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1407719370s/20821541.jpg|40167367] and [b:The Mourning Hours|17133946|The Mourning Hours|Paula Treick DeBoard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1366067196s/17133946.jpg|23535730] in quick succession. I find her writing to be one of the finest examples of flawless character study around. While each book has a different theme, she manages to keep a tight reign on her cast, always ensuring that, what could be construed as the everyday mundane, is in fact transformed into a tense, unstoppable freight train of suspense. Last year's [b:The Drowning Girls|27069952|The Drowning Girls|Paula Treick DeBoard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1445267529s/27069952.jpg|47198482] was a domestic drama full of tension and suspense, and DeBoard hits us again with another tale of power struggles, this time in the woefully relevant arena of political scandal and sexual assault.

We're dropped in the first chapter at a press conference where we are about to be hit with some truth bombs... But obviously not right away. That wouldn't make for a very suspenseful story, now would it? ;) We are immediately whisked away back (14 years or so if I recall) to where it all started, the beginning of Lauren and Megan's friendship. These two couldn't be more different, yet somehow their lack of similarities drive them closer than imaginable as they attempt to support each other through their own tragedies. If you've read the blurb then you can hazard a guess at where the story is going, which gives the book less of a mystery feel and more of a "tension accelerating toward a breaking point" experience.

The plot most definitely takes a backseat to the characterization, as it should; in books that have a widely written about plot, there needs to be detail in the flow of the writing that sets it apart from all the others like it. Here, and honestly in every book she's written, the author does an exquisite job of connecting reader and leading cast. The girl's relationship is relatable in the sense that us women have all been in a friendship that didn't go the way we expected. There are a good number of friends I've made over the years that, for one reason or another, didn't end up being the lifelong companions I expected us to be, and that is the minor theme that struck me the hardest here.

If you enjoy deep, well-defined, and gloriously flawed characters, you'll want to pick up a copy of [b:Here We Lie|34051963|Here We Lie|Paula Treick DeBoard|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1499097971s/34051963.jpg|55061062]. I can't express what a privilege it is to pick up DeBoard's books and feel as if I'm chomping at the bit already to get my hands on another one of her delectable stories. They are the type of juicy, compulsive reads that aren't cheapened by cliches and meaningless drama, yet make me feel as if I've bettered myself upon completing them. Highly recommended to women and men alike, and bravo to the author for creating such a well needed narrative for our country where the timing couldn't be better.

*Many thanks to the author for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here. 

DeBoard is one of my favorites, and has been ever since I devoured her book The Mourning Hours in 2013. Ever since then, I excitedly wait for her next book - like all readers everywhere do, for those authors we particularly enjoy. I was so excited to receive this book, with a handwritten note from Paula Treick DeBoard, in the mail, and to dive right in.



Here We Lie is the story of two unlikely friends - one from a regular old midwestern family, the other, a daughter of privilege and prestige, the daughter of a Senator, and an old family to boot. Like the Kennedys, but of course, not the Kennedys. Through a sad series of events, Megan is able to kick the dust off her proverbial boots and go to college, away from home, and from the memories that it holds, good and bad, and a terrible secret. It is here that she meets Lauren, who has caused her political family some headaches with her wild ways, just avoiding scandal by a razor's edge. She has to prove herself to her family, that she can be something, and do something. Be responsible and good.



These two on paper should not be friends - but inside, they are keeping a secret from others. In true DeBoard fashion, there is a darkness. In most books or movies or tv shows, where opposites attract (Betty and Veronica for instance), at the core is a friendship born out of a true blending and sharing of something good. In Here We Lie, however, we get a friendship that is built on with the sharing of dark secrets.



But the story doesn't end with this. Megan slides right into Lauren's family dynamic, Lauren's buddy.Yet something horrible happens on a trip to Lauren's family's private island over the fourth of July holiday the summer before their senior year, that destroys their friendship. And after fourteen years of silence, Megan is about to tell the truth.



I really loved this book, the darkness, these characters, knowing that somewhere something was going to drop. The overall feel that despite seeming like a buddy book, this kind of really wasn't. DeBoard does a great job of putting all the pieces in this book together into a gripping, thought-provoking book.

I went into Here We Lie expecting it to be a psychological thriller, but it's not at all. It's really not any kind of mystery or thriller, although there is some suspense as the story builds toward revealing what happened to Megan. This book was really so much more than I expected though, and I highly recommend it. What I liked best about this book is the way it examines a friendship--the kind of intoxicating female friendship you have in your teens and early twenties, where you are so entangled with each other that it's nearly like a romantic relationship in some ways. I really loved immersing myself in Megan and Lauren's relationship and thinking back to my own friendships at that age and how very exciting they could be, but also how very fraught. This book is also a very timely story about sexual assault and its aftermath, and how powerful men can get away with it for so long. This is a great read, just don't go in expecting ever-increasing tension and twists, because it's not that kind of book.