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賴賱 兀賰匕亘 毓賱賷賰
賯丿 鬲賮賯丿 丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賲孬丕賱賷丞 .. 廿賳 氐丿丨鬲 亘丕賱丨賯賷賯丞.
毓賳丿 亘賵丕亘丕鬲 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 賮賷 賯乇賷丞 賵賷賲亘賱丿賵賳貙 鬲賳丿賲噩 賮丕賷夭丞貙 賮賷爻鬲睾乇賯 匕賱賰 賲賳賴丕 亘囟毓 爻賳賵丕鬲賺 賵禺夭丕賳丞賻 賲賱丕亘爻 噩丿賷丿丞 鬲賲丕賲丕貙 賱賰賳 丕賱兀賲賴丕鬲賽 丕賱賲鬲睾胤乇爻丕鬲賽 丕賱賱丕鬲賷 馗賳賳賴丕 賲乇亘賷丞賸 禺胤兀賸貙 亘賽鬲賳賻 賷毓丕賲賱賳賴丕 丕賱丌賳 賰賵丕丨丿丞賺 賲賳賴賳.
丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賲孬丕賱賷丞 鬲賰賱賾賮 孬乇賵丞賸. 丨賷賳 賷賮賯丿 夭賵噩賴丕 鬲賵賲 賵馗賷賮鬲賴貙 鬲丿乇賰 賮丕賷夭丞 兀賳賴丕 爻鬲囟胤乇 廿賱賶 丕賱賰卮賮 毓賳 兀賰亘乇 兀爻乇丕乇賴丕: 賱賯丿 兀賳賮賯鬲賿 賰賱 賲丕 丕丿禺乇鬲賿 兀爻乇鬲賴丕.賯亘賱 匕賱賰 ...
賱賲 鬲賰賳 賮丕賷夭丞 鬲丨鬲丕噩 賱兀賰孬乇 賲賳 孬賵丕賳賺 賱賱賰匕亘 毓賱賶 鬲賵賲貙 賮亘丕鬲鬲賽 丕賱丌賳 兀賲丕賲 禺賷丕乇賷賳 賷賳賯囟賷 兀噩賱購賴賲丕 賮賷 爻鬲丞 兀爻丕亘賷毓: 廿賲丕 兀賳 鬲噩賳賷 75000 噩賳賷賴賺 廿爻鬲乇賱賷賳賷賺賾 兀賵 鬲爻鬲毓丿 賱禺爻丕乇丞 兀爻乇鬲賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 毓賲賱鬲賿 噩丕賴丿丞賸 毓賱賶 丨賲丕賷鬲賴丕.
毓賳丿 亘賵丕亘丕鬲 丕賱賲丿乇爻丞 賮賷 賯乇賷丞 賵賷賲亘賱丿賵賳貙 鬲賳丿賲噩 賮丕賷夭丞貙 賮賷爻鬲睾乇賯 匕賱賰 賲賳賴丕 亘囟毓 爻賳賵丕鬲賺 賵禺夭丕賳丞賻 賲賱丕亘爻 噩丿賷丿丞 鬲賲丕賲丕貙 賱賰賳 丕賱兀賲賴丕鬲賽 丕賱賲鬲睾胤乇爻丕鬲賽 丕賱賱丕鬲賷 馗賳賳賴丕 賲乇亘賷丞賸 禺胤兀賸貙 亘賽鬲賳賻 賷毓丕賲賱賳賴丕 丕賱丌賳 賰賵丕丨丿丞賺 賲賳賴賳.
丕賱丨賷丕丞 丕賱賲孬丕賱賷丞 鬲賰賱賾賮 孬乇賵丞賸. 丨賷賳 賷賮賯丿 夭賵噩賴丕 鬲賵賲 賵馗賷賮鬲賴貙 鬲丿乇賰 賮丕賷夭丞 兀賳賴丕 爻鬲囟胤乇 廿賱賶 丕賱賰卮賮 毓賳 兀賰亘乇 兀爻乇丕乇賴丕: 賱賯丿 兀賳賮賯鬲賿 賰賱 賲丕 丕丿禺乇鬲賿 兀爻乇鬲賴丕.賯亘賱 匕賱賰 ...
賱賲 鬲賰賳 賮丕賷夭丞 鬲丨鬲丕噩 賱兀賰孬乇 賲賳 孬賵丕賳賺 賱賱賰匕亘 毓賱賶 鬲賵賲貙 賮亘丕鬲鬲賽 丕賱丌賳 兀賲丕賲 禺賷丕乇賷賳 賷賳賯囟賷 兀噩賱購賴賲丕 賮賷 爻鬲丞 兀爻丕亘賷毓: 廿賲丕 兀賳 鬲噩賳賷 75000 噩賳賷賴賺 廿爻鬲乇賱賷賳賷賺賾 兀賵 鬲爻鬲毓丿 賱禺爻丕乇丞 兀爻乇鬲賴丕 丕賱鬲賷 毓賲賱鬲賿 噩丕賴丿丞賸 毓賱賶 丨賲丕賷鬲賴丕.
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First published July 8, 2021
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About the author
Aliya Ali-Afzal
2听books73听followersAliya Ali-Afzal grew up in London, where she still lives. Aliya has a degree in Russian and German from University College London and an MA in Creative Writing from Royal Holloway, University of London.
While working as an MBA Career Coach for business schools in London, helping people pursue their dream careers, one day, Aliya decided to take her own advice and pursue her secret dream of becoming a writer.
Her debut novel Would I Lie To You was selected for World Book Night 2022, was a Summer Reads Pick by Penguin Books UK, picked for Summer Must Reads by Adele Parks, a Clare Mackintosh Book Club pick and featured in The New York Post as a 'fab British export'. It has also been translated into Arabic and published in the UAE in 2023. Aliya's writing has been longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, the Mslexia Novel Competition, the Mo Siewcharran Prize, and the Primadonna Prize.
Aliya loves hearing from readers and you can connect with Aliya on Instagram @aliyaaliafzalauthor
While working as an MBA Career Coach for business schools in London, helping people pursue their dream careers, one day, Aliya decided to take her own advice and pursue her secret dream of becoming a writer.
Her debut novel Would I Lie To You was selected for World Book Night 2022, was a Summer Reads Pick by Penguin Books UK, picked for Summer Must Reads by Adele Parks, a Clare Mackintosh Book Club pick and featured in The New York Post as a 'fab British export'. It has also been translated into Arabic and published in the UAE in 2023. Aliya's writing has been longlisted for the Bath Novel Award, the Mslexia Novel Competition, the Mo Siewcharran Prize, and the Primadonna Prize.
Aliya loves hearing from readers and you can connect with Aliya on Instagram @aliyaaliafzalauthor
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 289 reviews
February 14, 2022
4.5 Stars 鈫� Would I lie to you? Umm, yes, she did. Faiza's plight in this book was so nerve-racking!
After her husband Tom is laid off from his job in banking, Faiza finds herself in a terrible predicament. Their 拢75,000 savings account is empty, all of it secretly spent by Faiza to keep up with their affluent friends and neighbors. Instead of confessing her financial infidelity, she tries to find ways to cover up what she's done, but the hole she's in just gets deeper.
As a British Pakistani woman married to a white man, Faiza feels immense pressure to fit in with the white moms in their social circle. She wants to protect her children from the racism she faced as the child of poor immigrant parents as much as possible. Does that excuse her lying and secret spending? I was rooting for her as she attempted to make things right.
Though this book is billed as women's contemporary fiction, it had the page-turning suspense of a thriller 鈥� fast-paced and great tension throughout. I could NOT put it down! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 鈾�
After her husband Tom is laid off from his job in banking, Faiza finds herself in a terrible predicament. Their 拢75,000 savings account is empty, all of it secretly spent by Faiza to keep up with their affluent friends and neighbors. Instead of confessing her financial infidelity, she tries to find ways to cover up what she's done, but the hole she's in just gets deeper.
As a British Pakistani woman married to a white man, Faiza feels immense pressure to fit in with the white moms in their social circle. She wants to protect her children from the racism she faced as the child of poor immigrant parents as much as possible. Does that excuse her lying and secret spending? I was rooting for her as she attempted to make things right.
Though this book is billed as women's contemporary fiction, it had the page-turning suspense of a thriller 鈥� fast-paced and great tension throughout. I could NOT put it down! Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. 鈾�
March 9, 2022
鈥淥h what a tangled web we weave. When first we practice to deceive.鈥� Sir Walter Scott
Faiza and Tom appeared to have the perfect marriage and family. They lived in an affluent area, had a beautiful home and could afford to send their three children to private schools. And Faiza didn鈥檛 have to work. Instead, Faiza spent her days volunteering at exclusive charities, transporting her children, dining and shopping at high end restaurants and boutiques. And Faiza could indulge in the regular spa treatments with friends in those elite social circles that most other women of modest means would envy.
Being a person of color, Faiza desperately wanted to fit in with the other ladies of social status. After all, social status is what made you noticed, right? So Faiza would secretly withdraw money from her and Tom鈥檚 emergency fund for what most people would call extravagant purchases. But Faiza told herself that she would eventually replenish the fund. After all, her husband Tom had a well paying job. Until that one day he didn鈥檛鈥� No problem, Faiza thought. They had enough to tide them over until Tom found another job. But when Faiza went to check their account balance, they had nothing. Faiza had spent all of their emergency fund money. Faiza was shocked and did not dare want to tell Tom what she had done for fear of him leaving. Faiza feared for her marriage, and she had six weeks to make things right before Tom鈥檚 severance ran out.
Would I Lie to You is Aliya Ali-Afzal鈥檚 debut novel. Hard to believe because her writing style is so captivating.
The characters are well developed and I enjoyed how Ali-Afzal captured the trials and tribulations of an interracial marriage along with the stigma of being a person of color in a caucasian dominant environment. It鈥檚 a sensitive topic but being a person of color myself, I could relate to the feelings of Faiza and how she tried to fit in.
The plot is intriguing and it takes the reader down a rabbit hole of desperation. What would be the cost of rectifiying all the wrongs? Family? Marriage? Social Status? All of the above?
Would I Lie to You is an outstanding novel that is sure to resonate with a wide range of readers. Five masterful stars.
I received a physical finished copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
Faiza and Tom appeared to have the perfect marriage and family. They lived in an affluent area, had a beautiful home and could afford to send their three children to private schools. And Faiza didn鈥檛 have to work. Instead, Faiza spent her days volunteering at exclusive charities, transporting her children, dining and shopping at high end restaurants and boutiques. And Faiza could indulge in the regular spa treatments with friends in those elite social circles that most other women of modest means would envy.
Being a person of color, Faiza desperately wanted to fit in with the other ladies of social status. After all, social status is what made you noticed, right? So Faiza would secretly withdraw money from her and Tom鈥檚 emergency fund for what most people would call extravagant purchases. But Faiza told herself that she would eventually replenish the fund. After all, her husband Tom had a well paying job. Until that one day he didn鈥檛鈥� No problem, Faiza thought. They had enough to tide them over until Tom found another job. But when Faiza went to check their account balance, they had nothing. Faiza had spent all of their emergency fund money. Faiza was shocked and did not dare want to tell Tom what she had done for fear of him leaving. Faiza feared for her marriage, and she had six weeks to make things right before Tom鈥檚 severance ran out.
Would I Lie to You is Aliya Ali-Afzal鈥檚 debut novel. Hard to believe because her writing style is so captivating.
The characters are well developed and I enjoyed how Ali-Afzal captured the trials and tribulations of an interracial marriage along with the stigma of being a person of color in a caucasian dominant environment. It鈥檚 a sensitive topic but being a person of color myself, I could relate to the feelings of Faiza and how she tried to fit in.
The plot is intriguing and it takes the reader down a rabbit hole of desperation. What would be the cost of rectifiying all the wrongs? Family? Marriage? Social Status? All of the above?
Would I Lie to You is an outstanding novel that is sure to resonate with a wide range of readers. Five masterful stars.
I received a physical finished copy of the book from Grand Central Publishing. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.
July 15, 2021
Headlines:
A house of cards
Spiral of lies
Social pressures
What a angsty read this was. Would I Lie To You plunged you into the privileged life of Faiza, Tom and their family. That privilege soon turned to difficulty in a spate of difficult life turns that brought the spotlight to all the things Aliya had been brushing under the carpet and hiding.
I have to say there were times I found the spiriling descent of Faiza鈥檚 desperation to cover things up pretty anxiety-provoking but I couldn鈥檛 look away. These changes in their family鈥檚 life was accompanied by a backdrop of social pressures, school tuition fees, older parents and job hunting.
Faiza was a character that in some ways was hard to like, but she had endearing characteristics that made you want to see her claw her way out of this hole she鈥檇 dug. There were events and experiences that she encountered with regards to her race and gender that were simply awful to read.
I would classify this as a women鈥檚 fiction/contemporary read that was sometimes suspenseful. The plot had depth and complexity and the characters were very well honed. If you鈥檙e looking for a read that keeps your attention with good pace, Would I Lie To You will meet your needs; it鈥檚 an impressive debut.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for the early review copy.
Find this review at .
A house of cards
Spiral of lies
Social pressures
What a angsty read this was. Would I Lie To You plunged you into the privileged life of Faiza, Tom and their family. That privilege soon turned to difficulty in a spate of difficult life turns that brought the spotlight to all the things Aliya had been brushing under the carpet and hiding.
I have to say there were times I found the spiriling descent of Faiza鈥檚 desperation to cover things up pretty anxiety-provoking but I couldn鈥檛 look away. These changes in their family鈥檚 life was accompanied by a backdrop of social pressures, school tuition fees, older parents and job hunting.
Faiza was a character that in some ways was hard to like, but she had endearing characteristics that made you want to see her claw her way out of this hole she鈥檇 dug. There were events and experiences that she encountered with regards to her race and gender that were simply awful to read.
I would classify this as a women鈥檚 fiction/contemporary read that was sometimes suspenseful. The plot had depth and complexity and the characters were very well honed. If you鈥檙e looking for a read that keeps your attention with good pace, Would I Lie To You will meet your needs; it鈥檚 an impressive debut.
Thank you to Head of Zeus for the early review copy.
Find this review at .
April 17, 2021
This is an over-long book that touches superficially on issues of money, (straight, middle class) marriage, family, culture, racism, mental health, (terribly on) suicide, and even manages to throw in some sexual harassment. If it was closer to 100 pages than 400 it could be a tightly plotted domestic thriller about the hypocrisy of the moneyed middle classes, but unfortunately that's not what it is. If you enjoy reading about the specific yummy mummy subset of South West London's suburban middle classes and their terribly difficult lives, don't care for terribly quick pacing and don't mind sloppy writing, this may well be an enjoyable read. I found it largely insufferable.
August 31, 2022
Simmering, tight, and intriguing!
Would I Lie to You? is an intense, ominous, domestic drama that takes you into the life of Faiza Saunders, a mother of three who has secretly blown through her family鈥檚 emergency fund making sure that she and her family fit in and look like they belong in their upper-class Wimbledon neighbourhood but when Faiza鈥檚 husband Tom suddenly loses his job Faiza鈥檚 life spirals more and more out of control as she decides to do whatever it takes to keep her spending and their financial ruin a secret.
The writing is brisk and tight. The characters are secretive, troubled, and deceptive. And the plot is an intricate, immersive tale full of lies, deception, drama, jealousy, betrayal, competition, revelations, racism, manipulation, mayhem, mental illness, and bad decisions.
Overall, Would I Lie to You? is a complex, suspenseful, promising debut by Ali-Afzal that I found a tad too long but was nevertheless a fast-paced page-turner that kept me engaged from start to finish.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
Would I Lie to You? is an intense, ominous, domestic drama that takes you into the life of Faiza Saunders, a mother of three who has secretly blown through her family鈥檚 emergency fund making sure that she and her family fit in and look like they belong in their upper-class Wimbledon neighbourhood but when Faiza鈥檚 husband Tom suddenly loses his job Faiza鈥檚 life spirals more and more out of control as she decides to do whatever it takes to keep her spending and their financial ruin a secret.
The writing is brisk and tight. The characters are secretive, troubled, and deceptive. And the plot is an intricate, immersive tale full of lies, deception, drama, jealousy, betrayal, competition, revelations, racism, manipulation, mayhem, mental illness, and bad decisions.
Overall, Would I Lie to You? is a complex, suspenseful, promising debut by Ali-Afzal that I found a tad too long but was nevertheless a fast-paced page-turner that kept me engaged from start to finish.
Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.
May 18, 2021
The characters in Would I Lie to You jump off the page, from Faiza and Tom to the various secondary characters including her parents, her children and her assortment of friends. I loved the central hook - it's a lie that will unravel throughout the story and shake the foundations of a happy marriage. This is a smart, pacy and often funny novel with a dilemma that is both tension-building and all too real.
It's also incredibly refreshing to see British Asian and in particular Muslim culture portrayed as part of the story but in a way that never becomes a plot device. Faiza is a woman who happens to be British Muslim and has a set of problems to deal with. That's it! It's great to see this representation on the page written in a believable and interesting way.
Aliya Ali-Afzal is definitely a writer to watch!
It's also incredibly refreshing to see British Asian and in particular Muslim culture portrayed as part of the story but in a way that never becomes a plot device. Faiza is a woman who happens to be British Muslim and has a set of problems to deal with. That's it! It's great to see this representation on the page written in a believable and interesting way.
Aliya Ali-Afzal is definitely a writer to watch!
May 7, 2021
I feel blessed after reading this book. I stayed up late to finish it and it was so worth it. The writing is fast paced, so you'll never want to stop. Even when I had to stop reading, my mind was always going back to the book. I love the characters. The plot twists were well placed and properly resolved, the dialogue is so vivid, you can almost hear them.
This novel has the right amount of tension to entertain. I can't wait to recommend this novel to everyone and their mommies.
This novel has the right amount of tension to entertain. I can't wait to recommend this novel to everyone and their mommies.
June 10, 2021
At least there were some advantages to being an identikit Wimbledon Village mother: women who occupied themselves with benign activities, like after-school ballet, cheering at rugby matches, Friday night dinner parties and mid-morning coffee dates, although of course, this was never the whole story. I knew people saw me like that too. That was my 鈥榮ubcategory鈥� anyway. The initial classification was, of course, always, brown, Muslim, and of Pakistani origin.
鈥淲ould I lie to you?鈥� by Aliya Ali-Afzal is not my normal literary fare, but read for its resonance, being set among the investment bankers, and ex-Nomura and ex-UBS bankers particularly, with children at private schools, in Wimbledon Village.
That's multiple ticks for me, but fortunately not to the opening chapter: it opens with a male banker, unnamed, contemplating suicide from the terrace of a restaurant, called Cinq in the novel but obviously based on Coq d'Argent.
We then switch back several months to Faiza, whose husband Tom, has just been made redundant from his bank. At first Tom assumes he will find another role quickly - There was a long list of jobs on the screen. 鈥業鈥檝e applied for a couple already. I鈥檓 going to call up John and Tig and the old gang. I got David his role at Nomura, I鈥檓 sure he鈥檒l help.鈥�
But there is generally a hiring freeze and Tom realises they will have to fall back on their savings for a period. Fortunately, they have an emergency fund, but unfortunately Faiza has secretly spent it, trying to keep up appearance and fit in with the in-crowd although Tom鈥檚 role wasn鈥檛 so senior that he was receiving the large bonuses of some of Faiza鈥檚 social set鈥檚 husbands.
I stood in the middle of the room, not sure what to do. I looked around. The emergency fund was everywhere. Above the sofa hung an enormous seascape oil painting which I鈥檇 bought from one of the art galleries in the Village 鈥� and the Murano glass lights, which I鈥檇 said, were from Homebase, but had been bought on the New King鈥檚 Road鈥揳ll these things taunted me.
In a way, it had also been Tom鈥檚 fault鈥搕o start with, anyway. He had a habit of checking every item on our monthly credit card bill before he paid it off. He鈥檇 go down the list, reading every single payment out loud, whether it was a TFL charge for the tube, or a particularly large grocery bill if we were entertaining. When he came across something he didn鈥檛 recognise, he鈥檇 ask me about it. I knew that he was just 鈥榖eing a banker鈥�, and looking out for fraudulent transactions, but I hated it.
As time progresses, Faiza builds up an increasingly elaborate series of transactions to keep their finances afloat and pay the next term鈥檚 fees, and a parallel series of lies to hide what she is doing from Tom, whose unsuccessful job search is driving him into depression.
Faiza herself is an ex-UBS private banker from before she has children, and eventually finds a way back into employment herself, but she has hidden from her boss that she knows his wife (another Village mum whose snooty attitude to Faiza is, at best, unconscious bias and, at worst, racism) and she starts to become closer to him than to her own husband, leading to yet another tangled web.
All this is told against the story of her own family and their own struggles (we learn one reason her youngest son attends private school is racial bullying at his previous state primary) and those of her non school-run friends, and which leads to more storylines and indeed more candidates for the banker in chapter one.
Overall, this was a page-turner of a read, although at times a little over melodramatic (Faiza鈥檚 initial monetary schemes reach almost farcical proportions, and the endgame of her relationship with her boss crosses from flirtation into illegality), and (to slightly contradict myself) the story sags a little in the middle while Faiza is re-establishing her private wealth manager career.
Plus, as mentioned, not my usual literary fare (which tends to be experimental translated novels) so I'm not that well placed to comment on how it compares to other novels of its type.
But 3 stars overall for personal taste - although for what it is trying to do 4 would be more appropriate.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC
鈥淲ould I lie to you?鈥� by Aliya Ali-Afzal is not my normal literary fare, but read for its resonance, being set among the investment bankers, and ex-Nomura and ex-UBS bankers particularly, with children at private schools, in Wimbledon Village.
That's multiple ticks for me, but fortunately not to the opening chapter: it opens with a male banker, unnamed, contemplating suicide from the terrace of a restaurant, called Cinq in the novel but obviously based on Coq d'Argent.
We then switch back several months to Faiza, whose husband Tom, has just been made redundant from his bank. At first Tom assumes he will find another role quickly - There was a long list of jobs on the screen. 鈥業鈥檝e applied for a couple already. I鈥檓 going to call up John and Tig and the old gang. I got David his role at Nomura, I鈥檓 sure he鈥檒l help.鈥�
But there is generally a hiring freeze and Tom realises they will have to fall back on their savings for a period. Fortunately, they have an emergency fund, but unfortunately Faiza has secretly spent it, trying to keep up appearance and fit in with the in-crowd although Tom鈥檚 role wasn鈥檛 so senior that he was receiving the large bonuses of some of Faiza鈥檚 social set鈥檚 husbands.
I stood in the middle of the room, not sure what to do. I looked around. The emergency fund was everywhere. Above the sofa hung an enormous seascape oil painting which I鈥檇 bought from one of the art galleries in the Village 鈥� and the Murano glass lights, which I鈥檇 said, were from Homebase, but had been bought on the New King鈥檚 Road鈥揳ll these things taunted me.
In a way, it had also been Tom鈥檚 fault鈥搕o start with, anyway. He had a habit of checking every item on our monthly credit card bill before he paid it off. He鈥檇 go down the list, reading every single payment out loud, whether it was a TFL charge for the tube, or a particularly large grocery bill if we were entertaining. When he came across something he didn鈥檛 recognise, he鈥檇 ask me about it. I knew that he was just 鈥榖eing a banker鈥�, and looking out for fraudulent transactions, but I hated it.
As time progresses, Faiza builds up an increasingly elaborate series of transactions to keep their finances afloat and pay the next term鈥檚 fees, and a parallel series of lies to hide what she is doing from Tom, whose unsuccessful job search is driving him into depression.
Faiza herself is an ex-UBS private banker from before she has children, and eventually finds a way back into employment herself, but she has hidden from her boss that she knows his wife (another Village mum whose snooty attitude to Faiza is, at best, unconscious bias and, at worst, racism) and she starts to become closer to him than to her own husband, leading to yet another tangled web.
All this is told against the story of her own family and their own struggles (we learn one reason her youngest son attends private school is racial bullying at his previous state primary) and those of her non school-run friends, and which leads to more storylines and indeed more candidates for the banker in chapter one.
Overall, this was a page-turner of a read, although at times a little over melodramatic (Faiza鈥檚 initial monetary schemes reach almost farcical proportions, and the endgame of her relationship with her boss crosses from flirtation into illegality), and (to slightly contradict myself) the story sags a little in the middle while Faiza is re-establishing her private wealth manager career.
Plus, as mentioned, not my usual literary fare (which tends to be experimental translated novels) so I'm not that well placed to comment on how it compares to other novels of its type.
But 3 stars overall for personal taste - although for what it is trying to do 4 would be more appropriate.
Thanks to the publisher via Netgalley for the ARC
June 6, 2023
I鈥檝e almost reached half of this book but I can鈥檛 carry on鈥�
I don鈥檛 really care to read about wealthy people鈥檚 problems. And problems of their own doing鈥� And then lies upon lies upon lies. Life is too short to read sufferable books!
Some adjectives I鈥檇 use for Faiza: obnoxious, pretentious, annoying鈥�
I don鈥檛 really care to read about wealthy people鈥檚 problems. And problems of their own doing鈥� And then lies upon lies upon lies. Life is too short to read sufferable books!
Some adjectives I鈥檇 use for Faiza: obnoxious, pretentious, annoying鈥�
January 16, 2022
鈥淎t first, I thought it must be a mistake, that I was reading the statements incorrectly. I ran my nail across the line, following the string of numbers with my fingertip. However many times I checked it though, the figure remained the same.鈥�
Would I Lie To You? is a sharply observed, entertaining and thoughtful novel from Aliya Ali-Afzal.
When Faiza鈥檚 husband, Tom, is unexpectedly retrenched from his high paying banking job, neither believe he will be unemployed for long. Thankfully Tom鈥檚 redundancy payment will provide them with a six week buffer and if needed, Tom suggests, they can always draw from their 鈥檈mergency鈥� fund. The mention of their nest egg makes Faiza uncomfortable, she鈥檚 dipped into the account a time or two over the years. Raising a family in London is expensive, and fitting in is important, especially when, as a brown skinned, Pakistani Muslim, Faiza stands out among the other mothers at the gate of her children鈥檚 private school. Faiza is aghast when she checks the bank balance and realises that there is nothing left of their savings, she can鈥檛 possibly admit to her fiscally responsible husband that she has unintentionally frittered away 拢75,000, and so she lies. Now Faiza has six weeks to put things right, but as her desperation grows so do the lies she has to tell, threatening to destroy everything she is trying to protect.
Some creative accounting and questionable decisions allows Faiza to juggle each immediate crisis, but repeatedly makes her overall predicament worse. It鈥檚 inevitable her lies will eventually be found out, and the anticipation of the consequences, not just for Faiza but also others, creates a genuine sense of tension in Would I Lie To You?. There are several themes and subplots that add to the drama too, including prejudice, an alleged theft, depression, an acute illness, and workplace sexual harassment. It鈥檚 a lot really, verging on too much at times, but I think readers will find elements to relate to, and there are lighter moments that provide needed warmth and humour.
Despite Faiza鈥檚 poor decision making, her desire to assure her family鈥檚 well being is always what鈥檚 most important to her and I empathised with her concerns about her husband, her children, and her ageing parents. As the story progresses Ali-Azful reveals how Faiza鈥檚 sensitivity to her lower class background and her parent鈥檚 disagreements about finances feeds into her uncomfortable relationship with status and money, while her insecurities about acceptance given her racial and cultural background, are often reinforced by micro-aggressions among her, mostly white, social group. Though I can鈥檛 directly relate to Faiza鈥檚 issues on these matters (given I鈥檓 white and broke, with no status to speak of), I could understand how they influenced her decisions, which made Faiza a more sympathetic character who I really grew to like.
Would I Lie To You? is a sharply observed, entertaining and thoughtful novel from Aliya Ali-Afzal.
When Faiza鈥檚 husband, Tom, is unexpectedly retrenched from his high paying banking job, neither believe he will be unemployed for long. Thankfully Tom鈥檚 redundancy payment will provide them with a six week buffer and if needed, Tom suggests, they can always draw from their 鈥檈mergency鈥� fund. The mention of their nest egg makes Faiza uncomfortable, she鈥檚 dipped into the account a time or two over the years. Raising a family in London is expensive, and fitting in is important, especially when, as a brown skinned, Pakistani Muslim, Faiza stands out among the other mothers at the gate of her children鈥檚 private school. Faiza is aghast when she checks the bank balance and realises that there is nothing left of their savings, she can鈥檛 possibly admit to her fiscally responsible husband that she has unintentionally frittered away 拢75,000, and so she lies. Now Faiza has six weeks to put things right, but as her desperation grows so do the lies she has to tell, threatening to destroy everything she is trying to protect.
Some creative accounting and questionable decisions allows Faiza to juggle each immediate crisis, but repeatedly makes her overall predicament worse. It鈥檚 inevitable her lies will eventually be found out, and the anticipation of the consequences, not just for Faiza but also others, creates a genuine sense of tension in Would I Lie To You?. There are several themes and subplots that add to the drama too, including prejudice, an alleged theft, depression, an acute illness, and workplace sexual harassment. It鈥檚 a lot really, verging on too much at times, but I think readers will find elements to relate to, and there are lighter moments that provide needed warmth and humour.
Despite Faiza鈥檚 poor decision making, her desire to assure her family鈥檚 well being is always what鈥檚 most important to her and I empathised with her concerns about her husband, her children, and her ageing parents. As the story progresses Ali-Azful reveals how Faiza鈥檚 sensitivity to her lower class background and her parent鈥檚 disagreements about finances feeds into her uncomfortable relationship with status and money, while her insecurities about acceptance given her racial and cultural background, are often reinforced by micro-aggressions among her, mostly white, social group. Though I can鈥檛 directly relate to Faiza鈥檚 issues on these matters (given I鈥檓 white and broke, with no status to speak of), I could understand how they influenced her decisions, which made Faiza a more sympathetic character who I really grew to like.
February 6, 2022
The tension in the first half of the book had me so stressed out. The lies kept growing, and multiplying and I found myself holding my breath at times.
Faiza is a stay-at-home mom happily married to Tom with two children. Faiza's cultural background, her darker skin and exotic look make her feel like she has to work twice as hard to fit in with the uppity, gossipy and extremely privileged neighborhood and school parent groups. When her husband loses his job, she is immediately hit with an extreme case of guilt - she has been secretly spending from their "emergency fund" for years to keep up with the Jones' and to not have to ever ask her husband for money. Once Tom's job search stretches on, the need to access the now invisible emergency fund becomes critical. Faiza's one lie turns into at least 4 lies that only become bigger and bigger. She confides in no one - she is ashamed and embarrassed about her actions (heck she should be!). I felt like her actions were slightly unbelievable as she came from a banking background. The fact that she never once looked at the balance of the emergency fund in the years she accessed it just didn't seem plausible. When the school fees and assorted weekly family expenses were discussed, I felt like there was no way they could have covered them without needing to touch the emergency fund.
I never felt sorry for Faiza or her situation. I mean she 100% put herself there and it was all in the vein of her appearance of "fitting in", proving her affluence and ensuring her children were able to be part of the "in" crowd. Luckily, I didn't feel like the author was trying to get sympathy for Faiza, rather, she was just portraying her as anyone who lives above their means and gets themselves into desperate situations by putting on other faces. I guarantee there are hundreds, if not thousands of women who have done something similar all in hopes of "looking the part." Faiza was part of two worlds that she wanted to keep separate. Her Indian side and then the side of her that just wanted to blend in and be accepted as just another one of the affluent, stylish and social ladder climbing school moms.
Once the story progresses, Faiza finds a way to contribute monetarily to the family. She becomes the bread winner and she seems to enjoy becoming part of the work force again, but this transition back into the workforce felt a little too easy. She didn't struggle with seeing her children so much less, when it felt like that would have been opposite of her nature. Tom certainly struggled throughout as he seemed lost without his job to define him. His disappointment in himself was palpable. Since he too was from a banking background and was very organized, I didn't fully buy that he would not have been quicker in wanting access to the emergency fund. But I do have to say, - Faiza was rather creative in her lies.
I thought the author did a good job with character development. Faiza based many of her decisions on her childhood. She tried to avoid problems that she saw her parents struggle with, and tried to prevent her children from struggling with the issues she did. Her cultural background definitely played into many of her decisions. She had a very strong relationship with her parents, so when she resorted to lying to them and accessing their savings, I cringed. She had a few close girl friends, but their relationships felt only lightly developed. I was very happy to see her development and growth surrounding her heritage throughout this story. She learned to embrace her cultural background and celebrate her differences.
Overall this book kept me turning the pages and was enjoyable. There was one part toward the very end when I held my breath to find out a piece of news. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 2.22.22
Faiza is a stay-at-home mom happily married to Tom with two children. Faiza's cultural background, her darker skin and exotic look make her feel like she has to work twice as hard to fit in with the uppity, gossipy and extremely privileged neighborhood and school parent groups. When her husband loses his job, she is immediately hit with an extreme case of guilt - she has been secretly spending from their "emergency fund" for years to keep up with the Jones' and to not have to ever ask her husband for money. Once Tom's job search stretches on, the need to access the now invisible emergency fund becomes critical. Faiza's one lie turns into at least 4 lies that only become bigger and bigger. She confides in no one - she is ashamed and embarrassed about her actions (heck she should be!). I felt like her actions were slightly unbelievable as she came from a banking background. The fact that she never once looked at the balance of the emergency fund in the years she accessed it just didn't seem plausible. When the school fees and assorted weekly family expenses were discussed, I felt like there was no way they could have covered them without needing to touch the emergency fund.
I never felt sorry for Faiza or her situation. I mean she 100% put herself there and it was all in the vein of her appearance of "fitting in", proving her affluence and ensuring her children were able to be part of the "in" crowd. Luckily, I didn't feel like the author was trying to get sympathy for Faiza, rather, she was just portraying her as anyone who lives above their means and gets themselves into desperate situations by putting on other faces. I guarantee there are hundreds, if not thousands of women who have done something similar all in hopes of "looking the part." Faiza was part of two worlds that she wanted to keep separate. Her Indian side and then the side of her that just wanted to blend in and be accepted as just another one of the affluent, stylish and social ladder climbing school moms.
Once the story progresses, Faiza finds a way to contribute monetarily to the family. She becomes the bread winner and she seems to enjoy becoming part of the work force again, but this transition back into the workforce felt a little too easy. She didn't struggle with seeing her children so much less, when it felt like that would have been opposite of her nature. Tom certainly struggled throughout as he seemed lost without his job to define him. His disappointment in himself was palpable. Since he too was from a banking background and was very organized, I didn't fully buy that he would not have been quicker in wanting access to the emergency fund. But I do have to say, - Faiza was rather creative in her lies.
I thought the author did a good job with character development. Faiza based many of her decisions on her childhood. She tried to avoid problems that she saw her parents struggle with, and tried to prevent her children from struggling with the issues she did. Her cultural background definitely played into many of her decisions. She had a very strong relationship with her parents, so when she resorted to lying to them and accessing their savings, I cringed. She had a few close girl friends, but their relationships felt only lightly developed. I was very happy to see her development and growth surrounding her heritage throughout this story. She learned to embrace her cultural background and celebrate her differences.
Overall this book kept me turning the pages and was enjoyable. There was one part toward the very end when I held my breath to find out a piece of news. Thank you to NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the ARC to read and review. Pub date: 2.22.22
February 19, 2024
3.5 猸愶笍
July 29, 2021
Would I Lie to You? takes what seems a highly implausible scenario, racks up the levels of improbability and keeps us at full throttle until we eventually stop. It was a read that I found myself getting through fairly quickly, but I鈥檓 afraid the whole premise was just so bizarre that I felt like reading this was akin to nothing I can put my finger on.
The story begins with what could be a fairly common experience鈥arried couple are not entirely honest with one another about the state of their finances. However, once we get details it seems so preposterous that I couldn鈥檛 get my head around where this was going.
Our main character, Faiza, has a banker husband and their children go to private school. They mix in circles where certain behaviours are expected, and when we first see her she鈥檚 at a Botox party. Her husband calls with the shock news that he鈥檚 been laid off, so money is going to be problematic. Even more so when she lets us know she has managed to spend over 拢75,000 (their emergency savings) without telling her husband and they are thirty days away from being broke.
What follows was certainly a lesson in getting people to think about their finances, but with such crazy sums being focused on it was so beyond the experience of many that I wonder if it becomes less effective.
In order to try and maintain her life, Faiza begins looking for ways to remedy the situation. However, nothing offers the quick fix required. She gets a job, but this is fraught with issues when we learn one of her new senior team is closer to home than she realised.
Within a short space of time we鈥檇 had a lot thrown at us. This woman鈥檚 environment was pretty toxic. She ended up learning the value of honesty and good friends, but the whole thing was so far-fetched I couldn鈥檛 really take it seriously. Somewhat caricature villains, depressingly superficial toxic white women and a rather tacked-on exploration of racial identity. It felt like too many things were thrown into the mix.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
The story begins with what could be a fairly common experience鈥arried couple are not entirely honest with one another about the state of their finances. However, once we get details it seems so preposterous that I couldn鈥檛 get my head around where this was going.
Our main character, Faiza, has a banker husband and their children go to private school. They mix in circles where certain behaviours are expected, and when we first see her she鈥檚 at a Botox party. Her husband calls with the shock news that he鈥檚 been laid off, so money is going to be problematic. Even more so when she lets us know she has managed to spend over 拢75,000 (their emergency savings) without telling her husband and they are thirty days away from being broke.
What follows was certainly a lesson in getting people to think about their finances, but with such crazy sums being focused on it was so beyond the experience of many that I wonder if it becomes less effective.
In order to try and maintain her life, Faiza begins looking for ways to remedy the situation. However, nothing offers the quick fix required. She gets a job, but this is fraught with issues when we learn one of her new senior team is closer to home than she realised.
Within a short space of time we鈥檇 had a lot thrown at us. This woman鈥檚 environment was pretty toxic. She ended up learning the value of honesty and good friends, but the whole thing was so far-fetched I couldn鈥檛 really take it seriously. Somewhat caricature villains, depressingly superficial toxic white women and a rather tacked-on exploration of racial identity. It felt like too many things were thrown into the mix.
Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this prior to publication.
June 18, 2021
I have never read a book that represented me SO INCREDIBLY well.. I'm not even joking, I have actual tears in my eyes from all the emotion i feel, about being properly represented DOWN TO THE T.
Here is a book about a Pakistani Muslim woman, who is in an interracial marriage, struggling with money, culture, identity.
Her surname is Saunders. Her husband is white. She has 3 children, 2 with modern names for our culture and one VERY common Muslim name. She struggles with money.
I AM A SAUNDERS!! my husband is white.听 I have 2 children, whom i both named with very "fusion" names because my husband's family didnt understand or couldn't pronounce the names I had wanted. I am also very bad with money.听 This book is about me. I am Faiza. 馃槀馃槀馃槀馃槀馃槀馃槀
I honestly have never related so much to a book before. There are a few things that don't match up,听 like Faiza has an occasional glass of wine, so I can't say that it's a positive Muslim representation.... but then again, there are Muslims who drink alcohol, so its actually very realistic and honest.
The writing is IMMENSELY good. Very powerful and i found myself completely drawn into it. I read it over a few hours, SUPER ANXIOUS just needing to know what happened next.
Every single character was written well. I had NO IDEA what was going to happen, i mean the odds were NOT in Faiza's favour at all. I also really loved how the story changed halfway through, showing working mums and all the struggles.
There's a lot to unpack here. Racism, people making comments that they don't think hurt, but it does, mixed race children, different cultures, working mothers, BUT ITS SO GOOD and i highly recommend
Here is a book about a Pakistani Muslim woman, who is in an interracial marriage, struggling with money, culture, identity.
Her surname is Saunders. Her husband is white. She has 3 children, 2 with modern names for our culture and one VERY common Muslim name. She struggles with money.
I AM A SAUNDERS!! my husband is white.听 I have 2 children, whom i both named with very "fusion" names because my husband's family didnt understand or couldn't pronounce the names I had wanted. I am also very bad with money.听 This book is about me. I am Faiza. 馃槀馃槀馃槀馃槀馃槀馃槀
I honestly have never related so much to a book before. There are a few things that don't match up,听 like Faiza has an occasional glass of wine, so I can't say that it's a positive Muslim representation.... but then again, there are Muslims who drink alcohol, so its actually very realistic and honest.
The writing is IMMENSELY good. Very powerful and i found myself completely drawn into it. I read it over a few hours, SUPER ANXIOUS just needing to know what happened next.
Every single character was written well. I had NO IDEA what was going to happen, i mean the odds were NOT in Faiza's favour at all. I also really loved how the story changed halfway through, showing working mums and all the struggles.
There's a lot to unpack here. Racism, people making comments that they don't think hurt, but it does, mixed race children, different cultures, working mothers, BUT ITS SO GOOD and i highly recommend
September 15, 2021
While this book started out interesting though anxiety producing, this book unravelled the more I read. The book is 442 pages and needed to be way way shorter. It is about Faiza, married to Tom, who finds out in the book opening that her banker husband has lost his job. Which is okay, he thinks, because they have an emergency fund. Without realising it though (because she doesn鈥檛 open bank statements) Faiza has spent their entire savings when she wanted things that didn鈥檛 fit into their overly strict budget. When Faiza realizes the money is gone she lies and continues to lie so Tom doesn鈥檛 find out. But between their lifestyle and mortgage and school fees things get increasingly more desperate as Faiza tries to keep her family from bankruptcy and keep her husband from finding out.
An okay premise and at first I thought the discussions about class and money and different attitudes to it was interesting reading. But the premise of the book didn鈥檛 make sense - a successful banker wouldn鈥檛 just have one source of savings and have nothing invested and have no idea what was happening with their emergency fund. And plot wise it felt like the author was all over the place and trying to just shoehorn dramatic plot lines in just because. Many of the characters seemed cartoonish or just evil and even Faiza seemed inconsistent - in one scene she is sipping Coke Zero because she is Muslim and doesn鈥檛 drink, in another is sipping champagne and has a one drink rule. The last hundred pages or so just felt like they were written to a deadline and the writing starts okay but doesn鈥檛 stay that way. I thought this would be a funny read like the Shopaholic books but it disappointed me.
An okay premise and at first I thought the discussions about class and money and different attitudes to it was interesting reading. But the premise of the book didn鈥檛 make sense - a successful banker wouldn鈥檛 just have one source of savings and have nothing invested and have no idea what was happening with their emergency fund. And plot wise it felt like the author was all over the place and trying to just shoehorn dramatic plot lines in just because. Many of the characters seemed cartoonish or just evil and even Faiza seemed inconsistent - in one scene she is sipping Coke Zero because she is Muslim and doesn鈥檛 drink, in another is sipping champagne and has a one drink rule. The last hundred pages or so just felt like they were written to a deadline and the writing starts okay but doesn鈥檛 stay that way. I thought this would be a funny read like the Shopaholic books but it disappointed me.
November 19, 2021
Sharp, witty, and suspenseful, WOULD I LIE TO YOU is an entrancing debut. Aliya Ali-Afzal writes in a very compelling voice with raw honesty and insight into the complicated dynamics of love and family. This wonderful, thought-provoking novel raises important issues of race, belonging, and speaking your mind with a perfectly imperfect heroine at its center. Both funny and tense, heartwarming and heartbreaking, it's an unputdownable read that will surprise you at every turn.
May 14, 2022
This was a rollercoaster. Cost me a whole day of revision.
August 14, 2022
I was very stressed through the majority of it
October 5, 2022
I heard the audio version of this book. Although a bit hesitant at first, am glad I picked up this book.
The book revolves around Faiza, her family, her friends and colleagues. She's of Asian origin married to a Englishman. Living a happy life until the day Tom loses his job and her world begins to crumble.
Her finances are not in order and there's chaos in her life as she begins to tell one lie after another to Tom, her friends her family.
She realises in order to fit in, she's spent all their savings and must now try to put back.
There are references to her kids and herself facing a bias because of their origins.
When she gets a job, she has to struggle to make it each day to stay put. She unknowingly falls prey to her bosses advances and gets entangled in a web of accusations.
I loved the sudden suspense at the end, which was sounded good on audio..
The book has a happy ending and I recommend it for being different.
The book revolves around Faiza, her family, her friends and colleagues. She's of Asian origin married to a Englishman. Living a happy life until the day Tom loses his job and her world begins to crumble.
Her finances are not in order and there's chaos in her life as she begins to tell one lie after another to Tom, her friends her family.
She realises in order to fit in, she's spent all their savings and must now try to put back.
There are references to her kids and herself facing a bias because of their origins.
When she gets a job, she has to struggle to make it each day to stay put. She unknowingly falls prey to her bosses advances and gets entangled in a web of accusations.
I loved the sudden suspense at the end, which was sounded good on audio..
The book has a happy ending and I recommend it for being different.
October 1, 2022
A very addictive page turner. A very enjoyable read about life's problems.
February 17, 2022
Would I lie to you? I mean this reviewer would never! However, Faiza would have no problem doing just that. I guess everybody has a need to fit in especially if they鈥檙e new to an area, country, or town. Having moved a lot as a child and even as an adult I understand the need to just blend in and not stick out. But what Faiza does jeopardizes her family鈥榮 financial stability. All for the sake of fitting in. I enjoyed Would I Lie To You by Aliya Ali-Afzal. It felt like a juicy who-done-it all the tension and drama. It has all the good things you want in a read. Originally published in July 2021, it鈥檚 returning February 22nd via Grand Central Publishing with a brand new cover. Pre-order today!
~Tanja
*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sharing this title with me.
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~Tanja
*Thank you to Grand Central Publishing for sharing this title with me.
Follow me on
鉁库溈鉁库溈
August 10, 2022
Aliya Ali-Afzal鈥檚听Would I Lie To You?听is the kind of novel that needs a new genre definition 鈥� I don鈥檛 know if such things as domestic thrillers exist but if I had to categorise it as anything it would be this. On the surface, it is contemporary literary fiction but the topics that Ali-Afzal deals with genuinely led me to have some heart-stopping moments: mental health, sexual harassment, debt 鈥� you name it, this book has it.
Our protagonist Fazia is, at times, unlikeable. She wallows in situations of her own making and rather than dealing with the bigger picture she plots and schemes and becomes completely untrustworthy. You want to scream at her, grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake. Yet, you also sympathise with her. No one wants to be in her situation and Ali-Afzal writes about it so succinctly that you feel the desperation and panic for her. I felt like I was being swallowed by all the pressures of her life. I felt like I was going through it with her. For me, this is a sign of quality writing.
Would I Lie To You?听is a fantastic read.
Would I Lie To You?听by Aliya Ali-Afzal is available now.
Our protagonist Fazia is, at times, unlikeable. She wallows in situations of her own making and rather than dealing with the bigger picture she plots and schemes and becomes completely untrustworthy. You want to scream at her, grab her by the shoulders and give her a good shake. Yet, you also sympathise with her. No one wants to be in her situation and Ali-Afzal writes about it so succinctly that you feel the desperation and panic for her. I felt like I was being swallowed by all the pressures of her life. I felt like I was going through it with her. For me, this is a sign of quality writing.
Would I Lie To You?听is a fantastic read.
Would I Lie To You?听by Aliya Ali-Afzal is available now.
March 15, 2022
High praises to this debut author! Life is hard and people are so judgmental so how could you blame Faiza for wanting to fit in? Everyone around her has the best of everything so when Faiza starts dipping into her family鈥檚 emergency savings account in order to keep a certain image, she has no idea how much she has spent until one day her husband needs the account balance. She tells him a little fib, and then another and another until the lies are out of control. Now Faiza is up against the clock to replenish the account and will use any means necessary to fix this and save her family.
I loved the dynamics of Faiza鈥檚 character and couldn鈥檛 help but to cheer her on even though many times I wanted to question her thinking! This story made me anxious, sad, elated & furious throughout the book.
TW: sexual assault, bullying, misogyny, racism, suicide
I loved the dynamics of Faiza鈥檚 character and couldn鈥檛 help but to cheer her on even though many times I wanted to question her thinking! This story made me anxious, sad, elated & furious throughout the book.
TW: sexual assault, bullying, misogyny, racism, suicide
January 15, 2023
Can one lie destroy your life? Fazia certainly puts the idea to test as her lies spiral out of control. She's spent the family's savings and when her husband Tom loses his job, she will do anything to keep him from finding out.
I really struggled with the pace of this book. It took me almost two weeks to read, when similar types of books/lengths would take two days. It was a combination of the pace of the story and how secrets were revealed and a premise that was hard to buy given the real world setting of the rest of the story (GIRL just tell your husband!!!). While it wasn't a fit for me, I know many others enjoyed it!
Thank you to HBG and Negalley for the gifted copy of the book.
2.5
I really struggled with the pace of this book. It took me almost two weeks to read, when similar types of books/lengths would take two days. It was a combination of the pace of the story and how secrets were revealed and a premise that was hard to buy given the real world setting of the rest of the story (GIRL just tell your husband!!!). While it wasn't a fit for me, I know many others enjoyed it!
Thank you to HBG and Negalley for the gifted copy of the book.
2.5
November 4, 2022
This book was SO good, review to come. Highly recommend!!
June 24, 2021
*I was sent an ARC of this novel via NetGalley and Head of Zeus in exchange for an honest review*
Would I Lie to You was at times funny and brilliant debut which I couldn't stop reading, even if at times I had to put it down because the second hand embarrassment and nerves was too much. I would pick it right back up as I just couldn't wait to see what would happen and how Faiza got herself out of certain sticky situations. I mean the whole thing could have been so easily avoided had she just told the truth but the skilful ways in which Aliya Ali-Afzal portrays how easy it can be to spiral makes Faiza's decisions make more sense.
Afzal covers a lot of topics in the novel ranging from debt, money problems, raising biracial children, being in a mixed race marriage, mental health, microagressions and more. I feel like some threads were stronger than others, such as the pressures Faiza feels being the only woman of colour amongst the crowd of mums at her children's schools as well as dealing with pointed racial micro-aggressions.
I also liked how the representation of desi culture and relationships was portrayed, I feel like a lot of contemporary literature which approaches south asian culture can be so diminishing and paints it as regressive and old fashioned. It was actually really nice to read a contemporary book which doesn't fall into these tropes and instead, explores positive rep of culture and shows that Faiza's parents being supportive of her relationship despite some initial worries, having a loving relationship with her children without all the extra baggage and makes some key points about how attitudes within the older generations have actually changed too. I could really relate to these elements of the novel and thought this was an important discussion to have.
Overall, this is an addictive read, which I can see many readers speeding through and enjoying it for the slightly zany, but heartfelt story that it is.
Would I Lie to You was at times funny and brilliant debut which I couldn't stop reading, even if at times I had to put it down because the second hand embarrassment and nerves was too much. I would pick it right back up as I just couldn't wait to see what would happen and how Faiza got herself out of certain sticky situations. I mean the whole thing could have been so easily avoided had she just told the truth but the skilful ways in which Aliya Ali-Afzal portrays how easy it can be to spiral makes Faiza's decisions make more sense.
Afzal covers a lot of topics in the novel ranging from debt, money problems, raising biracial children, being in a mixed race marriage, mental health, microagressions and more. I feel like some threads were stronger than others, such as the pressures Faiza feels being the only woman of colour amongst the crowd of mums at her children's schools as well as dealing with pointed racial micro-aggressions.
I also liked how the representation of desi culture and relationships was portrayed, I feel like a lot of contemporary literature which approaches south asian culture can be so diminishing and paints it as regressive and old fashioned. It was actually really nice to read a contemporary book which doesn't fall into these tropes and instead, explores positive rep of culture and shows that Faiza's parents being supportive of her relationship despite some initial worries, having a loving relationship with her children without all the extra baggage and makes some key points about how attitudes within the older generations have actually changed too. I could really relate to these elements of the novel and thought this was an important discussion to have.
Overall, this is an addictive read, which I can see many readers speeding through and enjoying it for the slightly zany, but heartfelt story that it is.
July 5, 2021
I really enjoyed Would I Lie To You although I sometimes groaned with frustration with Fazia, the main character, who just kept getting further into deep water with her husband Tom, through lying constantly.
Fazia is of Pakistani origin and the scenes with her parents were warm and amusing, some of the best in the book. But since marrying Tom and moving with their children to posh Wimbledon in southwest London she has been playing keep up with the yummy mummies to the extent that she has blown their life savings. When Tom loses his job she does everything she can think of to prevent him finding out they have no money to fall back on while trying to maintain face with her friends and family.
I read this book in two sittings and if you want something lighthearted Would I Lie To You does the job while illustrating that lying gets you nowhere except deeper in trouble. Many thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review this book.
Fazia is of Pakistani origin and the scenes with her parents were warm and amusing, some of the best in the book. But since marrying Tom and moving with their children to posh Wimbledon in southwest London she has been playing keep up with the yummy mummies to the extent that she has blown their life savings. When Tom loses his job she does everything she can think of to prevent him finding out they have no money to fall back on while trying to maintain face with her friends and family.
I read this book in two sittings and if you want something lighthearted Would I Lie To You does the job while illustrating that lying gets you nowhere except deeper in trouble. Many thanks to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the opportunity to read and review this book.
October 25, 2021
Brilliant page turner of a read. Would look out for other books by Alina Ali-Afzal
April 1, 2022
review to come
April 17, 2021
I just fell into this and couldn鈥檛 stop... the writing is so fresh and light; funny in places, but moving in others, I can鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 a debut. Highly recommended.
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