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ek2011's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Stalking and Violence
jhscolloquium's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
With No More Words, bestselling author Kerry Lonsdale launched her “No More” trilogy. Lonsdale says that at the heart of the series is her attempt to answer this question: “Does a parent’s dysfunction prevent the younger generation from having a normal life, or have circumstances fated them to live with their trauma?”
In that first installment, she introduced three siblings: Olivia, Lucas, and Lily, the youngest. The story focused on Olivia and was related from her point of view. Suddenly, Josh, the nephew she had never met, showed up at her house. Lily, who ran away when she was just sixteen years old and pregnant, consistently sent Olivia a letter and picture of Josh every year, mailed from different locations and bearing no return address. Their father, Dwight, actively sought to destroy the sisters’ relationship, culminating with telling Olivia that the father of Lily’s unborn child was Olivia’s twenty-one-year-old boyfriend, Ethan. Lonsdale explored Olivia’s inability to trust and the various family conflicts and secrets leading up to Josh’s arrival.
Josh was unable to articulate how or why he made his way to Oliva’s house or the whereabouts of his mother. A large scar on his scalp led Olivia to believe he had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in aphasia (a compromised ability to communicate), and she set about learning what happened to Josh, as well as Lily’s whereabouts. She found herself attempting to piece together a fourteen-year-old mystery: What exactly happened to Lily, and why was she treated differently by their parents than Olivia and Lucas? Is Ethan really Josh’s father? If not, who is? And why did Lily abruptly leave, cutting off all ties with her family?
No More Lies is Jenna/Lily’s story and it opens months before Josh makes his way to Olivia’s home. He and Jenna (formerly Lily) reside in beautiful Oceanside, California, where she enjoys a successful career as an animator. Her YouTube cartoon became a viral sensation several years ago and now “Tabby’s Squirrel” is about to become a movie. Jenna has also signed a four-book contract. However, she carefully guards her identity, never conducting in-person interviews or permitting her photograph to be published. She eschews social media and forbids Josh to use it, which is a source of conflict between her and her adolescent son. For the past eighteen months, she and Josh have enjoyed a stable lifestyle, rather than moving every few months. Josh is approaching his thirteenth birthday, has made a few friends at school — one, in particular, named Anson, whose mother, Keely, has been very kind to both Josh and Jenna — and unequivocally expressed his desire to remain in one place. He is tired of constantly relocating. Jenna even accepted an engagement ring from Kavan, a restauranteur with whom she has allowed herself to fall in love. For the first time since she left home when she was carrying Josh at just sixteen years of age, she has let herself believe that she and Josh might actually be safe, with no need to remain on the run.
But as Jenna arrives at Josh’s school to pick him up, she learns that the other parents are gossiping about her and speculating about her past in a Facebook forum. A reporter for the Oceanside newspaper has discovered her real identity and is seeking information about the circumstances surrounding the death of her friend, Wes Jensen, who perished the night she ran away from home. Ryder, Wes’s older brother, was Jenna’s boss at the local 7-Eleven store where she worked and Jenna believes he stalked her until the point at which he was incarcerated, convinced that Jenna murdered Wes and intent on vengeance. Jenna has been burdened by guilt, shame, and fear since that night, believing that she was, in fact, responsible for Wes’s death and, if the authorities find her, she will be prosecuted and lose Josh. More pointedly, Josh will lose her.
Lonsdale relates, from Jenna’s perspective, the events leading up to Josh’s arrival at Olivia’s house. Jenna’s father, Dwight, from whom she has been estranged since that fateful night, arrives in Oceanside, leveling threats. Jenna is convinced that he is responsible for the disturbing appearance of items from the past, as well as notes meant to intimidate and frighten Jenna. She has never told Josh the truth about the past and when he comes face to face with the grandfather he has never seen before, his questioning about his family history only intensifies, as does his resolve to remain in Oceanside. Jenna has never told Kavan about her past, either, and fears that should he learn the whole truth, their relationship will be over, her chance for true happiness ripped away from her. Worse, she learns that Ryder has paroled.
Lonsdale deftly intersperses chapters detailing Lily’s life as a sixteen-year-old in fictional Seaside Cove (situated up the coast near San Luis Obispo, California), commencing with the night she takes a home pregnancy test. She overhears a nightmarish argument between her parents and, when she refuses to accede to their demands, resolves to leave home for good in order to protect her unborn child. Lonsdale answers all the questions she left pending in No More Words about what Jenna’s life was like from that point forward. Similarly, a few chapters convey Josh’s perspective, supplying deeper context to what readers already learned about his experiences in the first installment.
Of course, readers of No More Words know whether Olivia and Josh are reunited with Jenna, but that does not diminish the emotional impact of learning the rest of the details, some quite harrowing, from Jenna’s vantage point. Because, Lonsdale observes, reading about the same series of events is a completely different experience since “interpretation and reaction can be distorted depending on the person telling the story and what they’re feeling at the time. What they’re protecting, which is usually themselves.”
In No More Lies, Lonsdale grippingly explores Jenna’s emotional tumult and the impact the secrets she has kept for so many years have had on both her and Josh, as well as what continuing to conceal the truth from Josh might eventually cost. “When we own the secrets, they give us the impression we’re in control. We keep them so as not to hurt others, but mostly to protect ourselves. We’re always trying to save our own hides,” Lonsdale explains. And that is a prominent theme in No More Lies. Determined to keep her baby when her parents demanded that she either have an abortion or put the child up for adoption, Jenna’s determination to run away was initially fueled, in large part, by maternal instinct. Lonsdale explores, through Jenna’s intense and fraught journey, whether that remains her prime motivation and, if not, what other factors, including her own desire for a conventional, transparent life, as well as the near-crippling fear she has lived with for thirteen years, have played into her decision-making. Lonsdale's depicts Jenna's increasing maturity, self-awareness, and recognition of how her motives have shaped her life and Josh's, and what she is now willing to sacrifice in order to ensure Josh's safety and happiness.
“And when we’re privy to a good secret?” Lonsdale notes. “Well, that’s a sense of control, too.” Control, manipulation, and retribution are also explored in No More Lies, a tale featuring some very clear-cut villains. The parents of Olivia, Lucas, and Lily were revealed in No More Words to be duplicitous, narcissistic, and willing to achieve their own selfish goals by any means necessary. Lily’s toxic relationship with her parents is further examined in this volume, as is Jenna’s gradual empowerment and refusal to be cowed by Dwight’s menacing reappearance and Ryder's dedication to revenge..
Once again, Lonsdale seamlessly melds domestic drama and psychological suspense into a thoroughly absorbing story that advances at a steady pace. Lonsdale further develops the characters of Lilly/Jenna and Josh, endears readers to Kavan, and cements Dwight and Ryder’s deplorable natures. She also introduces readers to Murielle, who helped Lily when she first left her parents’ home, as well as Keely, who proves to be the first true friend Jenna has had in the ensuring years.
The intriguing and entertaining family saga will conclude in the third volume, No More Secrets, but readers will have to wait until 2023 to hear the story from Lucas’s perspective.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
In that first installment, she introduced three siblings: Olivia, Lucas, and Lily, the youngest. The story focused on Olivia and was related from her point of view. Suddenly, Josh, the nephew she had never met, showed up at her house. Lily, who ran away when she was just sixteen years old and pregnant, consistently sent Olivia a letter and picture of Josh every year, mailed from different locations and bearing no return address. Their father, Dwight, actively sought to destroy the sisters’ relationship, culminating with telling Olivia that the father of Lily’s unborn child was Olivia’s twenty-one-year-old boyfriend, Ethan. Lonsdale explored Olivia’s inability to trust and the various family conflicts and secrets leading up to Josh’s arrival.
Josh was unable to articulate how or why he made his way to Oliva’s house or the whereabouts of his mother. A large scar on his scalp led Olivia to believe he had recently suffered a traumatic brain injury resulting in aphasia (a compromised ability to communicate), and she set about learning what happened to Josh, as well as Lily’s whereabouts. She found herself attempting to piece together a fourteen-year-old mystery: What exactly happened to Lily, and why was she treated differently by their parents than Olivia and Lucas? Is Ethan really Josh’s father? If not, who is? And why did Lily abruptly leave, cutting off all ties with her family?
No More Lies is Jenna/Lily’s story and it opens months before Josh makes his way to Olivia’s home. He and Jenna (formerly Lily) reside in beautiful Oceanside, California, where she enjoys a successful career as an animator. Her YouTube cartoon became a viral sensation several years ago and now “Tabby’s Squirrel” is about to become a movie. Jenna has also signed a four-book contract. However, she carefully guards her identity, never conducting in-person interviews or permitting her photograph to be published. She eschews social media and forbids Josh to use it, which is a source of conflict between her and her adolescent son. For the past eighteen months, she and Josh have enjoyed a stable lifestyle, rather than moving every few months. Josh is approaching his thirteenth birthday, has made a few friends at school — one, in particular, named Anson, whose mother, Keely, has been very kind to both Josh and Jenna — and unequivocally expressed his desire to remain in one place. He is tired of constantly relocating. Jenna even accepted an engagement ring from Kavan, a restauranteur with whom she has allowed herself to fall in love. For the first time since she left home when she was carrying Josh at just sixteen years of age, she has let herself believe that she and Josh might actually be safe, with no need to remain on the run.
But as Jenna arrives at Josh’s school to pick him up, she learns that the other parents are gossiping about her and speculating about her past in a Facebook forum. A reporter for the Oceanside newspaper has discovered her real identity and is seeking information about the circumstances surrounding the death of her friend, Wes Jensen, who perished the night she ran away from home. Ryder, Wes’s older brother, was Jenna’s boss at the local 7-Eleven store where she worked and Jenna believes he stalked her until the point at which he was incarcerated, convinced that Jenna murdered Wes and intent on vengeance. Jenna has been burdened by guilt, shame, and fear since that night, believing that she was, in fact, responsible for Wes’s death and, if the authorities find her, she will be prosecuted and lose Josh. More pointedly, Josh will lose her.
Lonsdale relates, from Jenna’s perspective, the events leading up to Josh’s arrival at Olivia’s house. Jenna’s father, Dwight, from whom she has been estranged since that fateful night, arrives in Oceanside, leveling threats. Jenna is convinced that he is responsible for the disturbing appearance of items from the past, as well as notes meant to intimidate and frighten Jenna. She has never told Josh the truth about the past and when he comes face to face with the grandfather he has never seen before, his questioning about his family history only intensifies, as does his resolve to remain in Oceanside. Jenna has never told Kavan about her past, either, and fears that should he learn the whole truth, their relationship will be over, her chance for true happiness ripped away from her. Worse, she learns that Ryder has paroled.
Lonsdale deftly intersperses chapters detailing Lily’s life as a sixteen-year-old in fictional Seaside Cove (situated up the coast near San Luis Obispo, California), commencing with the night she takes a home pregnancy test. She overhears a nightmarish argument between her parents and, when she refuses to accede to their demands, resolves to leave home for good in order to protect her unborn child. Lonsdale answers all the questions she left pending in No More Words about what Jenna’s life was like from that point forward. Similarly, a few chapters convey Josh’s perspective, supplying deeper context to what readers already learned about his experiences in the first installment.
Of course, readers of No More Words know whether Olivia and Josh are reunited with Jenna, but that does not diminish the emotional impact of learning the rest of the details, some quite harrowing, from Jenna’s vantage point. Because, Lonsdale observes, reading about the same series of events is a completely different experience since “interpretation and reaction can be distorted depending on the person telling the story and what they’re feeling at the time. What they’re protecting, which is usually themselves.”
In No More Lies, Lonsdale grippingly explores Jenna’s emotional tumult and the impact the secrets she has kept for so many years have had on both her and Josh, as well as what continuing to conceal the truth from Josh might eventually cost. “When we own the secrets, they give us the impression we’re in control. We keep them so as not to hurt others, but mostly to protect ourselves. We’re always trying to save our own hides,” Lonsdale explains. And that is a prominent theme in No More Lies. Determined to keep her baby when her parents demanded that she either have an abortion or put the child up for adoption, Jenna’s determination to run away was initially fueled, in large part, by maternal instinct. Lonsdale explores, through Jenna’s intense and fraught journey, whether that remains her prime motivation and, if not, what other factors, including her own desire for a conventional, transparent life, as well as the near-crippling fear she has lived with for thirteen years, have played into her decision-making. Lonsdale's depicts Jenna's increasing maturity, self-awareness, and recognition of how her motives have shaped her life and Josh's, and what she is now willing to sacrifice in order to ensure Josh's safety and happiness.
“And when we’re privy to a good secret?” Lonsdale notes. “Well, that’s a sense of control, too.” Control, manipulation, and retribution are also explored in No More Lies, a tale featuring some very clear-cut villains. The parents of Olivia, Lucas, and Lily were revealed in No More Words to be duplicitous, narcissistic, and willing to achieve their own selfish goals by any means necessary. Lily’s toxic relationship with her parents is further examined in this volume, as is Jenna’s gradual empowerment and refusal to be cowed by Dwight’s menacing reappearance and Ryder's dedication to revenge..
Once again, Lonsdale seamlessly melds domestic drama and psychological suspense into a thoroughly absorbing story that advances at a steady pace. Lonsdale further develops the characters of Lilly/Jenna and Josh, endears readers to Kavan, and cements Dwight and Ryder’s deplorable natures. She also introduces readers to Murielle, who helped Lily when she first left her parents’ home, as well as Keely, who proves to be the first true friend Jenna has had in the ensuring years.
The intriguing and entertaining family saga will conclude in the third volume, No More Secrets, but readers will have to wait until 2023 to hear the story from Lucas’s perspective.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
meganmatranga88's review against another edition
5.0
Omg!! This book was Soooo good Kerry did a great job as usual! The first one I think I wAs not as fond of because I have a hard time learning new characters because I get attached to old ones now, I’m in love. Keeps your attention the whole time and I felt like it was suspenseful, I needed to know what happened next! So excited to see what Lucas has to say.
susanthebookbag's review against another edition
5.0
I loved the first book in this series, No More Words—the excitement and the suspense—and couldn't wait for book two, No More Lies. Well, it's here! And it's just as good as the first one.
No More Lies is full of even more excitement and suspense. Jenna and Josh are always on the move, staying just ahead of danger, until Josh convinces his mom to stay put and let him have a normal life. But nothing about their situation is normal and when the past catches up with them, Jenna wants to flee again.
When secrets and lies are revealed, life as Jenna knows it goes spirally out of control. And can I just go on the record here for noting that Jenna comes from a very messed up family? Wow, parents like hers shouldn't even be allowed to be parents.
After reading these two books, I'm totally invested in these characters and I found myself wrapped up in the drama and danger that they were going through. I couldn't put this page-turner down until I got to the exciting ending, and then I was left wanting more! Luckily the final book in this amazing trilogy will be out in March 2023. I can't wait to hear Lucas' story.
No More Lies is full of even more excitement and suspense. Jenna and Josh are always on the move, staying just ahead of danger, until Josh convinces his mom to stay put and let him have a normal life. But nothing about their situation is normal and when the past catches up with them, Jenna wants to flee again.
When secrets and lies are revealed, life as Jenna knows it goes spirally out of control. And can I just go on the record here for noting that Jenna comes from a very messed up family? Wow, parents like hers shouldn't even be allowed to be parents.
After reading these two books, I'm totally invested in these characters and I found myself wrapped up in the drama and danger that they were going through. I couldn't put this page-turner down until I got to the exciting ending, and then I was left wanting more! Luckily the final book in this amazing trilogy will be out in March 2023. I can't wait to hear Lucas' story.
erinremen's review
5.0
This was an emotional and well written story that tells some of the events from the first book from Jenna and Josh`s point of view. However this should not deter the reader from reading this if they have not read the first as I felt the story holds its own weight. A woman who has left behind her past to protect her son and his father from an evil man, her father, who has a lot he wants to kept hidden. Jenna has made a life for herself and finally settled down to the relief of her son who just wants to make friends. Engaged to a wonderful man with a thriving career she feels a sense of contentment, until it all threatens to come crashing down. All the lies she has told and the things she just wants to keep buried suffocate her and someone from her past might have finally caught up to her. She may just have to choose between running again or coming clean and hoping that the people who love her will forgive her. A seriously fantastic read that had me unable to put it down! I cant wait to read the third one!
rochelleweinstein's review against another edition
5.0
Another fantastic read by the wonderfully talented Kerry Lonsdale. For starters, check out No More Words, not because it's mandatory to read this second installment, but because it's a great read. In No More Lies, Jenna's on the run from a secret in her past and finally ready to settle down with her young son. But things take a dangerous turn and Jenna is led on a dangerous path where her past and present collide.
Lonsdale writes suspense and family drama with just the right touch of romance. Add to your TBR, readers. This one hits all the notes and will leaving you wanting MORE.
Lonsdale writes suspense and family drama with just the right touch of romance. Add to your TBR, readers. This one hits all the notes and will leaving you wanting MORE.
heather626's review against another edition
5.0
Kerry Lonsdale...... How I love your books! In book 2 of the No More Series, Jenna (a.k.a Lilly) takes us on the run with her as she attempts to live a whole new life with her son, Josh. It has been years since she has seen anyone after that horrible night Wes died. She gave up everyone and everything she knew to keep her son safe. Finding a way to earn a living, Jenna created "Tabby's Squirrel" and like that, she has a book deal and a movie in the works. With this sudden success comes the press. Her lawyer has done such a good job of keeping Jenna out of the public eye for years, but the film deal is pushing the public over the edge. Reporters are on to her, especially when she accidently reveals more about her past than she should. And like that, her past is coming after her. Josh is growing up and asking questions too. Hiding the secrets from him is harder and harder. Jenna is finding that nothing is safe anymore and everything is at risk, including her future. Jenna finds herself being chased by the past. Just when she is prepared to lose it all, the very people she thought didn't and could possibly love her, just might be the ones to save her.
Kerry Lonsdale writes the best stories. She leaves you cheering for the underdog and wanting to help them escape the life they are caught up in. Each book in the series bring to light someone else's point of view and their life secrets uncovered.
I will always recommend Kerry Lonsdale's work and will always look forward to her new adventures and well as the older ones I have yet to discover. Special thanks to NetGalley, Kerry Lonsdale, Kerry's Tiki Lounge, and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5stars
#NoMoreLies #NetGalley
Kerry Lonsdale writes the best stories. She leaves you cheering for the underdog and wanting to help them escape the life they are caught up in. Each book in the series bring to light someone else's point of view and their life secrets uncovered.
I will always recommend Kerry Lonsdale's work and will always look forward to her new adventures and well as the older ones I have yet to discover. Special thanks to NetGalley, Kerry Lonsdale, Kerry's Tiki Lounge, and Lake Union Publishing for the advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. 5stars
#NoMoreLies #NetGalley
spowers2627's review against another edition
5.0
What a twisty ride. The Carson siblings have each had different experiences growing up in their insidious family. Lily, the youngest, ran away from home at sixteen pregnant and fearing her father and the ramifications from a horrifying event. Her son Josh is her whole world, and everything she does is to protect him. When the past comes back to stalk her, she fears for their future and wants nothing more than to protect Josh, even if it means giving up the new life she has built.
If you read book one, which I highly recommend, this book adds backstory for Josh and Jenna and expands on the horrors the Carsons lived through. I read this book in one day because I was simply not able to put it down. Kerry Lonsdale is an expert at weaving together the stories. The way she blended Lily's past and Jenna's present was perfect as is the way she blended No More Lies storyline together with the happenings from No More Words. The No More series is enthralling, I definitely want MORE! I am eager to read Lucas's story next!
If you read book one, which I highly recommend, this book adds backstory for Josh and Jenna and expands on the horrors the Carsons lived through. I read this book in one day because I was simply not able to put it down. Kerry Lonsdale is an expert at weaving together the stories. The way she blended Lily's past and Jenna's present was perfect as is the way she blended No More Lies storyline together with the happenings from No More Words. The No More series is enthralling, I definitely want MORE! I am eager to read Lucas's story next!
marisae's review against another edition
5.0
No More Lies answered questions that I didn't even realized I had from book 1. No More Lies is Lily's story and it is filled with secrets, drama, twists, and turns. I found myself wanting to read more and more, but not wanting it to end.
The second book in the series was just as good as the first! I look forward to reading the third book in the No More series.
The second book in the series was just as good as the first! I look forward to reading the third book in the No More series.
marisae's review
5.0
No More Lies answered questions that I didn't even realized I had from book 1. No More Lies is Lily's story and it is filled with secrets, drama, twists, and turns. I found myself wanting to read more and more, but not wanting it to end.
The second book in the series was just as good as the first! I look forward to reading the third book in the No More series.
The second book in the series was just as good as the first! I look forward to reading the third book in the No More series.