Book Review: ‘Count My Lies’ by Sophie Stava

Book Title: Count My Lies
Author: Sophie Stava
Publisher: Penguin
Number of Pages: 400
ISBN: 978-1804958094
Date Published: May 5, 2025
Price: INR 358

Book Review

Sophie Stava’s “Count My Lies” is a compulsively readable, soapy psychological thriller that gleefully weaponizes deception and unreliable narration to keep readers guessing until the final page. The story centers on Sloane Caraway, a working-class Brooklynite whose penchant for lying is both a survival mechanism and a form of self-entertainment. Sloane’s entry into the privileged world of the Lockhart family—via a chance encounter in the park and a swiftly escalating web of lies—sets the stage for a narrative that is as twisty as it is addictive.

Stava’s greatest trick is making Sloane both fascinating and deeply flawed. Sloane’s lies start off as seemingly harmless embellishments but quickly snowball into something far more dangerous, blurring the line between harmless fabulist and calculated manipulator. The novel’s structure, shifting perspectives between Sloane, the enigmatic Violet Lockhart, and eventually Jay, Violet’s husband, adds layers of psychological complexity and keeps the reader perpetually off-balance. Each character is hiding something, and Stava is masterful at peeling back these layers just as the reader thinks they’ve figured it all out.

What elevates “Count My Lies” above standard domestic suspense is its sharp exploration of themes like obsession, class envy, toxic female friendship, and the seductive dangers of reinvention. The dynamic between Sloane and Violet—two women mirroring and manipulating each other—serves as both a literal and metaphorical “Gemini twins” motif, highlighting how both are forced to lie to survive and claim agency in a world rigged against them. Jay, meanwhile, is less a hero than a catalyst and casualty, his own flaws fueling the novel’s escalating tension.

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If the book falters, it’s in its embrace of unlikable characters and a destination that may leave some readers rolling their eyes at the audacity of its final twist. But for those who revel in unreliable narrators, shifting alliances, and the delicious discomfort of never quite knowing who to trust, “Count My Lies” is a whip-smart, entertaining ride. Stava’s debut cements her as a fresh voice in the thriller genre—one who understands that sometimes, the best stories are the ones built on the most beautiful lies.

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