Reasons to Lie Audiobook By Emily Listfield cover art

Reasons to Lie

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Reasons to Lie

By: Emily Listfield
Narrated by: Abigail Reno, Carly Robins, Alex Picard
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When a private school field trip ends with one student dead, three mothers must face the darkest secrets lurking beneath their lifestyles, their friendships, their children, and themselves.

In the privileged world of Manhattan’s elite Dearborn Academy, three mothers—Abby, Kara, and Hollis—form an unlikely bond. Until a student is murdered on a class trip their teenagers attended, and every parent has something to hide.

Artistic single mom Abby and career-challenged Kara have always felt like outsiders among Dearborn’s rich, powerful families. When glamorous, enigmatic Hollis arrives with her son and a picture-perfect life, they take her under their wing—despite nagging doubts about her past.

Their friendship only deepens after tragedy strikes on a school retreat. But as a determined detective edges closer to the truth of what happened in the woods that night, cracks begin to show—in their stories, their alliances, and their trust.

Each woman is keeping secrets. And so are their children.

Now, with everything at stake, Abby, Kara, and Hollis must decide how far they’ll go to protect their families—even if it means turning on one another.

Because everyone has a reason to lie.

And someone will stop at nothing to keep the truth buried.

©2026 by Emily Listfield. (P)2025 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Family Life Genre Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Single Parent Student
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Critic reviews

“Listfield knows exactly how to skewer the ‘perfect’ Manhattan parent set. Brace yourself for her sharpest turn yet.”Oprah Daily

“Taut, riveting, and laced with stunning and unsettling revelations, Reasons to Lie explores the complicated, often painful truths about motherhood, privilege, and the fragile bonds between parents and their teens—while asking how well do we really know the people we love, and how much would we risk to protect them?”—Kate White, New York Times bestselling author of The Wrong Man and Eyes on You

“Listfield unspools a delicious web of family secrets and lies that pulls you in and doesn’t let go until the very last page.”—Tamara L. Miller, author of Into the Fall

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The book was overall very hard to believe. From the teacher trying to be a know it all to the Abby being so naive. The teens are so entitled and in need of discipline. Left me disgusted with the question “is this how the entitled act?”

Kind of hard to believe

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I like the twist and turns good good writer first time I listened to her

Reason reasons to lie

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I didn’t see the end coming so that a good thing but still I feel like it was a cop-out!!!
The Narrator was a little flat and hard to distinguish between characters.
The dialogue , which is a big thing for me usually, was a bit to unnatural. Especially the scene with the daughter Olivia. I won’t spoil it for anyone who hasn’t read it but you will know when you get to it

It was good

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Reasons to Lie by Emily Listfield is an emotional, gripping thriller that pulls you in with both its suspense and its heart.
What really stood out to me was how deeply this story dives into the lives of teenagers—their struggles, identity, and the things they’re going through that often go unnoticed by the adults around them. At the same time, it balances that beautifully with the parents’ perspectives, showing just how much can be happening under one roof without anyone fully seeing the truth.
This isn’t just a thriller—it’s layered with emotion, family dynamics, and the quiet tension of things left unsaid.
And the twists? So well done. Every time I thought I had it figured out, I was completely wrong. The reveal alone was shocking—but that final twist on top of it? Absolutely incredible.
If you love thrillers that blend emotional depth with unexpected turns, this one is definitely worth picking up.

Twists, Truths, and the Secrets We Miss

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If you've ever been a member of the private school family as a staff member or parent/ student, you will relate to this.
You can put in your own names to fit the different characters and have a fun little walk down memory lane.
The plot twists are an added bonus!

If ya know ya know

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