Count My Lies Book Review

Check out my review of Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, a suspenseful psychological thriller told from the point of view of a compulsive liar who uncovers even darker secrets.

A copy of the book Count My Lies by Sophie Stava.

I'm trying a new habit to reduce the amount of time I spend doom scrolling on my phone:

I keep a paper copy of a suspense thriller on the table next to my favorite seat in the living room and grab that instead of my phone when I have a few minutes of downtime.

The trick? The plot has to be grabby enough to compete with the siren song of my phone.

Count My Lies was the first thriller I used in this experiment and it worked SO WELL that it will for sure not be my last. I read the entire book in just 6 days, only reading it during those times I'd normally doom scroll on my phone. You just might be surprised how many more books you could read if you tried this, too!

Curious if this book is for you? Check out my full review below.

If this is your first time reading one of my reviews, you may want to check out how I score my reads with this scale guide here.

A copy of Count My Lies by Sophie Stava sits on a table next to a comfy armchair. — My copy of Count My Lies on the table next to my favorite chair!

Summary of Count My Lies

Sloane Caraway is a liar.

Harmless lies, mostly, to make her self-proclaimed sad, little life a bit more interesting.

So when Sloane sees a young girl in tears at a park one afternoon, she can’t help herself—she tells the girl’s (very attractive) dad she’s a nurse and helps him pull a bee stinger from the girl’s foot.

With this lie, and chance encounter, Sloane becomes the nanny for the wealthy, and privileged Jay and Violet Lockhart. The perfect New York couple, with a brownstone, a daughter in private school, and summers on Block Island.

But maybe Sloane isn’t the only one lying, and all that’s picture-perfect harbors a much more dangerous truth. To say anything more is to spoil the most exciting, twisty, and bitingly smart suspense novel to come out in years.

The thing about lies is that they add up, form their own truth and a twisted prison of a world. And in Count My Lies, Sophie Stava spins a breakneck, unputdownable thriller about the secrets we keep, and the terrifying dangers that lurk just under the images we spend so much time trying to maintain. Careful what you lie for.

The cover of the book Count My Lies by Sophie Stava.

Book Stats

Published: March 4, 2025
Pages: 336
Genre: Suspense Thriller, Women's Domestic Life Fiction
Get Your Copy: Hardcover | Kindle | Audiobook

What I Liked

Here's what I would tell my best friend about the book:

Instantly Drawn In: It took no time at all for me to get absorbed in the story. The plot has an excellent hook.
Great Pacing: The story unveiled at a great pace. Enough details and clues were dropped to keep me guessing while layers of intrigue kept piling up.
Relatable Characters: You would think a compulsive liar would be an unlikable character but instead I found myself feeling a lot of compassion for Sloane.
Surprise Twists: It is so hard to share my favorite parts of the book without spoilers. Let's just say I enjoyed the plot twist and the way the story wrapped up.
Not Too Violent: I don't like scary, gory, or too-intense books. This was just the right level of thriller for me. If you want to read my content warnings, scroll to the very bottom of this post because they contain some mild spoilers.

What I Didn't Like

Every reader needs something different from a book. What I may not have preferred may be your favorite part.

The premise behind the plot twist required some serious suspension of belief. I'm not a habitual thriller or mystery reader and yet I found several plot holes to poke in how the story played out.

That doesn't keep the story from being fun but if you're a stickler for realistic, totally-could-happen type thrillers, this one may not be for you.

How Spicy Is It?

🌶️🌶️: Count My Lies rates a Level 2 on my spicy books rating scale. Intimate acts are briefly described or referenced while the past is being recounted but there are no active scenes beyond some kissing featured on page.

Overall Score

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I give Count My Lies four solid stars. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and read it quickly in under a week. The characters were intriguing and the plot was twisty-turny enough to keep me going. It would make an excellent summer read because it is super easy to pick up and enjoy in quick bites!