Quick Synopsis

Bestselling romance author Sarina Bowen’s debut thriller, about one woman’s search for the truth after receiving a text from her deceased ex.

Publisher’s Synopsis

She thought it was love. Then he vanished.

On an ordinary Monday morning, Ariel Cafferty’s phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it’s been several years since she learned he died.

Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.

Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her. 

The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew. 

For fans of Laura Dave and Julie Clark, but with a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.

Book Review

The Five Year Lie is a tech mystery that follows one young woman after she randomly receives a text message from her ex, Drew, during a meeting. The only issue is Drew has been dead for 3 years and has not spoken with Ariel in 5. The text spurs Ariel to look deeper into the events leading up to Drew’s disappearance from her life and his eventual death. Told in dual timelines, Sarina Bowen reveals Ariel and Drew’s romance 5 years ago and Ariel’s present investigation into Drew’s disappearance and death.

The Five Year Plan is a well-plotted mystery with an interesting take on the “misdirected letter” trope. The opening and first few chapters are captivating and propulsive. In fact, the beginning of the story is the strongest as readers find out the context of the text message. I did guess several of the reveals and twists somewhat early on, but it did not prevent me from enjoying the rest of the book. There was plenty of nuance around the twists that still made them a fresh take. In addition, I found Bowen’s writing to be easy to become lost in.

However, I think it is misleading to call The Five Year Plan a thriller. It largely lacked the urgency and pacing of a thriller. Plus, at no point in the narrative was the protagonist in any danger. I would say instead that the novel is romantic suspense or a mystery with a romance storyline, which is a first for me. I guess I should have surmised that a mystery debut from a romance author would include romance.

I would have liked a bit more character development, especially where Ariel was concerned. As a protagonist, she was rather flat and unmemorable. For me, Ariel did not have enough development to be someone I wanted to cheer for. In the end, I did not care what happened to either Ariel or Drew since I never knew enough about them to be invested.

Overall, The Five Year Lie is an enjoyable romantic suspense novel with themes of technology, cybersecurity, and family secrets. I recommend it in particular to everyone looking for a different approach to mysteries.

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