Sometimes I Lie Summary: A Twisted Thriller of Coma, Betrayal, and Revenge
Sometimes I Lie Summary: A Coma, a Lie, and a Twist You Won’t See Coming
What if you were trapped in your own body, unable to move or speak, while the people around you revealed their darkest secrets?
That is the nightmare at the heart of Alice Feeney’s psychological thriller debut.
Amber Reynolds is in a coma. She can hear everything, but she cannot respond.
She tells us three things: she is in a coma, her husband no longer loves her, and sometimes she lies.
The novel moves between the present, the week leading up to her accident, and childhood diary entries from 1991.
What emerges is a story of stolen identities, toxic friendships, and a revenge plot decades in the making.
Explore The Chapter-by-Chapter Summary of Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
TL;DR
Amber Reynolds wakes up in a hospital bed unable to move.
She remembers the car crash that put her here, but not everything adds up.
Her husband Paul seems distant.
Her sister Claire hovers too close. And someone in the hospital is keeping her sedated on purpose.
Across three timelines, the truth slowly unravels:
- The Coma (Now): Amber is a prisoner in her own body, overhearing conversations that make her question everyone she trusts.
- The Week Before (Then): Amber works at a radio station, plotting to sabotage her boss while her marriage crumbles.
- Childhood (Before): A young girl’s diary reveals a dark friendship and a house fire that changed everything.
The novel explores identity theft, childhood trauma, and the lies we tell to survive.
The ending delivers a final gut-punch that redefines everything you thought you knew.
Sometimes I Lie Summary: The Full Story
SPOILERS WARNING: This section reveals the complete plot, including the ending.
The novel opens with Amber Reynolds trapped in a coma after a car accident on Boxing Day. She can hear the doctors, her husband Paul, and her sister Claire. But she cannot signal that she is conscious.
Through the “Then” timeline, we learn about Amber’s life before the crash.
She works as a production assistant on a radio show called Coffee Morning, hosted by the arrogant Madeline Frost.
Her marriage to Paul is strained. He is a failing novelist, and they have been unable to conceive a child.
Amber’s “sister” Claire manipulates her into sabotaging Madeline’s career. Claire holds a grudge against Madeline, who was her godmother but failed to take her in after a childhood tragedy.
Amber executes “Project Madeline,” a campaign of gaslighting that causes Madeline to have a public breakdown on live television.
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The “Before” timeline reveals the childhood of the diary writer. A lonely ten-year-old girl in 1991 befriends a classmate named Taylor. Their bond becomes obsessive.
When the narrator’s parents plan to move away, she sets fire to her family home on Christmas Eve, killing them to stay with Taylor.
Here is the first major twist: the diary writer is not Amber. She is Claire. The girl she obsessed over, Taylor, is the woman we know as Amber. Claire stole Amber’s identity years ago.
In the “Then” timeline, Claire discovers that Paul has found her childhood diaries. She realizes her secrets are about to be exposed.
Amber is pregnant but has kept it a secret. On Christmas Day, during a frantic car ride to the hospital, Claire intentionally crashes the car to silence Amber forever.
In the coma, Amber is terrorized by a man she eventually identifies as Edward Clarke.
He is an ex-boyfriend whose medical career was ruined years ago by letters Claire wrote in Amber’s name. Working as a hospital porter, Edward drugs Amber to keep her paralyzed and sexually assaults her.
Amber eventually regains enough motor control to pull her emergency cord. She wakes from the coma and begins planning her revenge.
Six weeks later, she poisons a meal for Claire and her husband David. She uses hospital drugs to paralyze Claire, forcing her to watch as she sets fire to the house, mirroring Claire’s own crime decades earlier.
David dies, but Amber rescues Claire’s twin children, whom she intends to raise as her own.
Amber frames Madeline Frost for the murders and the fire. The book ends with Amber on a tropical vacation with Paul and the twins, believing she has finally achieved her “perfect” family.
But a gold bracelet from their childhood is delivered to her room, suggesting that someone still knows the truth.
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Characters in This Book
| Character | Role |
|---|---|
| Amber Reynolds (formerly Taylor) | The narrator and protagonist, a radio PA and self-admitted liar who survives a coma and seeks revenge. |
| Paul Reynolds | Amber’s husband, a novelist who is initially suspected of hurting her but is revealed to be supportive. |
| Claire Taylor | Amber’s “sister” and childhood friend, a manipulative woman who set the 1991 fire and caused Amber’s accident. |
| Edward Clarke | Amber’s ex-boyfriend from university, a failed medical student turned hospital porter who seeks revenge. |
| Madeline Frost | The arrogant host of Coffee Morning, Claire’s former godmother who becomes the scapegoat for Amber’s crimes. |
| Jo | Amber’s “best friend” at the radio station, later revealed to be an imaginary friend from childhood. |
| David | Claire’s husband, a garage owner who is murdered by Amber as part of her revenge. |
| The Twins (James and Katie) | Claire and David’s children, whom Amber eventually takes for herself. |
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Layers of Meaning
| Theme | How the Book Presents It |
|---|---|
| Unreliable Narration | The narrator admits to lying, and the three timelines force readers to question which version of events is true. |
| Childhood Trauma | Claire’s abusive childhood and the fire she set shape her entire adult life and drive her destructive behavior. |
| Identity Theft | Claire stole Amber’s name and life, showing how identity can be manipulated and weaponized. |
| Toxic Friendship | The obsessive bond between Claire and Amber becomes suffocating and ultimately deadly. |
| Revenge | Amber’s calculated revenge against Claire and Madeline raises questions about justice and morality. |
| The Illusion of Perfection | The novel critiques the pressure to present a “perfect” domestic life, which often hides dark secrets. |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the book Sometimes I Lie about?
Sometimes I Lie is about a woman named Amber Reynolds who is in a coma after a car accident, aware of everything around her but unable to respond. The novel unfolds across three timelines to reveal the secrets, lies, and betrayals that led to her condition.
Who is the narrator of Sometimes I Lie?
The narrator is Amber Reynolds, though the novel also includes diary entries from her childhood and flashbacks to the week before her accident. Amber admits she sometimes lies, making her an unreliable narrator.
What happens at the end of Sometimes I Lie?
Amber wakes from her coma and takes revenge on Claire by poisoning her and setting fire to her house. She frames Madeline Frost for the crime and takes Claire’s twins to raise as her own. The book ends with a gold bracelet delivered to Amber, suggesting someone still knows her secrets.
Is Sometimes I Lie based on a true story?
No, Sometimes I Lie is a work of fiction. Alice Feeney drew on her experience as a BBC journalist for the radio station setting, but the plot and characters are entirely imagined.
Is there a movie adaptation of Sometimes I Lie?
Yes, Fox bought the television rights to Sometimes I Lie in 2019, with Sarah Michelle Gellar attached to star. Robin Swicord was engaged to adapt the book.
What genre is Sometimes I Lie?
Sometimes I Lie is a psychological thriller and suspense novel. It is also classified as domestic thriller and psychological fiction.
How many pages is Sometimes I Lie?
The print length is 288 pages. It was published by Flatiron Books on October 30, 2018.
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Books Like Sometimes I Lie
The Breakdown by B.A. Paris – A psychological thriller about a woman who questions her sanity after witnessing a crime she didn’t stop to help with.
The Watcher by Ross Armstrong – A suspenseful story about a protagonist who observes a neighbor’s death and finds her own life under threat.
The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle – Explores the aftermath of a husband’s death in a plane crash, revealing a web of lies that mirrors the domestic deception in Feeney’s work.
Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris – A gripping look at a marriage that appears perfect on the outside but hides a terrifying, controlling reality.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins – Features a similarly unreliable female narrator struggling with memory loss and fractured relationships.
The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn – Focuses on an isolated woman who witnesses a crime but is not believed due to her own mental state and history of trauma.
