by staff writer
This month’s pick of the month from Andrea Peskind-Katz from GREAT THOUGHTS, GREAT READERS is The Greatest Lie of All by Jillian Cantor. Skip directly to the ENTRY FORM for the Book Giveaway.
What is The Greatest Lie of All About?
“A glamourous romance novelist and an aspiring starlet share an unexpected secret in this addictive story about love, ambition and how far we’re willing to go to protect our hearts.”
The story begins with actress Amelia Grant reeling from her mother’s recent death and a messy break-up with her TV star boyfriend. Soon after, her agent calls with an amazing opportunity for her to portray the world’s biggest bestselling author, Gloria Diamond, in a movie based on her memoir. Amelia accepts, happy to throw herself into a new project, especially one that revolves around an author who was coincidentally her mother’s favorite. As a method actor, Amelia requests that she move in with Gloria for a week at her home in Seattle before the shoot begins to get to know the “real her”. While Gloria agrees, she is guarded and not particularly cooperative, and Amelia finds the real Gloria quite different than her enchanting and glamorous public persona.
Told in a dual timeline, the book flips between the present day and Gloria’s past. Amelia does not understand Gloria’s behavior toward her, and she works with Will, Gloria’s son, to try to figure out her secrets. The mysteries slowly unravel as we learn about Gloria’s backstory. There are a lot of interesting twists and turns before we find out the connection between Amelia and Gloria, and why Gloria chose Amelia to play her in the movie.
My Review of The Greatest Lie of All
Jillian Cantor is a masterful storyteller, and I found The Greatest Lie of All captivating from the beginning. In fact, I read it from beginning to end in two days; I couldn’t put it down.
The Greatest Lie of All is an absorbing tale about lies we tell others and ourselves. It beautifully encompasses the themes of regret, betrayal, self-discovery, ambition, and grief, with a little bit of present-day romance. I enjoyed learning about Gloria’s past through flashbacks in bits and pieces. The ending was a surprise; I did not see it coming. Highly recommend.
Harper Collins Publishing provided me with a free advance reader copy in exchange for my honest review. The opinions shared in this review are my own.
Enter Our Drawing for a Free Copy of The Greatest Lie of All
About the Author: Jillian Cantor
Jillian Cantor is the USA Today and internationally bestselling author of eleven novels for teens and adults, which have been chosen for LibraryReads, Indie Next, Amazon Best of the Month, and have been translated into 13 languages. Jillian’s next novel, The Fiction Writer, will be published in November 2023. She has a BA in English from Penn State University and an MFA from the University of Arizona. Born and raised in a suburb of Philadelphia, Cantor currently lives in Arizona with her husband and two sons. Learn more about Jillian on her website.
Books by Jillian Cantor
Below are some other books by this author.
The Fiction Writer
The Fiction Writer is about a once-rising literary star’s novel that retells the story of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca. This story explores the boundaries of creative freedom.
Beautiful Little Fools
Beautiful Little Fools retells The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald from the viewpoint of the women in the tale.
The Code for Love and Heartbreak
The Code for Love and Heartbreak reconfigures the story of Emma by Jane Austin.
Margot
Margot is a story of historical fiction that imagines Anne Frank’s sister Margot survived World War II and lived in America.
In Another Time, told in alternating viewpoints in two time periods, follows Max and Hanna, a couple torn apart due to circumstances leading up to WWII.
The story of Half Life reimagines the life of Marie Curie using two alternative timelines. One timeline mirrors her real life, and the other explores the consequences for Marie and science if she made different choices.
The Lost Letter
The Lost Letter is a historical novel of love and survival inspired by resistance workers in Austria during World War II, and the mysterious love letter connecting generations of Jewish families.
About Andrea Peskind Katz from Great Thoughts, Great Readers
Andrea Peskind Katz runs Great Thoughts, Great Readers, a Book Salon presented via her private FB group where approximately 5,000 prolific readers and authors interact. To quote Robert Frost, she created her “second act” career to “unite my avocation and my vocation”. After 20 years in high-pressure sales, Andrea retired to spend time doing what she loves best: hanging with her family and reading good books.
The Greatest Lie of All
Leslie Farin is the Publisher and Founder of 50PlusToday. She is an experienced communications and marketing professional passionate about working with older adults and their families. She works with a team of writers to provide essential and cutting-edge information related to the 50Plus community.
