Book Review: The Greatest Lie of All

By Melissa Amster

Fledgling actress Amelia Grant is at rock bottom when offered the opportunity of a lifetime: to star in a biopic about the world-renowned romance author Gloria Diamond, who used her own tragic love story as inspiration for her bestselling books. To prepare for the role, she’ll spend a week with Gloria at her secluded Washington estate. It’s a chance to get out of LA, away from her cheating ex-boyfriend, and to make her recently deceased mother proud.

Amelia’s excitement is short-lived, however, once she actually meets Gloria, who is cold, verging on rude and mostly unavailable. If not for Gloria’s frustratingly handsome son, Will, the visit might be a complete waste of her time. But when Amelia stumbles upon a secret from Gloria’s past, she realizes Gloria’s life story is more fiction than fact. And as the movie’s filming date draws nearer, Amelia must decide how much she’s willing to sacrifice to uncover the truth. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

I always enjoy when Jillian Cantor has a new novel available. The Greatest Lie of All is different from the historical fiction novels she has written, as the historical part takes place in the 1980s and isn't centered around any specific events from that era. However, it's a really interesting story told from two perspectives in the past and present. I liked seeing how the story would unfold and some aspects weren't what I was expecting at all! I was definitely guessing what would happen, but wasn't sure if I'd be right.

I definitely felt frustrated for Amelia, with Gloria not giving her much to work with. Especially since she needed that information for the role she was going to play. I also felt bad for Mare, as she was stuck in a difficult situation altogether and it eventually led to tragedy. I don't want to say too much more as this is a story that you really just need to experience for yourself. 

The only big concern for me was time, since I didn't know what year it took place in the present. I was guessing the current year, but then the math from the past wasn't adding up. Also a character sounded way older than they were when they were a little kid during flashbacks. These weren't deterrents to my enjoyment and since it was an advanced copy, I'm hoping the timing got ironed out for final publication.

If you're looking for something unputdownable to read, look no further! This novel is addictive, for sure.

(Trigger warnings at the bottom of this post.)

Movie casting suggestions:
Amelia: Emma Roberts
Gloria: Diane Lane
Will: James Wolk
Mare: Sarah Catherine Hook
Bess: Saoirse Ronan
George: Jarred Harper
Max: Nicholas Galitzine

Thanks to Harlequin for the book in exchange for an honest review.

More by Jillian Cantor:

Beautiful Little Fools

Half Life

The Fiction Writer

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TW: Domestic violence, infidelity, death of parent, house fire