In her electrifying debut novel, “Count My Lies,” Sophie Stava weaves a psychological thriller that explores the dangerous allure of stepping into someone else’s life. This twisted tale of identity, deception, and unexpected sisterhood introduces us to Sloane Caraway, a protagonist whose compulsive lying sets in motion a chain of events that spirals beyond her control—or perhaps exactly as intended by forces she doesn’t initially comprehend.
Stava’s narrative prowess shines through her multi-perspective storytelling, with chapters alternating between Sloane, Violet, and eventually Jay, creating a kaleidoscopic view of truth that shifts with each turn of the page. What begins as a seemingly straightforward story of a woman infiltrating a perfect family transforms into a layered exploration of female agency, revenge, and the lengths to which a mother will go to protect her child.
The Perfect Impersonation
From the novel’s first lines—“‘I’m a nurse.’ The words fall out of my mouth before I can stop myself from saying them”—Stava establishes Sloane as an unreliable narrator whose harmless fabrications become increasingly consequential. Working at a nail salon after being fired from her teaching position (for reasons that unfold like breadcrumbs throughout the narrative), Sloane lives with her ailing mother and fabricates details of her life to make herself seem more interesting.
When she encounters Jay Lockhart and his daughter Harper at a Brooklyn park and pretends to be a nurse to help with a bee sting, Sloane inadvertently opens the door to the Lockharts’ seemingly perfect life. Soon, she’s meeting Violet Lockhart, befriending her, and eventually becoming Harper’s nanny—all while harboring a growing infatuation with Jay.
What makes “Count My Lies” so compelling is how Stava subverts the expected “single white female” narrative halfway through. When the perspective shifts to Violet, we discover that she has recognized Sloane from the beginning—not as a threat, but as an opportunity to escape her suffocating marriage to the unfaithful Jay.
Atmospheric Setting as Character
The novel’s settings become characters in themselves:
- Brooklyn’s Cobble Hill neighborhood represents wealth, status, and perfect appearances that mask dysfunction
- The Block Island vacation home serves as the perfect isolated setting for the plot’s most dramatic turns
- The Lockharts’ brownstone symbolizes the façade of perfection that both women desperately want to inhabit
Stava’s descriptions of Block Island are particularly evocative—its isolation, small-town interconnectedness, and seasonal influx of wealthy visitors creating the perfect backdrop for Violet’s elaborate scheme to frame Jay for her “murder” while assuming Sloane’s identity.
Psychological Depth Behind the Thrills
Where “Count My Lies” truly excels is in its psychological complexity. Sloane isn’t merely a sociopathic interloper; she’s a wounded woman searching for connection and belonging. Her lies stem from a lifetime of instability:
“I wished I was more interesting, so I pretended to be. Sloanie, Sloanie, the big fat phony.”
Similarly, Violet isn’t just a vengeful wife but a woman who escaped one prison (her cold, appearance-obsessed parents) only to find herself in another (a marriage to a serially unfaithful husband who threatens to take her daughter if she leaves). The novel intelligently examines how both women have been shaped by others’ expectations.
Where the Novel Falters
Despite its strengths, “Count My Lies” occasionally strains credulity, particularly in its Block Island sequences. The convenient existence of Danny (Violet’s childhood friend turned EMT), an intoxicated coroner willing to overlook a body switch, and the ease with which identities are legally transferred require significant suspension of disbelief.
Additionally, the moral center of the novel remains deliberately murky. While Jay is undoubtedly portrayed as deserving of punishment, framing him for murder and separating him from his daughter—however flawed he may be as a father—raises ethical questions the narrative doesn’t fully reckon with.
Some readers may also question how easily Sloane shifts allegiance from Jay to Violet after catching him with Anne-Marie, though Stava does effectively establish Sloane’s lifelong pattern of seeking connection and belonging at any cost.
Masterful Plotting and Pacing
Stava demonstrates remarkable control over her narrative, parceling out revelations at precisely the right moments. The novel’s three-part structure allows for crucial perspective shifts that recontextualize everything we’ve read before:
- Sloane’s perspective establishes the seemingly familiar narrative of infiltration and obsession
- Violet’s perspective flips the script, revealing her as the puppet master rather than the victim
- Jay’s perspective provides the final piece, showing us the aftermath and confirming the success of the women’s scheme
These shifts maintain suspense throughout, with each new revelation forcing readers to reconsider their assumptions. The novel’s final sections, particularly Jay’s realization that his wife is still alive but that no one will believe him, are hauntingly effective.
Final Verdict: A Promising Debut Worth Your Time
“Count My Lies” announces Sophie Stava as a formidable new voice in psychological suspense. For fans of Patricia Highsmith’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (cleverly referenced in the novel’s epigraph), Gillian Flynn’s “Gone Girl,” or Caroline Kepnes’s “You,” Stava’s debut offers a fresh take on identity theft and psychological manipulation with its unique focus on female friendship/sisterhood alongside its darker themes.
While the novel requires some suspension of disbelief and leaves certain moral questions unresolved, its compelling characters, atmospheric settings, and masterful plotting make it a standout in the crowded psychological thriller field. Stava’s sharp observations about marriage, motherhood, and identity elevation in “Count My Lies” beyond mere entertainment to something more thought-provoking.
Who Should Read This Book
- Fans of domestic thrillers with unreliable narrators
- Readers who enjoy multiple perspectives and unexpected twists
- Those who appreciate complex female protagonists
- Anyone who likes explorations of identity and reinvention
- Devotees of novels like “The Last Mrs. Parrish,” “My Lovely Wife,” or “The Push”
Key Takeaways
- Vibrant Characters: Both Sloane and Violet emerge as complex, sympathetic characters despite their morally questionable actions
- Atmospheric Setting: Block Island serves as the perfect isolated backdrop for the novel’s most dramatic moments
- Clever Structure: The shifting perspectives keep readers guessing and reinterpreting events
- Thematic Depth: Explorations of motherhood, authenticity, and agency elevate the narrative
- Page-Turning Pace: The novel builds momentum steadily, with revelations perfectly timed
Sophie Stava’s debut novel suggests she has much more to offer the literary world. “Count My Lies” isn’t just about deception—it’s about two women finding in each other what the world has denied them: understanding, acceptance, and a sense of belonging. Despite its occasionally implausible elements, it’s a riveting psychological dance that will keep readers turning pages late into the night, questioning who’s manipulating whom until the very end.
In a genre filled with stories about women being victims, Stava gives us something refreshingly different: women who refuse to be casualties of men’s selfishness, instead orchestrating their own salvation by any means necessary. The result is a morally complex but undeniably engrossing read that marks Stava as an author to watch.
