Jesse Q. Sutanto ventures into uncharted territory with Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto, trading her signature romcom charm for a claustrophobic psychological thriller that examines bullying, social media toxicity, and the publishing world’s dark underbelly. This departure from the author of Dial A for Aunties and Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers proves Sutanto’s remarkable versatility, crafting a narrative so psychologically dense that readers will question their allegiances with every chapter.
A Nightmare Reunion in the Pandemic Era
Fern Huang has spent a decade trying to forget Haven Lee, the girl who transformed her school years into a nightmare. Now, in 2020, Fern’s debut novel has finally sold after years of rejection. She’s ready to join the supportive community of fellow debut authors—until discovering Haven has landed a seven-figure book deal and will be debuting alongside her. As the pandemic forces their writing community online, Slack channels and Twitter threads become battlegrounds where old wounds fester and new ones open with surgical precision.
Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto alternates between present-day pandemic chaos and flashbacks to Fern’s school years, gradually revealing the complex history between these women and the mysterious death of their mutual friend, Dani. This dual timeline creates mounting dread as readers piece together not just what happened in the past, but who these women have become.
The Unreliable Narrator Masterclass
Fern Huang ranks among the most fascinatingly unreliable narrators in recent psychological fiction. Sutanto writes her with intimate access to her wounded psyche, experiencing every justified grievance, every spiraling paranoia, every moment of rage. Initially, Fern appears the clear victim: a shy woman whose bully stole her best friend and systematically destroyed her social standing. Her coping mechanisms—baking elaborate pastries, naming her sourdough starter “Doughlores”—paint someone trying desperately to create order from chaos.
But Sutanto peels back layers to reveal darker truths. The revelation of the poisoned cookie incident from middle school—Fern’s attempt to make Haven sick with laxatives—recasts everything. Was Haven’s subsequent bullying retaliation rather than unprovoked cruelty? The genius lies in refusing easy answers. Both women have legitimate grievances; both have inflicted real harm.
The present-tense, first-person narration feels breathlessly immediate, trapping readers inside Fern’s spiraling thoughts as she catalogs every slight and constructs elaborate theories about Haven’s motivations. The prose alternates between painfully vulnerable and coldly calculating, reflecting Fern’s dual nature: her self-deprecating observations about being “prey” contrast sharply with methodical planning, while her professed desire to be “good” wars constantly with impulses toward revenge.
The Publishing Industry Under a Microscope
One of the most compelling aspects of Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto is its unflinching portrayal of the publishing world. Sutanto depicts the anxiety-inducing reality of debut authors: endless waiting, comparison culture, precarious book deals, and performative online communities. The Slack channels and Twitter interactions feel authentically cutthroat beneath surface friendliness.
The pandemic amplifies these tensions brilliantly. With everyone isolated and existing through screens, normal social filters dissolve. Haven’s carefully curated Instagram life becomes a weapon Fern cannot ignore or escape. The debut author group dynamics ring painfully true—immediate bonding masked by competitive undercurrents, alliances forming and crumbling over perceived slights, cancel culture mob mentality turning heroes into villains overnight.
Sutanto’s commentary on cancel culture proves particularly prescient. The viral op-ed, Haven’s subsequent suicide, and the public’s rapid shift from supporting Fern to vilifying her illustrate how social media flattens complex relationships into digestible narratives—even when reality resists such categorization.
The Central Mystery and Narrative Tension
The central mystery—what happened to Dani at Griffith Park when they were eighteen—provides the narrative spine. Sutanto parcels out information strategically, building suspicions about both women’s involvement. The eventual revelation that Dani’s death was an accident during a confrontation, followed by their cover-up, recontextualizes their entire relationship. They’re bound not just by history but by shared culpability and mutual assured destruction.
However, this resolution may feel somewhat anticlimactic. After building intricate psychological tension, the truth proves more tragic than shocking. The ambiguity about who actually pushed Dani serves the novel’s themes about unreliable perception but may frustrate readers seeking clear answers.
Where the Novel Stumbles
While Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto succeeds as a psychological character study, pacing occasionally falters. The middle section, detailing escalating online conflicts, can feel repetitive despite thoroughly documenting each small provocation. Supporting characters like Lisa and Jenna serve primarily as chess pieces rather than fully realized individuals, with their rapid loyalty shifts straining credibility.
Some readers will struggle with the lack of a truly sympathetic character. Both protagonists commit reprehensible acts, manipulate, and inflict lasting damage. This moral ambiguity is intentional—Sutanto wants discomfort—but makes the reading experience emotionally exhausting. The ending offers closure but not quite redemption.
A Stylistic Departure Worth Taking
For readers familiar with Sutanto’s lighter fare like Dial A for Aunties, this novel will shock with its darkness. Gone are the meddling aunties and cozy mysteries; instead, Sutanto offers a penetrating examination of how childhood trauma shapes us, how social media amplifies our worst impulses, and how the line between victim and perpetrator can blur beyond recognition.
The writing demonstrates impressive range. She captures Fern’s voice with uncomfortable intimacy, from anxious stream-of-consciousness spirals to moments of cold calculation. The prose style—breathless, paranoid, occasionally self-aware—perfectly mirrors a mind fraying under pressure while proving adept at capturing online communication’s particular vocabulary and cadence.
Final Verdict
Read Between the Lies by Jesse Q. Sutanto stands as a provocative exploration of bullying’s long-term psychological damage and how social media weaponizes personal grievances. It’s an uncomfortable read by design, refusing easy moral judgments while forcing readers to confront difficult questions about victimhood, responsibility, and the stories we tell about our lives.
The novel earns its four-star reputation through strong characterization and timely social commentary, though it occasionally prioritizes psychological realism over narrative momentum. Sutanto has crafted something genuinely unsettling—a book that makes you question your own reliability as a reader, wondering what you’ve missed, what you’ve misinterpreted, what lies you’ve accepted as truth.
This departure showcases Sutanto’s impressive versatility. While fans of her cozier work may miss the warmth and humor, those willing to follow her into darker territory will find a psychologically complex thriller that lingers long after the final page.
If You Enjoyed This Book
Readers who appreciated the unreliable narration and publishing industry setting should consider:
- “The Incendiaries” by R.O. Kwon explores how past trauma and present obsession intertwine through an unreliable narrator whose version of events constantly shifts
- “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid similarly examines how social media and public opinion can distort complex interpersonal conflicts into viral controversies
- “My Year of Rest and Relaxation” by Ottessa Moshfegh for readers drawn to Fern’s dark interiority and willingness to descend into self-destructive behavior
- “The Other Black Girl” by Zakiya Dalila Harris offers another publishing industry thriller examining workplace dynamics and the pressure to present a perfect public persona
- “Luckiest Girl Alive” by Jessica Knoll features a similarly unreliable narrator grappling with high school trauma that shapes adult life
For those who appreciated Sutanto’s versatility, The Obsession offers another darker thriller, while Dial A for Aunties showcases her comedic talents. Her Vera Wong series provides cozy mysteries—the perfect palate cleanser after this novel’s psychological intensity.