In What’s Not True: A Novel by Valerie Taylor, a fifty-four-year-old woman faces divorce and betrayal. Although her husband for thirty years has been emotionally abusive, it has taken Kassie O’Callaghan, an intelligent marketing executive, enough time to come to the decision to divorce. Everything is set and she is ready to move on with her younger lover when she learns that her soon-to-be ex-husband has a chronic illness. As her plans for divorce are stalled, other revelations eventually surface and while a reconnection with her former lover in Paris comes along with a fresh prospect for her life, Kassie is called back home to Boston because her husband has a heart attack. What awaits her is an unscrupulous fiancée and the threat of losing everything.

There is so much in store for the reader in this novel. Valerie Taylor creates a strong protagonist in Kassie O’Callaghan, a character that is not just intelligent but meticulous. It is surprising that while she has built a good career, she suffers from emotional abuse. Her adventures are exciting to read, but what gives her depth is the emotional and psychological turmoil written into her inner world. What's Not True: A Novel features exquisite prose and the author crafts dialogues that feel real and sharp at times. The drama is strong and it is one of the ingredients that elevate the entertaining quality of this novel. The characters are realistically complicated and the plot emotionally complex, and readers will find themselves enthralled by the sheer psychological depth of the story.

What's Not True is the direct sequel to Valerie Taylor's highly acclaimed romance novel What's Not Said. Kassie O'Callaghan rises the corporate ladder of her company, drowning herself in her work, when an old flame, Chris, shows up unexpectedly in Paris aiming to sweep her off her feet. As passions re-ignite between the two former lovers, news of a heart attack suffered by Chris's biological father, Mike, who is incidentally Kassie's estranged husband, reaches Kassie's ears and forces them to travel back to Boston. Meanwhile, in Boston, Chris's biological mother and Mike's current girlfriend Karen conspires to inherit Mike's vast assets. Kassie must now choose between her love for Chris and a dream job in Paris while simultaneously fighting to get what's rightfully hers.

A tale of love, lust, and betrayal, What's Not True is an absorbing read from start to finish. Author Valerie Taylor's sequel tells the story of a modern independent woman trying to balance her love life and career while shedding the baggage of her past. The pacing is smooth, and the plot moves in unpredictable ways that make you turn the pages with eager anticipation of what is to come. I enjoyed the wit and humor sprinkled throughout the narrative and felt particularly entertained during the scenes involving Kassie, Karen, and Cecilia. The characters have distinct personalities and are well-developed. Despite being a sequel, What's Not True also functions seamlessly as a standalone. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I will heartily recommend it to readers who enjoy woman-centric novels.