Count My Lies Summary – A Gripping Tale of Lies, Obsession & Deception

When Every Word Is a Lie—Who Can You Trust?

What happens when the person you invite into your life, your family, and your home, isn’t who she claims to be?

In Count My Lies by Sophie Stava, readers are taken down a suspense-filled rabbit hole of deceit, obsession, and revenge. This novel isn’t just a thriller—it’s a masterclass in unreliable narration, emotional manipulation, and the terrifying consequences of trusting the wrong person.

This is your ultimate Count My Lies summary—perfect for book lovers, thriller enthusiasts, and fans of jaw-dropping plot twists.

Book Summary Contents

1 Count My Lies by Sophie Stava Contents
2 Count My Lies Best Quotes
3 About the Author: Sophie Stava
- 3.1 Literary Background & Style
- 3.2 Inspirations & Themes
4 Count My Lies Summary – Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown
5 Themes and Literary Significance
6 Why Count My Lies Is Worth Reading
7 Who Really Wins in a Game of Lies?
8 Get Your Copy
9 Attachments & References
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Count My Lies by Sophie Stava Contents

Page Title

Dedication

Epigraph

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18

Violet

Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29

Jay

Chapter 30
Chapter 31

Sloane

Chapter 32

Acknowledgments

About the Author

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Count My Lies Best Quotes

On Lies and Identity

“Sometimes I believe my own lies. They feel real… Doesn’t everyone want to feel special?”
“This whole time she thought she lied her way into our lives, but the truth is, I lied my way into hers.”
“knew I should stop, but I couldn’t help it. I wanted so desperately for people to like me, and it was the only way I could think of.”
“It’s another bad habit of mine, talking too much, asking too many questions. It’s probably the same reason I lie: to fill the silence, keep people from walking away.”

Family, Wealth, and Conditional Love

“He, like my parents, would never be able to separate his love for me from his love for my money.”
“When I was little, I was pawned off to nannies and tutors, shuttled from piano to ballet, horseback riding on the weekends. I ate dinner with the housekeeper, wishing I had a sibling to eat with instead, while my parents worked long hours.”
“I was happy to support him, happy to seed his start-ups, to write checks with strings of zeros; I thought he was brilliant.”

❤️ On Relationships, Desire, and Betrayal

“The woman he married was a meticulously curated version of myself, a boxed-in twenty-four-year-old with a round ass and a tight dress, in lacy bras and thongs, who gave him head in the bathrooms of bars, drunk and uninhibited.”
“I hated him for his infidelity, her for accepting it. I hated them both for the lies. Their marriage, like everything else, was a sham. I couldn’t stomach it for another second. I wanted no part of their fake fucking lives.”
“And Jay is hers, not mine. He never was, never will be. I shake the disloyal thoughts from my head. Be better, Sloane, I think.”

On Female Bonds and Sibling Longing

“I’ve found what I’ve spent my whole life looking for. A sister. And not just a sister: a Gemini twin. Not by blood, but by choice.”
“She’s funny, self-deprecating, thoughtful. A liar, yes, but desperate, mostly, for people to like her. And she wanted me to like her, thought I was special. It made me feel special, something I haven’t felt for a long time.”

Emotion, Anger, and Judgment

“It kills me, his dismissal of her, the hurt on her sweet face. He deserves to be quartered, all four limbs tied, splayed, pulled apart, pop pop pop pop.”
“Sloane nods unconvincingly, head wobbling. Her face isn’t hard to read. She’s wondering if I’ve ever been to the place she used to work—and the answer is yes, I have.”
“I have to hand it to her: she is great with kids.”

Motherhood and Tenderness

“I watch her, smiling, heart expanding in my chest. That’s my girl, my social butterfly, my golden retriever child.”

Pop Culture Reference

“I mouth along as Taylor Swift sings about how everyone agrees: it’s her that’s the problem.
Same girl, same.”

About the Author: Sophie Stava

Count My Lies Summary — Author’s image source: sophiestava.com

Sophie Stava is a rising star in contemporary romance and women’s fiction, known for her emotionally rich storytelling, sharp wit, and deeply relatable characters. While details about her personal life remain relatively private, her work has garnered attention for its authentic exploration of grief, love, and self-discovery—themes that resonate powerfully with readers.

Literary Background & Style

Stava’s writing is characterized by:

Raw Emotional Depth: She tackles heavy themes like loss and mental health with nuance and compassion.
Witty, Banter-Driven Dialogue: Her characters feel real, their conversations laced with humor and vulnerability.
Strong Sense of Place: Whether set in New York City or small-town America, her settings are vivid and immersive.

Her debut novel, Passion Project, established her as a voice to watch in the romance genre, blending heartache and hope in a way that feels both fresh and timeless.

Inspirations & Themes

Stava’s work often explores:
✔ Grief and Healing – How people rebuild after loss.
✔ Found Family – The bonds that form outside traditional structures.
✔ Self-Discovery – Characters learning to prioritize their own happiness.

Fans compare her to Taylor Jenkins Reid for emotional depth and Emily Henry for sparkling romance.

Count My Lies Summary – Chapter-by-Chapter Breakdown

Chapter 1–3: The Web of Lies Begins

We meet our narrator under the alias Caitlin. She’s charming, warm—and a compulsive liar. She introduces herself to Jay Lockhart and his daughter Harper in a park, pretending to be a nurse to gain their trust. She later admits: her real name is Sloane Caraway, and lying is second nature.

Her interest in Jay isn’t incidental—she has noticed him before. This is a planned encounter.

Chapter 4–6: Becoming Part of the Lockhart Life

Sloane, still posing as Caitlin, inserts herself into the Lockhart family. She becomes close to Jay’s wife, Violet Lockhart, who is beautiful and composed. Before long, she’s hired as Harper’s full-time nanny.

Sloane is drawn deeper into their lives—not as a caregiver, but as someone who believes she belongs in this family. She lies about her job and past, feeding them a carefully curated version of reality.

Chapter 7–9: Cracks in the Marriage & the Mask

Violet starts showing signs of emotional distress—crying, throwing her phone. Jay confides in Sloane, hinting at marital issues. Sloane suspects infidelity or deep emotional rifts.

Her obsession grows, pushing boundaries. She snoops through their home and discovers a secret phone connected to someone with initials DS—perhaps Violet’s old flame, Danny.

Chapter 10–12: The Past Comes Knocking

Sloane’s carefully built façade starts to unravel. A woman named Allison McIntyre confronts her at work, and it’s revealed there’s a restraining order against Sloane.

The truth: Sloane has a history of obsession and was previously involved in another disturbing situation involving Allison—a former preschool teacher. The police are now involved.

Violet, it turns out, knows exactly who Sloane is. She’s researched her, orchestrated their meeting, and invited her into their lives for a very specific reason.

Chapter 13–15: A Dangerous Island Retreat

The Lockharts invite Sloane on a vacation to a remote island. Violet manipulates situations to get Jay and Sloane alone together. They bike, they talk, and eventually—they kiss.

But what seems like romantic progress is part of a much darker plan. Violet is carefully laying traps, and Sloane is playing along—too obsessed to recognize the danger ahead.

Chapter 16–18: Violet Disappears

Chaos erupts. Violet appears to have been shot. Sloane calls emergency services. EMT Danny arrives—the same Danny from the DS messages. The police get involved, and Sloane gives a statement implying Jay shot Violet during an argument about divorce.

But the shocking truth? Violet faked her death—with Danny’s help.

Chapter 19–21: A Mastermind Revealed

Violet had discovered Jay’s affair with Nina, Harper’s former nanny. This betrayal, and her growing fear of becoming like her parents, leads her to plan her escape—with Sloane as her secret weapon.

Violet forged Jay’s signature on divorce documents and a new will naming Sloane as Harper’s guardian. Everything was premeditated.

Sloane, blindly loyal and manipulative, carries out the plan with disturbing ease.

Chapter 22–24: Jay Goes Down

Jay is arrested, stunned by the betrayal. The case against him is strong: forged documents, witness testimony from Sloane, and Violet’s “final words.”

Sloane now controls the Lockhart brownstone and gains custody of Harper, using help from a former spa client turned lawyer.

Chapter 25–31: The Shocking Conclusion

In the final scenes, Sloane narrates her new life—living with Harper and Violet, who is alive and hiding.

Jay, believing he’s about to see Violet, is instead greeted by Sloane at the police station. His shock is palpable.

Violet, Sloane, and Harper are planning a move to California. The family unit is now complete—but built entirely on lies, manipulation, and betrayal.

The story ends, not with justice, but with the triumph of a disturbingly twisted version of family.

Themes and Literary Significance

1. Unreliable Narration

Sloane’s voice is charming but deeply deceptive. Her perspective forces the reader to question everything, mirroring the experience of the characters around her.

2. Identity and Obsession

Sloane’s transformation—from a spa worker to a faux-nurse, from outsider to guardian—is chilling. Her need to belong mutates into obsession, echoing real-life stories of stalking and identity theft.

3. Gaslighting and Psychological Manipulation

Violet is no victim. She uses Sloane’s flaws to her advantage, engineering a long con to escape her failing marriage. Her manipulation raises ethical questions—can one lie ever justify another?

**Why Count My Lies Is Worth Reading**

For readers who crave psychological thrillers with unreliable narrators, complex female protagonists, and morally gray decisions, Count My Lies delivers. Sophie Stava doesn’t offer black-and-white conclusions. Instead, she presents a haunting narrative where the liars aren’t just bad—they’re strategic, intelligent, and disturbingly likable.

The book explores the fine line between truth and fabrication—and how easy it is to cross it when your world depends on lies.

Who Really Wins in a Game of Lies?

In a novel filled with deceit, obsession, and twisted alliances, Count My Lies forces readers to confront uncomfortable truths: the danger of misplaced trust, the weight of unchecked obsession, and the terrifying ease with which lies become reality.

Sophie Stava crafts a suspenseful masterpiece that will stay with you long after the final chapter.