Hulu’s Tell Me Lies premiered its second season on September 4, with new episodes dropping weekly. Based on Carola Lovering’s novel, the show tells the complicated, toxic relationship between Lucy Albright, played by Grace Van Patten, and Stephen DeMarco, played by Jackson James White. They meet in their first year at the fictional Baird College and start a years-long, messy romance.
The series, however, doesn’t just focus on Lucy and Stephen, it also expands on the lives of their friends, Pippa played by Sonia Mena, Bree by Catherine Missal, Wrigley by Spencer House, and Evan played by Branden Cook.
Let’s dive into the key differences between the book and the show. Both jump between past and present timelines, but the stories unfold differently.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Tell Me Lies. Reader discretion is advised.
Tell Me Lies: What are the differences between the book and the show
1) Lucy’s eating disorder is left out
In the book, Lucy’s eating disorder is one of the first things the reader learns about. Lovering writes about it in detail, showing how it affects Lucy’s daily life. However, this aspect is not explored in the show.
Instead, the series focuses on Lucy’s complicated feelings about her relationships, especially with Stephen. For example, the show opens with Lucy breaking up with her high school boyfriend because she doesn’t want to do long-distance but is very cold about it. This coldness makes her ex-boyfriend accuse her of being "broken inside."
This change in the show makes it easier for viewers to understand why Lucy fears leaving Stephen, believing she may never feel that same connection again. While this might simplify things for TV, it leaves out a deeper part of Lucy’s character that was a big focus in the book. Still, there's always the chance this could come up in future seasons.
2) Lucy’s family background is different
In the book, Lucy’s background is explored much more deeply. Her dad works in finance, and their family’s upper-class lifestyle is a significant part of her character. Lucy grows up surrounded by friends who are focused on getting into Ivy League schools, and tennis plays a significant role in her social life.
In the series, however, these details are barely touched on. The show mentions that her dad worked in the army and her mom worked. Lucy’s upper-middle-class background is softened, making it less of a contrast with Stephen’s life. This streamlining allows the series to focus more on the relationship drama instead of getting lost in side stories about wealth or social class.
3) Bree’s engagement party vs. wedding
The show's first episode opens with Bree, played by Catherine Missal, getting ready for her engagement party. Lucy and Pippa joke around with her, teasing Lucy about seeing Stephen at the party. But in the book, it’s not an engagement party; it’s a wedding.
One small yet critical difference is that in the book, Bree doesn’t allow plus-ones unless they are married or engaged. In the show, Lucy decides not to bring her boyfriend, claiming he’s stuck at work.
4) Diana and Lucy interact
Diana, played by Alicia Crowder, is Stephen’s other love interest, and their relationship is a mess of control and resentment. In the book, Lucy and Diana never meet, and we only get Stephen’s side of the story about Diana. However, in the series, the two women have a brief chat early on, and Lucy realizes that Diana is nice.
This change gives more depth to Diana’s character, showing that Stephen’s toxic behavior doesn’t just affect Lucy. It impacts everyone around him, even people like Diana, who are initially shown as perfect.
5) CJ’s affair plays out differently
In both the book and the series, Lucy’s relationship with her mom, whom she refers to as CJ, is strained. Her mom’s affair is a big reason for this tension, but the way it’s revealed differs between the two versions.
In the book, Lucy catches her mom having an affair with her tennis coach, who also happens to be the brother of a character named Macy. But in the show, the affair is more personal. Lucy reveals to Max that the day her dad died, her mom was with his best friend, Jake, and ignored Lucy’s calls. This adds to Lucy’s feelings of abandonment, making her less forgiving when Drew is involved in Macy’s death later on.
6) Bree and Evan’s relationship is more focused
In the series, the episode Castle on a Cloud centers on Bree and Evan’s relationship. They bond over their frustrations with their selfish friends. Evan is the nice guy in the group, but even he has his limits. This episode gives a lot of attention to their relationship, showing how they share values and secrets from their pasts.
The book doesn't focus as much on Bree and Evan’s romance. It’s more of a background story, and their wedding is mainly a result of them attending the same college. The show’s decision to explore their relationship more deeply adds extra layers to the group dynamics.
7) Lucy doesn't date anyone else in the book
Lucy has a cute, unexpected meeting with Max at a local pub in the TV show. This happens when Lucy and her friend Bree are having a drink, and the police come to check IDs. Both girls manage to slip out of the back door.
During their evening, Bree leaves Lucy for a moment, and Max, stepping out for a smoke, bumps into Lucy. They share a laugh, and their connection begins to grow.
However, in the book, Max doesn't exist. Lucy's story revolves around her toxic relationship with Stephen. Stephen manipulates Lucy, and they continuously hurt each other throughout the story. Lucy only seeks Max out when she can’t reach Stephen, treating Max like a second option. Stephen does the same with Lucy, using her when things aren’t going well with his main girlfriend, Diana.
8) Macy's death
Macy’s death is a significant plot point in the show. At first, it looks like an unfortunate accident. But as the series progresses, we learn that there’s more to it. Initially, Drew seems to be the only one who knows the truth. But in the final episode, we discover that Stephen was the one driving the car while drunk. After the accident, Stephen moved Macy to the driver’s seat to cover up his involvement.
Lucy, who only knows Macy as her new roommate, doesn't dig much into Macy’s death until Stephen admits he was there that night. Even then, Stephen twists the story, claiming he wasn’t the one driving and shifting the blame to Drew. He also says he fled the scene because of fear that he would be unfairly blamed due to his poor background.
In the book, things are slightly different. Macy is Lucy’s friend from high school, and her death haunts Lucy as she starts college. The crash, in the book, is the result of Macy performing an intimate act on Stephen while he is driving drunk. This detail makes Macy’s death much darker and more tragic in the novel compared to the show.
9) Stephen's fiancée
In the show, Lucy has a friend named Lydia from high school who plays a minor but significant role in her life. When Lucy breaks up with her high school boyfriend, Lydia reassures her that she’s not cold or emotionless, just different.
As Lucy goes to college, their friendship takes a backseat as the focus shifts to Lucy's relationship with Stephen and her other friends. By the end of the season, we meet Lydia again during Bree's engagement party, but this time, she’s Stephen’s fiancée.
In the book, however, Stephen’s fiancee at Bree’s wedding is not Lydia but Jillian. This reflects how the show adds more layers to the drama between Stephen, Lucy, and other characters. It introduces Lydia into the storyline, adding tension and setting up potential conflict for future seasons.
10) The college location is different in the book
One notable difference between the book and the show is the location of the fictional Baird College. In the show, the college is in New York, while in the book, it’s in California.
This change likely stems from the show’s production, which took place in Georgia. The relocation alters the story’s dynamic, making Lucy and Stephen’s relationship feel more intertwined. Since they live so close together, it creates a sense that Lucy and Stephen can't escape from each other.
11) The show explores how Lucy and Stephen's relationship affects others
Lucy and Stephen's relationship is full of toxic power plays. Instead of sharing their thoughts and emotions, they use their secrets and traumas to gain control over each other. Everyone around them notices the toxicity, but Lucy and Stephen remain trapped in their unhealthy dynamic.
While the book mainly focuses on the harm Stephen does to Lucy, the show explores how their toxic relationship affects everyone around them. From minor incidents, like Stephen throwing a camera into a pool to hide his affair with Lucy, to more significant moments, like Lucy tormenting Drew with information about Macy’s death, their relationship leaves a trail of destruction.
The show emphasizes that toxic relationships don’t just hurt the people involved. They often cause collateral damage to those around them.
12) Stephen's class anxiety is more pronounced in the show
In the show, Stephen is constantly scheming and manipulating those around him, partly because of his insecurities about coming from a lower-income family. His father abandoned him and his mother, and they struggled to make ends meet. Stephen's mother, played by Katey Sagal, is also portrayed as manipulative and controlling, which adds to Stephen’s emotional baggage.
In one episode, Stephen tries to secure a job at a prestigious law firm with Diana's help, but he pretends to come from a wealthier background than he does. His lies unravel, and he loses the opportunity.
In the book, Stephen’s family issues are less prominent, and his mother is the one who left his father. Stephen’s anxiety over money is not as central to his character in the book as it is in the show.
13) The show explores Pippa's s*xuality
Pippa, a supporting character in the show, gets much more development compared to her role in the book. On TV, she confronts Stephen about his lies and is more vocal about her feelings. She also becomes romantically involved with Lucy’s new roommate, Charlie, and confesses that she felt like an outsider in high school, influencing her people-pleasing behavior in college. Their romance eventually leads to an intimate relationship.
In the book, Pippa’s role is much smaller, and her s*xuality is never explored. The show adds depth to her character by giving her a personal storyline that is absent in the novel.
14) Bree's background is more detailed in the show
Bree, another friend of Lucy’s, is given a much more detailed backstory in the show. When she first meets Evan, it’s while working as a nude model for an art class to make some extra money. Later, we learn that Bree was a foster child and moved through several homes during her childhood.
In the book, Bree’s background isn’t explored, and she serves more as Lucy’s friend than an individual with her own story. The show’s decision to give Bree a more fleshed-out history adds emotional weight to her character and her relationship with Evan.
The book and Hulu’s Tell Me Lies share the same core story about Lucy and Stephen's toxic, intense relationship. However, the series takes its path by simplifying certain aspects of the characters’ backgrounds, focusing more on the drama between the group of friends, and giving more screen time to supporting characters. While these changes may streamline the story for TV, they create new layers that make the series stand out.
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