Um, I think Carola Lovering, the author of the 2018 Tell Me Lies novel, is entitled to financial compensation for surviving a Stephen IRL. Men are generally trash, sure, but Stephen is, like, a few steps down from the devil himself, and apparently, Carola got the inspo for his character from her own evil, psychotic ex. This is extremely disturbing news… I assumed she was just doing a whacky thought experiment, dreaming up the most diabolical character possible. A few years back, Carola used to lie and say Stephen’s character was all made up, but she felt like she was letting down fans who had their own Stephens and craved moments of empathy and understanding. So eventually, she decided to be honest about what inspired her popular novel. I’m spilling the toxic tea: Here’s how Tell Me Lies is a little bit based on a true story!

Is Tell Me Lies Based On A True Story?

Image Credit: Hulu

In April 2019, Carola wrote an article for The Cut titled “The Terrible Relationship That Inspired My Novel.” She explained that although everybody was desperate to know if Stephen was based on a real guy, she wasn’t ready to disclose that information right away. “Several people had advised me against sharing on the subject,” she wrote. “But mostly, I just didn’t want to talk about it.” Carola understandably wanted to avoid “publicly rehashing” such a toxic time in her life. Instead of telling her story, the author told her fans that Stephen was “purely fictional,” and they were noticeably disappointed, because they saw their own stories in hers and wanted to feel connected and validated.

After receiving lots of meaningful messages from readers about their various Stephen-esque situations, Carola realized she wanted to stop lying. “I can’t stand to see or imagine the look on readers’ faces when I tell them that it’s all just fiction,” she reflected in the article. She noted that she was scared to talk about the “real Stephen” because “while there is certainly a person who inspired his character, that person isn’t actually the character.” There is a distinction.

Like Lucy, Carola’s relationship with her Stephen started at a college party. The author describes his pursuit of her as “unabashed, almost manic” and admits she “became obsessed with the feeling of being wanted.” We’ve all been there, unfortunately. Although Carola often told herself and her friends that she was done with them, that was never really the case. “The way he looked at me and spoke to me there was a magnet, an inexplicable compulsion, as vital as oxygen,” she recalled.

Sadly, the draw was that no one else made her feel quite as “alive” as Stephen IRL did. “There were other girls, yes,” Carola wrote. “There was prevalent dishonesty. There was drama. But relationships were supposed to be complicated.” She continued seeing him after college, when he was living with his girlfriend (not her). He kept claiming that he would end things with his GF soon, because she wasn’t really the one for him, and Carola was, and blah, blah, blah.

Carola shared that their relationship ultimately ended because “he decided it should,” not because she had “some pivotal realization.” But thank goodness it did end! Remember: this person inspired some of Stephen’s character, but lots of the book is fictionalized, and there are several differences between the book and the show. (Lydia doesn’t even exist in the book, for example.) So yeah, Tell Me Lies is still very much a work of fiction. But @Carola’s Stephen muse… I wish you the very worst.