Reviews with content warning for Alcoholism - All the Things We Don't Talk About

I wish the author would have narrowed the focus of this book a tiny bit. The alcoholism plot line was fantastic, but it just got a little lost in characters who felt like representation pawns rather than complete people. Still enjoyable to read!

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spinesinaline's review against another edition

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challenging tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for an ARC to review. This was a slow-moving book but by the end I loved it! It wasn’t the perfect read but there was something so gripping about these characters that I couldn’t look away and was so invested in their lives.

It really does get better as you read. I couldn’t figure out what this book was really about at first but it ends up being about all these little things that come back as reminders and themes in such subtle ways. A quiet but stunning read for me.

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starrysteph's review

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challenging emotional hopeful sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

All the Things We Don’t Talk About was a thoughtful, modern coming-of-age story.

We follow Morgan, a nonbinary teen navigating their first romantic relationship, and Julian, their autistic father struggling to find the best way to support his child. Their balance is disrupted as Morgan’s estranged mother Zoe tumbles into their lives once again. And our fourth POV comes from Zoe’s partner Brigid, who has developed a long-distance friendship with Julian over the years.

So … it's complicated. Add in Zoe’s struggle with alcoholism (and Morgan’s deep desire for acceptance) and you can see that this family is teetering on the edge of huge conflict.

The topics are heavy and the characters are complex (even Zoe, who typically serves as the antagonist, has an honest POV & you get to peek deeper into her behavior). But the characters are treated with care, and there are so many tender moments that kept me reading.

I appreciated that the characters’ identities (Morgan’s gender identity & Julian’s neurodivergent identity) are not used as big plot points/major sources of turmoil. Instead, they are deeply woven into the characters’ POVs and lives and written with nuance. Julian’s ability to parent is never in question. Morgan’s pronouns are respected.

I really wanted more time with Julian - I would have loved more backstory into his journey as a single parent, raising Morgan and learning routines together and navigating life.

Sometimes the writing was a bit dry. It was generally very raw & felt authentic, but there were times when Feltman was building up to a conflict where the pacing felt off/the scenes dragged. I was also confused at times about the space between scenes.

Finally, I felt the ending was a bit too quick, and too much was left unresolved. Not that things have to be tied up in a neat little bow - but I wanted a bit more closure around certain plotlines. And I felt disappointed & saddened about some major decisions made by the characters.

Overall, this was a caring portrait of a complex family. It gave me room to reflect on some dynamics in my own life. It was powerful and tender and an engaging read.

CW: addiction, alcoholism, abandonment, car accident, mass/school shootings, medical content, drug use, animal cruelty, death, death of grandparent, classism, emotional abuse, grief, gun violence, injury, medical content, mental illness, transphobia, toxic relationship, pregnancy (mentioned), abortion (mentioned)

(I received a free review copy of this book; this is my honest review.)

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sarahnoffy's review

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emotional hopeful reflective sad slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

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sunflowerreads's review

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emotional hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of my favorites of the year! As a person with an alcoholic parent this was a difficult read for me. I saw a lot of my own experiences in the relationship between Morgan and Zoe which definitely made it difficult to root for Zoe and to trust any character development that she seemed to go through (I am not unbiased so I am not a good judge of her state of growth). I loved Julian and Morgan, and their relationship is the real driving force in this novel and is what made it hard to put down.

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myinfinitetbr's review

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emotional sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If you're looking for an incredibly written, messy family drama with lots of representation and multilayered with heavier themes, this is the one.

It's an emotional, character driven coming-of-age story with Morgan, a nonbinary teenager navigating their identity, their first relationship, and reconnecting with their estranged alcoholic mother.

I really felt for all of these characters and loved the POVs of each Morgan, Julian, Zoe, and Brigid. I do wish there were more happy moments mixed in with the struggles to give them more depth; like their personhood was wrapped up in their trauma, which made it harder to get a sense of them as a whole.

Overall, I enjoyed this one. It was a solid 4 star read til the end, I just didn't connect with the resolution. But I would definitely read a follow-up on these characters if that's in the cards.

Feltman is such a talented writer, I'll look forward to seeing more from her!

I received a free copy from the publisher, all opinions are my own.

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