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kaylanoellesims's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars! The beginning was a little slow but after that I was hanging on to every word wanting to know what would happen next and which secrets would unfold. The ending left me craving for more - like more of a resolution, other than that this book was amazing! I definitely recommend!
thatonelibrarygirl's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this book; to dive in an not resurface until it was done. But this book didn't catch my attention as much as the synopsis. The characters were intriguing, but I skipped many of the wordy setting details. I'd recommend this book for those who want a suspenseful plot without being too fast-paced.
melodierhae's review against another edition
4.0
**I received an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**
Never doubt your motherly instincts about people.
Charlotte is RIGHT, and if you have good instinct, you’ll believe her too. It won’t stop you from feeling the sinking in your belly. It won’t stop you from frantically touching base with your family as you fly through these pages, desperate to find out what happens and how we got there.
From the plot to the pacing, to these difficult characters and the secrets they carry, I couldn’t breathe until I finished this book.
There are some loose ends at the end. They don’t totally matter, but they felt important enough that it was frustrating not to get closure on those matters.
Can’t wait to share this book with everyone.
Never doubt your motherly instincts about people.
Charlotte is RIGHT, and if you have good instinct, you’ll believe her too. It won’t stop you from feeling the sinking in your belly. It won’t stop you from frantically touching base with your family as you fly through these pages, desperate to find out what happens and how we got there.
From the plot to the pacing, to these difficult characters and the secrets they carry, I couldn’t breathe until I finished this book.
There are some loose ends at the end. They don’t totally matter, but they felt important enough that it was frustrating not to get closure on those matters.
Can’t wait to share this book with everyone.
lauralovestoread's review against another edition
3.0
Well this was a fast and entertaining read, brimming with unreliable characters. I just predicted early on what was happening and it flopped for me a bit. I would recommend for someone looking for a fast read though, or just looking to start dipping into the suspense pool. For me, I guess I’m tainted by reading so many now.
*thank you publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
*thank you publisher for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
readingnookreviews's review against another edition
3.0
Like most of the world, I loved A Simple Favor (I think I’ve watched the movie like 10 times). Something She’s Not Telling Us promised to be an excellent second book by this author, with an interesting cover and premise. The suspense was building throughout the whole novel and then the ending just...fell flat. I was so disappointed! I enjoy the author’s writing style with various narrators slowly showing that what you see may not be the truth, with tons of secrets behind every person. It just...wasn’t realistic and the “big secrets” turned out to be rather predictable. This book had all the right ingredients: vague past histories, questionable characters, and family drama, and it was a quick and easy read. It was entertaining despite the problems I mentioned above, however...the ending! Ugh! It happened so abruptly and completely ruined the whole story for me, since there was just no point!
Overall, it was an entertaining book but the end was disappointing. Thank you so much to Harper Collins for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
Overall, it was an entertaining book but the end was disappointing. Thank you so much to Harper Collins for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review!
cassies_books_reviews's review against another edition
4.0
Charlotte and Eli are married and have an adorable five year old daughter Daisy. Charlotte owns her own flower shop which is very successful but she’s hiding a dark secret. She’s over protective of daisy who suffers from asthma some may call her a helicopter mom. Rocco whose Charlottes brother is a recovering alcoholic and works on their old family farm he is happy to have a steady job. When Rocco shows up to dinner and introduces his latest girlfriend Ruth, Charlotte immediately feels like something is off. Ruth seems a little to friendly with Daisy and the stories she tells about herself don’t seem to add up she also seems to know that Charlotte is hiding something and keeps hinting at it. One day while running late to pick up Daisy from school, Charlotte is informed that she’s already been picked up by “aunt Ruth”. Panicking Charlotte wonders why did Ruth take Daisy and how are they going get her back? Who is Ruth really and how does she know Charlottes secret? Ever since Ruth entered Charlottes life it seems like her life has slowly unraveled. Told in alternating timeline from the day of the kidnapping and what led up to the kidnapping and the book is told in Ruth and Charlottes perspective. The book took off with a bang and then became a slow-burn but I loved it! This book was filled with complex characters filled with secrets! I give this four stars!
jheinemann287's review against another edition
2.0
I needed a new audiobook to listen to while doing mindless things around the apartment. Something She's Not Telling Us has a GREAT cover and was available, so here we are.
I don't know. It was whatever. Everything you think is going to happen happens. While reading, you feel intrigued because you're like, oooh, the book wants me to think THIS, so I wonder what the REAL story is!
But it turns out there is no real story. It's just exactly what the non-crazy characters told you. The one they all think is crazy really is cRaZy. That's it.
While reading you're like, huh, the character everyone thinks is crazy really has it out for Character B! I wonder why! What's their secret history? What is Character B not telling us?! They're both so unreliable and secretive! What suspense!
But it turns out there is no secret motivation. There is no motivation at all. THE CRAZY CHARACTER IS JUST CRAZY.
While reading you're like, Character A says THIS happened, but Character B says this OTHER thing happened, and both those things can't be true, so which character is manipulating me? It's like a puzzle! How will it all fit together?
But it turns out that no one was lying. They both believed what they were saying because did I mention one of them is cRaZyYy?!
Lazy plot. No character growth. Offensive (and irresponsible) representation of mental illness.
I don't know. It was whatever. Everything you think is going to happen happens. While reading, you feel intrigued because you're like, oooh, the book wants me to think THIS, so I wonder what the REAL story is!
But it turns out there is no real story. It's just exactly what the non-crazy characters told you. The one they all think is crazy really is cRaZy. That's it.
While reading you're like, huh, the character everyone thinks is crazy really has it out for Character B! I wonder why! What's their secret history? What is Character B not telling us?! They're both so unreliable and secretive! What suspense!
But it turns out there is no secret motivation. There is no motivation at all. THE CRAZY CHARACTER IS JUST CRAZY.
While reading you're like, Character A says THIS happened, but Character B says this OTHER thing happened, and both those things can't be true, so which character is manipulating me? It's like a puzzle! How will it all fit together?
But it turns out that no one was lying. They both believed what they were saying because did I mention one of them is cRaZyYy?!
Lazy plot. No character growth. Offensive (and irresponsible) representation of mental illness.
laurenkd89's review against another edition
3.0
The reviewer consensus is strong on this one: This is a super fun and wickedly fast-paced read, filled with detestable characters and the ominous buildup to a big reveal, but the ending regrettably falls very, very flat.
Bell is a master at pacing - this book truly flies by, and the writing is so light and tumbling that you won't put it down until you reach the end. The premise is quite good: Charlotte is a neurotic New York helicopter parents who runs her own boutique flower shop and has constant anxiety over her daughter, Daisy. Charlotte and her husband Eli have a charmed rich life and a loft in Brooklyn - Charlotte's brother Rocco, on the other hand, is a reformed alcoholic still recovering from the terrible memory of his mother almost burning down the house with him still inside. He dates a series of terrible women, including a kleptomaniac who stole Daisy's favorite toy, and the latest in his series is an odd woman named Ruth.
On the surface, Ruth seems fine, but Charlotte senses something off about her. The little games and manipulation ensuing between Ruth and Charlotte (neither of whom are very likable) is fun to read, and you get excited to see the secret(s) that both Ruth and Charlotte are hiding. However, the actual reveal of what their secrets are is totally bunk, and the ending was like a balloon you're blowing up to see how big it gets, and then someone comes by with a pin and pops it. I was super disappointed that the ending wasn't better executed - I think it had the potential to really be gripping and shocking. However, the rest of the book was a fun and fast read, so three stars is a totally fair rating here. Thank you to Harper for the ARC!
Bell is a master at pacing - this book truly flies by, and the writing is so light and tumbling that you won't put it down until you reach the end. The premise is quite good: Charlotte is a neurotic New York helicopter parents who runs her own boutique flower shop and has constant anxiety over her daughter, Daisy. Charlotte and her husband Eli have a charmed rich life and a loft in Brooklyn - Charlotte's brother Rocco, on the other hand, is a reformed alcoholic still recovering from the terrible memory of his mother almost burning down the house with him still inside. He dates a series of terrible women, including a kleptomaniac who stole Daisy's favorite toy, and the latest in his series is an odd woman named Ruth.
On the surface, Ruth seems fine, but Charlotte senses something off about her. The little games and manipulation ensuing between Ruth and Charlotte (neither of whom are very likable) is fun to read, and you get excited to see the secret(s) that both Ruth and Charlotte are hiding. However, the actual reveal of what their secrets are is totally bunk, and the ending was like a balloon you're blowing up to see how big it gets, and then someone comes by with a pin and pops it. I was super disappointed that the ending wasn't better executed - I think it had the potential to really be gripping and shocking. However, the rest of the book was a fun and fast read, so three stars is a totally fair rating here. Thank you to Harper for the ARC!
samlouise94's review against another edition
2.0
I was kind of underwhelmed by Something She's Not Telling Us. I was excited to read something suspenseful and thrilling, instead of all the romance novels I've been reading lately, and I just kept wanting it to be MORE exciting or intriguing.