Reviews

Everything I Left Unsaid by M. O'Keefe

rachelslacey's review

5.0

This book isn't anything like what I usually read, but it was getting so much hype, I clicked on it out of curiosity, and the free sample totally hooked me. So...wow. It was REALLY good. It's a really unusual concept (the hero and heroine don't meet until near the end of the book, they only talk on the phone) and deals with lots of dark issues, but it was just so well written and compelling, I literally could not put it down, and I can't wait to read the second part when it comes out next month!

loverofromance's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

 This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review.

Book Evaluation:
Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️
World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎
Cover:📔📔📔📔📔
Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻
Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️
Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒💒
Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞💞
Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂😂
Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖📖
Narration:🎧🎧🎧🎧🎧
Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧🧧
Overall View: ✨✨✨✨✨


First Impressions
Everything I Left Unsaid is the first book in the "Everything I Left Unsaid" series and this is the first of two books which involved our couple and this is also my first book from this author and I absolutely adored the writing style. For fans of edgier contemporary or dark romance, I can't recommend this one enough. I was so hooked into this story and the narration was so brilliant, I just didn't want to put it down. The romance that develops was so UNIQUE and I loved the development that grows between our couple here.

First Line
Escape smelled like a thick layer of Febreeze over stale cigarette smoke.

The Main Protagonists
The Hero: Dylan
Works in the background
Ex Racer and Gambler
Alphamellow + Bad Boy

The Heroine: Annie
On the run from her abusive husband
Reserved and Shy

Summary
Annie realizing that her husband wouldn't be keeping her alive for much longer, abandons her life and goes on the run. She knows that he needs her to sell her farm, but she refuses to sell it. Annie goes on the run and settles into one of the smallest communities she could find and starts living in a trailer park, working as a landscaper in North Carolina. When she finds a phone and starts talking to a stranger, they start exchanging texts and phone calls that with each call starts to really build the tension and connection between them. Both Dylan and Annie have secrets and its obvious that there is more happening in Annie's trailer park than meets the eye but their fates are intertwined if they only trust in the love that is growing between them.

What I Loved
This book just left me breathless and anticipating all the delicious tension that grows between Annie and Dylan. Both characters have so many secrets and seeing them slowly dig into each other was so intriguing. I really adored the moments between this couple and seeing them find their way that was so different than I expected it to happen. Dylan was such a bad boy secretive hero and I just wanted to peel his heart like an onion and the author really reveals him so slowly that I have to admire her writing talent within this story and if her other books are ANYTHING like this one, I have to say that I will be paying close attention to her backlist.

Then we have Annie. Annie isn't quite your typical heroine on the run from an abusive husband. She keeps her secrets close, and she isn't perfect. But I really admired her strengths that we see come into this book. We can see how the abuse have treated her and damaged her strong spirit. We see slowly her rediscovering her life and realizing her own power and what she is capable of. I love how explorative she becomes and how creative Dylan becomes with her and her "bucket list". The plot was so intricately laid out within this story and leaves you with such a ending that will have you jumping right into the second one!

What I Struggled With
There wasn't anything I truly struggled with, no a fan of the cliffhanger but since I was able to jump easily into the second book, I can't complain that much when the romance was so well developed.

Narration
The narration was incredible. There was so much deep emotion but also their tones really built up the chemistry just right between the couple that you could feel the actual tension building.

Overall View
I found this gem to be an incredible find, a TBR read that I am glad I picked up. Its a story of self discovering, slow burn that is a mix of salty and sweet and a romance to curl your toes and leave you with high expectation....

Favorite Quote(s)
"No one missed me. Or worried. Or wondered. I'd vanished and the world just kept spinning."

"Carefully, as if he were a live bomb, I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. I was struck with the very real fear that nothing was going to be enough with him. Not ever."

He'd learned the hard way to keep his wants and desires on a short list. Wanting too much, either one thing or a million, only meant he wouldn't get it. He was clumsy with fragile things- always trying to hold onto them so hard they broke.


Book Details (also in my shelves)
Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, Dark Romance, Erotic Romance
Character Types: Bad Boy, Alphamellow, Shy Heroine
Themes: Small Town, Danger Elements, Slow Burn, Hot Smexy Times, Voyeurism
Tropes: Friends to Lovers

Book Perspective
Duo POV

Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict
A Mix

If you like these authors, I recommend This Book
Jay Crownover
Katy Evans
Beth Kery

Song This Book Inspires
Snooze SZA-SOS

Recommendation For Reading Order
Yes I do recommend reading this series in order. The characters are all interconnected.

Steam/Spice Explanations

Steamin' up the room -the sexual content is more explicit in the language and tone, heavier amount of sexual scenes.


Narrators:
Joe Arden
Maxine Mitchell
 

jgilge's review

3.0

So I only read this because I received an ARC of the third one, and wanted to make sure that I had the full back story.

I ended up really liking it. I do think that the author could have finished it all in one book instead of splitting it up, but oh well.

I seriously love the characters in this book. It was a perfect combo of love, angst, drama, and sex. Nothing was too over the top (and they make fun of their own drama in the book, which just made me laugh).

merkyr's review

4.0

Ends on such a cliffhanger that after I finished it on the subway at Canal Street I bought and downloaded the next book in the 2 minutes we were above ground on the bridge. WHAT.

alles_allerlei's review against another edition

Abgebrochen auf Seite 237

heatheradoresbooks's review against another edition

4.0

4⭐
Genre ~ erotic romance
Series ~ Everything I Left Unsaid #1
Others in the series ~ [b:The Truth About Him|25387182|The Truth About Him (Everything I Left Unsaid, #2)|Molly O'Keefe|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1432603461l/25387182._SY75_.jpg|45137857]
Setting ~ North Carolina
Publication date ~ October 13, 2015
Page Count ~ 318
Audio length ~ 11 hours 2 minutes
Narrators ~ Joe Arden, Maxine Mitchell
POV ~ single 1st & 3rd
Featuring ~ 2 part story, escape from an abusive marriage, infidelity, steamage, cliffhanger

Annie & Dylan
Annie left her abusive husband behind to start fresh. She's cleaning a house when she comes across a ringing phone that says Dylan is calling, so she answers it. Thus sets forth a phone relationship for a good portion of the book. They have a bunch of phone sex before they actually meet.

Annie's POV is in the 1st and Dylan's in the 3rd. I really liked how they took their time to get to know each other on the phone before meeting.

There's a crazy cliffhanger, so make sure you have book 2 ready if you decide to read this one.

Narration notes:
I did not listen to this one, but am just giving the info above for reference. Although I bet it wouldn't be terrible since Joe is easy on the ears.

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joyousreads132's review

5.0

Ah. This book. It was so unexpectedly good. And by that, I don’t mean that I didn’t expect anything good from this author. I just meant that the discovery was refreshing. This genre is saturated, to say the least. So finding something as good as this book (series) is like finding a needle in a haystack. It’s been so long so I’ve been wowed by a little-known book. I read till 2 in the morning then proceeded to download the second book soon after. I can’t tell you how tempted I was to keep going but with only 3.5 hours left until my alarm goes off, I had to put my iPad down and sleep.

Molly O’Keefe’s writing has an addictive and compelling quality that lent to the ease in which I devoured this book. It’s simple, yes. But her story was far from it. As most of these stories go, you’ll meet a woman on the run from a dangerous past. She finds herself in a trailer park where she would have a fateful phone call with one Dylan Daniels. As cheesy as it sounds, the connection was instantaneous and dare I say, heated. Soon, the two started looking forward to these explicit phone calls. Over time, Dylan has managed to reach into Annie’s courage buried underneath all her insecurities and fear that her past is going to catch up to her. So much courage, in fact, that Annie started making demands of her own. But Dylan has a past of his that left him living in a hermit-like existence. So something’s got to give; honesty and acceptance are the only way for them to actually have a shot at being together. And if they’re not willing to face their own demons, there was no way they’re going to have the happiness that had so eluded them for years.

These two people are both scarred inside and out. And I know it’s something that we’ve probably read one too many times. I can’t convince you with my words to read this book. All I can do is ask you to try it. I know I’ve said it before that New Adult is a territory I very seldom venture into, so take that under consideration after reading this review. You will find two characters who, against all odds, have learned to live their pasts but not truly overcome them. In fact, the first two books in this series will have them running from the demons that chased them. It is not angsty in a relative term, but their situations were terrible enough to incite heart palpitations.

timitra's review

4.0

Rated 4.5 Stars

Molly O'Keefe's writing is cunning, you don't realize time is passing, you're thirsty or any of that until it becomes nagging because it has you ensnared, enthralled and not willing to put it down and return to the real world. When I finally came up for air it was after one in the morning and I kept bargaining with myself just one more chapter and I'll go sleep several chapters later I still couldn't pry myself away from it, if it hadn't been for my eyes eventually giving out I'd have read it in one sitting.

I must admit I found the beginning a bit slow but as the story progressed the more invested I became in the characters so much so that I'm going to worry about them especially Annie until I read The Truth About Him.

Although I loved this book and it's characters I hate where it ended and the fact that I have to wait until November to find out what happens, I think the wait is going to kill me. Despite my current torture I think it's amazing and definitely worth reading. It's one of my fave books of the year.


ARC provided by publisher through Net Galley

bookish_notes's review

Update Dec. 30, 2020: I can no longer recommend this author’s books in good conscience. See my review for One Last Chance for a more detailed breakdown. This author used to be an autobuy author for me, but I’m done.

original review from April 26, 2017:
First off, what was that cliffhanger? I definitely just yelled at that jaw-dropping moment and then the book was over. Bright side is that the next book is already published, so I can just jump right into the next book after I finish typing up this review. This story is really a two part novel. The first part is Everything I Left Unsaid, and the second, The Truth About Him.

Everything I Left Unsaid is a raw, gritty book about Annie McKay. She recently ran away from her abusive husband and is now living in a trailer park. For once in her life, she's free to do whatever she wishes on her own terms. In her new home, she discovers a cell phone left by the last tenant and when she picks up a call, she gets pulled into the sound of the stranger's voice at the other end of the phone. Dylan Daniels is a mysterious stranger who wants her to spy on an old man named Ben, who lives next door. Annie and Dylan have an instant connection over the phone. Maybe it's easier for them both that they know they will never meet face-to-face and all their interactions are...simple. Him far away, and Annie at the trailer park.

This story is told in dual POVs. But what I find interesting is that Annie's is told from a first-person perspective and Dylan's from a third-person perspective. There's not a mystery for the reader about the kind of person Dylan is, because we get to see him from his chapters, while Annie still doesn't really know him or his motivations on why she should spy for the man on the phone. Annie's been controlled her entire life. First by her mother, and then by her husband. She's twenty-four, but inexperienced. She's a hard worker and a quick learner, but the abuse she's endured throughout her entire life has a lasting affect on her. It's difficult for her to trust, and slowly, she begins to trust Dylan.

"It means there's no embarrassment over what we do. None. The second you think about embarrassment or shame, forget it. Because it's pointless."

I think both Annie and Dylan are compelling characters. Annie and Dylan are two characters that come from really dark places and they just break my heart. The setting is limited to the small world Annie sees and lives, but everything about Annie's world feels real. The day-to-day that Annie lives in the trailer park to make money around the place and the characters she meets are interesting to read about. Dylan's chapters aren't very long, and perhaps vague at best. He sees himself a monster, from what he did when he was younger and the scars that he carries.

That was the truth, wasn't it? We could all be so many things. Victims and criminals. Sinners and saints. Devious and virtuous. [...] Trust was an enormous act of faith.

This is a story of exploration, I suppose? A story of Annie discovering herself and the person she can be when there's no one to hold her back. A story of Dylan finding his way back into the light and knowing that he can love and be loved. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and can't wait to read The Truth About Him!

eddiemunsonssecretbookshelf's review against another edition

4.0

Meine Meinung

Zuerst einmal, in den Storys anderer habe ich ständig gehört, dass es Dark Romance sei. Für mich war es das ganz und gar nicht. Es gab viele spannende Elemente, thrillerartig. Aber weder gab es besonders viel Gewalt, noch irgendwelche Sexszene, die für einige Personen anstößig oder unangemessen sein könnten – meiner Meinung nach. Es ist eher ein spannender Erotikroman. Wo wir gerade dabei sind, es ist definitiv und von Seite 1 an ein Erotikroman. Wer also mit vielen solcher Szenen nicht zurecht kommt, der sollte das vielleicht nicht lesen. Mich hat das allerdings nicht besonders gestört, weil es auch viel andere Handlung gab.

Die Handlung war auch spezieller. Erstens haben die Charaktere immer über das Telefon kommuniziert. Das hat die Geschichte der beiden interessant und spezieller gestaltet. Ebenso das Setting des Trailerparks, welches ich ziemlich cool fand und vor allem aus Büchern nicht kannte, höchstens mal aus den amerikanischen Filmen, aber als Haupthandlungsort war es mir unbekannt.

Besonders viel kann ich aber zu Annie und Dylan sagen. Man hat hauptsächlich aus ihrer Sicht gelesen, welche in der Ich-Perspektive geschrieben war, während Dylans wenige Momente aus der dritten Sicht beschrieben wurden. Dadurch war Annie sehr viel nahbarer und er blieb ein großes Geheimnis. Bis zum Ende hin, war er mir ein zu großes Geheimnis. Es gibt den schmalen Grat zwischen “Ich weiß so wenig, dass ich unbedingt mehr wissen will” und “Ich weiß so wenig, er interessiert mich gar nicht”. Bei mir tendierte es mehr zum zweiten hin, allerdings hat sich das zum Ende hin etwas geändert. Annie dagegen hatte ihre Höhen und Tiefen. Einerseits ist sie ein sehr starker und mutiger Charakter, der wirklich zu bewundern ist, was vor allem an ihrer Vergangenheit liegt, welche sehr wichtig und zentral war und vor allem nicht plötzlich unwichtig geworden. Stets gab es Momente, in denen ihre Entscheidungen von dem bereits Erlebten beeinflusst wurden.

Andererseits waren einiger ihrer Handlungen unlogisch und naiv. Zumindest würde ich mal darüber nachdenken, wenn mir verschiedene Leute von einer Sache abraten und mich warnen und so etwas nicht einfach in den Wind schießen. Zuletzt aber, und das ist ein ganz großes Plus, dieses Buch hat einfach süchtig gemacht. Selten habe ich ein Buch so schnell am Stück gelesen (ja, weniger als 2 Wochen sind für mich schnell). Teilweise habe ich meine 80 Seiten in kürzester Zeit gelesen und wollte und konnte einfach nicht aufhören. Der Schreibstil war sehr flüssig und die Seiten flogen nur dahin.

Kurze Übersicht

+ sehr flüssiger Schreibstil, sodass das Buch ziemlich schnell zu Ende war

+ sehr starke Protagonistin, mit einer großen Entwicklung

+ neues Setting (Trailerpark) und neue Idee (Kontakt per Telefon)

– teilweise unlogische und naive Handlungen von Annie

– Dylan wirkte manchmal eindimensional und unwichtig, weil man zu wenig über ihn wusste

Fazit

Dieses Buch endet mit einem unfassbar fiesen Cliffhanger, sodass ich definitiv weiterlesen muss. Zum Glück kam – während ich das hier geschrieben habe – mein bester Freund, der Postbote, und hat mir Band 2 überreicht. Die kleinen Makel störten nur wenig, es hat sehr viel Spaß gemacht und war sehr gut für zwischendurch. 4/5 Sterne.