A family drama told over multiple time lines which I found quite confusing at first.
Deena is part of a close knit family until she meets Lucas, who is a controlling boyfriend, then husband and father. Deena's family recognise the bully in Lucas and try to intervene. Deena disappears and the family is torn apart with Lucas moving away with his daughter Ruby.
Nessa, Deena's sister and Ruby's Aunt makes it her life's purpose to re-establish connection with Ruby, as described over the time-lines.
The characters are well developed and interesting. The story and what happens is drip fed to the reader cleverly with the time period moving backwards and forwards. As a reader, I became very invested in all the characters.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Una Mannion/Faber & Faber Ltd for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

A dysfunctional family suffering the post traumatic stress of an unexplained disappearance. A sister damaged by love and loss, intent on solving the mystery, finding the truth amongst the lies, seeking revenge and regaining a relationship with her niece. A father, complicated and controlling who has no intention of giving up custody or the stranglehold he exerts over his motherless child. Ruby, with little recollection of her mother who has been missing for fourteen years is starting to remember long lost memories that do not always match those of her father. A psychological thriller that gains pace and depth before reaching a conclusion that leaves the reader hungry for more. Many thanks to author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

A simply beautiful book. Full of yearning and balanced with immense courage and spirit. I adored the characters and the setting. This is a truly stunning novel thanks.

Tell Me What I Am was a really enjoyable story that I became fully immersed in, I could not put it down. I really enjoyed the writing style and am so glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and Faber and Faber Ltd for my ARC.

This is a multi POV , multi timeline novel by a new author for me. The disappearance of Donna devastates her daughter and sister. Both live in the shadow of her loss. This is well written with good, strong characters but I don’t think I’m the only one tired of stories of women abused and manipulated by men. I realise that these situations do exist but are not experienced by most women. I prefer realistic stories hence the 3 star review.

Tell Me What I Am by Una Mannion is a book that despite the seeming simplicity of its plot packs a real emotional punch.
Deena Garvey disappeared one night in 2004, leaving behind her young daughter Ruby, and a sister, Nessa, who has never given up on finding out what happened to her, even when it seems like the rest of the family and the police have given up after having her declared dead. Nessa is convinced that Ruby's father :ucas is responsible for Deena's disappearance. The couple parted ways because of his controlling behaviour and physical and psychological abuse and once Deena vanished he took Ruby, moved to a remote area of the countryside with his mother and banned Nessa and her family from contacting them. Nessa however does not give up easily and does whatever she can to look out for Ruby.
Meanwhile Ruby is growing up , She loves her Dad but he is very strict and authoritarian, which means that sometimes living with him can be very difficult and she has a lot of rules that must be followed to the letter if she does not want to be punished. As she gets older she notices some discrepancies in the stories she has been told about her childhood and the few memories that she has of her mother, She starts to investigate , and slowly, despite the distance between them the two women start to figure out the truth of what really happened that fateful night.
This was a really emotional read with a clever structure that made the reader care more about the characters as the story unfolded. The characters are complex and well crafted. Lucas is clearly a despicable man who is cruel and violent, but there are moments in the book that show how much he loved his daughter. Nessa is determined and strong willed, but also short sighted about how her focus on her sister's disappearance tore apart her relationship with her partner and caused distance with her brother and parents. The way the story unfolds creates tension for the reader , and I found the writing to be propulsive, I wanted to keep reading, I wanted to see Lucas get what he deserved and I wanted Ruby and Nessa to be able to reunite and keep the memory of Deena alive.
I read and reviewed an ARC courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher, all opinions are my own.

Two women, wrenched apart by a terrible crime, must find a way back to each other
When Deena Garvey disappears in 2004, she leaves behind a daughter and a sister.
Deena's daughter grows up in the country. She learns how to hunt, when to seed the garden, how to avoid making her father angry. Never to ask about her absent mother.
Deena's sister stays stuck in the city, getting desperate. She knows the man responsible for her sister's disappearance, but she can't prove it. Not yet.

Firstly, this is a terrific story well written. I loved the characters and although the point of view changes frequently it’s easy to follow. It’s one of those books that makes you race through to discover what happens next but then be disappointed to finish. A great read and well done.

What a lovely written book. The book is set in Philadelphia and Vermont and Deena has had a little girl Ruby. Deena lives with her partner Lucas. Deena goes missing and Ruby ends up living with her dad.

The book goes back and forth with the dates and the different characters. It’s very well written and very descriptive. It’s slow to start with, but turns into a great psychological family drama. The last few chapters pull the whole book together.

Suspense, family drama.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy.

A powerful story, a mix of thriller and family saga. Heartwrenching, intriguing and gripping.
A well written story that I couldn't put down.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

When I was offered the opportunity to read Tell Me What I Am, having enjoyed the author's previous novel, I was delighted. The author's first novel was one of my top reads of 2021, and so I had high expectations. This book met those expectations and more.

This book is a dual voice, dual timeline which was executed very effectively and built tension as the story of Deena, Nessa's missing sister unfolds. It's clear that Deena's disappearance has had a profound effect on both Nessa and Deena's daughter Ruby, being raised by her father hundreds of miles away. Fourteen years after Deena's disappearance, the two women are both trying to uncover the truth and the book slowly reveals more about the characters and the impact of Deena's disappearance as the truth starts to emerge. Whilst for the most part, this is a satisfying slow burn, with beautiful writing, and highly developed characters, it is the last quarter of the book where the tension explodes into a faster paced, tense finale.

Overall, this was a highly enjoyable book, with two fascinating, and engaging characters. I found the book compelling and it kept me wanting to read on.. Ultimately this was a powerful, emotive, and empowering read and highly recommended. Thanks to Faber Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

I really enjoyed this story, particularly the intriguing style of writing. My heart was ring throughout as the author drops little nuggets of infortmtion throughout, A very ever and though compelling story.

This is a chilling and gripping psychological drama of one man's control affecting three generations of women.

Set in Philadelphia and Vermont. Deena Garvey doesn't turn up to collect her 4 year old daughter, Ruby after a custody visit with her father, Lucas, who then refuses to hand Ruby over to Nessa, Deena's sister. This is a sad and tragic story of a sister's love and determination to stay connected to her niece and find out what happened to Deena.

⚠️ Trigger warning for domestic abuse survivors - there are some harrowing scenes - 'vividly real' as described on the cover. But also talks to the strength of women, female friendships and the love and support of family.

Thanks to #netgalley and @faberbooks for the ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

3.5-4⭐️

A powerful read whilst being totally engrossing. It is written over several timelines and involves Rub, the main character, who we follow from childhood, through the teenage years to being a young adult. We hear Ruby's story and, running alongside, her Aunt's, Nessa. Whilst it becomes obvious overtime what is going on behind the scenes and the reader will have their suspicions, there are other plenty of other themes throughout to detract. Brilliantly written, moving and heartbreaking at times with believably depicted characters. A definite yes.

Thanks to the publisher for inviting me to read an ARC of this book.

This story starts in Vermont 2018 with Ruby who is the daughter of Deena , it’s so mysterious I could tell after a few pages this book was going consume me and be incredibly good, Ruby is doing her chores and out of the blue gets a phone call from a woman called Nessa who says she’s her Aunt.

The second chapter is Nessa’s story in Philadelphia 2004, it follows the day that Deena went missing ( Deena is Nessa’s sister & Ruby’s Mum), I really enjoyed this chapter it was heartbreaking but also intriguing.

From that point on the story is all set in the past showing Ruby and Nessa’s life until they get to 2018 and Ruby’s first chapter.

I was so moved by this book. It was absolutely beautiful, so poignant, full of life, sadness and also regrets. I can’t really give this book enough justice in my review but I can honestly say it will stay with me for a long time.

Do you know one of those things/ possessions that you’ve got that you love but you don’t want to use?. This is how I felt about this book, I knew it was was going to be incredible so I didn’t want to carry on reading because then it would be over.

Deen Garvey is in an abusive relationship with a man, Lucas, who exerts coercive control over her and seems to Deena's family to be downright dangerous. The couple have a small daughter and when Deena goes missing he gets sole custody and moves away from the city to a small coastal town with his mother and daughter. Deena's sister, Nessa, is sure Lucas has killed her sister as she knows Deena would never have abandoned her daughter Ruby and she spends all her free time and money trying to find ways to trace and intervene in Ruby's life for the better despite Lucas obtaining a restraining order against her, such as having Lucas' home schooling set up inspected and also hiring PI's to track Ruby's progress and home life and continue the search for Deena's body.

I loved Crooked Tree by this author and felt that this was also a well written and observed book. However, the pacing was slightly off for me and it felt a bit bloated with characters whose story arcs lead nowhere. I still enjoyed the book and think Una Mannion tells stories well worth reading.

Such a great story with so many levels impacted - the crime side with a "who done it", the emotional family connection, the abuser, and so much more.
This is a great story where you spend a lot working out what really happened....

My Rating: 4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ heartbreaking and well written EXCELLENT READ!!!

It’s 2004 and Deena Garvey disappears leaving behind a daughter and her sister. Deena’s daughter Ruby grows up in an isolated country town in Vermont with her dad who only allows her to call him by his first name. The way she lives is normal to her, but it is not a normal childhood. She is constantly making sure she doesn’t make her dad angry… never asking about her absent mother who she is told left her when she was three.

Deena’s sister Nessa stays stuck in limbo in Philadelphia knowing that Deena’s ex is responsible for her sister’s disappearance, but never able to prove it. She desperately misses Ruby but is denied all access.

Over fourteen years, four hundred miles apart Ruby and Nessa slowly begin to discover the truth about what is missing in their lives and it isn’t just Deena. Unearthing secrets, lies and finding out that power and control has shaped the women they are today. Will they ever find out what happened to Deena Garvey??

Well, I was dubious about this one at first. I have been burnt so many times on NetGalley with juicy synopsis and then left with a pile of stinking trash… but this… was great. I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it. I will address why I gave it four instead of five up front…

I felt like there could have been slightly more to the story… I think the characters were well developed but just not quite enough, the story was well told but just not quite enough. I just think it could have used slightly more oomph to power it on… BUT I really liked it. I had trouble putting it down…and the only reason I didn’t read it quicker was that I had a really busy work week and was dog tired…

I liked Ruby so much, she was my favourite character without a doubt. Even from a little girl she was fun and vibrant with a big personality, to the teenage girl she became, careful and wary and ambitious. Then as a young woman dealing with some really heavy stuff she was tough and never mean. She really went through it and she was naive but you know why.

You really hate Lucas (well I did) Ruby’s dad and you are meant to… but at times you are left wondering is he really a bad guy… did he do anything bad at all… this is the beauty of this story. There is a mystery at the heart of it and you are given bits of information along the way but it isn’t in an annoying OOOOH THERE IS A SECRET and I will drip feed you bits and pieces until I unveil a lame twist.

For me you basically know (or think you know) what is going on the whole way you just need the plot filled in. And that is exactly what the author does. She goes through the motions of multi POV and multi timelines to fill in the blanks and bring you to the penultimate ending. The first chapter had me confused… but I don’t mind a bit of confusion and that is because the first chapter starts almost at the end and you don’t know anyone yet… so you read that… then you go back in time… and forward and back until you get to the current time. Which I really love. If this style confuses or annoys you I would give this book a miss.

I really liked the writing style it was engaging and really shined on the heartbreaking emotions, there was no hand holding in this one… which I appreciated. I like to be able to understand a story without it being a play by play the whole way through. I like the writing to shine on its own so I can just follow on and the within a chapter we can move through weeks or months without the author going and then three weeks later they met up for a drink and it was a white wine spritzer with an umbrella…. This is not like that. You finish one sentence appropriately and then it moves onto the next part of the story… and that might be three weeks later… you just know this I love. Well done…

I have never read an Una Mannion book before but I will definitely be going and checking out her other (I think she only has one so far except this one) and looking for future ones. I got this in the NetGalley section of mystery and thriller I would say this is definitely more mystery but family drama and heartbreaking vibes. Definitely not a thriller. There is no serial killer, no big twist just a lot of emotion and lives that have been torn apart from an event that seemed to make no sense to anyone.

Overall, I can’t say bad things about this one it was thoroughly enjoyable and even though it didn’t get a full 5 stars from me it was down to semantics but I think they mattered in the star rating… but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to my GoodReads friends (Carol I think you would like this one). If you like multi-timelines and multi-POV definitely this is a winner. The only other gripe I had (and this didn’t affect my rating at all) is that the formatting is a bit off and the file made my kindle shut down every time I closed it after reading… so I think the publisher could do better there. Otherwise I highly recommend getting an Advanced Copy or published copy of this one.

Thank you to Faber & Faber, NetGalley and Una Mannion for an advanced copy of this book, all opinions expressed are my own.

Deena is missing. She left for work but didn’t arrive. Her ex takes custody of their daughter, cuts off Deena’s family and moves out of state. Suspicious? Well Deena has a history of depression, including a suicide attempt, so perhaps she just abandoned Ruby, her four-year-old? But Lucas, the ex-husband is a coercive and controlling man, with a history of domestic violence which led to a restraining order, so perhaps he drove her to the depression and to the suicide attempt? Perhaps he has killed her? How could such a man be allowed sole custody of a child? The answer to the latter is in the legal position that he might have been violent towards his wife, but there is no reason to think he will be a danger to his daughter. He has an alibi for the period when she went missing so can’t have killed her, assuming she is dead since there is no trace of her or her car. His move from Pennsylvania to Vermont clouds the issue since different states have different laws and jurisdictions can't be crossed. Deena’s family, especially her sister Nessa, with who Ruby had been happily settled are devastated but can do nothing because Lucas has refused third-party visiting rights.
The story is told from the alternating perspectives of Ruby, who knows nothing of her past except that her mother left her, and Nessa, whose life has been effectively ruined by the events but who tries to keep the whole issue alive. And so it progresses across fourteen years, as Ruby grows towards her majority. Starting quite slowly, the tale is densely packed with details of Ruby’s life with her controlling father, Deena’s life from Nessa’s memories and the cumulative effect on Nessa and her family. The writing is very powerful, painting portraits of Ruby, Nessa and Lucas which are tangible and deeply disquieting. Tension is always present, even though the plot seems so obvious, because the reader is never sure that they have its measure. The dénouement is highly rewarding. In many books, the period after the resolution is either a blank, leaving the reader with questions unanswered, or quite crowded as all the loose ends are tied together. This story does neither because the details woven so cleverly into it just leave you satisfied. I loved it.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.

I'm not going to lie - I was very disappointed with how this ended. I was enjoying the storyline, it was a little slow in places but then we started to get a build up and felt like we were going to get the ending that I had been hoping for and some more answers but then it just ended. It feels like the story is very unfinished.

This was very good, really interesting story and plot and heartfelt at times. I like deeper characters in books and this fit that mould for me.
Kept me wanting more throughout and even thinking about the book well after I had finished it. Would highly recommend this!