4 mysterious, dark and haunting stars!

This story revolves around fifteen-year-old Betty Broadhurst. It is 1956 and she and her highly unstable mother manage Hotel Eden which is filled with reporters who have traveled to the small seaside Cornish town to investigate a recent string of murders. Most days Betty handles the hotel responsibilities to cover for her erratic and undependable mother, all the while coddling and excusing her mothers’ lack of responsibility. Betty’s love and adoration of her mother is palpable – her unrelenting forgiveness and care for her mother is heart wrenching. John Gallagher is one of the reporters staying at the hotel. He takes an interest in young Betty as she is able to provide him insight into the locals. They develop a relationship that neither of them understands or can explain.

The characters are hauntingly real. The author, Laura Powell, does a fantastic job creating unforgettable and deeply affecting characters. I’m amazed that this is a debut novel – I was completely drawn into these characters lives.

This book was very different than what I had expected – it had a very chilling tone and was deeply disturbing at times. Regardless, I found myself glued to the pages especially in the second half, hanging on every word. The pace flowed perfectly, seamlessly shifting from each timeline, the pieces of the puzzle fitting together along the way leaving me in shock and surprise. The mystery was highly intriguing and solving it unfolded in a flawless manner.

A big thank you to NetGalley, Simon & Schuster Canada and Laura Powell for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

The Unforgotten is available now!

2.5 star read.

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

This book is hard for me to review - all I can really say is that it felt like I was reading an old fashioned mystery or watching a BBC detective mini-series - even though none of it is told through the eyes of a detective.

Betty is raised by a mother who very definitely suffers from mental-illness, but it being the 1950s, Betty only thinks of it as "dark days" vs regular days. With that as a subplot, the main plot is that someone is murdering young women, and reporters have descended on Betty's small town to report the murders. One such journalist catches Betty's eye - and the two of them embark on a friendship that becomes a little more than simply platonic.

Although this book was meant to be a mystery, I felt like it was more about mental illness and how one's past can really determine your present. Betty was a difficult character to like since she felt like she was so stuck in her situation and really naïve.

In 1956, the small Cornish town of St Steele is rocked by a series of brutal murders of young women. As a result, the hotel that fifteen-year-old Betty helps her mother manage is taken over by journalists. Among them is John Gallagher. A friendship develops between Betty and the thirty-year-old Gallagher that quickly becomes something more. Their forbidden relationship will have far-reaching effects not only on the outcome of the investigation but on the rest of their lives. The novel switches between the murders in 1956 and fifty years later and the story of a woman named Mary who has been recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She seems to have her own knowledge of the long-ago murders and, after reading about an interview with the man convicted of the crime and who was recently released, begins her own search for answers.

The Unforgotten is the debut novel by Laura Powell and what a compelling debut it is. Full of twists and turns, it kept my interest completely throughout. I was able to suss out some of the many turns fairly quickly but not all and the major twist at the end…I did not see that coming. A completely compelling, entertaining, and satisfying read and one that gets a high recommendation from me. I will definitely be looking out for any future books by Powell.

Thanks to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review

This book really wasn't for me. It did not hold my attention. I felt my mind drifting to other things and I didn't feel any connection the characters. It was a bit of a disappointment for me.

There were many good things about this debut novel from Laura Powell. The writing is atmospheric and the concept is unique. The dual timeline kept things interesting, even though this has become quite a standard device used in contemporary mysteries and thrillers.

Unfortunately, I was frustrated by Betty's actions at a number of points in the novel. Of course, these things were mostly due to Betty's young age and inexperience and I wonder if this was not intentional on the author's part as a way of amplifying the seriousness of what takes place...

Overall, an entertaining read.

The book was strange. The characters were unlikeable and seemed to drift in and out. The book started off with a murder of a young girl, and then a few more murders of young girls occurred. However these murders were secondary to a relationship that delivered between Betty, a fifteen year old girl and a Mr. Gallagher,a thirty year old reporter. Seemed unreal that the murderer of these girls was so difficult to apprehend in this small village. You would have thought Scotland Yard would have assist this police force with all these murders! This book just seem to drag and not until the end do we discover the complexity of Betty and Gallagher’s relationship over fifty years ago . The book is one of lost loves, failed opportunities, jealously, rage, bipolar , and secrets .

Really, really enjoyed this book.

I loved the depiction of mother-daughter relationship through Betty and Dolores. It's tough and raw but their love for one another and Betty's loyalty for her troubled mum is hard to forget after you've stepped away from the book.

The setting is one I really enjoyed too, Cornwall in the 50s.

I really liked that this book didn't shy away from the harder parts about love, relationships and soulmates. Obviously Betty and Mr. Gallagher’s relationship was problematic on a number of levels, however, she maintains she loves him and waits for him her whole life.

Jerry’s part in things breaks my heart. He knows he is Plan B for their whole marriage and only comes to truly know ‘Mary’ once her guilt has been washed away. He seems like a truly caring, loving man. However, jealousy gets to even the best of us in the end and I really wish he hadn’t burnt the papers at the end. But I also get it too.

All in all, great read. Intrinsic characters, a vivid setting and a spooky storyline—what more could a girl want?

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

This book alternates between 1956 and fifty years later. Betty is the daughter of the local boarding house owner. Her mother suffers with mental illness and is unpredictable and flighty. The house is inundated with reporters covering some local brutal murders. Fast forward fifty years and we have the story of Mary who is tortured by the knowledge of an innocent man committed for someone else's crimes.

This was an OK read for me, not enthralling and unfortunately quite forgettable. This is one of those books that in a couple of years I could read the synopsis and think "oh that looks interesting" because it isn't memorable. The middle seemed to be very long and I started to lose interest. It did pick up towards the end hence three stars from me.

This book was about a young influential girl who gave her heart to the first person who paid her any attention. After the death of her alcoholic mother her life fell apart, she waited forever for a man she thought loved her and of course she thought she loved. It took her a life time to figure out who she was, it was full of secrets, lies, betrayal and self destruction. This is the first time I read anything by this author, I struggled getting into the book but as it went on it turned into a very enjoyable book.