Loved this book. I did not realise that Letters to the Lost had proceeded it - it did not matter as this stood alone.

The subject matter is close to my heart as I am an adoptive parent and so could empathise with Rev and Matt’s fears about being sent back to an abusive situation.

I took to both Rev and Emma and felt for their difficult situations. It was lovely to see them come to support each other.

A pertinent novel about the dangers of the internet as well.

I would rate this higher if I could. This tore my heart out through my kneecaps and then put it back in the right place and wrapped it up in warm cozy pillows and duvets.

It's important for me to preface this review by highlighting that this book covers a plethora of sensitive issues. These are, however, done tastefully and cleverly and not in a way that demeans or insults those who have been through (or are going through) similar experiences.

This book truthfully took me by surprise. I don't know what I was expecting if I'm honest, but I was completely blown away. The story is intricately written and perfectly pulls on the heart strings. Whilst the story can feel suffocating at times due to its intensity, I found this to be a good quality for it to have - and a necessary one. It added to the atmosphere set out by the author and built the overall story and allowed us to empathise with the characters fully to the point wherein I felt like I was with the characters rather than reading about them, which is a quality I don't often find.

The main plot of the book was intense to put it lightly. It was difficult to read in areas because my eyes were beginning to well up and my heart was throbbing - but this, for me, added to the reading experience and made it a better book overall and more well rounded as a whole. I think the story wouldn't have held as much impact if it weren't for these moments where I had to glance away from the book. I've read some books wherein the topics have lay primarily around abuse and you're just reading about it rather than feeling it along with the characters. This is, for me, an important detail to creating a successful book of this type. This story is the ultimate proof of "don't judge a book by its cover".

The characters were extremely lovable. I absolutely adored Rev - he was such a sweetheart! I felt everything he went through and I was thoroughly gripped into his story. I was desperately rooting for him to get the happy ending that he so thoroughly deserved after all he's gone through. He's had a difficult time in his life and we travel through his life with him, seeing (and feeling) every single thing he's been through. Emma was also a character I absolutely adored, too. I loved watching her navigate the ins and outs of living with parents who don't approve of her goals and ambitions. It was just a really good, fantastically rounded set of characters that I couldn't help but absolutely adore.

This was an amazing book. It broke my heart, honestly, but in absolutely the best way. There were a lot of twists and turns that caught me off guard and swept me off of my feet, but those were brilliantly written and crafted! The difficult topics it dealt with were excellently written, flawlessly dealt with and written in a way that twists and tugs at your heart in a thoroughly irresistible way. Ah, I can't say enough positive things about this book actually! I'd definitely recommend it. It was an outstanding read. One of those that I didn't want to put down and the last 10% was spent with me huddled up with my knees to my chest, turned away from any distractions so that I could be fully immersed in the story. An absolute emotional rollercoaster but in the best way.

I can see teens devoring this book at their local library or even at their library in school, so of course libraries need this book. They really do. I like to think that there are certain types of books that should be able to access through public libaries and More Than We Can Tell is one of them.

I loved the idea of a gamer girl. Not a gamer boy, but a gamer girl. Emma is the queen of the computer nerds, only nobody really knows it. She created an online game that people all around the world are playing, but nobody knows who created the game. That's Emma's secret. Naturally, she also wants to build herself a future in the computer and coding business. She got that from her dad who's a specialist. But then there is this guy (though you never know on the Internet) who trolls her, sends her angry messages just because he hates the idea of a girl in the gaming business - as a player or a business woman.

She bumps into Rev who's got a few secrets of his own, one of them his father being religious and abusive. Or well, he was. Rev was lucky enough to have two wonderful human beings as his adoptive parents. The way Rev was described, I immediately fell in love with him. He's just such a teen novel kind of boy. I loved that. With him and Emma meeting each other on a regular basis, their friendship grows more and more intense. Their meetings were the cutest I have ever read about and them as a couple... Perfect!

But the secrets they both keep from each other, might also be the ones that tear them apart and even if they open up, it's not like these things just disappear from their lives. And my, I cried when I read about Rev dealing with his situation. The way his feelings were described, those scenes. I just couldn't take it and had to let it out. The turn Emma's problem took was a bit too predictable to me, though. But well... There's really no other way to solve it, is there?!

So all in all I can safely say that I adored this book and enjoyed every minute of it. Seriously, I'm curious for Dylan's (Rev's best friend) story now. The first book in the series revolved around him, but I'm not sure what to think of the female part, so I'm not sure if I'll give it a chance any time soon. Anyway... You should give More Than We Can Tell a chance (perfect title, by the way).

2 stars
I really hate that I'm giving this a 2 stars, but I tried to like this story, I really wanted to, but I got half way through the book and decided not to continue. I dont like to continue reading a book I'm not enjoying.

I just felt like I didnt connect with the story and it just seemed to go on forever, I thoroughly enjoyed Letters to the Lost and I really liked Rev's character. I cant really describe why I didnt enjoy it.
It wasnt a terrible book whatsoever, I just felt like it wasn't the right read for me

3.5/5 stars!! Letters to the Lost was one of my favourite reads of 2017 so I would like to thank the publishers from Netgalley for providing me an arc for Rev's story. First of all, I really liked meeting Emma and getting to know more about Rev! However in terms of the romance I was hoping for a bit more - it was cute and unique but there wasn't as much of a spark between the two that there was between Juliette and Declan which I was hoping for. I also found the plot a bit slow paced and repetitive to be honest but in terms of key messages, More Than We Can Tell did a great job and the ending really shook me because I was not expecting things to take a turn as they did! I wish that I had enjoyed this book more than I actually did but I would still call it a decent story overall :)

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

To start this off, I'm just going to say that Letters To The Lost was one of my top 5 favourite books that I read last year and when I found out it was getting a companion book I was so excited. When I got accepted for the arc I couldn't wait to read it. Now I've been in a reading slump for the past couple months but I read More Than We Can Tell in 2 days, which I haven't been able to do with any book since November, so if that doesn't say how good it was keep reading.

More Than We Can Tell is such a powerful book. It was heartbreaking at points where all I wanted to do was hug the characters and tell them it was going to be ok and then other points where it had me smiling at how these characters were able to overcome obstacles that most people wouldn't be able to come back or recover from.

One thing I love about Kemmerer's writing is that she makes the characters feel real, they aren't just some words thrown together on a page, they are people. And they are broken and hurting and healing and I couldn't help but see little parts of myself in each of them.

There wasn't a single part of this book where I though it was slow or where I thought it dragged, in fact after reading all 400+ pages I wanted MORE. I didn't want my time with these characters to end and thats not something that usually happens to me. I felt a deep connection with each of the characters, even the side characters, and it was hard to see my time with them come to an end.

Overall, More Than We Can Tell took me on an emotional rollercoaster. It destroyed me, and broke my heart, and made me grieve for fictional people that I won't ever meet, but in the end, it also put me back together and gave me hope. This is a book that I won't soon forget. I can't say enough how much I recommend you pick this book up and read it for yourself.

I was not aware of what I was getting into when I opened this. As a rule, I absolutely love books that have text speak on the covers. It just works out that way, so I had never actually heard of Brigid Kemmerer.

As it turns out, this is an intense coming of age story told from two points of view, two teenagers who are going through rough times. I could hardly put this book down from when I opened it up.

Emma is a young woman who doesn't get along with her mum and doesn't get enough attention from her dad. The parents are obviously in an unhappy marriage, though it gets worse as the novel goes on. Emma just wants to be more like her dad, which her mum doesn't understand. As a result, she doesn't share with them that she's made a video game that, as a high schooler, she really has every right to be so proud of. This particular plot line reminded me a lot of Eliza and Her Monsters, which I also loved.

Rev is a young man with a hard past. He is the foster child of Geoff and Kirsten and they are just about the most wonderful people. I loved that we got to spend so much time with them. We weren't just told they were wonderful people. They came off the page with how wonderful they were. But that doesn't for a minute change how shitty his childhood with his dad was, and when his dad starts contacting him upon Rev turning 18, things become messy fast.

This is just a wonderful book that made me feel reminiscent of a high school version of Stephanie Perkins' Anna and the French Kiss. I can't wait to get into everything else that Brigid has written.

A wonderful tale, which will pull on the heart strings of any reader, young or mature. Rev and Emma's tale is releasable, beautiful and a joy to follow. I would strongly, recommend this to all readers, this will be a lovely addition to any school library.

More Than We Can Tell is another one of the ARCs I received at Deptcon3 which I’m reall grateful for. I hadn’t heard of it before nor of its author so it wasn’t entirely a priority to start. I picked it up on the off chance that it’d be a quick read (but mainly because the beautiful cover) and I found myself pleasantly surprised!

I thought the characters were extremely well-weaved in this book. They were really realistic and had distinct personalities that I enjoyed. I liked how careful the author was about their storylines and it was pretty obvious she took her time and did the right research. It was gripping from the first page to the very last. When you think you finally have one mystery solved, there’s a sudden plot twist and everything changes.

The language of the story was really easy to follow to. There are very important lessons for everyone to take from this book, especially as well as Emma’s storyline is so timely with the #MeToo movement and the abuse women have to suffer. This was a deeply touching story and I was shocked at how much relevance it had. I have yet to read Letters to the Lost (which is a book book about one of the characters, Declan, and his girlfriend Juliet in MTWCT), but this one and Kemmerer’s style of writing has made me really interested! Out on March 6th, I’d recommend this book for anyone who’s a fan of Eleanor & Park and romances that will keep you reading until the end!

Thank you to Netgalley and the author for allowing me to read and review this novel


So we're both just a little broken
I think we were before

💔

So if you read my updates throughout this, you would know I had a LOT of mixed feelings. I had just finished reading Letters to the Lost [More Than We Can Tell is a companion novel, not sequel] and it had taken me awhile to get used to the feel of MTWCT because I kept comparing the books... don't do that because it would lessen the experience . In the beginning, I kept comparing LTTL to this and felt like there was a lot missing. Declan was all angst and self-destructive and violent where Rev just destructs inside. At times though, Rev's shy nature was beyond adorable (view spoiler)
description

Ok so now with the real stuff. I love how broken Emma and Rev were and how they helped each other. It's kind of like pulling each other out of a deep well. It was incredibly sweet and the way Rev handled his problems with (view spoiler). Many people don't understand the need to talk things out with others and I was seriously frustrated with Rev in the beginning when he wouldn't tell anyone what was going with him. However, he got over it sooner than I expected which made me love him even more. I did find issue with how Emma (view spoiler). Generally, I didn't really like her character all that much. I felt that she could have been strong while still broken if that makes sense. I also didn't appreciate how both Rev and Emma kept (view spoiler)

LOL content:
This was me literally for many many instances. Declan was always funny but there are also times where just statements sound funny. The kind of thing like telling a joke with a straight face. Some of my favorite lines are:
Rev just shares this like secret sad story about his childhood and Matt just looks at him and goes:
The hell with your father. Eat some cereal
Well. I was just going to ask if you wanted to eat chicken nuggets beside a church, but that seems so last week--- I live for this kind of banter lol.
Dec wants to know if I left him [sleeping] in front of a church on purpose 😂😂😂 Knowing Declan's personality, its hilarious

Lastly, before I forget: MATTHEW😫😍
I loved him. Especially when he starts opening up to everyone and just dropping his cute one-liners. When he first showed up and with how he acted, I didn't expect him to have such a significant character but just watching his relationship with Declan and Rev grow, he is beyond sweet. Actually, I really think he should have his own novel. I would LOVE to know what's going on inside his artistic head .
Note to author [ Brigid Kemmerer ]: please please please write a companion novel staring Matt. He more than deserves it and it would be interesting to see inside the head of someone with as much trauma as he has been through.

If you would like to hear about more of what I thought about this book, check out my page updates for knowing exactly how I felt exactly when ;)

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC.

I. Can't. Breathe. What a book.

Full disclosure, I was actually really nervous to read this book because of how much I loved Letters to the Lost. It was in my top 3 favourite reads from last year.
Sophomore books are always a gamble.
But this one really delivered for me!

Keep in mind, if you've read Letters to the Lost (and I 100% recommend you read it before More Than We Can Tell), you'll know that Kemmerer writes about very serious subject matter.
If you're looking for a light and fluffy read, this book is not for you.
Kemmerer takes a heavy subject and turns it into something beautiful and relevant.
I cried no less than a dozen times reading this.

Rev and Emma were highly enjoyable characters. I'm so glad we got to know more about Rev's past. It turned out to be even darker than I ever could have imagined. I wished I could have jumped through the page and given him a hug.
Again, if you've read "Letters", you'll be aware of the abuse in Rev's past.
While "Letters" dealt with grief, More Than We Can Tell deals with varying degrees of abuse - physical, psychological, cyber-bullying... and it's done in such an excellent way. It doesn't feel forced or inappropriate. It feels real.

The climax of this book left me shaking and sobbing. Kemmerer is a magical wordsmith and she has definitely become an auto-buy author for me now.
I'm hoping we get a Matthew novel next!

Wow. This book packs a punch of emotion. I fell in love with this book from the very start and when I found out it was a companion novel, I immediately went online and bought a copy.
This book is an emotional, drama-filled story, told well by some very engaging characters.
Amazing!

Absolutely loved this book!! Everything was awesome. The characters were so well developed and they all had a meaning, like there was no useless characters. The plot kept twisting and turning and keeping you on edge. I have to say this book makes me want to pick up Brigid's other books.
Highly recommend to everyone, even if you think you aren't going to like it, you will.

I really wanted to have Rev's story! And I could be happier to get the chance and read about Rev and Emma! Thier stories are of both heartbreak, difficult family life but also they harbor the dangers of bullying, dysfunctional families and the dark corners of the Internet.

Rev is considered to be the freak of the school, but no one knows the scars he carries from the abuse he got from his father. He is the adopted son of a black couple (I need to mention it due to some spoiler in the book), who love him very much and try to support him! They also work as a foster home for children and teens.

Emma, on the other hand, has a workaholic mom and a father who is almost absent from their lives. She is very smart and has also coded her own RPG game. When she starts receiving bullying messages in the game she will develop a friendship with one of her online friends.

I won't spoil the rest of the book, but there are some VERY, VERY important lessons anyone can take from this book. Friends, family and your closest people can be important to you and never let doubt and fear cloud your judgment. You can always ask for help too!

This is a strong-willed book for any teen out there and it offers love and compassion to anyone who needs it.

Emma is a coding gamer girl who wants nothing more than to follow in her fathers footsteps and seek a future in the gaming industry once she leaves school. When online gaming turns into bullying with an unknown source Emma struggles to deal with the bully and the thing she loves most.

Rev is an adopted eighteen year old with a horrible past that has left him broken and feeling damaged. He spends most of his time alone unless he's with his best friend declan, until he meets Emma. The two of them have completely different reasons for feeling broken but can they help each other see that they are not truly broken?

This was a beautiful story, I loved revs background story a lot I found it really sad to read and it was really moving. I'd be happy if the author did a story featuring Matthew as the main male lead as he was one of the side characters in this story.

I read this very fast and I'd love to read more by this author it was a highly enjoyable read.

I was lured in by the mentions of gaming in the blurb, ended up entranced by this beautiful love story of two people who are both broken in their own way finding some kind of solace in each other. Both Rev and Emma are fantastic characters, as are a lot of the side characters. I have a special soft-spot for Declan and rushed off to get "Letters to the Lost" as soon as I finished this one. Absolutely would recommend.

Letters to the Lost was one of my favourite books in 2017, so when I heard there was going to be a sequel, it immediately shot to the top of my anticipated books list. This all sounds like I was hugely disappointed by this book, but I wasn't. I just didn't like it so much as the first one.

It had all the same elements as Letters to the Lost: amazing writing, angsty family relationships, Rev and Declan's friendship, and it almost made me ugly cry (Letters to the Lost actually did make me ugly cry though). But it was just missing something for me. I loved Rev, and I loved his family, and his friendship with Declan was definitely my favourite part of this book. I just didn't really like Emma all that much.

I couldn't really tell you what about her I disliked - all I know is that I found myself almost just wanting to get through her parts quickly so I could get back to Rev's. I think part of that was because she felt a little unsympathetic especially given how she treated Cait and, from time to time, her mother.

That being said, it was still a really good book, and there were scenes that had me almost crying. Admittedly, they were mostly Declan and Rev scenes, because that was about my favourite part of Letters to the Lost too. I was a little disappointed not to have enjoyed it as much as that, but I still really enjoyed it.

When life tests you, when it throws everything at you, who can you turn to, who can you trust? Once again, Brigid Kemmerer has created a heartbreaking, emotional and moving novel. As a companion to Letters To The Lost, More Than We Can Tell evokes the same emotional response as the characters face a crisis point in their lives, fall in love, and learn to lean on the support of those around them.

Rev Fletcher has found safety and love with his adoptive parents. But when his biological father reaches out to him, it threatens to shake and destroy everything. In the midst of this turmoil, Rev meets Emma. They attend the same high school but have never really crossed paths until now. Emma, too, knows what it feels like to have her world turned upside down. Her parents are constantly fighting, her father barely acknowledges her existence, and her mother is constantly on her case, and then there is the online stalker sending her horrible messages. When things escalate for both Rev and Emma, they will need to learn to lean on each other as well as drawing on the support of the people around them.

In her acknowledgments, Brigid Kemmerer notes that after writing Letters To The Lost she knew Rev would need a story that reflected Dec’s level of childhood trauma. And she certainly didn’t hold back. As Rev slowly shares his past with Emma, the true depths of this trauma are revealed in horrible detail. Rev is an easy character to love. His self doubt, the sudden loss of security he faces, the way he struggles to connect with others, and his resilience and strength all make him a beautiful character. Watching him face his demons was so satisfying. Meanwhile, Emma is confronted with online harassment, as well as the breakdown of her family. Again, Emma is a character I connected with straight away.

Rev and Emma’s romance is very much a push and pull relationship. Both are reeling emotionally, and while their connection is profound, they struggle to balance supporting each other with pushing too hard and causing harm. This angst only makes their romance all the sweeter.

More Than We Can Tell is the companion novel to Letters To The Lost. Neither book needs to be read prior to the other and both can be read as standalones. However, both books are brilliant and well worth reading. It was lovely to catch up with Dec and Juliet from Letters To The Lost, and I loved that Rev got his own book. In both books, the secondary characters play such important roles, and once again family is a central theme of the story.

More Then We Can Tell is perfect for readers who enjoy emotional and character-driven stories, where resilience and love triumph over much hardship. With strong characters, sweet (slightly tortured) romance, and an emphasis on the support and love of family, More Than We Can Tell is a heartbreaking and yet uplifting YA novel that is very easy to enjoy.

The publishers provided an advanced readers copy of this book for reviewing purposes. All opinions are my own.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (and you cannot understand how excited I am to be able to type those words).

I really enjoyed More Than We Can Tell. It's rare that a contemporary YA novel manages to balance such serious themes with genuine friendship, and I thought it was really well written in this respect, especially in Rev's story. The relationships between Emma and Rev and their parents were also explored in detail, which I often find lacking in ya novels, and I found myself really invested in their relationships with their respective parents (Geoff and Kristin are epic) and their friends.

I also really appreciated the inclusion of Declan and Juliet; I haven't read Letters to the Lost, but I want to now. I think Declan and Rev's friendship was the source of a lot of moving moments in the novel and really added depth. I think this is partly because Declan felt like a fully rounded character, something that's often missing in the 'best friend' in YA fiction. I also really loved Cait, but I don't think she was as fully developed as her character kept getting sidelined by Emma's situations - perhaps though this is a lead in to another book.

However, while I loved Emma, mainly because of her interest in video games and her focus, I feel like she would have been a stronger character in another book. Her storyline and her themes are incredibly important topics but combined with the nature of Rev's backstory it just came off as whiny. I know it's not an angst competition and that it did develop into a serious situation but it felt unbalanced. I was especially annoyed at her treatment of Cait and her mother, though a later moment between her and her mum did make me tear up a little. This also may just be my personal mood but I am bored of romances; I would have loved to see them work this out as friends.

Overall I'd like to give More Than We Can Tell 3.5 stars. Although there were some elements that irked me and there were almost too many plot elements at times, I did get emotionally invested in the characters and their story lines and I really felt for them. It definitely made me want to read Letters to the Lost (and wonder if there's another book in there for some of the side characters).

Thank you for giving me a copy of this book!

I enjoyed every page!
I also thought her first book was beautiful and she continued that in this book. She writes so beautifully and truly that it is almost impossible not to live with the story. The way she sometimes puts life lessons into the story remains beautiful.
I also like to read that she has included characters from the first book and I found out afterwards that Rev appeared in the first book. I forgot this.

We follow Rev and Emma who both have experienced something / experience what it is worth to tell and give us an idea of ​​how this shapes their lives. Even though they are still young, there are certain life lessons that might be too mature for them, it certainly fits in the story.