Review: More Than We Can Tell

I received a copy from Netgalley.

I loved the predecessor for this book Letters to the Lost, which introduced one of the main characters in this one. There was clearly so much more to Rev than was explored in Letters to the Lost so I'm so pleased he got his own book.

Major trigger warnings for abuse - mental and physical. 

This book was a tough and very emotional read. I could only cope with about 100 pages at a time. (Same way I had to read the first one) On the one hand we have Rev, an apparent tough guy who keeps to himself. He lives with his foster mother and father (who are some of the best YA parents ever).

[spoiler]
The novel starts with Rev getting an unexpected letter from his biological father, a bible thumping preacher  who was put in jail for some serious abuse of his own son. He used region as a weapon both to psychologically manipulate and terrorise Rev as he grew up as well as an excuse for physical punishment. 
 
Rev hasn't spoken to him in years and lost all contact. Despite his tough guy exterior Rev is battling some very complex and conflicting emotions. Regardless of the suffering his father put him through something about his words in the letter still resonate. It's heart breaking to read about as Rev struggles with his feelings and what to do. While he's not telling his parents anything, he does have the support of best friend Declan who's there regardless of the time of day or night. 
[/spoiler]

On the other hand, we have Emma, a girl in Rev's class. Up until now they've never had reason to cross paths. Emma is a gamer who loves to code, she stays up late into the night gaming. She even created and launched a game of her own, which seems to have a lot of players. It's a secret she keeps from her parents, particularly her mom who doesn't seem to approve of her habit of locking herself in her room and spending all hours on her computer. Mom is an overworked doctor and kind of a bitch. Emma's father is a computer programmer for a big computer game company. Yet Emma seems almost embarrassed to tell him about her own coding skills. 

[spoiler]
She's dealing with some serious harassment problems from one of the players in her game, a player who calls themselves 'Nightmare' and seems to hate the fact that she's a girl and she's the moderator and one in charge. The threats and messages are getting nastier and nastier. She can't seem to tell anyone other than her best friend Claire, and Ethan, another player she has a friendship and a strong connection with. 
[/spoiler]

There's tension between Emma's parents and it's really uncomfortable, so it's not surprising at all that Emma's on edge, especially with her own drama going on. She runs into Rev one night whilst walking her beloved dog, Texas (Texy). They have a brief conversation but there are clear sparks (even though neither realise it until much much later) they've started a dialogue. 

[spoiler]Things are getting more and more tense in both their home situations. Emma's parents are fighting more and more, the harassment from Nightmare is getting worse. No matter how much she bans him, he pops up again and again and is sending violent images through emails as well as nasty messages. Rev has a new foster kid living with his family, a young teenage boy named Matthew, who's moody and uncommunicative. He's getting more messages from his horrible biological father, mainly revolving around bible quotes that actually have Rev reflecting on his own behaviour and not in a good way. He's trying to be understand of Matthew's difficult circumstances but it's difficult and with other things going on...there's only so much anyone can take before snapping.[/spoiler]

Both he and Emma continue to meet and talk, both in person and via texting and email. They have developed a friendship in which they can talk to each other about personal stuff and things they have difficulty talking about to other people. And of course the friendship turns into something deeper and more romantic. It's a slow burn romance and it's wonderful. They're both so considerate of each other. 

Things are going wrong and darker in both their lives, eventually the other's families learn of the friendship. Emma's so frazzled with her family troubles and online harassment she's taking it out on her best friend, who doesn't know what's going on. Her relationship with her parents hits rock bottom. She picks fights over stupid things with people who haven't really done anything wrong. 

And when something really bad happens to Emma towards the end of the novel, it's those people who figure it out and turn up and save her. While the danger Emma finds herself in is quite frightening, its a little predictable as to how it's going to turn out.

That being said, it's a really good read. It's a tough one that deals with some hard subjects yet manages to be uplifting in its own way. Brilliantly developed characters. This is the second book I've loved by this author which puts her on my auto-buy list. 

Thank you to Netgalley and Bloomsbury Publishing Plc (UK & ANZ) for approving my request to view the title.

I read Brigid Kemmerer’s novel for young adults, Letters to the Lost, where Rev Fletcher was a secondary character. In More than We Can Tell he and Emma are the central characters and narrate the story in turns.
Emma, to the chagrin of her mother, a paediatric cardiologist, is into gaming like her father. She has created a game, OtherLANDS, that has a small following. But one of them is leaving vile and derogatory comments suggesting that ‘girls are ruining gaming’. Her best friend Cait ‘does makeup tutorials on YouTube’, and they are drifting apart. Through OtherLANDS she befriends Declan through their love of gaming.
Rev is a senior at Emma’s school. He is adopted, having been taken away from his abusive father when he was seven-years-old. His father hasn’t been able to contact him, but Rev has turned eighteen, his father has sent him a letter, and he begins to relive the nightmare that was his early childhood. He doesn’t tell anyone he has received the letter, not even his adoptive parents or his best friend Declan.
The parents are secondary but essential to the story and fully developed. Emma sees her mother as ‘buttoned up and critical. Compared to her, Dad looks like a stoner’. Rev’s adoptive parents foster other children, generally babies and toddlers, including those with special needs and tell Rev how lucky they are to have adopted him. Then they foster a fourteen-year-old boy, Matthew, and this changes the dynamic in the household.
Emma and Rev bump into each other outside of school and start talking and a friendship develops, and they start to break down the walls they have each built to protect themselves.
Declan’s story, which was started in Letters to the Lost, continues giving the book another layer, and Cait too is another interesting character.
The book deals with the tragedies behind children who are fostered with sensitivity through Rev and Matthew’s histories, and the dangers of online interactions are highlighted, showing it’s ‘easy to drop your guard and make friends. And it’s just as easy to tear someone down’. It addresses the expectations teenagers feel from their parents and others around them, but also shows the support that can come, even when it is not expected.
This is another powerful book by Kemmerer showing that everything is not always as it seems, that things need to be seen from different perspectives, to try and walk a mile in another person’s shoes, and that sometimes you need to ‘ask questions to hear the quiet people’. It has stayed with me since finishing it, and recalls real emotion when I think about it again.

I really enjoyed More Than We Can Tell; both Rev and Emma had strong stories and plots and they intertwined well. Emma's story is timely and a brief look at some of the current problems with sexism within the gaming industry. I found Rev's story is incredibly poignant as he find his demons coming to the forefront after a letter from his abusive father.

Within contemporary YA, there can be some real issues when serious issues and backstories are couple with a romantic plot. In particular, the use of trauma in order to support a romantic story. In More Than We Can Tell, I felt Kemmerer slightly played down the romance plot more than in previous books which I felt was the right decision. There are still, of course, some lovely relationship moments and building but what stood out for me was not 'shipping' but the characters. What I particularly loved about this book as well was the focus on familial relationships; from Emma's relationship with her parents, in particular her mother, to Rev's relationship with his adoptive parents and also his battle with his own past and father.

I found Rev's story at times more immediate and emotive than Emma's, though I think this was as his demons were far more visible from the outset. While in the wake of Gamergate, Emma's story was very relevant and shows a very worrying aspect of the industry and her relationship with her parents felt very real and interesting, Rev was the character who stood out the most for me. Maybe this is partially as he crossed over from Letters to the Lost and so he already felt more key. This is not to say that Emma felt like a weak character or her plot wasn't developed, the opposite, but for me the real strengths in the story was Rev's poignant story and journey.

Kemmerer continues to impress with her YA contemporaries and I look forward to seeing what she writes next.  I'm glad she is getting more acclaim and popularity within the UK and YA market in general and reading More Than We Can Tell did make me want to revisit Letters to the Lost!

Goes live 14/05/2018 10.00

I liked this book because the characters didn’t just have great lives and good parents and everything, they had sad, tragic pasts and it just made the characters more relatable. The characters friendships made me so happy and I loved seeing even more character development in this!

Rev Fletcher is a survivor of childhood abuse. With his amazing adoptive parents by his side he has managed to move on from his past, until he begins receiving messages from his abusive father. Emma Blue is spends most of her time playing games online, but when her parents marriage falls apart and she begins receiving harrassing message in-game, she doesn’t know where to turn. When Rev and Emma meet by chance one evening this might be an opportunity for them to move past the horrors in their lives.

I am conflicted on how to rate this book. It did some things really well, and it did some things really poorly. It was, however, superbly written. It is difficult to find many books who utilise multiple perspectives in a way that makes sense but for the reader to truly understand what was going on in both of the main characters lives these perspectives were necessary and well executed.

This book is basically angst central, which made it really easy for me to sit down and immerse myself in the story. It was a very emotional story and there were lots of elements that were true-to-life and I think the author effectively demonstrated some of the issues that can arise due to abuse, however realistic does not always make for the best story.

Emma was a very realistic teenage girl. She was stupid, annoying, and self centered. While this is a realistic portrayal, it is not an enjoyable one. It was difficult to properly sympathise with Emma about her issues when her bratty behaviour was highlighted in every chapter. She was a wholly unlikable character especially when interacting in her personal relationships. I think the book would have fared better if it had focused on Rev’s story alone as he worked through his abuse with his best mate Declan, his adoptive parents and his new foster brother Matthew. In fact I believe removing Emma and focusing on Matthew’s backstory (which was briefly included with no real intent, perhaps shock factor or setting up another sequel?) would have been a stronger story.

I didn’t particularly like the way Rev dealt with some of his issues but he was much more fascinating to read, and his behaviour was more understandable given the context so I had no issues sympathising with his story.

Overall, despite my criticisms, I feel like this book deserves four stars. It was an emotive and engaging read and I sped through it.

More Than We Can Tell, tells the story of Rev and Emma. Rev has a lot of demons from his past that he is having to battle. His adoptive parents have helped keep these demons at bay until Rev receives a letter from his abusive father, which make all his demons rear their ugly head again. Emma spends most of her time making sure her computer game she created herself is perfected, instead of facing the reality of her parents crumbling marriage. Not only that but she is being harassed by an online troll through her game. When Rev and Emma meet randomly one evening, they both long to share their secrets and bond over their troubles. When their situations turn dangerous, their trust in one another is truly tested.

Now, I didn’t read Letter to the Lost before reading More Than We Can Tell, so I know nothing about characters going into the story. It isn’t a sequel to Letters to the Lost just a companion novel. So, you can read More Than We Can Tell without reading Letters to the Lost.

I loved this book, the writing style and the characters. Rev is such a thoughtful young man, who is always putting others before himself. Rev has been through a lot in his young life but remains a young man with a heart of gold. I liked how different Emma’s character was. Not only is she a girl gamer, which is something I have never read about in a book before. She is also a game designer. I was nice to see Brigid Kemmerer show the dark side of gaming and what it is like to be a woman in the gaming world. There is a romantic story-line in this book. It is subtle and grows from the friendship that Rev and Emma have. I loved their relationship and how they helped each other through their troubles. This is the perfect kind of romance for More Than We Can Tell, it is subtle yet hard hitting. More Than We Can Tell also has a brilliant family relationships throughout the book. Rev’s is a lot different from Emma’s. Rev has a new family addition who makes a big impact and they are a tight-knitted family. Whereas Emma’s family relationship is messy and complicated.

Brigid Kemmerer has written a beautiful, raw and emotional story that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. As soon as I finish reading More Than We Can Tell I bought Letters to the Lost and I plan on reading this in the summer.

Overall, I recommend this book if you have read the companion novel or not. Brigid’s writing is beautiful and I had a lovely time reading More Than We Can Tell. If you are looking for a thought provoking contemporary YA novel I cannot recommend this enough.

Thank you to, Netgalley, Bloomsbury Children’s and Brigid Kemmerer for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars

Adopted at a young age after escaping from his abusive father, Rev works hard to battle his demons. Then a letter arrives from his father on Rev's eighteenth birthday, threatening to bring back buried memories.
Emma loves gaming and coding, just like her father. She has built her own online game and escapes there to get away from her bickering parents. But then a troll starts harassing Emma and threatening her safety.
When Rev and Emma meet they both have their own problems, but maybe together they can overcome them.
What does Rev's father want from him?
Will the troll harassing Emma get bored and go away?

I really enjoyed Letters to the Lost, so when I heard that there was a sequel/companion novel coming out I was excited to read it.
I loved both Rev and Emma as well as other characters like Declan and Rev's adopted parents. Rev and Emma were both likeable and realistic protagonists. 
The plot was interesting and held my attention. I felt sorry for both Rev and Emma and really liked their interactions.
The writing style made it easy to zoom through the pages.
While I didn't like this as much as Letters to the Lost, I still enjoyed it.

Overall this was an enjoyable read that I would recommend.

*I received this book for free, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own!*

More Than We Can Tell follows Rev, who was first introduced in Letters to the Lost and Emma, a computer geek who thinks that every problem can be solved with the right code. She's not close to her mother and has been seeking her father's approval - who's actually a game designer - for as long as she can remember. When her parents' announce that they're getting a divorce, she's left picking up the pieces and having no idea how to move on with her life. Rev has a loving adoptive family that cares for him and treats him like their own but, when a letter from his abusive father arrives, things are turned upside down and the demons of his past come back to haunt him. When Emma starts getting threatening messages on the game she designed, she has no one to turn to and when their paths intertwine, they find solace in each other but, how long can it really last for? Will they be each other's saving grace or will Rev's past get in the way of them having a better future together! 

I really want to start this review by saying how much I enjoyed Rev and Emma's story! Reading about their struggles was very eye opening, especially because it's been a while since I've read a Contemporary with so much depth scattered throughout its pages! Both of the characters are terrifyingly relatable and what they're going through is actually more important than people might realize. I found myself sympathizing with them for the majority of the book but, I sometimes got very frustrated at their choices and how much those choices affected their lives. There wasn't really a scale of right and wrong since every one of us decides what's morally correct and what isn't based on what we're aiming for in life and how much we're willing to sacrifice for it! But, I feel like these two had no one to turn to for different reasons. 

Emma never felt comfortable discussing her life with her parents and Rev didn't want to alert his when the letter from his father arrived, because he was afraid of disrupting their lives. Both of them got lost in this whirlwind of not knowing what to do and the people around them had no idea about it at the beginning! Emma's mother made me really angry sometimes because she was never supportive of her dreams and desires. Her criticism of everything her daughter was made their relationship quite nonexistent and even though I could understand where she was coming from, I didn't really agree with the way she underestimated Emma's abilities and had no faith in her at all! Her father was not much better though, when it comes to how he behaved towards them both! Emma got her love of being a game designer from him but he never seemed to care enough. He got so lost in his own work and never spent any quality time with his daughter, making it impossible for me to actually like and respect him as both a person/character and a father. 

On the contrary, Rev's adoptive parents would do everything to see him happy, considering what he went through and how long it took him to actually start recovering from it! The person who was supposed to love and care for him, put him through hell. He expresses this fear of becoming like his father a couple of times throughout the novel but, he's so much more than where he came from. He's caring, mature and would do anything to protect those he loves, even hide the truth from them! His romance with Emma isn't the most conventional and it takes a while for it to completely unfold, which was actually quite refreshing. It was there but, didn't overshadow the important issues the character dealt with in the novel, which isn't an easy feat to achieve when it comes to Contemporary novels! 

The secondary characters were quite interesting as well and I loved seeing glimpses of Declan and Juliet throughout the novel. I feel like the author handled the topics of abuse and internet bullying in the best way possible and really brought the dangers they undoubtedly carry forward. Emma's story reflects on what's going on in the society we live in and how we can change it by educating ourselves and those around us. Both she and Rev represent the people who went through similar struggles and managed to survive them, becoming stronger as a result and learning to trust the people who love and care for them! Which is a very important message we all need to embrace in order to go forward! 

Once again, I really enjoyed the author's effortless writing style and how fast paced it was! I feel like everything was resolved the way it should've been. The only reason I didn't give More Than We Can Tell a full star rating even though it was a wonderful read, was because I enjoyed its predecessor just a bit more! Overall, this is a novel that really touched me and I cannot help but recommend to those of you who enjoy YA Contemporaries! The story had so much depth, the characters were three dimensional and developed throughout the novel, the relationships between the characters were extremely realistic and the conclusion was more than satisfying!

en ik ben echt blij dat de auteur besloten heeft dit verhaal te vertellen.

De andere hoofdpersoon uit dit boek is Emma, hoewel zij niet zo’n heftig verleden heeft als Rev heeft ook zij het niet makkelijk en ook dat vind ik echt heel goed beschreven. Het gevaar vind ik altijd is dat je het idee krijgt dat dingen aangedikt worden in een boek als deze, of de personages hele rare keuzes maken maar in dit boek vind ik dat helemaal niet. Ook niet bij Emma die zelf een game gemaakt heeft ( even serieus hoe tof is dat! ) het is een soort world of warcraft idee en op een dag krijgt ze dreig berichtjes van iemand. Ze besluit hier niets over te vertellen maar ze worden steeds erger. Het einde van het verhaal van Emma vond ik echt wel heftig om eerlijk te zijn. Maar wow wat een actueel onderwerp weer want hoeveel van ons leven niet online en hoeveel van ons hebben elkaar niet leren kennen online. Voor ons is dit allemaal heel goed gegaan maar voor anderen loopt het soms minder goed af.

Ik vond vooral de eerste ontmoeting tussen Rev en Emma erg leuk, ook de ontwikkeling van hun relatie vind ik mooi. Ook in dit boek is er echt geen sprake van insta love en ik vind dat verfrissend. Natuurlijk kun je iemand in uiterlijk aantrekkelijk vinden maar dat betekend niet dat je elkaar ook op andere manieren leuk vind. Dit is een slow burning romance en ik hou er van!

Kortom als je een boek zoekt met een mooie boodschap een emotionele lading en een slow burning romance dan is dit je boek! Hij komt uit op 6 maart dus nog even wachten!

Keeping in mind that I didn't read the first book, I absolutely LOVED this book.

It deals with the struggles of finding who you are despite who you are raised to be. 

I really wanted to hug these characters, and I am drawn to character driven stories and this book did it all and tied it together in a neat little bow.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Kemmerer bloody does it again. I smashed this book out in about a day. I am so, SO happy the author let us see Rev's story. I was practically begging for it after Letters to the Lost and she totally delivered. 

I won't lie Letters to the Lost was heaps better, mostly because while Rev is a sweet angel, Emma fkn sucked. I get it, she's dealing with some shit, but she could not have been a bitchier, ruder, more self-involved, absolute-worst-kind of teenager. She's absolutely awful to her friend Cait and is just a real drama queen in general, so tbh she really does not deserve Rev at all.

Oh yeah and back to Rev I was cryingggg multiple times because Rev's story is so tragic. 

I loved that we got to see so much of Declan and a little bit of Juliet, because I absolutely adored LttL and their whole relationship gives me life. Tbh would pay good money for another follow up book on those two. 

Anyway can't wait to read Kemmerer's next book because she can do no wrong.

Absolutely loved it, it was great! Splendidly written, Kemmerer kept up the suspense up right until the end and the ending was super!

The book is told on a dual perspective between Rev and Emma. Rev is a gentle characters considering his childhood. Luckily this changes when he is put with another family. Emma wants to make games but is unfortunately a victim of cyber bullying I'm glad this subject was broached as it is a common thing to happen now a days. 
The love story between these two characters was so believable and not insta love which made me fall in love with these two characters as the love between them blossomed slowly. 
Triggers warnings possibly for a few.

This book was pretty good. the storyline was interesting and the characters were really engaging. I have to be completely honest and say that the pacing of the story was really strange to me.
 I do enjoy really intense scenes in books but I felt like half of the book was really slow-paced and the other half was a weird mixture of boring and on-the-edge-of-my-seat scenes. 
if it wasn't for that, this book would've totally gotten a 4/5 because I definitely cared about the characters. 
I really enjoyed the texting aspect, it was really well done and felt real to me. 
I have not read Letters to the Lost before reading this book and it stands well on its own but I'm definitely interested in getting to know Declan and Juliet's story now that's for sure. I will obviously be picking it up in the future. 
It was overall really good. not something I haven't seen before and the plot was pretty easy to guess, but the characters were worth the read.

More Than We Can Tell has a wonderful writing style and equally good characters. A must read if you have read Letters to the Lost.

I have been a fan of Brigid Kemmerer since I ripped my way through the Elemental’s series and last year when I pick up ‘Letters to the Lost’ I was immediately reminded of how much I love her writing - even without any paranormal activity!
When I realised this book was set in the same world as Declan and Juliet from ‘Letters to the Lost’, even though I knew you didn’t need to have read it to enjoy this one, I couldn’t get my hands on a copy quick enough because I remembered how much I had loved LTTL.  And I was not disappointed.
Both Rev and Emma were strong yet broken characters, just doing what they could to survive.  Emma annoyed me loads of the time because she wouldn’t talk to anyone who cared about her and wouldn’t let anyone help her but then I guess it wouldn’t have been much of a story if this happened from the start!  Rev was similar although he had a few more positive connections and I really enjoyed his relationship with Declan and it was clear the love he had for his parents.
I was always cheering for both Rev and Emma as they each built up the courage to let each other in and then push each other away......
Declan and Matthew were strong secondary characters and I wouldn’t be lying if I said I was now hoping for a third book in this world focusing on Matt?!?!?
Overall a great read with a strong story, interesting and authentic characters and enough swoony moments to keep me satisfied.
Thanks to Bloomsbury for this copy via Netgalley.

Aw, I really liked this book (and its prequel)! I’m glad I was offered a chance to read it. The characters are great and the writing style is amazing. I also really liked how this story is more than a love story. I was absolutely not expecting the plot twist (but I’m the worst when it comes to that), so I just couldn’t put the book down until the end! I can’t wait to read more from this author.

Such an amazing sequel. It has the feel of Holly Bourne in the sense that we stay in the same world, but focus on new characters. Rev is easy to love and want to know more about and I was so happy to get this chance.

Emma was harder to love, but that's because she's new to the book. By the end, I loved her just as much as Rev.

5/5 stars.

Oh, my heart aches...

I picked up Letters to the Lost on a whim earlier this year and ended up falling in love with the story and all of the characters - it genuinely took me by surprise. One of my favourite characters, and I'm sure most people who have read Letters would agree, had to be Rev. His story was touched upon in Letters and I was so excited when I saw More Than We Can Tell was available on Netgalley and I was given a cop for review.

I honestly didn't expect that this book to have as much of an impact on me as Letters did , but I feel as though I finished this book more of an emotional mess than the first one.

Rev's back story was heart breaking. With every story that we got told it made my heart ache even more for him and really showed what a great character he is. I really enjoyed Emma's character and how her relationship with her parents developed throughout the book as their family dynamic changed.

The relationship between Rev and Emma was so well executed - the way they helped each other with their problems was so sweet. Just the right amount of cute without it turning into YA cringe - the chemistry between the two of them was created so well.

One of the main reasons I loved Letters so much was because of the friendship between Declan and Rev and this book expanded on that so much more. Honestly, I probably dug this friendship more than the relationship between Rev and Emma OR Declan and Juliette. Matthew was a great edition to this book and it would be great to see if he ends up getting his own story.

If you read Letters, pick this book up immediately.

If you haven't read Letters, pick it up immediately and then this one immediately afterwards.

Love, love, love this book.

I received an ARC copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank them, the publisher Bloomsbury Children's and the author Brigid Kemmerer for this opportunity.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I loved both the characters of Rev and Emma. I liked the fact they were both unique in their own ways especially with Emma being a girl gamer. I liked how realistic the book was especially with the problems both Rev and Emma were dealing with at the time in the book. I also love the fact that Brigid's first book is connected to this book but from the point of view of Rev's best friend. This book definitely had some hard hitting moments to read but also some really sweet moments and I overall really enjoyed this book.