Over one summer week at a lake cottage, six individuals each come to grips with how a shared tragedy years before have haunted them. This novel has everything I love to see in a book. Healed hurts, forgiven mistakes, and redeemed relationships. There are three love stories, each unique, each facing challenges, and each thoughtfully depicted. The author poured her heart into the words of this novel. Readers will no doubt find at least one character with whom they can relate. After reading this one, I'm a forever fan of Courtney Walsh!

I am not leaving a review due to the fact that this book did not interest me enough to finish the story.

The night Cassie died. And the days after...until now, when there is the time to face it all. 10 years after.

This novel is a thing of beauty in how deep it goes, in the warmth and truth it embraces all the broken places, the raw questions it states and the freedom out of shame it shows. Ms Walsh did it again and I am not even surprised, because she has yet to let me down. She is that intelligent, authentic writer and her works shows vulnerability in amounts rarely seen.

This is not a mystery novel, even if there are lots of secrets present in the souls of all Cassie’s family members and friends. But the fateful night is somehow the point zero, where many things happened and started - and while the characters have somehow coped, some better than others, there never have been tell-it-all conversations, they bear their pain and/or shame themselves. But Elle is getting married and Cassie’s death’s anniversary is also these days. Time to face the pain and maybe time to be freed from it. Time for hard conversations and vulnerability.

Read this. You are not alone with your hidden pain and brokenness. Sure, in novels it is always easier. But novels mirror the life.

OH this book!!! SO SO SO GOOD! Make sure you have a box or two of tissues because you are going to need them. This book was painfully beautiful. I love that Ms. Walsh writes real life Christian characters. Because life is messy and we don't always make the right choices, but God's grace is so much bigger than that. This is a book I will be re reading more than once. it was phenomenal.

I did not realize I was getting into a religious sort of novel.

That being said the book was well written, but it was not what I was expecting.

2.5

A turmoil wedding story that didn't leave anything to the imagination. An average story told.

I just couldn't get into this book very much but I had to finish reading it as I was curious on how it would end. This book just wasn't for me and I found myself unable to get really into it.

This one was quite simply a miss for me. There was a lot of drinking and a lot of flashbacks to even more drinking. There weren’t a lot of people in the story who actually had anything stable in their lives, and for most of the book the pastor’s wife (pastor and his wife being one of the only stable relationships in the character pool) comes across as super judgy and opinionated. I normally love stories of people overcoming there pasts, but in this one the balance felt off because the past was still stuck to the characters like a ball and chain around their ankles, and while the ending was good an enjoyable, I’d have liked more of that hope and positivity to enjoy; it just felt brief after the whole wading-through-old-junk phase of the first 90%.

Also I had a bit of suspension of belief that a psychologist would prop up a marriage for ten years and that it would crumble so suddenly after not being nurtured for that long; the time frame needed to be there for the story to work, but the execution was a stretch for me.

I’ll be looking forward to the next Courtney Walsh book! The miss of this one is just because my drama-tolerance is low. If you read a lot of YA, this one may be enjoyable to you.

Content:
drinking
getting drunk
references to having sex and a flashback fade to black scene

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free reading copy. A favorable review was not required. I actually “read” the final-version audiobook instead.

In Things Left Unsaid, Lyndie St. James returns to Sweethaven with mixed feelings – she’s thrilled her best friend Ellie Porter is getting married but dreads the memories that will surface. Their childhood friend Cassie Jacobs died tragically ten years ago. Her death impacts Cassie’s family, Lyndie, and Elle, in ways that have affect their relationships and their future. With Lyndie’s return, each has a choice to deal with the past. Will they leave things unsaid like they have, or be brave enough to work through the darkness within?

Walsh presents an emotional story of people who grieve the loss of a friend, sister, and daughter, and the impact of that loss on their life. She creates a cast of realistic characters, leading the reader through the journey the character makes in this story. This is not a lighthearted story but one that will make the reader to think about their own life.

With multiple points of view, the reader identifies with the relationships that are drifting apart from the things left unsaid after Cassie’s death. Lyndie, a songwriter whose lyrics are falling flat, needs to face her past, move forward, and accept God’s forgiveness. Cassie’s brother, now a Christian, accepts God’s forgiveness, but he can’t forgive himself. Cassie’s parents struggle in their marriage because they grieve Cassie’s death differently. Even Ellie has secrets of her own. None of them speak of it to one another. Their journeys engage the reader, causing them to re-examine their own life. Will they embrace hope instead of drowning in their grief?

Every now and then it's good emotional exercise to pick up a book that deals with the tough parts of everyday life that few of us like to talk about--forgiveness, grace, getting over the darkness of our past. All of us have something that haunts us from "back then"--a decision we'd have made differently, words we'd take back if we could. But it isn't easy to face grief and forgiveness separately, let alone when there's cause to face them together.

Walsh does a beautiful job weaving the points of view in this story to create an emotional, heart-warming tale of how ten years past a tragedy can seem like either days or an eternity when it comes to how the mind and the heart work together to weigh us down with our mistakes. The best part pf the story comes, in typical Walsh form, with the proverbial "light at the end of the tunnel" sentiment--the hope each and every one of us has in getting over our past. We see it play out in the lives of these characters and it's realistic and relatable enough to make us believe happy endings can be for everyone.

Courtney Walsh has written a heart-wrenching story of friends and family getting together ten years after a tragic accident. These characters have been separated by years of silence and each has a wound. Yet Walsh brings these characters back together again in an engrossing story that had me turning pages. She adds a rocky romance that turns out to be rather romantic. As lessons are learned and words spoken, healing begins. Contemporary fiction fans will love the way that Courtney Walsh weaves together this tale from different character’s perspectives revealing portions of the secret along the way. I was given a copy of this book by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. There were some twist and turns as you go through the pages. That's something I love in a book.

The characters were well developed and you found yourself loving some and hating others. Your heart will ache at some of the experiences they endured in their teen years. There are lots of things that are left unsaid. But you will slowly learn of the secrets, the feelings of guilt, thoughts of insecurity that have kept them captive for 10 years.

The sense of forgiveness, compassion, and grace flows throughout the story. While you will get to the point where you want to say, "Go ahead and just say it!", the wait is worth it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my unbiased review. I am looking forward to more books by this author.

Things Left Unsaid is an emotionally charged story of loss that changed the lives of several people in a summer town of Sweethaven, Michigan. Three families spent every summer in this lake town where they became close friends. Cassie and Lyndie were friends from a young age and then they met Elle, a local girl, in the grocery store. Cassie and Lyndie had the life of a normal well to do family. Elle's mother worked in a bar and neglected her. They all became friends during the summer. Cassie's older brother Tucker lived a wild, carefree life and was friends with Travis. Cassie had a crush on Travis and unknown to her, so did Elle. Lyndie had a crush on Tucker. Oh, the trials of young love. All was well until one terrible night when Cassie was tragically killed.
Ten years later, Elle and Travis met up again in Chicago, date, get engaged and plan to marry in Sweethaven, where they met. Elle wants Lyndie to be her maid of honor and Travis wants Tucker to be his best man. Lyndie is a songwriter living in Nashville. Tucker has an adventure business in San Diego. The wedding is to take place the week of the ten year anniversary of Cassie's death. Cassie's parents have a celebration of life planned for Thursday night. Travis's mom has a whole week of wedding events to celebrate the marriage. Each of the girls and Tucker are carrying a load of guilt and regret surrounding Cassie's death. They all feel responsible in some way for not being there for her when she died. Each will have to deal with their feelings before they can move forward. There are secrets held close, feelings of unworthiness and shame. This story started out heavy for me. I was not sure how it would be resolved but it turned out to be a wonderful story of faith and grace....one of self forgiveness and asking for forgiveness, facing the feelings of unworthiness head-on. It is a lovely story of moving on, acceptance and cleansing.
I received a complimentary ARC from Waterfall Press through NetGalley. All thoughts expressed are mine only.

Things Left Unsaid by Courtney Walsh is an emotionally charged, powerful novel. I love this author’s books and find them consistent good reads. But this novel is something else altogether. This novel grips your heart quickly and doesn’t let go. Ms Walsh excels at storytelling but here she absolutely shines! The deep, heart wrenching characterization is remarkable. The characters have long histories that are very intertwined. The developments of the plot and the lessons they need to learn— it all happens so realistically and beautifully. I highly recommend this novel. It is one of the most emotionally resonant novels I’ve read in a long time. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

Wow! It’s been awhile since I have read a book that was so real and raw... we have all done things in our lives that we have a hard time admitting to ourselves. We would rather put them away... hide them, bury them in a deep dark place. If you have not, then that is great, for others it is all too real.. This book will possibly help someone... show them that God forgives. He gives grace and that sometimes we just need to forgive ourselves and let go.

I feel strongly that God gives the gift of writing and He can use books like this to change lives!

This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more of her books!

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley on behalf of the Publisher and was under no obligation to post a favorable review.

I received a free copy of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. This book takes place in Sweethaven and is the core location where childhood friends meet on the 10 year anniversary of one of the friends death, and wedding of another friend in the same circle. The group has not been back together like this since the untimely death of one of their own. It started off a little slow for me, but once I was a few chapters in, I couldn't put it down. While it focuses around grief, it shows each character accepting and dealing with it in different ways, including all the secrets, each of them have. Courtney Walsh is a sympathetic writer; she finds a way to reveal all the secrets from each friend, as there is an underlying message, and once you find what it is, it will be bring you to tears. This is a light, feel good read with a hint of spirituality when it comes to knowing right from wrong.

When Cassie Jacobs drowned, she left behind a lot of messed-up people blaming themselves for her death.

Ten years later, people are pretending they’ve moved on. Cassie’s mother has organised a memorial party. Her father is withdrawn. Her brother owns an adventure tourism business. One of Cassie’s best friends getting married. Another is on the verge of a career breakthrough … if only she can open herself up to feeling emotion again.

Things Left Unsaid is one of those novels with a slow build. We’re introduced to each of the characters and their somewhat petty present-day problems (many of which are caused by the interfering Nora, Elle’s future mother-in-law). But as the plot develops and we get to know each of the characters, we start seeing beyond the petty and into their hearts as Walsh takes us into the hidden places and we see the hurts and where they’ve come from.

And that’s neither petty nor pretty. But it is powerful. And it’s worth reading.

But, as I said, the novel has a slow build. The first quarter feels almost confusing as it changes point of view often: Lyndie, Elle, Karen, Tucker. The story settles into itself in the next quarter, but it still feels like it’s lacking something. It’s lacking emotion, but that’s deliberate: all the characters are holding back emotionally, and that comes through in the writing.

The novel really comes into itself in the final quarter. Secrets are acknowledged, things once left unsaid are said, and the emotion arrives like a roller coaster on that final downward swoop. Things Left Unsaid definitely hits all the right spots for a contemporary Christian romance with a side of real life.

Recommended for fans of authors like Robin Lee Hatcher, Denise Hunter, Kara Isaac, Amy Matayo, and Becky Wade.

Thanks to Waterfall Press and NetGalley for providing a free ebook for review.

Things Left Unsaid is another heartfelt story by Courtney Walsh and is definitely worth reading. Courtney writes stories that pull you in making you feel like you are right there with the characters in her books experiencing all of the love, heartache and forgiveness that they all experience. Her books can leave emotionally raw, but all along you're rooting for that happily ever after that you know is yet to come.

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost, but now am found...."

Guilt, grief, regret, shame, and secrets meet grace, forgiveness, and second chances in an exceptional novel. I have become a little disillusioned with some of the fiction I've been reading and its predictable plots, but this book leaves me wishing for more. Yes, it has the guy meets girl and the predictable ending, in a way, but it is filled with so many deeper things.

A decade has gone by and the guilt and grief, regret and shame have only continued to hound at the doorsteps of three different individuals. Another couple is at loose ends and only coexisting because they too don't know how to go on together anymore. Everyone is reunited by a wedding and a celebration of life. Tucker has been told that some things need to be spoken aloud so that he can really find and accept forgiveness and the ability to fully go forward and live life. He gains the courage to do just that and so do the others. Of course, in the end, everything does work out and yet, it is also a portrait of God. I don't know if Courtney intended it to be that or not, but when the real truth, the deep secrets come out, each person finds themself still fully loved and accepted. And that is how God is. He loves us and He wants us to come clean with Him and seek His forgiveness.

I just don't want to say much about the characters themselves, because I'm not sure how to say anything without completely giving away the story and I can't do that. You need to read the book and see for yourself how amazing grace can be and how found you can feel when you let go of the secrets, tear down the walls, and let someone else share your pain with you.

I received this book from Waterfall Press through NetGalley and was not required to write a positive review.

I’ve been a fan of Courtney Walsh since the first book of hers I had the privilege of reading. She gives me such rich communities filled with relate-able people and a romance that typically isn’t over the top. Ya’ll know that romance isn’t the seller for me in a book and story is. I can take or leave a romance but when it’s built into something that captures my attention then I’ll take it. ‘Things Left Unsaid’ is a romance, it’s actually a couple of romances, but it’s so much more than that as well. It’s a known fact that earlier this year my best friend past away. Last year? Another good friend passed as well. Sometimes I feel like I’m drowning, still. Sometimes, I get caught up in life and for a moment I might forget . . . until I go to make that phone call I can never make again. I’ve not even made the one year anniversary so I certainly can’t begin to fathom the 10 year anniversary. I do hope, however, that I’ve achieved a greater since of healing in 10 years. I like to believe that I am forever moving forward, even when it feels less than incremental, and won’t stagnate like so many of this community have. I guess, literally, only time will tell.

OK, so I mentioned all the romance this book brings us. It’s the culmination of a forbidden romance a decade in the making, it’s the ignition of a romance that was avoided a decade ago, and it’s the rekindling of a romance that went stagnate for a decade. Cementing love through a wedding, finding love in a past crush, and finally finding healing in a marriage. All based around the 10th anniversary of a best friend, a sister, a daughter. I told you, all the romance. However, it was sweet and so well integrated that it didn’t set my slow burnout of romance on edge. It worked for me. Walsh avoided all the romance cliches that drive me batty. I think I adore her even more now. There are, however, a couple of things I didn’t adore. Yup, this is the part I dread.

Pacing. I feel like it took so long to actually get into the story. I had to hear everyone’s ‘head talk’ and circle talk, and almost self-pity feeling mumbo jumbo that I was ready to Gibbs’ smack every last one of them. I struggled to truly buy into the idea that some things weren’t resolved in the intervening decade of when this group was last together. The hurt read so fresh that it was hard to believe it had been a decade. I mean I can understand a lingering ache, a stab of hurt as these memories are being brought back to the forefront but I struggled to buy that it was this fresh after so much time. That is why this book is only four stars from me. The thing is though, that while I was distracted by the need to smack these guys into actual real life communication I also adored them. I was drawn into their romances and pain. I was drawn into their hurts and their joys. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a solid romance, a good redemption story, or just needs to work through some loss and hurt of their own. There is no wrong audience for this book!

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.