The book jacket description of Unspeakable Things implies some kind of strange (supernatural) aspects at work. The book is intriguing and made me want to keep reading to find out what was going on, but it never really paid off. There is a lot of description from the main character, Cassie, of her father climbing up the stairs to their bedrooms. There is a lot of insinuation about what happens to change the boys, and also what Cassie's father is doing to both her and her sister, but the ending leaves the reader feeling as though the questions aren't really answered.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I oscillated a lot between rating this book with 2 or 3 stars. Eventually, I gave it 3 because I realized that the story is pretty worthy and the problem for me was mostly that it was not exactly my cup of tea.

The storyline was fine, the characters were credible enough, the voice of the child narrator was strong and innocent in the same time, with many moments to remind you of both the naivety and the sharpness of a child’s mind.

There’s something terrible, terrible dark that lurks in the background and starts to poison the atmosphere, something that you can only guess from the shadows initially, but soon after, it starts to intoxicate all the thoughts, actions and the whole existence of the protagonist. And I’m not talking here only about the horrible events that are marking the life of the small town where Cassie lives, but about something way closer, something so wrong and disturbing that it might become difficult to read. There are things that stain lives forever and the author did a great job approaching such a hard topic, with an unbelievable ease, without adopting a dramatic tone or trying to turn into a psychologist. Choosing to tell the story from a 12 years old protagonist definitely helped delivering the facts with bluntness and intensity.

What made me dread reading was not the course of action, not the events happening but rather the rhythm of the story. I do understand that exactly the slow development of the storyline was what made it even more sickening, the mix of the very normal and plain days with the sudden repulsive secrets, but for me personally, this stagnant style does nothing else than decrease my interest and curiosity.

But the fact that Unspeakable Things was not a fast or absolutely captivating read for me doesn’t make me consider it a bad novel. I do appreciate the courage to approach such sensitive topics, I admired the dark atmosphere created and the ways the author draw the whole painting. The speed of the narrative was the only issue I had with the book.

This book is based on true events, which makes it even more fascinating. The author wrote a novel filled with suspense about the disappearance and reappearance of boys in Minnesota. However, they return moody, withdrawn and violent. The author's ability to write a great novel and a tribute to her hometown make this a read that I highly recommend.

The dynamics in Cassie's family are odd. The author does not give specifics but you can guess what may be going on. I live in MN and was a few years younger than Jacob Wetterling when he was kidnapped. I didn't live that far from where it happened and it changed how we as kids played outside and caused fear. I jumped back and forth between a few people on who I thought was responsible for changing the boys that went missing. I didn't realize the epilogue was posted on the author's page until I read some of the reviews after finishing the book. I enjoyed the book and I tend to pick books that take place in MN so I will read other books by this author. Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC. #UnspeakableThings #NetGalley

Cassie McDowell is a young teenager growing up in Minnesota. She has a sister who is two years older. She has a very unusual relationship with her parents, especially her father. Every night she sleeps under her bed or in her closet. Her parents are known for the parties they throw, which have become increasingly disturbing. Cassie starts to notice that her dad seems to be meeting with a local police officer and she believes they are up to no good.

Things get even worse for Cassie when boys from her school start getting abducted, but returned soon after. They appear normal, yet different in a scary way. Cassie decides she needs to try to figure out what is happening on her own.

This was a very unique book, in that it was told from the perspective of a young teen girl. You really have to pay attention and read between the lines to figure out what is going on. There is so much more to the story than just the abducted boys. I really enjoyed this story and look forward to reading other books by this author.

A book based on teenagers. This book was very disturbing because of the topic involved. Something you never want to happen to your children. I couldn't stop reading it as I wanted to know who had done this disgusting acts.

I just don't know. I went back and forth often over this one. There was always something almost happening. A lot of weirdness that seemed to be there for no good reason. And then everything happened. It never melded together as one story. It would start to get creepy and then it would...not.

*thank you to the author for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

The plot is dark, slow-burning, and disturbing. I didn't have a lot of interest in this one, so I found myself skimming most of the pages. I also thought the ending was a bit abrupt and desired more of a resolution with the characters. (+0)

The small-town world that Lourey creates seems to come right out of a retro '80s movie. Everyone knows everything about everyone, and all the neighbors know of the creepy man at the edge of town. (+1)

The writing style can be a little odd at times. There were many sentences that I had to read multiple times to comprehend them. (+0)

The book is organized and straightforward. (+1)

The main character is smart, mature, and brave despite her dysfunctional family. I enjoyed reading the book from her perspective as she slowly pieced together who was attacking the boys in the town. (+1)

Overall, this book was a 3 star read for me. If you are looking for a dark and disturbing mystery, then this one is for you.

I unfortunately didnt really like this book and found myself not really retaining much that I was reading. I had a lot going on and maybe will try to read this again in the future.

A great story based on real life events. I enjoyed the plot and it gave me shivers to know it had real aspects to it.

I would rate this book 2.5 out of 5 stars.

I was really interested in the premise of this story and the author's motivations for writing the book. Unfortunately, this book just really didn't work for me.

The story was a bit all over the place and left way too many unanswered questions for my taste and had a few too many details that didn't seem to make sense to me.

This was a very dark and disturbing book. It is about loss of innocence in children namely boys. There is a thirteen year old girl trying to solve the mysterious disappearance and reappearance of the boyswho came back changed. It is a worthwhile read and it kept me turning pages well after bedtime.

This book was middle of the road for me. It was fine, but not one I would scream from the rooftops about.
Told from the perspective of preteen/teen Cassie, it explores the disappearances of young boys in her town who come back 'changed'.
There were some things I found very well done. I liked the period of time the story was set in, the small town claustrophobia and the curfew for the children. All of that created fantastic atmosphere.
Unfortunately, I had trouble enjoying the voice of the young narrator (when told from children's pov they are very much hit or miss for me).
I see some reviewers have really loved this one, so I suggest you pick it up for yourself and see if you do too.

Cassie McDowell lives in a farm in Minnesota with her parents. She loves school and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Her life is only marred by her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests.

Everything changes when children are attacked in Lilydale. Local boys go missing and then they return violent, moody, and withdrawn. Then the boy who Cassie likes goes missing, but he doesn't return. Cassie takes it upon herself to hunt for him.

I loved the author's writing style, the atmosphere she was able to create. There was a feeling of menace whenever Cassie was at home. And though Cassie was just 12, she was a wonderful protagonist. But what really put me off was the way the book ended. Though we got to know what happened to the missing boys, the ending seemed incomplete. Maybe it's just me, but I wish the author had tied things up neatly before ending.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this book.

Unspeakable Things is a very fitting title for this novel. In a small Minnesota town, young Cassie is growing up during a disturbing time. Young men are going missing and coming back changed. This book was disturbing and almost unbelievable. It kept me reading, but I was a bit disappointed in the end.

DNF at about 25%. I couldn't do it, subject matter too much for me. I thought of what I did read, the actual writing wasn't an issue, but I just couldn't bring myself to keep picking this one up.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this copy in exchange for my honest feedback/review.

Horrific subject matter, too many awful people and loose ends

The writing was fine. It actually was fun to go back to being a kid in the 80’s so the references were fun. There are reviews that state Cassie seems much younger than her 12 years but those were simpler times in the burbs. She was a quirky character but I found her engaging.

The story, though, it drags. It takes so long to get anywhere (not that a crapload of bizarre shit isn’t happening in the meantime) in regard to the main storyline... The side stories don’t add much other than shock factor (where the heck is a child welfare agent? Probably at the swingers party too🤮).

The story seems to gets muddled by too many people and side stories. It almost becomes insignificant and wraps up too harshly (and much too late in timeline) to even register that this was the actual purpose. I guess there is an epilogue available upon request. Why wouldn’t you include that and tie things up? This was just a very odd experience.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for a review.

I'm not going to let them steal my childhood.

Cassie McDowell narrates her fears, hopes, love, and her wit in how she dealt with the Unspeakable Things in her home life and community in Minnesota. When boys on her bus are taken and come back changed, Cassie wants to search for answers. Loosely set against of the abduction of boys in Paynesville, Minnesota, and the eventual murder of one boy, the author uses Cassie McDowell to tell the story of how it happened. Why these boys were not believed. It is a perfect narration of Middle School and the power struggle of students to fit in and to find their place in school, at home and with friends. Cassie is a likable character as she is contemplative and vulnerable. She is terrified of her father and how he acts around other women. Especially at the family parties given twice year. She doesn't understand why her mother stays married to him when she is successful working at her school and her father acts like a bum. She doesn't understand her sister who suddenly changes from innocence to all knowing. And she doesn't understand the boys that ride her bus with their tough talk until she meets her new neighbor 10 year old Frank whom she feels protective towards and a purpose of their relationship.

It is her bravery and loyalty that the unspeakable things have a voice. I appreciated that with the content of this book, it was not descriptive but more implied. That goes a long way for me especially when it deals with kids.

A Special Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest revi

When I read that this story was loosely based on the kidnapping of Jacob Wetterling, I knew I needed to read it. For those that aren’t familiar with this case- I definitely recommend listening to the podcast In The Dark. In a small town in Minnesota, 1989, eleven-year-old Jacob was riding his bike home from a convenience store with friends after dark and was taken by a masked man. His abduction remained a mystery for 27 years until the man responsible finally confessed to kidnapping and murdering this young boy. This author grew up in Minnesota and this case has always haunted her so she wrote this fictional story in memory of the many boys that were abducted in her home state.

I grew up in a small town in the Midwest and like the teenagers in this story, I stayed out after dark, biked miles to my friends’ homes and rode a bus to school without fear. But in this story, as young boys go missing, fear sets in and this small town enforces a strict curfew- no kids out after 9 p.m. Cassie, a 12 year old girl who knows many of these boys feels that no one is doing anything to figure out what is happening in their town. She is determined to do her own investigating, especially when her teenage crush is among the victims. Cassie more than anyone knows what it is like to live in fear of monsters, even in her own home.

This book was really dark and was truly hard to read at times. I felt for Cassie and the emotional turmoil she experienced was too much at times. Prepare yourselves before reading this one- you will be disturbed, you will be terrified and this story will break your heart.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Publishing for this copy.

DNF'd at 30% and you're probably wondering how I am able to give it a 3 star rating. That's because the writing itself is superb and I really liked the main character. However, I read this book , without knowing anything about it, because of 5 star ratings from readers opinion I agree with most of the time . This book ended up being so far out off my comfort Zone that I simply couldn't make myself continue reading. The story made me uncomfortable, uneasy and I could stomach reading it unfold.