You Don’t Know Me is the story of Alice and Noah who meet and instantly fall in love. But, as the title suggests, they both have secrets they’re hiding which may place the other in peril.

I’d read Foster’s Beneath the Shadows and had a few issues with it. I was kind of surprised, however, that a lot of my issues with You Don’t Know Me were pretty similar, considering how many books Foster had written in between the two (as in, rookie errors should be behind her).

For a start, there’s plot holes. I won’t point any out (spoilers!) but after reading I could probably give Foster a list so it poses the question as to why couldn’t her editor?

The mystery plot was pretty light on. There were only a couple of possibilities as to the identity of the killer, so the reveal near the did not come as much of a shock. The book was more of a romance than a mystery though. And alas I was not particularly invested in the romance (as I said, it was instant love and this meant there was no real buildup).

I did like the Thai setting and Foster had obviously visited the area as it all seemed very authentic. The Australian Blue Mountains setting, I thought, was pretty wasted. Alice was a climber but Foster didn’t take advantage of her character’s hobby once she arrived in this popular Aussie climbing location.

The book wasn’t the worst I’ve read this year but I did expect more. Maybe 3 out of 5

EXCERPT: 'Lizzie?'
The search parties move through the forest shortly after dawn, flashes of neon jackets among the trees, the slumbering air stirring towards an early morning chill. They call her name again and again, then wait, hoping for something in return. But the only response is the agitated shrieks of parrots and the occasional rustle of panicked creatures in the undergrowth.

ABOUT 'YOU DON'T KNOW ME': He’s guarding a dark secret, but so is she.

Lizzie Burdett was eighteen when she vanished, and Noah Carruso has never forgotten her. She was his first crush, his unrequited love. She was also his brother’s girlfriend.

Tom Carruso hasn’t been home in over a decade. He left soon after Lizzie disappeared, under a darkening cloud of suspicion, and now he’s back for the inquest into Lizzie’s death – intent on telling his side of the story.

As the inquest looms, Noah meets Alice Pryce on holiday. They fall for each other fast and hard, but Noah can’t bear to tell Alice his deepest fears. And Alice is equally stricken – she carries a terrible secret of her own.

Is the truth worth telling if it will destroy everything?

MY THOUGHTS: What starts off as a holiday romance soon develops into a pulse-pounding thriller - psychological and otherwise. You Don't Know Me is a novel heavy on blame, shame and guilt. It is a story of love, family dynamics, mystery and manipulation. Once started, I could not put this down and fell asleep reading.

You Don't Know Me is written from the dual points of view of Noah Carruso and Alice Pryce who meet in Thailand. Noah is on holiday, Alice works as an English language teacher. It's really not the right time for a romance for either of them; Noah has commitments at home and Alice can't return home. Each has unresolved trauma in their past; secrets they are unwilling to fully reveal. But the past has a way of catching up with you, and it does - for both of them - setting off a cataclysmic chain of events.

Foster's writing is fast paced and evocative. I loved the Thailand travels, and the parts of the book set in New South Wales, particularly the Blue Mountains, made me feel nostalgic for my time there. She knows how to ramp up the tension and draw out a pivotal scene. Her characters are very real, to the point where I felt I was in the same room as them; a fly on the wall. The ending took me by surprise; it was so perfect and so unexpected.

I loved You Don't Know Me. It's the first book I have read by Sara Foster, but it won't be my last.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

#YouDontKnowMe #NetGalley

THE AUTHOR: I live in Perth, Western Australia, with my husband and two young daughters.

Before I was a writer I worked as a book editor, at first in-house at HarperCollins UK and then freelance.

I was born and raised in England, but I’ve always had family connections to Australia. I met my husband Matt when I was nineteen. We both love to travel, and we tend to pick places where we can pursue our passions for animal encounters and the natural world. Our highlights include four months in South-East Asia, including chartering a tiny vessel to Komodo Island and staying amongst the dragons. We got engaged on an island full of monkeys in Halong Bay, Vietnam, and for our honeymoon we visited Machu Picchu, Iguazu Falls, the Galapagos Islands, and travelled into the heart of the Manu Biosphere of the Amazon to see everything from capybaras to caimans. We have taken our two young girls to Japan, China, Singapore, the UK and Lapland, but Covid has meant we have spent the last couple of years exploring Western Australia – Dirk Hartog Island, Dunsborough and Walpole’s Valley of the Giants being some of the highlights. Whenever life allows, we’re always keen to have another adventure.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Simon & Schuster (Australia) for providing a digital ARC of You Don't Know Me by Sara Foster for review. All opinions expressed in this review are my own personal opinions.

This story was fast paced and very well written with lots of twists and revelations. I was hooked from the very beginning. I found it impossible to put it down. The narrative is told by the 2 main characters . There are lots of different genres in this story , drama, suspense, romance ... The writing just flowed and I highly recommend this book by Australian author Sara Foster.

‘As he reaches the threshold, the next words pierce him like bullets in the darkness. “I know what happened to Lizzie.”


‘You Don't Know Me’ is another great read from Aussie author Sara Foster. With good pacing and plenty of twists with well timed revelations that will keep you turning the pages. Told from the perspectives of the two leading characters - Noah and Alice - this is an absorbing family drama with a lot of mystery and a little romance thrown in for good measure.

Sara investigates the many complicated family and community dynamics after the mysterious disappearance of Lizzie both in the past and throughout the current day inquest. With little love lost between some family members, many an accusatory finger is pointed at a range of suspects as underlying regrets and old rivalries surface. The guilt and anger increase to a rather climactic ending.

The inclusion of Alice and her story is an aside and may be just a stimulus to resurface the many emotions all involved parties are feeling. It provides a good outlet for the exploration of the emotional toll such incidents can have on individuals.


“Are you listening to me? You can’t change the past, and it sounds like you didn’t have much say about it in the first place. So why are you clinging so hard ...why can’t you let it go?”







This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release.

What an incredibly dramatic story! I was totally captivated and could barely stop reading.

The publishers ‘blurb’ is an excellent appetising introduction to this fast moving story which has many twists and turns.

The story is told via two main characters Noah and Alice, who have an immediate rapport but have a lot going on in their lives. Their path isn’t an easy one and the story follows them as they each deal with their past and those in their family.

The character development was excellent with Noah contrasting with his older brother Tom with a lot of conflict and tension. Alice has an obvious connection to the missing Lizzie with their red hair. The relationships between the characters demonstrated a lot of depth and drew the reader into the story.

Highly recommended read.

Thank you to Netgalley and publisher Simon & Schuster (Australia) for a copy to read and revi

Book Blurb...
He’s guarding a deep secret ... But so is she.
A stunning new thriller about the burden of shame from blockbuster author Sara Foster
Lizzie Burdett was eighteen when she vanished, and Noah Carruso has never forgotten her. She was his first crush, his unrequited love. She was also his brother’s girlfriend.
Tom Carruso hasn’t been home in over a decade. He left soon after Lizzie disappeared under a darkening cloud of suspicion, and now he’s back for the inquest into Lizzie’s death – intent on telling his side of the story. As the inquest looms, Noah meets Alice Pryce on holiday. They fall for each other fast and hard, but Noah can’t bear to tell Alice his deepest fears. And Alice is equally stricken – she carries a terrible secret of her own. Is the truth worth telling if it will destroy everything?

My Thoughts…

PLOT: The mystery surrounding a girl's death. The author used a podcast as a device to help uncover the truth. This is not the first novel I’ve read in recent times to use a podcast as part of the narrative. I have a feeling it will not be the last!
PACE: The author has made this novel more about depth than an edge-of-your seat ride. That said, the story was engaging from start to end.
LANDSCAPE: Partly set in Palm Beach, on Sydney’s norther beaches—an area I remember well from my youth—and contrasted with the surrounds of Thailand.
LIKEABLE CHARACTERS / UNLIKABLE CHARACTERS: Again, the focus was on the mystery. The characters played their roles, the mystery was solved.
OVERALL FEELINGS ABOUT THE STORY: The two main characters developed a relationship and, I thought, fell in love. But the author delivered a bit of a plot twist, with an ending that surprised me, but it was not my favourite part of the novel.
I have read and loved many Sarah Foster novels and I wish I could say I loved this as much as all the others. But to be fair, I have taken longer than usual to read this story due to life (and fires) getting in the way.

Twelve years ago, Lizzie Burdett disappeared - and for the Carruso family, nothing has ever been the same since. Tom was Lizzie’s boyfriend, and the prime suspect, but with nothing ever found, he wasn’t charged. This story is told from the perspective of Tom’s younger brother Noah, only 15 when Lizzie vanished, who has a strained relationship with Tom and is struggling to find his own way in life. On a holiday escape in Thailand, Noah meets Alice, who reminds him of Lizzie at first, but soon Noah has fallen for Alice for her own sake.

Alice has secrets and trauma in her own past, though, and it soon becomes obvious that neither of them are in the right headspace for a relationship, no matter how well suited they are or how much they want to make it work. Returning to Australia to attend Lizzie’s inquest, Noah must face the past and accept that he may never know what happened to Lizzie… or discover that he doesn’t really want to know the truth after all.

This is a superbly-written whodunnit with a twist I genuinely didn’t see coming, but which, in hindsight, made complete sense. Noah’s romance with Alice acts as an interesting vehicle for the reader to get information without it being info-dumped, as Noah shares rather naturally with Alice, and in turn we get to see just what in Alice’s past makes her understand Noah so well. While this isn’t precisely a romance (no happy ending) there’s rather an open ending which leaves the possibility of an HEA in the future.

There’s some genuinely great writing here, with a unique angle as a crime podcast follows the events of Lizzie’s disappearance, realistic characters whose pain was almost tangible as I read, and an absolutely believable storyline. A five-star read and easily one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Alice Pryce had been in Thailand for the past three months, teaching English to the Thai children. Noah Carruso was on holidays in Thailand, away from the family restaurant in Sydney which had always drained his energy. When Noah and Alice met, the sparks were immediate; they spent the last days of Noah’s holiday exploring; being tourists and making memories.

When Noah arrived home, the looming inquest into eighteen-year-old Lizzie Burdett’s disappearance twelve years prior had the Carruso family on edge. Tom, Noah’s older brother, had been Lizzie’s boyfriend and the suspicion that he’d had something to do with her disappearance was always there. Noah, only fifteen at the time, had long suspected that the media were right about his brother. But would they find answers at the inquest?

What could possibly be the outcome for Alice and Noah – both carrying secrets they wanted no one to know?

You Don’t Know Me by Aussie author Sara Foster is a gripping, intense psychological thriller which I thoroughly enjoyed. I found it hard to put down, wanting to know what was coming next. Family dynamics and the pressure of “doing the right thing” is blended throughout this book, while guilt has a strong part, along with plenty of twists and red herrings. A great read, I have no hesitation in recommending You Don’t Know Me to fans of the genre.

With thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital ARC to read in exchange for an honest review.

“The search parties move through the forest shortly after dawn, flashes of neon jackets among the trees, the slumbering air stirring towards an early morning chill. They call her name again and again, then wait, hoping for something in return.”

For just a moment, when Noah glimpses a woman with long red hair on a ferry while holidaying In Thailand escaping the pressures of work and family, he thinks it could be his brother’s missing girlfriend, Lizzie, more than a decade later and thousands of kilometres from where she was last seen. Of course it’s not, but he is drawn to the beautiful redheaded stranger, and when he sees her next, he learns her name.

Alice is almost half way through her six month contract teaching English in Thailand, having fled Australia in search of anonymity. She’s not looking for anything that might complicate her attempt at building a new life for herself, but she finds Noah irresistible.

Though Noah has to return to Sydney in a few days, and Alice can’t leave Thailand, they embark on a passionate affair, and vow to find a way to make their relationship work, but the truth is, sometimes love just isn’t enough.

Unfolding from the perspectives of Noah, and Alice, You Don’t Know Me is an absorbing story of family drama, mystery, and romance from Sara Foster.

Foster deftly explores the complicated dynamics that has both shaped and ultimately twisted the members of the Carruso family. Meeting Alice causes Noah to question the path he has taken in life stirring up lots of family drama that is exacerbated by the return of Noah’s older brother, Tom, after an eleven year absence. With no love lost between the two brothers stemming from childhood rivalry and the uncertainty surrounding Lizzie’s disappearance, the tension ratchets, and then explodes, just as a coronial inquiry to determine Lizzie’s fate forces Noah to confront the guilt, shame, and anger he has been repressing for years.

I was intrigued by the mystery surrounding Lizzie’s disappearance, the details of which are communicated through the transcript of a podcast. Foster presents several suspects, and creates some stunning twists as the coronial inquiry plays out. I was left guessing about what happened to Lizzie, and who was responsible, until very nearly the end.

While Noah struggles with his conscience, Alice unexpectedly returns to Australia when her father is badly injured and must face her own demons. The combined drama and its emotional toll leaves its mark on Noah and Alice’s fledgling relationship, which Foster explores thoughtfully as they try to support one another through all the turmoil, and desperately attempt to hold on to the joy they find in each other.

I found You Don’t Know Me to be gripping novel with a dramatic story and captivating romance.

Sara Foster has become an auto read for me and I’m happy to say this lived up to expectations.

Alice has been living in Bangkok and teaching English in a local school, the last thing she expects is to fall hard for Noah, a fellow Australian on holiday in Thailand. But both have been tormented by situations in life, can they overcome these barriers to move on?

There is a wonderful sense of time and place in this book. I felt both Alice and Noah were very realistic and I could feel for both their situations. Especially Noah and the expectations that were placed on him with the family restaurant.
Snippets of a podcast threaded through the book was very effective, detailing the disappearance of Lizzie fifteen years ago, who happened to be the girlfriend of Tom, Noah’s older brother. I could also feel the menace of Tom towards Noah in those younger years.

Due to life, I was a little slow with reading the first half of this book but I raced through the second half in one evening. A very entertaining read, that certainly had me guessing.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy to read.

When Noah meets Alice in Thailand he is stunned, swept off his feet not only by the stunning girl, but by how much she looks like his brother's girlfriend Lizzie, who disappeared in mysterious circumstances twelve years ago. However holiday romances must come to an end, and Noah reluctantly leave Alice behind teaching English in Bangkok and return to his family's restaurant in Sydney.

All is not going well at home though, the inquest into Lizzie's disappearance is quickly coming up, and his estranged brother will be turning up for it from wherever he ran off to after he lost Lizzie.. Noah's parents are making more and more demands of him at the restaurant, selfishly not allowing him to have his own life. Then he hears from Alice, she's back in Sydney for family reasons.

Noah is feeling totally overwhelmed, not in control of his own life, and his relationship with Alice could be a blessing, or not. For Alice is hiding a secret of her own...

I did enjoy You Don't Know Me, It was easy and quick to read, yet I never felt really sucked in and invested in the plot. Alice's secret I found quite transparent, and though I wasn't entirely sure what happened to Lizzie, I narrowed the suspects down early on. I found the relationship between Noah and Alice to be realistic, yet the family situations they found themselves in simultaneously, not so much. Having said this I recommend this novel as a good beach/holiday read.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Another great read from another great Aussie author. You Don't Know Me was a super quick read for me. I started it on Saturday night and by lunchtime on Sunday I was finished. The story was written at a fast pace and there were plenty of twists and revelations to keep you hooked right from the very beginning. I have read one other book by Sara Foster and will be looking out for more.

Alice is an Aussie living and working as an English teacher in Thailand. Noah is an Aussie on holiday in Thailand. When they meet at a Buddhist temple sparks fly and they fall hard for each other. So much so that Noah extends his holiday to spend more time with her. Both of them have big secrets in their pasts and tell each other just enough. Eventually Noah has to return to Sydney to run his families restaurant and Alice stays, not knowing when they will see each other again. Soon though she is forced to return home for family reasons. As they try to find time to be together their family lives are in tatters.

There is a lot more happening in the story but I will let you read it find out this all out. It is told from the perspectives of both Noah and Alice. Family is important to them both but can they please everybody? Can they have everything that they want in life and be happy?

Thanks to Simon and Schuster Australia and Netgalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased.

When Noah met Alice on vacation in Thailand, they immediately clicked and he extended his holiday to spend more time with her, both hopelessly smitten. Time together all seemed so free and easy but what they didn't know then was that they both carried a dark family secret. At the time Alice was working as an English teacher in Bangkok so at the end of the holiday Noah had to return alone to Sydney to his job managing his family's restaurant and to attend an inquest into the disappearance of his brother Tom's girlfriend, Lizzie eleven years before after a lover's quarrel. However, not long after Alice must also return to Australia to face her past as her life starts to unravel.

Alternating between the voices of Noah and Alice, the events that happened in their past and in the current time soon spill out. As a contemporary touch a true crime podcast is used effectively to fill in the details of Lizzie's disappearance and to fuel public hatred towards Tom and his family. Someone does know what happened to Lizzie that night but there are one or two red herrings to point the finger in other directions before we learn the truth. However, this is not only an engaging mystery novel but a love story under difficult circumstances and a family drama with the complexities of loyalty and guilt overshadowing family dynamics. Sara Foster has made the two main characters people you can empathise with and cheer on as they navigate through their difficulties and their relationships with their families.

"I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review"

He’s guarding a dark secret, but so is she.
Lizzie Burdett was eighteen when she vanished, and Noah Carruso has never forgotten her. She was his first crush, his unrequited love. She was also his brother’s girlfriend.
Tom Carruso hasn’t been home in over a decade. He left soon after Lizzie disappeared, under a darkening cloud of suspicion, and now he’s back for the inquest into Lizzie’s death – intent on telling his side of the story.
As the inquest looms, Noah meets Alice Pryce on holiday. They fall for each other fast and hard, but Noah can’t bear to tell Alice his deepest fears. And Alice is equally stricken – she carries a terrible secret of her own.
Is the truth worth telling if it will destroy everything

I have decided to do this review a little differently than normal. I plan to review what I have read around every 25% mark of the book, so anyone who doesn't want spoilers it is probably best not to read for here on out.

So far Alice and Noah have met and they can't seem to be away from each other, which is a little hard for me to believe with what both have been through that I know about so far. I really don't have much of an opinion on either of them yet other than you can tell there is so much more to both their stories.

I am enjoying the book so far and I am having a hard time putting it down because I am waiting for the big plot twist (I thought for a second Alice may of been Lizzie but I seem to be wrong so far). I will be back around the 50% mark and let you know if I am still enjoying it as much as I am now and what mysteries have unravelled if any.

I am now 50% into it and I still am just as hooked as I was from the beginning. Both Characters are back in Australia for different reasons but have still managed to get a chance to see each other (which is where I am up to). I can tell that both Alice and Noah are both not telling the whole stories about their situations and I do have a theory about both, but I don't want to say anything just in case I am wrong and I don't want to spoilt to much of this book if people are reading this without reading the book first. Now on to the net 25% of the book and see if some of my questions are answered or I have more questions.

I am now 75% into it and one thing I was predicting was right but I still think there is more to come with Alice. I am really into this book more than I was even expecting I just wish I had more time to read instead of being busy. I am excited to see how this book concludes and if all my predictions are right. Will see very soon because I plan to finish it tonight.

Well I did not see that ending coming at all and it was sad but satisfying at the same time. I gave the book 4 out of 5 stars and anyone looking for a good mystery will love this.

This was set in Australia and Thailand in the present time with flashbacks to earlier times. It is about two young people who both have secrets. They meet in Thailand and fall in love.
Noah is on holiday in Thailand having some time out before his family need to attend an inquest about the disappearance of his brother’s girlfriend Lizzie twelve years earlier. Noah and his brother do not get on. Noah’s parents work hard running a restaurant and need Noah to come home and help but Noah wants to stay in Thailand to get to know Alice.
Alice is in Thailand trying to escape memories of a tragedy in Australia involving her family.
This is full of tension. Alice is afraid of returning to Australia, Noah wants to stay with Alice but needs go home to help his parents.
The tension builds up and secrets are revealed. Can Noah and Alice get together?
This was about families, relationships, murder and secrets. I loved the way the secrets were gradually revealed.

Ended up being a DNF for me.
I was busy at the time I started this one and it didn't have the pull to make me make time for it. It could have got better further into the book, but my arc time ran out of time. My bad.

An enjoying and intruging book, that was rather fast-paced! The intriguing characters gave me more investment into the book, as I was trying to find out more of all the charcters as the story went on!

The premise of the story was great, and the execution of the plot was well thought out!

The themes of loyalty, friendship, and family were well portrayed in the story, and I loved the development of characters, especially Alice and Noah. The plot twist was very well placed as well!

Rating: 4/5

(This review will feature on my blog on October 18!)

I enjoyed this book, and the fast pace and intrigue helped get me out of a bit of a reading slump! Alice and Noah were pretty interesting characters, and they bounced off each other well, revealing just enough to each other to keep readers guessing about what secrets they were hiding. The relationship and family dynamics at play were the most interesting part for me, and using the podcast element to explain some of the backstory was an interesting way to contextualize what was happening in the plot. I actually didn't see the twist near the end coming either which was refreshing, and I found this to be an easy but exciting read.