Cover Image: If You Tell

If You Tell

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Member Reviews

4/5 stars for this true crime

This book reads more like a horror/thriller book than a nonfiction story. At different points in the book I had to remind myself that this was a true story. The parents in this book are truly awful. All kinds of trigger warnings for this book, if you're sensitive to those feel free to ask! It was very well written. Love the cover!
Will definitely be reading ore from the author

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My goodness, this is not an easy read! Gregg Olsen did an outstanding job
of bringing this story to us! If this is the kind of book you like, it is a must-read!
It is so shocking how horrible she was to those girls.

Thank you so much, Gregg Olsen, NetGalley, and the Publisher for giving me the
chance to read this well-written book!

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4 1/2 ⭐️‘s
A book that is NOT for the faint of heart. A story of horrifying abuse and murder. A book that I felt compelled to finish because I HAD to see evil brought to justice. Children that lived in abject fear and denial because it was easier. A small town that ignored the warning signs until it was too late. A story of manipulation, control, torture and pure evil, but also a story about sisters, their unbreakable bond and their unending love for each other. “Sisters forever. Victims no more.”

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Thanks @netgalley for the opportunity to read this book.
First i am going to put a disclaimer on here, this book is so very disturbing and horrifying i could not sleep after reading it. ( seriously, dont read at bed time and expect to fall into a gentle slumber i was up till 6am unable to sleep)
Secondly i will admit that when i started reading i was confused about the writing style as it seemed "off" for this author, then about 3/4 of the way through the book i realized i was reading TRUE CRIME. OMG. What is wrong with people. I read this whole book in one sitting i could not/would not put it down. There were moments i cried for the victims ( both the living ones and the dead). It is scary with all of the gruesome stories i read that the one that horrified me and sickened me the most was one that really happened and before i knew that i was thinking man this writer has gotten twisted. I mean his books are normally a little twisted and horrifying but this was so out of left field i couldnt get over it. The very worst of humanity is displayed in this book. It is so well written however you cant even comprehend that it isnt fiction. Absolutely brilliant piece of work, just...make sure your mentally able to comprehend this horror and move past it. And dont read it at midnight.

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A shocking and heart-wrenching story of physical and emotional abuse which absolutely broke my heart. I cannot fathom what these sisters went through as children. Such a desperate situation in which they learned that the only way to keep safe from a monstrous mother who showed no mercy was to look the other way. How can a mother have such evil in her heart, coming up with so many different acts of horrendous cruelty, to not only her children but to other victims she brought into her home and tortured as well. How could a father and grandmother, teachers, neighbors and fellow students turn a blind eye to such a tragic situation or be so out of touch for so long. An incredible true story written by Gregg Olsen that has left a lasting impression.

*will post in additional online venues shortly.

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I never read non fiction but I am glad I stumbled across this one. I read this in one setting. Even though it is 2 am I just couldn't put this down until the end. This was so horrible that it was difficult to read. It reminds me of another true crime book I read several years ago called Mother's Day. How a mother can do these horrific things to their own children is beyond comprehension. It seems that reality really is stranger than fiction. This is a great book but not for the faint of heart.

Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this astounding arc for my honest review.

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If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood by Gregg Olsen is a very highly recommended true crime story of an abusive, murderous dysfunctional family. This is a difficult novel to read as it depicts a tyrannical woman and the horrible control, abuse, and torture she inflicted on others.

In Raymond, Washington, Shelly Knotek ruled and controlled her third husband, Dave, and her three daughters through her words and abuse. Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek experienced, witnessed, and, ultimately, survived their mother's horrific control, degradation, torture, and physical and mental abuse of her whole family and two other adults. They endured belittling, verbal abuse, numerous beatings, control of bathroom usage, forced naked time, being hosed off outside, and bleach baths, to just name some of the torture. "Shelly was Cujo. Freddy Krueger. The freaky clown, Pennywise, from It."

In telling of their horrific abuse, Olsen talked to the three sisters, Dave Knotek, and their grandmother, Lara. The experiences of the girls are told in short chapters, covering Shelly's problems and indications of her mental illness from a child to adulthood. This is not an examination of Shelly's mental illness. It is a compelling account of the survivors. This is the story of the girls, what they endured, observed, and how they finally managed the fortitude to go to the authorities and tell them the horrors of their life with their mother.

Once I started reading this account, even though I knew the girls survived, I had to finish it. I had to see how the girls escaped. It is much to my chagrin that no one from the public schools noticed a problem until much later and then let it go when they talked to one of the girls and she denied it. What would they expect from an abused child? And when Nikki and Lara actually told the police, the first time, the investigation was not pursued. It wasn't until the older sisters discovered Tori was being abused that they tried to get the authorities involved again, with the backing of their grandmother, Lara.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Thomas & Mercer.

http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/12/if-you-tell.html
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3077339047
https://www.librarything.com/work/23158977/book/176312764
https://twitter.com/SheTreadsSoftly/status/1203771183726022656?s=20

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It's absolutely unbelievable how horrible Shelly was. Impossible to understand how she could treat anyone the way she did, much less her own children. It was actually sickening reading one terrible act after another - how is it this monster won't be behind bars for the rest of her life? It's amazing the sisters were able to withstand the treatment they received and that they are evidently thriving.

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Hard to read knowing this is a true story
Was well written. Did the story justice on what everyone had to go through. I was excited to get approved for this book!
First book for me from this author. Will have to check out his other books. A good solid 4 from me.


Thanks to the publisher and net galley for an early release of this book.

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A sad, shocking and almost unbelievable true crime story by Gregg Olsen. If You Tell was a difficulty read at times but I thought it was well done.

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I have a hard time reading nonfiction. This was is the fiction category but was more a nonfiction. I did enjoy this read though. It could have been shorter to make it easier to read but overall was good.

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This book has made me a Gregg Olsen fan. I will be looking for other books he has written.

This story was horrific. I spent most of my time reading it wanting to cry and yet not being able to stop reading. I am a huge true crime fan, but I don't think any other book has touched me so deeply. My heartbreaks for the 4 children raised in that household, for the 3 sisters to have that be the only life you knew...I just can't even imagine.

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Sometimes you read a book and it stays with you a long time after you are done reading. This is that book. I had so many questions while reading this, such as why didn't anyone step in and help these poor girls? Why did the older sister stay despite being old enough to move out on her own and suspecting her parents of murder? This book shows the strength of incredible women in horrendous circumstances.

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If You Tell by Gregg Olsen. Well written and researched. Subject matter was hard to read, however the text flowed like a novel . The author was respectful of the people involved and didn't sensationalize the horrific abuse. Like looking at the proverbial train wreck, it was hard to stop reading.

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Wow! This book was listed as “General Fiction” when I selected it. When I found out it was true, I couldn’t believe it. Such evil is incomprehensible, especially from a parent. Excellent writing keeps the reader eager/scared/horrified. Not recommended for the squeamish.

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This feels like a hard review to write.
This is someone's real life events. This is their life growing up and beyond. This is one harrowing story that is so real it's terrifying.
As a mother, I cannot fathom Shelley and her antics. She obviously is mentally ill, maybe schizophrenic, not that I'm making excuses for her. Still, how could she do any of these things to her children?!
I immediately thought of Mommie Dearest.
Except this was real, and maybe even more sadistic with friends and family being murdered. It's almost surreal.
I'm literally scared for when this woman gets out of prison in a couple years. If her and her husband hook back up, people are screwed. He's so weak, he'd probably go right back to her.
I really hope the author keeps up with the sisters and keeps us all posted as to what happens in a few years. My money is on Nikki, Sami and Tori, but still my mind will be abuzz with wonder.
A tragic, intense but great read. One I highly recommend to true crime fans.

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