Cover Image: Something She's Not Telling Us

Something She's Not Telling Us

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Member Reviews

I found it difficult to get into the story. As a mom with anxiety and fears of things happening to my kids, I felt like this wasn’t a genuine representation of a fear. I ended up dnfing this book because I just felt like it wasn’t that great.

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This was an easy read for me, but I never felt totally engrossed in the story. The characters weren’t very likeable and I felt like it was pretty predictable. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, but it wasn’t the best thriller I’ve read either. This will be one of those books that I enjoyed in the moment, but won’t remember much of six months from now.

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First off, many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the advanced reader's copy of this book.
I didn't read Darcey Bell's A Simple Favor but I did see the movie. Surprisingly I liked it so I thought I would try this book. I have mixed feelings about Something She's Not Telling Us, so I'll first start with the positives. I think this is a fast paced read. I feel like the pacing was great and as someone who enjoys a binge worthy book, this was up my alley. That was probably the best part of the book. Now for some of the negatives. The characters are extremely unlikable and if that's something you struggle with when reading, then this book isn't for you. I don't have a problem with not liking the characters of a book, but I did with this. Maybe it wasn't the fact that I didn't like them, it was the fact that I didn't connect with any of them. It just felt like something was missing and I never quite got into the story despite its pacing. It felt like I was just reading without fully investing into it. I just wasn't very interested in it. There's lies, secrets, drama, and kidnapping in here which has all the makings of a great book but somewhere along the way it went wrong.

My biggest gripe is the ending. I'm picky about endings because let's be honest, they can make or break a book. In this case, it did this book no favors. I mean, what even was the ending? It left me thinking what in the world did I just read and not in a good way. All in all, I think that some people would enjoy this book because its not a bad book by any means. I just think that if you are a seasoned thriller or psychological thriller reader then it will leave you wanting a little more.

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Charlotte’s brother’s latest girlfriend Ruth is greeted with some justified suspicion in Darcey Bell’s Something She’s Not Telling Us. His history of dating highly unstable women, occasional lapses in sobriety and a demonstrated lack of judgement cause his family to scrutinize his latest conquest. On the other hand, Charlotte is revealed to be an overprotective, paranoid and obsessive person who has some serious problems with objectivity and a tenuous grip on reality herself. Such a character makes for an interestingly biased perspective. This type of “protagonist” is an unreliable narrator akin to those Bell has employed in the past—one that causes the reader to immediately be on guard when evaluating her version of events. Other chapters feature the point of view of Ruth, another source that is transparently skewed. Fans of A Simple Favor and the film upon which it is based may be somewhat disappointed by Bell’s latest effort, for although the novel contains some innovative twists and is well written, it suffers from an overabundance of side plots that distract and stretch credulity. The psychology of the villain is incompletely developed, and her motives are insufficiently substantial to warrant the extremity of her actions. The reader is also left guessing as to why Ruth elects to victimize Rocco’s family, and Charlotte and her family are so unlikeable that not a lot of pity is generated for them. The big revelations are a bit predictable and banal, and the ending falls short of climactic. In sum, Something She’s Not Telling Us is diverting enough as a standard suspense story, but unfortunately is not one that is particularly remarkable or memorable.

Thanks to the author, Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

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This was pretty entertaining, however, I found some faults. It took quite some time to get going. I like it when a book immediately grabs my interest. I found that I wasn't really "into" it until around page 80. The best thing is when I am hooked by page one.

Also, another problem for me was the characters. I had a hard time relating with them and I thought there should have been more development. I like when characters are fleshed out and are extremely relatable. I didn't think this was the case in this story.

Finally, I didn't really feel fully engaged with the plot. Now these were all my opinions, and I have read Bell before and have really enjoyed her books. Therefore, I'll definitely read whatever she has to write in the future. My thoughts on this title, however, is to skip.

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Fans of books with unreliable narrator will take to this one. A family drama venturing around a neurotic mother and a missing child.

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⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

Rocco has bad taste in women. Bad taste as in drug addicts, kleptomaniacs, and liars. Fortunately, he also loses interest quickly. Unfortunately, he always needs his sister’s approval so he always brings these women around her.

Charlotte, Rocco’s older sister, is protective to a fault over her brother and her five year old daughter, Daisy. Desperate for approval, she always tries to like Rocco’s flavor of the week. When he brings Ruth by for dinner, though she’s eccentric, she’s nice - maybe too nice - and Charlotte is desperate to think Rocco has finally found someone “worthy.”

But something feels off. Ruth is manipulative and her stories are always feel just shy of the truth. It’s unclear if she’s hiding something or just embellishing in hopes for approval.

Told by multiple narrators and over varying timelines, we learn about dark pasts and family secrets. Who is telling the truth and will the lies come crashing down? Are the secrets actually protecting anyone or will everyone end up being hurt?

This was a great read!! I didn’t want to put it down! I’m a sucker for an unreliable narrator and twisted storyline. It didn’t quite make five stars for me because I wanted more. The story ended a little abruptly and left me saying but but but....!!!! Definitely pick this one up!

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"Something She's Not Telling Us" is based on the premise of a little girl's disappearance from school. Based on the preview, I was really interested in this thriller! Unfortunately, upon actually reading the book, I was disappointed that the characters were so unlikable and the ending was quite rushed. I also didn't understand why the mother was so quick to forgive the kidnapper. I hope to check out more of Darcey Bell's books because she has a good writing style, but this book just wasn't enjoyable for me.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

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I really liked this book, almost as much as the author's first book, A Simple Favor. This novel is fast-paced and had plenty of twists. It held my interest throughout the story. I particularly enjoyed the way the book started with the present day to establish the mystery and then went back to the beginning and told the events that led up to the present time. I look forward to reading Bell's next novel in the future.

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2.5 stars on this one, just barely.
I do love the writing style but this one fell really short for me.
We alternate between several characters perspectives and I felt like there wasn't a single person in the story that I liked. I kept waiting for some sort of intense or crazy thing to happen but really it was a bunch of little things here and there.
Charlotte trusts no one, especially with her daughter but could the reason be because of her own secrets? When her brother, Rocco begins to settle down with a new girlfriend even he feels as if there's something off with Ruth but he can't pin it down any more than Charlotte can.
To avoid spoilers I was disappointed when the story just basically stopped. I felt like I didn't get any closure at all and had more questions than answers at the end.

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Something She's Not Telling Us is a lightning fast read, and if you enjoy salacious family dramas then this book might be for you. As per the author's typical shtick, most of the characters are unlikable, and the abrupt ending will make or break the experience for readers of this genre. My major complaint was the portrayal of mental illness in its most general form; [I'm growing weary of the "mentally ill villain" trope at this point, and would welcome a breath of fresh air to this take in the future. As per her last book, I could totally see this being turned into a film, and would eagerly support the chance to see it on screen. If you enjoy popcorn psychological thrillers, go ahead and give this one a try.

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I really enjoyed "A Simple Favor", but this one just, disappointingly, fell really flat for me.

Charlotte is married to Eli, and they have a happy marriage and a 5 year old daughter. Rocco is Charlotte's brother, and not the best at picking girlfriend's..

So when we meet his new (unstable in the background) girlfriend, Ruth, that everyone has high hopes will be his first and only good pick, I had high hopes as I continued to read. I did, again, enjoy her writing, but the total plot and the ending just didn't do it for me.

Thank you to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and Darcy Bell for an eARC.

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I enjoyed Bell's previous book 'A Simple Favor' and was looking so forward to this one.
The tone of this book was quite different and reminded me of Jessica Knoll. Not to say that's bad, but it was a big tonal shift from her previous novel and that did disappoint me.

The book focuses on the perspectives of Charlotte and Ruth. Both of these characters are unpleasant albeit for different reasons. Charlotte's cynicism, paranoia and overbearing personality makes her an incredible unlikable and tedious character. Ruth is neurotic and displays a sickening victim mentality that is grating. Meanwhile, the other characters are thin, two dimensional and forgettable. Daisy, particularly, wasn't written well as she seemed much older of a character than her five years.

As far as the plot, the first half of the book was okay (though there was much unnecessary filler) and the pacing was good. The second half, however, went off the rails. It became convoluted and the ending just didn't do it for me. My biggest complaint about the ending wasn't its incompleteness. I can get past that. What I hated about the ending was how the characters suddenly flipped script. Suddenly, Charlotte discards the hypercritical attitude she's held the entire book and becomes someone with compassion. Then there's Ruth, who suddenly becomes lucid enough to realize she is in fact delusional. I don't buy it and neither will anybody else who reads it.
Sad to say, I would not recommend this one.

Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

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I was very excited for this since I enjoyed Simple Favor so much. I enjoyed it for the most part, though the ending was a bit lackluster and abrupt. None of characters are likable, but that didn't matter since I think that was point. Overall a very unsettling story that kept me guessing.

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I truly tried to get into this one but I just couldn’t... the story was all over the place. Though the pacing was good, I just never picked up on a clear plot line. (However, like “A Simple Favor,” I think this would make for an entertaining movie, if done right.)

Thank you, nonetheless, to HarperCollins Publishers for the e-ARC!

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Something She's Not Telling Us has plenty of twists. However, the characters are difficult to connect with. While I usually enjoy stories told from multiple points of view, I found this one hard to follow at times. I wanted more from the ending and felt unfulfilled by the story as whole. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this novel for my honest opinion.

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Something She's Not Telling Us is a twisty, fast-paced domestic thriller from the author of A Simple Favor. Charlotte seemingly has a perfect life until one day her brother Rocco introduces his family to his new girlfriend Ruth. As things get more serious, Ruth forms a close bond with Charlotte's five year old daughter Daisy. Then one day, Daisy is kidnapped. Charlotte is convinced it was Ruth. This story goes places I did not expect. The plot is beyond fast-paced. You will not be able to put this one down. Highly recommended to those who enjoy a strong domestic thriller or if you enjoyed Darcey Bell's A Simple Favor.

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So, this is Darcey Bell’s sophomore novel. After reading A Simple Favor, which was made into a movie, I definitely had to request this one. Something She’s Not Telling Us proves that Darcey Bell ranks up there with Ruth Ware and Liane Moriarity as an official thriller writer. Charlotte is a mother to Daisy and works as a successful florist. Her husband is Eli, who has retired from a lucrative career and now chooses to work in theater. Her brother Rocco is a recovering addict with questionable taste in women so Charlotte and Eli are not expecting much when he introduces them to Ruth. Ruth was raised by loving grandparents and, after a short stint working as an assistant to a temperamental TV chef, is now employed by a start-up. This is told in flashbacks and in the voices of these three main characters, Charlotte, her brother Rocco and his new girlfriend Ruth and the story moves between New York, Mexico and update New York. One day, Daisy is kidnapped from school -- Charlotte is convinced that only one person could have taken her., which leads Charlotte to question who Ruth really is.

Something She's Not Telling Us kept me interested all the way through. Darcey Bell really has such a way with words and I could feel Charlotte's constant anxiety build throughout the novel. Thanks for the ARC, I loved it!

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Having previously read A Simple Favor, I knew I was in for a rollercoaster when I picked up Something She's Not Telling Us. Told primarily from the perspectives of Charlotte and her brother's new girlfriend Ruth, Something She's Not Telling Us is a story of deception.

Charlotte is a successful florist, with a handsome husband, a beautiful daughter Daisy, and a gorgeous loft in New York City. While she has a strained relationship at times with her brother Rocco, Charlotte is cautiously optimistic that Ruth could be The One. But Ruth's stories never quite line up, and Charlotte feels that she has an unnerving interest in Daisy. One day, Daisy is kidnapped from school -- Charlotte is convinced that only one person could have taken her., which leads Charlotte to question who Ruth really is.

Something She's Not Telling Us kept me on the edge of my seat! Darcey Bell has such a way with words -- I could feel Charlotte's constant anxiety leaping off of the pages. A must read thriller this spring!

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**I received an advance e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

Never doubt your motherly instincts about people.

Charlotte is RIGHT, and if you have good instinct, you’ll believe her too. It won’t stop you from feeling the sinking in your belly. It won’t stop you from frantically touching base with your family as you fly through these pages, desperate to find out what happens and how we got there.

From the plot to the pacing, to these difficult characters and the secrets they carry, I couldn’t breathe until I finished this book.

There are some loose ends at the end. They don’t totally matter, but they felt important enough that it was frustrating not to get closure on those matters.

Can’t wait to share this book with everyone.

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