I don't read many mysteries or thrillers, but this book pulled me in from page one and would not let go. I loved it. The chapters alternate between sisters. May, who is dead, and June who is not. Even death can not break the bonds of sisters. The book centers around the mystery of the disappearance of their father from Avril Island when they were teens. Oh the tales we weave when trying to hide the family lies and secrets. This book is a definite must read. Add it to the top of your to read list. A big thank you to author Jessica Hamilton, publisher Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for providing a copy of this book for a honest review.

"Little did I know that secrets were being collected by those shadowy figures, secrets that would rip our family apart, extinguish those glowing lights, and keep me away from this island for almost thirty years."

*SUMMARY*

“My father bought Avril Island for my mother as a wedding present. Her very own island complete with a five-bedroom cottage and acres of land where we spent every single summer until the summer when I was fifteen years old. That year we left in a hurry, and never went back."
The Bennett sisters were inseparable until one of them died in a sudden and tragic car accident and the other was left to sort out their mother's mess. June's whole life changes when she receives her mother's will, which includes an unexpected inheritance. She is forced to return to her childhood abode, Avril Island, and single-handedly unearth its secrets. Little does she know that behind the inviting waters and cosy cottage lies chilling secrets that will make her doubt everything she has ever believed. Everything she has been told about Avril Island was a lie, and now she is left to uncover its truths all by herself...

*MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK*

This book has the perfect amount of everything - dark, chilling secrets, nail-biting suspense, eerie vibes and a dash of horror. In short, this book took me through a roller-coaster of emotions and I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
If you think you've predicted the ending, you're most probably wrong. I thought I had anticipated the ending right from the start of the book, but I was pleasantly surprised. The ending will leave you speechless...
I loved every page of this book. It left me wanting more and once I picked this book up, I just couldn't put it down. This is one of those books that will make you keep lying to yourself by saying 'Just one more chapter' and then end up finishing the whole book.

This book will be published on the 13th of April 2021, so mark your calendars. If you love fast-paced thrillers as much as I do, trust me, you do not want to miss out on this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What You Never Knew is a book about secrets and we all know that eventually they have a way of not being so secret anymore.

I loved the setting, an old house on an island all by itself just begs to being up to no good. Honestly it sounds enticing but I couldn't imagine myself being there all alone. It's an island where weird things happen, usually in the middle of the night. The perfect setting for a story with ghosts of the past.

Though it's told in alternating POVs the majority is via June as she returns to the family vacation home she hasn't been to in 30 years, leaving abruptly when only 12 years old. What follows is a search that will have her questioning everything she thought she knew of her family.

The other POV is her sister, May, who died and this is were What You Never Knew comes in. An interesting perspective that helped the story along.

What You Never Knew was an interesting and unique story but not without a few things I struggled with. I loved getting to know the girls during their summers when younger, I felt the relationship and sisterly bond but the current time period had me not really knowing them anymore, I missed that. The ending resolved things but also left me pondering still.

This is the authors debut which releases April 13th and available for pre order now.

My thanks to Crooked Lane Books for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🌟🌟🌟🌟 4++ Shinning stars!
I was drawn to this story as the promotion mentioned fans of “The Lovely Bones” will like it” (Although I was drawn, I was also a bit skeptical when comparing it to a book I really liked!)

I remember Susie from “The Lovely Bones’ which started when Susie was murdered and admitted to heaven. Story is about both her life in heaven and what she experienced alive. Although a very sad story Author Alice Sebold did a great job with the story, kept us interested in Susie’s life in heaven as well as what she experienced when she was alive. We certainly wanted her killer to be caught and punished.

In this story there are sisters ~ May and June. ~ Mother’s name is April
June is three years younger, when she was a baby May was like a little mother to her. Their closeness continues as adults. June is now devastated when May is killed in a tragic auto accident.

Story starts with May before her death dealing with their mother’s will. Mom had made arrangements before her death but one thing is new ~ she left their island house in her will to May.
May is upset by this ~ she was sure the 100 year old house was sold years ago when he father went missing from the house and island. She wants nothing to do with it and decides to destroy the deed in hopes no one will now about it.
However, with May’s death, the house is now June’s!
While trying to cope with May’s death, June goes to investigate the mysterious house and island.
Hmmm now I am curious!

Yep the house and island are mysterious and creepy. (Now we are talking about my kind of a story.)
Story is told in the voices of both June and the spiritual May who is floating around, she doesn’t communicate but many times June can feel her presence.
Story has twists and turns that I just love!

Jessica Hamilton is a debut author ~ I certainly am looking forward to her next story.
I believe I have found my new favorite author!!

Want to thank NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for this early release granted to me for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled April 13, 2021

What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton was an amazing thriller and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.

I adored the plot. This book is about a woman returning to the island that she spent her childhood summers and ends up uncovering family secrets which have long been buried. The mystery aspect of this novel was extremely well crafted and kept me on my toes for the entire book. I was trying to figure things out right up until the very end.

The characters are highly complex and so interesting to read about. The protagonist, June has many different layers and sides to her and I really enjoyed being in her head. I also loved her sister, May’s, point of view. I thought it was really intriguing to be in the head of a character who has died. Familial relationships are a big part of this story and there is a such a pure love between these siblings that it makes my heart ache. The relationship between the sisters and their mother is another element that is woven throughout this novel. The ways in which June, especially, became her mother and the ways she rejected her added another level of depth to this book for me.

Ezra is another character that is prominent in this book, as he and June were childhood friends and then became lovers when she returned to Avril Island. I don’t have too many feelings on their relationship as I merely thought they were a little cute at certain moments, but this didn’t add anything to the story for me.

I absolutely loved the writing. I thought it was highly atmospheric and I could almost believe I was right there in Avril Island too. I was hooked from the very start, flying through this book. The only small downside is that there were a few grammatical errors but honestly, it didn’t have an impact on my enjoyment.

Something that I really adored about this book is that to me, it felt as if it was so much more than just a thriller. The relationships between sisters, mothers and daughters and husbands and wives were explored and I thought Hamilton did a wonderful job of tying in such themes with the overall mystery.

This book was so good and I loved every second of my reading experience.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher, Crooked Lane Books, for providing this arc in exchange for an honest review.

Well this book was certainly full of secrets! The story is told by June and May and takes place on Avril Island. It’s where they spent their summers and where June runs to after May’s untimely passing. I thought the story was good, it certainly kept my attention.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy

This is a story of family secrets and lots of them! This book is told by sisters May and June. When the sisters were little, they vacationed on Avril Island which is owned by their family. June thought it was sold years ago but after May's death she realizes it wasn't. She returns there and realizes things aren't always what they seem. There are lots of twists to the book that I enjoyed. I wish we knew more about the sisters lives. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

Wow! This book was amazing and I honestly can’t believe it is the author’s first novel. If I could have given it more than 5 stars I would have!

The story follows two sisters May and June. May has recently died and June is alive. June goes back to her families island that she hasn’t been to since the summer her father left her family. She was told by her mother it was sold many years before. While rekindling her first love with Ezra she learns the island holds many secrets.

The writing style of Jessica Hamilton is outstanding! I literally got lost in the book and felt that I was there in the story with the characters. I could feel the heat, grasp the smells, and even the tickle of my nose from the dust! I felt frightened, love, sadness, and shock at all that takes place!

This was a definite page turner. Book was fast paced and creepy. Told by two sisters one that is dead and one alive. I will be on the hunt for more by this author.

This was a creepy and cleverly plotted mystery. Told in the voices of two sisters , one living and one dead.

When June revisits the old family cottage she unearths more family secrets than she can imagine ! This book was a real page turner and just like June ,we are unsure as the reader who to trust any more.
I recommend this thriller as a fast paced, hard to put down read!

Highly recommended reading ...You won't be disappointed !

A pretty solid family mystery story with a ghostly sister. I liked that it took place over just a couple of weeks if that; we didn’t learn a lot about June’s life before returning to the family island but we really didn’t need to. The book was like a tiny time capsule about her childhood and getting to the bottom of her father’s apparent disappearance. I’m not honestly not quite sure what happened to her father’s body, I guess it’s implied that he was in the water and never found? That wasn’t super clear but I liked the rest of the book.

The story starts with the immediate death of the sister May upon learning that the family still owns Avril Island. It isn't immediately clear why this is so upsetting for May. However, once June her sister learns of the island the mystery begins to unravel. June travels to the island that she didn't know the family still owned and to find out why her family really left so quickly when her Dad ran out on the family years ago on the island. The beginning of the book was a little hard for me to get into. However, once June got to the island and the mystery started and strange things happened as she looks for the truth it got a lot better. It's a good story but you have to be patient and let it slowly build.

I had difficulty finishing this book. It was well written but I was unsure about the direction it started talking. Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read an early arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book wasn’t that long, but it felt long. It was soooo slow I. Most parts. I did almost give up many times- kind of wish I did. Mediocre at best. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free copy in exchange for review.

2.5/5

I'll admit that I was drawn to the cover before even reading the synopsis. WHAT A BOOK!! One of the best mysteries that I have read in a while. Creep factor is up there as well so....Double Whammy!! Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this novel.

Book Review

What You Never Knew
Jessica Hamilton

Thank you to @netgally and @crookedlanebooks for this ARC

What You Never Knew was a fantastic thrilling mystery that had some really creepy and eerie moments! I loved the writing style and blew through this book in two days. It gives me major Riley Sager vibes ! I’m so impressed that this is a debut book!

June finds herself back on Avril Island, where her family spent the summers. She is shocked to find herself in the middle of a 30 year old murder mystery that has fractured the town and its people. Her family being the center of it.

It’s not long before she feels like she is not alone in her cottage and on the island. Strange things begin to happen she cannot explain. Feeling targeted June is determined to find the truth surrounding her family, the island, and what happened 30 years ago that prompted her Family to leave and never return.

June was a great character. She had so much depth and emotional baggage. She felt so raw and damaged, and the writing articulated it all so perfectly. She was also a very unlikable character at times, but it made her so perfectly broken.

There was enough mystery at all times to keep me on the edge of my seat. Every piece of information dropped made you wonder where things were going. I wasn’t sure what the outcome was going to be.
I loved it that it kept me guessing until the very end!

This Book Will be available on April 13th 2021.
This is a must read!

The story of Avril Island and its secrets can’t be told without April, May or June. What a haunting story of love, loss, grief and coming to terms with who you are, and how a family with secrets can set you on a certain path. June inherits Avril Island long thought sold, after a devastating loss. May was her older sister whom she adored and loved and the feeling was reciprocated tenfold. April their mom whose death left more questions than answers so June returns to the island to find out why her mother lied to her and May and to unbury the past that she barely remembers. Upon arriving at the island she finds Ezra who is as tied to the island as she is and wishes to not only help June, but keep his mother Willa safe, as she’s slowly declined to dementia since Ezras father disappeared, shortly after the girls father did. What a fabulous story told from June and May’s point of view. Thank you NetGalley for this chance to review this book.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This book spoke to my very soul. One of those rare books you can’t put down but you know you will be sad when you hit the end. This book is one of the best I’ve read this year. The plot was amazing, there was suspense and twists and turns. But... there was so much more than that, there were characters that resonate deep within you. There was imagery that made me wish I was there, I was literally jealous of the summer home. There was a supernatural element that meshed and flowed with the whole story. There was love and longing, loss and fear and suspense like crazy. All of these emotions are hard to pull off smoothly and this book pulled it off without a hitch. This was my first book by this author but it will not be my last. Once I finished that last page sorrow set in because this is a book with characters I will miss, I’m sad to leave May, June and Ezra behind. This book is a must read!

June inherits an island that her family used to visit when she was a child. Her mother had said that she sold the island years before when her father left the family. June decides to visit the island after the death of her mother and sister. She runs into Ezra, a childhood friend, soon after arriving. The story takes the reader on a journey of self-discovery as June uncovers many dark secrets of her family.

This was a good, fast-paced read. A lot of different stories within this one story--a ghost story, a love story, a murder. Something for everyone! Most of all it is a return to hometown to face your ghosts story.

Avril Island was owned by the Bennett family, where they spent their summers. June, undone by the loss of her sister, finds out that Avril Island had not been sold after her father's disappearance when she was 12, as she had been told. Now she owns Avril Island.

June returns to Avril Island and things start to get strange. This is a bit cliched--June is vulnerable and grieving and is gaslit at every turn. Is she seeing ghosts? Things are going missing, things are appearing where they don't belong--is she going crazy? There's a rekindled romance and he's cute but suspicious, which added to this slightly tired formulation.

What was interesting and unique about this book was the healing process that the book prioritized, which was valuable and refreshing. And the centering of June's relationship with her sister adding something emotionally resonating to this well-known hometown return-uncovering secrets-heroine in mortal danger trope.

I recommend this book for a fast-paced, hard-to-put down distracting read!