A perfect mix of of family drama, lies, grief, love, loss, and betrayal all topped of with a dash of paranormal. Honestly, what’s not to love?!

Hamilton quickly pulls readers into a multi-layered mystery focused on June and her desperate attempts to piece together a night from her childhood that changed everything. The deeper she digs, the more shocking her discoveries become. As she gets closer to the truth though, mysterious forces seem to be doing all they can to keep her from uncovering it.

Beautifully written with hauntingly descriptive scenes that will have readers double checking their locks before bed. Perfectly paced, Hamilton was able to maximize the suspension without ever giving too much away until the explosive conclusion. While I personally could have done without the epilogue, I can see how some might find it to be the cherry on top.

As my first Jessica Hamilton novel, I found this to be an exceptionally intriguing read with relatable characters I couldn’t help but love.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5 stars for this highly recommendable mind bender with a 14+ rating for mature themes

I loved the isolated setting of the private island on a lake. This was a great spot to build some intense creepiness and really dial up the fear.

While I did love the idea of the premise, I wish it would have leaned in to the tension more. The setting was primed for so much tension, but the story didn't quite live up to it.

I did still enjoy this book, and would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a slow-burn suspense full of family secrets.

This was my first ever audiobook and honestly it was a good start to my like for audiobooks. This novel was character and plot driven, it felt a bit slow (not sure if that’s just the pace of the narrators voice of just the novel itself.) But the entire time I was very intrigued with the story, I found myself thinking about it even after I stopped listening. The main characters are interesting and feel rounded characters. I would say this falls under the mystery genre, it felt like I was trying to put a puzzle together and slowly getting the whole picture. (Not a thriller.) The ending really pulled everything all together, no loose ends, the amount of twists that were throw in this book was an amazing about of “what the f—“ that you want from a mystery novel and a bit of supernatural happening just slightly. Definitely recommend!

What an unexpected surprise! This book was a fresh of breath air. I love the idea of supernatural sources mixed with a classic thriller. I will be searching for more Jessica Hamilton books for sure!

The description of this book piqued my interest right away. It sounded like it had a bit of a ghostly aspect with the point of view of May who is dead. I will say it definitely did not disappoint!

I really loved the suspicion that was cast in so many ways throughout this book. I literally was convinced that so many people could have committed the crimes. I also loved June’s growth through this book. It felt like she was a whole different character by the end.

I didn’t see the end coming and was shocked when all the answers came out!

I would recommend this book if you like mystery/thrillers! The audiobook was especially awesome!

It's like the perfect ghost story...for adults. I listened to the audio book of this and it was excellent. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time and couldn't stop listening. The story is told from two POVs: Two sisters. One sister is a ghost and one is alive. They both recently found out that their mother never sold their family vacation island from their childhood, even though she told them she had while they were in their teens. One event leads to another and the remaining sister decides to work through her grief at the island.

But then strange things start happening, secrets start emerging and ghosts (both past and present) appear. There is twist after twist, with a murder mystery and love interest wrapped into it.

I loved the relationship of the two sisters that we get a peek at as well. Throughout the course of the book you truly get a great peek at the events of their childhood on the island that shaped their lives. Even though they are living in different worlds, it was intriguing to see how even in the afterlife they are still caring and thoughtful of one another.

I enjoyed WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW from start to finish, and refreshingly, the end was a total surprise. I look forward to reading more books by this author in the future!

This was a bizarre story told from the POV of a living sister and a dead one. Both coming to terms with their past and the mistakes and secrets of their parents. I wanted to like it more, and it may have just been me, but their were parts when I just wanted to be finished because it was just laying flat. However, I’m glad I finished it, even though I predicted what was coming. There are some triggers including death of parents, siblings, mental illness among them. The author did do a good jib of setting the scene in a creepy way.
Upon April’s death, she leaves the family summer home and island that her husband bought for them as a wedding gift, but that April and her daughters, June and May had never been back to since the night her father left. April had always told them that he had just walked off and left anyway, but after talking to some of the neighbors on the mainland, June realizes that there’s way more to the story and decides to look into it, all the while dealing with the loss of her mother, and even more recently, the death of her beloved sister, who she was extremely close to.
This was very atmospheric and hearing May’s voice from beyond the grave was a twist that you don’t see often, because May was there with June trying to put the pieces together.
Overall, this was a quick listen-only took me the morning. Worth it as well. My fav book of the year? No. But worth the listen nonetheless.
Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

This was a really intriguing family mystery. There's so many secrets unfolding that kept me questioning what really happened in the past. I liked the twists in the story and the pacing.
The narrator gave a good performance.

Thank you Dreamscape Media, NetGalley, and Jessica Hamilton for an audio ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Synopsis: Told in alternating perspectives between the living (June) and the dead (May, June’s old sister). June lost her older sister and her mother in the last year. When her sister dies in a fatal car accident, she finds out she now owns their family cottage she thought was sold years before when her father disappeared from it. June decides to return to the cottage on Avril Island to find answers. The townies have a theory her father was actually murderer. June realizes her summers contained things she never knew.

Rating: 3.75/ 5

What I liked: The book pulled me in from the beginning and created various lose ends! The story was intriguing. I figured out one of the two twists about halfway through the story. The other twist was a good one!

What didn’t do it for me: The story was long. After finishing it, there was at least one character that was not essential to the story. I am a fan of short and sweet and would have been happier without the extra character and small amount of drama. It was also very descriptive, which I tend to like, but it was almost too much.

Overall, it was a thrilling read. All of the lose ends were tied together perfectly. I would recommend this to anyone but especially fans of The Lovely Bones or The Drowning Kind!

Is having your sister “talk” to you from the dead comforting or creepy? Well is seems our main character Jane takes it all in stride. She has lost her sister and mother, her dad disappeared years go and now she has returned to the private island resort of her youth, which she  assumed was sold long ago and has just discovered she now owns. This idyllic island where she spent her childhood leads her to uncover secrets that rip the scabs off a lot of old wounds.
   Her family name isn’t always held in high regard due to her mother’s reputation even after all these years. This small community doesn’t forget…..so many secrets to discover….. with the help from sis from the beyond.
   An engaging thriller I wondered how she could stay alone, in a big house, on an island, while having hair-raising  events happen that would have had anyone else taking the next boat to the mainland….at least that was what I was yelling at her while reading the book.
   The predictable encounter with the love of her youth doesn’t play out as expected but allows her to find the answers that have affected how she lived her life.
   This audiobook had me walking extra blocks in the neighborhood…..had to hear what happened next!

My first comment, is to commend the narrator -- she is wonderful! Her voice was soothing, varied, well paced, and clear. She adopted voices for each of the characters rather than reading in once voice for the whole time. I'll definitely be sure to keep an eye out for other books she narrates in the future.
On to the novel! This book opened in such a jarring way that I was glad of the slow build in the middle. It gave me some time to recover from the shock of the opening chapters. I connected with May, our ghostly character, much easier than I did her sister June; which I think was the point of the story, and I looked forward to her chapters. I both hated June for her faults and loved her for her acknowledgment of them.
Each chapter had me questioning who was the culprit behind Simon's disappearance (June's father), and when the author finally reveals who is responsible for his absence I was relatively shocked. The relationship between June and the also missing West was less shocking -- and I wish that author would have dragged out that suspense a little more rather than hitting us hard with the obvious.
Overall, I was gripped by the story and the journey of growth and mourning that both June and May embark upon through, sparked by their mother's passing. Family history is very rarely black and white and I loved how this story stayed true to that. We not only hate the people these character's were in the past, but we love them too.
My only bone to pick was our culprit for the "hauntings" and "trespassing" -- it seemed very unlikely that they would have been able to achieve the creepy things they did. Particularly about the birds.... However, overall, I really enjoyed the story and it was a great companion on my commute to work each morning this week.

Recipe for a great mystery: a ghost, an isolated island, lots of lies and deception, creepy characters and a murder or two.
I really enjoyed the story and many twists and turns. In spots, it left me cackling but in other spots, i cringed at the dialogue.
I think i would have enjoyed reading the book more than the audio book. I found the narrators' way of speaking to be somewhat cringe-worthy at times. The characters were a bit creepy, but i suppose in a way that was a good thing.

I would recommend the book, but skip the audio version.

Loved this one. Great cold case family mystery. The ghost was a cool detail. Pacing is well done. Narrator did a great job!

This was a great mystery. So many good twists and you can picture the island where the story takes place. I really enjoyed this one!

I was so excited to read this book! Summer island, family secrets, two sisters-one alive, one dead! Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The story itself was fine. I felt that the characters had no depth. They were very one dimensional.

June Bennett grew up spending summers with her mother, April, and older sister, May, on Avril island. After their father leaves them, however, the girls never return to the island. April had told the girls she sold the island, so after April dies, and May unexpectedly dies in a car accident, June is shocked to discover that Avril Island is now hers.

June returns to Avril Island to return to the beloved place of her youth, but she soon learns that her mother may not have told the truth about her father leaving either. Someone is not happy that a Bennett has returned to Avril Island, too, and wants to keep her from learning the truth.

I was intrigued by the blurb for this story, but the book itself fell flat for me. We know next to nothing about May, who narrates part of the story from beyond the grave, and what we do know about June makes her unlikable. I saw most of the twists coming well before they happened. For these reasons, I can only give the book two stars.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This book was really good. It started out a little slow for me but it quickly picked up and I enjoyed every twist and turn. Awesome characters and a beautiful setting.

After growing up with a missing father, May and June’s mother dies. Shortly after her passing, May dies, leaving June alone to uncover long lost family mysteries and secrets.

June ends up on the island with the family home that they were always told was sold after their father went missing. While there, June reconnects with a childhood friend and very mysterious things begin happening. The ghost of May shows up on the island as well.

The book was told from both June and the dead May’s characters. While I enjoyed the story and had some “I can’t put it down” moments, I found the narrator very distracting. A very odd tone, almost a whisper, was used for June’s character. I did not enjoy the narration. Ultimately, I’d highly recommend the book, as it was very entertaining.

*Huge thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

I listened to this as an audiobook and I really enjoyed it. It has a subtle creepy vibe and the narration is easy to follow. It was slightly confusing to switch back and forth between timeline over audiobook.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

What You Never Knew from Jessica Hamilton has it all. There's a remote island, a whole lot of mystery, and some romance. You put it all together, shake it up, and out comes a thriller that had me captivated from the very beginning to the very last page.

Being from a small town in Maine where there are multiple lakes and a few privately-owned islands, I was able to perfectly imagine Avril Island, the lake, the small boats, and the summer storms. Jessica experts weaves her compelling characters into the story, making them both likable and believable. All in all, this is an amazing debut, and I'm anxiously awaiting what comes next!