Interesting story regarding love, loss and family secrets. Secrets never stay hidden, especially in death.

4.91 stars rounded up

June and May spent every summer in the idyllic and private Avril Island. Until the year their dad disappeared, and they left everything behind, her mom sold the island and they never went back

It isn’t until a car accident takes May’s life, that June is shocked to find out the island still belongs to her family and is now hers. Mourning the death of her sister and beat friend, June decides to visit Avril Island looking for answers.

Secrets do not stay buried forever and June is learning that her childhood summers aren’t quite what they seemed to be and there might be more to her dad’s disappearance. And someone seems to be going out of their way to make sure the truth stays hidden.

I listened to What You Never Knew. In my opinion, Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Laura Jennings did an outstanding job narrating this book. They evoked the atmosphere, brought the characters to life and embodied the emotions of the characters. I feel that their paced was really well done and I simply couldn’t put this book down.

Hamilton’s debut novel DELIVERED. In fact, it didn’t read like a debut novel at all. I fell in love with May and June and their bond leapt from the page. Their relationship is beautiful and it felt like a privilege to witness it. I also can’t fault the atmosphere, the physical descriptions made me feel like I was in that island, worn down cottage and closed nit town. The atmosphere could also be felt through the characters: grief, paranoia, love, frustrations, animosity.

Jessica played fair in her solution and I loved her idea for the book. The only (small) thing that kept it from being a 5-star read for me was that I wish the paranormal side of things had been slightly more developed.

I thoroughly enjoyed What You Never Knew. It reminded me of Lisa Jewell’s novel in the sense that I cared about the characters and felt like I witnessing their journey. I loved May’s narration and felt that her perspective was crucial to the plot. There were things we simply couldn’t be privy to without May. I was deeply touched by the sister’s relationship and wish May was still alive. I am really excited for Jessica Hamilton’s career and will definitely pick up her next books!

Such a fantastic read and I feel like it is almost more enjoyable as an audio book. I love a good sister story. This book reminded me so much of a much darker version of Disney's Frozen. I love the alternating chapters/characters and narrators that go along with them. I really love this author already.

I ended up liking "What You Never Knew" more than I thought I would. For me, the story started out a tad slow and didn't feel entirely new. But the twists and turns at the ending made up for it with a strong finish. The story alternates perspectives between June (alive) and May (not alive) as June moves back to her family's island after the death of her sister and mother April (cringe.) The twist is that June thought her mom sold the island decades ago. As June explores her past and revisits memories and people form her youth summers on the island, she learns that there may be more to her father's abandonment than she had originally believed. Maybe I've read too many "meet a cute old flame from your past when your life has turned to shit" lately to feel that this was terribly original, but like I said, it gets better and is worth the initial push. The one thing that KEPT sticking out to me throughout the book is how much ALCOHOL makes an appearance. I mean I like a beverage every now and them but good Lord these people pulled out wine, shots, beer, and an occasional joint at every left turn. No judgment, it just seemed like an editing error that could've been paired down.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for an ARC of this audiobook!

What You Never Knew by #JessicaHamilton, is a wonderful story of June and her older sister May, who passes away unexpectedly bringing many unanswered questions!!! The strong bond of their love is seen in evidence as June returns to her childhood home and May, although not alive, travels with her. The grief they both deal with is heartbreaking but in the end healing also! June soon realizes that her mother wasn’t what she believed her to be and there are many things that don’t add up. June is about to open a lot of resentment and secrets. I listened to the audiobook and it was all I wanted to do. The narration is excellent and the story line never lags! I loved this, characters, plot and mystery!!!#WHAT YOUNEVERKNEW#NETGALLEY

I LOVED listening to What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton. This is the perfect summer listen set in Maine on a family's private island. What You Never Knew will drag you in faster than a ripe tide. I couldn't wait to listen to the next chapter and see how this twisty thriller would unfold. It starts with May Bennett learning her mother didn't sell their family's summer home and island after all. Unfortunately May dies before she's able to prevent her younger sister June from returning to one of the happiest places of their childhood. Though the island June returns to may be a time capsule for a happier time in her life, her time on the island as an adult is anything but sunny and carefree. Strange things keep happening and June is desperate for answers. Give this one a listen to see how it ends!

A solid paranormal mystery. I was able to guess a good part of the ending but it was still fun getting there. I have to say though, June makes some pretty poor choices that seem pretty inexplicable. But still, a good atmospheric read. I would recommend.

This a mystery suspense novel told from alternating points of view, of sisters June and May. They grew up on Avril Island and left in their youth. They have a history there, and things may be more complicated than May ever knew.

This is a story of grief and longing and digging through your past to figure out how you became who you are.

What makes this stand out is May recently died and is a spirit. I’m not usually a fan of the paranormal, but somehow this works for me. While it starts out slow, it does eventually build to quite a suspenseful ending.

Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Laura Jennings do a terrific job narrating the sisters. They set a great tone in their narration that perfectly fits with the plot.

What You Never Knew
Jessica Hamilton
Out Now
⭐️⭐️✨

What You Never Know is a thriller that follows two sisters, June and May- one alive, one dead. That’s right, one of the perspectives in this story is from a dead woman. The story revolves around the living sister, June, returning to a cabin on an island that used to belong to her family when she was a child. At least, that’s what she thought. Turns out, her mother hid the fact that they still owned the cabin in an attempt to keep her family distanced from the mysterious disappearances of June and May’s father decades ago. What follows is a twisting, mysterious journey, that I had very high hopes for.

Unfortunately, this book did not really meet my expectations. I saw a lot of potential in this, and was very intrigued by the premise and the “dead narrator” hook. The problem I mainly had with this was the fact that it seemed like the author started a lot of things that didn’t really add to the plot or story in much of a meaningful way. The best example of this is actually May’s postmortem narration. While it was an interesting addition, I feel like it’s actual execution and effect on the plot was not a meaningful justification for its presence in the story. I think the story would have been more or less the same had it been told entirely from June’s perspective- maybe even better, as May’s narration occasionally revealed too much about the plot twists to come.

I think that the author had a lot of good ideas, but I just wish they had been a bit more effective. Another example of this is the setting. I liked the small-town, abandoned cabin, mysterious island setting, but felt like there were more opportunities to dive into that atmosphere that weren’t really taken advantage of.

Ultimately, I think this is entertaining, but it did not meet my expectations. Maybe you will feel better about it, so if the plot sounds interesting, I encourage you to try it. I will pick up whatever this author writes next, just to give the potential I see another chance to be satisfied.

Thank you Netgalley, Jessica Hamilton, and Crooked Lane Books for an early copy of this audiobook. What You Never Knew is available now.






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What You Never Knew
Jessica Hamilton
This story is told through two points of view: Much of what May shares with readers assists in understanding the family dynamics. The suspense comes forefront through June’s point of view.
She is dealing with their mother’s will. She has inherited Avril island and the cottage from their childhood. She is extremely upset for she had been told the house and island were sold years ago after their father disappeared. She does not want anything to do with the place. Upon her death June inherits the property.
As children sisters June and May Bennett spent summers swimming and playing on Avril Island in their cottage. Their father would come for a two- or three-day visit every two or three weeks. While the girls spent their summer playing so was their mother. When June was twelve years old her father disappeared; they never returned to the island after that. Thirty years later, June is mourning May’s death when she discovers Avril had never been sold and she is now the owner.
June is grief stricken and depressed as she travels back to the island in need of answers. Why did her father desert their family? Why was she told the island had been sold? As June delves into the past repressed memories of her childhood surface. The locals believe her father had participated in a murder and escaped before being convicted.
June is reunited with Ezra her childhood best friend. They renew their friendship, and their relationship grows much deeper. Ezra wants to help June but also needs to care for his mother Willa who has slowly slipped into dementia since her husband, West disappeared shortly after June’s father did.
Strange things begin happening on the island; June finds dead birds on her door step, a record player begins playing by itself, things are left on her bed, and while she is sleeping the bedroom door is locked from the outside. Someone else is in the cottage with her.
The love between the sisters is touching. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. This is tale falls under the genres of thriller, suspense, and mystery. This is author Jessica Hamilton’s debut book.

This was the first book I read from this author and sadly I think it will be my last. This was such a hard audio book to get thru. I enjoyed June’s character and her POV however I dreaded reading from May’s POV. It wouldn’t have been so bad if the over description of what it was like being dead/a ghost was so heavy. I also thought the twists were either predictable or very strange and out of left field.

Overall, this was a pretty good mystery. An abandoned island full of family secrets and rumors was a really interesting setting that I quite enjoyed. It was teetering on the edge of being creepy and more of a thriller, but didn’t quite get there for me. I wish the envelope would have been pushed a bit more, but it was good!

June returns to her family summer home, Avril Island, after years of believing her mother had sold the property. June seeks answers to why her mother, April, never let them summer at the home after her Dad disappeared. June’s older sister, May, had been keeping a lot of secrets from her. May was just recently killed in a car crash, but her souls still feels the power to protect her baby sister, June. While uncovering the secrets, June becomes the strong woman she knows she can be and is inspired to be a better mother. Obtaining peace and closure is different for every character, but the key is to let each person find their own way to that peace and closure. This was a great read and such a great story of sisterly love.

This was a great read that I couldn't stop listening to. At first the dead sister thing kinda threw me off but as the story progressed it became more clear and the best way to tell the story in a way that it progressed the way it did bit also gave us all the details we needed. I really loved this read

Told from the perspectives of two sisters, one alive and well, and other... not. As children, the sisters spent summers on an idyllic island. One summer their father disappears and their mother sells the island. Those summers are in the past for good. After the death of her sister, everything June thought she knew is brought into question. What happened to her father? The family's story unravels with increasing intensity to the stunning conclusion. Spot-on narration adds to the story's impact. Fans of psychological suspense will enjoy it..

What a brilliant debut novel from this author - from start to finish I was completely entranced with this. The way this is told is so unique and different from any book I've ever read. The story is told through a younger sister who has lost her mother to illness and older sister to a tragic accident and also through the memories and perspective of her dead older sister, as her spirit is still watching over her living younger sister as she begins to unravel a lifetime of family secrets hidden away. I was constantly switching back and forth between who I thought was behind the scary happenings on the island and who I could trust and struggled to work out how everything was connected. When all of the family secrets were revealed I was completely shocked and did not see it coming at all. This was so well thought out and written so that everything tied together perfectly. I cannot wait to see what other mysteries come from Jessica Hamilton.

This book gave me all of the spooky feels! It's my first book by Jessica Hamilton, and I really enjoyed it. What You Never Knew is full of big family secrets and a myserious unsolved murder from the past. It alternates points of view between a dead woman and her twin sister. I loved the vivid descriptions and character depth. This story is sure to take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions!

There’s a lot to be said for a quiet, introspective psychological thriller. It can be a welcome change from the fast paced, tense thrillers that cause heart palpitations and make your head spin. This audiobook was a composed slow burn that involved an old family mystery and long buried secrets that took place on Avril Island.

Avril island is where sisters May and June spent their summers growing up. The island was a gift to their French mother, April, from their father. Hence, it became known as Avril island. After their mother’s death, the now adult sisters inherit the island but are shocked because April told them long ago that she sold the island. The last memory the sisters have of the island is packing up quickly and leaving in a rush after their father suddenly left them when they were kids. There has been no contact from him ever since. Shortly after inheriting Avril island, May suddenly passes away, which leads to June returning to the island to face her grief and memories, and try to figure out what really happened to her father all those years ago.

I thought the audio performance was good. And although I really liked the premise of the mystery and I loved the chilling and atmospheric backdrop, the story itself had a number of loose ends that were never resolved or didn’t fully make sense. For example, we are never told how May dies and I wondered what was the point of having her perspective from the after life? There were characters brought in as part of the mystery, like Caroline, only to never be mentioned again. I also guessed the big reveal early on, which deflated the ending for me.

I think this is a thriller that will appeal to readers who enjoy a slower paced mystery that is long in undertones, has a supernatural element and also a few loose ends.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media, Crooked Lane and Netgalley for an advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

Wow I really enjoyed the narration of this book, the narrater was wonderful at voices and really made you feel suspense when it was needed. It was very atmospheric and a great book that i would highly recommend

Whew- get me the hell off of Avril Island!

The Bennett sisters, June and May have always been close. Their summers spent on Avril Island in the cottage by the water. They would watch the thunderstorms roll in during midnight swims with their beautiful mother, April nearby. As adults, May discovers that the cottage of their youth is still owned by their mother moments before dying in a car accident. Now June is the only surviving member of the family and must go back to the island to see what is left behind and confront the ghosts of her family's past.

Sound complicated? Well you better hold on, it is going to be a bumpy ride!

I listed to this on audio and I would highly recommend NOT doing that- the narration was lackluster and at times very hard to enjoy. This is a story of so much childhood trauma from an adulterous mother who scars her daughters emotionally by withholding affection, choosing one over the other.

There are so many twists and turns in this book and I will shoot you straight- I saw most of them coming about halfway through. However, there was a biggie at the very end I was blown away by.

The negative for me was the relationship between Ezra and June. I found it to be so forced and perhaps it was the inflection from the narrator but I just found it cold and stilted. I didn't enjoy either of those characters- what GROWN ass man never wears shoes? What woman allows a man to sneak around in her house after 30 years of not seeing him? I wasn't buying it.

I really feel like this book should receive a chance in paper form but for me, this one was forgettable.

Thank you to Netgalley and Jessica Hamilton for an advanced reader copy of this book for my honest review.