Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and the author Jessica Hamilton for this ARC copy.

This book goes back and forth between two different perspectives, between two sisters, June and May Bennett. After the death of her sister, June learns of her inheritance of a childhood property on Avril island that June believed was sold many years ago. Devastated by the loss in her life, June returns to Avril island where she begins to question mysterious events that occurred during her childhood. As she starts digging into her past it becomes evident that someone on the island does not want her there.

This book was well written, and was an easy read, however I just didn’t find it to be much of a thriller as I thought it was going to be. I really don’t enjoy romance novels and parts of it seemed more romance than thriller to me. I’m sure others will enjoy this book, there certainly wasn’t anything wrong with it, it just wasn’t for me.

A story of two sisters, one is living and one who is dead. Jane searches into her childhood summers for answers surrounding disappearance of her father. It has a creepy thriller aspect to it! I found it very entertaining and enjoy the twists at the end.

I’m not sure why, but I had a hard time getting into this book. I listened to the audio version of the book. I just couldn’t stay engaged. The story is interesting though. The ending felt rushed to me. I would give it another chance in paper copy form to see if there was a difference.
Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

THANK YOU Net Galley for the opportunity to listen to the audiobook of What You Never Knew. May and June had a Mother that had an affair. The lies and deceit that resulted had an impact in many lives.

What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton is such a great family drama and mystery thriller! The eerie and isolated atmosphere truly makes the story which is phenomenally executed. This story is told from the perspective of two sisters; one living and one dead. Reading from the perspective of a ghost is really unique and adds a supernatural spookiness to the whole narrative. 

A one hundred year old family cottage on a private island with acres of forest has been abandoned for decades. When tragedy strikes, reeling from the loss and attempting the grieve, the living daughter of the cottage owners revisits the long forgotten property, only to uncover a whole host of family secrets. 

I thoroughly enjoyed this audiobook narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Laura Jennings. This is a fast paced thriller with a lot of moving parts. 

Only a couple things to criticize; I wish there had been more background and history on the sisters themselves in order to develop a deeper connection to them. And... how many times can someone forget to charge their phone, seriously?! This was a frequent plot catalyst that I found repetitive and frankly a bit annoying. Otherwise, this story was a great read/listen! 

Thank you, NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Jessica Hamilton for a copy of this audiobook for review!

I was super excited to request this book when I heard about it. However, I had quite an issue with the book in it's form. First the narration was a little jarring and not as pleasant to listen to. Also, there was so much explaining and exposition that it made the story itself lost it's thrill. What I will say is that the plot twists were really creative!

This book was very creepy to me. I was caught off guard immediately with the death of one sister named May, and then throughout the book as her younger sister June goes back to the family island and makes discovery after discovery about her family and people she thinks she knows.

I liked that the book was told from both sister's perspectives. May, deceased. June, living. I was also thrown for a loop upon finding out what actually happened all of those years ago and shocked at the descriptions in certain points to the book.

This book is a must-read for those who enjoy thrillers and mysteries!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

4.5 stars for this wonderful read! This book reminded me a bit of the Lovely Bones, told between two sisters May who just died in a car accident and her sister June trying to grieve both the sudden loss of her sister May and her mother. Filled with secrets, betrayals and lots of drama this book didn’t disappoint. We are taken back 30 years ago to secrets on Avril Island. As June peels back the layers of her family the shocking truths will be revealed that were long buried....This is an emotionally gripping page turner will keep guessing until the very end!

Thank you to NetGalley for the Audio of What You Never Knew for my honest opinion!

Review posted on my Goodreads

https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/12409011-donna-beiderman

#whatyouneverknew #jessicahamilton #NetGalley #booknerds #booksofinstagram #booklife #bookbub #bookclub #bookclubbook #ilovereading #bookaholic #bookaddict #bookadvisor #goodreads #betweenthechapters  #booklife
#100bookchallenge #bookclub
#readacrossinstagram #readingnook #bookreviewer

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to review an audiobook copy of What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton.

June returns to Avril Island after the deaths of her mother and older sister. An Island that her father disappeared from. An Island that her mother told her had been sold...but wasn't...

I really enjoyed this thriller! There were parts of it that were slightly predictable but it kept me wanting to listen the whole time and the ending was quite good. I didn't expect who the killer was at all.

I liked the addition of June's sister, May, having alternate chapters, as a ghost...it was unique.

I also want to give a shout out to the narrator of this audiobook. Her voice was very soothing.

Decades old family secrets, unsolved murders, a possibly haunted abandoned family cabin, small town drama, a little bit of a ghost story.

This was a very quick read (or listen) because the story continually gets stranger and stranger. We alternate not only between two different timelines but also between two sisters povs that feed off of each other. This family has had a lot to unpack for decades and now June is left to pick up the pieces while dealing with a lot of spooky things. The final twists were unexpected, I didn’t figure it out until right before it was happening and made me 🤭

Not only was this this a mystery but it was also a story about the love and devotion between sisters, the complicated relationships that come with family, and what you’ll do to keep each other safe. This was such a strong debut novel!

What I Liked:
* alternating povs + alternating timelines
* atmospheric, dark, haunted vibe throughout

*I received an advanced reader’s audiobook copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Only work phone calls could keep me from finishing this in one sitting. The narrators did such a great job of evoking the atmosphere of the island and the sisters' feelings of confusion over what happened when they were younger. I had to keep listening to find out what happened.

This was a fun listen! The narrator was engaging and kept me interested in the story. The characters (especially June and May) were well developed. I enjoyed the narration of May from beyond the grave. Parts of the book were super predictable, but overall a fun "who dun it" book.

As children, sisters June and May vacationed on the idyllic island of Avril. A island owned by their family. At the age of 12, June’s father mysteriously disappeared on the island and June, May and her mother, April, leave quickly never to return. April tells the girls that she sold the island, but years later when she dies, they find out she has lied about the island. After the devastating loss of her sister May, June heads to the island to find out answers. What really happened to her father that night? Why do her mother lie about the island? With May’s spirit also on the island, truths are revealed and the sisters find out what really happened that night. Expertly narrated in the voices of June and May, this was a riveting tale from start to finish. I was totally hooked!

My thanks to Net Galley for the chance to review this wonderfully haunting audio.

Story is told from 2 view points. June Bennet, living, and her dead sister, May, who was killed in a car accident.

June returns to Avril Island after her sisters death to find out that their family cottage was not sold , but still on her family. She wants to know why. While on the island she discovers her father may not have run off, as her mother stated, but was murdered, the father of her childhood friend may have been involved , her mother told her lies, dead birds found on her veranda, her record player mysteriously starting in the middle of the night, and being followed in the woods. Someone does not want June to know the secrets of her past and what really happened to her father.

My only negative comment is the narrator was not one of my favorites. Just reading regular, it was fine, but then narration got very whisper like. All in all enjoyable story with lots of surprises.

What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton is a fascinating, atmospheric mystery about uncovering family secrets that have laid dormant for decades. The story is told in the perspective of sisters June and May, whose enigmatic, mercurial mother has recently passed away. They learn that their family still owns the small island on Lake Champlain, where they vacationed as kids, but left abruptly as young teenagers. In the first chapter, older sister May is killed, but her spirit remains to narrate some of the sections. Still grieving the loss of her sister, June travels to the island to try to find answers about their family’s past and father who disappeared during that final summer on the island. I loved the isolated setting and how the story slowly unfolds revealing more and more about her family’s actions and how we’re not sure who to trust as she reconnects with more people from the area. Hamilton does an excellent job including tidbits of information that foreshadow what may have happened. I listened to the audiobook which is well-narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen and Laura Jennings. This is a well-crafted mystery perfect for a summer vacation!

Thank you Crooked Lane Books / Dreamscape Media and NetGalley for providing this audiobook and e-book ARC.

A multi-generational emotional journey begins when June has to return to the cottage she spent every summer until her dad went missing. In the wake of the death of her mother and sister, June’s grief drives her from her ex husband and children to a secluded island in Maine — to the house June had been told her mother sold years ago. As she reconnects with old friends and acquaintances, June begins to piece together the real story, not just about what really happened to her father but also who her mother really was.

A captivating, emotionally engaging listen that while was a little too romance heavy for my personal tastes, was still a great story. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author

This is a story filled with haunting secrets revealed decades later as told in dual points of view by sisters May & June. As children, the girls spent their summers at their private island with their parents. One day something happens and they never return to their island home. Their mother tells them that it has been sold and that’s the end of it. Many years later, their mother dies and May meets with her attorney only to find out that the island had not been sold but May wants no part of this island and doesn’t want to June to know it’s dark history. Sadly, May dies in a car crash and so does June’s knowledge of the island for now.

Months later, June needs some time away and after learning that she now owns the island, she travels to the long lost summer home where she experiences some strange thoughts & feelings as well as some unexpected visitors. What she doesn’t realize is that May is there with her trying to protect her from the past.

This debut novel is very well written, leaving no gaps in the story. The author shows how May & June’s sisterly bond transcends through life & death. Fans of Lisa Jewel will be drawn into the story from the start!

I really enjoyed the twists in this book. My heart was broken for May right away in the book and then watching over her sister. I kept waiting for a killer to pop out on June. Didn't see the ending coming which for me was great. I usually figure out the mysteries.
Audio was great. I did adjust the speed up for better listening.

What You Never Knew is a great family drama told by two sisters. June Bennett is a divorced mother of two girls that is trying to figure out what happened to her father and why would he run off. May is a June’s older sister that dies in a car accident. June inherited Avril Island from her sister and mother. So she heads to the island to find out answers that summer when her father disappeared. Thank you so much to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Jessica Hamilton for this advanced audio book . ⭐️⭐️⭐️’s

I enjoyed the premise of this story and I enjoyed the narration provided by Laura Jennings and Sarah Mollo Christensen. The narration made this an easy read for me as the story flowed well and it was a pretty quick listen/read. The writing was tight with an interesting plot that kept me engaged throughout. Overall What You Never Knew was an enjoyable read for me.