More Than You’ll Ever Know is a gripping fictional “true crime” novel set in South Texas and Mexico. Lovers of true crime and mystery will definitely want to pick up this novel once it’s released. Twists abound!

In 2017, Cassie Bowman is obsessed with true crime podcasts, TV and literature. As a novice journalist she has aspirations of revealing the perfect true crime story that will gain her fame and fortune. Browsing the internet, she discovers an angle that she believes worthy of her aims and skills: a woman who was married to two men at the same time that resulted in a murder. Cassie puts her life on hold (she is engaged) and goes to Laredo to track down the story.

Back in 1985, Lore Rivera is married to both Andre in Mexico City and Felix in Laredo. She loves them both, but is risking family, both husbands and a successful banking career to maintain a dual life. It can’t go on. Cassie burrows into Lore’s past to fashion a crime story with a female slant that will show Lore’s point of view. But which woman is learning the most about herself?

Gutierrez consistently uses a dual timeline to show what both women have to gain and to lose through actions, past and present. The first half of the book builds their characters. It is very slow and could have used some editing. In the second half of the book, the action picks up, but by then interest has somewhat flailed. Neither woman is very engaging, sympathetic or riveting. Mistakes and assumptions are made by both, as more family drama is revealed. Not really a thriller, but an exploration of marriage, family, loyalty and duty. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing this title.

I had a hard time getting into this. Good premises but a slow burn read. Also pet peeve when Spanish words or any other language words are used people who don't speak the language have to either go with the flow, figure it out, or look the word up takes away from in my opinion the flow of reading a book. Even if its just a word here or there.


Thanks to the author the publisher and NetGalley for an early release of this book.

Interesting plot about a woman who marries a man in Mexico despite being married to a man in the US. Her husband in Mexico is murdered by her US husband who is convicted and sent to jail. A journalist tries to get the woman to tell her side of the story and how she ended up being married to two men. The book switches back and forth in time so the reader gets the background but also understands the aftermath of her decision. Good read.

This book is about Cassie a true crime blogger wanting to write a true crime novel about Lore a woman with a double life. Lore has two husbands, one in Laredo, Texas with whom she has twin sons. She meets Andres in Mexico City who has two children and marries him also. One of the husbands will die.
This is a slow burner literary suspense about two women who for purely selfish reasons do whatever it takes to get what they want. In the case of Lore, she had to realize that this could not last forever. She loved both men. Eventually, it would be found out.
Cassie is a woman with a chip on her shoulder who is broke and wants to make it big even at the cost of losing family and fiancé. Neither of the woman are truly likable.
The book was well over 400 pages and it was hard to get into initially. There was much time spent reading about how the relationships grew. But after about 1/4 of the book I really wanted to find out what would happen. I enjoyed the story about Lore. This is a debut book by Katie Gutierrez and she did a good job.
I want to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for my early ebook copy. The book goes on sale June 7.

This book introduces us to Cassie, a true crime obsessed blogger/journalist, and Lore, an older woman who was involved with two men, Fabian and Andres, at the same time, that ended with the murder of Andres.

From the beginning, we think we know who killed who, and the premise of the book is that Cassie is writing a novel about Lore, from Lore's perspective, on how she became entangled, and married, to both men at the same time. However, as the book progresses, and Cassie digs further and further into the past, and Lore's relationships with her two husbands, her children, and her extended family, things are revealed to not be as they seem.

Do not go into this book expecting it to be a nail biting thriller. This is a domestic drama, about family, relationships, and how the choices we make have a ripple effect and impact those around us.

I enjoyed this book, and felt the build up and reveal to all have been done very well, and also enjoyed how Cassie and Lore grow and change as characters, and become closer to each other. I was satisfied with the ending and how it wrapped up, and would recommend this to readers who enjoy domestic dramas and mysteries.

Thank you to William Morrow, Book Club Girl, and NetGalley for the e-ARC of this novel for this review.

This is a story about the lengths we'll go to protect family.  It is 1983 and Lore Rivera is married to Fabian Rivera, the mother of twin boys, and an executive at a community bank in Laredo, Texas.  She travels to Mexico City to attend a wedding hosted by one of her clients, and there she meets Andres Russo.  She does not let on that she is married, and the two soon fall into a relationship -- aided by the business trips that she regularly makes to Mexico City.  In 1985, despite still being married to Fabian, Lore gets married to Andres and splits her time between the two countries.  Two years later, the truth comes to light, and one husband is arrested for the murder of the other.

In 2017, struggling writer Cassie is engaged in her usual practice of scouring the internet for true stories that she can write-up for the website she works for as a freelancer.  She comes across a news article detailing the murder of one of Lore's two husbands by the other.  Cassie is immediately intrigued by what more is behind the story  -- she is sure it has the making for a book that will finally launch her career.  She convinces Lore to agree to a series of interviews about what led to that fateful day, all while doing her own research.  Cassie soon discovers the story is even more complex than she could have guessed.  But as she finds herself pulled deeper into Lore's web, Cassie is also facing the prospect that secrets from her past that she has kept hidden from most of those who came to know her as an adult -- but not Lore -- will come to light and undermine the life she has carefully built.

This was a terrific book, combining the best aspects of a family saga (really the saga of two families) with a murder mystery.  The structure of the novel, switching between the past and present and the perspectives of the two main characters, worked well for building suspense.  This book excels at unfolding the mystery over the course of the story, providing just enough new information to keep the reader hooked at each stage of the story.  I'm excited to see what comes next from this author!

Strongly recommended!

I found the premise of More Than You'll Ever Know very intriguing, but I struggled with the length and pace of the book. The book is broken into three parts and due to the incredibly slow pace of parts one and two, I considered giving up on the book a couple of times. It does pick up a bit in part three but by the time the twist is revealed I had already figured it out. It should also be noted that this book is more of a family drama than a thriller.

QUICK TAKE: first of all, love the cover. Unfortunately, I struggled with this book that totters between a journalist investigating a Dateline-esque murder mystery and the woman at the center of said mystery. I was bored by both timelines and I think in an oversaturated marketplace of thrillers and domestic suspense novels, this one just didn't rise to the top for me.

What would it be like to live a double life? To truly love both husbands, both families? Lore (Delores) did just that; and 30 years later, journalist Cassie starts to converse with Lore after discovering her story. Told in two timelines, 2017 and 1985+, each woman has reasons to hide parts of herself from the other, as Cassie begins to unravel the events of Lore's life and has a reckoning with her own childhood. Honestly, I did not find Cassie's story all that neccesary to the novel and it grew a bit tiresome. I would also quibble with the propensity of the author to throw in Spanish phrases/conversation - making it a bit more difficult to follow some of the emotions of the characters.

More Than You'll Ever Know
by Katie Gutierrez
Pub Date: June 7, 2022
William Morrow & Company
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.
* Mystery * Thriller * Fiction
Two husbands? Two Lives? An evocative drama about a woman caught leading a double life after one husband murders the other, and the true-crime writer who becomes obsessed with telling her story—this masterful work of literary suspense marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer.
This book was a disappointment for me. Overall, this is a decent debut with an interesting story. I would definitely read another book from this author, but I hope it’ll be a bit shorter in length.
This was not a thriller for me.
3 stars

I absolutely loved this book. I am pretty picky giving out 5 stars and this one had that quality that I will be thinking for months that definitely gets 5 stars. The book has dual timelines, but not in a typical way - it's one storyline threaded across both time periods. Lore was one of the most interesting characters I have read in some time and it was really brilliant to have the book split time between seeing her "live action" in the mid-80s when she was involved (and married!) to two different men in two different countries, and then hearing her recollection of the time as she talks to Cassie, a true crime writer. I felt I had a good grasp of all the characters, even the more minor ones like Lore's sister Marta while at the same time, being able to focus on the main characters of Lore, Fabian, Andres, and Lore's twin sons. I also loved the mix of Spanish words and phrases into the book - it added so much flavor to the book and even though my Spanish skills are only passable, I was able to catch on to most of it and enjoyed looked up the words I didn't know. I'll definitely be recommending this book to anyone that will listen - it isn't a fluffy book but would still make a great vacation read!

While a murder lies at the heart of this story, it feels like the book is just as much a character study around the two protagonists, Lore and Cassie. Happily married in the 1980s, Lore goes on a trip to Mexico City and meets Andre and falls in love. Falls in love so deeply that she begins a relationship with him and ends up marrying him - despite still being married to Fabian and being mother to their twins, cuates, Gabriel and Mateo. Andre offers her things that don't or no longer exist in a relationship with Fabian that has spanned decades. In trying to have everything, Lore ends up losing when her deception is found out, Andre ends up in dead and Fabian ends up in prison for his murder. Cassie, approximately thirty years later, is trying to elevate her career in true crime, and a story about Lore is too hard to pass up. Cassie feels like she has a unique edge in telling Lore's story; she comes from a home with an alcoholic and abusive father, and a mother that died giving birth to her much younger brother, Andrew. When she graduates from high school she has a difficult decision to make. Does she stay to ensure her father is truly staying sober and taking care of Andrew, or does she leave when she has the opportunity to escape and pursue her own passions? Even though the circumstances are completely different, both women have the opportunity to pursue what makes them happy, but it comes at the cost of people that mean the most to them. This bonds the women together, but the bond Cassie's made with Lore puts her in an ethical dilemma as she slowly begins to discover just exactly what happened the day Andre died? Do Andre's children deserve the full truth? Is it worth destroying the fragile family bonds that have been rebuilt by Lore, her first husband and her sons? This story by Gutierrez tends to drag at points, but it also does at really great job of examining the choices women have to make between themselves and the people they love. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Someone is leading a double life, and it isn't the husband.

Dolores "Lore" is caught between two worlds. One is with her loving family in Laredo, Texas. Her and her husband, Fabian have twin boys. She risks more than she bargains for when she marries Andreas Russo in Mexico and the dance begins.

Her double life will soon unravel when she is caught, lies are revealed, someone ends up dead.

This is one long book, close to 450 pages. The premise is intriguing and my expectations were high, I was expecting a "gripping" mystery. This is very much a slow burn, family drama. If you go into it with those expectations, it may work better for you.

I found it thought provoking, and I did want to finish and find out the deets, but the ride needed some more energy and intensity. This was a debut, and I like to give debut authors another chance.

A fun buddy read with Jayme, Michael, Michelle, DeAnn, and Regina. Go check out their awesome reviews and find out who solved the case!

Thanks to Scene of the Crime and NG for the arc. OUT June 7, 2022

This debut novel really grabbed me in the final part. We have two viewpoints presented – Cassie – a true crime blogger; and Lore – a woman who is leading a double life.

Cassie becomes obsessed with Lore and her life of deception. Lore is married to two men and has a family in Mexico City and one in Laredo. How she manages to keep up the charade for years is an interesting tale! Things explode when her first husband murders her second husband.

As Cassie digs deeper into Lore’s life and story, she tries to understand Lore’s motivation and justifications. It’s a slow burn story as we follow Lore meeting Andres at a wedding in Mexico City, witness them falling love, surviving a major earthquake, and eventually to the fateful day when Andres is murdered.

This one has a lot of Spanish phrases that I thought added to the authenticity, but I would have appreciated a few more translations. I think it could have benefitted from editing to make it shorter. This is not a fast-paced thriller but does have a mystery element. I did enjoy exploring how and why someone can build a second life. It was also interesting to read about Cassie and how she becomes obsessed with the subject of her book. Is that a good thing or the only way to get it done?

My first buddy read and it turned out to be a bust!!!!

DNF at 28%

The pace is too slow, there is far too many Spanish words and terms for anyone unfamiliar, the Mexican economic crisis of the 80's is too boring a subject matter to hold my interest, both Lore and Cassie are very unlikable women, and at over 400 pages this is much too long and I dreaded whenever I had to pick this up.

Thanks for the company Jayme, Michael, Holly, DeAnn, and Regina. Some of us liked this more than others but I'm the only one to abandon it. Make sure to check out their thoughtful reviews!

Thank you to Scene of the Crime and NetGalley for my complimentary copy.

How long can someone living a double life get by before two worlds collide?

Delores “Lore” Rivera thought she could maintain it…until she started having doubts.

In 1985, Lore is a banker in Texas, and she’s married to Fabian. She has twin sons, Mateo and Gabriel. She’s always been happy, but stress looms as a recession hits and Fabian is close to losing his business. She travels to Mexico City for a wedding and meets Andres Russo. They hit it off immediately. Given her job, she’s able to travel back and forth, and ends up marrying Andres.

Two husbands? Two lives?

All is fine and dandy until one husband murders the other one and all secrets are revealed.

In 2017, Cassie Bowman writes blog posts related to true crime. She catches wind of Lore’s double life, and is intrigued. She decides to track Lore down and see if she’ll collaborate on a true crime book about her. Couldn’t hurt. Both women have reasons for this “project”. Both women have secrets. Both women are not prepared for what will happen to their quiet lives.

I know this sounds super enticing and unputdownable, but fair warning: it is NOT a thriller. It’s more of a domestic drama with historical fiction vibes…and yes, there is some mystery. However, it takes a while to get to that aspect of it. Not to say that’s a bad thing, but make sure you go in with your expectations in check.

This book is long…longer than it needs to be. Some scenarios could’ve been trimmed while still maintaining the integrity of the story. It’s broken down into 3 parts. The first two are rather slow, but I wasn’t bored per se. I was always intrigued to keep on going. Part III is where things hit their peak, and I really did fly through the pages at this point. Going back to that mystery angle I mentioned…I guessed it correctly. It still proved to be satisfying.

Overall, this is a decent debut with an interesting story. I would definitely read another book from this author, but I hope it’ll be a bit shorter in length.

3.5 stars

This was a group buddy read with Jayme, Holly, Michelle, DeAnn, and Regina. Make sure to check out their amazing reviews!

Thank you to William Morrow and Scene of the Crime for a widget of the ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Expected Publication Date: 6/7/22.

Review also posted at: https://bonkersforthebooks.wordpress.com

...𝘗𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯'𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴; 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘤𝘵. 𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘵'𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘦 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦. 𝘎𝘰𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦'𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦. 𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰, 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦, 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘵𝘰𝘰, 𝘤𝘭𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘺𝘴𝘴. 𝘉𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘧𝘭𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴.

While one of the easiest decisions to rate this five stars, I couldn't pen a review that would do this masterpiece justice, and while I'm still not able to adequately convey how perfect this book is, here are my thoughts.

This book is a dazzling masterpiece of two distinct voices and two timelines; first, there is Lore Rivera, a married mother of twins from Texas who makes the decision to marry a second husband in Mexico and become a step-mother to his children. Her double life led to the murder of one husband and the arrest of the other.

True crime writer Cassie Bowman finds the case and is immediately swept away by what the reports don't contain-why would a mother risk everything for a secret double life? Cassie tracks down Lore, who eventually grudgingly agrees to be interviewed as long as Cassie doesn't ask certain questions. But the more time Cassie spends with Lore, the more she is certain that the events did not unfold as they were reported.

This was the most gripping family drama I've ever read. The prose was absolutely gorgeous, and I stopped several times to take note of entire passages. The universal themes of family, our obsession with the macabre, and the secrets we keep will surely make this an instant best seller. I loved every word!

I’ve always wondered how some men can live a double life with more than one wife and separate families and everyone seems so unsuspecting. This true crime style story tells of Dolores Riviera, a woman who ended up with two husbands and families in two separate countries. Our main character, Cassie, is a young writer trying to break into the business by writing a true crime blog. She stumbles upon the 35-year old story of Dolores (Lore), who was living in Texas, married to a businessman and mother to their two children. Lore was also married to a man in Mexico and was a mother to his two children at the same time. The story really develops as we see how Dolores let small lies build until she created something so big, she had no way out. The tension built with both husbands, who were upset with the amount of “traveling” Lore had to do for her job. The truth eventually comes out, one husband ends up dead, the other in prison. But what really happened? Cassie decides that she wants to interview Lore and get her side of the story, since everything she has read is from the point of view of other people. Lore amazingly agrees to interviews but refuses to talk about how the story ends. During their talks, Lore hones in on the fact that Cassie has insecurities and past trauma of her own. She preys on Cassie, convincing her to open up with her and become even more vulnerable, and we see how Lore is manipulating an unsuspecting Cassie. This story had twists and turns and really developed the characters. I enjoyed reading this book and would read more by this author.
Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Cassie who is a writer decides to write about a woman leading a double life when a murder happened. This book was good but i was getting bored at times.