Very intense that's for sure!
Living somewhere away from others, because your parents are hiding away. That would be tough.

This book was very unexpected. I went in blind and was not disappointed. It is creatively written and engaging. I enjoyed the child, first person perspective as well. This teen scoops around and finds out there are many secrets haunting her life. She is determined to get to the bottom of her parents secrets.

This book is a story which has the potential to captivate you. A girl, Juno, has only known life on an island with her parents and brother. When she begins to question if what her parents say is really the truth, life on the island begins to unravel.

Excellent audiobook, the narrator did such a great job of embodying a stressed out teenage girl!
The story itself had me, a grown woman, stressed out too! I think the author/translator did a great job of making us invested in our character, it was almost impossible to stop reading.
I do think the go, go, go pace of this book wasn't for me, and the villains were pretty straight forward for my personal liking. So while I needed to finish the book to make sure our girl was going to be okay, I didn't necassarily vibe with this type of storytelling. Still, excellent job to this author, translator, and narrator for making my heart beat fast for hours at a time! My Apple Watch is thankful lol.

I devoured What Mother Won’t Tell Me in just over a day. I binge listened and just couldn’t stop. The mystery is compelling from the off, and with so many possibilities I just found myself having to get to the end. This book is tense, dramatic and brimming in mystery. To tell too much of the story would be to give away the plot which I think will work best going in blind, but needless to say all is not what it appears to be. A gripping and disturbing thriller which drew me in until the very last line (and what a line!) Highly recommend.

Didn't work for me - the narrator was both old and acted like a child. The immaturity kept taking me out of the story. I also didn't enjoy the narrator, which was another distraction. Unfortunate! I was hoping this would be an interesting thriller/suspense to keep me on my toes.

Ahhh this one had a pretty crazy plot twist that I did not see coming. At first you just think they’re kind of crazy, a little overprotective. Then once you learn the truth it makes so much more sense. Very interesting end but I was ultimately glad about it.

🌀Synopsis
Juno has been raised in practical isolation since she can remember. It’s just her family on the island and a man that delivers supplies. However, Juno starts to get a little more curious with time. She is accidentally seen by the man and now must cover her tracks. Things get progressively worse from there and Juno starts to suspect there is more at play than what she knows.
After another man comes to their island she gets suspicious of her parents. She gets into their secret room and finds out what they are hiding. The truth is that her and her brother were abducted and their life on the island is so they aren’t found. Now the man promises to rescue them but her parents also know something is going on and they aren’t willing to let them go and get themselves caught.

This book was a little predictable, but I thought it was told very well. I love that it was translated into English as well I think that added to the story and the dynamics of the characters.

This was a wild listen - great narration, great story. I didn't want to stop listening because I *needed* to know what was going to happen! Great elements of dystopia, but also very realistic plot. Definitely worth your time!

I expected a lot from this book and I feel like it is just a solid three stars - I had to go from 1.25 to 2 times speed because it felt a bit tedious at parts. I have been thinking about this book for a few days and I think it was a good quick read!

WHAT MOTHER WON'T TELL ME by @ivarleonmenger is a story of isolation and secrets that unravel as Juno, a young girl living in the deep woods on a secluded island with Father, Mother, and Boy starts to realize that her quiet, simple life is not entirely what it seems. This story is translated from the original German. Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher @poisonedpenpress for the audio-ARC.

Boy and Juno always follow directions, including hiding in the void under the floor when any Strangers come to the island. They are taught they must be a secret until one day, Juno is spotted by Uncle Orla, the mailman, and that is the beginning of the unraveling of their perfectly crafted life...

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I found this book to be very compelling, including the naivety and urgency with which this young narrator tells her story. There was one part of the book I found her to be a little extra as a character but otherwise enjoyed her perspective.

The narration by @narrator.ella on the audiobook was superb as well with well-crafted individual voices and the ability to appropriately imbue the anxious and fretful state of Juno's young mind. A somewhat locked-in mystery with some impactful twists and turns, this one is well worth your time and is fast-paced to boot!

Do you prefer to live in the city around lots of other people or do you prefer more wide open spaces? I live in the city and most days I enjoy it but I have had some country living fantasies as well!?

💚SMASHBOT💚

#bookreview #booksta #bookstagram #booknerd #bibliophile #whatmotherwonttellme #poisonedpenpress #ivarleonmenger #translatedfiction #mysterybooks #bookworm #bookishcommunity #bookstacommunity

Wow, not what I was expecting at all! I really enjoyed this thriller. I was not expecting that series of events and that's what made the book so much more interesting for me.

The narration was done well and it was easy to follow even though the book was translated.

Excellent narration! Loved her voice!

What mother won’t tell me, is definitely an isolated, atmospheric novel. At first it seems like your normal family of four living on a remote island and running from their past. But as things develop, you’ll start to notice that these are not your normal parents or an average type situation. I really enjoyed the writing, and it definitely kept me on the edge of my seat, wanting to know what was going to happen next, and if these people were going to make it out of here alive. Was also thankful for the chapter at the end that tied things up nicely. Other than I, too, like some other readers, missed what the actual note revealed, the mystery message from the older sister tucked inside the book cover. I listened on audio, and I’m not going back to chapter 22 to hear what it was. Would’ve been nice if maybe it would’ve been read in the Epilogue.

Thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape media for my advanced audio copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Wow, that was a wild one! I knew something was rotten in Denmark but did not see just how fucked up those parents were! I am super happy the kids made it out of that safely! This was my 1st book by Ivar Leon Menger but not my last, I adding all of their books to my TBR!


#WhatMotherWontTellMe
#NetGalley

What Mother Won’t Tell Me sent me for a loop. I will admit that I went in blind, but once the story was established, I really thought I had it all figured out. I was so assured that this was similar to M Night Shyamalan’s The Village. That movie petrified me as a teen, so I was really excited to fall into another version of that. But oh, was I pleasantly surprised. This was nothing like The Village, though it did have the same creepy vibe of “otherness” in the wilderness. I was glued to my seat. I inhaled this book in an entire day because I just *had* to know what was going to happen. You need to read this one!

Juno and her brother live a secluded life in the woods of Northland with their parents, separated from the Strangers of Southland who will kill them if they are seen. They live by the seven commandments their parents created to keep them safe. But everything changes when Juno is seen by a Stranger, who she then becomes enamored with. She begins to figure out that life on the island is not what she was led to believe it was.

This books was chilling and suspenseful and a nice & short read. I really enjoyed it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for providing me with an advanced copy of this audiobook.

This was an interesting read, even though there wasn't a lot happening. It seemed more like a psychological thriller than an action packed thriller. Overall, the characters were very compelling and it was interesting to see how everything was resolved

A quick book packed with so many disturbing things. A secluded island, hard rules for the kids to follow, and lots of secrets. Very creepily atmospheric and you very quickly feel an attachment to the kids. Enjoyable quick read.

Overall: 3.5/5
Audio: A good voice pick for a 16 year old and wonderful performance.

A disturbing narrative that will send you in to a tail spin and the shocking revelations. Not something for the faint hearted.

I finished reading this book weeks ago, but I've been mulling over how to review it ever since. It's a solid three-star book. There were things about it that I liked and things about it that I didn't. I will say, first off, that I'm not sure it's marketed correctly as an adult thriller.

In truth, it reads more like a YA book in many places.

There also isn't a ton of action, save near the end. There's a lot of internal monologue, psychological tension, and quiet moments, but there's nothing in-your-face thriller about it.

Still, it was an interesting book that surprised me a little. I'll admit, at first, I thought the book was going to go one way. I figured out about a third of the way through that it was going in a totally different direction, and I was a little surprised. (Good surprised.)

Once you figure it out, though, there's little left but seeing how it resolves. And as I mentioned, there wasn't a ton of action. So it wasn't as exciting as it could have been.

Still, it's a solid read, especially if, like me, you're currently iced in and can't leave the house for a week.