I listened to this as an audiobook. I was able to listen to it at 1.75x speed and it was the perfect pace. My recommendation is to do this because otherwise the narrator is super slow and drawn out.

The story however was decent! The book was fast paced and thrilling. There really weren't any twists as you can guess what the truth is. I am someone who enjoys a good twist in a book, hence why this book is rated 3.5 stars. This book is definitely a thriller, so keep that in mind when selecting!

All in all, it was quick and entertaining! I did find myself want to know what was going to happen to Juno and Boy. The ending was a bit sad, but it all wrapped up nicely. Overall, I recommend this. It may be better reading a copy instead of listening.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was so thrilling and had me on the edge of my seat. It was a crazy read and I could not wait to find out what would happen next. I figured from the beginning that the children had been kidnapped and the people they believed were their parents were not. This was a great book and was a wild ride.

Juno is a teen girl who lives on a remote island with her mother, father, and brother Boy. She has been told that the family is hiding from the Strangers who mean to do her father and family harm. One day Juno is spotted by a visitor to the island and a series of events are set into motion which leaves Juno questioning who her family is and why they live on the island.

I kind of got the gist of what this book was going to be about by the blurb on the back cover of the book. But, despite knowing what the book was about, I found it very suspenseful and I was desperate to know what was going to happen to Juno and Boy.

It was very fast-paced as an audiobook and I couldn’t stop listening. I hope to see, and hear, more from Ivar Leon Menger!

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!

Thank you NetGalley and Fantastic Fiction for this ALC.

I am pretty new the the Nordic Noir genre, and if you like this genre, this is the book for you. This was an extremely engaging story, where the main character has to literally uncover her true identity. There is mystery, intrigue and a happy resolution, which are all great elements of an interesting plot.

Throughout the story, the reader is transported to an atmospheric, seculded cabin which adds to the mysterious mood of this novel. The reader will root for Juno and will cheer when she uncovers the truth and breaks free from her parents.

This is a wonderful performance of this book as the narrator did an excellent job at relaying the emotions of all of the characters, not just Juno's.

Juno aged (15) & Boy (12) have lived in a small cabin, on a lake island, deep within the forest for as long as they can remember. Mother and Father have taught them to never leave the island as they are being hunted by The Strangers, evil men who wish to take them away. To keep them safe, their parents have created the 7 commandments, any breach of these rules by either child will result in punishment for both. Father has a hair trigger temper so it is inadvisable to cross him for any reason.

Neither Juno or Boy can swim and the only contact any of them have with the outside world is once a week, when the postman (Uncle Orlo) rows across and the children must hide in the basement safe room. As Juno becomes older she begins to question her parents way of doing things and begins to keep a closer eye on all they do. When Juno is accidentally sighted by Uncle, a sequence of events is set rolling that neither Mother or Father have the power to prevent.

This is a great psychological thriller, with a real building of tension. Juno is an unreliable narrator and I like how you learn things along with her throughout the story, making it more immersive. The drip feeding of information makes it easy for your mind to jump to many conclusions, are they in a cult? Why are they hiding, are the parents telling them to truth? In a way it reminds me a bit of Wyndham’s Chrysalids and Room, the naiveté of the children, the unknowing of the outside world.

My main issue is that this is not a particularly original plot line, that being said it was very well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The narrator is excellent, with good character voicing and lovely reading style. So if psychological thrillers are your cup of tea then I would certainly recommend picking this up.

What Mother Won't Tell Me is the story of Juno, her little brother Boy, Mother, and Father.

They live on a secluded island in Norland and they’re told to be afraid of these “strangers” who wish them harm. To keep them safe their parents created seven commandments for them to follow. They’re told if a stranger comes onto the island and spots them they will be killed.

One day Juno is spotted by a stranger and everything changes. Juno who is a teenager, starts questioning everything her parents have ever told her.

This book is atmospheric and will leave you on the edge of your seat. I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys suspenseful thriller.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced copy of this book. I chose the audiobook version and it didn’t disappoint with Ella Lynch narrating.

I liked this audiobook! It didn’t blow me away, but it was a decent read. If you are a seasoned thriller reader then you might be able to predict this one.

This book is eerie, and the narrator does a great job. She captures the character very well and was easy to listen to. My main sticking my point with this book is how naive the main character is - it makes sense for her age and the fact she’s been sheltered on an island with her family for so long. But it’s still hard for me to love main characters like that.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars rounded-up

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for this ARC in an exchange for an honest review!

As soon as I saw the cover for this book, I wanted to read it because the cover was so creepy. Even though I did enjoy parts of it, overall I was kind of bored while reading this book. There were several twists that I guessed correctly which is one of my biggest pet peeves with thrillers/mystery books.

I think if you are new to the genre, this would be a good starting point. If you are an avid thriller reading, you might be bored with this one at times.

The premise of this was so interesting to me after I realized what was going on. I am very happy I go into my books blind, because it made this one extra enjoyable for that reason. However, I feel like the second half of the book was rushed and left me wanting more. I would have enjoyed more buildup and then subsequent action.

A teenaged girl living with her brother and parents on a remote island discovers that the something is not right in the world she was raised in. She begins to question her entire existence, which quickly upends life as she knows it.

I was intrigued by the description of this plot. It was slow moving at times but a unique and interesting take on a theme commonly used in psychological fiction. The descriptions were vivid and really brought the setting and characters to life. The narrator did an excellent job on f conveying the urgency of the situation.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for their ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this audiobook from the great narration to the atmosphere of the novel. Characters were engaging and linked well to the plots development. I truely wanted to know what would come next and why they were on the island in the first place.

I would definitely recommend anyone looking for a fun thriller to give this a go!

Thank you, NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the audiobook What Mother Won't Tell Me by Ivar Leon Menger, narrated by Ella Lynch for a free review.

I'm pretty spoiled with audiobooks and like multiple narrators, but Ella Lynch did very well for narrating the whole book. Juno and Boy live on an island with Mom and Dad until their uncle comes onto the island to deliver some mail and sees Juno by mistake...They're not supposed to be there. And Juno cannot lie because her family knows that if she does then her finger twitches. Juno wants to get off the island to The Strangers and explore what is out there.

I got pretty angry/annoyed with Juno and her actions but it does make sense for a 15/16-year-old girl who has been on this island her whole life. There were a few parts in the story that dragged out too long when it wasn't necessary. I did enjoy the twist of the plot building up but the ending was not my type of tea - sadly it was a letdown and I felt like a rush to get done with the book. I'm glad I was able to listen to this book because I don't think I would've enjoyed reading this one. Again, Ella Lynch did a really good job narrating this story.

Juno and Boy live with Mother and Father on an island and guard themselves from all strangers until one day Juno meets one and her life is turned upside down.
It was fine.
The writing was good.
It just kinda felt like…something I have already read or watched?
Atmospheric but not overly original.
Pretty entertaining and quick.

Thanks to NetGalley and Posioned Pen Press for an eARC.

This fairy tale like story of two children (Juno and Boy) and their parents living on an island seems innocent at first. Then we learn that there are drills they practice. A stranger comes to the island after their uncle has seen them and took a picture of Juno. This book was fast paced and suspenseful. The truth of the island and what Juno's parents hadn't told them is far worse than anyone can imagine. I highly enjoyed this book! The twist was astonishing, and I absolutely loved devouring this book.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC!

This was interesting! I think I saw the twist coming from pretty far away so that was more of a let down, especially when the MC was commenting on different "birds". It was just alright for me!

I was given a chance to listen to the audiobook arc of this book by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.
This book begins with a family consisting of Mother, Father, Boy (12), and Juno (15). Juno and her brother live a secluded life with Mother and Father and must adhere to seven commandments at all times.
1. Hide whenever Uncle (this isn't a relative, but a man in his seventies who brings letters and checks in with the parents weekly) comes to visit. 2. Never Lie. 3. No one enters Father's library. 4. When you hear the siren you go to the safe room, no matter what you are doing. 5. Do not eat unknown berries. 6. Always kill quickly and painlessly. 7. Do NOT leave the island without permission or both children get punished. As an outsider, we know these rules aren't a good sign, but to our characters it is just their life.
The more we learn about Juno and Boy the more we realize their lives aren't okay and while they feel trapped on their small little island and have no experience outside of their small cabin, their parents have instilled such a strong fear of strangers and all other people that the idea of leaving or being "discovered" seems like the more dangerous option. As the reader we want them to be saved, but even to the reader the idea of leaving or being discovered is filled with tension and fear... but discovery happens within chapter 3 when Juno is spotted by "uncle" and everything begins to unravel between the family and within Juno.
I feel like if I go any further into detail about this book I will ruin it for someone else and this is a book that needs to unravel at its own pace. This was a book I just couldn't put down until it was finished. "One more chapter" was my mantra. I wish I could tell you what book this one is like to give you an idea of how it felt to read it, but this book was its own feeling and unique wonder. If you enjoy a thriller or a book filled with lies and deception, fall into this book with Juno. The narrator did a wonderful job voicing the main character and her emotions and innocence and how she grows throughout the story.

I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was fine. The story was pretty good with an interesting premise but it felt like it just slowly dragged on leading up to something big before a snippet of action and then it abruptly ended. I wanted more of an ending but maybe there will be a sequel. I would definitely read a sequel but this wouldn’t be a reread for me.

Great narration. Really a beautiful job there. This wasn’t bad… maybe more of a YA. I just didn’t love it. Juno was annoying to me, I get it, and it portrayed her character of ignorance but I just, well this one wasn’t for me. Lacking in dimension and novelty. Thanks for the chance to review.

Well, i enjoyed that book more than I thought i would, lol. I had no idea who the bad guy would turn out to be. I'm happy about the ending and didn't feel like it was rushed. I will read more from this author.

A huge thank you to the author, NetGalley, and Dreamscape Media for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A fairly slow-paced thriller that picks up by the end, and keeps you wondering if the siblings will survive to escape.

Unfortunately, I found this plot to be kind of slow and predictable, and the characters and plot weren’t enough to hook me to the end. I listened to this mainly through audiobook, and the narrator did a fantastic job voice-acting and keeping the emotions throughout the novel - and my being bored by the plot was not because of anything from the narrator. With this being a fairly quick audiobook, I found it interesting enough to continue until the ending - but to be completely honest, if I didn’t have the audiobook version to listen to while I was at work I probably would have DNF’d this book.

I kind of found the plot to be predictable, and didn’t like how weirdly attracted our main character was to the (spoiler) man she found to rescue her - considering she is 16 and he was most assuredly not. I get that she was sheltered, but it made me a bit uncomfortable to listen to, as an outside perspective. Even though there isn’t really any indecent behavior from this man and all the romance is entirely imagined by our main character, there was still something off about him and I could never fully be on his side. (Could be a translation issue, but I was always waiting for a heel-turn for him to betray them because something felt off the entire time.)

Speaking of, there was one specific spot that made me cringe so hard I seriously considered ending my entire read. I won’t spoil exactly what happens, but our main character decides to hide a book in her underwear and we spend ENTIRELY TOO LONG describing her sweaty body trying to “hold up her knickers.” I’m serious, that if I never read or hear the word knickers again it will be too soon. This could be an issue with the translation, but with the English version it felt like a WAY TOO intimate look at a child’s underwear and describing it falling down.

There were also a few spots that felt either too slow or too fast for what was going on. For instance, in the same “knickers” incident, our main character breaks into her father’s study and has her little brother keep watch. However, she spends entirely way too long in the study and causes herself to be trapped inside - even though her little brother gave her AMPLE warning when their mother stopped her shower. At other times, our main character did things horribly stupid for no reason other than to add tension to the novel - with one of them deciding to talk on the phone instead of text, even though her mother could come into the door at any second.

Once our main character learns the “truth” of her life, instead of amping up the tension it kind of fell flat, since I could tell how the rest of the book would end. However, I think if slower thrillers where the tension is more with HOW the characters escape, rather than shocking plot reveals or twists, this would work well for you. I kind of found the “twist” that the main character discovers to be anticlimactic, because the narrative is so obvious from the beginning what exactly is wrong.