Amazing! Such a tight, intense, breathtaking mystery! Written with a realistic life view of family, relationships, pregnancy attempts, abuse, stress, drama, doubts, secrets…We Don’t Talk About Carol is so absorbing. And this is a debut author! Characters are so wonderfully developed and the settings are so detailed with a thrilling story, this one is a winner!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballentine for the opportunity to read this awesome ARC.

I was happy to be an ARC reader through Netgalley for this book, because the description sounded amazing. This book was very hard to get in to. I typically read a book every 1-2 days, but the first 160 pages took me 2 days to get through. It was sluggish and didn't have the "grasp" of other thrillers I have read. I enjoyed the ending, but things didn't really pick up until 3/4 of the way through the book. I feel like this book could have been wrapped up much earlier, saving a lot of time and frustration.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, Bantam/ Penguin Random House, and author, Kristen L. Berry, for granting me the privilege of reading this book.

The story was so emotional and tragic. I found I had to take breaks at certain points to gather my thoughts in order to continue. I felt strongly the grief of all the families of the girls involved. At other points I just couldn't put it down and read chapter after chapter.

I was completely surprised by the ending. I felt strong emotions for all of the characters and was able to eventually see where Sydney's and Sasha's mother's actions were coming from.

I highly recommend this book be read by all.

Sydney and her family return to North Carolina for her grandmother's funeral. In going through her grandmother's things, she finds that her father had a sister, Carol. Yet no one has ever talked about a Carol - ever. Carol appears to have been one of six local Raleigh black girls who went missing in the 1960's. Relying on her journalistic investigative skills, Sydney digs further and deeper into these disappearances, while she confronts her own family's motto, "what happens in this house, stays in this house." To say any more would be providing spoilers. but I can promise you, the plot is well developed. And Ms. Berry will have you on the edge of your seat - you won't be able to put this book down! For a debut novel, this one is excellent!!

Sydney is visiting her grandmother when she finds a photo of a girl who looks very much like her. She asks her grandmother about it and her answer is “We don’t talk about Carol.” Years after the death of her grandmother, Sydney finds the photo again and decides to investigate to find the truth about her Aunt Carol. This is a very emotional story, about family secrets and lies. It is also a very powerful story!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Sydney uncovers a generations old secret in this novel after her grandmother dies. Her aunt Carol disappeared and nobody in the family has ever talked about it. She then discovers 6 other young black girls went missing during that time never to be seen or heard from again.

As Sydney tries to start a family of her own, she cannot let go of this mystery as her journalist background motivates her to find answers. This story really had everything I look for in a thriller, some parts even felt like historical fiction. Sydney’s quest for the truth even though she grew up hearing “what happens in this house stays in this house” unravels the toxic secrets of Carols past. Definitely a must read!!

After the passing of her grandmother in Raleigh, NC, Sydney Singleton discovers she had an aunt she never knew about. She wants to know more about her father's sister and why she'd never been told about her before when she finds out this aunt Carol of hers was one of six Black girls in her grandmother's neighborhood who went missing in the mid 1960's. As a former crime journalist, Sydney finds it hard to dismiss the mysterious disappearances as easily as her family and the police apparently did sixty years ago. As she begins to question who her teenage aunt was and the circumstances surrounding her sudden departure, Sydney's own troubled past emerges having dire consequences on her current marriage, fertility journey and relationships with her mother and sister.

An intriguing story with interesting characters and insightful perspectives on family dynamics, this novel also serves as an effective spotlight on the unequal amount of attention our society gives to Black girls who go missing every year versus white. An interesting and compelling read.

I received an ARC of this book from Random House via NetGalley in exchange for my honest feedback. This was a solid 4 stars for me. The characters were very well-developed and realistic. Similarly, Ms. Berry did a great job setting the atmosphere in all the locations - Raleigh read differently than California which read differently than another location (which I will not put as minor spoiler). Humid Raleigh with vestiges of racism vs. posh California with more of a carefree aspect.

The twists were surprising and made sense, though they were definitely also fairly heartbreaking.

The only negative comment I have is that it was slow in some parts, and then the actual conclusion/ reveal was rather short. I would have preferred slightly less of the investigation and details about day-to-day life (the holiday dinner, Sydney's doctor visits) and more exploring the outcome of the big reveals.

I have committed to reading more books told from the Black perspective this year. This book was fantastic! A great character driven mystery with a pretty shocking twist. It also covers the way we as a society tend to not pay attention when Black girls go missing. Such an important read!

This book was an engaging, emotional mystery. This book kept me wondering who was involved, how they were involved and why. I loved following along with Sydney not only with her investigation into Carol's disappearance but also her more personal journey of trying to get pregnant and start a family after IVF. There are times during this story where I thought I had everything all figured out and I was waiting for my predictions to come true, but I was completely wrong.

This was a very well told debut novel and I look forward to more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A young woman learns about the disappearance of her father's sister after the death of her grandmother. It was unnerving to discover that she had an aunt that no one ever spoke about. As she delved into the mystery, she discovered that there were other missing girls in the same time period.

Title: We Don’t Talk About Carol
Author: Kristen L. Berry (Debut Author)
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam
Genre: Thriller
Pub Date: June 3, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars
Pages: 336

Prologue opens with Granny wanting everyone to stay at her home in North Carolina to celebrate her sixty-fifth birthday. Sydney is sharing a small bedroom with younger sister but cannot sleep due to the summer heat as well as Sasha’s snoring – so decided to explore she finds an old photograph of a beautiful teenage girl tucked away in a drawer at her grandmother's home. She asks her grandmother about the photograph. She states – “Baby – “We don’t talk about Carol”.

She discovers the girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six local North Carolina Black girls who went missing in the 1960s. No one talked Carol or what really happened to her. Sydney is a journalist and sets out to find the truth. What happened to her long-lost aunt and why is there silence surrounding her.

There is another story personal side of Sydney as she and her husband want to start a family however she struggles with miscarriage, fertility treatments.

This story was great. I thought I had it figured out but I certainly didn’t!

Great Debut – Additionally enjoyed reading Ms. Berry ' Acknowledgements ' She , of course, is grateful for the support she got in writing this story but she also provided some stats on the disproportionate number of Black people who are reported missing each year.
I am sure readers will find this interesting.

About the Author ~ Kristen L. Berry is a writer and communications executive. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Kristen graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature. She has provided PR and communications expertise to leading consumer brands for nearly twenty years, all while writing in her spare time. When she isn’t reading or writing, Kristen can be found lifting heavy at the gym, hiking in Malibu, eating her way through Los Angeles with her husband.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Bantam for granting me this GREAT story!
Publishing Release Date scheduled for June 3, 2025.

Can’t believe this is a debut. Such a good book, such a great storyline that kept me guessing, such a powerful meaning behind it all. Wow wow wow. I loved this one

My only criticism is that one of my questions remained unanswered but I don’t wanna give spoilers

An emotional book that starts with a woman finding out about an aunt she didn’t know existed, which leads her to discover a group of missing woman from the 1960s. It was powerfully written. It had a nice mix of family issues with a mystery that kept me reading.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback. I loved this book. Right on time w a mystery dealing with unfortunately true situation. Great one.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Shocked...Stunned..5 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What did I just read??? An amazing debut novel!!! Filled with dysfunction, trauma, mystery, twists, secrets, and shocking revelations, I cannot say enough amazing things about this book.

While going through IVF, Sydney comes across a picture and diary of Carol. Carol has been missing and most think she is dead. However, Sydney will quickly find out that she has a connection to Carol that is closer than she realizes. The twists and rollercoaster ride that this novel will have you on will BLOW. YOUR. MIND. Sometimes, things may be better left unknown.

Thank you NetGalley, Kristen Berry, and Random House Publishing Group for this ARC! Undoubtedly one of my favorites!

This was a good read. Suspenseful and mysterious. I liked the wat it played out. Bit of dragging in the middle or could be a 5. An authr to watch for sure!

this was interesting. a lot of mystery and suspense I was able to see what would happen and why it affected the race

Wow—this book is not just a powerful tale of a dysfunctional family navigating generational trauma, it’s also a deeply haunting, twist-filled mystery centered around a 60-year-old cold case involving six missing Black women whose stories were forgotten by the world but never by their families. With razor-sharp emotional insight and atmospheric tension, this story unravels hidden truths, buried pain, and the complex legacy of silence passed down through generations.

At the heart of the novel are three complicated women: two estranged sisters and their emotionally distant, controlling mother who has never been one for honest conversations or vulnerability. Sydney, in her late thirties and struggling with fertility and the emotional toll of repeated IVF failures, returns home to help clear out her late grandmother’s house. Her sister Sasha, still unemployed and living with their mother despite nearing forty, offers sharp contrast—carefree, unmoored, and frustratingly evasive. Their mother is still the same woman: stoic, proud, and absolutely allergic to emotional transparency.

While cleaning, Sydney is haunted by a memory from her youth—finding a photo of a woman who looked just like her. Her grandmother once shut down the conversation about this mysterious “Carol,” leaving Sydney with questions that were never answered. Now, decades later, she learns the chilling truth: her aunt Carol disappeared nearly sixty years ago and is one of six brilliant young Black women who went missing within the same time period—women who had bright futures and big dreams. And yet… there was no public outcry, no serious investigation, no closure. Why? Could the color of their skin have made their lives easier to overlook?

Sydney becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth—not just for her aunt, but for all the girls whose stories were erased. This journey forces her to confront the toxic legacy left by her grandmother’s pride, her father’s emotional damage and alcoholism, and her own internal battles. Her husband, Malik, fears for her mental health, especially after her last investigation spiraled into tragedy. But for Sydney, solving Carol’s disappearance isn’t just a search for justice—it’s a way to find meaning, to reclaim her voice, and to heal the broken pieces of her past.

As she digs deeper, she uncovers shocking secrets, buried trauma, and long-concealed truths that threaten to unravel not only her family, but the entire community. What she discovers will leave you breathless.

Overall Thoughts:
This book begins as a gripping family drama but quickly evolves into a shocking, emotional, and powerfully written psychological mystery. Sydney is a deeply relatable character—strong, wounded, determined—and her reconnection with her sister Sasha adds humor, heart, and complexity. The final quarter of this novel hit me like a freight train. I was not prepared for the intensity, the heartbreak, and the dark revelations that made my blood run cold.

This is the kind of story that lingers long after the final page—a hidden gem that deserves to be shouted about. Add it to your TBR immediately. I’ve already added the author to my auto-buy list and cannot wait to see what she writes next!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine / Bantam for sharing this stunning psychological mystery and women’s fiction ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.

What a great book! First of all thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for an advanced copy
The story begins with Sydney and her sister accompany their mother to North Carolina to clean out their grandmother’s house after her death. Sydney finds a photo of a young girl who look remarkably like she does but her mother takes it and tells her “ we don’t talk about Carol” . Mystified by the look alike, Sydney begins searching and discovers that six young black girls disappeared without a trace or investigation