Outstanding debut novel by a very talented writer. Sydney, the protagonist, is an extremely well-developed and multifaceted character. Berry was able to conjure one of those special characters that one thinks about after the novel ends, wondering what she is doing now, like an old friend from another time.
The story is fictional, but based upon the real fact that missing Black people do not receive the same attention from the media and law enforcement as missing White people receive. Berry sensitively and masterfully invites every reader into the world behind the faces and instead of focusing on their color, enables the reader to recognize and emphasize with their humanity. As a reader I was privileged to be invited into the lives of these families who, like many of us regardless of color or ethnicity, have had to live with painful secrets kept buried by the philosophy “What happens in this house stays in this house.”
Secrets and shame are deeply divisive and isolating. Berry exposes the damage wreaked on individual families and an entire community because of secrets and shame. In an exceptionally powerful way she manages to shine a spotlight on this in a Black community while simultaneously inviting in readers of all colors by acknowledging the race of the characters without using that as a factor in who they are as human beings. This essential and fundamental truth is sometimes forgotten in a quest to create “identity”.
I highly recommend this novel for an expertly crafted story of a pair of cruel serial killers that would have gone unsolved without the persistence of one brave woman.

Well, somebody somewhere really SHOULD have talked about Carol back in the sixties when she disappeared. It would have saved everyone involved a whole lot of heartache in the future.

This is a well written novel that touches on the years ago mysterious disappearance of Sydney's aunt, one that Sydney never even knew she had. It also delves into: the problem of universal lack of concern by authorities on the cases of missing black girls, the childhood traumas of Sydney at the hands of her father, the tense relationship between her and her younger sister Sasha (who is 35 and still lives with their mother), the lasting aftereffects of a nervous breakdown Sydney had a few years ago after getting too wrapped up in the case of a missing family and its tragic outcome, the stress of going through IVF treatments due to Syd and her husband's desperate desire for a child of their own, and her growing fear that her marriage is falling apart. Sounds like there's a lot going on? There is, and therein lies the only problem I had with this book. Each of these subjects would have been an interesting read on its own, but each of them are given too little time of their own due to the volume of different subjects the author kept needing to touch on.

Each story was well done though, thought out and detailed. To the point that at some spots the book dragged a bit with social commentaries and self-reflections, and the mystery of Carol's disappearance gets lost to the back burner at times. However, the writing was engaging, the mystery was suspenseful (once the author finally devoted most of her time to it), and this was a nice way to spend an afternoon or two.

Part mystery, part family drama, We Don't Talk About Carol is the story of Sydney Singleton and the long-lost aunt that she never knew...as well as the six other missing Black girls in North Carolina.

After her grandmother's death, Sydney, along with her mother and sister, is tasked with cleaning out the family's house. When there, Sydney remembers a photo of a woman who looked remarkably like her. The first time she finds the photo, she asks her grandmother who it is and is shut down with the statement, "We Don't Talk About Carol."

While the main storyline is the missing girls in the 1960s, and how the media and police did so little to find them, this is a story about PTSD and family trauma. Kristen Berry weaves the past and present together, while discussing abuse, infertility, and mental health so smoothly that falling in love with Sydney and her husband was easy.

While Sydney is on a journey for her missing aunt, she's also on a self-discovery of her truth, her life, and her past. It's a powerful examination of life and being a child of trauma.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Powerful book! Missing black girls go unnoticed and unreported far too often. This story about Carol highlighted how crucial it is to investigate every missing person. It also shows how important it is for families to talk and stop trying to hide their dirty laundry. Fans of true crime will love this book. The ending was so unexpected!

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry

Let me go ahead and get the stars out the way ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. Wow for a debut novel.

This book was recommended to me by a reading buddy. She was insistent on me reading this book.

When I started, I went in blind. No idea what it was about. No idea this book was centered around my hometown of Raleigh, N.C. about 6 missing black girls missing without a trace in the early to mid 60’s.

Sydney & Sasha when they were little would visit their Grammy in Raleigh. One day, the found some clothes and a picture. When Syd confronted her Grandmother her response was “We Don’t Talk About Carol.”

Years later, Sydney and Sasha finds Carol’s diary. They were adamant they would find out what happened to their Aunt Carol and five other missing teens.

Kristen L. Berry, thank you for such an amazing read. I kept trying to guess how it all would come together. I was wrong.

My opinion is my own about how great this book was. The only way to know is to read it for yourself.

Sydney, an investigative journalist, travels to North Carolina to clean out her grandmother’s house following her death. While there, she discovers an old photograph of a teenage girl that bears a striking resemblance to her. After speaking to a neighbor, she discovers that the girl is her aunt, Carol, who was one of several girls that went missing in the 60’s, and that sets her off on a search to uncover what happened to her aunt and the other girls. We Don’t Talk About Carol is a heartfelt story that not only delves into the disappearance of the girls, but brings to the forefront the disproportionate amount of attention that missing black girls receive as opposed to white girls, woven masterfully into a mystery decades old. The story also focuses on Sydney’s private struggle to conceive, and the emotional toll it takes on her, as we follow her quest for the truth. This is a great read where the author finds just the right balance between social issues while never losing track of the main plot, and that keeps the reader spellbound and the pages turning. Well done! I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

We Don’t Talk About Carol completely floored me—what starts as a quiet family reckoning unravels into a chilling mystery that had me up late turning pages. Sydney’s journey to uncover the truth about her vanished aunt—and the other missing Black girls whose stories were buried—was gripping, emotional, and disturbingly relevant. It’s a haunting look at generational silence, grief, and the cost of secrets that linger for decades.

I enjoyed reading WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL. It's a slow burn story that caught my attention right off the bat. I liked Sydney's determination to find out what happened to her Aunt, and the other six girls that went missing in the 1960's. Sydney's struggles with fertility are another big part of the story that I wanted to mention, in case that is a trigger for you. This is an emotional story, but if you like a mix of mystery and historical fiction I would say to pick this one up.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Bantam for my gifted copy.

This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.

This book was just the right pacing for the story. I could not stop reading. I appreciated the honest portrayal of emotional struggles of family and marriage. The ending was also much more realistic than some other books. I truly couldn't guess what had actually happened to Carol throughout the story and was surprised at the twist of how the author revealed her fate. Didn't disappoint and would read again. This is the author's debut and I look forward to more of their books. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

This book is a mystery, but where it shines is its description of familial relationships and the negative impact of generational secrets and keeping up appearances..You may figure out much of the whodunnit before the big reveal, but the journey to that point is what really captured me.

This debut stunned me. It’s part mystery, part family drama, and one I won’t forget.
When Sydney’s grandmother dies, she’s left with more than just grief when she finds a photo of a young girl who looks eerily like her. That girl is Carol,an aunt she did not know existed. She was one of six black girls who went missing in the 1960’s in North Carolina. We don’t talk about Carol. But Sydney is determined to find out what happened to her and those other girls who never got the investigation or justice they deserved.
This book is so well done that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. It’s not just a novel, it’s a necessary conversation.

A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.

In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. But now, with her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt’s disappearance, and the sinister silence that surrounds her.

Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney: Years earlier, while she worked the crime beat as a journalist, her obsession with the case of another missing girl led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit for answers might just lead her down the same path of self-destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past reemerges, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and her trust in those she knows and loves.

Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rot at the roots of our family trees—and what we’ll do for those we love.

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L Berry is an absolute gem that had me laughing out loud and crying happy tears from start to finish. This uplifting story of friendship, forgiveness, and finding your voice is beautifully written with wit, warmth, and genuine heart. Berry masterfully captures the complexities of female friendships, the quirks of small-town life, and the power of second chances. The characters are incredibly relatable—flawed but lovable—and their journeys felt deeply authentic. I loved how the humor sprinkled throughout balanced the more emotional moments, making this book both engaging and uplifting. If you're looking for a book that will make you smile, tug at your heartstrings, and remind you of the importance of leaning on friends when life gets messy, this is it. I couldn’t recommend it more—five stars all the way!

Huge thank you to Ballantine Books for the gifted ARC!

4.5 Stars

Title: We Don't Talk About Carol
Author: Kristen L. Berry
Pub Date: June 3, 2025

Another incredible debut! There is nothing I love more than a hard-hitting debut book!

WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is the perfect blend of Women's Fiction/Family Drama and Mystery/Suspense. While there is a mysterious element, this is NOT a past-paced thriller, so make sure you set your expectations; it's honestly so much better than that! This is a raw and emotional look into a the unsolved disappearance of six black girls in North Carolina in the 1960s.

Set in present day, Sydney Singleton is a journalist who happens upon a photo of someone who looks identical to her while cleaning out her grandmother's house. What's soon revealed, is that this photo is of her Aunt Carol, an aunt she never knew she had. Her investigative side gets the best of her as it quickly becomes her OBSESSION to find out who her Aunt Carol was, why her family never talked about her, and ultimately what happened to her.

As the truth about Carol is slowly discovered, Sydney unearths more than she ever expected to find. What she finds is shocking and heartbreaking, but also sprinkled with hope. I cared so deeply about every character in this story and felt that each of them had such a unique and strong voice that I felt connected to them all.

This book was extremely heavy at times, but it was handled in such a delicate way. There is a lot of potentially upsetting content, but most of it is listed in the synopsis, so if you're concerned, I'd recommend reading that to get an idea of what's to come.

Kristen L. Berry will definitely be making a name for herself with this book, and I will be eager to see what she writes next!

I could not put this book down until I had read it cover to cover. The story was well written especially this being the authors first novel. Thanks to Net Gallery for giving me the opportunity to get the arc.

Kristen L. Berry’s We Don’t Talk About Carol seems like a novel that would deeply resonate with readers who enjoy stories exploring family secrets, trauma, and the impact of unsolved mysteries on generations. It’s set in the 1960s in North Carolina and follows Sydney Singleton, a journalist who unearths a photograph of her missing aunt Carol, one of several young women who disappeared without a trace. This discovery forces Sydney to face not only the cold case but also the personal and emotional fallout tied to her family’s hidden past.

The novel seems to balance a compelling mystery with an insightful commentary on the treatment of missing Black girls, which is a powerful, timely topic. Many readers have praised how Berry weaves this narrative with the psychological effects of trauma and mental health, giving the characters a real emotional depth. While some have mentioned a few pacing issues, the overall response from readers is very positive, especially in how well the novel captures complex family dynamics and the weight of secrets.

If you’re into stories that combine suspense with emotional depth and societal reflection, We Don’t Talk About Carol could be a gripping read for you. It’s one of those books that might stick with you long after you’ve turned the last page.

What a wonderful mystery/thriller debut! I could not put this book down. I look forward to more from Kristen L. Berry but, damn girl, you set the bar very high on your first book (no pressure). 😂

Sydney finds a photo of a family member she was unaware existed. This story is her search to find out what happened to her Aunt Carol who disappeared 60 years ago as a teenager. To complicate matters Sydney and her husband are going through another round of IVF. And she also has a difficult relationship with her mom and sister.

This story had me up entirely too late at night reading “just one more chapter”. Filled with twists and turns and realistic, complex characters, this is one of my favorite books of 2025.

I absolutely loved the throughline of going through IVF while also trying to live your life and work and be around family. Although this is a mystery, I thought those were the strongest parts of the book. As someone who has never gone through IVF, I feel as though it isn't written about enough and it impacts so many women. The family dynamics were so well drawn, the secrecy, the depiction of Black family generational differences was excellent, and I loved the curiosity of the narrator. I also loved that she had a background in journalism but was working in PR, that felt very realistic, true to life and again, I don't feel like women's careers are depicted in literature very often. I did get the sense that this was a debut, with the author sometimes doing more telling than showing, but it made me eager to see what Kristen Berry writes next!

big thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to receive an advance e-copy in exchange for my review.

Other reviewers have provided detailed and well-written synopses, and I can recommend those for perusal.

Imagine a 12-year-old girl visiting her grandmother, along with her sister and mother, who cannot sleep because her 9-year-old sister is hogging most of the too-small bed they are sharing, and snoring to boot. Sydney can't sleep, so she gets up and starts snooping in the room's drawers. She finds an old framed photo of a girl that looks almost exactly like her. In the morning she asks her grandmother who this girl is, and is only told that "we don't talk about Carol."

Decades later, with a former career as an investigative reporter under her belt, Sydney begins to try to determine what happened to Carol, her aunt who disappeared around the same time as other girls in the same area. It has been assumed that Carol either ran away from home or met the same fate as the other vanished girls, whatever that might have been. At the same time, she and her husband are undergoing fertility treatments in a so-far vain effort to conceive. If that weren't enough, he is walking a managerial tightrope at the company he founded, while Sydney works in PR for a high-end exercise wear company.

As the story moves along, more and more story layers reveal themselves, and I came to the point where I could not put the book down until I finished it. I should have learned by this time that I should not pick up a book so close to bedtime....

It's a fascinating story with many layers and revelation of backstory that is not overdone. As usual for me, I did not guess how it was going to turn out. I will stop here, because if I don't, I'd be dangerously close to spoiler territory.

The author did a wonderful job of amplifying racial disparities in missing person investigations and the unjust consequences of doing so through a deeply interwoven story of family and things unsaid. The only reason I gave this four stars was due to the voice. It was a bit stiff akin to a Hallmark movie script delivery. Otherwise this was an enjoyable read.