This was a great read! I have to say I was left with a haunted feeling and it is a very well written psychological mystery. The ending was twisty and intense and overall was everything a mystery thriller book should be! It's a must read for thriller fans!!

A captivating, electric and unputdownable thriller debut by Kristen L. Berry! It’s the early 1960’s and five Black teenage girls have disappeared in Raleigh, North Carolina. Sixty years later, as thirty-something, crime journalist Sydney Singleton is cleaning out her newly deceased grandmother’s house, she comes across a photograph of a young girl who eerily resembles Sydney. When she finds out the photo is of her Aunt Carol, one of the missing girls, Sydney is baffled that no one in the family has ever uttered a word about Carol. The discovery sets Sydney in motion to find answers to the secret and to open the doors to this cold case that never received the attention it deserved six decades earlier. With themes of family secrets, the importance of community, motherhood and the perseverance to uncover the truth, I predict and hope this debut will be a bestseller for thriller and domestic family fiction lovers.

Thank you NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine/Bantam for providing me the opportunity to read a digital copy in exchange for my honest opinion. Congratulations Kristen L. Berry on this fabulous debut and I can’t wait to read more of your stories in the future!

This work is slow on the plot (in fact, there's not much plot at all) and is more character-driven. I wasn't expecting this, and while I do typically enjoy character-driven reads, I think this one would have benefitted from being a bit more plot-driven. There were many instances when it felt like we were getting too much information that wasn't really relevant and drastically slowed down the mystery. Much of this was related to the IVF and fertility struggles of the protagonist, as well as sorting through emotions and if she was really ready to be a mom. I didn't really connect with these subplots and their inclusion didn't work well for me.

Because of all that extra info we're given on the subplots, I never felt any real tension or suspense in relation to the mystery. This wasn't particularly a bad thing, but as I was expecting this to be more of a mystery/thriller as advertised, it was a bit disappointing.

Despite all this, the topic the book explored is important, and the author did it justice. I loved seeing Raleigh as the setting, and it was incorporated well throughout the story. The way the author used the character's research skills to work on the cold cases was intriguing, and I also appreciated that the author went this route and avoided the "professionals are worthless" route that could have been taken. The older protagonist was also a bonus, as well as her relationship with her sister and mother and how well it was incorporated. A few journal entries were included and they were well written. I also enjoyed the solution and resolution to the mystery.

Overall this was a good mystery that's on the slower side but still a solid read. My thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

When Sydney's grandmother dies, she, her sister and mother travel to Raleigh to clean out her house. She finds a picture buried of a girl who likes just like her. She asks her Mother who it is, her response is "Oh, we don't talk about Carol". She comes to find out that Carol is a long lost Aunt who is one of the six black girls that went missing in the 60's. She and her sister never even knew she existed. Sydney used to be a crime journalist, so this story really piques her interest. She dives into the decades old mystery to find out what happened to her aunt and the other missing girls. This is a family drama, delving into long buried traumas and their lasting effects, mixed with a slow burn mystery as she tries to uncover the past. This debut author dives deep in several issues including infertility, domestic violence and mental health. There is a lot going on, but she weaves it all together beautifully in the end. I really enjoyed this one and definitely look forward to more from this author in the future!

Thank you to @netgalley, @randomhouseballantine for this #gifted copy. This book published on June 3, 2025, so grab your copy now!

Thank you to Random House, net galley and Kristen L. Berry publisher for allowing me to read this debut book. This is my honest opinion this author mentioned the fact that there were black people that were missing to much. I think this took away from this book being a 5 star book. i have personal experience with a family member that was missing. My cousin Autumn Pasquale from Clayton New Jersey was missing and found dead as a 12 year old.

I was hooked from the beginning!
It was amazing and engaging.
I was instantly sucked in by the atmosphere and writing style.
The characters were all very well developed .
The writing is exceptional and I was hooked after the first sentence.

A story that spans generations, we follow Sydney who learns that she has an aunt Carol who went missing when she was just a teenager. No one reported Carol missing when she disappeared, and when Sydney learns that little has been done for other Black girls who went missing during the same time period, Sydney is desperate to learn what happened to the girls decades later. With her persistence, she reignites the investigation and unearths clues to the mystery of what happened to the girls so many years ago.

This was a great read and I flew through it! I was so intrigued about the story after I saw the author talking about her book on TT.

This thriller moved a bit slower than I was expecting. I enjoyed it over all it just took me longer than I thought it would to finish. I would recommend it for readers that like the slower mystery and not in it for all the thrills, twists and turns.

Sydney Singleton is helping clear out her grandmothers house after her passing and finds a hidden photograph. A young girl, that resembles herself. She soon discovers it is her aunt Carol, but noone has ever mentioned her. It was said she run away decades ago and never contacted her family again. When Sydney hears a bunch of other North Carolina Black girls went missing around that same time, she resolves to investigate. As a dedicated journalist, she just can't let it go. But as she delves deeper into the cases and secrets are uncovered, she realises a dark family past.

This one was such a surprise! Sydney's backstory and own childhood stories interwoven into the story only added to the complexity and the characters were all intriguing. None of this story was predictable for me and I could never have guessed the direction it took. Such a fabulous novel and it will likely be another favourite for me this year.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the eARC.

We Don't Talk About Carol is such a multilayered family drama that hooked me immediately. I was obsessed with this story and how it unfolded, I wanted to race to the end to know what happened and also spend time with it as I loved these characters. So good.

We Don’t Talk About Carol is an emotionally engaging story about family secrets, grief, and the unspoken tensions that shape relationships. Kristen L. Berry weaves the past and present together beautifully, revealing just enough to keep the story moving and the reader curious.

The characters feel authentic, and while not every plot point fully resonated with me, I was drawn in by the writing and overall story. A great read for fans of layered family dramas with emotional depth.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for the free e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

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.

This is a well written, familial drama with strong, likable characters. The pacing is fast and the mystery has lots of twists. There is also the emotional tension of Sydney’s private struggle to conceive, and the emotional toll IVF takes on her. Overall, a fantastic read!!!

Excellent book from page 1 This journey, while it seemed personal to me, is a fictional book. I have listened to Black Girl Missing podcast for a long time so that was the base for my excitement for this book. The story is not really a slow wind up but a great one. Follow the amazing and inquisitive Sydney as she goes on the hunt for the missing girls that are 60 years gone.

I really want more from the author now. This was an amazing start for her. Bravo! Thanks to Netgalley and author for the ARC

*We Don’t Talk About Carol* is a well-rounded, engaging story with strong characters and a plot that keeps you hooked. It felt complete and the characters were well thought out. The ending was truly satisfying and wrapped everything up perfectly. Kristen L. Berry did a fantastic job—I couldn’t put it down!

We Don’t Talk About Carol would more aptly be named- „What Happened to Carol.“ When young journalist Sydney Singleton discovers she has an Aunt, who she’s never met who and is a family secret, she sets out to discover how her Aunt disappeared along with 6 other neighbors some 60 years ago. This novel sits at the intersection of a whodunnit mystery, meets true crime, and the sad reality of the medias disinterest in missing persons in the BIPOC community. You will be endeared to young Sydney, who struggles to reconcile her multiple family traumas with her desire to be a mother herself, and impressed with her investigative skills. This was a great, and also sad, mystery.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Sydney is at her grandmother's home in Raleigh cleaning out her belongings after her passing, she finds a photo of a woman who could be her twin. She asks her mother, who says "We don't talk about Carol". She learns that Carol is her aunt, who disappeared sixty years ago along with five other Black girls from their neighborhood. Back in LA, Sydney lives with her husband Malik, and just retired from the crime beat after reporting on a traumatic case that brought up a lot of past trauma for her. She wants to focus on her latest round of IVF and starting a family, but she can't stop thinking about what happened to Carol and those other girls. There were parts of this that were kind of cheesy, but it was a great reading experience and I flew through it. I also think it stuck the landing BIG TIME which can be so hard with this genre.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House | Ballantine | Bantam for gifting me a digital ARC of this wonderful debut novel by Kristen L. Berry. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars rounded up!

When Sydney is helping to clean out her grandmother's house after her death, she finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks just like Sydney. She soon learns that the girl is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six local North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. No one since then has talked about Carol. Trying to start a family of her own, Sydney becomes determined to learn the truth of her aunt and the other missing girls.

This is a wonderful debut, combining a mystery and family saga. We get glimpses of the past through a found diary, and through Sydney's dogged investigations. This book delves into Sydney's personal issues with fertility and her indecision about motherhood that's causing issues in her marriage. Of course, this book once again highlights the sad fact that missing Black women/girls do not garner the same press or interest from the police/public as young white females. This story pulled me in from the very beginning and it was a wonderful journey. Looking forward to more from this author! Such a beautiful cover too.

Woah, what a powerful new voice! We Don’t Talk About Carol was a distinct mystery that explored familial secrets and the complex legacy of silence passed down through generations. Kristen L Berry delivered a compelling debut. This story followed Sydney, a woman struggling with fertility and a distant relationship with her mother. She discovered a diary that revealed the fate of Carol, a missing girl from her family's past. Carol was one of six Black teenage girls who disappeared 60 years ago, dismissed as runaways by the police. Sydney set out to unearth the truth about the disappearance and during her investigation she uncovered hidden truths.

Not only was this a story about a dysfunctional family navigating through family drama, it was also a haunting true crime mystery. The character and plot development were equally well crafted; and the themes incorporated added depth. What I appreciated the most was the generational trauma combined with the twisted true crime mystery elements. This integration kept me engaged as the secrets were revealed and the mystery of Carol’s disappearance unraveled. I also liked how the story looked into the complexities of family dynamics, particularly the impact of silence and secrets on relationships. Even more, I enjoyed watching Sydney's journey of self-discovery and her struggle with infertility. These aspects of Sydney’s life experience added layers of emotional depth to this riveting story.

In all, Kristen L Berry delivered a striking & mysterious debut novel. I’d recommend this narrative for those who prefer slow burn true crimes, captivating mysteries, and powerful generational trauma stories.

Thanks to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

4.25 🌟

What an incredible debut novel by Kristen L. Berry. We Don't Talk About Carol is a deeply layered familial mystery set in North Carolina. The story centers on Sydney’s POV as she tries to uncover what happened to her aunt and several other missing Black girls from her town nearly 60 years ago. At the same time, Sydney is navigating the emotional and physical challenges of trying to start a family with her husband, Malik. The novel also delves into her strained relationships with her mother and sister.

I appreciated how the book highlighted the importance of therapy and unpacking childhood trauma. It also sheds critical light on the disturbing reality that Black people go missing at disproportionately higher rates compared to white people and that their cases are far less likely to be taken seriously or receive the attention they deserve.

Recommended for fans of slow-burn mysteries.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine for the ARC.

This was a really enjoyable book to read. Lots of unexpected twists and turns, it’s one of those books you can’t put down. Looking forward to her next novel.