Wow, this is one of the best psychological thrillers that I have read in a very long time. I was sucked in from page one and could not put this book down. Well written, well developed, incredible characters. The story will keep you questioning everything. Family drama, emotional with lots of twists and turns. I cried and my jaw dropped during different parts. I was disappointed when this one ended. It touches on race inequality, in a thoughtful and real way. Long standing family trauma and secrets are unfolded. It was just a really well written book. Sydney is a successful married woman going through fertility treatments when she discovers that her aunt went missing in the 60's. As she digs into the past, she is faced with not only her own personal demons, but hidden family secrets and the many cases of missing black girls from the same time. Unsure who she should trust, Sydney is faced with her own personal choices and mental health, all to discover what really happened to her aunt and the missing creek girls. As a tough critic of both family dramas and psychological thrillers, this one was amazing and should be read by everyone.
Thank you Netgalley for my advanced reader copy.

Thank you, NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read this book. Although, it’s already been released and I didn’t get to it before that happened. I really loved this book. The storyline, the characters, and twists. I loved how organized this book was from the plot, to getting to know the characters, and the twist.

This book is perfect for true crime lovers, thriller lovers, and people that want to get lost in a good book!

We Don’t Talk About Carol truly blew me away, especially knowing this is the author’s debut novel! I’m so impressed with how informative and thought-provoking it was. The way it tackled infertility, toxic family dynamics, and long-held secrets was both eye-opening and deeply moving. The characters felt real, the tension was gripping, and the emotional weight lingered long after I finished. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys layered, impactful storytelling.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House-Ballantine Bantam for the digital copy of this book; I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Content Warnings from Storygraph reviewers: Graphic: Murder, Infertility, Alcoholism; Moderate: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse; Minor: Vomit, Car accident

We Don’t Talk About Carol is about the unraveling of a mystery. Sixty years ago, Black women started disappearing, and their cases were never solved. Besides the mystery itself, the novel also delves into themes that many can relate to: trauma, family secrets, a sense of community, and motherhood.

I can’t imagine the maddening disparities that Black people suffer through with missing persons investigations. It’s appalling to read but knowing that this is fact for many BIPOC people in real life really chilled me to my bones. It’s infuriating and frustrating. Mix in strained family relationships and you have a very emotional book. This intense focus on traumatic family secrets and the emotional toll of infertility alongside an investigative mystery does not make We Don’t Talk About Carol an easy read, but sometimes being uncomfortable with certain themes makes us learn and grow.

I wanted to like this book because I was intrigued by the premise. But, ultimately, this was not for me (sadly). I felt that some of the characters were annoying (her husband). Also, when characters don't simply ask the right question time and time again, it becomes frustrating. Thank you, NetGalley.

Written so beautifully, this 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. 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. 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 chapters of this book hit me like a sack of rocks I was not ready what so ever for the heart break and the intensity. 5 stars definitely this is one of those books that when it comes out I will buy the physical copy.

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry starts with a gripping premise—generational secrets, missing girls, and a haunted journalist trying to piece it all together—but while the setup is strong, the execution feels a bit overstuffed. The story tackles important themes like racial injustice, mental health, and motherhood, but with so many layers—fertility struggles, a crumbling marriage, past trauma, and investigative journalism—the plot sometimes loses focus. Sydney is a compelling but emotionally repetitive protagonist, and the pacing drags in places where it should build tension. Still, Berry’s writing is heartfelt and the mystery of Carol is intriguing enough to keep you reading. It’s an ambitious debut with moments of emotional resonance, even if it doesn’t fully stick the landing.

After seeing chatter about this book I decided to see if it was for me. After reading the synopsis it was one of those books that not only had a pretty cover with flowers but a story written so delicately about culture that by the end you weren’t sure if your tears were sorrow, joy or anger.
I honestly can’t wait to read this author again, following and stalking in hopes she’s already in her favorite spot with her laptop cooking up another book that will transport me in time and make me forget time

First of all…the cover of this is amazing…so beautiful! Second of all, what a great story. I predicted what was coming, but I still absolutely loved everything behind the story!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and publisher for the digital ARC of ”We Don’t Talk About Carol” in exchange for my honest opinion. I will admit I had a hard time getting into this book and stopped about a third of the way and read several others before coming back to it. I was truly intrigued by the disappearance of the girls and appreciate the author shining the light on the discrepancies between how reports of missing women are handled based on their race. The IVF storyline felt awkward in relation to the rest of the plot. The book picked up its pace a little over halfway through and I’m glad I stuck with it.

Thank you Bantam for my gifted ARC!

“If I didn’t at least as a few questions about what happened to the Raleigh girls, who would?”

We Don’t Talk About Carol opens with a dedication; one small paragraph that is sobering:

“For the tens of thousands of Black Americans reported missing every year. For the thousands more who never stop looking.”

This book brings attention to the injustices Black Americans still face to this day, but it isn’t only about that. It is about perseverance, and the trauma that comes with having TO persevere. The resilience. And the trauma that comes with having to be resilient. This book is the definition of generational trauma.

There is a common refrain used in this book, “What happens in this house stays in this house,” and our FMC Sydney sets out to break this generational curse once and for all by speaking loud about six missing Black teenage girls from 1963-1965. Because of Sydney, I cared about these girls just as much as she did. I cared about the families. The missing Aunt Carol. I cared deeply about this book, because the writing sent me there. I was the shadow over Sydney’s shoulder.

There is a small, but powerful passage that attests to how strong Kristen L. Berry’s writing is. Sydney enters a police precinct and is overheard by a detective as she is discussing the case with the secretary. Berry goes on to describe this detective, about how his clothes were too big for his rangy frame. How his hands rested on a flat stomach as if they were used to resting on a rounded belly. This small description gave this background character as much depth as the main characters, and it left me wanting to know more. Was he ill? Had he been ill? That’s the kind of writing I search for. Writing that has so much richness and depth that everything on paper becomes tangible.

Ultimately, this story was about growth. There were so many questions, so much doubt, repression, anxiety, trauma that Sydney overcame. We get this heart wrenching glimpse of her journey through IVF, her journey through healing familial trauma, her journey through reclaiming her mental strength. It was powerful. It was raw, real, emotional. Kristen L. Berry is special. Her writing is special. We Don’t Talk About Carol is one you need to add to your TBR immediately.

We might not talk about Carol but we SHOULD be talking about this book! I absolutely loved it. I knew so little going in and I liked it that way, but this definitely lived up to the hype.

If the debut WE DON’T TALK ABOUT CAROL is what we have in store from Kristen L. Berry, sign me up! I could not put this book down! Brimming with family secrets, dysfunctional relationships and a journalist with a questionable history, this one was right up my alley.

After Sydney Singleton’s grandmother passes away, she unearths a photo of a previously unheard of Aunt Carol.. Sydney can’t help but notice that she resembles Aunt Carol more than anyone else in the family. When she starts asking questions she learns that Carol was one of six Black girls who went missing from the area in the 60s. The case did not receive wide publicity then, and was never solved, but Sydney begins to investigate her aunt’s disappearance, she learns of the connections the girls had. Speaking with the girls, family members and the police, she learns so much each of the girls and what led up to their disappearances. As she struggles with the high and low emotions of fertility treatments, her obsession with finding the answers begins to drive a wedge between her and her husband, Malik. It is all reminiscent of another missing girl case that Sydney was involved with about 10 years ago that led to a psychotic break. Malik wants her to let it go and focus on starting a family. With the help of her sister, Sasha, Sydney begins to put the picture together and then gets a huge break from a surprising source.

Like I said, this one had me riveted from start to finish. I could feel my pulse racing as Sydney got closer and closer to the truth. I felt like I was the one placing the pieces to put the puzzle together. The writing was clear and concise, so much of it was expected from a much more seasoned author. This was a very enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing where Kristen L. Berry takes me in the future. She will definitely be on my list of authors to watch. I would give it more than 5 stars if I could. Well done, Ms Berry. BRAVO!

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for this ARC opportunity. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.

I enjoyed the book but at times it was a bit convoluted and sprawling. I’m not sure if the pregnancy storyline was needed or fit. It took away momentum from her family of origin story, the story of these missing Black girls and the investigation.

I felt like the ages/timeline was odd at times. Their sixty year old cousin had 3 yr old twins? At first I thought I misread and they were his grandchildren but then there was a scene where she sees them in a photo and repeats they are his children. He explicitly says he is 60 in the email. Did the author change her mind about his birth and not correct things? His origins are not really addressed as much as you’d think. She vaguely talks about not having had a chance to have him had she not escaped but timeline wise, she should have had him at around 15 in 1965. Which doesn’t quite work because we are also told she started dating at age 15 and was with him at least over a year.

Sydney also acts like she doesn’t know about the Walnut Creek park/swamp when she is talking to the victims’ relatives but she had gone there earlier in the book with her mom and sister.

The sister going for internships at 35 was weird, are they even around for people who aren’t in school or recent grads?

The twist was dark compared to the tone of the rest of the book.

5 stars! WOW WOW WOW !!!! Extremely layered book filled with mystery, family conflicts, growth and discovering pieces of your past. I loved this. Most definitely a slow burner but worth every minute read. thanks netgalley & the pub for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

ARC Received: NetGalley
Publication Date: June 3, 2025

The authors have really been coming through with t their debut novels. I enjoyed this so much. It have suspense, angst, heartbreak and made me go through many emotions. A gripping story that explores the generation secret keeping they plagues many Black families. It hits hard on the “what happens in this house stays in this house” mentality. That’s silence lets unaddressed pain fester where the secrets grown and the hurt deepens. I really enjoyed this story.

I can't believe this was a debut novel. this story was so enticing and mysterious. finding out about your dysfunctional families tragic secret. Upon finding out Sydney becomes obsessed with finding out the truth not just for her family but for all the others connected to this secret. As she unravels the truth more and more comes to the surface about her grandmother, her father and her husband begins to question her health. This book is gripping, a page turner, a coming to terms with who you and your family are. I look forward to seeing more from Kristen L. Berry. thank you NetGalley for this arc!

This was a great debut novel by Kristen Berry! Super important themes to this story, including the disproportionate number of black women and girls that go missing, lack of reporting on these cases, and infertility and parenthood. It is somewhat of a heavy read but a great family drama and mystery story- I would definitely recommend. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book!

First off, thank you very much for this eARC that was generously provided by the publisher and author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was so good! I’ve been a bit slumpy, but I think this one got me out of it, because I couldn’t put this one down. The mystery, the realism, the drama, the twists. Well written and with a satisfying ending. Definitely recommend.

This book grabbed me with the hint of the mystery at the very beginning and it didn’t let up. The characters were all well written and the story was told in a very honest and compelling way. The back story of alcoholism , family trauma and infertility were folded into the overall theme of the story very well. Towards the end I gasped when a surprise was brought to light. Really enjoyed this debut !