The Chu siblings have all gone their own way in life but have come together again for a Great American Road Trip across Route 66.

A road trip book that has a lot to it both in the present and past. The three siblings all have their own lives they need to come to terms with in their own ways. A lot of the story deals with being Asian in America, as immigrants in the 90’s and then in a post-Covid world. A lot of family secrets come out and bonding between very different siblings.

“Some places, some people would remain forbidden to them, even though the stories were right there to be learned.”

What We Left Unsaid comes out 8/19.

This could be a really important book, a small story about the experiences of one immigrant family but that has some big lessons for all of us.

Bonnie, Kevin, and Alex are the adult children of Taiwanese-American immigrants. Their mother has just had a stroke and asks them to visit her and requests they stop at the Grand Canyon along the way. The siblings have not stayed close as adults, but do this for their mom. While on the trip, their childhood memories surface of another family trip that has some tragedy involved, but none of them remembers the full story.

What we left unsaid is set in the years following the pandemic, where there was still a lot of mistrust of Asians and foreigners. The siblings see some parts of the country that are very new to them, and are sometimes threatened because of their other-ness, but also see their privileges. I really enjoyed reading it, it was well-written but also made me think about our history and parts of the country I have never seen as well.

A fairly typical family drama between siblings in a post-Covid world.

Nothing was particularly outstanding, but it wasn't terrible.

This is a solid 2.5 for me.

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

This is one of the best books I have read so far in 2025. It's about three siblings, Bonnie, Alex and Kevin who discover their Mom had a stroke and they then embark on a road trip from Chicago to California on Route 66. This road trip was a request from their Mom and it spurred a beautiful journey with a stop at the Grand Canyon. There is so much that happens on this journey and it is beautifully written. Their stop in Branson, MO was touching. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is looking to read a story from a background other than their own or someone who is looking for an own-voices read.

I am so thankful to Winnie M Li for writing this beautiful story. Also thankful to Atria/Emily Bestler Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I loved it so much, it brought tears to my eyes, and ended with a touching feeling.

Winnie M. Li’s "What We Left Unsaid" is a thoughtful and layered story about family, memory, and identity. The story follows the three Chu siblings as they reunite after years apart when their sick mother insists they take a road trip before visiting her. What starts out as a familial obligation soon becomes a journey that forces them to revisit a mysterious event from their childhood and face the complicated ties that still connect them.

Li perfectly captures both the intimacy and tension of adult siblings who know each other well but have also grown apart. As Bonnie, Kevin, and Alex travel along historic Route 66, not only are they forced to grapple with old family wounds, but they also have to navigate America as Asian-Americans in a post-COVID world. The forced proximity of the road trip setting allows for moments of conflict, humor, and reckoning as they confront their shared past.

"What We Left Unsaid" blends the emotions of a family drama with sharp observations about race, belonging, and cultural identity. Li's writing contains clarity and compassion, making the siblings’ struggles feel widely relatable. This is a moving exploration of family histories and relationships, and how opening up can lead to healing.

My thanks to NetGalley and Emily bestler books/Atria for an ARC of this book.

This novel is about a trio of siblings, Bonnie, Kevin and Alexandra (Alex) who embark on the classic American road trip on Route 66. They are heading home, in every sense. They are all over 30, educated, and enjoying varying degrees of material success. Their parents are Taiwanese immigrants who settled in the Asian community in Irvine, California, in the 1970s. They followed the typical immigrant path: work hard, be frugal in all things, educate your children, buy a house. And they quickly grasped the unspoken rule about keeping your head down in hopes of being invisible, and therefore protected from, the unpredictable hostility of white Americans. These fundamental messages were internalized by their American-born children, to the point where they are wary and self-enclosed even with their parents, their own children, and each other.

The siblings, Bonnie, Kevin and Alex, as their American names suggest, did everything right. The youngest, Alex, struck a far more independent and non-traditional course than the others, and is the most distant. When their parents call to tell them that their mother has had a stroke and wants to see them, of course they fear the worst. They also feel guilty for not visiting more often and for losing touch with each other. Bonnie is in Boston, Kevin in Chicago, and Alex in London. It takes some wrangling to agree to do the long trip by car, their mother’s suggestion. Even stranger is her insistence that they must stop to view the Grand Canyon. Until they begin to recall, and discuss, a faded memory of a childhood road trip to the Grand Canyon that was suddenly aborted without explanation. Something upsetting had happened to their mother en route. But no one had ever talked about it. As they drive, they piece together their memories, and confide other stories about their lives, both as children and as adults, that they had always hidden. The trip is emotionally hard but the gradual truth telling is liberating. As they confront their parents’ aging and their own, they realize the value in leaving ‘nothing left unsaid.’

This is a thoughtful, heartwarming novel, and Li expertly captures the dynamics of sibling relationships, where the small slights and annoyances of childhood have festered too long. She also brings an insider perspective to the culture clash between immigrant parents and their new world children. There are a few things I didn’t care for: Alex’s character is so histrionic it’s hard not to share Kevin’s assessment of her as a selfish, self-absorbed drama queen. Her love of the spotlight actually endangers their lives at two hair-raising moments, in childhood and on the road trip. And the thing about guns. Finally, I found the revelation of what happened on the first Grand Canyon trip, and the characters’ response, really underplayed. It was dramatic, but comes across as something sad that happened a long time ago, not a high impact life-changing event for the entire Chu family.

1991 - a Taiwanese family goes on an unexpected road trip to Grand Canyon however they don't finish the trip. Post-COVID - the Chu estranged siblings (Bonnie, Kevin, and Alex) are forced to experience the Great American Road trip as a request from their ailing mother.

When suppressed trauma comes to surface and becomes enduring resentment, when the seed of bitterness wanders between the siblings relationship, this family drama is laden with pettiness that I (surprisingly!) appreciated - all feel too real, fragile but at the same time, resistant. Many aspects of the siblings relationship can easily resonate while the road trip crossing Route 66 intersects with my own experience. It feels painful and healing, nostalgic and made me yearn for my own memories.

Siphoning themes of queerness, internalized and systemic racism, immigration, family and parenting, Li makes a sharp examination with a sense of humor that doesn't feel heavy-handed. I personally enjoyed the talk about the parenting and I thought that the challenges and expectations were spot on. The sense of discovery embedded in the story invites one to fly through the pages, a kind of liberation and reconciliation that feels rewarding. Although the revelation of the truth feels like a plot device, it can be convincing.

WHAT WE LEFT UNSAID is a touching story that exposes the complexity of family dynamics and I cherished this reading experience.

Heartfelt and tense!

I’m really enjoying stories about family and multigenerational trauma lately, so I was delighted to receive an early copy of this after devouring the author’s last two books. What We Left Unsaid is Winnie M. Li’s third novel and even though it has a different vibe from her last two, the story still deals with dark themes including racism, sexual assault, and violence. I always enjoy stories set on the open road and this one was particularly interesting because it reunited three estranged siblings with very different lives but who all share the same traumatic memory. A trip to the Grand Canyon that never happened due to an “incident” when they were kids. The characters were interesting and complex, with lots of tension.

A scene I still think about: Alex, Kevin, and Bonnie end up enduring a dangerous confrontation in the desert, requiring them to draw on their unique skills to escape. Details of which are mentioned throughout the book and make the ending all the more satisfying. The pace was steady and Li’s voice, as always, was compelling. I was gripped from the first page.

For readers who want stories about family secrets and revelations, the great American roadtrip, and multicultural themes.

A road trip that brings three siblings closer to one another as secrets are revealed. Bonnie, Alex and Kevin Chu agree to travel together first to the Grand Canyon and then to their parents' home in California in order to please their mother, who is ill. They are all in different spaces in their lives and Kevin has been hiding a lot from his wife. This moves between the present and an ill fated trip to the Canyon when they were children, an event that shaped them and their family even though none of them know what really happened at the gas station. It's a road trip novel as they move across Route 66 but it's also about resolving old issues between them. And then with their parents. Li has an easy storytelling style which will keep you turning the pages. Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. A good read.

Things were left unsaid many years ago following an aborted family trip to the Grand Canyon. Fast forward, the three first-generation Asian-American siblings are now adults are not in regular contact with each other for many reasons. Their dad contacts them with the news that their mom is scheduled for major surgery. Her urgent request: she wants them to return home for a visit, but only after they take a sibling trip together to the Grand Canyon. The storyline moves back and forth between then (small spurts) and now (larger doses) giving us a window into the individuals they have become as first-generation children of Taiwanese immigrants and their sibling relationships, especially the rocky one between two. This book had the hallmarks of the immigrant experience, race, parental sacrifice, sexual orientation, American dream and disillusions, life’s challenges, etc. It felt like a lot was jammed into the book making it feel rather “over crowded.” I liked how we get to witness the reconnecting of the siblings, the prickliness of their relationships, the silent negotiating between them, and most importantly, the unspoken reasons why the relationships are the way they are. I figured out the “why” from many years ago very early on in the book, and felt the reveal was aggravatingly slow. The bookended situation in a later chapter felt a bit forced and “convenient” and could have been omitted. I think it actually detracted from the book’s overall impact. Many thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Winnie M. Li, author of Dark Chapter (2017) and Complicit (2022), now gifts readers with What We Left Unsaid, a brother and sisters Route 66 road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles. While the Chu siblings stop at such famous roadside attractions as the Blue Whale and Cadillac Ranch, occasionally detouring off their planned route, expect much more than a travelogue.

The estranged siblings have been forced together by their aging mother’s request that they complete a visit to the Grand Canyon three decades after their parents turned back home with their three children, then ages eight to fifteen, only an hour from their Grand Canyon destination. Their mother’s request requires completing their trip before arriving in Irvine, California for her scheduled surgery. Thus, Bonnie, the eldest who now lives with her family in Boston, Kevin, who lives with his near Chicago, and Alex, the always dramatic younger sister who lives in London, must quickly converge on Chicago to begin the dreaded trip. Each had reasons for moving far from their Southern California home; each has reasons for avoiding one another.

Why did their parents abort the family road trip so close to reaching the Grand Canyon all those years ago? This mystery becomes part of the story as Winnie Li intersperses 1991 chapters among the present-day chapters chronicling Bonnie, Kevin, and Alex’s days confined to the same SUV after years of rarely speaking to each other.

As sisters and brother cross the miles encountering adventures and misadventures, they are forced to become reacquainted with one another, to grapple with their differences and misunderstandings, and to come to terms with their identities and with each other. While doing so, they gradually piece together their individual memories of that aborted family road trip from their childhoods, finally reaching home where everyone must decide what to share and what to leave unsaid. Many readers will long remember the Chu family.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advance reader eGalley of this highly recommended new novel from Winnie Li. I look forward to reading her previous and future books.

What We Left Unsaid is an upcoming novel by Winnie M Li set to release on August 19th.

The story follows adult siblings Bonnie, Kevin and Alex as they road trip across the United States to reach their ailing mother in their home state of California. Time, distance and disagreements have strained the relationships between the three siblings. Will this forced proximity deepen their existing wounds or bridge the gaps between them?

I gave this book 3 stars because I wouldn’t pick it up again, despite it having some really beautiful moments of personal discovery and family bonding. I think Li executed the dual timeline of this story excellently and I kept turning the page, wanting to put the puzzle pieces together faster.

There were times when I found each of the main characters a bit insufferable. I think to some degree that’s the point — see the siblings with all their flaws like how their family does.

One point I’d like to mention is that there was some unexpected content in this book that may be upsetting for some readers. If you are sensitive to situations containing racism, sexual identity and sexual assault, this book may not be for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

What We Left Unsaid is a layered story about family secrets, memory, and estrangement, with some powerful emotional beats and a few frustrating stumbles. The flashbacks to 1991 offered the most depth, while the present-day conflicts sometimes felt repetitive and overwhelming. Winnie M. Li captures the complexity of sibling relationships well, especially how memories diverge between family members, but at times, the pacing dragged, and some scenes felt overstuffed or rushed, particularly toward the end.

There are impactful moments, especially around racism and reconciliation, but they’re mixed with narrative choices that made the story feel uneven. A thoughtful read, but not quite a standout.

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

This is about three Taiwanese American siblings whose mother insists they take a road trip to the Grand Canyon before coming to see her in California. There is wealthy Bonnie, happily married to WASP Chris; Kevin, unhappily married to Jessica and massively in debt; and Alex, who lives in London, and is expecting a baby with her wife Nya. The siblings are not close and Kevin and Alex haven't spoken for five years after Kevin suggested her realization she was a lesbian was just a phase and a way of getting attention. Despite these issues, the siblings agree, because it seems to them their mother might be dying and they almost visited the Grand Canyon on another road trip once when they were children and can't quite remember why they didn't make it.

The plot works on various levels: the siblings thrash out their issues, the reason why the earlier road trip was curtailed is gradually revealed, and then there are the descriptions of the towns and museums and destinations they visit along Route 99. The Route 99 elements became a little tiring and repetitive for me and often served for the characters (especially Alex) to muse on the evils of racism. There is a sense throughout that Kevin especially feels perceived as less and weaker and less attractive for being Taiwanese American. He has bought a gun to make himself feel safer and this comes in useful in the only episode in the book which didn't ring true to me.

I enjoyed this while I was reading it, but I found the ending a bit underwhelming and it didn't make me want to drive Route 99.

The story of three Taiwanese siblings who make a road trip at the request of their sick mother. Each sibling was struggling with issues in their lives but the road trip helped to ease the tension. The road trip gave them time to work through their issues.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this novel. This is the story of three siblings who drive cross country on Route 66 to see their mom in California, who is ill. The mom has requested they all see the Grand Canyon together, a family trip they did not make when they were young because they turned around after a bad experience at a local gas station. The book goes back and forth between the present day, in which the bickering siblings get to know each other again and learn to accept each other, and the incident at the gas station 30 years ago. I think the author is trying to make the point that, the more we understand our trauma, the more empathetic we become. However, drawing out the gas station incident over multiple chapters across the book does not really work. The plot device of the cross country trip and the stops and interactions along the way as a commentary on America feels really staged. So much so that I felt like this was a YA novel sometimes. The novel was well-written. It just felt too forced.

I enjoyed the premise and pace of this book that follows three adult siblings as they drive along Route 66 to visit the Grand Canyon while fulfilling their mother’s request after she falls ill. Winnie Li addresses what it’s like to be an immigrant in America, a child of immigrant parents, the realities of America when it comes to our history of people, racism today and before along with what it means to have siblings and how we change as we grow up. There were some thrills along the way and definitely brought me to tears on more than on occasion.

An engrossing and troubling family drama unfolds at times very painfully as three seemingly disparate siblings travel across the United States at the request of their elderly mother. There is growth, recovery, and revelation as the three relive something that happened in their youth - now remembered from three very different viewpoints. Deep character and setting development carry this book forward.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this ARC.

I received a free DRC through Netgalley and the publisher. I am drawn to books about siblings and the idea of a road trip that includes the Grand Canyon sounds pretty appealing. The book helps the mostly-estranged siblings come together as they process a traumatic family vacation from 30+ years ago. The siblings become closer together as they learn more about each other as adults. The book highlights some of the hard truths about America's past that we often ignore as "being in the past" when those events are still reverberating today in existing racism. A good, but sometimes difficult read. The timing of the book is great. Doesn't feel drawn out and has plenty of action to keep the story moving forward even as it looks backwards.

Following their mother's stroke, the Chu siblings embark upon a road trip from Chicago to California, with a stop at the Grand Canyon. Decades earlier, the family made a road trip to the Grand Canyon but never made it--as the story unfolds, we learn what happened all those years ago, as the now middle-aged children reminisce and repair fractured relationships.

I found that I couldn't put this book down! The characters were so well drawn, and I loved seeing their relationships with each other evolve over the course of the trip. I also loved the way the author gradually teased out what happened on the aborted family trip to the Grand Canyon and how those events shaped the lives of the family members long into the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.