What He Didn't Tell Me

by Jenny Lynne

Powerful. Poignant. Heartbreaking. Beautiful.

Erin had a perfect twenty-fifth birthday ... until a terrible accident turned it into a nightmare. Now, she is drowning in a sea of grief, and it feels like there is no escape. In a desperate effort to survive, she travels to Los Angeles, her favorite place in the world, to search for a sign that life is still worth living.

When Erin meets Ben in a coffee shop, she can't help but be drawn to him. Soon, they are exploring Los Angeles together, sharing stories of their painful pasts, and bonding more deeply than Erin ever thought possible.

But Ben is hiding a horrible secret. A secret he won't tell her.

If you're looking for a short captivating emotional story with clean romance, gripping mystery and suspense, and a jaw-dropping twist that will take your breath away, don't miss this fast-paced new standalone novella that will completely shatter your heart before putting it back together again!

What readers are saying about WHAT HE DIDN'T TELL ME:



"Hit me right in the feels, such a great twist and ending. Made me cry!!" -- Halie, Goodreads ★★★★★

"WOW! I loved it!! The ending had me clutching my chest with tears in my eyes. You need to read this. 5 stars!" -- Deleah, Goodreads ★★★★★



"This book broke me. I'd sell my soul to read it again for the first time!" -- Shillon, Goodreads ★★★★★



Perfect for fans of If He Had Been with Me by Laura Nowlin, If I Stay by Gayle Forman, Lotus by Jennifer Hartmann, All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven, Archer’s Voice by Mia Sheridan, or The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han. Highly recommended for adults, young adults, and teens ages 13 and up who enjoy incredibly romantic contemporary love stories with shocking twists.

All of Jenny Lynne's books are available in Kindle Unlimited.

Genres: Thriller, Romance, Young Adult

171 pages, Paperback

Published July 26, 2023

About the author

Jenny Lynne (AKA: J.W. Lynne) writes suspenseful page-turners with twists, turns, and surprises. Her novels include ...

THE UNKNOWN: Eight kids learn the shocking reason why they were kidnapped.
(suspense, mystery, thriller, action, adventure, dystopian, clean romance)
Recommended for adults, teens, and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

ABOVE THE SKY: In a broken world, teens are sent off to war knowing they will never return.
(suspense, childhood-best-friends-to-lovers closed-door forbidden romance, dystopian, action, adventure, mystery, thriller, futuristic military sci-fi)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

THE DARKNESS OUTSIDE: A teen’s simulated trip to the moon takes a shocking turn.
(suspense, action, adventure, clean romance, futuristic science fiction, space travel, mystery, thriller, dystopian)
Recommended for adults, teens, and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

IF I TELL: A teen wonders if her father is a serial killer.
(murder mystery, crime thriller, suspense, family drama, clean romance)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

WHAT HE DIDN'T TELL ME: A traumatized girl meets a boy with a horrible secret.
(heartbreaking love story with clean romance, tearjerker, travel adventure, mystery, suspense)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

KID DOCS: An experimental program teaches kids to be doctors.
(fun and educational medical fiction, clean romance)
Recommended for teens and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

WILD ANIMAL SCHOOL: A teen spends a romantic summer learning to train and care for tigers, lions, leopards, grizzly bears, and elephants.
(animal adventure, clean romance)
Recommended for adults, teens, and tweens ages 12 years old and up.

LOST IN TOKYO: A girl travels to Japan to follow her missing mother’s bucket list.
(travel adventure, mystery, clean best-friends-to-lovers romance, tearjerker)
Recommended for adults and teens ages 13 years old and up.

All of J.W. Lynne's books are available on Kindle Unlimited.

Connect with J.W. Lynne on Goodreads, Facebook, and Twitter!

Reviews

[Yourgurl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book broke me when I got to the plot the 🥹🥲😭 tears started and I was starting to fall for Ben to it was they way he treated her.

WTF
I’m heartbroken 💔

[Vania Ethi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in one whole day… I am speechless. I literally couldn’t put it down. I’m so emotional at this story. So much done in only a few pages🩷 highly recommend

[Sophie Nordstrom · Rating 1 out of 5]

1.6 🌟
Audrey if ur reading this look away because I fear you will hate my review of this…

Major spoilers (I literally discuss the whole book plot)

ok so this book is literally depression porn????? why did this MC not only experience the deaths of 4 of her closet friends ever—one being her own bf, another not even related to the other three but we will get into this later, BUT MC FULLY FINDS THE BODY OF A DEAD DECOMPOSING GIRL IN THE WATER (water is significant as her friends that I had previously mention died due to drowning in a limo that flips off the road into water…?) ON TOP OF BEING ABANDONED BY HER MOTHER AT 4 YRS OLD BCUZ SHE WANTED TO TRAVEL…..?????? (Literally brought up once in a major convo at the end during the supposed “plot twist” AND HER FATHER WAS ABUSIVE AND ALSO DEAD?) After all of this btw is just a reason for her to randomly go from NY to LA (why the most populated cities ever? I do not know… MC is literally just a tourist the whole book???) to relive her supposed childhood besties high-school memories and dreams they share MEETS A HOT GUY AT A CAFE FIRST DAY OF BEING THERE, and doesn’t recognize that;
1) he is her OG childhood bff (literally supposed to be a plot twist but hunny if this is ur childhood bff I would HOPE u would know him + they are supposedly born on the same day in same room????? Like girl how do you not recognize????
2) I also forgot to mention that her girl bff that died, committed suicide after the limo crash… had to include Srry :/
3) how did this girl not know her childhood bff was DYING OF CANCER like babes. This book.
4) SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH SAID CHILDHOOD BFF EVEN THO HE IS REALLY JUST A GHOST OR SOMETHING CAUSE HE ACTUALLY DIED OF CANCER THREE MONTHS PRIOR TO HER ARRIving IN LA.
5) GURL WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THE WHOLE BFF CAR CRASH MOMENT AT THE BEGINNING IF WE ARE SPENDING THE ENTIRE BOOK FOLLOWING HER AND HER (SECRETLY DEAD/CHILDHOOD BFF/MYSTERIOUS/RLLY HOT) MAN AS THEY RELIVE (what she will later come to understand) CHILDHOOD MEMORIES TOGETHER.

like this whole book was a mess im so sorry.

[Halie Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book hit me right in the feels, such a great twist and ending. Made me cry!!

[daamnlisaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

The plottwist was really jaw dropping 😨 it was a heartbreaking and beautiful story

[Miranda Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not expect this ending! There’s some books you can see where the story line is going, and I thought I knew where it was going but I was so wrong!

[kasey mac ᰔᩚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. That ending. This book was so emotional and heart breaking, but so good. I really enjoyed it.

[Amanda McAulay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.. Short but and alot of info and great twist!

[Chrissi Wood-Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful

Not at all what I expected. Wonderfully written story of pain, death, and surviving. A. Dry creative twist left me crying.

[Hannah Gamradt · Rating 2 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️.8- honestly this book would be on my DNR list.
I thought the plot would be a lot more eventful and overall the ending didn’t give me closure and was confusing.

[Kendyl Swank · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️ not the best writing and some stuff in the plot didnt really make full sense to me or come full circle but the plot twist and end to me made it worth it and warmed my heart🫶🏼 a story of found family and growth and healing, so cute and sweet

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished it in one sitting, not just because it was a short story but it was also one that I couldn’t put down. Again plottwist, insane

[Dorothy Boyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book made me sad then happy then sad again. The way Ben treated her made me happy. She deserved that especially after what happened. I was definitely not expecting the book to end the way it did. That threw me off.

[Nancy Fulton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was more like a short story but WOW! Sooo good.

[Brooke Hobes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I liked this book better than I thought I would. It’s an easy/short read!

[Magan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me in tears! The plot twist was very unexpected. Over all I loved this book. It’s a must read!

[Samantha Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

The twist is crazy! Mouth dropping very good quick read.

[Mariana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking!!! Absolutely gutted

[•Kinsley• · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not ready for that ending 😭

[Diana Alvarez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've never been good at seeing plot twists so that kinda gagged me.

[Caliyah Cothran · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was all over the place... but poor Erin

[Komal Jha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was okay

[Sami Fox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read. Had a hard time keeping my attention. Some pretty big plot holes that make zero sense. But a great plot twist at the end.

[Tiffaney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Needed a cry day and boy did this book give it to me😭 I do feel like I could guess what was going on about 75% into it, but it still hurt. I really enjoyed overall.

[kimberleighareads · Rating 3 out of 5]

ummm im not even sure what to think.

i will say it kept me interested more so because i thought something bad was going to happen. it’s said in the description that ben is hiding a HUGE secret, a secret that might hurt her, so i was expecting something more i guess. thought what we got was…interesting…

really interesting concept and i think the author tied everything very well together. and gave some sense of purpose and some answers to the main character after this devastating event happens in her life.

also the twist!!! i really found it intriguing bc it just wasn’t what i was expecting at all and it made so much sense after i connected some of the dots to bens actions.

[Evie Perez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting while having house song on repeat with rain sounds in the background??¿¿

I loved the vulnerability in Erin and how the writing didn’t complicate her grief. I feel like in other books, the author always tries to complicate and create so many different layers to someone’s emotions, which, while can be true, I was refreshed by the simplicity in Erin’s grieving and how her character emoted so well that I found myself feeling the same at times.

The end made me do a double take, but I like that it gave me hope for her and that it gave backing to her and Ben’s story.

[Kaylee · Rating 1 out of 5]

the page long description of a burrito is what really did it for me honestly

[Jenny]

An excerpt from WHAT HE DIDN'T TELL ME:

CHAPTER ONE

"Have you ever wished a night could go on forever?"

I ask that question so softly that I'm not sure anyone heard me until Star whispers, "I think I wished that a million times tonight."

She's wedged up against me in the back seat of a limo. Both of us are wearing evening gowns—mine white lace and hers red satin—and we each have a tuxedo jacket draped over our bare shoulders. Dylan is sitting pressed up against my left side. Mateo is squeezed in on Star's right.

The four of us have been best friends since kindergarten. Tonight, we got together to celebrate my twenty-fifth birthday. They rented a limo, and we visited our childhood hangouts, reliving some of our favorite memories. We got a few strange looks, because we were incredibly overdressed for places like Mario's Pizza and Candy's Karaoke, but I had the time of my life, eating and drinking and laughing and singing with the people who I love and who love me more than anything in the world. It's because of my best friends that my childhood is filled with happy memories. I'm not sure if I could have survived it without them.

But, ever since I graduated from high school, I've been floundering, puttering around at jobs I hated while my friends pursued their passions. Dylan is already halfway through his internship as an architect, and Star and Mateo are almost finished with medical school. My life is about to change, though. In a few months, I'll be starting my freshman year of college. I feel like I'm finally on the cusp of becoming the woman I was meant to be.

I rest my head against Dylan's chest, and our fingers intertwine. He brushes my hair away from my face and moves in to kiss me.

My eyelids flutter closed—

Suddenly, there is a loud honk. My eyes spring open as the limo jerks to the right. A horrible screech of tires is followed by the sound of shattering glass. The limo hits something solid, and the ground slips out from under us. I look through the window and see that we are airborne over a body of water. My stomach rises into my chest as we crash into it, as if smashing into cement.

Murky water rushes fast into the limo. Horror floods my veins when I see Dylan lying crumpled on the floor. I unbuckle my seatbelt and drop onto the floor next to him. He's breathing, but when I shout his name, he doesn't stir.

"Erin, are you okay?" Star asks me in a trembling voice.

I shake my head. "I'm fine. But Dylan isn't."

Star unfastens her seatbelt and checks Dylan for a pulse, then she turns to me, her eyes distressed. "Keep his face above the water, but try not to move his neck, in case his spine is injured."

Beside Star, Mateo tries furiously to open his door, but it seems to be stuck. Then he attempts to lower his window, but nothing happens.

"We need to get out of here while we still have air," Mateo shouts. "We need to find something we can use to shatter the glass."

The three of us yank open every compartment in the limo, but they hold only bottled water, bags of snacks, and napkins. I kick at the nearest window as hard as I can, while being careful to keep Dylan's mouth and nose above the rapidly rising water. The air pocket around us is getting smaller by the second. There's almost no air left to breathe.

"I love you guys," I say through the tears trickling over my lips. "I need you to hear that one last time ... in case we don't make it out of this."

"We're not going to die in this limo," Mateo grunts, wiping blood from his face, as he continues kicking at a window.

"That's right," Star says as she tries to use the heel of her shoe to break the glass. "None of us are dying any time soon."

Star has always been an optimist. She doesn't give up if there is even the slightest chance of success. She wants to be an ER doctor, and I know she would be an incredible one. She is amazingly adept at solving even the most difficult puzzles. But not every puzzle has a solution.

Mateo wants to be a heart surgeon. When he was a kid, he used to take apart broken appliances and try to figure out what was wrong with them. Most of the time he was able to get them working again. I bet he'd be terrific at fixing broken hearts.

And Dylan ...

Dylan and I were supposed to get married someday. He promised that, as soon as we could afford it, he was going to build us a house overlooking the ocean. I couldn't wait to live in that house, along with the kids we were definitely going to have and a cat or a dog or, more likely, both.

But now ...

Our pocket of air is down to just a tiny sliver.

Mateo takes a breath and drops underwater, still furiously trying to break the windows.

Star takes a desperate gulp of air, and I take one too.

Hold your breath, Dylan, I pray.

And then our faces are underwater.

I close my eyes, holding onto my last breath, knowing that, when I can't hold it anymore, I will drown.

[Furan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was such an easy yet a genuine read. I wish the beginning had a bit more time, I wish we got to see Erin, Star, Dylan and Alex’s friendship a bit more before the present time. The plot was written with elusive style. The plot twist at the ending, had me gasping. I just wish that the signs of him not being there were more obvious, and like how did she end up at their house then? I thought the ending was sped up, I wish there was more detail, but I loved the twist, I thought once we found Ben that was it, it was just a matter of the, liking each other, then came the twist!

What I loved
A captivating part of this book, was just seeing Erin slowly open up to Ben. I thought the way Jenny wrote Erin seeing her friends, like when she found the girl in the ocean, or when she thought the girls in the mural were her and Star, was a good detail. Since that DOES happen iRL when you miss someone you loved.
I wish Ben had been alive, I loved that he was just there, giving her advice…in her time of need.

[Hayley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a 3.5/5 stars. When I read the plot my mouth dropped. I was not expecting it. I really did like this book. It was short and fast paced. I did think the book should have been longer. I wanted there to be more. I wanted Ben to talk more about his life. I also wish there were more moments with Erin and Ben. I was wanting more from this book. In the beginning I wanted more about Dylan, Star, Mateo, and Erin. I wanted to read more about their life and their stories. If there was more to the story it would have been a 4/5 stars. But other than that I really did like the story and the plot twist was not expecting at all which is why I loved it. I liked the ending because it made me happy but also sad. It was a really good and an unexpected ending. It was overall a great book.