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Tell No One
Mia Barnes rubbed her fingers across the scars on her wrists. No matter how hard she tried, she would never forget what happened to her. The night her whole life changed. The night he took everything from her.
Judith Barnes couldn’t shake the vivid memories of that night. The night she found her daughter near death. Since that day, all she wanted was to know why. Why her daughter thought her life wasn’t worth living.
A story of family, love, and grief. How far will a mother go to find out the truth? How far will a daughter go to hide it? What happens when the truth comes out?
Judith Barnes couldn’t shake the vivid memories of that night. The night she found her daughter near death. Since that day, all she wanted was to know why. Why her daughter thought her life wasn’t worth living.
A story of family, love, and grief. How far will a mother go to find out the truth? How far will a daughter go to hide it? What happens when the truth comes out?
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2024
7 people are currently reading
1712 people want to read
About the author
Donna M. Zadunajsky
23 books382 followersDonna M. Zadunajsky started out writing children’s books before she accomplished and published her first novel, Broken Promises, in June 2012. She since has written several more novels and her first novella, HELP ME! Book 1 in the series, which is about teen suicide and bullying.
HELP ME!, won Awards in:
The Great Northwest Book Festival-Winner
Global EBook Awards- Gold Medal Winner
The Great Southeast Book Festival-Winner
IPA Award- Winner in Grief Category
Reader Views Awards- In 3 different categories:
*Children-Teen 12-16 year olds
*Children-Young Adult 16-18 years old
*Best Teen/YA Book of the Year
eLit Awards- Silver Winner
Talk To Me, Book 2 was a Finalist in the Author U unpublished contest, 2016.
IPA Award- Winner in Death and Dying
The author is available for speaking on the matters of teen suicide, bullying and for author events.
HELP ME!, won Awards in:
The Great Northwest Book Festival-Winner
Global EBook Awards- Gold Medal Winner
The Great Southeast Book Festival-Winner
IPA Award- Winner in Grief Category
Reader Views Awards- In 3 different categories:
*Children-Teen 12-16 year olds
*Children-Young Adult 16-18 years old
*Best Teen/YA Book of the Year
eLit Awards- Silver Winner
Talk To Me, Book 2 was a Finalist in the Author U unpublished contest, 2016.
IPA Award- Winner in Death and Dying
The author is available for speaking on the matters of teen suicide, bullying and for author events.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 21, 2024
Judith is still reeling over the haunting flashbacks of finding her daughter lying in the bathtub in a pool of her own blood—Mia’s weak pulse, the whir of the ambulance, and the soul-crushing realization. Her beautiful teenage daughter had tried to end her life.
But why? And what kind of a mother would she be if she couldn’t see the signs?
Mia never expected to wake up in the hospital—she was sure no one would find her until it was too late. But now she’s in the psychiatric ward of the hospital, having to talk about her feelings. However, one thing Mia will discuss is what he did. She wants to get back to her life but worries he’ll be there, stalking her and attacking her when she’s alone.
Is Judith and Mia’s relationship strong enough to handle the truth? Can Mia survive without being swallowed by her demons?
“Tell No One” by Donna M. Zadunajsky is a heart-wrenching portrayal of trauma, abuse, and its far-reaching effects. The chapters alternate in perspective between Mia and Judith, delving deep into the psyche of a broken teen and her worried mother, who is determined to save her daughter from self-destruction. As the plot unravels, readers unearth the shocking truth about what Mia has endured. Although it is a frightening tale of terror and family secrets, it also illuminates the power of love and resilience.
The author’s immersive prose took me on an emotional journey. I quickly devoured all two hundred-plus pages in one sitting. While I related to Judith’s plight as a parent, Mia’s dialogue was profoundly affecting. The fear that she sat with on a daily basis and the absolute shame of what she had endured shattered my heart, and I prayed she would get justice and rise above the ashes.
With the atmospheric writing, readers will be easily transported to the scenes in the book. Zadunajsky deftly illustrates the feelings of unease in the family home, building a palpable sense of fear. I felt like I was alongside Mia, my heart like a hammer in my chest, as she tiptoed down the creaky hallway leading to her room. Moreover, the menacing stares, threatening messages, and slow, heavy footsteps further elevate the tone of terror.
“Tell No One” will appeal to readers drawn to thrilling psychological novels that illuminate heavier topics. Between the brilliant character development, propulsive plot, and the author’s ability to build a chilling scene with precision, the book exceeded my expectations. Furthermore, I could see this book being adapted for the big screen—it definitely has that cinematic vibe.
Trigger warning: Some sections of the book depict disturbing scenes of self-harm and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
But why? And what kind of a mother would she be if she couldn’t see the signs?
Mia never expected to wake up in the hospital—she was sure no one would find her until it was too late. But now she’s in the psychiatric ward of the hospital, having to talk about her feelings. However, one thing Mia will discuss is what he did. She wants to get back to her life but worries he’ll be there, stalking her and attacking her when she’s alone.
Is Judith and Mia’s relationship strong enough to handle the truth? Can Mia survive without being swallowed by her demons?
“Tell No One” by Donna M. Zadunajsky is a heart-wrenching portrayal of trauma, abuse, and its far-reaching effects. The chapters alternate in perspective between Mia and Judith, delving deep into the psyche of a broken teen and her worried mother, who is determined to save her daughter from self-destruction. As the plot unravels, readers unearth the shocking truth about what Mia has endured. Although it is a frightening tale of terror and family secrets, it also illuminates the power of love and resilience.
The author’s immersive prose took me on an emotional journey. I quickly devoured all two hundred-plus pages in one sitting. While I related to Judith’s plight as a parent, Mia’s dialogue was profoundly affecting. The fear that she sat with on a daily basis and the absolute shame of what she had endured shattered my heart, and I prayed she would get justice and rise above the ashes.
With the atmospheric writing, readers will be easily transported to the scenes in the book. Zadunajsky deftly illustrates the feelings of unease in the family home, building a palpable sense of fear. I felt like I was alongside Mia, my heart like a hammer in my chest, as she tiptoed down the creaky hallway leading to her room. Moreover, the menacing stares, threatening messages, and slow, heavy footsteps further elevate the tone of terror.
“Tell No One” will appeal to readers drawn to thrilling psychological novels that illuminate heavier topics. Between the brilliant character development, propulsive plot, and the author’s ability to build a chilling scene with precision, the book exceeded my expectations. Furthermore, I could see this book being adapted for the big screen—it definitely has that cinematic vibe.
Trigger warning: Some sections of the book depict disturbing scenes of self-harm and abuse. Reader discretion is advised.
November 23, 2024
It all began with an attempted suicide of a mother’s teen daughter. How could a certified psychiatrist not have seen the signs? That was the first part.
In part 2, we get the story from Mia and her attempted suicide. She mentions something about being told to “tell no one.” The whole time Mia was hoping to hide from “him.” Right away, we get a mystery right here.
Whatever intrigue I had for the story, however, quickly settles to a slow crawl in part 3, which re-hashes the family dynamic about 3 months in the past. It’s quite a long part, too. While reading this part, I kind of made a guess of who the “him” might be…and it turned out that my guess was right. Something did happen on that family vacation with “him.” After that, Mia couldn’t tell anyone what happened, especially her mom whom she was sure wouldn’t believe her. For a long while afterward, we deal with both mother and daughter battling with what they know and with their crushing guilt. It all boiled down to a sad, tame, and relatively satisfying conclusion.
It was a pretty good read, and I liked it.
In part 2, we get the story from Mia and her attempted suicide. She mentions something about being told to “tell no one.” The whole time Mia was hoping to hide from “him.” Right away, we get a mystery right here.
Whatever intrigue I had for the story, however, quickly settles to a slow crawl in part 3, which re-hashes the family dynamic about 3 months in the past. It’s quite a long part, too. While reading this part, I kind of made a guess of who the “him” might be…and it turned out that my guess was right. Something did happen on that family vacation with “him.” After that, Mia couldn’t tell anyone what happened, especially her mom whom she was sure wouldn’t believe her. For a long while afterward, we deal with both mother and daughter battling with what they know and with their crushing guilt. It all boiled down to a sad, tame, and relatively satisfying conclusion.
It was a pretty good read, and I liked it.
June 12, 2025
Thanks goodreads for the book in the giveaway. Pretty good book. A mother finds her daughter after she made a suicide attempt and then tries to figure out why. How the book is split into 4 parts and how the chapters rotate from being from the daughters perspective to the mothers is interesting.
However probably by part 2 it wasn’t hard to figure out who the monster was. My issue is that part 3 and 4 felt not as fast paced as the other parts. It felt like the author was padding the story to draw it out longer. Overall it was a good book. updating to say after more thinking i dropped my rating from 4 stars down to three - it's realistically probably more of a 3 1/2 star.
However probably by part 2 it wasn’t hard to figure out who the monster was. My issue is that part 3 and 4 felt not as fast paced as the other parts. It felt like the author was padding the story to draw it out longer. Overall it was a good book. updating to say after more thinking i dropped my rating from 4 stars down to three - it's realistically probably more of a 3 1/2 star.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews