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What I Never Told You
Bloomsbury presents What I Never Told You by Dawn Goodwin, read by Harriet Lang.
How well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?
When Helen Whitmore's stepson brings home a new girlfriend one evening, her already imperfect family begins to tip towards breaking point. Diana is smart, beautiful, feisty and clearly out to cause trouble.
Then an old photograph resurfaces that threatens to uncover a long-buried secret, one that Helen has taken great care to keep hidden in the past. Only one person could have that photograph – and she is dead.
Helen immediately suspects that Diana is connected somehow, but before she can confront her, Diana is found dead and the entire family has motive.
An absolutely addictive, page-turning thriller perfect for Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty and Louise Candlish.
How well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?
When Helen Whitmore's stepson brings home a new girlfriend one evening, her already imperfect family begins to tip towards breaking point. Diana is smart, beautiful, feisty and clearly out to cause trouble.
Then an old photograph resurfaces that threatens to uncover a long-buried secret, one that Helen has taken great care to keep hidden in the past. Only one person could have that photograph – and she is dead.
Helen immediately suspects that Diana is connected somehow, but before she can confront her, Diana is found dead and the entire family has motive.
An absolutely addictive, page-turning thriller perfect for Lisa Jewell, Liane Moriarty and Louise Candlish.
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First published October 14, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
December 22, 2021
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Dawn Goodwin, and Head of Zeus for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Intrigued when a new author appears on my radar, I eagerly agreed to read the latest novel by Dawn Goodwin. A tale of deception and suspense straddling two time periods, Goodwin pulls the reader into a mystery from the opening chapters and builds on things from there. With a strong narrative and captivating plot, the story gains momentum and leaves the reader begging for more, as all is revealed. A decent story that kept we wondering!
Helen Whitmore does her best to keep a work/home balance in her small English community. Living in her ancestral home, Helen has a blended family full of strong-wiled individuals. She’s doing her best tp keep the peace, which can be harder than it seems.
When Helen’s step-son, Matt, brings a guest over to the house one evening, it ruffles many feathers for various members of the family. Diana is not only beautiful, but has a conniving side that leaves many turning away from her. Helen also notices that Diana may be more mischief than a new sweetheart for Matt.
All the while, Helen is struggling when an old photograph emerges, as well as some taunting secret notes that make idle threats. The two girls in the photo are well-known to Helen, she being one of them. The other is a girl Helen knew in her past, who died in a mysterious manner.
While Helen has numerous flashbacks to her own youth and how Tracey Deane fit into it, she musty also deal with present-day drama. Diana has turned up dead and everyone in the house has a motive for it. While the authorities scramble for answers, Helen must piece it all together to see who might have taken the ultimate step to silence the deceptive Diana. It will bring a flood of old emotions to the surface again, forcing Helen to confront sentiments she long ago buried. Goodwin spins a tale and keeps the reader gripped as things progress at rapid speed.
Dawn Goodwin masters the dual timeline in this piece, telling two independently, yet interwoven, stories, with Helen Whitmore at the centre. The piece flows well and keeps the twists coming until the final chapters, allowing the reader to engage in both the plot and the characters that push it along. While I found myself struggling at times, I chalk it up to a busy mind rather than less than stellar writing. I enjoy stories like this and Goodwin does well to develop things at a pace most can digest with ease. The mystery builds and the tension heightens until all comes crashing together at the climax.
Helen Whitmore is surely a strong protagonist, straddling both timelines throughout this novel. The reader learns much about her and the struggled she has overcome, as well as the layers of secrets she has been forced to keep. for so long. The novel is written in such a way that the reader gets pieces of teen and adult Helen throughout, allowing one to build an idea of how she has become the woman she is today and just how secretive she remains. While there were times I wanted the backstory to be condensed and a focus on the current timeline, I can see why Goodwin presented things as she did, hoping to allow for a thorough explanation to develop, as it relates to modern events.
I struggled, not with the story or its plot, but with some of my own personal connections to the narrative. While things did move along well, I found things lagging at times and I wanted to get to key twists faster. That being said, I think a lot of it had to do with my personal state of mind, rather than Goodwin’s writing. The narrative was strong and moved along well, keeping both timelines progressing throughout. Key characters emerged in both stories and connections could be found where they were needed, with strong development emerging throughout. The plot held together well, offering mysteries and jolting realities in equal measure. I would love to try reading more of Dawn Goodwin’s work to get some comparisons, so I will add at least one more novel to my toppling ‘to be read’ list to see how I feel.
Kudos, Madam Goodwin, for a great story. Your first impact on me was a good one, though I will be sure to read the next of your novels with a clearer head to get a better sense of my overall sentiments.
Be sure to check for my review, first posted on Mystery and Suspense, as well as a number of other insightful comments by other reviewers.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/wh...
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Intrigued when a new author appears on my radar, I eagerly agreed to read the latest novel by Dawn Goodwin. A tale of deception and suspense straddling two time periods, Goodwin pulls the reader into a mystery from the opening chapters and builds on things from there. With a strong narrative and captivating plot, the story gains momentum and leaves the reader begging for more, as all is revealed. A decent story that kept we wondering!
Helen Whitmore does her best to keep a work/home balance in her small English community. Living in her ancestral home, Helen has a blended family full of strong-wiled individuals. She’s doing her best tp keep the peace, which can be harder than it seems.
When Helen’s step-son, Matt, brings a guest over to the house one evening, it ruffles many feathers for various members of the family. Diana is not only beautiful, but has a conniving side that leaves many turning away from her. Helen also notices that Diana may be more mischief than a new sweetheart for Matt.
All the while, Helen is struggling when an old photograph emerges, as well as some taunting secret notes that make idle threats. The two girls in the photo are well-known to Helen, she being one of them. The other is a girl Helen knew in her past, who died in a mysterious manner.
While Helen has numerous flashbacks to her own youth and how Tracey Deane fit into it, she musty also deal with present-day drama. Diana has turned up dead and everyone in the house has a motive for it. While the authorities scramble for answers, Helen must piece it all together to see who might have taken the ultimate step to silence the deceptive Diana. It will bring a flood of old emotions to the surface again, forcing Helen to confront sentiments she long ago buried. Goodwin spins a tale and keeps the reader gripped as things progress at rapid speed.
Dawn Goodwin masters the dual timeline in this piece, telling two independently, yet interwoven, stories, with Helen Whitmore at the centre. The piece flows well and keeps the twists coming until the final chapters, allowing the reader to engage in both the plot and the characters that push it along. While I found myself struggling at times, I chalk it up to a busy mind rather than less than stellar writing. I enjoy stories like this and Goodwin does well to develop things at a pace most can digest with ease. The mystery builds and the tension heightens until all comes crashing together at the climax.
Helen Whitmore is surely a strong protagonist, straddling both timelines throughout this novel. The reader learns much about her and the struggled she has overcome, as well as the layers of secrets she has been forced to keep. for so long. The novel is written in such a way that the reader gets pieces of teen and adult Helen throughout, allowing one to build an idea of how she has become the woman she is today and just how secretive she remains. While there were times I wanted the backstory to be condensed and a focus on the current timeline, I can see why Goodwin presented things as she did, hoping to allow for a thorough explanation to develop, as it relates to modern events.
I struggled, not with the story or its plot, but with some of my own personal connections to the narrative. While things did move along well, I found things lagging at times and I wanted to get to key twists faster. That being said, I think a lot of it had to do with my personal state of mind, rather than Goodwin’s writing. The narrative was strong and moved along well, keeping both timelines progressing throughout. Key characters emerged in both stories and connections could be found where they were needed, with strong development emerging throughout. The plot held together well, offering mysteries and jolting realities in equal measure. I would love to try reading more of Dawn Goodwin’s work to get some comparisons, so I will add at least one more novel to my toppling ‘to be read’ list to see how I feel.
Kudos, Madam Goodwin, for a great story. Your first impact on me was a good one, though I will be sure to read the next of your novels with a clearer head to get a better sense of my overall sentiments.
Be sure to check for my review, first posted on Mystery and Suspense, as well as a number of other insightful comments by other reviewers.
https://www.mysteryandsuspense.com/wh...
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
A Book for All Seasons, a different sort of Book Challenge: https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
November 2, 2021
“How well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?
Well! The more of this book I read, the more convinced I was that I had most of the twists and turns ironed out and I knew exactly what had happened in the past, and was happening now, some thirty years later! – WRONG!
Okay! So now I need to tear up all my notes and start this review again from scratch, as those last few chapters, with all their new twists and turns, changed everything, turned all my preconceptions on their head and totally messed with my mind, as I tried to straighten out and in some way weave together, the multitude of different strands to this storyline. I do have to admit however, that I never really did work out, or even manage to guess, the complexities of this plot, which were completely driven by the desire for revenge and retribution.
Set in the picturesque, fictional village of Hamblemere, close to the very real and beautiful Cornish coastal town of Padstow, it would be very difficult for the casual observer to fathom why the house and its female descendants might not have led a happier, more fulfilled life. ‘Cliffside’ is perched, as its name suggests, right at the edge of the coastal footpath, its spacious grounds are well tended by its hired gardener, and it boasts its own outdoor pool and pool-house, complete with pool-man! However, disappointingly for any ‘armchair travellers’, very little is made of the surroundings away from the foreboding environs of the house, which is exactly as the author planned it, as she very cleverly wanted to keep me focused on the confines of events and life within its walls, without distraction.
This was no fast-paced, action packed, pot-boiling thriller. Rather more of a lugubrious, slow-burning and evolving story, which has at its heart, a monolithic, eccentric house, complete with the added burdensome caveat of a female only line of succession, who must continue to live there with their families, until that last female line is ended, when it can finally be sold. Helen has already tried to shake the dust of the house from her shoes once, after her own unhappy childhood within its forbidding walls. But now she is back, with her own daughter, a husband and step-children, who are about to unwittingly unleash the full hidden fury of the secrets the house has been hiding, despite Helen’s best efforts to forget her past and conceal the truth. Helen doesn’t play the truth game very well, as I now know to my cost, having read the story to the very last page. When someone starts to ‘dig the dirt’ on her personal life, they really do need to take heed, as she doesn’t take prisoners when it comes to protecting what is hers and saving her own skin in the process!
A dual timeline story, where neat, well-signposted chapters, which alternate between the ‘then and now’, span the thirty years since the 1980s of Helen’s youth to the present day, and where we find Helen now owning her own bookshop ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ in the village, are narrated and guided by Helen herself. So now you can see how all those half-truths and embellishments, might have clouded my judgement a little, as one new twist and turn was added after the other to try and ‘muddy the waters’ and they are oh! so convincing and plausible. Mind you, if I had endured the unconventional childhood Helen did, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to maintain my physical and emotional wellbeing and equilibrium into adulthood either. Wilful emotional abandonment and neglect, marital infidelity, drink, drugs, eating disorders, bullying, racial abuse, drink spiking – and MURDER, and that only just touches the periphery of Helen’s troubled childhood home life, she only being saved from the total abyss by the pseudo-mother efforts of the family’s live in housekeeper, Martha. Even the privileges of money alone can’t make you happy, if they come with the ultimate price-tag of being instead of, rather than as well as, the love and comfort of parental support.
This disturbing, well structured, multi-faceted storyline, was gripping, desperately intense, claustrophobic and rich in atmosphere. The fluent writing, suspenseful plot and cleverly crafted narrative, really sucked me in and immersed me in the lives of this family, who are being dragged to their knees because of their own apathy, discontent and misery. When not one, but two outsiders, decide to cash in on the family’s reduced emotional circumstances and rake up the ashes of past indiscretions, the race to the bottom begins in earnest for them all, although little do they realise how Helen is still pulling the strings and manipulating them for her own advantage. The lies, deceit, duplicity and distortion of the facts, just keep building, finally overwhelming them to the point where there is only one person left standing, who has ensured that the line of succession is going to continue unchallenged into the foreseeable future.
Dawn has created a wonderful cast of complex, emotionally starved, wickedly clever and genuinely twisted characters; who although well developed and fleshed out, are not authentic or reliable, are manipulative and duplicitous in the extreme and have little or no synergy between them, giving me no compelling reason to relate to, invest in, or engage with them. The only certainty in this complex jigsaw of human emotions, was that their own volatility and unreliability, would be their eventual downfall.
I always enjoy Dawn’s wonderfully twisted style of storytelling, but she has surpassed herself this time!
“Oh, What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”
To check out the full post, complete with all those little added 'extras', visit...
https://www.fiction-books.biz/reviews...
Well! The more of this book I read, the more convinced I was that I had most of the twists and turns ironed out and I knew exactly what had happened in the past, and was happening now, some thirty years later! – WRONG!
Okay! So now I need to tear up all my notes and start this review again from scratch, as those last few chapters, with all their new twists and turns, changed everything, turned all my preconceptions on their head and totally messed with my mind, as I tried to straighten out and in some way weave together, the multitude of different strands to this storyline. I do have to admit however, that I never really did work out, or even manage to guess, the complexities of this plot, which were completely driven by the desire for revenge and retribution.
Set in the picturesque, fictional village of Hamblemere, close to the very real and beautiful Cornish coastal town of Padstow, it would be very difficult for the casual observer to fathom why the house and its female descendants might not have led a happier, more fulfilled life. ‘Cliffside’ is perched, as its name suggests, right at the edge of the coastal footpath, its spacious grounds are well tended by its hired gardener, and it boasts its own outdoor pool and pool-house, complete with pool-man! However, disappointingly for any ‘armchair travellers’, very little is made of the surroundings away from the foreboding environs of the house, which is exactly as the author planned it, as she very cleverly wanted to keep me focused on the confines of events and life within its walls, without distraction.
This was no fast-paced, action packed, pot-boiling thriller. Rather more of a lugubrious, slow-burning and evolving story, which has at its heart, a monolithic, eccentric house, complete with the added burdensome caveat of a female only line of succession, who must continue to live there with their families, until that last female line is ended, when it can finally be sold. Helen has already tried to shake the dust of the house from her shoes once, after her own unhappy childhood within its forbidding walls. But now she is back, with her own daughter, a husband and step-children, who are about to unwittingly unleash the full hidden fury of the secrets the house has been hiding, despite Helen’s best efforts to forget her past and conceal the truth. Helen doesn’t play the truth game very well, as I now know to my cost, having read the story to the very last page. When someone starts to ‘dig the dirt’ on her personal life, they really do need to take heed, as she doesn’t take prisoners when it comes to protecting what is hers and saving her own skin in the process!
A dual timeline story, where neat, well-signposted chapters, which alternate between the ‘then and now’, span the thirty years since the 1980s of Helen’s youth to the present day, and where we find Helen now owning her own bookshop ‘The Owl and the Pussycat’ in the village, are narrated and guided by Helen herself. So now you can see how all those half-truths and embellishments, might have clouded my judgement a little, as one new twist and turn was added after the other to try and ‘muddy the waters’ and they are oh! so convincing and plausible. Mind you, if I had endured the unconventional childhood Helen did, maybe I wouldn’t have been able to maintain my physical and emotional wellbeing and equilibrium into adulthood either. Wilful emotional abandonment and neglect, marital infidelity, drink, drugs, eating disorders, bullying, racial abuse, drink spiking – and MURDER, and that only just touches the periphery of Helen’s troubled childhood home life, she only being saved from the total abyss by the pseudo-mother efforts of the family’s live in housekeeper, Martha. Even the privileges of money alone can’t make you happy, if they come with the ultimate price-tag of being instead of, rather than as well as, the love and comfort of parental support.
This disturbing, well structured, multi-faceted storyline, was gripping, desperately intense, claustrophobic and rich in atmosphere. The fluent writing, suspenseful plot and cleverly crafted narrative, really sucked me in and immersed me in the lives of this family, who are being dragged to their knees because of their own apathy, discontent and misery. When not one, but two outsiders, decide to cash in on the family’s reduced emotional circumstances and rake up the ashes of past indiscretions, the race to the bottom begins in earnest for them all, although little do they realise how Helen is still pulling the strings and manipulating them for her own advantage. The lies, deceit, duplicity and distortion of the facts, just keep building, finally overwhelming them to the point where there is only one person left standing, who has ensured that the line of succession is going to continue unchallenged into the foreseeable future.
Dawn has created a wonderful cast of complex, emotionally starved, wickedly clever and genuinely twisted characters; who although well developed and fleshed out, are not authentic or reliable, are manipulative and duplicitous in the extreme and have little or no synergy between them, giving me no compelling reason to relate to, invest in, or engage with them. The only certainty in this complex jigsaw of human emotions, was that their own volatility and unreliability, would be their eventual downfall.
I always enjoy Dawn’s wonderfully twisted style of storytelling, but she has surpassed herself this time!
“Oh, What a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!”
To check out the full post, complete with all those little added 'extras', visit...
https://www.fiction-books.biz/reviews...
October 11, 2021
10 Things I Liked About This Book
1. It is set in the past and the present and the past bit being the 80’s
2. Even though it is set in 2 date zones ( is that right 🤗 ) it is clear when it swops over and you dont have to wonder which era you are in
3. The story has a quirky house at it’s centrepiece
4. The characters describe themselves and their feelings with brutal honesty ( sometimes giving the reader a wry smile )
5. The writing is easy to access and tells a good, dark and secretive story
6. There is a housekeeper who makes yummy treats
7. It shows the evilness of bullying and whilst shocking is something many of us faced
8. The conclusion (s) are unexpected, fast and non negotiable
9. The title fits well with the book and
10. It is a really good ‘gets you thinking’ psychological family drama that pulls no punches
9/10
5 Stars
1. It is set in the past and the present and the past bit being the 80’s
2. Even though it is set in 2 date zones ( is that right 🤗 ) it is clear when it swops over and you dont have to wonder which era you are in
3. The story has a quirky house at it’s centrepiece
4. The characters describe themselves and their feelings with brutal honesty ( sometimes giving the reader a wry smile )
5. The writing is easy to access and tells a good, dark and secretive story
6. There is a housekeeper who makes yummy treats
7. It shows the evilness of bullying and whilst shocking is something many of us faced
8. The conclusion (s) are unexpected, fast and non negotiable
9. The title fits well with the book and
10. It is a really good ‘gets you thinking’ psychological family drama that pulls no punches
9/10
5 Stars
November 26, 2021
it was fun to read about a family of baddies
bickering at one another, and I loved the P.O.V.
change flying free among them like a butterfly:
I only wish I had liked the characters enough
to really feel engaged with their dilemmas.
bickering at one another, and I loved the P.O.V.
change flying free among them like a butterfly:
I only wish I had liked the characters enough
to really feel engaged with their dilemmas.
December 13, 2021
Helen has a secret her entire family have secrets and her stepsons new girlfriend seems to be the catalyst for all of their secrets to be revealed. The question is though why? Or is Helen paranoid and someone else knows the truth?
This is one of those books that is extremely hard to review for the reason being, I don't want to say too much because I could inadvertently spoil the storyline.
So what I will say is firstly this is an amazing thriller/mystery! With Helen being our main character we jump between the past and present day. With the story of her past we get to slowly find out what the secret of she's scared of coming to fruition, this in itself threw me as I had so many different scenarios I expected it to be none of which were correct. I found it really well written the way the narrator of the past felt much younger than the present day. So often people jump time lines without altering the protagonists voice. There are also a few areas that are focused on in this timeliness race is a huge part of it and again is written so well.
In present day we'll I was on edge throughout, I found myself so lost with who was doing what and what everyone's secrets were, I should of taken notes ha. But honestly once everything gets tied together it all makes perfect sense. I also love that there are some moments in the book where we get to know the reality behind an event and I loved this but again I had far more questions than answers. However all this did was have me continue reading wanting to find out more and I wasn't disappointed when it concluded.
The author uses descriptions of places and people really well so I always had a cleat image when reading. They also managed to keep you interested in each characters side storylines and want to find out what their secrets were also. They write so well that even wirh so much going on it isn't overwhelming. Both time lines are done well although I probably preferred rhe younger one a little bit but purely because I wanted to know more. I flew through this book in one sitting.
I totally recommend what I never told you and rate it an easy 4 stars. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.
This is one of those books that is extremely hard to review for the reason being, I don't want to say too much because I could inadvertently spoil the storyline.
So what I will say is firstly this is an amazing thriller/mystery! With Helen being our main character we jump between the past and present day. With the story of her past we get to slowly find out what the secret of she's scared of coming to fruition, this in itself threw me as I had so many different scenarios I expected it to be none of which were correct. I found it really well written the way the narrator of the past felt much younger than the present day. So often people jump time lines without altering the protagonists voice. There are also a few areas that are focused on in this timeliness race is a huge part of it and again is written so well.
In present day we'll I was on edge throughout, I found myself so lost with who was doing what and what everyone's secrets were, I should of taken notes ha. But honestly once everything gets tied together it all makes perfect sense. I also love that there are some moments in the book where we get to know the reality behind an event and I loved this but again I had far more questions than answers. However all this did was have me continue reading wanting to find out more and I wasn't disappointed when it concluded.
The author uses descriptions of places and people really well so I always had a cleat image when reading. They also managed to keep you interested in each characters side storylines and want to find out what their secrets were also. They write so well that even wirh so much going on it isn't overwhelming. Both time lines are done well although I probably preferred rhe younger one a little bit but purely because I wanted to know more. I flew through this book in one sitting.
I totally recommend what I never told you and rate it an easy 4 stars. Thanks to netgalley, the publisher and author for an ARC in exchange for my fair and honest opinions.
September 16, 2021
Teased along by a dual timeline, readers gain insight into Helen Whitmore’s dysfunctional family. She’s stuck in a precarious spot; unhappily married, two stepchildren who hate her, a biological child who doesn’t respect her and a past that someone doesn’t want to stay buried. How do you dig yourself out of such a situation? Where did she go wrong?
As if balancing a dysfunctional family isn’t enough, her stepson brings home his trouble causing girlfriend and Helen senses that the girlfriend is nosing around where she shouldn’t be looking. When an old photo is found it threatens Helen’s secret and the intrigue increases as the only person who had the photo is long dead.
Next, one of them is found murdered….
Helen’s present timeline is supported by a narrative told in the past which reveals her childhood and factors which contribute to her present circumstances. Readers are instantly hooked with the suspenseful prologue and are propelled to uncover the identity and circumstances of these unnamed people.
Goodwin, known for writing about personalities hiding behind masks, always seems to create characters with distinct personalities and writes to expose the secrets they harbour. She explores the idea that we don’t know each other as well as we’d like to think we do – yes, even those close to us.
A quick, suspenseful, cleverly plotted and executed domestic psychological novel with lots of tension, conflict and unlikely twists, this is a fantastic read.
Publishes October 14, 2021.
I was gifted this advance copy by Dawn Goodwin, Aria & Aries, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
As if balancing a dysfunctional family isn’t enough, her stepson brings home his trouble causing girlfriend and Helen senses that the girlfriend is nosing around where she shouldn’t be looking. When an old photo is found it threatens Helen’s secret and the intrigue increases as the only person who had the photo is long dead.
Next, one of them is found murdered….
Helen’s present timeline is supported by a narrative told in the past which reveals her childhood and factors which contribute to her present circumstances. Readers are instantly hooked with the suspenseful prologue and are propelled to uncover the identity and circumstances of these unnamed people.
Goodwin, known for writing about personalities hiding behind masks, always seems to create characters with distinct personalities and writes to expose the secrets they harbour. She explores the idea that we don’t know each other as well as we’d like to think we do – yes, even those close to us.
A quick, suspenseful, cleverly plotted and executed domestic psychological novel with lots of tension, conflict and unlikely twists, this is a fantastic read.
Publishes October 14, 2021.
I was gifted this advance copy by Dawn Goodwin, Aria & Aries, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.
October 14, 2021
Exactly what a mystery thriller should be, full of surprises that you just don't see coming, secrets and lies and lots of intrigue to hook your attention! I really enjoyed this one and loved the two timeline story aspect. I wasn't a fan of the majority of the characters, except for maybe Tracey, they were all self centred and mean, but they made for great reading!! Definitely worth picking up 😊
October 5, 2021
***I received an ARC from Net Galley in exchange for my honest review
When Helen Whitmore's stepson brings home his new girlfriend, Diana, Helen instantly dislikes her. She isn't sure esactly what it is, just the way Diana looks at her. Then, out of the blue, an old photograph resurfaces that threatens to uncover a long-buried secret. Helen immediately suspects Diana, but before she can confront her Diana is found dead, and Helen's entire family has motives.
This is a dual timeline book, with the chapters alternating between Helen as a teenager and present day. You don't find out the secret that Helen has been hiding until almost the very end of the book which is when you also find out the identity of the person who is blackmailing Helen. I never found Helen particularly likeable, so it was hard to get ivested in her character. Otherwise, the book had a good mystery, and lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.
When Helen Whitmore's stepson brings home his new girlfriend, Diana, Helen instantly dislikes her. She isn't sure esactly what it is, just the way Diana looks at her. Then, out of the blue, an old photograph resurfaces that threatens to uncover a long-buried secret. Helen immediately suspects Diana, but before she can confront her Diana is found dead, and Helen's entire family has motives.
This is a dual timeline book, with the chapters alternating between Helen as a teenager and present day. You don't find out the secret that Helen has been hiding until almost the very end of the book which is when you also find out the identity of the person who is blackmailing Helen. I never found Helen particularly likeable, so it was hard to get ivested in her character. Otherwise, the book had a good mystery, and lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.
October 26, 2024
A long lost photograph threatens to reveal Helen’s secrets from long ago
Read if you enjoy: family drama, Lisa Jewell
Don’t read if you loathe: multiple POV’s, slow pace
Helen lives with her dull husband and their unhappy blended family
The story is told in Now and Then chapters, slowly revealing Helen’s secrets
The ‘Now’ chapters are told from multiple points of view. With so many secrets, I struggled to keep everything straight. The ‘Then’ chapters were easier to follow, but predictable
I would have preferred more drama, and exciting mini incidents throughout, as the ‘Now’ chapters underwhelmed me. Although we had the multiple POV’s, little was revealed so it was a struggle to connect
The ‘Then’ chapters were stronger, full of emotion and action. Helen’s deterioration was tragic but easily the most powerful element in the book
Predictable in parts, surprising in others, not a bad read and I’d be interested to check out Goodwin’s other thrillers
Read if you enjoy: family drama, Lisa Jewell
Don’t read if you loathe: multiple POV’s, slow pace
Helen lives with her dull husband and their unhappy blended family
The story is told in Now and Then chapters, slowly revealing Helen’s secrets
The ‘Now’ chapters are told from multiple points of view. With so many secrets, I struggled to keep everything straight. The ‘Then’ chapters were easier to follow, but predictable
I would have preferred more drama, and exciting mini incidents throughout, as the ‘Now’ chapters underwhelmed me. Although we had the multiple POV’s, little was revealed so it was a struggle to connect
The ‘Then’ chapters were stronger, full of emotion and action. Helen’s deterioration was tragic but easily the most powerful element in the book
Predictable in parts, surprising in others, not a bad read and I’d be interested to check out Goodwin’s other thrillers
May 10, 2022
I was gripped from the start by all the characters being so very different and unique, I was able to imagine exactly what they looked like and what they are like just by the author’s way of going into a little detail - not too much to bore me but just enough to see them clearly in front of me. Made me feel like I’m watching a movie . There’s a lot of characters that plays important roles in this book, but it doesn’t make it hard to keep up, if anything it brought a sense of community/step family feel albeit twisted.
I really enjoyed not having a clue why she wrote some of the chapters but was so intrigued and then when it made sense in the chapters after, I felt like it was a light bulb moment for me. This books never got stale never got boring and never got predictable. I loved how the ending gave me closure but it was an ending I didn’t see coming . Lots of emotion I felt in this book. I hardly ever write reviews purely because I read way better than I write in English, but I just felt so satisfied after finishing this book, something that doesn’t always happen, and I read a fair amount of books per month. So this was a major win for me!!!! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have !
I really enjoyed not having a clue why she wrote some of the chapters but was so intrigued and then when it made sense in the chapters after, I felt like it was a light bulb moment for me. This books never got stale never got boring and never got predictable. I loved how the ending gave me closure but it was an ending I didn’t see coming . Lots of emotion I felt in this book. I hardly ever write reviews purely because I read way better than I write in English, but I just felt so satisfied after finishing this book, something that doesn’t always happen, and I read a fair amount of books per month. So this was a major win for me!!!! I hope everyone enjoys it as much as I have !
September 11, 2024
A slow start but by the time i got to the middle i couldn't put it down. I thought about giving up, I'm so glad i didn't. And there was another huge twist on the last page.
October 1, 2025
Love the British matter of fact way of telling this mean girl story.
October 6, 2021
This dual timeline domestic thriller is narrated by Helen. "Then" she is a teenager in school, from a privileged family and hung out with the "in" crowd. She and her friends are bullies. "Now" Helen is an adult who is married for the second time with a daughter, Mills, and two step kids, Matt and Lydia. All teenagers. Helen owns an independent bookstore and is an author. The house she has inherited seems to breathe and shudder, adding to the atmosphere. To some her life may look perfect but the truth is far from it.
Diana, Matt's new girlfriend, meets his family and shares meals with them. There is something about Diana that is disconcerting and unnerving but Matt is smitten. It is obvious she knows something. This story seamlessly melds the past and the present with layer upon layer of deception. Trite, but nothing is at it seems. Smiles are painted on, laughs are painfully insincere, eyes roll. Family members are suspicious of one another. I found myself practically gnawing on my arm as I neared the end, itching to find out what the heck was going on yet not wanting it to end. Spades of angst and distrust make for a compelling read.
The atmosphere is dark and tense. The suspense is nerve wracking and the surprises just kept coming! Love the original one liners, extremely clever and insightful. And the ending! If you are seeking something different and original with oomph, pick this up.
My sincere thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this thrillery mystery!
Diana, Matt's new girlfriend, meets his family and shares meals with them. There is something about Diana that is disconcerting and unnerving but Matt is smitten. It is obvious she knows something. This story seamlessly melds the past and the present with layer upon layer of deception. Trite, but nothing is at it seems. Smiles are painted on, laughs are painfully insincere, eyes roll. Family members are suspicious of one another. I found myself practically gnawing on my arm as I neared the end, itching to find out what the heck was going on yet not wanting it to end. Spades of angst and distrust make for a compelling read.
The atmosphere is dark and tense. The suspense is nerve wracking and the surprises just kept coming! Love the original one liners, extremely clever and insightful. And the ending! If you are seeking something different and original with oomph, pick this up.
My sincere thank you to Aria & Aries and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this thrillery mystery!
September 12, 2021
This is the first of Dawn Goodwin's books which I have read. I have a number of them on my to be read list but other books have kept getting in the way of me starting them.
My next job is now to go back and get the rest of them read!
This was a hugely enjoyable novel about a woman, Helen, with a dysfunctional family set up. Unhappily married, with her own child and two step children who don't really like or respect her.
Her son brings home a girlfriend who clearly knows more about Helen's life than she should and when the girlfriend is found dead, there is more than one person who had reason to want her dead.
The story is told in two timelines with the present day told alongside Helen's childhood which finally unveils the reason for everything which is happening in the current day.
When the story is finally revealed and everything is out in the open, Goodwin hits you with a final plot twist that you may or may not see coming (I didn't!)
I really enjoyed the dual timelines and Goodwin teases the reader along well. I am not sure if the story was told a little too slowly or whether that was just my impatience to find out what really happened!
Either way, it is a very enjoyable read and the character of Helen is very complex both as a child and an adult.
Thanks to Aria and Aries and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would highly recommend everyone to read this
My next job is now to go back and get the rest of them read!
This was a hugely enjoyable novel about a woman, Helen, with a dysfunctional family set up. Unhappily married, with her own child and two step children who don't really like or respect her.
Her son brings home a girlfriend who clearly knows more about Helen's life than she should and when the girlfriend is found dead, there is more than one person who had reason to want her dead.
The story is told in two timelines with the present day told alongside Helen's childhood which finally unveils the reason for everything which is happening in the current day.
When the story is finally revealed and everything is out in the open, Goodwin hits you with a final plot twist that you may or may not see coming (I didn't!)
I really enjoyed the dual timelines and Goodwin teases the reader along well. I am not sure if the story was told a little too slowly or whether that was just my impatience to find out what really happened!
Either way, it is a very enjoyable read and the character of Helen is very complex both as a child and an adult.
Thanks to Aria and Aries and Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I would highly recommend everyone to read this
May 28, 2023
I don’t understand the glowing reviews of this book. I found the major characters extremely unsympathetic and the plot somewhat ridiculous. The motivations driving the protagonists were childish at best. The book was generally depressing and the twist at the end made little sense.
One girl is pushed off a cliff for being mean, another man is impaled on a glass shard for taking a break up badly, and a third woman burnt to death for tormenting the main character, for good reason if you ask me. Not to mention the collateral damage of one suicide, and an elderly lady with dementia left to fend for herself. Still , after that pileup of bodies, nice to know Helen was able to move on.
I think Goodreads should mix up the reviews a bit. I noticed that the first ones were very positive and some of the reviewers admitted to having been sent a free copy of the book. I will be more suspicious in future.
One girl is pushed off a cliff for being mean, another man is impaled on a glass shard for taking a break up badly, and a third woman burnt to death for tormenting the main character, for good reason if you ask me. Not to mention the collateral damage of one suicide, and an elderly lady with dementia left to fend for herself. Still , after that pileup of bodies, nice to know Helen was able to move on.
I think Goodreads should mix up the reviews a bit. I noticed that the first ones were very positive and some of the reviewers admitted to having been sent a free copy of the book. I will be more suspicious in future.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 1, 2022
I was sure I’d give this book 4 stars at least when I started reading. Then I decided on 3 and finally almost on 2 because what the hell is that ending? The protagonist’s final decision to leave Diana to die just came out of nowhere, was completely unjustified and had no point whatsoever. Neither did the entire Peter storyline. I’m only sticking to 3 stars because the past timeline was pretty good throughout.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 10, 2023
Dawn Goodwin frustrates me. her stories fall between psychological thriller and family or friendship stories, so they are far better written and with more detail than the average chucked out ‘psychological thriller’ and the characters are much more relatable, but sadly the detail of the mundanity of life and acres of padding in the middle make them frustrating to read and sadly pretty boring reading for most of the story.
If someone could just edit out the mealtimes, showers, bodily functions, smells of cherries and apples, crying, mind numbing conversations, endless dwelling on memories etc then she would be enjoyable, as things stand, her work is so overwritten it becomes dull.
In this book, the back story is actually almost totally irrelevant to the current timeline. This book could just be Helen in her bookshop visited by someone from the past and explained to us, there is no need at all for half the book to be the tedious drawn out back story, I jumped chunks of it, and it made no difference at all.
And the ending here is clearly bolted on and rushed to meet a deadline. In the last chapter everything changes pace and goes from drawn out to ‘let’s bump off inconvenient people and have a happy ever after’ that reads more like a summary than story telling. ‘
Dropped to one star for the silly ness of this.
If someone could just edit out the mealtimes, showers, bodily functions, smells of cherries and apples, crying, mind numbing conversations, endless dwelling on memories etc then she would be enjoyable, as things stand, her work is so overwritten it becomes dull.
In this book, the back story is actually almost totally irrelevant to the current timeline. This book could just be Helen in her bookshop visited by someone from the past and explained to us, there is no need at all for half the book to be the tedious drawn out back story, I jumped chunks of it, and it made no difference at all.
And the ending here is clearly bolted on and rushed to meet a deadline. In the last chapter everything changes pace and goes from drawn out to ‘let’s bump off inconvenient people and have a happy ever after’ that reads more like a summary than story telling. ‘
Dropped to one star for the silly ness of this.
December 13, 2021
3 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Helen Whitmore’s life is imperfect. She’s stuck in an unhappy marriage, her daughter and two stepchildren do not respect her, and she is harboring a secret from her past. One day, Helen’s stepson brings home a new girlfriend, Diana, who is clearly trying to cause trouble within the family. When an old photo suddenly surfaces, it’s clear that Diana is trying to expose Helen’s secret… but then Diana is found dead. The more you read, the more you’ll realize that Helen isn’t the only one in the family with motive…
This is a dual timeline story, with chapters alternating between “then” and “now.” We see inside Helen’s teen years (where the secret lies) as well as her present day. This book also gives us a few chapters from the point of view of her husband and children. The changes in POV are not confusing at all and only help you to understand exactly what’s going on. I think I enjoyed the chapters in "then" better than "now" but overall this book is worth reading.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
Helen Whitmore’s life is imperfect. She’s stuck in an unhappy marriage, her daughter and two stepchildren do not respect her, and she is harboring a secret from her past. One day, Helen’s stepson brings home a new girlfriend, Diana, who is clearly trying to cause trouble within the family. When an old photo suddenly surfaces, it’s clear that Diana is trying to expose Helen’s secret… but then Diana is found dead. The more you read, the more you’ll realize that Helen isn’t the only one in the family with motive…
This is a dual timeline story, with chapters alternating between “then” and “now.” We see inside Helen’s teen years (where the secret lies) as well as her present day. This book also gives us a few chapters from the point of view of her husband and children. The changes in POV are not confusing at all and only help you to understand exactly what’s going on. I think I enjoyed the chapters in "then" better than "now" but overall this book is worth reading.
Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
February 1, 2022
Helen’s marriage isn’t a happy one. She is married with one child of her own and two step children who don’t get on with Helen. One day Matt, her stepson, brings home his new girlfriend Diana, Helen takes an instant dislike to her. When an old photo surfaces it looks as though Diana is going to reveal Helen’s secret from her past. Then Diana is found dead and all the members of the family seem to have motives. The story is told is two timelines with chapters alternating between Helen’s teenage years. She was from a privileged family and was part of the “in crowd” but were also bullies and this is where the secret lies. There are also chapters from her husband and children's points of view. There are plenty of twists and turns and Helen’s secret isn’t revealed until near the end of the book and also the identity of the blackmailer. A good psychological thriller with lots of tension. A good read.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this book.
February 17, 2022
WOWZERS! The further into the book I got the more I thought I had it all figured out but my god was I wrong!
This is a real multi stranded plot, everything going in different directions until it is expertly weaved into a finale that is tied together with a perfect bow.
While this isn't my typical fast paced read it had me gripped with its complexities. I wouldn't even call it a slow burner, it's more of an evolving plot.
Told in a dual timeline of 'Then' and 'Now' tells a story about Helen over a 30 year period but for once it's been set out perfectly clearly to follow. Narrated by Helen herself the 'Then' covers Helen's troubled childhood whilst living in a privileged family with privileged friends and the 'Now'is Helen as an adult, unhappily married with teenage children and stepchildren, living in an inherited house. The epitome of a dysfunctional family.
Dark, suspenseful, intense, atmospheric and gripping.
A story of just how easily the forgotten past can so easily come back to haunt you!
Huge thanks to netgalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC.
This is a real multi stranded plot, everything going in different directions until it is expertly weaved into a finale that is tied together with a perfect bow.
While this isn't my typical fast paced read it had me gripped with its complexities. I wouldn't even call it a slow burner, it's more of an evolving plot.
Told in a dual timeline of 'Then' and 'Now' tells a story about Helen over a 30 year period but for once it's been set out perfectly clearly to follow. Narrated by Helen herself the 'Then' covers Helen's troubled childhood whilst living in a privileged family with privileged friends and the 'Now'is Helen as an adult, unhappily married with teenage children and stepchildren, living in an inherited house. The epitome of a dysfunctional family.
Dark, suspenseful, intense, atmospheric and gripping.
A story of just how easily the forgotten past can so easily come back to haunt you!
Huge thanks to netgalley and Aria & Aries for the ARC.
January 28, 2023
“Nothing good had ever happened to her here. And yet, she couldn't pull herself away. It was her home. As simple and as complicated as that”
Title: What I Never Told You
Author: Dawn Goodwin
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery
Themes: Secrets, Lies, Revenge, Retribution.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
What a book; I struggled to put this one down and definitely lost sleep to read it. Never-ending direction changes and unpredictable plot twists have you second guessing everyone; everyone has a motive but how and why are they all involved?
Goodwin flits between two independent, yet heavily entangled, storylines set across two time periods; the past and present of Helen Whitmore. The narrative is desperately intense, slowly guiding you through Helen’s life as Diana’s sudden presence starts unravelling the secret Helen has so desperately tried to bury.
But who is Diana and how did she get that photograph? Only one person could have that photograph - and she is dead.
Title: What I Never Told You
Author: Dawn Goodwin
Genre: Psychological Thriller/Mystery
Themes: Secrets, Lies, Revenge, Retribution.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
What a book; I struggled to put this one down and definitely lost sleep to read it. Never-ending direction changes and unpredictable plot twists have you second guessing everyone; everyone has a motive but how and why are they all involved?
Goodwin flits between two independent, yet heavily entangled, storylines set across two time periods; the past and present of Helen Whitmore. The narrative is desperately intense, slowly guiding you through Helen’s life as Diana’s sudden presence starts unravelling the secret Helen has so desperately tried to bury.
But who is Diana and how did she get that photograph? Only one person could have that photograph - and she is dead.
October 3, 2024
Surprisingly good. 4.5 stars. Close to 5.
Helen is a wife, mother, and a stepmother to her husband’s three children. She lives a relatively quiet life, waiting on her husband she doesn’t truly love and takes disrespect from her stepchildren that she shouldn’t, but she also has her daughter, dog, and her small little bookstore. That enough can make her happy most days. Until one day her stepson comes home from school with a beautiful girl that feels familiar and starts to really make Helen feel extremely uncomfortable.
With the new appearance of this girl also comes a mystery of old pictures from a party Helen had in the last couple of months of high school (American description) that set into motion a terrible sequence of events that has stayed hidden all this time.
I really loved the book. It read like a story, not just a book. There was twist and turns that make it a thriller but also a great story vibe.
Helen is a wife, mother, and a stepmother to her husband’s three children. She lives a relatively quiet life, waiting on her husband she doesn’t truly love and takes disrespect from her stepchildren that she shouldn’t, but she also has her daughter, dog, and her small little bookstore. That enough can make her happy most days. Until one day her stepson comes home from school with a beautiful girl that feels familiar and starts to really make Helen feel extremely uncomfortable.
With the new appearance of this girl also comes a mystery of old pictures from a party Helen had in the last couple of months of high school (American description) that set into motion a terrible sequence of events that has stayed hidden all this time.
I really loved the book. It read like a story, not just a book. There was twist and turns that make it a thriller but also a great story vibe.
October 12, 2022
I had really high hopes for this book as I absolutely loved ‘The Pact’ by Dawn Goodwin.
It was a bit hard to get into but once I read the first 15 chapters I was hooked!
Everything was a mystery, who was Helen really? what was Diana really up too? Who fell over the cliff? Was Hugh up to something? What we’re the 3 kids hiding? There was so many questions all the way through I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened!
I didn’t expect the ending to it and was so glad at the last little snippet in the final few chapters which really completed the story with a final ‘no way!’
I really enjoyed this book! Would 100% read this again
B x
It was a bit hard to get into but once I read the first 15 chapters I was hooked!
Everything was a mystery, who was Helen really? what was Diana really up too? Who fell over the cliff? Was Hugh up to something? What we’re the 3 kids hiding? There was so many questions all the way through I couldn’t put it down. I had to know what happened!
I didn’t expect the ending to it and was so glad at the last little snippet in the final few chapters which really completed the story with a final ‘no way!’
I really enjoyed this book! Would 100% read this again
B x
August 7, 2023
Helen Whitmore is married with one child of her own and two step children whom they don’t get on with very well.
The story is told in two timelines with chapters alternating between Helen’s teenage years 'Then' and her Adult Married Life 'Now' and whose marriage isn’t a happy one.
There are plenty of twists and turns and you don't find out the secret that Helen has been hiding until almost the very end of the book which is when you also find out the identity of the person who is blackmailing Helen. The book had a good mystery and lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.
The story is told in two timelines with chapters alternating between Helen’s teenage years 'Then' and her Adult Married Life 'Now' and whose marriage isn’t a happy one.
There are plenty of twists and turns and you don't find out the secret that Helen has been hiding until almost the very end of the book which is when you also find out the identity of the person who is blackmailing Helen. The book had a good mystery and lots of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the end.
December 6, 2024
This novel tells the story of an wealthy unlikable teenager who becomes a wealthy unlikable adult. When the story begins, the main character is the step mom to two ungrateful children and a completely uncaring husband. That being said, the main character is also dreadful with very little warmth or compassion herself, so it is easy to see why the step family dislikes her so much.
As the story goes on, you learn that no character (except Milly, the main's biological daughter) has any redeeming values. No character learns from their mistakes or grows based on their misfortune.
What drivel, honestly.
As the story goes on, you learn that no character (except Milly, the main's biological daughter) has any redeeming values. No character learns from their mistakes or grows based on their misfortune.
What drivel, honestly.
October 6, 2021
This story is told in two time lines of the past and the present of the main character Helen which shows the unravelling of her life as she knows it.
A domestic drama that shares the story of a dysfunctional family which I'm sure many readers can relate too.
The past has a way of catching up with you, secrets can't stay hidden forever a book full of deceit, suspicion, lies, conflict a suspenseful and enjoyable read.
A domestic drama that shares the story of a dysfunctional family which I'm sure many readers can relate too.
The past has a way of catching up with you, secrets can't stay hidden forever a book full of deceit, suspicion, lies, conflict a suspenseful and enjoyable read.
September 19, 2022
This was a really slow read. I think I’ve been reading it for about 3 weeks on and off. A great book I can finish in 24 hours but this definitely wasn’t one of those. What really annoyed me was the “Now” and “Then” chapters because the language confused me. The language used in the “Then” chapters was often not correct for that time so I had to keep flipping backwards and forwards to check where I was.
Not impressed.
Not impressed.
January 31, 2023
Thank you Netgalley and Aria & Aries, Head of Zeus for this arc. I was really behind. I liked this slow burning ans guessing till the end book .
When a person you not like particularly is found dead and you would want that person gone, you become a susspect? No, or yes maybe. Everyone are there and everyone are possible murder.. how is that possible.. it is couse there is a secret more, what I never told you
When a person you not like particularly is found dead and you would want that person gone, you become a susspect? No, or yes maybe. Everyone are there and everyone are possible murder.. how is that possible.. it is couse there is a secret more, what I never told you
January 5, 2025
I had a hard time getting into this book as it took several chapters for me to decide to keep reading. Promising setup and plot threads once it got going. Then...... thoroughly unsatisfying last 1/4 & especially the conclusion. I gave it 3 stars because it did pull me in and I was moved to keep reading as it was interesting. But what a huge letdown. I was trying out this author as a new suspense writer to me and I don't think I'll read anything else of hers. So disappointing!
October 22, 2021
*4.5 Stars*
ARC kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was a really interesting read, with great characters. It made me go "Wow, the goings on of some people and the cruelty and lies they spread". The ending surprised me and I enjoyed this book. Would recommend.
ARC kindly received via NetGalley for an honest review.
This was a really interesting read, with great characters. It made me go "Wow, the goings on of some people and the cruelty and lies they spread". The ending surprised me and I enjoyed this book. Would recommend.
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