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What We Knew
When a local myth starts to seem like a dangerous reality, two girls are set on a path that could change their lives forever
"When I was little, I imagined a monster: Scaly hands. Pits for eyes..."
When Tracy and her best friend, Lisa, were kids, stories about a man—a creep who exposes himself to little girls—kept them out of the woods and in their own backyards. But Tracy and Lisa aren't so little anymore, and the man in the woods is nothing but a stupid legend. Right?
But someone is in the woods. Someone is watching. And he knows all their secrets, secrets they can't tell anyone—not even each other.
"Monsters don't exist."
Lisa's just being paranoid. At least that’s what Tracy thinks. But when a disturbing "gift" confirms her worst fears, it sets the girls on a dangerous journey that takes them beyond the edge of the woods. But reality is more terrifying than the most chilling myth, and what they find will test the bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love.
"Once upon a time, two girls were lost in the woods."
In Barbara's Stewart's What We Knew, Tracy and Lisa can't destroy the evil they'll face, but can they stop it from destroying each other?
"When I was little, I imagined a monster: Scaly hands. Pits for eyes..."
When Tracy and her best friend, Lisa, were kids, stories about a man—a creep who exposes himself to little girls—kept them out of the woods and in their own backyards. But Tracy and Lisa aren't so little anymore, and the man in the woods is nothing but a stupid legend. Right?
But someone is in the woods. Someone is watching. And he knows all their secrets, secrets they can't tell anyone—not even each other.
"Monsters don't exist."
Lisa's just being paranoid. At least that’s what Tracy thinks. But when a disturbing "gift" confirms her worst fears, it sets the girls on a dangerous journey that takes them beyond the edge of the woods. But reality is more terrifying than the most chilling myth, and what they find will test the bonds of friendship, loyalty, and love.
"Once upon a time, two girls were lost in the woods."
In Barbara's Stewart's What We Knew, Tracy and Lisa can't destroy the evil they'll face, but can they stop it from destroying each other?
256 pages, Hardcover
First published July 14, 2015
1 person is currently reading
548 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Stewart
2 books6 followersThis particular Barbara Stewart is the author of THE IN-BETWEEN and WHAT WE KNEW
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 52 reviews
July 20, 2015
This really didn't work for me and I am honestly half blaming the synopsis. I've found lately that with several books the synopsis given does not in fact match the book at all. This is the case with What We Knew. The synopsis in my opinion promises creepy stalker craziness and what this book delivers is actually troubled teenagers who have been abused. Sooo not the same thing at all and I really wonder who writes those synopsis'!
I'm not saying this would have worked more for me if the synopsis actually matched the book, but it is hard for me to switch gears when I settle in to read something. I am a mood reader so I pick my books based on what I want at the moment and I think I would have chosen to read this at a different time if I had known it was going to be incredibly heavy. My previous book left me wanting something creepy and a palette cleanser and this just wasn't it. It is a very heavy book that deals with very heavy issues. Yes there is a creep factor sort of in it but it really takes a back seat to what's really going on with Tracy and her friends.
Like I said the whole going in and switching gears wasn't the only reason why this didn't work for me. I found each and every character to be annoying. Tracy was whiny and yes I know she went through something very traumatic, but she was just not somebody I could root for. She ended up being very hypocritical by the middle of the book and when that happened I lost respect for her. There was no reason to do what she did and she didn't even really feel bad about it until the blow up happened. I just really couldn't connect with her.
The other characters weren't any better. Lisa was mean and grouchy which again I now know the reason for her mood swings, but I just can't forgive some of her actions. Gabe, Trey and Adam weren't likeable at all either. They just seemed like your typical stoner high schoolers and while I am on the subject there is a lot of drinking and drugs in this. I was honestly appalled at how much substance abuse was used through this book. Where were the parents??! These activities actually happened in someones home! That to me is a plot hole I would have liked explained more.
I think the author chose to focus too much on teenage drama in the beginning and lost me by the middle. The end of the book was actually brilliant and really made me wish the beginning would have been just as brilliant. Looking back I can see clues to where the story was ultimately going, but the execution just stunk. I adore Barbara Stewart and this won't be my last book by her, but man this was a let down.
I'm not saying this would have worked more for me if the synopsis actually matched the book, but it is hard for me to switch gears when I settle in to read something. I am a mood reader so I pick my books based on what I want at the moment and I think I would have chosen to read this at a different time if I had known it was going to be incredibly heavy. My previous book left me wanting something creepy and a palette cleanser and this just wasn't it. It is a very heavy book that deals with very heavy issues. Yes there is a creep factor sort of in it but it really takes a back seat to what's really going on with Tracy and her friends.
Like I said the whole going in and switching gears wasn't the only reason why this didn't work for me. I found each and every character to be annoying. Tracy was whiny and yes I know she went through something very traumatic, but she was just not somebody I could root for. She ended up being very hypocritical by the middle of the book and when that happened I lost respect for her. There was no reason to do what she did and she didn't even really feel bad about it until the blow up happened. I just really couldn't connect with her.
The other characters weren't any better. Lisa was mean and grouchy which again I now know the reason for her mood swings, but I just can't forgive some of her actions. Gabe, Trey and Adam weren't likeable at all either. They just seemed like your typical stoner high schoolers and while I am on the subject there is a lot of drinking and drugs in this. I was honestly appalled at how much substance abuse was used through this book. Where were the parents??! These activities actually happened in someones home! That to me is a plot hole I would have liked explained more.
I think the author chose to focus too much on teenage drama in the beginning and lost me by the middle. The end of the book was actually brilliant and really made me wish the beginning would have been just as brilliant. Looking back I can see clues to where the story was ultimately going, but the execution just stunk. I adore Barbara Stewart and this won't be my last book by her, but man this was a let down.
July 28, 2015
*Genre* Young Adult, Mytery
*Rating* 2.5-3
*My Thoughts*
What We Knew, by Barbara Stewart, is perhaps one of the more disturbing stories that I've read this year. Yet, it wasn't because of the fabled "Banana Man" who is said to live in the woods, and takes little girls away from their parents to do nobody knows what with them. Instead, it is a story that delves deeply into the psyche of 16-year old Tracy Kolcun who is by far, the most aggravating lead character that I've read about, and perhaps one who is not that reliable as a narrator.
*Full Review Posted @ Talk Supe Blog *
http://www.talksupeblog.com/2015/07/n...
*Recvd via Publisher* Published: July 14th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin
*Rating* 2.5-3
*My Thoughts*
What We Knew, by Barbara Stewart, is perhaps one of the more disturbing stories that I've read this year. Yet, it wasn't because of the fabled "Banana Man" who is said to live in the woods, and takes little girls away from their parents to do nobody knows what with them. Instead, it is a story that delves deeply into the psyche of 16-year old Tracy Kolcun who is by far, the most aggravating lead character that I've read about, and perhaps one who is not that reliable as a narrator.
*Full Review Posted @ Talk Supe Blog *
http://www.talksupeblog.com/2015/07/n...
*Recvd via Publisher* Published: July 14th 2015 by St. Martin's Griffin
September 15, 2015
Loved the vibe and the way the teens felt like teens!!
Tracy and her best friend Lisa are enjoying a lazy summer hanging out with their boyfriends, partying, and just being normal teenagers. But one night while walking near the woods, one of the guys brings up something they hadn't thought of in years: The Banana Man. It was supposed to be a dumb urban legend, but when Trent shows them where this guy supposedly lives, it starts something. Suddenly Lisa becomes paranoid that he's watching her... waiting for an opportunity. She won't let her little sister out of her sight, for fear he's after her too. At first Tracy thinks she's being silly, but a souvenir that shows up soon proves Lisa has reason to worry.
My Thoughts:
This book started with an urban legend. The tale of someone called the Banana Man, who was either a flasher or a kidnapper or a child molester, or all of the above. But this urban legend became a shadow in the lives of best friends Tracy and Lisa. After a trip to the woods, Lisa starts believing that this guy is stalking her and her little sister, and while Tracy thinks Lisa has lost it, she becomes a believer when she experiences something firsthand.
I really enjoyed the characters. I loved how it felt like books from my younger years, but brought older subject-matter into it. The girls in this book felt like real 16 year olds to me. They were right on the edge... mature enough that they were thinking about sex and boys, partying and all the teenage stuff, but still silly and immature at the same time. Their friendship had heavy ups and downs, but I felt it did a good job of showing how friendship isn't always enough to save someone. You can love the heck out of your friends, but some problems are bigger than your love can fix.
The setting for this book was refreshing for me. It takes place in a lower class neighborhood, but it's not overly exaggerated. It felt real. I haven't come across too many books that pull this off in a way that is not offensive and also adds to the book at the same time.
I don't want you to think this whole book is about The Banana Man. It's about lots of issues. Tracy is struggling with something traumatic that happened to her, while also dealing with her parent's divorce and her dad's infidelity. Her brother also dipped out, so there's a lot of abandonment issues going on with her. She's in a relationship with a really nice guy, but can't seem to figure out how to be content with that. So all this, along with her trying to help Lisa.
The thing I didn't love so much about it was the way the author set this up with emails Tracey writes to her brother in between the chapters. They were really good in getting the intensity going, but they didn't go anywhere like I was hoping they would.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the feel of this story and how realistic the characters were. I wished there was a little something more in it, but still really really liked it.
My Blog:
Tracy and her best friend Lisa are enjoying a lazy summer hanging out with their boyfriends, partying, and just being normal teenagers. But one night while walking near the woods, one of the guys brings up something they hadn't thought of in years: The Banana Man. It was supposed to be a dumb urban legend, but when Trent shows them where this guy supposedly lives, it starts something. Suddenly Lisa becomes paranoid that he's watching her... waiting for an opportunity. She won't let her little sister out of her sight, for fear he's after her too. At first Tracy thinks she's being silly, but a souvenir that shows up soon proves Lisa has reason to worry.
My Thoughts:
This book started with an urban legend. The tale of someone called the Banana Man, who was either a flasher or a kidnapper or a child molester, or all of the above. But this urban legend became a shadow in the lives of best friends Tracy and Lisa. After a trip to the woods, Lisa starts believing that this guy is stalking her and her little sister, and while Tracy thinks Lisa has lost it, she becomes a believer when she experiences something firsthand.
I really enjoyed the characters. I loved how it felt like books from my younger years, but brought older subject-matter into it. The girls in this book felt like real 16 year olds to me. They were right on the edge... mature enough that they were thinking about sex and boys, partying and all the teenage stuff, but still silly and immature at the same time. Their friendship had heavy ups and downs, but I felt it did a good job of showing how friendship isn't always enough to save someone. You can love the heck out of your friends, but some problems are bigger than your love can fix.
The setting for this book was refreshing for me. It takes place in a lower class neighborhood, but it's not overly exaggerated. It felt real. I haven't come across too many books that pull this off in a way that is not offensive and also adds to the book at the same time.
I don't want you to think this whole book is about The Banana Man. It's about lots of issues. Tracy is struggling with something traumatic that happened to her, while also dealing with her parent's divorce and her dad's infidelity. Her brother also dipped out, so there's a lot of abandonment issues going on with her. She's in a relationship with a really nice guy, but can't seem to figure out how to be content with that. So all this, along with her trying to help Lisa.
The thing I didn't love so much about it was the way the author set this up with emails Tracey writes to her brother in between the chapters. They were really good in getting the intensity going, but they didn't go anywhere like I was hoping they would.
OVERALL: I enjoyed the feel of this story and how realistic the characters were. I wished there was a little something more in it, but still really really liked it.
My Blog:
October 22, 2015
Tracey and Lisa have been best friends since they were little. They grew up knowing the story of Banana Man who lived in the woods of their town, but the scary story was locked inside a chest for many years. Now sixteen, Tracey, Lisa, and two of their friends decide to wander into the woods at night because one of them found a creepy house/shelter. Even though Tracey knows it wrong to trespass in the shelter and sort through the belongings, she can't help but take in the sight of the makeshift living room, bathroom, kitchen, and bedroom. She sees glass eyes in a box and wonders what their purpose is.
It's not until they tell Lisa's little sister, Katie, the story of Banana Man that weird things start happening. Glass eyes appear in Lisa's room and she's positive Banana Man is real and is stalking her. Suddenly Katie becomes obsessed with the tale and Lisa is terrified that Banana Man has his eyes set on her sister. While trying to comfort Lisa, Tracey battles something that happened to her in the past while trying to figure out the reason why her family fell apart. Why her brother moved away out of the blue and why her parents divorced. Tracey doesn't believe in Banana Man, but as things get out of hand, she realizes that someone just might be out there, watching their every move and waiting to take a strike.
I had mixed feelings about this book. The story line kept me engaged so that was a positive, but the writing made it difficult for me to understand what was happening. Since this was an ARC, there were a few grammatical errors, but the main problem revolved around the wording. Sometimes I wasn't sure if something really happened or if Tracey was exaggerating or hallucinating. She hallucinates at one point which made me even more confused on how to take certain events. I would classify her as an unreliable narrator because of the lack of directness Tracey possesses. She doesn't cut to the chase and say what is wrong; she makes inferences here and there. She also smokes, drinks, and does drugs which adds bonus points to the unreliable narrator classification. For all I know, other portions of the story could have been a hallucination since we flat out know at one point that she hallucinates.
I didn't always agree with Tracey's brash sense of actions. She tended to not think before she acted which had disastrous effects that tore her apart. I understand that something happened to her in the past which caused her to endure loads of stress and trauma, but some of her thinking and actions didn't add up. She was really erratic and I liked Lisa as a character better than Tracey. Regardless, the story was interesting and the plot line never wavered from the main point: Banana Man. Except by the end of the novel, the imaginary Banana Man manifests into a real person.
I received an ARC of What We Knew from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
It's not until they tell Lisa's little sister, Katie, the story of Banana Man that weird things start happening. Glass eyes appear in Lisa's room and she's positive Banana Man is real and is stalking her. Suddenly Katie becomes obsessed with the tale and Lisa is terrified that Banana Man has his eyes set on her sister. While trying to comfort Lisa, Tracey battles something that happened to her in the past while trying to figure out the reason why her family fell apart. Why her brother moved away out of the blue and why her parents divorced. Tracey doesn't believe in Banana Man, but as things get out of hand, she realizes that someone just might be out there, watching their every move and waiting to take a strike.
I had mixed feelings about this book. The story line kept me engaged so that was a positive, but the writing made it difficult for me to understand what was happening. Since this was an ARC, there were a few grammatical errors, but the main problem revolved around the wording. Sometimes I wasn't sure if something really happened or if Tracey was exaggerating or hallucinating. She hallucinates at one point which made me even more confused on how to take certain events. I would classify her as an unreliable narrator because of the lack of directness Tracey possesses. She doesn't cut to the chase and say what is wrong; she makes inferences here and there. She also smokes, drinks, and does drugs which adds bonus points to the unreliable narrator classification. For all I know, other portions of the story could have been a hallucination since we flat out know at one point that she hallucinates.
I didn't always agree with Tracey's brash sense of actions. She tended to not think before she acted which had disastrous effects that tore her apart. I understand that something happened to her in the past which caused her to endure loads of stress and trauma, but some of her thinking and actions didn't add up. She was really erratic and I liked Lisa as a character better than Tracey. Regardless, the story was interesting and the plot line never wavered from the main point: Banana Man. Except by the end of the novel, the imaginary Banana Man manifests into a real person.
I received an ARC of What We Knew from NetGalley in exchange for a review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 5, 2015
I received a copy from Netgalley.
I'm really not sure what to make of this. For the most part, I liked it. However, I was really disappointed with the ending. The characters were pretty shallow but the writing was good, the narrative was absorbing and compelling with some beautiful wording. Good, though disturbing imagery.
The characters in this book were not particularly likable, at least not for me. As I mentioned, the story and the mystery aspect were good enough on their own that it didn't really matter that the characters hardly seemed to have any depth to them. Though I did find it kind of interesting to see a story from the view point of such an unreliable narrator. The teens in this book smoke, they drink, they get high, they party, they have sex. Which in reality is probably much more realistic. It wasn't quite horror movie gritty, but it had an interesting psychological factor to it as to what was real and what was imagined.
The main character Tracey was brash and selfish, and I figured out immediately what the secret she was concealing was. I didn't particularly like fact she uses words like "retard" and "spaz" as insults and derogatory terms. Her tone was blunt to the point of cutting at times. Though I really did like the relationship she had with her best friend Lisa.
Then towards the end it seemed to spiral into a much darker tone. Lisa's secret reveal was horrible. Though it seemed like nothing was ever resolved. I was left with a lot of questions and no answers at all.
For the most part, the novel was pretty good, but I felt the end was a big let down.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for approving my request to view this title.
I'm really not sure what to make of this. For the most part, I liked it. However, I was really disappointed with the ending. The characters were pretty shallow but the writing was good, the narrative was absorbing and compelling with some beautiful wording. Good, though disturbing imagery.
The characters in this book were not particularly likable, at least not for me. As I mentioned, the story and the mystery aspect were good enough on their own that it didn't really matter that the characters hardly seemed to have any depth to them. Though I did find it kind of interesting to see a story from the view point of such an unreliable narrator. The teens in this book smoke, they drink, they get high, they party, they have sex. Which in reality is probably much more realistic. It wasn't quite horror movie gritty, but it had an interesting psychological factor to it as to what was real and what was imagined.
The main character Tracey was brash and selfish, and I figured out immediately what the secret she was concealing was. I didn't particularly like fact she uses words like "retard" and "spaz" as insults and derogatory terms. Her tone was blunt to the point of cutting at times. Though I really did like the relationship she had with her best friend Lisa.
Then towards the end it seemed to spiral into a much darker tone. Lisa's secret reveal was horrible. Though it seemed like nothing was ever resolved. I was left with a lot of questions and no answers at all.
For the most part, the novel was pretty good, but I felt the end was a big let down.
Thank you to Netgalley and St Martin's Press for approving my request to view this title.
September 19, 2016
More like a 3.5 deals with heavy topics in a roundabout way which takes away from the emotional impact. Overall a good story.
October 14, 2018
The only reason I finished this book was because it was the last book on my reading challenge. The book was so hard to stay focused it flip flops around .younger people may like it ...better than me 👵🏽
December 20, 2015
This is another case of where the blurb didn’t hit the mark with what the book was really about. The majority of it alludes to something a bit more terrifying, perhaps horror-filled, when that’s not really the case at all. At. All. WHAT WE KNEW is actually a contemporary issue book. The blurb goes a bit too much into what is really a minor, background part of the book. The real meat of the story is what’s going on with Tracy and Lisa. And even though the blurb largely got the book wrong, I ended up really liking it.
Stewart went into my head, pulled out teen me, and put her in this book and named her Tracy. I connected with her character on a such an incredibly surreal level that I couldn’t help but having flashbacks to my own high school years. It was pretty eerie. But it made the book feel all the more real to me. While I never went through what Tracy did, because I connected with her as a character so much I ended up feeling incredibly moved by everything that came to a head. We’re talking tears here. I’m not ashamed.
The notion that someone is watching them from the woods is the very thin thread that strings the story together. It actually has very little to do with the story itself and merely the vehicle that drives all of the crap out of the closet with these characters. So at the beginning you get a little bit of that eerie, creepy feeling as the group of teens is walking through the woods and they’ve come across this little camp site after talking about the creepy guy who lives in the woods. And that vibe lingers in your periphery as the story unfolds but because it was made such a prominent point in the blurb I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with that. It never did, and for a reason. But I was sort of distracted by what was going on over here that it drew me away from what was the more important stuff going on on this side of the story and I think it lessened the impact of the end for me.
To put that into perspective I didn’t have snot just completely flowing out of my face. I was able to keep it in check. Barely.
Even though I was misled in terms of plot it still ended up being a compelling, gripping story with wholly realistic, tangible characters that might as well have been acting it all out in front of me for how real it all was. Everyone was so fully flawed but without being caricatures or just downright unbelievable. They were so incredibly human that when put into perspective with everything else I read I realized that I don’t often find characters as realistic as these in my readings. Sure, I’ve read characters that are real enough but it’s rare that characters are this three dimensional, this life-like, and this relatable to me.
Which would probably explain why I cried like a baby at the end. Like snot-faced, sort of ugly, crying.
Well, I guess it technically wasn’t the end. Near the end where everything exploded. My eyeballs went with it.
To put it plainly, this is not a horror novel. Not even close. It’s a bit more Lifetime, a lot more issue-filled than what the blurb even comes close to letting on. But I felt that Stewart got the teens right. I was hooked immediately because I saw so much of myself in Tracy and even though I was following the wrong plot the book brought everything back around in the end with a satisfying, if far from happy, ending. Unfortunately I feel like this is one of those books that’s going to get lost in the shuffle because not a lot does happen, there’s nothing extraordinary with the characters, and the blurb is misleading. It’s unfortunate but I’m glad I stumbled across it.
4.5
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Stewart went into my head, pulled out teen me, and put her in this book and named her Tracy. I connected with her character on a such an incredibly surreal level that I couldn’t help but having flashbacks to my own high school years. It was pretty eerie. But it made the book feel all the more real to me. While I never went through what Tracy did, because I connected with her as a character so much I ended up feeling incredibly moved by everything that came to a head. We’re talking tears here. I’m not ashamed.
The notion that someone is watching them from the woods is the very thin thread that strings the story together. It actually has very little to do with the story itself and merely the vehicle that drives all of the crap out of the closet with these characters. So at the beginning you get a little bit of that eerie, creepy feeling as the group of teens is walking through the woods and they’ve come across this little camp site after talking about the creepy guy who lives in the woods. And that vibe lingers in your periphery as the story unfolds but because it was made such a prominent point in the blurb I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop with that. It never did, and for a reason. But I was sort of distracted by what was going on over here that it drew me away from what was the more important stuff going on on this side of the story and I think it lessened the impact of the end for me.
To put that into perspective I didn’t have snot just completely flowing out of my face. I was able to keep it in check. Barely.
Even though I was misled in terms of plot it still ended up being a compelling, gripping story with wholly realistic, tangible characters that might as well have been acting it all out in front of me for how real it all was. Everyone was so fully flawed but without being caricatures or just downright unbelievable. They were so incredibly human that when put into perspective with everything else I read I realized that I don’t often find characters as realistic as these in my readings. Sure, I’ve read characters that are real enough but it’s rare that characters are this three dimensional, this life-like, and this relatable to me.
Which would probably explain why I cried like a baby at the end. Like snot-faced, sort of ugly, crying.
Well, I guess it technically wasn’t the end. Near the end where everything exploded. My eyeballs went with it.
To put it plainly, this is not a horror novel. Not even close. It’s a bit more Lifetime, a lot more issue-filled than what the blurb even comes close to letting on. But I felt that Stewart got the teens right. I was hooked immediately because I saw so much of myself in Tracy and even though I was following the wrong plot the book brought everything back around in the end with a satisfying, if far from happy, ending. Unfortunately I feel like this is one of those books that’s going to get lost in the shuffle because not a lot does happen, there’s nothing extraordinary with the characters, and the blurb is misleading. It’s unfortunate but I’m glad I stumbled across it.
4.5
I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
July 2, 2015
I won this book in a Goodreads First Reads giveaway and I couldn't be happier!
I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It was thrilling and mysterious, keeping my attention from beginning to end. It starts with Tracy and Lisa hanging with a group of friends at the start of summer. They are wild and carefree, enjoying the freedom of summer nights. Then one friend brings up the story of a pervert who flashes kids and lives in the forest... someone called Banana Man. From there, the story twists and turns as an unexpected string of events occurs. There is tragedy and loss that closes one chapter of their lives. Broken relationships are mended and a new chapter begins. The end was fitting.
I absolutely loved this book. I couldn't put it down. It was thrilling and mysterious, keeping my attention from beginning to end. It starts with Tracy and Lisa hanging with a group of friends at the start of summer. They are wild and carefree, enjoying the freedom of summer nights. Then one friend brings up the story of a pervert who flashes kids and lives in the forest... someone called Banana Man. From there, the story twists and turns as an unexpected string of events occurs. There is tragedy and loss that closes one chapter of their lives. Broken relationships are mended and a new chapter begins. The end was fitting.
October 3, 2015
This is an incredibly fun (and creepy) book. We don't really know what's going on for most of the book, and there's a lot of misdirection.
I liked Tracy and her best friend Lisa, but the guys in their life are varying degrees of annoying.
I can't say too much about this book, because there are a lot of questions essentially the whole way through. But suffice it to say that there are a lot of monsters in this book.
I liked Tracy and her best friend Lisa, but the guys in their life are varying degrees of annoying.
I can't say too much about this book, because there are a lot of questions essentially the whole way through. But suffice it to say that there are a lot of monsters in this book.
October 23, 2015
I did not finish this book. I just could not get in to it. I did not like the main character, the supporting characters, or the way the story was going. The description of the book and what I read was completely different. Also, it bugged me that Katie who is supposed to be in 6th grade acted and was treated like she was 6 years old.
December 18, 2015
What We Knew dives into the life of Tracy and her friend Lisa's teenage life, this book didn't do much for me. I feel like it was all over the place, and after a while it just started getting boring and aggravating to read. It focuses too much on teenage drama, and not enough on the actual story. This book had potential, but it lost me.
June 11, 2015
What happens when little girls think there is someone living in the woods. Then the little girls grow up and realize something is living in the woods. Scary but well written story.
September 21, 2018
First off I didn't like the story at first, it felt like two different stories
and felt very confusing.
As I continued to read I began to understand what was happening in this story.
There are triggers in this story references to rape, drugs and divorce.
So the girls were afraid of a monster in the woods however, the monster
was in their real life everyday, in each of their lives or living with it.
These two girls Tracy (Trace) and Lisa had some real deep tragedies in both of their lives
that neither girls knew how to cope with and or tell someone they trusted or even each other.
So that obviously created issues for them both and the monster in the woods
I felt was a way they were trying to cope and they weren't.
However not my favorite story I didn't think it was as horrible as some others thought
but, the monster in the woods eventually makes all the sense if you read to the end.
and felt very confusing.
As I continued to read I began to understand what was happening in this story.
There are triggers in this story references to rape, drugs and divorce.
So the girls were afraid of a monster in the woods however, the monster
was in their real life everyday, in each of their lives or living with it.
These two girls Tracy (Trace) and Lisa had some real deep tragedies in both of their lives
that neither girls knew how to cope with and or tell someone they trusted or even each other.
So that obviously created issues for them both and the monster in the woods
I felt was a way they were trying to cope and they weren't.
However not my favorite story I didn't think it was as horrible as some others thought
but, the monster in the woods eventually makes all the sense if you read to the end.
January 10, 2025
Reading What We Knew was like being promised a thrilling rollercoaster ride but ending up on a kiddie train. The synopsis had me hooked with its eerie vibe, but the actual story felt like it belonged to a completely different book. The suspense fizzled out, and the plot dragged so much that I genuinely struggled to finish it.
That being said, the book is... okay. Just okay. It's not bad enough to hate, but not good enough to recommend either. The cover is still the highlight—10/10 for aesthetic appeal!
That being said, the book is... okay. Just okay. It's not bad enough to hate, but not good enough to recommend either. The cover is still the highlight—10/10 for aesthetic appeal!
July 14, 2018
Intriguing, unexpected plot. Monsters are not what we think they are, something lurking in the woods - instead, they are within our own house, part of our family. Life horrors exceed fantasy. The author is great at making the reader understand that whatever you fear, you have to face it and confront it, that’s the best way towards healing the soul.
January 6, 2019
4stars for this young adult novel of typical teenagers behaving the way we know most do. Uncanny how close the author was able to display their behavior! What starts out as an urban legend opens the doors to teen angst, out of control behavior, some much darker emotional journey along the way with Tracy & Lisa & a cast of lovable & hatable characters. Also, a super quick read.
June 5, 2018
All the other 2 star reviews hit it on the head pretty well.
July 19, 2018
Le doy 4 estrellas. Un poco confuso. Me hubiera gustado más drama-romance. Entre Foley y Adam 💖
July 23, 2018
It was ok not that great but ok.
June 2, 2019
I feel bad saying this, but this story just didn't work for me. It felt very disjointed and jumped all over the place. There were some great ideas, but...just felt a bit of a mess to me!
December 5, 2019
The ending is upsetting but it makes a lot of things come together. I love ending shocks/surprises. This book kept me interested to turn the page each time.
December 30, 2019
This was a very good book! One I will chose to read again
September 24, 2024
Like the way she describes situations, but I am not sure what the point of story is. The ending had me confused.
January 3, 2016
I was curious about Barbara Stewart’s What We Knew based on the description of the novel alone. It sounded like a story that was all about a supernatural thriller. It sounded exciting and unexpected. I can say that, after having finished the novel, it definitely wasn’t what I expected.
In What We Knew our main character Tracy has grown up alongside her childhood best friend Lisa hearing stories of a monster living within the nearby forests. As children, the stories terrified the two of them. Now that the girls are teenagers, Tracy recognizes that the stories are nothing more than urban legends. But when Lisa begins to insist that something is out there, the two girls are launched into a pursuit of something unknown that will test the boundaries of their friendship. Truths will come to light as the two girls begin to come to terms with the past and the present as they venture into the unknown and realize the line between reality and paranoia.
Throughout reading What We Knew, I won’t deny that I wasn’t certain of what it was I was supposed to be experiencing. Typically each chapter of a novel pushes he storyline forward. My main problem with What We Knew was that I didn’t quite understand just what the novel was supposed to be about. A quarter of the book felt like it was about discovering whether the urban legend of the man in the woods was real; another quarter felt like a story of discovering friendship; another quarter discussed sexual assault and the impact it poses on survivors; and another quarter of the novel felt a lot like filler.
I won’t deny that Stewart’s writing was good at keeping me reading. The chapters I enjoyed most were written as emails between characters and I found them the most gripping, exciting parts of the entire book. They garnered intrigue and made me interested in continuing the novel. However, as a teen reader reading a novel about teens, what took away from reading the majority of the novel for me was how the characters sounded ‘forced’. The flow of making the characters sound young and hip was inconsistent and made me wince from time to time.
What I can say is that the ending for What We Knew wasn’t at all what we expected. I genuinely enjoyed the novel’s ending and was content with the way that the story came to a conclusion. I do like the way that Sterwart treated the topic of sexual abuse and assault and the way she portrayed that in a realistic sense. I just wish that the novel could have been clearer in terms of storyline and offered an experience that felt engaging throughout.
I would recommend What We Knew to readers who are fans of authors like Cherlyn Rainfield. Readers who are looking for a novel that deals with serious themes should also give What We Knew a read. Any readers who are looking for a novel that can also be read easily should give What We Knew a try.
In What We Knew our main character Tracy has grown up alongside her childhood best friend Lisa hearing stories of a monster living within the nearby forests. As children, the stories terrified the two of them. Now that the girls are teenagers, Tracy recognizes that the stories are nothing more than urban legends. But when Lisa begins to insist that something is out there, the two girls are launched into a pursuit of something unknown that will test the boundaries of their friendship. Truths will come to light as the two girls begin to come to terms with the past and the present as they venture into the unknown and realize the line between reality and paranoia.
Throughout reading What We Knew, I won’t deny that I wasn’t certain of what it was I was supposed to be experiencing. Typically each chapter of a novel pushes he storyline forward. My main problem with What We Knew was that I didn’t quite understand just what the novel was supposed to be about. A quarter of the book felt like it was about discovering whether the urban legend of the man in the woods was real; another quarter felt like a story of discovering friendship; another quarter discussed sexual assault and the impact it poses on survivors; and another quarter of the novel felt a lot like filler.
I won’t deny that Stewart’s writing was good at keeping me reading. The chapters I enjoyed most were written as emails between characters and I found them the most gripping, exciting parts of the entire book. They garnered intrigue and made me interested in continuing the novel. However, as a teen reader reading a novel about teens, what took away from reading the majority of the novel for me was how the characters sounded ‘forced’. The flow of making the characters sound young and hip was inconsistent and made me wince from time to time.
What I can say is that the ending for What We Knew wasn’t at all what we expected. I genuinely enjoyed the novel’s ending and was content with the way that the story came to a conclusion. I do like the way that Sterwart treated the topic of sexual abuse and assault and the way she portrayed that in a realistic sense. I just wish that the novel could have been clearer in terms of storyline and offered an experience that felt engaging throughout.
I would recommend What We Knew to readers who are fans of authors like Cherlyn Rainfield. Readers who are looking for a novel that deals with serious themes should also give What We Knew a read. Any readers who are looking for a novel that can also be read easily should give What We Knew a try.
July 16, 2015
I love horror. My husband runs a horror movie review website (oh-the-horror.com), and we go all out for Halloween. The adrenaline rush of fear is like no other. As I was finishing this book the other day, I kept hearing scratching noises in the attic. Not something you want to hear when reading a supernatural book. Turns out it was just a black beetle, but everything in this book is not so obvious, and that's why you have to read it!
Tracy and her best friend Lisa love to walk home late at night, but they also know which part of town to avoid. In this case, they don't go near the woods because of local legend Banana Man who is known as a pervert. Of course, they only believed that story when they were kids. As teenagers, Banana Man really hasn't crossed their minds until their boyfriends decide to take a late-night trip into the woods and see a mysterious shack. Could it be a homeless man, or could it be the infamous Banana Man?
All is well and good after the visit to the shack. Lisa loses her necklace and a flip flop but no harm done...until Lisa finds a glass eye (like ones they saw in the shack) in her room. Immediately she suspects the Banana Man. Having a younger sister, Katie, Lisa is especially wary and becomes very protective.
While Lisa struggles with her paranoia, Tracy is caught in a love triangle (would it be YA without it?), and she's also dealing with her parents' split. Plus, she has her own secret of something terrible that happened to her. Trying to figure everything out and increasingly becoming as paranoid as Lisa, Tracy decides there's only one way to handle Banana Man, and that could cost her everything.
This book reminded me a lot of a Goosebumps or Fear Street book. Each chapter leaves you hanging and wanting to continue on. Tracy's character is not without her flaws, and there are times when I really disliked her. While she is the main character, I identified more with Lisa and felt more sympathetic towards her and Katie. In fact, Lisa ends up being the driving force in a major plot twist.
We all have a local legend, that monster that no one has really seen but everyone claims that they have. The reader easily becomes a part of Tracy and Lisa's lives and carries that fear and paranoia with them. Feeling that peer pressure to do what you're not supposed to is very familiar to teens today, and here, they will see some of the consequences that accompany those actions.
More than a scary story, the book explores so many avenues that I can't mention without giving away major spoilers. Let's just say, you'll be jumpy and nervous the first half and angry and saddened the second half. It's definitely not what I thought it was going to be, and that's why I love it.
Dark, in more ways than one, What We Knew is equally tragic and frightening. (www.reviewscomingatya.com).
December 31, 2015
This was by far the lowest rated book I have found on Goodreads (under a 3) and have actually picked up. However, I am glad to say that it was not as terrible as everyone else made it out to be. Yes, it was confusing and yes, the writing was a little choppy but I thought that the premise was fine and the relationships of the characters weren’t terrible.
Let’s start with what I liked with this book – I liked the suspense of the book and how the author was slowly revealing the reality of what was going on versus what we thought was going on by using the creepy man in the woods. I thought it was done well and I didn’t know what was really going on until the end when it was revealed. That’s when you know the suspense and unrevealing was done well. No one likes to be spoiled with the ending before even getting to the actual ending.
Another aspect that I liked was the friendship between Lisa and Sarah and the “relationship” between Sarah and Foley. I thought they were done well and it was relatively realistic especially Sarah’s friendship with Lisa. Best friends always have their ups and downs and they certainly did. It was nicely portrayed and the reader, aka me, was able to really understand the depth of their relationship. I also thought that the “relationship” between Sarah and Foley was also realistic. I mean, yes, it was a little cheesy and whatnot but I felt that the author portrayed the awkwardness of high school romances really well. I had to remember that they are high schoolers and therefore, immature about relationships and Sarah and Foley’s relationship definitely hit that nail on the head.
There were also a few things I didn’t like so much about this book – mostly the characters themselves, the pace of the book and the writing style. I felt as if they were always smoking and drinking and sleeping with people here and there and that was their entire life. It felt so pointless and I felt as if their lives were being wasted away. Maybe my high school years were just very different but I just can’t imagine spending a whole summer doing nothing but just smoking and drinking. Also, the other part was the pace. I thought it was very slow and writing to be a little choppy. It made the book, overall, difficult to get into.
Honestly, the only reason why I finished this book was because of the Banana Man. I thought it was going to end one way but it completely veered off to a different path which blew my mind. I’m not sure if I enjoyed the ending, per say, but it was just very different than what I had imagined.
Let’s start with what I liked with this book – I liked the suspense of the book and how the author was slowly revealing the reality of what was going on versus what we thought was going on by using the creepy man in the woods. I thought it was done well and I didn’t know what was really going on until the end when it was revealed. That’s when you know the suspense and unrevealing was done well. No one likes to be spoiled with the ending before even getting to the actual ending.
Another aspect that I liked was the friendship between Lisa and Sarah and the “relationship” between Sarah and Foley. I thought they were done well and it was relatively realistic especially Sarah’s friendship with Lisa. Best friends always have their ups and downs and they certainly did. It was nicely portrayed and the reader, aka me, was able to really understand the depth of their relationship. I also thought that the “relationship” between Sarah and Foley was also realistic. I mean, yes, it was a little cheesy and whatnot but I felt that the author portrayed the awkwardness of high school romances really well. I had to remember that they are high schoolers and therefore, immature about relationships and Sarah and Foley’s relationship definitely hit that nail on the head.
There were also a few things I didn’t like so much about this book – mostly the characters themselves, the pace of the book and the writing style. I felt as if they were always smoking and drinking and sleeping with people here and there and that was their entire life. It felt so pointless and I felt as if their lives were being wasted away. Maybe my high school years were just very different but I just can’t imagine spending a whole summer doing nothing but just smoking and drinking. Also, the other part was the pace. I thought it was very slow and writing to be a little choppy. It made the book, overall, difficult to get into.
Honestly, the only reason why I finished this book was because of the Banana Man. I thought it was going to end one way but it completely veered off to a different path which blew my mind. I’m not sure if I enjoyed the ending, per say, but it was just very different than what I had imagined.
November 6, 2016
One comment when I was reading a review on this book struck a chord with me. The reviewer wrote, “What is this book even about?” I have to say that for about half of the book, I had to agree with her.
What was this book about?
There were so many elements during the first half of the book I had a hard time from being distracted while I was reading it. Just as I was getting into one element, it would change to another and then to another. It got to the point where it just ended up being annoying. I wrote an update on my Goodreads status outlining what some of them were.
I almost didn’t finish it.
But I did.
The book was about a very dark topic and I have to say what it is as I feel it needs a trigger warning.
It’s about rape.
There is a lot of symbolism in the legend of this book. My thoughts on the legend was that you don’t need to go into the woods to find a monster because sometimes they can live in your own home. Even though that was my interpretation, I think every reader will need to figure it out for themselves.
The trouble is I didn’t really like the characters or maybe I just didn’t like how they were written. I couldn’t connect to any of them. I should have felt more upset about what they had been through and I just didn’t. I also didn’t like how I felt that an LGBTQ character was thrown into the story just so one was there. I think that’s mostly because almost every other contemporary topic made it into the first half of the book.
I just didn’t connect with this book – at all. I think the only reason I didn’t give this book one star was because the second half somewhat made up for the first. It tied most of the loose ends together. As a reader, I felt slightly mollified.
I swear I could have made a game out of this book for others. Read the first half and see how many elements you can find. I found at least five. For any authors reading this, please don’t do this. Some readers find it okay – others just find it dead annoying and I think that this may be one of the reasons that this book has such a bad rating on Goodreads.
The hard thing about this is I honestly couldn’t recommend this book to anyone. This is definitely a book where a reader takes their chances on how they’ll feel about it after they have finished it – if they finish it at all.
What was this book about?
There were so many elements during the first half of the book I had a hard time from being distracted while I was reading it. Just as I was getting into one element, it would change to another and then to another. It got to the point where it just ended up being annoying. I wrote an update on my Goodreads status outlining what some of them were.
I almost didn’t finish it.
But I did.
The book was about a very dark topic and I have to say what it is as I feel it needs a trigger warning.
It’s about rape.
There is a lot of symbolism in the legend of this book. My thoughts on the legend was that you don’t need to go into the woods to find a monster because sometimes they can live in your own home. Even though that was my interpretation, I think every reader will need to figure it out for themselves.
The trouble is I didn’t really like the characters or maybe I just didn’t like how they were written. I couldn’t connect to any of them. I should have felt more upset about what they had been through and I just didn’t. I also didn’t like how I felt that an LGBTQ character was thrown into the story just so one was there. I think that’s mostly because almost every other contemporary topic made it into the first half of the book.
I just didn’t connect with this book – at all. I think the only reason I didn’t give this book one star was because the second half somewhat made up for the first. It tied most of the loose ends together. As a reader, I felt slightly mollified.
I swear I could have made a game out of this book for others. Read the first half and see how many elements you can find. I found at least five. For any authors reading this, please don’t do this. Some readers find it okay – others just find it dead annoying and I think that this may be one of the reasons that this book has such a bad rating on Goodreads.
The hard thing about this is I honestly couldn’t recommend this book to anyone. This is definitely a book where a reader takes their chances on how they’ll feel about it after they have finished it – if they finish it at all.
September 19, 2016
Okay, so im an avid reader. I can read a book in less than 24 hours if i really like it. With that being said, this book took me almost 5 days to read. days. When i read the inside flap of this book in the lubrary, I thought to myself "Hm why not, seems pretty good". Well, it took me 5 days. That pretty much explains everything. I feel that this book was nothing like the inside flap. 90% of the book is about Tracy, Lisa, and their relationship. It was just two normal teenagers being best friends. The guy in the woods was just an old homeless person. The perpetrator was Lisa and Katies step dad. He had been molesting both of them. What a sick fuck. It took forever to get to the climax of this book. It didnt start getting semi good until i got towards the end of the book. Adolescents. Emotional roller coaster of a book. So many ups and downs. Rape is very serious. It drives me crazy when these girls drive themselves crazy, by not telling anyone. It gets WORSE if you dont tell someone. People need to pay more attention to statistics. A woman cant even walk among her own college without getting raped these days, much less a bunch of teenagers with no guidance. Its a sad world we live in. This book was all over the place. Im sorry i cant give more stars, but overall, this book was kind of boring. I like sick, twisted, books, and this book is rated pg in my opinion. If you, or someone you know is getting raped, SAY SOMETHING. It will be better in time i promise. Incest is a real crime, and people need to recognize what is real. i give this book two stars. Tracy is a scared little girl lol. She cant face fear in the face. I just dont like weak characters, and thats what she was. Again, this book is nothing like the inside of the flap, its an entirely different subject.
August 2, 2015
I've got major mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, I was always pretty engaged in what was happening and the creep factor was there. It always felt like I was being led to something, but everything just felt muddled sometimes. Tracy's narrative was confusing: she would never state things outright and would only allude to them, even if they were major plot points. I think with what happened to her in the past felt thrown in for no reason and never was explained, despite how much of an influence it obviously had on her. I appreciated how real she felt though; she made mistakes and was a teenager while also maintaining good relationships and good ideals, despite the crazier parts of the story. I also appreciated the realness of the world and the use of urban legends as they play out in real life. I think it would have been scarier had the execution been a little better, but this is short enough for a beach book while still creepy enough for Halloween, even if some of that creep factor doesn't come to full fruition.
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