Vanessa Sawyer knows all about pain. She’s felt it every day since marrying the boy who fathered her baby in high school. All he’s meant are broken bones, broken heart and broken dreams. But he also brought her the love of her life. When her son Wren was born, her baby boy was her salvation.
Vanessa watches Wren grow and become a young man she can be proud of. Until one night everything changes, including Wren. One night that her son refuses to speak of. Now Vanessa can’t rest, not until she uncovers the secret that her son has been hiding from her.
Will she find the answers she’s searching for or will her quest for the truth take her to a dark place where all hope is lost?
One evil act. One tragedy. Lives destroyed forever.
Kirsty Ferguson is a born and bred Australian author. She writes crime and thriller novels. Her stories centre around strong, capable, yet flawed women, with dark themes and undertones, designed to make you question what you think you know about the people you're closest to. Kirsty chooses to deconstruct and enthrall her readers with the secrets of an everyday person, the stories behind closed doors.
Kirsty grew up in a rural town, on a farm and likes to base her stories in isolated places, physically, mentally and emotionally. She has long been a lover of reading and writing, beginning her professional career in 2015. She can be found with a good book in hand, her to be read list never growing any smaller no matter how hard she tries.
***TRIGGER WARNING *** Scenes Of Domestic Violence & Rape .
Vanessa had a crush on her best friends boyfriend, Mark. But Vanessa had sex with him and he tells her he will break up with Maggie. But he doesn't. Not until Vanessa is pregnant. Her parents tell her she must marry him before the baby is born. She has a son and call him Wren. Mark doesn't like the name. An abusive marriage evolves. One day Vanessa meets an old flame who wants to help her escape her abusive husband. They eventually end up in a relationship and Vanessa has another son. But tragedy is about to strike.
This is an emotional roller coaster read. I found it hard to read in places but the content needed to be written to make the story work. It's well written and the characters are complex but believable. Even though the plotline was harrowing I was caught up in the story and read it in one sitting. This is my first read by the author but it won't be my last.
I would like to thank NetGalley, Boldwood Books and the author Kirsty Ferguson for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.
3.5☆ Twists, Shocks, It's Dark, Violent, Shocking and Compelling.
Vanessa married young, at just eighteen. She was forced into Marrying Mark.
After a one night stand in the back of a van with her best mates boyfriend Mark, Vanessa finds herself 6months pregnant and about to break her best friend's heart. Not to mention being pushed into marrying Mark, so the baby isn't born out of wedlock!
However their married life certainly didn't start off great, Mark is still in love with Maggie, he takes great pleasure in telling her, and reminding her that she ruined his life. Then the viscous violence started as he became an aggressive drunk. Even the birth of their Son Wren, didn't bring them closer together. The violence just became routine and got a whole lot worse. Even the second birth of her child Ty couldn't stop the beatings.
But can Vanessa ever get the strength to get away from her abusive relationship or is it all too late for them? Does history repeat itself!
This book isn't going to be for everyone, it's violent, heart wrenching and contains ALOT of triggers. There is also rape scenes. It isn't an easy book to read and at times I wanted to stop reading. But I wanted to see how the story planned out for Vanessa and her boys.
I have very mixed views about Vanessa. On one hand my heart literally breaks for her. An innocent mistake cost her very dearly. Then on the other hand she frustrated me with her self loathing and don't get me wrong I'm not saying that I could begin to imagine what she or any person who goes through Domestic Abuse feels, but it's as if she feels she deserves the beatings because she cheated on her best friend. It was her punishment. But no one deserves what she went through.
There are twists, shocks, roller coaster of emotions, it's dark, violent, shocking and highly compelling. Ferguson certainly knows how to make her readers feel a whole range of emotions. Whether or not you find it an uncomfortable read, it certainly drags you in. I would definitely recommend reading this book, but with caution as I said previously it's not a particularly easy read for some.
Thank you to Rachel Random Resources for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.
You can Find this Review and all my Other Reviews on My Blog :-
Wow! I am gutted this book is over - this was a book that just kept the twists coming. I'm in shock. This book just goes to show you never know someone.
Vanessa is an abuse survivor who escaped her husband with her children - with the help of an old friend Billy. Wren, the oldest of her two children, saw the most of his fathers brutality. He looks out for his mother, he would never be the same as his father - would he?
Something happened the night of his party that ended with his girlfriend killing herself a few days later, and then Wren dying not long after that. The reasons and twists that result from this/because of this are unpredictable and constant.
This book is one of the best books I've read in a while!
Whoa. A difficult book to read. It started as a domestic drama which went on to become a thriller with twists and heart pounding scenes. Not for the faint hearted. It had a whole lot of triggers for abuse. I had nightmares but the writing was dark and compelling. I skim read it to avoid feeling the pain.
Almost didn't want to finish it.........is there anyone in the book who isn't dysfunctional. I just found it hard to believe that people actually acted, talked, believed that way.
I should begin this by alerting any sensitive readers to the fact that some of the content maybe upsetting or difficult to read, rape, domestic violence, illness and death are included but all within context and are a valuable part of the story.
I’ve always enjoyed a book I can get into and try to piece all the clues together. Never Ever Tell is very much focused on a mother’s love for her child and explores how much he is the centre of her life even though there are other relationships she should also be concentrating on instead of potentially neglecting.
How far would you go to protect or rely on that one person in your life? There is no getting away from the fact Vanessa has had a difficult life but I found the further I read and the more I unravelled her personality I found myself changing from caring about her or rooting for her to actually disliking her a whole lot by the end.
There are a handful of folk involved in this family all with their own agenda, I think Billy is the strongest and most tolerant person, he displays all the traits of a lovable family man and I really felt for him, as much as he tries to keep Vanessa focused she is intent on doing things her way.
I read Never Ever Tell in a couple of sittings so that indicates the quality of the writing, the author kept me intrigued and as much as I didn’t enjoy parts I just had to keep reading desperate to know how events played out. There is a lot to take onboard but as I got to the middle of the book I sensed it was coming to a close so I was a little surprised to find ‘part 2’, personally I didn’t really feel the need for that and it jangled my nerves having to see things from a different angle for a while.
By the end I wasn’t quite sure how it was going to finish and I must confess it wasn’t quite the predictable ending it could have been so that was a powerful touch. All in all with the benefit of hindsight I really enjoyed Never Ever Tell it could have been a bit shorter in places because it tended to repeat itself, (how the mother felt about her son) but overall I would be happy to read anything by this author again.
My thanks to the author, publisher, netgalley and Rachel from Random Resources for my copy which I read and reviewed voluntarily.
Girl sleeps with best friend's boyfriend once, and ends up pregnant. It's a story as old as life itself, but the plot after this was, to me, not believable. I could buy that the couple got married and that the husband was abusive because he resented his life being upended by the pregnancy. But I could not buy that the wife only reported his abuse to the police when it advanced the story; all other times she just put up with it. I could not buy that her abuse was so horrific, but no one - not even her parents - did anything to intervene. And, late in the novel, I could not buy that one boy was involved but did not participate in a crime or that his friends acted out as they did with no forethought but such violence. I also could not buy Vanessa's sudden change of heart at the end of the novel. There were other things which I cannot list, as they would give away too much of the plot (spoilers). Sorry, but it was all just a bit too much for me. I would suggest this promising author get a new editor.
I can't even describe how angry this book made me. I have no idea if this review is going to be anywhere close to coherent but fuck it, here it goes. Vanessa is seduced by her best friends (Maggie) boyfriend (Mark) at their prom, sleeps with him, gets pregnant, forced to marry Mark and gives birth to their son (Wren). Mark is pissed because Vanessa has essentially ruined his life. He becomes abusive and regularly knocks Vanessa about. Vanessa takes it because she thinks it's karma for hurting Maggie. Wren grows up in a house where he sees his mum getting abused and raped constantly. He becomes her protector and defends her as much as he can until Vanessa, pregnant with Ty finally leaves him. I got whiplash from reading the first half of the book because in the blink of an eye, we've gone from prom night all the way through the last 9 years. But the story was okay so far, so not too bad. Pretty soon, Wren is a teenager heading to college, making friends and getting a girlfriend. Wren is described as Vanessa's protector, everyone loves him, he's turning into an amazing young man. I can't say too much about what happens next as its major spoilers. But there's a party, something happens, everything seems to just spiral out of control. And honestly, by the end, there's a big twist that made me want to punch the characters, smack the author, hit my head against a wall, and never want to read again. Yes, I'm being dramatic, but I'm sooo angry that this ended the way it did.
I spent an awful lot of this book wondering where the heck the story was going. Most mystery/thriller type of stories start off with the crime and then you get to solve it along with the protagonists, often using flashbacks to revisit scenes which build up to it. Never Ever Tell, however, doesn’t follow this track; the entire first third of the book is basically laying the foundational backstory of Vanessa. Pregnant at seventeen after a fling with her best friend’s boyfriend and married at eighteen to a man who rapidly turned abusive, Vanessa is an extremely sympathetic protagonist. A devoted mother, she struggles to raise her sons and eventually, get out from her abusive marriage and make a new life for herself. A shocking tragedy, however, brings her world crashing down, and she can’t stop herself asking questions… which lead to an even more shocking discovery.
The first thing I have to say here is TRIGGER WARNINGS. Holy moly, this book needs ALL of the trigger warnings. Underage sex, rape, gang rape, spousal abuse (physical and sexual), parental abuse of a child, cancer, stillbirth, death of a major character, suicide attempts (cutting), successful suicide (pills)... the list goes on and on. It’s honestly a bit of a litany of misery… but it is extremely well written. It’s absolutely impossible not to feel sympathy for Vanessa, and then grieve with her at the final, catastrophic disaster.
And then feel massively betrayed with her, too.
I don’t think I can go on any further without spoilers, but I think it’s important to make my feelings about this clear, so: BEWARE, SPOILERS AHEAD.
Despite the exceptional quality of the writing, the fact that the overwhelming emotion I felt at the conclusion of this book was rage means that I can’t give it any more than three stars.
Disclaimer: I received a review copy of this title via NetGalley.
Trigger warning: sexual assault and domestic violence.
But that’s not even what made it terrible. The characters were just too … unbelievable. People are complex as are their feelings but their behaviors are generally predictable, or at the very least make sense. An abusive man doesn’t just stop being abusive and magically get better, nor does a victim of SA/ violence casually forgive him and the same children she protected by running from him, then casually get thrust into a relationship with him with no care or regard to their safety. I actually hated this book by the end. Jesus. It was like a Maury Povich episode crossed with Law and Order SVU - but badly written.
Do not waste your money (or time!)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Thank you to NetGalley and Boldwood Books for the Arc of this book!❤️
Also thank you to the author Kirsty Ferguson in writing this page turning book!❤️
Follows a girl named Vanessa who had a crush on her best friends partner Mark, they ended up having sex (technically Rape) in the back of a van, Mark said he was leaving Maggie for Vanessa but the next day he acted like it never happened until she got pregnant with his baby, Maggie found out and left him then her parents told Vanessa that she must marry him before the baby was born.. so they did... She had the baby called Wren, Mark didn't like that name.. the abusive marriage started.. until one day she finds an old flame from whom she went to school with who wanted to help her escape her abusive marriage by helping her move into a place he owns, and they then end up together she ends up having a second child called Ty, then towards the end her first child Wren dies which completely wrecks her...
This was my first Kirsty Ferguson book and I totally loved it, if your a fan of Adele parks etc you'll love this
It's a captivating gripping thriller but emotional and features abusive marriages, escaping them and rape so be warned❤️
***Trigger Warning*** Extreme domestic violence and rape.
Now that I have the trigger warning out if the way...Never Ever Tell is the first book I have read by Kristy Ferguson. While I found it a little difficult to make it through the first part of this book, Ms. Ferguson did a good job at painting what it is like to live in a violent marriage. A heartbreaking story and a revolation at the end that would shock anyone.
Thank you NetGalley for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review. All opinions are my own.
If there's one thing I like doing, it's discovering new authors. Kirsty Ferguson is definitely a new author for me but having enjoyed reading 'Never Ever Tell' as much as I did, I can guarantee that I will be reading more of her work in the future. I absolutely flipping well loved reading 'Never Ever Tell' but more about that in a bit. I couldn't help but feel for Vanessa Sawyer from the first moment I came across her. She makes one of the mistakes of her life when she has sex with the boyfriend of her best friend. In effect it was rape, she didn't really want to but he wasn't listening. Things start to go wrong for her from then on. She ends up married to a man, who shows his true colours. It was at that point that I wanted to jump inside the pages of the book to give her husband a darn good slapping with a wet fish for the way he treats her and the way he treats his child. Vanessa is kind, compassionate and sensitive. She adores her child and does her best to protect him from his father. I just kept everything crossed that her husband took a very long walk off a very short cliff and that Vanessa would get the happy life that she so deserved. What happens? Well for the answer to that question and more you are just going to have to read the book for yourselves to find out as I am not going to tell you. Oh. My. Word. What a flipping fantastic book this was. I was drawn to the book by the synopsis and then as soon as I started to read, I just knew that I was going to be unable to put this book down very easily. My Kindle wasn't exactly glued to my hand but it might as well have been because it travelled everywhere with me. The more of the book I read, the more questions I had that needed answering and so of course the more I had to read. I became seriously addicted to reading 'Never Ever Tell'. If I wasn't reading the book, I was thinking about the book. I became so involved in the story that I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. The page numbers became a blur. All too quickly I reached the end of the story. 'Never Ever Tell' is superbly written. The author certainly knows how to grab your attention from the start with a bit of a racy beginning to the story. I had an inkling that things were not going to work out for the best. For me, the story hit the ground running and maintained the pace throughout. Kirsty certainly took me on an emotional rollercoaster ride through the story. I felt myself becoming emotionally involved in the story to the extent that I found myself getting angry, tearful and incredibly frustrated with the actions of certain individuals. I felt as though I was part of the story and that's thanks to Kirsty's very vivid and realistic storytelling. In short I thoroughly enjoyed 'Never Ever Tell'. I would put Kirsty Ferguson on a par with Adele Parks- if you enjoy Adele's books then it's safe to assume that you will enjoy 'Never Ever Tell'. I would definitely recommend this book to other readers. I will be reading more of Kirsty's work in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 5* out of 5*.
Wow this book is so heartbreaking A page turner to find out what happens next to Vanessa ! First time reading this author but sure will be reading more of her !
Never Ever Tell is an emotional read with an ending you won't see coming. If you want to read something that will tear your heart right out of your chest and stomp on it, this is the book for you.
It tackles the tough subjects of domestic abuse, rape, bullying, and suicide, so be warned if you're a sensitive reader.
The story follows Vanessa, a woman who has been dealt a crappy hand at life thanks to Mark, the boy she liked in high school. The only bright spot is her son Wren. Vanessa will do anything to protect Wren, and Wren seems to be a bit of a mama's boy as he gets older. Once he hits high school, though, he befriends two other boys and starts dating a new girl. That's when things get bad. Really bad.
I found myself relating to Vanessa in some ways in this book. But there were other times when I though she was a bit annoying and/or frustrating. And by the end, I absolutely hated her.
The characters in this book are all well-written and fleshed out. It has a very real, relatable feel to it. It's something I can imagine happening in a small town (and definitely does more often than it should). I found myself crying. I found myself smiling. And I found myself seething with a white-hot rage. All at different points in the story, of course. But that ending... That ending made me go "WHAT?!" and want to throw my Kindle out the window.
If you're looking for a suspense thriller that will have your emotions all over the place, give Never Ever Tell a go.
Thank you to @rachelsrandomresources for inviting me to the #blogtour of Never Ever Tell by @kirstyfergusonauthor . Vanessa Sawyer knows all about pain. She’s felt it every day since marrying the boy who fathered her baby in high school. All he’s meant are broken bones, broken heart and broken dreams. But he also brought her the love of her life. When her son Wren was born, her baby boy was her salvation. Vanessa watches Wren grow and become a young man she can be proud of. Until one night everything changes, including Wren. One night that her son refuses to speak of. Now Vanessa can’t rest, not until she uncovers the secret that her son has been hiding from her. Will she find the answers she’s searching for or will her quest for the truth take her to a dark place where all hope is lost? . An absolute must read page turner!!! . The author Kirsty Ferguson is a new author to me but I can assure you this will not be the last book of hers I read! . This is an emotional, harrowing read with lots of ups and downs and a jaw dropping ending. . Some parts are a little hard to read but in all honesty that’s what makes the book. It is not for the light hearted! . **Please note there are trigger warnings for rape and domestic violence.
WARNING: THIS BOOK IS VERY GRAPHIC AND MAY CAUSE TRIGGERS FOR SOME.
I can't find anything good to say about this book. Several topics are beyond sickening: *Rape, gang rape, rape in front of children, MAJOR repeated physical violence in full knowledge of everyone allowed to happen including in front of a child to witness, awful verbal abuse, etc. and this is carried on generational in this town! These are just the highlights that come to mind.
This was an absolute waste of my time. Worse than that, the desensitization that happens when crap like this is written and read makes it numbing so when the atrocious act of something like this does occur, it is not seen as a big deal and the victim is victimized by not just the assailant but the lack of empathy of those that can no longer grasp the gravity after being bombarded continually and are now immune.
A free book that is not worth telling about other than do not read and waste your time or mind.
Jesus. This was...haunting. I am not easily disturbed by books, or made uncomfortable, or what have you, but this burrowed deep in me and did not let go. I was flat out disgusted by this entire novel and all of it was just horrifying. I couldn’t stop reading and yet I have no words. One star deducted because I didn’t like how she handled it at the end and I felt that the ending overall was a bit abrupt.
Extreme trigger warnings for every kind of trigger warning you could possibly need, including domestic violence and rape.
Free on audible. Whilst reading this book, I was all set to give it 1 star. Ridiculous situations, reactions and plot lines that were beyond belief. Very easy to listen to even though I constantly rolled my eyes but then it just started to get better. By the time I was a chapter in to part 2 of the book I was absolutely hooked! I HAD to know what happened and couldn’t stop listening until I got to the end!
Wow just wow! I absolutely LOVED this book!!! I would highly recommend this to anyone who is a fan of this genre. From start to finish, I was on an emotional ride. I do not think there was one point in this book that something was boring or dull. The ending was completely unexpected and I literally had my mouth wide open. Well, actually that happened a few times during certain chapters of the book. 5+++++
This book contains graphic details of violence against women.
I was a little surprised at the style of this book. It has a narrative essay feel, however it moves along quickly and I was compelled to finish the story. I would have preferred a slower moving account with more discussion about the feelings of the characters. However, the ending is good. Unpredictable.
This book THOUGH!!!! The writing was fantastic, I very anxious and nervous for the main character. I just kept waiting for something to happen. This book deals with a lot of triggers (from domestic violence to rape) so it will definitely not be for everyone. I honestly couldn’t put it down! The story is so well written out!
SYNOPSIS
She’d do anything for her boy…
Vanessa Sawyer knows all about pain. She’s felt it every day since marrying the boy who fathered her baby in high school. All he’s meant are broken bones, broken heart and broken dreams. But he also brought her the love of her life. When her son Wren was born, her baby boy was her salvation.
Vanessa watches Wren grow and become a young man she can be proud of. Until one night everything changes, including Wren. One night that her son refuses to speak of. Now Vanessa can’t rest, not until she uncovers the secret that her son has been hiding from her.
Will she find the answers she’s searching for or will her quest for the truth take her to a dark place where all hope is lost?
One evil act. One tragedy. Lives destroyed forever.
Strong contender for most depressing book. The plot line has extremely heavy and dark content which i was not expecting, and i feel there should be a section just for trigger warnings: sexual assault, physical abuse, suicide, bullying, cancer, stillbirth, and the list continues and continues. It has a lot of twists and turns, none of which enlighten the dark mood. A lot of the characters, I found very unlikeable and sometimes irritating, and as I continued to read i hated the book and the characters more and more. Credit to the author for the creative plot line, but it was averagely written, and the plot sometimes moved on too fast that it felt rushed when depicting complex areas that required more depth eg grief.
Reading this book was an emotional burden, and i couldn't help but feel depressed and hopeless. I just wanted it to end. Every bad thing that could happen, happened in this book.
TRIGGER WARNING: Extreme domestic violence, abuse, rape, bullying and suicide.
Whoa! This book is nothing like I expected. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it wasn't that. It's a difficult book to read on many levels though it does peter out before another brutal event that leaves you breathless. NEVER EVER TELL is an intense read that begins as a domestic drama before becoming something of a thriller with several twists and heart pounding scenes. It is definitely NOT for the fainthearted with many triggers included. I am still reeling long after finishing the final page.
The story begins with Vanessa Sawyer recapping the past eight years of her life leading up to the present day through the first couple of chapters. She has been dealt pretty much a crappy blow thanks to a rumble in the back of a van when she was 18 which landed her married to Mark. He who had been her best friend's boyfriend, put her in a cab home and rejoined the high school dance and sought Vanessa out. Leading her to his van with tender kisses and promises that they would be together, she succumbed to his charms in moment of teenage passion. Promising to tell Maggie about them the following day, he bid her goodnight. But he had no intention of telling Maggie. He just wanted a quick fumble and to get his leg over because Maggie wouldn't until they were married.
Then six months later, Vanessa discovered she was pregnant. She told Mark who denied it was his but since she had only ever slept with him there could be no other candidate. They then told Maggie together, who understandably threw a mega hissy fit, and then they told their parents...who thought it best they marry. On what should be a girl's happiest day, Mark couldn't even look at the heavily pregnant Vanessa. What then ensued were years of abuse at his hands, blaming her for ruining her life. She went into labour while he was hitting and kicking her, telling her she couldn't do anything right. And when her son was born and she held him in her arms, everything else went away. She named him Wren, which Mark scoffed at being a stupid name, and he was the light of her life. Wren was her reason for living, for going on even when Mark's abuse was at its worst. She vowed to protect him at all costs. But little did she know her little boy would grow up protecting her also. He becomes her salvation.
After what she did to Maggie, the town turned against her and she lost all her friends until she had only Mark, who abused her daily, and her parents who lived a couple of streets away. But through it all, she still has Wren. Even when she has no one else...she still has Wren.
The one day, shortly after the birth of her second son Ty, downtrodden and a shadow of the girl she used to be, she bumps into Billy Wright who sees past the facade she keeps in place, past the bruises on her face, past the lies she tells...and sees a young vulnerable woman with a child and a baby who needs his help. And with Billy's help, Vanessa packs their bags and embarks on a new journey. One in which her children will grow up safe and loved.
Years pass and Wren is now at a community college for his final year of high school with his two best friends, Justin and Wade. And then Wren meets Olivia. Beautiful sweet Olivia, whose father is their new principal, and the two instantly feel a connection. They begin dating and, although she cannot stand his two best friends, she and Wren become inseparable. She describes them as "soul mates".
Then one day, Vanessa's beautiful honest and loving boy Wren comes home a different person. Something happened that he is keeping from her that haunts him so terribly. But what? And then...everything changes. Vanessa's life is thrown into an upheaval like she has never known and with every fibre of her being while there is still breath in her body, she becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth...neglecting everything and everyone else. But is she ready for the truth...if and when she finds it?
I have to say, from beginning to end NEVER EVER TELL is a brutal and harrowing read for the most part. It is dark and confrontational yet compelling. It is the stuff of nightmares. And if you are a sensitive reader or are triggered by extreme abuse and rape, then I advise giving this one a miss. It is very triggering and it is very confrontational. And many parts are difficult to read. Extremely difficult.
NEVER EVER TELL is divided into two parts - Part One and Part Two. The narrative in the first part is dedicated to Vanessa's backstory, which is completely harrowing to say the least. But it is central to the story that is to come in the second part and the devastating events that transpire. I cannot say much more than that...but boy, what an intense read! And simply breathtaking.
And WOW! I did not see that twist at the end coming at all! It was even more brutal than what we, the reader, had already bore witness to. It was a clever twist but I'm not sure I liked it...I'm still in two minds about it. But it definitely threw me, that's for sure. Even knowing what I do now I still don't think I could have anticipated such an ending.
This is my first read by Kirsty Ferguson and now that I've discovered her, it won't be my last. She is Aussie born and bred and I do like to support our home grown authors. However...I feel I must comment on the one thing that sticks in my craw. One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to Australian or British authors is the use of American English. In Australia we use UK English and I loathe to see everything Americanised in what is an Australian author's book. Although the setting could be anywhere as it is not specified as being in Australia, America or even Antartica. I did think it had an American feel to it despite being written by an Aussie author, which in my opinion should be set in Australia (half the reason I read home grown authors). And while I don't like American English in Aussie or British written books, I can tolerate it but my biggest beef is with the use of the term "mom" throughout. I loathe it. In Australia we use "mum" and that is what I expected to read. So I was disappointed to have an Australian author's book Amercianised when I expected it to be...well, Australian.
That is really my only criticism with the book because it was very cleverly written and Vanessa particularly was incredibly well developed. I could see everything through her eyes and feel everything as she would feel it. I admit to growing somewhat frustrated with her in her obsessive campaign for the truth, as she shut the rest of her family out and was in danger of losing them completely. But when she came back to earth, she fell back with hell of a thud. She was grounded immediately.
NEVER EVER TELL is a raw and highly emotive tale that is both harrowing and heartbreaking to read. Written completely in the third person, the first part is solely from Vanessa's perspective, while the second part is through Olivia's Wren's and Vanessa's eyes.
A dark, compelling and addictive read, NEVER EVER TELL is a domestic drama and thriller rolled into one. It is haunting read that will stay with me for a while to come.
I would like to thank #KirstyFerguson, #NetGalley and #BoldwoodBooks for an ARC of #NeverEverTell in exchange for an honest review.