What's Left Untold

by Sherri Leimkuhler

Every secret has its price.

Anna Clark and Lia Clay were unlikely best friends in high school, but their yin-and-yang personalities drew them together in a sister-like bond. Then during college, Lia inexplicably walked out on their friendship and disappeared, leaving Anna hurt, confused, and disillusioned.

Twenty years later, Anna discovers a letter Lia wrote the summer after high school — a letter that contains a cryptic postscript concealing a devastating truth. With her twenty-year high school reunion approaching, Anna moves closer to uncovering the secret in Lia’s letter and the heartbreaking consequences it set in motion.

As the layers of deceit and betrayal begin to unravel, Anna is forced to question everything she believes and come to terms with what it means to forgive the one person who hurt her in the worst way imaginable.

Genres: Fiction, Womens Fiction

438 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 19, 2020

About the author

USA Today Bestselling Author Sherri Leimkuhler has written professionally for more than twenty years but is a Jill of many trades, with experience in sales, marketing, public relations, event planning, aviation, and yoga instruction. Her health-and-fitness column, "For the Fun of Fit," appears bi-weekly in the Carroll County Times.

A competitive triathlete and two-time Ironman finisher, Sherri also enjoys reading, hiking, paddleboarding, trail running, traveling, and wine tasting.

Sherri lives in Maryland with her husband, three daughters, and two Labrador retrievers.

Visit her at: http://www.sherrileimkuhler.com/

Or, connect on social media:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sherri.leim...

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/SherriLeimkuhl1

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/sherrileimku...

Reviews

[Jennifer ~ TarHeelReader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna and Lia are opposites and best friends in high school. When college hits, Lia ends the friendship and walks away, leaving Anna hurt.

It’s twenty years after high school, and Anna has an upcoming class reunion when she fins a letter from Lia written during high school that contains something hurtful. It may be the key to understanding why Lia left.

Will Anna be able to forgive the person who hurt her more than anyone else?

I had a close friend who walked away from our friendship twice, and this book hit close to home in that way. The secrets and betrayals were much, much different, however. This book was gripping and I was hooked on the story and finding out what happened.

What’s Left Untold was a compelling and surprising read.

I received a gifted copy. All opinions are my own.

Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader

[Suanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two girls with totally opposite personalities, Anna and Lia, find an unlikely friendship in high school, one that survives even their interest in the same boys. They have a falling out in college—and Lia walks out of Anna’s life without further word. That event reverberates through their lives, with each wondering what happened to the other. Twenty years later, Anna finds a letter she’d tucked away in a book. In it, Lia writes an enigmatic post-script asking Anna to meet her, but Anna fails to keep the rendezvous. 

At their twenty-year high school reunion, the two women reconcile and begin to make amends to each other for past hurts. As breaches of trust and misrepresentations unravel and the final truth is revealed, earth-shattering events are set in motion that resound through their families. Anna, forced to question everything she believes, has to forgive the one person who hurt her in the worst conceivable way.

What’s Left Untold is women’s fiction in the best sense—women’s foibles and egos working both for and against them. Also, this book deals with a taboo topic, one I can’t reveal without spoiling the plot. But Ms. Leimkuhler handles the forbidden behavior deftly, blending fact with social, religious, cultural attitudes, legal ramifications, and sanctions against what many deem a sin. I’d love to see a sequel to this book in which the consequences of this taboo further play out.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't even speak right now. He has sex with her best friend when he was drunk as a teenager and she gets pregnant and has a secret son who is marrying his daughter in the current time. I just can't. First he's a cheater and I don't care that they have been married forever and it was before they were married but it still ducking bugs me. Big time major trigger for me. Then he has a kid that is marrying his other kid. Wow just gross! And the clencher, they don't tell them and let them marry. Omg my stomach is actually sick and I am sorry I read it. First it gave me Ptsd flashbacks and second it's just wrong.

[Jennifer Klepper · Rating 5 out of 5]

What truths are best left untold and who gets to decide? That's really the core question of this book, and the plot takes the characters to a place where the answer could be debated forever. Leimkuhler is a marvel in this shocking debut about friends and the secrets that bind them. I read the last 10% with my jaw on the floor.

[Nursebookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anna and Lia were best friends in high school when suddenly Lia walks out of their friendship suddenly without any explanation, except for a cryptic letter with some hidden message about why she had to leave so suddenly.

Now, Anna is happily married to Jack, her high school sweetheart, and has three daughters. Still thinking of her best friend Lia she wonders if she will connect with her in their upcoming twenty-year high school reunion.

Meeting Lia sets in motion the discovery of the truth behind what happened twenty years ago in a most shocking deceit and betrayal stories I have read.

Wow this story was a ride, and Leimkuhler certainly knew how to deliver a family drama story with a punch, with a jaw dropping delivery of a twist so shocking my mouth is still open. This was a great read I enjoyed in one afternoon. Fair warning - hard to put down, and will make you turn those pages until you get to the shocking revelation.

Thanks for the wild ride Sherri!

[Barbara Conrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reviews I've read say What's Left Untold is filled with plot twists the reader never sees coming. I wondered about that. There's nothing I like more than finding the twists before I'm supposed to. So I read this book searching them out. I watched every direction this story led me wanting to outsmart the author. I failed.

You never see it coming!

What's Left Untold is written beautifully by debut author Sherri Leimkuhler. It is fast-paced; her words glide across the page; her characters are human and flawed. The secrets are mind-bending. And when you race to the last page, because you simply cannot turn the pages fast enough to find out what happens next, you are left with one thought: what would you have done?

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s Left Until is compelling women’s fiction at its very best, a sweeping story of friendship and betrayal, secrets and forgiveness. I felt empathy for the characters as untold stories of the last twenty years come to light, leaving me shocked and saddened yet hopeful. If your book club is looking for something to read and discuss, look no further!

[Linda Zagon · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! Sherri Leimkuhler, author of "What's Left Untold" has written a suspenseful, intriguing, captivating, compelling, and thought-provoking novel. The genres for this novel are Literary Fiction, Suspense, and Women's Fiction. The story is set in the present and in the past, where it pertains to the characters and events in the story. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. This is a story about family, friendship, betrayal, loyalty, forgiveness, love, and hope.

Anna Clark is a loving wife and mother of three daughters and would love to have a son. Unfortunately, it just doesn't seem to be in the cards to have any more children for Anna and Jack, who were high-school sweethearts. Often Anna misses her best friend Lia Clay, who just left one day.  She finds a note that Lia had given her years ago that there was something important she had to tell Anna before she disappeared. Somehow as hard as Anna has tried to move on, Lia is always on her mind.

 Anna does go to a therapist, and tries to make friends, and does things she likes. Anna is ambivalent about a 20-year school reunion that is coming up. She wants to see Lia and is afraid to see Lia. The question of why Lia left suddenly, with no explanation has Anna very upset. 

There are deep dark secrets and betrayals, twists and turns, that make this a very edgy and suspenseful story. I would highly recommend this thought-provoking and riveting story.

[Lainey Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of two estranged friends, now adults, who were in High School together in the 1980s, and lost contact with each other after leaving for college.

But one of them has a secret, that will come out later in the book and disrupt both their lives.

The second half of the novel is twisty-turny with an ending that is somewhat shocking and ideal for book club discussion.

I’d definitely recommend this one if you have a club that likes to discuss controversial endings, but also topics around letting people back into your life and whether it’s worth holding onto grudges. A truly thought provoking book

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! The characters, particularly Anna, Lia, and Faith, were so three-dimensional that I felt they were my friends. I would go to bed at night after reading and feel stressed because I wanted to help Anna and didn’t know how. The story is a relatable journey of Anna's day-to-day life punctuated with several unexpected twists that will surely lead to some intense discussions and debates. A very satisfying read!

[Patricia McAlexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novel covers ten years, from February 2006 to May 2016, with the main character, Anna Wells, at the beginning age 34 (“nearly 35”) going through events many modern women can identify with. Leimkuhler gives excellent descriptions that are almost like discrete short stories in themselves: Anna’s visit to the gynocologist’s office…Anna trying to get pregnant after she and her husband had three girls, hoping for a boy….Anna falling into deep depression when that fails….Anna’s conflict over whether to attend a high school reunion and examining Facebook for old classmates.

One thing Anna has that many women don’t, however, is a handsome husband who is totally in love with her. He is her “best friend, her soulmate,” and of course, lover. And yet Anna yearns for a close woman friend, feeling that gives her something else she needs. She had found one in high school--Lia (even though Lia had been unabashedly promiscuous), but after graduation she suddenly disappears, and Anna is angry about that. (That story is told through flashbacks.) She finds another such woman friend in her therapist Faith. In the description of Anna’s relationship with Lia in high school and later, Faith, we see a Thelma-and-Louise-like definition of friendship between women, with lots of mouthwatering descriptions of food and drink and hilarity. We also begin to see the theme suggested in the title: Faith moves away and keeps a secret from Anna, and after Anna and Lia reconnect at a high school reunion, though Lia gives an explanation for the lost years, Anna senses Lia is still holding something back.

The novel picks up suspense and speed as the years pass and Anna at last learns the real story of Lia’s disappearance. In these later events, the novel probes most deeply the question of whether honesty is always best or whether it is sometimes better to have something “left untold.” The novel is a great read with interesting characters, increasing suspense, and a thought-provoking theme.

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this suspense filled novel I was totally hooked and read it in a sitting. Anna and Lia were friends in High School and completely opposite. With no explanation during their college years Lia completely disappears. Until Anna discovers a note that changes everything nearly two decades later. Completely shocked and confused about what this letter means and how to make sense of it. At their high school reunion they finally reconnect,many questions are answered yet the painful truth is unimaginable. This story of friendship, betrayal and forgiveness will leave you reeling and shocked. I highly recommend this book!

[Rebecca Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking story of friendship, betrayal, and ultimately, forgiveness, WHAT’S LEFT UNTOLD spans thirty years in the lives of two inseparable friends who have become tragically estranged. What led to the end of their friendship? Should the secrets that are revealed be disclosed or kept hidden forever? And who has the right to make that determination? There are no easy answers here. This is a memorable story worthy of reader thought and discussion—a great option for book clubs.

[Sarahlyn Bruck · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sherri Leimkuhler’s WHAT’S LEFT UNTOLD, is a grand, sweeping saga about the evolution of family and friendship—how best friends can break our hearts, make us angry, crazy, and sad, and carry us through good times and bad. Leimkuhler’s plot twists and turns will keep readers glued to the page!

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good writing and the characters come to life and stay with you long after you put the book down. The story has a few twists in it that will have you asking “what would I do?” A perfect book for a book club. Couldn’t put it down!

[Kari Cozzolino · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn’t put this book down! And wow, wasn’t expecting that ending!

[Cara Achterberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leimkuhler’s authentic prose puts you inside Ana’s head and heart as she unravels the secrets of a childhood friendship that threatens not just her own mental health, but also her marriage and her daughter’s happiness. What’s Left Untold is a heartfelt and surprising examination of friendship, honesty, and whether ‘love is love.’

[Megan Gladwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s Left Untold by Sherri Leimkuhler is a page turner with an ending like non other! This book is one of those that kept me up as I finished in the early morning hours. The true sign of a good book!

[Claire Matturro · Rating 5 out of 5]

“What’s Left Untold” (Red Adept Publishing May 2020) by Sherri Leimkuhler is a brave book, with a well-written, unique surprise revealed near the end. Brave because the author dares readers to broaden their concept of “after all, love is love.” It is also a compelling, poignant book which touches on many pivotal points in a woman’s life, and is told in crisp, clear sentences replete with insight and tenderness.

One of the most effective, and therefore, hardest things to do in a novel is to have an ending or climax which seems unforeseeable, but which once revealed also feels inevitable. And so it is that “What’s Left Untold” does just that, with whispers rather than clues or hints building to the big reveal. Thus, there is a mystery in the novel, though this is not per se a mystery but rather is women's literary fiction.

Along the way to the climax, readers get to know some intriguing, sympathetic characters guarding secrets and faced with difficult, even gut-wrenching, choices. The deepest secret--what is left unsaid-- is kept not because of selfishness or self-preservation, but out of love for another. What appears cruel is revealed to be kindness, even if perhaps misguided.

The basic story is about two women who were once best friends as teenagers, have an unexplained break-up, and twenty years later meet at a reunion and guardedly attempt to rebuild that friendship with ensuing complications. Many other story lines, however, weave through this novel’s main plot. The author skillfully weaves the then-stories with the now-stories, pulling in the marriages of both women as adults and story lines involving their children.

In high school, Anna Clark and Lia Clay were very different in personality and in their home lives, but they never the less enjoyed a closer-than-sisters relationship. But once high school is behind them, Lia appears to break off the friendship in an abrupt and disturbing way. Anna does not understand and retains the hurt of that seemingly cruel separation for decades. As Anna deals with the emotional pain of miscarriages, she becomes close friends with yet another woman, but the wounds from the break-up with Lia shadow the new friendship. Anna must also deal with her oldest daughter’s leaving home for college and the way the daughter, Kathryn, asserts her growing independence and spends more time with her friends than her family. These passages are especially tender and well done, and the author has Lia (who has sons of her own) quoting author Elizabeth Stone that “To have a child is to forever have your heart go walking outside your body.”

Despite the twists and turns in “What’s Left Unsaid,” the fundamental strength of the novel is based upon the friendship between Lia and Anna. If you think there is nothing new or fresh that can be written about the intrinsic value and enduring strength of women’s friendships, “What’s Left Untold” will prove you wrong as Sherri Leimkuhler brings something unique with new vigor and insight into this abiding theme.

[Deborah Blanchard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am sitting here wondering how to review this book because while I didn't agree with the outcome, this is a really good book. Anna and Lia were best friends in high school until Lia abruptly leaves. Anna doesn't know what happened until they meet again at their high school reunion twenty years later. This is when they rekindle their friendship until Lia's secret comes to light. Anna is horrified by what Lia has kept from her. What a tangled web of deception! This book is so well written and you will be enthralled and bewildered. The characters are finely tuned and believable. Filled with angst, heartache, love and secrets this book will leave you wondering, "what would I do?" The tension mounts throughout this book. It made me feel angry, sad, and yes, bewildered. All in all this is a fantastic book with a very powerful ending. I recommend it because it will really make you wonder how you would handle this secret.

[Linda Rosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Leimkuhler’s captivating, suspenseful dual time-line debut kept me glued to the page. Her well-developed complex characters drew me in to the point of yelling at them, encouraging them to be honest, as if I knew them personally. It made me question each characters’ motives and wonder who was actually right. Your going to want to talk about Anna and Lia, the complexities of female friendships and marriage, as well as ponder whether secrets are actually lies – and what is the best action to take – reveal or keep silent.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s Left Untold is the sparkling story of love in many forms: between spouses, friends, and children. Sometimes, in order for love to continue, secrets are maintained that keep the relationship intact. On the other hand, maybe the secrets interfere with the relationship and need to be swept away in a river of honesty. Leimkuhler’s book explores the way that holding onto secrets changes us and changes our relationships. Readers will love the women who hold the lives of others in their hands as they carefully tiptoe through a minefield of secrets.

[Ida Jolley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What’s Left Untold

I heard about this book from a friend and decided to give it a try. I was caught up in it after it got started and had my suspicions about what was going to happen down the road.
I liked how the author filled us in on the relationships of the main characters, as they were in growing up in high school and then after.
A hard decision for the parents to make about their daughters life and what the future would be like. But no one can make that decision except the people who are in it.
I enjoyed the book.

[Kayleigh 2babesandabookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Female friendships can be the one of life's most treasured gifts ... or they can be something that ruins your life forever. This book has a bit of both ... and certainly takes the reader through so many emotions that you're not sure whether to love or hate the characters!

For a debut, this was well written, fast paced and definitely kept me invested throughout the story. It's also one of those books you can finish on a lazy Sunday and feel completely satisfied. My only issue was how the story ended. I wont go into too much detail (perhaps this will make you curious enough to pick up the book!), but it was a bit unsettling.

Thank you, Sherri and Suzy for the opportunity to read this book. I am excited to see what you create next!

[Evan J · Rating 5 out of 5]

What's Left Untold is a page turner that kept me guessing until the very last page. Just when I thought I had it figured out there was another twist ahead. I couldn't put it down.

The author writes so descriptively that I could picture the scene perfectly - from the smell of coffee in a local restaurant to the cold, damp feeling of winter day in Maryland. The relationship between the two main characters, Anna and Lia, was so real and brought back memories of friendships from high school.

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful! Don't read. Writing is a 2.5; story is a 1 (at most). BAD. The main character is a whiny, selfish, spoiled brat. The other characters are either two dimensional/flat or simply props to progress the story. The scenarios are forced or totally unrealistic. Don't read this.
The point of this story is that it's okay for two half-siblings (they have the same dad), to marry and have children, as long as no one tells them. Yuk!!

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

All I can say is wow!! I wish this book was never ending.
I absolutely enjoyed all of the mentions of Maryland... the BWI trail, OC boardwalk, & thrashers! I loved the twists and turns I didn’t expect and the way it makes you look at life from another’s perspective.
Amazing read, would highly recommend!! I’m anxiously waiting for more from Sherri!

[Karen Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

No spoilers contained here. This is a great book! I can’t believe it’s a debut novel. The characters were well developed and I loved how it followed the characters’ friendship from a young age into adulthood. I couldn’t wait to find out about their lives and the detours they both took. I highly recommend! I’m a picky reader and it kept me interested throughout.

[wellreadtraveler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Boy I did not see this one coming! What’s left Untold is a complex story that tackles many issues in such a sweet story. Childhood friendships, Infertility, motherhood, and finding yourself and what makes you happy. I loved the main character and her passionate relationship with her husband, the type of love that lasts the test of time. Many of us can relate to the mother daughter dynamic and the sheer need to hold on as long as possible, and we’ve all had experiences with letting go of friendships and making new ones at different stages of life. I feel like I was smiling a lot, and one point I ugly cried. Like sobbed. The author does such a good job of connecting you with the characters that you don’t realize how much you’re invested in the outcome! It’s by no means a feel good story, but the many twist and turns will keep you on your toes and wanting more.
Anna is a wife and mother to three girls. She would love nothing more than to give her husband the son he’s always wanted but month after month her body fails her. After a devastating miscarriage her husband suggests she go and talk to a counselor, someone to help her work through her pain. Faith helps Anna work through the loss of her baby but also the loss of her identity. She’s not just a mom and wife, and it’s important for her to start doing things that are just for her, that bring her happiness. Faith will also help her with feelings she is holding onto about her childhood best friend who just walked out of her life. How could Lia just disappear with no explanation? Where has she been? At their 20 year high school reunion Anna will have a chance to ask her all of these questions. Can the two get back to where they were, or are the secrets Lia has been hiding way too big to get over.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has seemed like quite a laborious read for me, taking me pretty much a whole week to get through. Yet I can't really put my finger on any reason why in particular. It just seemed to drag a bit. I think the amount of LIES told by the women in the story got me down a little, too, as I hate lies and liars. I preferred Lia of the 2 protagonists as I think Anna was less honest as a person when it came down to the proverbial hitting the fan. I saw that coming as well, which I don't as a rule. So it didn't come as much of a shock or surprise to me. I did find it VERY unbelievable that Anna would've received a really cryptic note from Lia and never, ever question the meaning !! Most girls I know, myself included, wouldn't have EVER let that pass them by, however busy life got, trust me !! Actually, Anna got on my nerves quite a lot. I didn't like her very much and hated how she treated Jack (who was lovely) as a teenager.
Some parts of this are really touching and did make me very sniffy and people who can't abide swearing will be thrilled as I don't recall seeing any !! They did that REALLY irritating American thing of naming the kids with the same initials, though. So a father was Neil, the kids Nathan and Nicholas.....that makes me grind my teeth !!
I had to look a lot of stuff up as well that got lost in translation, like an Iroc-Z, Cinnabon, Monte Carlo, Bartles & Jaymes, zerbert, buckeyes and bota bags..... I was clueless !!
I spotted one superfluous word in this sentence, "As if anyone at the marina who would hear us...." and only 1 instance of missed speechmarks and that was the lot error-wise, which is to be highly commended.
I'd read another by her for sure but I wouldn't put her on top of my wishlist.