Book Review: Not that I Could Tell

                                                                                   BOOK INFORMATION:                                                                  

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.

                                                                        MY THOUGHTS ON THE BOOK                                                              

This was an extremely enjoyable read. 

I think my favorite part was the way that the characters were written and their dialogue. I think they were super complex but also super relatable. They were all flawed in their own ways. They were all very likable also. I felt like I was reading about regular every day people. Perhaps people I already know. 

I enjoyed this interaction the most out of the story. It was an interaction between one character and their child. It is super adorable, and extremely well executed. 

“Mommy, you count to ten and I’ll go hide behind the curtains in the dining room. Ready, go!”

“Thomas, hide-and-seek only works if you don’t tell me where you’re going to hide. I’ll count and you pick a new place, okay?”

“But the curtains are a great hiding place!”

“But you just told me you’re going to be there. I already know”

“Okay. Close your eyes-no peeking! I will go hide now—and do not look behind the curtains.”

“Ready or not, here I come”

Maniacal giggling came from the dining room….

This isn’t a predictable fast paced thriller. This book is more like literary or woman fiction. I found the thriller part of the story to be lacking in many areas. This isn't a police procedural or real deceptive type thriller either.

We follow the main character Kristin’s neighbors closely as they deal with the sudden disappearance of a friend and the various scrutiny that comes with the territory when people go missing. 

Don’t get me wrong though, there is a lot of suspense and “who done it” in this book. There were many twists and turns. At points I was on the edge of my seat. You will be left wondering who did it, and if anyone is truly safe. 

Overall this was a very intense read filled with mystery and suspense. I truly recommend this book as I have rated it four stars. The reason it can’t be five stars is due to the lack of thriller type aspects in this book. Which was what I was looking for. 

Disclaimer: I received this book from St. Martin's Press in exchange for my honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own.