I am totally digging the story telling abilities of Jessica Strawser. This book is about neighbors/ friends and their reactions and the aftermath when one of them disappears with her twin children overnight. What a page turning mystery that I just couldn’t put down until I got to the bottom of it.
Then, just when I thought I had everything figured out, bam!! I never saw that coming! This is such a good book! The characters are wonderful especially those we get to know the most like Izzy and Clara.
I am such a fan of this author and I look forward to more from her!

I received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Boy, do I love a little bit of soapy neighborhood melodrama and mystery...

"It's no great accomplishment to get someone to believe a lie. It's not that hard, really. Look at me: doctor's wife, working mom, good neighbor. You've already summed me up, haven't you? You're already filling in the blanks. But whatever you're writing there, it's not the truth. And that's fine by me. It's easier, knowing you don't know me at all."

One Saturday night, a group of female neighbors gets together around the firepit of one of their houses. They're excited with the prospect of adult company, and by the fact that their baby monitors actually work in the backyard. They all have a little too much wine that night, leaving everyone feeling a little worse for the wear the next day. But all agree it's a price worth paying, and the conversation flows all over the place.

Life proceeds as usual on Monday until they get a real shock: Kristin, the seemingly near-perfect mother of twins, the class mom always willing to pitch in, has disappeared along with her children. Some of her clothes and the children's clothes and favorite toys are missing, as is her mother's heirloom china. But her cell phone was left behind.

Kristin didn't seem at all dismayed that her divorce from her gynecologist husband Paul was nearly final. No one knows what to think about her disappearance, and as the police begin investigating, they uncover secrets that she never shared with her friends, secrets which make them fear the worst. As public suspicion centers around Paul, he tries to focus attention back to his soon-to-be ex-wife, all the while trying to make himself seem more sympathetic.

Kristin's friends and neighbors try to make sense of what has happened, and how they were unaware of what Kristin was going through. For Clara, who lived next door, Kristin's disappearance and the facts swirling around remind her of an incident from her past that she has tried to put behind her, but she finds herself in the middle of the scandal, which causes issues for her husband and her young children. And Izzy, the neighborhood's newest resident, tries to stay above the fray and not pass judgment, because she is dealing with emotional issues of her own.

How well do we know our friends? Should we listen to those around us or should we trust our own instincts? Not That I Could Tell follows the model of books like Big Little Lies and Marybeth Mayhew Whalen's When We Were Worthy, providing a compelling narrative, a healthy dose of melodrama, and a mystery that eats at the fabric of friendships and the neighborhood.

Jessica Strawser does a great job with this book. I devoured it in practically one sitting, and although I had my suspicions of how things would resolve themselves, that didn't dampen my enthusiasm one bit. You've seen this before, but Strawser's storytelling ability keeps you turning the pages. I think this would make a great TV movie, too.

I was looking for something a little lighter, and this definitely fit the bill. This will make a great vacation read!

NetGalley and St. Martin's Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

I liked most of the characters and did not expect the ending. A quick, solid read.

Free e-copy from Negalley in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book based on a recommendation from someone on Twitter. I've been on a suspense novel kick lately, so this one sounded like it would fit what I was looking for.

I always love books that have differing points of view. In this novel, it switches primarily between Izzy and Clara, women who live in Yellow Springs, the same town where Kristin - wife of esteemed doctor Paul - has up and disappeared with her twin children. The book opens with Kristin already gone, and the women are all reflecting on where she could be, how she got there, and - most importantly - why she left. The media plays it up as an issue of money in her pending divorce, but as is always the case, suspicion quickly falls on the husband and what role he may have played in her disappearance. There are also snippets of the novel that can be assumed to be from Kristin's point of view, outlining her own desperation to leave and where that sensation was coming from. Changing the perspective always keeps me reading; I love getting to know different characters and what's going on in their lives, aside from the major plot of the novel.

Izzy's character was particularly intriguing. She ran to Yellow Springs to get some space from her sister, Penny, and Penny's new husband Josh. Izzy and Josh were friends first, and over the course of their friendship her feelings developed into something more. She is having difficulties dealing with Penny and Josh being married when she is still so desperately in love with him. Watching her character try to move past her feelings was one of my favorite parts of this book.

By the end, Kristin's disappearance gets resolved for the reader. Characters' true personalities come to light and the reader gets a sense of some completion for all of the characters. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it.

This was just an ok book for me. It did not hold my interest. I skimmed a good bit of it. It moved too slowly for my taste. I do not think I will be searching for any more of her books. This was the first time I have read this author.

Mind Blown

That is the only words I can find to summarize this book, especially the ending!
Yellow Springs is a safe town. Neighbors know each other, they look out for each other.
One night some of the ladies of the neighborhood are having a nice ladies night at Clara’s house, the next day one of them has disappeared with her children.
There is mystery, where did Kristin and her twins go? Kristin was the ideal Mom, she loved her kids, lived in a nice house and was married to a doctor.
But all wasn’t what it seemed
Kristin had recently filed for divorce from her handsome dr husband. When pressed by the cops if Kristin had ever hinted at any sort of abuse or fearing for her life to her neighbors their reply all was “Not that I could tell”
Usually a book gives you hints throughout on what the twist may be. Looking back now, this book does, but they are so subtle, and disguised into bigger plot points, you will NEVER realize it’s right there.
Great Book and I could not put it down!

More of a Summer read than anything else. Predictable plot. Shallow characters. Dialogue was boring.

I really enjoyed Not That I Could Tell. It wis full of mystery and suspense. I thought the story was going one way, then suddenly it would switch and go in a different direction.

The characters are all great. My favorite character is Hallie. She is so smart and determined.

Fans of suspense and mysteries, give this book a read!

This book was a chore to read. It’s like a pale imitation of the latest fad in books of the missing person with the questionable narrator. The mom is missing with her children and we see how her neighbors react. We follow the POV of her neighbor Clara who is a stay at home mom and then Izzy who is a single working woman. The actual mystery is really background noise as we watch these women go about their lives. The story is not really about the disappearance or the husband Paul left behind. Clara is very likeable but too much of her story is just not very interesting. We watch her struggle with her children and help out a neighbor, rather ungratefully, care for her child. That child is interesting and precocious but really only a cameo to move the story along. Izzy is very maudlin and just hard to care for. This is a book about these women and not a mystery. Do not read this if you want an action packed story or even a twisty book like Gone Girl because you will be disappointed.

After reading the description I wasn’t sure what to expect of this book and whether or not I would enjoy reading it. I just finished it and I am still not quite sure. I believe this book will continue to get strong ratings. The topic is extremely relevant and one we should be reading more about to raise awareness of the intricacies of the horror of these situations. The story contains mystery, deceit, friendship, family and even some twists. For some reason the characters didn’t hold my interest throughout the entire tale and the mystery wasn’t very mysterious. The middle of the book ran dry for me for - although it did pick it up at the very end.

Thank you to NetGalley and the St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an early release in exchange for an honest review.

Not That I Could Tell was an enjoyable read. I loved the mystery behind what happened at the girls' night and the way it was unraveled throughout the book.

I didn't realize that this was women's fiction. I genre I do not care for. I didn't think it would be fair to post a review.

Suburban suspense at its best.

Told from two viewpoints about a neighbor’s disappearance, this book is a page-turner of the highest degree with intriguing characters. I wasn’t sure at any given time that I knew exactly what had happened which made the ride that much more enjoyable.

Even the secondary characters had subplots that kept me interested. I loved the many degrees of friendship that were showcased within the story and how the crisis brought them closer together.

Izzy’s self-realization was great. Benny was a dream. Paul was too good to be true. Clara was the kind of friend everyone should be lucky to get. Hallie was a kick. Great characters equals great book!

This is the perfect read while you’re waiting for another Liane Moriority book to release. And then you’ll have to wait for another Jessica Strawser book to come out. Oh, the agony.

I received an advanced reader copy from Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

This book was soooooo good. Gone girl meets big little lies. Amazing didn’t t expect that ending.

I received a copy of Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser from St. Martin's Press and NetGalley exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Girl's night: bonfire, wine and no kids. The following morning Kristin and her two kids are missing. The wine gave the women amnesia and no one remembers too much from the night before. The women are dealing with the aftermath of the disappearance in their own ways as the police try to figure out what happened to their friend. Did she run away? Was her ex involved? The suspense!!! This book was fast paced and very intriguing. I HIGHLY recommend this book!
Jessica Strawser is a new author for me. Her writing style is seamless and I quickly decided to add her to my "must-read" list!

I found this book rather slow moving, it did not draw me in. It seemed quite obvious why Kristen disappeared, I think I expected more of a psychological thriller. I think the last chapter, 44, would have made a better epilogue.. This book will appeal to readers who like books about families and small towns, and do not keep you up at night.

I do not bake or cook, so I wouldn't know much about the slow cooking techniques, but I have watched a lot of cookery shows. Based on that, I can say that this book is a slow simmer where all the ingredients (characters) in the pot are cooked (built-up) slowly over time, so that the flavor of each ingredient (characteristics, nature) is felt both separately and in toto.

Each character has her own individual personality and also they gel together as a group, even if they don't seem to know each other that well. Such is the aroma of the book by Jessica Strawser. The suspense and mystery is felt like the elusive spice, whose flavor lifts up the book and that you feel you should guess but are unable to.

The book was a slow start for me, I generally like those fast thrillers, but as I stuck on, read further, I realized there is something captivating about the whole neighborhood. 6 ladies from the same neighborhood, with houses across the street and after a backyard party, one disappears with the kids. The story rolls into play then. The why, the how, the when, the guilt, the worry, the sadness all mix together to form a nice gumbo. (not really sure if gumbo works, never cooked it. But I liked the sound of it)

Jessica Strawser has this different style of writing where till the very end, I was left wondering about the mystery. Though the author left clues as separate chapters in italics, written by an unknown character (I assumed it was the missing woman), I couldn't really guess the ending. And I didn't want to, also. I just wanted to savor the aroma and the flavor and reach the end.

The only niggle, I could think of, is I wanted the book to read faster. But that is all me and my choices, the book works beautifully as it is too.

A gentle neighborhood mystery with a missing woman and its aftereffects, where each character is developed slowly over time, where their stories are revealed as the book progresses, with an atmosphere of mystery and gentle suspense running in the background is what this book promises.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher St. Martin's Press, and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

4.25 STARS

A neighborhood is rocked with worry and concern, when one of their own disappears under mysterious circumstances. With a suspicious eye falling over the woman’s estranged husband, there are some that are quick to take up his side, while others look upon him with distrust. But it’s the constant media circus that invades their lives, that proves to be a challenging feat to endure.

From all outward appearances, Kristin lived an idyllic life in the small Ohio town of Yellow Springs. A doctor’s wife with adorable twins, she projected an air of happiness and perfection. With a bright smile firmly in place, she was always quick to lend a helping hand. But when Kristin and her twins vanished with nary a trace, it became evident to all concerned, that no one really knew Kristin all that well. What did she hide behind her carefully constructed walls? And why did she choose to keep those that she called “friends” firmly planted on the other side?

Socializing over drinks around a backyard fire pit, it was a group of neighborhood women who last saw Kristin—mere hours before she up and disappeared. But too much alcohol resulted in fuzzy memories, which did little to help the police in their search for Kristin and the twins. And so, with no leads as to their whereabouts, the story shifts its focus onto Clara an Izzy, two of Kristin’s neighborhood friends.

Clara is a frazzled mother of two, with a traumatic past that resurfaces during the ensuing investigation. And then there’s Izzy—a woman in love with her sister’s husband, who in her struggle to move forward, finds solace in the company of Paul, Kristin’s “soon-to-be-ex.”

Right from the start, this story piqued my interest, drawing me in. And while my desire to learn the truth never dimmed, I found that the story grew a bit sluggish the further I delved in. Still, the overall plot was captivating, and I found the characters to be unique and interesting. So, despite its slow moving pace, I was happy to discover that “Not That I Could Tell” is an intriguing mystery just waiting to be unraveled.

I loved this book! I couldn’t put it down! This book gave off Big Little Lies vibes but I thought it was much better. I really enjoyed the changing POVs. While less suspenseful and mysterious than you would think, I really loved this book because of the richness of the characters and their back stories.

Wow! Jessica Strawser has written a twisty, fast paced thriller. I was drawn in from the first page and was completely surprised as each new situation presented itself. I loved the women in the neighborhood who made up the ensemble cast of characters. They all added to significantly to the story.
I love that the book's ending caught me by off guard. I really enjoyed Not That I Could Tell and look forward to reading more of Jessica Strawser's books in the future.