I received an ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I’m not surprised in the least that I loved this book. This was not my first by this author, and it will definitely not be my last!

This was a well paced book, that had some surprising turns in the end. It kept me wanting more, and constantly looking for more time in my day to read it. I would suggest!

I liked this book, but I didn't love it quite as much as Jessica Strawser's first book, "I Almost Missed You." I think she is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading whatever she writes. I appreciated that this book reminded me a bit of the writing of Liane Moriarty, who is one of my favorite authors, in the well-drawn relationships among a group of women, However, I found I did not remain fully engaged. This might be my fault--perhaps I was just distracted or scattered and if I had read it in large chunks it would have all worked better for me, but on the other hand if a book really grabs me, I'll make sure I can read without interruption. I did think the ending was terrific, though. There's enough there that I'd be willing to give it another read when I have a chance, and I will certainly continue to follow Ms. Strawser's career. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.

Three stars. This book was good. I think my expectations were too high. I enjoyed the book but it never fully grabbed me. I wasn’t as curious as I should have been. Didn’t love any of the characters. The end could have been better. Nothing was bad... I was never bored, never found it difficult to get through.

Not That I Could Tell is a very well written mystery. I was pulled immediately into the plot. Couldn't put this book down. I recommend this book to readers who enjoy a good mystery.

Not That I Could Tell caught my interest. I was in the mood to read a mystery. The synopsis called to me. What I wasn’t expecting was how into the book I got. And believe me, that is a good thing.

Not That I Could Tell had a very basic plotline. A popular, well-known mom who is going through a divorce disappears without a trace. Her soon to be ex-husband, a popular gynecologist, discovers them gone. Clara, their closest neighbor, is dragged into the case. Another neighbor, Izzy, befriends the ex-husband while battling her own demons. Everything comes together in an explosive ending that has a massive twist at the ending.

I enjoyed that the author kept Kristin’s disappearance under wraps. The reader finds out what happens to her in a letter or statement at the beginning of every other chapter or so. So many scenarios went through my head while reading, it wasn’t even funny. So I wasn’t expecting what was revealed at the very end of the book.

I liked Clara and I kind of felt bad for her. She got sucked into the drama. Her mother’s helper decided to start a newsletter and the first thing she writes about? Kristin’s disappearance. She illegally taped a conversation between Kristin’s soon to be ex-husband and the police. She also put Clara’s name on it as a contributor. Which brought an added scrutiny to Clara’s life. It also brings up memories that Clara has tried to forget. Memories that make Clara wonder what exactly was going on at Kristin’s house.

I felt awful for Izzy. She couldn’t win in this book. Her sister marries the love of her life. Then she finds out news that sends her into a downward spiral. Then her father tells her that she needs to stop acting the way she was acting. Everything was not going her way. The only thing that even looked good for her was the friendship she had with Kristin’s ex-husband. And even that…well, read the book.

I loved the ending of Not That I Could Tell. While I saw what happened to Izzy happening, I did not see the twist coming. It blindsided me. But looking back, I could see small hints of it in the book. So, kudos to the author for doing that!!

Not That I Could Tell is a well-written drama that shocked me at the end of the book. The characters were fleshed out. The plot was fantastic. I couldn’t get over the twist at the end of the book. Talk about being blindsided.

Will I reread: Yes

Will I recommend to family and friends: Yes

Age range: Adult

Why: language, sexual situations, and mild violence

I would like to thank Jessica Strawser, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Not That I Could Tell.

All opinions expressed in this review of Not That I Could Tell are mine.

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

This book sounded right up my alley and didn't let me down all the way through. Perfect for fans of Liane Moriarty, Not That I Could Tell is the story of a missing woman, and the neighbors, friends, and husband she leaves behind. But, this is not quite a thriller. It's more an examination of the lives of these women, and the questions that circulate when a perceived perfect neighborhood starts to show cracks. I really loved all the characters in this, especially Izzy. They were all so well developed in such a relatively short amount of time, which I loved. I can see this on a lot of spring/summer reading lists in the coming year. The only minor "flaw" I had with this was that at times things happened to work out a BIT too perfectly, but that's a small thing. Definitely be on the lookout for this one in 2018 -- it hits the shelves in mid March!

In Not That I Could Tell, Jessica Strawser has written a compelling mystery, about a warm summer night around a fire pit, with too much wine ending in disaster I was captivated with the way this book evolved, with the paragraphs beginning with clues, the diffferent points of views of each character., Clara, Izzy, and Paul, their secrets, nuances, and suspicions that made me wonder. Why was Kristin missing, where is she now, is she alive or not? The secrets that are kept between friends and sisters, the unrequited loves, kept the pages turning. I loved this book! Thanks to Net Galley and The Secret Ninja's for an e-book advanced reading copy.

A well written domestic drama. it seems that domestic abuse, infidelity and the marriage plot cycle through genre fiction. The
writing quality and sentence structure far out shadow my take that some of the characters lacked plausibility. I like the book all the more over time
and found it much more stylistic than the Liane Moriarty novel sold to TV world. looking so forward to the next Jessica Stawser outing

I received an arc copy of this book in exchange for my honest review of it and I just could not get into the book at all. It was not enjoyable and it was hard to follow.

I loved this book. The setting was picture perfect. The characters had depth and I never saw the end coming.

A woman disappears and a neighborhood wonders: did she leave voluntarily or is her ex-husband to blame? A mix of mystery and neighborhood intrigue which I thoroughly enjoyed.

3.5.

I found this tagged as Women's Fiction but it's also a little bit of Mystery, somewhat of a Mystery as well. And you add Desperate Housewives as the final touch.

Izzy has recently moved to the suburban Yellow Springs and wants to start a new life to forget her forbidden crush on her former best friend now brother-in-law. Clara had a big plan and got together the neighborhood for a girl's night in her new patio, of which the guests can't remember much the day after. And Kristin is missing with her twins and money her husband would get a part of after their divorce was done.

Narrated from the three women's point of view, the story follows how the investigation affects the lives of the two who remained. We don't know if Kristin has really run away with the money and her children or if she's been kidnapped, we just know that her closest friends in Yellow Springs seemed to know very little about her and didn't even notice it until too late.

I was surprised finding myself liking Clara more than Izzy, considering I'm single and wouldn't usually relate to a mother of two plus a husband plus a dog. So I'd say the first issue I had was how hard Izzy was to like as a character. Her predicament, her unrequited love for her brother-in-law, made me pity her a lot but she never did anything the whole book but mourn her lost love. And when she finally did... it was falling for her neighbor's ex-husband? Her gone-missing neighbor.

Clara's parts were where the fun was. I loved how she really went for despite everyone. Honestly, if I had to change one thing, I wish she had a more interesting husband. She deserves the best, really. I loved her character.

The story isn't that hectic to be that much of a thriller, I think that's the reason it was classified as woman's fiction, but it's still curious. I was really worried over Kristin's fate, and you really don't know until much, much later. Even though I had almost no time to read this book, I had to advance even if a chapter more just find that out. So yes, the mystery is involving. And Kristin's parts gave us almost no clue.

Still, I wasn't too happy with the ending. It's hard to explain without giving things away so I'll have to stop there. But I add that it doesn't mean I hated it. It wasn't even that surprising for me to hate it. In fact, I liked the idea. Perhaps, the execution could have been different to reach there in a more satisfying manner. For sure, it made me want to read everything again, as it shed a new light on the story.

I wasn't expecting much from this book, so it was a good surprise. It had a little of Liane Moriarty, some of Paula Hawkins but it could have and a group of curious characters thrown into an uneasy situation they have no idea how serious it is. It's a good read that will probably make you turn pages to find out what happened. I think that's always a good quality in a book.

Friends and neighbors speculating about possible domestic abuse has become a popular trope in women's fiction, but Strawser injects it with new life and an interesting twist. he does a great job of keeping the reader guessing about whether the abuse is in the past or present and makes every character believable and relatable. Further, each character has their own secrets and story that colors their perception of the neighborhood mystery. I thoroughly enjoyed NOT THAT I COULD TELL

Jessica Strawser brings us an intriguing tale about loveable people that feel like good friends. This is a fast read, an interesting puzzle, and a sound ending. Involving family violence, there are authentic assists offered both as advice and an afterword. We all know someone who needs help, either literally or figuratively. This novel is a good wake-up-call and how-to-guide, masquerading as an excellent novel.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Jessica Strawser, and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

This book was great until I realized there weren’t any twists. I mean none. And isn’t that the point of a suspense/thriller book? It was like watching a magician put a rabbit in a hat and then pull it back out after saying a few abracadabras. What’s the fun in that. I would like to say that it was hard to figure out what happened in the beginning but then there’s this big twist and then you realize that what you thought was not what really happened. But no. This book is predictable from the beginning. Don’t like that character? Well, you have every right to because things are exactly what they seem in this book. The characters were well developed with each having their own good points and annoying ones as well. This book was more like general fiction with a little bit of mystery thrown in. Nothing to write home about but still, an okay story.

Thank you to Netgalley, Jessica Strawser, and St. Martin’s Press for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Not That I Could Tell is an intriguing, suspenseful book about what happens in a neighborhood where one of the moms and her young twins go missing. It ponders the question, how closely involved should we be in our neighbors’ lives, should we mind our own business? The characters in this book are fascinating, and their interactions with each other are very honest. Each of the characters is struggling personally besides dealing with what has happened to their neighbor. I love books that give us insight into what happens behind closed doors!

A very enjoyable mystery that delves deep into human emotions. Not That I Could Tell reminded me of an episode of Desperate Housewives and the feeling you're left with at the end of each episode: that friendship conquers, fixes, and appeases all.

Absolutely read this book! It took me way too long to finish it, for no other reason than I have ben super busy. But this was a book I could not put down!
I have said before, when reviewing, I don't like to delve into the characters. Mainly because, I feel like even a tiny detail could give away an entire book. So here is what I will say...

I anticipated (from how the beginning started) that there would be a larger cast of characters. While there was a cast, it eventually narrowed down to a few. From how the book began, I did not in any realm, expect the ending. With that said, I am a person who tries to not overthink any book. I don't enjoy figuring it out before it ends, so I refrain from thinking. Also, I am a lover of "chick lit", which I kind of thought this was, but well....it is, and it isn't. There is an added sense of mystery. Again, I did not expect this. But I try to not over indulge in the "details" of the publisher's review.

Hands down. This is 1 out of maybe 20 books I have read this year, that I would absolutely suggest reading. Also, if this does NOT make it onto someone's book club, must read, have to have list...I will be disappointed.

Do yourself a favor and read it. I truly loved this book from beginning to end.

Well written mystery wrapped into a tight knit community. This was a great read. It had all the proper elements to make up a great psychological thriller. The ending caught me by surprise as well and I'm usually one that can guess the twist. Highly recommend.

I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought's Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own."

This was a wonderful story filled with so many different emotions from a big group of friends! While reading it many times I pictured the tv show desperate housewives in my mind. I loved the setting of a neighborhood group of friends. The story of where and what happened to Kristin had me turning the pages up thru the night. When I wasn’t reading I was thinking of who could I trust in this group! It’s definitely a must read!