This book was an easy read and moved along nicely. The set up was interesting. The morning after a group of neighbors in a small Ohio town drink a little too much around the fire pit, Kristin and her twin pre schoolers vanish without a trace. The rest of the book jumps between a few of the women in the neighborhood who are trying to figure out what happened to their friend.

I enjoyed the story, but I did find the ending a bit anti-climactic. This felt very similar to Sally Hepworth's The Family Next Door or Liane Moriarty's Truly Madly Guilty. If you enjoyed those books, this is the perfect read alike,

I loved this book! It keeps you guessing what will happen next. I love the setting of a small town in Ohio, a quiet neighborhood with families and friends. What started out as a girl's night out by a backyard fire pit ended with one of the girls and her kids missing the next day. The story plot goes through the characters and their stories of what happened the night before. The ending had quite the surprise that I was not expecting! I would highly recommend this book!

This was my first time reading a novel by Jessica Strawser and I jumped in with both feet at the promise of an exciting mystery/thriller. While I enjoyed this book, I was very underwhelmed by the "thriller" aspect and I would have been far less disappointed if this book was correctly categorized as realistic fiction. This plot focuses almost solely on the relationships between the characters. One of the more interesting things about this book is the more I read the more I really felt that I knew these women and how they think. I kept turning the page waiting for the book to get exciting, at the end when the mystery was solved I was left with a feeling of wanting more. To put it simply, good not great.

The neighborhood women get together for a girls night. They all drink too much and enjoy a no kids evening. After the evening is over, one of the mothers disappears along with her children. Was she kidnapped, did she run, what exactly happened?

This is a very unique plot. The reader is kept guessing most of the way through it. Kristin could be in an abusive relationship. Maybe this is why she left. Maybe she was kidnapped. Maybe she just picked up and took her kids and said enough. All the women are questioned by the police. And none of them have a clue.

I was captivated by Kristin’s plight. However, this has a lot of domesticity in it, fixing of lunches, household chores, etc… I skimmed several places. Really didn’t have much to do with the story. It also did not take away from it either. Just was not something I was very interested in. But, the mystery behind Kristin’s disappearance kept me glued into this tale.

This novel has great characters which really add to story and I applaud the author for a creating a distinctive and uncommon plot!

I received this novel from Netgalley and the publisher for a honest review.

3.5 stars for Not That I Could Tell. While it was an interesting story, I was bothered by a few things, most of all I felt let down by the explanation when it was finally unveiled.

This book had a lot of good characters. Some were quirky, some (like Paul) were a little smarmy for my taste and some were the type I'd befriend. I especially liked the main detective. :-)

Not having read this author's first novel I had no expectations going in and did find myself reading faster, wanting to find out what happened, but the ending didn't seem to fit, in my opinion.

If you like women's fiction and a good cast of characters, this is for you. Thanks to the publishers, author and Netgalley for the early read.

Here's a book that under a lot of circumstances, I might never have read. I've seen it categorized as "women's fiction" and although the lead characters are women, that categorization is much too narrow. It's very suspenseful and presents an interesting twist on f a few well used plot techniques. The characters are all unique, and I think the author did a great job keeping them from falling into stereotypes. In the small group of friends, there's the same-sex couple, the single woman, the happily married stay-at-home mom with a dark secret, and the woman who is the center of the plot, but not the story... (trying to write without spoilers). Any one or all of these characters could have been written in a very stereotypical model, but they weren't. That, along with the plot, kept me reading. I will say, half way through I was sure I had figured out the twist, and I was wrong... I'm glad I read it and I'll look for more from the author, this is the first of hers I've read.

This is a character driven book about a group of women that live in a neighborhood. Once day one of the women disappears with her twins and the secrets start to come out.

I didn't feel a connection to any of the characters or the plot for that matter. I really thought that I would enjoy this book greatly but it all fell flat for me and the ending didn't help.

I would recommend this book is you want a book that is mostly women's contemporary fiction with a side of mystery.

I haven’t read Jessica Strawser’s debut novel but after reading this I will be reading it soon. This book kept me engaged throughout. I liked the writing and flow of the book. The story starts the morning after the women in the neighbourhood have had a late night bonfire and wine evening. After most of them imbibe a bit too much the events of the prior evening are a little foggy. It is soon realized that their neighbour, Kristin, and her preschool twin children are missing. All had seemed fine with Kristin that evening so the question becomes -did Kristin leave voluntarily or was she forced? Clara and Izzy are the two most central figures in the book. I loved both characters. Clara is a busy stay at home wife and mother of small children and Izzy is single and has recently moved to the neighbourhood. I found Clara very relatable and Izzy’s story heart breaking. Paul, Kristin’s estranged husband, adds more to the intrigue by moving back into their family home after their disappearance. Is he complicit in Kristin’s disappearance or a concerned husband? Some of the twists at the end of the book I saw coming but some I did not. I really enjoyed this book!

3.5

Several neighbor women connect one night to sit outside and drink some wine. The next day, one of them disappears with her two children. This happens right up front and the rest of the novel is based on understanding how each of the women left behinds tries to interpret the disappearance through her own beliefs and past experiences.

After reading the overview, I thought I had a pretty good idea on how this story was going to go down. Initially, when it wasn't going my way. I was a bit put off. But in the long run, I liked the author's version much better. We get to spend time with each of the women individually and collectively as they process their own thoughts and interact with each other. I thought the story came to a very interesting conclusion. All in all, I found this to be an enjoyable read.

From St. Martin's press via Netgally.

This was too much of a slow start for me. I finally gave up 21% of the way through. When it takes me two weeks to get into a book, and I still can’t get into the story it’s time to cut my losses. Don’t let my review dissuade you from trying it out. Most people really liked it. It just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Predictable plot twists and one highly implausible twist took away from what could have been a really great read.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest review!

I always love the domestic dramas/thrillers that take place in the seemingly perfect and idyllic neighborhoods. As someone that grew up in a suburb that had a reputation for white picket fences and beautiful homes, I can't wait to see how the authors approach this genre and setting. NOT THAT I COULD TELL by Jessica Stawser starts with an innocent girls' night for the neighborhood moms and ends with a police investigation.

On a Saturday night, some of the moms in the neighborhood gather around a fire pit to enjoy a girls' night. With wine and baby monitors with them, they get to enjoy a kid-free night. They begin drinking and enjoying each others' company, but as the drinking increases they begin to dive into personal conversations and secrets.

The next morning they're all feeling the hangovers and not remembering what happened the night before. They soon discover that Kristin and her twins are missing. Despite her impending divorce, she gave no hint that she was planning on leaving the small Ohio town. The investigation quickly goes from media frenzy to a cold case and the rest of the neighborhood begins to question how much they truly know about each other.

As I previously said, these types of domestic dramas and thrillers are a genre that I really enjoy. You never know what's happening behind the closed doors of your neighbors and they never truly know what happens in your home. Was it the husband? Where did Kristin go? The other women all have their own crises happening simultaneously which makes for a lot of drama.

If you're a fan of domestic dramas, then I would highly recommend picking this one up! The examination of the relationships and manipulation that can plague some friendships was so well developed and I will say that the ending was incredibly satisfying!

I give this one a solid 4/5 stars!

One saturday night, a group of neighborhood women get together sitting around a backyard fire pit. With lots of wine and laughter, it's a rare treat to be kid-free. On monday, one of the woman along with her 2 young children have disappeared.

Not That I Could Tell is a slow burner suspense. What happened to Kristin and the twins? Did her estranged husband do something to her and his kids? The story kept me intrigued but I was a little disappointed with the ending. There was build up but no big surprise ending. Kind of a let down for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of Jessica Strawser's "Not That I Could Tell" in exchange of an honest review.

I received a free copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I truly enjoyed this book a lot. I expected a neighborhood mystery and I got so much more ... at times I was wondering if I am back at Wisteria Lane (gosh I miss that show) .. because it had all the drama, all the relationships, and all variations of different characters that I loved.

The different types of characters that experience this drama and all deal with it in a very different way are all in their own way relateable and very realistic.
What I truly loved about this book is that the author does not force an opinion down my throat or gives me one "good person" to relate to the most. I love when I feel conflicted because two people get into an argument about something and I can relate to both. This book totally took me there.
I also really enjoyed how the topic of potential abuse was weaved into the story line and looked at from different angles.

Overall, I could barely put this book down, it is very well written and an easy, quick read. And even though suspicions about the ending seem to be very predictable, it wasn't at all on a level that would have bothered me and a few details still surprised me.

3.5 stars. Izzy is an absolute idiot but I do have sympathy for her. I liked the rest of the female characters very much. Nice ending.

A young mother and her twin children living in a small neighborly suburb suddenly disappear. Kristin’s soon to be ex-husband Paul is the obvious suspect but things aren’t necessarily as they appear and there are 300 more pages to read. Each of Kristin’s neighbor friends has a story of their own to tell and their thoughts, secrets and truths unfold as the investigation into Kristin’s disappearance builds and changes. What appeared to be a cut-and-dried case is not so clear after-all and my theory kept changing. What a clever page-turner with some great character dynamics and a few twisties that sucked me in and kept me guessing through to the end.

2.5 Stars

This wasn’t nearly as dark as I wanted it to be but there was enough intrigue to keep me going. It’s really more of a quiet novel, looking at the lives of a few neighbors, one of whom is now missing with her children.

There was a bit too much introspection for me and I found myself starting to skim many of the inner dialogue parts. I felt that it began and ended well, but the middle really lagged.

Izzy really started to irritate me as she seemed to make decisions fully lacking common sense, but I thought most of the other characters were well done. I wish we could have seen more of Rhoda and Rikki, but I think the POVs Strawers chose worked well for the story she was telling.

3.75 stars, rounded up to 4. Reviewing honesty in exchange for an advance copy of the book thanks to Netgalley.

The first book I've read by Jessica Strawser, Not That I Could Tell has all the elements of a book I am typically drawn to. It opens with a suburban neighborhood barbeque where the moms all have a little bit too much wine and can't quite recall what they may have overshared. And then one of the moms goes missing.

The book has great character development - Primarily five neighbor women and their partners/spouses and children. Although it is mostly the story of Claire and Izzy-the only single woman on the block. The missing neighbor's soon-to-be ex features as a shady but possibly misunderstood foil and potential love interest Izzy.

Did Kristin leave? Was there foul play? Is Claire just imagining things because of her history?

A solid story-would recommend!

This is a very well written, character driven story. I felt very comfortable with the neighborhood ladies and their families. The game of hide and seek is spot on! I didn't feel that this was really a thriller, but it is a fast and enjoyable read.

Ms. Strawser does a terrific job of pulling you into this neighborhood and the lives of the families. And while there doesn't seem to be a lot of twists to this tale, you do get some surprises. I would most certainly read more by this author.

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

This didn’t work for me. I liked the characters okay, but it was a little predictable, and I thought the ending was cheesy.