Liv: Paraded through the kiddie pageant circuit by their domineering mother, Liv is known to be spoiled and full of rage. Once followed everywhere by cameras as part of a reality television show, now Liv's star seems to be dimming. The book begins as the family heads to court. Liv is suing her parents for emancipation and her earnings from beauty contestant days. Estranged from the family, she has been living outside of the home for months.

Jory: Older brother, Jory, has been pushed into the background of the 'Princess Liv' show his whole life. Jory suffers from Moebius Syndrome which displays itself outwardly through partial facial paralysis. This makes speech difficult for him and he struggles to be understood. His parents have constantly avoided him and he even feels like his father hates him. Constantly in the shadow of his sister, Jory has come to resent her and everything her vapid life stands for.

You quickly come to understand that Liv and Jory have really been traumatized by their less than conventional upbringing. Their mother is manipulative and superficial and their father is an emotionally abusive and unavailable drunk.

Over the course of this narrative there is not one fleeting moment of humanity to be found in either parent. Is it any wonder the kids are full of resentment and rage? But what happens when the parents disappear?

Forced to work together to try to figure out where their parents have gone, Jory and Liv undertake a late night road trip into the desert because, honestly, what could go wrong?

I will admit, the first couple of chapters, building up to the road trip, I did not think I was going to like this. The story is told in alternating perspectives between Jory and Liv. They both seemed so negative and angry, I didn't like them at all but once the road trip started, I couldn't put it down. Literally, could not stop thinking about it.

Reading like an episode of The Twilight Zone this book played on my anxieties. A dark road, late at night, nothing around, getting lost, not having enough water, etc. It built some serious tension. There were definitely scenes that chilled me to the bone.

I do feel that this book will not necessarily be for everyone. There isn't a lot of action. We have two characters in a car for most of the book, hashing out their differences and then we have both of them recollecting their childhood. As I got farther and farther in, I really began to connect to the characters. I understood more of where they were coming from and why it drove them to hold such resentments against one another.

I felt real growth with both characters and towards the end I was rooting for them. I had theories on where this was going, it's an odd little story, but it didn't end the way I thought it was going to. It played nicely with temporality in a way I found unique.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I would recommend it for people who don't need to instantly fall in love with every character and who like their stories a bit on the eerie side.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Henry Hold and Co., for providing me with a copy of this book to read and review. I always appreciate an opportunity to read a book early. I look forward to hearing what others readers this of this one!

What is real, and what is the world we want to believe? In this page turner, Boorman asks that question, but from the view points of a talented young star and her sibling. Not only do you get a Jon Benet feel early in the book, you soon wonder who is really telling the truth, and wonder where the fault lies- bad parenting, society expectations. out of control media, or just plain ol family dysfunction. When you reach the conclusion you may have to go back and see where you missed some clues, and this book will stay with you for a long while after you finish it! I wouldn't be surprised to see movie rights snapped up pretty quickly too! So don't miss this one!

Thanks to Henry Holt & Co and Netgalley for a copy of the eARC in exchange for a fair review.


Liv and Jory are on the verge of life changing news. Liv has sued their parents for emancipation and everyone knows they are going to win. But just as Jory is heading up the stairs with their parents everything changes in the blink of an eye. They just disappear.


Soon Liv and Jory are heading to a remote cabin to figure out what their parents are up and what is going on.



One weird tripping ride later here I am. So like I am super vague now, but for two reasons one I am still wondering what I read and what really was happening in the book so that makes it hard to write a review when you are unsure of what was actually going on and two spoilers. Like you might be smarter than me so I don't want to ruin the book for you. That being said this was super compelling because I was trying really hard to figure out what was going on and what had happened. Sadly I did not figure that out so I am not sure I love this or like it a lot.


So it may be that the author ended things a certain way so that we the readers could read into however we like, I will just be upfront and say that I am not a reader that enjoys making up my own ending. I want to know, like I really want to know what happened. So for me this was amazing writing and I have a few things to google because I admit that I don't know what Moeibus is and I now need to know this. The characters were okay and the plot was compelling. It could be a thriller, but it is not what I consider a thriller.

What We Buried is such a spooky and fun YA mystery!!!

Let me tell you... YA has really started to become one of my favorite genres! AND WOW absolute cover adoration for this one!!

This story is told from the perspectives of siblings Liv and Jory Brewer who we follow as they try to find their missing parents.

The pair together on this journey become truly fascinating finding out what enfolds their past. The story becomes addictive and wondering what truly happened to their parents.

Although, either character in my opinion was not likable at all! But this truly worked for this certain book.

I'm still not quite sure what the ending meant and I think the author leaves it up to the readers imagination to form answers. Overall, it was quite the ride!

3.5 buried stars!


I received a review copy from the publisher via netgalley. Thank you!!

Published to GR: 1/13/19
Publication date: 2/26/19

I read this book quickly because the premise grabbed me and sucked me in. Joey and Liv had an interesting dynamic. I found them to complicated and it was a very creative road trip that they took. I'm feeling confused and maybe need to re-read this story but over all, it was a good thriller that my studies will enjoy. Thank you netgally for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman is a young adult mystery that made me want to have some Twilight Zone music playing in the background while reading. Told from the siblings, Liv and Jory Brewer, dual point of view we follow them as they try to find their missing parents.

Liv and Jory couldn’t be more different from one another if they tried. Liv is the beautiful child, raised to compete in competitions and be in the spotlight always pushed to be and do more. Jory is a bit of a recluse, the total opposite of Liv. For quite a while getting Jory to even speak was an accomplishment as he wants to hide in the shadows suffering from a partial facial paralysis.

Liv had finally had enough of the spotlight and found others out there that shared in her experience who encouraged her to take her own parents to court. Jory thought Liv’s antics and courtroom drama was simply another way for her to be in the spotlight. However, on the morning the whole family was to appear in court Live and Jory’s parents disappeared from the courthouse.

To be honest I didn’t find either of the main characters, Liv or Jory, that appealing or likable however, that seemed to work for this book. The pair together began to become extremely fascinating as the story kept building and we began to look at their past and what formed them. As events unfold the story just becomes even more creepily compelling and addictive waiting for answers.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

I really didn't know what to expect going into this book. I loved it. It features a collection of poems about love. They are beautifully written and come from someone who's obviously felt and experienced it. Well done.

Please note: I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley. Psychological thriller centering siblings Livania and Jory. Livania has been stared at most of her life working the beauty pageant circuit. Jory has been stared at due to Moebius Syndrome characterized by facial paralysis and the inability to move the eyes from side to side. As they begin an overnight road trip to find their missing parents, time moves them through back-country areas sparking memories long ago suppressed. Enjoyable read with suspenseful twists and turns that kept me wanting more.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of What We Buried. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Very cool book! This one kept me guessing until nearly the last page! Liv and Jory are very well fleshed-out characters--I feel that I knew them as real people. (I refuse to provide spoilers, but I will say that I seriously loved hating one of the characters until some of the inner commentaries and dialogue between characters lessened my prejudice!) Twisted and extremely original, I found this book intriguing on several levels. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, more smoke and mirrors would redirect my thinking. Repeatedly. I would have to say this novel is a psychological mystery of the most unusual (and satisfying) kind. After finishing this book, I still had to contemplate it for a while... I will definitely read this author again!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kate A. Boorman for the ARC.

AN enjoyable and twisty read that kept entertained and glued to the pages to the very end. The characters are complex and certainly make the book that much more interesting. I look forward to reading many more books by the author in the future based solely on this one.

I was on the fence with this one from start to finish. Even after, I’m still not really sure what to think.

The plot line was there: parents are missing and we are going to find them. Get lost on the way and get to know one another again. Add in some mystery and a little unexplained and we have ourselves a gripping novel. I felt that this is what I held on to. I wanted to know what was going on and what would happen when (or if) they ever made it to the cabin. There were times when certain shifts in the novel were confusing, yet that kind of went with the unexplained circumstances surrounding them.

The characters did not really hold me in. Both Liv and Jory changed throughout the novel, yet I don’t think either of them really grew. They were both unique characters with unusual backgrounds (Beauty queen/tv star and Jory’s paralysis), but I did not connect with them. With these two being the only characters for most of the book, they needed more to them that readers can relate with and root for.

I hate to say that the writing was to blame, but I think so writing choices are what turned me off to this novel. Boorman had some great ideas, yet they got lost in the wording sometimes. The repetition of memories/flashbacks became tiresome as they took away from the forward motion of the book. They we also often the same memory (exactly the same) that the reader had to reread and reread without getting much out of it. The unexplained sightings—climber, cat, Frank –were never fully explained. Was there an endless loop? Is it all a memory? Were they retracing steps they forgot? The ending was the biggest let down of these questions because it never did have an ending. I was left with more questions than answers. Aside from the ones before, Who was actually in the room? How did they get in there? Who started the fire? What is the timeline to the story we’ve been following? Aaaahhh! So frustrating.

I would have loved to have loved this novel as it does have great moments and some spooky elements that make it stand out from everything else that is out there. I simply needed more of a conclusion to wrap it up and some more action to help me get there.

I love books/movies that make you think hard. Inception is one of my favorite movies, simply because it makes you think. What We Buried does this, but not in such a satisfying way as the Leo DiCaprio movie.

I started with not liking Liv very much. She seemed pretty materialistic and I'm not usually sympathetic to teens who feel like they are the center of the world. Reading her story and how her childhood changed my perspective on her. I came out of the story feeling sorry for her, though I'm not sure as sorry as the author was aiming for. I'll come back to that in a minute.

I liked Jory a lot. He was the perfect mix of sarcastic and asshole. Especially for someone who is disabled. I really like reading characters who's disabilities seem realistic. Not so much the disability itself, but how the character handles said disabilities. As someone who has been disabled their whole life, a lot of times disabled characters seem too much like inspiration porn (especially those who are written by able-bodied people). I appreciate it when they're written realistically.

I extremely enjoyed being able to see their joined memories of their childhood from each of the siblings perspectives. It helped me understand just how much their parents messed them each up.

The story doesn't have a ton of plot. It's definitely a character driven story, which isn't always a bad thing. I think it worked okay for this.

As you can tell, I enjoyed this book. I enjoyed the feeling of "wtf?!" I kept experiencing throughout the story. What I didn't like was the ending. I'm still not entirely sure what happened and with stories like this that confusion really takes my enjoyment of the novel as a whole down a notch.

If what I think happened actually happened (excuse me while I'm vague to avoid spoilers) then I would take at least another star off my overall rating. It would also lower my opinion on Liv and Jory a lot and make me not feel so bad for them in the end. But since I feel really confused still I feel like it's not entirely fair for me to base my rating off what I think may have happened.

So, yeah, I have no clue what I thought about the novel as a whole. It was both good and bad.

#WhatWeBuried #NetGalley
I have to give the author a lot of credit on this book. It was not what I expected to read. What We Buried is a well thought out thriller that is dark and thought provoking. The sisters are well developed characters that you cannot wait to see what will happen next to them. A definite must read for 2019.

Book Review: What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman
To be published February 26,019
Read courtesy of Netgalley.com

Riveting. RIVETING!

From the double-meaning title to the adept use of flashbacks entwined with the glimpses of memory, What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman epitomizes a psychological thriller. I'm so glad I read this and cannot wait to get this book for my high school library.

I read this in one sitting, from 9am to 2pm on a Sunday, and it was time well spent. Most of us would admit that we hold a secret prejudice against kids who sue their parents; OK, I'll admit that I didn't have sympathy for children suing their parents (it's Kramer vs Kramer-esque and shades of my-parents-owe-me-a-college-education lawsuits that have shaped my thinking); however, I really appreciated how Boorman validated a child's experiences and perceptions. The author did an amazing job of having Liv and Jory explain how the siblings had their relationship marred by how each of them had been treated by their parents, and she did so without being preachy or obvious or by making the characters seem blaming and whiny.

Moreover, the author flawlessly made this skeptical reader accept the validity of how untrivial Liv's lawsuit against her parents is. In Liv, Boorman created a character who grows up right before our eyes ... albeit flawed ... but, hey, that's what makes a character so interesting!

What We Buried deftly fits together convoluted puzzle pieces of memory and plot, making this a psychological thriller I wanted to figure out. I kept flipping back and forth as to whom I believed was in the cabin, and even after finishing the book and reading the book flap teaser, I still can make a case for multiple perceptions of the ending. It would be fun to make a book discussion out of the possible endings with my teen readers.

As I read, I had shades of Lovely Bones and Thelma & Louise float into my consciousness at different times, but What We Buried is its own unique story. Highly recommended! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

https://bibwithblog.blogspot.com/2018/10/a-twist-you-cant-miss-review-of-kate.html

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC I was given in exchange for my honest review! This book was a real pleasure to read.

What We Buried by Kate A. Boorman started off promising: the premise was that the parents of a surly young man and vapid young beauty pageant contestant vanish right before the judgement comes in on the case Liv (beauty queen) filed against them. What follows is the harrowing journey the two siblings must share to find their parents and the discovery of something far more valuable.

I'm going yo do this a little backwards and start with the ending (no spoilers, don't worry). I promise neither of the two things I am about to say are humble brags, they're just true: I read a lot and endings almost never surprise me anymore. Seriously, I don't even remember the last time I didn't see an ending coming . . . until 11pm last night when I finished this book. The ending was a total surprise to me because, even though I had the thought a few times that I knew where it was going, Boorman totally lured we away with faux breadcrumbs so that I was on a different trail. I just don't want to undersell how much I appreciated that: there was surprise at the end of a novel! That being said, I do have a gripe about the ending: the pacing is not great. Throughout the book I felt the pacing was expertly handled: the story never lagged, but it never felt rushed. Then we have the ending and yeah, it needed to slow down. At certain points, I was really confused and listen--I'm a careful reader. I don't race through and skim. I had to reread the last ten pages immediately after I finished because I wasn't sure what was actually happening.

I want to talk a little about Jory and Liv now. They are siblings that both harbor some resentment, although Jory's is more for Liv and their dad while Liv's resentment is more aimed at their mother. It's a smart book in terms of the way the resentment is addressed: the reasons why each feels hurt are complex enough that you never completely despise either sibling, but you do occasionally want to shake both of them. The parents, though, are horribly superficial people who undermine both children's sense of worth: because Jory has Moebius Syndrome, he is treated like he has little valuable while Liv is treated like her only worth is totally conditional upon her ability to win. "Beauty is her talent," as she is told by her awful, awful mother.

Speaking of the awful, awful mother, I didn't feel that the parents were as developed as they could be. I'm not saying I need a sobbing backstory that justifies their cruelty, but something deeper than what we are shown would have been nice. Right now, both parents are pretty much caricatures: pageant mom caricature and alcoholic dad caricature. They could really just be cardboard cutouts of people and some sense that they were ever, even for a day, happy would have gone really far in making the story a bit more complicated. Still, the real story is Jory and Liv, Liv and Jory, and they are handled well.

This book really flew by. Last night as I was finishing it, there were several times when I thought I should probably put it down and read more today, but I just couldn't I had to finish. And look, I have three kids, so I value sleep: that tells you what you need to know. This isn't a perfect book, but I would definitely call it a must read.