*3.5 stars rounded up.

Inspired by the disappearance of young boys in a small Minnesotan town in the 1980s, this thriller is decidedly dark and creepy. The story's protagonist is 12-year-old Cassandra McDowell. Having the story told from her perspective often leaves the reader frustrated because the girl can't quite decipher what is happening in the mysterious world of adults.

Cass is the youngest of two daughters in a very dysfunctional family. She and her sister have always been told that what goes on at home must remain secret. Tell no one. Although it seems most of the community knows what goes on at the McDowell's summer parties.

Our first clue that's there's something really bad here is that Cass spends every night hiding in her closet or under her bed.

But she is a bright girl and determined to figure out who is molesting young boys in town. Is it the gay music teacher, the creepy neighbor, the sheriff? Or could it be her own dad? Why won't he let them go into the basement?

The tension builds and builds to a dramatic conclusion that I quite appreciated. While I'd classify this as a 'coming of age' story, it is definitely for adults, not ya, due to its subject matter.

I received an arc of this thriller from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinions. Many thanks.

This is a true story that happened in the author's home town . A heart pounding, dark and disturbing story that you won't soon forget ! I highly recommend !! Thanks to Netgalley and Thomas &Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book ! The opinions are entirely my own ! #Netgalley #Thomas&Mercer #UnspeakableThings

Unspeakable Things refers to many different scenes in this book. As the story unwinds, the 12yr old girl at the center of the story gives us an in-depth picture of her life in a small Minnesota town. life as they know it quickly moves into nightmare territory as the young men of the town are emotionally changed after they disappear for a short period. The terror and violence that explodes in the town seems to have no cause and no end in sight. How our 12yr old solves the "unspeakable things" is a terrifying story based on a real life abduction. Jess Lourey has spun a very twisted thriller that kept me reading long after I should have stopped for the night.

I want to start off by saying thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book, it was a very good read easy to follow along with storyline and characters. This was a new author for me but I very much enjoyed it, thank you for the opportunity and I look forward to reading more by this author again. I highly recommend this book to everybody.

Full disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for possibly writing a review.

While it is true that I got it from NetGalley, I also chose it from Amazon First Reads. I guess I was really meant to read this book. What drew me to it was that it takes place in Minnesota in the 80s, a time and place I can relate to. Plus, the premise sounded very similar to the Jacob Wetterling story. If you are into true crime, you probably have heard of it.

The main character is a young girl growing up in an area where boys from her town are being attacked. At the same time, she is dealing with issues at home. This book is going to make you feel uncomfortable, much the same way she is uncomfortable. You feel like something bad can happen at any moment. And because you only know what she knows, you will jump to many of the same conclusions she does. I appreciated the inclusions of her handwritten letters to her aunt and the stories she devises to keep away bad things. It makes it feel almost like you are reading a diary.

Because of the disturbing subject matter, this book isn't going to be for everyone. If you like some serious suspense, give this book a go. It will keep you on the edge of your seat.

This is quite good, but there are so many reviews already out there, I'll just recommend it for mystery and thriller fans.

Thank you very much for the review copy!!

Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey is "inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems."

Books that are based on a true story while also delving into child abuse and rape are exceptionally hard to read. Crafting a review isn't much easier. I imagine stories like this are profoundly difficult to write, and I try to keep that in mind when I read the story and consider things like loose plot lines or lacking character development. With this book, the ending is quite vague, leaving far more to the imagination than most readers like. However, there is an epilogue, which was omitted from the published version of this book, available on the author's website here: jessicalourey.com/survey-two. It provides some closure.

Unspeakable Things is absolutely one of those books where you can predict the majority of the plot based on the book's synopsis alone. This is a disturbing story, albeit well written, that will illicit strong opinions and ruthless debates, so I assume the clear, concise synopsis was intentional by the publisher and/or author.

If you enjoy intense, slow-burning, emotionally devastating, and at times hard to read suspense novels, this is definitely the book for you.

I was so excited to do a deep dive into this book! I am from Minnesota and was at the age of Cassie when Jacob Wetterling went missing. I knew the places, the names, and the events that the author was talking about.
The bad news...the authors build up was so boring, I would have rather have watched paint dry.
It took me 4 tries to read this book.
The parental sex parties, the almost molestation (did it?), and the final scene of the finding out who the "chester" was....were all disappointments.
Too much build up that went no where.
Very disappointing considering everything that the main character was going through.

5* Disturbing Stars

When I saw the cover of Unspeakable Things, I knew I had to read the story beneath it. It did not disappoint, and I was hooked from the first page until the last page was read.

This was an emotionally dark and disturbing read, based on true events that took place in the author’s hometown in the 1980’s.

As the title suggests unspeakable things are taking place in this small community. Bad things are happening to young boys, they are being molested and returned angry and haunted by what has happened to them. The story is told from 12-year-old Cassie’s point of view and bad things are happening in her dysfunction home too.

This was a very well written story which will have you sitting on the edge of your seat to see what happens next and whom to trust! The ending was somewhat of a surprise as the author wants to leave it up to you to decide how it ends. If you are wanting to know what happens there is a short epilogue on her website which gives closure to the story. The Epilogue can be found here, but only read it when you have completed the book as it has spoilers http://jessicalourey.com/survey-two

Many thanks to the Author and NetGalley for my copy to read and review.

WOW. I couldn’t put this down. It’s both heartbreaking and it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It’s hard to remember this is a nonfiction story. It broke my heart, but I loved it.

This book is a mystery set in the 1980s, about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet or as safe as it seems. This book was inspired by true events that occurred in MN. Highly recommend this one- but drop your fast-paced thriller expectations, this plays out as more of an unsettling and disturbing mystery/suspense. I love that this was told from a 12 year olds perspective. I think it truly captured the innocence of the character and the happenings in what she thought was a safe and secure community. Can't wait to read more mystery and suspense from Jess Lourey!
@jesslourey @amazonpublishing @amazonbooks

I liked this book!! I thought it was well-written, I'm a sucker for inspired by and/or true stories. While I didn't like the ending, that's just the way it is and you don't always get the ending you want! This is well worth the time of reading it. I think it's one of those types of books that you will either love or hate! I'm on the love side!

Wow. Unspeakable Things was definitely a book worth reading! The fact that that it was personal to the author gave it that much more meaning.

I received an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review...

Cassie. Wow. A strong and relatable character. This book was recently featured on a most anticipated title for 2020. I’m glad I stumbled across this book.

Book review:Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey

12 year old Cassie lives with her family in rural Minnesota. Her life isn’t easy, but when young boys in the town nearby start claiming they are being attacked, her life becomes more stressful.

I loved Cassie. I think she is a fantastic character and I really enjoyed her thoughts and inner monologue throughout this book. The suspense in the book was thick and I just had to know what was going on both in town and within Cassie’s own home. The way that Cassie interpreted situations and people’s actions in her head was beautiful yet also so sad.

Overall I gave this book 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ stars.

Thanks to NetGalley for the Kindle version of this novel, but I would happily pay for it over and over! From now on when I am asked for book recommendations, this will have to be it. This is not just a coming of age story, but encompasses mystery and drama in a small town with a lot of secrets. It is beautifully written, and narrated with the innocence of a 13 year old girl, who is the central character. There are strong themes in this book that may affect some readers; I found the subtle way they were raised and addressed touching and moving in a way that a book has not done for a long time. I read this book quickly because I was hungry to find out what was happening, to understand the twists, but I was sorry when it came to an end and I think it will be difficult to find another book this year that will stay with me as this one has.

This is a story of what happens in a small town. The blurb gave a promising story but the actual book was very slow with nothing happening in the first 2/3rd and then everything rushing to a conclusion. The characters are difficult to connect with, why the mother stays with the father is not explained, the girl is sometimes mature for her age and sometimes silly. The story has a good premise which could have been dealt better especially for a true event. 2.5 stars

I thought this book sounded so good. I was so excited to read it! This one really just did not work out for me! It was very slow paced. And there was more about the family, than the abductions! Overall it was just ok for me!

Unspeakable Things takes place in rural Minnesota in the 1980s. I'm a 1989 baby, but also from the rural midwest. I could relate to many cultural references in the book because of this, which made it easier to connect with.

Cassie, Cassandra, is our main character. She's kind of the outcast bookworm kid, but also floats around the cliques it seems. Being a young teen, 12 and turns 13, we see a lot of her figuring out the world. I am conflicted on her though because she seems immature for her age and very naive.

A rash of molestations and assaults on younger boys in Lillydale has the small town in an uproar. Cass has ideas of who is responsible, and embarks on her own journey to solve the case.

I usually love love love thrillers. This one was just OK for me. The writing style wasn't so great, it felt rushed and didn't flow well. I also was not a fan of the lack of character and plot development. The story felt like forever in forming a good plot line.

There were also a bunch of societal issues that kind of all jumbled together. There's gay bashing, issues with low income people, pedophilia, sexual assault...it was just too much for me. Sticking with just one or two major issues could have made a big difference in readability.

The author also left the book open ended, letting the readers decide what happens. I'm not a fan of that sort of ending. She did upload the epilogue on her website, however.

All in all. This one was just...ok.

This book was a mixed bag for me. It's a combination coming of age story/mystery set in the 1980s over one summer with a 12 year old girl named Cassie as our narrator. It is fictional but based on the true story of children being kidnapped/molested in a small town in Minnesota in that time period. Child abuse is a major theme of the book.

For the most part, I liked Cassie. She's an interesting kid and she's curious about life and the adults in hers. Unfortunately, all the adults she knows are pretty wretched human beings. I felt at times that Cassie's voice wasn't accurate for a 12 year old, but I still liked her character. She was fun to follow along with. I liked the portrayal of the small town, and was curious enough about the different plots to want to keep reading.

That's where my enjoyment ends. The author decided to leave off an epilogue which is required in order for the prologue to make any sense at all. (You can read the epilogue on her website). The epilogue also helps tie up some, but not all, loose threads. Without the epilogue the story really has no ending. This is ultimately where the author lost me - there are simply too many points left unresolved. At times in novels this can be done skillfully to allow for personal interpretation, but in this book there were fairly heavy handed plot devices that then went nowhere. It felt either like the author forgot about certain points and had a poor editor, or was just trying to create drama in what is, despite all the abductions and fear, a fairly dull story.

Ultimately, I just don't feel that it was that well written. Adding to this were all the 80s references. Initially I though that was fun, being a child of the 80s myself. However, it quickly became annoying as these were dropped in with little finesse and soon just became painful in their obvious attempt to create a 1980s vibe. It didn't work anyway, with Cassie's family acting more like hippies on a commune in the 70s.

I was unable to enjoy the story as much as I had hoped due to constantly noticing problems with the writing. The book has some good reviews, so obviously plenty of readers looked past this without trouble.