This was a great read. Having postpartum depression this really hit home. I could relate to the story and this is a great read for fans of Jodi Picoult. This is the first book I have read by this author and I cannot wait for her new books!!!

This was a great read, Kelly Rimmer outdid herself with this one. Would definitely recommend to friends.

Review published on Goodreads, 12 April 2020:

I've been averaging a book a day during the quarantine, but this one dragged so much it took me three days to finish. It was just SO easy to put it down! While the basic premise is intriguing, the plot takes forever to get going, which made it seem 800 pages long instead of just under 400 (which is still way too long—it could have done with a 150+ page chop). It didn't help that Beth drove me crazy. Although she's a sympathetic character, she isn't a very likable one. She's whiny, self-centered, and victimy—my least favorite kind of leading lady. Prose- and plot-wise, TRUTHS I NEVER TOLD YOU doesn't offer anything to really make it stand out. I got bored with it pretty quickly, but I did make myself finish it. Obviously, I didn't end up loving it or even liking it that much. Bummer.

Historical fiction alternating between the children as adults in the 1990s and their parents in the 1950s. This multigeneraltional tale expresses the importance of family and how difficult aging parents can be, Heartwarming and sad all at the same time.

Truths I Never Told You follows the story of Beth a devoted daughter, who is tasked with clearing out her father’s home when he is placed in a nursing home following a dementia diagnosis. When she stumbles upon a padlocked room, she finds a journal with entries written by her deceased mother that tells the tales of a life she never knew. Were the words in these letters real? Beth soon finds out that the life or the father she knew wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. The story is told in alternating timelines, and I found most interesting the words from her mother. Her story is told from the perspective of a 1950’s housewife and was accurately told. The beginning of the book set up the backstory and was slow starting. It started to pick up more in the second half. All in all, it was a good read

Not as strong as her previous book, which was disappointing. I also found the letters triggering and had to skip past them.

So engrossing! I was the narrator, down to my bones. The despair, the desperation. While less severe, I was able to relate it to my own struggles with PPD, and take solace in my overcoming of it, Spanning generations, it was told in the way of solving a mystery, with characters I could empathise with, even if I didn't understand their motives. Heartbreaking amd hopeful, Damning and redeeming. Loved it!

As Beth stripes to clean up her father’s house, she finds more than she has bargained for. As she discovers a loose journal entry that what appears to be from her late mother, Beth struggles to understand how these words and the memories she has of her mother can make sense.
As the story flips timelines and view points, we discover the length people will go to protect the people they love

Great story! Highly recommended

Over my past eight years of reviewing books for Chick Lit Central, Kelly Rimmer has become one of my favorite authors. Her latest book, Truths I Never Told You, while not as strong as her two previous novels (The Things We Cannot Say and Before I Let You Go), offers her go-to mixture of family bonds, family secrets, mental illness, and meaningful endings.

For the complete review, click on the link below.

There are several heavy topics covered within this book, however, the author did not convey these topics in a connectable way for me. I didn’t truly feel for any of the characters. The storyline felt quite long, repetitive and drawn out which had me wanting to skim read. The novel was high on drama and convenient coincidences which also didn’t sit well with me. I really liked the idea behind this book, but it just didn’t come together for me.

Overall, this wasn’t an enjoyable read for me, but I remain a fan of this author and look forward to what she comes out with next.

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I was so excited to get approved for this book, but it was archived immediately. I have heard great things about it, but didn't get to read. Thanks

First, let me thank netgalley and the publishers for approving my request for an early release of this book. All reviews of my netgalley books can be found on goodreads and youtube. Please be sure to check out the links attached.

My first Kelly Rimmer book! Totally a surprise for me. Very emotional, very hard topics which I believe were very well put in both timelines. I found myself immersed in the past and present issues of this family. Really interesting to see how no matter the difference in time, issues remain untouched in society.

In Kelly Rimmer's latest novel, she returns to the kind of weighty family tale rooted in historical significance that I have come to love in her writing. Truths I never told you is a dual timeline mystery that lies deep within the Walsh family's fabric.

The four grown-up Walsh siblings are grappling with the complexities of a Father with dementia requiring round the clock care. As they move him into a care facility and begin cleaning out the family home, they are shocked to discover an attic filled with garbage, paintings, and scattered paperwork. Beth, the youngest sibling on maternity leave with her newborn son, tasks herself to sort through the attic debris on her own. As she begins to wade through the clutter, a puzzling mystery develops about her deceased mother that does not match her or her siblings' childhood memories.

Well researched, Kelly Rimmer accurately describes the depth of misery women experience challenged with postpartum depression as well as a family coping with the loss of a parent, whether to Alzheimer's or death.

A heartfelt and emotionally gripping novel, Truths I Never Told You would appeal to lovers of mysteries and family sagas coping with mental illness. I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC for this my honest review.

Kelly Rimmer is a remarkable storyteller. This book artfully weaves together a mother's story with a daughter's. It also explores mental illness and postpartum depression deftly. This is a domestic mystery in which there's an unwraveling about what exactly happened to Grace. The pacing of this won't suit all readers, but I found it captivating.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

I have read most of Kelly Rimmer's previous books with my favorite being A Mother's Confession. I don't think I will ever forget that book. The others I have read have all been solid 4-5 star books. When I saw she had a new book, it was on my list of Must Read! I so wish this review was the same as the others, but unfortunately it's not. I really disliked this novel, it kills me to say this. It started out strong and I was intrigued with her covering the topic of postpartum depression. But after about 20% the book became repetitive and boring. Then, without giving away spoilers, I felt like the book shifted to another topic entirely and I wasn't interested. I had no connection to the characters and just never really cared about any of it. And I've always been 100% emotionally invested in the characters in Rimmer's other books. Even though this was a miss for me, I will still pick up whatever she writes. I look forward to the other stories I know she has to tell.

* I received this book from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review *

When I finished this book I knew there were some things that I struggled with. That I, of course, will not mention in the review due to being spoilers. So off to Goodreads I went to research and see if I was the only person who felt the way I did LOL! Now, I read through a few three / two star reviews and found some points that I do 100% agree with. It felt nice to not be so alone in these feelings. So if any of you read this book, I want you to know that I most definitely would love for you to reach out and chat with me about it! 

I find that Kelly Rimmer has an extraordinary writing style that I seem to really enjoy. I have to say in this whole book, her writing was the best part of the story. Not that I didn't enjoy the plot or the characters, I was just extremely mesmerized by Kelly's writing. It was addicting and so smooth. I can't quite explain it.

That being said, I did enjoy the plot. It was original and something that hadn't been read (by me) before. The way we weave in and out of present and past tense with Kelly's smooth writing, it was just better than anything I have read in a while. 

All in all, Truths I Never Told You was an addictive read for me. I enjoyed the past / present POVs that were given to us and felt like it was an exceptionally well done way to tell the story of these siblings and their father. Do I think it portrayed some things in an accurate and non-dramatic way, no. But was I able to look past that and appreciate the story that the author was telling, yes.

Usually when I read a mystery novel I am expecting suspense and thrills to go along with it. Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer is not that kind of mystery. It’s a domestic mystery and one of my first of its kind. And I loved it.

Truths I Never Told you had so many questions I wanted answers to and I was not able to figure them out. I couldn’t stop flipping the page. I found the details about the main character’s post partum depression very accurate. I think that topic, which a lot of authors don’t write about, paired with the family mystery in this novel made it that much more intriguing and unique.

The family aspect that Rimmer wrote was so true to so many families. Each sibling has their own role in the family. The Alzheimers the father had was a great twist to the story and written beautifully, as non-beautiful as Alzheimers is. I think my favorite part of this novel was the fact that there were hard pressing topics that I don’t get to read about, family drama, and a mystery I wanted to solve so bad I couldn’t put it down.

A lover of mystery, family stories, and mental health then you need to pick up Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer.

I did a Q & A and excerpt on my blog for this book; This is another wonderful book by Kelly Rimmer. I was happy to share it on my blog.