<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41647044-stories-we-never-told" style="float: left; padding-right: 20px"><img border="0" alt="Stories We Never Told" src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1566670873l/41647044._SX98_.jpg" /></a><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41647044-stories-we-never-told">Stories We Never Told</a> by <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2034966.Sonja_Yoerg">Sonja Yoerg</a><br/>
My rating: <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3001857555">4 of 5 stars</a><br /><br />
3.5 stars. I received a copy of this book from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. It is an adult psychological thriller which revolves around the story of our protagonist, Jackie. She is a professor of psychology, has a husband named Miles who adores her and an ex boyfriend who is a friend now with her as well as her husband. Her life is great and wonderful but then Harlan, her ex boyfriend brings Nasira, her post doc to their dinner. That's when the real problem starts because now Jackie is jealous and become obsessed with Harlan and Nasira up to an extent of stalking.<br />This creates dominoes of events in Jackie's life. Hearts get broken, life is lost and in the shitstorm of all the chaos, she is in the center of it.<br /><br />Honestly, I enjoyed the story. Each and every character in the story is introduced as you move forward which I felt was great. The characters were given equal importance and every character held an important role. We come to the life of every main character separately which is again a positive thing for me.<br /><br />Then comes the relationship between the characters. In the beginning, when Jackie shows the feeling of jealousy towards Harlan and Nasira, even though she was already married, made me feel a kind of disliking towards her. But then, I accepted her as a character who is flawed. It shows how much we don't want certain things to be that way but can't help it. <br /><br />The relationship between Jackie and her sister is one of the things I liked about this story because although they were different from one another, still they were close and held a strong bond. <br /><br />Cheryl, Jackie's mother has also developed throughout the story. A strong woman indeed who lives on her terms, developed into an understanding mother.<br /><br />Then, Antonio Jackie's stepson adds another flavor to the story because it throws light on step-parenting upto some extent. <br /><br />The whole setting of the story was well fabricated and there was a point when I got swerved and thought the other person might be behind all the things. This story sets a good mood for October and ends with this quote, "If you fall in love with life itself, happiness is yours as long as you love."<br /><br />If you want to read a thriller you can definitely check this out.
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Sonja Yoerg is one of those authors who makes me yearn for her next book. I recently read True Places and although Stories We Never Told is quite different, this book evokes the same deep emotions. I love the way Sonja develops her characters. In this book she shares her brilliant insight into the way they really are; they evolve slowly but something new is revealed at each turn of the chapters. This is a psychological thriller about deep secrets, love, losses, and real fears. Jackie is a successful psychologist researching autism. She is married to Miles, a sports recruiter but is still obsessed with her ex lover Harlan. Jackie is jealous of and doesn't trust her new Post Doc student Nasira who is part of her team. Nothing is as it seems. As the plot thickens I found myself having suspicions of each character and their motives till the shocking reveals that becomes reality... right up to the last page. An amazing book for those who love suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for allowing me to read an ARC of Stories We Never Told, in exchange for a honest review.

Stories We Never Told was a good slow burn suspense novel. I felt there was to much back story of the characters that I got bored in spots. Overall this was a enjoyable easy read that reminds you to be careful of who you trust.

Upon opening this book, the "slippery slope" starts.
We begin to see the main characters; Jackie, Miles, Harlan and Nasira and their personalities broaden as the plot thickens in this psychological thriller.
There is jealousy, rage, fear and distrust within each chapter and I never knew who to believe as my theories kept changing. It will leave you guessing until the end and then gasping as you realize what is really happening!
This is just one of those novels that you will need to stop your life and live with these characters for a bit!
Excellent!

STORIES WE NEVER TOLD is an entertaining and well-crafted novel. I particularly enjoyed the setting of a university research lab and appreciate how Jackie, the main character, is extremely smart and accomplished. In part because she's good at what she does, we admire her from the start. When she begins to feel jealous about a post-doc in her lab who's in a relationship with her ex-boyfriend, we sympathize with her. I felt close to her as her marriage unraveled and she felt threatened on all sides. Yoerg's writing is lovely and the story is well-paced. Readers who enjoy character-driven novels with an element of suspense should pick this one up.

Sonja Yoerg has penned a gripping suspense novel of how our perceptions and experiences affect our expectations, and how our rationalization can lead us in unexpected or dangerous ways.
Jackie is an autism researcher, married to Miles, a sports recruiter. Each of them has secret back stories which are revealed during the course of the novel. Past relationships play a large part in the storyline, through the introduction of new acquaintances. When Jackie’s research results are tampered with, the race is on for the who and the why before she loses crucial research money and her entire professional life is discredited, not to mention her personal life which is quickly falling apart. This is well written and kept this reader engaged well into the night and to the conclusion of the book. Highly recommended!
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

This book is not really my cup of tea but the story is interesting about obsession and lies and the characters were well developed but I found the book too slow moving for me. That being said I don’t think it is a bad book just not really my thing.

If anyone still thinks of “women’s literature” as beach reads and romance novels, show them this.
Sonja Yoerg’s latest psychological thriller “Stories we never told” will challenge that perception from the very start.
Within a few pages, you are pulled into what seems like a narrative of a married woman being jealous of her ex… and turns out to be a story of obsession and buried secrets.
“If you could get back at someone who wronged you—and get away with it—wouldn’t you jump at the chance?”

Jackie Strelitz, a psychology professor, is taken aback when her ex, Harlan, brings a friend to dinner. Despite being happily married, seeing Harlan with this young – very young! – woman sparks something in her. Is it jealousy or just curiosity? Is it obsession?
“Smart, rational people—even those who study people for a living, like Jackie—can get it wrong. Dead wrong.”

The story is written from multiple point of views and with each new chapter and each new point of view the complexity of the characters becomes more apparent. You don’t know who to root for. Is young Nasira being played or does she have an agenda? Is Jackie right to be suspicious or is she going crazy? Harlan is hiding something, but what? Why did he have so many rules during his relationship with Jackie and is now letting them all go for Nasira? And is Jackie’s husband hiding something as well?
Everyone has a past – and it is all coming out now. You won’t be able to put the book down until you know the full story.

Jackie Strelitz is a successful psychology professor with a wonderful husband, so why should she care if her ex, Harlan has a new girlfriend? It turns out, she does care, a lot. The new woman in Crispin’s life, Nasira, is beautiful, young and smart, she’s also on Jackie’s research team so Nasira is in her face every day. To make matters worse, Crispin seems to be flaunting his relationship and Jackie is incensed. She becomes obsessed with learning all she can about Crispin and Nasira, but nothing in this book is what it seems.

I enjoyed this novel very much. The characters were extremely well drawn and sympathetic, and the story line was seamless. Highly reccomend this excellent book.