Fast entertaining recreational reading, this book is filled with dysfunctional people. Two unreliable narrators always increase the suspense in a book, and this was done well.

This was a super easy read by the kiddie poolside this afternoon. It’s light and quick thriller…it’s entertaining! It felt a little bit too much like something I’ve read before. I wasn’t a huge fan of the characters and therefore did not feel as invested in the book as I should. The ending fell really flat for me. I wouldn’t read it again, but would recommend it for someone who wants a beach read for the day.

Darcey Bell, the writer who gave readers A Simple Favor that was made into a movie with Anna Kendrick and Blake Lively, is back with yet another thriller called Something She's Not Telling Us.

The she is Ruth, the latest girlfriend of Rocco, Charlotte’s brother. Ruth is obsessed with Charlotte and Eli’s five-year-old daughter Daisy. Charlotte has always been a worrier, and she fears constantly about Daisy’s well-being. When she goes to pick up Daisy from school one afternoon, all of her concerns about Ruth’s fixation with the little girl come to fruition because Ruth has picked up Daisy from school without any communication to Charlotte, who would have never agreed to the arrangement. The abductor and Daisy are nowhere to be found.

Flashback to six months ago, when Charlotte, Eli, and Daisy first meet Ruth when Rocco brings her to dinner at their New York loft. Things aren’t adding up with Ruth, and by the time she invites herself to Charlotte and Rocco’s mother’s birthday party in Mexico, Rocco is on the verge of breaking things off with her because there are so many things Ruth isn’t telling him. Charlotte is relieved to hear Ruth is history, but Charlotte also has a secret she’s not telling that Ruth is threatening to reveal. Now Ruth has her daughter.

Darcey Bell has crafted another delicious page-turner here that I read in one afternoon because I just had to know the outcome. This writer has a real knack for thrillers, and this would make an excellent movie as well.

My review will be posted on Goodreads starting May 1, 2020.

I’d like to thank HarperCollins Publishers and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in return for an objective review.

Charlotte knows she has a good life but often finds herself overcome with worry especially where her five-year-old daughter, Daisy is concerned. Charlotte is currently working with a psychiatrist who is trying to help her deal with her anxiety and her past. Charlotte knows she can’t predict the future or change the past but if she could there’s one thing she would definitely change.

Charlotte, her husband, and Daisy returned home from Mexico the night before. Charlotte receives a text from her brother, Rocco telling her he’s home now too. They were originally supposed to be on the same flight as Rocco and his girlfriend; Ruth, but when they were about to board, Ruth couldn’t find her passport. They’d had to stay behind to sort it out.

Charlotte owns a floral-arrangement business and has an important meeting at nine am. The meeting is then postponed to four o’clock. Unfortunately, the time change means she’ll be late picking Daisy up after school. She tries but has no luck finding someone else to pick Daisy up. Charlotte attends her meeting and rushes to Daisy’s school.

Charlotte FINALLY gets to the school. Instantly she can tell something isn’t right. The teachers look confused. Charlotte asks what’s going on. “I guess there’s been a little mix-up. She’s already been picked up”. They tell Charlotte that Daisy’s aunt picked her up and that there was a man with her. But Daisy doesn’t have an aunt.

It’s now 5:30 pm. Daisy has been gone two and a half hours.

Charlotte is frantic. She worries that Daisy might not have her inhaler with her. What if she gets sick?

Where is Daisy?

Sooo many secrets!!!!

The majority of this story is told from the two main characters’ points of view, switching back and forth between past and present. I liked the multiple perspectives at first. However, after a while, it became a little repetitive. Hearing the same part of the story from two (sometimes three) characters was a bit much at times.

I can see why this book has a lot of mixed reviews. The story was over the top. Although it wasn’t quite what I expected, this was a quick and entertaining read that passed some time. I’m curious to see what Darcey Bell comes up with next.

I’d like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.

First off...this cover is amazing! I love it and was so excited to dive into this one. Thank you so much to Harper Collins for providing me with a copy!

This was my first book I have read by this author and I was not sure what to expect. What I got was a very fast paced thriller ( which I love by the way). I was flipping through the pages and the suspense was building. I couldn't stand most of the characters in the book- which is fine with me because I think it makes them more interesting.

A little bit Single White Female. Charlotte’s brother is known for his poor taste in women, but current girlfriend, Ruth, seems like she might be normal. Thoughts of normal evaporate quickly and we see Ruth becoming increasingly obsessed with Charlotte’s 5-year-old daughter, Daisy.
While I did make it to the book’s ending (which landed flat), the only thing that kept me turning the pages was to find out if Ruth was as scary as Charlotte thought she was or if Charlotte was simply paranoid. I didn’t like most of the characters, 5-year-old Daisy was ok, and I didn’t like the ending.

I never read A Simple Favor but I did watch the movie and I found it absolutely ridiculous and SO MUCH FUN. I expected mostly the same for this read and I definitely found ridiculousness.
The only likable character here is Daisy - but don't get me wrong - I always love hating on characters. I just would like for at least one character to have some substance and everything just felt a bit of a parody. Most of the time I am happy to suspend all reality for the sake of the story. Unfortunately this one with the back and forth in time lines and the whiplash of crazy just felt disjointed and out of sorts. There's also that typical story line we see a lot in thrillers that I didn't care for in this one. That along with the abrupt ending just didn't do it for me.
Now, on the plus side, this is one hell of a ride. There's so much that happens you'll be constantly lifting your chin up to close your mouth. It's a quick, binge read and certainly entertaining if you need something to fly through. I think, for me, this would've resonated better on film.

As I read this book, I kept wondering if any of Darcey Bell's characters could extract their craniums from their anal cavities long enough to PAY ATTENTION. Everything is so clear! Everything is quite evident! And yet no one seems to be able to figure it out until the dismal end.

This is one of those books where you don't like anyone very much. Yeah, there are moments when Charlotte is palatable, and you might kind of like Rocco in fleeting bursts, but you won't sustain much affection for them. Charlotte is a smothering, overbearing, paranoid, and insecure mother (and those are her good points). As for her husband, let's just say that Charlotte pays him whatever attention she has left after hovering over daughter Daisy's first morning breath to her last lucid one before sleep. Rocco, delightfully feckless, has a job thanks to a favor and a girlfriend thanks to his utter, complete blindness to reality.

This is supposed to be a psychological thriller, but, like I said, it's all so obvious. Darcey Bell tells you everything. Alas, her characters pay no attention.

So why three stars? Because I kept turning the pages, and for that, Bell deserves some credit.

I really couldn't connect to the characters and as a result, i could not finish this book. I felt like the beginning chapters were not as smooth an introduction as they could have been. This disappointed me because the story really excited me.

This was my first book by Darcey Bell and this was a great fast paced thriller. I absolutely love the cover and it was fun trying to figure out what actually was going on. I could see this being made into a movie.

A good thriller, and a super fast read (I finished it in a day)! I'm a fan of this author (I enjoyed A Simple Favor, so the bar was set high) and she delivered! If you want a quick read, this is the one.

Thank you for this e-copy for review. My full review will be posted on my social media accounts, Amazon, and Goodreads.

Something She's Not Telling us is Darcey Bell's latest domestic thriller.  The basis of the story is the disappearance of Daisy- Charlotte's young daughter.   Told from 3 different narrators point of view - each totally unreliable and not particularly likeable. Charlotte appears to have the perfect life: a handsome and wealthy husband, a lovely home, a beautiful daughter named Daisy, and a successful floral business until the day her daughter disappears.  Ruth is Rocco's girlfriend and she knows a secret - one that Charlotte doesn't want anyone to find out.  Rocco is Charlotte's brother and he's beginning to settle down in a relationship with Ruth although he senses something is not quite right with her. This was a quick, fast paced read although there was nothing new or original about it.  I was able to read it quickly as I was invested in finding out about what happened to Daisy. Thank you to Harper collins and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley for a Kindle ARC of Something She's Not Telling Us. I didn't read A Simple Favor but I did enjoy the movie. I know, that's not the same. Still, the author's name rang a bell when I saw this book and I was pleased when my request was approved. While a fast-paced read, I found myself not liking either character. Ruth is clearly a psycho and Charlotte is the worst helicopter parent I’ve ever encountered. The story falls flat and then inexplicably ends. I can't recommend this because of the unlikable characters, rambling narrative and lack of suspense

I'm not really sure what to think after reading this book. It moved at a very swift pace and was fairly intriguing throughout, with suspense building and building and then....it was over. The book's plot didn't really seem to be decided on. It was definitely a character-driven story (which I don't really enjoy) , but the plot almost seemed to be an afterthought by the end. I was really disappointed with the way it ended. Not the book for me.

I received an e-copy of this book from NetGalley and Harper Collins to review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Super fast read, very good family drama. Its really hard to put this one down, it makes you want to race to the end!

This book begins with a mother's whose child is kidnapped from school. Anyone who has ever had a child or loved a child can relate to the absolute horror and dread this event would entail. Just reading about it it makes you feel like you are living it, and immediately draws you into the story. In this case, it is Charlotte whose daughter Daisy has been kidnapped by her brother's new girlfriend, Ruth. Although, Charlotte can be somewhat of any overprotective mother, she really doesn't want Daisy around Ruth because there is something not quite right about Ruth. However, for some reason, Daisy is drawn to Ruth even though she is a child who is quite reserved and usually doesn't take well to strangers. When Ruth picks Daisy up from school and disappears with her, Charlotte's reservations about Ruth seem well justified. This is a very exciting thriller that will have you on the edge of your seat. The characters are well drawn and full dimensional none of them are all black or all white even the character of Ruth is not just completely an evil villain. The ending of the book is completely unpredictable and completely satisfying in an unexpected way. All in all, it is a very enjoyable read.

Thanks NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the ARC in exchange for my honest review! 

Darcy Bell is back with nothing thrilling novel. "Something She's Not Telling Us" tells the story of Charlotte. Charlotte's life is turned upside-down when her brother, Rocco, gets a new girlfriend. Ruth seems sweet enough, but something is off. She's obsessed with Daisy, Charlotte's daughter, lies about her family, and then they discover Ruth may not even be her real name... There's something she's not telling us...

This book has the typical Bell feel of a twisted mystery in which no one is innocent. Every person has a secret story that will destroy their world if it gets pieced together. Bell has a brilliant mind for creating seemingly harmless characters who are really psychos with the ability to act. Ruth seems harmless, but there is something dark lurking beneath the surface.

Bell also creates a believable back story for Ruth, which feels like the hardest part of a narrative. When you want someone to become a little crazy, it's easy to create a wild story for them. Ruth's past with her grandparents is believable and with another child it may not have made them crazy, but for Ruth and her personality it works.

I was a little disappointed that some details weren't fleshed out. I expected a little more like what we saw in "A Simple Favor." Bell's latest story isn't on the same level. There were too many pieces that I felt like didn't get fleshed out because there were too many storylines going that we needed to follow.

Overall, I gave this book 4 stars. It officially comes out today, so give it a read and tell me what you think!

Charlotte has everything in life that she ever could have hoped for: a doting, artistic husband, a small-but-thriving flower shop, and her sweet, smart five-year-old daughter, Daisy. Her relationship with her mother might be strained, but the distance between them helps. And her younger brother Rocco may have horrible taste in women, but when he introduces his new girlfriend to Charlotte and her family, they are cautiously optimistic that she could be The One. Daisy seems to love Ruth, and she can’t be any worse than the klepto Rocco brought home the last time. At least, that’s what Charlotte keeps telling herself. But as Rocco and Ruth’s relationship becomes more serious, Ruth’s apparent obsession with Daisy grows more obvious. Then Daisy is kidnapped, and Charlotte is convinced there’s only one person who could have taken her.

This book is not what I was expecting. I was a huge fan of a simple favor and I felt like this book fell a little flat for me. There are a lot of twists and turns in the book but I didn’t really connect with any characters. I also was not a huge fan of the ending.

The reviewer consensus is strong on this one: This is a super fun and wickedly fast-paced read, filled with detestable characters and the ominous buildup to a big reveal, but the ending regrettably falls very, very flat.

Bell is a master at pacing - this book truly flies by, and the writing is so light and tumbling that you won't put it down until you reach the end. The premise is quite good: Charlotte is a neurotic New York helicopter parents who runs her own boutique flower shop and has constant anxiety over her daughter, Daisy. Charlotte and her husband Eli have a charmed rich life and a loft in Brooklyn - Charlotte's brother Rocco, on the other hand, is a reformed alcoholic still recovering from the terrible memory of his mother almost burning down the house with him still inside. He dates a series of terrible women, including a kleptomaniac who stole Daisy's favorite toy, and the latest in his series is an odd woman named Ruth.

On the surface, Ruth seems fine, but Charlotte senses something off about her. The little games and manipulation ensuing between Ruth and Charlotte (neither of whom are very likable) is fun to read, and you get excited to see the secret(s) that both Ruth and Charlotte are hiding. However, the actual reveal of what their secrets are is totally bunk, and the ending was like a balloon you're blowing up to see how big it gets, and then someone comes by with a pin and pops it. I was super disappointed that the ending wasn't better executed - I think it had the potential to really be gripping and shocking. However, the rest of the book was a fun and fast read, so three stars is a totally fair rating here. Thank you to Harper for the ARC!