While this book was incredibly readable due to the pace and the building of tension (as well as the worry about Daisy, the little girl who may be in danger), I was a bit let down by SOMETHING SHE'S NOT TELLING US. In thrillers I have a harder time if there aren't many people to root for, or at least are understandable when it comes to their not so good personalities, but in SOMETHING SHE'S NOT TELLING US we had a lot of unlikable characters that I just couldn't relate to. Even though I thought that Bell tried to give us reasons as to why they were so screwed up, the work wasn't put in enough to make me really buy it. Bell knows how to make a plot easy to devour in a short amount of time, but characters are important too, and when no one is likable I will come out the other side of a book with less favorable opinions. SOMETHING SHE'S NOT TELLING US is a good example of that.

While SOMETHING SHE'S NOT TELLING US sucked me in, by the end of it I was left unsatisfied. I will definitely read Bell's next work, but hope that it will have stronger characterization.

I really liked A Simple Favor and was very excited for Something She's Not Telling Us. This was a really quick read for me, I read it in two sittings. However, I didn't love this one overall. The characters are all highly unlikable and the ending was revealed at the beginning. I just wasn't sure if I was actually invested in unraveling why the characters did what they did. Thank you for my advanced copy.

I thought this book had some good potential. I was not a fan of the writing style and found it too choppy for my liking. The characters left a lot to be desired and I didn't have any feelings for any of them. I felt that this book was thrown together without much thought. The ending was very flat and blah. Thank you NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for a digital arc of this title.

Charlotte appears to have the perfect life. She has a beautiful daughter named Daisy, a husband who is also a terrific father and she owns a floral business, which she’s beyond passionate about. Her brother Rocco always introduces them to his latest girlfriends, each one crazier than the last. But Rocco’s newest girlfriend Ruth, doesn’t seem so bad. Maybe this time he got it right.

Ruth wants everything Charlotte has. She didn’t have the best childhood and one day wants a family of her own. When Ruth meets Daisy she knows she wants a daughter like Daisy. Or even, Daisy herself. And before long, Ruth turns Charlotte’s life upside down. Ruth appeared to be normal, but maybe she’s just a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Something She’s Not Telling Us is Darcey Bell’s second mystery/thriller release. This book had so much potential! I was intrigued by most of this story and it read really quickly, but the ending was extremely lackluster. I was left feeling like there was no point to the story with an ending like that. I’d be willing to try this author again in the future! 3/5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Darcey Bell and Harper Collins for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Spoiler Alert...just a tiny bit of one though.

Well I have to admit I think I enjoyed this domestic thriller, especially since there are sooo many books out there about kidnapped children, I'm sick to death of them!

However Something She's Not Telling Us is one of the better reads of a child kidnapping story. I'm giving it 3.stars because the characters were enjoyabely unlikeable if that makes any sense.

There are the parents of adorable 5 yr old? Daisy, Charlotte (who is a waaay too overprotective mom) and Eli ( good parent, if you like them quiet as to not even be heard and in my viewpoint, distant, but rich and handsome, so I wouldn't throw him outta bed). Then there is Charlottes brother, Rocco, a recovering addict and looving the ladies, bringing a weird selection of girlfriends into their lives ( mostly all looney bins and at least one kleptomaniac). Well Rocco brings home Ruth, his latest girlfriend, who seems knowledgeable, pretty, and eager to please, especially Daisy, who she apparently wins over. But, there are things about Ruth, that just don't add up. There is something about her that has everyone's hairs standing on end, except of course Eli, who has no opinion. Ever. And also Daisy was smitten with her, so she couldn't be all that bad, could she?

Told from the viewpoint of Charlotte, Rocco and Ruth, there are some other unlikable characters thrown in, like the weird downstairs mother and son neighbors of Charlotte and Eli, Charlotte and Rocco's mother, who damaged Rocco mentally and Charlotte both (but she did try to kill Rocco and we don't find out if she really meant to or not), and Rocco's boss (who now owns the land Charlotte and Rocco grew up on), and let's not forget Ted, Charlottes therapist, who has a serious problem with doctor/patient confidentiality.

Strange, unlikeable characters, but a decent read even there was no big twist at the end, which would've,,could've, should've, made the book better for me. Several times, I wanted to read the next book on my TBR list, but stuck with this which I'm not sure if I'm glad I did. I just think I wanted to see how nuts Charlotte and Ruth were. Actually I did like it because I like me a good bunch of nutjobs, but the ending, oh why Ms. Bell? The ending fell flat on its book cover face!

Always a Special thanks to NetGalley and Harper Collins publishers, Harper Paperbacks and author Darcey Bell for my ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Something She's Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell is a mystery/thriller that jumps from the present day kidnapping of Charlotte's daughter, to Charlotte's meeting of her brother's new girlfriend Ruth, and everything that progresses between the two women. I did enjoy this time jumping element of the book. The characters, however, left a lot to be desired as they were rather unlikable. Without giving away any spoilers, suffice it to say that the story itself was also rather disappointing. Unfortunately, I cannot recommend this book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

Something She's Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell is a recommended psychological thriller. "Is anyone ever really who they say they are…?"

Charlotte is a floral designer who lives in Manhattan’s East Village with her husband, Eli, and their five-year-old daughter, Daisy. Charlotte is close to her younger brother, Rocco, and tolerates being introduced to his numerous bad girlfriends. Now Rocco's latest girlfriend is Ruth. Ruth seems better than the previous girlfriends, but her almost immediate obsession with Daisy makes Charlotte uneasy. Daisy is a shy child with asthma, however she seems to like Ruth too. The novel opens with Charlotte and Eli's daughter being kidnapped from her after school program by Ruth.

After the opening, the novel jumps back in time to when Rocco first introduces Ruth to Charlotte, Eli, and Daisy. The chapters in the narrative then alternate between being narrated by Charlotte or Ruth. The timeline of their relationship progresses forward from the time they met to the current day kidnapping. It is clear that Charlotte is increasingly concerned about Ruth as her obsession with Daisy grows and she doesn't trust her. Ruth, on the other hand, is concerned about Charlotte's protectiveness over Daisy. She also knows instinctively that Charlotte has a secret. The question is what is real, who is telling the truth, and what is really happening?

The opening immediately captures your attention as Daisy is kidnapped by Ruth and Charlotte is frantic to find her. Then the story is reduced to alternating perspectives of Charlotte and Ruth. When the narrative next jumps back in time and requires the reader to work our way forward to find out what just happened and why, it loses steam and becomes a pedestrian she said/she said plot device. Sometimes this plot structure works well, but I didn't feel it was as successful this time. It might have pulled ahead if the ending was a clincher for me, but, alas, it wasn't.

Setting the structure of the novel, Bell's writing is quite good and she captures these two different women and their personalities well. The characters are well-developed, but soon you will be questioning them as neither one feels like a reliable narrator. And, again, the characters just don't work as well at the ending. This isn't an awful novel and those who like having a dramatic start and then jumping back in time to learn about events leading up the the event will enjoy Something She's Not Telling Us.

Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of HarperCollins.
After publication the review will be posted on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I was expecting something to huge to happen and it didn’t. The villain is just crazy and it portrays mental illness poorly.

Something She's Not Telling Us is a fast-paced, twisty ride that quickly escalates. Darcey Bell's latest release is a story about an affluent Manhattan based couple, Eli and Charlotte and their adorable, somewhat shy daughter Daisy. Charlotte's very close with her brother Rocco, no doubt growing closer due to their troubled upbringing and difficult relationship with their mom. Rocco has a notorious history with women-from the zany to the insane-and Charlotte and Eli are not holding out hope that his latest flavor of the month will be any better.

Enter Ruth. Striking, young, engaging Ruth. Charlotte feels immediate unease after meeting Ruth but attempts to downplay her emotions. Seemingly neurotic about her daughter and filled with worry, Charlotte relays her concerns to her therapist. At first, her therapist encourages her to give things a chance. After a trip to Mexico to see their mother, it is clear things are not what they seem with Ruth. The twists and suspense escalate from here-culminating in a seemingly innocent after school pick up of Daisy by Ruth. Except-Ruth wasn't supposed to pick up Daisy. And now they have disappeared. Ruth seems to know things she shouldn't about Charlotte. How will this game end? This question and more will be answered!

I really enjoyed this book; it had the right amount of suspense and backstory and is fast-paced read. If you liked A Simple Favor and this genre in general you will enjoy Something She's Not Telling Us. While the characters are flawed humans they are mostly likeable and well-developed. Great read!

Thank you to the writer, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Something She's Not Telling Us was a quick read for me, and as quickly forgotten. I never really got into it and fought to stay attentive to what was happening in the story. The plot was good. The book was really just an ok read. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC for an honest review.

This book had the making of a good book with a good plot line and interesting point of view but it was poorly written. Very choppy and hard to follow.

Something She’s Not Telling Us started off really strong for me. I enjoyed Simple Favor last year so I was excited to try a new book by Darcey Bell. I went into this without reading the synopsis and I’m very glad about that because it helped to keep the suspense alive for me. Pages were turning quickly even though the writing style did feel a little disjointed at times. I liked having everyone’s different perspectives because it just added to the confusion/chaos you want in a thriller. Unfortunately by the end it began to drag a little for me, but then it picked back up again! You’d think that would be a good thing, but it turned out to have a lackluster ending. I felt like we were left with such an open ended ending that definitely needed an epilogue. I’m now feeling like I have unresolved issues with the book. When I was at 70% I said the ending will make or break this books. Disappointedly I have to say it broke it for me.⁣

I was a huge fan of the movie, A Simple Favor, so when I heard that the author of the book was writing a new one, I was happy to get my hands on it.

Now granted, I only saw the movie adaptation of A Simple Favor, so I can’t speak to the book’s writing. But A Simple Favor was fun and kitschy, and the twists were so utterly ridiculous and over-the-top that it made for an enjoyable thriller that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Now, this book was not that. While I liked the book’s premise and could see a lot of potential for a great story, it ultimately missed the mark for me.

The characters were all unlikable and the only one worth rooting for was Daisy. Sometimes this can work really well, but I’m not sure in this case whether or not it was intentional.

The biggest issue I had with this book was the lack of suspense. From the get-go, we know who took Daisy, and throughout the book, we learn back stories and reasoning behind it all. We’re even privy to Charlotte’s and Rocco’s hunches about what’s going on, then a few pages later, the story unfolds exactly as they guessed it would.

In the end, I liked the setup of this story, but felt that the execution could have been done differently to make it more thrilling, suspenseful, and engaging.

Rocco has terrible taste in women, but when he meets Ruth the rest of the family is hopeful that she might be the one. As time goes on, they aren’t quite so sure and when Charlotte (Rocco’s sister) and Eli’s daughter, Daisy, goes missing from school, the immediate suspect is Ruth. Where are they and why would Ruth take her? With a cast of unlikable characters, this book lost its believable factor by the second half. It was a very quick read, but totally ended up falling flat by the end.

Charlotte has the perfect life, a great husband, a thriving flower shop and an adorable little girl named Daisy. She also has a secret. Rocco, her brother, doesn't have such a charmed life and seems to keep getting into relationships with crazy women.

Ruth, his current girlfriend, seems a little better, but Charlotte soon discovers that might not be true.

Great story that moves seamlessly between past and present and gives the perspective of the three main characters; Charlotte, Ruth and Rocco.

This was a decent book that was a really fast read. It centers primarily on Charlotte, who is an obsessive mother of 5 year old Daisy, and her brother Rocco's girlfriend, Ruth, who may or may not have something to hide. Rocco has a history of dating unsuitable girls so when Charlotte is introduced to Ruth, she is not that welcoming, but there continue to be gaps in Ruth's version of various things that causes her to be even more skeptical. Ruth ends up picking up Daisy from school, which she is not authorized to do, and the book goes back and forth between Charlotte's search for her child in the present and the events leading up to that day.

The chapters alternate between Charlotte, Ruth, and Rocco. Oddly, Ruth's chapters are in the first person whereas Charlotte's are in the 3rd person, which I found odd, as Charlotte appears to be the primary character in the book. None of these characters are very likable and I didn't really understand the dynamic between Charlotte and Rocco, or any of them with their mother.

I had an inkling about what was going on with Ruth almost from the beginning and turned out to be mostly right. I would guess that many readers of the genre would be able to figure out what is going on. That being said, it was a twisty read, fraught with an overall tension that something bad was going to happen any minute now.

Overall, this book is worth the read for those who like the psychological thriller/domestic suspense genres and are looking for a fast-paced and overall quick read, but doesn't really stand out.

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I found it difficult to get into the story. As a mom with anxiety and fears of things happening to my kids, I felt like this wasn’t a genuine representation of a fear. I ended up dnfing this book because I just felt like it wasn’t that great.

This was an easy read for me, but I never felt totally engrossed in the story. The characters weren’t very likeable and I felt like it was pretty predictable. It wasn’t a bad book by any means, but it wasn’t the best thriller I’ve read either. This will be one of those books that I enjoyed in the moment, but won’t remember much of six months from now.

First off, many thanks to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the advanced reader's copy of this book.
I didn't read Darcey Bell's A Simple Favor but I did see the movie. Surprisingly I liked it so I thought I would try this book. I have mixed feelings about Something She's Not Telling Us, so I'll first start with the positives. I think this is a fast paced read. I feel like the pacing was great and as someone who enjoys a binge worthy book, this was up my alley. That was probably the best part of the book. Now for some of the negatives. The characters are extremely unlikable and if that's something you struggle with when reading, then this book isn't for you. I don't have a problem with not liking the characters of a book, but I did with this. Maybe it wasn't the fact that I didn't like them, it was the fact that I didn't connect with any of them. It just felt like something was missing and I never quite got into the story despite its pacing. It felt like I was just reading without fully investing into it. I just wasn't very interested in it. There's lies, secrets, drama, and kidnapping in here which has all the makings of a great book but somewhere along the way it went wrong.

My biggest gripe is the ending. I'm picky about endings because let's be honest, they can make or break a book. In this case, it did this book no favors. I mean, what even was the ending? It left me thinking what in the world did I just read and not in a good way. All in all, I think that some people would enjoy this book because its not a bad book by any means. I just think that if you are a seasoned thriller or psychological thriller reader then it will leave you wanting a little more.

Charlotte’s brother’s latest girlfriend Ruth is greeted with some justified suspicion in Darcey Bell’s Something She’s Not Telling Us. His history of dating highly unstable women, occasional lapses in sobriety and a demonstrated lack of judgement cause his family to scrutinize his latest conquest. On the other hand, Charlotte is revealed to be an overprotective, paranoid and obsessive person who has some serious problems with objectivity and a tenuous grip on reality herself. Such a character makes for an interestingly biased perspective. This type of “protagonist” is an unreliable narrator akin to those Bell has employed in the past—one that causes the reader to immediately be on guard when evaluating her version of events. Other chapters feature the point of view of Ruth, another source that is transparently skewed. Fans of A Simple Favor and the film upon which it is based may be somewhat disappointed by Bell’s latest effort, for although the novel contains some innovative twists and is well written, it suffers from an overabundance of side plots that distract and stretch credulity. The psychology of the villain is incompletely developed, and her motives are insufficiently substantial to warrant the extremity of her actions. The reader is also left guessing as to why Ruth elects to victimize Rocco’s family, and Charlotte and her family are so unlikeable that not a lot of pity is generated for them. The big revelations are a bit predictable and banal, and the ending falls short of climactic. In sum, Something She’s Not Telling Us is diverting enough as a standard suspense story, but unfortunately is not one that is particularly remarkable or memorable.

Thanks to the author, Harper Collins and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.