2 stars!

Sadly, I was definitely not the correct audience for this one. I could not wrap my mind around some of the occurrences/ scenes in this book. They were not at all believable to me. It was the promising blurb of this book that made me request this book, but gradually I lost interest in this one.

Many thanks to the publisher and the author for providing a review copy via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton starts with something quite devastating. Thankfully we're prepared because the backcover blurb clearly tells us we're going to be meeting someone who dies, nevertheless I felt sad we lost May before getting to know her.

Sometimes books featuring narrators who have died can be a little morbid or overly wistful, Hamilton however manages to insert (the ghost or spirit of) May into her sister's life in quite an unobtrusive way.

May tells us, when we briefly meet her, that Avril Island holds secrets and they've been kept from June who has no idea what she's about to discover when she travels there. I liked that Hamilton takes away the memories of the spirit-of-May because, she's learning things as we (and June) do. At times she's on the precipice of remembering however and Hamilton manages our (and her) expectations well.

We don't actually spend much time with May as she only drifts in and out of June's life over the course of the book. Her role is not pivotal, rather there's a sense she's watching over her younger sibling. I very much liked the relationship between the sisters. I don't have one so don't necessarily understand the frustrating but unconditional love, the lack of rivalry, and the fact that they're each other's biggest champion.

I appreciated that Hamilton gives June some flaws and makes her fairly pragmatic about life.

There's a smidge of romance here when June reconnects with a boy she knew decades before but also a sense of menace as there's tragedy in his past linked with her own.

This was ultimately a tad predictable though really only because there's a threat in the present and we don't meet many characters (to be offered up as red herrings). We're given a satisfying ending; a little muted but in a pleasantly understated way.

3.5 stars

“Mothers are not always good just because they’re mothers, and fathers are not always good just because they’re fathers. Wives are not always faithful, husbands are not always honest, daughters cannot be perfect and sisters cannot be saviors. The sooner we accept those variables and forgive people for them, the sooner we heal.”
 
This book flashes between two sister’s perspectives, June (who is alive) and May (who is dead). It is a book filled with secrets from the past that slowly come to light. This book had very descriptive settings and I felt like I could really see what the author was describing. I loved seeing the relationship dynamics between the two sisters from each of their perspectives. The chapters were pretty short and the book was very suspenseful and intriguing so it was a fast read for me. The reason I gave it only 4.5 stars is because I was a little disappointed with the ending (but I won’t tell you why so I don’t give it away).

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone that like suspenseful thrillers. This was another fantastic debut novel!!! 👏🏻
 
Thank you to Crooked Lane Books, NetGalley and Jessica Hamilton for providing me with an ARC ebook in exchange for an honest review.

April Bennett held her everts till the end. Her daughter May is so distraught to learn that the island her family owned in her childhood was not sold she inadvertently has a tragic automobile accident. June still trying to understand how her sister died,travels to Avril Island not for answers but close that chapter of her life. Unfortunately the island is not finished with the Bennett women. Her stay reveals secrets and answers questions she had not thought to ask. Gripping read

"When you grow up and are finally able to step behind the curtain of childhood, the truth can be blinding." (Loc. 3242)
What You Never Knew opens with elder sister, May Bennett, driving to meet her younger sister, June, to share an unexpected and disquieting revelation that's arisen out of their recently-deceased mother's estate. Their mother - the manipulative and narcissistic April - had always led them to believe that the family's summer retreat, located on picturesque Lake Champlain in Vermont, was sold after their father deserted the family. However, that wasn't in fact the case, and Avril Island now belongs to them.
But May never arrives to share the news - in her emotional state, she's momentarily distracted and killed in a car accident before she reaches June. And yet she continues to exist, both as a ghostly presence occasionally percieved by June, and as a narrative voice in the story, as she desperately tries to convey a devastating truth from the family's past. I have to say that I'm not a huge fan of paranormal fiction, but felt this element was handled both sensitively and imaginatively by author Jessica Hamilton.
June, reeling from May's death in addition to the recent breakdown of her own marriage, travels to Vermont to visit Avril Island. She hopes that this will prove a cathartic experience for her in reconciling her relationship with her late mother, and overcoming her grief at May's death. She becomes reaquainted with her closest childhood friend at Lake Champlain, the handsome, helpful but enigmatic Ezra Keen, whose father was caretaker for Avril Island. It quickly transpires that the Bennett family's reappearance at Lake Champlain, in the person of June, is a not entirely welcome surprise for the nearby permanent and summer visitor population. June also becomes aware, for the first time in her life, of the mystery and potentially sinister circumstances surrounding her father's disappearance in 1991.
I found What You Never Knew an enthralling character-based psychological drama/mystery. Jessica Hamilton portrays June's process of discovery, from hazy childhood recollection to adult comprehension, showing great insight into the human psyche generally and the effects of living with a narcissistic parent in particular. June's developing relationship with Ezra gives some moments of lighter relief, in the shape of romance, but also carries some dark undertones and a sense of foreboding as June closes in on the truth. Hamilton also captures a powerful sense of setting in the rather dilapidated cottage and natural surroundings on Avril Island. There are powerful metaphors at play - as June dusts off, repairs and sorts the physical relics of her idyllic childhood summers, her own perceptions of the past undergo a parallel renewal. Articles of clothing, smells, sound and light prompt unbidden flashes of surpressed memory, and her occasional perception of her beloved sister's presence with her creates a sense of tension, both for June as a character, and for the reader. Hamilton's use of dual timeline and the narrative shift between June and the ghostly May combine to amplify the sense of foreboding and mystery as the story moves towards its dramatic crescendo.
I thoroughly enjoyed reading What You Never Knew and would highly recommend it to lovers of psychological mysteries, strong characterisations and great settings.
My thanks to author Jessica Hamilton, publisher Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review a copy of this title.

Thrillers are not usually in my comfort zone when it comes to reading, I'm more of a fantasy person but this book definitely had me hooked from the beginning. Even from reading the description of this book I was intrigued. Told in the points of view of two sisters, one dead and one alive What You Never Knew brings you into a beautifully described, tragic world. There was plenty of drama but not in an annoying way, but more of an intriguing tell me more kind of way. I definitely enjoyed this read and would recommend it to any thriller fan, and even those of you that don't enjoy the genre as much.

I was so excited to read this book! Summer island, family secrets, two sisters-one alive, one dead! Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. The story itself was fine. I felt that the characters had no depth. They were very one dimensional.

This book made me feel like summer and it made me long for a lake house for my kids to grow up in. I identified with all of the characters in some way, and I was really invested in what was going to happen.
The writing was natural with a good flow, not trying too hard or amateurish. I liked hearing from dead May and how we really only got the full picture from her, but June would never know the full full extent of May's reason and that was bittersweet.
Being a nitpick I didn't like June and Leos relationship, and I didn't like that June was a writer I don't know why I just found it irritating.
Unfortunately I didn't like the ending! I felt let down by June leaving Ezra with no explanation. One minute they are talking about how they love each other and will overcome their past and the next minute she's just gone.
Overall though it is a book I would recommend and give it 3.5 stars

What You Never Knew from Jessica Hamilton has it all. There's a remote island, a whole lot of mystery, and some romance. You put it all together, shake it up, and out comes a thriller that had me captivated from the very beginning to the very last page.

Being from a small town in Maine where there are multiple lakes and a few privately-owned islands, I was able to perfectly imagine Avril Island, the lake, the small boats, and the summer storms. Jessica experts weaves her compelling characters into the story, making them both likable and believable. All in all, this is an amazing debut, and I'm anxiously awaiting what comes next!

What You Never Knew by Jessica Hamilton is a thriller about Avril Island and the Bennett family. When June's sister dies in a car accident, June finds out that she is now the owner of their family cottage on Avril Island. She travels to the island to find some answers to the many questions that she has regarding her family and what really happened during their summers on the island. This story is told in alternating chapters by June and the ghost of her sister May, who is with June throughout every step of her journey. I enjoyed this unique supernatural perspective. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

3.5 STARS

Still reeling from the grief of losing her sister, June travels back to her childhood summer home on Avril lsland in search of answers to a family mystery. As she digs, she begins to notice strange things happening on the island--missing family possessions showing up, doors locking on their own, unexplained noises in the night, shadowy figures disappearing into the woods. It takes June no time at all to realize that her childhood summers at Avril Island were not at all what they had seemed to be. . .

.
.
.

Always game for a book full of juicy family secrets, I knew that WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW would be right up my alley! Told in a dual narrative between the sisters (one living, one dead) the story slowly unravels to reveal a dark and deadly scheme - and family secrets that someone may have killed to keep. Although I did figure out one of the twists, I still thoroughly enjoyed this debut.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC! WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW is out now.

The premise of this book hooked me right away. Loved the relationship between two sisters, May and June, who bonded together, but so disliked their self-centered mother April. Avril island actually became the main character for me with all the eerie qualities inherent in an island that has been abandoned for so long with all its secrets still intact. Although their back story emerges through the narrations of both May, who is deceased and June who is currently visiting the island, I feel like I only got to know them as children and missed out on their lives as adults. Perhaps intentionally so as that is where the story lies...in the past. May’s passages were full of angst for her sister who at times senses her presence.
Ezra and Willa were integral characters, as was West. Figured out many of the twists early on but it was still a compelling story. Many many thanks to Jessica Hamilton, Crooked Lane Books, and NetGalley for affording me the pleasure of reading an arc of this just published book. Eagerly awaiting the next book by Jessica Hamilton.

“What You Never Knew” is a lovely mystery thriller about a woman who goes to a remote island to get answers to the past. I enjoyed the way the author narrated the story with her writing style. The plot toggles between June and May’s perspectives, and I was fascinated with May’s view as she is a ghost and wants to protect June.

The story starts a bit slow but quickly picks up once June reaches April island. From then on, the author beautifully adds in quite a few twists and turns, where you don’t know what is happening. Some of the moments that shocked me were when June finds the carcass of crows or talks to Leslie. For some reason, Leslie and Judy unnerved me, and I felt that the townsfolk were shady. The author also throws a few red herrings creatively, where you find yourself suspecting everyone. At some point, I was even questioning June and wondering if she just imagined whatever she was facing.

Speaking of June, I enjoyed the main characters. The author wrote June perfectly, as she tries to figure out her family’s secrets in April Island. However, while I liked June, I felt there were some open ends about her. For instance, I didn’t find the affair part necessary and found it did not add to the plot. Moreover, there is no closure about why she did that to Leo, which made me dislike her a bit. Apart from that, I liked June, May, and Ezra. June and Ezra shared a beautiful friendship and sparked the tale. Moreover, June and May share an incredible bond, and I loved their emotional connection as sisters.

Overall, “What You Never Knew” was a gripping mystery thriller, and I enjoyed reading it!

I felt kinda meh about this one. Not really connected with the story, even though I did read the whole thing. I would read further books by the author. This one to me is bland.

2/5 Stars

June Bennett has a set of memories of growing up on Avril Island - were they really true? Including what she remembers about her father's disappearance when she was 12 years old? After her sister May dies, June finds out their cottage home was actually never sold. She travels back to Avril Island to get some answers but as she digs she finds herself questioning what really transpired as she was growing up.

The narrater did an excellent job setting the atmosphere and providing voice changes for the characters. I also really enjoyed the dual narration of both sisters; May and June.  We got the past perspective from May and June more as a present tense narrative and I think it worked really well with the novel.

June Bennett finds herself being haunted by her recently decreased older sister May. June is really struggling with the death of such a close family member.  June discovers their family summer cottage has never been sold and is now hers,  sheheads back to the house on Avril Island that she hasn't been to since she was a child.  The locals don't seem as welcoming as she remembers because they think her father might have been involved in a murder. While on Avril Island June unearths secrets and memories that have been buried on the island for years.

Just Released!!
WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW by jessicahamiltonwriter

Can the living & the dead communicate?
𝙄 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙖𝙡𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙅𝙪𝙣𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨.
A 5 bedroom cottage on Avril Island on Lake Champlain, gifted by JUNE's father to her mother APRIL, as a wedding present. They spent each summer here. June's elder sister, MAY dies in a tragic car accident, 7 months after April died of cancer. April had willed the cottage to May & it further goes to June.
But..
April had lied that she had sold it long back when their father had disappeared..
𝙎𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙨𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙢𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙨𝙝𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙚𝙙.
𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡 𝙮𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙄 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙖𝙠 𝙩𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙮, 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙪𝙜 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙡𝙞𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧, 𝙡𝙖𝙪𝙜𝙝 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙝𝙚𝙧. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙢𝙚 𝙢𝙞𝙨𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙦𝙪𝙞𝙩𝙚 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝.
𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙙𝙖𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙢𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙥 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙝𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙤.
But what is so mysterious about this island..
..𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙗𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙥𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙚𝙙 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙡, 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧.
The story is also about loss, healing & letting go.
..𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙚— 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮. 𝘼𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙚 𝙡𝙚𝙩 𝙜𝙤. 𝙎𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙜𝙧𝙚𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙡𝙩.
It also shows a strong sibling bond & parents in a different light.
𝙈𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙨. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙖𝙘𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙤𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙡.
Narrative is in two POVs & totally descriptive & engaging.
A wonderful debut 🤎
Totally enjoyed it!!

Synopsis:
Idyllic Avril lsland, owned by the Bennett family, is where their hundred-year-old cottage sat nestled in acres of forest. Forty-year-old June Bennett believed that the island had been sold after the summer of her father's disappearance when she was only twelve years old. It's months after the shocking death of her older sister May in a fatal car accident, that June finds out that the cottage was never sold. Avril Island is still owned by the Bennett family and now it's hers. Still reeling from the grief of losing her sister, June travels back to Avril lsland in search of answers. As she digs, she learns that the townspeople believe her father may have, in fact, been murdered rather than abandoning his family in the dead of night, as she was led to believe by her mother. And that's when she begins to notice strange things happening on the island—missing family possessions showing up on her bed, doors open when she had locked them closed. It takes June no time at all to realize that her childhood summers at Avril Island were not at all what they had seemed to be.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publishing house and the author for the opportunity to read an advance reader copy of this book in return for a review based upon my honest opinion.

The premise for this book is great; the storyline a unique and interesting one. I feel that the author could have had better protagonists and sometimes better flow of the story. I loved the storyline between the sisters June and May, and their interactions. I feel like there could have been better creepy elements, with June all alone on Avril Island, the private island named after her mother, and especially with the summer storms, I was expecting more. The ending of the book left me wanting more, but that is just personal choice, I wanted June to choose differently.

The author did a great job of describing this beautiful yet lonely island, the characters of June and May were well written, and there was suspense and intrigue. As a first book, it was enjoyable; I will definitely check out this author’s next book.

A very good debut, a story that kept on the edge and reading.
Great description of the places, creepy atmosphere and a plot full of twists. The characters are fleshed out and believable.
I can't wait to read another book by this author, this one is recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

May and June are two sisters, and best friends. One sister is deceased and one sister is alive and they are both narrators of this fascinating story of secrets, lies and deep buried family secrets.

Shortly after May’s death, June finds out that the family cottage is still owned by her the family. When she decides to visit the cottage, things are not quite as they seem. As she unburies the family secrets, she finds out more about her family than she wants to know. Was her childhood really what it seemed?

What a captivating novel by Jessica Hamilton. I loved how both sisters shared their experiences within their family and how they bonded over being brought up by their eclectic mother. We learn that family ties are never broken even in death. I loved Jessica’s writing style and I found the novel to be very interesting and kept my rapt attention until the last page. I look forward to reading more from this author. A huge thank you to the author, Jessica Hamilton, Crooked Lane Publishing and Netgalley for an advanced copy of the book to read and review for my unbiased opinion.