This was a fun, quick-read mystery. Told from the perspectives of two sisters: one alive and trying to uncover the truth behind her childhood lake house and her father's mysterious disappearance, the other is dead and trying to also discover the truth. I wished I had heard more from the dead sister and had trouble connecting with the main character, June. That said, it was an engaging read that I didn't put down. I figured out half the mystery, but the other was a surprise. 3 stars.

When June returns to Avril Island, her dead sister does too. This engaging story is told in alternating points of view by the two of them. June is grieving the sudden death of her sister when she finds out their family cabin they suddenly abandoned 30 years ago was still owned by the family. The book centers on the mysteries surrounding family and friends, and the setting is very atmospheric.....an old summer cottage that has been left as a time capsule of their life there 30 years ago. Having been raised being allowed to roam free all day on the lake with friends at our summer cottage, the author’s descriptions of the freedom, and the almost physical pull of the place on you really rang true for me.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy and hours of reading enjoyment.

June is being haunted by her dead sister. May died in a freak car accident a mere week after they lost their mother. Now, June is not only mourning her mother’s loss but also her sister.
When she finds that her mother has left their summer home - Avril Island- to the girls, June is floored.
The last June heard 30 years ago, mom had sold the island after their father vanished and left the family out of the blue.
June has fond memories of the island- her best friend Ezra, his caretaker father West and her sailing friends. When she returns to the islands to reclaim the home, she finds her family is very much unwelcomed and they are outcasts.
She can only rely on Ezra to help her dig to find the truth about her father’s disappearance and what really happened 30 years ago...

I had a hard time putting this book down. I think the author is so clever with how this story was told.. I read it in 2 sittings because I just couldn’t stop! That ending! I didn’t expect it but it was so good. Highly recommend to any fan of mysteries! You won’t be disappointed with this read.

BOOK REVIEW ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫✨ (3.75 / 5)

Book Details
✨Publication Date: April 13, 2021
✨Mystery / Thriller
✨Features family secrets, a ghost, a possible romance, and a potentially dangerous stay at an old cabin

Setting / Atmosphere
I really enjoyed the setting of this novel. Overall, the author does a great job at building up the suspenseful and creepy vibes. The atmosphere created was very well done and tension built up well. This was definitely one of the strengths of the novel and something that kept me engaged throughout.

Plot
I really enjoyed the overall plot idea, as the story is told through the perspective of two sisters (one who is alive and one who is dead). I think if The Lovely Bones wasn’t already a thing, this would have been more unique, but either way I enjoyed how it was done and the way that allowed the story to unfold. I think there were elements of the plot that could be a bit more predictable at times, but that feels consistent with most thrillers, and I wasn’t 100% sure what had happened til closer to the end. Also, the pacing at which things happened felt like it worked well for the novel.

Mental Health
Much of this novel shows one sister grieving the loss of the other sister. I appreciated the way this was portrayed, as it showed the lasting impact grief can have and that it isn’t something that someone easily just moves on from.

What a freaking page turner. Book had me guessing from page to page and I never wanted to put it down. Literally did not see the end coming. At all. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

#JessicaHamilton ,# NetGally
April has died leaving her two daughters a island. This is a great book.

I have been reading this one for a while now but not because of the book, the fault is entirely mind. We have a good thriller here. I like the writing, the twists and plot and the characters as well. I might not reinvented the wheel or anything, but it does what it does in a very good way and I had a fun time reading it! In my opinion, there is no better argument than that! Read it!

April has died leaving her daughters May and June the family Island.
May and June were told by their distant selfish mother that Avril Island had been sold after their father left them but to their amazement it hadn’t.
June finds herself back on the Island after the sudden death of her much loved sister May.
June has few memories of what happened on the Island but just remembers her mother taking them quickly away after their fathers departure. She is now desperate to find out exactly what happened.

This is a beautifully written book. Unusually it is written through the eyes of May who is dead and June who is on the Island. It is a cleverly crafted book allowing you to understand the grief June feels for May and May’s difficulty in remembering what actually happened. The characters are all well described and fit into the plot well. I would recommend this book to mystery lovers
If this is the authors debut book I will be watching out for more from her

Great book I really loved it! I was hooked from the start, thank you so much for providing me a copy of this book to read. This is something I would love to purchase.

I’d describe this book as ‘big little lies’ meets ‘the lovely bones’. It’s good - but it feels like something I’ve read before and I can’t quite put my finger on what it is. Overall, I actually enjoyed the book. The main character inherits Avril Island, the island she spent her summers visiting with her Mum and older sister. She sets off to unwravel the mystery surrounding her fathers disappearance when she was a teenager - the reason her mother abandoned Avril island. The book contains mystery, romance and memories.... interspersed with a dead girls ramblings.

I loved the flashbacks and the stories of the girls’ mother heading over to the resort island of an evening to socialise and relax with her friends. It sounded like an idyllic childhood for them (until it went drastically wrong!). I’m not 100% sure that the dead sisters ramblings were required for the storyline - they seem like a bit of a ‘filler’ to boost the word count but don’t actually provide any additional information.

I’d recommend the book for anyone currently wanting to escape the current snow / winter themed murder mysteries.

This book blew me away! I was unable to but it down. Perfect, dazzlingly, very well written. The details the author described throughout the book was so amazing. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! No spoilers. Beyond amazing I enjoyed this book so very much. The characters and storyline were fantastic. The ending I did not see coming Could not put down nor did I want to. Truly Amazing and appreciated the whole story. This is going to be a must read for many many readers. Maybe even a book club pick.

WHAT YOU NEVER KNEW is an engaging mystery with an unexpected ending. But the true beauty of the book lies in Hamilton's ability to thoroughly capture what is is like to spend the summer at a cabin on an island. the sensory aspects of the book are exquisite. I felt like I could taste the lake water and feel the sun-warmed dock beneath my body. Just excellent writing!

This was a unique idea, but the story itself fell a little short for me. It centers on sisters May and June- May who recently passed away and narrates from beyond the grave, and June, battling with the grief of losing her sister while uncovering family secrets. The girls and their parents spent their summers as the only inhabitants of Avril Island until they were 12 and 13 years old, and stopped going there after their father left the family. They were under the impression the island had been sold but June finds out upon May's death that their mother actually held onto it all of these years.

On the good side, the way the island was described was really engaging- I am a sucker for abandoned places and the description of the island, the cottage, and even the resort that June visits were atmospheric; I was able to clearly picture them. I also thought that the alternating narrative between May and June was unique, and felt sad about May's desperation to connect with June.

Otherwise, I felt that the story was predictable- I had pretty much figured out what happened within the first quarter of the book, though it didn't play out exactly the way I thought it would. I also felt that the characters weren't well developed- I understood their close friendship and could picture their summers on the island when they are kids, but had no indication of what they were like in the 25+ years since then- the author drops some clues about June but never goes into any detail, and doesn't give us any info on May. Were they still best friends as adults? What did they do? Did they never discuss what happened to their dad, or try to find out more?

Lastly, this might just be because this was an early ARC, but there was an extreme lack of commas throughout the book, which was distracting. Assuming this will get picked up but wanted to mention just in case it had been missed in editing.

Overall, this was a unique idea but just an OK read for me. More character development and less predictable twists would have given it more stars from my POV. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

All in all What You Never Knew is a really good story. I have a hard time finding books that I can’t figure out quickly, but this book had me guessing until almost the end. The back and forth of point of view between sisters- only one of whom is still alive- is a very unique element I don’t think I’ve encountered before. I give it three stars only because there’s some plot holes. Why didn’t June go to the police department or the local library when she figured out the mystery of her father? That makes zero sense to me. Either way the sum of the plot was very good.

This is a book written in a different way than others...concentrating on death. I read an early copy from Netgalley and had trouble concentrating on the story. Other readers might have an easier time getting them not it.

I really enjoyed this one. The Lovely Bones concept was particularly interesting, especially coupled with this island filled with family secrets and lies. I love this kind of story, and Jessica Hamilton succeeds at showing the relationship between these sisters and ample twists and turns.

This is a well written, engaging book.

After her sister May’s untimely death, June returns to Avril Island- a place she thought had been sold long ago.

I liked the way the story was told from the perspective of the two sisters. There were a few issues with the plot (June would never have been so clueless for one!) and I did guess where we were heading, but somehow it didn’t spoil the effect. I liked the characters and the island was very well described.

I enjoyed this book and would quite like to know what happened next! Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

The different perspectives and the unravelling of all the protagonist thought was true make this a complex but compelling book. I liked being able to understand how each character perceived the same situations and it made me question who was right and who was wrong. A clever mystery, this will appeal to readers who enjoy string character development.

What a roller coaster of a book with twists galore, some expected, others not. Dripping with atmosphere it quickly drew me in. I like the alternating narration. Romance, deception, secrets, revenge, death and grief grip the characters and they are deeply affected.

The Bennett family vacationed in their summer cottage annually until May and June were in their teens. When that abruptly ended questions swirled like a blanket of fog, sometimes out of mind yet usually oppressively heavy. Summer locals had their ideas, too.

June finds herself staying on the island amidst inexplicable mysterious occurrences. She meets locals who treat her oddly and it is clear they know something she doesn't. Meanwhile, she is desperately trying to cope with grief. The story follows her and her sister discovering and uncovering family secret after family secret.

The atmospheric was described well...I practically felt it. The many twists were interesting. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a disconnect in the writing with a few things sort of thrown in which seemed unreal and irrelevant to the plot. Grief was detailed well but the characters were distant. It was an interesting read nonetheless.

Thriller and mystery fans will likely enjoy most aspects of this book. It left me wanting but would be happy to read others by this author.

My sincere thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated.

*3.5 stars*