Hannah is a journalist trying to recover from some difficult losses by moving to small town Mississippi to take care of her grandmother. She gets a job at a local paper where a series of rejected articles written by a young woman named Evelyn in the 1930s grab her attention and she becomes determined to solve the mystery behind them.

The two narratives - Hannah's today and Evelyn's from the past - are compelling but I found Hannah somewhat unlikable and her choices were often frustrating. Bleeker covers quite a few social issues in the novel - racism, sexism, sexual assault, mental health and more - and while some worked well within the confines of the story, others sometimes felt forced. I kept with it to see how Evelyn's story would resolve and while I guessed the twist at the end, it was a satisfying way to tie up the two storylines.

The author's note explained that Evelyn was based on a real person which might explain why she was the character that I felt most connected to, and also makes her storyline that much more heartbreaking.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for a copy to review.

Oh God... I don't really like it. I was trying really hard to find myself into it, but no. Not the right time, not the right book.

It's hard to say what this book is really about. Secrets? The fact that every family has something to hide and lef unsaid? About the relationships? Starting over? Maybe, cause in here we have a little bit of everything, but nothing in lead.

This book is predictable. Especially the final scenes are so obvious. I don't like and understand the decions of Hannah. She is naive, lost and running away from her life. She is trying to impove, do something more, but she is creating a huge mess and her actions are harmful and totally unecessary. I don't buy it, I don't feel it.

It's my first book of Emily so I don't have a background to talk about her writing, but so far, I'm not gonna buy any other books of her - there are so many awesome books to discover than focusing on these only "average".

I really wanted to enjoy this one more but it didn’t hold my attention. If your genre preference is contemporary/historical fiction then I would suggest you give it a try for yourself.

Enjoyed it, but it wasn't my favorite book by the author. The story was interesting, but I just couldn't stand Hannah. I don't understand how every guy that crossed paths with her (except for Monty) seemed to be instantly enthralled with her. She didn't have a winning personality, was rude most of the time and was always self righteous. Hannah didn't grow up in the South but expected everyone there to live a certain way and gave her opinion about everything. She even made Mamaw cry. Mamaw was the sweetest woman and was kind to everyone. I hated how Hannah couldn't let go of Alex. It was ridiculous. He was a horrible boyfriend and his actions were unforgiveable but of course, Hannah wanted him back. Hannah had a tendency to use people to get what she wanted. Everyone was always so eager to help her. I couldn't wait to find out Evelyn's complete story. It wasn't what I expected, especailly when the truth was finally revealed.

Definitely recommend giving the book a try. I loved the author's previous books and look forward to reading more.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Hannah was a relatable character that discovers alot about herself and those she never knew. Bringing closure to the mystery and answers to her questions she sets out to discover it all.

I found the book a bit slow paced and a bit to predictable. I have read others by Emily Bleeker and loved, this one lacked thrills and suspense.

What a great, complex, beautiful story of one woman's history of who shot and paralyzed her and why. Hannah Williamson is a journalist who was let go from her job in Chicago so she moved to Mississippi to care for her elderly 91 year old grandmother, Mamaw.

Hannah obtains a job and comes across an Emily Kensley's written documents that contain the mystery to her being shot many years previously. Hannah wonders what happened and begins to read and investigate and it becomes very interesting and many families appear to somehow be connected or at least hiding something for whatever reasons that Hannah wanted to get to the bottom of.

I loved everything about this book. There was a beautiful relationship between Mamaw and Hannah that was so endearing. Then there was Guy, a man with whom Hannah built a very good friendship. I felt that he was a good guy right away. I love how their relationship developed into a truly caring one that would be one to last.

There was one aspect of the book that I didn't care for and that is that at the very end of the story there was a lot added that felt rushed. It didn't mess anything up for me but I did wonder why so much was in so few pages. Otherwise I absolutely loved it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review stating my opinion.

#WhatsLeftUnsaid #NetGalley

These characters fell pretty flat for me, which is disappointing because I typically love Emily Bleeker books. I had a hard time investing in either storyline, and was bored throughout much of the book.

I received an electronic copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book drew me in at the beginning and the next thing I knew I was closing the book.
Hannah, is at a crossroad in her life. Dumped by her boyfriend, depressed, rehab, losses her job as a journalist at a big newspaper. What to do? Head south and take care of her beloved Mamaw. She finds a job with a small local newspaper where she comes across a series of letters written in the 1930s. She smells a story and this seems to bring her back to life!

Bleeker does a wonderful job of going back and forth between the two settings until marrying them beautifully at the end. There are times when I wanted to smack Hannah and others when I was cheering for her. I loved the characters from Mamaw, endearing and trying to change her Southern attitude in her 90s to the good looking Guy who gets caught up in Hannah’s ideas to adorable Rosie with the inquisitive mind and bright future. Bleeker did a wonderful job of showing the mindset of the South in the 30s…misogyny, racism, small mindedness, class separation, wealth. Well researched.

Thanks to Ms. Bleeker, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.

What's Left Unsaid has an intriguing premise: down-on-her-luck author stumbles a century old mystery while endeavoring to put her life back together. What a way to reel me in.

I liked this book okay, but I never made a strong connection to the characters or the story. I think because there was so much going on in the MC's present-day life. I never felt fully vested in Evelyn's story.

The MC, Hannah is struggling in the aftermath of depression. There is a lot of discussion of that and suicidal ideation, so if that's a no-go area, please tread carefully.

I must say the author did a lovely job of detailing the bittersweet feelings those of us who live in the south, and choose to stay and fight for a better future here.

“In my way of thinking— there’s no use hiding from the fact that there was a fence stuck in that tree, or even yelling about it if you’re not willing to stick around and do your part to make it better . I love my home. I want to help it bloom again."

It took way too long to get to the "twist" that by the end of the book, I was pretty over it. I think the main character was poorly developed and she really didn't have a personality. We didn't KNOW her. I wish there was more of a focus on her and her background and mental health struggles, but it was overall choppy. This was just okay and I think people who like a slower burn will like this more.

Thank you @uplitreads for introducing me to a fantastic author, Emily Bleeker – who wrote a captivating and enthralling historical fiction/ Southern fiction mystery like no other.
I was kept at the edge of my seat with this story. I found myself in such a joyful mood every time I pick up the book and continue with this amazing story which was very hard to put down. I enjoyed every word in this book and loved having two stories in one in this dual time line story.

The current story is centered on Hannah Williamson, a Chicago Tribune journalist who moves to Senatobia, Mississippi, to help help care for her grandmother – this move seems to be more of an escape for Hannah after an emotionally heart wrenching and difficult break-up with Alex after being together for six years. Hannah’s life was spiraling downhill with an addiction and eventually losing her job. While there, she takes on a job at a small town newspaper writing about small town news, and helping archive old articles and letters in the basement. While there she discovers a series of articles left unpublished from the 1930’s about Evelyn, a fourteen year old girl left paralyzed after surviving a shooting. What she embarks upon in that basement invigorates her entire being into discovering more about Evelyn’s story that will affect the lives of so many.

What’s Left Unsaid is a compelling and powerful story that addressed heavy themes about racism and misogyny, but it is also an uplifting story about second chances, getting back up, and moving forward no matter the challenges and difficulties.

I highly recommend!

Thank you to NetGalley, Emily Bleeker and Lake Union Publishing for the free e-book in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't sure in the beginning if this was going to be the book for me - but hang in there! It gets very very interesting! I could really invested in the characters and the story that they were looking into. I loved the old story snippets that were peppered throughout the novel as they really made me want to keep reading to find out what happened to this poor girl. I love novels with reporters looking into crimes and this one was more interesting with all the past issues. The ending is amazing and I really didn't see it coming.

Thank you NetGalley, author Emily Bleeker, and Lake Union Publishing for giving me a free arc copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
4 stars
TW: rape, pregnancy, and attempted suicide
Emily Bleeker's newest release tells the story of two women- Hannah is a journalist looking for her second chance while living with her grandmother, and Evelyn was a young woman in the 1930's seeking to bring to light the identity of the person who shot her.
This book was told in the pov of Hannah and the handwritten letters of Evenlyn. I thought this book was great! I was drawn into the world of newspaper writers. Hannah was a very complex character, who is dealing with a lot. I enjoyed seeing her drive and desire to find out the events that took place in Evelyn's life. Evelyn had such a wonderful voice within her letters. The author really allowed the readers to gain a realistic insight into how it was for women within the workplace during the 1930's and it was not always a pretty picture. I thought the author did a very good job handling some very sensitive topics with care and tack! As the reader, I thought the author did a great job balancing out the two women's stories. I felt I knew both women well and was interested to find out the outcome for both women in their timelines. The writing and pacing were beautifully done so that I was unable to really guess the truth behind the mystery until the very end. The big reveal was well satisfying and realistic! This would definitely be a great book for a group of friends or a book club to read! There is a lot to be discussed throughout this book! This was my first book by this author and it will not be my last. I can't wait to read more books by this author in the future.

If I had to pick one word to describe What’s Left Unsaid, I would definitely choose “captivating”. Every time I would have to put down Emily Bleeker’s newest release, I was left wondering how the story was going to unravel.

What’s Left Unsaid is a little bit mystery, a tiny smidge of romance, but most of all it’s the story of how Hannah gets her life back together after it all fell apart, and I, for one, was rooting for her every step of the way.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to review! Attached is a link to my Instagram post.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CR9DV85L7ji/
@girl_loves_dogs_books_wine

Really slow and hard to get into. The characters weren’t very gripping, or even interesting..
Wanted to like this book, but just couldn’t get into it

What a wonderful story! Hannah who is the main character, goes to Mississippi to take care of her Mamaw. When she gets there she works for the
local newspaper. While cleaning out archived files she finds letters written by a girl named Evelyn from the 1930's that were never published. In my opinion the letters were the best part of the whole story. I wasn't crazy about Hannah because she just couldn't get over anything negative that happened to her. Instead she depended on prescription drugs and even tried to commit suicide. There are lots of twists and turns along the way but the author ties it altogether beautifully at the end.
Thanks to Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing arc for my honest opinion.

Unfortunately this book didn’t do it for me. It seemed to take forever to get into this story. This is the first book I’ve read by Emily Bleeker and I was really looking forward to it. I felt too much time was taken in the beginning going over time and again all of the main character, Hannah Williamson’s personal weaknesses. The most interesting parts of the book were Evelyn’s letters that had been written to the paper Hannah writes for. There’s a dual timeline here of present day with Hannah and the 1930’s with Evelyn.

I really wanted to like this book but just couldn’t. The book does touch on issues such as mental health, suicide, rape, and systematic racism.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing fir an uncorrected proof of the book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Hannah has gone to Senatobia, Mississippi to look after her grandmother. She has been dumped, lost her job at the Chicago Tribune and is now working at a tiny paper in Senatobia. While cleaning up the archives she comes across articles written to the editor by a teen named Evelyn almost a century ago and Hannah decides to investigate. What follows is a wonderful story or family secrets and history.

The first couple chapters of this book started a little slow for me but once Evelyn's articles get involved I was hooked. I could have read a whole book about her alone. She was such a feisty fourteen year old and I loved reading about her childhood and backstory. I really enjoy epistolary novels and this is like that.

The hidden ties that bind our lives together are the most intriguing. This is a story full of secret, silken threads between many people. Emily Bleeker's literary voice shines through in this book. The stories of Evelyn and Hannah will capture you. I found it hard to put this book down, and was completely drawn in as Evelyn's story unfolds. You will remember these characters long after you turn the last page. An excellent read.

after some devastating losses in Hannah’s life, she goes to Mississippi to help care for her grandmother. while there, she gets another job at a newspaper but she’s not reporting… but going through old files to put into the newspaper’s archives. she becomes obsessed with the rejected letters she found from a girl named Evelyn and why the newspaper won’t publish her story.


but seriously, wow… that twist at the end (for me at least) AND a happy ending. i loved this book way more than i expected to!

What’s Left Unsaid is a slow burn that took a little while to get into, but once you’re in, you’re hooked! it’s easy to read – with a story within a story. you become obsessed in wanting to find out what happened to Evelyn just as much as Hannah. i especially liked that we are only told the story from Hannah’s POV, so everything she knows about Evelyn is everything we know too. it totally just added to the mystery.

4.5 stars ! ! !

𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨, 𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘨𝘳𝘪𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨!

What an amazing book!
What’s Left Unsaid is a slow burn that captured me completely; a beautiful story that mixes historical fiction, romance and some mystery that I loved.

Thank you NetGalley and Lake Union Authors for this ARC.

𝘙𝘦𝘢𝘥 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦: 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘮𝘺𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘺, 𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘮, 𝘧𝘪𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.

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