What’s Left Unsaid follows journalist Hannah Williamson who moves to Senatobia, Mississippi to look after her ill grandmother. While cleaning out the archives at the local newspaper Hannah comes across rejected articles from the 1930s which tell the tragic story of a fourteen year old girl named Evelyn.

What follows is an unforgettable journey of two women whose lives are interwoven through secrets that are buried in the past. This was an absolute page-turner that had me hooked from the very beginning. What’s Left Unsaid is intense, emotionally raw and incredibly compelling.

This author is new to me, but am sure glad I came across her, and this book. Wow, what an ending! I was on the edge of my seat through most of this story involving Hannah, a journalist trying to put together the pieces of a story from the early 1900's. She was also busy trying to make sure her grandma "Mawmaw" was being taken care of. Several times, I thought I had the story figured out, but I was SO wrong! My jaw dropped when the pieces all fell into place! What a page turner! I can't wait to read more books by her!

This tells the story of Hanna, who got heartbroken and went home to take care of her grandma and work for a small newspaper company. There she found articles about a woman named Evelyn, and her mysterious story really got Hanna interested and in her desire to find out the truth behind it. She started investigating and uncover many secrets that others prefer to stay in the past. ⁣
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Told in Hanna and Evelyn’s POV, my heart breaks for both. Both women endured so many things and yet remain strong and courageous. The story is compelling, thought-provoking, and unputdownable. A must-read!

This is a no from me. I did finish it, but I finished it because I felt I had to, not because I liked anything about the story. I especially didn't like Hannah. I understand that characters can be complex, and nuanced, and that they must evolve along with the story, but I didn't really see that happening here. I was so honestly sick of Hannah and her poor-me attitude that I wanted to put down the book so many times. The only redeeming factor was reading Evelyn's story. I would much rather of had a first-person story about her and her experiences rather than she play second to Hannah. Although in saying that, the ending was just a little too tidy and coincidental for my taste.

What's Left Unsaid is a book that took me a little while to get into, but once I was in, I was hooked.
Hannah Williamson is a woman with her own past and troubles. Having been sent to live with her grandmother, Mamaw, in a little town in Minnesota, on the pretext of looking after her, she embarks upon a job at the local paper, keen to get back to her real career in journalism.
While there, she finds out about a story, something kept deeply hidden, which triggers her thirst for wanting to know more.
The more she knows, the more invested she becomes in the story, not knowing just how involved she is to become.
There are many issues raised in this book, not least the extreme prejudices that were held on to so tightly, in the South, but child abuse, depression, adoption, miscarriage...
And to think it is a story based upon the real story of the author's great aunt.
A fascinating read.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Bleeker's latest novel tells the story of two women- Hannah, a journalist looking for a second chance while living with her paternal grandmother, and Evelyn, a young woman in the 1930's seeking to bring to light the identity of the person who shot her.


I liked this story but I felt a little distant from all the events and it took me 3 days to finish it. Evelyn's story was by far my favorite of the two protagonists. All in all, a good read but not sure how much of the details I shall remember of the overall story.

#WhatsLeftUnsaid #NetGalley


Expected Publication Date 27/07/21
Goodreads review 25/07/21

What's Left Unsaid by Emily Bleeker
Pub Date 27 July 2021
After a series of devastating losses, Chicago journalist Hannah Williamson has landed in Senatobia, Mississippi, to care for her bedridden grandmother and endure grunt work at a small newspaper. But in cleaning out its archives, Hannah discovers a compelling distraction from her life: a series of rejected articles from the 1930s that illuminate a long-hidden mystery.
The articles, penned by a young woman named Evelyn, are haunting accounts of first love, trauma, and surviving a mysterious shooting that left Evelyn paralyzed at fourteen. Unfortunately, the articles stir up more questions than answers, and Hannah becomes consumed by what's left unsaid. Encouraged by Guy Franklin, a local middle school teacher, Hannah's investigation into Evelyn's past becomes more personal with each new reveal. As both a journalist and a woman bearing her emotional wounds, Hannah has a chance to move forward and bring closure to the girl's story, whose secrets are buried in Senatobia.
What Hannah's about to discover next is that, even after nearly a century, the truth she's been looking for still has the power to change lives. Especially her own.
Bleeker's novel focuses on racism, notably Black racism, concentrating mainly on the deep-rooted attitudes of multi-generational white families in the Southern United States. The antiquated opinions have led to divisions for many years.
"What's Left Unsaid" is part historical fiction, part modern romance, but it is compulsive reading.
I want to thank NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and author Emily Bleeker for a pre-publication copy to review.

What's Left Unsaid
by Emily Bleeker

I have read everything by Emily Bleeker, and although this book is a bit of a departure from her psychological thrillers, it was an engaging mystery based on the author's family.

Hannah Williamson is a journalist whose life is in a downward spiral... her boyfriend broke up, her father dies and she loses her job at the Chicago Tribune. Hannah's grandmother, Mawmaw, has an accident and requires care, so Hannah moves to the Deep South of Mississippi to assist her while rebuilding her own life. She lands a job at the local weekly newspaper and is tasked with organizing and scanning the newspaper's archives. It is here, in the scattered and dark basement that Hannah discovers a letter written by Evelyn, a young girl from the 1930s hoping to have her scandalous story revealed to everyone.

Hannah's character is unreliable with lots of bad decision making, but her drive to understand and uncover a scandal is contagious. Evelyn's story (based on a true story), as well as Mamaw's character, highlight the gender and racial struggles in the 1930s as well as today.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for a digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. This book is available 7.27.21.

Hannah is trying to put the pieces of her life together living with her grandmother in a small town of Senotobia. Hannah had been rejected by her partner of many years
totally unexpectedly and this pushed her into a breakdown. She lost her job as a journalist and is now filling in at the local rag covering odd events and at the beck
and call of a very conservative owner.

When given the task of clearing out a basement of old files, Hannah stumbles upon a story of a young woman reaching out to the agony aunt of this same paper decades
ago - a story of love, trauma and a shooting which left her paralysed and forgotton. Hannah is intrigued by the story and tries to unravel the history of this
young woman. In doing so she unsuspectingly steps on the toes of an influential family who wants the story to stay hidden so as to keep the unsavoury secrets of
their own family safely hidden. When Hannah is determined to pursue the story she meets with unforeseeable opposition.

Very well written the story is documented carefully - especially the story of Emily which Hannah unearths from hidden documents. Justice is sought for the
dead Emily and Hannah is vindicated for her journalistic prowess.

I'm unable to finish this book. It's not holding my interest at all and I've read 33% already.
It is just not what I thought it was going to be I think.
I like most of the characters and thought the plot was going to really grab me but that didn't happen. I read more than I would have just to make sure. It's not getting any better for me. I hate when this happens too.
I usually love an Emily Bleeker book. This one is just not getting it for me.

Thank you NetGalley, Emily Bleeker and Lake Union for this arc.

I'll still give it 3/5 stars because I do not think it's fair to give a book less than 3 stars unless it it all truly dribble. Just because I don't like it does not mean others won't.

Reflections: Don't you sometimes wish you could tell someone "get over it!"? I wanted to say this to the main character Hannah, who keeps moping because of a break-up with a boyfriend.

Hannah moves to Mississippi to get away from her many many problems. She works in a small town newspaper office. I liked this part because one uncle owned a small newspaper and another uncle worked in a large city newspaper office.
While working in the archives, Hannah runs across a series of unpublished letters written decades ago. Intriguing letters! Often, though, Hannah moans because of the break-up; she checks her phone to see if HE left a text. Get over it!
Good characterizations. You come to care about the person who wrote the letters, and you keep reading to see what happened to her.
Many thanks to Netgalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Bleeker for these enjoyable days of reading.

Thank you to the author, Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley, for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This family drama is centered around a young woman who, after suffering the breakdown of her long-term relationship and the death of her father, goes through emotional turmoil and loses her job as well as her equilibrium. In an effort to make a fresh start and support her ailing grandmother, she moves to a small town in the southern US, and gets wrapped up in a cliffhanger of a story she finds in the newspaper archives. These two timelines are woven through the book, which kept me reading to find out what happened. Unfortunately, I found Hannah, the young woman in the present, exceedingly unlikeable - she was self-centered and made way too many rash decisions that were inconsiderate of others, using them to achieve her own goals and seemingly oblivious of what her actions meant for others. The author made an effort to address important issues such as systemic racism, sexual assault, politics and mental health - but all of these topics were skimmed over rather than addressed, which did not make for enjoyable reading. The ending was foreseeable and came across as very pat.

What's Left Unsaid
A Novel
by Emily Bleeker
Lake Union Publishing
General Fiction (Adult) | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 27 Jul 2021 | Archive Date 10 Aug 2021

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for this ARC. This is my first book by Emily Bleeker and I must warn you... you need to pay attention to get the full impact of this novel. Great read! Thumbs up!!

4star

An extremely intense and confusing story. Really need to pay attention to this one to get the full experience. I'd recommend it though!

I enjoyed how all these pieces connected to one another so seamlessly. Excellent characterization and great plot development -- this was an awesome piece of historical fiction.

I loved this. It's the story of a woman whose boyfriend cheats on her and dumps her, who then blows up her own life. Of course it's a journey, and Emily Bleeker really takes you on that ride with her.
I started this on the second day of Lockdown 5, and was actually so happy to stay in, by the fire, disappearing into a different time and place.
The book can be a bit blunt in the approach to racism and sexism, but I love the characters, especially Hannah, her grandmother, and all the guys except Alex, so much that I could not put it down. Highly recommend for an escapist read.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for this e-Arc in exchange for an honest review.

This book grabbed my attention within the first few pages and kept me turning the pages as I read it all in two sittings. The storyline was intriguing - Hannah moves to Mississippi to help care for her grandmother and takes a job at a local newspaper. On an assignment to archive old articles she starts digging into the history of one particular story. During her time in Mississippi she also meets a local middle school teacher, Guy. Guy assists Hannah as she continues to investigate her mystery. Although not the usual romance genre I read, I liked the switch to a mystery type of storyline. The characters are well written, believable, and keep you entertained. I really didn't know what the end would bring until I was almost there - it kept me guessing.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ebook in exchange for my honest review.

With What's Left Unsaid, Emily Bleeker gives readers a book with two complicated and compelling story lines, each filled with complex characters and situations that reach us, teach us, and keep us turning pages to discover the resolution.

Chicago journalist, Hannah Williamson, has found the last year filled with a crushing series of losses. Unmoored and reeling, she finds herself trying to pull herself together in small town Senatobia, Mississippi, as she cares for her 91-year-old grandmother who has broken both ankles in a fall. Now working for the small weekly paper in town, Hannah is given the task of clearing out the basement, a room filled with boxes and file cabinets, archiving the papers as she goes.

Soon she stumbles upon a series of rejected letters written in the 1930s by a young girl, Evelyn, that tells of her family, first love, and of being shot and paralyzed at the age of 14. Everyone, including Evelyn, assumed she'd die, but she somehow survived. Hannah becomes enthralled with Evelyn and wants to uncover the rest of her story. Is she still alive? Who shot her? Enlisting the help of a friend of her grandmother, Guy Franklin, an English teacher at the middle school, Evelyn struggles to find the ending of the story, even as it seems her boss and others are equally as determined that they not learn the truth. As Hannah seeks the truth about Evelyn, she must also come to terms with her own life and the direction that she wants it to take.

This is a wonderful read that had me fully engaged with both story lines and all of the many characters. I have enjoyed each of Ms. Bleeker's previous books and this one is remarkable as well!
I highly recommend it!

My thanks to NetGalley and to Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an ARC of this novel. All opinions (and any errors) expressed in this review are my own. The book is scheduled to be published on 7/27/21.

What really happened to Evelyn? Hannah, a journalist who has moved to Senatobia, Mississippi, has discovered a cache of letters sent to the editor of the small town paper beginning in the 1920s. There's a mystery here but there's also the story of Hannah, who is caring for an elderly relative and struggling with her mental health. There are perhaps too many things going on in the dual time line where the real power lies in Evelyn's struggle with racism. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC.

An easy to read compelling story - with a story within a story.

The MC is Hannah - and she is in a rough patch of her life. She's back with her grandma, taking care of her while she's recovering from an injury. She's recently split with a long term boyfriend and lost her job and fled Chicago. She's back in a small town and working for a small town paper. She's not terribly happy and the beginning is just a bit slow.

Hannah is digging through archives at her small town paper and stumbles on some papers from a woman that completely captivates her with her story. This mystery woman, Evelyn, promises to explain how she was shot and what her story is. It was a twisty story, filled with interesting small town characters and a dark secret. I really liked the reveals in the story even if I had an instinct where it was going. The conclusion to both stories was well done and I enjoyed it!