Normally I don’t have the patience for a slow burn type of book but I always make an exception for a Nicole Baart book because it’s SO worth it. Her writing is so rich and descriptive, it’s just gorgeous and she writes in such an evocative way that just mesmerizes me. This is a perfect fall read, you have small town secrets and an highly atmospheric setting, a complicated murder mystery that’s unsolved fifteen years later and amazingly well crafted characters that feel like they could leap off the page and into your life. Clearly I loved this one, my fave from the author yet!

4.5/5
Everything We Didn’t Say is a riveting family drama/mystery. It had a good storyline that went from the present to the past which I liked as you got the backstory of what happened with Juniper and her family that lead up to the murders of their friends/neighbors. The twists in the story were great and completed unexpected. Really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Atria Books and NetGalley for the review copy.

I enjoyed the back and forth POVs of the same person. The book flowed nicely and I did not see the ending coming. I'm looking forward to more from this author!

A well-told story, toggling between present day and 14+ years ago. Juniper and her almost-twin brother Jonathan live in small town Iowa and the book talks about the summer after Juniper's high school graduation to the 4th of July, the date of their neighbors' unsolved murder. The book is about their relationship, the relationships with their family and friends and the things unsaid about the tragic events of that summer. There is suspense and family secrets and it has a satisfying ending. Good stuff!

Juniper just graduated from highschool and was in the midst of summer romance when her neighbors, Cal and Beth Murphy were murdered. Her younger brother, Jonathan, became the primary suspect when he was the one that found them and called 911. Her world was instantly turned upside down and she left her small town, vowing to never come back. 14 years later she returns to take care of a friend with cancer. But in reality she has ulterior motives for coming back. She gets word of a new podcast highlighting the murders, which would put her brother and her family back in the spotlight. She has been collecting evidence for years and is determined to solve the Murphy murders and clear her brothers name. Will revealing what happened mean a fresh start, or destroy everything?

The story is told in dual timelines, summer 14 years ago and present day winter. I loved the back and forth because it allowed the author to give small clues without giving away the whole story. It also allowed you to go back in time with Juniper and feel what she was feeling at the time.

The ending was totally unexpected, and the writing keeps you guessing until the very end. Very well written, and while there were a lot of different 'story lines', Nicole pulled it together very well in the end. Highly recommended.

Thank You NetGalley and Atria Books for the free digital copy. Published Nov 2.2021.

I wasn't sure about this book. The first few chapters felt a bit lackluster; however, this was not my first Nicole Baart novel. I have loved her other books and had confidence that I would love Everything We Didn't Say. Nicole did not let me down.

Juniper Baker has returned to her home town to help a friend and try to connect with her thirteen-year-old daughter. Her last few months in Jericho were filled with secrets and unasked questions. The Bakers neighbors were killed weeks before Juniper left for college. Her brother, Jonathan was suspected of the murder but there isn't enough evidence to charge him. Many residents of Jericho still think Jonathan killed his beloved neighbors. Juniper knows he couldn't have killed them. Could he? She knows more than she's willing to say and wants to know more than she's brave enough to ask.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for an advanced copy of the novel for review.

My rating - 4 Stars

Fast paced thriller with a twist or two.

Juniper has just returned home to Iowa from Colorado. She moved there after she graduated high school and after their neighbors, The Murphy's, were murdered. At the time everyone thought her brother had committed the crime, but he was never charged.

Juniper, has returned home to help out at themlocal library and to get to know her daughter. She left her little girl with her mom and step dad to raise. Willa, her daughter wants nothing to do with Juniper and frankly I can't blame her.

Things start to happen that mimic that night 14 years ago when the Murphy's were murdered. A dog is poisoned, prank calls, slashed tires, and the local sheriff is determined to get to the bottom of this!

I will not give away any more than that. There is one thing that I will say and that is this book is a dual timeline and at times it can get a little confusing, but I think that was because I was reading so fast. 3.5⭐

Thank you to Netgalley, Atria Books and Nicole Baart for the eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

After her two neighbors are murdered, Juniper Baker left her town never to return. But she does return. While her brother was never charged with the murders, the town still suspects him and she wants to clear his name and solve the murders.

I heard a lot about this one before reading it and knew to expect a slow burn.. which it was. The past parts had a coming of age feel to them. Throughout the story the reader feels just outside of the secrets. We are sure something happened and a lot of the characters know, except for the main character and us. I was able to guess the WHO of the matter, but not the why. The author did a good job of dropping tiny clues here and there, but it really was too slow moving for my tastes. There is also two animal abuse/death events, which while they aren’t graphic, they are sad.

“It felt like yesterday and like someone else’s story at the same time. She didn’t know what that kind of happiness felt like anymore. But even then, hadn’t it been a ruse? A paper thin likeness of joy that crumbled to dust at the first hint of adversity?”

Everything We Didn’t Say comes out 11/2.

4 1/2 twisty stars...

What a great read! It took me a little bit to settle into this book, but once I did, I was completely hooked. It was a total page-turner for me. I was obsessed with finding out how all of the various plot lines would resolve themselves.

I'm going to keep this review as vague as possible so as to not give away anything. I will say that there are unsolved murders, two timelines (roughly fourteen years apart), family secrets, heartbreak, betrayal, unrequited love, small town secrets and more. It was an addictive read that I could hardly bear to put down.

The family and interpersonal relationships in this book were depicted so well. Reality is that when you grown up in a small town, so many people often know your business that it's almost impossible to hide anything. That was evident in this story. There were more secrets at play that the reader can even keep up with. As the final puzzle pieces are revealed toward the end of the book, it all makes sense, but I was so shocked I didn't figure it out earlier. It was a well-done mystery with family drama blended in. In the midst of all this is a romance that even though it didn't take center stage, was life-changing. I have to say it broke my heart a little.

Once I finished the book, I still found myself continuing to think about it afterwards. I believe that is the mark of a well written novel. This is my first read by Nicole Baart and I look forward to reading some of her previous works. I was very impressed by her talent as an author.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

Thank you to the publishers at Atria Books and Netgalley for this e-ARC of Everything We Didn’t Say.

Everything We Didn’t Say is told from one POV, Juniper Baker, with a now and then storyline. Every other chapter is a blast from the past, where we come closer and closer to the truth of what happened that Fourth of July night in Jericho, Iowa.

Juniper and her brother, Jonathan, are thick as thieves, but the summer that June graduates, Jonathan begins to pull away from her and she doesn’t know why. Struggling to get her brother back, she begins falling for a boy she never had any interest in, Sullivan Tate, the boy her best friend is in love with. And their neighbors and friends, the Murphy’s, are in a multimillion dollar lawsuit against Tate Family Farms. Tensions are high among all of her relationships, and Juniper finds herself being drawn further and further into a plot with no happy ending.

I really enjoyed this dual storyline with the past and the present intermingling, finally coming together to reveal the killer that was completely unexpected in my opinion. It’s a bit of a slow start, but picks up around the middle of the story as we get closer and closer to that fateful Fourth of July night. I also appreciated having just one narrator, because people change so much in 15 years, so it almost felt like two different people anyway! 3.5 stars rounded up.

Everything We Didn’t Say is out November 2nd!

This one stumped me. I couldn’t discern who was the killer until the very end. So many secrets in this small town and I kept sorting through the clues, trying to arrive at answers. It kept my attention. The setting was good and I liked the plot. I did think the ending was a bit stilted and choppy. It just didn’t have the same flow as the rest of the narrative. Still, it’s a good book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

From the synopsis: Juniper Baker had just graduated from high school and was deep in the throes of a summer romance when Cal and Beth Murphy, a childless couple who lived on a neighboring farm, were brutally murdered. When her younger brother became the prime suspect, June’s world collapsed and everything she loved that summer fell away. She left, promising never to return to tiny Jericho, Iowa.

Juniper Baker does return to Jericho because she has wounds to heal – both hers and her daughter’s – and a mystery to solve. She is certain it wasn’t her brother who killed the Murphys, and yet even she has some questions – the answers to which she has blocked When she left Jericho, she also left behind that daughter, who was raised by her parents. At the time, she was so young and couldn’t face the truth of her circumstances.

It's a novel told in two different time sequences: 14 years ago, when the murders occurred and present day, when Juniper returns home and begins unraveling the mystery. There are good parts of the book and because it was told in those two conflicting times – many details and relationships that play a part in what happened. I wasn’t a fan of the segments where Juniper and her friend Ashley were mooning over Sullivan, with Juniper consummating the relationship her friend Ashley longed for – only for the tables to be reversed many years later when friendships were at odds. Interesting twists and turns and you’re never quite sure until the end just what happened to Cal and Beth Murphy.

Very readable, enjoyable and well written.

3.5 The premise had potential but fell short. The ending came out of the blue, and some plot lines could have been better developed. Thank you Net Galley and Atria Books for my ARC.

I was lucky to receive an advance copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. WOW this book was so well written and kept you guessing until the very last page. I stayed up way too late reading this as I could NOT put it down. You must add this book and author to your to be read list immediately! Thank you so much for the chance to read this early!

4.5 ⭐️‘s
A riveting story of a family broken by the past. Fourteen and a half years ago a tragedy rocked the small town of Jericho, Iowa and Jonathan Baker is still the prime suspect. His sister, Juniper, left shortly thereafter, but has come back to town to help a friend. Juniper is determined to find out what really happened that night, even if it confirms the guilt of her beloved brother. When odd things start to happen that are reminiscent of that summer, Juniper digs in even deeper. Filled with family secrets and things left unsaid, this book takes us on a journey to find the truth. A book about family, facing the past, saying the things that need to be said and best of all second chances. Kudos to Baart for proving that a book doesn’t need to be filled with unnecessary sex and language to make it compelling from start to finish!

This was a good family drama thriller. It was a tad slow for my taste as it was more family drama than thriller. The story is told in 2 timelines the present and 14 years ago. I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

This book is a rollercoaster from the beginning - told in dual timelines and delving deep into murder, family secrets, drama, relationships and scandal. I found the main character Juniper to be interesting, but some of her character traits were a contradiction to themselves. I figured out some of the answers to the burning questions and the plot twists before they were revealed, but it was still a satisfying conclusion to read. I enjoyed it.

It is no wonder that Book of the Month Club has confirmed that Everything We Didn't Say is the most popular October pick.

I could not put this book down ; I picked it up to read a few chapters and the light just stayed on until I was finished.

Nicole Baart does a remarkable job of pulling you in from page one and not letting go the surprise ending.

I am now a true fan and am off to look up her other novels.

Don't miss this one, in fact put it to the top of your TBR pile.

Thanks to NetGalley and Atria books for a captivating read.

Juniper Baker left Jericho, Iowa fourteen and a half years ago following the summer after her high-school graduation; a summer that tore her family apart and ended with her younger brother, Jonathan, a suspect in a double murder which has never been solved.

Now, Juniper is on a leave of absence from her job in a small college outside of Denver where she works as the College Archives librarian. She's here to help Cora, 68, the town librarian and an old friend who is seriously ill.

She soon finds that someone is digging into the murders again, and suspicious and dangerous things have been happening to her family. She's been looking into the case herself, wanting to know the truth once and for all. Can she get to the truth of what happened that summer, and heal the wounds that have kept her away for so long?

This is a well-paced mystery which goes back and forth between the summer when everything fell apart and the current day. Baart's writing is very descriptive and her characters are realistic. She weaves an intricate tale of secrets, changing relationships, and truths that must come out. This is quite a good read and I enjoyed it a lot!

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for allowing me to read an ARC of the paperback version of this novel which is scheduled to be published on November 2, 2021. All opinions in this review are my own and have been freely given.

Everything We Didn't Say is played out in two timelines. Now and 14 years ago.
Fourteen years ago on July 4th a couple was murdered.
Juniper left town shortly after the murders and the accusations that suggested her brother was the killer.
Now Juniper is back and determined to find out what really happened all those years ago.
So many people Juniper knows are involved in one way or another. Who can she trust? Her brother? Her parents? Her ex best friend? The boy she fell in love with that fateful summer? The neighboring farmers contaminating the water? Read it and find out!
Overall a good book but a very slow burn. It felt like it was longer than it needed to be.
Also some animal cruelty involved.

Thanks to Atria Books via netgalley for the arc.