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.

Two storylines, one in the current day and one fourteen years ago as the details emerge on one fateful July 4th night as a couple is murdered and maybe the mystery will finally be solved all these years later.

I absolutely loved that there were two plot lines and I think they weaved in and out of each other so well with the chapters labeled, it was easy to know as the reader where and when we were and it was so interesting to watch an author unfold the mystery with such precision. While I may have predicted a few things a little on the early side, I still enjoyed the ride the author provided and watching the characters pick up on the solution to the mystery.

This book also had another theme that I love and that is when a character returns to small town for one reason or another and must confront the past. I loved watching Juniper return home and having to see the demons and is determined to get everything right.

I have read quite a few of Nicole Baart's books, but still have a few in the backlist that I need to read. I hope that there are many more to come from this author!

A fast paced page turner read, this story’s numerous secrets kept me turning the pages. I loved secrets and they were being sprinkled out slowly as the story evolved. Juniper is one main character that I dislike, both as a teenager and as an adult. As a teenager, she seemed selfish and lived inside her head all the time. She couldn’t spare any time for her brother and her mom who sounded troubled as if they were wrestling a demon of their own. As an adult, she complained why her daughter didn’t welcome her with open arms when she was the one who left. Her hot and cold feelings as she talked to Everett was weird. One moment she felt anxious being near him and the next she felt compassion for him.


This book started in the present day with Juniper, 33, as she made her way back to Jericho, a town with the population of 4,000. She used to live here 15 years ago but has been living in Denver, CO. Now she’s back and wanting to be more of a hands on mom. Her daughter, Willa who’s 13 has been living with her mom Reb and stepfather Law since she was a baby. Juniper had with her a whole collection of the Murphy murders from 15 years ago, one where her brother was accused and where she has been researching to solve the mystery. She also came back to be with her friend Cora, 68. The alternative timeline was 14.5 years ago with Juniper, 18 turning 19, waking up hungover from her graduation party the night before. She has a younger brother Jonathan, 18 who often acted as her older brother. The siblings were inseparable and were like twins because they can finish each other’s sentences. That summer everything seemed to change. Juniper planned on going away for college and her mom seemed to have secrets she’s hiding as well as Jonathan. She was left with the guy she didn’t intend to fall in love with and in the meantime ruined her friendship with Ashley for wanting him. The story weaved back and forth with lots of secrets and suspense. There’s an epilogue at the end of the book.


Everything We Didn’t Say was well written and often unputdownable. I loved the bombshell twists at the end. I didn’t expect it even though the suspense was killing me. It would have been nice to know the history of Juniper’s father. It’s odd that her family don’t communicate much. I think my family overshare sometimes, probably me more than others. Juniper’s 19 in this story but she seems younger because she didn’t know what’s going on around her until being told. I don’t know how Juniper figure out it was “him” when he mentioned about digging up the past. I read that paragraph 3x. The timeline for this story was simple, winter vs summer with 14.5 years difference. I liked the mentioned of water contamination, fertilizer, and farming. I liked the siblings relationship and how the younger brother who is close in age to the older sister acted more responsible and mature than she. Anyhow, this story was an enjoyable read and I recommend everyone to read this book!

xoxo, Jasmine at www.howusefulitis.com for more details

Many thanks to Atria Books for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

Everything We Didn't Say is the latest story from Nicole Baart. In this book Juniper (June to some) returns home to a small Iowa town that she hasn't been to, except for fast visits, in some time. June returns to help a dying friend and to learn more about a podcast someone plans on making regarding a murder that happened in the town over fourteen years ago. A murder that without evidence a lot of people blamed on her brother. Ms Baart does an excellent job of keeping the reader guessing as to what happened so many years ago. I want to thank NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy to review.

I've read and enjoyed other books by this author. However, this one was a miss for me. I liked the dual timelines, but the pace was too slow, and I had a hard time staying engaged. The characters seemed a bit one dimensional, and If felt more like a YA novel than prior books, which was unexpected.

Family drama wrapped in a slow burn thriller. Dual timelines: 14.5 years ago, the summer before Juniper leaves for college, and a double murder of her next door neighbors, and present, when Juniper arrives back in her small town with hopes of repairing family relationships and solving the murder.

June is very close to her younger brother, Jonathan, and those last few weeks that summer befroe college he was keeping secrets. Meanwhile, June is keeping a secret romance from everyone. Things seem to be coming to a head on the 4th of July, and their beloved next door neighbors are murdered and Jonathan is the prime suspect. June breaks down and leaves, barely returning over the past 14.5 years, except to see her daughter, whom she's left with her parents to raise. The past seems to be creeping into the present, June's brother is hurt, and now June is determined to solve the mystery and save her family.

The writing is beautiful, you really get the sense of small town claustrophobia in the past scenes, and in the present the sense of danger and unease. I really enjoyed this novel.

"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.

Until now. Officially, she’s back in town to help an ill friend manage the local library. But really, she’s returned to repair her relationship with her teenage daughter, who’s been raised by Juniper’s mother and stepfather since birth—and to solve the infamous Murphy murders once and for all. She knows the key to both lies in the darkest secret of that long-ago summer night, one that’s haunted her for nearly fifteen years.

As history begins to repeat itself and a dogged local true crime podcaster starts delving into the murders, the race to the truth puts past and present on a dangerous collision course. Juniper lands back in an all-too-familiar place with the answers to everything finally in her sights, but this time it’s her daughter’s life that hangs in the balance. Will revealing what really happened mean a fresh start? Or will the truth destroy everything Juniper loves for a second time?"

Thanks to NetGalley for the free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was such a slow, slow burn that I almost quit and just didn't even bother finishing it. It felt like I just didn't want to pick this up because it was just dragging, and honestly, I was bored. It also felt like a YA novel (which I do not read). Disappointed in this, as I had high hopes, but it just wasn't for me. The animal cruelty was something I just could not handle either.

I have enjoyed previous books from Baart, and this one definitely did not disappoint. It kept my attention from the start.
The characters were very well developed. I thought I knew what was going to happen through the entirety of the book, and was pleasantly surprised when the ending was not what I thought.

Baart's prose are simply beautiful but, while I love her writing style, it couldn't really save this story from being mediocre. There's a lot going on here and there are a lot of characters, both of which made it hard to follow along. I kept getting confused on who was who and what was what. Thank goodness I read it on my Kindle instead of listening to it on audio or I would have been completely lost.
There's a lot of drama but not much suspense IMO. There's a feud between the Tates and the Murpheys and it felt very Hatfields and McCoys. Plus, it's a slow burn-I mean molasses on a cold day slow-and I kept zoning out. I've had this book for over a month now. It has taken me forever to finish it because my mind goes numb and I have to put it back down again. There were a few subplots that went nowhere and could have been cut out of the story completely and doing so would have probably helped with the pacing.
As far as the positives, the writing is lyrical and stylistic and the ending was incredibly satisfying. Around the 80% mark everything started coming together, and the reveal made the buildup worth it.

If you're into slow burn mysteries/small town mysteries, I recommend giving this one a read. If you want something thrilling and fast paced, give this one a skip.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is the second book I've read by this author and I liked it so much more than the first. It starts off as a slow burn but in a very good way. I loved the two timelines of past and present, there are many characters in this book and the author did a wonderful job of making each one stand out. I loved that the ending surprised me and it was a very good one, family drama is my jam and this one is amazing in that many of the towns secrets are also revealed throughout. There is so much to love about this book...Murder, teenage pregnancy, family hiding truths and don't forget the mystery of it all. I loved being taken back in time and I really enjoyed how Juniper tried to be a better mother, even if it is years too late. I got sucked into these characters lives and was invested in the outcome because the plotline sucked me right in. The story is intricate and multi-layered and the narrative is perfect...this is a very intelligently written novel and I highly recommend it for Baart's wonderful writing alone.

With many thanks to NetGalley, Nicole Baart and Atria Books for the giving of the ARC.

#NetGalley

Family secrets, small town drama, and a need to uncover the truth are what drive Juniper Baker as she unravels the lies embedded her hometown's 14 year old cold case. During that Summer 14 years ago Junipers neighbors were murdered and while Juniper's brother is the prime suspect, she knows events don't line up and lies were told. Juniper is not the only one who returned home to Jericho, Iowa looking into the murders, and after her brother has an "accident" the investigation has renewed urgency. Baart has created a wonderfully complicated small town and cast of characters in a book you won't want to end, but you also need to know what happens!

Very good story that touched on a multitude of issues from farming to love etc. I enjoyed the book & recommend it to others. Could have been shorter…some areas really dragged on.

Layers upon layers of secrets! Jericho, Iowa is a town filled with secrets and an unsolved murder that happened over ten years!
Juniper left town vowing not to return. But the unexpected request from a sick friend has her returning to the small town where her family still resides. She is ready to stand up for herself and claim the daughter, Willa she left behind as an infant. The story line switches between the summer of the Murphy murders and June’s present day return to Jericho. The story is captivating from the beginning as I am holding my breath waiting to find out what really happened with Willa and why their relationship is so strained! Also, trying to piece together that fateful night and figuring out who the real murderer is while her brother Jonathan has been accused for so many years though never formally charged!
Murders, Secret Loves, Strained Relationships and Family Drama. This book has it all and when the secrets are revealed, some lives are shattered while others finally have a chance to rebuild. Some mysteries that I didn’t see which is always a welcome surprise!
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

2.5 stars

This novel has been referred to as a "slow burn." For me, there was just a faint warmth once or twice.

Baart writes in a way that I find stylistically appealing, and the plotting is intriguing here, but this novel is SO slow. It took me weeks to finish this one (and normally something like this takes me one to three days).

The m.c., Juniper (aka June), returns to town to officially take care of a dying friend but really she's there to manage a whole other set of problems: an unsolved murder she was very close to 15 years ago and some pretty intense family drama. I am not sure if I felt disconnected from the characters because of the pacing or if this felt slow because I couldn't connect to the characters. I just could NOT EVER get into this at all. By the end, I was still unconcerned with who did what and what would happen to even the main character next.

Clearly, this was a surprisingly disappointing read for me. Many others have expressed opposing viewpoints (I had to look since I just did not get it on my own), and I hope that most readers will experience the thrill of the slow burn that just never caught up with me. I'll be back for Baart's style, but I will sincerely hope for extremely different pacing in future reads.

A true thriller that keeps you at the edge of your seat. I felt almost like I was doing a puzzle but someone was purposely keeping the most important pieces from me so I couldn’t make true progress until, piece by piece, they were given back to me, if that makes any sense. If you like intense stories that leave you guessing until the end, this is the book for you.

loved, loved this book! Received an arc for this lovely author who I have read previous books and would gladly read more from her. Turning, twisty book that has you guessing the outcome.

Thanks to Artia, NetGalley and Nicole Baart for an advanced copy.

I really enjoyed this book so much I had to buy a finished copy. Highly recommend!

My word, what a story! I love that I was practically gnawing my tongue in tension and anticipation for the end, yet I didn't want it to be over. Nicole Baart has a grippy way with words and left me spellbound with this dual timeline mystery. Families have secrets but this...this is a humdinger.

Fourteen years ago Juniper was more than happy to leave "that summer" behind and move away from her small American town to start anew. But she heeded the uneasy yet irresistible call back when she learned of her librarian friend's illness and request to help out as she is a librarian as well. But there are memories and triggers everywhere. Small towns are known for their (mis)trust and June felt the ache of fourteen years ago when her life collapsed. Her brother was then...and is...suspected of a double murder She lost so much but now she is eager to get to know her daughter who isn't living with her. Ashley, her former best friend, is full of disdain. Secrets and deceptions are rife. Who can one trust?

There is a balance of slower pace and faster and the drama and suspense are beautifully written, Characters have depth and are realistic I'm thankful to have found this...it would be a shame to miss..

My sincere thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this riveting book.

Sometimes the things we don’t say, expose our innermost thoughts. When dealing with relationships and feelings, the things we don’t say, are often the things that fear us apart.