The cover of this book is absolutely stunning!

I love how Leah Konen writes her stories. At first, you feel like it's going to be another eye rolling thriller that you've heard before. But, she definitely adds her own voice and uniqueness to her thrillers.

What I loved? Leah really captured what it's like to be a new parent. The things that aren't usually talked about... breastfeeding, depression, and the anxiety of being a new mom.

What didn't work for me? I feel like it was really repetitive. Also, I feel like we always see the partner (Janie) getting involved in doing their own investigation taking over basically for the police and it's a bit over the top eye rolling for me.

There were some small surprises a long the way but overall it was a decent popcorn read!

3.5/5 stars

Thank you so much to Dutton and Leah for an arc in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date 1/10/23
Published to GR/IG: 1/4/23

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. I got through about a third of the book and just couldn't go any further. I really thought that the storyline would have been good but it just fell flat for me.
Janie and Max have a new baby girl. Janie feels like she is not really connected to her baby like her boyfriend seems to be. Max tells Janie to get a full night sleep and he will take care of the baby. Janie wakes up to the baby screaming, takes care of her and then discovers that max is missing the next day. His parents don't seem to be very concerned about it even after she discovers that his car is gone and he obviously left on his own. Janie was just an annoying character and seemed to constantly complain about how much work is involved with taking care of the baby and wondering if she made the right choice in even having the baby.

Do we ever really know who are partners are? Janie’s a new mom with a loving boyfriend, Max. But one morning her life flips upside down. Max is missing and not answering his phone. As things progress we find out about a murdered woman. Some how Max is caught up in this and now a suspect. Can Janie unlock the truth of what really happened?

What I enjoyed:
- the overall multi layers and themes of this book. This really boosted it from your typical thriller. I enjoyed Janie as a MC. She was very fleshed out and felt relatable. Her struggles, and her story was compelling.
- The pacing was well done! This was a fun and quick read.
- I didn’t see the ending at all! I had an idea but I was so wrong.

I honestly went in blind with this book. I skimmed the synopsis and thought okay cool! I have read a previous book from the author and really enjoyed it. This one didn’t disappoint either! I am looking forward to picking up future books by the author. 4 stars out or 5.
Thank you Netgally for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This is an enjoyable domestic thriller that asks the question “how well do you know your significant other?”

Janie and Max have a perfect, beautiful baby girl, Freya. From the outside their lives are picture perfect but on the inside they’re both keeping secrets. Not only is Janie struggling with post-partum depression but she also can’t piece together a hazy night with a client.

Everything is moving along, keeping up appearances, until the night that Max doesn’t come home.

This is a page-turner about the lengths we will go to to protect family, biological and chosen.

He’s got a secret. And so does she.

I know, right? I was sold at the tag line. If you think that’s a hook, then the rest of Leah Konen’s @leahkonen You Should Have Told Me is just as addictive.

Sometimes when every character has a secret, I find them unlikeable, but Max and Janie are relatable, normal people caught up in a situation beyond their control. Leah Konen crafted the story based on not only what she has experienced as a new mom, but she weaves a devious plot that I couldn’t read fast enough! I was also lucky enough to have an early audio copy, thanks to @prhaudio and Karissa Vacker adds her special touch to make this perfect for audio. Actually, it’s pretty great in all forms, and so grab a copy however you can! Thanks @putnambooks for sending an early @netgalley version my way!

A fast-paced, bingeable thriller that sucks you in right away!! I love how the twists were unexpected and spread throughout. Even though I guessed (at one part) where the story was going, it did not take away my enjoyment at all! Konen did a great job interweaving the complexities of early motherhood into the premise and mixing that in with tons and tons of secrets!

Thank you to NetGalley + Penguin Group Putnam for the eARC in exchange for my honest review!

When Janie's boyfriend and the father of her newborn baby disappears one night, Janie doesn't know where he possibly could have gone. After a visit from the police who want to question Max about a possible crime that occured nearby, she's really starting to panic. Overwhelmed with motherhood and desperate for answers, she starts taking the search for Max into her own hands. But will the answers she discovers bring her relief or despair?

There were a lot of things I enjoyed about this novel and a few aspects I did not. To start with the positive - I thought Konen did a really great job making the reader feel what Janie was going through: confusion, frustration, desperation. Almost immediately, we find ourselves just as desperate for answers as the MC. I also enjoyed the ancillary characters and trying to determine who to trust and who was hiding secrets. I think Konen did a good job of making everyone a bit suspicious and then revealing why the individuals acted in the manner they did. The majority of the reveals were believable in my opinion, and that is always something that I find impressive in a genre where the plots can get more and more outlandish.

In my opinion, the main flaw of this novel is Janie's repetitive internal dialogue. She is constantly asking herself the same questions, recapping what has happened already in her brain and just in general saying the same things over and over. I realize this may have been a purposeful choice, as I mentioned above, Konen did a good job making us understand Janie's desperation. It just made for a much slower thriller than I personally care for. One other thing, and this may very well just be a personal ick, but the amount of story where Janie is complaining/describing/generally talking about breastfeeding and motherhood as a whole really brought the general vibe of the story down. I'm not a mother, so I can only imagine the all-encompassing nature of taking care of a newborn baby and I don't doubt the accuracy of what Konen details. I just personally found myself losing interest in the middle of the book where every other chapter Janie was complaining about how much she hated being a mother.

All in all, I thought this storyline was unique and I liked the resolution of the plot. I think if you're someone who is okay with an abundance of talk surrounding difficulties with motherhood and slow-burn thrillers in general, look into this one!

This book was so good! I’ve been wanting to read more thrillers and this book is just what I needed to get me in the groove. Once I started this book, I just couldn’t stop reading it. I really liked the depiction of motherhood from the other side of the coin. You almost only hear about the highs but this depicts the lows. Janie was having a hard time connecting with little Freya (I suspect she had PPD, but that’s just my theory) but you couldn’t help but empathize with her. Every person in this book was suspicious as hell and I was questioning everyone at one point. I had so many theories and some were right but a lot of them were wrong LOL! I think the only thing that I would have changed would have been the breastfeeding moments. It got super repetitive. We get it…she’s a mom…no need for it to be mentioned it almost every chapter.

Overall though this was a fast paced, intriguing thriller. I would definitely recommend if you’re looking for a quick read, and a thriller on the lighter side! Wouldn’t be surprised if this ended up a Netflix movie one day!

Thank you NetGalley, Putnam Books, and Leah Konen for this eARC!

Janie is a new mother and finding it more difficult than she thought it would be. One night her boyfriend Max, leaves and does not come home. As Janie and the police search for him secrets are uncovered.

This is a throughly enjoyable read. It shows the struggles of new motherhood while at the same time showing mothers are a force to be reckoned with. I loved all the twists and turns that kept me guessing. This wonderful read would make a perfect first book of 2023 on your TBR!

Summary: New mom Janie is having a tough transition to motherhood and her partner, Max disappears, who becomes the lead suspect in a murder investigation.

Review: Ultimate popcorn thriller! for fans of domestic suspense!  I really liked Leah Konen's last book, The Perfect Escape, and was super pumped to read her latest as well.This is a twisty suspense and I had a few theories but also loved the twists I didn't see coming! The depiction of a new mother with a newborn is realistic with Janie's negativity of motherhood and lots of talk of postpartum depression.

The narration to this one is great - I could not put this down and was switching between physical and audio just so I could binge this one and figure out what happened!!

This book had me engaged from the very first page. Jane is a new mom to Freya and is struggling doing everything on her own even though her boyfriend is in the picture but goes missing. It’s a fast paced thriller till the very end. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release. To be released January 2023.

Janie and her partner Max have just welcomed their baby girl, Freya, into their lives. With a move out of Brooklyn to a more idyllic location to raise a family, Janie is struggling with motherhood. It’s not coming as naturally as she thinks it should. She’s given up her job at an advertising agency and she misses her old life. The life she and Max had before Freya. When Max disappears in the middle of the night, Janie is left alone with an infant and questions she’s unable to answer. Janie has secrets of her own and can’t help but wonder if somehow Max found out and that is why he left. Friends step in to help, but are they more of a hindrance? When evidence points to Max being involved in a murder, Janie knows there’s no way he could ever hurt anyone, but as the evidence piles up, even she’s not so sure anymore. Desperate to find Max and get the answers she seeks, she starts her own investigation, all while coping with Freya. As Janie searches for the answers, she ultimately finds herself as her mama bear heart comes to the surface and she discovers what’s been most important all along. Konen gives us a raw look into the early days of motherhood, the sleep deprivation and the balancing and questioning that comes along with it all while wrapping it up in a story that has the reader riveted throughout. Turning pages quickly to find out what really happened the night Max disappeared. Thank you to Penguin and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

This totally kept me intrigued and engaged, and kept me guessing on who done it. I kept switching back and forth, and didn’t really guess the ultimate how-it-went-down. I liked the new mother aspect and appreciate the author inputting those new mother fears and feelings. In the end, I find the story to be a little far fetching, but entertaining none-the-less.

This is about a woman who’s like has been turned upside down by the arrival of a new baby…a baby that she was never anticipating to have at this time of her life. In that, she’s struggling….and then the baby’s father disappears and doesn’t return home one night, and she has no idea why or what drove him away, and can only surmise it was she herself, who said something, to make him leave.

Pub date: 1/3/23
Genre: thriller/domestic suspense
One sentence summary: New mom Janie is at her wits' end - but things get even worse when her husband disappears and becomes the lead suspect in a murder investigation.

Leah Konen's last novel, THE PERFECT ESCAPE, was such a fun read, so I had to pick this one up! I really felt for Janie in this story - in domestic suspense, you really need a great protagonist to make the story work. I related to Janie's feeling overwhelmed but knowing that something wasn't right - and she did a great job amateur sleuthing.

I was feeling a little skeptical about where the story was going to end up as the twists were revealed, but the last twist really got me and bumped this one up to a solid 4. I think domestic suspense fans will enjoy this one - it's a quick, engrossing read you can enjoy when it's too cold to go outside.

Thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam/GP Putnam Sons for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest thriller by Leah Konen - 5 stars!

Janie is struggling with new motherhood and relying heavily on her husband, Max, to help out. When he disappears one night, she is beside herself with worry. He was the perfect dad - why would he leave? Max's parents and best friend don't see as concerned as she is. Then when it's discovered that a local woman has been murdered and Max is a potential suspect, Janie wonders if she ever knew him.

What a great book on so many levels. It's a twisty thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat trying to figure it all out. Both Janie and Max are keeping secrets and Janie worries that what she confessed to Max right before he left is the cause of his disappearance. It's also a look at the other side of motherhood - when postpartum depression hits and nothing feels right. This is such an unexplored subject - you just have to look at Pinterest or social media to see how motherhood is "supposed to be." If your life doesn't look like that, you are shamed both internally and externally. We as women need to be kinder to each other and - as the Publishers Weekly review of this book showed - change the view of women "histrionics." Maddening. Definitely a must read book!

Thank you to Penguin Putnam publisher and Netgalley for introducing me to a new author. This was a fast paced thriller that was hard to put down. This was a mystery/thriller.
A young mom who has to raise a child by herself since her partner went missing. I loved the characters.

You Should Have Told Me by Leah Konen is a highly recommended novel of domestic suspense.

Janie and her partner Max have a newborn daughter, Freya. Janie is struggling with the responsibilities of having a newborn, including the constant nursing, lack of sleep, doubts about herself, and postpartum depression. Max has tried to support her and help with Freya, but one night, when he promised to take care of Freya and let Janie get some sleep, Max disappears. Janie wakes up to Freya screaming (crying) and can't find Max anywhere. Janie takes care of Freya's needs and then looks around the house for Max.

When she calls family and friends later no one has heard from him, but they don't seem too concerned. A mutual friend, Liana comes over to help Janie with Freya. However, when Janie learns from the police that a woman was murdered at a neighborhood bar and that Max was last seen there, she is determined to find out what happened. Janie begins to look into what happened that night.

The novel is set over several days and the chapters are opened with the time. This was an effective way to keep track of the time, which new mothers studiously have to do, and help increase the tension as the time Max is gone increases. I wouldn't say the novel is a thriller; it is more domestic suspense. Janie is concerned about Max's disappearance and is sure he is innocent of any nefarious activities. Max's family and friends feel the same way and are sure Max will be back soon. Janie's best friend is less sure.

The depiction of a new mother with a baby is realistic. Talking about nursing Freya, changing her, comforting her, is continuously mentioned in detail in the novel which some readers will understand and others will find annoying. You will need to suspend disbelief about some of Janie's actions and the idea that postpartum Janie could uncover information that the police wouldn't have already discovered. Max is really an unknown character without a lot of development as his appearance is so brief in the beginning of the novel.

The ending was more interesting and moved faster than the rest of the novel. I guessed most of what would happen but there were a few surprises. 3.5 rounded up.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin via NetGalley.
The review will be published on Barnes & Noble, Google Books, Edelweiss, and Amazon.

Short synopsis: Janie is a new mom struggling with postpartum depression. Overwhelmed, her partner Max tells her he’ll take care of the baby during the night but Janie wakes up to a screaming baby and Max is missing.

My thoughts: Wow this was one twisty page turning thriller! So many times at the end of the chapters I immediately went to my Buddy Read chat to exclaim my surprise! We all had the same emotions at the out of nowhere twists.

I resonated with quite a bit of the beginning of this book. Being a mom, especially a new mom to a newborn is no joke! I loved how refreshing it was to remind us that our emotions and hormones are normal.

Read if you love:
* Unexpected twists
* Missing Partner troupe
* Realistic portrayal of motherhood
* Buried secrets
* Fast paced thriller

Thank you so much to Putnam, Netgalley and PRH Audio for the advanced copy of this book! Publication date is Jan 2, 2023.

I’m a sucker for thrillers that show the darker side of motherhood, and this one did that brilliantly.

Short Synopsis:
Janie is a new mom who’s struggling getting into her new life. Her boyfriend however was made to be a dad. Until one night he doesn’t come home. And there’s a murder at a nearby bar. What happened? Where is her boyfriend?

Thoughts:
This was twisty and I did not see a lot of them coming. It was a quick, fast-paced thriller. Lots of secrets. Unique characters. Excellent ending.

Read if You Like:
🍼 Accurate portrayals of motherhood
🍼 Twists
🍼 Humor mixed in with your thrillers
🍼 Secrets

Janie and her boyfriend Max are new parents to their daughter Freya, but motherhood is not coming naturally to Janie. Janie is not feeling all of the wonderful bonding moments of motherhood and one night she tells Max exactly how she is feeling...utterly exhausted. Max promised to help with overnight feedings for Freya so Janie could rest but when Janie wakes up Max is nowhere to be found. Did Janie scare Max off with her honesty and harsh thoughts on motherhood?
Max has disappeared leaving Janie to take care of Freya alone. In tracing Max's last steps, Janie finds a women was killed in the last place Max was spotted. Does Janie really know Max at all? Who is
this murdered women and how is Max wrapped up in this mess?

I enjoyed the storyline as it was clean and well written with plenty of plot twists til the end of the book. Janie's growth in her role as a mother was well written. There was a heavy amount of writing on breastfeeding which may be a drawback to readers who are not parents or interested in care of a newborn. However, as a mother I found this to be quite relatable. Janie's negativity of motherhood reminded me of postpartum depression which is not talked about enough!

I enjoyed this book so much that I would love to read another book by this author in the near future. The content for this thriller is different from your average subject which made it a great read as well.

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam, G.P Putnam's Sons and Leah Konen for this eARC in exchange for my honest review!