This book really surprised me, in a positive way! I was kind of let down by what I perceived as plot holes, but by the end, everything mostly made sense.

📸Book Review🗡
If They Knew
By: Sophie Flynn
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/4 stars

📢Trigger Warning: Sexual assault📢

Hannah and Charlie seem to have the perfect marriage but after years of infertility issues, they've decided to adopt. They are weeks away from having little Isabelle join their family. Nothing can get in their way of her coming home. But things don't work like that right? Especially not in a thriller novel.

Hannah's past returns with a vengeance when her ex, Jesse Carter, is found dead just miles from her home. Hannah has not spoken to or seen Jesse since a horrible night many years ago. Now Jesse is a global superstar so his family, friends and fans are demanding answers. The investigation turns towards Hannah because the detectives find that Jesse emailed her work account days prior to his murder.

Oh but wait, Charlie has his own secrets too just to add to the mix. Will Hannah and Charlie ever become parents or will this investigation have them locked up instead? Let me tell ya, the suspects just keep coming out of the woodwork. Very suspenseful and extremely shocking!

Published November 17, 2022

Thank you @netgalley and @hera_books for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion!

A good book, which kept me wanting to read more. It is important to recognise it could be triggering for some readers given its subject around fertility struggles although appreciated the authors reflections on this. Moving from past to present timelines, pacing was good, enjoyable characters and some good twists.

Both Hannah and Charli have been dreaming for a child of their own but unfortunately complications have ensued. They are found to have fertility issues and this leads into why they are unable to have children. But they are willing to try whatever they can. After a long process they are finally approved to adult a little girl and are very excited. But that all changes one day. Popular US popstar Jesse Carter turns up dead in their village that is small. No one but Hannah knows but she has a history with Jesse and she is doing anything and everything to make sure that secret is kept. Her husband Charli knows Hannah is keeping a secret just not what exactly that secret is. Knowing that secrets can cause their entire plan to be derailed , he is going to do anything he can to make sure they get the family they deserve.

This book was very well written and I really liked it. The suspense was top notch and I was captured from the beginning. There was topics of adoption, infertility, and family relationships so if you are sensitive to that please be aware of this. The story was slow to a start with the question constantly being asked "What is this big secret" and until that is revealed it takes time to get get into it. Once the story picks up though you are in for a ride. There is different perspectives that are switched back and forth and you really see the desperation of these two to keep their dream of family alive. You can truly feel their desperation and the race to accomplish their goals. I felt for the characters and you could feel the emotions coming off the parents. I truly would recommend this novel and I think it is well written, thrilling and so much more!

I don’t care much for emotional thrillers. This book was nothing what I thought it was going to be. I was very disappointed. I couldn’t even finish this and I hate not finishing a book I start but I just couldn’t go back to finish it. I can honestly say this book wasn’t for me

While the plot was interesting enough to keep me reading, the writing was less than interesting. I didn’t connect with the characters enough to really develop a bond with them.

This is one of the most emotional thrillers I have read in quite a while! Hannah and Charlie’s longing for a child is tangible, with the author’s personal experience making the depth of their yearning all the more poignant. While certainly twisty and thrilling, the story is also a compelling exploration of how far someone will go to fulfill their dream of becoming a parent and what lengths a person will go to protect the ones they love.

story written by such an intelligent writer. I recommend this book and cannot wait untill this author brings out another book as I will be first to purchase it

Hannah and Charlie seem to be a normal couple suffering with fertility problems. They have tried everything and still couldn't get pregnant, so decided to try adoption.
Finally getting the news they have been waiting for should be the best day of their lives, but is clouded with Hannah's past, a past that she has kept to herself for years to come crashing down around her.
The things the rich can get away with by paying someone off, and what happens when that is not enough lead to an edge of your seat thriller. Run don't walk to pick up a copy!! You won't regret it!!!

I was hooked on this book after a few pages! It is full of surprises as well as twists and turns. It made me emotional but in a good way. This is my first book by this author and I am well-impressed!

Secrets are definitely the base of this story. A great domestic thriller. The main characters are truly likeable and you want the best for them and despair of the secrets they keep. Lots of twists and turns to make a great read.

Amazing book really really enjoyed !!!!unexpected twists and turns at every chapter :) highly recommend such a fantastic author!!!!

#IfTheyKnew #NetGalley
An ok read.
What would you hide to get everything you ever wanted? After years of infertility and heartbreak, Hannah and Charlie are finally going to get their dream family. Two-year-old Isabelle is a week away from being theirs; they just have to get through the final adoption approval process. But when a global popstar is found murdered at the celebrity members’ club in their sleepy Oxfordshire village, Hannah fears her past is finally catching up with her. Exposing the truth could see her lose everything… her husband, Isabelle – perhaps even her life.
choice But Hannah doesn’t realise that Charlie has his own secrets, and, in trying to save her, has put them more at risk than she ever thought possible. As the couple get drawn in further to the murky world of celebrity and murder, they soon find themselves caught in a nightmare, forced to make terrible choices.
How many bad things will a good person do to hold onto what they love?
There was nothing new in it I finished it in a long time. Characters weren't likeable.
Thanks to NetGalley and Hera Books for giving me an advance copy.

Loved, loved, loved this book! I couldn’t put it down! It was such an amazing read, and fairly different than the other normal reads…. What started off as an adoption turned into murder which I thought was crazy! Love the twist in it!

If They Knew is available now in eBook
⭐️⭐️⭐⭐ Book Review

Meet the Author: Sophie Flynn is a Cotswolds based psychological thriller author with an MA in Creative Writing from Oxford Brookes. Alongside writing, Sophie is the Head of Marketing at Jericho Writers. When not writing, Sophie can be mostly found on muddy walks with her husband and rescue dog or disappearing to Cornwall whenever possible.

Synopsis: How many bad things will a good person do to hold onto what they love? Hannah and Charlie struggle with infertility. Just a few weeks away from closing the adoption process, a murder unfolds in the area. Could past secrets be behind these events? Will the past stay in the past or will the past take away all good from the couple's future?

Reader’s Thoughts: I am a “judge the book by its cover” kind of gal and this one had me sold! Not only did I love the cover, I loved the story line. If They Knew was full of wonderful characters and suspenseful moments. Being told from both perspectives of Hannah and Charlie, I was kept on the edge of my seat, constantly wanting more, frantically flipping pages up until the very end. Flynn had me riding the emotional roller coaster right along with Hannah and Charlie. The story line was believable and well paced, not too short or long in length. I will definitely be on the lookout for other novels written by Sophie Flynn.

Thank you, @NetGalley for providing me with a complimentary review copy. In no way has that influenced my voluntary review.

Hannah and Carter are in a marriage filled with love. A house they are waiting to become a home as they desperately are trying to have a baby. Unfortunately, all efforts natural and medical have failed and now they are stuck in the adoption loop, waiting for that day when they will be matched and can finally start their perfect life.

Like all marriages, though they proffer to be truthful, both parties are hiding deep secrets and lies. Lies that tend to catch up to you.

A pop star is found murdered and it’s all over the news. Hannah has secrets about him and her past but she’s trying desperately to remain normal while wildly spinning out of control.

I was drawn to If They Knew due to the infertility and adoption element. As someone who has gone through unexplained infertility, IVF and then adoption I felt the author wrote about this in such a true and real way unlike other books I have read in the past.
Besides that we have a global popstar being found dead which brings Hannah's past back to haunt her. There were plenty of twists, turns, secrets and lies to be had and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Hera Books for my ARC.

Immersive Suspense…
Secrets and lies abound in this tense, atmospheric and credible suspense. A cast of well drawn characters populate a swiftly moving, tense and often very emotionally charged narrative with a solid plotline - cleverly and effectively woven through past and present and through differing characters. An often dark yet compelling and immersive suspense.

I felt this book was somewhat all over the place at times. There were long pieces about IVF and adoption that felt repetitive and sometimes unnecessary. The story of what happened in college was pretty unbelievable. I found myself just wanting it to be over. I have a really hard time not finishing a book. This one was finished because I hate not finishing.

This book was well written and well informed. Reading the after 'credits' you learn that the author put a lot of her personal story into this book, and it showed.

The book does talk about infertility and adoption. Going through IVF and having 'unexplained' infertility, I related a lot to it and SO glad to see IVF written in a proper way. So many books/movies gloss over the emotions, needles, appointments, etc. when it comes to IVF. The author did not in this.

Besides the infertility aspect, the mystery that surrounded Hannah was interesting. And Charlie's love for her was unmatched. It was neat to see both past and present Hannah, and a view from Charlie. I think without Charlie's view, the book wouldn't have had such a big impact.

It was a great read and I would recommend this one!