When I read what it was about…..I wanted to love it, but I just did not. It dragged and dragged and did not keep my attention. The ending was decent but rushed. I feel like the ending could’ve been stretched to take up some of the meh in the middle. The plot twist was a good one and it deserved more leading up to it.

A remarkable achievement by a masterful storyteller. Excellent novel that kept you on the edge of your seat all the way through reading the story. Twists and turns that lead to a surprising finale. A superb read that is well worthy of five stars.

The book started in an interesting way but failed to hold interest for me. The plot definitely had a lot of scope and I felt the author could have done better with it. I struggled to connect with any of the characters and there are many loose ends throughout

I enjoyed this book, though at well over 400 pages, I felt it was long and would have moved at a faster pace if cut down a bit. The story focuses on Colette, who returns to Catalina Island off the coast of Los Angeles as an adult, having left as a teen after her parents and brother were brutally murdered. Upon her return, she realizes that there are still secrets being kept, people are still being murdered, and that someone doesn't want her to be there.

This was a pretty deep story with a heavy focus on race relations, which is not insinuated anywhere in the synopsis- this could be a trigger for some. I found myself sometimes not sure if I liked Colette or not based on her interactions with others and her general attitude towards certain people. That being said, I did enjoy getting to know her throughout the book and I thought many of the decisions she made seemed reasonable. I thought the mystery was sound; there were 2 different things to be solved- the original murder of Colette's family and the current murders happening upon her return that no one but her seems all that worried about. I had suspicions about some of the characters but had not fully landed on who I thought the villain was until it was revealed. I am actually familiar with Catalina Island and thought the author did a great job laying out the landscape in a way that was authentic, familiar, and easy to picture.

Overall, though the story felt like a slog at times, I enjoyed it and thought the characters were well developed, the mystery was intriguing, and the atmosphere was portrayed well. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loathed this writing style. It was so rushed and confusing. It really detracted from a great story with a very intriguing plot. I wanted to love this book but I didn't. Mysterious and original if you can vibe with the writing.

Oh, this was a fun one.

I love Catalina, but never before thought about it as a dangerous place. And as a brown-skinned tourist, I never ever thought about it in terms of what it would be like to live in such a homogenous place.

Really not sure I’d like to live there now.

I liked Coco. I say this because my experience with the author is that sometimes her main characters king of bug people. I’m of the definite opinion that you don’t need to like your main characters, but I’ve seen some reviews of her other books in which the MC killed it for people.

Coco is funny and I felt for her – both her past history and her current problems. LOL – and her ex! I loved the way she was dealing with him.

The plot is very mysterious and chilling.

My only (and small) complaint is that I knew the *who* and the *why* of everything way too early. I kept reading because a) I wanted to see if I was right and b) I liked Coco and wanted to see if she found any happiness (especially with a certain someone).

This was a fun and entertaining read and I can’t wait for whatever the author brings us next!

• ARC via Publisher

I really enjoyed this book! A quick read in my opinion and it keeps you guessing the entire time. There are a lot of characters to follow but it helps the suspense since you don’t really know who is after Collette. I also like that Collette and even her aunt, Gwen, are pretty unfiltered when they speak which makes it more personable.

What Never Happened revolves around Collette, who found herself recently divorced, having to move back into a home that her family left behind but they didn’t walk up and leave, they were murdered. While navigating getting her life back together, she begins to realize a pattern in the deaths happening around the island. Putting her journalism cap on, she goes on the hunt to find out who is not only murdering the elderly around town but also threatening her off the island.

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review!

I'm late to The party on Rachel's books but quickly catching up! I was, once again, happy to read her latest. I'm very familiar with Catalina (I have a view of it from my Southern California home) so I thoroughly enjoyed the setting -she did an amazing job in that! CoCo and Gwen were amazing characters, along with a bunch of others! Definitely didn't guess the ending.
Lastly, we need more African American mystery writers and characters! So glad Rachel us commercially successful and hope she's paving the way for more!

The character is great and I was rooting for her when reading. I was hooked immediately and this had lots of twists and turns. The twists were great.

An emotional roller coaster of bad guys, and more, truly bad guys. Surrounded by her horrible past, Coco struggles mired in lies, deception and murder. Honestly, I do not believe she has one true friend through out this whole story. A strange and different whodunnit. Differently good.

This was such a well written and suspenseful murder mystery! I was immediately drawn in by the murder of Coco’s family. Flash forward twenty years and Coco is back on the island to care for her aging Aunt when the man who went to jail for murdering her family is found innocent. All the while there is a serial killer loose on the island killing elderly women and Coco’s also receiving threats that no one seems to want to take seriously. Is it her ex-husband, the person who murdered her family, or someone trying to get their hands on one of the only Black-owned properties on the island?

This book has all the twists and turns and Coco is such a strong Black female lead. Her job as an obituary writer added a unique angle for her investigation into the dead women she’s memorializing. It’s also been interesting to watch more and more authors incorporate COVID-19 into their plots. The island setting of Avalon provided the perfect stage for both the pandemic and the murders- everyone was completely cut off, unable to leave.

This book kept me guessing with every revelation. I just wish there had been more flashbacks to the events leading up to the murder of Coco’s family. I found the connection between past and present events to be extremely well done. This was my first book by Rachel Howzell Hall and I’m already looking forward to the next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Merced for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.

Oof. This was a nail biter filled with tragedy, grief, courage and racism. Coco is a very believable character and her attempts to uncover a killer made for a book I couldn’t put down. Interesting twist at the end but I’m happy the author wrapped it up like a gift for the reader to breathe a sigh of relief.

i liked this book at first but in the middle of the story it seemed to be going at a really really slow pace. it started to pick up at the end but i kinda was just waiting for the twist to be revealed already. the writing style wasn’t my fav so i started getting bored during the middle as well. the twist wasn’t my favorite either since it took like 93% of the book to get there but other than that the twist made a lot of sense. i wish there was more flashbacks to when the main character was young. i think it would’ve had more backstory/insight on the murders. thanks to netgalley and the publishers for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A new entry from Rachel Howzell Hall, and it is truly great!

Colette “Coco” Weber has returned to her tiny Catalina Island home where many years prior her family was slain in the night. Coco is still very much traumatized by the deaths of her parents and brother and only returns to her home to care for her elderly Aunt who needs support.

Coco has been writing obituaries for her profession and her college friend quickly hires her to the local paper. The obituaries featured in the book are a great touch and I very much enjoyed them! While doing her reporting and potentially finding a new flame Coco is also hiding from her ex and fears that the murderer of her family is now on the island. She begins to receive threatening notes and strange things are happening at the house. Who is behind all of this and is Coco in danger?

Honestly the first quarter of the book was clunky for me and I almost gave up but then everything came together beautifully and I stayed up late in the night to finish it! Coco is a great character and I was rooting for her all the way! #Thomas&Mercer #RachelHowzellHall #WhatNeverHappened

What Never Happened is a story set on Catalina Island. Colette returns to the island to care for her elderly aunt. She fled the island decades ago after her family was murdered.
She writes obituaries at her friend's newspapers, while coming to terms with her past. She begins to notice a pattern of older people dying at an unprecedented amount. Then comes her own obituary in the mail.

The book is slow to start and I had a hard time getting into it. That said, it was still a good read but one that didn't propel me terribly fast.

#WhatNeverHappened #NetGalley
Awesome.
Colette “Coco” Weber has relocated to her Catalina Island home, where, twenty years before, she was the sole survivor of a deadly home invasion. All Coco wants is to see her aunt Gwen, get as far away from her ex as possible, and get back to her craft—writing obituaries. Thankfully, her college best friend, Maddy, owns the local paper and has a job sure to keep Coco busy, considering the number of elderly folks who are dying on the island. But as Coco learns more about these deaths, she quickly realizes that the circumstances surrounding them are remarkably similar…and not natural. Then Coco receives a sinister threat in the mail: her own obituary. As Coco begins to draw connections between a serial killer’s crimes and her own family tragedy, she fears that the secrets on Catalina Island might be too deep to survive. Because whoever is watching her is hell-bent on finally putting her past to rest.
Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for giving me an advance copy.

What Never Happened by Rachel Howzell Hall pulled me in from the synopsis.
Once I started reading I quickly found it hard to put this book down.
The slow-burning suspense added to the amazing story that kept me hooked and tuning the pages.
I enjoyed her writing style here. She kept me engaged from the beginning to end.
I have to say this might be my favorite out her previous titles.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Colette Weber has not had an easy life. Her family was killed during a brutal home invasion when she was only 17. She should’ve been there too, but luck (or was it) was on her side that night. Now 20 years have passed and Colette must return to Catalina Island and the home her parents left her. Her aunt Gwen lives in it now, but she is elderly and needs assistance. Colette’s marriage to Micah has fallen apart, and she lost her job. Nothing is holding her in Los Angeles, but the memories of that awful night threaten to consume her. She really just wants to check on the condition of her house, sell it, and bring Gwen back to LA, or somewhere else as fast as possible. But things aren’t right on this island. A high number of elderly residents are dying, Colette is being threatened, and if she can avoid her own death,the truth about why she lost her family may finally be revealed.
There is a lot going on in the story. Almost from the first page I wondered if Colette was a reliable narrator and as the story progressed, I had my guess about who was responsible for her family‘s horrendous deaths. Was it right? Absolutely not! I think the thing that stopped me from loving the story was the fact that I just could not connect with Colette. I realized that she had been living under a very very dark cloud, but there was just some thing about her that made it hard for me to care about her character. I don’t know maybe it was just me. I will say that the ending totally surprised me and I never saw it coming. 3.5 stars.

Rachel Howzell Hall is the NY Times Bestselling Author of We Lie Here- her newest novel What Never Happened centers around Coco Weber who has relocated to her childhood home in Catalina Island, where 20 years prior she was the only survivor of a terrifying home invasion. Her best friend quickly helps her get a job writing obituaries because an interesting amount of elderly individuals are dying lately...but as she learns more about these deaths she realizes the circumstances are similar to the tragedy that was inflicted upon her own family. The book dives into Coco's discovery of a serial killer's crimes and tries to survive a harrowing event.

I was hooked immediately by this book! This author always knows how to characterize the scene and weather, bringing in a dark and dreary atmosphere. This one didn't disappoint! Coco is loveable and you root for her throughout the book, we also have many narratives in one book, a serial killer, a past crime, and an incoming pandemic- all make for a crazy thrilling ride!

Thank you to Thomas and Mercer and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
I’m not too sure how to rate this book.
I did enjoy it but at the same time many of the main character, Coco’s thoughts, made me a bit crazy throughout the book. The random and sporadic things she did and thought did make it a longer read and kind of took away from the book.
Aside from that the book was good. Though I just really didn’t like any of the characters in it. And there were several storylines that did not intersect and others that did. We have the murder of Coco’s family, her stalker ex boyfriend, the murder of the older woman on the island and then add in cocos out there thinking.
I enjoyed it but it is just hard to rate it.