8 year old Kathy has survived the unimaginable. After being snatched from her front yard while playing with her dolls, she has spent a year in captivity. After escaping, her return home is anything but easy. Kathy has developed mutism as a result of the trauma she’s faced. Robin, a local child psychologist, is determined to do everything she can to assist Kathy with her struggles. But when Kathy begins using dolls to act out horrific crimes that look strikingly like crimes committed during the past year, crimes no child should know about, it becomes apparent that Kathy’s time away was even more harrowing than anyone could imagine.

This book was so descriptive and almost cinematic. I could see it being a movie one day, and the author makes sure that every single detail comes to life. I was extremely invested in the outcome from the first page, and I was suspicious of nearly EVERY character and had no idea where anything was going. I felt like the resolution was okay, it didn’t necessarily upset me but I would have liked more motive from the villain. I won’t say any more there, I don’t want to spoil it, but it didn’t feel that their actions were altogether thought out.

I gave this book a 3/5✨. While the writing was very good and I felt like I knew the ins and outs of every character, I didn’t feel like I had enough reason to “believe” the ending. It also felt sometimes that there was so much background info given on Robin that wasn’t all that necessary. In a movie, providing this info would take a matter of minutes, but in the book it did feel like a good portion of it wouldn’t have affected the outcome of the story.

Thank you to @netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for providing me a copy of Please Tell Me in exchange for my honest feedback.

I’ve read a few Mike Omer books and enjoyed them but Please Tell Me seemed too stiff. It was only the final 20% that seemed to pick up the pace and get more interesting. I had a difficult time relating to the characters. They seemed flat. And why didn’t the author say what kind of dog Menny was, that bothered me throughout.

This read was so hard since it dealt with the trauma of a small child but it was such a good read. I could not put it down!

This was my first introduction to Mike Omer, and I must admit, I had quite high expectations for 'Please Tell Me'. However... I absolutely hate to say it, but this was quite the disappointment.

Perhaps the biggest issue I had with the book was the pacing. Nothing really happened, and names kept popping up here and there - while nothing really.. happened? A lot of repitition, things kept dragging on and on without aim, to the point of almost throwing in the towel.

Omer managed to create characters with such vividity, plus creating character flaws we all can, to some degree relate to. I also enjoyed the core of the storyline, but the execution was sadly not the best.

I do hope I will stumble across Omer's other books and give them a chance - this one was just not it!

I’m a big fan of Mike Omer’s books and have read all of the Abby Mullen series, the Zoe Bentley series, and the Glenmore Park series, so I was very eager to read his latest book when it was offered to me before it was available to buy. In Please Tell Me, a child who went missing for over a year reappears, so traumatized that she does not speak. Therapist Robin Hart is enlisted to help her recover, and it’s fascinating to learn how she goes about this using play therapy. As clues to the abduction begin surfacing, things become dangerous for Robin and her patient, so there’s plenty of scares and creepiness too. Once again, Mike has created a cast of interesting, realistic characters and a compelling story, which I read in one sitting. His writing, as usual, is impeccable, and his ability to develop realistic female characters is impressive and somewhat unusual. I enjoy crime fiction, but I find it interesting to read about hostage negotiators, profilers, and psychotherapists in addition to detectives, so I hope that Mike will write more books with the therapist Robin Hart as a main character.

A very fast paced thriller. There were some twists that I wasn't expecting and that kept me guessing. A bit heavy handed with the mentions of covid, and it didn't do much to help the plot along.

This was a quick read and kept me engaged! This book had me guessing until the end and the ending was good.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for access to this arc in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 rounded up to a 4.


The premise of this book instantly hooks you, and leave you wanting to know more about the disappearance of Kathy and the strange circumstances regarding her return.

I really enjoyed the first chapter, and was so excited to see where this novel was going until I was being bombarded by mentions of COVID and innuendos of politics immediately following the first chapter. While, personally, I am someone who does not like reading about COVID, and truthfully I do not feel that COVID was a pivotal part of the story or was needed at all. If anything, it removed me from the story. If you’re someone that doesn’t have a preference, or care, then it probably won’t affect your readability of this book.

Another reason I knocked my rating down was that sometimes I felt there was too much going on, specifically towards the end. It felt somehow rushed. I enjoyed the book, and the pacing, but for me it just wasn’t quite at the level I was looking for. Was it a literary masterpiece? No. Was it an enjoyable and captivating read? Yes it was. I even got chills from one of the scenes in this book. I honestly have a lot of good things to say about this book- more so than bad.

Setting my dislikes qualms with the book aside- there were so many positives.

To start- Robin is a badass. As a woman written by a man, I feel that sometimes female characters are underdeveloped or one-toned. Not Robin. I truly appreciate how complex she was as a character, and how all of her actions made complete sense to her own trauma. She wasn’t perfect, but she was honest, and had so many admirable character traits.

So many other characters I felt were so well developed, especially Kathy. I felt it was so important to see an accurate but not always pleasant portrayal of trauma in children. I felt it was handled well. The characters that were meant to come across as annoying were beyond grating, and honestly I appreciated that about the writing. Because they were just bad people.

I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, but was so complex and despite some people may view it as “simple” I thought it was a well crafted thriller book. It was enjoyable, bottom line.

I felt like thus book kept me entertained and i was surprised on the ending! If you looking for a quick read and a good thriller, Please Tell Me is a great pick.

Thank you for the ARC. It was a great read. I thoroughly loved it. Very thrilling. Robin's character was overall very attractive. The plot of the story is very attractive. The thrilling part was really suspenseful. I did not even imagine the ending. Its really something very surprising. I can easily say this book as unputdownable. This book definitely measures up to some of the best thrillers out there.

A child therapist, a formerly missing nine-year-old girl and a possible serial killer on the loose.

Great pacing and chapter lengths, if I hadn’t had work to do I would have read this in one sitting, definitely. It’s one of those books that makes you go just one chapter more… wait, just another one, I swear!

Aside from normal ARC issues like misused commas and some sentences that felt disjointed, my main criticism towards this book is the obsessive use of the COVID pandemic. I get it, (imho) the first times that the pandemic and quarantines are addressed, I feel they are rightly justified so the reader gets the atmosphere and understands the time and context in which the book is set, however, after the first couple times I did find it a bit annoying and not contributing positively anymore.
I really appreciated the explaining behind some of the mechanics in child therapy sessions and, although I’m not an expert by any means, I found the therapy sessions and its explanations quite well researched. Props to the author.

There are themes of family trauma, semiotic use of dolls and although I didn’t mind it, there IS a romance subplot (just fyi), if you don’t really care about the romance, I think you can skim through those parts, you won’t be missing too much.

I don't usually read thrillers, but I think I'm going to have to add them to my repertoire after reading "Please Tell Me," a fascinating thriller that takes a look at how psychology can help solve a crime when there's not much to go on for the police.

After nine-year-old Kathy escapes after a year-and-a-half-long kidnapping, Kathy has lost the ability to communicate vocally. Police, Kathy's parents, and Kathy's therapist are left scratching their heads as to what happened to her...until Kathy starts communicating through therapeutic play.

"Please Tell Me" left me up at night, not wanting to put the book down. The story may have started off a little slow, but that feeling didn't last long; I soon became absorbed in the story.

This book was really interesting. It had a true crime feel, and I definitely thought I knew what took place and was wrong. I should have recognized the red herring!!

We open with Kathy, a missing girl, being found. She won’t speak, and she’s brought to a therapist Robin who works with children. Robin gently works with Kathy to help her open up, and what happens next is pretty dark and gruesome.

Overall, this book was a page turner. I had trouble putting it down for dinner tonight, because I wanted to know what happened. I definitely thought Robin’s ex was involved. I thought the storyline with her mother could have been removed from the book, I just wasn’t intrigued by it. The end was good!

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

Reading this book was an intense and curious experience. It's like I was the narrator of the story and at the same time, I was a curious bystander watching the events unfold in the story. Not unlike Harry Potter in that pensieve. I was absorbed right from the very first page and had me guessing 'til the very end. Oh and no animals were hurt in this story!

I usually read 2-3 books at once and as soon as I started this one, I put my other book aside! As a therapist, I saw some ethical issues and decisions I wouldn’t make as Robin, but didn’t feel like it got in the way of enjoying this book. I enjoyed this and did not guess the twist at all, my finger was pointed elsewhere. Thanks NetGalley and to the author for this fun read!

Please tell me was a good read, Kathy has returned but not speaking and everyone wants to know who had her and where has she been for so long.
With the help of robin they try to piece together what happened.
Kept me gripped right to the end and was even shocked at the identity of the accomplice was not who I expected at all.
Know wasn't about robin and her new relationship but would have liked a bit more story to that, like what did her mum think and also in the end did she ever return the dolls house.
Would recommend this book when released and will look into more books by author.

Serial killer obsessed with horror films? Check. Child so traumatised she can only communicate via creepy dolls and terrifying paintings? Check. Nail biting tension that mounts with every page and had me identifying with every skeleton in every “Just One More Chapter” meme? Check.

Can you tell I completely adored this book?! Well written with short, fast paced chapters and vividly portrayed characters, this story preys on that primal fear so many people experience everyday - when you take your eyes off of a loved one for just a moment and the unthinkable happens.

No spoilers here, but definitely a recommendation from me 👍🏻
Available now for preorder over on Amazon, what are you waiting for?!

⭐️5/5⭐️

4.5 ⭐️

if we ignore all the unnecessary stuff, this was a great book. the plot was very dark, intense and disturbing. kept me engaged throughout the book. my first time reading something like this — a child therapist and a child who plays murders!!!! 🫨 last twist was done well, didn’t expect that.

thanks to the netgalley for free copy.

I wish I could give this book more than 5 stars. This book was by far one of the best books I’ve read this year. I was hooked right from the first page. The author does a great job at giving bits and pieces of information that kept me wanting to find out more. I will definitely be reading more from this author in the future.

I wasn't sure what to expect outside of an Omer series, but I was pleasantly surprised. I found the story drifted a little beyond the disbelief suspension bridge, but overall, quite absorbing.