There aren't any likable characters in this book. I wish I had someone to get behind as we try to figure out who killed Emma's parents. The sisters were each given a thumbnail personality but it was often hard to remember who was who in the middle of some paragraphs. I kept it going because I did want to know.

This was a great book! I purchased the physical copy to share with my family. I loved the story, the characters and the interwoven pain of the past with her sisters. There were definitely twists I didn't see coming!

It took me awhile to get into this one as there is a lot going on with so many characters, two different timelines, and multiple unreliable narrators. But I definitely got hooked eventually, and the twists kept coming in the second half. Great final reveal and ending.

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I went in, didn't know what to expect. The story had me gripped. The different points of view were easy to follow. This heart pounding who dunnit was worth the read. The twists and turns were great. This is a great Book club read, lots of topics to dive into and discuss. The family dynamic leaves a lot of questions, but I look forward to other books from this author. I love the transition between then and now, those are always a favorite of mine. I read this in one sitting. I will definitely recommend. I will definitely be reading other titles from Kate Alice Marshall.

4.25 stars
This is a thriller that centers around 3 sisters who have been estranged for the most part since the murder of their parents inside their home. After their parents were murdered, the three of them were divided and placed in other homes and their house stayed empty, but in their possession. When Emma, the middle of the three sisters, needs a place to live due to her husband losing his job and unable to pay for their current place, they decide to move in their home since technically it is empty and the sisters still own the house. When this happens, it opens up the unsolved mystery of who killed their parents and why have the sisters kept their distance from each other and what are the secrets they are keeping.

I really enjoyed this thriller. It kept me guessing until the end. Most of the characters were unlikeable, but that's to be expected with a thriller, imo. I will continue to read all books this author writes.

I also enjoyed the audio narration and appreciated the distinction between the different characters.

Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and the author for the advanced listening copy of No One Can Know.
Publication Date: January 23, 2024

Rating: 4.5 ⭐️
Audio rating: 5⭐️ Karissa Vacker did such a great job and her “male voice” was so well done!

1 sentence review: Full of secrets, suspense, and deceit- this had me on the edge of my seat!

I think I can safely say this will be one of my favorite thrillers of the year! I finished this in 2 days because I could NOT stop listening!

To me, this had a (somewhat) similar vibe to Home Before Dark by Riley Sager- but I liked this wayyy more 🤫😆. This was a well paced, clever, and engaging thriller that left me stumped and shocked- even when I thought I had the twist figured out!

Beyond being an incredibly well written thriller; this also dove into the complex relationships between siblings, parents and children, and spouses. Each of the characters were well developed and had their own stories in the both the past and present.

Read This if You Like:
- Thrillers with multiple POV
- Unreliable narrators
- Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

What Lies in the Woods was one of my favorite books from last year, so I was very excited to see another Kate Marshall book! Although I enjoyed What Lies in the Woods a bit more than No One Can Know, I will be recommending this book to other readers! Pieces were a little slow to develop for me and felt a little off for some reason...but I started and finished in less than 3 days, as I really wanted to figure out how everything got wrapped up. Kate Alice Marshall will continue to be an author that I am excited to read! :) Also, the audio was a fantastic performance!

*3.75 Stars

A heart pounding twisty psychological thriller. I was hooked from the start. It was well written and executed. I was annoyed by some of the characters but overall really enjoyed the story.

Thank you to NetGalley, Macmillian Audio and the author Kate Alice Marshall for the opportunity to review this audiobook for an honest review. This is my second book by this author and went into it being super excited because I loved The Narrow. This wasn't as great, but I don't think you can go wrong with reading it as it is a quick easy read. I normally am terrible at figuring out "who did it" but I did have a pretty good hunch throughout the book. I did enjoy the end. Review posted on Goodreads as well.

I enjoyed the book. However, I don’t think I liked a single character in it – except perhaps Gabriel. And he is still a perhaps. The parents were abusive. The sisters – awful people who were willing to throw their sister to the wolves to protect themselves, even when they know she, at least, is innocent. Emma’s relationship with Nathan is a classic “marry your father.” And the police are corrupt.

I absolutely do not like books that make the cops out to be bad guys – whether they are too stupid to do their jobs, too in love with their own power to see the forest for the trees, or the out right bad guy.

Descriptions went on too long making some of the drama seem very forced. In places the story is boring and pointless.

It was a sad, sick depiction of horrible people doing horrible things to themselves and others.

But I did enjoy it.

Estranged sisters reunite and unravel the secrets of their parents’ murder, in this tangled and taut psychological thriller from Kate Alice Marshall (What Lies In The Woods).

All at once, Emma Palmer discovers she’s pregnant and her husband lost his job. Without recourse, they must return to her childhood home—a house owned by Emma and her sisters, vacated fourteen years prior after the grisly murder of their parents.

As the prime suspect then, Emma rouses old rivalries with her return. Truth is, however, Emma, Juliette, and Daphne all hide secrets from that night—secrets they promised never to share. But as past resentments flare, Emma asks questions she should have broached long ago, and new information upends what she believed to be true. Worse yet, tragedy strikes again, and it seems no one wants the truth revealed.

With multiple narrators, shifting timelines, and a propulsive pace, Marshall crafts a fantastic popcorn thriller. Its meticulously intricate and twisted plot keeps you guessing, unfurling shocking revelations on the girls’ upbringing and how it shaped what really happened.

Non-stop twists to keep you guessing in this recommended, single-sitting read.

This book was one of my most highly anticipated thrillers to devour in the new year. Karissa Vacker delivers a captivating performance narrating this domestic thriller that unravels the twists and turns of deeply hidden family secrets.

Emma hasn’t told her husband much about her past. Her murdered parents, estranged sisters, and accusations around the circumstances of their demise. After losing their apartment and realizing she was pregnant Emma and her husband are forced to return to her sole asset, the run-down farmhouse she used to call home, and face her siblings after years of no contact.

This story is told from both past and present tenses and multiple character point of views, developing in a way that makes you not want to stop listening. I did find having one narrator but multiple character pov to be a little difficult to follow along—I had to keep going back to the beginning of the chapter to see who was talking or thinking at that time. The performance of the singular narrator was fantastic, but could have benefited from a male counterpart or even another female along side.

Thank you so much #netgalley and #macmillanaudio for the chance to listen and review this ARC!

Emma and her sisters suffered a terrible tragedy after their parents were murdered under mysterious circumstances. Everyone in their small town knew it had to be one of them that caused it, and it was Emma that took most of the suspicion. None of them talk anymore, and they've all stayed away from the town and their childhood home since.

Emma is now married to Nathan. She's pregnant, which should be a happy occasion, but Nathan reveals he's lost his job. But Emma owns her parent's house, the house she swore she'd never go back to. Nathan convinces her to have them move into the house.

When Emma returns she is immediately met with suspicion and fear. The police still think she did it, after all these years, they just haven't been able to prove it. It becomes clear that whatever happened all those years ago, the consequences are still waiting for Emma and her sisters in that house.

This is my second Kate Alice Marshall book, I've really enjoyed both of them. Thank you netgalley and Macmillan audio for giving me an advanced review copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I'm new to this netgalley thing, but I just about lost my mind when I saw that I was approved for a Kate Alice Marshall-written/Karissa Vacker-narrated book. This was glorious. Super entertaining, twisty without being confusing and I was here for the sisterhood vibes. I loved Emma, JJ and Daphne for all their weird, dysfunctional and suspicious ways.

Karissa Vacker did an amazing job of giving each of the sisters their own distinct voices, as well as balancing the "then" and "now" differences that were required.

I still have a few Marshall books to read from her back catalogue, but I'm going to be sad when I run out and have to wait for only new releases.

I really liked the story line. However, it was very slow and it took me a while to get into. I wasn’t hooked till way later on and just powered through it. I really wanted to like it because I liked the story line but it was slow.

First and foremost I would like to thank Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for sending me an audiobook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was very much looking forward to reading and One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall because I really enjoyed my reading experience for What Lies in the Woods last year. Sadly, this reading experience fell flat for me. I’ve spent a few days since finishing to try to sort through what exactly my disconnect was here and this is the best I can come up with.


The good:
I found the concept to be compelling and interesting. I am a sucker for a good story of sisters. I was raised with sisters and know that, if done well, there are a lot of complexities that can be explored there.

The atmosphere in this book was well written. Creepy murder houses, unwelcoming small towns. I was on edge in this environment from the very start.

The formatting of multiple pov paired with time jumps was well crafted. This allowed the author to be able to give small bits of information to the reader to cast shadows of doubt as well as build tension and intrigue.

The audio narration for this book was well executed. There’s a decent sized cast in this book and there was enough differentiation between characterizations in this book that I was able to follow along with who was who very easily.


The not so good:

I could not suspend my disbelief when it came to the characters and their motivations. As the reader I wasn’t given a clear understanding of why any character did anything in this book. There were a few glimpses of clarity here and there, but then the same character I was starting to connect with would turn around and contradict what I thought I was finally starting to understand about them.

There were also a few instances that were outside my understanding of reality when it came to the world of this book. The portrayal of pregnancy didn’t read as real to me, someone who has gone through it on more than one occasion. The financial situations in this book also threw me off. If you can’t purchase a house without proof of income then how, 2 hundred pages later, are we opening credit cards? I don’t think adding details on finances was necessary for the plot.

Daphne’s weight in the book being used as a way to make her this sort of chameleon type character felt really weird to me. It came up multiple times as she hid in the shadows of this book. All she needs to do is change her hair a little bit and add makeup and not even her own family will recognize her? Mind you, they weren’t close, but this wasn’t used for recognition of her identity each time. There’s literally a passage about how you’re less likely to be noticed or remembered if you are a large person walking down the street.

Conclusion:

Even with the issues I came across while reading, I still ended up giving this a solid 3 star rating.

I received an advanced reader copy of this book through NetGalley. (However, it was already on my to-read list from the moment I knew Kate Alice Marshall had a second book coming out).

After avoiding it for years and still the main suspect in the murder of her parents, Emma and her husband return to her childhood home. Coping with all the life changes, the continued separation from her sisters, and the accusations from her husband, Emma tries to put the pieces together of what happened all those years ago. The story goes back and forth in time and from different perspectives. (which is especially great if you listen to as an audiobook like I did.) It was a nice pace, the back and forth flowed nicely and there were a few great twists. The author's writing kept me intrigued and even elicited strong feelings from me over the characters (I HATED Nathan from the first moment he hit the page).

It's definitely I book I will recommend to my friends to read.

One part domestic thriller, one part chilling mystery, one part sister drama. Everyone has secrets. The relationships reek with damage. Great narration.

No One Can Know was a very engaging read and I finished it in one day. It was a bit dark for me and I wasn't surprised by the conclusion, but I enjoyed all of the twists and turns and thought it was very well-paced. I've read one other book by Kate Alice Marshall and I will go back and check out the ones I've missed.

The narrator of this audiobook did a great job and I appreciated how she differentiated each character. I recommend picking up the audio version if you are able to do so.
 
Thanks to NetGalley, Macmillan Audio, and Flatiron Books for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Flatiron Books and Macmillan Audio for gifting me an audio ARC of the new thriller by Kate Alice Marshall and narrated by the wonderful Karissa Vacker - 4.5 stars!

Emma finds out she's pregnant on the same day that she learns her husband, Nathan, lost his job and they lost money on a house downpayment. With no other options, Emma tells Nathan about the house she co-owns with her two estranged sisters. But going back there means going back to the house where her parents were killed and she was accused of their murder.

Kate Alice Marshall has once again crafted a twisty thriller that will have you glued to the pages. And the narration by Karissa Vacker was stellar as always, and just made the audio experience better. There's a lot of secrets here, and I liked unraveling them all, especially the relationship between the sisters. The story is told from the sisters' POV in both the past and present. It has that small town atmosphere, where everyone knows everyone, meaning everyone thinks they know everything about you and it's hard to get away from those perceptions. Pick this one up for sure!