4.5 rounded up. Well this is GOOD! What started off as a slow burn absolutely floored me by the last quarter. We meet Sydney, a reporter who is happily married to Malik and trying unsuccessfully to conceive a baby. Sydney’s sister Sasha is a little less put together still living with their mother at almost 40. When searching through some of their granny’s things, Sydney finds a photo of a teenage girl that is a spitting image of herself. When she confronts her Granny about it she simply takes the photo and says “We don’t talk about Carol.” Sydney becomes obsessed with figuring out what happened to her aunt Carol and were taken on a journey that I wasnt expecting. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Great read! First read from this author. This book makes me want to read more from this author. Kept my attention and interest until the end.

Thank you Ballantine/Random House and NetGalley for the ARC. This book is incredible! when I got to the authors note and discovered this was her debut I just could not believe it. I was hooked from the beginning and I could not stop thinking about it and couldn’t wait to get in bed and pick up again. I loved that this was in Sydney’s POV but included so many rich characters. And the twist!! Highly recommend. Read this!

Sydney is a formal investigative journalist returning home to help settle her grandma’s estate. When she is 13, she comes across a picture that resembles herself and asks her grandmother about it. "Grammy" won't talk about it. Years later, she learns it’s her late father’s sister, Carol, that went missing in the 60’s along with other young black girls. The family assumed Carol ran away to Detroit to pursue her dreams to be a singer. Therefore no missing-person report was filed.
Sydney feels a pull to look into this more deeply. What really happened to Aunt Carol and these other girls?
A number of topics are tackled in this book - family violence and abuse, dysfunctional family dynamics and the racism involved in the failure to look for these missing black girls. It is mostly well done, but some of the sub-plots get in the way and make for some slow-going in reading the book. I liked the book, but was not dazzled by it.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC read in exchange for my review.

Kristen L. Berry’s We Don't Talk About Carol delves into the mystery of a long-lost family member, uncovering secrets tied to a series of missing Black girls from the 1960s. While the premise is compelling, the narrative occasionally meanders, with certain subplots feeling underdeveloped or distracting from the main storyline. The protagonist, Sydney, is well-crafted, but some of her personal challenges, like her fertility struggles, seem to detract from the central mystery rather than enhance it. Additionally, some inconsistencies in character ages and timelines may cause confusion for readers. Overall, the book presents an intriguing concept but may not fully satisfy those seeking a tightly woven thriller.

I just finished We Don’t Talk About Carol, and it was interesting in a lot of ways. The story follows Sydney, a journalist who finds an old photo of a girl she doesn’t recognize—her long-lost aunt Carol, one of six Black girls who disappeared decades ago. After her grandmother dies, Sydney feels drawn to uncover what happened and why no one in her family talks about Carol.

The mystery itself kept me reading, and I liked how it was mixed with Sydney’s personal life—her marriage, her fertility struggles, and her past trauma. It’s definitely emotional and sometimes heavy, but it makes the stakes feel real.

That said, some of the plot beats felt familiar—cold-case mysteries and family secrets are pretty common—but Berry tells the story well, and it’s easy to get invested in Sydney and her journey.

Overall, it’s a suspenseful, emotionally grounded read that explores family, grief, and long-buried secrets without feeling over-the-top.

"A dedicated journalist unearths a generation-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel."
"Some stories are buried. Others are erased."
What a debut and Must-read!! Just the title alone had me scrambling to request after the deadline...so thankful I did!
When Sydney was 13 years old, she found a picture of a little girl at her grandmother's house in North Carolina. When she approached her grandmother to inquire who the little girl was, she received a vague answer "We Don't Talk About Carol". In Sydney's late 30's, her grandmother passed away. She came across the photo again and questioned one of her grandmother's friends and was shocked to find out it was her father's sister that disappeared in 1965 assuming she ran away to be a singer in Detroit at 17 years old.
When she investigated her disappearance, she discovered 5 other black girls went missing between 1963-1965. What she also uncovers is what should have been open cold cases, they were not investigated even after documents were full of witnesses but no investigation was pursued. These were not average girls or runaways but very smart and bright futures ahead. It was almost as if history erased the girls' past.
Sydney is now married and her husband Malik and her were trying to conceive a child during her investigation of her aunt. He worried about her mental and emotional capacity to undertake an investigation after she had a psychotic episode with the last search for a young girl.
This deals with so many emotional boundaries, abuse, racism, civil unrest and a dysfunctional lineage within generations. What sparked interest and broke my heart was six girls had been missing 60 years and no one but family members seemed to care. Sydney is persistent and determined to get to the bottom of it, after scouring through discarded files, pictures and interviews, she brought to life girls that had long been forgotten. She is a wonderful character that struggles with her family's past and detachment. What a shocking ending that will not be forgotten! I still can't wrap my mind around the truth and the dark revelations. The cover of the book means so much more after the truth is revealed.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry is a powerful debut that blends family mystery with social commentary—I’d give it 5 stars. Sydney Singleton, a former investigative journalist, discovers a hidden photograph of her aunt Carol, who went missing in the 1960s, leading her to uncover a string of disappearances of Black girls in Raleigh, North Carolina. As Sydney delves into Carol’s past, she faces her own struggles with infertility and a strained marriage, mirroring the generational trauma and silenced histories she uncovers. One thing I loved was how the book highlights the systemic neglect of missing Black girls, offering a poignant critique of societal indifference. Another highlight was Sydney’s emotional journey, balancing her professional determination with personal vulnerabilities. The pacing may be slow at times, but the emotional depth and unfolding revelations kept me engaged. This novel is a haunting reminder of the stories we choose to forget and the truths we must confront.

“Some stories are buried. Others are erased.”

This is a multi-layered debut that blends mystery, family secrets, and social commentary with a dual-timeline structure that’s both emotionally rich and narratively compelling.

The story follows Sydney, a woman navigating infertility and family grief, who returns home only to stumble upon a decades-old mystery surrounding her cousin Carol, who vanished in the 1960s without a trace. Through Sydney’s present-day investigation and Carol’s haunting diary entries from the past, the novel slowly unearths not just what happened, but why her story was never told.

The dual timelines were well done. Carol’s voice in the 1960s chapters felt so authentic and heartbreaking, while Sydney’s modern-day voice was grounded and relatable. This book handles big themes like race, family trauma, generational silence etc…so be prepared for that.

The pacing in the middle sagged a bit. Some of Sydney’s investigative scenes felt repetitive, and I found myself wishing it would move forward more quickly. There were a few small timeline inconsistencies that pulled me out of the narrative momentarily (nothing major, but enough to notice).
While I loved Sydney’s arc, there were a couple of subplots that felt underdeveloped or unnecessary.

This is one of those slow-burn mysteries that rewards your patience. It’s not a thriller in the traditional sense as it is quieter and more character-driven. Good read overall and I liked the way I was pulled into the past.

I DNFed We Don’t Talk About Carol. The premise was good and initially drew me in, but I found the backstories and side stories a bit distracting from the main mystery. The pacing also felt slower than I prefer, which made it hard to stay engaged. That said, this was my first book by Kristen L. Berry, and I’d be open to trying her future books since I think she has strong potential as a storyteller.

I am giving this book five stars!! After the death of her grandmother, Sydney uncovers a family secret that centers around a 60-year-old cold case which involves six missing Black women and one of the missing woman happens to be her aunt she was never told about. The missing woman’s stories were forgotten by the world but never by their families. Sydney, is in her late thirties and she’s struggling with fertility after many repeated IVF failures, she’s emotionally struggling. When she discovers an old picture of a girl who looks just like her she discovers her aunt Carol. She doesn’t understand why no one talked about Carol and how she went missing. Sydney soon becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth, not just about her aunt, but for all the girls who were never looked into. As Sydney begins to dig, she soon uncovers many shocking secrets, lots of buried trauma, and hidden truths secrets that soon threaten to unravel not only her families history , but the entire communities. What she discovers will leave you shocked!! This book covered so many important topics such as domestic violence and psychological and emotional abuse , the disproportionate amount of attention from both the media and police afforded to missing Black women versus their white counterparts and how it’s easily pushed aside and not given the importance it should. This is a must read!

Whoa! What a good book! It starts out with Sydney, her sister, Sasha, and her mother cleaning out her Grammy‘s house because her Grammy has passed away. She finds a picture that she has shown her Grammy before, in the room where she played as a child. When she shows the picture to her Grammy when she’s little, she asked her Grammy who it is, and Grammy tells her “We don’t talk about her.” And she puts the picture up out of the way. Sydney runs across the picture cleaning up Grammy‘s home and she finds out it’s her aunt Carol. She also finds out about other girls that went missing around the time Sydney‘s Grammy and father thought her aunt Carol had ran away from their family. Sydney begins to believe that maybe Carol didn’t run away, but went missing like these other girls. No one looked for them when they went missing because they were black girls, it was looked into somewhat, but wasn’t continued to be investigated or looked into further. Sydney alone by herself, starts looking into the disappearance of Carol and the other girls. After some time her sister Sasha starts to help investigate. Along the way there’s many ups and downs and questions but finally, they figure it all out. I really enjoyed this book and the story. It was fast paced with short chapters. Only reason for four stars was because of the language. It wasn’t too bad but yet it was there frequently enough for me to notice. Just giving those who looks for language, a heads up, in case you want to know that. Thank you, Net Galley and publishers for the ARC. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Former journalist Sydney unearths a shocking mystery while sorting through her late grandmother’s belongings. Six Black teens, including Sydney’s aunt, vanished without a trace in the 1960s, and Sydney is determined to uncover the truth behind their disappearances.

Sydney’s relentless pursuit of answers and weight of her family’s complicated past consume her. Digging deeper into the mysterious disappearances puts her marriage and fertility treatments at risk. Her own secrets, much like her aunt’s, can no longer remain buried.

We Don’t Talk About Carol is an emotional and gripping debut that weaves together themes of family dynamics, marriage, mental health, healing, and social justice. This blend of women’s fiction and mystery is an intriguing read that keeps you engaged from start to finish. If you’re looking for a thought-provoking story that resonates on multiple levels, this book is a must-read!

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry was my first read by this author, and it’s a haunting, emotionally charged debut that blends family mystery with social commentary. The story follows Sydney Singleton, a former crime reporter turned PR executive, who returns to her childhood home in Raleigh, North Carolina, after her grandmother’s death. While cleaning out the house, Sydney discovers a photograph of a young girl who looks eerily like her only it’s not her, but her long-lost aunt Carol, one of six Black girls who went missing in the 1960s. The family has buried Carol’s story for decades, and Sydney becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth, even as she battles personal demons, including a strained marriage and the emotional toll of fertility treatments.

The central conflict lies in Sydney’s unraveling sense of self as she digs deeper into Carol’s disappearance. Her journalistic instincts clash with her fragile mental health, especially given her past psychotic break while covering another missing girl’s case. Her husband Malik, once supportive, grows increasingly frustrated as Sydney’s investigation consumes her. Meanwhile, the community’s silence and systemic neglect of missing Black girls add layers of tension and urgency. Sydney’s search leads her to Carol’s hidden diary, old acquaintances, and a disturbing connection to a segregated park where many of the girls were last seen.

The twist is both personal and societal: Sydney’s relentless pursuit not only exposes what happened to Carol but forces her to confront the generational trauma that shaped her family’s silence. Berry’s conclusion is poignant and unsettling, revealing how grief, shame, and systemic injustice intertwine. The novel doesn’t offer easy closure, but it does deliver a powerful reckoning with history, with family, and with the cost of truth. As a debut, it’s a bold and unforgettable introduction to Berry’s voice, and I’ll be watching closely for what she writes next.

I loved the family drama, the mystery, and the inside look at a very real issue in our country. Though this is a slow burn, I was fully engaged the whole time. I want to listen to the sisters’ podcast!!

This book is NOT getting the recognition it should. Berry blends crime, mystery, family drama, racial injustice, and mental health in her gem We Don’t Talk About Carol.
Sydney is a formal investigative journalist returning home to help settle her grandma’s estate. She comes across a picture that resembles herself. She learns it’s her late father’s sister, Carol, that went missing in the 60’s along with other young black girls. The family assumed Carol ran away to Detroit to pursue her dreams to be a singer. Therefore no missing-person report was filed.
Sydney feels a pull to look into this more deeply. What really happened to Aunt Carol and these other girls?
Thank you NetGalley and Random House Pub Group - Ballantine for an ARC read in exchange for my review.

A beautifully written and touching book about how family interacts between generations, how generational trauma forms, is passed down, and grows, and a captivating mystery.

Couldn’t put this book down!!! I needed to know what was happening next.
An excellent debut. Can’t wait to see what this author comes up with next!

Man, this was great. I've been trying to figure out exactly what resonated with me so well in this book and I think it's the way it portrays frustration, from the initial hook of an older relative too stubborn and intractable to face up to the past, to societal struggles with authorities who refuse to take missing Black girls seriously and those who let them be forgotten, even to the daily aggravation of dealing with a mind you can't trust and a body that won't do what you want it to do. This is all portrayed so well and it leads to a very satisfying ending. I recommend this one!

I really struggled with this one. It was SO SLOW. I usually fly through books, but I found myself with very little motivation to pick it up. Thankfully, the last third finally picked up the pace and I finished the book.

This story covers a lot of ground: pregnancy struggles, family trauma, mental health issues, and the disappearance of six black teenage girls. While the themes were compelling, I felt weighed down by overly long descriptions that didn’t add much to the story. There were also a few details that didn’t quite line up, though I’ll avoid specifics to keep things spoiler free.

Overall, the concept was strong, but the execution fell a little flat for me. It’s a good story, it just moved too slowly for my taste.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.