Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. This was a twisty, turny story. Even the twists I saw coming were so well written and emotional that there was still a payoff. The characters were well written. Many times when I read books like this I get annoys with the side stories. There were a lot in this book - Sydney’s relationship with her sister, her husband, and her hot and cold desire to have a kid. But they all worked well with the main plot that I didn’t mind. Overall this was a book about families and secrets. The side plots all built into that. I think the worst thing for me was that every time I opened it I would sing We Don’t Talk About Carol

“We Don’t Talk About Carol” is a debut novel by Kristen Berry. This book follows a woman, Sydney, as she searches for her unknown aunt, Carol, but also five other Black girls who went missing around the same time. Ms. Berry tacked a number of topics, I felt, really well. Why don’t POC’s disappearances get wider coverage? I also thought she handled the police investigation (from the early 1960s in North Carolina) very realistically with the police trying but eventually putting the cases into cold case (it was very typical of the time). I also felt the story about Sydney trying to become a parent - from feelings to actual fertility appointments - along with trying to work on her relationship with her sibling and parent very well done. This book took a turn that I wasn’t expecting (one turn I wondered about but the other one I didn’t see) - which was rather fun to read. I hope that Ms. Berry writes another book - I will eagerly read that one too. A strong recommend.

This book had me locked in from page one ..and I still can’t believe it’s a debut novel! We Don’t Talk About Carol is part mystery, part emotional deep dive into generational trauma, family, and identity. Sydney is such a compelling character—flawed, determined, and real. The writing is sharp and layered, and the story balances suspense with heart in such a powerful way.
✨This one is a must read!! ✨

In We Don’t Talk About Carol, Sydney Singleton uncovers a haunting family secret after finding a hidden photo of a young girl who looks eerily like her. The girl turns out to be Carol, Sydney’s long-lost aunt, who vanished in the 1960s along with several other Black girls in North Carolina. As Sydney investigates the decades old mystery, she’s forced to confront painful truths about her own past, her family’s silence, and what she’s willing to sacrifice for the people she loves.

I knew from the dedication that I was going to enjoy this book. I don't even have all of the words to describe how amazing this book was. I will start with necessary and powerful. It is definitely a 5-star read in my eyes !! I knew this story was going to be a heavy read, but my God. There was a lot I enjoyed about this book. I loved the focus on missing black girls and the lack of coverage they receive. I loved Sydney's determination to uncover what happened with her aunt and the other missing girls while tackling her own issues and traumas. The writing was phenomenal, and I was surprised to learn this is the author's debut novel. I am now a fan and can't wait to see what the author does next. I am absolutely going to be recommending this book to everyone I know.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book!

This was a phenomenal mystery novel. I loved how the information was revealed, through flashbacks and small discoveries as we journeyed with Sydney to solve the case of the missing girls. Even though I felt like I knew who did it, Kristen Berry still managed to include a twist that I didn't see coming.

Thank you Random House Publishing Group, for providing the early copy of We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry - this is one heck of a debut! I didn’t expect to love this as much as I did, and I ended up staying late to finish it and was still thinking about the book after I woke up. Sydney was such an engaging character I was totally drawn into her search to uncover what happened to her aunt and why she had never heard of Carol who disappeared along with five other teen girls. I really loved how it addressed the problem of missing Black girls and women not getting the media coverage without being preachy. I won’t give any spoilers, but I gasped at the many shocking reveals that made this book veer into thriller territory because my mind was reeling as I raced through the pages. 5 amazing stars

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L Berry

5 stars

336 pages
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Ballantine, Bantam
Release Date: June 3, 2025

Fiction (Adult), General Fiction (Adult), Multicultural Interest, Women’s Fiction, Ancestry, Missing Persons

Six black teenage girls go missing between 1963 and 1965 in North Carolina. No one seems to care. The authorities believe they just ran away. Sydney travels with her mother and sister from their home in California to settle her grandmother’s estate. She comes across a picture that was always hidden. When she first found the picture as teenager, she asked her grandmother about it. Her grandmother said we don’t talk about Carol. That left Sydney with more questions than answers. Sydney begins a historical search for Carol to find how who she was and why no one talks about her.

The story has a steady pace, the characters are developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. Although this is a work of fiction, the topic of missing women and girls needs to be addressed.

Most of us aren’t aware of this shocking report: 202,100 Black Americans were reported as missing in 2023 according to the FBI National Crime Information Center. That’s huge considering that just 13 percent of the country’s population is Black. The total number was 563,400 on the missing list in 2023 – many of which were teens. And yet, what is being done?

This is an engaging, emotional story of six Black women ages 16 to 19 who disappeared without a trace sixty years ago in Raleigh, NC. Sadly, if they had been white, then there would be more attention from the news and police investigations for these cases.

Sydney and Sasha, now in their mid 30s, were helping their mother put Grammy’s house on the market in Raleigh. She had a stroke at 90 and died. There’s a lot to go through in her large home. In the guest room, there was a dresser filled with fabrics, patterns and all sorts of threads. It made me think back of my mother’s old chest of drawers stuffed with the same items in the 80s.

Deep inside the dresser, Sydney found a framed photo of a young girl. She was stunned to learn that this was her missing aunt that no one talked about. Sydney worked for years on a crime beat in San Francisco and was determined to do some digging.

While reading about the involvement of the missing girls, I got caught up with all the other deep themes: IVF treatments, stress from a company realignment and relationship issues with the sisters and their mother including emotional abuse.

The author managed to wrap all of these pertinent issues in a 336-page great debut novel. She did a good job explaining the problems and how they could multiply into other areas and lives. It really makes you understand how families feel overwhelming anxiety over the loss of someone they love. It’s an important message to all of us to reach out and help those in need.

My thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book with an expected release date of June 3, 2025.

This was such a powerful debut novel by Kristen L Berry. I loved the mystery and how it unfolded. What happened to Carol? Did she and the missing girls all get killed by the same person? I suspected the killer immediately however I had no idea the ending would be what it was. Carol lost so much of her innocence and it was heartbreaking to hear her story of what happened in the 1960’s in Raleigh.

"Sometimes secrets need to be unburied," but, when Grammie said "We Don't Talk About Carol" she meant it.

After Grammie passes, Sydney and her sister Sasha want to find out more about this Carol who is part of their family, and no one is allowed to talk about her. Sydney, while looking for her aunt, discovers that multiple black ladies vanished in the same area at the same time.

In this we watch Sydney struggle with family and mental health issues and Sasha find herself. This book has all the goods, and you won't be disappointed. The ending was a bit blah to me because I felt like the twist was going to a little more twistier, but overall, a 4-star Read.
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Thank you, Netgalley and Random House Publishing, for a copy of this book in exchange I am providing an honest review.

I'm a consumer of true crime via books and pod casts. The book summary felt like it would be a good fit for me. Overall, I think it it did.

A journalist stumbles upon a family secret and can't let it go. This leads to a behind the scene look of how these type of cold case investigations can come together. I flew through the book, enthralled from page one. I'm only giving it 4 stars because the main character had a bit of a kitchen sink life going on. It caused some distraction at times which only felt like a device to drive certain points. It didn't always mesh well with the main content. However, don't let that distract you from picking this up if you are interested in this one. Compared to the cookie cutter popcorn thriller genre, this felt like a fresh take on a serial killer murder mystery.

We Don’t Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry
After her grandmother’s death, Sydney Singleton discovers a photo of a young girl who looks eerily like her—more than her own sister or mother. The girl is Carol, Sydney’s long-lost aunt who vanished, along with five other Black girls, in 1960s North Carolina. No one has spoken of her since. Now, as Sydney tries to start a family, she’s driven to uncover the truth.
But Sydney’s past haunts her. Years ago, a similar case triggered a breakdown during her time as a crime journalist. Now, with fertility struggles and a crumbling marriage, her search for answers threatens to consume her again. As secrets unravel, Sydney must face the darkness in her family—and within herself.

We Don’t Talk About Carol is a haunting story about family, silence, and the cost of love.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this book! I absolutely loved Kristen Barry’s debut novel!!!! I can’t wait to read more of her books! 5/5 Stars!

OMGEEEEE YALLLLL
Kristen L. Berry delivers a stunning, emotionally-charged debut that is part mystery, part generational reckoning. We Don’t Talk About Carol is a haunting exploration of loss, identity, and the buried truths that shape families and history.

Sydney Singleton is a journalist whose life is already unraveling when she stumbles across a photograph that shatters everything she thought she knew. The girl in the photo looks like her—but it’s from 1963, and the girl is Carol, an aunt no one in her family will talk about. What follows is a gripping, slow-burn unraveling of secrets, all set against the backdrop of a real and painful truth: the erasure of missing Black girls from historical narratives.

Berry does an extraordinary job of weaving together past and present. Sydney’s infertility struggles and complicated marriage are never distractions they mirror and amplify the emotional stakes of her search for Carol. The tension builds with each chapter, and the writing is layered, lyrical, and laced with urgency.

What sets this book apart is its fearlessness. It refuses to look away from systemic injustice while delivering a compelling personal story. Berry doesn’t shy away from showing the emotional toll this pursuit takes on Sydney—or the audience. It’s a book that stays with you long after you turn the last page.

This book. will please readers who love layered mysteries with social relevance, fans of The Vanishing Half or Long Bright River, and anyone who appreciates deeply human, emotionally complex storytelling.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. I can’t wait to see what Kristen L. Berry writes next.

A debut novel that focuses on missing black girls and the failure of law enforcement and media to give the same attention and exposure as white missing persons. A missing Aunt who has never been spoken of sparks a niece's investigation into what happened to her and the other missing girls. Parallel to this is the fertility treatments that are taking place by the former reporter. This is a slow burn of a take on true crime podcasts and sleuths. An ending I didn't see coming. An author to watch for after a great start.

Copy provided by the publisher and NetGalley

When Sydney travels to Raleigh, North Carolina to help clean out her grandmother‘s house, she discovers an old picture of a little girl she finds out is her long lost aunt, Carol. The problem? No one in the family even knew that Carol existed. Sydney‘s grandmother and father assumed that Carol ran away in the 1960s to live out her dreams in Motown, and never even filed a police report when she went missing. But at the same time that Carol disappeared, five other girls in the neighborhood also went missing. Sydney, a former journalist, decides to look into the disappearances and find out once and for all what happened to her aunt Carol. But can she handle the pressure? This isn’t the first time an emotional story has taken over her life and her attention, but hopefully she can handle it this time.

This is definitely one of the best books. I have read all year. Not only is it a great mystery, but it is an incredibly emotionally intelligent, and powerful book. For people that grew up in a household, where there was a lot of arguments and not a lot of discussion of feelings, get ready to feel a lot reading this book. It was very cathartic.

Onto the main plot, the plot itself was really incredible because it was so interesting and it really unfolded like a true cold case, or at least how you think a cold case would unfold. I mean, I’m not a cop or anything. But it slowly unfolds and then ramps up until you feel like “Wow there’s really a lot here! We’re so close!” and you feel like you have a good handle on things. (of course the author has some great twists and some surprises in there to keep things interesting!)

The conclusion was great and felt really complete.

The other thing I liked about this book was that it addressed a lot of issues about the socioeconomic issues involving missing girls and women. We have a real problem in this country that goes back decades involving who we pay attention to and what cases we investigate “harder” based on things like race in class. This book really tackles that issue head on, and I hope it draws more attention to that.

Overall, if you’re looking for a good book that has a real message to it definitely pick up this book!

Five stars for Kristen L. Berry's debut novel!

While visiting Grandma Effie as a young girl, Sydney finds a framed photo of an unknown, what appears to be family member. She questions her grandmother and is told, "We don't talk about Carol." Years later Grandma Effie passes and Sydney, her sister Sasha and her mother are tasked with cleaning out the house preparing for its sale. Sydney rediscovers the photo of Carol, which leads to questions surrounding her aunt's disappearance.
This book dives into the missing minority young women and the lack of investigation surrounding the disappearances. It is an unraveling of family secrets, lies and " what happens in the family stays in the family" mentality. This novel with

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with the eARC.

I absolutely loved this debut. From the very beginning, I was pulled into Sydney’s journey, and I found myself completely captivated by the mystery of her long-lost aunt, Carol. I felt Sydney’s determination so deeply, and her quest to uncover the truth about Carol was both compelling and emotional. I couldn’t stop turning the pages as the layers of family secrets and silence began to unravel. I was particularly struck by how well the author depicted Sydney’s struggles. I felt her pain and frustration as she navigated fertility treatments and a crumbling marriage while grappling with her own troubled past. I appreciated how raw and real her emotions were—it made her journey feel so authentic and relatable. I couldn’t help but admire her relentless pursuit of the truth, even when it brought her face-to-face with uncomfortable realities about her family and herself.

I finished the book feeling deeply moved and incredibly impressed by the author’s ability to weave such a gripping and emotional tale. This debut was thoughtful, powerful, and absolutely unforgettable. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves stories that delve into family secrets and the resilience of the human spirit.

This debut novel is amazing. I loved it. I was on the edge of my seat wondering where were these missing young girls. And who did it? And why wasn’t something being done to answer those questions. I can’t wait to see what this debut author writes next. I will be reading it!!!

This was one of NG’s read now for three days so I didn’t have high expectations. I was also on a long string of reading books that I wanted to read so wasn’t checking the site that often. I was wrong. “Oh honey. We don’t talk about Carol.” Her grandmother’s words to Sydney. Carol would be Sydney’s long missing aunt who disappeared about the same time that a number of girls went missing in rural North Carolina. Per the unfortunate usual, the police didn’t care about the missing black girls and their disappearance remained a mystery until Sydney, a former investigative journalist, decided to pursue not only the disappearance of her aunt, but all of the girls.

The beginning of the book is slow. The author replays the same scenarios over and over. Why is it important that Larry Singletary, Carol’s brother, Sydney’s dad and former pro NFL player is included? Sydney’s early family life was relatively miserable. She manages to escape to NYU (the family is living in California at that point). It leaves her younger sister angry and sad.

As Sydney’s investigation gains traction the book becomes far more interesting and moves along quickly. The ending is a rush. Ever been stuck in a good old Northeastern blizzard? That should,have been slowed down. Dedicate a little more attention to the ending of the book.

Great book that highlights an important social issue, the disproportionate media attention given to missing people based on race.

While helping to clear out her late grandmother's home in North Carolina, Sydney stumbles across an old photograph of an aunt she's never met, as well as a diary. Upon making some initial inquiries, she finds out that her aunt was believed to have run away from home in 1965 at the age of seventeen. However, others in the community think she may have been one of the victim's of the Creek Killer, un unproven theory developed to explain the disappearance of 6 different teen girls from local homes around that time. Given the date she disappeared, she would have been the sixth and final victim, but with her father and grandmother both gone, little-to-no evidence regarding the missing girls, and practically no attention from law enforcement, the task of finding out more about her aunt feels near impossible.

But that doesn't stop Sydney. Using the skills she honed as a crime reporter over 10 years ago, she begins reaching out to people she thinks might know more. The more she connects with family members of the other missing girls, the more she learns, and the more she's inclined to keep digging. She also uses her interest in true crime podcasts to help her garner more attention for the case overall.

Sydney also has her own personal struggles, namely that of starting a family. Her inability to conceive via conventional methods, coupled with her own turbulent childhood, have left her uncertain whether the IVF treatments she and her husband are pursuing are meant to work.

This story was a great character study. It highlighted Sydney's struggles, both emotionally and physically, with fertility treatments, the psychological impact of her childhood, her desire to know more about her aunt (for whom she is the spitting image), and her feelings of professional complacency about choosing a career path that is safe vs the one that she is passionate about.

The mystery angle is also fairly well-developed, though some scenes made me question how realistic they were, such as the placement of diary entries throughout the book, and the information shared by others regarding events that took place 60+ years prior. Overall, though, it was an intriguing story with a satisfying ending that I would highly recommend.