I really appreciated the perspective in this book on growing up a minority in a small town in England and working as one in the publishing industry and all the trauma the main character had to overcome as a result. I also loved the romance between Shirin and Kian and was really rooting for them to get together. It was definitely a relatable story of what it's like to be in your mid-twenties and figuring yourself out and feeling really alone, and I enjoyed watching Shirin come into her own and find her voice and learn how to make her life what she wanted. I thought it was well-written, if a bit depressing in parts. In the end, it was uplifting and poignant.

Thank you to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC.

Jafari beautifully crafted an incredibly realistic FMC in Shirin, a 26 year old woman battling depression, burn out at her job, daily racial micro-aggressions, friends that may or may not have her best interests at heart, and a growing feeling of not having anyone in her corner (until she bumps into her old best friend Kian).

Kian was an interesting character as well, but Shirin was definitely the star of this novel. I would have preferred only getting her perspective for the whole book, even during the flashback sections that we see from Kian’s POV.

Stunningly descriptive writing, extremely believable, and really thought provoking.

This book was exceptionally well-written and offered compelling insights into the impact of choices made during one's teenage and young adult years. The portrayal of Iranian family dynamics and their relationships was particularly insightful. Overall, it was a great story.

Thank you to #MacmillanAudio and #Netgalley for providing this ARC.

This is a well done book about old relationships and people changing over time. Made me reminisce about relationships in my life as well. It’s a quieter book but also some fierce commentary on the publishing industry. It was a treat to read!

It took me a little while to get into Things Left Unsaid and at first, I wasn't sure what I thought of it. But as it went on, I started to enjoy it more and more and by the end, I felt like I had gotten a lot out of my reading experience.

The book begins with 26-year-old Shirin bumping into an old friend/crush (Kian) at a party. As readers, we don't know what happened between them... what kind of relationship they had, why they grew apart, etc. and we will spend the rest of the novel uncovering those details, along with what their future is like. We spend most of our time with Shririn, getting peeks at her relationships with friends, her work life at a publishing house where she's often focused on diversity efforts, and her family life. I especially enjoyed the work bits! We also go back in time to get a better understanding of Shirin and Kian's early relationship and circumstances.

One of the things that drove me a little bit crazy about the book was some of the miscommunication, especially between Shirin and Kian. I wanted to yell at them to just say how they feel!! But I had to remind myself that they were in high school when they met and even now are in their 20s. Also, I feel like the book does a good job or recognizing this by the conclusion.

Ultimately, I found this to be a really enjoyable read, so I recommend you keep with it even if you're having a little trouble getting into it. I think it's an especially important novel in these current times with lots of people not understanding why diversity efforts are important.

Things Left Unsaid is a heartbreaking yet empowering story. Shirin reminds me of that time in life when you’re between college and career. Still recovering from so much of youth while being expected to be an instagrownup.

She feels a bit complacent in life, work, friendships, relationships, family but as her past creeps into her present, fears infiltrate and seem to block her chance for the future she’s worked hard towards.

As someone who’s wondered if I’m overthinking things that stuck with me from high school, reading this reminded me that some of my experiences ARE unacceptable AND traumatic. Shirin had to navigate and contemplate many relationships in resolution and I’m quickly reminded how necessary it is to advocate for ourselves.

A well done, thought provoking story with a deep, personal voice in Shirin.

Thank you for the ARC! Fans of Normal People, buckle in! This story follows Shirin and Kian through different stages of their life. They had grown apart over the last decade, and find each other again as they age.

This story does an excellent job navigating the weight of the past, self discovery, resentment, micro aggressions, the weight POCs carry in the work place. This book is modern and has depth. The ripples of their childhood continue to ripple throughout their adult lives, and the story of their bond is beautiful and heartbreaking. This is a must read!

Wow, wow, wow! This novel might just become a top read of 2025. “Things Left Unsaid” delves into the pain that the past can carry and the insidious undercurrents of racism that permeate various aspects of life, including work, school, and everyday interactions. As a white man, this story serves as an excellent mirror, prompting me to introspect and examine my own relationships—do they truly embody the values they preach?

But the heart of the story lies in its captivating love story and the transformative power of second chances. Shirin and Kian’s relationship is so intense and relatable that it’s almost unreal. As they navigate the complexities of their pasts, the author’s exquisite and painful prose draws me in, making it impossible to put the book down.

Thank you, NetGalley, St. Martin’s Press, and MacMillian Audio for the incredible opportunity to read this story early. I can’t wait to add it to my permanent shelf.

“A novel for millennial times”
Set in London, Shirin, age 26, has her dream job working in the publishing industry as an assistant editor. She is still dealing with harassment that she faced all through school and taking anti-depression/anxiety medication. And the job she always wanted has it’s issues with diversity and ethical dilemmas.

Kian, is a talented artist, that Shirin hasn’t seen in a decade who makes an unexpected reappearance into her life. He is a roommate of one of her friend’s boyfriends, and he is pursuing an advanced master’s degree in fine art. Just when their spark is being rekindled, he is sent to study abroad in New York.

After being apart for a decade, Kian makes Shirin feel like herself again. But this is not just a reunited love story. It is about confrontation and saying things that are difficult to address in our professional and personal lives. It’s about realizing that it is okay to end a friendship with someone that you’ve grown apart from, especially when gaslighting is involved. Shirin matures over the course of a couple of years and as she’s approaching 30 finds contentment and is able to find the good in her life.

I think the narration was lovely and soothing. The only negative is that I don’t love the cover art. With one of the characters being skilled at portraiture, I would have liked it to be more artistic. I think the bright green block letters of the title are a bit harsh.

4 stars

This is an understated but powerful read.

Shirin and Kian are close in high school, but they experience both separate and mutual traumas that force them apart. When they reconnect a decade later, their bond is stronger than ever, and readers - along with both characters - are left wondering what the future holds for these two characters, who are richly developed on their own but may be even better together.

While this book is billed as a romance, and that is undeniably a vital and intriguing part of this read, the most gripping element for me is the separate character development of each half of this couple. Shirin's story, including her experiences in the publishing industry, is particularly arresting. I expect that when I reflect on this book over time, it'll be the full development of each character even more than their compelling connections to each other that really stands out for me.

My interest in this book was piqued by comparisons to other reads I've enjoyed, and I'm so glad I had the chance to dig in. The audiobook is exceptionally well narrated, and the pacing, timbre, and measured presentation add so much to the experience. I appreciate having had the opportunity to engage, and I know others will, too.

I am so happy that I picked up this audiobook to listen to. It was the 5 star read that I needed this year. The audiobook was a great listen and I enjoyed the narrators (I can be very picky with that). The writer did a good job with the characters and finding so many things that everyone can relate to — things left unsaid between people that should have been said, career ethics, falling out of love with your career or job, the reality of racism around every corner, and the trauma you carry with yourself. The writer truly did a great job making me fall for these character and see a small part of myself within them.

There are moments in our lives that have incredible ripple effects. There are those that are obvious and immediate. What is more shattering than that are the things that we bury inside. it's the trickle effects from those large events and the things we never dig deep into or share with those around us and to ourselves. It's far bigger than just a lackadaisical pondering of 'what if's. "Things Left Unsaid" is two journeys reckoning with the fallout from these things and the path to growing beyond it. It is a novel about embracing the future while acknowledging and accepting the past.

When events accumulating in their final year of secondary school, Shirin and Kian find their fast but deep friendship torn to pieces. When they meet a decade later by chance they have taken very different paths in life that include, but are not limited to, decisions made to cope with the events that had happened leading up to and during that year. This book could very well slip into a second chance romance with events fueled by miscommunication. Instead it unwinds a very believable tale of how something so horribly common in nature with responses completely natural can create such chasms.

That's not to say that the potential of romance between the two is nonexistent. In fact, it is central to the plot. And, to be frank, that element is nearly always the least interesting element of a story in in the realm of 'women's fiction'. Usually it's what keeps me weary of it in fact. "Things Left Unsaid" tackles this theme from a refreshing angle focusing not so much on a second chance as to show how much these people have helped the other develop towards the best versions of themselves not in a wishy washy manner but in how someone who is important and sticks by you can shape your life without or before the start of what we normally frame as a romantic-physical relationship.

As vital as this was I found the way these two navigated the way their cultural spaces existed around them and how their parents experiences molded how their lives were set up to be of much greater interest. I valued how much respect was shown to religion and the choices around it. It is so common to see either characters completely rejecting faith or a book reaching nearly conversion attempt dedication. This was so much more balanced and in some ways so much more endearing.

Disclaimer, I have no connection to Iran other than an interest in the country and its people that has developed over the past few years. I've been attempting to educate myself more on the area, its history, and trying to get past the depictions of the country from the polar extremes different countries have in attitude around it. To read about a woman traveling back to Tehran so relatively openly given the current state of affairs felt so much like fantasy and at time heartbreaking in that the environment of the time was just second nature 'it is what it is' and accepted at the casual highlighting of the gaps in medical care, in judicial punishments, and graffiti. I felt it very insightful.

The other huge theme of course is the inequities within the publishing industry. I must confess that while I found it gutsy for a publisher to bring even itself into question with talks of performative inclusion being prevalent i found it incredibly curious when I noticed the publisher to put this forward into the world. While the book deals with this beautifully, I admit I hope this is not a 'get out of jail free' card or similar surface change and is rather a symbol of the publisher starting to take steps to self examine and truly correct practices.

In the end this was a highly satisfactory read that had a pleasant twist in how it paced out its story and how two people evolve inside their own lives and together.