Something She’s Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell

There’s Something She’s Not Telling Us by Darcey Belle – 320 pages

ARC provided by Harper Paperbacks for an honest review

Book Blurb:

Charlotte has everything in life that she ever could have hoped for: a doting, artistic husband, a small-but-thriving flower shop, and her sweet, smart five-year-old daughter, Daisy. Her relationship with her mother might be strained, but the distance between them helps. And her younger brother Rocco may have horrible taste in women, but when he introduces his new girlfriend to Charlotte and her family, they are cautiously optimistic that she could be The One. Daisy seems to love Ruth, and she can’t be any worse than the klepto Rocco brought home the last time. At least, that’s what Charlotte keeps telling herself. But as Rocco and Ruth’s relationship becomes more serious, Ruth’s apparent obsession with Daisy grows more obvious. Then Daisy is kidnapped, and Charlotte is convinced there’s only one person who could have taken her. Ruth has never had much, but now she’s finally on the verge of having everything she’s ever dreamed of. A stable job at a start-up company, a rakish, handsome boyfriend with whom she falls more in love with every day—and a chance at the happy family she’s always wanted, adorable niece included. The only obstacle standing in her way is her boyfriend’s sister Charlotte, whose attitude swerves between politely cold and outright hostile. Rebuffing Ruth’s every attempt to build a friendship with her and Daisy, Charlotte watches over her daughter with a desperate protectiveness that sends chills down Ruth’s spine. Ruth knows that Charlotte has a deeply-buried secret, the only question is: what? A surprise outing with Daisy could be the key to finding out, and Ruth knows she must take the chance while she has it—for everyone’s sake.

My Review: 3 stars – Guest Review

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I never read A Simple Favor, but I did enjoy the movie (there’s not many movies I see without having read the book). Knowing that, I thought I’d take a chance on Bell’s newest psychological thriller, Something She’s Not Telling Us, as I wanted a mystery/thriller book that would keep be glued to the pages.

The novel was fast paced and quick and I actually finished it in one sitting. I got deeper into the train wreck with each page. For the most part, I enjoyed the binge-like pacing of the book, but I thought the end was overly rushed. With so much build-up to the kidnapping, it lacked the suspense that should go hand in hand. When I finished, I had so many questions, but not in the good cliffhanger way. The “twist”, which was revealed halfway through the novel, was unnecessary and annoyed me to the point where I considered stopping the book.

This was also a story where I really wasn’t a fan of most of the characters. They all seemed to fall too far into their role, as if exaggerated into a mold. There was an overly-anxious mother, the doting father, the free-spirited brother, the unstable girlfriend, and the unattached mom. The only character I liked was the daughter, Daisy.

Overall, the plot was interesting and I was determined to finish, only to find out how it ends. Thanks to Guest Fairy Carly for this honest review.