From the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of True Places comes a suspenseful novel of love, secrets, and obsession.
Psychology professor Jackie Strelitz thinks she’s over Harlan Crispin, her ex-lover and colleague. Why should she care if Harlan springs a new “friend” on her? After all, Jackie has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband and a thriving career. Still, she … a thriving career. Still, she can’t help but be curious about Harlan’s latest.
Nasira Amari is graceful, smart, and appallingly young. Worse, she’s the newest member of Jackie’s research team. For five years, Harlan enforced rules limiting his relationship with Jackie. With Nasira, he’s breaking every single one. Why her?
Fixated by the couple, Jackie’s curiosity becomes obsession. But she soon learns that nothing is quite what it seems and that to her surprise—and peril—she may not be the only one who can’t let go.
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Honestly, Sonja Yoerg’s books keep getting better and better. What a talented writer. Stories We Never Told is a gripping domestic thriller full of twists and surprises. Recently, I haven’t been able to read through books quickly but this one pulled me in from the start and I was able to finish it in two days. Could not put it down. I love a book that has a creepy character that you love to hate and this book certainly has that character. The surprise close to the end had me in shock. I wasn’t expecting that at all. This is a definite must read!
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the review copy.
“Life isn’t a movie, her mother used to say, at least not one on the Hallmark channel. This must be what she meant.” This book was maybe to the extreme of what Jackie is reminiscing about of her mother’s thoughts on relationships. Definitely NOT Hallmark. This story is about relationships and twisted ones at that. Not just the way these characters interact with each other but what’s going through their minds as well. There are several different ways these relationships connect and really about what they are. They are not what they seem. Jackie and Harlan. Jackie and Miles. Jackie and Grace. Jackie and Nasira. Jackie and Antonio. They are all individual but as the story develops, these all begin to intertwine into a complex thriller that I had no idea where it was taking me. And that’s good!
The story is written in four different POV…but Jackie’s is the main thread through all of the other characters. Each character is complex and well written. My feelings for each of them would change as fast as I turned the pages. I thought I would have them figured out and if I like or not like them. That would change again and again. Except for Jackie. She had my feelings all over the place but I was always pulling for her. “How is it possible to feel furious and devastated at the same time? Oh, and humiliated and heartbroken and gullible, too?” Each character has secrets. Some I never expected at all. Ms. Yoerg slowly and methodically wrapped me into an “as the plot thickens” story and kept me guessing. Secret feelings, secret relationships, secret sabotage, secret innuendoes….secrets, secrets, secrets….all twisting and turning. Who does Jackie trust? Can she even trust herself? Just when I thought things might work out for her, several twists I didn’t expect are thrown in there. Wow!
This story has a mixture of all things that make a book a good read. Suspense, mystery, psychological and thrilling scenes, a touch of romance, revenge, unexpected surprises, drama to the max and a lot of “what’s going to happen next?” I want to thank Lake Union, Netgalley and Sonya Yoerg for the honor of reading this book. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.
Stories We Never Told is a wonderful, edge-of-your seat roller coaster ride that plumbs the deep depths of obsession while also giving hope for light at the end of the tunnel.
I think this genre is a new one for Sonja Yoerg, but she did a great job. While their were 4 different POVs, the story flowed very well and had great characters that fascinated me even as I was pulled further and further into the obsession, fascination and yes, some fear that this story built so well.
If you enjoy domestic / psychological thrillers, this is definitely one to read. I’ve enjoyed every book I’ve read by Ms. Yoerg and I’m greatly looking forward to and hoping she continues to write in this genre.
Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for an ARC at my request. All thoughts are my own.
Stories We Never Told is Sonja Yoerg at her best — gripping characters, sizzling suspense, brilliantly written. I raced through the pages. Bravo!
Obsession, jealousy, and secrets smolder into a deadly fire in Yoerg’s latest, as a woman’s marriage and career implode at the same time her ex’s life seems to be on the rise. Astutely observed and beautifully written with echoes of Highsmith’s Ripley, this one’s got a deliciously diabolical villain to die for.
Stories We Never Told is a beautifully told story of love and obsession, a gradual unearthing of long-held secrets that can unravel even the happiest of marriages. Yoerg has a real talent for creating compelling and complex characters who wrestle with real-life situations, leaving the reader wondering who to root for until the very end. Yoerg should be on every reader’s radar.
Sonja Yoerg has out done herself with this creepy twisty thriller! This story is well paced with a character who manipulates and tried to control all around him. I love the character development of each character and there is enough edginess to keep me on the edge of my seat not putting the book down until the last page! Absolutely a must read!
This certainly ended up being a page turner! At first I thought it seemed a bit predictable and the characters a bit annoying. About half way through it shifted into high gear and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the early copy
Sonja Yoerg astutely sets the stage for this novel from the very first page with a cast of characters that the reader will love to hate. Everyone has a secret and each is more surprising than the next. The narrative proclaims a dark, seedy feel that leads the reader through a tension filled plot. The character development is brilliant and Yoerg creates a wonderfully devious plot twist. A must read.
A clever look at how people are not always who they seem. What secrets are they hiding; could those secrets hurt us. Who can we really trust and do we really know those closest to us. Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this good psychological thriller ARC
This was my first book by Sonja Yoerg and I went in a bit blind. I’m not usually one for domestic suspense so I struggled a bit with Jackie’s story, putting it down for long periods to read something that didn’t twist my insides and confuse me.
Stories We Never Told didn’t produce a single likable character. Each had deep flaws that only became more apparent as the story continued. Jackie, though a Doctor of Psychology, was a bit of a mess and had a real inability to recognize red flags in her relationships and especially her own actions. She proved to be an incredibly frustrating protagonist.
I enjoyed the method Yoerg used to tell this tale, though I’m not sure why the intern’s backstory was included. It seemed to detract from the story and the feeling of dread that she was intent on subjecting me to.
Ultimately, I liked how it was told but the story itself left me with a sick feeling in my stomach that had me reaching for antacids. It is a testament to Yoerg’s ability to weave a story that sticks with readers weeks beyond reading the last page. I still feel a bit queasy when I think about it.
I recommend this for readers that love domestic suspense and thrillers.
**I read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
CW: Stalking, parent death
So Good! Very tangled story!
Interesting characters in a frighteningly complicated story. The horror just keeps building and I wanted to scream so loud and badly!
Much better than most books that we think of as “good for a train ride.” Interesting, too regarding the sometimes dicey world of university research. Pretty good character development, too.
Suspense fills the pages of Sonja Yoerg’s latest bestseller. A professor near Washington D.C. has always doubted her personal relationships. When a post-doc shows up to work for her, her career and family begin to unravel. Book starts slow but in the end it’s like a roller coaster. Enjoy the ride up to the top of the hill, because it gets crazy on the way down.
Somewhat predictable and seemed to end abruptly. For some characters there was too much information and for others not enough.
So this is great. Has elements of You, Apple Tree Yard, and all the ingredients of masterful psychological suspense. Betting it’s already in production for TV – the story lends itself perfectly to that. This is a classy telling of a tale you’ve heard before in other books, but reimagined in a genuinely creepy, fascinating, skin crawling way that makes you shudder at human nature. 100% loved it. it’s going to be big.
Wow, this book was so good. A really tense psychological drama. I had read #SonjaYoerg’s True Place and loved it, but this was even better. Strong, interesting characters, an interesting look into autism studies, which interested me, because I have a granddaughter with autism, from a gifted storyteller.
Jackie is a doctorate professor in a university in DC, working with graduate students on a intense study. Something has gone wrong with the data, and It could be by someone close to her. This is a story of lies, secrets, relationships, manipulation and control, resulting in a dangerous tense storyline.
This is a novel that will grip you from the first page to the final. I received an ARC for my review. My thanks to #LakeUnionPublishers and #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.
Received this book from #NetGalley.
This book tells the story of psychology professor Jackie, who is married to Miles. Jackie works at a university where her ex-boyfriend, Harlan, also works. One night, Jackie and Miles go out to dinner with Harlan who has started dating Jackie’s postdoc Nasira. Needless to say Jackie is surprised and becomes slightly obsessed with the couple. Jackie spent 5 years with Harlan and they had a different timeline of dating events than he has with Nasira and Jackie wonders why. Then, someone on Jackie’s team discovers that some of her data has been corrupted. All this time Jackie is suspicious that Harlan is using Nasira to get back at her and Miles brushes her off as insecure. She’s also becoming insecure about her marriage to Miles because he travels a lot. After her college boyfriend shows up to one of her public talks, her life unravels fast.
3 stars
I was excited to read Stories We Never Told. My excitement diminished rather quickly. The main character Jackie is a psychologist working at a university and is in charge or a research project on autism. I kept saying to myself, “I can’t believe this woman is a psychologist. She is the most screwed up person with no self confidence.” I just could not find a character I liked. I kept hoping the book would get better, but it did not for me. Thank you Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Stories We Never Told is a contemporary novel about people who cannot move on from prior relationships, and remain so invested in them that they become obsessed with their past love to the detriment of their current lives and relationships. And then it ramps up…
I have enjoyed Sonja Yoerg’s previous books and will continue to look forward to them, but this one was just so-so for me. I never really connected with the main characters, and at points thought “are there ANY non-dysfunctional people in this book?” The author also has a lot of side-stories going, used (I suppose) to flesh out the characters, but I felt there were too many and that they distracted from the book overall. The main theme of the book is obsession and betrayal, yet there’s also dealing with step-children, ADHD, autism, drug use, homosexuality, Syrian refugees, disappointed parents, male cougars (sorry, don’t know the correct term for them) etc. etc. etc.
My thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.