The New York Times Bestselling author of Every Little Thing returns to Hart’s Boardwalk in this searing and emotional new standalone romance…Local metalsmith and gift shop owner, Dahlia McGuire, likes her quiet life in Hartwell, Delaware. It’s the perfect place to hide from her family and the tragic events that led to their estrangement. However, when her father, the person she loves most in … father, the person she loves most in the world, needs her Dahlia has no choice but to return to Boston to face her ghosts. One of those happens to be her ex-boyfriend’s best friend, Michael Sullivan. The man she was never supposed to fall in love with.
Michael Sullivan has never forgotten Dahlia McGuire. Some might say he’s never gotten over her. For years he lived with the anger of her desertion, and now, newly-divorced, he’s finally ready to move on. That proves impossible when Dahlia returns to Boston and reawakens their explosive connection. Despite everything, Michael wants her back, but Dahlia can’t seem to let go of the tangled emotions of the past. When she flees home to Hartwell, Michael follows, determined to do everything in his power to convince her they belong together.
However, when the unthinkable hits the quiet seaside town, Michael finds himself trying to unravel more than the mystery of Dahlia’s broken heart. It’s time for truths left unsaid to finally be spoken or Michael and Dahlia might find themselves torn apart forever…
more
3 stars. This book was pretty good, but not my favorite by Ms. Young. Things We Never Said is Michael and Dahila’s story. This book is full of drama and twists and turns, so I can’t go too much into the plot details with spoiling it. I will say, Dahlia and Michael met when they were young and she was in a relationship with his best friend. They become good friends, and she falls for him secretly, but a chain of terrible events leads to them becoming estranged. Dahlia leaves her family in Boston and runs away to Hart’s boardwalk, not returning home for many years. When she returns to visit her family, she has amends to make and relationships to repair. Michael has stayed close to some of her family members, but he hates Dahlia for the way things worked out between them. He is awful to her at first, but when Dahlia leaves to return back to her home, he decides that he is wrong and does want to heal their breach. So he follows her to the Boardwalk in hopes they can rekindle their young love and begin a real relationship.
I liked the overall story in this book. I liked Dahlia as well, but I liked Michael a little less. He was pretty mean to her for much of the book until he decided to give her another chance. It made it hard for me to forgive him as a reader. He does make an abrupt change and is sweet while he pursues Dahlia. So I did forgive him, but it made me like him less than if that had never happened.
This book is so chock full of drama and angst, from dating one man while being in love with his best friend to parental abuse to alcoholism to getting shot to a sister dating the man she was in love with to that sister dying and even more! It was just too much. Yes, the story was heartbreaking and emotional, but it was way too heavy for me. Their relationship was so tumultuous and there was so much fighting and pushing away through much of the book. There were hardly any happy times right up until the end, when they finally get together for good. There were parts of the book I really liked and I did feel the love between the Dahlia and Michael by the end of the book. I just felt very bad for everything they had to go through to get to that point.
Overall, I did enjoy this book in general, but it did put me through the wringer as a reader. If you are an angst lover, you will probably love this book. While it was a little much for me, I am still a fan of Ms. Young and will continue to read her books in the future.
Ah, how my heart broke for both Dahlia and Michael! Barry Manilow said it best: “We had the right love at the wrong time,” and that was exactly how it was for these two. They met, they connected, but she had a boyfriend who just happened to be best friends with him. Talk about complicated. But this book isn’t just about the complications of their non-relationship but also about Dahlia’s back story and what led her to leave everything behind all those years ago and head to Hartwell. If you’re as much of a fan of angst as I am, we get it here in spades, but as heavy as some parts of the book happen to be, it isn’t all doom and gloom between the covers. There are definitely a number of lighthearted moments and let’s not forget about the swoon-worthy ones because hello, who doesn’t read romance and live for the opportunity to sigh happily for the couple we’re reading about? Once again, Samantha Young’s writing has tugged at every single one of my heartstrings while also managing to leave me oh-so-satisfied with yet another wonderful read. I’m awarding Things We Never Said five out of five stars.
I’ve been in a reading slump the past few weeks so I was excited that I could dive into the ARC of Samantha Young’s newest book. I started reading Samantha Young back when she first published On Dublin Street, and I’ve been a fan ever since.
While reading this book, I finally was able to figure out what I love about Samantha Young’s writing style, and it’s the fact that each story reads like your best friend is telling you the story. It’s almost like you sit down and spend 4 hours listening to your best friend’s dirty jokes, setbacks, and love life. It’s truly a fantastic experience. I love how conversational her books are, and I always feel like I’m saying goodbye to a friend when I finish a book. This book was no different.
Things We Never Said is the third in the Hart’s Boardwalk series. We learn about Dahlia McGuire’s past, her heartbreaks, and her family. Dahlia was never a character I connected to in the other books, so I was worried that I wouldn’t enjoy it as much as her other books. Luckily, my hesitancy was misplaced. Not only did I start to connect with Dahlia as a character but I also truly enjoyed the plot. We got to see more of Dahlia’s background, and I couldn’t help but cry for her and her experiences.
I loved Dahlia’s messy background, and I couldn’t help but cry for her and her family. I enjoyed learning more about her history and see how she could overcome some of her hardships. With all of Samantha Young’s books, the characters and relationships were the shining stars of this story. I think many readers will be able to connect with Dahlia and Michael. They were realistic, and I loved the character growth they both had to do throughout the book.
All in all, I’m giving this 4 1/2 Caffeinated Stars! The plot was interesting, the characters superb, and I really can’t wait for the next book in the series.
I was so excited to go back to Young’s world set on Hart’s Boardwalk. And honestly, she didn’t disappoint me. I was a little worried at first, when it seemed like we had a perfect meet cute and falling in love with no issues, until the boyfriend and his best friend bit dropped. After that, well, let’s just say that the author really knows how to get all the angst into the story. To leave us wanting and needing more, so that we turn page after page waiting for the next explosion, passionate or emotional, to arrive. I tore through this book in basically about 24 hours, sneaking in time to read at my desk at work, staying up past my “bedtime” to read and finish, needing to know how in the world Dahlia would figure out what was right, and that she was really just being too hard on herself and not giving her own happiness a chance. A lot about this reminded me of one of the books in the On Dublin Street series in a way, not necessarily story wise, but emotions and backstory and all of that type of thing.
All I can say is after finishing this, I really need the author to go back to Hart’s Boardwalk and tell us Emery’s story for sure, but now I want a new story for Ivy as well. I can only cross my fingers and wish that this series will be able to fill itself out like the author did with her first On Dublin Street series.
” I can exist without you, Dahlia. But I can ‘t live without you. Don’t make me.”
Dahlia and Michael love each other from the first look in the eyes but life is not so simple and ends up putting many obstacles in the way to make they come together. Mistakes of both parties, words not spoken, apathy and depression consume these souls.
Dahlia is a beautiful, cheerful and determined woman who has suffered a lot in the past and has risen from the ashes, believing that she moves on, returns to her hometown, willing to make amends and stay with her father for a while. But she discovers that she’ve put the ashes of her broken heart under the rug and will need to find the strength to face ghosts from the past being one of them Michael.
Michael is a detective, good, loyal and loving man who had to move on after a tragedy of the past. When he meets Dahlia and knows everything that has haunted her and separated them, he decides that it is more than time to wear his man’s pants and fight for the woman he loves.
Narrated in the first person by Dahlia and in third from Michael’s point of view, the book brings present and past to make us connect to this beautiful and suffering love story. A real roller coaster of emotions filled with tears and sighs. A story about how we need to open our hearts to those we love and not leave things unsaid.
A journey of penance, strength and resilience with touches of humor and suspense with all the couples from previous books bringing dynamism and more emotions to the plot and preparing us for the next book. I want it for yesterday, can it be, Samantha Young?
4/5 stars
As a fan of the Hart’s Boardwalk series i’ve been dying to read all about Dahlia, she is such a great character and after we were left wondering about her past from the previous two books I couldn’t wait to start reading it. Well let me tell you now I was never expecting this book to be such an heartbreaking read!
Having left behind in New York, family, friends and the only man that she truly loved, Dahlia is living a life full of guilt and atonement for something that was never her fault. When she suddenly has to take a trip back to New York after many years have past, she comes face to face with Michael Sullivan and all the hurt comes flooding back.
This is a deeply emotional story, where it seems everything is against the characters no matter what they do. Without giving away spoilers it’s really hard to say what happened to them to pull them apart but it feels like the universe got in their way at every turn. It’s also a case of not communicating with each other too that started a chain of events which is infuriating but makes for a great plot.
This story is definitely my favorite book of the series so far as it’s been written with so much depth and heart, it’s truly a compelling read. Samantha Young knows how to write a story that packs a heavy punch right to your gut and Dahlia’s character is definitely sent to hell and back for her sins. My heart wept for Dahlia for most of the story, but as Sam is known for writing female characters that are strong and feisty, Dahlia is the role model for all women that stand up on their own two feet.
After reading Dahlia and Michael’s story I felt like i’d been run over with a bulldozer, it’s a heavy kind of read but it’s worth ploughing through the mire to get to get to the happy on the other side. A fantastic story that will leave you with a massive book hangover!
Samantha Young is back with a super emotional and angsty second chance romance and I really enjoyed it!
I was super excited when she announced in her reader group on Facebook that she will continue the series not only with novellas but full length novels.
The first two books were already amazing so I had now doubt that this one will be amazing too.
Dahlia and Michael know each other since they were teenagers but of course there was a lot of drama happening in the past what made it very tricky for them to be together.
The book is written in two parts, which for me wasn‘t that necessary, I think some flashbacks would have been enough because at some point it was a little tooooo long for me. I liked it when Dahlia and Michael had their moments together because there was a lot of chemistry, an awesome slow burn even, but I feel like Bailey ( the heroine from book two Every Little Thing and Dahlia‘s best friend) has a bigger role in the book as Michael has. This is also the reason why it‘s only four instead of five stars. I liked Bailey and loved seeing her and all her sass in her book but I would have loved to get more of Michael and less of Bailey.
I really liked the touch of suspense in the book and I can only recommend it to everyone who is locking for an awesome second chance romance with all the typical Samantha Young style.
And I really, really, really hope Emery‘s book is the next one. There was a lot of teasing in all three books, so please give it to us Sam!
Things We Never Said by Samantha Young was a second chance romance that was touching and heartwarming. Years ago, tragedy drove Dahlia away from home. She is happy in her life, if a bit lonely, as her heart belongs to one man. When her father needs her, she finally goes home, but the trip is anything but easy and running into Michael Sullivan was harder than anything she could have expected.
When she returns home, the last thing she expects is to find Michael there. This time around, he is not letting go of her so easy. Michael and Dahlia had a push and pull relationship as they worked through their feelings and the past. Can they find a way to move forward together? Things We Never Said was emotional and charming second chance romance and I am excited to read the rest of the series!
Read and reviewed for Sultry Sirens Book Blog.
Happy reading.
Je vous avais fait part de mon coup de coeur pour le 1er tome de la saga On Hart’s Boardwalk et je devais lire les tomes dans l’ordre mais j’ai été prise par le temps donc j’ai mis de côté le tome 2 qui se focalisait sur Bailey pour découvrir Things we never said dont l’héroïne est Dahlia et que nous avions brièvement rencontré dans le 1er tome. J’avais hâte de retourner à Hartwell et même si une grande partie de l’action se déroule à Boston , nous retournons dans ce havre de paix.
Dahlia McGuire est une jeune femme à un tournant de sa vie. Alors qu’elle discute avec Jessica, Bailey et Emery, elle va recevoir le choc de sa vie en tombant sur Michael et sa femme. Ce dernier a eu un impact très important sur sa vie et elle ne parvient pas toujours à l’oublier . Leur passé commun est très éprouvant et quand elle a quitté Boston, elle l’a laissé derrière elle sans explication ni même un seul indice pour la retrouver. Les choses sont donc tendues et elle préfère fuir plutôt que d’affronter l’orage. L’histoire et le passé de Dahlia sont très émouvants et très éprouvants. Elle a survécu à de sacrées épreuves et elle porte encore en elle les stigmates de ces souffrances. La famille McGuire est composée de 2 soeurs, Dillon et Davina mais aussi de deux frères, Darragh et Dermot. Nous verrons que les tensions sont encore présentes presque dix ans plus tard mais il sera temps de retrouver Cian , le père de famille avec qui elle entretient de très beaux rapports. Il était le seul à savoir l’endroit de sa fuite et quand ce dernier lui annonce une nouvelle qui va bouleverser la vie de ce dernier, Dahlia ne peut plus rester à Hartwell et elle va devoir affronter le passé.
Quand elle arrive à Boston, elle va d’abord tenter de renouer avec son frère et sa soeur, Darragh et Davina. Si ces derniers seront les plus ouverts quant à ses explications, il faudra tout de même un peu de temps avant de passer à autre chose. Le plus vindicatif sera Dermot car il a écouté la mère de notre héroïne, Sorcha, avec qui elle a toujours eu des relations difficiles. Nous découvrons les raisons de sa fuite et notre coeur ne peut que se serrer face à cette situation. Je ne vous en dirai pas plus mais cela a transformé la jeune femme qui s’est complètement refermée sur elle même et qui a fui à Hartwell pour se reconstruire. Une fois de plus la magicienne Bailey Hartwell a fait des miracles et elle a sauvé notre héroïne. C’est réellement une femme formidable que j’adore profondément car elle a en elle cet altruisme et elle est tellement généreuse avec les autres. Le plus dur sera de faire face à Michael et de supporter ses paroles odieuses. Il a souffert lui aussi mais il sait rendre les coups de manière assez désagréable. Il sait appuyer là où cela fait mal et il serait grand temps que nos héros mettent les choses à plat et se disent enfin la vérité. Quel sera l’avenir de Dahlia? Pourra t-elle continuer sa vie à Hartwell? Saura t-elle renouer les liens avec sa famille à Boston?
Michael Sullivan est un personnage que nous découvrons dès le prologue et une chose est sûre, nous allons tomber sous son charme. Comme avec Cooper Lawson dans le premier tome, même si l’histoire est narrée essentiellement du point de vue de Dahlia, nous avons aussi des chapitres qui nous offrent son point de vue sur la situation. Cela sera très important car si nous n’avions qu’une partie de l’histoire, nous pourrions juger et condamner fermement les actes mais surtout les paroles de Mike. Par le biais de flashbacks, nous avons aussi le fil conducteur du passé de nos héros et il a toujours été question d’un très mauvais timing. Plus jeunes, des obstacles se sont mis sur le chemin de leur histoire d’amour et ils auraient pu vivre heureux et épanouis s’ils n’avaient pas fait des choix qui allaient condamner cet amour naissant. Les quiproquo, les mal entendus, la colère , la rancoeur seront tous de mauvais conseillers et il faudra attendre près de dix ans pour tenter de mettre les choses au clair. Auront ils encore une chance d’aller de l’avant? Pourront ils retrouver cette formidable amitié qu’ils ont toujours partagé? L’amour aura t-il encore une place dans leur vie?
Bref, vous l’aurez compris, j’ai de nouveau eu un coup de coeur pour ce nouveau tome. Les personnages de Dahlia et Michael sont très touchants et ils nous feront vivre des émotions très intenses. Ce fut un grand plaisir de retourner à Hartwell et retrouver des personnages qu’on adore et dont on a envie de découvrir l’histoire. Je vais pouvoir me régaler avec le tome 2 sur Bailey et la novella qui est un crossover de deux sagas fétiches de Samantha Young , à savoir Dublin Street et Hart’s Boardwalk. Merci Samantha Young pour ce superbe moment de lecture.
4 Stars!
Dahlia McGuire is a beautiful Irish woman who moves to the quiet, popular, tourist seaside town of Hartwell, Delaware for a fresh start. She initially went to hide from her troubles, but it soon became her home. Life was simple and peaceful, and she enjoyed owning her own shop where she made and sold jewelry. She had great friends and was genuinely happy. Then her dad needs her and she decides to return home to Boston for a visit. She’s estranged from most of her family, and hasn’t been home in nine years. She’s forced to face the demons of her past, and this includes the man who has owned her heart since they met.
Eleven years ago Dahlia was an art student who met a sexy stranger named Michael Sullivan. What they had was special and unique, and he made her feel alive. It was explosive, passionate, and real. It was a once in a lifetime type of connection. Then life happens and things get complicated as time, distance, and tragedy tear them apart.
Michael Sullivan is a cop for the Boston PD. He’s newly divorced and trying to move on with his life when Dahlia blows back into town to turn his life upside down. From the moment he met her he’d been a goner. Then she left him, and he’s tried to make his feelings go away. Seeing her again, he realizes his feelings have only grown stronger over time. He has so much anger and resentment he didn’t know what to do with, and he hated he still wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any woman. They’ve wasted a lot of time, and are both just existing and not truly living. He decides he wants her back, and relentlessly pursues her. He won’t let her slip threw his fingers again, but can they find their way back to one another with so much hurt and history been them?
Things We Never Said by Samantha Young is a Hart’s Boardwalk novel. It is a heartbreakingly beautiful second chance romance full of angst and emotion that is told alternating from the past to the present as this couple changes and evolves over time. They struggle through grief, loss, guilt, separation, and forgiveness on their journey back to one another. I really enjoyed this touching story about soulmates and look forward to reading more in this series! I am dying for a book for Jeff!!! <333
Things We Never said is the 3rd full novel in the Hart’s Boardwalk series. I’ve loved every book so far, and this is no exception. There’s so much heart, drama, emotion, and redemption. It’s a cozy comfortable book that will make you feel warm inside.
My only issue, and the only reason I’m not giving it a full five stars, is that it drives me crazy when lovers are separated by easily surmountable issues. Pretty much the only reason these characters weren’t together is because of issues that exist only in Dahlia’s head.
However, I still enjoyed this very very much, it was a great read. It’s always nice to return to a series where you love the characters, and this time we even got to know more about Emery. I can’t wait for her book and to continue knowing and loving the residents of Hartwell! 4.5/5 stars
THINGS WE NEVER SAID is the third full-length instalment in Samantha Young’s contemporary, adult HART’S BOARDWALK romance series focusing on the men and women of Hartwell, Delaware- a spin off from the author’s ON DUBLIN STREET SERIES. This is Boston detective Michael Sullivan, and metalsmith / jewellery designer Dahlia McGuire’s story line. THINGS WE NEVER SAID can be read as a stand alone without any difficulty. Any important information from the previous story lines is revealed where necessary.
Told from first person point of view (Dahlia) and third person perspective (Michael) THINGS WE NEVER SAID follows twelve years in the life of Boston detective Michael Sullivan, and metalsmith / jewellery designer Dahlia McGuire. Ten year earlier Dahlia McGuire fell in love with Michael Sullivan but at the time Dahlia was dating Michael’s best friend Gary. In the ensuing months, Dahlia would discover that Gary was cheating, but Michael had moved on to someone else. Life spiralled out of control for everyone involved, and Dahlia found herself on the outside looking in when the time came to move on and move out. Fast forward to present day wherein Dahlia has settled in Hartwell, Delaware, a quiet town where her past is forgotten until the call to come back home, where not everyone welcomed her with open arms. On the receiving end of more vitriol than she could have ever imagined, vitriol from so many directions, it was like reliving the past, all over again. Words said in anger; the harsh truth revealed, Dahlia heads back to Hartwell where her life is about to implode with the arrival of the man that she loves. What ensues is the rebuilding romance and relationship between Dahlia and Michael, and the potential fall-out as the small town of Hartwell, Delaware discovers their own fair share of skeletons and more.
Michael Sullivan has never stopped loving Dahlia McGuire but a love laced with hate is hard to endure. Blaming Dahlia for everything that went wrong in his life, Michael struggles to accept what happened, and blames Dahlia for the down turn in everyone’s life. Dahlia McGuire has struggled to accept what happened and why, a struggle that is reinforced by the hatred spewed by those she once loved. Making a new start and a new life in Hartwell, Delaware would hopefully ease the self-hatred and blame she placed on herself.
The relationship between Michael and Dahlia is one of immediate attraction but at each connection throughout their lives someone or something else had come into play. Dahlia’s love for Michael never waivered until the day his hatred and cruelty towards Dahlia became more than she could bear. When the truth is finally revealed, Michael is determined to claim Dahlia as his own, a claiming that will face many hurdles including the wall around our heroine’s heart. The $ex scenes are passionate and intimate without the use of over the top, sexually graphic language and text.
There is a large ensemble cast of colorful secondary and supporting characters divided between Boston and Hartwell, Delaware. We are introduced to Dahlia’s large Irish family in Boston including her siblings Davina, Darragh, Dermot and Dillon, as well as their parents Sorcha and Cian McGuire; and the Hartwell gang including Cooper Lawson and Jessica Huntington (The One Real Thing #1), Bailey and Vaughn (Every Little Thing #2) , Iris and Ira and their daughter Ivy, who own the local Italian eatery; Emery Saunders book store owner, Cooper’s ex-wife Dana Kellerman, Sheriff Jeff King and the embattled Devlin family.
THINGS WE NEVER SAID is a heart breaking story of guilt and grief; secrets and lies; family, friendship, forgiveness and love. Dahlia’s disappearance years before allowed for the lies to fester and grow, for the blame to be directed at our story line heroine; for family and friends to think the worst of Dahlia McGuire The complex premise is emotional and engaging; the romance is spirited and lively ; the characters are broken, flawed, tragic and impassioned.
Right from the very beginning Michael and Dahlia had so many obstacle to overcome to get to their HEA. Their struggle is filled with heartache, bad decisions, despair and finally, after 10 long years, true love and partnership. Dahlia was so stubborn, but when she was honest and admitted the real reason she was pushing him away, I completely got it.
Oh wow! I have enjoyed each story and every character in this series. I can’t get enough. I loved Dahlia and Michael! I knew Dahlia was going to have a very emotional story, and wow, Samantha Young really hits you with a flurry of feelings in this. You could feel the pain and the guilt bleeding from Dahlia. You could feel the pain and hurt between Dahlia and Michael. The emotions were overwhelming. This story is filled with guilt, blame, regret, hurt, and so much love. It’s beautiful and will capture your heart.
I love that, while every story is someone’s individual story, it’s also one ongoing story of everyone, like watching a tv series. These characters burrow into you. The bonds are so tremendous, and every story leaves my heart full and smile on my face. I feel like there’s still so many stories to be told and I can’t wait to see who’s next. I’m really dying for Emery’s story and for Jack’s redemption and to know what is going on with him. I love this series!
Well, I’m sure it’s a sign of an excellent writer, when a few chapters in I’m sobbing, I don’t yet know the characters, and I don’t know the facts, but still I have tears streaming down my face. That’s great writing right there. I was so excited to get back to Hartwell, I’ve missed it. Although book 3 is split between Boston and Hartwell, it did not detract from the series. There are still the same wonderful characters we’ve seen previously, as well as the same ‘not so wonderful’ characters. We also have a few new additions. A second chance romance with a twist, and a little bit of suspense. I loved Michael Sullivan, he’s like the perfect book boyfriend, macho with a soft centre. He knows what he wants, and he’s not afraid to go for it. Dahlia however, has been belittled her whole life by the one person who is supposed to love her the most. It’s not surprising then that she has a closet full of demons. Dahlia and Michael are perfect for each other, it’s just a shame one of them doesn’t realise it. They’ve both made mistakes, they just need to own them, move on and forgive and forget. Easier said than done. I loved the writing, the story, and the characters, even when I was frustrated with them, I’m so looking forward to more in this series. I received an advanced copy of this book from the author. This is my honest review.
It was an emotional and beautiful read. I have enjoyed this series so far and look forward to more stories. I definitely recommend this book, author, and this series.
I love the Hart’s Boardwalk Series and their characters and this book did not disappoint.
It was a fabulous story filled with family, amazing friendships, angst, heartbreak and the best of all, love.
We had been introduced to Dahlia in the previous books and I was looking forward to her story. My heart went out to her after things didn’t go as she had hoped and I was praying for a happy ending for her! Michael was sweet & sexy and I loved how he never gave up even when he thought he had.
It was perfectly written – thank you Samantha. I’m hoping we get Emery’s story too (hint hint!!)!