Something She's Not Telling Us: A Novel

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 relation-ship 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.

As the two women follow each other down a chilling rabbit hole, unearthing winding paths of deceit, lies, and trauma, a family and a future will be completely—and irrevocably—shattered.

My Thoughts: As we follow the convoluted tales of Charlotte and Ruth in Something She’s Not Telling Us, we know that each one has dark secrets from the past. I was on Charlotte’s side from the beginning, as Ruth grew more and more strange with each passing day.

Why did Ruth tell lies at every turn, lies that could easily be picked apart? What was her back story, and what does her mother have to do with it all? Were her grandparents the loving people to whom she owed so much, or is their story even darker?

When Charlotte finally realizes that Ruth is dangerous, it could be too late, as Ruth has collected Daisy from school one day without notifying Charlotte or Eli. The story goes back and forth in time, so it takes a while, with the intensity building up, for the reader to fill in the missing pieces and realize how dangerous Ruth could be. I was holding my breath and biting my nails until the final revelations. 5 stars.

Another girlfriend? Wonder what this one is like?

Every girl Rocco has brought to meet his sister Charlotte has been a bit odd.

This new one, Ruth, gave Charlotte bad vibes from the minute she met her especially because of the obsession she had with her daughter Daisy.

When Daisy is taken/kidnapped from school, there can be no one else to suspect but Ruth, and Charlotte knew her reservations about Ruth had been correct.

We meet Ruth before and after she became Rocco’s girlfriend and find out she has always wanted a child and had a nightmarish childhood. Could Daisy be the answer to what she always wanted?

SOMETHING SHE’S NOT TELLING US is filled with uncertainty about almost every character and has characters with big secrets, but none as big as Ruth's.

There is more than the usual share of unlikable characters in this book and an underlying tension from page one.

Just what is Ruth not telling everyone? Or....just what is everyone not telling anyone?

The ending will have you on pins and needles as Ruth continues with what she does best....making up facts, imagining things to be something they aren’t, and telling lies. 4/5

This book was given to me by the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

Darcey Bell offers a short narrative with a purposely evasive plot and unlikeable characters. The allure of the book is that the plot is as unstable as the cast. Characterization is well developed, though a bit unconventional in this twisted storyline. Those seeking a fast-paced psychological suspense will not find it here. This is a story of instability and desperation told in moderation. A good read. 3 stars.

Something She’s Not Telling Us by Darcey Bell is an enthralling domestic mystery.

Charlotte and her husband Eli are cautious when her brother Rocco introduces them to his new girlfriend, Ruth Seagram. His dating history is full of troubled women so they do not have high hopes about the newest lady in his life. Although she is not thrilled with Ruth, Charlotte’s five year old daughter, Daisy, is absolutely crazy about her. The deeper Ruth insinuates herself into their family, the more uneasy Charlotte becomes. And her worst fears are realized when Daisy is kidnapped and Charlotte, along with Rocco, discover the depth of Ruth’s lies.

Charlotte turned her love of flowers into a thriving floral business. However, due to her dysfunctional childhood, she has serious anxiety issues. She is a helicopter mother who worries constantly about Daisy who is asthmatic. Charlotte is trying to give Ruth the benefit of the doubt, but she is unhappy and envious that her daughter is enthralled with Rocco’s girlfriend.

Rocco is a recovering alcoholic with a job that he loves. Unfortunately, not only does he have terrible luck with girlfriends, he has a hard time breaking up with them. But with Ruth, he feels like he has finally broken his unlucky streak. However, just before he, Ruth and the rest of the family travel to Mexico to visit his mother, Rocco learns some troubling information about his girlfriend. Although not completely mollified by her explanation, they are soon off on their vacation which becomes the catalyst for a series of shocking events.

Something She’s Not Telling Us is an intriguing mystery that unfolds from multiple points of view and weaves back and forth in time. The storyline is well-written with tension building with each chapter. The characters are interesting but not always likable. With the suspense building to a fever pitch, Darcey Bell brings this compelling mystery to a twist-filled conclusion that is a little abrupt yet satisfying. Highly recommend to fans of the genre.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

This book was written in a way that did keep my captivated throughout, but at the end I was pretty disappointed. I did not love the way it just ended so abruptly. I think had it been much more explained or at least an epilogue I would’ve given the full 5 stars. I do think the book itself, up to the end, was quite enjoyable, chilling, thrilling, and well written. I was able to easily breeze through it, but after reviewing on the arc site I received I continued to think about the abrupt ending and thought it took at least 1 star or more away. Overall, I think it was a quick, chilling read, with some twists and turns, thrills, and chills!