I am sorry. I tried really hard to get into this book. I did not feel any connection with the characters and I kept reading hoping it would get better.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

I love this kind of book, one in which the characters are so well drawn that the reader really cares about them. Daisy and Adam meet on their first day of university in Manchester and are immediately drawn to each other and soon promise each other they will let nothing stand in the way of their friendship. Adam and his brother Ryan have experienced an extremely traumatic childhood which shapes the way in which they both live their lives and we follow the three main characters through the years.
This is a story of love, friendship and family and I didn't want it to end! It highlights what happens when people don't communicate properly, I was shouting at all three of them to just talk to each other and sort things out! Just heartbreaking at times, I am not often moved to tears by a book but this one managed it. As well as the three main characters, I adored Daisy's parents and detested toxic friend Fliss!
Fabulous book, I thoroughly enjoyed it and would recommend it to everyone.

Patricia Dixon, what are you trying to do to me? I can barely see through tears and I am an emotional wreck.
The book will set you on a roller-coaster of emotions. I'm lost for words sorry. MUST READ!!!

The premise of this story kept me interested. The thought of a love triangle kept me biting my nails and eager to find out what happened. The characters were well developed, and I found myself rooting for a particular relationship out of the three. There were parts of the book that seemed to really slow down, but towards the end it picked right back up again, and had me more invested in seeing what the outcome of the whole story would be. Overall, it was good!

Oh my goodness. What an absolutely wonderful story this was!

I enjoyed getting to know Daisy, Adam and Ryan throughout this story. By the end I was so bereft as I felt like I had been through so much with them. 

The story starts off in present day and then we go back to when Daisy and Adam first meet and then we flick to different years leading back up to present day again. Daisy and Adam's friendship has to be one of the most touching I've ever read about. I think anyone would be lucky to have a friendship like theirs.

Adam I just loved. When you read this story, you will see why. He's almost like a little boy and I just wanted to mother him. If anything I was quite jealous of Daisy as I wanted a friendship just like theirs. I think a lot of people could learn a lot from Adam's outlook on life and his generosity in letting the ones he loves most, grow. He really is a special person.

Daisy is a great character also. She takes Adam under her wings and needs him as much as he needs her, it just felt like one big happy family when she takes Adam back home to her family in France for the summer holidays and again I was so envious of their time together.

Ryan, I think I fell for as much as Daisy did. Again the relationship between him and Adam was so heart warming and he takes his role as big brother very seriously. It was good to read of a strong solid bond between the two.

They Don't Know totally blew me away. As soon as I started reading it I couldn't put it down as I was so wrapped up in the story and the characters lives. I'm not quite sure what I was expecting from the story but it totally enveloped me and I was an emotional wreck by the end. This has to be one of the most heart warming and beautifully written stories I have read in a long while. Adam, Daisy and Ryan will live on inside of me for a very long time to come. A story that will definitely steal your heart.

I received this book as an ARC. I liked the premise of this story. I was captivated by the love triangle- the relationship between Adam, Ryan and Daisy. The characters were well developed and I was rooting for the relationship between Daisy and Ryan. I found Adams sexual identity interesting and thought provoking.
I found myself disconnected at certain points, as the story initially developed, my mind wandering, considering skipping ahead to where the story picked up. Towards the back end of the book, the story went from 0 to 60. It was emotionally charged., made me laugh and cry. I became more invested in the outcome, I was devastated by the turn of events. I was completely satisfied with the story’s conclusion. An overall great read!

See my review on goodreads.com

Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to review "They Don't Know" and offer my honest review.
I am sorry to say this book didn't keep me engaged, was rather boring and generally, just didn't keep my interest.
I found myself skimming through the pages trying to find something interesting to make me keep reading. Honestly, this did not happen.
I'm sure others may really enjoy this book, it is just not the book for me.

They Don’t Know by Patricia Dixon is a story about love and what happens to Daisy and Adam from the time thy met in Manchester. This well written story will definitely have you crying, laughing, and one particular character can get under your skin pretty fast. I enjoyed reading this story and felt like the writer wrote it just for me. However, I know that is not true but as you read this book you will feel like you are the main character. It pulls you in and keeps you interested in what is happening. I want to read more by Patricia Dixon now.

Thank you to goodreads for allowing me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest review.


5 stars ⭐️ out of 5

I've read all of Patricia Dixon's books and I'm struck each time by the warmth of her writing. She oozes love and care for the characters she's created, and in turn they give friendship and reality to the story.

There is a short prologue which relates to a time near the end of the book. We then start chapter one with Daisy, who lives in France with her parents, leaving the family home to go to university in Manchester, England. She's an astute girl but is also shy and very nervous about the whole university process and getting accommodation. During the wait in the long queue she meets Adam, who is also a little nervous, but after a few minutes of small talk they hit it off and it's obvious they will become good friends.

There is also a little back story of Adam and his brother Ryan which fills in their personalities and why each are like they are – quite different but both troubled. Once all three meet up, they become a solid force to be reckoned with, nothing will ever break them.

Adam is a good looking lad, and when Fliss can't get him to be her boyfriend, talk about him being gay is spread around. Adam is hurt about the false and personal allegations and confides in Daisy his true feelings and unusual sexual orientation.

This is a very moving book; there is love, emotion and deep friendship as well as a dreadful tragedy which rocks them to the core. The character description is exquisite, you can picture what each of them look like. They feel so real and have definite individual identities. This is a love story with a difference, and I adored the references to songs, especially Kirsty MacColl's They Don't Know.

I wasn't sure about this book at first but the more I read it turned into a really heartwarming story of love and friendship which I thoroughly enjoyed as a change from psychological thrillers.

I did find it a bit hard to get into at first and a little slow but that is purely my opinion with it being a different type of read for me.

If you are looking for something a bit different to your normal genre then I can recommend.

The story of Daisy, Adam, and Ryan was an entertaining read. The book takes us through around 20 years in the lives of all 3. It had some times were there seemed to be a lot of repeat/superflous writing, but I just skimmed through those areas.
When we learn of Adam's "secret", it was well described and explained by the author through the characters conversations. The fact that we can create our "family" in many different ways was one of the main lessons in this story.
For the most part, I think the author did well in portraying fairly realistic characters and actions. I enjoyed the book overall, there were just a few spots where it seemed to bog down just a bit.

I loved, loved the last third of this book. I struggled through the first third of it- not because it wasn’t good but for me, there was so much extra information that at the time, to be honest I skipped paragraphs and a half page or two. Due to the nature of the storyline, I kinda understand the need for all of those words. It just seemed to me that the author was trying to make the book longer. The second third of the book was okay but I still didn’t feel invested in the main characters. But as I got closer to the end, the characters Daisy, Adam and Ryan all became alive to me and I became involved in their story. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.

Received a copy of this book through netgalley.
A very enjoyable read loved the way that the storyline progressed throughout the book,developing the main characters as they progressed through various stages of their lives,some characters stood out more in thebook while others,such as Fliss remained in the background but through them learn various development.
A must on your reading list .

I couldn't put this down! very well written and tells a tale that has you gripped from the start, wanting to find out what happens. The relationships are well plannned out and you keep wanting to read on to see what comes next! It also reconnected me with songs by Kirsty Maccoll that I'd listened to in an earlier life!

Thank you for the early copy of this novel, I loved it from start to finish. It was extremely well written and the story of Daisy & Adam was wonderful, from when they met at university in Manchester to living on the camp site in France and all things in between (I don't want to spoil the story for anyone).

It was about different kinds of love and I have to say I loved all the characters except for the controlling Fliss who I really wanted to have words with!!! A well written story can bring out different emotions when you read it and this certainly had me both laughing, loving and crying in different parts of their story. I would love to have met Basil in real life too!

Well done Patricia this is a sure fire winner!

Thank you for this early copy!

I would recommend this to anyone who loves a well-written adult novel. I will be checking out more from this author in the future!