Sasha is just about holding her life together. She is raising her son, teenage son, Zac, coping with an absent husband and caring for her ageing, tempromental and alcoholic mother, as well as holding down her job. But Zac suspects he has a secret sibling. Sasha realises she must relive the events of a devastating night which she has done her best to forget the past 19 years.

Sasha's life implodes as secrets bubble to the surface and the fallout is devastating. This book is divided into three parts which are told by Sasha, her mother Annie and her late father, Joe. I loved Joes narration. We are taken back to the war years when Annie was evacuated to rural Wales, where we are told the events that took place that made Annie the way she is.

Annie is not a very likeable character, but when we get her backstory, you do feel a little empathy for her. This is a sad but also at times a funny read. I liked Sasha, a character everyone can relate to. This is a lovely story that's well written. You will just want to keep on reading to find out just what the family secret is. This is a well written page turner.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Matador and the author Deborah Stone for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What’s Left Unsaid is a complex, intimate look into the lives of Sasha, her husband Jeremy, teenage son Zac, ageing mom Annie … and in a very clever and interesting twist on the usual narrative, her late dad Joe!

I identified so closely with Sasha whose life is literally crumbling around her no matter how hard she tries to stop it. She tries so desperately to hold onto the wonderful ‘normality’ she imagined she had achieved after growing up in the glare of the media spotlight, but no matter how hard she grasps onto those last threads of the life she’s created, it slips through her fingers.

Zac has become a monosyllabic, surely, challenging teenager and Jeremy is absent more than he’s there, making himself less and less available to Sasha on whatever level she hopes to reach him on.

I found Annie just heartbreaking. Deborah Stone has created a character here who readers will want to enfold in a warm hug, while at the same time wanting to push her as far away as possible! The author’s sensitivity and empathy in dealing with both the sadness of Annie’s childhood, coupled with the confusion and fear of her current dementia is to be truly admired.

The interjection of the late Joe’s quick wit and his perception … albeit from beyond the grave … adds an extra dimension … and something to think about. Do you think our loved ones continue to interact with us once they’re gone? Are they out there somewhere watching us, guiding us, waiting for us?

Everyone makes daily decisions about what to share or not to share with others. What’s Left Unsaid may well leave readers questioning their own relationships and how they might do things differently in the future.

This gets 4 warm, bright stars from me! I highly recommend it.

It took a while to get into this novel because of the mutltiple view points and the time slips into the past The premis of a family with secrets is an intriguing one and I stuck with it. I did not warm to the main characters but I could see how their lives shaped them. I was not at all keen on the voice from the grave giving out pearls of wisdom every now and then.

A beautifully written novel about family and their secrets.. Told in three parts and spanning from past to present, it was very easy to get caught up with each person.
I laughed, I cried and totally enjoyed this story!
Well done

3 generations of one family with many secrets. Full of suspense takes you on a journey which leads to many twists and turns. Each chapter of the book is taken from the view/story is told by one of the 3 characters.
Like I'm most families with secrets that are meant to be kept quiet they are bound to come out,
I will be honest j was unable to get into this straight away but once I got past my own brain block it did flow.
Thank you to Netgalley and Matador publishers for giving me tbs the opportunity to read this book

I think that I had preconceptions about what this book was going to be like when I started reading it, and was actually pleasantly surprised. I normally go for the crime or thriller type, where the action unfolds in (almost) real time. This book is very different, as it switches between time periods for the same characters. It really gives the characters depth, and certainly gives a fresh perspective on those that you might not have liked initially.

Quite early on a major part of the plot is uncovered, but with very few details and many possible permutations which really keeps you guessing. I liked the way that the resolutions for the characters were not outlandish or unbelievable, and were actual real life situations that could happen to any of us. I’ll be honest and say that I found some parts of the book uncomfortable to read, but I’m glad that I kept going with it as it’s very well written.

4☆ An Absorbing Family Drama

What's Left Unsaid is a thrilling and Endearing story of secrets and lies, drama, dementia and family.

This is a very poignant read which draws you in and plays with your emotions.

The story is told in three parts and voiced by Joe ( Sasha's Father, voiced as a ghost), Sasha (The Daughter and Zacs Mum), and Annie ( Sasha's Mother who has Dementia)

Sasha might as well be a single parent for what help her hubby is. He is never home and when he is home he doesn't seem to contribute to anything.
Zac is a typical sassy teenager, he is grumpy, angry, don't communicate.
Sasha and Zac clash at every opportunity.
However Zac might have uncovered a family secret that Sasha would rather be kept a secret!
As it's about to blow her life into turmoil!

Thankfully the adorable pup Stanley, loyal and extremely loveable was there to always support Sasha. Any book that features a gorgeous fur Baby is a winner for me!

Annie has dementia, and likes a tipple of alcohol she isn't the most warmest of characters and her relationship with Sasha is very fraught. But I found her story heart breaking.
I recently lost my auntie on Christmas day to dementia and it's still very raw for me so reading about the dementia bought back many memories.

Joe was an interesting character, I enjoyed his observations from above. His accounts were insightful and at times emotional.

Straight away I was drawn into the plot, it started to unravel pretty quickly, but was packed full of drama and secrets.
The characters were endearing, well written and relatable.
The plot was absorbing, poignant and thought provoking and tugged on your emotions.

I thoroughly enjoyed this family saga and would definitely recommend reading this gripping book if you enjoy poignant reads full of drama and plenty of buried secrets waiting to be uncovered!


Thank you to Love Book Group Tours for this copy which I reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I did not finish this book; if it's suddenly good after 43%, ignore my review!

I think that there's an interesting premise here, but I just couldn't get on board with any of the one dimensional characters or flat writing. I still gave it 2 stars, though, because I think some people would overlook the flaws and enjoy the story.

I seriously loved this book! Suspenseful, full of twists and turns, and just down right brilliant! Being told from the POV of three characters really was an interesting way to portray the novel, as opposed to just one main character. I believe the plot was very interesting and it kept my attention way more than I had initially thought it would. This was the first novel I have read by this author, but it will definitely will not be my last. Great storyline, will be recommending to my book lover friends.

One day or another the truth will come out ...

When I saw this book I was afraid that I would not be able to read and review it on time, but when there is a will, there is a way and by shifting some things around, I could fit it into my schedule.

From the very first pages, I already gave myself a pat on the schoulder for adding it to my reading list, because I really, truely, totally loved it.

The book is divided in 3 big parts. The first one is told by Sasha and Annie and everything is glued together by Joe. It's about the present (Sasha) and Annie takes us for a walk down on memory lane. The second part is told from Joe's point of view and the third part has the same structure as the first one.

It absolutely is a beautiful story. It's fluently written and peppered with some little jokes, but the author also has included some situations that either made you grab a tissue or were testing the elasticity of your heartstrings. Of course, secrets being revealed always add some extra pizzazz.

If this does not give you an idea about my feelings, I think the rating says it all.

Thank you, Deborah Stone, Matator books and Love Books Group

I have to be honest and say I started this book with a hint of trepidation. I worried that certain aspects of the story would hit too close to home, but I put my big girl panties (i.e. oxter warmers *snorts*) on and dived right in.

WLU tells of the difficult relationship between 40-something, Sasha, and that of her ailing mother, Annie. On paper Sasha seems to have it all - the house complete with dog (love Stanley), her own business, a loving husband, and a teenage son just about to make his way in the world. Only the foundations of her life aren’t as sturdy as they first appear and all it would take is one strong gust of wind for this house of cards to come crumbling down.

Told from three different POV: Sasha, her mother Annie and her late-father Joe. I felt the inclusion of Joe’s narration was genius as we try to decipher the truth from lies. I also like to think that our loved ones are watching over us after they’ve gone. Giving help and protection where they can - in the (my) hope we are never truly alone.

Secrets abound by both women and as Jean Racine said, “There are no secrets that time does not reveal.”

My advice before you start this story is slot out some time for yourself, because once you start it you won’t be able to put the book down till you know everything, and I mean EVERYTHING. Also, if you’re like me, hide the biscuits (in my case coconut rings) - I was so intent on unravelling the story that the biscuits were disappearing at a rate of knots. I feel no shame. Well, maybe just a tad *pinches fingers*... oopsies!

For me, WLU was a compelling read. Difficult at times emotionally. You all know me by now - I do become a tad invested and let my emotions run away with me *smirks* Although I would dare anyone not to shed at least one tear whilst reading this story.

I am haunted by one line in particular from the book:

“We hurt those whom we love the most because we can.”

Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should, I say *sighs* Hindsight is a wonderful thing though, eh?

Enough of that now as I’m running out of tissues...

But guess what? I learnt two new words in this book. They have been safely stored for future reference and use - you’ve been warned! *smirks*

Sheesh! I’ve been blethering on for ages. I better shut up now before you all nod off.

I’ll sum up by saying that WLU will make you think, and above all, make you feel. Just remember - we are each key to our own happiness.

This is going to be a difficult book for me to review today as I have really mixed feelings about it and I am still not sure that my final opinion has been fully formed yet but I’ll give you my current thoughts and that will maybe help you decide if this is a book that will appeal to you or not.

The book is the story of three generations of a family with a complicated history and buried secrets which cause havoc when finally revealed. Everyone in the book is hiding something, and this lack of openness between the family members causes a lot of tension and heartbreak that ripples down through the generations with far-reaching effects. On the basis of this summary and the synopsis, this should have been a book that was right up my street as I adore a character-led, emotional drama.

The book is told through the voices of three characters. The main narrators are Sasha and her mother, Annie. Sasha is struggling in a marriage that has lost its warmth and closeness, and her son, Zac, has hit those difficult late teen years where he is rebelling slightly and his father is an absent authority figure, so Sasha has a lot on her plate. She has never been close to her mother, Annie, for reasons that Sasha cannot fathom but they are forced together more and more as Annie’s mind and health fails in old age, which leads to particular tensions. The third narrator is Joe, Annie’s deceased husband who interjects in the story with his own perspective. I really enjoyed the style of narration as each character reveals a different view of the story, with clues to the hidden secrets and pains dropped throughout the book and we can see inside their individual motivations. It is a really effective way to tell the story.

The plot itself is very interesting and, again, would be something that would ordinarily appealing and engrossing to me. We are taken back to the war years when Annie was evacuated from Manchester to rural Wales and we are made privy to events that took place then which shaped her outlook and attitude in the future. Joe’s history goes back even further as his family escaped from Russia at the end of the nineteenth century into extreme poverty in Manchester until they pulled themselves up by dint of hard work, and this family history was fascinating. The scene where he, as a Jew, is confronted by the rise of fascism in 1930’s Manchester is compelling and chilling and the kind of historical colour that will always draw me to a book and I think many people will enjoy the book for this reason.

The main issue I had, and the reason the book failed to grab me and move me as I thought it would, were the characters. I just did not engage with them, which is always the seal of doom on a book for me. Sasha should have been someone I could sympathise with, being a single parent myself, but for some reason I did not and I can’t really explain why. She just didn’t move me. I struggled even more with Annie. I felt nothing but animosity for her throughout, even when the torments she had suffered were revealed, I felt very little sympathy and could not accept that this provided enough of an excuse for her behaviour. Even when it came to the final reveal, which I had already suspected earlier on, I still could not excuse her, there just wasn’t enough warm mixed with the vinegar to make her sympathetic early on. Oddly, the only person I really warmed to was Joe, who seemed like a decent, determined and very human character.

I had another issue with the book which I can’t really say much about without giving away a major plot point but it relates to one character’s reaction to something that happened to her not really ringing true to me, as someone who something similar has happened to, but that is obviously a very personal reaction to the book that other people without the same experience are unlikely to have. This may very well be at the root of my ambivalence about the book, it is hard to know what makes one person love a book and another be lukewarm about it. For this reason, I would say that this is a book you need to pick and read for yourself to decide. I am very sure that other people will love it and be very moved by it. The book is well-written and plotted and has an interesting story and themes of family, trauma, lack of communication and the power of forgiveness that are appealing. I wish I’d loved it but, on this occasion, it just did not take an emotional hold on me personally.

This book switches from being told mainly from Sasha and her mother Annie’s viewpoints. Around half the book is spent describing the past lives of these characters and I found it to be a brilliant way of telling the story of these characters and describing how the past has shaped their present day lives.

We learn fairly early on that this family has some skeletons in the closet and each time we delve into the past not only are the characters background stories developed, but we begin to gather some more puzzle pieces into the mystery that is this family’s hidden secrets.

I found Sasha to be a great character, one that I think every woman can relate to on some level. She has a difficult relationship with her mother, her son is going through the awkward teenage years, and she has a distant husband who seems to spend more time working away than at home spending time with his family. Sasha seems to have no close friends to talk to and unburden her problems and I got a real sense of a woman suffering from isolation.

The best thing for me about this book is the characters without a doubt. They are all so relatable and developed in such a well written way throughout the book. With the undercurrent of wanting to find out what the big family secret is it really made for a compelling read. Highly recommend.

Sasha is a busy mother trying to juggle working from home, raising her teenage son, Zac, and caring for her ailing mother with dementia while her husband is always gone for work. Annie forgets and lets slip a secret to Zac about the brother he never knew he had. As he tries to uncover the truth, other deeper secrets are revealed about Annie's past, her difficult relationship with her daughter, and why Zac's father is always gone.
Throughout the book, I had a really hard time liking Annie. Sure, she had a rough childhood, but that was no excuse for the way she raised her daughter, Sasha. But at the end of the book, everything is explained that made me understand and feel compassion for her character. Zac's father Jeremy was awful though and there's no excuse for what he did to Sasha. I had a hard time getting into this book at first, but the author made the characters so relatable and real that i really wanted to find out their secrets. Thank you to Deborah Stone and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

An epic journey through family secrets that people have kept for so long that they themselves have almost turned into the ghosts in their closets.

It's like the unknown past has been shaping the younger generations as well, with or without their knowledge.

It's an engaging book that takes you far away from the couch you're sitting on while reading it.

Thank you Matador for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Sacha lives with her husband Jeremy and their son Zac along with their dog Stanley. Zac decides that they should make a film of their lives so that he will have something to look back on when they are no longer there. He also wants to involve Sacha’s mother Annie. The thing is that Annie is getting rather forgetful to say the least and as with many older people she can remember 50 years ago much better than a few moments previously. Dementia is unfortunately beginning to take its grasp on her When she is interviewed for the film her clarity is amazing and she relives her childhood and memories. Chapters alternate between Sacha, Joe (her deceased father) and Annie. Zac discovers a secret- one that Sacha has kept for a very long time. Everyone has their secrets and some have sadly shaped who they are today. I found this an engaging read and felt for Sacha even before the secrets part of the story. She appeared to have so much to cope with and no one to talk to, as well as being taken for granted by those around her. Much of the read is about the past- which is really interesting. Sacha’s father’s family coming over from Russia and there struggle of being Jewish. Her mother of being evacuated during the war and how it affected her most of her life. A story of families and secrets, of truths and lies.
For more reviews please see my blog http://nickibookblog.blogspot.co.uk/
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Basically a story of a family, Sasha, her husband, Zac her son and her parents, Annie and Joe. The story unfolds over decades (from after the war to present day) and is told through the voices of Annie, Joe and Sasha but we witness events in the present day and look backwards. Through this means we uncover the secrets, and we watch Annie’s descent into dementia. Looking backwards we also witness her apathy towards Sasha which is unpleasant and uncomfortable. As Zac becomes more difficult to deal with we also witness Sasha’s reliance on the love and affection of her dog, Sebastian.

A clever plot beautifully structured to unveil the secrets and the whys and wherefores. If we could only banish secrets, for clearly they are destructive, corrosive – damaging. But where would our avid readers be without them? It is just so sad and really in the long run un-necessary.

Thank you Ms Stone for a very enjoyable, emotional book.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

This book has an interesting point of view on the depths of family dynamics. Is it easier to tell the truth to your loved ones no matter how horrid or easier to spare them? This is a story about a married couple and their daughter. It takes place once the father has passed away and the daughter is married with a teenage son of her own. Sasha is the daughter and one of the point of views, Joe is her father who has since passed and is also a POV and we have Annie the mother/grandmother POV. I actually enjoyed having Joes POV beyond the grave. It gave a nice twist and insight into family dynamic. This book is entertaining and fast paced. My only complaints would be sometimes with the jumping of POV and different moments in time it took me a few minutes to figure out what was going on. That and the format I read it on (ebook) made when a character was speaking out loud to another character or thinking something in their mind was confusing at times. All over a very nice story and an enjoyable read.

Thank you NetGalley and Matador for the eARC.
What a great read this is! I absolutely loved it.
The story is told by Sasha, her mother Annie and Joe, her father.
Sasha is having a difficult time of it: her husband has left her, and her son Zac is undergoing teenage angst; obstreperous and constantly angry. On top of that, her mother is suffering the beginnings of dementia.
Annie talks to Joe all the time and reminisces about her past. Evacuated to the country during the war, she suffered greatly in her temporary home and came back a broken little girl.
Grown into a beautiful young woman, she is swept away by Joe, a famous TV personality and Sasha is soon born, Unfortunately, Annie is a cold mother who has nothing good to say to and about Sasha, constantly belittling her. Obviously Sasha can't wait to leave home and attend university, eventually marrying Jeremy, giving birth to Zac and settling into a contented life, working from home.
But the past and its secrets rear their ugly heads and threaten to tear the family apart. Sasha is barely able to hold it together. If it wasn't for Sebastian, her beloved dog (loved him!) and her love for Zac she might have jumped into the abyss.
There were times I hated Annie, surprised that Sasha didn't just break contact with her. Zac wants his mum to be honest with him, is resentful and therefore lacks respect in his treatment of her, which was annoying at times. Jeremy has lived a lie all of the marriage, hurting Sasha deeply.
The gist of the book, to me, was that secrets and lies will eventually come into the light and the ripple effects can be devastating for everyone involved.
When all is revealed and dealt with, the ending of the story is bittersweet and full of hope.
This was such a wonderful story, I didn't want it to end and highly recommend it - I will definitely be looking for Deborah Stone's next book.