This was an emotionally charged, family mystery and I just couldn’t stop reading. I found myself as desperate as July to find out what happened to her mum. Bits of it were definitely hard to read as domestic violence and child abuse are a theme that runs throughout the book.

It is 1995. July Hooper is ten-years-old, and she is desperate to know more about her mother. She has a vague memory of seeing her mother killed in a road accident when she was two-years-old, but her father will not talk about it. It is a no go area. Her father is ultra-strict and physically and emotionally abuses her if she falls short of his rules, repeating the fact that she needs to be taught a lesson. Truth be told she is frightened of him. All she wants is to be loved. She believes everything is her fault, and she feels guilty and miserable.
Her blended family consists of her father Mick, her stepmother Shell, and Shell’s daughter Sylvie, who is her self-absorbed and spoilt stepsister. Her maternal Grandmother is called Yaya, but she is unwelcome to visit July, and certainly does not like her son-in-law. For her birthday this year Yaya gives her a bike, and this gives her wings. So far July knows eighteen facts about her mother and she is determined to add to her list. The school summer holidays are nearing and her teacher gives them a task to complete in their long, hot holiday. She suggests that they pick a relative that they don’t know very well, and find out more about them. July is really excited because what she is doing is homework, and dad can’t moan about answering questions about her mother. Oh yes he can, and he does. She must pick someone else and research their lives, but definitely not her mother. July is deflated.
She doesn’t give up. She decides to go to her last home where she used to live before her dad met auntie Shell. This will be her secret. She will take her list of what she already knows about her mum and add to it as and when she can. First she meets her ex next door neighbour Mr Slater and this starts her off very well. She has more information from him and this encourages her to continue with her quest. She is determined to find out more truths.
What July finds out is astounding. She is the narrator of her own story, courageous, meticulous and driven. She is a wonderful character, my favourite of them all. I really disliked her overbearing, angry and boarish father. His treatment of his daughter is totally unwarranted and well beyond reasonable parental guidance. I lapped up the beautiful storytelling and felt compelled to read this novel whenever I could. July’s story touched my heart. It was like a runaway train that can’t stop, deeply emotional, but relatable and believable. July had to know the truth to settle her mind once and for all. Throughout this novel I felt tension, a sense of mystery, and a fierce need for July to quell her worst fears.
This novel is powerful, terrifying and immensely sad. The issues it raises are contemporary and involving: a blended family, grief, parenthood, guilt, buried secrets and domestic abuse. I received a complimentary copy of this excellent novel from publisher Vintage Digital through my membership of NetGalley. Thank you for my copy sent in return for an honest and unbiased review. Emily Koch has a huge talent and has used it to inform her impassioned writing. I am happy to share my review with you and class it as unmissable and highly recommended. It’s a very well deserved 4.5* review from me.

Interesting and gripping, but also heart wrenching, What July Knew takes you on a wild ride and does not let you go

This is a book I will think about for a long time, but will for sure read again!

This was a hard read for me… It wasn’t what I expected at all.. there is domestic violence through the story which I wasn’t expecting and made me quite uncomfortable.

July turns 10 and wants to know more about her mother who died when she was younger, nothing adds up and her Dad gets very angry when she asks questions.

There is a slight mystery throughout the story…, how did Maggie Hooper die?

I liked the little twists re: the letters that you read sporadically from the future.. but that was it really.

Thanks to Penguin Random House & Netgalley for a digital arc of this book.

July is ten and wants to have more detail about the death of her mother for a class project. She has been led to believe that she died in a car accident when July was two. She gets reasons not to believe that, Her family don’t want to talk about it. July starts her own investigation and gets into all kinds of difficulties. This story starts as if it would be an easy read with a boring outcome but it is anything but that. It hots up and the management of family relationships is absorbing. The understanding of how a ten year old girl’s mind works and how she pursues her cause is very well handled. I recommend this book. Four stars!

My thanks to Netgalley for my early copy of What July Knew. As a former victim of domestic abuse I found this book to be distressing and emotional but also quite beautiful in the way July's situation was handled.
July is such a true character that at times I felt sick to my stomach knowing what was sometimes around the corner for her but Emily Koch wrote so sensitively that I found myself at times unable to put the book down and yet at others unable to stem the flow of tears which were sometimes for July but sometimes for myself and my children.
I will definitely be looking out for more books by this author.

July's mission in life is to find out about her dead mother. She keeps a secret list of all the things she has so far managed to find out, but her father doesn't want to talk about it, and her stepmother and stepsister aren't exactly helpful either.

A school project on a family member sets in play the story, and July starts to gather more information although it's a traumatic experience for more than just her.

This is sad yet beautiful, and I'd like to give a trigger warning on domestic violence.

A good read though.

A totally absorbing psychological drama from Emily Koch, you'll read Juky's story and fall utterly in love.

It is compelling from the get go, you are with July all the way as she seeks the truth about her lost mother whilst navigating a challenging home life.

Emily Koch breathes passionate life into all her characters and the story is addictively emotional and genuinely clever.

I absolutely loved it. Highly Recommended.

Well I genuinely don't know where to start, what a fantastic twisty read, a great storyline with some great characters, kept me reading in to the early hours, loved it

Well this is an intense read and you cannot help but feel for poor July. It’s hard to imagine what life as 10 year old without a mother would be like, let alone having so much uncertainty about the way she died?

This was an emotional read, but a page turner none the less. This isn’t an easy story by any means but Emily Koch writes in a way that has the reader intrigued throughout.

An instantly captivating, utterly heartbreaking storyline. July's tragic little life springs instantly to life and is sadly very believable. Sure to be an instant best seller and an author to watch.

In places this book felt deeply uncomfortable and challenging. July is trying to find out more about her mother but the truth is not what she is expexting. Fascinatinh insight into domestic abuse and brilliantly written. Would really recommend this book

What July Knew grabbed me immediately. When July received a note telling her that her mum isn’t dead, I was gripped. Then to get to know Sylv, Shell and Mick and how he affects all of their lives you want July to keep digging and keep searching for the truth. What she finds is full of twists and turns that I didn’t always see coming, making it all the more enjoyable.

Firstly I would like to start by saying thank you to NetGalley for this early arc of 'What July Knew.' What a pleasure it was to read this book. Althought the theme of the book can be quite distressing and triggering for some, you ultimately fall in love with July. The sweetest little girl, and you root for her through out the whole book.

I wasn't sure I would enjoy a story based around a 10 year-old girls character but she was fantastic and determined and I really loved how the story played out. I think her character was realistic to her age and it was quite different for a child to be the main character but it completely worked. I also adored the fact the book was set in the 90's. Ingenius. Especially as thats what age i would have been in the same year.

The book follows July as she navigates her way through life with her Dad Mick, step-mum Shell and sassy step-sister Sylvie. You get the feeling all isn't ok in the family but I wont spoil it to much for any future readers. Julys real mum died when she was a baby in a devasting car crash and no one seems to want to talk about her. July only knows a few things about her mum and she has them written down on a list. But then July recieves a note saying her mum didn't die in a car crash. Everybody has been lying to her, but why?

We follow July as she unearths the true story of her mums death with some heartbreak along the way. Not one to be missed!! This was a fab little read full of little twists and turns and it pulls on your heartstrings.

Loved this story. July didn't know a lot about her Mum at the beginning of this book, but, after her teacher decided to set the class a task that would purposefully lead July to the truth the rollercoaster of emotions begin.
July is a delightful character and it is hard to read about the abuse she experiences. This tale has great twists and turns and keeps you interested throughout. I read it in just a few sessions. Highly recommended! .

A very clever book, with a memorable main character. I found it hard to read at times because of the subject matter, but it is a well-written and thought-provoking book.

July Hooper lives with her dad, step mum and step sister. This story starts on her 10th birthday, a day July loves and dreads in equal measure. Try as she might, July can’t help but rub her dad up the wrong way, and events always come to a head on her birthday.

This is a very touching story, beautifully written with compassion and empathy. The author handles a disturbing plot line so well. I really loved July, she was a feisty little girl who wouldn’t let life get her down, and her determination to find out the truth about her mother was compelling reading.

The book, in my opinion, was superb and I absolutely loved it apart from Chapter 44! This seems to have been by a totally different writer, and was a bit sentimental and twee, which had definitely not been the case throughout the rest of the book. Nevertheless, Chapter 45 brought the book back on track, especially items number 9 and 10, a perfect summing up!

As the rest of the book is so good, I won’t let one chapter put me off awarding 5*, a brilliant read, definitely recommend.

Thank you NetGalley.

A beautifully heartbreaking book with so much soul. I was rooting for July the whole time. This is one of those tales that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. Written so perfectly that you are truly invested in July. Full of hope and resilience and the complicated workings of the human mind. I can’t wait to read something else by Emily Koch.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for the ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

I was hooked from the first chapter! Absolutely absorbing read. It was told through a 10 year old child's view and her name is July. It made uncomfortable reading in some places but I didn't want to stop reading it because I wanted and hoped for a good outcome for July. The research that the author has put into this very sad subject is incredible and it is a story that was very well thought out and brave to undertake but very necessary too.

Book Review - No Spoilers

I absolutely loved this book and it’s an easy 4 stars for me.

I LOVE July. I just want to give her a massive cuddle. I think the character development was really good for all of them

I think the setting for this book definitely helped me love it. I grew up in the 90s and the majority of the book is set in 1995 and I loved the references (think Pogs and June Ackland). It was so easy to read and I loved the storyline.

I love a story about family and that’s ultimately what this book is about; sister, family, grief and memories.

I really liked Koch’s writing style. Like I’ve said, it was easy but it was conversational without being forced and there were elements of whimsy without it being unbelievable.

This could have so easily been a 5 star read for me, there were just a few things that didn’t get there

There were a couple of plot-holes; either parts that didn’t 100% make sense or needed to be covered.

Although I loved the character development in this, there were parts where I was a little confused just because the story is told from several points of view.

Despite the above, I would have liked the point of view of a couple of other characters. I know it’s personal preference but I felt it was missing from the story

Would I recommend? Absolutely

Would I read another book by the author? Absolutely