Things We Never Say focuses on three very different women who find common ground when forced to work together on a school gala committee.

While this is touted as general fiction/mystery, it is much more on the general side. At its core, it is a story about the unseen (and sometimes heartbreaking) aspects of marriage and what we are willing to risk for those we love.

Rhea, Maggie, and Anna are each sympathetic characters in their own way, although they sometimes come across as caricatures: Rhea is the Type A Perfect Mom, Maggie is the Successful but Scattered Mom, and Anna is the Reserved Mom. As the story unfolds, so do the boxes they’ve been packed in.

The story itself is predictable; it is clear the husbands are also hiding something, and the book will be about the women helping one another overcome the problems in their marriages. Additionally, the pacing is off in sections where it almost feels like the author is rushing through sections.

While this will be an enjoyable read for fans of fiction books centering around domestic life, fans of true mysteries will be less engaged.

Everyone has secrets, but not all secrets carry equal weight. And as three very different women find out in this story, the consequences of some secrets can be utterly devastating.

Anna, Maggie and Rhea are three mothers whose children attend a prestigious private school in Atlanta. Anna's ties to the school are the strongest, given that she is married to the headmaster, Jerry.

So perhaps she has the most to lose when the three of them stumble across some unexpected and explosive information whilst they are organising the school's annual gala. Or does she? Because Anna's marriage is not quite as it seems...

This story delivers an engaging and insightful portrait of women's lives, their experiences of marriage and motherhood, and the value of female friendships. The pacing is at times a little irregular. But overall, this is well worth a read. It gets 3.5 stars.

Wow! I loved this! I couldn’t put it down and read during every free second I could spare. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this ARC!

I enjoyed Things We Never Say. I loved the characters and storyline. There were points where I couldn’t put it down and had to find out what happened next. However, I do feel like the story is a little too long and drawn out. I feel like this is a solid 4/5.

I read Caitlin Weaver’s first book a few months ago and loved it. This book was even better. I was so glad the kids went back to school this week because I HAD to find out what was going to happen. If you’re looking for a book with a crazy twist, this probably isn’t what you’re looking for. But, if you’re looking for a realistic story of women being there for each other, of motherhood, of marriage at its worst, of life when it isn’t perfect… this is the book. I was sad when it ended because I just wanted to hang out with Anna, Maggie, and Rhea for longer. I can’t wait to see what Caitlin Weaver writes next!

Three women Anna,Maggie and Rhea whose children all go to the prestigious private school Civitas in Atlanta. Where Anna’s husband Jerry is head master. Working on the schools annual gala the three women stumble upon a scandal involving the school that would hurt the school and many families. While this is going on we also find out that the three women are hiding their own personal secrets. What could they be?
Rhea is PTA head and comes from a rich household with two wonderful sons and a husband she adores. Maggie is a Relationship Therapist with a daughter and a husband who she considers her best friend. Then there is Anna the one you would never see would fit in with the other two women. She also has a daughter but her marriage isn’t what it seems like.

I did enjoy this thriller. I liked that each chapter was told by each woman so you were able to hear their full stories. The three women were up against so much to be able to bring the truth to everyone. To me I felt Anna had the most to lose because of her husband Jerry. Yet I felt she grew the most because she had more to lose. Friendships were made and a very thrilling story was told. Even when secrets are revealed people grow stronger and survive.

Thank you Net galley and Storm for the ARC. I would recommend to my fellow readers.

Wow! What a great read!

Read if you like:

👧 Unexpected female friendships
🏫 School Scandals
😱 Domestic Psychological Thriller

Anna, Maggie, and Rhea all join a team to host a gala for the prestigious school that their children attend. What follows after this is a scandal that none of them were expecting to uncover. Will their friendship last and how many secrets will be revealed along the way?

The chapters switched between our three MC. The POVs are so well written and give so much information without becoming overwhelming. The book was so hard to put down because it kept you wondering what other secrets will come out. I also was so invested in each of the characters' lives and was wishing for good outcomes throughout the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this gripping and wonderful arc in return for an honest review. ❤️

Anna is the wife of English Jerry who is the head of Civitas Upper School in Atlanta, the parents of the students reads like a list of Who’s Who. Anna is very quiet, troubled and harbouring the darkest of secrets. Meet Rhea Connelly, President of the Parents Association, who despite her glossy and expensive appearance also has troubles that are buried deep in her past. Finally, there’s Maggie Reed, a relationship specialist with a marriage that’s floundering. The most unlikely threesome are thrown together to organise the Civitas Centennial Gala. Ill suited to friendship? May be not, only time will tell. Whilst working on the build up to the gala, they stumble upon information that may well detonate the seeming perfection of their world. How will it all play out? The three main characters tell their stories in turn.

This is an engaging, compelling and engrossing domestic psychological thriller which is well written. There is plenty of suspense as the plot navigates the despair, the highs and lows of the lives of Anna, Rhea and Maggie. I find myself becoming involved in their stories and hoping for good outcomes even when the tide seems to have turned against them. It’s well paced with authentic characters who I feel very unsure of at the start but who I end up liking and even admiring, especially their growing friendship.

It shines a spotlight on marriage and relationships, it has scandal and how, there’s corruption, lies and cover ups that keep on coming. At times it makes me gasp in shock, at others it’s moving and emotional and in addition, there are moments where it’s heartwarming. The storyline builds well and progresses to a good ending.

This novel is about facades, how often we judge books by their cover. People are not always what they seem, sometimes they put on a show but underneath who knows what is going on. None of us know what goes on behind closed doors either.

This is two for two from Caitlin Weaver for me and she will be an auto read from now on.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Storm
Publishing for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

Maggie, Rhea and Anna. Are not friends but are all connected by the same school. They are thrown together to organise a gala for the school and their friendship starts to develop along with the uncovering of secrets about the school and themselves.
I really really enjoyed this book, it was well paced, the characters were interesting and had depth and I especially was rooting for Anna.
I am now going to look for any other books by Caitlin Weaver as I enjoyed this one so much

3.5 ⭐
An enjoyable book.
It's obvious from the outset that nearly everyone in this book is hiding something.
I don't think any of them were hard to guess, but I enjoyed the reveal non the less.
Three main characters, each dealing with their own problems in their marriage/family, and working together for the greater good.
Good plot, good pacing, good read.

read if you like:
🧍‍♀️ books about parent drama
👯‍♀️ female friends
😱 private school scandals

summary:
Wow this book was such a needed surprise! I had read Caitlin Weaver’s other book, SUCH A GOOD FAMILY, and I loved it, so when I got this ARC, I was psyched.

This book is about three women - Anna, Rhea and Maggie, whose children attend a prestigious prep school, Civitas. They come together to plan the school’s centennial gala, each involved for their own reasons unrelated to the others. Soon, they find themselves friends, and through their volunteer work, come across a resignation letter and several NDA’s that lead them to wonder — what happened at the school? Each with their own secrets, they begin to trust each other as they try to expose the truth, while grappling with their own realities. Their picture perfect lives are hardly as perfect as they appear, and exposing the school may bring down everything they worked so hard to protect.

The description does not do this book justice! The POV alternates between all three women, all of whom are dealing with their own challenges. We get to know each of them well through their stories, understanding their vulnerabilities and the impact of them on their relationships. The depth Weaver goes into with each of them also helps us empathize with their struggles, and I found myself rooting for their relationship with each other.

The book moves quickly, with moments of tension and revelations that keep you hooked. There are also heavier and lighter moments — with warnings of domestic violence. I couldn’t stop reading, feeling excited, happy, sad and heart broken all in equal measures — it’s a true rollercoaster.

Caitlin Weaver has become one of my favorite authors, and I'm thrilled I got to read this. Thanks to NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the ARC. Be sure to check out this book when it releases on September 27!

Rhea, Maggie and Anna form an unexpected friendship when they are appointed to the Centennial Gala Committee, a major fundraiser for their children’s private school. Anna is Jerry, the headmaster’s wife. She is a quiet woman who gave up her career as a lawyer when she married and had a daughter. Maggie is a therapist and author, happily married to Dan. Rhea is devoted to her husband Brooks and their two teenage boys.

There you have it. On the surface, a PTA trio meeting to drink wine and talk about a gala. Now leave that picture behind because these women are nothing like they appear to be. All three are hiding secrets - major secrets - that they know will destroy their families. They’ve kept these secrets for a long time but as each woman realizes that she’s supported by her new friends, secrets are disclosed. Yes, marriages, families and careers will change, a major crime will be revealed but their friendship will keep them together.

Things We Never Say is a quick read with a well organized plot and three strong female characters who you want to succeed. The problem each woman faces makes you wonder how you would handle it in your own life. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Storm Publishing and Caitlin Weaver for this ARC.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

After reading ‘Such a Nice Family’ by Caitlin Weaver and I saw the opportunity to read ‘Things We Never Say’, I took it immediately. I tried to preserve this book for a few days for a long drive, but I couldn’t. Once I opened it I didn’t get back up until it was done.

Caitlin did it again with this tragically beautiful novel surrounding three women and their personal lives coming to light in ways they never imagined. As these three moms come together for what should be a quick committee adventure, we witness their assumptions of each other dissolve and be replaced with curiosity, but also the realization that we don’t know what happens behind closed doors.

I strongly recommend this book, but I’m really at a point where I’d recommend anything Caitlin Weaver writes. She’s officially an auto-buy for me!

This author is becoming one of my favorites! We are introduced to three mothers who come together to work on a fundraiser committee for their teenager's schools. They are all an unlikely trio to be friends but they start to lean on each other once they discover a shocking secret in their committee work. The characters are extremely layered and are all struggling with new truths and losses. This was a page turner! I enjoyed it!

Name of Book: Things We Never Say
Author: Caitlin Weaver
Publisher: Storm Publishing
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pub Date: September 27, 2024
My Rating: 3.6 rounded up
Pages: 394

It is the beginning of the school year at Civitas prep school which is a top private day school in an upscale area in Atlanta. The students are children of wealthy parents.
The head master Jerry is excited this year’s centennial.
A Gala is being planned for the last week in November.

Rhea Connelly is the President of Parents Association and is in charge of the Gala (much to Jerry’s displeasure as he is not fan of wealth parents who can be very demanding.)
There are two other moms who have volunteered or were assigned to work with Rhea -.
Anna, Jerry’s wife and Maggie Reed a relationship therapist and the author of a best-selling book “Reconnecting Between the Sheets”.

Rhea, Maggie, and Anna start out with their interest only in the organizing of the Gala. They haven’t nothing but the school in common. However, after several meetings they discover they have a lot in common ~ true the wine helped. As their meetings continue their friendship grows and they start to share some secrets regarding their perfect lives.

Story had me curious and as the secrets were revealed I couldn’t stop turning pages. I was totally glued; there are up and down emotions, At times my heart was truly breaking. I was hoping for a HEA ending or at least something close.

Want to thank NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for September 27, 2024.

I hadn't read the author before, so I had no preconceived notions about what to expect. Happily, I enjoyed reading this tale of suburban drama at an elite school. Once I was able to differentiate between the three main characters, I was able to appreciate the issues each of them faced individually, as well as what they faced together. My main criticism would be the seemingly rushed ending, but overall, I enjoyed this.

I'd read more from the author.

I received a complimentary copy of the novel from the publisher and NetGalley, and my review is being left freely.

Thank you, Storm Publishing, for the advance reading copy.

I will say the writing is good and the characters very realistic.

However, the plot seems to have some issues in pacing towards the second half. The ending would have been much more interesting with the main adult characters resolve issues like adults but we know we adults are actually clueless about a lot of things. And that’s where the book is really good.

I went into this book thinking it would be a mystery thriller but well I would say it is domestic general fiction dealing with adult relationships and secrets.

Thank you to Netgallery and the publisher for this ARC. The publication date is the 27th Sept. This was an emotional rollercoaster of a read I felt many emotions whilst reading it. I really felt sorry for the character Anna throughout the book.

It was a compelling plot with spine-tingling suspense and I loved the ending it made me cry!

Overall, a great book which will tug at your heart strings endlessly whilst reading it! 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 stars!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this book.

Anna is the wife of the headmaster of a prestigious school. Rhea is head of the PTA, a rich housewife with two sons attending the school. Maggie is a therapist who’s daughter goes to the school. All three have secrets. When they are forced to work together for a school event they come across a big secret.l and set about exposing it.

What a book! Couldn’t put this down and devoured it. Chapters alternated between each of the three main characters. Their secrets are exposed early on in the book, but the other characters don’t know. The tension and suspense therefore created was really strong. This was written about three strong woman. I count help but like them and root for them. I really enjoyed it and I am genuinely gutted to be finished! Highly recommend.

This book was great, I couldn't put it down! It held my attention and I read this book in record time. I can't wait to read other things from Caitlin Weaver.