From Rebecca Kelley, the author of No One Loves Us Here (2023-loved), comes another emotionally powerful, intriguing mystery with page-turning suspense: I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING—a fitting title and an ideal pick for book clubs.

A shocking act of violence unfolds into a tender story of family, long-held secrets, and what-ifs, creating a suspenseful narrative that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

It may often be better to leave the past in the past. If you want to know everything, be prepared for an answer you may not want to hear.

“The worst lies are the ones we tell ourselves."—Richard Bach

Audiobook...

I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook, which I found very well done with perfect pacing, twists, suspense, and emotions beautifully captured by talented Amy Bentle and Caitlin Kelly, giving distinct voices to the two main characters, mother/daughter, making the story come alive, keeping you glued to your earbuds to see how this twisty saga will end.

About...

The story comes full circle, ending where it began at the secret lake they called Shangri-La. This lake holds a significant place in the characters' lives, serving as a backdrop for pivotal moments and symbolizing the cyclical nature of their experiences.

The past: A young couple fell in love. A young, ambitious girl became pregnant. A boy who loved art and the theatre. A boy's mother who was successful and controlling. A young girl who wanted to be her. Things did not go as planned. Lost dreams. A child was born and given up for adoption. Dark secrets were hidden. An unreliable narrator.

Amy, Freddy, and Cory form a complicated love triangle, their lives intertwined by love, ambition, chance, and tragedy. This dynamic adds a layer of complexity to the story, as their relationships and decisions shape the narrative.

The present: Amy Linden is married with a loving husband, Jonathan, and a young son, Gabe, with a glamorous and successful career as the hotelier of a grand mountain lodge.

Ramona Crawford, the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years earlier, shows up for a surprise visit. She is not here to uproot her biological mother's life (but she will). She wants to know where she came from. Her goal: She wants to know the identity of her biological father.

In the past, Amy was a single parent trying to make her way up the hotel management ladder, and she thought it best to give up her daughter to make a life for herself. Ramona's adoptive mom is diagnosed with cancer. Now, she wants answers about her biological parents.

But you see, that may be a big problem for Amy. The truth could destroy everything she has worked for and her carefully curated life. The one she has sacrificed for. She has several versions of the truth. Will one of them be acceptable to Ramona?

There is a problem. Ramona will reach out to the man, intrigued and excited, but he has a different story. Amy has never told her husband about Ramona. She was good at keeping secrets and had several versions of the truth.

There is a mystery and a love triangle in the past. Amy, Freddy, and Cory. Neither of these two is her current husband. She has memories of what she wanted it to be, but the actuality was a different, darker story.

What is the big secret? When all is unraveled, it will be jaw-dropping. How far will someone go to keep their secrets hidden? What happened at the lodge that fateful summer? Once the truth is revealed, there will be no more versions and retellings.

Will the truth set you free?

My thoughts...

With its alternating POVs of Amy and Ramona and two timelines, I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING offers a unique and poignant exploration of love and forgiveness infused with thriller psychological vibes. The emotional depth of the characters will draw you in and make you feel connected to their journey.

The author writes of complex women making impulsive, reckless decisions, and I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING is a riveting thriller and a wise, profound novel of redemption.

The tranquil yet chilling front cover draws you in (which is a big focus of the novel) with the secluded rural setting of the hotel and the summer lodge. The author offers vivid descriptions that I can see on a wide screen.

As a reader, despite everything, you may sympathize with Amy as Ramona seems manipulative and pushes and demands Amy to the point when she does get the real truth; it is not what she wants to hear through her rose-colored glasses. I adored the ending, which gives a satisfying conclusion.

Engrossing and emotionally charged, I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING delves into themes of love, regret, guilt, split-second decisions, moral ambiguity, mistakes, forgiveness, and the toll of keeping secrets. It's a deeply moving novel about letting go of guilt and finding redemption.

Uniquely and cleverly told, it is a suspenseful, addictive page-turner filled with literary insight that compels readers to consider whether the worst thing they have done in their lives is all that defines them.

As in her previous book, the author showcases her storytelling skills and dives deep. Once again, she explores familial loyalty, women, relationships, motherhood, ambition, privilege, and risking it all. The novel's exploration of these issues will surely engage and provoke readers' thoughts.

The author does an outstanding job with the unreliable narrator and how she unravels the secrets of the past through Amy's retelling to Ramona. Infused with art and theatre, young love romance.

Unexpectedly, the novel turns dark and sinister turn, adding a psychological thriller vibe to the strong, insightful, thought-provoking family drama. The unexpected twists will keep the readers on the edge of their seats, adding a layer of suspense and intrigue to the narrative.

Amy is a complex woman but I will hand it to her, she gave Ramona what she asked for but was Ramona prepared for the answer she received?

I do not think this book or the author is getting enough love. I'LL TELL YOU EVERYTHING is a suspenseful domestic drama that builds slowly until all its explosive secrets are revealed. Be sure to check out No One Knows Us Here too (for fans of Robyn Harding and BA Paris).

Recs...

I highly recommend this novel for fans of the author and those who enjoy domestic suspense, character-driven narratives, emotionally resonant psychological dramas, and literary fiction. This is for readers of Liane Moriarty, Ann Patchett, Celeste Ng, Tracey Lange, Suzanne Refearn, Eileen Goudge, and Jessica Strawser.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Brilliance Audio for an ARC and ALC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

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@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 4.5 Stars rounded to 5
Pub Date: Jan 14, 2025
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📚: I'll Tell You Everything by Rebecca Kelley
⭐️: 1.5/5 (rounding up on #goodreads)

I have never, ever, ever disliked (despised) a character in a book more than Amy. Honestly, that's my entire review. This book wasn't for me because of it. As an adoptee it made my stomach churn (honestly, an adoptee shouldn't read this), and if it wasn't for being gifted a digital ARC to review, I would have DNF'ed.

Character issues aside, the writing here was confusing within the POVs of each main character. The ending twist felt obvious. And it needs to be said again, I despised Amy's character so much in this that it wasn't just morally questionable (which I typically enjoy!) but irredeemable.

Thanks to Lake Union Publishing via @netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. I'll Tell You Everything is out today.

2⭐️ Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an advanced copy of I’ll Tell You Everything.

Ramona has known her whole life that she was adopted and when she became an adult she decided to find her birth parents. She met her birth mother once but she needs more answers so she shows up at the hotel she runs to get them. She wants to know about her father but what she finds out will shock her.

This book had so much potential but the execution fell flat. I like the dual point of views but I disliked that one of them was unreliable. The writing was okay but I disliked that it led you down one path that ended up being a lie. I was not a fan.

This wasn’t the worst mystery book I’ve ever read but it definitely wasn’t the best. The unreliable narrator was a bit too unreliable and made the story predictable. The ‘plot twists’ aren’t surprising when you are able to call them by the beginning of the story. By halfway, I was just reading to get it over with.

I'll Tell You Everything by Rebecca Kelley is touted as a thriller but I would say it is more of a domestic drama. Amy is a hotelier spending the season with her husband and son in Seven Glacier. Her world is changed when Ramona, the daughter she gave up for adoption twenty years ago, shows up wanting to know the story of her past. Who is her father? Where did she come from? What happened and why was she given up for adoption? Amy desperately tries to keep the past firmly in the past by telling Ramona the perfect version of her past. But soon Ramona realizes that the story that Amy told her can not be true. Each time Ramona catches Amy in a lie, the story changes, making Ramona wonder what really is Amy trying to hide? As Ramona keeps digging to unravel her past, Amy's carefully constructed life and lies are exposed.
This story is told in two different POVs and is definitely an unreliable narrator theme. I do like a story with twists and turns but I did find this one lacking something. Maybe because I went into this book thinking it was more of a psychological thriller than it was.
Thank you to NetGalley, Rebecca Kelley, and Lake Union for this ARC. Expected publishing date is January 14th 2025.

Thank you Netgalley & Rebecca Kelley & Lake Union Publishing for an eARC ♥️

"Web of Lies: A Mother's Desperate Secrets"

Amy Linden's life looks perfect - a loving husband, adorable kid, and glamorous career. But when her estranged daughter Ramona shows up, asking about her biological father, Amy's world begins to unravel.
Forced to spin a web of lies to keep her secrets safe, Amy's stories start to contradict each other. Ramona's determined to uncover the truth, and Amy's desperate to keep it hidden.
As the lies pile up, the tension builds. Amy's secrets are expertly woven into a complex web of deceit that threatens to destroy her relationships and her reputation.
I was completely absorbed in this gripping novel, racing through the pages to uncover the truth alongside Ramona. One of my favorite aspects of the book was the way the author seamlessly wove together past and present timelines, slowly revealing the secrets and lies that had been hidden for so long. I love when books use this dual-timeline approach - it adds such depth and complexity to the story!♥️

Rebecca Kelley’s masterful storytelling weaves together themes of family, identity, and the destructive power of secrets.

I honestly do not know what to think or feel about this book. I got this book based off the details, covers etc. However, I found the FMC's "mother" highly annoying and to be honest very unbearable. Amy to me I feel like never gives us the truth of how Ramona came along. Honestly, I didn't really like any of the characters in this book, I felt like they all had their own major flaws, and it added to the story. If you're looking for a book that has lots of family drama and the mystery of finding oneself this might be the book for you. This is the first book i have read from this author.

Ramona is just a 20-year-old girl that like anyone wants to know who she is and where she comes from. Ramona researches and finds her birth mother to find her birth mother. Upon meeting Amy I feel like Ramona literally just wasted her time.

Amy Linden has a beautiful job as a hotelier at a posh mountain lodge, a devoted husband, and a cute son. Then she receives an unexpected visit from Ramona Crawford, the daughter she placed for adoption twenty years prior. Amy fully understands Ramona's need to find out who her biological father is. There is only one reality that would ruin Amy's meticulously planned life.
Amy tells a heartbreaking story of her adolescent passion with Freddy and the difficult choice to give Ramona a brighter future than they could offer. The pieces initially come together, providing Ramona with closure and an opportunity to get to know her strange yet endearing mother. However, Freddy then tells Ramona a different narrative, and Amy's version of the truth seems like memories keep changing.

Hard to grasp the meaning of this book, just answer the question? DNF:d it at 40% because i had stopped caring. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the chance to read this book.

Ramona, Amy’s daughter whom she gave up for adoption 25 years ago, comes back with questions surrounding their past. Who is Ramona’s father?

I loved the setting of Glacier Park, it was descriptive and quite immersive. The book is a dual POV which adds layers to the plot. However, I couldn’t enjoy the book as much because I didn’t like the way the unreliable narrator was set up; it led me to feeling less invested in the characters. There are characters who are unlikeable but whom I’ll still enjoy reading about, but Amy was purely an unlikeable character for me, to the point where it was frustrating and annoying. I’m not sure if this was a thriller, but I can see the theme of moral ambiguity within the book.

If you like family mysteries with unreliable narrators, this book might be you.

Thank you to Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with an advance reader's copy.

The narrative unfolds from two perspectives: Amy, a hotelier spending the season in Seven Glacier with her family, and Ramona, the daughter she placed for adoption, seeking answers to the questions that have plagued her for years. While the use of an unreliable narrator isn’t groundbreaking, the introduction of Ramona’s relentless search for truth creates a unique balance in the story. The interplay between the two viewpoints adds depth and complexity, and the setting of Seven Glacier worked wonderfully to enhance the mood and atmosphere.

While I’m usually a fan of stories filled with twists, this one felt a bit overwhelming. I anticipated more suspense or tension, but the mystery didn’t quite land as I hoped. The twists, though intriguing, became somewhat predictable as the plot progressed, and each new layer made the final reveal feel more obvious. Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I felt there were too many twists for my taste. If you’re picking this up, I’d suggest viewing it less as a thriller and more as a domestic drama with a bit of mystery.

This book really tested my patience. We really just needed the answer to one question. There was an unreliable narrator and a relationship that was not believable. Thank you, NetGalley.

I was drawn to the description of this book. Romana visits her birth mother Amy to learn about her and find out who her birth father was. The book was descriptive with the setting of Glacier Park. However, this book fell flat for me. Amy told lie after lie to Romana. Romana would then find out a little bit of the truth and Amy would change her story to something else. I am not sure if this book was going for a mystery/thriller vibe but it didn't lean that way to me. I didn't care for any of the characters Amy especially.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of I'll Tell You Everything for an honest review.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Rebecca Kelley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

4⭐ - my first read of 2025 and what a story! Ramona recently finds out she was adopted and reaches out to her bio mom Amy wanting more answers about her and her father. Now that Amy is well off with a rich husband and a son - it's the least she can do for Ramona, right?

Amy tells the daughter she gave up for adoption a perfect tale of her and Freddy Bennison, a biracial guy she had a fling with. There's only one problem, Amy and Ramona are white, therefore Freddy couldn't be Ramona's father.

But then who IS Ramona's bio dad? Is he still alive? Does he know about her? Will Amy finally tell the truth?

Such a great read with unreliable narrators, the story was easy to follow although I found Amy super annoying and a bit weird.
This was the first time reading a book of Ms. Kelley, but I'll definitely check out some of her other books.

I'll Tell You Everything is out on January 14th!

I'll Tell You Everything, Rebecca Kelley
3.5 stars

When Ramona, the daughter she gave up for adoption, shows up at Seven Glacier, where it all begins, Amy finds herself at wits end trying to keep the past in the past while grasping at straws to keep her daughter in her life and giving her what she's asking for: any insight on who she is and where she comes from. Her sudden reappearance in her life pushes Amy to come up with tales about her origins in hopes Ramona accepts everything at face value, even things that dont quite make sense. Unfortunately for her, Ramona keeps digging deeper and deeper, and her whole past - along with her many lies - are revealed.

The story is told in two different point of view, Amy, an hotelier residing in Seven Glacier for the season with her family, and Ramona, the daughter she gave up for adoption, looking for answers to questions she had her entire life. The use of the unreliable narrator isnt new, however the addition of Ramona brings in a fresh counter balance with her incessant haunt for the truth, both narrators working as a push and pull for the story. I did enjoy the setting of Seven Glacier, and i find it helped the story quite a bit.

While I do enjoy a good story filled with twists and turns, for me, this one was a bit too much for me. I guess I expected the mystery to be more mysterious, or to be more on the edge of my seat. Unfortunately, the twists were a bit predictable, and each iteration of the story made it easier to guess the final reveal. All in all, it was a good story, albeit a little too much twists for me. I would suggest going in with the notion its not a thriller but more of a domestic drama.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

**Initial Reaction**: 8

**Characters:** 7

**Setting:** 9

**Plot:** 9

**Pace:** 8

**Style:** 8

**Ending:** 9

**Enjoyment:** 9

67 / 16 = 4.1875

Rounded Rating = 4.25

Set in the mountains of Montana, close to the Canadian border.. I thoroughly being able to visual being at the lodge, the views, the bears... all the things that make a summer wilderness trip.

Amy now runs the lodge she worked at as a teen in the summers while Romana, the daughter Amy put up for adoption, has come around asking for clarity. Who is her dad? What is the story?

At times I understood Romana’s frustrations with Amy. While I felt the story was going around and around, each chapter kept me immediately wanted to read the next.

It wasn’t necessarily suspenseful... could have been novella length.

Can you believe anything?!?! I love an unreliable narrator and I don’t think there could be a more unreliable one. I loved all of the back and forth.

Good for you, not for me. Thanks for the free copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book publishes 1/14/25

I absolutely loved the setting of this story—it had that perfect, cozy atmosphere that makes you feel like you’re right there. I could easily imagine myself curled up in a warm lodge, holding a cup of hot chocolate, with a breathtaking view of snow-capped mountains and a serene lake stretching out below. Maybe even catching sight of a bear wandering in the distance. It was that vivid. The whole vibe felt so comforting and immersive.

The story itself was incredibly hard to put down. Every chapter pulled me in deeper, making me eager to peel back more layers of the mystery. It kept me hooked right to the end. It’s the kind of book that’s easy to get lost in for a while, and I genuinely enjoyed it.

However, I do think it's the kind of story I’ll forget after some time. It didn’t leave a lasting impact on me, and I don’t typically give 4 or 5 stars unless a book really sticks in my head. But I can’t deny how much I loved the characters and the overall feel of the story. They fit perfectly with that cozy, inviting setting.

If you’re in the mood for a fast, cozy read that takes you out of the real world for a little while, this is a great pick. It might not be a story that stays with me forever, but it was definitely a lovely escape while it lasted.

Rebecca Kelley’s I’ll Tell You Everything is a haunting and deeply captivating story that pulls readers into a tangled web of secrets, lies, and the relentless search for the truth. With its compelling narrative and heavy emotional undertones, this book masterfully keeps readers on edge, questioning everything until the very last page.

The story’s strength lies in its ability to immerse the reader in a world filled with suspense and moral ambiguity. The pacing may feel stretched at times, but this slower unraveling of events only adds to the tension, mirroring the weight of the secrets and darkness at the heart of the narrative. As the truth edges closer, the emotional stakes grow higher, making the eventual revelations feel all the more impactful.

Kelley’s writing captures the story’s heaviness beautifully, conveying the complexity of its characters and the gravity of their choices. The psychological depth of the narrative ensures that the darkness is not gratuitous but rather a necessary part of understanding the characters and their motivations.

While some moments may feel prolonged, the overall impact of the story is undeniable. I’ll Tell You Everything is a thought-provoking and gripping read that delves into the murky complexities of truth and the burden of carrying it. For readers who enjoy dark, emotionally resonant psychological dramas, this book is a standout.