This was okay, nothing overly crazy good about it but it was okay. I would definitely give this author another shot, she has promise.

When I began this book I was thinking it was a mother connecting with her daughter after she gave her up for adoption. Then as I was half way through I was beginning to feel like it was a mystery. By the end I was not quite sure where this fits in. The story line was written well but I felt like I was missing something. I did enjoy the read but felt it good have some more to it.

I DNF'd this one about 50 pages in. I've been trying to get through it for a few weeks now, but I feel that I'm just not interested in it.

I thought it sounded like a great book, but we didn't much of a backstory on either Ramona or Amy before we went right to them meeting. The interaction at the play versus in the coffee shop felt very weird too, it was hard for me to decipher when those were taking place in relation to one another. Amy seemed so off-putting at the play, but then at the coffee shop it was explained like they've been best friends for years.

The father's name, Freddy Bennison, was waaay too close to Freddie Benson from iCarly. Once I read that it just took all seriousness out of the book for me. :(

The plot of the book has great potential to get messy and intriguing but I felt a lack of propulsion in the story. I kept finding myself putting it down and forgetting what I was reading. I think the author has great stories to be told, but this story was not for me.

3 stars for this book. An adopted girl who wants to learn more about where she came from and gets more then she bargained for. I wasn’t a big fan of the main character. She was so flighty and told Ramona more than she needed or wanted to know.

I didn’t really connect with the characters, but the plot had potential. While the read was predictable, it was still somewhat enjoyable. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I’ll tell you Everything by Rebecca Kelley

This story focuses on two women, Ramona and Amy. Ramona was given up for adoption by Amy when Amy was in her early twenties. Ramona locates Amy and connects with her to learn more about her biological parents and where she came from. Amy is married with a child of her own and is not willing to share information about Ramona’s biological father. Amy is an unreliable narrator. She is a complicated woman with a strong desire for success but loaded with guilt about her choices..

The story is told from two points of view (Ramona and Amy). It has lots of twists and turns as Ramona seeks the truth as to why she was given up for adoption and who her father really is. This story is about a mother’s love and the steps she would take to give her child a great life.

Thank you to @netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for this advanced readers copy. The novel is expected to be published on or about January 14, 2025.

This was a very awkward read. Unlikeable characters, confusing, repetitive plot. I struggled to finish this book I’m afraid.

This book explores all the angles of adoption from the parent to put the child up for adoption to the adopt child now adult.

Ramona is just looking for who she is, Her birthmother Amy seems to not be giving her a straight answer!

I think I liked Ramona better than Amy… Either way this was a really good read read!

Thanks to NetGalley for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

This plot was very blah and may have worked as a short story? But nothing much happened and I didn’t care about the characters. The writing itself was good, just the story was not for me.

I struggled with this book. It was slow, lacked plot, rather boring and the ending was predictable. Pretty disappointed.

Had me on the edge of my seat, I couldn't put this book down and had me guessing till the very end on what happens in the story.

I found this a very difficult book to get into as I didn't like either of the main two characters. They were both very odd and we didn't get to know them well enough before it goes into the story. I thought Amy was strange and I wasn't sure if I was meant to be annoyed by her or feel sorry for her, but I was just left feeling baffled.

There were some very unbelievable things such as the husband and son accepting this new daughter so readily, as if that would ever be so smooth with no further questions or any form of tension or difficulty?!

Rebecca Kelley, you are a genius! This book had me on an emotional roller coaster! I felt Romana's anger and Amy's desperation. My heart broke for Romana wanting to know her place in this world. You captured that essence in a masterful way. This is a must read!!!

Unfortunately I found this book quite a struggle to get through. The pacing is very slow and not much happens. The ending is predictable. An unreliable narrator should make things more interesting but the twists made little impact. I didn’t connect with any of the characters and almost gave up with it.

The title of this book is extremely ironic considering the plot centres around Amy and how she does everything to not tell her long lost daughter everything! Lots of secrets and lies. It's absolutely brilliant.

The synopsis of this had me instantly intrigued. A web of lies where you have to figure out what’s going on? Sign me up!

Unfortunately the web wasn’t woven too well and it was quite easy to figure out what was going on. Whilst parts left me guessing, a lot of the ‘twists’ were obvious.

I will say Rebecca’s writing is brilliant. She wrote Amy’s character brilliantly, and the way Amy told her stories was captivating. It was like you knew ahead of time was lying but she lied so well. It’s hard to explain but I loved the actual writing.

This is a novel based on an adoptee trying to find out about her heritage. In this case, Ramona has found her biological mother, Amy, who appears sophisticated and successful. Ramona contacts Amy again to learn about her biological father. Here, the novel begins spinning. First Amy tells the story of her relationship to Freddy Bennison, the man named on Ramona’s birth certificate. Freddy is bi-racial, Ramona and Amy are both Caucasian. Freddy’s mother disabuses him of his paternity. Yet, she is the person who gives Amy her opportunity for a successful career.

Amy also introduces Ramona to her present family, her husband and young son. Amy has kept Ramona a secret from them. The author makes this monumental secret into a non-event.

Next Amy tells the tale of another possible father, Cory. Ramona begins her own search for him, but learns he died before she was born. Amy admits she witnessed his death I was confused by the multiple plot points. Often they made no sense.

So, as a reader, I found myself disliking the unreliable narrator, Amy. Even searching, Ramona didn’t especially appeal to me. I found myself questioning why she gave up her college opportunity to go on this quest. I really can’t recommend this awkward novel to readers.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC.

In the “About the Author” note, Rebecca Kelley is described as a writer whose “novels center on complicated women who make impulsive, reckless decision.” After reading this novel, I feel that characterization is an understatement.

Ramona was adopted as an infant and feels something is missing in her sense of self. Now at age twenty, she seeks out Amy, her biological mother, to find out more about her origins, including her father’s identity. The first meeting goes well, but as Ramona gets to know Amy and her family, she begins to realize that Amy’s story is filled with truths, half-truths and outright lies. It might be tempting to view Amy as possessing sociopathic or narcissistic tendencies, but for the fact that she clearly has a conscience that manifests in disturbing dreams. While she eventually tells “everything" and accepts the consequences of her actions, her motivations are murky, and she places Ramona in an untenable position.

This novel, while it kept me engaged, was unsettling – even disturbing. This is a one-and-done for me with this author.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book. The opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

This review is being posted immediately to my GoodReads account and will be posted on Amazon upon publication.

I've been stuck in a book slump for weeks and this took me right out of it! In her late teens, Amy fell pregnant while working at a holiday resort. She put the baby up for adoption and now almost twenty, the daughter she gave up has come to the resort that she now runs looking for answers. This is a twisty, unpredictable and gripping read and I would definitely recommend it.