“Just dinner. The innocence of the phrase is deceptive, as deceptive as the dinner itself would turn out to be. Diner with friends, a table for four. Dinner with people she thought she knew and loved. As it turns out, no one is who she believed they were, least of all herself..”

Thank you Lake Union Publishing for gifting me an advanced copy of STORIES WE NEVER TOLD by Sonja Yoerg in exchange for my honest review.

“Psychology professor Jackie Strelitz thought she was over her ex-lover and colleague, Harlan Crispin. Why should she care if Harlan springs a new “friend” on her? After all, Jackie has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband and a thriving career. Still, she can’t help but be curious about Harlan’s latest.

Nasira Amari is graceful, smart, and appallingly young. Worse, she’s the new member of Jackie’s research team. For five years, Harlan enforced rules limiting his relationship with Jackie. With Nasira he’s breaking every single one. Why her?

Fixated by the couple, Jackie’s curiosity becomes an obsession. But she soon learns that nothing is quite what it seems, and that to her surprise—and peril—she may not be the only one who can’t let go.”

I have always been fascinated with psychology, what makes us tick? What prompts us to make the decisions that we do? Why do some people become overcome with jealousy? So, when I read the synopsis for this book, I was immediately drawn to the storyline and thrilled when it arrived on my porch.

STORIES WE NEVER TOLD is categorized as being in the suspense and thriller genre but I don’t think that this is an accurate representation of the genre that this book belongs in. While I admit that were suspenseful moments throughout the book, the storyline didn’t give me that ‘sitting on the edge of my seat, holding my breath’ vibe; which unfortunately was a bit of a let down for me that was what I was in the mood for.

This book is a fascinating take on what story it is that we put forth into the world– who is the person that we want to be? How do we want other people to perceive us? And, at what lengths are we willing to go to convince the world of what we are? It was also a captivating look at what happens when love turns into obsession.

I would recommend this book to anyone who, like me, finds stories about the intricacies of human relationships to be irresistible.

Thank you Sonja Yoerg and Lake Union Publishing for gifting me a copy of this book.

STORIES WE NEVER TOLD will be published on May 1st, 2020 and is available for pre-order now.