Desperate Housewives used to be one of my favourite shows. All the intrigue, mystery, gossiping was just so delicious, but it also had a good dose of friendship drama. This book reminded me of it.
Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser
Genres: Mystery, Fiction
Published: 27th March, 2018
Goodreads
Series: N/A
Rating: 4
When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.
By Monday morning, one of them is gone.
Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.
As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.
Not That I Could Tell has been categorized as a thriller. It isn’t. It has an element of mystery with a woman gone missing, but it’s more a story about those who were left behind. The neighbours, the friends, even the strangers who didn’t even know Kristin before her disappearance are all affected one way or another. Or at least have an opinion.
Izzy, Clara, Rhoda and Randi were all friends with the woman who is now the main focus of the news and all the small town rumours and speculations. But did they really know her at all? These four women all have a story of their own, and battles that need to be fought. Is it possible they were so caught up in their own drama that they missed some warning signs? What is really going on here?
In the wake of the sudden disappearance new friendships form, alliances shift, a precocious 12-year-old goes on a mission and some shady dealings are exposed, but it’s all kind of light and breezy.
Did I mention the drama?!
I loved all the different perspective of these ladies, and how they saw the same event through their own filters. How is a marriage affected when the spouses don’t see eye to eye on something that is clearly so important for one of them? Can you tolerate an opinion that may be true but paints your friend in a negative light? Just because everyone points a finger at someone, does it mean they have done something bad?
Well, grab your popcorn, and find out!
Oo this sounds good and I love the cover 🙂
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It’s so lovely, isn’t it 🙂
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OMG! I loved Desperate Housewives and was broken when it finished. So yep, if this is anything similar, I want to read it.
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Same!
I even cried… i think it was more cuz of Mrs McClusky, but yea, that was a good show!
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It was, as they say, delicious! 😀
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Ah! Desperate Housewives was THE show to watch! 😀 This book sounds positively entertaining! 🙂
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You had me at Desperate Housewives, Norrie💜 I’ve got this on audio.
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You kind of got me at Desperate Housewives ahah I loved that show so, so much. I’m somehow fond of books with disappearances haha, I’m not sure why, but I’ll have to check out this one! Thank you for the lovely review! 🙂
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Yea, i find them fascinating too. I think when someone disappears, there’s still hope that they are not dead, so it’s quite tense for everyone involved, which is a good ingredient for these kinda books 😀
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Desperate Housewives was such a guilty pleasure show of mine – but I mean, it had everything! And it was so addictive! Everyone and their mum watched it! So I feel like I would like this book as well… Amazing review, Norrie 🙂
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I’m kinda tempted to re-watch it 😀
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I like stories like this, and it almost sounds like a Liane Moriarty type story in some respects. I remember seeing this around and wanting to read it- now I want to for sure!
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Oh, yes, it is a bit like Liane Moriarty 🙂
I hope you enjoy this if you decide to read it!
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So excited to read this one especially after this review. I love the sound of the mystery and the drama plus the setting. Great review!
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Thanks 🙂 Hope you’ll enjoy it too!
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Oooh! I love reading about the left-behind-kind-of-drama!! I like it more than the mysteries, lmao. And I kind of accidentally fell in love with that cover… 😂 I’m so glad, though, that you got your friendship drama fix, haha
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The cover is gorgeous 🙂
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Okay you got me at “Desperate Housewives” lol it is still one of my fave shows to this day. I love different POVs, too so this book sounds perfect for me.
Thanks again for the addition to my TBR! 🙂
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Ah, nice, hope you enjoy it 🙂
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