Stories We Never Told

I highly recommend The Stories We Never Told to everyone looking for an engaging suspense book that is filled with strong, memorable characters. Sonja’s clever look at how people are not always who they seem creates a story that keeps you turning the pages. What secrets are they hiding and could those secrets hurt us? Who can we really trust and do we really know those people closest to us that we love? This is a psychological thriller about deep secrets, real fear, love, and losses. Jackie is a successful psychologist researching autism. She is married to Miles, a sports recruiter but she is still obsessed with her ex lover Harlan. Jackie is jealous of and doesn’t trust her new Post Doc student Nasira who is part of her research team and involved with Harlan. Nothing is as it seems. As the plot thickens I found myself suspecting each character and their motives until the shocking reveals become reality. Right up to the last page, I was pulled in, engaged, and could not put this book down. If you enjoy suspenseful stories, this is a book you want to read! This is a new genre for Sonja Yoerg and she hit a homerun with it! Each time I read her books I think she bests the previous, and Stories We Never Told has done just that. I look forward to reading each new book this author puts out!

2.5 stars

I thought this book had a good premise but ended up being a bit of a disappointing read. If the story lost most of the thriller elements, I maybe would have liked it more. It also didn’t help that the main character just didn’t do much for me. There are quite a few good reviews for this book though, so as always take my opinions with a grain of salt.

Jackie Strelitz has been married for a few years now to a man named Miles. Harlan Crispin is her ex-lover and colleague. It might sound unusual but Jackie, Miles, and Harlan get together and socialize quite often. Everything is great until Harlan brings a new person to dinner one night. Nasira Amari is Harlan’s date and she also happens to be the newest member on Jackie’s research team. Jackie thought she was completely over her ex but seeing him with Nasira stirs up a lot of emotions in Jackie. When it looks like things are moving at a quick and serious pace between Nasira and Harlan that doesn’t sit right with Jackie.

While Jackie is the main character, occasionally the story alternates to another character’s perspective. And because of that, in my opinion the thriller elements of the story fall flat as there really isn’t much excitement or anything that is unpredictable. The second half of the story veers into convoluted mess territory. I kept asking the question, why? and even though the author provides some backstories for certain characters, it just wasn’t enough to satisfy me. It definitely didn’t help that I never felt all that invested in Jackie as a character. She felt more like a caricature rather than a realistic character. Perhaps if I could have gotten on board with her, the rest of the story would have worked better for me.

I wish the story would have just stuck with a woman dealing with her feelings towards an ex plot rather than turning it more into a thriller. I think the author left a lot on the table to explore in regards to that and in the end the story didn’t reach its full potential.

Sonja Yoerg’s STORIES WE NEVER TOLD is a wonderfully written, page-turning, character-driven book that I had a hard time putting down. The author immerses us in the world of behavioral and psychological research, where it is obvious Ms. Yoerg has spent quite a bit of time researching psychology herself, to get her characters spot on. Superbly written with plenty of twists to keep you guessing as to what’s going to happen, you are bound to love this one. Pick up your copy and then thank me later!

A sinister page-turner!
In Jackie, Harlan & Miles, Sonja Yoerg has created a triangle of characters that are surprising and compelling. A cautionary tale about trusting – and mistrusting – the wrong people altogether.

This book was great. It’s my first time reading this author & I was impressed. The characters are easy to get invested in. The plot was fast moving & had a few turns that kept me thinking. I ended up reading this in a day because I had to know how it turned out.

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