No One Can Know

I was a huge fan of Marshall's first book, What Lies In the Woods, so I was really excited for this one. Alas, this isn't her strongest. It starts off incredibly strong–we see some of the hallmarks present in WLITW (a scrappy heroine who with chronically low self-esteem and a partner/spouse so insidiously manipulative, so toxic and passive aggressive, that Marshall must, I'm sure, be writing from experience).

The plot is extremely compelling: family secrets, sisters, fake Satanic panic.

But I found the end of the book was extremely unsatisfying, even confusing. The answers of what happened that night are frustrating and, somehow, the twist doesn't feel earned.

 There are so many consecutive “ok, here's what really happened” scenes from different POVs dripping small pieces of information that when the book FINALLY establishes the truth (sort of), you're just tired from having run through all these alternate scenarios that made sense but apparently didn't happen. The determination to have a pretty complex set of twists and side plots came at the expense of further exploration of these fantastic characters. 

The good: The characterization is realistic and strong– each sister copes with her situation in her own way. And this is definitely a page turner. But by the end, the book employs this “is what actually happened really that impt? idk lol” vibe that I didn't care for. We needed more insight into the girls' mother instead of wondering at her potential motivations. And the fraud/police corruption angle was really underdeveloped.  

So enjoyable and compelling to read but the end fell flat for me. But I'm still a fan of Marshall and will definitely read her next books. 

3.5 stars rounded up.This was a pretty good mystery thriller and the ending made me nod with knowledge of how I'd been right about Daphne being the killer the whole time. The middle of the book was slower paced but by the end with Hadley it had picked up again. Would be willing to give this author another go.

This book was okay. It didn't feel absolutely riveting, for that I can't give it 4 stars. Let's say 3-3.5 stars. The “who did it” changed towards the end constantly and it didn't feel like this grand reveal, it just left me confused with the actual outcome. That's okay, I'm sure a lot of people would like this book. I think thrillers just aren't for me.


Parts that made me laugh:

Page 233
“Your cousin is attempting to communicate with me through a strange runic language,” she said as Gabriel stepped out.
“Those are emojis, Nana,” Gabriel said.

Page 163
“But every other part of his life was recorded, uploaded, and captioned. He followed celebrities on Twitter and replied like they actually wanted to hear his witty rejoinders and compliments”
I LOL'd, this one was so relatable I had to laugh at myself.



Things that rubbed me the wrong way

This one was really hard to rate. It started off SO SLOW. I almost DNF'd it a handful of times because I didn't know if it was worth it. It took over 200 pages for it to actually start getting interesting. I also guessed the killer the entire book. I knew who it was. Even with the fake twist I still knew who it was the whole time. The last 100ish pages did keep me glued and I liked that they tried to do a twist within a twist, I would have rated it higher if I didn't know the killer the whole time. But I just can't rate it higher because of how slow the burn was.

I don't know exactly how I feel about this one. There were a lot of parts of this that felt unrealistic. They kept things a secret because no one would believe them, but I think they would have been believed. The twist(s) weren't that surprising. I think I liked the end though and the process of getting to the end was entertaining.

The dislike I had for Nate and Emma's forgiveness of him really took away from how good this book could have been. He was so ridiculous, but then the reason why is all revealed, but it didn't make me like the book more.

Can't say that I loved the mystery in this one, but I can deny how much I love Kate Alice Marshall's writing. I will definitely pick up more books from her.

4.5 stars, rounded down. The twists and turns in this until the very last page.
Sooo good!

Family Drama
In “No One Can Know” by Kate Alice Marshall, the lives of Juliet, Emma, and Daphne take an unexpected turn when they reunite after years of silence surrounding the mysterious events of their parents' apparent murder. The family home remains frozen in time, holding the secrets of that fateful night. Emma and her husband, Nathan, move back in desperation, setting off a chain of events filled with murder and hidden truths.

While the initial half of the book unfolds slowly, the narrative gains momentum with a pivotal event, making it impossible to put down. The continuous twists keep readers on the edge, challenging their assumptions about “who done it.” The strategic shifts in perspectives and timelines add to the suspense, creating a narrative that is both unpredictable and engaging. The characters, bound by a shared history of abusive parents, find strength in their sibling connection as they reconcile and rebuild trust.

The story does have moments of exaggeration, particularly in the portrayal of the antagonists and some dramatic twists. However, the overall experience is enjoyable and captivating. The exploration of sibling bonds adds depth to the narrative, offering a poignant reflection on the impact of shared trauma.

One noteworthy aspect is the skilled narration, with the classic tone of the narrator enhancing the storytelling. The ability to portray various voices, especially the male characters, adds an extra layer of immersion. Navigating changing perspectives can be challenging for a narrator, but the execution here is commendable.

In conclusion, “No One Can Know” delivers a compelling and entertaining tale, blending suspense, family dynamics, and a touch of the unreal. The book is a gripping read that keeps the audience guessing until the very end. Special thanks to NetGalley for providing the Advanced Readers' Copy, allowing readers to delve into this captivating mystery.

3.5

I think the three sisters were interesting characters, especially in the past perspectives, and I liked the flashback chapters to understand what their home life was like as children and how their parents treated them. Their home life was really sad and abusive, but I found that past timeline more interesting than the present timeline of trying to uncover the secrets of what happened many years ago. The ending and resolution to the mystery had a lot going on, and I thought the ending was pretty average.

I would still recommend for those who love thrillers where the character returns to their hometown and past secrets are being uncovered.

Thanks to Netgalley and Flatiron Books for an early copy in exchange for a review!

Everybody is calling this heart-pounding, thrilling, and edge of your seat and I'm just confused. This book was dull. So very, very dull and repetitive. I'm starting to feel that people are only reviewing books to NetGalley positively to get more freebies and suck up to the publishers, WHICH DESTROYS THE POINT OF ARCS!
Anyway, back to No One Can Know.
I'm going to save you the time without explicitly telling you spoilers: everything is exactly what you think. There are no twists. If you have a suspicion about anything, yay! You are correct.
Rounding up from a 1.5 to a 2 because it wasn't offensively bad, just not very good.

This was such a joy to read. I could really see this play out on screen in my mind. The suspenseful drive this book had was great. One minute you think you know who's behind everything and then something else gets added to the equation to make you second guess yourself. All in all it came to be a very satisfying read. I highly recommend.

i really liked this it kept me intrigued the whole time and the plot twist was really good! definitely a solid read!