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the_running_reader_'s review against another edition
3.0
I wish the first half was as riveting as the last half.
lschappy's review against another edition
3.0
I would have liked a little more backstory on June’s life while she was gone. Also, I don’t feel her parent’s characters were all that well developed. I never fully got why the family didn’t talk honestly, or why June was banished. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading though.
shmadsie's review against another edition
3.0
3.5. I think I would've loved this more if the podcast had been an actual thing that happened rather than just mentioned as a future project - I don't know what it is, but true crime podcasts splat in the middle of the mystery they're about just thrills me to no end and instead this was just a tease! I figured out who did it about 100 pages from the end (my mom and I were chatting while walking the dogs and I was talking about my book and she asked me who did it and I told her my guess, with the caveat 'but I still don't know why!' and that turned out to be right) but it didn't make the story any less engaging. My least favorite thing was Everett, who felt wholly like a plot device to me, his actions didn't make all that much sense and only worked in line with the story, not in line with what a real person would do. Juniper and Sullivan had chemistry though and I wanted her to repair things with Jonathan so much so there were definitely things I was all in on. All in all, a good story, for sure!
jenfantoni's review against another edition
4.0
Quick and fun read! This was my October BOTM pick and I’m glad I chose it. I did figure out the twist rather early on but I still very much enjoyed the story!
smilesgiggle's review against another edition
5.0
Juniper dreamed of leaving small town Jericho, Iowa. Her dear friend, Cora, needs help with the town library - her cancer is spreading. Juniper packs up to face the life she ditched. Including her teenage daughter.
15 years earlier, Juniper's neighbors were shot in what appeared to be a crime of passion. Juniper's brother, Jonathan, was the main suspect. The only suspect.
Desperate to clear his name, Juniper falls back into Jericho- hoping to put her all wrongs right.
15 years earlier, Juniper's neighbors were shot in what appeared to be a crime of passion. Juniper's brother, Jonathan, was the main suspect. The only suspect.
Desperate to clear his name, Juniper falls back into Jericho- hoping to put her all wrongs right.
maryv13's review against another edition
2.0
The reason for me this is two stars is because I feel like the description of what the book was about what not completely accurate and parts that I grabbed me when reading the description did not end up being large parts of the story. Also I thought it would be more about trying to solve the murder but to me that only seemed to happen at the last 100 pages. It just seemed like the book had too many things going on and the main thing solving the murder got lost with the other story lines. If it’s on your TBR give it a shot because it’s not a poorly written book but I would not outright suggest it, there are better thrillers out there.
webbhkg's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
jenpaul13's review against another edition
3.0
A last summer hurrah before going away to college turns in to a deadly event whose truth has remained hidden for years but may soon come to light in Nicole Baart’s Everything We Didn’t Say.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Juniper Baker is preparing to leave her hometown of Jericho, Iowa for college but is happy to bask in one last summer with her family and friends. Slowly drawn in to a summer romance that’s kept secret, Juniper’s world changes on the Fourth of July, when her neighbors, Cal and Beth Murphy, were murdered on their farm; her younger brother Jonathan is the prime suspect as his fingerprints were on the gun that killed the Murphys and he stood over Cal’s body when police arrived, despite him having called 911 and the alibi provided by Juniper. When she left town, Juniper promised not to return, but fourteen and a half years later she does so she can help an ill friend manage the library, repair her relationship with her daughter, Willa, being raised by Juniper’s mother and stepfather, and to solve the Murphy case before a podcaster is able to uncover the truth and beat her to it.
A slow-burning narrative that has an explosively quick conclusion with a focus on family drama and small town community politics, the story splits between the present that threatens to bring to the past that’s not been talked about to light. It was an interesting, and somewhat disorienting, choice to have both first person and third person narration for the story for the same character, with first person for the past and third person for the present; this created a distancing that further obscured the withheld truth and made the flow rather choppy. There’s an abundance of secrets being kept and the silence of the various characters exaccerbates the situations to a dangerous boiling point as a result; while it’s reasonable to expect that some secrets are kept from people, the sheer number and varying importance of some of these secrets became unbelievable to be realistic and was simply too much, particularly as the divulging of these secrets as clues of the mystery was a molasses-slow trickle. While an explanation could be made as to the difference as Juniper’s not been physically present for most of her daughter’s life, it’s strange to have Willa described as both a 13 and 14 year old girl – it really can only be one but the text is rather flexible with this fact; the relationship dynamic between these two didn’t feel developed or explained enough for readers to be compelled to root for Juniper’s desire of an improved relationship.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
Juniper Baker is preparing to leave her hometown of Jericho, Iowa for college but is happy to bask in one last summer with her family and friends. Slowly drawn in to a summer romance that’s kept secret, Juniper’s world changes on the Fourth of July, when her neighbors, Cal and Beth Murphy, were murdered on their farm; her younger brother Jonathan is the prime suspect as his fingerprints were on the gun that killed the Murphys and he stood over Cal’s body when police arrived, despite him having called 911 and the alibi provided by Juniper. When she left town, Juniper promised not to return, but fourteen and a half years later she does so she can help an ill friend manage the library, repair her relationship with her daughter, Willa, being raised by Juniper’s mother and stepfather, and to solve the Murphy case before a podcaster is able to uncover the truth and beat her to it.
A slow-burning narrative that has an explosively quick conclusion with a focus on family drama and small town community politics, the story splits between the present that threatens to bring to the past that’s not been talked about to light. It was an interesting, and somewhat disorienting, choice to have both first person and third person narration for the story for the same character, with first person for the past and third person for the present; this created a distancing that further obscured the withheld truth and made the flow rather choppy. There’s an abundance of secrets being kept and the silence of the various characters exaccerbates the situations to a dangerous boiling point as a result; while it’s reasonable to expect that some secrets are kept from people, the sheer number and varying importance of some of these secrets became unbelievable to be realistic and was simply too much, particularly as the divulging of these secrets as clues of the mystery was a molasses-slow trickle. While an explanation could be made as to the difference as Juniper’s not been physically present for most of her daughter’s life, it’s strange to have Willa described as both a 13 and 14 year old girl – it really can only be one but the text is rather flexible with this fact; the relationship dynamic between these two didn’t feel developed or explained enough for readers to be compelled to root for Juniper’s desire of an improved relationship.
krystal_lacelle's review against another edition
4.0
This was my first Nicole Baart novel and I really enjoyed it! A murder in a small town, still unsolved after 14 years, main suspect isn’t who did it but someone is set on proving so. Written during 2 time periods.
I think the one missed opportunity was to hear more about the podcast, the reason Juniper felt the need to spend some real time back in her hometown, to find the maker. There just weren’t many details about what exactly was being said in the podcast. I always enjoy a dual timeline story, and this was done well. The build up was a bit slow but exciting enough to keep turning those pages. The characters were interesting and likeable… except Ashley, you’re going to like her. A bit of love and whole lot of mystery!
I think the one missed opportunity was to hear more about the podcast, the reason Juniper felt the need to spend some real time back in her hometown, to find the maker. There just weren’t many details about what exactly was being said in the podcast. I always enjoy a dual timeline story, and this was done well. The build up was a bit slow but exciting enough to keep turning those pages. The characters were interesting and likeable… except Ashley, you’re going to like her. A bit of love and whole lot of mystery!
wildreaderkim's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0