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A review by bbbeth
What July Knew by Emily Koch
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley UK and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC in exchange for a review.
I’m not sure how best to capture what I thought about this book, mostly because I thought it was so brilliant.
The authors writing style is so engaging, I was really hooked in right from the beginning. The imagery scattered throughout was fantastic - the way July describes the slivers of information people tell them about her mother as scarps of fabrics, ribbons buttons, was a favourite of mine in particular.
This was a sad, thrilling, mysterious book. July is a 10 year old girl who just wants to know about her mother, surrounded by adults who will tell her nothing. I got so invested in unravelling the mystery - readers were given just slimmest bits of information, sometimes as July learned them, sometimes from an alternative perspective - the views of the people peripheral to July’s story was another aspect I hugely enjoyed. So many times I thought we were getting to the truth just to be given another tiny hint or flash forward that totally changed everything!
I loved the letters scattered through the story.To begin with, we’re led to believe that they’re from July’s father Mick and her mother Maggie. I suspected early that the prison letters couldn’t be from Mick as it was so different from the nasty character in the 1995 timeline. I didn’t suspect the Mum letters weren’t from Maggie until much later on, then believing they would be from a future July but I was pleasantly surprised to discover it was Sylvie.
I loved the development of July and Sylvie’s relationship. They’re nasty to each other - what siblings aren’t? But at critical times, Sylvie shows her truer character, the one where she fiercely loves July and wants to protect her. I was pleased by the end of the story, where we get a glimpse into a future where their relationship is so strong.
tldr; this is an emotional, but fantastically written mystery about a ten year old girl desperate to understand where she comes from. 5⭐️
I’m not sure how best to capture what I thought about this book, mostly because I thought it was so brilliant.
The authors writing style is so engaging, I was really hooked in right from the beginning. The imagery scattered throughout was fantastic - the way July describes the slivers of information people tell them about her mother as scarps of fabrics, ribbons buttons, was a favourite of mine in particular.
This was a sad, thrilling, mysterious book. July is a 10 year old girl who just wants to know about her mother, surrounded by adults who will tell her nothing. I got so invested in unravelling the mystery - readers were given just slimmest bits of information, sometimes as July learned them, sometimes from an alternative perspective - the views of the people peripheral to July’s story was another aspect I hugely enjoyed. So many times I thought we were getting to the truth just to be given another tiny hint or flash forward that totally changed everything!
I loved the letters scattered through the story.
I loved the development of July and Sylvie’s relationship. They’re nasty to each other - what siblings aren’t? But at critical times, Sylvie shows her truer character, the one where she fiercely loves July and wants to protect her. I was pleased by the end of the story, where we get a glimpse into a future where their relationship is so strong.
tldr; this is an emotional, but fantastically written mystery about a ten year old girl desperate to understand where she comes from. 5⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail