This was my first book by Sonja Yoerg and I went in a bit blind. I'm not usually one for domestic suspense so I struggled a bit with Jackie's story, putting it down for long periods to read something that didn't twist my insides and confuse me.

Stories We Never Told didn't produce a single likable character. Each had deep flaws that only became more apparent as the story continued. Jackie, though a Doctor of Psychology, was a bit of a mess and had a real inability to recognize red flags in her relationships and especially her own actions. She proved to be an incredibly frustrating protagonist.

I enjoyed the method Yoerg used to tell this tale, though I'm not sure why the intern's backstory was included. It seemed to detract from the story and the feeling of dread that she was intent on subjecting me to.

Ultimately, I liked how it was told but the story itself left me with a sick feeling in my stomach that had me reaching for antacids. It is a testament to Yoerg's ability to weave a story that sticks with readers weeks beyond reading the last page. I still feel a bit queasy when I think about it.

I recommend this for readers that love domestic suspense and thrillers.

2.5*
Ooh, I’m not sure what to say here.

The premise was intriguing. Jackie is a psychology professor who isn’t quite over her ex-lover... he also happens to be her colleague. Awkward! When he invites a ‘friend’ to dinner, Jackie is far from prepared over this little surprise, questioning whether she’s ready to share her ex with anyone!

Again, provocative premise but never delivered. This was my first read by this author, but the writing seemed to lose direction. No surprises, and by the end it just fell flat.

A buddy read with Susanne .

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC to read and review.

I loved this book. I read it in one sitting as I do when the story pulls me in immediately as this briliant thriller did. Love, obsession and uncovering truths that we may not want to know about the people in our lives drives this intense and perfectly paced story. I highly recommend it! 5 stars

What happens when you Never get over your Ex? Obsession, that’s what!

“Stories We Never Told” is a wild tale of jealousy and obsession that runs amok for Psychology Professor Jackie Strelitz. Married to Miles for the last two years, she thought she was over her ex-boyfriend Harlan Crispin. That is until they meet him for dinner and he invites his new girlfriend, Nasira, who just happens to be Jackie’s PostDoc.

Jackie is raging with jealousy, which surprises and vexes her, yet she can’t stop herself. Turns out she’s not the only one.

Unresolved feelings sure are a Stinker sometimes aren’t they? Poor Jackie! I almost feel bad for you. Almost.

“Stories We Never Told” by Sonja Yoerg is a crazy domestic suspense that will keep you turning the pages as fast as you can, desperate to get to the end. It is a wholly different novel than the other books I’ve read by this author and is sure to entertain readers who enjoy domestic thrillers.

This was another buddy read with Kaceey!

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Sonja Yoerg for the arc.

Published on Goodreads on 6.23.20.

Nasira Amari is graceful, intelligent and young, as well as becoming a valued member of Jackie’s work team. However, Nasira is also the new girlfriend of Jackie’s ex-lover, and colleague Harlan Crispin. Jackie is a psychology professor and knows, rationally, that this shouldn’t bother her. She has it all; a great career, wonderful husband and a full, rich life. However, little things start to bother her. When they were together, Harlan was a stickler for work rules, for the full five years and it limited their relationship. Now he seems to be breaking all the rules and Jackie can’t understand why. What’s so special about Nasira? Jackie’s curiosity about the couple starts to become obsessive. Is everything in this new relationship as it seems? Is Jackie about to find out that she is not the only one why can’t let go.

This is full of mystery and suspense and definitely keeps you reading. With each revelation it becomes more compelling.

However, I did get a little lost in all the subplots and description here and there. I felt a bit bombarded by issues such as ADHD, sociopathy, AIDS and Syrian refugees to name four. I did go to sleep a little during all the IT information too. Different characters had their own chapters too, this didn’t always move the story forward or help it flow. Despite these little grumbles I thought it was a good debut, that mostly kept me engaged and interested with the central theme of obsession.

Sonja is a tall poppy and fully connects with her readers. This was my first of her novels and wont be my last. She is amazing as an author and as a person

STORIES WE NEVER TOLD by Sonja Yoerg was somewhat of a disappointment. The characters fell flat for me, a lot was just too unbelievable for me to invest in the characters.

Jackie is married to Miles, Harlan is her ex-lover and colleague. Jackie, Miles and Harlaqn are friends, they have managed to be civil and socialize often. When Harlan brings a date on one of their outings, things change for Jackie though she has been married to Miles for a couple of years. Nasira is Harlan’s date and Jackie’s student. Jackie has a difficult time handling Harlan’s relationship with Nasira, it appears Harlan is giving Nasira everything Jackie wanted from him before their break-up.

I think this book tried too hard to be a psychological thriller. As a reader of the thriller genre I felt this book lacked the elements of a good thriller but could have been a good character focused story. For that reason, I will definitely read something else by Ms. Yoerg as I enjoyed her writing style just not her handling of the subject.

A good book for people who like psychological thrillers and suspense. The characters are well written and complex. This story is very different from the author’s other novels.

Maybe it's just me, but this book was really a disappointment to me. I didn't like any of the characters, the pacing was slow, the writing jumped all over the place, and it just didn't seem realistic. The premise of the book sounded good but it just seemed to meander all over the place. Maybe I'm missing something but it just wasn't for me.

I couldn’t put this one down! Seriously, I read it while I was making dinner, waiting in line for coffee, bathing my son... it’s a great suspenseful novel! One of the elements that made it a favorite for me was the detailed atmosphere of characters in academia. It was obvious that the author had a background in the subject matter interest of the main character (turns out she has a PhD in Biological Psychology!) Loved it and would absolutely recommend!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. The writing is wonderful and the plot takes a hold of you from the very beginning. It is definitely a page turner and hard to put down. I gave this book three stars because the "plot twists" I was able to predict but it didn't stop me from enjoying this book at all. The ending was also rather neatly wrapped.

I would highly recommend this book to my patrons who are looking for something to keep them entertained and hold their attention the entire time. I will definitely mark this down as a title that I would recommend or choose for any book club looking for a new read or any book club that I lead.

EXCERPT: Just dinner.

The innocence of the phrase is deceptive, as deceptive as the dinner itself would turn out to be, as Jackie would discover ninety eight days later. Dinner with friends, a table for four. Dinner with people she thought she knew and loved. As it turns out, no one is who she believed they were, least of all herself. So much secrecy, and in its service, so many lies.

ABOUT THIS BOOK: Psychology professor Jackie Strelitz thought she was over her ex-lover and colleague, Harlan Crispin. Why should she care if Harlan springs a new “friend” on her? After all, Jackie has everything she ever wanted: a loving husband and a thriving career. Still, she can’t help but be curious about Harlan’s latest.

Nasira Amari is graceful, smart, and young. Worse, she’s the new member of Jackie’s research team. For five years, Harlan enforced rules limiting his relationship with Jackie. With Nasira he’s breaking every single one. Why her?

Fixated by the couple, Jackie’s curiosity becomes obsession. But she soon learns that nothing is quite what it seems, and that to her surprise—and peril—she may not be the only one who can’t let go.

MY THOUGHTS: I find this a difficult book to review. Reading Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg was like watching a movie that is not particularly interesting to you, but that you can't get up and walk away from because you want to know how it ends.

The basic story line is good. But I felt nothing for any of the characters. For such an intelligent woman, Jackie behaves quite stupidly. And despite all the backstories, I never felt that I got to really know any of them at all. Speaking of the backstories, which were inserted seemingly randomly throughout the story, I thought that the only one that had any merit, any reason to be included, was that of Harlan.

The writing technique is quite dispassionate, detatched. Situations that should have been suspenseful fell flat. This could have been a psychological thriller. It has a definite psychological backbone, but fails as a thriller.

The story is mostly told from the viewpoint of Jackie, and occasionally from that of Harlan, Jackie's ex-lover. Jackie's relationships with Miles - her husband, Harlan, Nasira - Harlan's current lover, and Antonio - Miles son from his first marriage - have all the stability of a rickety country fairground rollercoaster ride, which should make for interesting reading but, in my case, didn't. Maybe it's a case of 'it's me, not the book.'

Definitely a book that I didn't warm to.

😐😐.5

#StoriesWeNeverTold #NetGalley

'The worst lies are the ones you tell yourself.'

THE AUTHOR: I grew up in Stowe, Vermont, the daughter of a ski instructor. In my first incarnation, I was a animal behaviorist who studied learning in blue jays, hyenas and kangaroo rats. I wrote a book about that. Now I make stuff up.

When I'm not writing or pretending to be writing, I run, garden, cook, eat, drink wine, then run some more. My husband and I live in central Virginia with a view of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's quiet and pretty, like Vermont.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

For an explanation of my rating system please refer to my Goodreads.com profile page or the about page on sandysbookaday.wordpress.com

This review and others are also published on Twitter, Amazon, Instagram and Goodreads.com

What an incredible story of love and obsession!
The characters were well written and complex.

Jackie, Harlan and Miles have secrets and trust issues. A triangle of sorts thats a twisty page turner.

I really enjoyed the story and the complexities of how far one will go to keep a secret.

I was given this ARC for an honest review. Thank you to Net galley for giving me this opportunity. As I started this book I thought it was going to lean toward a romance story rather than a thriller. It moved along pretty quickly to much more than my first thought. It was a page turner & I was always anxious to see what was going to happen next. This is my first book by this author & I will be on the lookout for her next book. I may just try to pick up her older ones. I highly recommend this book.

I flew this novel!

I was entranced by this book. I couldn't put it down at all. I think the whole "professor falls in love with a student" is overdone, but Yoerg puts a completely different spin on it! Because in this book.. appearances are quite deceiving. And what you see.. may not actually be the full picture.

I loved, loved, loved Stories We Never Told. Yoerg has a way with words hat is unmatched and an unflinching ability to tell a story.

Highly recommended!

Wow, this book was so good. A really tense psychological drama. I had read #SonjaYoerg’s True Place and loved it, but this was even better. Strong, interesting characters, an interesting look into autism studies, which interested me, because I have a granddaughter with autism, from a gifted storyteller.
Jackie is a doctorate professor in a university in DC, working with graduate students on a intense study. Something has gone wrong with the data, and It could be by someone close to her. This is a story of lies, secrets, relationships, manipulation and control, resulting in a dangerous tense storyline.
This is a novel that will grip you from the first page to the final. I received an ARC for my review. My thanks to #LakeUnionPublishers and #NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Received this book from #NetGalley.

This book tells the story of psychology professor Jackie, who is married to Miles. Jackie works at a university where her ex-boyfriend, Harlan, also works. One night, Jackie and Miles go out to dinner with Harlan who has started dating Jackie's postdoc Nasira. Needless to say Jackie is surprised and becomes slightly obsessed with the couple. Jackie spent 5 years with Harlan and they had a different timeline of dating events than he has with Nasira and Jackie wonders why. Then, someone on Jackie's team discovers that some of her data has been corrupted. All this time Jackie is suspicious that Harlan is using Nasira to get back at her and Miles brushes her off as insecure. She's also becoming insecure about her marriage to Miles because he travels a lot. After her college boyfriend shows up to one of her public talks, her life unravels fast.

This is my second book by Sonja Yoerg. All the Best People was published 3 years ago and I loved it. It was women’s fiction at its finest.

Stories We Never Told is a slow burn psychological suspense. Most of the story is told through Jackie’s pov. A professor of high standings she is soon drawn into a web of mystery, suspicious that threatens not just her mental health but her job as well.

Even though I didn't really connect with the different characters the author kept my attention, she drew me in as I tried to figure out what was going on.

Stories We Never Told is a story of obsession, secrets (oh the secrets), and relationships.

My thanks to the publisher, Lake Union Publishing and Tall Poppy Writers (via Netgalley) for a digital copy in exchange for an honest review.

This was intense and captivating. Every time I picked it up, I was sucked back into the world and the complex psychology of these characters. If I had any nails left, in the midst of this pandemic, I would have bitten them all off while reading this one. It’s both absolutely relatable, and also occasionally horrifying.

A lot of time when I’m reading a thriller, I just think, “Really? Come on, now!” But that never happened with this story, because despite some of the unsettling events and moments, I could always completely relate to the main character. I could see that a lot of the paths she took could have easily been paths I would have taken, and that made reading this even more disturbing.

Genre-wise, this novel was a bit of a change from some of Yoerg’s previous works, but stylistically, it’s absolutely classic Sonja Yoerg, in terms of the vibrant setting, the well-developed characters, the complex relationships, the deep themes of both healthy independence and strengthening ailing relationships, and the overall emotional vibrancy.

I swear if you put a Sonja Yoerg novel in front of me with someone else’s name on it, I would immediately become suspicious of foul play, because she’s such a strong writer and storyteller. However, when I’m caught up reading, I don’t even notice that. It’s just such a smooth and immersive reading experience. I get lost in her worlds and characters, but when I pause to really think about the writing and the story, that’s when I realize she should be teaching master classes in how to setup and execute a scene.

Everything she writes is so honest and authentic that I find myself completely invested in the lives of the characters, so much so that I often wish I could pick up the phone and give them all an earful, mid-book.

This novel is darker, twistier, and a bit more chilling than some of the previous Yoerg novels. It had me second guessing myself almost all the way through. It’s written in a nonlinear format that is absolute perfection. It doesn’t have that choppy feeling that some nonlinear stories do. Yoerg does a great job of smoothly transitioning forward and backward in time. I got enough information and story from each chapter and section that I felt fully immersed in the story, and I didn’t suffer any of the whiplash that I sometimes get from nonlinear stories, when they suddenly jolt me forward or backward in time before I had gotten settled in the current moment. The transitions in this story are all logical and flawless, and the skips backward were so helpful in understanding why the story was moving forward on its current trajectory.

I liked this book so much, that even though I was given a free ARC to read and review before publication date (coming May 1!), I still went back and picked it up as a Kindle First Read and then also preordered the audiobook. So basically, I have put my money where my mouth is on this one, and if you like stories that are a bit psychologically dark, emotional, and full of complicated characters, relationships, and situations, then you’re going to love this one. I suggest that you get your hands on a copy as soon as it releases on May 1, just PSA: please don’t leave your house to do that, unless absolutely necessary, in light of the current COVID 19 situation.

And also, wash your hands! It won’t remove the ick that you’re going to feel while reading some of the twisted moments in this story, but it is far better to have an icky mind than icky hands. Or at least I thought that was true, until I just wrote it out and had to read it back to myself. What I meant to say was sometimes you have to suffer through a bit of emotional ick, in order to get to all the other serious feels, which this story is full of. Both the ick and the feels.

Wow! This is a psychological thriller that will make your heart skip beats! I've read other books by Sonja Yoerg but this one is entirely different. I love an author who can cross genre lines and do it in a divine manner! Readers will love this story about a psycho ex boyfriend with a twisted agenda!