“There’s no greater earthly phenomenon than you, in the dark, reading my mind.”

Mona Perry is a headstrong, independent and devoted podcast creator, uploading 30 minute segments about mysterious disappearances. Falling off the face of the earth once again to do three whole months worth of research on a case, one that is withheld from her passionate audience, one that she will stop at nothing to solve. In fact, she seems to care more about solving this - and other - mysteries, than the ones right in front of her, within her own life.

Rising star Roxy Raines went missing three decades ago, and her disappearance both eluded and haunted every single resident of Sandown Bay, a quaint and unusual island. The people of this island are adamant there is nothing to this case, she was merely yet another teenage runaway, and had put it behind them.

But Mona did not agree, and she refused to leave this island empty handed - without the truth of what really happened to Roxy Raines. And thus begins the start of her mystery - and it’s one that she will never forget.

I was a huge fan of ‘The Truth About Keeping Secrets’ when I read it last year, so being able to read this book early was a massive excitement. I had so many high expectations, and I wasn’t let down in the slightest.

The characters were all so complex and raw, each of them had such distinct personalities and deep flaws, and the relationships were just so perfectly curated.

Savannah Brown’s writing had me deeply invested and perplexed throughout the entirety of the novel, which I couldn’t put down and read in just one sitting.

The mystery of Roxy Raines that lies within this outstanding and visceral novel will stick with me for a long time!

I was provided a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley and I’m extremely grateful to Savannah and her team for allowing me the opportunity to do so!

4.5/5 stars collectively, would most definitely reread.

What happened to Roxy Raine? Armed with her podcast equipment and a summer job on the isolated island of Sandown where Roxy disappeared thirty years ago, this is the question seventeen-year-old Mona wants to answer.

Savannah Brown has written the perfect YA novel. Fast paced, character driven and laced with such beautiful prose, The Things We Don’t See climbed its way to the top of my favourite 2020 books within the first 100 pages.

There is so much to praise here. Featuring a cast of characters so well imagined and written, I didn’t want to let any of them go. Set on the seemingly mundane island of Sandown, Brown’s setting acts as almost an additional character, something alive and vital to the story. Set over the course of two summertime weeks, Brown writes in such an addictive way; each sentence lingered in my head long after I had moved on to the next page.

Part mystery, part coming-of-age, part examination of trauma and family, The Things We Don’t See should be read by teenagers and adults alike. This is YA at its very best.

The only thing I love more than a true crime podcast is a book about a true crime podcast. I would consider myself a true crime connoisseur which is how I know this book as a winner. It takes a fictional story and makes it seem real.

"There’s a shadow in me that doesn’t waver.

The eternal tar-dripped facet of my personhood. I could make myself whatever I wanted to be, were it not for the trauma – a chameleon always outed by the shadow, marked by the same dark matter.

I fight my way out. If I’m locked in, I jemmy the lock. If I’m lost in the woods, I draw a map."

Mona Perry is, at least to her regular and devoted podcast listeners, CAP. Under this name she has been recording and uploading consistent 30-minute episodes, each revolving around a different disappearance. Now she has announced a three-month hiatus as she resolves to solve the one that has been most haunting her. Rumours fly about just what this is but Mona resolves to reveal nothing until the mystery has been solved. Mona has her own mysteries that seem determined to never reveal themselves, but perhaps she can do some good in the wold by putting everything into solving others.

Mona was an independent and headstrong protagonist and I enjoyed witnessing her battle against any object in her path, as she fought for the truth. She was not, however, a character devoid of flaws. Her stubborn nature and quickly-rising emotions revealed themselves in the inability to consider the feelings of others and often putting herself directly in harm's way without considering the consequences of doing so. She was prickly and difficult but with a good heart and a past that made her character flaws an understandable part of her healing process.

The mystery she was bent on unearthing had almost every other island inhabitant wary of her character and dubious of her intentions. Perhaps this was a justified response to a teen girl entering their community and casting suspicions on everyone she met there. It made for an interesting journey to the truth though, and ensured the reader was aligned with Mona in her mistrust of the community.

I had my own suspicions, which were also shared by Mona and proven incorrect about three-quarters of the way into the novel. From there, the story-line was one involving a cacophony of high-action, higher intrigue, and a battle against both the elements and the island itself, which seemed to have joined the community in distancing Mona from the truth. When it was eventually revealed it was far from the result I had anticipated. It all made sense and tied all previous narrative threads together, but I found myself wanting for a few more pages, before the inevitable conclusion, for some still-raised questions I had to be fully answered.

The Things We Don't See is Savannah Brown's second mystery novel: I loved the first so much that I was incredibly eager to read this! It follows Mona, who dedicates her time to exploring missing persons cases. One in particular has always haunted her - that of Roxy Raines, an extraordinary musician who disappeared seemingly without a case. Employing a level of subterfuge, Mona finds a way to escape to the island that was once home to Roxy, in an attempt to discover the answers. However, the island has held tightly to it's secrets - just as Mona has held tightly to hers - and neither of them are willing to face the truth just yet.

This novel started really brilliantly. The 'podcast' genre has been very popular in recent years, and I think that's absolutely justified, as it seems to never fail to produce an excellent read! That being said, I wish this one had utilised the podcast a little more.

I was gripped from the start, there were so many layers to the mystery here, and I raced through to try and get an answer to all of my questions. However, I think it lost momentum, and I was eventually reading not so much out of pleasure, but more to see how far it would go - and it went pretty far, I found the final reveals a little too far-fetched I think. I guess there was a clever mix of foreshadowing and surprise, but it didn't really feel that way.

A really strong element of this book for me was Mona's character - I liked the hardened, almost cold nature she had, and I enjoyed getting to know her background. I also really liked the way she interacted with her room-mate and the boy on the island (I'm hopeless with names!), but I wish there had been more of that. Mostly, I found the way she set about getting her answers pretty ridiculous and very obvious! - she did some rather absurd things, which impacted the realism of the book.

Overall, this was an interesting read, and definitely a unique addition to the world of YA thriller/mystery. It wasn't as good as Brown's first, but I am still looking forwards to what she writes next.

I’ve been a fan of Savannah’s work for a long time now, since before she published her first poetry collection, Graffiti, in 2016 and I have to say she’s only getting better and better. I read her first novel The Truth About Keeping Secrets last year and loved it so was very excited to be approved for an ARC of this on NetGalley. I knew I’d probably finish this one fairly quickly as I was familiar with Savannah’s simple, yet achingly beautiful style which is super accessible and perfect for YA. However, I’m not sure I expected to devour it quite as fast as I did. This book is unbelievably pacy and with twists and turns in every direction I could not put it down because I needed to know what happened next. Right up to the end I still wasn’t sure I knew what had happened to Roxy and I was just as confused and terrified as Mona. The fact that Mona is an intensely unreliable and at times unlikeable narrator should be off-putting, but somehow you find yourself still rooting for her to discover the truth every step of the way. If you’re a fan of mysteries, true crime podcasts, or just beautiful writing definitely pick this up when it’s out on 24th June!

Ever since finishing 'The Truth About Keeping Secrets' I have been excited for Savannah's next novel, and I was not disappointed!
The characters in 'The Things We Don't See' are what makes the story, they all have complexity to them drawing you to have almost a love/hate relationship with the majority of them. Each character is flawed, but this is a perfect reflection of what small areas such as Sandown Bay are like; even if they appear as one friendly community, everyone has their secrets which is made apparent from the very beginning. The relationships between the characters in the book are also very complex, especially between the trio of Mona, Peyton and Ellis which is explored throughout the story too.
Alongside the characters, I did become very attached to the setting and its mysteries, the setting was so perfect for this storyline and is a major part of the plot, even though it has its issues I still feel like I want to see it all for myself.
'The Things We Don't See' is just a brilliant book, it had me gripped to the point where I couldn't put it down until I'd finished. If you're into mysteries then I would thoroughly recommend it! There are many twists and turns and as soon as you think you've cracked it... I promise you, you haven't!

Hey Savannah, you've done it again!! THE THINGS WE DON'T SEE feels wildly visceral and real, with utterly believable characters, dialogue and chemistry, intertwined with BEAUTIFUL prose that reels you in and then punches you in the face. I raced through this, especially towards the end, when I also got swallowed up by the island but in the best possible way.

After previously reading and loving Savannah Brown’s other novel (and poetry collections!), I was delighted to get an ARC of this from NetGalley!
I absolutely adored this book. From the first page the writing is wonderful and the setting is so incredibly vivid. Brown manages to make the reader feel as if they themselves are in the claustrophobic Sandown. This high standard of prose is constant throughout the book.
The characters were intriguing and well developed. The main character, Mona, was difficult and stubborn and particularly compelling. Her roommate, Peyton, provided a balance to Mona and their dynamic is something I enjoyed. Ellis, their friend on the island who gets involved in the mystery too, is delightful.
The book thoughtfully explores trauma and how it shapes our identity, unravelling Mona’s past and the disappearance of her sister while she searches for another disappeared girl. The constant exploration of the effects of Celeste's disappearance on Mona were well done. I also appreciated that I didn’t guess the truth about what had happened with either disappearance. Additionally, the commentary on how true crime sleuths affect those who know the victims was interesting and valuable.