This book broke my heart, and left me in an emotional wreck. It was so good, with characters that had me by the heartstrings. Can not recommend enough.

the premise was certainly compelling and relevant but the execution didn't particularly grab me. i'm sure other readers will be able to find this much more heart-rendering and involving that i was able to.

Mesmerising and haunting, these are the best words I can use to describe this amazing book.
All that’s left unsaid tells the story of Ky as she tries to discover the true sequence of events that led to her brother’s murder in a closed off community where a culture of mistrust in the police force means she has to take matters into her own hands.
The word community was used a lot in this harrowing tale however it seemed that everyone in Kys orbit felt trapped and alone at the same time. Her entire world and of those around her was full of pain, raw , gritty and deep cutting pain.
Whilst most of us (me included) have gone through the pain of growing apart from childhood friends and have experienced the pain and loss , this book took that concept to a whole new level of pain.
The book was full to the brim of loss and loneliness . It appeared to me that no one in this book felt truly able to connect to anyone around them and each had their own sense of guilt about the decisions they had made. And although by this point your probably thinking jeez lauren this sounds like the most depressing read of the year it wasn’t. Because at the heart of it there was always a glimmer of hope.
And although it became quite apparent early on that there would be no fairy tale outcome the ending was real, and human and certainly did not disappoint. The story is a little slow to start but stick with it and you wont be disappointed, I for one cant wait to read more from this talented author!

When Ky Ran returns home for the funeral of her murdered brother, she cannot understand why nobody saw anything. A tale of racism that doesn't just focus on the journey to find the killer. I found the book over sharing in detail and it just didn't grab my attention.

I enjoyed reading the story of Ky and her regrets, doubts and how she was trying to find out the truth about the night that changed everything in her life.

The pre-published reviews were most promising. One describes the novel as gripping. The premise is intriguing: it starts with a simple phone conversation between Ky's parents and daughter Ky. Should brother Denny (Ky's brother) be allowed out to celebrate his graduation? They agree to the celebration but Denny is murdered at a Sydney restaurant. Ky returns for the funeral and starts to investigate her brother's death. Disturbing revelations follow.
I enjoyed the first few chapters but then the pace dropped and I found it far from gripping. At this point, I gave up but came back to it again after reading another favourable review. I delved further into the story. but I struggled with the back stories which were far from the "gripping" description promised.
Sorry, but despite all the good reviews, this novel did not appeal to me!
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I enjoyed this books but it did drag for me halfway. The chapters were quite long so the pace got lost for me. I found the plot really intriguing and I wanted to find out what happened to Denny. Overall, a thought provoking read

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An interesting, yet heartbreaking book . Quite thought provoking. A recommended read.

I thought this book started off well but then it kind of got lost on me. This was more character focused than plot and I understand some readers enjoy that but I prefer a faster pace with plot twists so sadly I did not love this like I hoped to.

Thank you to #NetGalley and #HQ for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

After reading a couple of chapters towards the end of September I came back to this afresh, and though it felt brief there was plenty to consider.
The plot focuses on the older sister of teenage Denny who goes out to celebrate the end of school and is killed in a local restaurant. His parents refuse an autopsy - believing that what’s done is done - and nobody there will tell the police anything. His older sister returns to her childhood home to try and speak to the witnesses and see if she can uncover the truth about that night.
While the spotlight is on the murder, the background to Denny and his family has to be known to make sense of events. What we soon learn is that the heroin epidemic that swept their town impacts the lives of many on the periphery. Nobody could have foreseen the sad events of that night, but it is clear that everyone involved made choices and sometimes those choices do not fully reveal their consequences until much later.
Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this in advance of publication.

This was a very original and moving story. It took me a while to get into it but I am glad I persevered because it was beautifully thoughtaout and well written. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this novel.

Not a book I book that could get into. I kept picking the book up but the storyline did not absorb me enough to want to keep reading. Perhaps I need a faster pace from a crime novel. However , I am sure it will be a popular read for a wide audience.

Oh my heart! This was such a powerful read and gripped me from the get-go. I am thoroughly enjoying the establishment of the genre of Australian crime, but how unique was this extraordinarily good offering from Tracey Lien. The backdrop is the integration of Vietnamese immigrants in Australia. When Denny, one family's much cherish teenage son is brutally murdered in a Vietnamese restaurant the local police get nowhere in determining what really happened. Denny's journalist sister, Ky, returns home for the funeral and starts digging to determine what really happened to her brother. The clash of culture and in turn brave yet awkward lives of the community who try and fit in combined with Ky's laser beam focus on determining what or who killed her brother made this a heartbreakingly brilliant read. I LOVED IT.

Wow! What an incredible debut. This is a multi-layered, deeply moving novel about grief and youth and what it's like being an outsider. I cannot believe this is Tracey Lien's first novel.. I will be recommending this book to everyone!

I was utterly gripped by this brilliant book from start to finish. On the surface it’s a straightforward and compelling mystery about what happened the night Denny Tran was killed and why. However, beneath the surface there is so much more going on here. Lien writes with an unflinching power about the struggles of refugees trying to assimilate to life in Australia and the way they have to fight against years of generational trauma and violence, not to mention the discrimination or passivity they are forced to endure from the authorities. All That’s Left Unsaid is razor sharp with wit, intelligence and a great deal of poignancy in the way it so expertly portrays the community of Cabramatta. It is set in the 1990’s which is skilfully woven into the story with references and cultural influences. This is also a story about family and what it means to different people. The narrative follows Denny’s sister Ky as she searches for the truth about her brother’s violent death, but her narrative is interrupted occasionally with chapters from the viewpoint of the silent witnesses to Denny’s murder. This gives the story an incredible multilayered complexity that forces the reader to understand the numerous factors at play in the lives of these characters. Moving, thought provoking, unflinching and heartbreaking, I couldn’t recommend All That’s Left Unsaid more highly.

This book is a fascinating insight into second generation Vietnamese culture after the parents have escaped Vietnam following the end of the war. It is based in a true location of a suburb outside Sydney which has many Vietnamese refugees living among the Australian white community. The story centres around Ky whose straight A student brother was murdered one evening while celebrating his high school graduation and where 17 other people were present. No one saw anything apparently and Ky sets out to find out what happened to her brother and why. This book is not a fast paced murder mystery or a police procedural book but it is beautifully written and explores relationships between friends and family. It also covers prejudice from both the Australian versus Vietnamese but also the first generation refugees and their struggle to bring up their children in the Vietnamese way but within the confines of Australia.

An excellent debut with some very interesting characters. The plot is not just a sister investigating why her brother had been killed and who killed him but much more a vivid and often hard to read description of Vietnamese immigrants in Australia. Add that to how the difference between the generations is very well told and you’ve got the whole.
I did enjoy it but I didn’t find it was one I couldn’t put down. Maybe a bit repetitive so that took away some of my interest.

Tracey Lien's debut novel takes us through the lives of a Vietnamese family and their circle of acquaintances as they come to terms with the violent murder of their beloved Denny.

When a young Vietnamese Boy Denny, is brutally murdered for no apparent reason in a bustling restaurant there are no witnesses . Denny's parents refuse a postmortem. His sister Ky a journalist returns to Cabramatta, a Sydney suburb to seek some answers. What happened that night ? Why doesn't anyone come forward? In an area stricken with migrants ,poverty and a severe heroine epidemic does anyone care? Ky is determined to uncover a past and present that might lead her to solve her brothers murder.A gradual series of family events reveal themselves in a page turning quest to seek the truth. Themes of loss, grief and displacement depict a family torn with grief and survival .

A richly narrative text with heavily drawn characters this was a profound insight into the cultural differences and prejudice Vietnamese migrants face when trying to integrate into Australian society.

I would recommend this debut and perfect for those who enjoy a slow burn mystery with some family drama. If you enjoyed similar books from Celeste Ng and Brit Bennet this is one for your radar.

Sincere thanks to NetGalley for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. This a tough and gritty read, difficult to read at times. But a really great debut covering very topical issues.

A heartbreaking and thought provoking book about family, racism, grief. There's some very sad moment but the author deals with the very tragic plot and topic in an excellent way, always keeping the attention alive.
I throughly love the plot, the characters, and the storytelling.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine