What's Left Unsaid Book Reviews

Today with Shelf Indulgence, we're lucky enough to have many book review's for the wonderful Emily Bleeker and her new book What's Left Unsaid. Our book club was able to read it MONTH's before it's launch so we want you to be as excited as we are. We have our discussion with Emily herself scheduled for June 6th. For now, here is what we thought...

I was so incredibly grateful to work with Emily Bleeker to set up an advance reading book club session for the book What’s Left Unsaid. We received physical and digital copies of the book for each of the members interested in diving in. It’s the first physical copy of a book that I’ve picked up in a long time and I must say I loved having the tangible story and pages to grip onto as I read and things kicked up. 

 

This book had a little bit of everything in it and is a bit of a divergent from what I may pick up day to day to read. But for our book club and my planning it's what I challenge myself to do. To expand all of our horizons. It had a light mystery that kept me wanting more, historical elements that fascinated me, romance and drama that certainly tugged at my heart strings, and a lot of family drama to keep you turning the pages and intrigued. I felt like I had stepped into the story, and was living life by Hannah’s side. Be it when she was digging through files in the dusty and dingy basement, or watching her world crumble time after time. I wanted to reach out to hug her. The way we get a glimpse of her depressive episodes and suicidal ideation periods felt real, relatable and raw. I was rooting for her and hoping she’d find a clear path to happiness and stop stumbling into trouble. I've never wanted so much good for a fictional character. 

 

I can assure you the ending is one you won’t see coming and worth sticking around for. 

The book is on sale July 27^th and I promise you it is one you don’t want to miss.  

Posted by Book Lover: Brittany P.

I recently had a conversation with a co-worker about how short of a time we will be remembered by future generations.  Most of us can really only remember as far back as our grandparents and possibly our great grandparents.  We may know stories of ancestors that feel more like lore in our family history, however we can never know all the secrets, scandals, and struggles of our ancestors, although they most assuredly had them.  This will be true for our future generations as well.  It will be interesting for future generations because our generation is leaving such an accessible digital footprint online.  

This conversation was very timely as I ready Emily Bleeker’s new book, What’s Left Unsaid which explores the discovery of life lived nearly 100 years ago.  This book was captivating and I became as obsessed with discovering the truth of Evelyn as much Hannah. 

This book also delicately touched on the topics of racism, mental illness, and abuse of women making it a part of the story without being preachy.

The ending of this book was fantastic, not only did we see a great resolution, but all loose ends were tied up and addressed appropriately.  I will be adding Emily Bleeker to my list of authors to read.

Posted by Book Lover: Gretchen G.

If you want to be an active participant in an author’s tale, this is your book. Emily Bleeker, author of What’s Left Unsaid, doesn’t tell you what happens. She has you experience what happens. We aren’t merely told Bleeker’s protagonist, Hannah, is a journalist. We are with Hannah as she does the work of a journalist. Yes, the mystery is riveting. Yet, so is Hannah’s pursuit. Her obsession becomes our obsession. Bleeker has such a deft hand, that the very serious issues that surface along the way — racism, sexual abuse, and depression— don’t weigh the story down. No. The equanimity and balance Bleeker employs give the reader complexity without preaching and judgment. There are many surprises along the way beyond the central mystery story. Characters deny expectations. Hannah is flawed, She’s also smart and funny.

 

So, yes, this is a mystery tale. It’s also a story about taking the time to truly understand how people are capable of change. Read this book. This is a journey you need to take.

Posted by Book Lover: Phyllis T. 

I generally read thrillers and page turners and am a sucker for a good beach read. I received an advanced copy of What’s Left Unsaid by Emily Bleeker and was excited to see what direction the book would take me in. I was absolutely pleased to find that this book has a little bit of everything, a true storytelling book. We follow Hannah after she goes through a bad breakup from Chicago to Mississippi to care for her grandma. She gets a job at at the local paper and while going through the archives, she comes across a letter from a young woman who shares the story of having been shot and paralyzed at a young age. We are sucked into the mystery of finding out the true story behind the letters. 

 

I truly savored the story, the author took her time to give us all the details needed for all the stories interwoven into this book. We had the initial story of Hannah and her broken heart, the letters of the mystery girl who had a tragic life, as well as the love interest of Guy, the middle school teacher who helps Hannah, as well as the journey that is the meaning of family.  As someone who has made her fair share of mistakes in life, I really appreciated Hannah’s truth and vulnerability to rediscovering who she is through the book. The book also touched on issues that are right on target for today’s climate with mental health, racial divides and women’s right. As an everyday reader, I think this book holds something for everyone. I recommend it as one to sit back, dive in, and enjoy this beautifully written story. 

Posted by Book Lover: Amy L. 

What's Left Unsaid by Emily Bleeker drew me in with its dual storylines, one present day and the other based in the early 1900s. The protagonists of each narrative--Hannah and Evelyn--were painfully deceived and sank into nearly irrevocable despair. Then when the physical setting of each changed, they each found renewed purpose through the use of words. 

I enjoyed following the lives of these two women, parallel in broad, important ways yet each very much of her own time. The characters of Hannah and Evelyn were nicely drawn, and I appreciated that I couldn't always predict nor approve of the decisions they made, making them after all quite realistic.

I was engaged by What's Left Unsaid, and enjoyed all the little plot surprises. Overall, it was a fun read.

 Posted by Book Lover: Becky M. 

A great read. From unearthing the life of Hannah, the deadbeat reporter who is writing for a small town in Mississippi, to finding out who Evelyn is in the lost articles Hannah unearths while cleaning out the old filing cabinets in the basement of the newspaper offices.  The twists and turns in the plot while seeing what means Hannah will take in both her personal and professional life to find out who Evelyn really was while Hannah also attempts to heal her own emotional wounds is a riveting tale. 

Posted by Book Lover: Heather P.

This book will suck you in and grip you tightly until the very last page of the acknowledgements. What starts as a narrative of a young, big city transplant in a small town trying to find her way post-breakdown quickly evolves into layers of Deep South prejudice and gender inequality. Our heroine navigates through personal relationships, Southern manner faux-paus, and mysterious letters cluing to what can only be described as the human spirit bravely reaching beyond what society tolerates. If you’re looking for a book that inspires you to be better than your problems, this one will move you.

Posted by Book Lover: Natalie F.

I was fortunate enough to be one of the lucky ones to get an advanced copy of this book.  While normally that is enough for me to read pretty much anything, I could not wait to crack this one open.  When I got the synopsis, it sounded exactly like the type of book I love to read (a little mystery, light romance/drama, historical elements to it) and I am thrilled to say it did not disappoint in even the slightest.  The main characters were perfectly lovable, and there was just the right amount of details in the character development.I have read dozens of books that have a similar feel to this one, but none of them hold a candle to What’s Left Unsaid. I loved the details in the various settings, and found myself in the basement of the newspaper office digging through boxes and filing cabinets right alongside Hannah as she looked for more pieces of Evelyn’s story.  I felt her heartbreak as her history with Alex unfolded, and the spark of hope when Guy kept showing up in her life.  The flirtatious nature of Pete was just enough to be convincing and help me figure out his character without even really knowing anything about him, which I loved.  There were a couple of things that really stood out in this story, and helped set it apart from the many others that fall into this genre; the ending, which I won’t give away, but was a refreshing change from what we would typically get in a book like this, and the fact that the author’s description of Hannah’s depressive episodes, and how easily relatable they were for the reader without being overly dramatic. Of course, one of the things that I liked best about this book was that everything that was mentioned had some sort of resolution.  It’s a huge pet peeve of mine when a standalone novel leaves something unfinished, seemingly unintentionally.  I was worried a few times that I would have the same problem here, but the author didn’t let me down!

Most of my books are in digital form, as I have limited bookshelf space, but this is definitely one that I can’t wait to purchase a hard copy of for my bookcase, and I can’t wait to share it with my friends and fellow bibliophiles!

Posted by Book Lover: Brooke T. 

I was lucky enough to read this book before it was released, via my book club. This was the first book I’ve read by Emily Bleeker. 

 

Hannah suffers a post breakup mental break down, requiring a brief psychiatric stay. Looking for a fresh start, she leaves Chicago and moves to small town Mississippi to help her elderly grandmother. 

 

She now works for the small newspaper in town. While scanning archives, she finds letters from a girl, Evelyn, dating back to the 1930’s. Hannah is intrigued and will do whatever it takes to bring Evelyn’s story to light. 

 

As someone who loves historical aspects, I was immediately drawn in. I gave this book 5/5 stars. Emily Bleeker has a great writing style and I look forward to reading more of her books! 

 

Posted by Book Lover: Bailey D.

This gripping novel by Emily Bleeker dealing with family secrets, betrayal, lost love and second chances kept my attention the whole way through. Bleeker bites off a lot of big issues; depression, mental illness, suicide, abuse, the oppression of women, political corruption and racial inequality and manages to pull it off.

 

The protagonist is Hannah Williamson a former Chicago Tribune writer, who flees in disgrace to Senatobia, Mississippi to care for her 91 year old ailing and bedridden Grandmother.

 

Hannah has lost her boyfriend, job and father in quick succession and her life is in shambles.

 

She gets a job with the local newspaper doing grunt work and gets involved in the mysterious life and death of a local 14 year old girl, Evelyn She discovers buried letters from the girl written in the 1930’s, all rejected, never published but for some reason still in the newspaper’s files.

 

Hannah is mesmerized and a bit obsessed with Evelyn’s letters and sets off to solve the mystery of who Evelyn is and how her life ended. In the process Hannah finds healing, romance and redemption. 

 

I thoroughly enjoyed this Emily Bleeker novel.

 Posted by book lover: Meryl Lynn L.