I read Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey after If You Tell by Gregg Olsen revived my love for reading. It was an exciting book that only took me about a week to read, which is quick seeing I didn’t have much time. Few books keep me up past my bedtime, and this was one of them! Here’s what I thought about it.
Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey: Synopsis
Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author’s hometown in Minnesota -a community where nothing is as quiet—or as safe—as it seems.
“Cassie McDowell’s life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents’ strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she’s grown accustomed to them.
All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.
One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed—violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who’s responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie’s own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.”
Goodreads
What I Loved About It
My absolute favorite thing about this book was the juicy build-up of anticipation. There’s a behavior of one of the characters that is super subtle, yet Jess Lourey escalates it exquisitely. The way she describes it getting progressively more disturbing was perfectly terrifying, and I was seriously impressed by how much fear she conveyed with something so simple. Yes, I’m vague to avoid spoilers!
I found it interesting to read this as an adult because the protagonist is a young girl who doesn’t understand why her parents are together. It’s something that I can relate because I felt the same way about mine growing up, although for different reasons than Cassie. I can also relate to her mother telling her that she doesn’t understand because she’s younger. After six years of marriage, I know that living long-term with another human requires work and sacrifices.
Finally, I loved that the book ended unexpectedly. At least for me. It was easy to make assumptions and judge characters based on their actions. But things don’t always turn out the way they seem. And people who are rough around the edges may be innocent or not.
What I Didn’t Love
It is tough to explain what I didn’t love without spoiling the story. I guess it’s safe to say that there was a stereotype that I was hoping wouldn’t end up true, that was. This shortcoming didn’t put me off the story, and I would still be interested in reading more books by this author.
Although I can’t think of anything else I didn’t like, I found this story forgettable. I didn’t feel that way while reading, but even though I finished it a mere few days ago, I had to reread the synopsis on Goodreads to remind myself because I was blanking on the story when I sat down to write this review.
Summary: Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey
I enjoyed Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey, and I recommend it to people who are into the thriller genre. It was unique and hard to put down, although, for some reason, I did forget about it a few days later. I look forward to reading more by Jess Lourey because if her other books are anything like this one, I bet I’ll devour them. You can buy it on Amazon (#affiliate.)
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