Author: Sonja Yoerg

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

I’ve published four novels; the most recent is TRUE PLACES, a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller. Yeah, typing that makes me smile because reaching readers is the point, right? My next novel, STORIES WE NEVER TOLD, releases May 1, 2020.

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.

Photo by Tamara Hattersly Photography.

#BookReview Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg @SonjaYoerg @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #StoriesWeNeverTold

#BookReview Stories We Never Told by Sonja Yoerg @SonjaYoerg @AmazonPub @LUAuthors #StoriesWeNeverTold Title: Stories We Never Told

Author: Sonja Yoerg

Published by: Lake Union Publishing on May 1, 2020

Genres: Mystery/Thriller

Pages: 328

Format: Paperback, ARC

Source: Amazon Publishing

Book Rating: 8.5/10

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 an 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.


Review:

Multilayered, tense, and guileful!

Stories We Never Told is a meticulous, chilling, domestic thriller that takes us into the life of Jackie Strelitz, an accomplished, intelligent woman who finds her life turned upside down when her ex-lover returns from a sabbatical with a new, younger girlfriend, her husband becomes more distant and her desire for a baby appears entirely one-sided, and someone suddenly seems extremely intent and determined to undermine and interfere with her research project at work.

The prose is intricate and raw. The characters are secretive, consumed, and vulnerable. And the plot, including all the subplots, intertwine and unravel subtly into a compelling tale of life, loss, family, manipulation, obsession, deception, jealousy, mind games, violence, and murder.

Overall, Stories We Never Told is a clever, taut, menacing tale by Yoerg that highlights just how easily people can be psychologically and emotionally exploited, and reminds us that even those closest to us often have deep, dark secrets they choose to hide.

 

This novel is available now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

         

 

 

Thank you to Amazon Publishing for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

 

About Sonja Yoerg

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

I've published four novels; the most recent is TRUE PLACES, a Washington Post and Amazon Charts bestseller. Yeah, typing that makes me smile because reaching readers is the point, right? My next novel, STORIES WE NEVER TOLD, releases May 1, 2020.

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.

Photo by Tamara Hattersly Photography.

#BookReview House Broken by Sonja Yoerg

#BookReview House Broken by Sonja Yoerg Title: House Broken

Author: Sonja Yoerg

Published by: NAL on Jan. 6, 2015

Genres: General Fiction, Women's Fiction

Pages: 336

Format: Paperback

Source: Borrowed

Book Rating: 8.5/10

In this compelling and poignant debut novel, a woman skilled at caring for animals must learn to mend the broken relationships in her family.…
 
For veterinarian Geneva Novak, animals can be easier to understand than people. They’re also easier to forgive. But when her mother, Helen, is injured in a vodka-fueled accident, it’s up to Geneva to give her the care she needs.
 
Since her teens, Geneva has kept her self-destructive mother at arm’s length. Now, with two slippery teenagers of her own at home, the last thing she wants is to add Helen to the mix. But Geneva’s husband convinces her that letting Helen live with them could be her golden chance to repair their relationship.
 
Geneva isn’t expecting her mother to change anytime soon, but she may finally get answers to the questions she’s been asking for so long. As the truth about her family unfolds, however, Geneva may find secrets too painful to bear and too terrible to forgive.


Review:

I really liked this book.

This is a thought-provoking story that delves into the complexities and dysfunction of family relationships, including the long-lasting effects of secrets and the art of forgiveness.

It is written from the perspective of three different characters, Geneva, Geneva’s mother, and Geneva’s daughter, which allows the story to flow seamlessly between past and present.

It is a well written, insightful, bittersweet novel with real characters and a realistic ending.

This was part of my book club and I think it was a good pick.