My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I have to start out by saying I had somewhat mixed feelings about this book. I found it very well written, so much so that I found it a very uncomfortable read at times.

Summary via Goodreads:

What goes unsaid can sometimes speak the loudest . . .

What makes up a family? For Casey it’s sharing a house with her fiancÉ, Michael, and his three children, whom she intends to nurture more than she ever took care of herself. But Casey’s plans have come undone. Michael’s silences have grown unfathomable and deep. His daughter Angel seethes as only a teenage girl can, while the wide-eyed youngest, Jewel, quietly takes it all in.

Then Michael’s son, Dylan, runs off, and the kids’ mother, a woman never afraid to say what she thinks, noisily barges into the home. That’s when Casey decides that the silences can no longer continue. She must begin speaking the words no one else can say. She’ll have to dig up secrets—including her own—uncovering the hurts, and begin the healing that is long overdue. And it all starts with just a few tentative words. . . .

Things We Didn’t Say is a very character centered novel. All the characters were collections of problems and issues, with a few good characteristics that showed through. I admit, I’m more used to lead characters that are generally good, competent people, with enough flaws to keep them real, and this was part of my discomfort with the book– I was never entirely sure I liked any of the characters.

However, even if it wasn’t comfortable, it was real. The story was compelling, and the experience of reading it got so intense for me at one point that I did something I don’t think I’ve ever done before. I peeked ahead to the ending, so that I could continue reading without the stress of worrying about the end result.

In the end, I found it intense, compelling, and very, very real.  I was very satisfied with the experience.

I read Things We Didn’t Say as part of a TLC Book Tour. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. For other opinions, check out the other tour stops:

• Tuesday, June 28th: As I turn the pages
• Thursday, June 30th: Books Like Breathing
• Monday, July 4th: Debbie’s Book Bag
• Tuesday, July 5th: StephTheBookworm
• Thursday, July 7th: Life in the Thumb
• Monday, July 11th: Iwriteinbooks’s blog
• Tuesday, July 12th: Book Club Classics!
• Wednesday, July 13th: The Book Chick
• Friday, July 15th: Colloquium
• Sunday, July 17th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books