What Stays Unsaid

By Sophie Flynn

Review

Four friends gather for a hen-do weekend at a rented cottage on Dartmoor. The friendships have become strained and fractured over the years so it's no surprise when old rivalries resurface. Three of the group share a tragic past and someone is determined to expose the truth about what really happened all those years ago. As the weather takes a turn for the worse, the friends find themselves trapped with nowhere to hide. . .   

Told from multiple viewpoints and a dual timeline of 'then' and 'now', What Stays Unsaid is a twisty psychological thriller. Although I would imagine the target audience to be younger than myself, I enjoyed it nonetheless. Each character has a hidden secret and over the course of a weekend truths begin to emerge. The plot relies heavily on the reader's ability to suspend disbelief. You're never quite sure of the direction it's going to take. The atmosphere is tense and claustrophobic; the isolated rural location ramping up the uneasiness. With its multifaceted plot and excellent characterisation I thought it was an immersive read.

My thanks to publisher Canelo for providing a review copy. 

★★★☆☆

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Canelo Hera
• Publication Year: 2024
• Author: Sophie Flynn
• Genre: Psychological Thriller

Synopsis

You are invited to a surprise joint hen-do to celebrate our two brides, Alex and Millie

Location: Remote Dartmoor Farmhouse

Don’t forget to RSVP and remember, watch what you say…

As friends gather for a hen weekend, they are all smiles, but cannot hide the web of tension that bubbles beneath the surface.

The group was forever broken by the devastating loss of their childhood friend, Becca. The prettiest and most powerful of them all, her absence lies at the heart of this fractured friendship.

Now, decades later, someone wants to expose the truth about what happened, and will stop at nothing to reveal the secrets long since buried.

As a dark storm gathers out on the moors, dangerous secrets and accusations threaten to explode between the group.

Will they all survive the fall-out?