Something she's not telling us : a novel / Darcey Bell.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Named most anticipated book of the year by Cosmopolitan, Women's Wear Daily, Woman's Day, She Reads, The Nerd Daily, and Sassy Sarah Reads.

From the New York Times bestselling author of A Simple Favor comes an electrifying domestic thriller of how one woman's life is turned upside down when her brother brings his new girlfriend to visit--and no one is telling the truth about who they really are.

Charlotte has everything in life that she ever could have hoped for: a doting, artistic husband, a small-but-thriving flower shop, and her sweet, smart five-year-old daughter, Daisy. Her relationship with her mother might be strained, but the distance between them helps. And her younger brother Rocco may have horrible taste in women, but when he introduces his new girlfriend to Charlotte and her family, they are cautiously optimistic that she could be The One. Daisy seems to love Ruth, and she can't be any worse than the klepto Rocco brought home the last time. At least, that's what Charlotte keeps telling herself. But as Rocco and Ruth's relationship becomes more serious, Ruth's apparent obsession with Daisy grows more obvious. Then Daisy is kidnapped, and Charlotte is convinced there's only one person who could have taken her.

Ruth has never had much, but now she's finally on the verge of having everything she's ever dreamed of. A stable job at a start-up company, a rakish, handsome boyfriend with whom she falls more in love with every day--and a chance at the happy family she's always wanted, adorable niece included. The only obstacle standing in her way is her boyfriend's sister Charlotte, whose attitude swerves between politely cold and outright hostile. Rebuffing Ruth's every attempt to build a friendship with her and Daisy, Charlotte watches over her daughter with a desperate protectiveness that sends chills down Ruth's spine. Ruth knows that Charlotte has a deeply-buried secret, the only question is: what? A surprise outing with Daisy could be the key to finding out, and Ruth knows she must take the chance while she has it--for everyone's sake.

As the two women follow each other down a chilling rabbit hole, unearthing winding paths of deceit, lies, and trauma, a family and a future will be completely--and irrevocably--shattered.

From its very first page, Something She's Not Telling Us takes hold of readers' imagination in a harrowing, unforgettable thriller that dives deep into the domestic psyche and asks the question: Is anyone ever really who they say they are...?

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Charlotte loves her husband, her big-blooming flower shop, and especially her five-year-old daughter, Daisy, with whom her brother's new girlfriend, Ruth, seems creepily obsessed. Ruth loves her job, her new boyfriend, and her boyfriend's charming niece, but Daisy's mother seems positively hostile--and Ruth senses that she's hiding something. What's really happening, and who just kidnapped Daisy? Following the big-splash debut, A Simple Favor, which sold over a half-million copies across formats and was made into a feature film. With a 200,000-copy paperback and 20,000-copy hardcover first printing.

Publishers Weekly Review

Up-and-coming floral designer Charlotte, the heroine of this twisty thriller from bestseller Bell (A Simple Favor), lives in Manhattan's East Village with her husband, Eli, and their five-year-old daughter, Daisy. Charlotte worries about her daughter, a shy asthmatic child. When Charlotte's brother, Rocco, introduces her to Ruth, his latest girlfriend, Ruth strikes Charlotte as an improvement over his many previous girlfriends. But as Rocco and Ruth become more serious, Ruth develops what Charlotte views as an unhealthy attachment to Daisy, and she's jealous of her daughter's close relationship with Ruth. When Charlotte goes to pick up Daisy from an afterschool program and learns that Ruth has taken her, her worst suspicions about Ruth are realized, and she's determined to find Daisy before any harm can befall her. Bell seamlessly shifts between the present and the past, exploring how Charlotte's secrets have influenced her. Fans who like surprises around every corner will be drawn to this intriguing tale. Agent: Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary. (Apr.)

Booklist Review

In a twist on the missing-child plot, five-year-old Daisy is taken by a person known to her family who doesn't hide what she's done. Daisy is the bright, beloved only child of Charlotte, who runs a now-thriving florist shop and floral-arrangement business, and Eli, who made enough money in finance to live comfortably and indulge his love of theater, currently as a set designer and stage manager. When Charlotte finds that Daisy has been signed out of after-school care by her brother Rocco's girlfriend, Ruth, she's frantic. Ruth, who has a childlike quality that captivates Daisy, has been a puzzle ever since Rocco brought her to dinner and she forced them to eat cinnamon buns, made by her grandmother, before the meal. Most of the story is told, alternately, from the standpoints of Charlotte and Ruth, as the truth is gradually teased from lies on the part of both parties, effectively building suspense. Bell (A Simple Favour, 2017) is making domestic thrillers her trade, and this will compel readers to its surprisingly sympathetic end.