A review by minimicropup
No One Will Know by Rose Carlyle

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

This was an over-the-top, popcorn-style thriller that was ridiculous but kinda fun. Everyone’s insufferable, so it’s not too stressful to watch them all get their comeuppance hehe 🤪. 
 
If you’re sensitive about topics like neglect, mother-baby bonds, or irresponsible caregiving, this might be a distressing read.
 
Energy: Diverting. Derelict. Scathing. 
 
🐕 Howls The main character’s level of denial could be frustrating sometimes when she overexplained her thinking. Super predictable plot. I think I would have found this dull/annoying sometimes if I read it as text – as audio the classic villain monologues were kind of fun.
 
🐩 Tail Wags The train wreck of a story. The main character making one bad decision after another. Still entertaining even though I wasn’t rooting for anyone. Easy listening audiobook.
 
Scene: 🇦🇺  Set on a remote Tasmanian island, Australia.
Perspectives (2): Our MC finds out they’re pregnant just as the father, their new boyfriend, dies in a car crash. Penniless and alone, they are met with skepticism from his rich family who they were on the way to meet.    
We also get the perspective later on in the book of a character with a past who has just gotten married and wants a baby. 
Timeline: Current (2010s or 2020s). Six years after a birth. Eight years before a birth. 
🔥 Fuel: Twists and turns. Conflict, drama, tea. Pacing. High stakes. Will the main character take the offer to be a nanny on the remote island? Will she be able to keep up the façade if she does? Can she trust her employers to keep their side of the bargain?
📖 Cred: Over-the-top Melodrama
 
Mood Reading Match-Up:
  • Potential unreliable narrator
  • Secret inheritance scheme
  • Keeping secrets, in cahoots
  • Disaster of a situation, red flags everywhere
  • Twisty, easy-to-follow, plot-driven narratives
  • Melodramatic popcorn thriller plots
  • How far would you go for your child?
  • Insufferable characters and caricatures
  • Tagging along with the MC who tells us all her thoughts/feels/plans/assumptions
 
Content Heads-Up: Sexual content (off page, brief). Pregnancy, birth (on page). Loss of romantic partner. Car accident (on page; brief description, fatal). Fire (accident, burns, scarring). Kidnapping (baby). Trafficking (
babies for adoption; geckos for pet trade
). Smuggling, organized crime, gun violence. Narcissism. 
 
Rep: Australian. Cis. Hetero. Pale skin tones.
 
📚 Format: Library Audio
 
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