Book Review: You'll Never Know by Caleb Stephens

Author: Caleb Stephens
Published: Nov 2025
Pages: 345
My Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Find it on Amazon here. 

Blurb: 

They took his wife. They took his unborn child. He only has hours to find them … or they’re dead.

Grant Wilson has never been happier. He has a wife he loves, a home in the country, and a brand-new baby on the way. But all of that shatters when two masked men abduct his wife, Avery, in broad daylight.

The instructions Grant receives are If he wants Avery back, he must solve a series of riddles that arrive one after another—and the clock is ticking.

With every piece of the puzzle more outrageous and complex than the last, Grant knows he’s playing a dangerous game. But he’s determined to do whatever it takes to save Avery’s life … even if it kills him.

My Thoughts

You’ll Never Know is one of those books you want to read because its name keeps popping up everywhere and you just have to find out what it is. When it came up as an option for our book club’s pick for the month, I couldn’t resist! It’s a fast-paced, totally packed thriller but it wasn’t what I had expected. 

I would probably summarize it as a gripping, twisted story maybe held back by average writing, but also impossible to put down! 

Let me explain:
The story and plot is unique, complex, and well ideated but it did end up making me feel a lot of sadness with all the tragedy in it. At some point it felt like the extent of tragedies for different characters were overkill - but at the same time I have to appreciate the intricacies with which the story has been narrated, divided into different POVs, travelling back and forth in the past and present without confusing the reader too much. The descriptions, however, seemed to drag on here and there, making me gloss over entire paragraphs and speed-read to “get to the point”. That was one of the top irritants but not enough to make me abandon the book, because of the storyline. 

It is unique! We start with a happy couple expecting their first child when the wife Avery is kidnapped at gunpoint and the husband Grant is sent on a wild goose chase to get her back. BUT things start to not make sense very quickly, indicating there’s more to every action. The multiple POVs with each passing chapter, and even going back and forth in THREE different timelines, it feels like you have the first half the book overloaded with information you don’t know what to do with, and then it starts coming together in the second half. Become get this - the biggest twist, and what a reader would consider an “ending” happens in the middle of the story, and when you have half the book left you’ll be like, whoa what? 

Another big theme it is based on is tragedy. It’s certainly not for everyone, especially if things may be triggering for some. Deep loss, coming full circle, grief and acceptance are also themes the story is based on, other than morality, isolation, helplessness and guilt. This isn’t a comfortable read - it kind of sits heavy with you, knowing how the story of vastly different characters intertwined. How one small act or decision can set in motion a series of events that can permanently alter the course of life for multiple people. Then there’s also the message about how childhood experiences can affect behaviour and your entire life, basically. Other strong themes or ideas portrayed in the book are about desperation, control and power (you never really know who’s pulling the ropes), trust and betrayal (NO ONE can be trusted, no one is who they seem to be), and parenthood. 

Is there a crime one can commit and still be forgiven? Does an eye for an eye work where killing people is involved? What’s the justification for an act or crime? The story raises all these questions and makes the reader ponder - I wasn’t sure if they got my empathy or judgment. I’m still thinking about it, lol. 
The major twists and identity reveals start happening around the middle of the book, and the rest of the story explains how the first half happened. It’s very interesting from the perspective of narration. I haven’t really come across many books in this format, so kudos to the author for being imaginative, I suppose! 

Overall, I would say it’s maybe not the most polished book but worth reading for the thrill and experience, and I would recommend it as a one-time read for anyone looking to enjoy a book in the thriller/mystery/suspense genre. 

Review: The Housemaid (The Housemaid #1)

Author: Frieda McFadden

Published: April 2022

Publisher: Hachette (Grand Central Publishing)

Pages: 329

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars!

Find it at: Amazon

Frieda McFadden’s on a roll. This is her year for sure! I’m wondering how I have missed these books in the past couple years (New York Times Bestsellers???), only now realizing she’s having bestseller after bestseller and I had to find out why. Picking The Housemaid was only a matter of time, but when it became my local book club’s pick of the month I had no choice :P Also the movie adaptation came out in January so of course I had to read first. And boy did I read this fast! It was over in less than 24 hours and while this may not be a huge deal for someone who has nothing else to do, it was for me because I did it on a Sunday!!! A day when I had my toddler circling me all day and where was my nose buried? In this book, yes. Poor thing. My child, not the book. 

Let’s break it down into sensible, digestible pieces:

Overall theme: This book is about deception - nothing is what it appears to be. And it is also about power, control, and the liability of emotional baggage. 

Millie has a questionable past and she is shocked when she gets hired as a househelp for one of the families in a wealthy neighbourhood. Her employer Nina seems to have something sinister behind her behaviour and words. You know something is off about her but the author does a great job of making it really hard for the reader to figure it out. And then there were the other characters, Nina’s husband Andrew who is charming and too perfect, their daughter Cecelia giving off creepy vibes, and their gardener Enzo who only speaks Italian and doesn’t seem to understand English but spends a considerable amount of time tending to their lawns (to me Enzo had an important role and an air of mystery around him, but in the movie his role was so diminished it was disappointing - I guess most adaptations are). As Millie settles in her new home, she is convinced Andrew deserves better. Soon, things take a surprising turn until it becomes shocking altogether and bam! Plot twist with still a lot of pages to go. 

I do admire the author’s writing style - it keeps you engaged and motivated to keep going, yet it doesn’t make you fly through it. You want to read every word in case you miss something important. The characters are well developed, complete with their flaws and vulnerabilities. They’re relatable through the common themes of complex relationships, helplessness and anger. I did not particularly enjoy the overall theme, the message, the misogyny of it, but it is a well-written story and I am officially obligated to read her other books (especially the next in sequence The Housemaid's Secret). 

In terms of plot twists, loved them! You know something is coming but can’t quite figure it out until it happens. After you gasp and get over the sensations, you’re forced to rethink what you previously read to make sure it makes sense. Honestly, that’s the thing I live for. I want to be challenged, and the twists in this one excited me no end! There’s even a whole vibe to the book. You know how there are some stories (like She Didn’t See it Coming) that are considered “domestic thrillers”, that have a very small setting and everything happens in it? I kind of think of The Housemaid as similar - the vibe was small setting, limited characters, slightly isolating and claustrophobic. The power dynamics and how they shift as the story progresses is also a reason it kept me hooked and interested. I probably won’t go into too much detail about the ending - it kinda was expected but not in the way it happened! 

I’m impressed with the author for the writing and looking forward to reading more by her. Would most definitely recommend reading this one, and then watching the movie. :) 

Black Friday 2025 - Top Deals on Trending Books and Accessories!

I love buying books. I read a lot from the library but there's certain books I simply MUST buy. Whether it's a long-time anticipated read, anything from my favourite authors, or when I'm using up some "me time" browsing an Indigo bookstore (a new one just opened right in my office building and I've never been happier!). And then there's times we see book deals that are too hard to ignore, so after salivating over discounts I don't see all year other than Black Friday, I decided to shortlist the trending books readers can buy at lower prices. Or simply good stuff that must be taken advantage of!

1. Dan Brown's latest, The Secret of Secrets - I've mentioned this one before but for Black Friday, Amazon has this at 50% off!! If you've been looking to buy it, this is THE time.

2. Mel Robbins' The Let Them Theory - I've seen more of this book everywhere I go, online or offline, than anything else lately. For some reason (I suspect approachable writing style and relatable content, from the glimpses I have stolen), this book is going off the charts in self-help, motivational category.

3. Suzanne Collins' Sunrise on the Reaping: A prequel for The Hunger Games, this one went straight to cart! It's been doing the rounds since its release in March this year, and it has really high Goodreads ratings (the only ratings I actually trust). Win win!

4. Frieda McFadden's The Intruder: The latest from this new-age mystery bestseller writer - I bought this from a store at full price but it's now at 50% off on Amazon. I THINK I'm going to be a fan of this writer as I've recently started reading her books and have enjoyed every single one of them! Some others I can recommend include: The Crash (hopefully, review coming soon), The Housemaid and it's sequel The Housemaid is Watching. 

5. This one is special - because umm... it is MINE! Which means I MADE it and loved it so much I have made it available on Amazon to share with others (it's under the name EverNoted)!! ** DRUMROLL**

30-Day Holiday Mindfulness Journal - it's a giftable Holiday/Christmas Journal with daily writing prompts, affirmations, and reflection pages designed to help you feel gratitude and appreciate the positive around you. It's thoughtfully designed (trust me, I would know), focusing on the season of giving but also, let's be honest, a lot of work and stress. What's supposed to be a winding-down season and time to rest and relax is sometimes not what it's supposed to be. This book not only has prompts for reflection, but also additional exercises I have tried and tested, mindfulness pages, and space for creativity. Highly recommended. ;)

6. Rebecca Yarros' Fourth Wing: Currently a bestseller in the romantic fantasy category, the first in The Empyrean series (followed by Iron Flame and Onyx Storm). I'm always seeing it every place that sells books. High on my TBR list and in my Amazon cart. :D

I see they have a boxed set of the trilogy too, in case you want to give yourself an early Christmas present (hardcover, on 50% off).

Finally. check out these cool accessories and related products, also on sale at the moment:

1. This LED book light with impressive battery life and a range of features.

2. This super-cute Harry Potter Metal Snitch bookmark!!

3. I have been eyeing this rotating bookshelf for months now, and it's currently on sale! Works perfectly for a tight space.

4. AND this adorable, absolutely gorgeous booklover's gift pack! 

Book Talk: Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: 2025 Updated Edition!

2025 Update: I recently watched Netflix's latest release, the movie Frankenstein, and I have to say it is SO GOOD. "I loved it" would be an understatement, which is saying a lot because I usually do not enjoy renditions of classics especially when they take liberties with the storyline to make it, well, like a movie. BUT this one is amazing - the gothic setting, the characters, the dialog - everything's top notch. BUT before you go watch, I'd highly recommend getting your copy from Amazon and reading the book first. :)

***

Everyone must have heard of Frankenstein, even if they never knew that it is a book by Mary Shelley, who started writing it at the age of eighteen, and publishing it when she was twenty. Even fewer people would know that the idea for this book came from an evening's pass-time activity when Mary, her fiance and poet Percy Shelley, friend Lord Byron and John Polidori were sitting in Geneva during a tour of Europe, and had to invent a way to spend their evening. They came up with a contest among themselves for the best ghost story, and the idea of Frankenstein was conceived in Mary's dream that night.

Written nearly 200 years ago, Frankenstein is the story of a young and ambitious man who is taken to the natural sciences at a very young age. Contrary to popular thought (and this is why it is crucial to read books), Frankenstein is the name of that young man rather than that of the creature (or 'monster', 'devil', 'demon', 'fiend') he created. The story has no name for the creature, and probably that's why the cartoon and film versions have named the monster Frankenstein for convenience (and it hurts to know that movie versions would, naturally, differ from the text). Victor Frankenstein belongs to a well-bred family, and his keen curiosity, facilitated by two professors at University, brings him to his doom. He discovers the secret to life, and attempts to create a being to whom he would provide life. The story takes a turn when the creator is appalled by his own creation as soon as it comes to life, and Victor abandons it. 

Frankenstein is not really a story of a monster and his evil deeds. It's more about the side-effects of knowledge, meddling with nature, trying to play God, and how unkindness and being loveless can turn one into a monster. The creature is at first loving, and very much like a new-born (except for the minor defect that he looks like an eight-feet tall and gigantic man). However, he has no one to take care of him, and his creator has abandoned him, so the creature goes out into the world on his own and realizes how man would despise him because of the way he looks. He learns to live in the wilderness, and gradually facing rejection from every kind of being he meets, he turns bitter and seeks revenge against his creator. 

The story follows the acts of the creature and Victor's increasing despondency. Though the creature acts cruelly, one can't help sympathizing with him. When you read about how much the creature craved love, and how frequently he was denied the basic need for existence, you do feel that his acts were justified and, strangely, human.

Frankenstein is a compelling read. It's written in an epistolary form - that is, in the form of letters. The initial introduction is made by a third observer, a Captain called Walton, who is travelling in the North in his ship. He comes across Victor Frankenstein, lost and barely surviving, and that's how he gets to know his story, and records it in his letters to his sister. 

I found Victor's lamentations to be a bit tiring towards the end and too frequent, but apart from that I couldn't help reading all the way. I was also amazed that the author was so young when she wrote the novel, which, apart from being Gothic in theme, also addresses topics like intolerance, delicateness of human nature, and effects of knowledge and ambition. I'm also listing facts about Frankenstein I got to know as a result of reading the book:

1. Frankenstein is the creator, not the monster. His full name is Victor Frankenstein, and he is not a mad scientist either. He's just an ambitious man driven over the edge.

2. Mary Shelley's father was the philosopher William Godwin, and her mother was feminist Mary Wollstonecraft. 

3. Frankenstein created the creature in a makeshift laboratory in his hostel room. Unlike the movies, there is no lab on a cliff, nor is there a hunchbacked assistant. 

4. In the book, the creature neither has green skin nor bolts protruding from his neck. The physical description describes him as a gigantic, eight-foot tall man. Frankenstein had chosen handsome features for him, but his eyes were white and his skin stretched across his body in a contorted manner so that it made him look very much like an anomaly. 

5. The creature was never evil from the beginning, nor was it in his nature. It was the circumstances and lack of empathy that led to him being a monster inside.

6. The novel was originally called: Frankenstein, or, The Modern Prometheus. It was first published anonymously in London in 1818.

7. There is really a Frankenstein Castle around Germany, where it was known that a scientist (alchemist) was engaged in experiments. Mary Shelley had traveled there with her group, and had thus come across it before writing her novel. 

8. The first theatrical production of Frankenstein was a twelve-minute silent film, in 1910. (Watch on YouTube here) 

Cool, isn't it? If this is not enough, let me share some quotable quotes too:

“How dangerous is the acquirement of knowledge and how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to be greater than his nature will allow.” 

“I was benevolent and good; misery made me a fiend. Make me happy, and I shall again be virtuous.” 

“The different accidents of life are not so changeable as the feelings of human nature.” 

“What can stop the determined heart and resolved will of man?” 

“How many things are we upon the brink of discovering if cowardice or carelessness did not restrain our inquiries?” 

Mary Shelley

Book Title: Frankenstein

Author: Mary Shelley

Published: 1818 (and many subsequent editions)

Pages: 273

Buy it at: Amazon

Genre: Classics/ Gothic/ Horror

My Rating: 4.5/5

Meanwhile, check out the delicious cover in this special edition hardback copy!!

Review: She Didn’t See It Coming, by Shari Lapena

This is the first book by the Canadian author Shari Lapena that I read, thanks to my local Book Club! I’m always down for a twisty mystery and this book seemed promising, based on incredible reviews and ratings. 

Title and Author: She Didn’t See It Coming, Shari Lapena

Publisher: Random House, July 2025

Pages: 448

Find it at: Amazon

My Rating: 3.5/5

Blurb:

When a beloved wife and mother disappears, a luxurious condo building transforms into a potential crime scene, and the investigation begins: can the detectives find her before it's too late?

Bryden and Sam have it all: thriving careers, a smart apartment in a luxury condominium, supportive friends and a cherished daughter. The perfect life for the perfect couple.

Then Sam receives a call at his office. Bryden—working from home that day—has failed to collect their daughter from daycare. Arriving home with their little girl, he finds his wife’s car in the underground garage. Upstairs in their apartment her laptop is open on the table, her cell phone nearby, her keys in their usual place in the hall.

Except Bryden is nowhere to be seen. It’s as if she just walked out.

My thoughts:

Overall, I thought the storyline was a simple, confined murder mystery, with slow revelations and testimony to how one cannot know from appearances what is beneath the surface. What appears to be perfect and normal is gradually revealed to have layers of complexity which adds to the tension and drama in the story. The writing style is fast-paced, multiple-POVs, short no-nonsense sentences, allowing readers to go through it really fast. It worked to keep me hooked and wanting to keep reading way past a reasonable bedtime, but it also somewhat annoyed me. I felt the “writing” lacked finesse. At some point it felt like reading a succession of tweets, short and to-the-point. When I’m reading a book, it is because I do have the attention span longer than that required for instagram reels, and I WANT to read well-written sentences. This made it really hard to actually relate to any of the characters (in addition to all characters at some point being suspicious and unreliable) or feel much emotion. There was very little background, internal dialog was nearly non-existent, and something key was overall lacking. 

I will definitely appreciate the storyline - it was unique, and I can only imagine it would have been hard to create a long-ish book out of a confined mystery. The drama and new revelations keep you engaged, with themes of deception, betrayal, and conflicting actions adding to the tension. The story starts very well and I love the “air” of mystery throughout, but it also starts to feel abrupt very quickly. The characters were made out to be not likeable (everyone has a mad history) or reliable, which added to the suspense but was also a bit frustrating. It also mentions social media addiction which makes the story relevant to today’s time (something I appreciate books having). 

I found the ending surprising (which is definitely a plus), but not as “shocking” as one would imagine. You know what I mean? Like you felt, “ohhh I see, hmm”, and not “ohmygodwhatingodsnamehappened”, which, honestly is an actual high! Nevertheless, if you’re into mysteries I would recommend reading for fun as a fast-paced quick read (it’s a bestseller for a reason), but if you’re looking for a high quality, deeply engrossing mystery that will take your breath away, you could skip it.