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. :)