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.