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We Don't Talk About Carol
Win a free print copy of this book!
12 days and 07:56:51
50 copies available
U.S. only
A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.
In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister, or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six local North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. With her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt and the sinister silence surrounding her.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney. Several years prior, working the crime beat as a journalist on the case of another missing girl, her obsession eventually led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit might just lead her down the same path of destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past resurfaces, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and everyone she’s come to trust.
Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rotten roots of your family tree—and what we’ll do for those we love.
In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister, or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six local North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. With her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt and the sinister silence surrounding her.
Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney. Several years prior, working the crime beat as a journalist on the case of another missing girl, her obsession eventually led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit might just lead her down the same path of destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past resurfaces, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and everyone she’s come to trust.
Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rotten roots of your family tree—and what we’ll do for those we love.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published June 3, 2025
541 people are currently reading
70449 people want to read
About the author
Kristen L. Berry
3 books384 followersKristen L. Berry is a writer and communications executive. Born and raised in Metro Detroit, Kristen graduated from the University of Michigan with a bachelor’s degree in English language and literature. She has provided PR and communications expertise to leading consumer brands for nearly twenty years, all while writing in her spare time. When she isn’t reading or writing, Kristen can be found lifting heavy at the gym, hiking in Malibu, eating her way through Los Angeles with her husband, or shouting at the latest Formula 1 race. WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL is her debut novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 777 reviews
July 29, 2025
Wow—this book is not just a powerful tale of a dysfunctional family navigating generational trauma, it’s also a deeply haunting, twist-filled mystery centered around a 60-year-old cold case involving six missing Black women whose stories were forgotten by the world but never by their families. With razor-sharp emotional insight and atmospheric tension, this story unravels hidden truths, buried pain, and the complex legacy of silence passed down through generations.
At the heart of the novel are three complicated women: two estranged sisters and their emotionally distant, controlling mother who has never been one for honest conversations or vulnerability. Sydney, in her late thirties and struggling with fertility and the emotional toll of repeated IVF failures, returns home to help clear out her late grandmother’s house. Her sister Sasha, still unemployed and living with their mother despite nearing forty, offers sharp contrast—carefree, unmoored, and frustratingly evasive. Their mother is still the same woman: stoic, proud, and absolutely allergic to emotional transparency.
While cleaning, Sydney is haunted by a memory from her youth—finding a photo of a woman who looked just like her. Her grandmother once shut down the conversation about this mysterious “Carol,” leaving Sydney with questions that were never answered. Now, decades later, she learns the chilling truth: her aunt Carol disappeared nearly sixty years ago and is one of six brilliant young Black women who went missing within the same time period—women who had bright futures and big dreams. And yet… there was no public outcry, no serious investigation, no closure. Why? Could the color of their skin have made their lives easier to overlook?
Sydney becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth—not just for her aunt, but for all the girls whose stories were erased. This journey forces her to confront the toxic legacy left by her grandmother’s pride, her father’s emotional damage and alcoholism, and her own internal battles. Her husband, Malik, fears for her mental health, especially after her last investigation spiraled into tragedy. But for Sydney, solving Carol’s disappearance isn’t just a search for justice—it’s a way to find meaning, to reclaim her voice, and to heal the broken pieces of her past.
As she digs deeper, she uncovers shocking secrets, buried trauma, and long-concealed truths that threaten to unravel not only her family, but the entire community. What she discovers will leave you breathless.
Overall Thoughts:
This book begins as a gripping family drama but quickly evolves into a shocking, emotional, and powerfully written psychological mystery. Sydney is a deeply relatable character—strong, wounded, determined—and her reconnection with her sister Sasha adds humor, heart, and complexity. The final quarter of this novel hit me like a freight train. I was not prepared for the intensity, the heartbreak, and the dark revelations that made my blood run cold.
This is the kind of story that lingers long after the final page—a hidden gem that deserves to be shouted about. Add it to your TBR immediately. I’ve already added the author to my auto-buy list and cannot wait to see what she writes next!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine / Bantam for sharing this stunning psychological mystery and women’s fiction ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
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At the heart of the novel are three complicated women: two estranged sisters and their emotionally distant, controlling mother who has never been one for honest conversations or vulnerability. Sydney, in her late thirties and struggling with fertility and the emotional toll of repeated IVF failures, returns home to help clear out her late grandmother’s house. Her sister Sasha, still unemployed and living with their mother despite nearing forty, offers sharp contrast—carefree, unmoored, and frustratingly evasive. Their mother is still the same woman: stoic, proud, and absolutely allergic to emotional transparency.
While cleaning, Sydney is haunted by a memory from her youth—finding a photo of a woman who looked just like her. Her grandmother once shut down the conversation about this mysterious “Carol,” leaving Sydney with questions that were never answered. Now, decades later, she learns the chilling truth: her aunt Carol disappeared nearly sixty years ago and is one of six brilliant young Black women who went missing within the same time period—women who had bright futures and big dreams. And yet… there was no public outcry, no serious investigation, no closure. Why? Could the color of their skin have made their lives easier to overlook?
Sydney becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth—not just for her aunt, but for all the girls whose stories were erased. This journey forces her to confront the toxic legacy left by her grandmother’s pride, her father’s emotional damage and alcoholism, and her own internal battles. Her husband, Malik, fears for her mental health, especially after her last investigation spiraled into tragedy. But for Sydney, solving Carol’s disappearance isn’t just a search for justice—it’s a way to find meaning, to reclaim her voice, and to heal the broken pieces of her past.
As she digs deeper, she uncovers shocking secrets, buried trauma, and long-concealed truths that threaten to unravel not only her family, but the entire community. What she discovers will leave you breathless.
Overall Thoughts:
This book begins as a gripping family drama but quickly evolves into a shocking, emotional, and powerfully written psychological mystery. Sydney is a deeply relatable character—strong, wounded, determined—and her reconnection with her sister Sasha adds humor, heart, and complexity. The final quarter of this novel hit me like a freight train. I was not prepared for the intensity, the heartbreak, and the dark revelations that made my blood run cold.
This is the kind of story that lingers long after the final page—a hidden gem that deserves to be shouted about. Add it to your TBR immediately. I’ve already added the author to my auto-buy list and cannot wait to see what she writes next!
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group / Ballantine / Bantam for sharing this stunning psychological mystery and women’s fiction ARC with me in exchange for my honest review.
medium.com
May 24, 2025
What a captivating family drama + slow burn mystery! Beautifully written. I think this would be great to discuss as a book club.
July 13, 2025
What a remarkable debut – beautifully written, with warmth, enthusiasm, passion and emotional insight!
1999 – While staying with her grammy in the South Park neighbourhood of Raleigh, North Carolina, 13-year-old Sydney Singleton finds an old photograph in a dresser drawer of a girl around her own age who looks eerie similar to her. When she shows the photograph to her grammy, and asks who the girl is, her grammy stiffly tells her;
2025 – While cleaning out her grammy’s house, following her death, Sydney again stumbles across the photograph. But this time she asks questions and is floored to discover that her father wasn’t an only child – that his older sister Carol ran away to Detroit in 1965, at the tender age of 17, to pursue a music career. Even though they parted on bad terms, and her grammy and father never forgave her Aunt Carol for abandoning them, Sydney finds it strange that no one has heard from her in sixty years. It’s as if Aunt Carol vanished into thin air. And she’s not the only one – between 1963-1965 five other black teenage girls disappeared from the South Park area. And it makes Sydney wonder whether her aunt didn’t leave of her own accord after all – that maybe she was a serial killer’s sixth victim…
We Don’t Talk About Carol was an intricate mystery that keep me guessing at every turn. And the stakes were so much higher because the mystery was rooted in the protagonists own past. I loved how each clue unlocked the next, pulling me deeper into the mystery. Characters thoughts, feelings, and every line of dialogue was either exactly how I would respond if I was in that situation, or if it wasn’t, it still rang true.
The majority of the novel was narrated by Sydney as she investigated the six decades old cold case of her Aunt Carol and the missing girls, all the while dealing with past and present family drama, and the expectations still placed on married women in 2025 to reproduce and embrace motherhood. I was immediately drawn to Sydney and emotionally invested in her story until the very end. There were also diary entries penned by Carol, and I liked how they were short snippets only, self-centred observations and feelings that only revealed glimpses into Carol’s teenage life. Some authors tend to make the mistake of using diary entries as flashbacks when there’s no way that anyone would write in that much detail or be as forthcoming.
The 1960’s was a turbulent time, marked by racism, segregation, and civil unrest. Missing black girls were largely ignored, deemed runaways, generated little public sympathy, went unreported by the media, and were barely acknowledged or investigated by police. And in Carol’s case, no one was looking for her – everyone in South Park, including her own family, believed she had chosen to leave because she had been threatening to for years.
Another main theme of We Don’t Talk About Carol was one family’s chilling history of domestic violence and psychological and emotional abuse and how its shadow followed the survivors into adulthood causing them to carry the weight of repressed trauma shaped by years of fear and silence. Older siblings often stepped into parental roles, filling the gaps left by absent, overworked, or struggling parents. The novel also shed light on the complexities and challenges of a married couple navigating IVF, with a particular focus on one partner having doubts, fearing they might pass on their own mental health struggles and family history of addiction and violence to their child/children.
We Don’t Talk About Carol left an indelible mark on me, and in all likelihood will earn a spot in my top five of 2025.
1999 – While staying with her grammy in the South Park neighbourhood of Raleigh, North Carolina, 13-year-old Sydney Singleton finds an old photograph in a dresser drawer of a girl around her own age who looks eerie similar to her. When she shows the photograph to her grammy, and asks who the girl is, her grammy stiffly tells her;
“We don’t talk about Carol.”
2025 – While cleaning out her grammy’s house, following her death, Sydney again stumbles across the photograph. But this time she asks questions and is floored to discover that her father wasn’t an only child – that his older sister Carol ran away to Detroit in 1965, at the tender age of 17, to pursue a music career. Even though they parted on bad terms, and her grammy and father never forgave her Aunt Carol for abandoning them, Sydney finds it strange that no one has heard from her in sixty years. It’s as if Aunt Carol vanished into thin air. And she’s not the only one – between 1963-1965 five other black teenage girls disappeared from the South Park area. And it makes Sydney wonder whether her aunt didn’t leave of her own accord after all – that maybe she was a serial killer’s sixth victim…
We Don’t Talk About Carol was an intricate mystery that keep me guessing at every turn. And the stakes were so much higher because the mystery was rooted in the protagonists own past. I loved how each clue unlocked the next, pulling me deeper into the mystery. Characters thoughts, feelings, and every line of dialogue was either exactly how I would respond if I was in that situation, or if it wasn’t, it still rang true.
The majority of the novel was narrated by Sydney as she investigated the six decades old cold case of her Aunt Carol and the missing girls, all the while dealing with past and present family drama, and the expectations still placed on married women in 2025 to reproduce and embrace motherhood. I was immediately drawn to Sydney and emotionally invested in her story until the very end. There were also diary entries penned by Carol, and I liked how they were short snippets only, self-centred observations and feelings that only revealed glimpses into Carol’s teenage life. Some authors tend to make the mistake of using diary entries as flashbacks when there’s no way that anyone would write in that much detail or be as forthcoming.
The 1960’s was a turbulent time, marked by racism, segregation, and civil unrest. Missing black girls were largely ignored, deemed runaways, generated little public sympathy, went unreported by the media, and were barely acknowledged or investigated by police. And in Carol’s case, no one was looking for her – everyone in South Park, including her own family, believed she had chosen to leave because she had been threatening to for years.
Another main theme of We Don’t Talk About Carol was one family’s chilling history of domestic violence and psychological and emotional abuse and how its shadow followed the survivors into adulthood causing them to carry the weight of repressed trauma shaped by years of fear and silence. Older siblings often stepped into parental roles, filling the gaps left by absent, overworked, or struggling parents. The novel also shed light on the complexities and challenges of a married couple navigating IVF, with a particular focus on one partner having doubts, fearing they might pass on their own mental health struggles and family history of addiction and violence to their child/children.
We Don’t Talk About Carol left an indelible mark on me, and in all likelihood will earn a spot in my top five of 2025.
September 3, 2025
"A dedicated journalist unearths a generation-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel."
"Some stories are buried. Others are erased."
What a debut and Must-read!! Just the title alone had me scrambling to request after the deadline...so thankful I did!
When Sydney was 13 years old, she found a picture of a little girl at her grandmother's house in North Carolina. When she approached her grandmother to inquire who the little girl was, she received a vague answer "We Don't Talk About Carol". In Sydney's late 30's, her grandmother passed away. She came across the photo again and questioned one of her grandmother's friends and was shocked to find out it was her father's sister that disappeared in 1965 assuming she ran away to be a singer in Detroit at 17 years old.
When she investigated her disappearance, she discovered 5 other black girls went missing between 1963-1965. What she also uncovers is what should have been open cold cases, they were not investigated even after documents were full of witnesses but no investigation was pursued. These were not average girls or runaways but very smart and bright futures ahead. It was almost as if history erased the girls' past.
Sydney is now married and her husband Malik and her are trying to conceive a child during her investigation of her aunt. He worried about her mental and emotional capacity to undertake an investigation after she had a psychotic episode with the last search for a young girl.
This deals with so many emotional boundaries, abuse, racism, civil unrest and a dysfunctional lineage within generations. What sparked interest and broke my heart was six girls had been missing 60 years and no one but family members seemed to care. Sydney is persistent and determined to get to the bottom of it, after scouring through discarded files, pictures and interviews, she brought to life girls that had long been forgotten. She is a wonderful character that struggles with her family's past and detachment. What a shocking ending that will not be forgotten! I still can't wrap my mind around the truth and the dark revelations. The cover of the book means so much more after the truth is revealed.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
"Some stories are buried. Others are erased."
What a debut and Must-read!! Just the title alone had me scrambling to request after the deadline...so thankful I did!
When Sydney was 13 years old, she found a picture of a little girl at her grandmother's house in North Carolina. When she approached her grandmother to inquire who the little girl was, she received a vague answer "We Don't Talk About Carol". In Sydney's late 30's, her grandmother passed away. She came across the photo again and questioned one of her grandmother's friends and was shocked to find out it was her father's sister that disappeared in 1965 assuming she ran away to be a singer in Detroit at 17 years old.
When she investigated her disappearance, she discovered 5 other black girls went missing between 1963-1965. What she also uncovers is what should have been open cold cases, they were not investigated even after documents were full of witnesses but no investigation was pursued. These were not average girls or runaways but very smart and bright futures ahead. It was almost as if history erased the girls' past.
Sydney is now married and her husband Malik and her are trying to conceive a child during her investigation of her aunt. He worried about her mental and emotional capacity to undertake an investigation after she had a psychotic episode with the last search for a young girl.
This deals with so many emotional boundaries, abuse, racism, civil unrest and a dysfunctional lineage within generations. What sparked interest and broke my heart was six girls had been missing 60 years and no one but family members seemed to care. Sydney is persistent and determined to get to the bottom of it, after scouring through discarded files, pictures and interviews, she brought to life girls that had long been forgotten. She is a wonderful character that struggles with her family's past and detachment. What a shocking ending that will not be forgotten! I still can't wrap my mind around the truth and the dark revelations. The cover of the book means so much more after the truth is revealed.
Thank you NetGalley and Bantam Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
July 16, 2025
4.5-5⭐️ Following her grandmother’s passing, journalist Sydney Singleton finds an old picture of a woman who bears a striking resemblance to herself. Upon discovering the girl to be her aunt who went missing decades earlier, Sydney will work to connect a string of unsolved disappearances to that of her aunt Carol.
I am in my literary fiction era, while also being in the mood for thrillers since it is summer and they make great beach reads. Enter this stunner - We Don’t Talk About Carol, a book that is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside.
What I love most about this book is not only that it is a fantastic mashup of intense, gripping genres creating a powerhouse of a story, but that it is also a debut. A debut! With such multi-layered and complex characters, spot-on social commentary, a true crime/cold cases mystery at the heart, and interesting and unique family dynamics, make this one heck of a spellbinding read, and one that I think will have mass appeal.
One final note, this book really shines a light on a well-documented, and under-acknowledged phenomenon - the disproportionate amount of attention from both the media and police afforded to missing Black women versus their white counterparts. While this is but one aspect of the story, I think it is the most pivotal takeaway and one I hope is covered more in popular literature.
🎧 The story comes to life with narrator Nicole Cash at the helm. She does an impeccable job taking us on this journey of the missing, as well as her own journey of self-discovery, while keeping every character she voices wholly unique.
Read if you like:
▪️slow burn literary mysteries
▪️ family drama
▪️character-driven stories
▪️ decades-old cold cases
▪️true crime
▪️atmospheric reads
✨ 2025 Favorites
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy.
I am in my literary fiction era, while also being in the mood for thrillers since it is summer and they make great beach reads. Enter this stunner - We Don’t Talk About Carol, a book that is as gorgeous on the inside as it is on the outside.
What I love most about this book is not only that it is a fantastic mashup of intense, gripping genres creating a powerhouse of a story, but that it is also a debut. A debut! With such multi-layered and complex characters, spot-on social commentary, a true crime/cold cases mystery at the heart, and interesting and unique family dynamics, make this one heck of a spellbinding read, and one that I think will have mass appeal.
One final note, this book really shines a light on a well-documented, and under-acknowledged phenomenon - the disproportionate amount of attention from both the media and police afforded to missing Black women versus their white counterparts. While this is but one aspect of the story, I think it is the most pivotal takeaway and one I hope is covered more in popular literature.
🎧 The story comes to life with narrator Nicole Cash at the helm. She does an impeccable job taking us on this journey of the missing, as well as her own journey of self-discovery, while keeping every character she voices wholly unique.
Read if you like:
▪️slow burn literary mysteries
▪️ family drama
▪️character-driven stories
▪️ decades-old cold cases
▪️true crime
▪️atmospheric reads
✨ 2025 Favorites
Check out my Bookstagram post here ♥
Thank you PRH Audio for the gifted copy.
June 3, 2025
This book was an engaging, emotional mystery. This book kept me wondering who was involved, how they were involved and why. I loved following along with Sydney not only with her investigation into Carol's disappearance but also her more personal journey of trying to get pregnant and start a family after IVF. There are times during this story where I thought I had everything all figured out and I was waiting for my predictions to come true, but I was completely wrong.
This was a very well told debut novel and I look forward to more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: 6/3/25
This was a very well told debut novel and I look forward to more from this author.
Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine | Bantam for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Pub Date: 6/3/25
September 1, 2025
“Some stories are buried. Others are erased.”
This is a multi-layered debut that blends mystery, family secrets, and social commentary with a dual-timeline structure that’s both emotionally rich and narratively compelling.
The story follows Sydney, a woman navigating infertility and family grief, who returns home only to stumble upon a decades-old mystery surrounding her cousin Carol, who vanished in the 1960s without a trace. Through Sydney’s present-day investigation and Carol’s haunting diary entries from the past, the novel slowly unearths not just what happened, but why her story was never told.
The dual timelines were well done. Carol’s voice in the 1960s chapters felt so authentic and heartbreaking, while Sydney’s modern-day voice was grounded and relatable. This book handles big themes like race, family trauma, generational silence etc…so be prepared for that.
The pacing in the middle sagged a bit. Some of Sydney’s investigative scenes felt repetitive, and I found myself wishing it would move forward more quickly. There were a few small timeline inconsistencies that pulled me out of the narrative momentarily (nothing major, but enough to notice).
While I loved Sydney’s arc, there were a couple of subplots that felt underdeveloped or unnecessary.
This is one of those slow-burn mysteries that rewards your patience. It’s not a thriller in the traditional sense as it is quieter and more character-driven. Good read overall and I liked the way I was pulled into the past.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
This is a multi-layered debut that blends mystery, family secrets, and social commentary with a dual-timeline structure that’s both emotionally rich and narratively compelling.
The story follows Sydney, a woman navigating infertility and family grief, who returns home only to stumble upon a decades-old mystery surrounding her cousin Carol, who vanished in the 1960s without a trace. Through Sydney’s present-day investigation and Carol’s haunting diary entries from the past, the novel slowly unearths not just what happened, but why her story was never told.
The dual timelines were well done. Carol’s voice in the 1960s chapters felt so authentic and heartbreaking, while Sydney’s modern-day voice was grounded and relatable. This book handles big themes like race, family trauma, generational silence etc…so be prepared for that.
The pacing in the middle sagged a bit. Some of Sydney’s investigative scenes felt repetitive, and I found myself wishing it would move forward more quickly. There were a few small timeline inconsistencies that pulled me out of the narrative momentarily (nothing major, but enough to notice).
While I loved Sydney’s arc, there were a couple of subplots that felt underdeveloped or unnecessary.
This is one of those slow-burn mysteries that rewards your patience. It’s not a thriller in the traditional sense as it is quieter and more character-driven. Good read overall and I liked the way I was pulled into the past.
Thank you to the publisher for an advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.
June 16, 2025
Pre-Read Notes:
I tend to be interested in stories about silences in families, so the title of this book grabbed me. It turns out it's a book the author tributes to the thousands of Black people who go missing every single year and their families, forever changed, forever searching. It's a compelling topic and the writing is smooth and doesn't get in the way of what's going on on-page. I'm anticipating good things here!
"“A rumor about what happened last night . . . well, that could be very bad for your father’s reputation. My career, and your father’s role at the restaurants . . . they’re all built on the strength of our public image. That’s why it’s very important that we don’t talk about private family matters with anyone outside of this family.” I felt certain that my mother had been taught this same speech as a child herself, likely to protect her pastor father. I wondered what about his reputation needed protecting." p141
Final Review
This is a good book and I liked it. My favorite thing about it is the writer's dignified touch when writing about mental illness. You wouldn't think so, but good mental illness representation in fiction is difficult to come by. I appreciated also this writer's treatment of early life stress cause by parenting. She managed to level her gaze at domestic violence of this sort without judging the parents involved. I think refraining from judgment can help to heal from childhood trauma.
I like auto-fiction, where a writer fictionalizes a true story about themselves. This memoir-novel mashup reads natural and authentic to me. It's becoming one of my favored genres.
This book has a nice swift pace and clear, smooth writing. There's something great to be said for books that don't confound or confuse the reader. It has nice turns but no shock ending-- you too may solve this mystery with the author.
I recommend this book to fans of true crime fiction, autofiction, memoir, or citizen detecting. You'll enjoy this one if you liked FOX by Joyce Carol Oates (my review!).
My 3 Favorite Things:
✔️ "I thought about the child Malik and I had been trying to conceive for the past two years. Statistically, if they were to go missing one day, they would be less likely to be found than a white child. The idea made my blood boil." p19-20 Makes mine boil too. The theme work here is spot on for relevance and style.
✔️ I was sort of stunned when the book introduces a mental illness element. I just didn't see it coming, but mental illness is like that sometimes. Berry's effort to juggle accuracy, conpassion, and accessibility for the audience impresses me. It's not often I'm unable to gripe about how an author represents mental illness. Thank you Ms Berry for treating this population with dignity.
✔️ I love the relationship between the two sisters. Siblings who grow up in trauma don't always make it, as far as the friendship goes into adulthood. Sometimes, these relationships cease because they remind the siblings too much of where they started. It gives me both peace and hope to see sisters who had gone through trauma make it as friends through adulthood.
Notes: abduction, missing persons, early childhood trauma, domestic violence, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, blacking out, addiction, runaways, car accidents, children in adult roles,
Thank you to the author Kristin L. Berry, publishers Balantine Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL. All views are mine.
I tend to be interested in stories about silences in families, so the title of this book grabbed me. It turns out it's a book the author tributes to the thousands of Black people who go missing every single year and their families, forever changed, forever searching. It's a compelling topic and the writing is smooth and doesn't get in the way of what's going on on-page. I'm anticipating good things here!
"“A rumor about what happened last night . . . well, that could be very bad for your father’s reputation. My career, and your father’s role at the restaurants . . . they’re all built on the strength of our public image. That’s why it’s very important that we don’t talk about private family matters with anyone outside of this family.” I felt certain that my mother had been taught this same speech as a child herself, likely to protect her pastor father. I wondered what about his reputation needed protecting." p141
Final Review
This is a good book and I liked it. My favorite thing about it is the writer's dignified touch when writing about mental illness. You wouldn't think so, but good mental illness representation in fiction is difficult to come by. I appreciated also this writer's treatment of early life stress cause by parenting. She managed to level her gaze at domestic violence of this sort without judging the parents involved. I think refraining from judgment can help to heal from childhood trauma.
I like auto-fiction, where a writer fictionalizes a true story about themselves. This memoir-novel mashup reads natural and authentic to me. It's becoming one of my favored genres.
This book has a nice swift pace and clear, smooth writing. There's something great to be said for books that don't confound or confuse the reader. It has nice turns but no shock ending-- you too may solve this mystery with the author.
I recommend this book to fans of true crime fiction, autofiction, memoir, or citizen detecting. You'll enjoy this one if you liked FOX by Joyce Carol Oates (my review!).
My 3 Favorite Things:
✔️ "I thought about the child Malik and I had been trying to conceive for the past two years. Statistically, if they were to go missing one day, they would be less likely to be found than a white child. The idea made my blood boil." p19-20 Makes mine boil too. The theme work here is spot on for relevance and style.
✔️ I was sort of stunned when the book introduces a mental illness element. I just didn't see it coming, but mental illness is like that sometimes. Berry's effort to juggle accuracy, conpassion, and accessibility for the audience impresses me. It's not often I'm unable to gripe about how an author represents mental illness. Thank you Ms Berry for treating this population with dignity.
✔️ I love the relationship between the two sisters. Siblings who grow up in trauma don't always make it, as far as the friendship goes into adulthood. Sometimes, these relationships cease because they remind the siblings too much of where they started. It gives me both peace and hope to see sisters who had gone through trauma make it as friends through adulthood.
Notes: abduction, missing persons, early childhood trauma, domestic violence, alcohol consumption, alcoholism, blacking out, addiction, runaways, car accidents, children in adult roles,
Thank you to the author Kristin L. Berry, publishers Balantine Books, and NetGalley for an advance digital copy of WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL. All views are mine.
May 17, 2025
I’ve been wanting to read Kristen L. Berry’s debut mystery novel, WE DON’T TALK ABOUT CAROL, as soon as I saw that gorgeous cover! Thank you @randomhouse for my gifted copy!
After her grandmother’s death, Sydney Singleton finds a photo of a girl who turns out to be her long-lost aunt Carol—one of six Black girls who vanished in 1960s North Carolina. As Sydney digs into the decades-old mystery, her own dark past resurfaces, threatening her fragile mental health, strained marriage, and hopes of starting a family. With long-buried secrets emerging, she must decide how far she’ll go to uncover the truth.
This book is part family saga and part mystery. It is not a thriller, so do not go into this book thinking it’s a thriller. However, this book is a mirror to American society on the fact that there’s a massive discrepancy on investigations when Black people go missing versus White people, and you’ll see that play out through its entirety. This book is a powerful representation of that through this fictional story. The book also dives into mental health and infertility—two additional possible trigger warnings, but Berry weaved these secondary plot themes expertly. I am excited to see what this author has in store next for readers!
After her grandmother’s death, Sydney Singleton finds a photo of a girl who turns out to be her long-lost aunt Carol—one of six Black girls who vanished in 1960s North Carolina. As Sydney digs into the decades-old mystery, her own dark past resurfaces, threatening her fragile mental health, strained marriage, and hopes of starting a family. With long-buried secrets emerging, she must decide how far she’ll go to uncover the truth.
This book is part family saga and part mystery. It is not a thriller, so do not go into this book thinking it’s a thriller. However, this book is a mirror to American society on the fact that there’s a massive discrepancy on investigations when Black people go missing versus White people, and you’ll see that play out through its entirety. This book is a powerful representation of that through this fictional story. The book also dives into mental health and infertility—two additional possible trigger warnings, but Berry weaved these secondary plot themes expertly. I am excited to see what this author has in store next for readers!
July 23, 2025
4.5 stars rounded up
I really liked this! We Don't Talk About Carol is a mystery novel that feels like it would make a great book club pick. A Black woman going through IVF treatments with her husband discovers that she had an aunt she never knew existed, and then finds out that several other Black teen girls disappeared around the same time that her aunt supposedly ran away in the 1960's.
Determined to uncover the truth, she polishes off her investigative reporter skills and starts digging into the past, regardless of who gets a little uncomfortable. But as the mystery unravels, she is also forced to confront her own traumatic past with an abusive father and work through her uncertainty about being able to be a good mother to a potential child.
There are a lot of layers to this book but one of the main themes is the fact that while Black people are very overrepresented in number of missing persons cases, they are rarely the ones that get major media attention. I feel like this has series potential and I hope the author continues! I really liked it. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
I really liked this! We Don't Talk About Carol is a mystery novel that feels like it would make a great book club pick. A Black woman going through IVF treatments with her husband discovers that she had an aunt she never knew existed, and then finds out that several other Black teen girls disappeared around the same time that her aunt supposedly ran away in the 1960's.
Determined to uncover the truth, she polishes off her investigative reporter skills and starts digging into the past, regardless of who gets a little uncomfortable. But as the mystery unravels, she is also forced to confront her own traumatic past with an abusive father and work through her uncertainty about being able to be a good mother to a potential child.
There are a lot of layers to this book but one of the main themes is the fact that while Black people are very overrepresented in number of missing persons cases, they are rarely the ones that get major media attention. I feel like this has series potential and I hope the author continues! I really liked it. I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher, all opinions are my own.
December 17, 2024
Now this is how you write a book! I was shouting and in disbelief when things started to come together. 5 ⭐️
The description does not do it justice. Yes, it’s about missing black girls and the main character potentially losing herself in the investigation but it is so much more. I got lost in this book like Sydney got lost in the case.
I can’t believe this is a debut novel. Kristen Berry, get back in the lab. We need you!
This was emotional, complex, and well written. It is a “family secret” type suspense novel with aspects that read like a thriller. Every detail was important and I loved how deliberate she was in chasing after justice for these missing Black girls. Berry handles childhood trauma and C-PTSD so well.
It’s also not just about a missing aunt. It’s the family ties, secrets, lies, shame, and the “keep this in the family” mentality that plagues so many families.
If you like true crime podcasts, family secrets, and a focus on underreported stories, this is for you. So good. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing this advanced reader copy! Will be buying a copy of my own 💙
The description does not do it justice. Yes, it’s about missing black girls and the main character potentially losing herself in the investigation but it is so much more. I got lost in this book like Sydney got lost in the case.
I can’t believe this is a debut novel. Kristen Berry, get back in the lab. We need you!
This was emotional, complex, and well written. It is a “family secret” type suspense novel with aspects that read like a thriller. Every detail was important and I loved how deliberate she was in chasing after justice for these missing Black girls. Berry handles childhood trauma and C-PTSD so well.
It’s also not just about a missing aunt. It’s the family ties, secrets, lies, shame, and the “keep this in the family” mentality that plagues so many families.
If you like true crime podcasts, family secrets, and a focus on underreported stories, this is for you. So good. Thank you NetGalley and Random House for providing this advanced reader copy! Will be buying a copy of my own 💙
July 23, 2025
This story is a family drama/mystery following Sydney, a former journalist, who works to unravel a family mystery about her aunt Carol who went missing many years ago. The story largely focuses on the inequities within our justice system - how missing Black girls & women don't get nearly the same attention as missing white girls and women, despite how prevalent the issue is.
Along with that, the story also explores themes of family, motherhood, sisterhood, infertility/IVF, mental health, trauma/generational trauma, and more. I enjoyed the story, but it did feel like a lot packed in one book, which seemed to slow the pacing down. The ending surprised me and I found the nuanced ending to the mystery to be an interesting choice that leaves you thinking about it after you close the book. I would pick up another book from this author in the future!
Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.
Along with that, the story also explores themes of family, motherhood, sisterhood, infertility/IVF, mental health, trauma/generational trauma, and more. I enjoyed the story, but it did feel like a lot packed in one book, which seemed to slow the pacing down. The ending surprised me and I found the nuanced ending to the mystery to be an interesting choice that leaves you thinking about it after you close the book. I would pick up another book from this author in the future!
Thank you to the publisher for granting me access to an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions remain my own.
June 24, 2025
I was grateful to receive an ARC of this book through NetGalley—the premise immediately intrigued me, and I was ready for a chilling, twist-filled ride.
But from the very first chapter, the pacing felt off. While I usually devour thrillers in a day or two, it took me that long just to push through the first 160 pages. The suspense I was hoping for never quite sank its claws in, and the momentum dragged where it should have sprinted.
That said, the final quarter finally kicked into gear. The ending delivered a satisfying payoff, with a few twists that made the long haul feel (almost) worth it.
Still, this one would’ve benefitted from a tighter edit and a sharper blade—less filler, more fear.
🔪 A slow burn that took too long to catch fire.
But from the very first chapter, the pacing felt off. While I usually devour thrillers in a day or two, it took me that long just to push through the first 160 pages. The suspense I was hoping for never quite sank its claws in, and the momentum dragged where it should have sprinted.
That said, the final quarter finally kicked into gear. The ending delivered a satisfying payoff, with a few twists that made the long haul feel (almost) worth it.
Still, this one would’ve benefitted from a tighter edit and a sharper blade—less filler, more fear.
🔪 A slow burn that took too long to catch fire.
July 8, 2025
2.5 stars. On paper, this book is everything. But the execution, unfortunately, was pretty lackluster. This is a book that feels like it is checking boxes, like it is merely a collection of beats to hit in order to include the list of themes. It lacks that ineffable spark that makes a novel come to life.
The prose is overly descriptive, scenes where we have to interrupt the moment to mention that a character takes a bite of their juicy steak which adds nothing to the scene, doesn't give you a deeper immersion in the moment, just breaks up the dialogue for the sake of breaking up the dialogue. Everything the book wants to say is text rather than subtext, characters must express their motivations directly, say the themes out loud.
And it's a shame! Because what this book maps out on paper is really interesting. That's why I read it. But it becomes a chore to sit through scene after scene, to wait for each new wrinkle in the plot. And I felt bad about it because Berry has lofty goals, especially addressing infertility, domestic violence, and mental health, all issues that are particularly meaningful for the Black community she writes about on top of the most prevalent issue of how crime against Black people can be ignored and deprioritized.
This honestly is a 2 star book but I would feel bad putting that because Berry's intentions are noble and the plot itself is well put together if a little clunky occasionally.
The prose is overly descriptive, scenes where we have to interrupt the moment to mention that a character takes a bite of their juicy steak which adds nothing to the scene, doesn't give you a deeper immersion in the moment, just breaks up the dialogue for the sake of breaking up the dialogue. Everything the book wants to say is text rather than subtext, characters must express their motivations directly, say the themes out loud.
And it's a shame! Because what this book maps out on paper is really interesting. That's why I read it. But it becomes a chore to sit through scene after scene, to wait for each new wrinkle in the plot. And I felt bad about it because Berry has lofty goals, especially addressing infertility, domestic violence, and mental health, all issues that are particularly meaningful for the Black community she writes about on top of the most prevalent issue of how crime against Black people can be ignored and deprioritized.
This honestly is a 2 star book but I would feel bad putting that because Berry's intentions are noble and the plot itself is well put together if a little clunky occasionally.
June 4, 2025
I was excited to get to this one after seeing all the great reviews and the plot sounded really intriguing. This was well written and compelling. It's not necessarily a twisty thriller, but more of a slow burn mystery about the unsolved case of Sydney's missing aunt, her father's sister, and six other missing Black women in the 1960’s that have not been investigated. She wonders if there is a connection between them and her aunt. If you like true crime I think you may enjoy this one. It's a sad and true fact how Black women that go missing are often not investigated as they should be. I found the story to be very realistic and emotional. It was slower than I was expecting but still compelling enough to hold my attention.
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own
July 25, 2025
Sydney Singleton, a crime reporter, is back in her father’s hometown of Raleigh, NC because her grandmother has passed away. She finds an old photo of a young teenage girl that really looks like Sydney. She uncovers that this is her father’s older sister, her Aunt Carol, who ran away from home at age 16. Sydney soon realizes that there were 6 other young black women who went missing between 1963 and 1965 with almost no police involvement and no leads.
Sydney can’t help but dive into this 60 year old cold case. Along the way, she and her husband Malik, who have struggled with infertility, are on a stressful IVF journey.
With a broadening setting and exquisite pacing, this book is the perfect mix of plot, world-building, and characterization. I felt with Sydney as she decided at each moment, whether or not to move forward in her investigation. It is so easy to give up, and the press traditionally doesn’t cover missing persons cases when the victim is black.
Although black people represent 14% of the population, they are 36% of the missing persons cases. That’s a huge disparity. This author brings their stories to light. The ending was satisfying, not shocking. This is not a twisty mystery, but a carefully crafted one. It helps us consider what those things are in our own families that we just don’t talk about.
Sydney can’t help but dive into this 60 year old cold case. Along the way, she and her husband Malik, who have struggled with infertility, are on a stressful IVF journey.
With a broadening setting and exquisite pacing, this book is the perfect mix of plot, world-building, and characterization. I felt with Sydney as she decided at each moment, whether or not to move forward in her investigation. It is so easy to give up, and the press traditionally doesn’t cover missing persons cases when the victim is black.
Although black people represent 14% of the population, they are 36% of the missing persons cases. That’s a huge disparity. This author brings their stories to light. The ending was satisfying, not shocking. This is not a twisty mystery, but a carefully crafted one. It helps us consider what those things are in our own families that we just don’t talk about.
August 25, 2025
Yes!!! This book was well written! Lots of twists and emotions!!!
The novel unfolds across two intertwined timelines. Through Carol’s diary entries, we delve into her 1960s world—her dreams, relationships, and the community that unknowingly let her slip into the void. Simultaneously, the present-day narrative tracks Sydney as she probes these decades-old disappearances. This dual structure cleverly balances suspense and emotional resonance, culminating in a twist about Carol’s fate that feels both shocking and inevitable
What elevates this mystery is its attention to systemic inequities: Berry spotlights how missing Black girls often vanish from public and institutional concern. The discrepancies in media coverage and law enforcement's urgency form a powerful undercurrent throughout
The novel also poignantly explores generational silence—how a family’s refusal to speak about painful truths can echo across decades, obstructing healing and connecting wounds. Sydney’s fertility struggles add another layer, contrasting her yearning to build a future with the shadows of a suppressed past.
Sydney is beautifully rendered—haunted and hopeful, stubborn and vulnerable. Her obsession with the past threatens to fracture her marriage, taint her mental health, and challenge her sisterly bonds. Readers sympathetic to complex familial dynamics will especially appreciate the nuanced portrayal of Sydney’s relationships, particularly with her sister Sasha and their emotionally distant mother.
We Don’t Talk About Carol is far more than a mystery—it’s a haunting journey through secrecy, grief, and endurance. Berry crafts characters you care about from the first page, guiding you through decades of pain and silence toward an ending that is both satisfying and unsettling. For readers who gravitate toward thought-provoking fiction, this book resonates long after the last page.
Recommended For:
Fans of emotionally rich mysteries
Readers interested in social justice and the overlooked stories of marginalized communities
Book clubs seeking layered discussions on family, trauma, and resilience
The novel unfolds across two intertwined timelines. Through Carol’s diary entries, we delve into her 1960s world—her dreams, relationships, and the community that unknowingly let her slip into the void. Simultaneously, the present-day narrative tracks Sydney as she probes these decades-old disappearances. This dual structure cleverly balances suspense and emotional resonance, culminating in a twist about Carol’s fate that feels both shocking and inevitable
What elevates this mystery is its attention to systemic inequities: Berry spotlights how missing Black girls often vanish from public and institutional concern. The discrepancies in media coverage and law enforcement's urgency form a powerful undercurrent throughout
The novel also poignantly explores generational silence—how a family’s refusal to speak about painful truths can echo across decades, obstructing healing and connecting wounds. Sydney’s fertility struggles add another layer, contrasting her yearning to build a future with the shadows of a suppressed past.
Sydney is beautifully rendered—haunted and hopeful, stubborn and vulnerable. Her obsession with the past threatens to fracture her marriage, taint her mental health, and challenge her sisterly bonds. Readers sympathetic to complex familial dynamics will especially appreciate the nuanced portrayal of Sydney’s relationships, particularly with her sister Sasha and their emotionally distant mother.
We Don’t Talk About Carol is far more than a mystery—it’s a haunting journey through secrecy, grief, and endurance. Berry crafts characters you care about from the first page, guiding you through decades of pain and silence toward an ending that is both satisfying and unsettling. For readers who gravitate toward thought-provoking fiction, this book resonates long after the last page.
Recommended For:
Fans of emotionally rich mysteries
Readers interested in social justice and the overlooked stories of marginalized communities
Book clubs seeking layered discussions on family, trauma, and resilience
May 30, 2025
WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL by Kristen L. Berry
Thank you @prhaudio for my gifted copy!
📖 A turbulent family drama meets an absorbing mystery in Kristen L. Berry’s compelling debut. The story follows journalist Sydney Singleton, who, while cleaning out her late grandmother's home, discovers a photo of a family member she's never met: her aunt Carol, who vanished in the 1960s along with five other Black girls. As she digs deeper into her family's secrets and the unsolved disappearances, Sydney must confront painful truths about her past and what she's willing to risk for answers.
💭 The novel explores themes of generational trauma, complicated family dynamics, fertility struggles, and mental health—and shines a light on the way society has long-ignored cases of missing Black girls. A powerful, engrossing, twisty page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait to see what Berry writes next!
🎧 I really enjoyed Nicole Cash’s narration. She brought an authenticity and sense of familiarity to Sydney that made her instantly relatable and easy to root for. As a solo narrator, Cash gave each character a distinct and consistent voice, adding clarity and personality to the dialogue. Her performance made the story all the more engaging.
Thank you @prhaudio for my gifted copy!
📖 A turbulent family drama meets an absorbing mystery in Kristen L. Berry’s compelling debut. The story follows journalist Sydney Singleton, who, while cleaning out her late grandmother's home, discovers a photo of a family member she's never met: her aunt Carol, who vanished in the 1960s along with five other Black girls. As she digs deeper into her family's secrets and the unsolved disappearances, Sydney must confront painful truths about her past and what she's willing to risk for answers.
💭 The novel explores themes of generational trauma, complicated family dynamics, fertility struggles, and mental health—and shines a light on the way society has long-ignored cases of missing Black girls. A powerful, engrossing, twisty page turner that I thoroughly enjoyed. I can't wait to see what Berry writes next!
🎧 I really enjoyed Nicole Cash’s narration. She brought an authenticity and sense of familiarity to Sydney that made her instantly relatable and easy to root for. As a solo narrator, Cash gave each character a distinct and consistent voice, adding clarity and personality to the dialogue. Her performance made the story all the more engaging.
July 23, 2025
3.5 stars rounded up. Great debut!! Definitely a memorable read.
I can’t imagine growing up and not knowing anything about your dad having a sister much less a sister who has been missing. Following the death of her grandma Sydney finds a photo that looks so similar to her. She starts on a journey to discover the truth about her aunt and the other missing girls from the neighborhood.
Kept me engaged and wanting to know the details.
Family drama between her and the sister, fertility issues, brief mentions of the events of the missing girls abuse. Several racial comments and some political statements that weren’t necessary.
Thanks to netgalley for my electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
I can’t imagine growing up and not knowing anything about your dad having a sister much less a sister who has been missing. Following the death of her grandma Sydney finds a photo that looks so similar to her. She starts on a journey to discover the truth about her aunt and the other missing girls from the neighborhood.
Kept me engaged and wanting to know the details.
Family drama between her and the sister, fertility issues, brief mentions of the events of the missing girls abuse. Several racial comments and some political statements that weren’t necessary.
Thanks to netgalley for my electronic reader copy in exchange for my honest review.
July 27, 2025
4.5 stars
Imagine discovering, as an adult, that you have an aunt no one ever mentioned, not your late father, not even your now-deceased grandmother.
Driven by curiosity and your background as an investigative journalist, you start digging… only to uncover a chilling pattern: five other Black girls went missing before your aunt did. The deeper you go, the darker the family secrets become until the truth finally comes to light.
This is a gripping, beautifully written story that sheds the light on family trauma, long buried secrets, and the haunting reality of missing Black girls over the past 60 years. An unforgettable read.
Imagine discovering, as an adult, that you have an aunt no one ever mentioned, not your late father, not even your now-deceased grandmother.
Driven by curiosity and your background as an investigative journalist, you start digging… only to uncover a chilling pattern: five other Black girls went missing before your aunt did. The deeper you go, the darker the family secrets become until the truth finally comes to light.
This is a gripping, beautifully written story that sheds the light on family trauma, long buried secrets, and the haunting reality of missing Black girls over the past 60 years. An unforgettable read.
January 2, 2025
"We Don't Talk About Carol" by Kristen L. Berry is a gripping exploration of family secrets and the haunting legacy of unsolved mysteries. Following Sydney Singleton, a determined journalist, discovers an old photograph of a beautiful teenage girl tucked away in a drawer at her grandmother's home. When her grandmother is questioned, Syd learns it's her deceased father's sister. Her grandmother quickly shuts down Syd's questioning, saying, "We don't talk about Carol."
From there, the narrative unravels this unsettling connection Syd develops to her aunt Carol, a Black girl who she learns went missing decades ago in the 1960s along with five other unsolved Black teenage girls - who all happened to vanish in the same neighborhood around the same time frame. Berry’s writing effectively captures Sydney's obsession and anger, drawing readers into the dark history that has plagued her family for generations.
Sydney’s struggles with her mental health and her marriage add layers to the story, making her quest for the truth both deeply personal and universally relatable. The intertwining themes of motherhood, struggles with miscarriage, fertility treatments, and the weight of family expectations resonate throughout, compelling readers to reflect on their own legacies. The historical backdrop of the 1960s in North Carolina adds depth and poignancy to Sydney’s journey. Berry paints a vivid picture of the societal silence not only within families surrounding these tragic disappearances but also when it comes to missing Black children in the news and the lack of resources allotted to their cases.
While the pacing occasionally lags, especially in the middle sections, the emotional payoff and the unraveling of family secrets make it shocking and worthwhile. Overall, this debut novel is a powerful testament to the lengths one will keep the truth hidden and how far one will go to seek the truth. Berry’s intricate storytelling leaves a lasting impact, earning this book a well-deserved four stars.
Thank you, #NetGalley, #KristenLBerry, and #RandomHousePublishingGroup, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of #WeDontTalkAboutCarol .
From there, the narrative unravels this unsettling connection Syd develops to her aunt Carol, a Black girl who she learns went missing decades ago in the 1960s along with five other unsolved Black teenage girls - who all happened to vanish in the same neighborhood around the same time frame. Berry’s writing effectively captures Sydney's obsession and anger, drawing readers into the dark history that has plagued her family for generations.
Sydney’s struggles with her mental health and her marriage add layers to the story, making her quest for the truth both deeply personal and universally relatable. The intertwining themes of motherhood, struggles with miscarriage, fertility treatments, and the weight of family expectations resonate throughout, compelling readers to reflect on their own legacies. The historical backdrop of the 1960s in North Carolina adds depth and poignancy to Sydney’s journey. Berry paints a vivid picture of the societal silence not only within families surrounding these tragic disappearances but also when it comes to missing Black children in the news and the lack of resources allotted to their cases.
While the pacing occasionally lags, especially in the middle sections, the emotional payoff and the unraveling of family secrets make it shocking and worthwhile. Overall, this debut novel is a powerful testament to the lengths one will keep the truth hidden and how far one will go to seek the truth. Berry’s intricate storytelling leaves a lasting impact, earning this book a well-deserved four stars.
Thank you, #NetGalley, #KristenLBerry, and #RandomHousePublishingGroup, for the ARC in exchange for an honest review of #WeDontTalkAboutCarol .
May 16, 2025
I enjoyed listening to WE DON'T TALK ABOUT CAROL. It's a slow burn story that caught my attention right off the bat. I liked Sydney's determination to find out what happened to her Aunt, and the other six girls that went missing in the 1960's. Sydney's struggles with fertility are another big part of the story that I wanted to mention, in case that is a trigger for you. This is an emotional story, but if you like a mix of mystery and historical fiction I would say to pick this one up on audio. The narration was excellent and very easy to listen to.
Many thanks to PRH Audio for my gifted ALC.
This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
Many thanks to PRH Audio for my gifted ALC.
This review will be shared to my Instagram account (@coffee.break.book.reviews) in the near future.
August 19, 2025
Well, I have processed. It's been a while since a mystery book captivated me from beginning to end, and this is a first time author. I'm also usually nervous, because I can tell when people are doing stupid stuff and I get very anxious. But not this book, and mainly because I didn't know what was going to happen. I didn't know where she was going with the book. I did guess the who did it, and I did sort of guess the big secret at the end. However, I didn't guess the why or how. I don't know how else to explain it without giving away a big spoiler. I loved the characters and the nuances of life going on with the mystery while also trying to solve the mystery. I did eventually warm to Malik, but I just don't think he would have stayed that supportive if trying for a baby was off the table. My only issue was the bluetooth thing, and was that just accident or purpose.
I recommend this book for thrillers and well, I think this works as a book even if you don't like mysteries. I can't wait for her next book. Anyways. Have fun with this book. It's definitely worth it.
I recommend this book for thrillers and well, I think this works as a book even if you don't like mysteries. I can't wait for her next book. Anyways. Have fun with this book. It's definitely worth it.
July 15, 2025
4.5 rounded to a 5.
FINALLY a mystery book with NO unreliable narrator! Huzzah!
EDIT: after book club, i would like to revise this comment in that Sydney is unreliable in that she had suppressed trauma that was clouding her POV lol but wasn’t crazy unreliable
FINALLY a mystery book with NO unreliable narrator! Huzzah!
EDIT: after book club, i would like to revise this comment in that Sydney is unreliable in that she had suppressed trauma that was clouding her POV lol but wasn’t crazy unreliable
May 19, 2025
We Don't Talk About Carol unravels the mystery of a 60-year-old cold case involving missing Black women, while also delving into themes of family secrets, community, trauma, and motherhood.
There certainly were some sad parts in this book well as some maddening parts. It wasn't easy reading about the racial disparities in missing person investigations. And, family relationships are sometimes beyond challenging, especially if an emotionally distant mother is thrown into the mix.
I found a few conversations a bit stiff, and there was some repetition, but for the most part, Ms. Berry hit it out of the ballpark! I'm interested to see where she goes from here!!
Thank you, #Bantam, for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. We Don't Talk About Carol has an expected publication date of June 3, 2025.
There certainly were some sad parts in this book well as some maddening parts. It wasn't easy reading about the racial disparities in missing person investigations. And, family relationships are sometimes beyond challenging, especially if an emotionally distant mother is thrown into the mix.
I found a few conversations a bit stiff, and there was some repetition, but for the most part, Ms. Berry hit it out of the ballpark! I'm interested to see where she goes from here!!
Thank you, #Bantam, for providing this book for review and consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. We Don't Talk About Carol has an expected publication date of June 3, 2025.
June 9, 2025
We Don't Talk About Carol is a compelling, timely story about sisterhood, trauma, missing Black women and girls, and the many ways Black women and girls are not cared for and protected in society at large. When Sydney discovers an old photograph of a woman who looks more like her than her sister and mother, she finds out about an Aunt Carol she never knew about who'd gone missing as a teenager in the midst of a bunch of Black girls going missing in the 1960s. Sydney has a journalism background—though a mental health crisis caused her to take on lighter work—and decides to throw herself into searching for more information about those missing girls that digs up things people had hoped would stay hidden.
Sydney was bold and daring, despite the fact that I felt like she was held back a bit by her mother, sister, and even her husband, Malik. Malik and Sydney's fertility journey is woven throughout the layers of this story, as Sydney becomes close with her sister as an adult, attempts to understand her mother as a flawed human being, and learns to be independent and pursue the things she is passionate about without fear for the first time. Sydney also partners with a popular missing women and girls podcast to bring focus on the story while her sister does some ancestral digging that brings someone out of hiding.
Kristen L. Berry is a skilled writer and storyteller, and this was such an important story to tell at a time like these where Black women and girls are still going missing at an alarming rate and receive very little to no media attention, police resources, or justice for their families. What a stunning and compelling debut.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!
5 ⭐️s
Sydney was bold and daring, despite the fact that I felt like she was held back a bit by her mother, sister, and even her husband, Malik. Malik and Sydney's fertility journey is woven throughout the layers of this story, as Sydney becomes close with her sister as an adult, attempts to understand her mother as a flawed human being, and learns to be independent and pursue the things she is passionate about without fear for the first time. Sydney also partners with a popular missing women and girls podcast to bring focus on the story while her sister does some ancestral digging that brings someone out of hiding.
Kristen L. Berry is a skilled writer and storyteller, and this was such an important story to tell at a time like these where Black women and girls are still going missing at an alarming rate and receive very little to no media attention, police resources, or justice for their families. What a stunning and compelling debut.
Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Ballantine, Bantam, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC!
5 ⭐️s
May 15, 2025
This debut stunned me. It’s part mystery, part family drama, and one I won’t forget.
When Sydney’s grandmother dies, she’s left with more than just grief when she finds a photo of a young girl who looks eerily like her. That girl is Carol,an aunt she did not know existed. She was one of six black girls who went missing in the 1960’s in North Carolina. We don’t talk about Carol. But Sydney is determined to find out what happened to her and those other girls who never got the investigation or justice they deserved.
This book is so well done that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. It’s not just a novel, it’s a necessary conversation.
When Sydney’s grandmother dies, she’s left with more than just grief when she finds a photo of a young girl who looks eerily like her. That girl is Carol,an aunt she did not know existed. She was one of six black girls who went missing in the 1960’s in North Carolina. We don’t talk about Carol. But Sydney is determined to find out what happened to her and those other girls who never got the investigation or justice they deserved.
This book is so well done that I couldn’t stop turning the pages. It’s not just a novel, it’s a necessary conversation.
June 20, 2025
4.5 stars!!!
Wow wow wow! I am so glad Kristen L. Berry wrote this book. It is such an important read (and a brilliant debut suspense novel). 👏
I felt so many emotions while reading. Whew! I flew through this book in two and a half days. It had everything I'm looking for when I pick up a mystery and so much more.
After her grandmother dies, Sydney Singleton travels to Raleigh, North Carolina to pack up her house with her mother and sister. Sydney finds a photograph of a little girl - her aunt Carol. Sydney never knew Carol existed because no one has ever talked about Carol. Carol was one of six Black girls who disappeared from their Raleigh neighbourhood in the early 1960s.
Sydney sets out to uncover the truth about her aunt's disappearance and the other missing girls.
Kristen did an amazing job fleshing out her characters. I really connected with Sydney, her husband Malik, her sister Sasha and the family members of the missing girls.
I loved that Kristen shed light on missing Black girls in America and how these cases are handled by law enforcement and the media.
Loved seeing how these tragedies impacted the families of each of the girls and their Raleigh community.
This slow burn mystery is packed with family drama. Themes of family, marriage and motherhood are woven throughout.
TW: fertility issues
I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a while. Highly recommend! 👏
Wow wow wow! I am so glad Kristen L. Berry wrote this book. It is such an important read (and a brilliant debut suspense novel). 👏
I felt so many emotions while reading. Whew! I flew through this book in two and a half days. It had everything I'm looking for when I pick up a mystery and so much more.
After her grandmother dies, Sydney Singleton travels to Raleigh, North Carolina to pack up her house with her mother and sister. Sydney finds a photograph of a little girl - her aunt Carol. Sydney never knew Carol existed because no one has ever talked about Carol. Carol was one of six Black girls who disappeared from their Raleigh neighbourhood in the early 1960s.
Sydney sets out to uncover the truth about her aunt's disappearance and the other missing girls.
Kristen did an amazing job fleshing out her characters. I really connected with Sydney, her husband Malik, her sister Sasha and the family members of the missing girls.
I loved that Kristen shed light on missing Black girls in America and how these cases are handled by law enforcement and the media.
Loved seeing how these tragedies impacted the families of each of the girls and their Raleigh community.
This slow burn mystery is packed with family drama. Themes of family, marriage and motherhood are woven throughout.
TW: fertility issues
I'll definitely be thinking about this one for a while. Highly recommend! 👏
August 9, 2025
IG review: https://www.instagram.com/p/DNIqK9MAk...
Sydney Singleton’s grandmother has just passed, and in the process of cleaning her Raleigh home she discovers the picture of a girl. A girl that looks a lot like Sydney herself. She soon discovers that this woman is her aunt, Carol, and one of six local North Carolina Black girls who went missing in the 1960s.
Sydney used to be a crime journalist and her senses are tingling, but last time this happened she ended up in a hospital. But cmon, a secret Aunt? Missing girls?! Let’s go.
This book encapsulated so much more than I expected going into it! But in a great way. I kept turning the pages. This book almost felt like reading a true crime story. I could vividly picture the NC landscape and locals that Sydney visited with. I loved learning more about Sydney and her life even as she investigates this frozen cold case.
The focus of this story is to shine a bright light on the fact that there is a huge discrepancy of investigation, resources and attention where missing Black persons are concerned. The author shows this with great power yet great care.
I really enjoyed this novel and the many storylines and themes woven together. I do want to note that as the story goes, we also follow Sydney‘s journey with infertility and IVF and I know that’s a hard topic for a lot of readers!
Highly recommended! And can’t wait to see what this author does next!
Thank you Bantam and Netgalley for the egalley!!
Sydney Singleton’s grandmother has just passed, and in the process of cleaning her Raleigh home she discovers the picture of a girl. A girl that looks a lot like Sydney herself. She soon discovers that this woman is her aunt, Carol, and one of six local North Carolina Black girls who went missing in the 1960s.
Sydney used to be a crime journalist and her senses are tingling, but last time this happened she ended up in a hospital. But cmon, a secret Aunt? Missing girls?! Let’s go.
This book encapsulated so much more than I expected going into it! But in a great way. I kept turning the pages. This book almost felt like reading a true crime story. I could vividly picture the NC landscape and locals that Sydney visited with. I loved learning more about Sydney and her life even as she investigates this frozen cold case.
The focus of this story is to shine a bright light on the fact that there is a huge discrepancy of investigation, resources and attention where missing Black persons are concerned. The author shows this with great power yet great care.
I really enjoyed this novel and the many storylines and themes woven together. I do want to note that as the story goes, we also follow Sydney‘s journey with infertility and IVF and I know that’s a hard topic for a lot of readers!
Highly recommended! And can’t wait to see what this author does next!
Thank you Bantam and Netgalley for the egalley!!
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