Everything I Left Unsaid (Everything I Left Unsaid, #1) by Molly O'Keefe
Series: Everything I Left Unsaid #1
Published by Bantam on October 13, 2015
Genres: Contemporary
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FINAL DECISION: EVERYTHING I LEFT UNSAID was too long and would have benefitted from being one book or to be half the length. It was unnecessary for this book to be as long as it was. Lots of melodramatic filler that made it a slog to get through.

THE STORY: Annie McKay answers a ringing phone in her new trailer and finds herself talking to a mysterious man who asks her to watch another person in the trailer park. What starts as a strange request turns into regular phone calls where “Dylan” helps Annie explore her sexuality and escape her past. However, both Annie and Dylan have dangerous secrets that threaten their growing connection.

OPINION: The first part of this book seemed promising. The phone calls between Annie and Dylan were interesting, and I was intrigued by these characters’ stories.

However, as more plot elements pile on, the story loses its way. The simple premise of the beginning gives way to increasingly improbable developments and coincidences. Dylan’s tortured billionaire backstory feels particularly cliché. Even worse, the story drags on and on in parts. Instead of having a compelling book that needed to be broken into two parts, this book could have used significant editing to condense it to one standard-size novel or two novellas.

The ending also frustrated me, as it clearly sets up for the second book rather than providing a satisfying conclusion to this book’s story arcs. While I understand this is part of a series, the lack of resolution to major plot threads felt manipulative. I don’t mind cliffhanger books, but the best ones resolve some things so that there is a reason to actually read the first book.

WORTH MENTIONING: This ends on a cliffhanger that leads directly into the next book.

CONNECTED BOOKS: EVERYTHING I LEFT UNSAID is the first book in the Everything I Left Unsaid series.

STAR RATING: I give this book 2 stars.