Book Description
One death. Eighteen facts. What's the truth?
How do you solve the mystery of your mother's death if no one wants to talk about her? Not even your family. Especially not them.
July knows a lot about her mother. She knows that she loved dancing on tables. That she was covered in freckles. She also knows that she misses her. Her mother died in a car crash when July was little. Or so she's been told.
July is determined to find out the truth. But it might be more painful than the lies she's been told all these years.
A compelling and moving mystery about family, community and the secrets people keep to protect those they love. Perfect for fans of Joanna Cannon, Janice Hallett and Elizabeth is Missing.
BOOK REVIEW
Review for 'What July Knew' by Emily Koch.
Publication date 26th January 2023
This is the first book I have read by this author but it most certainly won't be my last!!!
This novel consists of 45 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!
This book is devastatingly heart-breaking and beautiful. I absolutely love the unique storyline, the characters and just everything!!! It is one of the most touching books that I have ever read!!! This may be the first book I have read by this author but it most definitely won't be my last! Before I say more about this book though I do need to point out that it does contain both domestic violence and child abuse. These are tough subjects to read or write about but Emily manages to weave them into such an emotional storyline that will stay with the reader for a long time. Emily also lists helplines at the back of the book to help anyone in these situations themselves. I am a big believer of topics such as these being written about in books in order to spread awareness which could save someone's life. In this book there are so many things that could have been different if the truth was told, someone had listened to their instincts or someone had helped yet none of this happened. There is a definite butterfly affect throughout where one incident ripples out lasting years and the more incidents and ignorance throughout leads to what happens.
It is an absolute rollercoaster ride of emotions filled with love, hate, romance, heartbreak, anger, laughter, regrets, family, love, loss, secrets, drama, family, abuse, secrets, twists, shocks, friendship and so much more. It is one of the most unforgettable books I have ever read!! It tells the story of July who has just turned 10 and is starting to question what happened to her mother after a note is left for her telling her what she believes is true isn't. This leads her down many paths investigating and asking many people. You'd think the one person she could turn to would be her family, especially her father. Sadly when she does this he literally beats her which had me in tears or several occasions so be aware of this and have the tissues at the ready!!! It is very rare that a book can land me in tears especially when animals aren't involved but Emily's astounding, touching, evocative and emotive book does just that. Emily's evocative writing skills sucks the reader straight into the storyline with the characters, situation and emotions coming to life around them.This is just one of those rare books that words just cannot express how powerful and emotional it is. It will make you cry tears of happiness, laughter and sadness. It will also fill you with nostalgia! July was born just 1 year apart from me so the events that went on, the songs and activities are all ones I grew up with so it was also a fun trip down memory lane. The fact that Emily has done her research absolutely shines through so a huge congratulations Emily! One of my pet hates is when authors don't research their topics and then the book is littered with unnecessary mistakes which can spoil the story for me. When I was reading this book I could feel my heartbeat speeding up as I was getting a dark sense of foreboding the deeper into the book I got and I ended up with tears streaming down my face so make sure you get those tissues ready!! It is one of those books that I just simply could not put down and I walked around everywhere with my kindle and the book. Every chapter ended in a way that I had to know what was going to happen next and then it would move on to the next chapter and do the same so I blew through this in one sitting. Reading this book really does make you feel that you are standing with June and going through the pain, love, and suffering. While you are reading this you are going through a journey of love and loss, heartbreak, secrets, love, and regrets and so, so much more. It really is a rollercoaster ride of emotions. You need to clear your schedules and get the tissues at the ready because you will not be able to put this book down. I must also add that I loved the lists and entries scattered throughout this book which made it even more realistic. There are some tough topics are explored with realism and sensitivity, that all culminated in a very gripping and powerful page turner. This is one of those books that will stay with me for a long time and although it could be a difficult read at times with emotions running high I would seriously recommend it to anyone and everyone!!
Clear your schedules and grab the tissues as this is one unforgettable and unique page turner you will not want to put down and that wil have you blubbering throughout!!!
The characters were all very strong and realistic and Emily's writing ensured they jumped off the pages at me. My heart went out to July and most of the main characters for different reasons during different chapters. I absolutely loved July's absolutely fantastic, strong, bubbly and attitude filled personality. All she wants is answers to what happened to her mum at the end of the day and she is just a child, what child wouldn't. She is such a strong girl and my heart bled for her. The fact that she refuses to lie down and give up even with everything she went through makes her such a strong female role model to so many people both in her situation and not. She is such a smart and mature girl and my heart really broke several times. I loved seeing her interactions with her sister Sylvie, "Auntie" Shelley, Yaya, her father and Mr Salter. My heart also went out to several of these other main characters especially Sylvie who is just a child herself, even though I wanted to scream at her in several occasions!!! I absolutely despised her so called father and don't think I have ever hated a fictional character in my life as much as I hated him!! July and Sylvie were the only ones completely innocent in this book but several of the characters didn't deserve what happened to them but I won't say much more as this is already a mega long review and I don't want to give anything away. I will end by saying a HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to Emily for creating such a wide range of unique and unforgettable characters that will stay with me for a long time as will this book!!!
Overall an absolutely stunning, emotive, evocative page turner by an extremely talented author!!!
327 pages.
This book is just £3.99 to purchase on kindle and £7.77 in paperback via Amazon at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!
Rated 5 /5 (I LOVED it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.
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Author Bio
Emily Koch is an award-winning writer living in Bristol, UK, with her husband and daughters. She is the author of three novels: If I Die Before I Wake, Keep Him Close and What July Knew.
Her books have been shortlisted for the Crime Writers’ Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award, longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award, and selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. The French translation of If I Die Before I Wake also won the inaugural crime fiction prize, Prix du Bureau des Lecteurs, in 2021.
If I Die Before I Wake was described as ‘a debut to be reckoned with’ (Guardian), and others have called her work ‘exhilarating’ (Daily Mail), ‘twisty, emotional and addictive’ (The Sun) and ‘tense drama’ (The Times). Waterstones have called her ‘one of the most exciting new crime writers of our day’.
Social Media Links
Website: https://emilykoch.co.uk/
Twitter: @emilykoch
Purchase Links
