NO MORE WORDS by Kerry Lonsdale

 

From the Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author comes the first book in a trilogy about love, betrayal, and the secrets families keep.

Forced to choose between abortion or adoption, Olivia Carson’s younger sister, Lily, runs away from home. Sixteen and pregnant, she never returns. But she writes. Once a year, Lily mails a picture of her son, Josh, to Olivia until his thirteenth year. Then it’s Josh himself who arrives at Olivia’s house, alone, terrified, and in possession of a notarized declaration from Lily. It begins, “In the event I go missing…”

Josh has difficulty talking. He can’t read or write, but he’s a prolific artist, exhibiting skill beyond his age. His drawings are as detailed as they are horrific. Olivia soon realizes Josh’s artwork tells a story. There’s more to his arrival and to Lily’s untimely disappearance than it seems. Using the drawings as a road map, Olivia traces Josh’s path back to his mom. Each drawing sheds light on Lily’s past and reveals a darkness that forces Olivia to question everything she thought she knew about her family.

MY THOUGHTS: 

I have read and loved several of Kerry Lonsdale's books. I have to say this is my very favorite and I can't wait for the next book in this series. Edge of your seat thrills and so much more.

This book is full of emotions. From a thriller to a love story and all between you won't want to put this one down. Talk about family drama.. This one is full of that and more. The characters, Olivia, her sister Lily, brother Lucas, parents Dwight and Charlotte, are about as messed us as a family can get. From the beginning you meet the children when they are small. When their dad drops them off at the Whitmans for the summer. Not camp exactly, but a summer of fun that lasts several years. The Whitmans have two boys, Theodore/Blaze and Tyler. The children all form a bond each year. The bond between Livy and Blaze is the one that will give you the most pleasure. They are just great together. I really loved them.

This story starts with the arrival of a boy. A boy that Olivia/Livy has never met. But she knows who he is. He's her baby sister's son, Josh. Why is he here? What is Lily thinking sending him? Did Lily send him? What is going on? There are many questions throughout this book that will keep you guessing. From who Josh's dad is to where Lily is. What is going on. Olivia hasn't seen her sister in fourteen years and now her son has just shown up. He has a speech problem and it's next to impossible to get information from him. Olivia and Josh do form a bond that will test both of them. The strength of family is proven beyond limits in this book. What happened between Olivia and Lily all those years ago can possibly be mended finally. 

There is also a love story going on here. The one between Olivia/Livy and Theodore/Blaze. He wants to be called Blaze as he hates his name. Blaze and Livy have a past and hopefully finally a future. If only he can make her believe that he is there for the long haul. He's not going to betray her and he would never hurt her. She has many trust issues that you will learn about. 

There is a lot of action in this book to keep you on the edge and turning the pages. Olivia and Josh are determined to find Lily and leave no stone unturned. The back story of the children when they were young and the present when Olivia finds out so many things about her family that she had no idea about. Or had buried. From the things that their parents did to the things that happened to each of them. This book is very heartwarming and heartbreaking too. In places I did manage a chuckle also. But the story of these children and their friends is great. From the time they are just kids until they are grown adults there seems to be a bond. But there is also a distance with the siblings. They all have issues to overcome. The Whitman children are not close either. There is a lot of family drama here also. A few instances of unfaithfulness. A whole lot of lies and big secrets.

I loved almost all the characters but most certainly did not like Dwight or Charlotte. Dwight was a bit cruel to Lily and well he was a liar. Charlotte was not a good mother even if she did try to make you think she was. She was very self centered and so selfish. She was only ever out for herself. Dwight was no better. I think he had some mental problems and I'm not saying that lightly. I think his anger was horrid. At least toward Lucas and Lily. Olivia was his princess and he seemed to treasure her. When he needed too that is. He did have motives for that though. 

This book was great from start to finish. It's well written and the characters are so realistic. You can picture the lake and forests. The things the children did when they were young. As they grew and things got bad you feel strong for them. It's an emotional story. A very good one. I really enjoyed this book and look forward to the next one. I want to get to know more about what Lily went through raising Josh on her own. I hope to learn more about each character but mainly Lily and Josh. 

Thank you to #NetGalley, #KerryLonsdale, #lakeuntionpublishing for this ARC. This is my own true feelings about this book.

5/5 stars and would be more if possible. Grab this one and dive right in. It's great!!