You Should Have Told Me

By: Leah Konen

Narrated by: Karissa Vacker

Length: 9 hrs and 45 mins

Publisher's summary

A new mother chases the secrets her partner left behind after his sudden disappearance in this pulse-pounding domestic thriller from the author of The Perfect Escape.

Janie needs a break: her baby won’t sleep, she’s struggling with motherhood, and a secret from her past threatens to tear her new family apart. So when her partner, Max, offers to do their baby’s feedings that night so she can finally get some sleep, she jumps at the chance. But when Janie wakes up at three a.m., her daughter is screaming alone in her bassinet … Max has vanished.

Alone with a newborn and desperate for answers, Janie searches for Max, but the more she learns about the man she loves, the more she wonders how well she knew him at all. When a woman is murdered and Max becomes the prime suspect, Janie must face her partner’s secrets—and her own—if she ever wants her daughter to see her father again.

An endlessly suspenseful and surprising look at both the beauty and darkness of modern motherhood, You Should Have Told Me is a roller-coaster of a thriller with family at its heart.

©2023 Leah Konen (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Atmospheric and deeply thought-provoking, You Should Have Told Me is both a page-turning mystery and a deft exploration of the thorny intersection of marriage and parenthood and the complex, often fraught reality of new motherhood."—Kimberly McCreight, author of Friends Like These

“Janie’s ambivalence around motherhood is familiar, if not talked about enough, and the title is engagingly multifaceted—clearly she and Max are keeping bombshells from one another, but this is also a woman’s cry for help, saying You Should Have Told Me how difficult motherhood would be.”—Paste Magazine

"Unique, cleverly plotted, and emotionally resonant, You Should Have Told Me is the rare thriller that manages to be both a dazzling page-turner and a moving meditation on what it means to be a mother today. It thoughtfully explores society's sky-high standards for women, the secrets we hide even from ourselves, and how hard it can be to trust others—especially those we love the most. I absolutely loved it, and trust me: This book is going to be huge."—Andrea Bartz, author of We Were Never Here

main character is awful

The only reason I listened to the whole book is because of the amazing narrator!
main character is whiny and not captivating. The end is unimpressive and makes no sense. it trues to be a shocker but does not accomplish that!

Loved it

I finished it in one day - loved Karissa Vacker’s narration as always. Solid plot and tied up nicely in the end which was satisfying. Def worth a credit

Page turner

Thrilling read and relatable as a mother. This book kept me wanting more. I enjoyed it.

Great story

I loved this mystery. Great character development, good storyline, I loved the little twists throughout and at the end. It’s also about forgiveness, motherhood, love, and family. I highly recommend this book.

AMAZING!!

Such a good book! And as usual Karissa Vacker Kills it w her remarkable narrative❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

pretty decent read

overall I enjoyed this book. there were times I found the heroin a little annoying. I didn't need so many descriptions of her nursing her baby to get that she was a new mother. I didn't understand why her doubting her own ability to be a good mother was such an intricate part of the story till hearing the authors note at the end. some parts dragged, I feel like it could have been 10 chapters less but this was a decent read!

Not a likable character in the book

The main character is so overly dramatic and whiny. Her characteristics are more in line with a 16 or 17 year old than an almost 30 something adult.
I listen to 3-4 books a week and was dissatisfied and disappointed in this one.
I would not waste a credit on this book with such an unsympathetic main character.

Unimpressed

Has moments of being interesting, but not as a whole a compelling book. I’m no rocket scientist by far, but listen to the descriptions of the characters and you can pretty much figure out who the bad person is pretty early on. Do not recommend

Victim mindset, lackluster thinking and whining beyond belief

This book was so drawn out because of the amounts of whining. I understand understanding the main characters feelings but Jesus the amount of just “poor me” in the book is concerning. Very much so a victim mindset when things happen you don’t buck up you cry about it and blame everyone else. It was quite an annoying read which sucks because I was so excited to read this. Not recommending, not impressed respectfully.

Slow !!

It took me three months to listen to this book. Very slow I am always one that gives something a chance I’m not ever listen to it again in my whole life. .