Book Review: Everything He Never Told Me by Clara van Houten

 

Everything He Never Told Me is a story about Kai Lindholm, a brilliant engineer who wants to build prosthetics for veterans, and Ivy, the woman he loves. Ivy is the daughter of a very wealthy and domineering father who has a plan for her life. Kai is not in those plans. Even though her father wants her to marry another man named Mason, Ivy accepts Kai's proposal, and the two of them get married and begin their lives without the money Ivy has always been used to. The couple both believe in Kai's ability to build a prosperous business, and together they work toward that goal. Life, as it oftentimes does, throws them a curve ball, and things don't quite go according to plan.

I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book when I started reading but hearing it both in Kai's voice and then in Ivy's was interesting. I knew something wasn't quite right as I read, and I think van Houten did a great job of leading us down the very scary, difficult path of deteriorating mental health and grief. Hearing the story from both sides was a creative way to show readers how things were declining. I don't have firsthand experience with the particular circumstances the characters found themselves in, but from what I do know about it, it feels like the author does her subject matter justice.

I'll be honest. When I finished reading, I needed to be in a quiet place for a while so the story could settle in my head. It was heartbreaking. Oh my goodness. Truly heartbreaking. The relationship between Kai and Ivy is the whole heart of this novel, but honestly, the romance didn't feel much like a romance. As I write this, however, I'm wondering if that was the whole point. The relationship was toxic, and that was illustrated well. I find myself wondering how Ivy is doing now and how much time has passed for her since the end of this part of her story. That right there tells me van Houten was able to tell me a tale that I'm still thinking about after putting the book down. I'd call that a success. 

I gave this book four stars. This title releases on August 18th.