We Don't Talk About Carol ⭐⭐⭐⭐

We Don't Talk About Carol by Kristen L. Berry

G👀dreads

A dedicated journalist unearths a generations-old family secret—and a connection to a string of missing girls that hits way too close to home—in this gripping debut novel.

In the wake of her grandmother's passing, Sydney Singleton finds a hidden photograph of a little girl who looks more like Sydney than her own sister, or mother. She soon discovers the mystery girl in the photograph is her aunt, Carol, who was one of six local North Carolina Black girls to go missing in the 1960s. For the last several decades, not a soul has talked about Carol or what really happened to her. With her grandmother gone and Sydney looking to start a family of her own, she is determined to unravel the truth behind her long-lost aunt and the sinister silence surrounding her.

Unfortunately, this is familiar territory for Sydney. Several years prior, working the crime beat as a journalist on the case of another missing girl, her obsession eventually led to a psychotic break. And now, in the suffocating grip of fertility treatments and a marriage that's beginning to crumble, Sydney’s relentless pursuit might just lead her down the same path of destruction. As she delves deeper into Carol's fate, her own troubled past resurfaces, clawing its way to the surface with a vengeance. The web of secrets and lies entangling her family leaves Sydney questioning everything—her fixation on the missing girls, her future as a mom, and everyone she’s come to trust.

Delving into family, community, secrets, and motherhood, We Don’t Talk About Carol is a gripping and deeply emotional story about overcoming the rotten roots of your family tree—and what we’ll do for those we love.

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

The How/Why: Influenced by SM Ads and bookie friends good reviews.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

🎉 Overall Enjoyment? 🎉🎉🎉🎉

🎣 Did it grab and keep my attention? 🎣🎣🎣🎣

🗣️Would I recommend it to anyone? Yes ➕but check TWs

🕮 Would I want a sequel? Maybe 🤷 Not necessarily a sequel but maybe a story about Sydney and Sasha's Podcast.

📚 Would I want to read more books by this author? Yes ➕

💣💥 📢 Content Warnings? Vi0lɇncɇ, MŪrdɇr, Abusɇ, Sɇriɐl Ki⅃ℒer, Infɇrti⅃itỾ

🌶 Spice? No

🌪 Plot Twist? Yes

👟 Pace? Good

💻 Tidbits ~ I’d provide my review but… We Don’t Talk About Carol…
//

Okay, but I’m gonna talk about the rest of the story.

This book is very strong in Sydney and Malik’s infertility journey. Mentioning that up front in case it’s a TW for anyone. It’s barely mentioned in the About Summary. It’s a major subplot and is mentioned throughout the novel.

This is a Mystery Thriller that delivers both.

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words. In this case, it opens up the past.

At 13 Sydney finds a hidden picture in a drawer at her Grandmother's house. The girl in the old photo looks very much like her. She asks Grammy who it is. Gran took the picture from her, laid it face down on the counter and said “We don’t talk about Carol”. Immediately my Wait!-What?-Why? Meter went off.

Sydney finds the picture again two decades later after her grandmother dies and she’s helping clean out the house. Strangely, her mother doesn’t want to talk about Carol either and sharply says “What happens in this house, stays in this house!” Well, now I’m even more curious!

This leads Sydney on a journey to find out who Carol is/was and what happened that makes her name taboo by her family. She discovers that around the same timeframe six young girls went missing, Aunt Carol being one of them. They were never found and it was as if their existence has been erased. Being a former crime journalist Sydney’s radar goes up and she needs to figure it out. Were they victims of a Sɇriɐl Ki⅃ℒer or did these young ladies simply run away?

Luckily for Sydney there are some elderly people in town with very sharp memories providing breadcrumbs for Sydney to follow. Her sister Sasha is now curious and joins her hunt, although their mother wants to leave family secrets buried.

Sydney’s relationship with Sasha is being repaired as her marriage is starting to suffer from Sydney’s obsession over getting to the bottom of these girl’s stories. No SPOILERS but hidden secrets and lies will be exposed.

There is a strong social message of missing person’s reports of Black people being under investigated.

I deducted half star for the heavy focus on their Infɇrti⅃itỾ journey which made it an equal storyline with the mystery.
I deducted half star for several stories going on. Alc0h0l abusɇ, strained family relationships, her career and Mɇntal Hɇalth issues. I felt like the missing girls mystery was being smothered by other sub-plots for trauma drama. 

That aside, I enjoyed the unraveling of the mystery and the plot twist. 

In Real Life - Data from 2024 and 2025 indicate that Black missing persons cases continue to face significant disparities in investigation, media coverage, and resolution. They are less likely to be solved and are more likely to be classified as runaways rather than endangered. 

Also in Real Life - There is no specific timeframe for a case turning from Missing Person to Cold Case. Most states in America use seven years to change status to "presumed dead", although five states use 3-5 years (AZ, OR, FL use five, Georgia four, NY uses three). Of course there are exceptions to every rule. Internationally can be anywhere from 5-20!
The "First 48 Rule" - In criminal disappearances, investigators often note that if a solid lead isn't found within the first 48-72 hours, chances of solving the case drop by half. 

🎧 Narrator: Nicole Cash

🎧11.38 hours 🕮 336pages