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Relationships are hard, they are such a beautiful wonderful thing, but sometimes there are ugly moments. There's disagreements and fights, there are hurt feelings, and sometimes, in the worst of times, there is no communication and there is no stability. Charlie Pierce and her husband Cameron are living in the worst of times, a tragedy leaving them floating through the motions of life, their companionship built on time, but no longer filled with trust or blooming with love and happiness. The words they share are out of habit and the time spent together is more like two ships passing in the night. Charlie wants to find that spark, she'd give anything to feel the same way with Cameron again, but it isn't happening and an old friend, and crush, is back in town. Reese is the boy next door, the boy she wanted all of her firsts with when she was just a young girl, but he's not the same anymore and neither is she. The sparks still fly between them though, sizzling stronger as Charlie's marriage fizzles under the pain of the past and the threat of another.

"She stayed with you. She'd stayed with me for years."

Wow, that's really all I have to say...at least without giving spoilers away. What He Doesn't Know is a journey; a beautiful, heart wrenching, and at times terrible journey. It's the story of a love-filled marriage fighting against the weight of life. It's the story of a love from the past, a love that doesn't ever truly go away, but maybe isn't meant to be forever either. It's a story of those two loves finding themselves meeting in the middle, a battle of trust and lust and time where someone will always find themselves on the outside, the loser in a game that hurts everyone in the end. What He Doesn't Know is my favorite sort of novel, that's right, a novel about cheating and the heartbreaking moments in a marriage are my favorite kind. They're real, they're honest, they're relatable for anyone from any walk of life. It's the nature of how life and love works, because the easy times wouldn't exist without the hard times. Kandi Steiner tells this complex, multi-faceted story like it could be her own, it's so filled with emotion and detail that I felt every moment and it was hard to separate myself from Charlie at times. I cried, a lot, I hoped for outcomes I wasn't sure could even happen, and I ached in my very core for each character as the lies and the secrets sucked them in further.

"You can open that pretty mouth of yours and tell me every lie you've told yourself but I'll never believe them. I see you, Charlie."

Basically, you have to read this book. The gorgeous, emotive covers are just a little sneak at the two men that stand to either side of Charlie. There's years of stories, of times spent together, of moments dancing in the bedroom to moments spent at the kitchen table, stories with both men that leave Charlie in a predicament she never thought she'd ever be in. Kandi Steiners words pulled emotions from me like I was right there in the middle with Charlie, Cameron and Reese, fighting for the love I wanted to desperately. There are twists, some huge ones I never ever saw coming, and a lot of realities to this book that make it so very heavy, but also worthwhile. It's a powerful book, the sort of novel that makes you understand another person's walk in life though you may have never walked a similar one yourself. I loved it, every single messy, painful, and beautiful moment of it and I can't wait for What He Always Knew. Do yourself a favor and ignore all your preconceived notions about the subject matter, read this duet.

ARC provided. ( )

4.8 stars

Oh my heart. I fell in love with all three of the characters in this book. My heart cannot decide if I want Charlie with Cameron or Reese. This book is Poignant and filled with angst. Highly recommend this book. ( )

Re-Read (2019)

The third book in the series was being released, so I wanted to re-read the first two books. I NEVER re-read, but I previously received an ARC of both books one and two. For certain authors/publicities there is a very short turnaround for reviews. Sometimes I feel like I am rushing through a story to get it up in time. Also, being a mood reader, I am not always in the mood to read a book that quickly. That seems to be the case for this one as I loved this more than I remember.

I feel like I missed so much that happened, so I was happy to jump back into these characters. This was so much more heartbreaking than I remember. Kandi Steiner did a great job pulling you into the emotions of the characters. This deals with so much more than cheating. This deals with love, loss, fertility, and more.

I am excited to re-read the second book and the new book release now! ( )

In short: the cheating didn't bother me much, because otherwise I never would've read this book to begin with. It was mildly entertaining. But ever since I finished it 3 days ago, I just don't care. I have zero desire to read the next book (big lesson to myself to stop buying the second book right away too) and I honestly don't care who she ends up with. Both relationships are tainted and I just don't care about any of them. I don't really like how this situation was handled. ( )