Book Review: More Than We Can Tell by Brigid Kemmerer

Title: More Than We Can Tell (2018)
Author: Brigid Kemmerer
Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary and Romance
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children’s
Release Date: 6th March 2018
Rating: ★★★★☆
Reviewed by: Lois

Synopsis:

Rev Fletcher is battling the demons of his past. But with loving adoptive parents by his side, he’s managed to keep them at bay…until he gets a letter from his abusive father and the trauma of his childhood comes hurtling back.

Emma Blue spends her time perfecting the computer game she built from scratch, rather than facing her parents’ crumbling marriage. She can solve any problem with the right code, but when an online troll’s harassment escalates, she’s truly afraid.

When Rev and Emma meet, they both long to lift the burden of their secrets and bond instantly over their shared turmoil. But when their situations turn dangerous, their trust in each other will be tested in ways they never expected.

Review:

More Than We Can Tell, tells the story of Rev and Emma. Rev has a lot of demons from his past that he is having to battle. His adoptive parents have helped keep these demons at bay until Rev receives a letter from his abusive father, which make all his demons rear their ugly head again. Emma spends most of her time making sure her computer game she created herself is perfected, instead of facing the reality of her parents crumbling marriage. Not only that but she is being harassed by an online troll through her game. When Rev and Emma meet randomly one evening, they both long to share their secrets and bond over their troubles. When their situations turn dangerous, their trust in one another is truly tested.

Now, I didn’t read Letter to the Lost before reading More Than We Can Tell, so I know nothing about characters going into the story. It isn’t a sequel to Letters to the Lost just a companion novel. So, you can read More Than We Can Tell without reading Letters to the Lost.

I loved this book, the writing style and the characters. Rev is such a thoughtful young man, who is always putting others before himself. Rev has been through a lot in his young life but remains a young man with a heart of gold. I liked how different Emma’s character was. Not only is she a girl gamer, which is something I have never read about in a book before. She is also a game designer. I was nice to see Brigid Kemmerer show the dark side of gaming and what it is like to be a woman in the gaming world. There is a romantic story-line in this book. It is subtle and grows from the friendship that Rev and Emma have. I loved their relationship and how they helped each other through their troubles. This is the perfect kind of romance for More Than We Can Tell, it is subtle yet hard hitting. More Than We Can Tell also has a brilliant family relationships throughout the book. Rev’s is a lot different from Emma’s. Rev has a new family addition who makes a big impact and they are a tight-knitted family. Whereas Emma’s family relationship is messy and complicated.

Brigid Kemmerer has written a beautiful, raw and emotional story that I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. As soon as I finish reading More Than We Can Tell I bought Letters to the Lost and I plan on reading this in the summer.

Overall, I recommend this book if you have read the companion novel or not. Brigid’s writing is beautiful and I had a lovely time reading More Than We Can Tell. If you are looking for a thought provoking contemporary YA novel I cannot recommend this enough.

Thank you to, Netgalley, Bloomsbury Children’s and Brigid Kemmerer for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.