Originally published: 27 May 2021

Author: Nicola Moriarty

Published by: Penguin

Genre: Family Drama

Length: 384 pages

Reading dates: 22-26 May 2021

There’s been an accident. You’re worried that the worst has happened. But the worst happened long ago…

The holidays are here. The extended family has gathered. The cars are packed and the convoy sets off.

The cottage is a few hours’ drive – but not everyone will live to see it …For Jill, her three sons, their wives and children, a terrifying road crash will tear apart their family.

The crash will be an accident but the shattering that follows has been long coming.

Because at the heart of this family lies a secret – concealed, wrestled with, festering and harmful – and nothing now can stop it coming out.

But will any of them survive it?

Set in Australia, You Need to Know starts with a devastating car accident on Christmas Eve and then goes back in time to the 1st December as we meet Jill and the families of her 3 grown up sons, Pete, Tony and Darren. Jill has recently lost her husband Frank in a tragic accident and the family are keen to get together on Christmas Eve for their traditional family get together.

There is Mimi who is married to Pete with daughters Callie and Tara and baby twins. Struggling with the new babies in her life and a teenage daughter who seems to hate everyone and everything, she starts reaching for the drink a little too often. Then there is school teacher Andrea who is married to Tony who realises the spark has gone out of their marriage, wonders if their decision to remain childless was rash and is worried about the little girl who lives next door who appears to be being neglected by her mother. Finally there is Darren, who has split up with the love of his life and has just been asked to be a sperm donor so she and her girlfriend can have a baby.

I loved this book! Nicola Moriarty is a talented writer who made me totally invested in this family. The vast array of characters all had their own problems and issues but were all really well written. I especially sympathised with Mimi who suddenly has two new babies to look after and a teenage daughter who feels lost to her. I also liked that all 3 sibling brothers were authors (definitely a little nod to Moriarty’s own writer siblings) There are some shocking scenes and a few surprises which kept me on my toes and had me reading way past my bedtime.

5 stars from me – and I can’t wait to read more from Nicola Moriarty.

Thank you so much to Sriya from Penguin for inviting me on the tour and for sending me a copy of the book. Don’t forget to check out these other awesome bloggers.

About the author:

Nicola Moriarty lives in Sydney’s north west with her husband and two small daughters. She is the younger sister of bestselling authors Liane Moriarty and Jaclyn Moriarty. In between various career changes, becoming a mum and studying teaching at Macquarie University, she began to write. Now, she can’t seem to stop.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/NikkiM3
Website: https://nicolamoriarty.com.au/