The Book:
No More Words by Kerry Lonsdale
Published July 6th 2021 by Lake Union Publishing
Date read: July 30, 2021
The Characters:
Siblings Olivia, Lucas, and Lily
Lily’s son Josh
Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon
The “No More” Series by Kerry Lonsdale books in order:
No More Words
No More Lies
No More Secrets
The Plot (from Goodreads):
Forced to choose between abortion or adoption, Olivia Carson’s younger sister, Lily, runs away from home. Sixteen and pregnant, she never returns. But she writes. Once a year, Lily mails a picture of her son, Josh, to Olivia until his thirteenth year. Then it’s Josh himself who arrives at Olivia’s house, alone, terrified, and in possession of a notarized declaration from Lily. It begins, “In the event I go missing…”
Josh has difficulty talking. He can’t read or write, but he’s a prolific artist, exhibiting skill beyond his age. His drawings are as detailed as they are horrific. Olivia soon realizes Josh’s artwork tells a story. There’s more to his arrival and to Lily’s untimely disappearance than it seems. Using the drawings as a road map, Olivia traces Josh’s path back to his mom. Each drawing sheds light on Lily’s past and reveals a darkness that forces Olivia to question everything she thought she knew about her family.
The Review:
I read this book SO LONG ago (right around pub day), loved it, and then completely failed to write a review for it on time. Thank you to Amazon Publishing for this gifted copy in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve read a few books by Kerry Lonsdale, back in the day before Booksta. I remember loving Last Summer, although I can’t tell you what it was about without checking my notes. No More Words definitely held up my expectations.
I was eager to find out what happened to Lily, what happened with Josh’s accident, and how he found his way to Olivia on his own. Olivia’s family was certainly frustrating: none of them wanted to talk to each other about Lily, and they easily could have located her if they had.
I really liked these characters, especially reading about their summer vacations as children. These siblings used to be close before life and their parents drove them apart. The relationship between Lily and her father was particularly interesting right from the start. Josh was my favorite–such a sweet little boy struggling to communicate through his disability, and finding his voice through art.
This is the first book in a trilogy. The ending was satisfying, but definitely left some loose ends that will hopefully be tied up in the second book. The topic of the second book spoils the plot of the first one a little bit, but let’s just say I can’t wait to read it!
Edit, 7/5/22: If you’ve already read No More Words, come check out my review of No More Lies!
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