Katie Gutierrez

An evocative drama about a woman caught leading a double life after one husband murders the other, and the true-crime writer who becomes obsessed with telling her story--this masterful work of literary suspense marks the debut of an extraordinary new writer. The dance becomes an affair, which becomes a marriage, which becomes a murder... In 1985, Dolores "Lore" Rivera marries Andres Russo in Mexico City, even though she is already married to Fabian Rivera in Laredo, Texas, and they share twin sons. Through her career as an international banker, Lore splits her time between two countries and two men--until the truth is revealed and one husband is arrested for murdering the other. In 2017, while trawling the internet for the latest, most sensational news reports, struggling true crime writer Cassie Bowman encounters an article detailing that tragic final act. Cassie is immediately enticed by what is not explored: why would a woman who seemed to have it all lead a double life? Cassie sees an opportunity--she'll track Lore down and capture the full picture, the choices, the deceptions that led to disaster. But the more time she spends with Lore, the more Cassie questions the facts surrounding the murder itself. Soon, her determination to uncover the truth could threaten to derail Lore's now quiet life--and expose the many secrets both women are hiding. Told through alternating timelines, More Than You'll Ever Know is both a gripping mystery and a wrenching family drama. Presenting a window into the hearts of two very different women, it explores the many conflicting demands of marriage and motherhood, and the impossibility of ever truly knowing someone--especially those we love.

A Novel

More Than You'll Ever Know

I usually get into books really easy but this one was very hard to get into. I did enjoy the plot of the story. 

Tonoria Wesley 

Couldn’t put it down! Definitely didn’t see the ending coming and loved it!

Amanda 

Audiobook narrator did a fantastic job and I had no issues keeping up with where we were in the story. It kept my attention and kept me guessing throughout the entire thing. I loved the multiple POV and over the different time periods with it all coming together at the end. 

Underrated, literally. I found this book to be beautifully written - firstly, the Spanish interwoven into the prose was breathtaking and captured Lore stunningly, keeping her Mexican identity at the forefront of the novel. 

Gutierrez created a captivating plot that I unraveled along with Cassie, adding a thrill to the novel. I also really appreciated the discussions of truth with age, and how those two ideals combine with age and can become less obvious. Ultimately, a great read.

Nina

Underrated, literally. I found this book to be beautifully written - firstly, the Spanish interwoven into the prose was breathtaking and captured Lore stunningly, keeping her Mexican identity at the forefront of the novel. 

Gutierrez created a captivating plot that I unraveled along with Cassie, adding a thrill to the novel. I also really appreciated the discussions of truth with age, and how those two ideals combine with age and can become less obvious. Ultimately, a great read.

Kristen Claiborn

I wonder if this book would have ended up on my TBR had Good Morning America no picked it for their main selection in June of 2022. I doubt it. I had previously sought out books that were well-loved by others, like anything by Riley Sager or Colleen Hoover. These are five-star books across the book sites. I haven’t heard of Katie Gutierrez prior to reading this book, and I don’t believe this book is going to stand up to the scrutiny of the average reader. 
	I’m a big fan of thrillers, so I was looking forward to a new name in the game. The synopsis on the back of the book was intriguing, and because it was a GMA book, I felt like I was in for a good ride. However, that’s not what happened. The story claimed that this was going to be about two women with secrets, and the anticipation was that there was going to be some shocking secret from Cassie. So, I’m reading, and I’m understanding Cassie’s situation from the very beginning. I didn’t feel like there was a secret at all. At no point did I feel like anything about Cassie’s life was worthy of a lifetime of secrets. Her relationship with her fiancé was also meek at best…leaving me feeling like Cassie just makes bad choices. 
	Lore’s story was easy to pick apart, from the get-go. I was frustrated with the author not really digging more into what made it so easy for Lore to do what she did. Ok, “easy” isn’t the best word. Lore’s story is one that should have stood by itself, so I’m not happy with this author spending so much time on Cassie. The secrets that Cassie was holding onto weren’t even in the same zip code as Lore’s, yet somehow the author felt compelled to call these two women “similar.” I found it baffling. 
	This book fell short for me. It wasn’t very “thrilling,” the comparison of the two women was meek at best, and the ending was far too predictable. It just wasn’t the best.

Writer Cassie Bowman has always loved true crime. And seeing the story of Lore Rivera leading a double life, married two two men, one of whom ends up murdered is too good not to explore. What happened that night? 

This book is beautifully written. It’s NOT a thriller. There’s a mystery, but I figured out that twist quickly. It’s more of the story of Cassie and Lore, women with secrets, guilt, and ambition. If you like that kind of story, this will be a great fit for you.

Cheri McElroy

Writer Cassie Bowman has always loved true crime. And seeing the story of Lore Rivera leading a double life, married two two men, one of whom ends up murdered is too good not to explore. What happened that night? 

This book is beautifully written. It’s NOT a thriller. There’s a mystery, but I figured out that twist quickly. It’s more of the story of Cassie and Lore, women with secrets, guilt, and ambition. If you like that kind of story, this will be a great fit for you.

Jasmine

“The dance becomes an affair, which becomes a marriage, which becomes a murder…”

More Than You’ll Ever Know is a story about a woman caught in a double life after one husband murders the other, and Cassie, our true crime writer who must get this story out into the world. 

Holy wow! This book was insanely compelling all the way through. There wasn’t a point where I wasn’t deeply invested in the lives of these terribly human characters. The families contained within these pages are flawed, but often in a relatable way. More than anything, this is a story of motherhood, family, and what it is to be a woman in search of herself (which lets be real, that’s most of being a woman in this world). You can’t help but empathize for the people hurting others and for the people hurt. 

There are numerous potent lines scattered throughout that kind of made me stop and appreciate how someone else could put into words what many of us women feel. Gutierrez is going to be an author to keep your eye on from here on out. Mark my words on that. 

I’m so glad that I’ve found all these terrific women writers in the past year or two. 

Thanks so much to William Morrow/HarperCollins Publishing for sending me this ARC of More Than You Know. It’s absolutely one of my favorite books so far this year.

More Than You'll Ever Know A Novel

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