Name: Fallon Nicole's review of Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone
Item: Little Do We Know
Rating: 4
Author: Fallon Nicole

Tamara Ireland Stone

Next-door neighbors and ex-best friends Hannah and Emory haven't spoken in months. Not since the fight-the one where they said things they couldn't take back. Now, Emory is fine-tuning her UCLA performing arts application and trying to make the most of the months she has left with her boyfriend, Luke, before they head off to separate colleges. Meanwhile, Hannah's strong faith is shaken when her family's financial problems come to light, and she finds herself turning to unexpected places-and people-for answers to the difficult questions she's suddenly facing. No matter how much Hannah and Emory desperately want to bridge the thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows, they can't. Not anymore. Until their paths cross unexpectedly when, one night, Hannah finds Luke doubled over in his car outside her house. In the aftermath of the accident, all three struggle to understand what happened in their own ways. But when a devastating secret about Hannah and Emory's argument ultimately comes to light, they must all reexamine the things they hold true. In alternating chapters, a skeptic and a believer piece together the story of their complex relationship with help from the boy caught somewhere in the middle. New York Times best-selling author Tamara Ireland Stone deftly crafts a moving portrait of faith, love, and friendship.

Little Do We Know

Lulu Evensen

"I can't be responsible for what I'll do to you, he said. In other words, this is happening, there's nothing you can do about it, and it's your fault, not mine.

 I haven't forgotten those words in over twenty-five years, and it took me that long to find the courage to tell this story.

The kiss went on, but eventually, it changed. It became softer. sweeter. And it felt like a good-bye

His words felt like a good-bye, too. I pretended they didn't.

He needed it, too.I wished he didn't. I wished I were enough

Deep in my heart, I wanted to be more and it hurt my feelings that he didn't want that, too. But my heart wasn't in control anymore; my brain had a firm grip on the wheel.

I wanted to tell him that I didn't regret any of it, but I had a feeling he did, so I kept that part to myself.

I'd seen her back down to him in a way that wasn't at all like her, and I couldn't help but think there was a small part of her that was afraid of him.

I don't even realize i'm doing it. When you have an opinion about something, I let myself lose sight of what I think, what I know is best. I take your opinions on as if they're my own.

"She came to me for help," I said between sobs. "And I didn't help her."

Mom pulled me into her, and I inhaled that scent that was so uniquely her and always made me feel safe.

I'd decided it would be easiest to think of this whole exchange with Mom as a play, complete with stage marks and a rehearsed script.

I crafted and re-crafted my words carefully.

She took a step backward and her hands found mine. We interlaced our fingers together. "You believe in something big and important, and you believe it with your whole heart. I love that about you. I've always loved that about you."

There are so many things I need to say to you, but Ill save them for later. For now please tell Emory I love her.

All I cared about was getting to her. And after I did-if she understood and accepted my apology-I'd never let her go again.

"I don't think about her all the time, the way I think about you. I don't want her the way I want you."

He never would have done what Aaron did to me. And it hit me like a slap. Luke never would have done to Emory what Aaron was doing to Beth

It wasn't the butterflies that time; those were long gone. Now I just felt empty. This wasn't the way I wanted it to happen.

I just needed to be alone, away from it all, where I could concentrate on what really mattered: Emory.

"No one loves me like she does." That was the last thing I remembered before I fell into a deep sleep.

"She makes me want to be a better person. And she knows about all my flaws, and she loves me, not in spite of them, but because of them. And I love her the same way."

Luke took my face in his hands. "No. You didn't 'let him. You didn't do anything wrong, okay? Not by what you were wearing. Not because it took you a few minutes to figure out what was happening. He did this. You did nothing wrong. Okay?"

"You're going to ignore the whole thing and pretend it never happened?"

"Yes." I leaned against the lockers. "It's what I've been doing for months. Until tonight, it's worked perfectly fine."

If anything, this experience has taught me to soak up every second of every day, because we never know when it will be over.

I opened my mouth to tell him how horrible I felt and hard it had been, but the words sounded lame, even in my head. I wasn't proud. I was ashamed of what I'd done. 

It was the moment I realized I was no longer angry at Hannah for being there for him, and angry at myself because I hadn't been.

Shandi

Fallon Nicole

** spoiler alert **
           I'll admit that I think 4 might be a little too high, maybe more like 3.7/3.8, but I enjoyed it for the most part. 

I really liked both girls and their friends. Emory and Luke were amazing together. Hannah's journey of questioning her religious was great as a born and raised Baptist who questions my own beliefs, it also reminded me some what of Saved! so I loved it. 

However I didn't like Hannah and Aaron's relationship. Not only is he too old for her (I believe he was 22 and she was 17), he was also her teacher and had a long distance girlfriend of 6 or 7 years (since they were 15/sophomores in high school). I know five years isn't a huge age difference but the younger you are the more it matters. Hell, 25 and 30 isn't a huge deal, but 22 and 17 is and I felt like the book didn't condemn the relationship enough. Hannah kissed Aaron first (as we are reminded a few times) but he was the adult, the adult in a position of authority (teacher/vocal coach/choir director whatever his title was) and he should have put a stop to it. 

I spent the first almost half of the book hoping that Hannah's new found religious questions (that started after her fight with Emory) would also lead her to realizing that she was queer and had feelings for Emory, but it didn't happen. 

The ending was pretty good, a bit sad in Emory's last chapter but Hannah's last chapter picked it up.

laura

This book was def not what I was expecting. I was super invested in both POV and loved how the romance in this book took a subtle back seat and focused more on friendships. I was suprised by the focus on religion but it was did not come across as preachy in any way. This book really focused on self discovery for both girls. I really liked how this book also tackled miracles and fame as a element to this story. This book also did deal with harder issues as well and was a more emotional read. This book was not what i was expecting but I enjoyed it.

Tiffany Engler

TW: rape

I’m not going to lie. I was going to DNF this book. That third or fourth chapter where Hannah is at school at her Mondey sermon almost killed it for me. I’m not a religious person and I cannot stand it when people try to force their religion on you. I won’t tolerate that with a book either. Luckily, for me, I gave this book another chance and realized that this book is not like that. (THANK YOU)

Little Do We Know follows two girls, Emory and Hannah. They were best friends their entire lives. Until hurtful words are said after something serious happens to Emory. This book really follows how these two girl’s lives come back together after Emory’s boyfriend almost dies and Hannah is the one the finds him and saves his life.

After Luke’s experience with death, he questions everything he’s ever know. His family wasn’t super religious, it wasn’t necessarily stated whether or not if they even believed in God. He turns to Hannah and her family to help him figure out what he experienced when he was dead for three minutes.

On top of that, Hannah is also questioning her faith because of the hurtful things that Emory told her. Does she only believe in God because that’s what her family believes in. She dapples in meditation, finding that it really helps her. I just wish we would have gotten more from Hannah and finding more about her faith.

This book is filled with serious topics. There’s talk of faith, the unknown and rape. I hate that I’m throwing this into this review because it is technically a spoiler. But it’s definitely someone should know about before going into this book. This book was absolutely beautiful. The friendship dynamics in this book is inspirational. Heck, this book even had me questioning my beliefs a little bit.

The thing that made me rate this book a four star instead of the five stars that I was going to give it was Luke. I really liked him throughout most of this book. I understand that he’s working on figuring out who he is now that he went through his experience. I understand that people have the right to question their faith. I just really hate how Emory went through all that at the end of the book and then he breaks up with her. WTF?

4/5 Stars

Lifelong best friends and next-door neighbors Hannah and Emory have never gone a single day without talking. But now its senior year and they haven't spoken in three months. Not since the fight, where they each said things they couldn't take back. They're aching to break the silence, but those thirty-six steps between their bedroom windows feel more like thirty-six miles. Then one fateful night, Emory's boyfriend, Luke, almost dies. And Hannah is the one who finds him and saves his life. As Luke tries to make sense of his near-death experience, he secretly turns to Hannah, who becomes his biggest confidante. In Luke, Hannah finds someone she can finally talk to about all the questions she's grappling with. Emory just wants everything to go back to normal-the way it was before the accident. She has no idea why her relationship is spiraling out of control. But when the horrifying reason behind Hannah and Emory's argument ultimately comes to light, all three of them will be forced work together to protect the person with the biggest secret of all. In the follow-up to her New York Times bestseller, Every Last Word, Tamara Ireland Stone crafts a deeply moving, unforgettable story about love, betrayal, and the power of friendship.

Hayley 📖🌈💜🌸

3.5 stars.
I have mixed feelings about this one... 🤷🏻‍♀️
Overall, it was really good, but I just didn’t feel connected to it for like half the book, so idk.

Alyssa Jacunski

3.5 stars! Very heart warming, but not quite a 4 star read for me.

Lisa ✩ @lifeinlit

I absolutely adored this story. The cast of characters was an absolute blast, and I loved how their lives intersected the way they did. This story definitely had its sad and heartbreaking moments, but was also hopeful and quite inspirational. I’m staying as vague as I can with my thoughts because I feel it’s best to go into this story with a blank slate. I promise you’ll be happy you did. I’m officially a hardcore Tamara Ireland Stone fan and will read absolutely anything she writes.

Milana Marie Waller

It took me a while to read this book for some reason eve tho it w as really good and the plot keep testing and turning . I had loved every last word but i rad that a long time ago but yeah i would recommend this book even tho the ending is kind of bittersweet

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Little Do We Know by Tamara Ireland Stone

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