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    The Forgotten Ones: A Novel
    The Forgotten Ones: A Novel
    The Forgotten Ones: A Novel
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Forgotten Ones: A Novel

    Written by Steena Holmes

    Narrated by Angela Dawe and Arthur Morey

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    A spellbinding novel about an unspeakable secret that could destroy a family, from the New York Times bestselling author of Finding Emma.

    Elle is a survivor. She’s managed to piece together a solid life from a childhood of broken memories and fairy tales her mom told her to explain away bad dreams. But weekly visits to her mother still fill Elle with a paralyzing fear she can’t explain. It’s just another of so many unanswered questions she grew up with in a family estranged by silence and secrets.

    Elle’s world turns upside down when she receives a deathbed request from her grandfather, a man she was told had died years ago. Racked by grief, regrets, and a haunted conscience, he has a tale of his own to tell Elle: about her mother, an imaginary friend, and two strangers who came to the house one night and never left.

    As Elle’s past unfolds, so does the truth—if she can believe it. She must face the reasons for her inexplicable dread. As dark as they are, Elle must listen—before her grandfather’s death buries the family’s secrets forever.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateApr 1, 2018
    ISBN9781543662771
    The Forgotten Ones: A Novel
    Author

    Steena Holmes

    Steena Holmes is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of titles including Saving Abby, Stillwater Rising, and The Memory Child. Named to the “20 Best Books by Women in 2015” list by Good Housekeeping and Redbook, Steena won the National Indie Excellence Award in 2012 for Finding Emma as well as the USA Book News Award for The Word Game in 2015. Steena lives in Calgary, Alberta, and is a self-proclaimed “travelholic” who can’t resist a good cup of coffee. To find out more about her books and her love of traveling, you can visit her website at www.steenaholmes.com or follow her journeys on Instagram @authorsteenaholmes.

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    Reviews for The Forgotten Ones

    4/5

    47 ratings9 reviews

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    • 3/5
      Good book but only gave it 3 stars because it left the ending unanswered.
    • 3/5
      It wasn't a big mystery or surprise ending since the author made obvious comments throughout.
    • 3/5
      Didn’t like this story of secrets, neither the style of writing nor the story itself. I became irritated by the way the narrative was strung out and also by the inaction and self imposed guilt of one of the main characters. The story wasn’t compelling to me and I felt it was just a filler in my list of books to read. Unimpressed.
    • 2/5
      I lost count of the times that you’re about to find out something important, then it switches as ur getting to it.
    • 4/5
      The Forgotten Ones is a heart-breaking novel that will break your heart many times over. It explores mental illness and how it affects families, love and loss.

      Elle is a nurse who works in pediatrics at the local hospital with her best friend Brennley. Bren works in the cancer ward and tells Elle about one of her patients. David is a cranky old man who has no one to spend time with him. He is estranged from his daughter and his granddaughter does not even know he exists. When Bren helps him write one last letter to his daughter, she realizes that her patient is actually her best friend Elle's grandfather. Elle has never met this grandfather and was always told by her mother Marie that her grandparents were both dead. Elle is curious and wants to meet her grandfather. She wants to find out about her mother's past and get to know this man. Elle starts meet with David on a regular basis and he starts telling her stories about her mother Marie's past as well as his and Gertie's relationship with her. Marie is not happy that Elle is seeing her grandfather. Grace, her mother's caregiver continually tells Elle that his stories are not true. Will Elle ever find out the truth about her mother's past? Is David telling the truth?

      Elle is a very strong young woman. She has cared for her mother for years, but is trying to have a life of her own. Family ties are strong and so is loyalty. David is a sad character. He has dealt with woman all his life that have mental illness in varying degrees, but his love for his wife, Gertie, leads him to make some bad decisions that not only affect his life, but his daughter's and granddaughter's as well. The emotions that this book evokes are strong and have left me thinking about what I would do in the same situation. What will you do for the person you love? If you enjoy an emotive read, pick this one up.
    • 5/5
      This was an exceptional book! It was filled with tension, drama, secrets and lots of twists that really kept you guessing. I loved the premise of the book and felt that Holmes really did well to build it into something very brilliant. The characters are absolutely perfect for this book. Holmes gave us a selection of characters, all with flaws, personality and real characteristics that make the story mould together really well. There are a variety of people, and even some that were previously thought dead, that make a very important appearance. It also deals with a lot of issues and problems that people have in life and in families, making it very realistic and easy to connect with. The pace really matches the plot well, and helps to increase the tension of the story, which I loved. It builds really well, throughout the read, creating a real ‘edge of your seat’ feeling. Overall, this is a brilliant book and one I believe loads of readers will absolutely adore.
    • 5/5
      The Forgotten Ones by Steena HolmesYou know that big ball of yarn all rolled up from odds and ends but you don’t know its odds and ends until the ball starts to unwind? This story reminds me a bit of that big ball of yarn. Some bits are longer or shorter, softer or rougher, shimmery or dull, barely holding together needing support, colorful or flat, tangled or smooth…the list could go on awhile. An old man is dying and tries one more time to get through to his daughter and granddaughter by sending a letter. Little does he realize that the person he is dictating his words to actually knows his granddaughter. And, little does the granddaughter know that visiting with and listening to the stories her grandfather tells will shake not only her perceptions but perhaps those of her mother and the woman that is as close to or closer to her than her biological mother. This is a story of family, love, mental illness, choices, survival, life, death and truth… Truth is not necessarily the same for all who experience an event or a period of time but with the threads that unwind a greater truth is revealed that impacts many in the story. This was not an easy read just as it was not an easy life to be lived for more than one character in this book. I do not think I would have made the choices more than one character made BUT it did make a fascinating read for me today. When I finished the story I wondered how Elle, Grace and Marie would move forward with the new information they had…would their lives be better knowing what they learned or would it remain much the same… It is a book that made me think and feel and also made me glad I am me and not any of the characters in this story! Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC – This is my honest review. 4-5 Stars
    • 3/5
      This was a really good read. It was also sad, eerie and mysterious. A story that dealt heavily with mental health issues and what it can do to a family. The circumstances this family went through because of some of those issues is very sad and intriguing.My eyes bulged and my jaw dropped at times, it was just so crazy unbelievable, yet you know it could happen. The author did a great job with this.Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.
    • 5/5
      Steena Holmes has once again given her readers an unforgettable story that will keep them turning pages until the end. Warning - don't make any plans for the day that you start reading this book because you won't put it down until the last page is read.Elle is a nurse and grew up in a dysfunctional family. Her mother has mental illness and Elle has worried about taking care of her mom for her whole life. Elle has been told that she has no other family - that her grandparents died before she was born. Imagine her surprise when she finds out that her grandfather is dying at the same hospital she works at. As she tries to get her family secrets answered, it is very upsetting for her mom and very confusing for Elle who doesn't know who to believe - someone is lying - it is her grandfather or her Mom?This is a complex family drama with characters that are so well written that you feel like you know them. The family secrets are revealed slowly and we don't know the total family story until the end which makes it an even more intriguing. This is a fantastic book and I highly recommend it.Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.