What We Never Say (Bold Journeys Book 2) by Paulette Stout – Review by Tara Johnson Barnes

What We Never Say: Bold Journeys Book Two by Paulette Stout
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What We Never Say is the second book in the Bold Journeys series. This book picks up where book one left off so if you have not read the first book, I highly recommend that you do, or you may not understand the characters and their backstory. This story centers around Rebecca and Kyle who have now moved in together. Rebecca has a blog that is gaining in popularity and is asked by a major magazine to write a story. When Kyle finds out he is rightfully upset because he used to model for the magazine and was sexually assaulted by the magazine editor. It is a dark part of his past that was so traumatic for him that he tried to bury it and forget it. However, he is now forced to confront his past and come forward with what happened. When he tells Rebecca she is less than understanding and chooses to go forward with writing the article because it will be good for her career. Will Rebecca and Kyle be able to overcome this part of his past and move forward?

The author did a realistic job of approaching the difficult and sensitive topic of sexual assault on men. This is a topic that garners a lot of attention and support for women who have been sexually assaulted but there is little to no discussion about sexual assault on men. Due to embarrassment men keep this to themselves and do not seek help for fear of not being believed or being ridiculed. Rebecca’s reaction and lack of support towards Kyle’s dark past is one of the reasons men do not come forward. After reading the first book I knew that Rebecca was coming from a place of low self-esteem and was just discovering herself. She was coming into her own, trying to find her place in the world, and take control of her own life. At the same time Rebecca’s lack of empathy and support towards Kyle’s painful past should have been a deal breaker for their relationship. Kyle should have walked away but it was easy to see that he, too, had self esteem issues. It was a very complicated situation for both Rebecca and Kyle as they tried to navigate through Kyle’s traumatic experience. This book had love, hope, angst, despair, secrets, lies, betrayal, and sensitive subject matter.

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