From the Publisher
Detox from the holidays with Kristyn Kusek Lewis’s novel of a small and well-to-do Virginia town, its meddlesome residents, and the decades of secrets within its walls.” — InStyle
“After losing her job at the White House, a woman moves her family to her husband’s affluent (and gossip-y) hometown, where she finds that fitting in is almost as hard as figuring out who’s hiding what about their lives.” — PureWow
“Exciting and addicting. . . . you’ll have a hard time putting it down this holiday season.” — Women.com
“The story won’t end where you expect it to, and its strong women’s-relationships theme underscores many truths.” — NJ.com
“A character-driven, dishy, gossipy, fun read. . . . A fine story that will move readers to look for other books by this talented author.” — New York Journal of Books
“The fast pace and intriguing mystery make this one perfect for fans of Big Little Lies. A compelling look at the power of small-town gossip.” — Kirkus Reviews
“The ending is neatly constructed, with satisfying redemption for all. Fans of Emily Griffin and Sally Hepworth will appreciate this enjoyable family drama featuring likable characters in challenging situations.” — Booklist
“An astute, exquisite account of a gossipy small town . . . . mesmerizing and entertaining.” — The Washington Book Review
“This engrossing novel has everything: a web of secrets, gossip and lies, and a heroine you’ll be cheering for. In other words, it’s delightful.” — Jennifer Close, author of Girls in White Dresses and The Hopefuls
“A juicy delight of a novel! HALF OF WHAT YOU HEAR has it all: a charming small town, family secrets, and relatable working mom heroine whose life hits a speedbump. Fans of Liane Moriarty will adore the quirky cast of characters, gossip, and intrigue. I thoroughly enjoyed it!” — Jamie Brenner, bestselling author of The Forever Summer and The Husband Hour
“A delicious, insightful page-turner set in a genteel Virginia town where everyone knows your secrets—and nothing is what it appears.” — Kristin Harmel, international bestselling author of The Room on Rue Amelie and The Sweetness of Forgetting
“Imagine a Liane Moriarty novel served with a tall glass of sweet tea and you’ll have Half of What You Hear. Kristyn Kusek Lewis’ latest tells the story of a Virginia town that may be too small to handle the truth—and the explosive result when several women’s secrets manage to come to light anyway. Utterly captivating.” — Camille Pagán, bestselling author of Woman Last Seen in Her Thirties
“Incredibly intriguing, Half of What You Hear is a must-read that artfully delves its way through the layers of gossip, secrets and lies of the small and seemingly charming town of Greyhill, where everyone knows your name, and oh so much more. Buckle up for a fun ride and one thing is for sure: you won’t know who to believe until the very end.” — Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, bestselling authors of Girls’ Night Out
Women.com
“Exciting and addicting. . . . you’ll have a hard time putting it down this holiday season.
InStyle
Detox from the holidays with Kristyn Kusek Lewis’s novel of a small and well-to-do Virginia town, its meddlesome residents, and the decades of secrets within its walls.
The Washington Book Review
An astute, exquisite account of a gossipy small town . . . . mesmerizing and entertaining.
Jennifer Close
This engrossing novel has everything: a web of secrets, gossip and lies, and a heroine you’ll be cheering for. In other words, it’s delightful.
Jamie Brenner
A juicy delight of a novel! HALF OF WHAT YOU HEAR has it all: a charming small town, family secrets, and relatable working mom heroine whose life hits a speedbump. Fans of Liane Moriarty will adore the quirky cast of characters, gossip, and intrigue. I thoroughly enjoyed it!
NJ.com
The story won’t end where you expect it to, and its strong women’s-relationships theme underscores many truths.
PureWow
After losing her job at the White House, a woman moves her family to her husband’s affluent (and gossip-y) hometown, where she finds that fitting in is almost as hard as figuring out who’s hiding what about their lives.
New York Journal of Books
A character-driven, dishy, gossipy, fun read. . . . A fine story that will move readers to look for other books by this talented author.
Booklist
The ending is neatly constructed, with satisfying redemption for all. Fans of Emily Griffin and Sally Hepworth will appreciate this enjoyable family drama featuring likable characters in challenging situations.
Booklist
The ending is neatly constructed, with satisfying redemption for all. Fans of Emily Griffin and Sally Hepworth will appreciate this enjoyable family drama featuring likable characters in challenging situations.
Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Incredibly intriguing, Half of What You Hear is a must-read that artfully delves its way through the layers of gossip, secrets and lies of the small and seemingly charming town of Greyhill, where everyone knows your name, and oh so much more. Buckle up for a fun ride and one thing is for sure: you won’t know who to believe until the very end.
Camille Pagán
Imagine a Liane Moriarty novel served with a tall glass of sweet tea and you’ll have Half of What You Hear. Kristyn Kusek Lewis’ latest tells the story of a Virginia town that may be too small to handle the truth—and the explosive result when several women’s secrets manage to come to light anyway. Utterly captivating.
Kristin Harmel
A delicious, insightful page-turner set in a genteel Virginia town where everyone knows your secrets—and nothing is what it appears.
Liz Fenton &Lisa Steinke
Incredibly intriguing, Half of What You Hear is a must-read that artfully delves its way through the layers of gossip, secrets and lies of the small and seemingly charming town of Greyhill, where everyone knows your name, and oh so much more. Buckle up for a fun ride and one thing is for sure: you won’t know who to believe until the very end.
Camille Pagan
Imagine a Liane Moriarty novel served with a tall glass of sweet tea and you’ll have Half of What You Hear. Kristyn Kusek Lewis’ latest tells the story of a Virginia town that may be too small to handle the truth—and the explosive result when several women’s secrets manage to come to light anyway. Utterly captivating.
Kirkus Reviews
2018-10-02
A former White House employee discovers that her husband's sleepy hometown has more scandals and secrets than Washington.
As the social secretary at the White House, Bess Warner worked long hours and dealt closely with the first lady. But when she's humiliatingly fired, she and her husband decide to embrace a slower lifestyle and take over his parents' inn in his tiny hometown of Greyhill, Virginia. What Bess doesn't count on is how hard it will be to fit in as an outsider. Most of her neighbors have known each other their entire lives, and they aren't particularly welcoming to newbies. Struggling to find herself in a new town while her growing kids are shutting her out, Bess wonders what her next career move should be. And then opportunity knocks: A former colleague wants Bess to write a puff piece about Susannah Lane, one of Greyhill's most famous and mysterious residents. As Bess begins to interview Susannah (who also happens to be her father-in-law's high school sweetheart), it becomes clear there are a lot of secrets people in town don't want her to know. The biggest one concerns what happened to Susannah's high school best friend, who died when she stumbled off a cliff. People in town maintain that her death was an accident, but Susannah is convinced there was something more sinister involved. But the longer Bess talks to Susannah—and the more people in town tell her Susannah is crazy—the more Bess starts to suspect that Susannah may have ulterior motives. Can she actually trust what Susannah is telling her? Or is Susannah simply using her to publicize her decades-old grudges? Lewis (Save Me, 2014, etc.) creates a sympathetic heroine as well as a realistic and full cast of characters around her, including Bess' good-natured husband, her critical mother-in-law, and the coterie of adult mean girls who run the town. The fast pace and intriguing mystery make this one perfect for fans of Big Little Lies.
A compelling look at the power of small-town gossip.
