Everything She Never Knew by Annette Chavez Macías is about life after betrayal. Readers follow along as Claudia rebuilds herself as infidelity causes her marriage and a childhood friendship to crumble around her. The book motivates you to reflect on the relationship to yourself and others with all too real characters and emotions that pull at your heartstrings.
Through the dual timeline of the present and the past written in the form of diary entries, readers see that Claudia and Rachel were inseparable childhood best friends. However, the cracks of this friendship are obvious to all, except for Claudia. Why is that? Claudia had gone through many adversities as a child, with an absent mother who frequently ran off with different men and a grandmother who passed away too soon. Rachel had gone through her own respective challenges in life with family, education, and more. These two girls found light in the other and clung on to each other for more than 20 years. At a glance, they were a perfect example of childhood best friends that stuck with each other through anything. With their deep history, these cracks in Claudia’s mind just simply couldn’t exist.
“[Chavez Macías] doesn’t just write addictive dramas, she writes thought-provoking emotional tales of women finding the love, strength, and support system needed to push through life’s difficulties. ”
In order to fully understand why Claudia couldn’t see the red flags, you have to wonder, “what did this friendship mean to these two women?” first. Claudia always had time and room for love for Rachel. Rachel protected Claudia in a way that no one else was doing. All of these still couldn’t prevent the cracks from forming. In her endless well of love, Claudia lost herself. She was always running to Rachel’s side while disregarding her own wants and needs. Rachel, once a protector, slowly became Claudia’s bully and took advantage of her unwavering love and kindness. In their confrontation, Claudia finally saw through the lies, insults, and betrayal and realized this friendship meant everything to her but was a means to an end for Rachel to get whatever she wanted, no matter the cost.
Annette Chavez Macías illustrates that sometimes we lose ourselves in our love for other people that we forget to show ourselves that same respect. She doesn’t just write addictive dramas, she writes thought-provoking emotional tales of women finding the love, strength, and support system needed to push through life’s difficulties. What makes her writing remarkable is that readers can relate to and find solace in the perseverance and vulnerabilities of these women.
Macías also incorporates a plethora of Mexican American history, heritage, identity, and more in her stories and throughout various characters. Each person is attuned to their heritage in different ways, making them relatable to every kind of reader. This cultural enrichment helps the reader feel a deeper connection to the character, which enhances the reading experience of her compelling storytelling. Her well-rounded writing leaves the reader with a positive, long-lasting impression.
Annette Chavez Macias writes stories about love, family and following your dreams. She is proud of her Mexican-American heritage, culture and traditions. All of which can be found within the pages of her books. For those readers wanting even more love stories and guaranteed happily ever afters, Annette also writes romance under the pen name Sabrina Sol. A Southern California native, Annette lives just outside Los Angeles with her husband, three children and an English Bulldog named Reina.
Melissa Gonzalez (she/her) loves boba, horror movies, and reading. You can spot her in the fiction, horror/mystery/thriller, and fantasy sections of bookstores. Though she is short, she feels as tall as her TBR pile. You can find Melissa on her book Instagram: @floralchapters
