What Happened Then

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Author(s)

Erin Soderberg Downing

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

September 02, 2025

ISBN

978-1546124986

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In this alternating narrative by bestselling author Erin Soderberg Downing, a decades-old family secret is buried within the sand, water, and woods… waiting for cousins Avery and Jax to find it and uncover the truth.

Avery is a firecracker. In a crayon box of colors, she’s the shocking pink and laser lemon, when all she wants is to be a quiet tan or soft cornflower blue. Her cousin, Jax, is a wall flower, because sometimes it’s better to stay quiet when the alternative is to be told that you’re doing or saying everything wrong. They seem to be the only ones who don’t know what happened years ago when their family shattered and went off in different directions.

When their beloved Aunt Robbie summons the large, estranged family together for a gathering at their broken-down family cabin on Crooked Lake, instead of getting the answer, Aunt Robbie delivers some devastating news. Avery and Jax learn that by the end of the summer, the island that’s been a part of their family for generations is going up for sale.

Forced to stay on the island with their estranged family to get it into shape to sell, Avery and Jax begin to dig through the history of the long-abandoned house and its contents… including a sprinkling of diary pages that were hidden around the island decades ago, the summer their family was torn apart.

In this alternating narrative by bestselling author Erin Soderberg Downing, two cousins are finally beginning to understand the joy of family--however cracked and imperfect theirs might be. But if they have any chance of gluing their broken family back together, they’ll have to first figure out what happened then.

Editor review

1 review

If you go out in the woods today

November 04, 2025 (Updated: June 19, 2026)

Overall rating

4.0

Plot

4.0

Characters

4.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Avery and her mom Eleanor and dad travel to the island her mom's family owns in the middle of Crooked Lake when her Aunt Robbie wants everyone to gather for one last get together and decide what to do with the property. Jax, along with his father, James, is there as well along with Aunt Robbie and Aunt Di and her family. There's a big house on the property, but also guest cabins that haven't been used since Avery's grandfather died. When Aunt Robbie announces that she has ALS and will probably be gone in two years, she makes it clear that even though her mother left her the property, she feels that it is up to the entire family to decide its fate. James, who has always been difficult, immediately wants to sell everything and be done with it. Avery, who is interested in the unmentioned youngest sibling about whom no one talks, is enthralled with this mystery when she finds pieces of an old journal around the island. As the family works on cleaning out the house, Avery and Jax try to figure out what happened, and uncover a lot of bad feelings among the remaining siblings that will effect the fate of the property. Avery comes to love the island, as well as Aunt Robbie, and wants to find a way for her aunts and uncles to make peace with the past.

Good Points

There is something appealing about going to an island and meeting up with family one hasn't seen in a long time and uncovering family secrets. The Crooked Lake property is so well described that I could SMELL the cabins! Finding a 30-40 year old diary (Alexander's The Dead Girl's Diary or Ford's The Lonely Ghost also include this sort of documents) is enthralling, and Avery and Jax work well together to solve the mystery. Each character has other problems as well; Avery is impulsive and loud, and has trouble with self regulation, while Jax has a troubled relationship with his father. I loved Aunt Robbie, and was sad that she was so ill, but it was nice that her family was able to rally around her. I don't want to ruin the family secret, but it was satisfying that all of the siblings thought they were responsible, and had felt guilty for years, and that when they finally talked about the issue, they realized that none of them were at fault. This is another great title by Downing, who also wrote Just Keep Walking and When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Peach Pie.

There must be any number of old family lodges, camps, and larger houses that are impossible for younger generations to keep up. This reminded me a bit of Matson's The Firefly Summer, Baron's The Gray, or Haddix's The Mysteries of Trash and Treasure. There need to be more middle grade books that investigate the cultural phenomenon of Cabbage Patch Kids! Since not every reader has access to such a camp, or to the experience of hanging out with cousins, this is a great book for a vicarious vacation, complete with an enthralling mystery.