I am a big fan of this author's writing. 5 stars for this winning novel ! This is told so well, crafted so intricately with delicious twists and turns that you are rendered unable to put it down until the last page. Its so addicting I cancelled my day , . Its atmospheric , moody and just the right combination of dark with romance, suspense and a thrilling conclusion. I loved it ! I refuse to give it away here in detail as its so good each reader should experience it with fresh eyes and a open mind. What a thrill ! Read it you will love it. So many secrets abound in this story. I look forward to the next book by this wonderful author.
Thank you with gratitude to the publisher and Net Galley for the ARC. My opinion is my own.

It’s official; I will read anything that Emily Carpenter writes. She is 3 for 3 and I just can’t get enough of her books.

Every Single Secret kicks off with a bang, set 6 days into the future. You are then brought to the present where things start to get dark and creepy and then it never stops. Carpenter is the queen of Southern Goth and I am #fangirl. Not only does she set an incredibly dramatic stage, she digs DEEP into her characters and when it all combined, well, there just isn’t anything else like it.

There is no need for me to go into any kind of synopsis for you. Everything you need to know is in the book blurb and then you need to buckle up and get ready for one dark, twisted, disturbing read. This book kept me up way past my bedtime because I just knew that I wasn’t going to stop until I got to the end.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of domestic drama, dark gothic and psychological thrillers. You won’t be disappointed.

Emily Carpenter did it again. I really enjoyed this book with all its twists and turns. The story is told completely by Daphne, who agrees to attend a couples retreat, in a remote area, to help her finance, Heath, deal with his troubled past and nightmares. Daphne also had a troubled childhood. She grew up very poor and living with either a druggie mother or in a group home. Nothing is as it seems at the retreat and it builds to an exciting and surprising climax. Very good.

I received this from netgalley.com in exchange for a review.

"Emotionally guarded Daphne Amos always believed she’d found a kindred spirit in her fiancé, Heath. Both very private people, they’ve kept their pasts hidden from the world, and each other, until Heath’s escalating nightmares begin to put an undeniable strain on their relationship."

A very readable and interesting story. There are quite a few twists and turns, lots of redherrings. Until it was revealed, I didn't know 'who done it'.

4☆

Absolutely spell binding! A cross between The Shining, a coming of age novel, and a scattering of romance thrown in for good measure. As a Georgia girl, I loved the setting and the references to places in the state that I'm familiar with. I'm always a sucker for a creepy house as the setting for a novel and this did not disappoint. I loved how the past was interwoven with the back and forth between the two characters. And I'm not going to lie I was rooting for Heath to be the ONE. I was in love with him from the beginning. The author's description of him had me from the get go: Tall dark and handsome and brooding. I also loved Daphne and her struggle. She was the type of protagonist you want to succeed. I loved her. I couldn't put the book down. Best I've read in a while. I enjoyed the twists and race to finish ending. I received this book from NetGalley!

This had all the creep factors for sure!
Couples therapy in a remote mountain resort where hidden cameras are alway watching your every move.
This is the story of a couple who have met their soulmate, they are engaged, but each has scars from childhood that won’t heal. So I’d say this is a gothic romance/thriller.
There are some crazy twists, and I’m sure a lot of people could devour this in one sitting because the story keeps you turning the pages.

Thank you to Network and Lake Union Publishing!

Wow! What a wild story! It kept me guessing to the end! Lots of surprises!
Another good story by this author

Really great book!! I really enjoy this author! I’m gonna Buy this one for my collection! I couldn’t put the book down, and read it in one sitting!

3.5/5 stars

Every Single Secret is a psychological thriller. The narrator is Daphne (1st person POV). This is my first book by this author.

The book mostly takes place on October 19th and the week before.

Daphne's fiancé is Heath. Both of them have troubled pasts that they have not shared with each other. Heath has been having nightmares so he convinces Daphne to go to a couples therapy retreat with Dr. Cerny.

I was intrigued by the doctor and by the whole idea of the couples therapy retreat. And I was very curious about both Daphne and Heath's pasts.

Going back and forth in time sort of worked for me. Although I was a bit confused by what was happening on October 19th. I was definitely more interested in going day by day on the week leading up to that (basically the therapy retreat).

The first half of the book was a solid 4 stars for me. I could not wait to find out what was happening.

The book did have some interesting and unexpected twists. But I enjoyed the last part of the book less than than the beginning. The end should be the best part of the book where everything comes together. The book started off strong, but to me the end is everything. And while the reveal was interesting I just did not love the last part of the book. The first half was 4 stars, but the last half was 3 stars. This rarely happens that the set-up is stronger than the end. Unfortunately this left me feeling that the book was just okay.

4.5 stars rounded up.
This is a suspenseful, original thriller/mystery. Daphne is engaged to Heath. She knows he’s troubled, but neither of them talks much about their pasts, and Daphne likes it that way. She’s been holding on to a terrible secret for years. If he doesn’t tell her about his childhood, she doesn’t have to tell him about hers.

His nightmares have become troublesome, however. So, when out of nowhere he says he’s been able to schedule a secluded retreat in the mountains for the two of them, she agrees to go with as long as she doesn’t have to any therapy herself (she’s suspicious of therapists and doesn’t want to talk about her past with anyone). She knows there will be a camera in their room, but other than that, she doesn’t have to participate.
There are several concurrent mysteries. What is the secret Daphne is hiding? What is Heath hiding? What is Dr. Cerny, the psychologist who runs the retreat hiding? What is the woman, Glenys, that Daphne befriends hiding? Why are there so many dead birds in the yard?

When Daphne sneaks out of the room one night, she discovers things that don’t add up. Something strange is happening, but they had to give up their cell phones when they entered the old home that serves as a retreat, and she doesn’t have any other access to devices with Wifi.

There is some jumping around time-wise. Portions of it are told on the final night when we know Daphne has escaped without a phone or money, but we don’t know what she is escaping from. There are also flashbacks to her childhood where she was put into a group home and one of the girls bullies her.

Daphne’s sneaking around was tension-inducing lest she get caught, but if you’re in the mood for a taut suspense novel, you’ll enjoy this. Recommend.

Intense. Suspenseful. Dark and twisty. Emily Carpenter certainly knows how to tell a story and how to hold a reader’s attention. The premise of this book was intriguing, albeit a little far fetched. Daphne and Heath are a young engaged couple. Heath has been having troubling nightmares and often doesn’t come home. Daphne finds him at a local club and confronts him about it. The next thing you know, she’s agreeing to go to a week long couples therapy retreat. I’m not going to say too much because I don’t want to give too much away, but Daphne and Heath are messed up. Messed. Up. Like, really messed up. Neither Daphne or Heath were particularly likable, but there are reasons for that (those reasons are eventually revealed).

I’’d give this 3.5 stars if I could. Overall an entertaining read. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing.

Wowza! What a ride!

Heath and Daphne are a happily engaged couple, but they both have dark pasts and lots of secrets. They are both very guarded and private people and have made their relationship work by agreeing to keep the past in the past rather than share their secrets with each other. This works well for them until Heath starts having violent night terrors that start raising some questions for Daphne. Heath suggests they tackle the nightmares head on by going away to a week-long couples retreat in the middle of nowhere for some intense therapy from a renowned doctor with admittedly unconventional methods. They must relinquish their phones and car keys and agree to being filmed in their private rooms during their stay. Daphne hates the idea of therapy because she doesn't want to talk about her past with anyone at all, but to save her relationship and help Heath, she agrees to join him. When they arrive, Heath falls right into the program with no problem, but Daphne isn't as easily convinced. She is immediately suspicious of everything: the house, the other patients, the doctor, and the filming, and once she starts snooping, she finds that this place might have some secrets of its own.

This book kept me guessing and on the edge of my seat the whole time. Emily Carpenter does a beautiful job creating tension throughout the story, even in scenes without much action. I was constantly waiting for Daphne to stumble across something horrifying, be discovered, or worse. With a bizarre cast of characters, past and present story lines, a killer twist, and a white-knuckled finale, this was a wildly entertaining read! I definitely recommend going in as blind as possible with this one to get the most out of it!

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

You will learn just about every single secret about Heath and Daphne. This is a twisty, odd, spooky and psychological thriller. HOLY CRAP!! I can't help but to get attached to books and the characters I read about and I feel drained after reading this one. I am holding back so much because I do not want to spoil a single thing. Daphne is not that likeable or that enjoyable BUT this book is a must!


Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for my free review copy.

Heath Beck and Daphne Amos are like the doomed lovers in the Bronte classic Wuthering Heights, Heathcliff and Catherine. "It was true--similar souls sought each other out. Damaged gravitated to damaged, the same way Heath and I had recognized ourselves in each other." Heath and Daphne think of themselves as soulmates but they've agreed to not reveal their past history to each other...until Heath starts having disturbing nightmares.

He decides he needs to go to a week-long intensive psychotherapy retreat at Baskens in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia to see if he can unlock the secrets behind his nightmares. The retreat is for couples and Daphne agrees to go along but refuses to participate; she's just not ready to share her own secrets with anyone.

There are two other couples at the retreat but the house rules expressly forbid socializing. Daphne however seems determined to break all the rules and makes a point of following Glenys, an older woman, up a mountain trail to speak with her. The woman has a warm 'motherly' personality and Daphne remarkably finds herself sharing her past history with this virtual stranger. Will she be able now to share this with Heath? And he with her? And can their love survive the truth? And what is really going on at Baskens?

The atmosphere of the story is gothic and dark, with many twists and turns to the plot and interesting characters. I enjoyed the story immensely and highly recommend.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for providing me with an arc for an honest review.

Many thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for the opportunity to read her latest work - a creepy thriller that you won't be able to put down!

Daphne and Heath are engaged - both feel they found their soul mate because they both have pasts they don't want to talk about so they agreed to keep their pasts to themselves. Until Heath begins having nightmares that scare them both. Although Daphne is opposed to psychotherapy, she agrees to accompany Heath to a couples retreat where he hopes to be able to talk through his problems so that he can live with them. The retreat is held in the mountains far away from civilization and has strict rules about no cellphones, no talking to the other couples, and being videotaped almost all day.

The less said about this book the better - it is a deliciously creepy ride and you won't ever guess how it all ends up! Highly recommended - I couldn't put it down!

“Maybe it sounded desperate, but I had been searching my whole life for something I didn’t know existed. Now that I had it, now that I had him, there was no way in hell I was going to let it go.”

What would you do for your true soul mate? What secrets do we all have hidden in our pasts? Daphne Amos has her own secrets, so when she meets the perfect man who isn’t interested in dredging up her past it seems like a fairytale. But fairytales don’t always have a happily ever after and Daphne is about to find out what lurks begins that perfect exterior.

Just give me all the Emily Carpenter books because this new-to-me author had me on the edge of my seat, frantically turning pages to see what would happen next. Reminiscent of Girl On the Train or The Woman In Cabin 10, this dark psychological thriller takes you on a twisty ride from start to finish.

Read this. You won’t be disappointed. I must stop typing now so I can go download all the rest of Emily Carpenter’s books!

*I was graciously provided an advance reader copy of this text via NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for my honest review

Daphne and Heath have not been married for a long time. They are starting to have some issues with their marriage. The biggest one being that Heath has horrible nightmares and becomes violent during these nightmares most nights. He has found a couples retreat with a psychiatrist named Dr. Cerney that is willing to let him and Daphne come stay for seven days and get treatment. The only catch? No cell phones or computers allowed, no contact with the outside world allowed, and their private quarters are videotaped almost 24 hours per day. Daphne does not like therapy and seems to have something hidden her past that she does not want Heath to know about. But not to worry! Heath has a past to and it may be dangerous for Daphne to find out the truth. Nothing is what it seems. This book has plenty of twists and turns to keep anybody interested. The last quarter of the book went by very fast and was very exciting. This is the second book I’ve read by Emily Carpenter and I absolutely enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Emily Carpenter has written a great book. The story leads you down one path and you think you know what's going to happen next. But no, your wrong. Thanks for the twist. You proceed down the new path and then the turn.

At first the characters seem simple, the story cliche. Neither is true. By the time you finish the book you know you were wrong at the start.

I truly enjoyed this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys gothic, physiological thrillers.

Every Single Secret is about Daphne and Heath an engaged couple with many secrets in their pasts that NEVER speak about. They go on a couples retreat to sort out Healths past, and their secrets start spilling out and they are not what you would expect! A CREEPY, fast paced thriller that had me dreaming about sneaking around the retreat house looking for answers!!!!

A complex psychological thriller with a gothic flavor!

I was intrigued from the start and had a hard time putting this one down. The way the characters were being "watched" gave me a very eerie and unsettling feeling. I think it was the atmospheric setting and the creepy house.

The story revolves around a couple who are engaged, Daphne and Heath. I liked the chemistry between them and was pulling for them to get past the skeletons that were dancing around in both their closets. I was absolutely fascinated by the couple's retreat house they checked into for some "therapy". Hmm....I couldn't help but wonder if they would be checking out (singing Hotel California now...)

Throw in some twists and gasps with secrets spilling out and you have a page turning conclusion. Though the end did feel a bit rushed and somewhat muddled because of so many revelations and quite a bit of action (hope I didn't miss anything). Overall, I enjoyed this creepy thriller (even if I was hoping for a different end)!

If you enjoy flawed characters and lots of skeletons in closets (dark secrets), this one is sure to entertain you!

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC. Review will also post on my blog ...https://dressedtoread.com/