This book had an interesting premise, and I was excited to read it. Sadly, the story did not live up to the expectations, and that might not be on me. I found myself struggling to connect and get into the book.

I love young adult mystery thrillers. This one had a lot of twists and turns I didn’t see coming, and I loved the mysterious aspect.

The Truth about Keeping Secrets was a sly read. The story written in such a way that it keeps you guessing form chapter to chapter. Suspenseful and well plotted out. Kept me guessing right up to the end.

I appreciated how this book dealt with some serious issues, especially around grief but it was just not the right book for me. Thrilling but not overbearing. One I will keep in mind for teens in my library.

DNF - did not finish. I did not connect with this one and will be reading it. Thank you netgalley and publisher for the early copy!

This book definitely let me down. It was so predictable and so cliche. The characters were so predictable and had no depth. But the writing was good that was the only thing it had going for it.

This book isn't so much of a thriller as it is a mystery that deals heavily with grief.

"I realized that if good and bad feelings lived together on a scale, I'd never experience the good equivalent of the badness I was feeling. Ecstasy lives somewhere in the clouds, but misery tunnels deep, deep, to the center of the Earth and out the other side. "

Right at the start of the book, we see Sydney dealing with the loss of her dad who died suddenly in a car accident. We don't know how or why but she thinks someone did it on purpose but no adult will listen to her theories which causes her to want to investigate it on her own and deal with some not so great coping mechanisms because she doesn't want to talk to her mom about it because she's going through her own grief of course.
Sydney ends up befriending one of her dad's old patients June who is her age. These two become close, but it also feels like there's some distance between them because we never really know what's going on with June throughout the whole book.
Add on to that Sydney is also getting strange messages and later a gift from an anonymous person who taunts her about her father's death and the previous bullying she has gone through.

Overall I did really enjoy reading this book. Sydney is a character that goes through so much throughout the book from losing her dad, to bullying, and trying to deal with grief it's a lot and she doesn't really talk too much of anyone about it to actually work through any of it. She does have June and later on someone else but that isn't enough considering what she's going through. Add on to that June seems to have her own problems and is just a big mystery for most of the book and we don't really see what she's been going through herself until the last portion of the book.

The way that this book deals with grief is so real and heartbreaking at times. You see Syndey and her mom struggle with everything from holidays, bills, etc. it is a lot and it all felt so raw and real throughout the entire book. The mystery part of the book was kind of second to that at times, still very present but we didn't get a lot of clues about it or able to piece things together until the last portion of the book when everything really kicked off and we found out everything. I do mean everything or well almost everything some things we'll never know because it does truly seem like a fluke that it did and the person just took advantage of the situation.

I believe the author has another book coming out this year and I am interested in checking that one out as I did enjoy their writing.

read a finished copy of the book.

I loved this book! You kind of question the mystery that the MC is focused on throughout the book but the author does a great job of teasing you as you read. I couldn't put it down and needed to know what was going to happen to these characters.

You know how sometimes you see a book and the title gets stuck in your head and all of a sudden you feel compelled to read it as that particular book is all you can think about. Well, that was me with Savannah Brown's The Truth about Keeping Secrets. It has been on my mind for a couple of days now and so today, I finally got around to reading it and what a ride it was. The Truth About Keeping Secrets starts off with the reader learning that our main female character Sydney Whittaker's dad has just passed away in a car accident. Her dad was the local therapist - the only one in fact as they live in a smalltown. Sydney can't believe her dad is dead and believes he was murdered, unfortunately for her - she is the only one who thinks that. However, as a therapist, her dad was definitely the town's secret keeper and any of his patients could have told him a secret that was worth killing for. After the funeral, Sydney starts to receive some strange text messages and eventually some stalkery stuff happens which makes us believe that Sydney was on the right track. Unfortunately, though , no-one believes her and her mother and the police think it's just a fellow schoolmate playing a prank. What happens though when things take a dark turn and Sydney could end up just like her dad six feet under? Will she finally be believed? The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown is a read that will take you on a rollercoaster ride as you try and figure out all the twists and turns happening within the story with the variety of characters you are introduced too.

I don't like reading many novels around grief. But this one was written so well and I really cannot praise it enough. 

The Pros: What worked for me

This story covers some hard-hitting topics but does it with the proper gravitas. The way the author describes the grief Sydney feels was so realistic that it had my heart aching. I've never lost a parent, but I felt and understood every emotion Sydenty showed.

Sydney's character was so raw but so relateable. She is a teenager dealing with the uncertainty all girls face about sexuality and relationships, but she is also trying to handle something as dark as death. Her sarcasm and coping mechanisms were ones I could understand and it made me connect with her - even though I've not had first-hand experience with these issues.

The "thrill" (if it can even be called that) took over in the second half but it was still well done, with plenty of clues and hints for the reader to pick up on earlier on in the book. It had a good setup and was also very believable, if unconventional.

I adored the relationship between Sydney and June. It was different but not fake and I liked seeing how they both opened up to each other in a way they couldn't with anyone else.

The Cons: What I didn't like

I didn't like that this novel was branded as a thriller. The story is really about how Sydney copes with her grief and the mystery took away from that for me. While I still enjoyed the novel, I think the descriptor threw me off (at least in the beginning).

This novel was hard-hitting in its realistic depiction of grief and the ways a teenage girl copes with the loss of a parent. I haven't come across a contemporary novel quite like this one, and even though people have compared this to We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, I personally believe this one is better than the latter! I give this book 4/5 stars!

I enjoyed this far more than I expected I would. I'll admit that, as far as the mystery goes, the culprit was quite easy to guess, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment of the book as a whole. Sydney's character growth was wonderful, and I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet sapphic friends-to-lovers romance. Even though I don't pick up books from this genre very often, Savannah Brown's writing was so current and engaging that I'll likely pick up anything she publishes in the future. A very strong debut overall!

I wanted to love this book, and think it dealt with difficult topics like toxic and abusive relationships, mental illness, and grief quite well, but I just couldn't enjoy it. The writing style didn't work for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and I found the plot twist entirely predictable. There are definitely people who will love this book. I, unfortunately was just not one of them.

Oh my god this book was so good. This was absolutely everything I wanted.

This book is about Sydney, who opens the novel at her beloved father's funeral. He has just died in a car accident, and Sydney has trouble believing it was an accident at all. She thinks it's possible that he learned one secret too many, as he was the only psychologist in their small town. This book is about her investigating this, but it is also so much more.

This book was so well-written. The emotions were real and raw, the descriptions beautiful and interesting. The way Brown writes grief is tangible, you can feel it in every way that Sydney does. Parts of this book hurt because the feelings were so well-constructed and genuine. The anxiety over death in this book is so well-crafted and exact that you can tell by reading it that Brown used her own experiences. This is the exact right amount of prose, it's beautiful and heartbreaking and vivid, but it never feels over-the-top or out of place. I went into this thinking it was a thriller, and in some ways it is, but what is mostly is is a heart-wrenching and difficult story about what it's like to move on after your world ends, what it means to find happiness after feeling an insurmountable pain, and what it means to find people who make life seem a little less terrifying. The thriller elements are still there, and they're still compelling and intense and they keep you reading, but it's the softer, more subtle parts of this book that really shine through in the end. This is honestly the perfect blend of thriller and contemporary. The action and the intrigue were there and they were given enough attention that they felt satisfying at the end, but Brown doesn't overshadow the pain and the loss and the life that happens in between clues and investigations.

I liked Sydney. She was snarky and funny and easy to root for. Her relationship with her father was well-constructed, and her thoughts were very real. She was very real. She's not a very interesting person, but that's because she's spent so long trying to make it that way. It means more for the story that Sydney isn't special. She's not the chosen one or a teenaged Sherlock Holmes. She makes mistakes, she does things even she knows she shouldn't, and she is reluctant to change. Her investigations are realistic and frustrating and a lot of the time don't yield any results. Her feelings and her actions are justified and genuine. Her anxiety is true to reality. She's funny and loveable and snarky. She feels real feelings and isn't shy about sharing them.

The side characters were excellent in this book. I loved Leo, who was snarky and bitter but not a stereotypical gay best friend, who had his own trauma and was still willing to try and help. Miles was my favourite athletic himbo with a heart of gold (dumb gold, but still gold). June was so interesting because she was so complex. A big thing with her is that Sydney admits that June is definitely lying and is keeping so much, but she's so likeable and lovely that it's hard to be mad. You can really feel that. You as the reader know June is lying, you want her to tell the truth, but she's also charming and sweet and funny, she understands Sydney and cares about people. You want to like her even while parts of the book accuse her of things. I really liked the way her story was concluded. It was realistic, but still optimistic.

The romance in this was a nice slow-burn, which I love. I liked the way it progressed, and I actually enjoyed the uncertain ending. I don't always love the YA romances that end as if they'll be together forever because I don't think that's generally realistic. This romance was cute and complicated.

The ending is really where I think this book shines. There are so many ways that Brown could've taken the ending that would've lessened the impact of Sydney's story. I loved the rest of the book, with its beautiful descriptions of grief and real portrayals of anxiety, but I was worried that the ending wouldn't do the rest of the book justice. Brown did not disappoint. The ending of this book was perfect in the fact that it was still thrilling and intense, but didn't take away from what she spent the book building up. It was the perfect blend of thriller and contemporary that the rest of the book was, and I was really glad that Brown kept that up until the very end.

I have read a lot of YA books, both thriller and contemporary, and this one is just so real and tangible and palpable that I could not help but fall in love with it.

A friend had described this book as a book version of the Girls Like Girls video by Hayley Kiyoko and I feel like this is the best description ever.

The book starts with a death and a grieving daughter, Sydney, who feels like she'll never be happy again and that life without her dad has no meaning and isn't worth living. She slowly starts seeing the light at the end of the tunnel when she meets the mysterious homecoming queen, June. But that's also when she starts getting weird texts from an anonymous number. Who is this stalker? What do they want? Did they murder her dad?

I read this book so quickly. It's one of those books that's impossible to put down because you need to know everything right away. The plot and the suspense were so great. And most of all the characters and relationships were so touching. I cried a few times while reading, Sydney's emotions were so well written.

I would definitely recommend this book.

This book deals with a lot of hard topics like death, grief, homophobia, abuse. Savannah Brown has posted content warnings on her websites.

Suspenful. Full of twists and turns. Who do you trust? Who do you believe? And when you finally think there might be a light at the end of the tunnel your life flips upside down. Well told thriller. Will keep you flipping the pages because you have to know the answers to the questions. Happy reading!

The Truth About Keeping Secrets was a powerful novel about loss. Loss of a parent, loss of friendship, loss of self. But also in these pages, we see an incredible amount of growth and vindication.

Sydney Whitaker has just lost her father. She and her best friend don't seem to have anything in common anymore. And on top of that, she is getting hateful messages from an anonymous person, alluding that her father's death wasn't an accident. Those concerns mixed with the paranoia that someone is watching her propels Sydney into a mess of isolation and fear. Her best friend isn't really there for her and her mother refuses to believe her, so Sydney turns to the most unexpected person, June Copeland. The popular and seemingly cold and distant June turns up at her father's funeral and at his grave sight and Sydney needs to know why. When the two strike up an unlikely friendship, Sydney's life changes completely, becoming all about this girl.

I liked this and thought that it was written beautifully. Loss isn't beautiful. It is dirty and messy and she demonstrated that well. Aside from that, what teenager doesn't feel like nothing is in their control? Mix in the total loss of normalcy when that person loses an integral part of their life? Chaos! I felt it in these pages. I felt Sydney's fear and fixation. I felt her isolation, and through all of that, I felt her possibility of new love and how that can completely consume you.

Well done Savannah Brown. Well done for creating such a web of intrigue and secrets. Picking through them was an intense journey.

I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book is like a rollercoaster! So many plot twists. While the story isn't one that will stick with you for months or years, its a good read and a fun thriller.

Thank you kindly to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this review copy.

3.5 🌟---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I actually really enjoyed this book.
However, while this book has been pitched as an f/f thriller I would recommend it to people who were fans of books like We are Okay. This is a story that deals heavily with topics of grief and unhealthy coping mechanisms. I would look up trigger warnings if that is a concern for you personally.

This story follows a girl called Sydney Whitaker whose father just recently died because of a car accident. Sydney's father was the only psychiatrist for miles in their small town and was exposed to his patient's deepest and darkest secrets. Sydney isn't convinced it was an accident and so she embarks on a quest to find her father's killer, making and breaking relationships along the way. She ends up meeting a girl called June who changes everything and makes Sydney feel something again. But, what does she really know about June?

MY THOUGHTS:
okay, so I have some thoughts about this book. this story focuses on grief and unhealthy coping mechanisms. My main problem with this book was the aspects of unhealthy coping mechanisms. I felt that because Sydney was so in need of any semblance of normalcy she romanticized June and later became completely obsessed with her. I would have liked to see one of June's flaws like she doesn't take out the trash or something else mundane. Sydney should have focused on healing herself. She becomes consumed by June and in my opinion, uses her as a coping mechanism. She never seemed to realize that June was a person who had likes and dislikes and flaws. At the end of the book it tried to expose June's flaws but it only made her seem like the victim. I would have also liked if after the rather startling end of a relationship the girls had taken time to focus on themselves before getting together in the end. Overall I did really enjoy this book but I would have liked the characters to be fleshed out more except Leo, Leo's perfect, I love Leo. Leo deserves his own book just saying. This was gay, very gay and that was much appreciated as well. Also from what I took away from the book June is mixed so that's cool however that was not a large part of the story but was an interesting detail I remember remembering.
🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍🌈 🏳️‍🌈

Wanna read a mystery thriller in which the lesbian heroine finds out who killed her father? What about a coming of age romance between two women that is intermixed with mental health issues? Well, The Truth About Keeping Secrets can’t seem to decide which of those two plots to go with. What Brown does instead is combine the two as main plots, so you get some elements of both in there for a slightly skewed collaboration. Savannah Brown’s debut is a decent first try and great if you aren’t looking to analyze it further than a skimming of the page while you wait for your next great read. However, if you are looking for a substantial read, I would recommend going elsewhere.

Honestly, this one isn’t going to be very memorable. It’s a relatively formulaic thriller.

I think the only thing that really stood out as different was that the main character is a lesbian. I loved that, of course.

I knew probably 30% into the story who was stalking Sydney. It wasn’t difficult at all to figure out.

I did really love how palpable Sydney’s grief felt though. It was so raw.

I honestly don’t have much more to say about this book.