This was another survivalist book. I have read quite a few of them lately. 2020 must be the year for that. So I almost didn’t read this book because it had such a low rating on it. But I decided to read it anyway and I am so glad I did. This was a beautiful book with so much depth.

Title: What the Other Three Don’t Know
Author: Spencer Hyde
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.8 out of 5

When Indie lost her mom to the river, her world crumbled around her. Now she’s the loner, the quiet one, the one no one else notices—living only for the day she can leave her small town behind and go where no one knows her. She never wants to set foot near the river that took her mom again.

But for her journalism class, that’s exactly what she must do: take a rafting trip with three almost-strangers from her class. India would rather do anything else, but she has no choice. What she doesn’t realize is the other three have secrets just like she does. And this rafting trip will bring all of them to the surface.

I enjoyed What the Other Three Don’t Know, but it was fairly predictable. And…the “secrets” weren’t exactly earth-shattering. I thought the four teens bonded really quickly, so that felt a little off to me, but their banter alone made the book worth reading.

(Galley courtesy of Shadow Mountain Publishing in exchange for an honest review.)

Think "The Breakfast Club" on a white water rafting trip. Indie, along with three classmates Skye, Wyatt, and Shelby embarks on a rafting trip as a requirement for their journalism class. All are convinced that they couldn't possibly get along, but as the trip unfolds, some events more disastrous than others, all four teens begin to let the others see what they've been keeping beneath the surface.

I, personally, am terrified of rapids like the ones written about in this book, so I would probably never find myself on a rafting trip. That said, I almost find it appealing because of how beautiful the scenery is described in this book. Spencer Hyde illustrated the beauty of nature, but also how it can be unforgiving.

The story of the four teens gave me major Breakfast Club vibes which I was really into. One of my favorite literary tropes is a found-family, and this totally delivered.

What the Other Three Don't Know gave us some cautionary tales, which I can appreciate, but they felt a bit preachy and expositional. The social media obsession and the distracted driving messaging are valid issues to bring up, especially in a YA novel, but I think the conversation could have been a bit more subtle.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Shadow Mountain Publishing for the chance to read this Advanced Readers Copy in exchange for an honest review!

Outdoorsy rafting trip adventure with four kids who know *of* each other from school, but don't really know one another. Indie, the protagonist, is still grieving the death of her mother on a trip just like this one, and she harbors anger and blame toward their guide for what happened. The other three kids are hiding things from the world, but through the course of the trip they open up to one another. Adventure/survival story fans might enjoy this one. That genre isn't a great fit for me. I picked this up more to get the story behind the four kids and their interactions.

Indie tells the story alone, which makes sense because of the issues she's going to address in the book, but since I was looking for more of an ensemble piece, I felt I missed out on some things. This is also a highly introspective story. I felt like there was far more content just coming out of Indie's head, which also wasn't a great fit for me.

When the trip gets dangerous and the suspense amps up, I was happy to keep reading and see how things worked out. There are some rafting and climbing terms that I didn't follow and weren't spelled out, but I was able to follow along.

Indie does not want to go on this rafting trip. First of all, she doesn’t like any of the three other students from her school going. Second, her mother died on the same stretch of water one year before. And finally, the guide leading the trip is responsible for her mother’s death. Indie tries to push everyone away, but their circumstances along the river force everyone to work together and reveal their secret to the rest of the group.

I always love a good survival story, but I especially loved the diversity that was included in this book. Indie is dealing with immense grief, one of the other characters is learning to use a new prosthetic limb, one character is hiding a medical condition, and one of the characters is too nervous to share their sexual orientation. I think Hyde skillfully combined these storylines, making the characters learn more about each other before fighting for their lives. With thoroughly developed and distinct characters, it should be easy for everyone to find at least a small connection with one of the characters.

I thought the book read extremely fast and I found myself highlighting so many different powerful passages throughout. There were a few times where something small felt a little repetitive but overall, I loved this book!

This arc gave me unprecedented joy: I never knew e-arcs can be this beautiful! I have read e-arcs of poetry and comics/graphic novels but never an e-arc in other genres, that made my reading experience better and not a pain in the eyes, for all the bad editing that I cannot hold anyone accountable for since it is an arc.
Since the early reviews, in most cases, decides how a book will work out, the e-arcs must be presentable and comforting. One of the best ways to make sure that your books give out good vibes and make one's reading experience better when giving out e-arcs is to make sure that they are pleasant for one's eyes.
For international folks, like me, as arc reviewers, we only have the opportunity to review e-arcs even though we have good stats. So when we are constantly on-screen, the reading experience starts to become irritative, as days go by, when the e-arc doesn't feel comfortable and pleasant for the eyes. The reason why I am talking about this is that this is my first e-arc from Shadow Mountain Publishing and the joy this book gave my eyes is palpable by making my reading experience savouring!

Indie, our narrator, is an aspiring journalist in her high school senior year, who ends up on a river rafting group for her journalism class with three other high schoolers: Wyatt, Shelby and Skye.
A loner, a jock, an outsider and an Instagram influencer- there is nothing in common between the four, above the surface. As the unpredictability of the river forces them to rely on each other, their secrets which the other three do not know starts to run free amidst them.
One is wallowing in grief under the facade after the death of a loved one. One is closeted and is in fear of coming out. One is facing a new disability and an undetermined future. One is hiding behind the perfectly curated social mask. As they make a perilous journey through the Hell's Canyon, they all discover the undermining truth in themselves and know and accept each other's secrets, laid bare in front of them.

As an articulately woven genius, this engaging and poignant story hooks you on its very first page. Even though the fact a teacher wanted her students to go out on this journey for admission into her class, knowing for a fact how perilous it can be, even when the forecast states that it will be good- made me want to put her behind the bars for endangering lives and annoyed me, it didn't stop me from wanting to indulge more in this story. I give that credits to Spencer's masterful writing that paints vivid imagery and transports you to experience every inch of this story poetically.
Anything related to water makes sure to steal my heart but this one just hits the right strings to be a beautiful read for young adults and adults alike with the themes of finding light through darkness, forgiveness, loss, courage, internal chaos and owning the person you truly are by self-acceptance. Every character in this is crafted with a realistic sense of chaos that all of us are condemned to and that made me find these characters more humane than anyone would expect to. This heart-touching and thought-provoking tale will make sure to leave its influence on you and in hunger for more of Spencer's story-telling skills!

I absolutely cannot wait to read more works by Spencer! I loved this read so much and I hope anyone who picks it, loves it as much as I did or maybe, even more!

Thank you, NetGalley and Shadow Mountain Publishing for this eye-pleasing e-arc!

ARC provided by Shadow Mountain Publishing via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

What the Other Three Don’t Know is a story about new friends, personal growth and overcoming fears. I didn’t particularly take to Indiana as the sole narrator, as I’d rather have read from Wyatt’s, Skye’s or even Shelby’s point of view. Despite my detachment from Indie, the author’s writing style managed to help me finish the book.

This book was very disappointing for me. It was not a very long book so I expected to blow through it fairly quickly. However it was so boring to me that I did not find myself wanting to read it.
Here is what I liked:
1. We have a group of teenagers and an adult leading their group. They all have struggles and are facing their own problems. I liked this because some of the issues I have never read about in a YA book before. Some of those things were someone dealing with alopecia and hair loss, someone with a prothetic leg, someone hiding the fact that they are gay, someone dealing with the fact that their best friend was bullies and committed suicide, someone struggling with their mothers death, someone who was not able to save a friend and feels guilt and the results of being on your phone while driving.
2. This book reminded me of The Breakfast Club but out in the wilderness.
3. I enjoyed the ending how everything wrapped up. Forgiveness was given and some unlikely friends will most likely remain friends.
What I did not like:
1. We have so many characters going through so many things your focus is literally everywhere and it is a lot to take in. In such a short book I did not feel these things were really explained and elaborated but rather mentioned quickly.
2. The first 75% of the book Wyatt is overly defensive and is literally such a mean jerk. All he does is whine and I was so over it.
3. The book has white water rafting and rock climbing in it which was great but I have never done these things and have zero knowledge on them. At time terms were thrown out and I had no idea what they meant or what the items being used were. They needed to be defined for people who have never done these things.
I dont think I would recommend this book to anyone because although it has great diversity it is too much and not elaborated enough or focused on specific person. I think the book needed to be longer to touch more closely on all these topics.

✨Review✨

“Because rivers run through things. So does grief. Everyone will give you a different number for how many stages of grief there are, but there is only one way to conquer it, and that’s to run through it, not around it.”

Spencer Hyde’s What the Other Three Don’t Know follows main character Indie as she takes part in a rafting retreat with four of her classmates, all from very different walks of life. The river has haunted Indie’s life for the last few years, and the fights breaking out amongst her peers are not making at any easier to cope. Will the four find common ground when they learn each other’s deepest, darkest secrets?

Welcome to The Breakfast Club in the wild, AKA What the Other Three Don’t Know. I must admit that I am not a fan of the classic film, and that put a bit of a damper on my overall experience with this book. 🤷🏻‍♀️

I did appreciate the modern spin with one of the characters being an Instagram influencer and a few other themes that are more easily approached nowadays. I also feel that the author did a good job in making all four teenagers very realistic with no over-dramatization.

My main reason for giving the rating I’ve chosen is that I feel like the main character did not get the full resolution she deserves, but I don’t want to get into spoilers, so I won’t elaborate beyond that.

Overall, I found What the Other Three Don’t Know to be a light read that was fairly enjoyable.

Thank you so much to @netgalley and @shadowmountainpub for my free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

⭐️⭐️.5 - ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Review will be posted on pub day. Will provide link to profile below.

I liked the synopsis but the book really wasn’t it for me. There was nothing overtly wrong with it, just really wasn’t a book for me. Really wasn’t my cup of tea.

I will be honest, the beginning was a little bit slow for me. It wasn’t horrible to the point where you simply couldn’t carry on, but it took a while for me to figure out the plot and where everything was going.

The characters were developed well, and although they did represent stereotypes, I liked how Hyde added that extra edge and perk to each individual, bringing out that theme of how everyone hides something about themselves that others don’t know. And how that’s something that rounds out each of us and makes us unique. Specifically, I appreciated the character Shelby, as she shows the vulnerabilities behind being a content creator/influencer, and reminds us that we should sometimes unplug from our devices as there’s so much still to learn through being in the moment.

Rest of review available: https://happilyhedy.wordpress.com/2020/02/27/what-the-other-three-dont-know-spencer-hyde/

I definitely think this book has an audience, but I sadly wasn’t it. I couldn’t get into the setting, but I think someone who loves the outdoors (particularly fishing and being in the water) would connect with it more. I didn’t find myself attached to the characters either, so I didn’t care very much when they were in danger. Finally, I thought the pacing was off. The protagonist would go on a long thoughtful tangent in the middle of a huge action scene. Too much talking and not enough showing for much of the book.

#WhatTheOtherThreeDontKnow #NetGalley

Life is always dark until we bounce off each other.

What the Other Three Don't Know is a book about loss, secrets,friendship and forgiveness. Indie meets up with Ske, Shelby and Wyatt as part of an assignment for school, five days water rafting in Hell's Canyon. Indie wants to turn back, when her guide, Nash, is someone who she feels caused her mom's death, but there's no way out with no cell phone coverage. Indie is the voice through out the novel, so the story is told through her eyes. Sharing secrets with three other teens and learning from each person's story. A fast paced novel, with depth.

This book was a bit of a struggle for me. While I know that this is a YA book, it read a bit younger than I was expecting. I didn’t really feel any connection with the characters and couldn’t really get into for about the first half. Had this not been a NetGalley read, I likely would have given up. I’m glad that I didn’t- the book really ended up picking up and I really liked the second half. I hope that the target age group for this book connect more with the characters than I did. Each of the four characters have their own unique struggle and find answers during their life changing river trip.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book!

Apparently this book will never be read fully by me. I started this book a while ago when I received it. From the synopsis I really enjoyed it, but when I came to read it, I had to DNF at around 15-20%. The second time (and the last time), I DNFed it again at 34%. I found it tiring and boring for me.

I want to thank NetGalley & Shadow Mountain for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book was a bit disappointing being honest, I hoped to enjoy it much more. I like the promise a lot, it sounds simple but it keeps a lot of feelings and discussions about loss, sexuality, and social stereotypes. And although it sounds very promising ends up being quite flat.

This book is about four high school senior students who go on a trip to a river from her journalism class. A loner, a jock, an outsider, an Instagram influencer. At first, they can’t see anything that they have in common. As the trip unfolds, the unpredictable river forces them to rely on each other. Social masks start to fall as, one-by-one, each teen reveals a deep secret the other three don’t know.

I think that again, as already mentioned, the concept and the idea is very interesting, but the execution fell on being quite flat and for me personally, it didn’t feel real. The characters’ voices are weird and un-believable for young people, and the dialogues didn’t flow at all. On the other hand, I understand the final message that the author wanted to give regarding stereotypes and as in spite of everything we all have flaws and the most improbable people can end up being the ones who support you and understand you the most.

Indie is the main character and she struggles internally with the loss of her mother, who died in the river by drowning and when she goes on this trip what she least thinks is to meet her guide who, from what we understand has to do with the death of her mother or at least Indie blames him for it. And that point of the plot seemed super interesting to me and I don’t think it’s executed in a way that keeps you expectant, it also resolves in a rather superficial way. Her voice as a narrator was quite unbearable for me, sadly, but I admit that her internal monologs have a very nice writing style and are also atmospheric. I end up being more interested in Shelby who’s the “popular girl” but ends up being a better person and her voice was the best in my opinion. I didn’t like any of the guys in the story: Wyatt & Skye.

The transition from one scene to another felt quite dirty and doesn’t have a good fluidity which makes it difficult to place yourself on the scene, but I really liked the setting, though, because I adore when there’s a lot of nature, woods, and rivers, I think it gives a good atmosphere to the plot. On the other hand, it has an insta-love thing, that honestly seemed ridiculous to me, the characters didn’t have chemistry and suddenly rebelled their secrets to each other & fall in love, I don’t get it.

Speaking of the long-awaited secrets, I think the author had very good ideas and his message is super positive, I want to highlight that, but I think there’s a mistake in wanting to execute these ideas through the eyes of teenagers because simply felt very artificial and forced. Secrets as such are linked to personal stories of overcoming and suffering, family violence, standards “to fill”, sexuality & disability, so that was great, it didn’t have an impact because of the way in which it is executed, but I respect that the idea has been so inclusive.

.Another thing that I want to highlight is that the author himself has created these characters based on his own experiences and he shares that with us before starting the story. I understand that it can be very difficult to develop a story that’s so personal to him, so I really appreciate he to tell a story #OwVoices that of course deserves to be heard, that the execution hasn’t worked personally for me, but I really want to you to know how much this means for the author himself

I still recommend it, if you want to read something fast-paced that also has a lot of diversity and a very atmospheric setting, but without a doubt, the execution needs work, just like the characters, their developments, and dialogues.

Unfortunately, I found this incredibly boring. I did DNF the book because I was so unable to get into this, even though I really wanted to.

I found myself skipping narrative because it was not captivating my attention at all. Which is sad, because this book sounded really good.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read an arc of this book in exchange for a honest review!

I throughly enjoyed this story. I appreciate how much the author poured aspects of themselves into the book and I just could tell that there was such a personal touch as I was reading. I found all of the characters to be well written and dynamic, I even was surprised at times to see how much detail was put into each individual character (such as some of the characters interests and how they lit up discussing them). I could feel for all of them so much and I loved getting to go along on this journey with them.

A story about loss, forgiveness, chaos, and finding light through darkness. This intense story, about how four teens from different social groups come together to survive their perilous journey by opening up their secrets to each other and learning to accept themselves, will leave you wanting more from Hyde.

I really wanted to like this. I enjoy the framework of the “Breakfast Club” type story. But I’ve read a couple books like this within the last year and I guess I feel it’s kind of overdone.

I never really connected with the characters, although I did appreciate Indie’s quiet strength.

I liked the setting and nature metaphors, but honestly I couldn’t wait for this book to be finished so I could move onto something more realistic.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC!