I'm so excited to share this book with you since this is one of those books that checked all the boxes for me. Every Last Secret is a story that starts with a bang and doesn’t let up until the last page. But beware, even though you may think you’ve got it all figured out, the pages will keep flying and it may not end exactly as you thought.

The beginning of this story has Nenna Ryder suspected of murder. She seems rather flippant and takes the accusation with seemingly little concern.

Then flashback four months and we have Cat and William Winthorpe enjoying their lavish life and upscale housing addition. They own Winthorpe Technologies, but since her husband, who actually runs the business, is having some concerns about his relationship with the employees, he hires Neena Ryder. Neena’s job is that of motivational coach.

But Neena may have motivations of her own. Almost immediately she and her husband Matt purchase the house next to the Winthorpes. But is the growing friendship between the couples on the up-and-up?

Though the cast of characters is very small, they play their role beautifully. They are so believable you might even wonder if you haven’t met them someplace before. (Well, that’s if you live a ritzier lifestyle than I do.)

What Concerned Me
Nothing at all.

What I Liked
There was so much for me to like about this book. First, it captured my attention quickly. Then the rest of the story had me interested and racing through the pages.

The characters weren’t all surface characteristics, they came from much deeper histories. I could feel a little something for everyone.

For the most part, the chapters alternated between Neena and Cat which helped us see things from different viewpoints.

This is an author that I will be following.

Extravagantly rich would be understating Cat & William Winthorpe. While William runs his medical technology dynasty, Cat rules over the California socialities. Their life is practically perfect in every way...that is until Dr. Neena Ryder, new "Director of Motivation" at Winthorpe Technologies, and her husband move in next door. While Cat knows Neena will never be able to climb the social ladder, her very presence frustrates and intimidates Mrs. Winthorpe. Little does she know, Nenna has an ever-growing obsession with William that just might be blurring the lines between business and pleasure.

This book followed a pretty standard domestic thriller recipe..."perfect" couple + seductive neighbor = well, you know the rest. While Every Last Secret was an enjoyable page turner, it didn't offer the level of suspense that could've taken it to the next level. Cat & Neena were both unlikeable to an extent, which made me less intrerested in either of their fates. The story was well crafted and very enticing, yet lacked some depth in characterization and plot development.

Overall, I really appreciated A.R. Torre's writing style: it was to-the-point and left the reader hanging on the edge of their seat at the end of each chapter. However, I always felt like I knew where the story was headed and was just waiting for the inevitable. A more unique plot or twist would've helped this book stand out, but unfortunately, it fell into the trap of predictability.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy of Every Last Secret.

https://www.instagram.com/bookworm.britt/

This is a fantastic domestic thriller that will keep you on the edge of the page while you read. I honestly didn't like any of the characters and normally that would bother me but I was so scked into the story that I didn't really even notice. When you don't really care about the characters in a thriller its nice to sit back and enjoy the story without the stress of worrying for a character you love.

This was in my top 5 favorite books of 2020. The title is no joke! I loved the backstabbing, conniving, crafty, sinister, women in this one. Alternating chapters always grab me. I'm not sure who I was rooting for, the men I think! They had their hands full with these two rich, spoiled women, but I couldn't help but go deep with this one. I couldn't put it down. It's the writing. It's the story telling. The words. I finished this one fast. It wasn't predictable at all, it was just an excellent book. A. R. Torre can do that, suck you in.

When Neena Ryder and her husband Matt move into the house next to Cat and William Winthorpe, the two couples instantly begin to forge a friendship despite their differences. Cat and William are happily married and live an idyllic , opulent life. The Ryders are trying to climb the social ladder. For Neena, the growing friendship, along with her new job at William’s company, is part of her plan to finally be wealthy and happy. All she needs is to seduce Cat’s husband to make it happen.

But when Neena’s husband and Cat Winthorpe start to get in her way, how far will she go to get what she wants?

How far will Cat go to keep her husband when she figures out what’s going on?

Glamorous, seductive, and deliciously nasty, “Every Last Secret” by A.R. Torre is a riveting tale about power, obsession, and the dark depths two women will go to in order to get what they want. Told from both Neena and Cat’s points of view, the story is taut with suspense and, at times, raw with emotion. While Neena carries out her plan to seduce William, Cat feels the threat to her marriage as she works to keep the attention of her increasingly distracted husband. It sounds simple and straight-forward, but the characters and plot are neither. The secrets these women keep from their husbands and the reader make the book as twisty as it is steamy. Moving at a steady yet quickening pace, each chapter is more riveting than the last. The final twist comes just as everything between Cat, Neena, and William comes to a head. It will knock you through a loop and make you fall in love with the author.

I got hooked on A.R. Torre’s books after reading “The Girl in 6E” years ago. Her novels are always steamy, and her writing style always sucks you in and makes you forget you’re reading. I finished “Every Last Secret” in a little over a day. It wasn’t intentional. Once I got into the story, I lost track of time and place until I got to the last page. The only thing I hated was finishing it.

I adored these two characters! I couldn't put it down! I loved it! it kept me on the edge of my seat!

Loved this quick read. It is filled of glamorous life, and drama. I have not read such a dynamic of a seducer and the wife battling it out to keep what they want and deserve.

The two POVs are of Cat, a wife and a housewife of a rich man William. They have everything - a great lifestyle filled with trips, servants, money, friends, etc. Just no kids. And then Neena enters their life. She and her husband buy the house next door after Neena is hired as a team motivator at William's company. Little by little Neena pushes herself into their lives, as she has her eyes set on William. The cat and mouse games starts, not just between Neena and WIlliam but between Cat and Neena as well. Cat will not just turn over and give up her man.

I thought this was easy and quick read. And I enjoyed the cat and mouse games. In the end I didn't expect the turnout, but it shows how sometimes people will go to lengths to keep what they want and exact the revenge on those crossing their paths. It kept me on my toes as I kept waiting on the fallout of all the drama. Definitely a recommended read from me, for those that like domestic thrillers.

I can't remember the last book I read where I hated the characters so much that I loved them!

The drama in this book had me either rolling my eyes or on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next and I enjoyed every second of it.

Having read many of this authors previous books, this book is one of a kind on her shelf. I throughly enjoyed the drama and twists.

I have recommended it to many already!

Really enjoyed reading about crazy women! William and Cat have everything that their new neighbor Neena wants including William! She, as well as being his neighbor she is also his employee. She insinuates herself into their personal life and does everything she can go accomplish her goal and this is where the crazy starts! Just when I thought I had everything figured out I was completely wrong. I don't want to give too much away but this is a great book. This is the second book that I have read by this author and she is such a descriptive writer. She is excellent at creating characters you love to hate which keeps you flipping pages because you can't wait for them to get their comeuppance!

Thank you Net Galley for allowing me to read this amazing book in exchange for my honest review.

This was such a fun ride - seeing which of these 2 crazies could out-crazy the other by the end!

It started off a bit slow but once we get deeper into these ladies’ psyches, we’re along for the ride.

Neena has decided that all she needs to make her life wonderful is William—either his love, or his payoff. Her laser focus on reaching her own endgame blinds her to anyone else’s agenda.

With the story told in alternating perspectives between Neena and Cat, there were a few hints that they both may have secrets in their pasts. By halfway through, it was pretty clear that this wasn’t a situation of good vs bad—the characters were both manipulative and deceitful.

The men seemed to be little more than pawns in the story. They reacted exactly as expected to each situation. Any memory of craziness in the past with their wife did not seem to trigger a warning for their future interactions. The female characters were always planning and trying to outsmart those around them, but the men just reacted blandly and reasonably to whatever happened.

While the crimes are pretty obvious by the time the reader reaches the epilogue, the observations of William about the women were interesting. As with many psychological thrillers, the epilogue really tied up a lot of loose ends. It wasn’t a happily-ever-after for everyone, but at least everyone knew where they stood, and who had put them there. Overall, I’d give this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was a quick, amusing psychological thriller.

4.5 Stars

Every Last Secret was intriguing just as suspenseful. That kept me engaged in the story that moved at a quick pace. In the beginning, I thought I'm sympathizing with the right character, and then comes the twist of the story. Every character in this book is really interesting to read. But in the end, you may or may not like them at all. I was hoping for Neena's epilogue though. The author does suspense novels so well. I enjoyed it and I would definitely recommend this if you're a fan of this genre.

I really enjoyed Every Last Secret. It had the wealth, gossip, and cattiness of a Real Housewives show, but with the dark undercurrent of a true crime documentary. It was quick and engrossing, and held my attention from the very beginning.

Cat and Neena both want the same things. Wealth, status, prestige...the "perfect life", and while Neena will do anything to get it, Cat will do anything to protect what she's already built. As the two women become frenemies, the reader can feel the tension mounting until the shattering climax hits, and it's a roller coaster from there on out.

While regular readers of the domestic suspense genre will likely be able to figure out how this one ends pretty easily, it's a wild ride getting there, and I enjoyed every moment of it.

4 stars
Every Last Secret
By A. R. Torre
Holy buckets, this is a roller coaster of a book! Torre has written an extremely well-written and intense book. I had never read this author before so I was unprepared for the depth of characters and plotlines. I could not put this one down!
Every single time I thought I had this story figured out, there was a plot twist. I was utterly shocked by the ending which to me is the mark of a very good book. It is not very often an author surprises me but Torre certainly did.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Was this book what I thought it was going to be? No.
Did the cover have anything to do with the story? No.
Did I devour this book in one sitting? Yes.
Did I end up loving every single written word on the pages? Yes.

Honestly, this book was a treat. I haven’t read a book that kept me going like this in a long, long time. So to say I loved it would be an understatement.

Did I think it got a little messy along the way, yes. It did. There for a while the plot was just too fast paced and a lot of things started to get blurred together for me. I kept watching the percentage and just knew there was no way this story would tie itself up but… it does.

Trust the process with this one. It is most likely a book that you wouldn’t typically read but I think once you read it and see how talented Alessandra is as a writer you will be 100% satisfied like I was.

Every Last Secret by A. R. Torre is one of those thrillers that keeps you on the edge of your seat and then pulls the rug out from under you at the last second. (How's that for some mixed metaphors?!) Cat and William have been married for several years and have everything. Neena and her husband move into the abandoned home next door, and Neena is immediately jealous of everything her neighbors have. She's especially interested in William. She does everything she can to seduce him away from Cat. I don't want to spoil the ending, so I'll stop there. I definitely recommend this book to thriller lovers. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

*Many thanks to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer, & A.R. Torre for an ARC of this book!*

Sordid, salacious, and sizzling with intrigue!

Cat Winthorpe is the scintillating queen bee her whole town wants to be: gorgeous husband William on her arm, jaw-dropping home, and tuned in to all of the hot gossip amongst the 'real housewives' of her neighborhood. The lap of luxury suits her well, and Cat is not about to be stepped on by ANYONE she finds less than worthy of her admiration. Enter Neena Ryder, a life coach (but wait, she's still DR. Ryder!) who is hired by William's company and becomes quickly infatuated with the glamour that her new boss' life has to offer...and she supposes getting to know Cat is the right place to start. After all, why doesn't she deserve more of that sort of life? Neena slowly amps up her interactions with husband and wife, becoming quick frenemies with Cat and using every tool in her arsenal to catch William's eye and spending more and more time alone with him. Meanwhile, Cat's guard is up and her suspicions flare...can she convince William to stay away from Neena.? Is Cat truly the 'cat' in this game of cat and mouse...or will Neena finally get everything she desperately desires?

This is my first read by writer Alessandra/A.R. Torre, and it did not disappoint! This plot is used in one fashion or another fairly frequently in the thriller-verse, so to make it feel 'new' in any sense takes a special writer, and Torre fits the bill! I did think there would be more plot twists throughout the book overall, but even without any moments that truly shocked me, I enjoyed every moment of this book! Dual narration from Cat and Neena and short chapters were absolutely perfect for this story and kept the tension slowly rising and simmering throughout. Both women were just so evil and yet somehow still sympathetic at times, which was bizarre because I felt my allegiance bouncing back and forth throughout the book. This book is pure mind-candy by way of Sour Patch Kids---sour, sweet, and gone ALL too soon! 4 stars

Whoa this was twisted! The way it started out did not set me up for what happened in the middle going forward. I was pleasantly surprised!!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this ARC. This is another book by A.R.Torre that I enjoyed and disliked at the same time, but that was the author's goal - to evoke emotions.
This book only proves that all humans are flawed and that there is not only black or white. Cat was the character that got on my nerves the most - playing little miss perfect while scheming Neena's demise with her master plan.
I thought there would be more to Cat's husband - William, but he turned out to be pretty bland and weak, although he liked playing with fire - knew his wife was a cuckoo and only goaded her to become even more crazy and vindictive - not a healthy behavior.
Neena I have mixed feelings about. On the one hand I thought she was the most manipulative character in the book, but ultimately she has become a victim of foul play and the only person who was stigmatised (some may say karma got to her).
What I liked about the epilogue was the open ending for Neena and Matt (probably the only person who did not deserve all that happened to him). What I did not like was Cat not taking responsibility for what she has done. While I sympathise about the baby situation, I still feel like she almost got all she wanted but did not deserve (although staying with her cheating husband and not being able to tell when would be the next time he strays may be punishment itself).
As for the plot, some scenes were too stretched in time and too detailed (like the police investigating the home invasion and a guy who tried to shoot Matt), plus there was no point in adding characters like spying neighbors, who brought nothing to the story. I like my chapters quick and to the point so I don't get bored, but this is just me.
I give this book 3.5 stars.

Make sure you have a lot of time to read before starting this one, as you will want to devour this in one sitting. The author had a slew of unlikable characters, but somehow I was invested in them. This is how brilliant the writing is. The suspense built at a great pace!