"I thought detectives come in pairs, like socks." - Anthony

I'm trying to get through some old backlist NetGalley, so I've been trying to target books that don't have an audiobook out. The Secret She Kept by J.S. Ellis is a very quick read that kept me guessing but did end up being pretty middle of the road for me as far as thrillers go. I didn't like any of the characters which usually isn't a problem, but they are all adults and some of the childish behavior started getting on my nerves.

I loved the format of this book and the way it alternated with Anthony's viewpoint and the clips of Lottie's videos. It created quite an air of mystery as well as a speedy plot that made me not want to put it down! I did notice a lot of editing mistakes such as missing words and other grammatical errors that were in the finished book which I will admit turned me off a bit as well. Overall, The Secret She Kept was a pretty solid read, but not one that I will be recommending to everyone.

J.S. Ellis https://joannewritesbooks.com is the author of eight novels. The Secret She Kept was published in 2020. This was the 98th book I completed in 2022.

I received an ARC of this book through https://www.netgalley.com with the expectation of delivering a fair and honest review. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own! Due to scenes of violence and mature situations, I categorize this novel as R. The primary character is twenty-five-year-old Anthony Hughes.

Lottie Gibson had been Anthony’s close friend, only now she is dead. A few days before her death, she had loaned him her laptop. As he looks over her machine, he discovers more than 20 videos recorded by Lottie. They go back nearly a year, and in them, Anthony discovers secrets his friend had been hiding. Anthony realizes that he had not known the real Lottie.

Anthony thinks Lottie had lent him the laptop as insurance. She knew that she was in danger. Anthony cannot decide what to do. He should turn the computer in to the police. Instead, he slowly watches the videos and begins to follow the clues Lottie has left.

I enjoyed the 4.5 hours I spent reading this 238-page mystery. It has a slow pace, and the plot is weak. The story is told in the first person by the Anthony character. The cover art is not very eye-catching, but it is consistent with the plot. I give this novel a rating of 3.8 (rounded up to a 4) out of 5.

You can access more of my book reviews on my Blog ( https://johnpurvis.wordpress.com/blog/).

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Thank you #netgalley #blackcatinkpress #jsellis for a copy of this book.

Just day's before her murder, Anthony's friend Lottie lent him a laptop.

Curious to find anything on the laptop after her death that may help the police find out what happened to her, Anthony starts searching. This leads him to find a secured file filled with a years worth of video's leading up to her death.

At the same time police have arrested Anthony's friend in connection to Lottie's death. As the evidence stacks up against his friend, Anthony must find out the truth before it's too late.

This was a short quick read. I enjoyed the mystery, even though I did feel like it was overly descriptive most of the time. I did think some parts were a bit unfinished by the end of the book.
Overall a good thriller full of twists and turns.

DNF not a fan of the writing style
Tried again several months later in case it was my mood but still could not get into it.

This author needs to learn what showing not telling means in a book. I couldn’t get over the super descriptive way that everything was written enough to get into the story.

I'll start by saying that I think this story would translate well into a movie or miniseries.

Unfortunately, as a book, not for me - I foundreading this book to feel like a chore, and tool me a long time to finish given the short-ish length of it

Great thriller that kept me turning the pages. Great story, great writing and characters. Really enjoyable and would read this author again.

This is a case of how well do you really know your friends? Lottie gives Anthony her laptop days before her death when she was murdered, but by who? Who would want to murder his dear sweet friend Lottie?!? Anthony then explores what is on her laptop to find videos recorded and starts to feel like he didn’t know how well he knew Lottie she was keeping her own secrets he didn’t think she had. Also, Anthony’s friend Davian who is arrested for Lottie’s murder, why is he a suspect? What doesn’t Anthony know about Davian? Could Davian have his own secrets that Anthony doesn’t really know him either?!? I really liked all the intrigue to this and the plot twists! There were a few pitfalls I felt were personally there but not big enough to make mention of taking away from it being a pretty great read. Thank you NetGalley for the copy.

A great book which had good pace. I found it to be a good story with good characters.

I normally read books fairly quickly but this one took me a while to read unfortunately.

The writing by the author was great but it wasn’t quite enough to keep me in the edge of my seat.

This is a thriller. I found this thriller just ok. I really did not like the writing style in this book which is just my personal opinion. This book was just not for me, but I can see some people loving this thriller. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher or author via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A great book that had me hooked! Well worth picking up as it is definitely worth a read. Great storyline and interesting characters!

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

The story felt shallow as well as the characters.

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

This was an okay thriller. It was short and a quick read...I just didn't love anything about it.

Days before her murder, Anthony’s friend, Lottie, lent him her laptop. Curiosity getting the best of him, he clicks on a file and finds videos recorded by her in the year leading up to her death. Within those recordings, she exposes dark secrets someone will kill to keep hidden, and Lottie’s toxic relationship with Anthony’s long-time friend, Davian.

The writing was okay, the plot was okay, the characters were okay. There was nothing I loved, but didn't hate anything either. An average read.

The Secret She Kept by J.S. Ellis
Ok, for me this book was super slow and just didn't hold my interest, the characters did not grab me and make me want to get to know them...thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this book and letting me leave my opinion.

This book kept me guessing pretty much the whole time. The beginning started off slow, but really picked up especially towards the end. What a surprise ending for me! The writing style was a bit different for me, but overall I enjoyed it.

The Secret She Kept had me questioning every one I ever met and their daily intentions. Anthony and Lottie are inseparable friends until Lottie is murdered and Anthony decides he is going to get to know Lottie better after her murder. The real question is if he really wants to know the information he is about to find.

I enjoyed getting to know each character in detail. This quick read is a must for anyone who enjoys a "who done it" type of story!

Few days back Anthony's friend Lottie lent him her laptop and now she is DEAD, direct HEADSHOT. His very sweet friend is dead, it's just impossible for him to imagine.

While the police is busy with their investigations, Anthony is still in hold of Lottie's laptop confused whether to surrender it to police or keep it to himself. Curiosity gets over him and he start searching in laptop for some clues & end up finding a secured file full of videos which lead to her death.

On the other hand Anthony's childhood friend Davian is under custody for the murder of Lottie. Again an unimaginable situation. Evidence against him is getting stacked up. Anthony is just stuck between a situation where it's too hard to take any side or make any choices.

Okay this was a short length and light mystery read. Story and characters were interesting but as said story was short I felt little things were rushed to wrap up the story.

The writing style in this book really annoyed me and frustrated me. Having said this the plot was very interesting , suspense started off with a bang and the characters were great. The ending was a real surprise.

This story was so slow & boring. I almost always finish reading what I start. And I did finish this one, but asked myself why.....
Just my opinion, you may like it if you read it!


She’s dead. Why would she lie?

Days before her murder, Anthony’s friend, Lottie, lent him her laptop. Curiosity getting the best of him, he clicks on a file and finds videos recorded by her in the year leading up to her death. Within those recordings, she exposes dark secrets someone will kill to keep hidden.

When Anthony’s childhood friend, Davian is placed under arrest for the murder, Anthony refuses to believe he could do such a thing but Lottie was infatuated by Davian. More damning evidence piles up, Anthony wonders if it’s possible a man he’s known for most of his life has kept a sinister side of himself hidden.

Now, Anthony faces an impossible choice; turn the laptop over to the police and risk being accused of hindering the investigation, or try to solve the case himself. Lottie gave him the computer for a reason. There was something there she wanted him to see. Can he put the pieces of the puzzle together in time to uncover the killer?

this was a really interesting read, the characters were great and I enjoyed the mystery going on in the book.