The beginning of the book sucked me right in, but unfortunately it didn’t stay on that high level. I enjoyed different parts of the book and other parts I just wanted to slap people for stupidity.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me a copy of this book.! As a fan of Laurie Faira Stolarzi was really looking forward to this book and maybe already gave it a five stars before reading it but I was not disappointed! This book gave me everything I could have asked for. I cannot wait to read more and more from Laurie!

After enjoying Jane Anonymous, I had high hopes about The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep. Good news — I was not disappointed!

This story has many things I love in my thrillers — unreliable narrators, short chapters, and page-turner storytelling style. What made this such a win is it was interesting from the beginning, and I just wanted to keep reading to identify what happens next.

The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep explored PTSD and healing, and for me, it was done well. It might be a good read for you, if you're looking for a book that discusses this theme.

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.

I thought this was a good read. I thought it was written well. I thought the characters were realistic.

I can understand what this book is going for. We're examining victim blaming, the desperation of not being believed, and the stigmas of mental illness. THe idea is that all of this mixes together as our protagonist attempts to recover from a trauma. The cycles of belief and trust and complication. But it's also a bit unhinged. It strains my willing suspension of disbelief to the braking point.

The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep kept me twisting and turning until I wasn’t sure which way was up in this compelling psychological thriller by Laurie Faria Stolarz.

I liked the use of chat room conversations along with the first-person narrative. It is so timely and appropriate – just the right touch of technology, for many reasons, some of which could be considered spoilers. It keeps the story in the present day. Talking to strangers via the internet is commonplace, and people with mental health issues tend to gravitate to that form of communication for anonymity and safety. I did not read the book that introduced the particular chat room found in the story, but now I want to do so.

Terra Smith, the main character, tells this tale. It is tough being in her head at times but also compelling and fascinating. She admits right from the start that she has been diagnosed with four mental health disorders – Delusional, Depression, Defiant, and Paranoid, so I knew this story would be taking me on a ride that I wouldn’t soon forget. The portrayal of Paranoid and Delusional Disorders, in particular, are disconcerting in their accuracy, though I didn’t see evidence of the other two on the level of a diagnosis. From a technological standpoint, the hard part is witnessing any growth in a character who realizes near the end that she has not been growing. There is limited character development because Terra has been reliving the past in various delusional ways for most of her teen years. I recognize that character development is not a strength of this novel but, I didn’t expect it to be, given the POV and the personality disorders Terra suffers.

The support characters are the ones that caused much emotion in me. I felt annoyed and sometimes frustrated with Terra’s Aunt Dessa, who I felt should be paying more attention to whether or not Terra is taking her medicine regularly. Like many teenagers in real life, Terra tends to skip her medication at times and remember it at others. Given the severity of her disorders, I had a hard time with Aunt Dessa’s lack of “parenting.” But, on the other side of the pendulum, Garret is my hero. I look for one of two types of characters in a psychological thriller – the voice of reason and, my favorite, the compassionate and supportive friend. Garret is the latter, and I just loved that he was not scared away by the intricacies of Terra’s disorder but, instead, did everything he could to keep her safe and to feel validated at times when she felt out of control.

I loved all the mental gymnastics I had to do to keep up with this story. The action doesn’t pick up until the last 30%, but the first 70% kept me glued to the page with its compelling portrayal of Terra’s delusions and paranoia. I love an unreliable narrator, and Terra is that and then some.

If you love an unreliable narrator, a story that keeps you guessing, and a fictional look at authentic psychological disorders, The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep is the book you won’t want to miss!!

This was a fast paced thriller that I needed in this moment.
The story kept my attention throughout. While it doesn't fully deliver, there is some real potential.
Most of the book is spent building up the the last 30 or so % of action. Where you spend this time wondering if she is telling the truth or not. But also if she is how is it linked to the other girl.
While I wish the ending didn't feel so rushed or easily sorted overall this was a decent read. Good for younger adults wanting to get into thrillers.

There is definitely lots of "thrill" in this thriller. When this young woman is abucted then escapes, her family and friends question if she might be imagining the incident to get attention. She is so confused that she will begin to question herself until she finds a survivors group online. This group is full of people just like her, she even meets another young woman who has a similar story to hers. Then the young woman disappears. There are so many differeing reasons athat someone goes missing, voluntary or not, that she must now wonder all over again, was her experience real or a product of her imagination. A different kind of story that will keep the reader guessing until the last page.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Whew! This book was a ride. It was at times confusing and I wanted to quit, but if the jarring "stream of consciousness" and time jumping stories are your thing, this will be much enjoyed. All throughout my reading of it, I kept drawing parallels to a completely unrelated topic: survivors of church abuse. When they speak up, they are often told they're lying, they're making it up to hurt the pastor/leaders, they're not godly, and much worse. The breathless feeling of knowing even your best friends and relatives don't believe you is gut-wrenching, and that comes through in Terra's story.

The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz is a gripping and suspenseful novel that will keep readers on the edge of their seats. The story follows Jane, a young girl who was kidnapped and held captive in a well for four days. After her escape, she struggles to be believed by those around her, until she discovers a community of survivors on the Jane Anonymous website. Through the website, she connects with a girl who has had similar experiences to her own, but when this girl goes missing, Jane realizes that she may be in danger as well.

Stolarz masterfully weaves together a plot full of twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing until the very end. The tension is palpable as Jane tries to uncover the truth behind her kidnapping and the disappearance of her online friend. The characters are well-developed and realistic, and readers will find themselves invested in their stories and rooting for their success.

One of the strengths of this novel is Stolarz's ability to tackle difficult topics such as trauma, mental health, and online harassment with sensitivity and nuance. The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep is a powerful exploration of the lasting effects of trauma and the importance of finding support in the aftermath.

Overall, The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep is a gripping and emotional thriller that will leave readers thinking long after they turn the final page. With its relatable characters and suspenseful plot, this novel is a must-read for fans of the genre.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this copy of THE LAST SECRET YOU'LL EVER KEEP. Review has been posed on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

I loved Jane Anonymous and I loved this dark addition to the series! This book was so twisted and crazy and I loved it!

This book was not for me. I struggled to connect with the characters and I found to many inconsistancies to really enjoy it.
It was hard to keep up with what was going on .

I did not finish this book. It was very hard for me to read. There was trauma and kidnapping and death by fire. It was just too much for me. What I did read was very well written just too descriptive for me with the subject matter.

📖My Thoughts📖

This was a hard book to read. I felt so much empathy towards Terra and how everyone was towards her. There were times in the book I found myself doubting her as well. This book had many twists that kept me on my toes, but also second guessing myself as to what to believe was real or a manifestation of Terra’s mind. It was gripping and had me sucked in right from the beginning. This was written in a nonlinear time frame, thought the author made it well known as to what time period we were in at the beginning of each chapter, so that made it easy to follow. Overall it was a fairly engaging psychological thriller, especially for being a YA book. A lot of my frustrations with this book just come from the treatment of the main character. I’m not sure that it was all entirely realistic, but then again, it’s a book, so anything is possible.
Thank you Netgalley, Laurie Faria Stolarz and St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review this book. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz

336 Pages
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press, Wednesday Books
Release Date: March 16, 2021

Fiction, Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Teens, Young Adult

Terra is a high school student attending a fraternity party. She meets a guy and he offers to take her home but she decides to walk. She calls her friend Felix and talks to him while she walks home. She gets there safely but them is abducted from her bed later. After being trapped in a well for four days, she returns home. People begin questioning whether she was really taken or if she staged it for attention. She spends the next six months trying to prove it happened and why.

The book has a steady pace, the characters are somewhat developed, and it is written in the first-person point of view. Terra’s character grows in strength throughout the book while others turn against her. The problem I had with the book was the text conversations on the Jan Anonymous website. I wish there was another way the author could have provided the information without all the individual texts.

I felt quite engaged with this at the start however I started to lose a bit of interest the further through I got and didn’t feel like the thriller aspects were that thrilling

A gripping thriller with plenty of plot twists. The reader wants to believe the narrative so deeply and hopefully does not give up on the protagonist!!