I had completely forgotten about the wonderful world of Netgalley until the other day. What is Netgalley? Well, it's a website that lets you read electronic ARC (advanced reader copies) for free, as long as you review them on their website (and in theory, on your own). You are not guarenteed to read each and every book that you request, but you are able to read a lot of them.

My most recent fine was "The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep" by Laurie Faria Stolarz


["Four days…

Trapped in a well, surrounded by dirt, scratching at the walls trying to find a way out.Four days of a thirst so strong, that when it finally rains, I drink as much as possible from the dripping walls, not even caring how much dirt comes with it.

Six months…
Since my escape. Since no one believed I was taken to begin with – from my own bed, after a party, when no one else was home…
Six months of trying to find answers and being told instead that I made the whole incident up.

One month…
Since I logged on to the Jane Anonymous site for the first time and found a community of survivors who listen without judgment, provide advice, and console each other when needed.
A month of chatting with a survivor whose story eerily mirrors my own: a girl who’s been receiving triggering clues, just like me, and who could help me find the answers I’m searching for.

Three days…
Since she mysteriously disappears, and since I’m forced to ask the questions: will my chance to find out what happened to me vanish with her? And will I be next?"]

It was really good. Definitely a little traumatizing. And a lot confusing (though that could be mostly a craft choice due to the narrative being 1st person and the narrator being unreliable due to her trauma).

And, like any perfectly orchestrated (YA) psychological thriller, there was a really great plot twist (or a few) that kind of blew me away. I'm pretty darn skeptical and can be good at pointing out different twists, but I really, really didn't see that one coming.

Trigger Warnings: suicidal thoughts, murder, death threats, violence, psychological torture, death, starvation, medicalization/institutionalization

#thelastsecretyoulleverkeep #lauriefariastolarz #netgalley #psychologicalthriller #books #bookstagram #bookphotography #ilovebooks

This book started out so strong and I was actually sucked in and ready to embark on her journey with her. I'll admit the premise of the book was very enticing and I was captured in the first few chapters...after that it gets kind of bumpy and very confusing.

Trying to keep up with an unreliable main character was difficult, but not impossible. I would have preferred to have an alternating point of view from a side character. Just a way to see outside of the main character to try and build our own timeline. We weren't able to access the whole situation which led to some moments of .... okay and that matters, why? Then you find out those very FEW mentions were important.

Too much emphasis on specific details while other scenes lacked detail all around. With a heavier hand in editing this story could have been so much better.

Thank you netgalley and publisher for providing an eARC

Special thanks to NetGalley and St.Martin for providing me with ARC.

I loved this book and the story well written, i am not a big fan of YA but this one is different. This is the first novel by Laurie but will not be the last.

This book was very interesting and the plot was unique. First time reading from this author and would like to read more

The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
***HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND
To start off, this is one of the BEST mysteries/thrillers I have EVER read (haha, sorry other books and authors :p)
Imagine this.
Your house was lit on fire, you manage to escape, but your parent does not. How much guilt would you feel? Then you move in with your Aunt, who doesn't seem to "want you". You get abducted for 3 days in a water well(which nobody believes exists), escape, and return home unharmed, only to return to nobody believing your story. Not even your aunt. Not even the people you thought were your friends. Everyone just thinks you are crazy. EXCEPT for a small community on the Jane Anonymous Site. People who have had similar experiences. Take Peyton for example, she was also abducted. You relate to her, you befriend her, but she has secrets and she disappears, yet nobody does anything. What would you do? What would you say? Who would you trust?

The Plot:
The plot was PHENOMENAL! It was so plot twisty and turny. It gave me the perfect amount of confuzzlement and excitement. I felt so many different emotions. I felt sadness, anger, excitement, confusion, happiness, loneliness, chilled, comforted, disturbed, and most of all ... like I was going crazy. (In a good way of course.) Obviously, I can't say too much about the plot without giving vital parts away, so I'll try my best. It's just, the plot DRIVES YOU CRAZY. IT WAS AWESOME. AND IT WILL SURPRISE YOU BIG TIME!!!

The Characters:
If you know me, you'll know that characters are extremely important in books and mostly what I look for and enjoy about them. Good characters=good book. Characters>plot. Soooo, the characters in this book did not disappoint. I couldn't relate to them, but they felt so real and I felt for them. I could empathize with them. Again, they were so full and REALISTIC (for once, haha)
Charley though... I won't say too much, but dAng WHY ARE YOU DOING THIS?!?! AHAHA
And Peyton...Don't even get me started!!
And the character development was there. It was there, and it was AWESOME!

My ONE complaint:
The only slight complaint I could come up with is the ending. Similar to We Know it Was You, in the end, the problem wasn't fully solved. I mean, it was solved, but after, the characters didn't do too much to capture the victim. HOWEVER, unlike We Know it Was You, this type of ending worked for The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep. It works, somehow. It leaves you thinking and it LURES YOU. It's driving me insane, I really want a sequel...

I would like to thank NetGalley for providing me with an E-ARC in exchange for an honest review :D

Overall, I loved this book. I 100% recommend it. A definite 5 star read. And I will definitely be watching out for Laurie Faria Stolarz from now on!!

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I never read Jane Anonymous but that did not spoil the story for me. It took a bit to get into the flow of the book. It was a hard book to read, my heart hurt for these girls.

Terra’s parents died in a house fire and Terra survived. She blames herself for getting out alive and not saving her parents. Add being abducted and kept in a well for days to her list of traumas. She is vague on some of the details when talking to the detectives and her aunt. Her online chat group is some support but not everyone is helpful. People are beginning to doubt she was ever taken; that she just ran away for the attention. She is fortunate to have a friend who does believe her. Good characters and enough action to keep the reader guessing.

“And I burn a little crisper.
And I feel a little lonelier.
And I remain as silent as snow.”

This is a companion novel to Jane Anonymous.

Terra was abducted and trapped for four days before she managed to escape. The story begins months after she has returned home, and it flashes back to ‘Then’ and ‘Now’.

Terra is an alright character. There’s nothing that stands out about her, and likewise there’s nothing that’s terrible. She lives with an aunt since both of her parents died (that most hated YA trope of parentless teen popping up yet again!). Luckily they didn’t leave her with nothing. A nice element to Terra is her always repeating the ‘rules of survival’ her parents drilled into her. She’s almost paranoid about obeying them and doing everything the right way according to those rules.

I honestly don’t like the way the story was formatted. All the exciting parts; the kidnapping, the escape, the police interviews, the unbelief; all happened in the past and are only shown in flashes. Instead for the most part we have a teen girl chatting on the internet. I feel like we’re still missing most of the story.

An element of the story I loved was Terra’s past with mental issues. Because of the loss of her parents so young, of course Terra had a history of being mentally unstable at points in her life. This pops up and starts to make her question herself and if she truly was making everything up. For me the scariest thing in the world is something like this; not being able to tell reality from something that’s just in your own head. It’s scary stuff!

Another major element of the story is victim blaming. Family, friends, media and even law enforcement dismiss her accounts of the kidnapping because of her ‘history’. This kind of stuff puts enough fire under me to set my poor little reading corner on fire.

Overall, The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep is an easy, quick read with a couple of hard-hitting topics and enough going on to keep you entertained until the end.

Rating: 3.5 / 5

Engaging
This novel is a quick read and is very engaging. It wasn’t only a mystery—we don’t spend the whole book only wondering if Terra survives the situation, because the story goes back and forth in time (before and after the incident). These mystery elements are still there (as you learn more details about what happens and why), but there is more to it than that.

Main Character
Something that the book highlights well is the trauma response Terra is experiencing in response to the events of the book. This was a nice shift from other mysteries, because it really showed how painful it was for Terra, and it creates so much empathy and compassion for her.

Mental Health
This novel showed the lasting effect of trauma on Terra. Additionally, it showed the power of a strong support system, as well as the damage of a poor support system (as many doubt her story). One complaint I have is WHO the characters were that doubted Terra (e.g. therapists). The author suggests their doubt of Terra is damaging, but also I think it is important to keep in mind when therapy is viewed that way (as a place where someone won’t be believed and can’t receive support). I get why it happened in this storyline though.

Also, Terra is portrayed as an unreliable narrator, but this stems partially from genuine trauma symptoms she is experiencing. Her memory difficulty of the events is critiqued as unreliable, but in reality, forgetting details of a trauma should not be a reason to doubt someone’s experience and is a frequent response to trauma. But again, some around her show that belief and others do not (and are viewed negatively as a result).

Victim Blaming
This book suggests the victim blaming narrative by some characters, while highlighting how problematic these characters are. Terra also shows the victim blaming attitude towards herself at times. However, the book also shows how a better support system can be created through trusting victims and their stories.

Overall, I recommend this book, while also considering how people view trauma in everyday life.

What a remarkable thriller! A kidnapping victim nobody believes and her search for the person that took her and is now endangering another young woman. Exciting and surprising all the way!

Holy unreliable narrator batman!

tw: discussions of trauma, kidnapping, enclosed spaces, death by fire. If any of these things bother you, I would avoid this.

The Last Secret You'll Ever keep is a completely bonkers YA psychological thriller that had me turning pages back and forth just to make sure *I* was keeping the story straight. because this was a RIDE.

18-year-old Terra is a survivor. From her odd upbringing, to the tragedy that took her family, and the kidnapping she escaped and of which no one even believes happened—this girl has a lot going on.

Traumatized, paranoid, and carrying a deep pain, Terra tries her best to maintain in a world where most people think she is a freak and a liar. She takes solace in an anonymous chat room for survivors of various situations and befriends a user named Peyton, who encourages and comforts her when no one else will. They bond through the safety of the internet, but Terra has no idea who to really trust. Not her aunt, not Peyton, not the handsome Garret—maybe not even herself. As she tries to find any shred of proof that would show her experience was real, Terra starts to unravel not just her story, but the story of her kidnapper.

I have to say: This book was bizarre. Twists and turns abound, plenty of oddity and inconsistency to keep you turning the pages, if nothing more than to find out WHO was actually telling the truth. I had a hard time relating to Terra in any facet, as I wasn't even sure how sane she was half the time based on how often she went back and forth in her own mind. This is a past-future jump type situation which, while labelled, still managed to bring confusion to what were really facts. While it certainly held its intrigue, I have to admit it wasn't my favorite usage of any of these tropes.

I did, however, truly appreciate the way this story touched on victim-blaming and its effects on the victim themselves. This is something that needs to be talked about more in-depth, and to see Terra suffering through not only her trauma, but the disbelief of everyone around her was a very poignant note in an otherwise erratic text.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for gifting me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

This book was an incredibly dark, wild, and mind blowing fall into the depths of trauma and the macabre! I wasn’t sure whether I should cheer for Terra or not, she is the very definition of an unreliable narrator. There were time that my allegiances shifted, then the very next few pages had me questioning myself. This book was one hell of a ride and it didn’t let go until the very last page! Kudos to the author for making such a twisty, mind-bending tale! I would love to see other work from her, she’s got some serious talent. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free arc in exchange for my honest opinion!

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: March 16, 2021
When Terra was a child, she survived a devastating house fire, a fire that claimed the life of her parents. Now, at eighteen years old, Terra is living with her aunt and trying to get her life back on track. One night, she is taken from her bedroom by a masked figure and after days of captivity in a water well, with only a children’s storybook for company, Terra escapes. However, upon her return, people begin to doubt her story, including her aunt Dessa. Was Terra kidnapped, or did her traumatized brain make up the story, like everyone keeps telling her? Is Terra a victim or horrible circumstances, or is she suffering a mental health crisis? No one is more desperate for answers than Terra herself, and she will stop at nothing to find them.
“The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep” by bestselling YA author, Laurie Faria Stolarz, is a unique and intriguing tale of post-traumatic stress disorder and family tragedy, with a magical dash of fairy tale stories mixed in.
The story is told in two time frames, one, when Terra was kidnapped and kept in the well, and afterward, when she is back at her aunt’s, looking for answers. Each section is clearly marked, and the writing style is easy to follow. Stolarz also appeals to her younger audience by including social media and technology in her novel, when Terra uses a chatroom for survivors to bond with others like her (there are lots of hashtags and Internet slang that add a modern twist).
This novel was page-turning, and the short chapters and addictive storytelling made it hard to put down. I wanted to know the truth just as much as Terra did, and I cheered for her the whole way. The novel’s ending remained a mystery right until the last few chapters, as Stolarz left the possibilities for the ending wide open, and any path would have been believable and enjoyable. Often in this genre, this is difficult to do, and I fully admire Stolarz for her creativity.
The ending itself was somewhat of a disappointment however, as I was looking for something more concrete and well-developed. I felt the re-appearance of a random character was not the best ending for the novel, yet Stolarz definitely still managed to tie the novel up in a neat little package.
I can definitely see “The Last Secret You’ll Ever Keep” appealing to audiences, young and old. It is captivating, creative and engaging, and will definitely pull you in from page one.

The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep was an interesting survivor story of a teenage girl called Terra who was abducted six months earlier, however, the problem is nobody truly believes the kidnapping ever happened, including the aunt who Tarra lives with. Her parents died five years earlier in a fire, which also becomes part of the story. Written with a first person narrative, with a whiff of unreliable narrator, Terra was an interesting lead character and you'll feel her pain when nobody believes her story. Suffering from a form of post traumatic shock, she was a fragile and intense character who was easy to like.

As the 'kidnapping' was very public everybody knows who Terra is and the whispering goes on. As things develop Terra believes the kidnapped is still out there and her paranoia intensifies, whilst the majority of others (including her friends) think she is an attention seeker. A major part of the novel revolves around an online chat group for survivors of abductions which gives Terra somewhere to vent and chat with others who believe her more than her friends in the real world. This book was a stylish combination of drama and thriller which is aimed at teens aged fourteen and over.

✨Book Review✨
The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep by Laurie Faria Stolarz is a quick read for young adults.
💙
I really enjoyed the unreliable narrator in this novel. Terra is as unreliable as they come, especially considering all the trauma she's been through in her young, 18 years. She loses her parents in a house fire, and is later kidnapped by a stranger, only to have no one believe her story. Even Terra doesn't know what to believe anymore, making this novel an excellent insight into an overstressed mind.
🧡
I also found the novel to include a ton of great themes and symbols, making this an excellent choice for essay writing (sorry, that's where my teacher brain takes me!). Themes of grief, survival, loss, and storytelling are made evident throughout.
🖤
There were a few moments while reading that I had to shake my head. I found some events extremely unlikely and hard to grasp, but it did not at all deter me from wanting to know how things would play out.
💚
Readers of Jane Anonymous will probably love the subtle references in this novel; however, this novel is definitely a stand-alone. I have not read the previous novel and wouldn't have noticed the references if I hadn't have done some research about the author.

Terra was abducted 6 months ago. 4 days she spent trapped somewhere in what looked like a well. She managed to escape, only, nobody believes that it happened to her at all. Now, her mental health is crumbling to pieces from what happened to her and also from the way people treat her. Then Terra finds a girl with a similar experience. Could it be that the same person is behind both kidnappings and can she finally prove that she was taken in the first place?
Well, I have a headache now because I stayed up until 3am reading this book. And,honestly, I have zero regrets because it was worth it and then some. The headache is from staying up but also the emotional turmoil that this book put me through. It was gut-wrenching at times and I had to take breaks. The reactions Terra received from people and especially her aunt were so hard to read. Terra lost her parents in a fire 5 years prior and she definitely suffers from the survivor's guilt. It made her do some not so smart things that later made her untrustworthy in other people's eyes, even those who were supposed to be on her side. Man, I wanted to kick some people in the face while reading! I noticed how around most people all Terra can say is "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry" and that was heartbreaking how she constantly felt that she had to apologize for something. And then,when Garret would do something to try and help Terra investigate, she was always asking him why he is doing that,why he believes her at all and I was just crying so hard.
I try to stay away from darker contemporaries because I know what they usually do to my mental state, but like I said this worth it.
Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoy a good survivor story, and this one is no different. I definitely enjoyed reading this one, because I found Terra intriguing as a narrator and character. However, I do not think I would read it again, maybe if I end up Jane Anonymous, I definitely will.

I received this novel as an ARC through NetGalley.

After a late night party, Terra walks home and falls asleep in her bedroom. She wakes up in what appears to be an empty water well where she is held captive for four days by her abductor. Six months after her escape from the well, nobody believes that Terra was actually abducted. Attempting to deal with her trauma, Terra finds a website called Janes Anonymous where victims can chat online about their experiences without judgement. In this community Terra meets another survivor (Paylee22) whose abduction appears to mirror her own, one who has also been receiving triggering clues hinting that their abductor may not be finished with them yet...and then Paylee22 mysteriously vanishes.

The Last Secret you’ll Every Keep is a fantastic YA psychological thriller in which a trauma survivor soon discovers herself alone when everyone begins to doubt she was ever abducted. This is a "new to me" author and I will definitely be adding more of her novels to my TBR list. I tend to be drawn to these novels about survivors of trauma whom the world seems to have written off as "damaged" yet they still find the strength and courage to face their issues. The novel begins with Terra telling her story of survival after she escapes being held captive for four days in a well by her abductor. We quickly learn that this is not Terra's first encounter with trauma. As a child both of her parents were killed in a house fire and Terra was the only survivor. A combination of psychosis, medication, and past actions play an important role in portraying her as an unreliable witness. Written off as an attention seeking liar, Terra searches for the truth on her own. As she searches for clues she begins to doubt her recollection of event s and even the people in her own life as being “real”. This was a suspenseful read with lots of twist and turns that I couldn't put down. I devoured this novel in an afternoon because I just had to know what was going to happen. I will post a warning that this novel may contain triggering content for some readers and includes material related to abduction where individuals are held in confined spaces, survivors discussing trauma (including sexual abuse), and different aspects of mental health. I really enjoyed this novel and look forward to reading more novels by this author.

Holy cow, this is one of those books that really packed an emotional, chilling, and shocking read! I found it to be completely riveting and mind blowing! Well written, thrilling, chilling, and shocking is what this book is! Unputdownable, original, and full of tension! The author made sure to write in a way that really seemed to compell the readers, her characters were flawlessly developed! Highly, highly recommend! Do recommend preparing yourself and clearing your schedule though!

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley and Wednesday.

Terra was abducted and then the real horror hit - nobody believed her.

This book was a punch straight to the gut and uncovering what happened was a thrill ride.