Reading Between the Wines book review #104/130 for 2024:
Rating: 3 🍷🍷🍷
Book: Dead Girls Can’t Tell Secrets
Author: Chelsea Ichaso
Available now!!

Sipping thoughts: So many secrets and lies that it not going to take a dead girl to tell them. I loved Savannah tenacity behind finding out what happened to her sister, Piper. There are so many red herrings that you will not figure out whodunit.

Cheers and thank you to @SourcebooksFire and @Netgalley for an advanced copy of @DeadGirlsCantTellSecrets.

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Savannah believes that the “accident” involving her younger sister, Piper Sullivan, was her fault. She did something horrible, and now Piper is in a coma. When she discovers a weird note in her sister’s locker inviting her to a meeting of the Survival Club on the same day and at the same place where the accident occurred, she realizes she wasn’t alone—someone knows something, and maybe it wasn’t Savannah’s fault.
I decided to read this book based on the synopsis on NetGalley, but unfortunately, it took me some time to start reading it.
When I finished the book, all I could think about was, “This was crazy.”
I’m the type of person who is used to reading this genre, and I usually search for some type of realistic investigation, but I can forgive that if it’s really creative.
It was an easy read, but unfortunately, the final plot felt too rushed, and the resolution left me disappointed. I was trying to figure out the ending and was expecting something more “grandiose.”
The relationship between the sisters was complicated, partly due to their parents showing favoritism toward Piper, and partly because of Savannah's own terrible decisions, which focused only on herself and ultimately hurt Piper.
I will not be a snob about the book, it was a good reading to pass the time, it can be disappointing if you go to it with too much expectations, so just enjoy the ride.

A slower paced YA but the twist and turns were so good and that ending? AMAZING! Definitely recommend reading this one.

This proved itself an angsty YA thriller, with an equal focus on teenage drama and murder. The ending definitely took me by surprise and the concluding twists were my favorite part of the story.

I read this book in one day. Definitely 5 stars. It was one of those easy to follow books fast reads. I find young adult mystery books easy to get into the plot.
Savannah is trying to figure out what happened to her sister Piper. She joins the survival club to figure it out. She figures one of their weekend hike trips is the perfect time to do it. Once she thinks she has figured it out and situation just keeps changing on her.

I liked this easy to read who done it. It kept me interested throughout the book and I would read more by this Author.

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.

If I stop to think this book was an eARC downloaded from NetGalley in November 2021, I feel seriously sick - this demonstrates how much my reading life has derailed over the last few years.

Thanks Sourcebooks Fire - and sorry for the delay.


TRIGGER WARNING: mentions of suicide.

Weeks have passed since what everyone calls the "accident", the one in which Piper Sullivan fell down a cliff - putting her in a coma from which she may never wake up. Her older sister Savannah, however, is not so convinced that it was a simple accident - although Piper was a brainiac who was not sporty at all and absolutely inexperienced when it came to trekking, what cements this certainty in Savannah is the sense of guilt for having argued with Piper just hours before her downfall due to Savannah's act of betrayal.

Savannah doesn't want to believe it was an accident, but she also doesn't want to think that Piper attempted suicide and, rummaging through her things in search of answers, Savannah finds a note from someone who arranged to meet Piper on the very day and time in which she fell at Vanderwild Point. Who arranged to meet Piper that afternoon of September 16th and why?

Savannah then decides to join Piper's survival club, encountering quite a bit of resistance: her boyfriend Grant isn't sure of her motives, her sister's best friend hates both her and Grant and had also previously argued with Piper herself and, in general, the climate is quite hostile - it becomes even more so when Savannah discovers a threatening message inside the backpack used by Piper.

Savannah has begun her mission to ease her conscience, but perhaps she may find more than she was initially looking for.


I liked the first novel by the author - "Little Creeping Things" - a lot, but this one - although I read it very quickly because it was very flowing - has some flaws and the fact that I got lazy to write this review (from January 13th that I finished the book as of today January 23rd that I'm writing it) it made me forget several names and details that I had to look back at, demonstrating that it wasn't too much memorable.

Savannah is not a protagonist who can be liked, I don't know if intentionally written this way or not. She is extremely selfish, superficial and uncaring - she doesn't care about other people's feelings, in fact prior to the novel she treats Piper and her best friend's sister very badly, committing acts bordering on the unforgivable. But I'm used to this type of protagonist and it wasn't this that bothered me, but something else.

The mystery surrounding Piper's fall and the circumstances that led her to that mountain path for me is well constructed and I would never have guessed the "culprit" - even if I had suspected someone else of a certain "involvement" given certain attitudes and I was right about that. Nonetheless, however well constructed and determined to provide a new suspect and a new culprit with each discovery and each chapter, the real motivations - but calling them "motivations" is a bit stupid because the subject in question proves not to have a spine - are perhaps a little too weak and silly.

The other problem is that Savannah as a detective is pitiful - and I don't even think that it depends on her superficiality and her being convinced that she is better than everyone else. Of course, we all know that teenagers who solve murders are completely unlikely - but we like these novels precisely for the suspension of reality they require. Savannah's problem is that she makes up her own theory, she confronts and asks blatant and accusatory questions directly to whoever she believes is guilty, this person tells her that they are innocent and have nothing to do with it, Savannah believes them and moves on to the next theory and person as clues emerge. Not exactly subtle and discreet as a method of investigation - which if there really was a murderer (or alleged would-be murderer) in the group, it would definitely not be the wisest thing to do.

In general, I would have liked to see more of certain characters and the links - past and current - between them because there was potential for some very interesting developments and, although flowing, it still remains short: the story itself lasts about over a weekend.

Savannah is perhaps written with the intention of be unlikeable to the reader, but this could also distance them from the story as, given that it is narrated in the first person, Savannah tends to always end up centered on herself, on her feelings, on her guilt and her future at risk following what she has done previously.

No plot holes remain, although perhaps some side stories could have had a few more words or lines to explain the events and consequences following the final revelation. And the ending itself leaves the impression of being a little open-ended, but it still allows the reader to have an idea of how it ends and to form their own idea about the next step in the characters' lives.

"Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets" provides good entertainment, even if it's not as gripping as "Little Creeping Things". In any case, Chelsea Ichaso remains one of the writers whose next young adult mysteries I will definitely read - there are already two others out, maybe three.

This was a really solid YA thriller/mystery! This one did a good job of keeping me guessing about who was the culprit, which is all I need in a mystery. There was an interesting cast of characters, but the main character was pretty unlikeable and made it hard to root for. I enjoyed the little Piper sections that were included in the book as it helped keep the mystery alive.

I think the biggest flaw with this book (for me!) is that I did not care for our main character. She was just not that likeable?

This book plays heavy with the “whodunit?” style plot; fingers are pointed at someone & then we discover it wasn’t them for whatever reason & we see the finger pointed at someone else. And then we do it again.

This didn’t work for me but there wasn’t necessarily anything to make it terrible (even my dislike for the main character), I just didn’t care for it.

It has been a while since I read this book but I’ve been putting of writing the review for some reason? Like it came out almost 2 years ago!

Anyway! This book was honestly amazing and I did not see the ending coming! This one really hit the spot with the mystery/triller vibes! It truthfully kept me on the edge of my seat and once I started reading I did NOT want to stop.

Huge thanks to Chelsea Ichaso and Netgalley for gifting me an early copy!

I'll start this by putting my hands up and saying thrillers aren't always my cup of tea and I do tend to be very picky and overly critical of them. On top of that, I can struggle at times with books being TOO YA = put these two things together and I really set myself up for failure with this one...

DNF @25%

Savannah the main FMC is trying to solve the mystery of her sisters fall from a cliff, which has lead to her now being in a coma. Savannah as a character is overwhelmingly unlikable and is one of the main reasons I did not want to continue reading, I didn't connect with her at all. On top of this, I sadly didn't find the mystery element all that gripping - I often find with books like this I will push on to the end to see how it all plays out, I sadly didn't have that drive with this one.

I think a much younger audience may like this book and get more out of it.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for allowing me to read a early readers copy in exchange for an honest review. So sorry this one just wasn't for me!

Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets, by Chelsea Ichaso, is a fast-paced YA thriller centered around a high school outdoors club and a girl named Piper who may (or may not) have just tried to commit suicide. Her sister Samantha decides to join the Survival Club to try to find out more while Piper is lying in a coma.

I enjoyed this quick read. I liked how each member of the club had reasons to become Sam's main suspect. I enjoyed the hiking/camping storyline, since that is something that my son and I enjoy together. I also liked how determined the main character was to find out more info.

Overall, this was an enjoyable and fast read. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

I wanted so badly to love this book.

Unfortunately, the delivery was a little flat and I struggled to stay engaged with the writing.

The concept is phenomenal and overall its not a bad book. I struggled to connect with the characters and it was a bit too far fetched. I can't help but feel like maybe I am just not the ideal audience for this book.

If you enjoy YA Thrillers then this book might still be a good match for you.

As always thanks to the publisher and netgalley for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review

This was such a fast summer read. I really enjoyed the twist and turns in the middle of the book. It was fun trying to figure out who do it.

Unfortunately it fell down hill for me when the truth was revealed. The conclusion wasn’t satisfying and almost felt pointless to me. After all we went through as the reader the conclusion needed more.
2.5 Stars

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for an arc in exchange for my honest review.

This… was a struggle to get through. A book that’s only just over 300 pages should not have taken me 3 weeks to read, but this one did. Another victim of the “should have just DNF” but I don’t have that in me, so I was in a cycle of never wanting to pick it up, and when I did I didn’t get though much. Here’s why: The writing reminds me of a Goosebumps book. It was extremely juvenile, like not even YA, like I’m talking elementary school type dialogue. To top it off the “mystery” was no mystery at all. It was anticlimactic and unsatisfying. I have enjoyed many YA novels in the past, but unfortunately this is not one of them.

This book didn't quite hit the mark for me. I felt that there was too much going on and it became far-fetched in my opinion. I understand the writer wanted to keep the reader's attention but she lost mine at some stages. It was an ok book with an ok plot.

This was a roller coaster. At times I felt like there were too many players and possibilities for who pushed piper that I couldn’t keep up. I almost didn’t believe it
The ending was a bit unsatisfying

Thank you Netgalley for my free copy in exchange for an honest review

"Dead Girls Can't Secrets" by Chelsea Ichaso is a gripping thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The novel tells the story of Savannah, a high school senior who is trying to discover what happened to her sister.

Savannah is devastated by what happened to her sister Piper and is determined to find out what happened to her. However, as she begins to investigate, she realizes that she didn't know her sister as well as she thought she did. =

The writing is excellent, and the author does a great job of building tension and suspense throughout the novel. The plot is well-paced and keeps the reader guessing until the very end.


It is a good thriller that is sure to keep you guessing until the very end. Highly recommended for fans of YA thrillers.

This book was hard to put down! I burned through this in 3 hours. The plot was fully realized and it was a very enjoyable read. Excited to see more from this author.