Such a huge page turning book! Literally kept me guessing and second guessing at the beginning. The short chapters also helped to make this book very enjoyable and easy to read!

Summary(no spoilers):

Tom and his mom have finally found their forever home with their forever family. After years of domestic abuse Toms mom finally found someone worth loving and he even gets a step-sister out of it! But something catches toms eye when they’re renovating his new room. Does his house have a dark past he doesn’t know about? While at school tom is given directions to lead a new student by the name of Amy, on a guide. It doesn’t take long for Tom to connect some dots putting Amy and her family as the previous house owners that he now lives in. Could Amy help Tom figure out what secrets the house holds?

Overall GREAT book there’s not much I can say to not give anything away but really if you like thrillers this is a great one!! So many twists and clues 🕵🏻‍♀️ highly recommend!

thank you to netgalley and the publisher for this book in exchange for an honest review

honestly when i saw that there were 98 chapters i got scared that this would drag, but no, they were short too, but the pace was fast and kept me on the edge of my seat, like literally

characters- so this book opens up in the perspective of Tom, and Tom has ocd, and some paranoia, which it was interesting seeing an inside view to that, because it's not something i really think about, or how different the view on life is for other people, and this book made me think.

plot- this book went fast, and i loved it so much like that, overall this is probably the first time i've ever been scared reading a book, and i don't scare easily with books, it was good in that way though. the spacing too, like once you found out something, you immediately found out something else you needed to figure out, and that's what kept me on the edge of my seat.

setting- i don't have much to comment on setting as it wasn't a huge thing in this besides where the houses were, like close by wise, and where they moved vs who lived there before

what i liked- i liked the family dynamic and how it navigates the blended family, and getting used to those changes. I also liked how there was mental illness representation.

what i didn't like- I wish we saw more of Zak, that's all

stars rating- 4 stars
release date- March 1st
also warning if you are wanting to read this please look up triggers as this covers some very sensitive topics

This was a good mystery/thriller about family secrets and not knowing who you should trust. I would recommend this one and hope you enjoy it if you read it!

Shout out to the publishers and Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.

I'll admit that when I started this book I didn't think I'd finish it. The pacing was too slow and there wasn't enough to hook me in the first few chapters, so I put it aside to read other things. But then my dog passed away, and when I returned to work I needed a distraction, and boy did this work.

Once Tom and Amy meet and start interacting, and Tom starts finding clues about a bigger mystery things really pick up. I was just as fixated as Tom was on uncovering the truth and trying to save Amy (or whoever needed saving.) I liked the mystery and deception, and I really liked the depiction of family dynamics, especially how different those family dynamics are between Tom and Amy's respective families.

I wasn't a huge fan of the allusion to Tom's mom's previous experiences with abuse and domestic violence, but only because I didn't think it served a purpose to driving the story forward beyond the face value. I can understand the tie in between Tom witnessing the abuse and assuming the holes from the locks on the outside of the doors was the same, but it somehow just felt forced. I think if we had seen more of Tom and his mom living that abuse through flashbacks just to feel that palpable terror alongside them it would have felt more organic to me.

All in all, worth the read.

Once in a while you come across a book that promises you the stars but when you decide to give it a chance, it explodes before reaching its destination. This book, was pretty much like that for me. When I picked it up, I was on this Thriller binge that had me dipping my hands into every story which even mildly mentioned thriller or mystery and Lock the Doors, with its eye-catching cover and intriguing premise, at that time seemed like the perfect read for me. However, despite having centered around a decent core theme, the book fell short when it came to delivering that story.

I thought that there was either too much happening at a time or nothing at all happening. The balance between the plots and sub-plots was stuck in a chronic disequilibrium which made it increasingly difficult for me to connect to the story let alone the characters. The writing style felt pretty juvenile and I thought it could’ve been way better, owing to the experience and credentials that the author fosters.

The most important element that factors in to the success of any thriller/mystery novel is the foreboding sense of uncertainty and unprecedented story climax. It pains me to admit that this book lacked both of them. I adored the build up of the suspense but when it started falling flat, began losing an iota of interest with each passing page. There were a couple of information dumps that added little to the storyline and hence, weren’t necessary to be added.

I entered this book expecting my world to be rocked but unfortunately, I got something that I didn’t sign up for – disappointment and predictability. Nevertheless, it was an alright-ish thriller that I don’t regret reading but one I also won’t be re-reading anytime soon.

Tom and his mom move into a new house with his new stepdad and stepsister. Tom finds some creepy writing on the walls in his room and realizes the bedroom doors are meant to be locked from the outside. He becomes obsessed with the family that lived in the house before they moved in and finding out what was going on.

I DNFd this at 35%. It just went on and on in circles and I was too bored to continue. This is definitely the book for someone, it just didn't work for me.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tw: domestic abuse, mental illness, child death, kidnapping, physical abuse, grief

Tom and his mom have finally found peace after a turbulent past and they move into their dream house with Mom's new partner and his daughter. Everything seems perfect until Tom notices strange messages written on the walls and locks on the outside of the bedroom rooms. He starts investigating the previous owners, a seemingly perfect family who moved across the street. Their daughter, Amy, is Tom's new classmate and she's charismatic and intriguing and Tom is sure she has something to hide and won't stop until he uncovers her secrets.

I really enjoyed the characters and I could emphatize with Tom and Amy, even though the dual perspective sometimes made it hard to create well-rounded and complex characters.

The atmosphere was so creepy and I found myself holding my breath and flying through the pages to find out what would happen next. I found the writing style very fluid and intriguing and the chapters were only two-three pages long, which is my ideal length, so I was able to read for longer than I usually do.

I highly recommend this to thrillers lovers and to anyone who's looking for a spooky and compelling read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy!

I finished the book a few days ago and I still really am not sure what I actually read? HA! A very big part of me enjoyed not beaing able to figure out all the things in this story, while some of it was pretty predictable. I really enjoyed the story overall.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you so much to NetGalley for sending me this ARC.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric YA thriller that I just couldn’t put down.
This was exactly what I look for in a thrilling book, a strong & likeable potragonisit who knows he needs to trust his gut, a house with some dark secrets, a mysterious love interest who may hold to key to all the information we need & parents who don’t want to know anything about it.
I adored the short chapters in this book, it made for some really quick reading, it was my first time reading this authors work & it didn’t disappoint,
The twists and thrills throughout were captivating & I was definitely throw off track with my theories a few times.
The ending was fast paced, thrilling & I was at the edge of my seat right until the very last page.
I will be highly recommending this book/author going forward.

(4.0*)

“Mum says most memories are Post-its on the fridge door of your life. But a few, she says, are tattoos on your soul.”

Lock Your Doors by Vincent Ralph follows a teenage boy named Tom, his mother, her new boyfriend Jay, and his children, who are settling into their dream home.

They believe this house will be a fresh start for Tom and his mother’s traumatic past they just left, but soon realize that it may just be a slight repeat of what they left behind when Tom finds something wrong with the home.

Tom discovers holes drilled into the door of his bedroom, indicating there were once locks on the outside of the door, locking someone in. Tom finding the holes/previous area for the locks really starts up the whole story, because once he notices those suspicious things, he sort of goes into detective mode. After that, a new girl Amy, starts up at the school and shortly after moves in across the street from Tom.

More and more discoveries are revealed and it’s a super gripping intense read. You keep wanting to read because of the shock value. There are so many shocking discoveries, reveals, and twists and turns the entire time. Even certain parts of the story that I felt that I had figured out, ended up having a different twist than expected or the outcome just led me to surprise.

Overall, I believe the book is well-written. The characters are fully developed and have enough background, but not an overload to make it boring. The book ends good too, the ending is not too far-fetched or anything, it ends how it should, in my opinion. The chapters are insanely short, but sometimes that isn’t always a good thing for newer readers, because they tend to notice 98 chapters and feel overwhelmed or discouraged. Well, don’t be. This book has a lot of chapters but some are 2-3 pages long. A super quick read. I will definitely be checking out more of Vincent Ralph’s work, I actually did really enjoy this book.

The only “negative” thing I will say is that the beginning is super slow; just seems very repetitive for a second, but then thankfully it picks up after Part 2. (the book is split into multiple parts)

I do highly recommend this book to beginner thriller readers.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an ARC in exchange of my honest review.

Thank you to @netgelly for the arc and publisher!

I like this book and would highly recommend it for YA audience.

I love thrillers and I’ve always thought that ya books are not as good as adult thrillers but this one proved me wrong. I thought that the writing and plot was written well. The characters were fleshed out pretty well and the plot made sense. I would recommend it to people.

What secrets are they hiding behind those locked doors?
When Tom and his newly blended family move into their dream home, he soon realizes some strange things. First, he notices holes on the outside of the bedroom doors, indicating that there were locks to keep someone in. Then, they discover strange messages that have been scribed on the walls. Everyone thinks Tom is just being paranoid, but is he? Or is the perfect family that moved just across the road from their old house hiding dark secrets they would rather stay hidden?
Lock the Doors was the first book I've read by Vincent Ralph and it absolutely will not be the last! I couldn't finish this book quick enough. My heart pounded through my chest as I read on, desperately flying though the pages to see what would happen next. I am a huge fan of short chapters and at first thought the chapters in this book would be too short for my liking. I soon changed my mind as I feel it made perfect sense for the way the story was being told and fit perfectly with the way the main character's brain operates. I can't recommend this book enough! If you love fast-paced, gripping thrillers, then this YA thriller is a must-read!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

I'm so used to reading books told from and adult or girl's point of view, that the telling of the story through a teenage boy's eyes was unique for me. This is the story of two families who were broken; one that is finding their way back to "happy families" and the other that will never be the same.

I went in blind, so I didn't realize this was a YA novel, but the voices rang true to me - the animosity between Tom and his step-sister Nia and the relationship between Tom and his equally outsider almost-but-not-quite-girlfriend Amy.

It was easy to guess what might have happened part way through, but I was right there with Tom in the beginning believing that the former occupants of his home had been locked in their rooms, and given his early background, it wasn't a big leap for him to worry about, and want to help them.

The author takes this book to some dark places, and you'll be with him every step of the way!

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advance reader's copy.

This felt like a typical YA mystery for me.
I liked the main character Tom, but everything happening so easily to him just because he's the main character didn't sit well with me.
There was fun, there was entertainment and there was romance and drama - but that's it.
There was so depth or high tension like I expected.
So I give this a solid 3 stars - I still liked the entertaining teen drama aspect of this!

Lock the Doors was an incredibly rich thriller with an intriguing atmospheric novel. I enjoyed the characters, and it was a quick read. I found the writing to be engaging and entertaining; I had an enjoyable time reading this and it held my attention the entire way through that I finished it within the day! I enjoyed every page and thought that the plot/story was very unique. Would recommend to anyone!

Thanks to NetGalley, SOURCEBOOKS Fire and Vincent Ralph. The book was good but it may be a bit to young for me as the book was a bit to repetitive and it caused my head to spin when I knew things already but the book kept going into it again. I do think repetition helps you to remember what is happening so it does have a purpose but I am at the age where if I heard it..I heard it. I think it is a very good but and my issues with it should not stop people from enjoying it. It is more a age issue even though some people old than me need to hear things over and over again.

Wow. I didn’t expect to have all the feelings I felt while feeling this book. While not the best YA psychological suspense-thriller I’ve read so far this year, it’s right up there near the top.

The most overwhelming feeling I had throughout this book was dread. For two thirds of this book I just felt a huge amount of dread: first on behalf of one character, and then on behalf of another. This book tells four different stories, in a way: two stories of families that were and two stories of families that are. You get to see both sides of the story, but no matter where you look, every facet of this story is so much more complex than what it looks like on the surface.

I feel like, if I had more time to sit on it, I could analyze this whole novel and write you an essay to articulate just how many layers there are to this book, but this is a review for a book release and not a book analysis. Maybe that’s another review for another time when I can read this book on my own time and annotate the whole thing. Trust me, though, the themes of love, loss, grief, mental illness, motherhood, sisterhood, families, domestic violence, and survival are more than enough to keep you involved, intrigued, and turning pages. It’s an absolutely chilling novel about how far some people will go to keep people safe and how far some other people will go to keep people happy. Which is the lesser of two evils? Read it and find out.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for early access to this title in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you #NetGalley and #Sourcebooks for giving me a complimentary copy of Lock the Doors by Vincent Ralph in exchange for a honest review.

Publish date : March 1, 2022
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Goodreads Synopsis

Tom's family have moved into their dream home. But pretty soon he starts to notice that something is very wrong - there are strange messages written on the wall and locks on the bedroom doors. On the OUTSIDE.

The previous owners have moved just across the road and they seem like the perfect family. Their daughter Amy is beautiful and enigmatic but Tom is sure she's got something to hide. And he isn't going to stop until he finds the truth behind those locked doors. . .

Will their dream home become a nightmare?

🗝 This is the first book I've read by this author and I have to say, I'm impressed. The story was a little slow moving at first and I was able to predict the story but it kept me intrigued. The pace begins to pick up about half way though the book and at this point, it becomes unputdownable. I will definitely be picking up his other book.

I devoured this five star book! Lock the Doors was a fun young adult mystery with short chapters and a fast paced story line. There were many relationships in this book that melted my heart and got me even a little emotional! The author did a great job of portraying OCD, effects of domestic abuse, long lasting grief, etc. Vincent Ralph consistently weaved the emotional trauma throughout the book which I enjoyed rather than mentioning once and never again. I will definitely be picking up more books by this author in the future. Thank you Sourcebooks Fire and NetGalley for my ebook arc copy!

Not quite what I was expecting based on the blurb. Quite repetitive at times, which was a bit annoying. It was just "meh" for me overall, as I was never able to fully engage with the characters and story line.