I'll Never Tell by Casey Kelleher was my first read from this author, and I can safely say that this is a new to me author who is one to watch. If you are looking for a pacey and suspenseful thriller that will keep you turning the pages long into the night, then look no further.

Twenty years ago, Alessia and her friend Sarah did something that, according to Sarah, was a terrible accident. But it is Alessia alone who has paid the price. Now, she has created a life for herself with a husband and son, and has a brand new identity. But someone is not willing to leave the past in the past, and they know exactly who Alessia is, and where she is hiding in plain sight. Someone has never forgotten that fateful day in the woods, and they are certainly not willing to forgive.

This is a brilliantly crafted novel that will propel you through an altogether addictive narrative with delicious tension. Recommended. 4.5 stars

Many thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an ARC.

4.5 Stars rounded up !

Wow! This is my first Casey Kelleher novel and I was blown away !
The story revolves around 32 year old Alessia who, after a traumatic childhood that she has put behind her long ago, is leading a happily married life with husband Carl and yound son Jacob when her past comes back to haunt her. A brick is thrown through the window in her family home , a car runs her off the road and other strange incidents have her fearing for her safety and that of her family who are unaware of her troubled past. She believes these incidents could be linked to the disturbing events that occured when she was 12 years old , the memories of which are foggy at best. At the cost of her own sanity and riddled with self doubt she tries to tap into the memories that she has been repressing through the years to unravel the mystery behind what really happened to her and her friend Sarah all those years ago and figure out who could be responsible for the present day threats to her life.
Split between two timelines 20 years apart generically titled "Then"and "Now", the gripping narrative never loses its pace and and just when you think you have figured everything out the author surprises you with another twist and keeps you guessing till the very end.
The author weaves issues pertaining mental health , child abuse and long lasting effects of psychological trauma throughout the narrative with commendable restraint without making the reader feel uncomfortable. Taut , suspenseful and fast paced, this psychological thriller is hard to put down. I was hooked and just had to finish it in one sitting!
Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

extract: When we were young, Sarah and i spent all our time in a place called the dolls house. It was jus an old abandoned cottage in the woods behind our house but it was heaven for us. Until one of our games went wrong. And someone ended up dead.

If you are anything like me that extract will have you wanting to know more and believe me more comes and woo what an explosive and highly emotional book this is!!! Alessia has recently moved back to her childhood village. so when she gets a note through her door saying found you, she knows her past has come back to haunt her, but she thought everyone who knew was dead. so whose found her and what do they want?

. This book just woo I don't even think I can review it and give it the justice it deserves. I ;love Casey Kelleher is a literacy genius, her crime books are some of my favourite so I knew I was in for a treat when I picked up this book in Decembers. I must admit i have zero idea who was stalking Alessia and I didn't see twist after twist that were thrown our way, a few times my jaw literally hit the ground. This is one of those books you open it and don't want to put it down so that's exactly what I did. its been a while since I last picked up a book and read it cover to cover. the skill of the way Casey can transmit the written word is bar none. I found myself laughing then a sentence later in tears.
I must say along with all the praise of this book there are some very emotive4 topics one of which is the discussion of historical sexual abuse of a child, it gets a bit graphic if that is a trigger point for you i would advise against reading this one.

So we have two main characters Alessia she is our protagonist and the story is told through her point of view even that of her childhood friend Sarah. Alessia has an idealist life but she's full of grief for her childhood which, the ,more I read the more tragic it became. I found it interesting the way Sarah's story is told through Ale4ssia, it was a great way to tell both their stories but also not getting caught up with the toing and throwing of whose who. Both characters were very relatable and llikable.

Like I said at the start there is really nothing I can write in this review that will sell it without giving everything away. what I will say is READ IT1 The author has a great way of keeping the reader hooked and making you feel like a fly on the wall. I finished this book 3 weeks ago and I can still describe exactly what the doll house looked like and i can barely remember why I walk into rooms most days. so I would highly recommend I'll never tell and you haven't read her books previously I would also recommend her crime trilogy. there are few authors that complete have my not wanting to read a book straight after finishing one but ii was left digesting this one all night, one of my favourite reads of 2021, EASY 5stars.

thank you to netgalley, Casey Kelleher and the publishers for the free digital reviewers copy in exchange for my fair and honest opinions, i cant wait to read more!!

Pacy, fraught and gripping, this emotional thriller kept me up way past my bedtime. This is an intelligently told psychological suspense story about a woman who has everything she needs to be happy - a beautiful young child, a supportive, hard-working husband and good friends. But her past is bliighted by an intense friendship gone awry and it is this past that finally catches up with her, with more twists and turns than spagehtti junction. Highly recommend for fans of this genre. Brava, Kelleher!

Brilliant! That's the one word which came to my mind as soon as I finished reading this book. This is the first book of Casey Kelleher I have ever read and am I glad I did.

I don't want to go much into the story of the book mainly because I don't want to spoil any of the suspense for the other readers. Let's just say this is the story of a woman whose past has caught up with her. It's a comparatively small book than the other suspense thrillers I have read till now. And this is also the most exciting I have ever read.

This story truly defines suspense-thriller. There are so many twists and turns in this book, you can't even guess about half of them. And of course there are some you may guess and you may seem right but it may not stay the same. There is thrill in the book as well, more so in the last chapters. And the story is so convoluted that half the time you need to do some fast thinking to catch on what's happening.

But over and above that, the story has such a strong emotional core running through it and that makes us completely connect with the characters and their struggles. In fact, the characters are all so clearly culled out and the story telling is so much fast-paced and engaging that at the end of it you will feel as if you have watched a wonderful suspense-thriller movie.

Author Casey Kelleher is an intelligent story teller who has presented an interesting story here. I liked her style and way of story telling so much that she is the latest addition to my list of newly discovered favorite authors. This book is currently available in Amazon and other book stores; make sure to try it if you are a book lover.

Just wow. Thrilling from start to finish. Make sure to leave plenty of time free when reading this one as once you start you wont be able to stop reading. Addictive. Gripping. Wonderful.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for a free review.

I have never read any of Casey Kellerher's books before. This was a very fast paced and engaging book. I enjoyed the two timeline's of now and then, this made it easier to separate the two. It was also nice to have competent police, this does not happen often in fiction and psychological thrillers.

This was a great book, I will be picking up future work by Kellerher!

I loved this new book by Casey Kelleher I'll Never Tell was a brilliant audio book I was hooked from the beginning. The Narrator - Daphne Kouma was perfect for this book especially as it wasn't too long. It was only 8 hrs and 26 mins which was perfect.

This is a brilliant psychological thriller which took you back and forth over 20 years of two young girls, Sarah and Emma-Jayne who played in a dilapidated cottage they called the Doll House when they were children. This book is full of twists and turns throughout that will have you gripped from the beginning.

I highly recommend this book and especially the audiobook. 5 Stars from me.

Big Thank you NetGalley and Bookouture for this title in exchange for my honest review.

The writing was incredible throughout the book. The author got inside the characters head, sharing every feeling and thought that crossed their minds. It helped me connect with the characters and experience the plot with them.
The plot was addictive and I couldn’t stop reading. The story got into my head and hung on for dear life, throwing me plot twists and reveals and just general creepiness. It was a bit slower during the middle but I was intrigued so I pushed through (and I’m so glad I did). The beginning was executed brilliantly but the middle of the book was so boring.
I loved the two timelines. It was great to read about what happened in the past firsthand. It allowed the reveal to be told over the cause of the book, rather than just finding out about it at the end. I was able to connect the story more this way and found it super interesting. It wasn’t confusing to me either, it flowed well and it was clear which was now and what was then.

Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and author for a chance to read and review this book.

I partly read this book and partly listened to the audio book. Both were brilliant. i love curling up with a good book, the advantage i had here was that i could listen while i carried on with chores etc.

A great book, Interesting, gripping and some great twists.

Set in past and present sometimes can be difficult to follow, but not in this case. it adds to the excitement, unfolding the story bit by bit.

In a Nutshell: A mostly enjoyable psychological thriller. I enjoyed it as much as I had expected.

Story:
Alessia lives a happy life with her husband Carl and toddler Jacob. She has buried her past firmly behind, to the extent that no one in her current life knows anything about her background. However, one night, the past comes knocking at her door. (Or maybe I should say, comes flying in through her window.) Soon, the threats start increasing in frequency and Alessia finds herself in a troublesome dilemma: confront her dangerous past alone or risk her entire present with Carl by revealing the truth about her past.
The story is divided in two timelines, labelled “Now” and “Then”, the latter providing a glimpse of Alessia’s life from two decades ago.

Where the book worked for me:
😍 The story and writing is such that I was gripped from the very start. The chapters are quite short and move quickly, at the right pace for a thriller.
😍 The content is almost to the point. There are hardly any red herrings and needless subplots.
😍 After a long time, I read a thriller that's entirely in 3rd person. The blurb was in 1st person, so this came as a surprise for me. But after reading the book, I know why the blurb and the book perspectives are different. I’m a bit fed up of first person narrations from confused drunks, so this book felt very refreshing.
😍 And this brings me to my next point. After a long time, here’s an enjoyable thriller where the female lead isn’t an alcoholic (active/recovering), the husband isn’t a shady/adulterous/abusive creep, and the secondary characters are trustworthy. Also, the police are competent at doing their work and aren’t outsmarted by some amateur. Kudos to the author for staying away from the usual Gone-Girl-style tropes.
😍 It is thrilling as well as disappointing when you figure out the big twist early. I guessed the first big twist within the first 20% itself and was sitting back confidently, awaiting the big reveal to confirm my prediction. But soon after the big reveal came another big reveal that caught me unawares. A twist within a twist,... Wow!

Where the book could have worked better for me:
☹ The end seemed a little farfetched and hasty, though it did complement and complete the story well. Compared to the rest of the book, it fell slightly flat.
☹ It drags a bit in between.
☹ As I said above, most characters other than Alessia are trustworthy and reliable, with not even a shade of doubt on their character. This makes guessing the person/reason behind the whole problem quite effortless. Then again, the journey is entertaining enough, so this won’t be a major problem.


All in all, this is a pretty good thriller with psychological aspects that will keep you hooked. The ending doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the rest of the book.

Trigger note: There are some really dark elements in the book. I am not providing a detailed list of triggers as most of them will be tantamount to spoilers. But if you feel queasy at the thought of bad things happening to children, just know that there’s a fair amount of such content HINTED at, nothing explicitly mentioned.

4 stars from me.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC of “I'll Never Tell”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

I loved this book.

This author knows how to write a psychological thriller.

There was suspense around every corner. Every page had me hooked and wanting to keep turning the pages to see what happened next.

Loved it and can't wait to read more from this author.

Alessia is only twelve years old when she is send to a mental health facility after bludgeoning someone to death. Nobody believes her when she says the not she did it, that Sarah is to blame.
Years later, with a little boy of her own, someone is stalking Alessia and she is scared that Sarah might be back. Trying to shut her up for good.
This was such a heavy topic and I had to take breaks. It’s impossible to understand how much pain some children have to endure growing up. Highly recommended!

I FOUND YOU!

Book review - I’ll never tell, Casey Kelleher.

A domestic-come-psychological thriller tackling some very difficult issues. Trigger warnings needed for child abuse, sexual abuse, mental health, suicide, bullying, stalking and drugs. A great concept of a book and certainly entertaining.

Set in two perspectives - ‘now’ and ‘then’. We follow the journey of Alessia, previously known as Emma-Jayne, who was once part of a terrible incident with her best friend Sarah. Emma-Jayne was only 12 years old when Sarah killed someone and she was blamed. Abandoned by all of her family, she later had to reshape her life and start afresh. Everything is going great, with her loving husband and beautiful baby, until she receives a harrowing note “I found you”. Had Sarah came back from her past to taunt her?

There are plenty of twists in this story that will most definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. The ‘now’ and ‘then’ approach certainly supported the suspense within this book.

However, the writing was a real let-down for me. The author’s description of events, characters and settings just isn’t there. She recycles words constantly - is there really no other word for trepidation? I must have read that one word in every chapter. Some of the sentences were not complete - they aren’t full sentences - which really hindered the coherence of the story. Along with this, there were so many typos / mistakes that I just had to roll my eyes towards the end. A thorough editing session is needed! It’s such a shame because the story itself was great but the writing highly disappointed me. Too many short, simple sentences. Too much tell not show. Too many words being recycled. Such a shame.

Thanks Bookouture for the opportunity of reading an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Possibly my favourite book of the year! I've always been a big fan of Casey's but now that she is writing phycological thrillers I love her even more. As I was reading it I was thinking hmm I can guess where this is going which kind of disappointed me a little but how wrong I was! Love books like this that you think you know what's happening and then without warning you are left stunned. Brilliant book, creepy and disturbing with an excellent storyline.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I am a big fan of Casey Kelleher. I have read and enjoyed her books. This one was good, It started off really well, but a little slow in places. towards the end. Recommended.

I DNF this book as I couldn't get into the writing style and the Characters didn't seem to develop with the story, I'll definitely give this author another go if there is another book to see if it was the story or the writing.

This book was very slow up until about 70%. I really couldn’t get into it. The ending however, made me glad I didn’t completely give up on it. I also found the ending to be satisfying.

I did find myself getting annoyed by Alecia. The constant banter in her inner monologue about Sara was annoying.

I wouldn’t necessarily recommend this book, as it was slow for me. It was just meh.

I’ve read a few of this authors other books and enjoyed them but I struggled with this one a bit. It started off well but then dragged on and lost my attention. The ending was good

I love all of Casey's past books but this one I'm afraid wasn't for me.

I'm not keen on the then and now which was set over 20 years in this book.
Saying that It had lots of suspense, thrills, and grit. but I did get a little confused at times.

I'm sorry but I read about 25% of it and gave up. Her other books have been outstanding but for me, this one wasn't one of her best.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book xx