Ugh. I wanted to love this book but my god did it drag. It wasn’t a hard “twist” to figure out. Obviously Nikki and Emery’s deaths were connected and the adults seemed sketchy to begin with. I found Shelby to be an obnoxious drunk and Liza to be whiny and overbearing. Overall it was a fine read but not great

What a book!!! As a reader who lives in the DC area this book felt so familiar as I could easily picture the different settings where the story was taking place. More then just the familiarity of location this book has such a solid storyline. There are so many different characters and I could relate in some way to quite a number of them. I truly appreciated how the author is able to seamlessly transition between the characters and different periods without it feeling disconnected. Once I got started I could not put this book down and when I thought I knew how the story would play out I was wrong and there were twists I did not expect. Thank you to Aggie Blum Thompson, Forge Books and NetGalley for an arc for my review.

I loved Aggie Blum Thompson’s book, I Don’t Forgive You, and was so very excited to read All The Dirty Secrets. When I find an author I like, I want to read everything they ever wrote and I will also be tempted to beg for a manuscript or work in progress.

In All The Dirty Secrets, the book begins with a drowning accident at a party over 25 years ago. One of the girls who attented, Liza, has been dealing with what happened ever since. And then it happens again and again, Liza has a connection to the person who drowned. Are these deaths somehow connected?

Synopsis:

One warm summer night twenty-five years ago, Liza Gold and her friends celebrated their high school graduation with a party on the beach. It should have been the best night of their lives, only one of them never came back out of the ocean.

The tragedy haunted Liza Gold for years. Now, she’s a recently divorced working mom struggling to connect with her standoffish teenager daughter Zoe when history repeats itself. Another young woman has drowned at Beach Week, and this time the victim is Zoe’s secret best friend.

Liza begins to suspect that the two deaths are somehow related, which causes her to face hard truths and take an unflinching look at the people she’s called her closest friends for the past two decades. She must discover what really happened to both women before it’s too late.

I liked this book, not as much as Aggie’s first book, but it was still a solid read! I am always up for a good suspense. There is a Goodreads giveaway happening right now for this book. It comes out on July 12.

This was such a great read! Captured me at the very beginning and never let go! Great POVs and staggering timelines. Loved all of the characters. Highly recommend

This is a story of betrayal and privilege among DC’s elite. It’s a melting pot of characters but the privilege seems to remain with the white political class.

Washington Prep is an elite private school attended by the parents of this story in the 90’s and now their children. Liz, our main character, is 46 and now works at the school as a journalist and has a whiny teen daughter named Zoe attending. Zoe is our other narrator.

We have two different timelines. The present and 1994. In the present, a schoolmate and friend of Zoe’s left a party to meet someone and was found dead by Zoe hours later. In 1994, Liz and her friend group had a similar tragedy. Their friend Nikki vanished while swimming in the ocean, her body never recovered. She is presumed dead.

Both of these occur during something the kids there refer to as Beach Week. It’s an annual tradition and I don’t understand it but apparently at that time of year they go party near the beach. Don’t look at me, I’m from TN lol anyway Liz has a feeling these beach deaths are connected in some way but no one is wanting to talk. They “clam” up, if you will. I’m so sorry.

The first half moves pretty slowly. There’s a lot of character building, some of which pays off at the end, some of which could have been left out. I didn’t necessarily love all of the racial angles attempted, because it just felt like repeatedly pointing something out that was never central to anything story-wise and seemed unnatural to be thrown in so often.

I read this author’s debut a few months ago so I’ve been eagerly anticipating this and while it was really good and the twisty drama finally paid off in the end, I wasn’t quite as impressed as I’d hoped to be by it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan audio/Forge! I received the audio and ebook to listen, read and review in advance of release for an honest review. The narration was great!

I’m in the minority here, but this was no more than a 3 star read for me. The writing style itself and I just didn’t mesh for some reason. I also just really didn’t connect with the characters. I’m sorry to say it just wasn’t for me.

Thank you Netgalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for an eARC of All The Dirty Secrets! After reading and absolutely loving Aggie Blum Thompson's debut novel last year, I knew I had to get my hands on this book ASAP. As with her first, this book is just so damn good and binge-worthy.

There are so many things I love about this one. I'm a sucker for academia-set books, and this one is set in the upscale DC private school scene. I'm also a sucker for dual-timelines (when done right), and Aggie knocks this aspect of the book out of the park. The timelines flow together perfectly to deliver multiple stories at once - a warm summer night twenty-five years ago when tragedy struck during Liza's high school graduation party on the beach - and now, when history repeats herself with her teenage daughter Zoe. Another young woman has drowned at beach week.

Not only does Aggie execute the dual-timelines with perfection, but the multiple POVs between Liza and her daughter, Zoe. The writing shifts effortlessly as the POVs do to match the personalities of the characters. There are a number of triggers in this book that some may find unsettling - I won't mention them as they may give away key pieces of the book - but please feel free to send me a message if you'd like to know before picking this one up! Just when I thought I had this one figured out...whew. What a ride.

Aggie, can't wait to see what you come up with next.

School is out, and graduating seniors from Washington Prep have flocked to their beach week in celebration. Liz tags along with her best friend Shelby to spend the week at her beach house, Shelby has two recently graduated kids and wants to be around just in case. Being back at beach weeks reminds Liz of the tragedy that happened to her best friend the last time she was there. Liz’s daughter, Zoe, ends up taking her moms car and drives from her dads house to beach week, all she wants is to have a nice time with her best friend. But then she finds a body. Her best friends body. Liz can’t help but feel there’s a connection to what happened 25 years prior. Are their deaths actually connected? Who would even do such a thing?

I can honestly say I loved this book. The writing style was my favorite, it kept me sucked in and never bored. Throughout the entire book I kept guessing who did what, but I was wrong! I loved how it ended and how everything was tied together.

Wow. Okay, I really really enjoyed this book! It captivated me right from the beginning and kept me hooked the whole time.

All the Dirty Secrets by Aggie Blum Thompson
Is a fantastic thriller based in the world of private schools. The fact that it spans two generations of alliances and deceits adds to the intrigue. The ending is superb. I could not put this book down. When this novel is released immediately go out and purchase it! Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books for this advanced copy.

Weeellllll Cawk-A-Doodle-Do! 😳😯🤯😳🤯

What The Bleep?! I mean.. holy fluff sakes! What did I just read?! Seriously what in the actual carbs!? I'm astounded. Absolutely speechless. Freakin' unreal! I cannot wrap my mind around this absolute insanity of a thriller! This was messed right up in the most delicious, good way! For the love of baby otters!

Mყ 𝐒ყɴ𝐨ρѕιѕ: Liza's is recently divorced with a teenage daughter, Zoe, & she already feels like she doesn't know her daughter anymore. But when Beach Week is underway for the graduates of Washington Prep school and she gets a call from a detective to come get Zoe, after finding her best friend, Emery, dead on a beach; it all resonates far too close for Liza of an eerily similar past tragedy she was part of. Like a dog with a bone, both Liza feels there's a connection, but as she unfurls truths and clues, she'll realize the outcome and finality is far more sinister and home-hitting than she could ever have imagined.

The craziness Thompson ensues in this novel is of the highest order. I'm still reeling from it all. How she came up with it I have no idea, but it's absolute genius! I'm sitting here shaking my head, mumbling and blinking continuously. This ran so deep, so dark, so inexplicably spine-tingling, I need to decompress with my dog, chocolate from my hidden stash and a fan on high to cool me down! There are secrets. And then, there are SECRETS.

🔴 Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault

Thank you to NetGalley & Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this ARC.
Release Date: July 12, 2022

𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐭: 4.5 / 5 Beach Waves! 🌊

All the Dirty Secrets is my second read by Aggie Blum Thompson. I loved this book even more than her first. What’s not to love? The book spans a 25-year time frame. There was so much that makes it an excellent thriller: a strained mother-daughter relationship. lifelong friends whom you think you know, murder, suicide, sexual assault, and lots of half-truths and lies.

Told from three perspectives (one in the past, two in the present), All the Dirty Secrets explores the mysteries of two murders. One has just occurred. The other occurred in the 1990’s. The murders are similar. Are they connected? There are many twists and turns in the book. The real answers are shocking!

Thank you, NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed above are my own.

Thank you Netgalley, Aggie Blum Thompson, and Macmillan for my gifted copy!

Synopsis:
Zoe is on a mission. Together with her best friend, Emery, she has snuck out to Beach Week, a whole week of partying for teenagers who have just finished school. But the parties aren't the reason for the two girls to be there. And then, Emery is found dead. For Zoe's mother, Liza, this is like a déjà vu: 28 years ago, her best friend, Nikki, drowned at beach week. Are the two deaths connected?

My thoughts:
I absolutely LOVED this book! I was hooked by the story, and I didn't know who to trust - I suspected everyone at some point, and I mean it. Aggie Blum Thompson is the queen of red herrings, and I just cannot get enough of her books. I really liked how past and present were woven into each other. The ending was great, too! All The Dirty Secrets is a story about friendship, trust, betrayal, and (sometimes misplaced) loyalty. If you liked The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager, you will totally love this book, too!

This was my second book by this author, and both of them were awesome!

This story is really sticking with me. Personally, I know that a book is good when the events just replay in my head & I find myself thinking about it days later. This book did that for me. It was an incredible, compelling and suspenseful thriller.

I really enjoyed how the story was told through different POV’s. This kept me intrigued about each character.

Something that really impacts my opinion on the book is how it ends… this ending, so good!

Overall, really enjoyed this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @forgereads for this #arc of @aggie.blum.thompson’s newest thriller! filled with suspense, scandal, and high-class notoriety, this story shows the immense lengths some take to protect their names & status. it truly had me guessing til the end. available 7/12!! 🤩

Liza and her friends have grown up together in the upscale DC area, graduating from Washington Prep, where their children are now enrolled. reunited once again during their alma mater's infamous Beach Week, they enjoy each other's company at the beach bars while reminiscing about high school memories and past Beach Week trips.

as a newly divorced mom dealing with a hormonal teenager, Liza is more than excited to kick back with her friends at the beach and work on finding herself while her daughter spends the weekend at Dad's. but the fun is cut short when police contact Liza, saying they have her daughter, Zoe. when Liza arrives to the location where Zoe was found, they uncover a body that has drowned. much to their horror, the body turns out to be Emery, Zoe's best friend.

not only is Liza shocked by what she sees; she also finds herself in a strange moment of history repeating itself, as her best friend drowned in the same ocean, at the same Beach Week twenty-five years ago. right away, Liza's suspicions are heightened, and she is unconvinced that these drownings were accidents. as Liza begins to dive deeper into these mysterious deaths, she realizes how much people are willing to cover up in order to minimize scandal, how prestige trumps what is fair and just, and how some people are not to be trusted.

this book was filled with twists and turns that I did not see coming! along with its ongoing suspense, Thompson eloquently adds notes of prejudices within the law and criminal justice system, turning a blind eye to those of fortune or status, and the intricacies of consent. hoping to read more from her soon!

I’m going to start out by skipping straight to the punch. All the Dirty Secrets is nothing short of a five star read.

This book completely consumed me while reading. It was all I could think about. Now given the fact that this was a holiday weekend and I was forced to socialize….. I found myself chatting with friends about Liza, Shelby, Whitney, Nikki, Todd and Archer as if they were real people.

All The Dirty Secrets is told between dual timelines and multiple points of view . I loved the 1994 chapters that flashed back to a very tragic night .

This book hit on every topic circulating now, racism, politics and gender neutral characters . This is a multi dimensional book with layered characters.

To say this book is one of my favorites thus far would be an understatement . The nostalgia I felt reminiscing about my own “prom weekend” was real .

I want just so much more from this author and I believe Aggie Blum Thompson, just became an auto buy author for me .

Thrillers are not the genre of book I usually read however I enjoyed this one. A compelling tale of murder, mystery and intrigue. The story is told in the alternating viewpoints of a few different characters however Liza and her daughter Zoe do most of the talking. Mother and daughter each have almost identical tragic events happen to them in their teen years. The author does a wonderful job creating suspense that keeps the pages turning. I felt like there were a few too many characters and perhaps more central character development would have made this a better read. Thank you to Net Galley and Forge books for an advanced reading copy of this title.

Liz and her group of friends have been tight since high school. One is a media star, Another two married and very successful, One is MIA. And Nikki.....she accidentally drowned during Beach Week after graduation.

Prep school creates tight binds in every generation. Liz's daughter Zoe attends the school along side children of Washington powerful and wealthy offspring. Liz's reality becomes unraveled as Zoe becomes friends with an upperclassman who commits suicide. Or was it murder?

Good characters. Fast pace plot. Interesting narrative. Great book.

I got 150 pages into this and I had to put it down. I found the main character to be so boring, and I was really not a fan of the writing.
So yeah, this was not for me. I will not be finishing it. I will not be leaving a proper review as i did not finish the book.
This might be great for someone else, the set-up did intrigue me. But the things I did not like were just too prevalent for me to look past them, and I was unable to enjoy it, so I put it down.

2.5/5 Stars (rounded up)

This Review is Spoiler Free!

All the Dirty Secrets promises a tale of buried secrets, prep school drama, and mother daughter dynamics. While I wouldn't personally say this book was my favorite, I do think many things were executed well.

The overall pacing and plot of this book were done well, and I found myself turning the pages quickly to get answers! Aggie Blum Thompson is a compelling writer, and the mystery was well seeded!

My main issue that I think prevented me from liking All the Dirty Secrets as much as I think I could have was with the characters themselves. Neither Liza nor Zoe really felt like tangible characters. There wasn't a lot to like, or any well placed character development to show growth. The main characters and the side characters fell flat, and I honestly found myself getting pulled out of the story multiple times just because their actions or words didn't seem human.

The author tried to portray Zoe as a troubled teen, but the way she's written just made her come off as whiny. and wholly unlikable. Liza wasn't compelling as a mother concerned for her daughter either. I don't think the intention was to make either of them "good" people - rather to present flawed characters. However, while I really enjoy reading books from the perspectives of flawed characters, neither of these two were executed in a way where they made compelling narrators.

That being said, the writing style itself was fast paced and compelling, and I found myself really anxious to find out the answers to the mysteries that unfolded!

I received an ARC from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions and views in this review are my own.