*received for free from netgalley for honest review* 3.5, wasn't as good as i expected but was overall pretty wild! wouldn't buy but would recommend

Book Rating: 4/5
Audiobook Rating: 3/5
Narrator Rating: 5/5

With a title like Other People's Secrets I totally expected this to be a thriller, but it had a much more literary feel as well as a mystery element. At times it was a really tough read as well, and Meredith Hambrock was not afraid of tackling all the sensitive subjects which created a very dark and gritty tale. I didn't love that the narration is Baby from the third person, and I would have preferred to have her POV in the first person, if only not to have to listen to her name being said over and over again. It was an interesting style choice, and I am really curious why Hambrock chose to use it. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the end and while I can appreciate her choice to leave the reader wanting more, it just really did not work for me, and I needed a solid ending.

There is quite a bit going on in the plot, but I was really impressed with the way Hambrock ended up tying everything together, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't both surprised and a little shaken up. The narrative seemed somewhat reminiscent of the tone found in the TV series Ozark, and it does NOT surprise me that this author is a television writer. I think Other People's Secrets would really come alive as a TV series, and if one is ever made, I will definitely watch it. I saw a lot about the audiobook, and I have to add my 2 cents since I have an audiobook obsession. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Frankie Corzo as a narrator and I thought she was the perfect choice for this book as well as Baby, but she SHOULD NOT have read “says” after every single time Baby speaks. I have never had something like this catch my attention so blatantly before and I wish that even though the book had it, she would have made the choice to cut it out of her narration.

Final Words: This book is for the reader that doesn’t mind loose ends, enjoys literary fiction with mystery elements, and loves to watch/read things in the style of Ozark. I would gladly read this author again, and I recommend going with the book for this one as opposed to the audiobook though if you are not a fan of POVs in the third person, you may want to skip it altogether.

Wow. That was a breath of fresh air. This was a slow-burn and you really have to be patient to see the big picture. When you get into the story, there is no going back.

Cheers to Netgalley for the copy!

I would like to assist you all in finding your next 5 star read…

Other People's Secrets

I was honored when I received the approval email for this "internet breaking" publication.. I also have a soft spot for new authors and debut novels. After reading the synopsis I knew without a doubt I was going to fall in love with this book!

I wasn't wrong!

It takes talent to write thrillers that engage an audience. We all know us thriller readers are critical and don’t easily spook. We have read it all and we come down hard on a “PG” like book.

I promise you, there is nothing PG about Hambrock . Other People's Secrets is DARK . Jam picked with characters you will love, and others you will love to hate. Together, they weave an intricate web of deceit.

There is no need to wait, this book it out now! You can download a copy instantly on your kindle but lets be serious, buy the paperback, this book has a killer cover that will look good showcased on any shelf.

Teaser :

Baby’s heart is in the right place, but she’s got problems—namely, a fierce taste for booze and an on-again-off-again boyfriend who can't commit. She’s living and working at Oakwood Hills, a crumbling lakeside resort, with her friends, Crystal Nugget and DJ Overalls, reeling since her adoptive mother died of a stroke. And now, the return of local drug kingpin Bad Mike is about to throw her already unstable summer into full-blown chaos.

To make matters worse, the owner of Oakwood Hills announces plans to sell the resort to Amelia, her boyfriend's wealthy twin sister, who plans to renovate it, sucking the life out of the only home Baby's ever known. Desperate to thwart the sale, Baby and her friends decide to try to recover a sunken treasure rumored to be sitting at the bottom of the lake. But Bad Mike also has his eyes on the prize, and when the search gets criminal, Baby will be forced to walk down a road full of hidden secrets that will change how she sees herself—and her life—forever.

Oh, what a different book!
I don’t usually pick up books like this one, but glad I did!

A drug problem infested once happy lakeside holiday small town, a bar with employees, all plagued by the hardships of life- then, a missing safe, owner change and resurge of drugs…

All in all, a compelling read with a complex main character and lots of unfortunate turns of events - I could not put the book down and wanted to fly through it!

One gripe I do have is the ending fell flat and was very abrupt - I wanted more!

Overall, I would rate it 3.5 stars, rounded up.

Thank you NetGalley, for the ARC!

Unfortunately, this book just didn't hit the mark for me. I had a real issue with the "Dumpster Baby" being thrown around so much. There is a real life issue with these children and I felt the authors blasé attitude with the problem this country has with actual babies left in dumpster ls.
I know that there could have been some effort put into the naming of the character other than Dumpster Baby, even just Baby.
This book took forever to get into the actual plot of the story. There was so much repetitive that made up the majority of the information.
Baby was a selfish drunk, plain and simple and it it just made the story that much more unlikable.
I wish I could find something that I actually liked but I just can't. Like I said this just wasn't for me but that doesn't mean you won't like it or take issues with the same things I did. I was disheartened by this because it had soo much potential.

This small town mystery follows Baby in the days following her mother's death. Baby has spent the past few years living and working at Oakwood Hills - a crumbling lakeside resort. Now Baby's life is turned upside down with her mother gone, a notorious drug dealer back in town, and the owner of Oakwood leaving. Oakwood Hills is being sold to Amelia, the twin sister to Baby's casual hookup/boyfriend. Baby is desperate to stop Amelia from implementing the changes to Oakwood and between attempts to sabotage Amelia, Baby also plans to look for a safe rumored to be filled with casino chips from the bottom of the lake. However, when the drug kingpin finds Baby sneaking around, he wants in on the money and he isn't taking no for an answer.

TW/CW: death of a parent, alcoholism, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, drug overdose, domestic violence, suicide, financial struggles

The pacing was a bit of a slow burn, which I wasn't expecting. From the description, I thought this would be a sort of treasure-hunt story where Baby and her friends would be out looking for this safe and uncover town secrets in the process. However, the very existence of the safe doesn't come up until a bit past the 25% mark and then it plays a much smaller role in the story than I was expecting. The first 1/2 of this really read more like a general fiction book where Baby is struggling with the sudden changes in her environment and personal life. The mystery and tension to pick up in the second 1/2 of the book (really mostly in the last 1/3) and I think a lot of the plot points and reveals we get in those later moments have so much more emotional weight because of this longer set-up period.

I really think Baby is going to be the make or break aspect of this book for readers (for the record, I absolutely loved her). She's stubborn, a bit spoiled, and her life is pretty messy all around. She certainly fits the unlikable narrator criteria and there were times when I wanted to reach into the book, grab her by the shoulders, and just shake some sense into her. Thankfully, she does have some character development and growth during the story that felt very believable. When we meet Baby at the beginning of the story, she isn't in a great place with her mother recently dying, but then she's dealt blow after blow and we eventually get to the low point of the story with Baby literally in the dirt by the side of the road. Seeing Baby at this low point after following her and seeing all the decisions that led up to this point was really more of an emotional weight than I normally expect with my mysteries.

The whole cast of characters was really well developed and I loved seeing them interact with each other. They had a fantastic group dynamic as well as very well-defined individual personalities. Of course, we get a lot of time with Baby and her friends but also we see a good number of the other townspeople interacting as well. I loved the town as a character on its own and how well the history was integrated into the story. As a side note - I do wish there was a map included (maybe there will be on in the finished copy) because I did have a hard time picturing the layout with Baby going to all these different locations. I really like books set in these sort of seasonal tourist towns where there's often a very clear divide between the locals and the (usually) rich visitors. In this case, I thought Baby's relationship with one of these out of town people was a really interesting way to play with this tension and natural divide.

The plotting of the mystery was interesting, but really felt like it was secondary to the plot following Baby's attempts to get Oakwood Hills away from Amelia. Of course, the two plots do intersect at certain points in the story but overall this read to me more like a general fiction book with a solid mystery subplot. I do think because of this, the pieces fell together pretty quickly in the end and the mystery investigation didn't have a whole lot of twists in that plot string. However, I did like where we ended up overall and I think Hambrock does a great job of weaving in smaller details that didn't seem important at the time but end up being important in the overall scheme of the mystery. While we do get the conclusion to the mystery in the end, there were some other details that were left a bit too open ended for my liking and almost felt like the door was being left open a crack for a potential sequel. I would love to keep following Baby and her friends but I do get irked with endings that are left a little open like this.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read. I loved Baby's character and development over the course of the story. And although the mystery came in much later than I was expecting, I did find it satisfying in the end. I do wish the mystery played a bigger role in the overall story and that we got a bit more closure at the end, but those are more personal preferences I have.

Thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.

Publication date is September 6, 2022

Baby and the bad guys are in a race to find a safe allegedly at the bottom of the lake. Found in a dumpster (yep), Baby has been the secret girlfriend of a rich guy who uses her every summer. This summer, however, his sister Amelia has come to town and plans to buy the resort where she works. There's a lot of chaos here and it doesn't really hang together in spots- and the secrets aren't that big. That said, Baby's an interesting and sympathetic character (even though she makes a lot of bad choices). Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good debut.

I received an advanced reader copy of Other People’s Secrets by Meredith Hambrock in exchange for an honest review.

I have read several books published by Crooked Lane Books and have loved every single one so far. When I saw Other People’s Secrets listed among their titles I wanted to read it as well. Other People’s Secrets is about a woman named Dumpster Baby, because she was literally found in a dumpster. She works in a small, isolated resort and bar, with a few close friends. Every summer a rich boy named Peter comes to town and they rekindle their relationship, just for Baby to get heartbroken again when he leaves at the end of the summer. This dynamic of Baby, Peter, and her friends at the resort has been stagnant for years, until one day the resort’s owner Louise sells without notice, and the staff is suddenly stuck with a new boss.

As the title stipulates, this book is all about secrets. Peter keeps his fling with Baby a secret from his family. Louise’s husband killed himself years ago, but nobody really knows the whole truth of the situation. Who is Bad Mike and what is his history with Baby’s friends? Even Baby is full of secrets, struggling to be open with her friends and with Peter. Baby is a unlikeable protagonist; she’s a bratty, argumentative lush, but despite this you still root for her to succeed. If you’re a fan of the unlikable protagonist trope then you’ll definitely like Baby.

I really enjoyed this thriller and uncovering the secrets of Oakwood Hills. It is a world I would love to return to! Thank you NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for the advanced reader copy.

A thought provoking story with a spunky message, the emotions within the pages will stay with you!
At times the storyline explores darkness mixed with sadness, then strength of character and determination.
The main character is complex, she’s used to change, not all of it good! Thankfully we see more positivity as the story unfolds, sometimes we need to look at both sides of the situation we are faced with!
I wanted the characters to be more accepting and to move forward, The mystery continues, with twists and turns, you will continue to read until the very end!

Thanks so much to the publisher, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review this stirring debut book, congratulations!
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A slow burning, character centric story, Other People’s Secrets elicits emotions ranging from sadness, anger and despair to hope, acceptance and satisfaction. Meredith Hambrock’s stellar debut novel delivers a compelling read that is part sociological case study and part noir crime thriller.

Baby has had a tough life. She was found in a dumpster as a newborn, her adoptive mother died of a stroke, she’s stuck in a small town with little money and few prospects, has a summertime boyfriend who won’t commit, and the lakeside resort she lives and works at has just been sold to someone with grand plans of making changes that will alter the only home Baby has known. But one thing Baby does have is fiercely loyal friends, who band together with her to plot and scheme to try finding a way to thwart the proposed changes in order to keep the resort the way it is. But there’s more going on at the resort than her and her friends can possibly understand and while Baby has been a screw-up her whole life, this time she might be in over her head and lose everything she holds dear.

For a good chunk of Other People’s Secrets, it’s a story about a group of people resistant to change and desperate to hold onto their version of normalcy. Something many of us can relate to. Getting comfortable with the status quo even if it doesn’t serve us, but unwilling and/or unable to take the necessary steps to embrace the possibilities that come with the opportunity to evolve. In this book, it’s about holding onto a one-sided relationship, the inability to accept changes to the workplace, and not seeing a bigger world is out there beyond this small town. Desperation wafts off the pages like the stink emanating from a dumpster in a back alley. And it makes you feel for the characters, wishing there was a way you could guide them to a better future.

But then there’s a point in the book, a big twist/revelation, where the story evolves into one about haves vs. have nots, good guys vs. bad guys and having the courage to make things right in the face of a dangerous foe. And that’s when Other People’s Secrets kicks up a notch and moves from a dark tale of people down on their luck to an even darker tale of the little guy taking on those who would hold them down. And that’s where the fun really begins.

Fans of stories featuring well developed characters who are the underdogs taking it to the man will especially love Other People’s Secrets. It’s a strong debut by Meredith Hambrock and one that sticks with you for days after reading the last sentence.

Nobody puts Baby in a corner…but that doesn’t stop some people from trying!

From the first page, we’re thrust into Baby’s world—one full of colorful characters and disappointments. And I absolutely LOVED every minute of it!

Things are shifting in Baby’s delicate ecosystem: a local drug dealer is back in the picture and looking for revenge, the resort Baby has come to call home is in danger, and the dynamic between her and on-and-off boyfriend Peter are on shaky ground. As a potential way out of her situation presents itself, Baby sets off on a dangerous mission.

Baby is a spunky character I was rooting for from the beginning. She’s a hero for anyone who has worked in service industry and been told they have “an attitude problem” 🙄 and wished they could hurl wine bottles at walls with reckless abandon. But as rough as she is, she’s also deeply vulnerable and I really understood her motivations as she navigated the chaos in her world.

Hambrock writes characters that deftly and believably navigate their world and the stakes feel high. The tension is perfectly woven into these very real interactions between Baby and others.
One moment of unpleasant surprise actually made me gasp out loud and my dogs looked at me.
Highly highly recommend!

This book is a noir, mystery and literary thriller rolled up in one. The plot takes interesting twists and turns, following the main character Baby, who is an absolutely in-your-face, love-her-or-hate-her character. A compelling anti-heroine soaked as much in self-hatred as in alcohol, she is trying to save the only home she has ever known, along with a rag-tag group of friends.

The small lakeside down is brilliantly evoked, as are each of the characters—I found myself caring for Baby and her friends, and towards the end, had my heart in my mouth as I sped through the pages. None of the characters are perfect, or even nice, and yet, you can’t help but hope they come to a good end despite their occasional fumbles.

A dark, grimy and engaging tale that kept me reading late into the night, Other People’s Secrets is cinematic enough to warrant a TV series some day. I want to gobble up whatever Hambrock cooks up next.

Growing up in a small lake town hasn’t been easy for Baby. Her job at the Oakwood Hills resort is at risk, she is crashing in the old boat house on the property, and she and her friends are all hurting. They need money, they need stability, they need safety - particularly now that the local drug kingpin is back in town. Since losing her adoptive mother Baby has been in a downward spiral. She drinks too much, causes trouble for those around her, and puts too much faith into a man who can’t seem to return her affection. When the resort is suddenly sold to an out-of-town businesswoman, the clock seems to be ticking on Baby’s last piece of home. Until she decides to try and recover a lost safe somewhere in the lake, which could be the turnaround she and her friends need.

Baby is an addictive anti-hero. She makes all the wrong choices, even when her heart is in the right place (and her heart is not in the right place throughout the whole book). Deliciously poetic descriptions made the lakeside come alive! Without a great deal of backstory on each character, there was enough that I could picture them all and yearned to know more. There was mystery, action, pain, relief, and heartbreak making it a wonderful read! I can’t wait to read what the author writes next!

Can't really get into this one, not sure I like it Been trying to get into this book , but I had to give it up. maybe try it again at another time,

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, Crooked Lane Books and by #NetGalley. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

What a wild mystery and fun read.

I enjoyed this one! A definite 4 star for me. It was more of a mystery above anything else. It started off a bit slow for me but then it really really picked up! And the last 30% or so was nonstop which is why I wish it came sooner. There weren’t too many characters to keep track of and each one had their own personality which is a huge plus in my book. I’d definitely recommend this one! It was a slow burn but a quick read nonetheless! Thank you to Meredith Hambrock and #netgalley for the eARC! This book hits the shelves September 6th, 2022!

Baby is a hero for our times! She sharp and funny, but she is a grimy mess of chaos and desperation, just as goodhearted as she is capable of launching beer bottles through the air or ending the night with a bloody fight—or worse. The narrative, which is full of pageturning mysteries and adventures, follows her and her crew of friends as they fight for their lives and each other. We get to know the people in Baby's life, past and present, as they prop each other up, flail against the class and drug wars that plague such small seasonal towns, and invariably let Baby lead them into shenanigans and dangers. They love her, but it's hard for her to let that in because she sees herself as Dumpster Baby, and she is an affecting, relatable character because of it. The writing is tight, propelled with hilarious dialogue and an ending that nails the mysteries fabulously. Highly recommend this beer-soaked, algae-blooming romp through Baby's mucky slide towards home.

When the book introduced the main character--a baby who gets abandoned in a dumpster behind a convenience store, grows up & insists on going by Dumpster Baby (Baby to her friends)--I knew I was hooked for good. Grown-up Baby is larger than life and irresistible on the page, but she's steeping herself in alcohol at local dive bars, facing personal loss, low cash flow, and a world she wants to hide from. Other People's Secrets is as grimy noir as it gets, so if that's what you're looking for you are in for one heckofa ride.

I enjoyed this read. I feel like it was a solid 4 star review for me. I love how it started with the prologue giving us Baby's backstory from the very beginning. It really made me feel like I knew her and was connected with her. I felt that throughout the book the author was really good at depicting things and making me able to picture exactly how events are happening. I am not sure that I would consider this a thriller, definitely more on the mystery side for me. But things DEFINITELY picked up during the last 25% of the book, which I really enjoyed! Overall I would say this was a good and easy read. Well written and a good story of mystery! I would definitely recommend to a friend that like a more slow paced / slow burn mystery book.