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!

This audiobook really surprised me! It hooked me from the beginning and kept me on my toes the whole time.

Books about dirty secrets?

I'm in!

The author's premise was compelling:
Two young women attending the same affluent prep school in different decades drown during the school's Beach Week.

Were these drowning deaths related?

Even though there was no shortage of "dirty secrets" in this book, the book was a complete miss for me.

The major problem that I had with this book was that it was miscategorized.

I am not a fan of YA fiction and this book read more like a YA book than a book for adults.

The book unfolded in a "now and then" format from three POVs: the teen girl who found her friend's dead body, the teen girl's mother whose friend died 25 years ago, and the teen girl who lost her life 25 years ago.

Sensitive issues such as white privilege, rape, and racism are explored.

The book also showcased emotionally volatile mother/daughter relationships.

The book was predictable and, at times, repetitive.

I listened to the 12-hour audiobook that easily could have been a 7-hour audiobook.

Although both narrators did a superb job, the book should have had three narrators since it unfolded from three POVs.

MY DIRTY SECRET: I am still a huge fan of "dirty secret books" and look forward to reading future titles in this genre.

4 stars

This book lives up to its title; it is truly filled with *dirty* secrets. In fact, one aspect of this book infuriated me so much - despite the much-needed trigger warning that initiates the piece - that I almost DNF'd. I'm glad I persisted, but I'll add more related insight for fellow readers who are similarly challenged by this subject matter.

The titular dirty secrets roll out through two perspectives and two timelines: Liza's and Zoe's. Liza is Zoe's mother, and she is still in touch with many of the friends with whom she went to a creepy private high school. This is essential because (1) one of their contemporaries died while they were there, (2) Zoe is now a student at the same school, and (3) Liza now works at this school. The ties run deep, and they present many opportunities for new revelations about past and present events alike.

The parallels between the two Beach Week events become apparent from the jump. Like her mother, Zoe goes to this event to rebel and have fun only to lose a friend. Unlike her mother, Zoe does not accept what she's told. This is a critical distinction between these characters as without Zoe's persistence, new or buried details cannot be uncovered because her mom is a fan of denial, not reading the room, and - it turns out - victim blaming and not believing women.

Any book that starts with a formal TW gets extra points from me. Readers get the heads up about rape and sexual assault, but what comes up in here is - even with the warning - a lot. There is some detail around grooming and physical violence, but that is - at least for me - limited. What comes up much more is really appalling treatment of a victim, apologizing for people accused of personal power-based violence, and general 'boys will be boys'-ing. We all have different thresholds for what we find offensive/no big deal at all. For me, this was a lot and almost resulted in DNF. I'm glad I kept on because the novel is solid overall, and there is - as I expected - some growth from these original ideas.

Overall, I enjoyed this read and will absolutely be looking for more from this author. My distaste for some aforementioned elements is definitely tempered by the much-needed TW, and those moments of fury I experienced will certainly be what I remember most from this read. I hope these insights help other prospective readers make informed decisions based on their own thresholds.

Liza Gold is a newly single mom, trying to raise her difficult daughter, Zoe when her past comes back to haunt her. Zoe’s best friend is killed during Beach Week in an echo of what happened to Liza and her friends two decades before when one of her girlfriends died. Sure that the deaths are connected somehow, Liza must take a close look at the people she has called friends for years and determine the truth before anyone else dies.

I enjoyed this thriller. This is the kind of book that makes you wonder what deep down secrets your friends are hiding! This one keeps you on edge wondering who the enemy really is.....

Two incredible books in a row. This one even better than her debut. My favorite types of unraveling plots; I was trying desperately to put the pieces together in my head. I knew I was so close. And I even had a couple of pieces. But damn. There was so much that was perfectly laid put. It was all right there. I just didn't see it. Damn.

And Hillary Huber, and the second narrator (her name escapes me) did a brilliant job. The POVs and flashbacks were labeled perfectly.

Hmm, looks like I'm in the minority here. This just wasn't a hit for me. Not a bad mystery, but I just didn't connect with any of the characters or buy into the storyline.

The story does live up to the title. There are lots of dirty secrets that come out eventually and a lot is revealed about this group of friends. The story is told both in the present and in the past, making connections between two deaths at the beach. I didn't find too many surprises here as the secrets were revealed. I also found the teenage daughter really annoying in the first half or so. This may be due in part to the voice used by the narrator for this character so this may have been a better book for me to read rather than listening to the audiobook. As always, no book is a great fit for everyone, so you may love this one.

Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange fitter my honest review.