Unfortunately, I ended up DNFing this one. Only 3% into the book and the amount of characters introduced at once and Sage's internal monologue also talking about different characters w/ names was confusing and disorienting.

I wasn't sure who was relevant / mattered. Additionally, I get that she seems to have this "board" voting in her head, but it took me longer than it should have to discern whether this was a flashback or not. I feel like this needs to be smoothed out as all the information at once was overwhelming.

The writing felt disjointed and unfortunately didn’t work for me. I really tried to like this book as the premise was interesting.

This book truly felt just all over the place and chaotic as a read. The POV of three different characters is normally not too bad. But I kept wondering for most of the book, why are these three even friends? Nothing about them quite meshes and like I get that they have a bond from High School that is hastily spoken about in a chapter. But there was nothing that made me want to root for any of them.

The end didn't feel like even a cliffhanger, it just feels like it stops dead in the middle of the story.

Overall, this was just not the book for me.

SAGE sold her decisions to a wealthy corporation called the Board. Now, strangers anonymously vote on her life decisions, forcing her to entertain. She’s ordered to rob a bank, flash a bartender, and spy on a new friend. It’s a secret she’ll never tell. But when she receives a cryptic note from a blackmailer, she has until gala night to figure out the blackmailer’s identity before they expose her.

CALA is an heiress to a demanding stepfather. Wanting independence, she’s willing to apply for jobs she feels are low-class. Without a job, her self-esteem tumbles into oblivion and to cope, she parties and meets strange men. Then, desperate for money, she breaks into her stepfather’s work office, and stumbles upon a secret she’s determined to uncover.

JACKIE watches her best friends Sage and Cala struggle. The only one with a steady income, she works fifty hours a week at a local bank and still has to borrow money for tampons. During one of her many late-night shifts, an affluent customer withdraws a large sum of money, and she gets a sinister idea. Knowing her bank’s security perfectly, she steals money, believing she alone can alter her and her friends’ lives. But after her boss discovers the discrepancies, she's forced to figure out how to save herself while preserving her friends.
Enjoyable read ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

An absolutely amazing and exciting read! An intricate storyline that shows the dangerous and powerful strength of friendships, and the decisions that one must make in every day life. The fears and grit of the characters were marvellously displayed and I absolutely loved Jackie’s resolve to help her friends even though it ended up in more trouble. The world-building was also splendid and I found the air of mystery around it all very alluring.

At times I would get a bit lost and confused along the way which made it a bit hard but I pushed through to the end.

All in all, I’d certainly recommend this to readers out there who enjoys fiction with an air of mystery, and would like to try out new authors!

One Secret to Keep is an intriguing read but one that falls short. I was drawn to its unique premise and the cover. While the pacing keeps the plot going, there is little to no character development or world-building. I felt that Sage, Cala and Jackie were supporting characters rather than the main ones. There is no backstory of their origins or how their paths cross, so the stakes presented have a weakened hold on their outcomes. There were multiple plots (potential love triangles) that remained unsolved. This read leaves me with more questions than answers. The ending caught me off guard, which was a good surprise. I do appreciate and give props to the author for having this book independently published! A 3-star read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Indie for providing an ARC. This honest review is left voluntarily,

2.5/5 stars

Thank you to NetGalley for sending me an arc for an honest review.

To be very honest I did not like the book at all. The cover, title, and the description was very intriguing and that's why I initially requested an arc of the book. The book and plot had potential to be amazing but I felt like the story was progressing very fast and I could barely learn anything about the main characters. There were parts of the story that had many plot holes and the worldbuilding wasn't explained at all. It felt like I had to create the world myself based on some of the information provided by the characters which was very limited. I couldn't even tell what kind of world I was reading about, it gave hints of dystopia and a futuristic setting but for all I knew it could have been something completely different.

I did not like Sage, Cala, or Jackie at all and I couldn't find any way to connect with them. Sage seemed like she couldn't make any decisions for herself, not because she was controlled by the Board. She could have given that up but it was mentioned once in the book that she was scared to live on her own without the Board, but throughout the rest of her story all we saw was how miserable it made her. Cala seemed like a spoiled party girl that was 100% a fake friend and all she did was want to create drama for no reason. Lastly, Jackie was portrayed as the quite girl who had a little bit of a reckless streak but the entire time she complained about how she had to be responsible and no one noticed her.

There was also some sort of love triangle/square between Sage, Reed, and Anderson as well as Sage, Reed, and Cala. But nothing ever happened between any of the characters and their interactions were all awkward to read.

I did read the author's other book, Cruel Venom Wine, which was a lot better then this book. I would recommend that book for anyone that likes a Greek mythology retelling. I would however, not read this book again or recommend it. I will read the second book of this series and I hope that the worldbuilding issues can be addressed to fix some of the holes in the book's plot. The foundations of the book/series will be fantastic if the author can execute them as the series progresses.

This is kind of the story I didn't know I needed. The author manages to build an intriguing world, a full cast of real characters, action-packed plot and dangerous secrets. The plot moves quickly but not too quickly.

This book had so much potential, but I wasn’t feeling it! Every single one of the main characters was petty, catty, and annoying. I had no idea this was set in the future (I guess?) and I really needed a clear explanation if who or what The Board is. I love a story with drama, scandal, intrigue, and secrets, but there was barely anything engaging!
I wish there was more action! That might have made it a bit better. Or more character exploration!

A gala threatens to reveal the secrets of three friends that they are desperate to keep.

Sage's decisions were sold to a wealthy corporation called the Board, which allows anonymous subscribers to make decisions for her in exchange for a one-time sum of cash. Despite being placed in some embarrassing situations for the Board's entertainment, she's managed to keep this a secret until now. After receiving a threatening note it is revealed that somebody knows Sage's secret and plans to blackmail her into revealing her secret. In order to avoid this, she must discover their identity before 10 p.m. on the night of the gala.

Cala spends most of her nights partying and meeting strange men while spending her rich, demanding stepfather's money, or so she thought. After finding out her funds will soon run dry and craving independence, she searches for a job in an economy that has begun to heavily rely on robots as a labor source. In her hunt for a well paying job and dirt on her stepdad, she happens on two well kept secrets.

Jackie is the mediator for Cala and Sage, along with the only one with a steady income. However, working fifty hours per week at a bank doesn't pay as well as one would hope. After a wealthy customer comes in withdrawing a high amount, Jackie decides to use the camera problems she keeps pointing out to her boss to skim a bit off the top. She hopes that this can help provide for both her and her friends. However, her boss catches on and makes a mysterious threat.

------

I would have loved a bit more world building and information about Sage's past with her family and the origins of the Board. Despite people clearly hating the organization, it somehow remains legal and in operation. Also, there is a lot that could be uncovered by Anderson. However, I believe there is going to be a second book where this could all be addressed.

The multi-pov setup can be a bit confusing at first, especially when keeping each character's story straight. However, I love how these three plot line started to connect and where it could be taken in the future.

This book genuinely took me by surprise the minute I picked it up from the moment I put it down. What I got versus what I was expecting shocked me. This is a thriller that I wanted to keep reading right until I got to the very end. While Sage and Cala were characters I liked reading, you can't help but like Jackie, despite the choices she makes in the beginning of the book. All three women have their own paths and are going through their own things, because of this they were all relatable in their own ways. If you're looking for a good thriller and mystery book, you have to pick this one up!!

First of all I’d like to thank NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for an arc of this book!!

The book cover and summary are what got me interested in reading. I also love that this book is independently published! I know how hard that can be and it’s a great accomplishment. That being said, there are some reasons this is a 3 star for me and I’ll get into them.

The book overall doesn’t feel as smooth as books that have been published by popular authors/publishers. And this makes perfect sense (being independently published) it’s just new for me to read something by a brand new and upcoming author. One of the setbacks is spelling/grammar errors. It made it hard to feel like I was reading an official, published, book.

I did love the writing style! It’s what got me hooked in the beginning and it’s very similar to other well-known adult genre authors. Everything’s very descriptive and I can picture the scenes perfectly. I like the alternating pov’s so we get all sides of the story.

There are some plot holes about half way through that didn’t make sense to me or the story and made it very confusing to read. The beginning started off strong but as I got more into it I was just confused.
I need more worldbuilding details and background info.
- Roworkers are repeatedly mentioned to be taking over people’s jobs but why is it such a big deal? Why do they have such an emphasis in the story? It’s never really explained what they are either (robot workers putting people out of jobs because they’re cheaper) or why they’re suddenly so popular and common in this story.
- How did the Board come to be? How has no one found their identities or a headquarters? How are they even legally allowed to operate? Everyone hates them. I’m surprised they haven’t been shut down. Is it supposed to be some deal with the government allowing it to happen? It’s never explained if their government is different in that way from ours. It would’ve also been interesting to see how other people (besides Sage) who have sold their lives live, act, and grow up.

The characters aren’t very likeable or relatable.
- Sage is by far my favorite character but even some of the things she did were very cringey even when she’s not being controlled by the Board, it made it hard to read her pov. Why is she acting like an awkward teenager constantly when she’s in her 20’s? Anderson literally thought she was on drugs when she went in his apartment. That whole scene just icked me and I was getting so much embarrassment for her. Why does she choose to do such weird things like this and act like this? It felt like she was forced to be made a “quirky” character. This aspect made parts of the book feel more childish despite being an adult story.
- Cala is a very rude and toxic friend. I don’t really understand why they keep her around. Her pov was interesting to read at first but over the course of the book you see how out of touch and entitled she is. She just acts (and thinks) like a spoiled rich girl who thinks she deserves everything. It was honestly surprising to read how highly she thinks of herself. She also has such a hate towards Sage when she’s supposed to be one of her “best friends”, I mean they all live together too. She gets so jealous whenever she would see Sage talking to Reed yet hasn’t flat out made any moves to be with him. It all felt very petty and angered me more than anything vs being able to enjoy the story. She acts very two faced towards Sage vs any conversation she’s had with Reed.
- I liked Jackie at first as well but she also turned out to be a pretty bad friend. It makes me feel bad for Sage. Jackie gets mad at her actions when she’s the only one Sage trusts enough to know Sage can’t control her actions because of the Board. Sage needs someone to confide in and Jackie just decided she was done with that role and stopped talking to her. She’s also overworked at a bank and constantly tired like she’s having a mid-life crisis or close to retirement but they’re all supposed to be in their early 20’s?? It felt like she was in her 40’s and it wasn’t easy to relate to her because of it. It felt like she didn’t fit when they would go out to bars because I was getting grandma vibes from her.
- I also wish we knew more about Reed. He’s mentioned and always seems to be there when they all hang out but we really don’t learn anything about him until the end. We don’t know much about his job either. We know he works for his parents real estate company but he’s also got something to do with Sage business-wise and it was only mentioned once that I don’t even understand/remember what it is. Only that Jackie really wanted Sage to talk to him about money/business things.
- Anderson isn’t an interesting character to me at all. He feels very bland and just gave me sketchy vibes from the beginning. I honestly thought he was the Caterpillar. Also how is Anderson the leader of his little anti-Board organization trying to recruit Sage to his meetings yet he can’t tell she’s being controlled by the Board??? It doesn’t make sense. “Whenever you’re ready, I can help. I know you’re in trouble.” What does that mean sir????

I was also confused throughout the whole book if this was supposed to be an attempt at a love triangle? It didn’t feel like it.
Relationships and couples are also what really sell me on a book but this wasn’t one of those. The friends are all fighting with each other as well and it never got resolved so there isn’t a strong friendship bond either. It didn’t feel like there were any important connections I would rave about to others. So my question is what is supposed to make people want to read it? Their friendship has the potential to be strong and unparalleled between the 3 girls but it’s the exact opposite sadly.
Sage says she doesn’t have interest in Anderson yet hangs out with him? Why? It’s never explained, is she just bored? She never acted all that excited to see him either. It explains she’s had feelings for Reed for forever but never acted on them because of the Board and she doesn’t want to ruin their friendship, so is Anderson like a replacement for him? Their whole “relationship” confused me. It definitely didn’t feel romantic. Despite having her thing with Anderson, I always hoped Sage and Reed were end game. Also why is she so worried about Reed and Anderson talking to each other? Reed’s a crush she seems to ignore and she claims she doesn’t feel much for Anderson. It’s very unclear who she likes if she even likes anyone at all.

None of the characters really had any development either. If anything, they changed for the worse. I hated the miscommunication between everyone, half the girls’ problems would be solved if they all just talked to each other. They all live in the same apartment but somehow went DAYS without talking or acknowledging each other?? They’d go out and talk a little and then come back home and ignore each other again? Cala’s out here forming her own conclusions and making her own allegations against Sage without even talking about them to her and it’s just building up resentment in their friendship. They have to interact at least somewhere at some point but it’s been almost two weeks and they’re still acting like this? Sage’s problems could’ve been figured out way sooner if they all trusted each other enough to help her. And even though they’re close friends, Sage has to question if they could’ve written the note, that doesn’t sound like a very trusting friendship to me. Being brutally honest, she needs better friends. And nothing was resolved by the end of the book either.

Speaking of Sage’s problem (and the whole plot), the blackmail note didn’t seem all that threatening to me like it didn’t give me chills or anything or worry me as much as Sage cares about it, this doesn’t feel like a real mystery or investigation to figure out who the person is. It also didn’t feel like Sage did a lot to figure out who the Caterpillar was. It’s also not a very intimidating name. Also I can’t possibly think of a motive, what’s the point of evicting Sage’s aunt? What does someone gain from that? It’s not very high stakes and only personal to Sage.

Also how does Sage own Meadowbrook in the first place? Did she just decide to buy it? Was it something her parents set up? And how has she kept her identity a secret for so long? Is that even legal? It doesn’t make sense how even the other co-owner doesn’t know her identity. Why wouldn’t she at least tell him who she is so she can have a hand in running things? If her “friends” are truly supposed to be very best friends why doesn’t she at least tell them? I don’t know how they’ve gone all this time without questioning how she always has money but never works.

The book also doesn’t feel like they live in LA. I initially got excited once I learned that detail but their lives all felt very routine. Work, Meadowbrook, bars. Nothing super exciting and even the note didn’t add that much pizazz.

I think the book could’ve been shorter and not dragged out as long. It was getting really boring for me in the middle. The cliffhanger at the end was very good, but a device just used to set up a second book. In my opinion it doesn’t need to be a series, the plot isn’t exciting enough for it to be one. This whole thing could’ve easily resolved in a stand alone. It also didn’t really feel like a cliffhanger, more like an abrupt ending to the story. Like the author just chose to stop writing.
- Also goodreads lists it as 200 something pages but it’s actually 580 something and that’s what I mean by being too long and getting boring
- I also think it would be helpful to list the genres of the book, besides the summary I didn’t really know what I was getting into

I also think a lot of extra things were just rushed to be put in at the end.
- Why reveal that Jackie likes Cala so randomly in the last few chapters? There’s been no build up to this or hints throughout the entire book??? And somehow she uses that to justify why she’s been stealing money??
- Why are they just throwing in the whole Tex being Cala’s biological father at the end this just makes everything more confusing and it doesn’t even make sense how that’s possible? Who is the guy who raised her then??? And her mom and Tex knew the truth but never told her? Why??
It feels like a lot of these things were made up last minute to put at the end so people will be interested in a second book.

Spoilers for the cliffhanger ending:
Why would Reed care at all about Sage selling her shares?? And she’s saying he’s the Caterpillar??? That makes no sense. What does he have to gain at all for making her evict her aunt? Or the rest of Meadowbrook? Because he’s in real estate and can buy the building? Go buy another building dude why do you need that one???

These are just the things I’m pointing out that I didn’t like/confused me! This is no hate to the author!
In the author’s note at the end of the book it asked for honest reviews so here is mine. I feel bad for being so critical but I’d rather tell my honest opinion.

Overall it wasn’t terrible, there’s just room for growth. This is common with new authors!

Will I be picking up the second book? Yes

I have to applaud the author for making the next book available so soon in early 2023, especially being independently published.
I’ll also be looking forward to the upcoming YA/NA fantasy book that’s mentioned in the upcoming works at the end!

I have to say the author does sound like a very nice person in the author’s note :)) I like that she already has a job and is choosing to follow her dream of writing and publishing books. It takes a lot of work and dedication. I definitely see where her inspiration of this book came from, I definitely get binge-worthy drama vibes from this book. It’s an easy read to finish quickly! Thank you so much again!

The city’s biggest gala jeopardizes their darkest secrets.
SAGE sold her decisions to a wealthy corporation called the Board. Now, strangers anonymously vote on her life decisions, forcing her to entertain. She’s ordered to rob a bank, flash a bartender, and spy on a new friend. It’s a secret she’ll never tell. But when she receives a cryptic note from a blackmailer, she has until gala night to figure out the blackmailer’s identity before they expose her.
CALA is an heiress to a demanding stepfather. Wanting independence, she’s willing to apply for jobs she feels are low-class. Without a job, her self-esteem tumbles into oblivion and to cope, she parties and meets strange men. Then, desperate for money, she breaks into her stepfather’s work office, and stumbles upon a secret she’s determined to uncover.
JACKIE watches her best friends Sage and Cala struggle. The only one with a steady income, she works fifty hours a week at a local bank and still has to borrow money for tampons. During one of her many late-night shifts, an affluent customer withdraws a large sum of money, and she gets a sinister idea. Knowing her bank’s security perfectly, she steals money, believing she alone can alter her and her friends’ lives. But after her boss discovers the discrepancies, she's forced to figure out how to save herself while preserving her friends.
Couldn’t put it down really enjoyed this book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Indie
I just reviewed One Secret to Keep by Allyssa Brinker. #OneSecrettoKeep #NetGalley