No One Needs to Know by Lindsay Cameron

Published: May 9, 2023
Bantam
Pages: 306
Genre: Psychological Fiction
KKECReads Rating: 4/5
I received a copy of this book for free, and I leave my review voluntarily.

Lindsay Cameron worked as a corporate lawyer for many years in Vancouver and New York City before leaving the law behind to write books. She is the author of Biglaw and Just One Look. She lives in New York City where she is currently at work on her next book.

“Rules were rules.”

Getting your child into a prestigious boarding school is how you guarantee their placement in an Ivy League college. And parents will stop at nothing to secure their child has every advantage possible. Money can buy just about anything.

I enjoyed the build-up of this book. The chaos was well organized and added a nice touch to the plot. These characters were complicated.

I found the writing well done, and I did not guess what had happened before the big reveal. I was slightly disappointed with the big twist; after all the build-up, it happened and was over.

This was a startling insight into the lives of wealthy mothers who don’t have much to do other than fret over their children's school careers.

The competitiveness and pettiness were intense, Mean Girls level. But I enjoyed how developed all the characters were and found their dimension engaging.

The book follows the lives of three moms from the Upper East Side, and each of them has their own dramatic story to tell. The novel centers around the use of an anonymous social media app called Urban Myths, where people post their secrets anonymously. However, things take a dark turn when someone goes missing just before the website is hacked and all their secrets are exposed. The story is told from the perspectives of the three moms, and while they're not the most likable characters, the story is still captivating and entertaining. The book is cleverly written and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a juicy, scandalous read!

Rich people drama, mixed media, online hacks- come together to create a page turning thriller. Cameron's approach to the story and her writing style will keep you on the edge of your seat. No One Needs To Know is a quick easy read- a fun time

It's described as "Big Little Lies" and "Gossip Girl" smooshed together. That's pretty spot on! The kids played a small part but it was mostly about the parent's scandals. It took me a while to get into and get the people straight but about halfway through I was hooked and had to know what happened. Little anticlimactic though.

Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC!

Y’all know dark academia is my jam and Lindsay Cameron put a spin on it! It’s not the students who bring the darkness, it’s the parents! I was completely caught up in all the drama, back stabbing, and nastiness of these elitist moms! On the Upper East Side, it is cut throat business making sure your children get into top tier schools!

UrbanMyth is basically an anonymous Nextdoor app where you can post anything you want and no one knows who you are. Until they’re hacked and everyone’s secrets are exposed. Now someone is dead and everyone has a motive. I honestly had no clue who the killer was until they were revealed!

I flew through this book, never knowing what was going to happen next. Definitely pick this one up if you’re a fan of dark academia, mama drama, and people behaving badly!

4.5 stars

Outrageously good, that's the first thing I need to say. I'm a sucker for books about wealthy people doing bad things and this one was spot on. I'm familiar with the workings of private schools as my kids went and I can tell you, this wasn't that far off the mark with how crazy it gets in NYC trying to ensure your children go to the best schools and have a leg up on everyone else.

What I loved was the UrbanMyth stuff, how no matter what we put online, there is a way to get caught out, doesn't matter how much money you have. The web of lies and betrayals were done perfectly with so many people being bad in varying degrees. The twist was unexpected so another win for me. Highly recommend this book for those who love reading about people who think they're above it all (and perhaps they're fall from grace).

Contemporary Fiction

If you liked Big Little Lies this is a definite must read!

Told from the POV of Heather, Norah and Poppy, upper east side moms with children in 8th grade. Poppy is the wife of a billionaire with all the advantages that come with it. Heather is the social climbing, desperate mother who will do anything to get her daughter into the best schools. Norah is the workaholic mother who is disconnected from everything that is going on in her daughter's life.

All the drama begins when a picture is released on a social media site, of Heather's daughter with a vape pen in her hand. The anonymous poster calls Heather's daughter a drug dealer. This causes all kinds of chaos at the school and adds stress to Heather and decreases her daughter's chances of getting into Andover and subsequently an amazing college.

There is more going behind the scenes and all the juicy secrets begin to be revealed - blackmail, infidelity, test cheating, gambling and possibly murder as well. It's all very juicy and we get to feel like a voyeur into the lives of the uber rich.

It's a good contemporary novel and a great summer read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC of this novel.

I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in this book, staying up late into the night to uncover how everything unfolded. The story revolves around three mothers, Poppy, Norah, and Heather, who reside in Manhattan's Upper East Side and have eighth-grade children. They navigate the complexities of an exclusive neighborhood and educational system while striving to secure their kids' admission to top-notch high schools. However, as competitiveness consumes them, someone is tragically killed, and the supposedly anonymous website they use to share secrets gets hacked, making each of them a potential suspect. The narrative felt incredibly relevant, mirroring current events such as people attempting to buy their way into prestigious schools and the dangers of oversharing online.

Although the characters weren't particularly likable, I couldn't help but root for Norah and Poppy, while Heather elicited frustration and annoyance from me. The book skillfully alternates between the perspectives of these three women, allowing readers insight into their lives without redundant retelling. With well-executed plot twists and surprising revelations, the level of suspense was consistently engaging. The book's quick pace, aided by its short chapters and interconnected mysteries, made it a captivating read. Exploring the profound influence of wealth and status on decision-making fascinated me; while I was aware of this phenomenon, the novel delved deeper into the subject.

In conclusion, I highly recommend this book as an enjoyable and entertaining read, reminiscent of the style found in "Big Little Lies." It will particularly appeal to those intrigued by the lives of the privileged 1% and who relish a well-crafted mystery. I also appreciated the author's previous work, "Just One Look," and now I'm eager to pick up "Big Law." A special thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really liked what this book was about! It was incredibly relatable in this age and the environment created by the elite private school parents who would do anything to see their children succeed. There were certain parts that I found fairly predictable and others that shocked me, but all in all it was an enjoyable read. If you like thrillers and mysteries set amongst the well to do in New York society and their kids, definitely check this book out!

This super-quick and fun psychological suspense/slow burn thriller/social satire is told from the alternating perspectives of three rich (to varying degrees) mothers of 8th graders at a ritzy but competitive private school on the Upper East Side - and who are all posters/lurkers on an anonymous message board for the neighborhood where people post all kinds of questions and secrets that they probably shouldn’t but are drawn in by the anonymous nature. We know from the start that someone is going to end up dead at some point on the book, but it takes most of the book to find out who and what happened - but in the meantime there is plenty of other scandal and bad behavior.

This book was so much fun to read and suspenseful enough that I almost read the whole thing in one day. The characters are all kind of unlikeable, but it’s the kind of book where that doesn’t even matter as you’re too caught up in all the craziness. The message board postings and comments sprinkled throughout were a fun touch as well.

This book gave me vibes of Big Little Lies meets Eliza Starts a Rumor meets Reconstructing Amelia, so if you enjoyed any or all of those books, you’d probably enjoy this one too.

Real Housewives of the Upper East Side? Okay maybe it’s not quite like that, but that’s the thought that popped into my head while reading this. And while I’m not a fan of those shows, I am a fan of this book, and think it would translate well into a miniseries on Netflix or Amazon. The ladies of the upper east side are all fine with spreading gossip and rumors as long as they can do so anonymously, but when the UrbanMyth app they all use is hacked and suddenly what they’ve said isn’t so anonymous anymore and many of their dirty little secrets are laid bare, that’s when the trouble really starts. This is a delightfully twisting thriller that’s fun from start to finish. You may not find yourself liking many of the characters (which I’m certain is purely intentional), but you’ll love seeing what they’ve gotten up to. Thanks to Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review an ARC of No One Needs to Know.

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/no-one-needs-to-know-lindsay-cameron/1141987012?ean=9780593159101&bvnotificationId=1b71cf4a-ef57-11ed-a5e7-0ea3a3d26081&bvmessageType=REVIEW_APPROVED&bvrecipientDomain=gmail.com#review/248071735

This book is guaranteed to be an instant hit! Thank you so much for letting me read this early, i couldn’t put this down! I loved every character & their own story/journey… all the twists & turns, on par… great read!

I’d say this is more of a slow burn domestic suspense than a thriller. I enjoyed the multiple point of views in this story, but didn’t particularly care for any of the characters.

OK, there are a lot of women who all think they are very different from each other but are way more the same. The men in their lives are worse, though. I admit that this book was a quick read for me because I just really wanted to know what these spoiled people were going to do next.

Omg DRAMAAAAAAAAA!! This was such a fun read. Full of secrets & lies, this is the story of three Upper East Side mums & the utter shenanigans they pull to ensure their kiddies get into the most elite schools. And when the anonymous confession site UrbanMyth is hacked, their dirty laundry is aired for all to see and all hell breaks loose!!

Told in multiple POV interspersed with emails & confessions on the UrbanMyth website, this one is totally bingeable.

I’ll definitely be giving her book Just One Look a read!

This story centers around the wealthy parents of students at the Crofton School in New York City where tuition is $50K per year. Students have to work exceptionally hard in hopes of getting into top notch colleges. In addition, many of them strive to win a spot at a boarding school.

The three major couples are:

Heather and Oliver
Norah and Bennett
Poppy and Harris

There is a anonymous chat forum called UrbanMyth where people post their honest thoughts and confessions. That appears to be an innocent enough place to chat…until it gets hacked and people are exposed. We see lies, deceit, affairs, blackmail, bribery and more.

Sadly, the students themselves are the victims of their over-the-top parents. Too bad so many parents spend ridiculous amounts of money and pressure their children so hard to excel. Just let them be themselves and enjoy their childhood instead of trying to make miniature adults out of them as soon as they are born.

All in all, this is a very compelling book that I feel readers are going to really love. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

UrbanMyths are just that right??? How much money would you give to be in the elite crowd? To have your children attend the most prestigious school? Would you trust a website with your secrets? Especially if someone ends up dead

I loved the multiple POV this book had. The character’s developed over the book at the perfect pace. The twists that just kept coming around every corner were great. If you like a good triller that keeps you wanting more I recommend this book.

Everyone in the Upper East Side has secrets. So when an anonymous hacker releases the poster information for all posts on their neighborhood forum, residents are left to pick the up the pieces to repair their families, friendships, and marriages. And then when one resident ends up dead, suspicion circulates and police comb through the form for clues.

The book switches between three of the women- Poppy, the queen bee with a huge secret, Heather, who will do anything to get her daughter into the right college, and Norah, the executive who suspects her husband is having an affair. When the future of Heather's daughter is threatened she pulls out all the stops to get revenge and repair her daughter's reputation. For the most part, all the characters were pretty unlikable. Usually I have trouble caring about anyone when this happens, but in this case I had fun watching each character unravel.

This was a fun story. It reminded me of a Big Little Lies meets College Admissions Scandal That said, I would not consider it a thriller as much as a drama with thriller elements, but I think it would be a great beach read. It has juicy stories, secrets, and a murder which is perfect for a quick read at the beach.

Thank you NetGalley for an arc of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting domestic mystery, featuring parents of an Upper East Side school. No matter what your personal financial status, I think most parents can recognize the seemingly perfect overly involved parents in this story, as well as the try-hard mom. The only place where they can be honest is a website called Urban Myth where they feel free to post things anonymously. Everyone is keeping up with their façade until one parent is missing without a trace. As things are beginning to fall apart, the parents learn that Urban Myth has been hacked and all their posts can be seen by anyone who has their email address. The repercussions from this hack make a good story when the truth comes out.

Also reviewed on B&N under 1IrishEyes430 and Kobo under IrishEyes430

This was a slow build for me. I almost gave up, but once I got to about 54%, I didn’t want to put it down.

The characters were equal parts cringe-worthy & relatable. The author did a good job developing them throughout the entire book. I really enjoyed how it was told from multiple viewpoints.

Overall, I enjoyed the book once I got into it. I wish I could give 1/2 stars bc it was nearly a 4.

Thank you NetGalley, RH Ballentine, & Lindsay Cameron for allowing me to read this early.