I love rich people drama/behaving badly stories and this one didn't disappoint. This is a gripping thriller that kept me turning the page with the twists and drama. A quick, fun read perfect for poolside or at the beach.

I thought this was a fun, good read! Part thriller and part mystery within the women’s fiction genre that centers around the drama of mothers who want "best" for their kids... though that may not be the most accurate way to describe the novel. I definitely felt a lot of Gossip Girl vibes while reading, especially given it's set in Manhattan's Upper East Side.

Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for the opportunity to read this digital ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

No One Needs to Know is a fantastic read. I loved the developed characters and the gripping plot. I am a Lindsay Cameron fan.

Those who like Gossip Girl will like this book. Juicy gossip filled book. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

No One Needs to Know is for any Gossip Girl/Real Housewives fans. This novel is full of drama, gossip and backstabbing. An easy summer beach read!

I gave this 3.5 stars rounded up to 4. I wasn’t sure exactly where the story was going to go at first. Once I got to the 25% mark it really picked up. The Upper East Side of Manhattan families have so many secrets. What happens when a private social media forum called UrbanMyth gets hacked and everyone’s secrets are exposed? The parents of the children at Crofton are cut throat when it comes to getting their children into top boarding schools. They will do anything. Gossip, start rumors, even murder?
When someone starts a rumor that Violet is selling drugs and posts a posed picture of her holding a vape pen trying to get her kicked out of school the threats and secrets start unraveling.

I felt like a terrible gossip reading this book, but at the same time I couldn’t get enough of it! I am not sure what that means about me, but it is definitely a great read. I read in summer and I think it’s a great read for the beach.

Children who attend the tony Crofton school in Manhattan and their parents all use the anonymous social media platform, UrbanMyth. That's the place to share secrets and get the heavy load of them off their chests. After UrbanMyth gets hacked, everyone's secrets become public knowledge in No One Needs to Know by Lindsay Cameron.

I was pretty excited to receive this book because I enjoyed Cameron's previous book, Just One Look. The premise of this sounded intriguing and like there could be a lot going on. Although the smooth, engaging writing and incredibly believable descriptions were enjoyable, it wasn't that exciting and the suspension of disbelief had to be stretched pretty far. In fact, the UrbanMyth platform could have been a more central character than it was.

To get to the point where UrbanMyth is hacked, you need to get through the background of the three main characters and their families. You also witness a mysterious incident involving the kids at a dance where allegedly a recruiter from one of the fancy private high schools will be observing the kids for future entrance at the school. This exposition takes until the middle of the book to get to, which seems way too long.

You mostly get a good picture of the one main character. One of the other moms felt very cookie-cutter to me in drawing a picture of a privileged Manhattan mom. She didn't carry much depth. At first, the third mom felt characterized one way and then evolved into a very different character. Some of the dads seemed sparse or, again, somewhat cookie-cutter in their descriptions except for one of them who plays a prominent role in the story. Also, I felt that there could have been more done with the children and their stories.

When you get to the climax, the book is almost over. The pacing seems to be off. Some of the uncovered secrets seem pretty shocking, but some of the twists come out of left field. And I felt the central story with the murder was very implausible.

I expected a lot more from this book since the author's previous book was very well-done. Also, (and this is a question for many of these domestic thriller/suspense novels I read) how are these murders taking place and being hid so well? Some books create a story that you can believe, but this one seemed a little too overt not to be figured out by the police.

Published: 05/09/23

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Bantam for accepting my request to read and review No One Needs to Know.

Keeping it real, this is a 3 to 3.5 star read, and I'm rounding up to 4 stars happily. I have put off writing this hoping it would write itself or go away. The pleasure that I had while reading this and even now I'm giggling with my eyes watering probably says a lot about my character which I thought was good, but now I'm left wondering. I probably should be ashamed of myself, but alas I'm not.

The listed genre is mystery and thrillers. Seriously, I'm stymied. Karma that's what I saw and thoroughly enjoyed. The synopsis lists the characters and problems. The fun for me was watching the house of cards fall around wealthy morally weak adults.

On a serious note, fiction does mimic real life. Currently there are parents working at any cost to put their infant in an ivy league university. The lesson learned from this story is not new, don't judge a person by their cover, purse, car, address, blah, blah, blah. However, books are expected to be judged by the cover, you can't believe everything you read.

I started No One Needs To Know anticipating a Gossip Girl gone wrong vibe. Unfortunately, the characters all seemed to fall flat for me and the book never seemed to catch my attention enough. I think the idea of the storyline is fun but it just wasn’t executed in a way I enjoyed.

3.5 stars

This book was written well enough to capture my interest however I find that the further I get removed from it the hazier the details get.

I remember that it was about three moms of kids in private school who were trying to get their kids into some fancy boarding school and on the Ivy League path. There is some anonymous site where they vent about their issues and somehow someone in their circle ends up missing, who did it...

The book was put together well it unfolded nicely with all these secrets that eventually come to light. If I remember correctly I figured out what occurred before the reveal which happens a lot but that's okay... Lots of drama which makes for an enjoyable time.

Thank you Bantam and Netgalley for an eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I absolutely loved this book! I read it in one sitting I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I’m excited to see what this author comes out with next!

Thank you #Netgalley for the copy.

Poppy, Heather and Nora would do anything to get their children into the best most well respected schooling systems. When a social media platform, Urban Myth, reveals the owners of the posts, which were previously all anonymous, leaves each parent vulnerable and unsure who to trust. So many secrets revealed and to what length will the parents go to protect their child?

I find it difficult to like a book when I dislike all the characters. Dislike is not strong enough - every character was entitled, narcissistic, dismissive, wheedling, dishonest and that is just for a warm-up. Despite this, I read the book - I really did not care what happened to anyone and I should have closed it and put it down but thinking there had to be some positive resolution I played the fool and finished it. And I felt exactly the same.

This obviously wasn’t the book for me but I must applaud Ms. Cameron’s writing which was better than good and her idea and plot development was interesting. Thank you Bantam Books and NetGalley for a copy.

🌆BOOK REVIEW🌆

No One Needs to Know - Lindsay Cameron
Rating: 4.5/5

“When an anonymous neighborhood forum gets hacked, the darkest secrets of New York’s wealthiest residents come to light—including some worth killing for—in this gripping suspense novel from the author of Just One Look.

“Big Little Lies meets Gossip Girl in this unputdownable read as smart and witty as it is delectable . . . I raced through it!”—Liv Constantine, author of The Last Mrs. Parrish”

I was hooked on this one from the first chapter! I loved the multiple POVs and seeing everyone’s story and background. It’s told from the story of 3 wealthy women who are trying to get their kids into an elite boarding high school - they were all kind of terrible and boy, did I feel bad for the kids in this story! I loved the idea of everyone sharing their secrets on this “anonymous” website - definitely think that added to the story! I feel like it’s almost a warning for people who get too confident online - nothing is as safe as you think! I enjoyed seeing all the women come together in an act of solidarity in the end - as messed up as it was!

Recommend if you like:
- Domestic thrillers
- Multiple POVs
- Private school parent drama
- Imagining how the 1% live
- Hidden secrets

I listened to the audiobook -thanks @prhaudio for the copy- and the narration by Brittany Pressley and Rebecca Lowman was excellent! Thanks @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse for the e-copy!

.Take one part combo of Reddit's AITA mixed with any Neighborhood app, three parts rich Upper East Side wives, a dash of school drama mixed with future plans and sprinkle with a hunky man who's up to no good, Bake for as ever long as it takes to read it in the summer sun and boom - the perfect fluffy summer read....

The first quote and opening sentences immediately drew me in but from there, the story was a very slow burn for me. I think it was likely because it was more character-driven than a lot of psychological thrillers are (which isn't a bad thing!), but I didn't really care for any of the characters. I found myself skimming through the book quite a bit but feel this is more of a me thing than a reflection on the author or her writing.

Heather is a social climber. Plain and simple. She'll do anything for her daughter to be the creme de la creme of society in New York City. Does this make her a terrible person? As it turns out, she's not any worse than any of the socialites she aspires to be. They all have too much money, too much time, and generally are just terrible humans who left alone, would probably just tear each other apart.

But this is civilized society. So everything must be said behind someone else's back. That is until the super secret platform where you can post what you really think is hacked, and everyone's identities are revealed. Everyone's secrets are laid bare - who is sleeping with whose husband, who is actually bankrupt, and there are even some leads for the police into who murdered one of their own.

I really enjoyed No One Needs to Know. It's a juicy satisfying read and the pages really turned themselves. Sure, there were times where certain situations seem outlandish. But, as a mom in the suburbs, I've seen how people behave. I can only imagine how much worse the backstabbing and gossip are when everyone is a millionaire and everyone is competing for the best private school for their child. This novel might be tamer than the truth.

Special thanks to Random House and Netgalley for an advanced e-galley in exchange for my honest review. This one is out now.

I came into this book expecting it to go a lot harder on digital privacy and responsibility. I also think the ending felt pretty unearned - Maya was not really a character, and I understand that that was because none of the narrators even thought of her, but it made it so that I felt like 90% of the book was unnecessary. I think the kids didn't even actually need to be in it - again, the point is that the kids were basically accessories for their wealthy parents, but I was interested and wanted to know more. The thing about writing about the vapidity and narrow-sightedness of insular, wealthy communities is that as a reader, I know interesting things were happening beyond the scope of our unreliable narrators, but I didn't get to see any of them.

No One Needs to Know is an entertaining read with some really unlikable characters! In a privileged neighborhood, the story follows three women and the drama that unfolds in their community. The plot felt a little choppy with a new chapter being a new character perspective, but it was not hard to follow. Complete with an anonymous social media platform, a college admissions scandal, affairs, blackmail, high-society parties, and a body count - this book had it all!