Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my copy of Secrets Never Die!

Another YA thriller exceeding my expectations! This was really well done. I like the writing style, the short chapters and the way everything unfolded in the story.

The characters seem like your typical teenagers except the MC, Sam, is a retired child actor. Along with his girlfriend, Elisha, and his two best friends, Haran and Dom, and Dom's sisterr, Lauren - they make up the main components of the story. Also Molly sounds adorable. I love how Sam is so protective of his sister. I enjoyed every single character in this novel, even the parents.

The only thing stopping me from giving this a full 5 is who the "stalker" is and why they were doing it. It just didn't sell well to me. But every mystery and "action" scenes were so well written. Really, really recommend this to everyone!

A group of teenagers find their secrets come to life in this new YA horror novel. I think this had potential, but I think the writing style was too dialogue heavy, especially early on. It made it hard to focus on the story and really get the spookiness. I did like the overall idea though.

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 stars but I'll round up to 4.

I am a huge fan of YA mystery/thrillers. This one however fell a little short for me. It honestly reminded me of Pretty Little Liars and how A was tormenting the girls making them do crazy things or their secret was out, also sprinkle in a little I Know What You Did Last Summer and you've got this book! The secret in question in this book are so juvenile I laughed when I came across them. I felt like is was so played up, their secrets, and then I felt like I deserved better secrets.

I did not like the ending, it was not wrapped up completely, which I guess could lead to another novel but I still felt like the book ended and I was just eh.

The twist in the book came out of nowhere. While you would think that was a good usually there is some foreshadowing. This had NONE.

Still a good book but it felt very familiar reading it.

Secrets Never Die, but my social life did while I was reading this book. OH MY GOSH! I was floored with how amazing this book was. I usually don't love YA thrillers, but this one peaked my interest, kept my interest, and then became my personality. FANTASTIC!!!

After really loving 14 Ways to Die and now Secrets Never Die, I'm excited to say that Vincent Ralph is definitely an auto-buy YA author for me!⁠
In his latest we follow a group of friends who go to 'the dark place' every Halloween to share their deepest secrets and put them to bed, however this year someone is listening, and they're bringing all of their dark secrets to life. With short chapters and a quickly moving plot, this action-packed novel will have you questioning who is hiding what, and what they will do to protect their own secrets. ⁠
I thought I had this one figured out, but the ending presented so many layers that I didn't see coming, so I was pleasantly surprised at how everything unfolded. ⁠
This is a fun one for your fall TBR or to get you out of a reading slump!

Such a well crafted, quick read!!! I really enjoyed the writing style as well as the twists!!! For a YA book, it had me on the edge of my seat a few times! I also really enjoyed that the chapters had titles-random, but it was nice.

Thank you @netgalley @wednesdaybooks for the #gifted copy of this e-arc!

Every year, Sam and his group of friends get together at The Dark Place to hold funerals for their secrets. This year things seem to be a bit different as someone has thrown blood filled eggs at the cabin. Finding it odd and disturbing they brush it off. By the time the next day rolls around, each of them are receiving texts messages from someone they don’t know. Their secrets are being used against them…someone is blackmailing them and Sam doesn’t quite know who he can trust.

Thoughts: I am going to start with the positives of this book! The idea is unique around trying to bury secrets with your friends each year. The setting was written and did feel eerie which I liked. The chapters were short which I also love and made it so I flew through this book. I unfortunately struggled to connect with any of the characters making it so I just was not invested in this story. There was almost no background about the characters in the start and I didn’t end up caring much about what they were doing. The ending was wrapped up tying everything together but this felt like it was too little too late.

An interesting read with some twists and turns. I didnt care much for the characters but maybe that was intended.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

3.5⭐️Just finished this book. It was good ride, a few of the twists got me and a couple a figured out. This book takes the idea of what happens when people try to keep secrets, and flips it on its head. Good storyline and characters.

3.2-3.5/5.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review! i have a soft spot for YA thrillers, and this book was delightful. I really liked (most of) our cast of characters - especially Haran and our main Sam! I would have loved to read more about the friend group. I'm a bit iffy on their secrets - none seemed all that important or wild to me, but I guess it's also the perspective of teenagers and their thoughts on what's a heartbreaking secret as well.

The plot was kind of eh though. I was certainly interested in the mystery, but there weren't many (if any) clues to point us to the plot twist. Being surprised is great, and I didn't think the plot twist was bad, just to clarify. But I think something thrillers struggle with is toe-ing the line between "making a plot twist out of nowhere to shock the reader" and "making it completely obvious what the twist would be." I wish we had gotten at least a few clues to point us towards that plot twist, so that readers could attempt to figure it out on their own - that's half the fun with mysteries/thrillers! The motivations after the plot twist also didn't feel fleshed out - I could deal with the kids not having great secrets, but every other person involved seemed to have reasonings that made little sense/weren't very important to me.

I think with a tighter plot and raising the stakes a bit more, I could really LOVE this book, because I appreciated the cast of characters a lot and cared about their dynamics.

2.5 stars

On the upside, the pacing for this YA mystery/thriller is really fast. I listened to it without breaks while doing so many weekend errands and chores, and while I didn't find the characters or story as compelling as I'd hoped, it's worth noting that it's still a pretty engaging read.

The biggest struggle for me with this one was the two-dimensional nature of the characters and their affiliated secrets. Because I wasn't particularly invested in any of the characters, I didn't much care who was terrorizing them or why. The m.c. is ridiculous. He's a former child star who is absolutely incensed that people lie but also deeply protective of his own secrets. Ugh. The reveal and resolution are interesting but mostly because it's surprising that any of these people took these specific measures or had these kinds of fears over...what seems like not that big of a deal.

Again, I found this engaging enough to listen to, but will it be hitting the top of my YA mystery/thriller list? Unfortunately, not.

2.5 stars rounded up to 3.

I think SECRETS NEVER DIE will hit well with teens who haven't read a ton of thrillers about a group of friends with a bunch of secrets between them because the pacing is fast enough to keep readers engaged through the slow burn until everything is revealed. For readers that have read similar setups before, they'll have the mystery figured out before the details are revealed in the plot, which can be slightly disappointing if looking for a new take on this thriller trope.

Advanced Reader’s Copy provided by NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesday Books in exchange for an honest review.

This was a twisty/turny fast-paced read that I really wound up liking. A group of friends goes to a secret place to one by one whisper their secrets into the dark, where they can leave them behind. However, this year is different. They start getting tons of messages from someone who not only knows their secrets but is willing to use this against them.

I loved the short chapters. For some reason I just fly through any book with short chapters. I had an easy time reading this and did not completely expect the ending!

Out August 29, 2023!

Thank you, Netgalley and Publisher, for this Arc!

Thank you NetGalley for giving me an ARC of this book

This book was so is fast-paced, I loved that it had so many unpredictable twists and turns, I love this genre and can usually guess what is going to happen but couldn't with this. I was so into it! I need more from this author ASAP. Really enjoyed Sam, his friends, and the thrill of it all.

4.5 Stars! Definitely rereading for spooky season and getting a personal copy!

Sam and his friends have a ritual that every Halloween they go to a special place and reveal all their secrets to the dark. This year, however, it seems that someone has discovered the secrets and is not only terrorizing our group but blackmailing them as well.

This YA mystery is fast-paced, has a ton of twists and turns, and never knew what was going to happen next or where the story was going to go. I would definitely read more by this author in the future.

Sam is a former child star with a closet full of skeletons. I wanted to really enjoy this, but it fell flat.

This was so juvenile and I could not connect to the writing. These kids are mid to late teens, like drivers licenses, going to parties, in relationships… but the way they were written didn’t seem to match that vibe.

A group of friends spend every Halloween taking a little while away from the annual party to go into the woods and reveal their darkest secrets to the darkness (not each other, but each separately). But, tonight is different. Something happens and starts a whole series of events that unravel their lives. From this point I was fully intrigued, excited for the secrets and devolution of their bonds to play out. Unfortunately, the way it proceeds was quite silly.

There were moments in this book that I found really interesting. I liked the stalker plot. I didn’t like everything else. I didn’t much care about the characters. Our protagonist’s little sister, Molly was the character I enjoyed the most, even if she was written a little too mature.

thank for you allowing me to read this early release! i loved the atmosphere of the book throughout l, just like his other work! I would say the character development was the downfall, I had a difficult time grasping and connecting to them.

Thank you Net Galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book &or an honest review.
This book has potential but fell flat for me . A group of friends get together once a year and go in a small room and tell their secrets just as a way of letting go of them. They don’t even tell each other but someone knows and is blackmailing Sam. Sam was a child actor but doesn’t talk about what happened. They all start getting crazy texts and get freaked out about them and who would be sending them . I don’t normally read YA books but I couldn’t connect with the characters.

'Secrets Never Die' dives into the intriguing tradition of burying secrets in the foreboding 'Dark Place', an abandoned hut deep within the woods. Every year, Sam Hall and his friends venture there to bury their deepest secrets. This annual ritual, however, takes a sinister turn when their very secrets begin to haunt and terrorize them.

Sam, an erstwhile child star whose meteoric career met an abrupt end in flames, is the story's captivating center. The enigma around that fateful night, a secret he shares with his friends, keeps the tension palpable. The sheer weight of the past looms over every page, making you question every character's motives. Who can Sam trust when every friend holds a shard of that haunting night?

The dynamic between Sam and his sister Molly adds a layer of emotional depth to the otherwise suspenseful narrative. Their bond stands as a beacon of genuine love amidst a backdrop of treachery and blackmail.

What I truly appreciated was the unpredictable nature of the plot. Just when you think you've figured it out, a twist pulls the rug from under your feet.

For those looking for a YA thriller that masterfully blends emotional depth with edge-of-your-seat suspense, 'Secrets Never Die' is a compelling pick. Dive in and get lost in the shadows of secrets that refuse to stay buried.

first off, thank you to netgalley & vincent ralph for the chance to read this arc!
generational trauma x you never know other people’s battles.
after being stalked and chased by secrets, our mc learns all about the trauma caused by his parents and the outcomes when you just run away from it all. 3.5 ⭐️