Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph is a young adult story full of suspense and mystery. This story has a vibe very similar to pretty little liars for a new generation and shines in showing what types of things the characters consider secrets worth keeping. Readers looking for excitement and intrigue has come to the right place.

The description of the book pretty much sums up the gist of the story. I won't write anything more that would spoil the mystery or suspense.

The book is touted as a novel for fans of Diana Urban and Courtney Summers. Since I have enjoyed Diana Urban's novels, I jumped at the chance to read this book. Well, it didn't quite live up to all of the hype. And I probaby expected a lot more than normal.

As far as the characters go, they were typical teenagers that ran the gamut of school bully, the intellectual, and the underprivileged. I didn't particularly care for any of the main characters. And I didn't quite appreciate the insertion of a non-binary character as well. The only character that I did like was Molly, the youngest sister of Sam. A child prodigy in the making...

There are a number of plot twists that slowly reveal the blackmailer and the motive. I thought that the secrets that Sam and his friends had were pretty thin to warrant blackmail threats, however. But it is what it is. In any event, there was enough suspense in the narrative to keep me interested and moving forward. But in the end, there wasn't anything surprising about the big reveal. Three stars.

I received a DRC from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. The review herein is completely my own and contains my honest thoughts and opinions.

“Secrets Never Die” by Vincent Ralph follows Sam and his group of friends as they are terrorized by an unknown person in a mask. Every Halloween Sam and his friends confess their darkest secrets. No one is supposed to know them, not even each other. But when they start getting messages and videos they realize someone knows everything. The pace keeps you wanting to read, and the plot twists superb.

If you liked Pretty Little Liars, this is the book for you. I thought I had it figured out and then it kept twisting and turning. This would be a great thriller YA for the classroom.

I enjoyed this book and the pacing of it a lot. The chapters were very short and there was action from the beginning. Overall, this was a twisty thriller that left me guessing until the end!

Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Sam and his friends to the same thing every year. They each have secrets, that they would like to remain buried. Someone wants those secrets to come out. I liked this book. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a review.

Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph

Once a year Sam and his friends go to a hut in the woods they call the Dark Place. They go into the hut one at a time and tell it their secrets. This year someone is listening and begins blackmailing them with their secrets. Who is watching and listening to them? Who can they trust? Will their secrets be exposed to the whole world?
Overall, the book was very enjoyable. The action is fairly fast paced and keeps you reading. However, in the beginning the transitions between current action and past events seems very haphazard. This makes the book a little hard to follow. This does improve as the events unfold but I had a hard time getting into this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Wednesday books for this eARC to read and review.

This was a medium paced, entertaining, YA book. I think it’d be perfect for those who are just getting into thrillers. All around a well written book.

I wasn’t sure about this one at first. It was slow and while we slowly learn some secrets there wasn’t this wow factor to them. The group keeps getting messages from someone that will reveal their dark secrets and they are set on figuring out who is behind this. Towards the end there is this twist and instantly the story is giving me Riverdale vibes.
If you can get through the slow parts (the chapters are pretty short), it has a good twist and ending.
3.5⭐️

I enjoyed the quick chapters and pace of the book. I was expecting the secrets to have more substance and be a bit more exciting. I did not see some of the key players that came into play so I did enjoy the surprise of that. Overall, good for a quick read.

“Some secrets should never have been buried” Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph is a YA crime story that is a thriller and suspenseful. This story is about 4 high school friends who grew up together Sam (told from his POV, and was a child actor), his girlfriend Elisha (she is a tutor), Hasan (who is into sports and slasher movies), and Dom (the mean guy of the group). Every year at Halloween they go to the “Dark Place” which is a hut in the middle of the woods where they each take a turn in the hut admitting their darkest secrets. There is a rule where no one asks the others what they confessed to because once the secrets are said in this hut, the secrets die in this hut. Or so they thought.
Someone named “Sasha” knows all of their secrets and is using them to blackmail. I spent this entire book trying to figure out who did it and thinking I knew who it was and at times during the book I thought each of them did it. This was not my favorite book. There were parts in the book where I was really into and some parts that were really slow. I feel let down by the way the book ended, I was left with more questions then I had answers. I won’t say anymore then that because I don’t want to give any of the story away. I read that he has other books that I will check out for sure.
Thank you to Vincent Ralph, Wednesday Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC in return for my honest review. I give this book 3 stars.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARc in exchange for my honest review.

This was a decent YA thriller so long as you don’t give it too much thought. I’m not sure the story totally works but it was entertaining while reading.

Secrets Never Die is a YA mystery thriller that reads like a slasher film. Sam and his friends always go to a cabin in the woods every Halloween to “bury” their secrets. Things start to unravel when they start getting texts from an unknown number threatening them and to reveal their secrets.

I really liked this book. It was like Pretty Little Liars and a slasher film. The twists were unexpected and it was a fast read. I liked the emotional connections that were developed between the characters. I would say it’s better written and the twists were better than just an average YA thriller.

Some parts seemed a bit dramatic and unrealistic. Every chapter seemed to end with a cliche line like “I’m gonna catch them before they catch me” type thing that got old after a while. It also seemed a bit too long and could’ve been shorter.

I would recommend this to people that like YA thrillers and slasher movies! Thanks so much to netgalley, St. Martins press, and Wednesday books for the arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and Wednesday Books for giving me my first NetGalley book!

Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I found the beginning chapters and engaging but as I continued to read, the pace seemed to drag. Admittedly, I made it about half way through the book before I stopped reading. The secrets that were revealed in what I read did not feel world altering or heavy enough to warrant so much secrecy around them.

Again, thank you for the opportunity to read and review. This one just was not for me!

Pub date: 8/29/23
Genre: YA thriller
Quick summary: The Dark Place is a hut in the woods where Sam and his friends hide their secrets...until the secrets start coming to life, and Sam has to figure out who is responsible.

I've been on vacation at the beach, and a YA thriller felt essential for my beach bag! Unfortunately, this one wasn't my favorite. I felt like I got dropped into the middle of the story with very little context. The mystery also wasn't compelling until about 75% - the Dark Place and the group's secrets just didn't pull me in. I did like some of the later twists, so I would try another book by Ralph.

Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

✨Thank you NetGalley/Wednesday Books for the eArc!! ✨

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
Recommended if you like: Pretty Little Liars, Scream: the TV show, Halloween

We call it the Dark Place. I don’t know who built it or when but, for us, it’s special.

Secrets Never Die is the newest release from author Vincent Ralph, who has previously written 14 Ways to Die and Lock The Doors.

The story follows Sam, a child star who had his career crash and burn a few years back and his friends as the complete their yearly ritual of visiting The Dark Place on Halloween- a place where their darkest secrets live in quiet.

Until now.

Someone has knows about the Dark Place- and their deepest secrets- threatening to release them for all the world to know. Can Sam and his friends figure out who it is before the blackmail goes too far?

--
Vincent Ralph is one of my auto-buy authors ALWAYS. The way Ralph writes gives me early 2000s CW show vibes and this new release did not disappoint! The characters that Ralph has created are all very trope-esque but in this particular atmosphere it really worked- Sam, the child star who’s career was over before it began is the main character of the story, and while I wish we got more in-depth look at his life as a child star I think the amount that was included was a perfect amount to help tell this story. His friends are all very grey in terms of their personalities which helps the story since I feel like each person has their own secrets so it makes sense for them to not be reliable characters.

The only critique I have is that the beginning seemed to be really slow-starting compared to some of Ralph’s other books, and I also felt like the ‘red herring’ would have been a very good twist if Ralph turned it from the red herring to the actual twist of the book.

All in all, I really enjoyed the twists and turns this book provided me, this is SUCH a fun read for people who love YA thrillers and a book that will keep you on your toes.

What a great read for those who need some Halloween dopamine.

The carefully woven plot kept me on the edge of my seat, eagerly turning page after page as I unraveled the web of secrets that surrounded the characters.
The story’s pacing was well-crafted, striking the balance between tension and unease. Just when I thought I had it figured out, a twist would be introduced that left me eager to discover more. The novel delves into the nature of trust, the consequences of keeping secrets, and the power of redemption.
There were certain moments where the narrative felt slightly predictable, however, in no way did this take away from the overall brilliance of the book.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy young adult thrillers!

3.5/5 ⭐️
This was an interesting YA thriller that gave me the same vibes and feelings I felt while reading Pretty Little Liars and A Good Girl's Guide to Murder.
I was torn between giving it 3.5 or 4 stars because it was good, the writing was good, but the details could have been better. The story completely had me engrossed where I read it in one day with very few breaks, and this thriller was definitely thrilling. But, the details around the premise and the reasoning behind what was happening was meh. However, I would still recommend this book to people. Like I said, it definitely is engrossing and it elicited strong emotions from me, which are two things I think most books should be able to do.
So, if you’re a fan of thrillers, I would recommend this book. I don’t think it’ll be on your all time favorite list, but you will definitely have a good time.
Thank you to Wednesday Publishing & NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.

I was not a big fan of this book. When I finished the book, I felt uneasy and anxious so I feel that the author is talented at evoking emotion. However the story had some major issues. There were some leaps in logic that seemed unrealistic. The characters behavior was erratic. It was just not a novel that I would recommend to a friend.

Following the story of a boy who was once a child actor, who fell from glory, and now spends his evenings hiding from his secrets and burying them in a strange ritual with his friends. Sam didn't even like acting, his father was living his dreams through his son, and now he has turned his attention on his daughter, and Sam isn't happy.
Someone has also found their secrets and has begun bullying them.
This story honestly reminds me of the TV series Pretty Little Liars.
The writing style is very plain and lacks the charm of description. I'd rate this book a 2 star. It was not my taste. The plot felt too familiar, I guessed the ending before getting three chapters in, and the characters lacked any personable characteristics. I could not attach myself to these characters or the plot.
It definitely sounded like an interesting idea, and there was more going on in the book than the blurb gave light to. Which added to the appeal, but I still struggled to get through this story.
If you like tv dramas/mysteries then this might be your vibe, but I wouldn't recommend it.