Secrets Never Die is a dark and thrilling mystery. Sam and his friends spend one night a year confessing their darkest secrets. He is a former child star who has struggled with the aftermath of his career going up in flames. Confessing secrets has always been a cathartic experience, until an ominous figure steps out from the shadows. One of their secrets has come to life and is haunting them. Sam and his friends must figure out who is blackmailing them before all of their secrets are revealed one by one…

This was my first book from Vincent Ralph but definitely not my last! I read this book so quickly, it was very hard to put down. Sam and his friends are compelling characters with skeletons in their closets. I enjoyed learning the little clues that built up to their deep secrets. Sam’s secret was a heavy burden and his friends had equally oppressive secrets that were holding them back. I really enjoyed the reveal about who was blackmailing them and why. There was a heavy focus on the action and creepy reveals, so at times I didn’t feel deeply connected to the characters. Still, this was a spooky and fast-paced thriller that I think many readers will also enjoy!

Thank you so much to Vincent Ralph, Wednesday Books, and Netgalley for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review

For publisher: My review will be posted on Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, Storygraph, and Barnes & Noble etc

This book was absolutely amazing. I loved the character development. It was fast paced I couldn’t put it down. It’s a perfect book for fall and Halloween! The twist and turns this book had was so much fun. I thought I knew what was going to happen. But I kept guessing wrong and the ending surprised me. It was a thrill and I loved the ride. I can’t til it’s released so I can buy the physical copy to put with my copy’s of Lock the doors and 14 ways to die.. Thank you so much Vincent Ralph and netgalley for allowing me to read this book early.

My review will also be on Goodreads.
Also on barnes and noble and Amazon when it’s released. Again thank you so much!

I love Vincent Ralph books because they are never what you expect. They are full of wonderful twists and turns that keep you guessing until the end and always have a huge shock factor.
This one was no exception.

The short chapters keep this book moving at such a quick pace that you could read this book easily in one sitting.

Personally this was not my favorite by Vincent Ralph but I still loved it!

✨ BOOK REVIEW ✨

Genre: YA Mystery
Pages: 368
Goodreads: 3.8
Release date: August 28, 2023

I don’t typically read a lot of YA books because I enjoy reading a book that scares me so much I don’t want to sleep for 3 days. Books for teens usually don’t get that intense, but this one caught me off guard so many times!! Like if I would have been reading this while camping, I would’ve been absolutely terrified.

This would be a great book to read as Halloween approaches due to it mostly revolving around that time.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Every year Sam Hall and his friends hold funerals for their secrets in an abandoned hut in the woods that they call the Dark Place. But this year, their secrets are coming back from the dead.

Sam is a former child star whose career went up in flames - literally. And no one, not even his best friend knows why. His friends each hold a secret pertaining to the night. A secret they would all like buried.

Now someone is blackmailing them with their dangerous secrets. Sam isn't sure who he can trust, who's watching him - or how far he's willing to go to bury the past once and for all.

This book gave me Pretty Little Liars vibes but with dudes and with less juicy secrets. I really enjoyed the plot and the fact that it’s around Halloween is always amazing as well. I had a lot of fun reading this book and the twists and turns were a strong 4.5 I think the only reason why I cut half a star is because “Sasha” wasn’t my favorite character but she had her place in the story

My Thoughts
Forget sleeping, forget taking breaks for food or personal needs, forget about other YA mystery mind benders because their particular type has no bearing on this particular twisty tale.

Friends Elisha, Sam, Dom, older sister Lauren and Haran are privy to the Dark Place since childhood thanks to Dom.

However, as they learn its location is one secret that is known by someone they do not know. Not yet anyway.

As secrets unravel there are explanations given that prove once and for all to Sam Hall not every truth is 100% accurate just like every lie is not 100% without justification.

Scary yes, truly pure Horror No not to me anyway. The story does horrify its reader over and over though so there is that.

Along with an engaging premise, fast short chapters, clues that just take a while to add up and a really heartbreaking reason why everything goes a certain way for these plot points to work.

So, it looks like everything is over, all questions answered, all the problems solved.

But is it really that simple or is something missing that just hasn’t been thought of yet?

After the last few chapters were finished it’s clear that the truth still remains unresolved but the story has ended already.

Loved the premise, thought the characters were fleshed out just enough to be seen as individuals, the plot twists kept me guessing and even when things came together it still felt like there was more going on that was never revealed to make a truly conclusive statement meaning The End.

When I finished the final words, it still felt like this story had not ended which is a creepy feeling for me.

Solid read that will appeal to some more than others, as all reading is subject to readers moods as well as the quality of what they have just spent time immersing themselves in.
[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Book: Secrets Never Die
Author: Vincent Ralph
Rating: 4 Out of 5 Stars

I would like to thank the publisher, Wednesday Books, for sending me an ARC.

In this one, we follow former child star, Sam, and his friends as they visit the Dark Place. The Dark Place is a place where they can get rid of their secrets and move on. At least, that is it what is supposed to be. The Dark Place is alive and now someone knows all that they did. Someone is stalking them, making them do things, and is in complete control of their lives. Sam and his friends must find out who or what is behind this before their secrets not only tear their lives apart but those around them. They don’t know who is watching or what dark truth will come out next.

I loved the setup for this one. It’s kind of like Pretty Little Liar meets Karen M. McManus. We have a group of friends who have secrets that they don’t want out. Someone knows these secrets and is now in charge of your core characters’ lives. We see the measures that the characters will go to to keep their secrets hidden. As you are reading, you don’t know what these secrets are and why our characters want to keep them buried. Was it something illegal? Will these secrets end their friendships? You don’t know. This is why you have to keep reading. You want to find out what is happening.

Using the Halloween and fall seasons as a backdrop only adds to the feeling of the unknown. It adds another layer to what is happening. It’s in that in-between time between Halloween and Thanksgiving. We don’t have the magical feeling of Christmas. Everything is dead. The nights are cool. It’s the perfect set-up for the story. We don’t know if the Dark Place has some supernatural powers or what. We don’t know what is happening. The sun sets early, giving everything a ghostly feeling. I truly don’t think this story would have worked the way it did had it not been set when it was.

I enjoyed our characters. It did take me a little bit to get into Sam’s head. Once I did and formed a bond with him, I thought he was a great leader. I love how much he wants to protect his family, especially his little sister. Even within Sam’s family, we get a sense that something isn’t right. There was a fire when Sam was twelve and no one knows what happened on that day. It has torn their family apart. Not only that, but no one can tell his dad what they want and how they feel. He pushes them into things as if he is trying to make up for his failures. It makes people reach a breaking point.

The other characters were okay. We do have a pretty large cast. There were times that I felt like they are all trying to get screen time. I wish that they had been a little bit more developed. However, not knowing them did help the plot, I guess. It adds to the sense of the unknown and not knowing who to trust. Overall, I wasn’t as attached to them as Sam. They did do the job though.

The ending did and didn’t make sense. I can see where the author was going and the foundation was laid out. However, it could have been done a little bit differently. It needed a little bit more to make it believable. I’m sorry that I’m being kind of vague here. I don’t want to spoil it.

Overall, I did enjoy this. If you are looking for an action-packed young adult mystery/thriller with a male lead, then I encourage you to give this one a go. Also, if you like Pretty Little Liars and Karen M. McManus, I think you will enjoy this one.

This book comes out on September 26, 2023.

Youtube: https://youtu.be/x2okSuSEec0

Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph is a pretty solid YA Thriller. It has I Know What You Did Last Summer vibes, with the whole 'our secrets are coming back to haunt us' horror trope. IKWYDLS is a teen horror staple, so I'm not mad at it.

I liked the characters and was invested early on. The tension that builds, as our MCs try to solve the mystery of who's terrorizing them, was well-written and well-paced. I was anxious for them, and desperate to find out what was going on.

And then we do, and I was underwhelmed. I found the "why" to be pretty anticlimactic and trite, and the "who" to be OTT. The story was a solid 4 for me, but the reveal was rather disappointing. For the most part, I enjoyed Secrets Never Die, but not as much as I did Lock the Doors. Though, I recommend both. I'm looking forward to picking up more from this author.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the e-ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Horror-esk style book with lots of twists, turns, and secrets. I loved the writing and all the scenes that got you thinking. The Plot was good, the characters were great and I can't wait for everyone to read this

This book was not at all what I expected. I thought it was a multiple POV and instead we get just Sam's perspective. This I think is one reason why the story worked so well. It wasn't jumping all over the place.

The plot twists were a good mix of guessable with some that blew my mind. I was starting to think the author did it on purpose, you guess some twists just to be shocked later.

This was my first book by this author, I absolutely loved the fact that the chapters had names not numbers AND they were short.

I've been on a YA thriller kick - and I usually love Vincent Ralph, but unfortunately, Secrets Never Die just didn't hit it for me. While I enjoyed the different characters, the tension, and the fast-paced action, something was just lacking. I felt some of the stalker behavior was just so unrealistic and so ramped-up, dramatic, that it took away from my enjoyment.

It is a fast read - I finished it rather quickly on a plane - and enjoyed something that didn't require too much thought.

Ultimately, there was just a lot going on, but without a fantastic, surprising twist payout.

This was my first Vincent Ralph book, and honestly, I felt like I’ve read it before. It didn’t feel original- like it’s already been done before. Maybe it’s just me, I do read a LOT of books, but it just didn’t stand out to me.

3.25 ⭐️
Hmm... I really wanted to enjoy this book and the synopsis was really interesting for sure! This is my first book by Vincent Ralph and this was interesting! The pacing of the story is fast which was great, some of the twist is unexpected which is also great, but the connection that I felt to the characters weren't there??? Usually the mystery intertwined with the characters would make me feel that connection, but in this book, it was not as strong?? I kept wanting more but I felt this book did not hold a lot of character depth 🥲 . But this book is definitely a kind of book where you can sit in one sitting and it's very action packed as well!
Thank you Netgalley, St. Martin's Press, and Wednesdays Books for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review

My heart is still pounding

What just happened ? I’m an adult, how did a YA book shake me to my core ? Well, when you are Vincent Ralph, you know how to skillfully craft a book that will consume and frighten even the coldest of folks.

I know I know. This is crazy . I can read Stephen King and not even bat an eye but I tell ya, this one is good, real good .

Something about teenagers have always scared me. Their brains haven’t fully formed and they make impulsive, awful and dangerous decisions without even batting an eye . Insert ::shiver:: . Just thinking about what I just read sends chills up my spine .

I think you should find out for yourself …

Teaser :

Secrets Never Die is a creepy thriller from New York Times bestselling author Vincent Ralph about four teens who all have secrets that are coming back to haunt...and terrorize.

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

Every year Sam Hall and his friends hold funerals for their secrets in an abandoned hut in the woods that they call the Dark Place. But this year, their secrets are coming back from the dead...to terrorize them.

Sam is a former child star whose career went up in flames – literally. And no one, not even his best friend knows why. His friends each hold a secret pertaining to the night. A secret they would all like buried.

Now someone from the past is blackmailing them with their dangerous secrets. Sam isn’t sure who he can trust, who’s watching him – or how far he’s willing to go to bury the past once and for all.

When you’re alone in the dark, some things won’t stay hidden.

Holy crap this was such a twisty, sitting on the edge of your seat book! I was hooked from the very beginning.

Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
Expected publication date: Sept. 26, 2023
Everyone has secrets. But for former child actor Sam Hall and his friends, their secrets come back in a big way- jeopardizing friendships, futures and even lives. Every Halloween, Sam and his friends meet in the backyard of his friend Dom’s house, where a ramshackle shack they’ve named “The Dark Place” sits. Every year, the teenagers whisper their darkest secrets to the shadows that live in the dark place, ridding them of their guilt and angst. However, this year, the secrets that they’ve told only to these four walls are being revealed, in dangerous ways. Sam and his friends try and discover the truth, before turning on each other.
“Secrets Never Die” is the newest YA horror novel by author Vincent Ralph. “Lifelong” friendships (a whole sixteen years’ worth), life-changing secrets (to a teenaged mind anyway) and consequences broadcast on social media, and “Die” has all of the components of a millennial-focused horror story. But even for someone like me (far enough past the teenage angst years), Ralph’s novel was intriguing, immersive and even slightly scary.
The chapters are short, each chapter given a title instead of a number, and the novel is entirely narrated by Sam. Although Sam’s former life as a child star is different from that of most of Ralph’s readers, he was still honest and relatable, building a quick and easy rapport with readers. In fact, most of the characters in “Die” were likable, and provided enough development and depth to make their individual outcomes matter, and they kept me turning the pages.
Ralph ensures there are enough characters that the actual culprit hides in the shadows, and yet somehow manages to make an entirely plausible ending that completely checks all the boxes (there is even a touching message or two within the pages). “Die” is a quick read, but it is also modern, relevant and entertaining. I haven’t read Ralph’s other novels, but this one seemed right up my alley and I was not disappointed. Even the adult reader will find something to enjoy with “Secrets Never Die”, and that takes a special talent that Ralph seems to have in spades.

Actual Rating: 3.5

I Know What You Did Last Summer meets One of Us Is Lying in this teen mystery thriller!

Secrets Never Die starts one fateful Halloween. Sam Hall and his friends have an annual tradition. Every year, they visit an abandoned hut in the woods where they each go in, one at a time, to share their deepest, darkest secrets and get it off their chest. Most of them come out lighter and relieved. This year, after a series of weird occurrences, San starts to realize that things aren’t quite right. And when everyone starts getting threatening texts that are personalized to each of them, their greatest fear is confirmed: someone knows ALL their secrets.

The premise itself is really interesting and I loved the tension that was created by reading from the perspective of a character who had secrets, with the primary antagonist being someone masked and mysterious.

It definitely took me a little while to get the hang of the story and all the characters — especially again near the final 20% of the book where the cast expands again. However, I think it really helps that the entire book was written from Sam’s perspective. We knew who he was closest with, who he didn’t like, who he did, and most of all, his own secret. Being an ex-child star is really not a characterization I've read much so it was super interesting to see. So to be expected, Sam had the best and most intriguing backstory of all and I also liked how some of the others had secrets that were intertwined with his history.

Plot-wise, I do have mixed feelings on how the final story turned out; on one hand it was definitely unexpected (and the good mysteries are the unpredictable ones) but it also seemed a little underwhelming for not being as tied into existing thread lines as I wanted. I felt similarly about some of the secrets, especially if they were built up until the very end as something so extreme it would change the course of the story.

Ultimately, the climax did deliver, the ending is satisfying, and I had a really good time trying to read between the lines to figure out who did it and what the characters’ secrets were. I’d definitely recommend this for fans of ensemble mystery stories.

This was a thrilling ride. I haven't read from this author before, so I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was a great mystery and I really enjoyed the ride!

I'm not sure if I read the same book as everyone else because I'm just lost.. A story where secrets are never truly laid to rest sounds great. But the thing is that most of these secrets are completely innocuous... and it ultimately comes down to punishing the children for the sins of their parents. It just didn't feel well-foreshadowed at all and there was little to no tension throughout. Maybe it just wasn't for me.

*Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review*

A light easy read for YA. A group of friends hold a ceremony each Halloween to air their worst secret. The only problem is, their secrets aren’t secrets anymore. Someone knows everything. The friends must find out who is harassing them as the threats get worse each day.