Secrets Never Die had potential, but the writing was so inconsistent. One moment the story is tense and interesting, and the next it's weak and draggy. When the antagonist was revealed, I just didn't care. Additionally, there was one minority in the main supporting cast, and aside from the initial action, he's basically shoved into the background and criminally under used.
As usual, 3 stars simply because I finished it.

Every year, Sam and his friends hold a funeral to release their secrets. They go to a place in the woods they call the Dark Place. But someone finds out about the Dark Place and wants the secrets released to terrorize them.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph in exchange for an honest review!

This book had many twists and turns from about the halfway point and really kept me guessing. It was slow to start, though. At first I was turned off because it came across as a horror book, and the concept of the kids confessing their secrets in a Halloween ceremony left me with an uncomfortable feeling. However, once the stalking mystery started, the book became more complex and suspenseful! I loved how it spanned generations. I would've liked to have seen more character development with Sam's girlfriend--their relationship seemed distant and less believable than the other friends. I also wish the ending had been tied up a little more neatly. Overall, I'd rate the book a 3.5, a great plot that needed a little more work to feel real.

I will recommend this book to my higher-level mystery reading students, but the strugglers won't be able to get past the slow beginning.

I am on a YA kick lately and this book is a great example of why! I love the mysteries and thrills and how they are portrayed in YA stories! This book is a great example of that. I was into it start from the start and read it in one sitting. There were a few plot twists I did not see coming and kept me wanting more. Definitely checking out more books from Vincent!

Thanks so much to the publisher and to Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC copy of this book!

I have scheduled promotional posts around release day for this book and I will provide a full review on my Instagram once I am able to get to this read.

Rating 5 stars on Netgalley as a placeholder for me to update later once the review is complete.

Will also complete a review on Goodreads once read.

Thanks again!

I read this as a free eARC from Netgalley. Sam Hall and his four friends all have dark secrets. To unburden themselves each Halloween, they go to the 'dark place.' It's a shack on his friend, Dom's, property. Except now someone knows each of their secrets. Someone who is willing to terrorize them enough to turn on each other and attack who is most precious to each of them. Sam is determined to find the stalker after they start trying to get to his sister. They each wonder how far the stalker will go to out their secret or harm their families. It is a fast paced mystery that teens and adults alike will enjoy.

Found on netgally and im glad i did because the blurb is what caught my eye. Have heard about this author before but never read their books. but i will check them out more now. 5 star book and i do recommend this book. I couldnt put this book down at all. might reread this book later on in the year. i already told a few people that they need to read this book

Read this at the beach and it was a great vacation read, very fast paced and easy to get through but still interesting. I found the plot twists were (for the most part) actually surprising without seeming out-of-nowhere which is something a lot of thriller/mystery books tend to struggle with. I did find it a bit needlessly dramatic–sometimes the “mysterious secrets” or “life altering events” seemed blown out of proportion and I found myself a little underwhelmed when secrets were revealed.
The characters also weren’t my favorites, the main characters' “child star” background felt odd (it fit in with the story but I couldn’t help finding it out of place) and the 5 year old sister does not behave like she’s 5. There’s also a bit at the beginning where they say she could “read minds” and I couldn’t tell if that was meant to be metaphoric or if there was a sci-fi element to the book I had missed but it doesn’t end up being important because it’s never again mentioned or developed upon.
Though I had some issues with the ending I did appreciate that the “culprit” had a motive/tragic backstory without it being an excuse for what they did–there was a reason for them to have done what they did but they were still clearly a “bad person” who did something very out of line. Overall, I’d recommend it if you’re looking for an easy, thriller-type novel that isn’t super scary–if you liked These Deadly Games by Diana Urban you’ll probably enjoy this one.
Thank you Netgalley for the ARC!

Pro
Plot twists were surprising
Fast paced, easy read
Murderer had motive but was also psycho
Con
Felt very overdramatic
Characterization of the sister was incredibly odd
Child star thing felt a little random

Everyone has secrets. Wouldn't be wonderful to have a safe place to set them free? The Dark Place was that until someone found out your secrets. Someone who is watching everyone. Do you stand up to them or give in?
Great read. I thought I knew who was behind it. I was so wrong. A book that keeps you guessing.
Thank you, Vincent Ralph. Thank you, NetGalley and publishers.

A group of teens finds a way to deal with their regrets and fears by singly telling them to the dark place, thereby unburdening themselves. What seems like a great way to de-stress turns sinister when they each begin to be taunted and threatened by their secrets. The perpetrator is a figment of the imagination, so it could actually be anyone. As they try to figure out who is tormenting them, the threats escalate to include their families. Their secrets are not life-threatening, but the threats against them are. I initially felt that they were over-reactive teens, but the mystery and threat increased as the story progressed. The story was much more complex than I expected, and the twists and turns kept you rooted in your seat. Great story with a lot of surprises!

If you're a fan of YA Mystery Thrillers that will keep you guessing until the end, I would recommend reading "Secrets Never Die" .

Once a year a group of friends meet at The Dark Place to confess their deepest secrets. They're suppose to leave feeling unburdened but this year the unthinkable has happened, someone not only knows about their ritual but also all of their secrets too. Now they must work together to figure out whose pulling the strings while dealing with exposed secrets, lies and betrayals that threaten to tear their friendship apart.

The author crafted a suspenful plotline with some twists and turns that I didn't expect. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Thank you Vincent Ralph, Net Galley and St. Martin's Press - Wednesday Books for providing me with an ARC of this book!

A different twist on the YA Thriller! Who is making the secrets that the others have burned come back from the dead? It kept me on the edge of my seat and I could not put it down! I just wanted to know what was going to happen to Sam and his friends! I would highly recommend this thriller to teens!

This is my first book by Vincent Ralph.

Did I enjoy the book yes. Is it one of my favorite thrillers no. I did love how short the chapters were. It made the book speed through.

The plot was great! I didn’t get the plot twist until they were revealed which is always a good thing. I was pulled into the storyline and could picture this entire book. I think this is a good YA Thriller that people will enjoy.

I heard Vincent’s other books are fantastic and will definitely be checking them out.

Secrets Never Die is a YA mystery/thriller. The pacing is good, there are some interesting twists and turns. The conclusion was a surprising twist. My only complaint was it ended with a question as if there will be a sequel.
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martins press for my ARC, all opinions are my own.

Sam Hall and his friends speak their deepest secrets in an abandoned space in the woods called the Dark Place. This year, however, the secrets have gotten free and are coming out to play!

This YA book is super creepy and well written. Much less angst and much more plot and interest! If you like a scary YA, a male hero (for once), or just like a scary creepy story, Secrets Never Die is for you!
#StMartins #SecretsNeverDie #VincentRalph

Thank you to Wednesday Books for the e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. I really enjoyed this book, significantly more than I expected myself to. While some of the characters fell flat from lack of description, others shined and compensated for that. I would have enjoyed this book more if it was paced better and had dropped better clues throughout that hinted at the final plot twist. Getting to the last 20% of this book felt like a completely different story that was rushed. Overall, I think the characters did act like real teenagers without reading as overly whiny and the mystery was interesting the entire time, even without a murder ever occurring.

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.

Ever since I read 14 Ways to Die, Vincent Ralph has been an auto-read author for me. I devour all of his books & this one wasn’t any different. I absolutely love & appreciate short chapters & Ralph always delivers. While this wasn’t my favorite book by him, it was still good. I went in blind (like I said, auto-read author) & I’m so glad I did because this wasn’t anything like I was expecting.
The only thing I will say I wasn’t a fan of was that some stuff with the characters didn’t make sense. Lauren didn’t feel like a flushed out character & Elisha was a little to flighty for me. But that’s just nitpicking. Overall I liked this book a lot and will continue to read anything by Vincent Ralph!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

This was a pretty good mystery! I enjoyed the story line and thought it was well developed. Normally, I have trouble picking out twists and turns and didn't see all the ones in this. It was good! I enjoyed it!

So I really liked this book. It held my attention and at some parts was hard to put down. I liked the characters and thought they were well wrote. Definitely enjoyed this book!