This book was really good! The plot was engaging and I connected with the characters which is something not a lot of authors can accomplish! Definitely recommending this book.

*Received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

My overall rating is 3 stars. Understand this is a YA book. Had i knew that, i would have adjusted my expectations. This was a fun and fast read. Just in time for spooky season. The chapters were short and I quickly flew through the book. This was the kind of story where you put your brain on autopilot and just go with the story. Halfway through I was going with a four star read. It was the second half that knocked it down a star. The main character started doing things that made no sense. The book could have removed a couple of chapters and it would still flow well. Some of the situations should have been introduced earlier. Then it wouldn't feel like it came out of nowhere. Wasn't crazy about the ending. It leaves it open for a 2nd book and I don't think there's enough to justify one. I did enjoy the book and do like the author's previous books.

#SECRETSNEVERDIE. #VINCENTRALPH. #NETGALLEY

I couldn’t wait ti read this book! The premise of the book was intriguing as I always love a good horror/thriller. The story centers around Sam and his friend group, who take a trip every year to an abandoned hut they call the “Dark Place”, to have a “funeral” for all of their secrets. This year, things go sideways, their secrets are threatened, and no one is sure who they can trust.

There were quite a few characters, which I felt led to them feeling very one dimensional and hard to connect with. I really liked the chapter length and the flow and pace of the story was good. There were some unexpected twists and good tension. The actual ending of the book fell a little flat for me, but overall it was still an entertaining read.

Thank you to NetGalley + Wednesday Books for the ARC.

Pretty Little Liars vibes with this YA thriller.
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Every Halloween Sam and his friends go to a hut in the woods they call the Dark Place. It’s there that they bury the secrets they have, holding a funeral for them. But this year someone was watching and is now tormenting and blackmailing everyone in the group. Each holds a secret they’re ready to die for—will it come to that?
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I liked this one better than 14 Ways to Die, but I still didn’t really like or love it. The cover and premise? Amazing. The execution, not so much. The ending—absolutely not.
What the hell?! These kids are being punished for something their parents did? Absolutely not. I thought the kids’ secrets were pretty bland; def not something dying over, but to hear the parents are responsible made me so angry. And they never took responsibility! Such a disappointing ending.

CW: stalking, blackmail, blood, car accident, violence, theft, harassment, fire, scars

A tradition, secrets, and a stalker will keep the pages turning and teens, young adults, and adults entertained. At least in the beginning.

If you’re ready for a Halloween party and a tradition that goes awry, grab a flashlight and curl up under a blanket. The story contains blood-filled eggs and dolls’ heads that will leave you searching for answers.

But for me, the excitement slowed far too quickly, and things began to bother me.

My Concerns
--The characters didn’t feel fully developed.

--I needed something more toward the middle to hold my interest.

--The secrets didn’t feel quite right for a “Halloween-type” book.

--Though the ending tied things up, it was disappointing.

My Final Thoughts
I think teens and young adults will have a 50% chance of enjoying this book. Unfortunately, it was a letdown for me. The title and description had me expecting so much more than the book offered.

Sam Hall and his friends have a yearly tradition on Halloween. They go out to ‘the Dark Place’, a hut in the woods, and one by one tell their secrets alone to the empty hut. But after years of doing this, their secrets are finally coming back to haunt them. The group is being blackmailed and threatened by a stalker, a stalker they are determined to unmask.

Secrets Never Die is classified as a YA horror/thriller and I definitely agree with this. The things that happens definitely have that spooky feel of horror and the speed of the story and the stalker for right into the thriller category. When I read YA thrillers, I usually avoid the horror element because I already have an over active imagination and don’t need help stirring it up. I am glad I gave this book a a chance though. This has the perfect amount of spooky Halloween book and a storyline that was easy to follow but full of twists and turns. I enjoyed most of the characters in this book and liked the the surprising twists when the identity of the stalker and the motives behind the stalking start coming to light. Overall this was an enjoyable read, not the best I’ve read in this genre, but still entertaining and able to hold my interest. With Halloween approaching, this seems like the perfect book to pick up if this is your thing!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

This was not good…? Like I’m not even sure what to say because I really just felt like it was kind of pointless and anticlimactic. The secrets weren’t as serious as they were made out to be and bringing the parents storyline into it was weird. Idk this is one that I feel like I just wasted my time on 🤷🏻‍♀️

I'm so sad I didn't like this as much as I wanted, but I guess it just wasn't my kind of book. I didn't really enjoy the writing, and the story itself just wasn't as interesting as I had hoped. Honestly, it was a little bit frustrating at times because some of the decisions these characters made were just so insane, and the whole situation they were in just made no sense at some points. I definitely think if I was still in the age group this book is meant for though, I'd have enjoyed ot a lot more, which is why I definitely think my dislike for this book is more that it just wasn't for me. I think younger readers just getting into the myster/thriller genre will probably really enjoy this book.

This was a fast paced book with short chapters. While I really liked his other books - 14 Ways to Die and Lock the Doors, this one felt like I was just reading to finish it. There were twists and turns, but it just seemed to fall flat.

⛧Secrets Never Die by @vincentralphwriter - This book was a wonderful rendition of children paying for the sins of their fathers. The kids thought it was their own secrets they were paying for, but in the end, it turned out to be much more sinister. I enjoyed the authors previous 2 books so I can add his 3rd to that pile.

This is a fast paced, quick thriller about secrets that won't stay buried and how far a person will go to stop them from getting out.

I thought this was an alright story, I'm always eager to see what people have been hiding and how secrets affect relationships. To me, a lot of the secrets weren't that bad and I probably would have just called the police even if it meant things being in the media.

There were a couple surprises that I didn't expect and that helped keep me interested. The main character Sam also has a little sister named Molly and she is pretty adorable. There's a note early on that she can read minds and I'm not sure if that was supposed to be literal or just that she's good at reading people, but either way I loved Molly.

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. All opinions are my own. Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the copy.

Thank you NetGalley and Wednesday Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!
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I absolutely love Vincent Ralph’s YA thrillers. They suck the reader in fast and they are such a quick read that I usually blow through them in a matter of hours! I thought this was such a unique premise for a book as well, a group of teens going to a secret place to whisper their secrets to get them off their chest but then those secrets come back to haunt them. This book kept me guessing and kept me wanting to turn the pages the entire time! If you are looking for a fast YA thriller read, this one is for you!

Every Halloween, Sam and his friends go to an abandoned hut they call the Dark Place to share their secrets. This year the secrets are coming back to haunt them one at a time. They have to figure out who's behind it all before it’s too late.

I didn’t particularly like this one. I thought it was a bit slow and not very exciting. I think the problem is that I can’t do YA thrillers anymore. I wanted more action. The whole story felt a little underwhelming to me. I do think this story will appeal to a younger crowd. It just wasn’t for me.

Perfect read leading into spooky season. Everyone in the group has their secrets but no one knows each others secrets. This book will keep you guessing down to the final secrets and who those secrets belong to.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for a chance to read and review.

Started out slow for me, but I kept reading and it got really interesting towards the end and then I was consumed with finding out the whodunnit. Every Halloween, Sam, Dom, Haran, Lauren and Elisha tell their darkest secrets in the Dark Place a spot in the woods. Well someone is taunting the teens and threatening to reveal their secrets unless they do what as told. As each teen thinks their secret is what is bringing on the drama and shame, Sam figures out that each of their parents have a secret from 23 years ago that is bringing down each of the teens. The end is when all of the interesting twists and turns occur way to late.

Secrets Never Die is a YA-Horror/Thriller release from Vincent Ralph. With a cover that screams 90s-Horror to me, I was super excited to pick this one up.

I listened to the audiobook on a solo road trip and it was a pleasant way to pass the time. The audio narration is good, it sounds young-feeling and fits the story well. Admittedly, my attention wavered, but I'm not sure if that was necessarily the story, or my mind being on vacation.

This story follows teenaged, Sam and his close-knit friend group. They have an annual tradition of holding private funerals for their secrets at an abandoned hut in the woods, which they call the Dark Place. Suddenly, those secrets are coming back to haunt them in eerie and unexpected ways.

Sam, once a promising child star, had his career tank after a terrifying fire at his home. This event is heavily tied to the current events, but how?

There's blackmail, dangerous secrets and lots of head-scratching twists and turns. Sam isn't sure who he can trust. Even his friends are starting to feel like potential threats. How far will Sam be willing to go to bury the past and free himself from his own deeply held secrets?

This was a good time. As far as YA Horror-Thrillers go, it does read a little on the younger side, in my opinion. Maybe more in the Tween category. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that, I am just pointing it out so that you can decide whether or not that would suit your tastes. For me, personally, I enjoy Horror-Thrillers from Childrens, all the way up through Adult, so it doesn't bother me at all.

Content-wise, this is a decent, fast-paced story. It would probably go direct to video if it were a movie, but again, there's nothing wrong with that. I think for me, I just found the narrative a little hard to track. Sam's personal story was compelling, but his friends lacked memorability to me and I had a difficult time distinguishing between them.

These difficulties could perhaps be due to the audio format, but I'm not sure about that. I consume A LOT of stories via audio and that's not a common problem for me. I think, personally, I would have just liked to see a bit more character development to go along with the action.

Also, some of the darker elements felt a bit all over the place; like perhaps too much was going on at one time. That could 100% be personal taste though. Overall, I think this is a solid story. A fun way to pass a weekend and I know a lot of Readers, particularly the Teens this is intended for, will really enjoy this.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Wednesday Books and Macmillan Audio, for providing me with a copies to read and review. I would definitely be interested in picking up more from this author!

Couldn't put this book down! Absolutely love it and a must read! loved the short chapters. For some reason just fly through any book with short chapters. I had an easy time reading this and did not completely expect the ending!

Every Halloween, Sam and his friends sneak away from the big Halloween party at Dom's house and go to the Dark Place for their annual ritual -- going into the cabin in the woods, one by one, and confessing their secret(s). However, this year everything is different, because someone/something interrupts the evening. And then they start receiving strange messages from a Sasha Craven. Someone knows their secrets and is using that information to harass and scare them. Sam, Haran, Elisha, Dom and Lauren don't know each other's secrets, but Lauren's secret comes out first (in part), and eventually all the other secrets will be revealed, which will be both devastating and freeing. The secrets some of them are carrying have profoundly shaped their lives and the lives of those they care about. However, there are even greater and deeper secrets that will be unearthed.

The story has a lot of suspense and surprises. Each friend has a reason to keep their secret hidden, but as the harassment/stalking increases and other family members become involved, the friends diverge more on what to do about the situation, and things break apart further as the secrets are uncovered. The tormentor has been playing a long game, with motives much more intricate and sinister than the teenagers would ever guess and has managed to recruit a number of willing assistants. Some of the oddest or most innocuous seeming comments or events hold vital clues. Thank you Netgalley and the publishing team for giving me this free arc for my honest review.

this was a really weird book for me because it was chilling and suspenseful but also I mostly didn't like anything about it? the only redeeming part of it for me was Molly..

*Special thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

A great YA thriller with plenty of twists and turns along the way. This had a unique storyline and I was quickly immersed in the world racing through the pages!