i loved how short the chapters were! the story also picked up really quickly which was so nice!! i was always like on my seat needing more and more, and i loved the ending a lot! i can't wait to read more from Vincent Ralph!

This book kept me intrigued from the beginning. I think the title fit the book perfectly. There was a page 183/310 that was missing the closed parentheses.

If I were posting this review on my social media, I would rate it a 5 star. The book was well written, lots of twists and turns. The suspense was just what I like.

This is my second Vincent Ralph book and I had a lot of hesitation requesting this on Netgalley because I didn't like 14 Ways to Die. But I am happy to report that I REALLY liked Secrets Never Die!!

The setting right off the bat was a Halloween party, a creepy forest, and lots of suspicious things happening. There was no stalling with the plot which I appreciated and the short chapters that Vincent seems to do are a huge plus!

I wish we had gotten multiple POVs because it was frustrating not getting let in on everyone's secrets for awhile but boy when I found out the secrets I was SHOCKED and sad and mad. Maybe I was just having an emotional day reading this but the book made me very emotional and I couldn't go to bed until I finished it.

I can't say anything else because everything is pretty a secret and therefore a spoiler but seriously what a fun read!

Thank you Netgalley and St.Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to love this book, I am a fan of Ralph Vincent and was stoked when NetGalley and Wednesday books selected me to read and review it.
Basic synopsis, every year on Halloween, a group of teenagers venture into the forest, to the “hut”, to confess their secrets, one-by-one., alone, inside. But this year, someone was listening. After they go into the forest, confess their “secrets”, they all start receiving ominous texts from a person named Sasha, asking them to do devious things, in return for their secrets not being revealed.
The story sounded amazing, but it fell flat for me. I wanted to know who this Sasha was (who was blackmailing them), and also know what terrible secrets they were hiding to make them comply. Personally I found the secrets to not be ‘that’ terrible, and the force behind Sasha disappointing. I do not want to give anything away. Reading felt more like a chore for closure, instead of a fantastic ride.
Absolutely a YA thriller (which I enjoy), and probably a good read for someone just entering and testing out the thriller genre.

📖: Secrets Never Die by: Vincent Ralph | 📅Pub Day: Tuesday August 29, 2023

I have just been eating up these beautifully crafted YA novels lately! This book being the third book that I read from this author I was sooooo excited to get it in my hands and start reading!!! And not surprisingly, this was another winner of a book for me! So much so that I think this author just became my favorite YA Author!

Perfect for readers that like:
✨Short fast-paced chapters
✨YA horror/thrillers
✨Binge-able all in one sitting books
✨Creepy suspenseful jump scare twists
✨Blackmail
✨90s/early 2000s horror movie vibes

My only complaint is I wanted a little bit MORE backstory of all the characters. Maybe even a short prequel vibe?! I was really wanted the whole scoop on the child acting as it reminded me somewhat, of the ✨MAGIC✨ that was this author’s 1st (and my favorite) novel 14 Ways To Die and how “meta” that was!

That’s all to say this was a super fun fast-paced YA novel. Perfect for any autumnal/spooky szn TBR!

4.75⭐️


Special thanks to @wednesdaybooks and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

Sam was a child star, but he wants to leave that all behind him. His friend Dom and his sister Lauren have a mysterious hut in the woods behind their house they call The Dark Place where they go once a year on Halloween to tell all their secrets, and after Sam's house burns down, he invites Sam and their other friend Haran to use the hut, too. Except this Halloween, the secrets seem to have come to life, and they want revenge.

This was a pretty good YA thriller, maybe bordering a bit on horror. It had a nice set of characters, but I do wish they had been fleshed out a bit more, a couple of them were a little wooden, like Dom. Dom appears to be a giant bully, but it's barely addressed at all in the book. Why is he a bully? What has he done to kids? The pacing is pretty good, with just a snarl here and there. And the reveal at the end was very well done--I didn't see that one coming!

This is definitely written for a younger side of YA (12-15), so if you're not that demographic, you might have an issue with the writing style, but I'm always glad to read a YA book that is aimed AT YA readers, so I enjoyed this quite a bit.

Vincent Ralph delivers a spine-tingling YA thriller in "Secrets Never Die." The ominous allure of the Dark Place sets the stage for a tale where buried secrets resurface with a vengeance. As the haunting pasts of Sam and his friends unravel, the tension escalates, leading to a heart-pounding game of blackmail that leaves them questioning their trust and the boundaries they're willing to cross to protect their fragile peace. Ralph's masterful storytelling weaves together suspense, friendship, and the dangerous power of secrets, keeping readers eagerly flipping pages to uncover the shocking truths hidden in the shadows.

Secrets Never Die is a compelling YA thriller/horror that drew my attention thanks to the compelling premise. It’s twisty and absorbing, and the quick pace of the plot was matched with the short chapters, creating constant tension and suspense.
As the title implies, it revolves around the secrets members of the group are hiding, which they think they are able to confide to the others and leave behind them, but will instead come to haunt them. The mystery behind who could be threatening them is compelling, and it kept me guessing throughout.
Most of the characters aren’t necessarily all the most likable or even dynamic, but I did understand their purpose within the grand scheme of the story. A lot of the story is about how their secrets impact how they behave with each other, and that manufactures a lot of the tension, along with the fear of the mysterious enemy themselves. Sam is one of the few exceptions who has nuance, being a failed child star and his secret relates to what happened to his career. But I think having the others be more catty did help contribute to questions of their trustworthiness, which ultimately made them effective for the narrative in the long run.
I really enjoyed this book, and I’d recommend it to readers looking for a YA thriller/horror novel.

Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph is a captivating and exhilarating tale that will leave you breathless. This fast-paced and intricately woven narrative delves into the repercussions that unfold when long-concealed truths resurface, and the extraordinary measures we take to safeguard the darkest aspects of our lives, shrouded in secrecy.

Secrets Never Die is a YA thriller from Vincent Ralph.

"Every Halloween, Sam and his friends go to a hut in the woods they call the dark place and leave their biggest secret there. But this year someone else is there and chases them from the woods. Now someone is blackmailing them with their secrets. Sam is not sure who's watching or who he can trust...or how far he's willing to go to bury the past."

This was my first book from Ralph. I always like to see a YA thriller. Of course, it's always about the secrets. Each teen has something that revolves around Sam and his child star past. There are some red herrings and a plot pivot that's surprising. But it's always about the secrets.. It's easy to yell at characters to talk, but it's realistic when they don't. People don't really share or talk as much as they should.

Some interesting observations about Sam's dad - someone who's desperate to be noticed in any way, even if it's through the kids.

A wild ending and conclusion to this one.

Good option if you like to mix in some YA. I'll definitely be looking for Ralph's other books.

This book was really good. It was full of twists and turns and your perfect mystery/ thriller book. It had lots of interesting back story details. It was a very fast passed story and I really enjoyed the short chapters( I HATE long chapters). I also liked that the author kept the mystery till the end and it was a pretty cool ending. If you like rollercoaster mysteries this one if for you. It kept me on the edge of my seat the whole time and I just flew through it.

This mild thriller was a quick read with lots of secrets unraveling and stranger danger vibes. There were times I thought I knew who the culprit was but then was wrong hahaha. Overall it was a great read!

At first, I wasn’t sure what to expect with this story and decided to just jump in and read instead of reading anything about it online. I’m so glad I read it this way!

It felt like I was standing inside the book by all these wild characters through all of the sneaky shenanigans that were happening. I don’t want to give any spoilers, but Vincent Ralph rocked the telling of this story and clearly captured the moment when your past comes back to haunt you… quite literally!

Thank you, NetGalley, for the chance to read this one in exchange for an honest/unbiased review.

I really enjoyed this book, regardless of the small flaws in it. I loved how it was written, and it kept me captivated the whole time. Although I love horror and thrillers I don't read books of those genres often and this was my first one in a while. The story was very interesting, but I felt the secrets were not blackmail worthy. The reveal was sort of lacking with how boring the secrets were. Although the plot twist made up for it a little, the story could have been better if the kids secrets were worse especially for a book about "secrets never die."

This book was so well written and very compelling. It isn't often when I literally cannot put a book down. I get easily distracted lol but this book really kept my attention. It was a very interesting story, and a pretty unique storyline as well, so it was fun to read something different than I normally read. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me early access!

Secrets Never Die is a shining example of the types of YA thrillers with grit under their nails and an ability to tap into that darkness lurking in the shadows.

Vincent Ralph is up there in my list of underrated YA thriller writers. His books are always so well plotted, with excellent twists and turns and a deep investment in their central characters. Are You Watching? and Lock the Doors are stellar stories, with twisty and atmospheric plots and a real investment in their authentic and flawed teenage protagonists. Secrets Never Die is no exception, with a plot that had me gasping and racing through the pages until the early hours.

Sam Hall is a fantastic protagonist - a former child star with a somewhat chequered past. He is so genuine and loving, but also entrapped by his own guilt and secrets. Around him is a varied cast of different teenage types, elevated through careful character development over the course of the book. Most of the twists are devastating precisely because you find yourself so deeply invested in these three-dimensional characters.

The way Ralph weaves in the glimmering entrancement of fame, particularly in relation to children, is incredible here. It is like the ultimate high to enjoy those fifteen seconds. However, the ramifications of this are severe. The yoke of fame still hangs heavy around Sam, especially with a certain major incident. For him, the Dark Place allows a form of escape and cathartic release. Here, your darkest secrets can be unleashed and freed from your mind. So when it is twisted and corrupted, all bets are off.

Secrets Never Die is another carpet-pull of a beauty from Vincent Ralph - an eagle-eyed and fiendishly detailed gem within the YA thriller genre.

I am always down to try a YA Mystery / Thriller. It is a fun way to break up the cycle of reading fantasy.

The book is told from one point-of-view and it comes from Sam. He is a former child star with a history of his name, as well as family, being in the news. You can tell that it has taken a toll on him I can understand why he would act the way he did and keep secrets from the people around him. Now a days we understand the impact that acting has on children. I liked the relationship he had with his sister. He would do anything to protect her and it was really sweet. I love sibling bonds.

The other characters in the book all have secrets too. I wasn’t expecting it to be a generational thing either. The secrets and lies kept piling on. Even though the plot had all of this going on I still wasn’t entirely into it and I think it’s because some of the lies just felt weird to lie about. I also felt like the whole revenge thing was just kind of meh and I just didn’t get it. Maybe it is because I am older.

Everything does work out in the end and there is a lot of closure. I also felt like it brought him and his friends closer.

Overall, this was okay. It was interesting at times but didn’t catch my attention as I had wanted it to.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this advanced copy. Sam and his friends visit the Dark Place each year to get rid of their secrets. They feel free after and keep the tradition every Halloween. But now someone knows their secrets. Lots of characters and short chapters.

This cover is what drew me in and made me want to read this book. I have never read anything form this author before so I didn't know what I was going to get from this book.
I think I am just starting to really enjoy thriller books ( I have been reading a lot lately). This was no exception.
I like our main narrator in this book but I didn't love all his friends. I found him young, but full of potential, where his friends felt stiff and not as well written maybe.
I liked the over all story though, the twist was interesting, something I could see happening once the prices fit together but in the beginning wasn't a thing I thought of. I like all the family relationships as well they felt real and like my own feeling of my family.
It was a pretty good read and I had a good time reading it.

The quick cut: A group of friends find their lives turned upside down when their secret Halloween ritual is discovered and exposed by a mysterious enemy torturing them.

A real review:
Thank you to Wednesday Books for providing the arc for an honest review.

Secrets can eat you from the inside out, especially when they are dark or feel important to hide. They have a way of turning your good relationships to bad and putting an unexplainable distance between you and others. For Sam and his friends, it makes their secrets feel inhumanly large when a mysterious enemy finds out and uses them.

Every year on Halloween, Sam and his friends go to a hut called the dark place and one by one let go of their biggest secrets, letting the wind take them away. When a mystery stranger starts messaging each of them and exposing that they know their secrets, each one wonders who is blackmailing them and why. Will they figure out the truth? Or will it be too much to handle?

I've read the authors previous books before and enjoyed them, so seeing another one of his stories interested me. I love thriller and horror stories, so I was excited to see where it went. Overall, I do feel like the stakes were too low to justify the plot.

Sam is a kid who was a child actor who left the profession in a shocking way. He's got secrets in his past, but I expected them to be more significant. His friends also don't have these types of secrets that would cause this type of intense response.

That's the aspect of this book that feels too unbelievable. Even once the full plot and reason behind what's happening is revealed, it feels very much like an overreaction. The connections are twisty to the point of being unnecessarily complex.

I like the surprise plot reveal, but I also like it to be believable or based in reality. The final solution feels too fantasy based that way. It needed true stakes worthy of that devious a reaction. The characters are likeable, but the plot could've used more finesse.

A horror story with an unbelievable plot.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5