*ARC review, thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this novel with my honest thoughts*

The book felt far more ‘young adult’ than ‘horror’ for me which left me feeling slighted only a couple chapters in when I realized this wasn’t going to give me the horror vibes I was expecting. Once I reframe my mind into more of a ‘young adult mystery’ setting the book did become more enjoyable!! I wish I could give it a full 5 stars but I felt like some parts just dragged on instead of building up to wild finish this book gave us!! All in all it was an enjoyable *listen*.

This listen was a wild ride. I picked this one up because I saw a lot of people hyping it up, and the cover is really cool. I went into this one blind, and I am glad I did. This book was a lot darker than I thought it was going to be, I thought it was going to be a YA thriller type, but it was a lot darker and it had so many scenes that had me on the edge of my seat. I listened to this book in 2 days because I was so hooked on finding out who was behind the blackmail and messages to this group of friends. There was a lot of sub plot in the beginning, and it was very interesting how it all came together at the end. I enjoyed the twists and turns, I did suspect a few things that were revealed at the very end, but the major person and mystery was a shock to me. A fun read and great for thriller lovers! Highly recommend if you're looking for a new fast paced thriller!

Fair YA mystery, didn't like the ending.

Every Halloween, Sam Hall and his friends visit this cabin in the woods they call "The Dark Place" where they go inside one by one and confess their deepest, darkest secrets, hoping to assuage their guilt for one more year. This year, someone else is there, and that someone is blackmailing them with their secrets.

The way the story is told is exciting and intriguing, but in the end there are two issues with this book:
First, the secrets are not really that deep and dark. Some of them could have been eliminated with an honest conversation.
Second, the ending was blah. I liked how the story worked out, the reveal of the person behind the blackmail...then we go OTTM (One Twist Too Many) and throw in some random extra thing that made NO SENSE.

I listened to the audiobook of this one and the narrator does a great job at keeping the tension mounting throughout. I did speed up the narration, but overall I didn't get bored, I kept listening to find out what would happen.

Despite its ups and downs, this book will appeal to the YA audience and fans of Vincent Ralph's mysteries.

This was a solidly spooky YA thriller even if the premise felt a little unbelievable/hard to swallow. Good on audio narrated by Christopher Gebauer and Jennifer Jill Araya and recommended for fans of authors like Tiffany D. Jackson. This was my first book by Vincent Ralph and likely won't be my last. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early audio copy in exchange for my honest review.

Whether you're looking to add to your spooky season TBR or looking for a book to read around the evening campfire, Secrets Never Die by Vincent Ralph has got you covered!

Sam and his friends hold yearly funerals for their secrets until those very secrets suddenly start coming back to haunt them. Now Sam is trying to figure out who is blackmailing them, who can be trusted, and how to keep their secrets buried.

An abandoned hut in the woods called the Dark Place instantly makes for the perfect setting, and when you throw in a small town urban legend and "friendly" games meant to terrify even the unnerved, it all contributes to a spine tingling atmosphere. This thriller took me back to reading R. L. Stine's Goosebumps, and watching I Know What You Did Last Summer, and Scream from the 90s.

The audiobook narration added to the books undertone and rhythm all while still being age appropriate (which is sometimes hard to find with YA audiobooks).

A roller coaster ride of terror, making my heart pound, and keeping me guessing at the who and why - this is one to read with the lights on!

Thank you NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, Wednesday Books, Macmillan Audio and Macmillan Young Listeners for the complimentary copies to read, listen to and review.

This is an ideal YA mystery that grips fans of the genre. The enigmatic masked mystery hooked me from the start, and the title aligned perfectly with the revelations that are discovered in the book. Narrators Christopher Gebauer and Jennifer Jill Araya took some adjustment, but Christopher's voice grew enjoyable, infusing the listen with intriguing horror undertones. If you're in the mood for some Halloween vibes, pick this one up!

Special thanks to Macmillan Audio and Netgalley for the complimentary copy.

I often enjoy a YA book, but I think this one may have been a little too YA for me.

I struggled, especially in the beginning because it was very slow going and I struggled to remain interested. It did pick up around the middle and the second half was more action packed and interesting.

I did really like Sam, but really didn't feel connected to many of the others.

Many thanks to NetGalley and MacMillan Audio for an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

Audiobook Review - Ralph Vincent brings us another creepy and twisted teen thriller. Th concept of the dark place and sharing your secrets with the dark on Halloween is unique and will draw teens into the story. Highly recommended where teen thrillers are popular!

Oh I liked this narration and story.
The concept of stating your massive mistakes in secretive place on Halloween? Um yes!
Where do secrets go? Where do those we create end up? Talking about it lends energy - these high schoolers quickly find out after their annual tradition.
Creative and fun.

I enjoyed this book! I appreciated its unique storyline, especially as a young adult book. I thought the pace was good and it kept me engaged the whole book. This is definitely a book I will recommend to my mystery loving students.

Overall this was entertaining. The parents were annoying towards the end and the kids were more responsible? Idk it wasn’t the best book or worst book I’ve read. Good for a quick thriller on a long car ride.

This YA horror novel will be perfect for teen readers this fall. Secrets Never Die has Pretty Little Liars vibes and I am here for it!

The chapters are short, punchy, and to the point. The twists aren't complicated and simple to comprehend. Secrets Never Die wasn't scary, but it did keep you thinking what could happen next keeping you on the edge of your seat. But I am also an adult reading YA and this book could be scary for a teen, now that I think about it.

Overall, a fun, quick read that I think many teenagers and even adults who love YA books will like!

Thanks Netgalley and Macmillan Audio for the arc.

Very captivating read! Never knew where this was going to lead and you kept wanting to read further so you knew, not wanting to put it down until you finished! Be careful what secrets you tell in the dark place!

Secrets Never Die was a fun YA story that had a similar vibe to the old school R.L. stine stories, but I will say it took me a very long time to really get into. The characters were very one dimensional and I didn’t get much personality or growth from them. I also expected more out of their secrets and didn’t find them shocking. The story did have some great creepy moments later on and I really liked the second half of this book with the bigger revelations!

Thank you NetGalley and MacMillan audio for my ALC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback!

📖🎧: 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!!! (Swipe to see the synopsis) And not surprisingly, this was another winner of a book for me! So much so that I think this author just became my (tied for first with Jennifer Lynn Barnes) favorite YA Author!

I was lucky enough access to get the ebook as well as the audiobook and read this in tandem and it just the best experience (if you can do this I 10/10 recommend that way)! I could comfortably listen to this at 2.5x speed which just added to the intensely creepy and suspenseful fast paced feeling! This audio was seriously perfection and brought life into the words of this 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
✨Goosebumps/Are You Afraid of the Dark vibes

My only complaint as far as the book is concerned 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 @macmillian.audio and @netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book before its publication date.

I really enjoyed this for a YA. Sometimes I find YA thrillers can be a bit meh but this book was gripping and fast paced which I loved. There were aspects that felt a bit young but that is to be expected as an adult listening to a YA book. The narrator was absolutely fabulous

3.5 stars

I really do enjoy YA horror/thriller/suspense. And this book held me in its grip from start to finish. I've read 14 Ways to Die and loved it so I knew I'd enjoy this one too.

It just fell a tad flat. Once we start unraveling the story, the secrets coming out just don't feel life altering or worthy of the blackmail. Then again, I say this as a full grown adult. As a teen, I'm sure these would be considered earth shattering of they were my own.

I enjoyed all the twists and reveals quite a bit. Some were expected...others were a nice surprise.

All in all, a nice edition to this authors works. Certainly I'll continue reading what's put out.

This was my first Vincent Ralph book, but I will definitely be reading more of his work! Secrets Never Die had several elements I love in a good YA Mystery. It was a little spooky, it kept me guessing, and had teens making some pretty typical teen choices. This was a fun read that was hard to step away from. The end did a little bogged down with red herrings, but the final reveal was great!

The premise of this sounded amazing …but as you read, you find out it’s essentially high school kids playing make believe in a shed.

None of the characters have any dimension at all.

Their secrets aren’t noteworthy, or something that literally anyone would give a shit about. The negative response to any of these from an adult would be, “Why didn’t you just tell someone?”

Teens always think their lives are so dramatic, and that everyone cares, when in fact no one actually does, and that’s the best possible thing, even if it sounds negative. Maybe the purpose of this story is to show teens they’re not that special, and they’re making mountains from molehills?

In the last 25% of so of the book, you finally get to the root of what’s happening, but it’s literally the most trite and overdone core of a horror plot ever. For teens new to the genre, they’ll likely love it, but if you’re a horror fan that goes way back - UGH.

I feel like this is 2 stars at best, but I'm adding one because it's YA, so the target audience won't likely be as frustrated as I am with this one.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advance review copy in return for an honest review.
This was a fun book to read but it kind of left me wanting more.