Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read these Amazon Original Short Stories!
Each story had me on the edge of my seat. I was sucked in immediately for each. I had such a hard time putting them down. My favorite was hands down The Ghost Writer. The atmospheric setting on an island near the sea. It was dark and mysterious. The Bad Friend was raw and emotional. Filled with so much unhappiness and longing. The Other Side of the Road definitely had a twist I was kind of expecting. Scorpions was another good one but not my favorite. These stories were amazing!

The Ghost Writer by Loreth Anne White – 3 stars

Content warnings: death, murder

I find myself wishing this had been a full fledged novel instead of a short story, but I enjoyed this much more than the first story in the collection. I did not see the twist at all.

If you're looking for a short, twisty thriller, this story is worth the time it takes to give it a read.

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Everywhere You Look by Liv Constantine – 1 star

Content warnings: death, murder, attempted suicide, kidnapping, pedophilia

I hated this. The author (technically two authors – this is a pseudonym for a pair of sisters) just attempted to cram as much trauma to one girl as the could in 50 pages. The story is nowhere near long enough to actually have anything to say or to make any of it touching. This is so shallow and meaningless. I didn't feel anything for Jade, not even once, even with all the terrible things that happened to her.

As far as content goes, I tried to list some of the most egregious examples contained within this very short work, but the entire work reads like one trauma gut-punch after another and none of it is handled with sensitivity or character depth or growth. The author has absolutely nothing to say about any of these horrible topics.

I can't explain in-depth what's wrong with the plot without spoiling it in its entirety.

There's also an entire romance subplot with a cheating narcissist that serves literally no purpose but to take up valuable real estate on the page in an already too-short for the premise story.

All-in-all, what could have been an intriguing and compelling thriller is condensed into a vapid, shallow short story that somehow manages to swallow up whole every detail and idea without having a single thing to say.

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This collection of short stories contains several of my favorite authors along with new-to-me authors. Put all together, this was a 4 star read!

Story 1: Everywhere You Look by Liv Constantine
4 stars
This short story showed how some family's will do absolutely anything to protect the ones they love. It also showed the power in second chances and never giving up on yourself, no matter how defeated you feel.
Really engaging read!

Story 2: The Ghost Writer by Loreth Anne White
5 stars
I have yet to find a thriller from Loreth Anne White that doesn't immediately and instantly hook me! This short story was no exception! A ghost writer arrives at the isolated cliff side home of a reclusive author where long held truths are revealed and lies are exposed. The inclusion of a delightfully creepy and eerie nursery rhyme made this tale perfectly dark, gothic, and atmospheric! Definitely a MUST READ!

Story 3: The Other Side of the Road by Andrea Bartz
4 stars
Married couple, Kelsey and Lauren, move from the city to their dream home in the country. The older woman who lived in the house before them died mysteriously which puts Lauren on edge. Add in a seemingly intrusive neighbor, Lauren's mind goes into overdrive especially as her pregnant wife has to travel out of town. This short story shed light on the darkness some people tapped into in order to make sure their loved ones get everything they've ever wanted.

Story 4: Scorpions by Rachel Howzell Hall
4 stars
A home health aide, Frankie, isn't exactly upset when her 87 year old patient, Ruben, dies. She's cared for him for the past four years, taking a huge step off the path she planned for herself. As she gets her stuff out of Ruben's home, she finds herself on a brand new path; one that may deliver the money and riches she feels she deserves especially after what she's gone through as Ruben's home health aide. What follows is a crazy and wild ride to see if the journey is worth the payout.

Story 5: Jackrabbit Skin by Ivy Pochoda
4 stars
Swan, a lone, female tattoo artist finds herself starting over again in life and chooses to do so in the desert. She quickly realizes you were either born into the desert or you were forced to pay your dues. What dues will Swan have to pay as she tattoos a tragic story onto community member Kurt who lost his wife in an electrical fire three years earlier while he was out of town? The desert doesn't forget, it always remembers, and...it keeps and buries secrets.

Story 6: The Bad Friend by Caroline Kepnes
4 stars
This story hit hard and was gut wrenching. It showed how quickly life goes by and how the small decisions we make here and there can deeply impact our lives, for better or worse. This short story reminded me of how often women take on the burdens of the world to see our family members happy, healthy, safe, and protected.

This is an excellent collection featuring: Six Fabulous Authors with Six Thrilling and Suspenseful Short-Stories! Honestly loved each and every story! Definitely worth the read. I thank Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I am loving this new thing where Amazon has short story collections! I feel like they are recruiting reluctant readers and commitment phobes! Sometimes it’s hard to commit to a whole book and reading a short story is a great alternative. The NEVER TELL collection of thriller short stories was amazing! This collection consists of 6 different stories and they all bring something different to the table. You have betrayal, intrigue, domestic suspense, and a lot of other amazing themes in these book. This collection is great for all readers!

When I saw this, I had to jump on it. It’s like all of my favorite authors in one place! These short stories were so much fun to read. A huge thank you to Netgalley, the authors and publishers for these great stories. I want more!!!

I felt like the stories had potential and I was very excited to read these as I love these authors. I felt like the first one was very cheesy and a little boring. I read half of the ghost writer before DNF. And did not finish the other ones.

Amazon Original Stories presents a collection of unputdownable stories from six award-winning thriller authors and an all-star cast of narrators in NEVER TELL—exploring secrets and how well we know one another.

A heart-pounding collection of stories about secrets, lies, and mind games. Secrets of the past/present collide—and the consequences of revealing the truth in these unique, thrilling, entertaining stories you are assured to enjoy! (e-book and audio formats) My overall rating is 5 stars for the collection idea. A great sampling.

My favorites were Everywhere You Look, The Bad Friend, and The Ghost Writer.

📖 Everywhere You Look
✍ Liv Constantine
🎧 Ellen Quay
5 🌟Stars

In a twisty short story by the bestselling author of The Last Mrs. Parrish, all it takes is one shocking revelation on a New York street for a woman to unlock the secrets and lies of her past.

I loved EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK by one of my favorite author duo! In this mysterious and intriguing suspense, a father/daughter relationship is tested—grief and guilt —where nothing is as it appears.

📖 The Bad Friend
✍ Caroline Kepnes
🎧 Julia Whelan
5 🌟Stars

Secrets, betrayal, and jealousy are at the heart of a friendship in an unnerving short story about truth and self-deception by Caroline Kepnes, the New York Times bestselling author of You.

I loved THE BAD FRIEND by one of my favorite authors and narrators. Can best friends be trusted? Ellen/Troy and Tanya/Ross. A tantalizing twisty game of cat and mouse and choices—is the grass greener on the other side? Wickedly delicious.


📖The Ghost Writer
✍ Loreth Anne White
🎧 Abby Craden
5 🌟Stars

A reclusive author with a lurid history is ready to divulge her most infamous secret to the world in a chilling short story of Gothic suspense by the bestselling author of The Maid’s Diary.

I enjoyed the twisty THE GHOST WRITER in this remote atmospheric cliffside setting. An offer to ghostwrite the memoir of a famous novelist accused of a triple murder. A new ending? Dark and sinister, a twisty, locked-in sinister thriller with a jaw-dropping twist.


📖The Other Side of the Road
✍ Andrea Bartz
🎧 Kira Fixx
4.5 🌟Stars

In a sinister short story by the New York Times bestselling author of We Were Never Here, a couple preparing for the future discovers that their dream house will cost them far more than the mortgage.

A city gay couple with a baby on the way and excited about their new country home and neighborhood in the Catskills. However, the older man across the street is watching and waiting. What happened to the former resident? A garden, a shovel, a basement, a notebook, secrets, murder? Warn, protect, or harm? Twisty, creepy, and sinister, I enjoyed THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD.


📖Scorpions
✍ Rachel Howzell Hall
🎧 Tamika Katon-Donegal
3.5 🌟Stars

A man’s lifetime of secrets and lies. A woman on the hunt for his hidden riches. But there’s a sting in the tale in this gripping short story by the New York Times bestselling author of We Lie Here.

A caregiver, a death, A man's confession, a prayer, a mom, regrets, a buried hidden treasure in the desert. The hunt is on. Clues are wild. Could this be her ticket for a new life? Like a scorpion, always ends with a stinger. Creepy cover.

📖Jackrabbit Skin
✍ Ivy Pochoda
🎧 Ariel Blake
3 🌟Stars

In an unsettling short story by Ivy Pochoda, award-winning author of Sing Her Down and These Women, secrets and rage can get under the skin.

A tattoo artist, the desert, outsiders, a request for a tattoo tribute to a dead wife unveiling dark secrets in the ink. Darks secrets of a desert town. Strange, eerie, weird, and another creepy cover. Bad formatting. Least favorite in the collection.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an ARC for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: Mar 19, 2024
Overall Rating: 5 Stars
March 2024 Must -Read Books
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The bad friend
Caroline kepnes
5 ⭐️

Ellen’s settled with Troy. It used to be Tanya and Ellen. They were the cool girls partying and wearing the best outfits. She lost contact with Tanya after marrying Troy and having a kid. Ellen needs a friend to talk about her marital problems with. She misses Tanya. Tanya moved on with her life without Ellen. Ellen is struggling without her bestie.
…
As Ellen traverses life searching for purpose she always reflects back on her life with Tanya measuring herself against her. Ellen’s envied Tanya’s life never quite enjoying her own. When one of the guys Tanya’s dated becomes available she jumps at the chance to take what Tanya once had.
…
Caroline Kepnes has a unique writing voice. The way she expresses feelings is very different from any other author. Her writing style works in a way that separates her from other authors. This short story is another example of her work sets her apart from the rest.

Loreth Anne white
3⭐️

Grace has been given the opportunity of a lifetime to write as a ghostwriter for a woman whose is ready to confess about the murders that took place forty years ago in a tell all book.
…
Loreth Anne White took too long to get to the bottom of the story. The interactions between Claudia and Grace were odd. I thought the story was about a ghostwriter but that was just the excuse to get Grace in the house.
…
Although it was a short story it felt long with all the intricate details. I figured out the twist before it was reveal. It was anticlimactic ending and easy to decipher.

Andrea bartz
3⭐️

Kelsey and Lauren are finally in their dream home, a safe place to start a family. Once they moved in they met the neighbors and found out some interesting stories about the previous owner. Now Lauren is worried they made the wrong decision to move into this house and this neighborhood.
…
I caught on to the twist early in which wasn’t too hard to do in a short story. This one was by far the shortest one yet.

Wow. White has done it again. I was riveted throughout and totally did not see the end coming. I look forward to reading others in this limited series as I’m sure they are all as fabulous.

Would recommend for fans of…
🔪 Riley Sager
🔪 Jessica Knoll
🔪 Alex Finlay

Short stories are always a tough one for me, as most of the time I end up disappointed, as I wished the story was a full novel. Never Tell is the latest batch of Amazon Original Stories, featuring new writing from Andrea Bartz, Liv Constantine, and Caroline Kepnes. I wasn’t sure how stories of mystery and suspense would work in the novella format but I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this series.

Everywhere You Look ⭐️⭐️⭐️
A standard mystery you’ll be able to crack if you’re a fan of the genre (but still fun!)

The Ghost Writer ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The most “gothic” of the bunch, I think fans of Rebecca and No One Can Know will vibe with this one

The Other Side of the Road ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I thought this was a near perfect short story with a full arc and a banger of an ending

Scorpions ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Loved the treasure hunting aspect of this story, but I think a novel would have given more room for the tension to build.

Jackrabbit Skin ⭐️⭐️⭐️
This was honestly the most unsettling of the bunch, but I think the short format didn’t allow for as much world building to explain (and fully resolve) what was happening

The Bad Friend ⭐️⭐️
This is the only one I wouldn’t recommend. I knew what it was trying to do but thought other books (namely Katia Lief’s Invisible Woman) did it better

Never Tell is out March 19th. Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Six short stories that introduced me to new authors that I have now added to my TBR authors. Anthologies and short stories not only provide readers with a complete reading experience, but also provide them an introduction to authors we might not of read before. These are all excellent examples of an author's skills and style.

I really liked this short story collection. A few of them I wished were longer, some of them felt like to they wrapped up too soon. But they all kept me reading and wanting to find out more. Some of the authors I haven't read before but I will definitely be looking to read more from them moving forward.

I really enjoyed this collection of short stories and enjoyed reading from new to me authors whose other books I will be definitely reading.
The stories were all fast paced, gripping and really enjoyable.
I would definitely recommend this series.
———————
Everywhere you look - 2 ⭐️
The Ghost Writer - 3.5 ⭐️
The Other Side of the Road - 3 ⭐️
Scorpions - 3 ⭐️
Jackrabbit Skin - 2 ⭐️
The Bad Friend - 3.5 ⭐️
———————
Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the opportunity to review these stories.

I am absolutely LOVING the short story collections that Amazon Original Stories has been putting together. The Never Tell collection focuses on short stories about the secrets we have, the feeling of dread trying to keep them locked away and the devastating ramifications once they are exposed. All of these stories sucked me in; some I loved, others were just good quick stories but I enjoyed reading every single one.

Everywhere You Look - Liv Constantine ⭐️⭐️
I hate to say it because I love all of Liv Constantine’s books but this one was my least favorite. It didn’t have their signature vibe and felt more amateur writing than what I’m used to from them.

The Ghost Writer - Loreth Anne White ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This one was easily my favorite. Who knew you could possibly pack such a punch with a short story? Nothing makes for a better setting than the gothic vibes of a mansion in a rain storm on an isolated island. It was creepy, intriguing and of course had a shocking twist that I didn’t see coming. Loreth nails gothic horror to a T.

The Other Side of the Road - Andrea Bartz ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Oooo this one was so good! I guessed the twist from the beginning and loved watching it unravel. It had such a foreboding feeling to the story and the reveal was wild!

Scorpions - Rachel Howzell Hall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This short story was the push I needed to read a Rachel Howzell Hall book! I’m really amazed how these short stories have been packing so much atmosphere, characterization and plot into such short stories. Scorpions had the perfect eerie desert vibe and the ending will have you staring at the wall for awhile.

Jackrabbit Skin - Ivy Pochoda ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Between this short story and the Scorpions story, I’m going to need to find a full length creepy desert book. Something about that setting just leaves such an eerie feeling. Jackrabbit Skin follows an unwanted newcomer to a close desert town. Unraveling the secrets the town is trying to keep from outsiders was so fun to read.

The Bad Friend - Caroline Kepnes ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Bad Friend was so different than the other books in the Never Tell collection of short stories. I was sucked in from the first page. I like that Caroline uses big time leaps to pack as much into the short story as she could. This one was deep and left me feeling more sad than anything. Good short story though!

Thank you to NetGalley! It was truly a pleasure reading these short stories and I will continue reading any short story collection Amazon Original Stories puts out.

This was a great opportunity to read samplings of various authors, some familiar and some new to me. It's hard to rate a collection of short stories as a whole since some were markedly better than others. I also realize I'm not especially a fan of shorter contemporary stories as they just abruptly end right as the story seems to get going. I guess it's also true that in some you wanted them to quit digging themselves into a hole so it was a relief for it to end! My 4-star rating is especially for Constantine's, White's and Bartz' stories. All showcased female protagonists making various choices, most turning them into actual antagonists.

The “Never Tell” collection consists of 6 short stories told by Liv Constintine, Rachel Howzell Hall, Loreth Anne White, Andrea Bartz, Ivy Pochoda, Caroline Kepnes.

Strong: Scorpions, The Ghost Writer
Good: Jackrabbit Skin
Average: Everywhere You Look, The Bad Friend, The Other Side of the Road

I enjoyed “Scorpions” by Rachel Howell Hall the most. It was a fun short story about a woman trying to recover some hidden money. Lots of untrustworthy people in the story.

“The Ghost Writer” by Loerth Anne White had a great twist ending and a moody island setting.

I would definitely recommend this collection of short Stories to anyone looking for a little bit of A thriller fix.

Thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for providing me an advance copy of this book.

I loved these as much as I loved the romance novels! This was such a fun little read that made me eager to get to the next!

Amazon Never Tell Series is made up of six short stories all written by a different thriller/suspense authors.

Overall, they were all pretty quick reads- but my favorites included Everywhere You Look and The Ghost Writer.

Everywhere You Look to be an incredibly quick read that kept me interested in the characters, but please read the trigger warnings as this short story contains talk to suicide, sexual abuse and domestic violence.

The story follows Jade, who has lost her Father ten years ago and has given up hope on her own life. She has decided to end it all on her annual birthday trip to New York, when she looks up and thinks she sees her dad on the street.

The story unfolds rather quickly with Jade finding out some unexpected truths along the way while trying to figure out if the man she saw on the street is in fact her Father.

The Ghost Writer really gave off gothic vibes and the story definitely sucked me in from the beginning. I really did not expect that twist at the end!

I could have really done without the rest of the short stories, I didn’t really enjoy them as much as the first two. I still recommend picking up these books when you need a quick easy read. Would be perfect for getting through a reading slump.

Really a very enjoyable collection of short stories. Stories that are easy and fast to read. Liv Constantine’s story was my favourite, I found myself wanting to know what happened next though. Thanks NetGalley and publishers for the arc of this collection of stories to read and review.