Member Reviews

We Were Warned pulls you in with its mix of mystery and horror. I loved how the legend surrounding Fairport Village wasn’t just a backstory, but an integral part of the plot that kept the tension high throughout. Ichaso really knows how to weave suspense into every scene, especially with the eerie atmosphere around the cursed land.

Eden’s perspective on everything—her struggles with being an outsider, her complicated feelings about her companions, and the mystery surrounding the deaths—keeps things grounded in reality, even as the horror ramps up. Watching her try to navigate her past while dealing with a present danger was captivating. The twisty relationships between Eden and the others, especially Caleb, really brought an extra layer to the story. I wasn’t expecting to care about these characters as much as I did, but Ichaso makes you question everything you think you know about them. The ending left me shocked, which is always a good sign when reading thrillers!

Ichaso continues to show her strength in blending horror with emotional depth, and I’m eager to see what she’ll come up with next. If you’re into atmospheric YA thrillers with dark twists, this is definitely worth picking up!

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3.5⭐️
This YA thriller was entertaining and suspenseful. I enjoyed the read but can’t say that I *loved it. Thank you to the author, Sourcebooks Fire, and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy.

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This book was a big surprise to me.
It started a bit slow, and I wasn’t sure if it was up my alley.
But oh boy, was I wrong.
Once the story picked up speed, it pulled me in completely. The writing style is great, the characters are multi-layered and the suspense increases continuously.
I really like how the secrets unfolded and how the characters interacted with each other. The tension between the former friends, now kinda frenemies was on spot.

I really enjoyed the ride and recommend this book to every YA Thriller lover.

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This book was great! It really kept me guessing until the very end. Everytime I thought I knew what was going on, there was another twist. I did guess one thing right, which I thought on a off chance and was super surprised when I was right. I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters, especially the MFC & MMC. They really played well off each other and I could see that little twist a mile away. It was easy to hate the bullies, they made it that way. Overall, a great reading experience. I look forward to many more by this author!

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I really enjoyed this novel and it is so far my favorite by Chelsea Ichaso! It had a really intriguing storyline and I read this one very quickly (always a sign of a great read)! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to read an early copy!

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This gripping thriller kept me hooked from the very beginning. The narrative unfolds in a town overshadowed by a gruesome murder and haunted by the belief that a cursed property dooms anyone who dares step onto it. Over the years, reckless teenagers have paid the ultimate price for trespassing. When two more fall victim, their friends band together to unravel the chilling mystery behind these tragic deaths.

This book is fast-paced and action filled from start to finish! The author does an amazing job building suspense and creating tension—you’re constantly on edge, trying to figure out what’s really happening. The story itself is packed with detail, and everything feels so vividly described that it’s like you’re right there in the middle of all the chaos. I’m officially a fan and can’t wait to read more from this author!

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This was a fun and twisty YA thriller. It started off in a fast-paced and eerie way, involving a town legend that may or may not be killing kids. The story follows a girl whose dad stole money from her friend’s parents, making her the town pariah. Now, she has to team up with her ex-friends—who have mercilessly ridiculed her for years—because they are all being harassed by the same hooded figure, and their lives are at stake.

There’s also a bit of a second-chance romance that was kinda cute (but also kinda annoying due to the miscommunication—but this is YA). I was instantly hooked from the first chapter and loved the creepy, paranormal vibes. This felt like a ghost story you’d tell around a fire, and it had some twists I truly didn’t see coming.

The book had many layers, was told from a single POV, and was a fast read. I’d recommend this for younger teens, though—it didn’t really feel like the kind of YA thriller that adults will vibe with.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for this ARC!

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When a group of seniors from the local high school decide to spend the night at an old, abandoned beach resort, things start going wrong from the beginning. Eden comes only to earn some money helping Henry document the history of the murders that took place on the property. She's not happy to run into former friends that rejected her after her father disappeared after being accused of embezzlement.' What none of them expect is for one of them to end up dead following the appearance of a dark shadow that seems supernatural. Is Mrs. Blackmore, the original murderer, truly haunting the place? When another student seems cursed, Eden reluctantly joins her former friends in seeking the truth, because if they don't, it could mean all of their lives being lost. Full of interesting twists and turns, the book delivers in terms of a compelling story. A unexpected romance is kindled in the midst of all the mayhem which adds some fun moments to the all too serious story. The setting proves to be plenty creepy and easy to visualize, while the conflict between the teens adds to the tension and leaves plenty of questions for the reader. The epilogue makes for an interesting and unexpected twist. YA readers who enjoy an exciting tale with a taste of romance will likely want to pick this up. CONTENT: this is a book for teens with plenty of violence and swearing/profanity but with nothing more than kissing (I'd rate it PG-13).

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Get ready for a wild ride! This YA thriller is packed with suspense, spooky vibes, and twists that’ll make your jaw drop. Eden is a fantastic protagonist – strong and smart – and Caleb? Well, he'll keep you guessing. Overall, the characters are very compelling and anchor the story nicely.

The abandoned resort is vividly depicted, bringing the overall creepiness factor up a notch! This book really blended mystery, teenage angst/drama, and paranormal elements together in a perfectly delicious way! I don’t normally enjoy reading books with supernatural elements, but it really worked in this story.

For a YA read, it’s full of crazy twists and turns you’ll never see coming! Even if you think you've figured it out, the ending will leave you shook.

Jennifer Jill Araya's narration fits well within this story. She was able to bring these complex young characters to life, which is not an easy task. Her voice inflections amplified the eerie atmosphere creating a memorable, chilling ambiance.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Fire, Tantor Audio, & Chelsea Ichaso for the opportunity to review this digital ARC and ALC. All opinions expressed are my own.

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Ichaso’s ‘We Were Warned’ brings about a modern YA thriller that centers around a creepy local lore curse. This novel was a good mix of twists and suspense but also a really nice easy read with great plot pacing.
My only note would be that there is a large rush at the beginning where a lot of the cast is introduced simultaneously but after that I eased into the story and the writing successfully immersed me into the mystery. I liked that I didn’t foresee or guess a lot of the twists and for a YA thriller it kept me intrigued until the very end.

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We Were Warned is an edge-of-your-seat thriller set around an abandoned beach resort. This is a multi-layered story, full of murder, creepy vibes, teenage angst and whodunits. I found the story interesting and suspenseful, with a healthy dose of mystery and intrigue.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

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This started out as a fast-paced thriller but unfortunately ended up being more non-sensical than entertaining. The writing was cheesy and repetitive and it took away from the enjoyment of the overall story. The characters were flat and uninteresting. I can see a younger YA readers maybe enjoying this, but any seasoned thiller reader can skip it.

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This was really fun! It was genuinely very scary in some parts which i was not expecting. The atmosphere is really well done and really adds to the spookiness. I quite liked Eden, she was very compassionate and also pretty badass. Her banter with Caleb was really fun, and I liked that even though she was starting to see people differently, she still stood up for herself and didn't let them walk all over her.
There were some good twists in here, especially the epilogue??? That was truly wild, especially when you pair it with the prologue. I'm glad Eden got her happy ending (mostly), but i do wish the ending had a little more clarity on some characters (cough- Victoria- cough).
Overall I think this was a really good thriller/mystery, and I definitely had to stop reading it at night more than once because it was freaking me out.

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This was a fast-paced mystery with a chilling curse and a haunting atmosphere. The teenage drama and angst were a bit much at times, distracting from the plot. I love a good YA novel, but this was one of the few times I felt that I would have enjoyed it more had I been the intended audience. While I predicted some of the reveals, this was still enjoyable and a bit intense at times. Three and a half stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and Sourcebooks Fire, for this ARC.

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We Were Warned was an excellent read with an intriguing mystery surrounding an abandoned beach resort.

Eden Stafford has heard about the legend of Fairport Village all of her life and how anyone who sets foot on the property is cursed to die. But then Eden finds herself agreeing to help a film student with a project about the legend and that means going to the resort. After a student is found dead on the property and the police rule the death an accident, Eden knows she saw something suspicious at the ruins. But the only other people who agree with her are the people who have made her life hell for years. Can Eden really trust that they'll help her find the truth?

We Were Warned opens with Eden arriving at Fairport Village to help Henry De Rossi with his documentary about the legend of the resort. Before the end of the night a student from the high school is found dead on the property and Eden is sure the death isn't an accident like the police say it is. The premise of this one sounded like so much fun and I was curious to see how the whole curse thing would end up playing out. Eden ends up having to work with the group of students that have been tormenting her for years to find the truth as they were with her when something strange happened before the discovery of the body.

The students Eden is working with are Caleb Durham, Jameson O'Sullivan, Diego Rodriguez, and Victoria Whitlock. Initially she doesn't trust them at all and has a hard time agreeing to work with them to figure out what happened. After someone else dies, the group becomes worried they could be targeted next and they put aside their differences to figure out what happened at Fairport Village. At this point I had a few ideas of who was behind the deaths of the students and I was interested to see how Eden and the others would figure out who was responsible. The suspense picks up as the book goes on and the ending where the group confronts the person responsible is fantastically done. I was surprised by who ended up being behind everything and I was happy with how the situation played out.

Overall We Were Warned was a great read and I would highly recommend it if you're looking for an interesting mystery.

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We Were Warned by Chelsea Ichaso follows a group of teenagers who are investigating suspicious deaths, believing it links back to a curse of a horrific murder that happened many years prior.

I loved the premise of a curse, and was excited to see where it would end up. My main concern with the book was how many characters were being introduced in such a short amount of time, I had a difficult time trying to keep everyone straight. Additionally, I found the budding romance to really distract from the premise of solving the murders.

However, I did find the mystery itself to be interesting and it's what kept me turning each page. I would definitely recommend it for someone who likes supernatural-esque elements with a dash of horrific murders.

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Creepy beach ruins, a curse saying whoever trespasses there will die by the hands of the ghost of a mother who killed her son, and multiple deaths that occurred there? I definitely would not want to visit, especially at night, but I can see how it would become a high school senior tradition, a rite of passage. This novel was wonderfully creepy and I could really feel the spooky vibes in the ruins and also the suspense as the group of teens races to uncover the truth before the killer or ghost strikes again. Lots of red herrings and twists that kept me guessing and it was nice to not know if it was a ghost, a mad sister, someone or something else. And though I got a little annoyed by how people treated Eden for her father's actions and how she built a high wall, her interactions with Caleb were cute (once everything was cleared up between them). The author did a good job of making the stakes high, with being unafraid of killing people off, or having them be injured. It wrapped up nicely too with a climax of blood and diabolical reasons, plus that extra last bit was totally unexpected but good.

The book was a good, spooky read and I am glad I got the chance to read it.

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‘We were warned’ is a fast paced, easy to read YA thriller where a group of high school seniors is investigating the mysterious accident/murder of one of their classmates. Throw in an abandoned beach resort and a curse, and you get a creepy and atmospheric story with enough twists to keep you hooked. In real teenager style, there is also an enemy to lover romance. Our main character, Eden Stafford, hasn’t had an easy life but that only made her stronger and braver. She trusts nobody and is used to taking things into her own hand. I was routing for her the whole time. Every twist and turn had me thinking about what could possibly happen next. The action-packed end had me completely at the edge of my seat.
I liked the writing, the plot was nicely worked out, the characters well developed. A great suspenseful novel for young adults and coming of age readers.
I’m not usually reading YA but I truly enjoyed this book. It is a perfect combination of mystery, high school drama and paranormal suspense. I’m looking forward to exploring more from this author.
I would like to thank Netgalley. Sourcebooks Fire and Miss Chelsea Ichaso for gifting me a free advance copy. The above is my own opinion and honest review.

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If Chelsea writes it I’m here for it.

This town and these people are kind of the worst. And was I the only one traumatized by Henry’s death? I mean he was in the book for like 3 seconds but man, I grieved him and what I thought his character would be.

Anyways. Eden sometimes I wanted to scream at and sometimes scream with.

And Caleb? Was I the only one swooning from the beginning? But ugh. Others girls. Some boys are clueless. I know he means well but geez.

The plots keep twisting and I kept guessing (wrong mostly)!

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

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i really enjoyed this !! i love me a good ya thriller and i did like this i was a bit bored at some parts but it would then pick up and i’d really enjoy it again.

I loved the friend dynamic and the characters parents i wish we got more insight into the parents at the beginning of the book I feel as though that would’ve gripped me more but i would definitley recommend

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