As a parent to a teen this book had me on the edge of my seat, with my heart in my mouth at times!! A J McDine is a skillful author who really knows how to get under your skin as a reader. This is a fantastic psychological thriller.

Joe wants a sixteenth birthday party, his mum, Eve, doesn’t really want him to, but his dad, Noah, feels he’s old enough to have the responsibility of having friends over and a few beers, without his parents looking on.

Eve and Noah are nearby at Eve’s best friend, Lisa’s house. Lisa’s daughter, Annie, is Eve’s goddaughter, and she is going to the party.

Everything is turned on its head when Eve receives a frantic phone call from Joe … there is something wrong with Annie.

This turned out to be a fantastic psychological thriller, I was on the edge of my seat throughout.

I did not want to put this book down, the story was gripping from the start to the end.

There were some twists along the way, which made me doubt everything I thought I had worked out.

My thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was pure MAGIC! I loved this book. I went in blindly and was shocked by the twists, it was a very well woven together story. I loved the premise of the book. It was slightly a bit too relatable as I have kids the same ages. A J McDine is a brilliant story teller and I can't wait to binge more from her.

This story is a cautionary tale for parents. As Joe is about to turn sixteen, he asks his parents it he can have a small party, no parents allowed. They reluctantly agree and five friends arrive as the parents leave. They are visiting with the mother of one of the guests, Annie. Noah and Annie have been friends forever. The phone call to Joe's parents about a devastating incident brings them back home and an ambulance is called. None of the kids will talk about what happened. The community blames Joe and his parents. There are wonderfully placed twists and turns until finally the truth comes out. It's a shocker and great characterization as a promise has been made and the truth is finally disclosed. And from the sound of it there may be a follow-up soon to come. I loved the story and would highly recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book! There was some parts that were dry and i debated on putting it in a DNF pile, im glad i kept going though, the twists and turns this book had were really good. There was parts you expected to happen, and some were surprisingly. I had part of it figured out because it made it seem that way.
But overall i really did enjoy it.

A J McDine is an author who is fairly new to U.S. markets-and I recently became acquainted with her work when I listened to her highly original, and surprising book, “The Photo”. So, when another of her books became available here, I did not hesitate to request it!

ONE PHONE CALL CAN COMPLETELY CHANGE YOUR LIFE

I love stories revolving around neighbors with juicy secrets, and this story takes place in a village of South Langley. Noah and Eve, and their 15 year old son, Joe live in a sprawling home which once served as a vicarage. And, Eve’s best friend, Lisa and her 15 year old daughter, Annie, live in a charming cottage across the street.

Joe will be turning 16 in a few days time, and he would like to have a few friends over to play Xbox. Eve isn’t keen on the idea, worried about cigarette burns on the sofa and vomit in potted plants, but she and Noah will be camped out at Lisa’s house, just a stone’s throw away, so at least they can make sure there aren’t gate crashers and that things don’t get out of control. They provide some beer and cider (* see my footnote) and head over to Lisa’s but Eve can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is going to happen.

A few hours later, she receives a frantic phone call from Joe.

They race across the street to find Annie lying on the kitchen floor, struggling to breathe.

This book was not at all what I expected as it delves much deeper than a neighborhood with juicy secrets. In fact, most of the secrets revealed aren’t any that I haven’t read before in other similar books.

Instead, it mostly deals with a drug overdose from MDMA (Ecstasy, Molly) which unlike Opioid overdoses from heroin, methadone or fentanyl cannot be reversed with naloxone. And, it deals with the fractured relationships and the fallout as Annie’s life hangs in the balance and Eve searches for the truth.

Always engaging but not always easy to read.

DO read the Prologue again, AFTER you finish the book. 😉

3.5 rounded up

* In the UK, 16 year olds can drink beer, wine or cider with a meal at licensed premises if accompanied by an adult. They cannot buy alcohol or drink Spirits.

AVAILABLE October 21, 2024

Thank You to Bookouture for the gifted ARC provided through NetGalley. As always, these are my candid thoughts.

Fast paced, full of twists and turns and a real page turner! I couldn’t put this book down! Highly recommend!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my ARC

I've listened to a few AJ McDine audiobooks over the last couple of years and this was my first time reading one in print. I could not put it down! The author's writing style is sharp and snappy and I was constantly reading 'just one more chapter'. The story of how Eve's idyllic life starts to unravel after an incident with drugs at her son's 16th birthday keeps you guessing throughout and is heartbreaking in places. I did guess a few things that were going to happen but the last chapter surprised me. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a fast paced thriller.

I always love this author's books, and this was no exception! I think her writing style is so lovely to read - Just enough description to make me feel immersed in the book, without being overly literary and long-winded.

I really enjoy books where there are lots of secrets to uncover, and as the title suggests, there were an abundance of them here. There were quite a few characters, but they were all distinct and well written so I never got confused with who was who.

The story held my interest right up until the end, I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend it.

This is my fourth read from A J McDine and as usual, it did not disappoint. I felt that this one was a lot more realistic than her usual psychological thrillers, with relatable characters and situations. The themes in the book are very relevant and as a parent of teens, really hit home. I could imagine myself in the main character’s shoes and felt the roller coaster of emotions right along side her. Everyone Has Secrets is definitely one of my favourite reads of 2024!

This was a nice easy read. It had a good premise, and the first half way really good, but then it fell a little flat due to predictability. I'd still recommend it as a good read if you want a popcorn thriller :)

I was so excited to read this book and it certainly didn’t disappoint. I loved it! I’ve read all of this author’s other books but this is definitely my favourite so far.
I was drawn in really quickly and loved the fast paced writing style that came with plenty of twists. It’s more than worthy of 5 stars!

This book was great! So many twists and turns and I never predicted the ending. The end gives me the vibe that a sequel is coming and I can’t believe how evil one minor character is (I won’t give it away!) - so cleverly written and seamlessly linked plot. Loved my first book from A J McDine !

Great plot, but I didn't care for the ending. I didn't warm to the main character and she struck me as stupid. If you like psychological thrillers, you may like this one.

Everyone Has Secrets AJ McDine

Everyone Has Secrets by AJ McDine is a fast paced unputdownable psychological thriller. This is my first time reading a book by this author and it will definitely not be my last. The first paragraph of the book had me hooked and sucked me in to the very end.

“One phone call. That’s all it took for my life to implode. Like a storm ripping through a quiet street, the call upended everything, leaving chaos in its wake.”

Eve lives with her husband Noah, and their 16 year old son Joe, in a beautifully renovated Vicarage in a quaint British village called South Langley. Life is close to perfect for Eve. She has a beautiful family, a great job, the home of her dreams and a best friend who lives across the street with her 16 year old daughter Annie. What’s even better is that Annie and Joe are best friends too.

Joe’s 16th birthday is approaching and he begs his parents to allow him to have an adult free celebration at their family home. With pressure from both her husband and son, Eve reluctantly agrees. Eve feels a small sense of peace knowing that the very responsible Annie will be at the party, and she and her husband Noah will be just across the street at Lisa ‘s house. Just a phone call and a hop, skip and a jump away. Eve trusts Joe and assures herself that nothing could go wrong. But then she gets a phone call that will change it all.

Seriously, I cannot stress enough how excellent this book is. It was clearly well thought out and cleverly written. If you are a fan of psychological thrillers and a page turning read then you should definitely add this book to your tbr. I cannot wait to get my hands on AJ McDines backlist. I will surely devour each and every one of her books.

Thank you Bookouture and Netgalley for my e-arc of Everyone Has Secrets by AJ McDine. It was an easy 5 star ⭐️ read. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I’ve liked previous books by AJ but this one fell short for me and it was a struggle to finish. I did keep going because I was hoping it would improve but somehow the storyline held initial promise and yet fell flat. I feel disappointed because I know the author could have written this in a more compelling, interesting way but there was no sense of thrill or mystery or even justification for all the things done wrong that characters kept getting away; with including Eve most of all. This felt rushed and missing the depth and connection to what has made me enjoy previous works by the author. Thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for letting me read an arc in exchange for my review; I wish I had enjoyed it more.

This is my first book by A J MCDINE.
Everyone Has Secrets did not disappoint.
Its a twisty domestic thriller.
I will definitely read another book by this author.

This is my third book of A J McDine. I loved The Baby and The Photo, so was really excited to read this one! Thanks Netgalley for approving my request and providing the ARC!
This is quite a slow burn and not quite like a usual thriller! It's about how far a mother can go to save her child. This is not to say this book was boring or not quite gripping! On the contrary, I could not put it down! I loved the author's style of writing and the development of characters and the twist at the end 😯

I was fortunate to receive an ARC of this book from the author.

A.J. McDine is an auto author for me and I will always read her books!

This novel is about family and friendship and is blood thicker than water? I read this book in 24 hours, it's a fast paced page turner and I wanted to know if Annie would survive and what really happened at the teenagers party that night, while the parents were across the green enjoying some wine together.

I feel like this is one of a parent's nightmares - you allow your sensible 16 year old to have some friends round, you're seconds away if something happens, yet the evening still ends in police and ambulances. Then there is the former wife and stepson who both seem pretty unpleasant and intent on making life more difficult. Also a great insight into blended families, favouritism, how to treat the children equally despite circumstances now being different.

My favourite quote:

"...Guilt has hovered in the wings of our marriage like an understudy desperate for his big break."

WOW! This book had me addicted from the very beginning. What starts out as a 16 year old boy celebrating his birthday quickly escalates into a game of whodunit. You’ll think you’ve figured everything out just to realize you’ve got it all wrong. At the end of the day, we all have secrets. Who can you trust?