An interesting concept of a thriller, loved the multiple POV and flip over concept.
Although the ending was suspected ending there was still a small area of suprise.

Weellllkk. I was not expecting this book to be like it is. Such a fun twist of an experience. Such a good book.

NetGalley Arc Review

Such a good read, the way it’s written, and the perspective surrounding the story line. Plays with your mind alittle at times as and it was a fun read. Highly recommend it. Plan on getting the physically copy.

The dynamic of Dead Girls Don’t Talk by Sandra J. Paul is genius— it perfectly mirrors the quote “all roads lead to Rome,” as the story weaves together two perspectives, Syl and Viola, each with their own side of the story, leading to one final truth. The book gives you the freedom to choose which side to begin with, and I personally started with Syl before moving on to Viola. It was fascinating to explore both angles, seeing how each character’s narrative shapes the mystery.

The pace of the story is fast and engaging, which keeps you hooked throughout. Despite the book falling under the mystery/thriller genre, I felt that the plot twists didn’t quite match the weight of the story itself. The biggest downside to this flip-over structure—where each side leads to one ending—is that, at times, it can become predictable. You start to know what’s coming, and it can feel repetitive as you already understand the outcome, though you’re getting a new perspective on the same events.

What makes this book intriguing are the different perspectives on the two main characters. With Syl’s side, we see Viola as a narcissist, someone who feels isolated despite the tragedies in her life. On the other hand, Viola sees Syl as someone who plays the victim. The contrast between the two viewpoints is compelling, and while I’d love to dive deeper into their characters, doing so would spoil the twists in the plot.

One issue, however, was that the plot twists often felt predictable. There were little hints scattered throughout that made it easy to guess the direction the story was headed, which took away some of the excitement from the reveals. Similarly, the storylines of the side characters were also somewhat foreseeable.

That said, Dead Girls Don’t Talk is perfect for a quick, engaging read, especially if you’re looking for a story that will make you question who’s telling the truth and who’s lying to protect themselves. While the twists may not always be shocking, the character dynamics and the dual perspectives make it an intriguing mystery for an afternoon read.

Dead Girls Don’t talk is about two best friends who get into a car accident where one of them dies. This book explores what lead to the accident from each of their point of views.
I really liked the concept of this book. I liked the fact that you could choose which girls side to read first. I enjoyed the writing itself and that all the pieces clicked together for the most part. It was an easy read for me to get into. The end fell apart a bit for me and made some other pieces of the story make less sense. Overall though it was an interesting book and worth a read!

Dead Girls Don't Talk by Sandra J. Paul
An eerie and unsettling thriller, Dead Girls Don’t Talk hooks readers from the very first page. Sandra J. Paul blends mystery with psychological suspense, crafting a haunting narrative where the dead refuse to stay silent. With an unpredictable plot and chilling atmosphere, this is a must-read for fans of dark mysteries.

This book was interesting I love thrillers and this was a good one. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

The concept of this story and the way it was written was so enticing, I’ve never read anything like it in this genre. The characters fell flat for me and I feel that this very promising idea was executed poorly. The ending wasn’t satisfying in my opinion. It was definitely fast paced and would be perfect for anyone looking for a quick read with an interesting plot and not something you need to delve deep into

The blurb and concept of this book are likely to catch many readers' attentions, but the execution wasn't done as well as I'd hoped. Being able to read from either girl's perspective is a great, fun idea, and that you have to read both before getting to the truth of things works well enough, but it doesn't seem like you get the full story no matter how you read the book. Neither girl is very likeable, nor do either seem particularly trustworthy. While it's common for young childhood friends to drift apart as they grow older, there was so much emphasis on this "cosmically" formed toxic friendship that didn't make sense to me. Neither girl is happy with the other and instead of just being honest or slowly, naturally going their own ways, they decide to manipulate and destroy one another. Teens can be unruly and immature, though, so we have to give the author credit for that... because we certainly can't give credit for other inaccuracies. The scene of the accident, logistically, doesn't make sense and then we have two different accounts of little details from the scene (no skid marks to suddenly them existing, not raining then it was previously raining but now it is raining). You may think you're filling in the blanks, getting important details about that fateful drive from both girls, but that's just not what happened.
There are some important, well crafted scenes involving the parents of both Syl and Viola. Things that make it obvious as to why they may behave the way they do, how they perceive relationships. It was interesting to see each of their opinions on situations they were both involved in (a vacation or one of their many fights). These instances were more believable, done well. There was much more potential for Lila to be important to this story, which I thought she would be, but such wasn't the case. I think there were 2-3 errors in the text during my readthrough of this ARC for a book that previously came out in 2023 (my biggest takeaway is this new version must be largely condensed), but they were small enough to not be bothersome (the two I do remember: one was a spelling error and the other was a sentence talking about a mom but then using male pronouns).
Overall, I think that it's a good concept and offers an interesting, though small, character study. This version is a quick and easy read, with a few intriguing plot points to keep you turning the page. The ending, though, and repetitive nature of self-blame (questionable) is both lackluster and annoying.

Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC.