Member Reviews
The story is told in alternating chapters between Nadine, Frankie, Zara and the transcript from YouTube True Crime After Wine, along with occasional others. The twist and turns had me drawn in and I couldn't put the book down. A masterfully written psychological thriller and definitely a must read!
Thank you Netgalley and Embla Books for a chance to read the advanced copy.
A slow simmer storyline but the wild twist near the end makes it worth the read.
(2.5 rounded up to 3)
Thank You to NetGalley, Embla Books, and Becca Day for the opportunity to read this ARC.
Here is yet another story of a group of rich friends that each have their own scandalous secrets and one of them ends up dead. Added to this is a YouTuber out to seek the truth of what happened that day, another trope I am seeing alot of lately. While I enjoyed this, I never felt fully connected to the characters. I didn't exactly care what happened to any of them. I don't know if it's because they needed to be humbled a bit more or that there wasn't enough backstory on them. I also did kind of guess the reveal but not the reasoning behind it. This is one of those books where I feel the reveal, whether I guessed it or not, was good enough and maybe the author should have left well enough alone but had to throw in another 'twist'. Overall this was an okay, enjoyable read that unfortunately isn't going to be one that really sticks out for me this year. If you dont read as much as myself, you may find yourself enjoying this one a bit more. Three Stars.
Thank you Netgalley and Embla Books for this ARC.
I was really captivating by the writing of this, reading it all in one sitting! From the title, you may guess there is a lot of secrets, and there sure is - everyone involved had something they needed to hide, meaning lots of twists and turns.
'Our secrets keep us close'.
Synopsis
Four women - Frankie, Zara, Nadine and Gineva - used to be the best of friends, until Gineva, was found murdered on the beach. Since then, the women haven't remained close, until they all meet again at a funeral, five years later.
But a YouTuber is sniffing around the case again, trying to dig up information on what really happened, and who really killed Gineva. Her husband was the suspect all along - its always the husband - but what if it wasn't?
As secrets start to get exposed, the women begin to worry - will the secret that will affect them all get exposed? And who is this mysterious, anonymous tipper, sending information to this YouTuber?
Thoughts
I enjoyed the Desperate Housewives vibe of this! I think the YouTube video transcripts were a great touch, slowly uncovering more and more secrets about the case alongside the YouTube video uploads.
Toward the end I did get a feeling that it could have been a particular person who actually did it, and you can call me a detective now, as I was correct! But that wasn't the last of the shockers, as I didn't expect that final twist!
I liked the different POVs for each of the women as well, getting a feel for what their secrets were and what they were hiding.
Overall, a really enjoyable mystery thriller!
'Their secrets are tearing them apart'.
Thank you to NetGalley and Embla Books for this copy. This review is voluntary.
The secrets we Buried is one of my favorite books of 2023.
It is a book about friendships and the secrets that they bury. The book starts off and engaged me right away. I love a fast read and this sure was that.
Enjoy!
I wanted a bit more from the characters and the writing itself, but the thrilling plot made up for any holes in other departaments. Good thriller, very readable. I'd recommend it to fans of the genre.
Frankie has returned for a funeral in her old locale. While Millionaire’s Row is breathtaking the death of a friend years previously can’t stop her feeling uncomfortable.
The main characters in this novel failed to keep me entertained, for all their wealth and success they seemed cold and very one dimensional. This is a very typical “someone knows what we have done” plot and the ending was absolutely ridiculous.
There is potential here but there needs to be much more substance to characters to make the reader invested. The author has a great deal of talent but some needs to be directed here.
I look forward to reading another book by this author, however.
I received an ARC from netgalley in return for an honest review.
Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.
How does one write a review for a great thriller that hits all the right notes? The best I can say is that, up until this point, I had never before finished a book at three am and then sat stunned, taking it all in.
Congratulations to Becca Day for writing a narrative with so many unexpected turns and a surprising ending, with the final sentence serving as the icing on the cake.
A independent review for NetGalley / Embla Books
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A fast paced thriller read with interesting characters which held my interest throughout. A well written twisty read from the beginning until the end.
Thank you to Netgalley and Embla Books for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.
Friends vow to keep their secrets, buried when one of the friends dies. Noone finds out the truth of the circumstances. Believing it's the husband because it normally is. However when a you-tube documentary series maker picks up on the story they don't believe that the story is so clear cut and so sets out to uncover the truth but doesn't realise that wasps nest of buried secrets that will be revealed alongside it. A very good page turner of a book.
When Geneva turns up dead on the beach, her three friends vow to keep their secrets in tact and buried with her. But five years later, wannabe You-Tuber and true crime documentary maker, Juniper Rose, turns up vowing to get to the truth. It’s always the husband. Everyone thinks so, even his best friend. But Juniper believes he is innocent, and seems hell bent on finding the real killer…
Oh. My. Gosh. I was NOT expecting that!!! What a page turner! I binged this book in a day and a half and enjoyed every moment.
I couldn’t wait for the next You Tube episode and genuinely felt like I was watching it, rather than reading it. I had absolutely no idea who the perpetrator was, and that twist at the end… wow! Thoroughly enjoyed it. Someone please make this in to a film!
Would give it 6 stars if I could and would 100% read from this author again.
Huge thanks to NetGalley and Embla books for my advanced copy.
This book was excellent! So many unexpected twists. Very well written, and the characters were all likeable. The toll that a murder takes on these women and how wealth factors in was so interesting to see. I would definitely read another book from Becca and thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. I will post to my instagram on release day.
The twists and turns in this book had me at the edge of my seat! I read this in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down. Becca Day has a great writing style. Can’t wait to read more from this author!
Thank you NetGalley and Embla Books for the arc of this book.
OMG the twists and turns in this book were mind blowing. Just what I needed in a good thriller. Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced copy for a honest review.
I think this is my favorite thriller of 2023!! Becca Day is just brilliant. The way she writes really makes you feel like you're in the scene with the characters. And the characters, oh how I loved them all! The wealth, the mystery, THE PLOT TWISTS! The epilogue blew my mind. Please never stop writing Desperate Housewife style thrillers, you write them better than anyone!!
The twists and turns in this book are exactly what I need in a psychological thriller. Three women, one murder, and one big threat to their secret. I couldn’t put this down and found myself reading late into the night to finish. Thanks NetGalley and Becca Day for this ARC in exchange for my honest review