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justinkhchen's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
A decent compulsive read, No One Needs to Know has the unputdownable quality going for it — propelling one to keep turning pages until the book ends. Even though the plot is constructed with very recycled materials, with a pivotal reveal being rather anticlimactic, overall the mixed media narrative devices and Lindsay Cameron's punchy writing help sustaining its enjoyable factor all the way through.
'First World Problem' is the name of the game, as we follow 3 wealthy women fighting petty rivalries (such as securing their kids a spot in a private boarding school), and their uncensored interaction on an anonymous neighborhood digital forum. I particularly enjoyed the forum aspect, which the novel has utilized its anonymity fully to build tension (leaving us to guess which character said what). However, No One Needs to Know didn't quite master closure; there were multiple points where the buildup was so high-stake and devious, only for the reveals to be rather mundane and out of left field — they weren't so bad that I felt like I've wasted my time reading, but I was left hoping the plot has gone a different, less safe route.
Still, even though No One Needs to Know might not be God tier, it remains a good one; it doesn't stray far from the formula of gossipy neighborhood thrillers — which can translate to familiar comfort, and the online forum element does bring fresh perspective that's relevant to the time. I can see many readers enjoy this one quite a bit!
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
A decent compulsive read, No One Needs to Know has the unputdownable quality going for it — propelling one to keep turning pages until the book ends. Even though the plot is constructed with very recycled materials, with a pivotal reveal being rather anticlimactic, overall the mixed media narrative devices and Lindsay Cameron's punchy writing help sustaining its enjoyable factor all the way through.
'First World Problem' is the name of the game, as we follow 3 wealthy women fighting petty rivalries (such as securing their kids a spot in a private boarding school), and their uncensored interaction on an anonymous neighborhood digital forum. I particularly enjoyed the forum aspect, which the novel has utilized its anonymity fully to build tension (leaving us to guess which character said what). However, No One Needs to Know didn't quite master closure; there were multiple points where the buildup was so high-stake and devious, only for the reveals to be rather mundane and out of left field — they weren't so bad that I felt like I've wasted my time reading, but I was left hoping the plot has gone a different, less safe route.
Still, even though No One Needs to Know might not be God tier, it remains a good one; it doesn't stray far from the formula of gossipy neighborhood thrillers — which can translate to familiar comfort, and the online forum element does bring fresh perspective that's relevant to the time. I can see many readers enjoy this one quite a bit!
**This ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Much appreciated!**
mariadelisa's review against another edition
4.75
I liked the aspect of the anonymous app. I would have like to see more juicy posts from it though.
audiobookingwithleah's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
彡 the vibes 彡
- domestic suspense
- mystery thriller
- social media hack
- scandals & secrets are revealed
- drama…Manhattan style
- someone goes missing & everyone looks guilty
Interestingly, they mentioned the Ashley Madison Hack in this book, especially since I recently listened to an Audible Original book highlighting it. This story seems to have been inspired by that event. While the story was generally good, there were moments where I lost interest. However, the ending was surprising and wrapped up the situations quite well.
- The narration by Brittany Pressley and Rebecca Lowman was very good, but they did tend to sound similar.
- Ratings score ⬗ 6.53/10
embob1's review against another edition
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
redvelvetpenguins's review against another edition
3.0
Actual: 3.5
The ending definitely saved it. But Heather was doing her personal best to have this be a DNF lmao
The ending definitely saved it. But Heather was doing her personal best to have this be a DNF lmao
litwithleigh's review against another edition
** I do not give star ratings to audiobooks as I cannot analyze the prose **
Audiobook Rating: salacious and entertaining enough | Performance: all the women sounded the same
This is MY kind of audiobook. I think I read two pages with my eyes and I was like NOPEEEE lol. This is a combo of The Varsity Blues scandal (otherwise known as the admissions scandal, where richies were paying for their kids to get into name brand schools) and the Real Housewives (of Upper East Side). Was it new? Groundbreaking? Innovative? Other than the whole Urban Myth 'anonymous' message board, not at all. You've definitely read this before. But it is the kind of noise I like to vibrate off the ole ear drums while I do other productive things like shopping ;). Anyways, all I have to say is Poppy needs to watch some crime shows because no way she thinks the police can't shore up her digital footprint. Oh and if you're worth MILLIONS and all you give me is 100k for my silence, I'll be louder than ever. Absolutely not. Run me those 7 figures honey.
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
Audiobook Rating: salacious and entertaining enough | Performance: all the women sounded the same
This is MY kind of audiobook. I think I read two pages with my eyes and I was like NOPEEEE lol. This is a combo of The Varsity Blues scandal (otherwise known as the admissions scandal, where richies were paying for their kids to get into name brand schools) and the Real Housewives (of Upper East Side). Was it new? Groundbreaking? Innovative? Other than the whole Urban Myth 'anonymous' message board, not at all. You've definitely read this before. But it is the kind of noise I like to vibrate off the ole ear drums while I do other productive things like shopping ;). Anyways, all I have to say is Poppy needs to watch some crime shows because no way she thinks the police can't shore up her digital footprint. Oh and if you're worth MILLIONS and all you give me is 100k for my silence, I'll be louder than ever. Absolutely not. Run me those 7 figures honey.
____________________________
For some sick reason, do you want to hear more of my nonsense? Check out my podcast: Novels & Nonsense streaming everywhere.
madi_summerr's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kelc2398's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
bookish_withsky's review against another edition
4.0
3.75
I love rich people drama, so this was great in that aspect. It wasn't perfect but I did find it to be compulsively readable and had a pretty good time with it. Family certain it's inspired by certain recent/past events and I ate that up, to be quite honest. A pretty good time.
I love rich people drama, so this was great in that aspect. It wasn't perfect but I did find it to be compulsively readable and had a pretty good time with it. Family certain it's inspired by certain recent/past events and I ate that up, to be quite honest. A pretty good time.