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babs_reviews's review against another edition
2.0
This book started out so strong and I was actually sucked in and ready to embark on her journey with her. I'll admit the premise of the book was very enticing and I was captured in the first few chapters...after that it gets kind of bumpy and very confusing.
Trying to keep up with an unreliable main character was difficult, but not impossible. I would have preferred to have an alternating point of view from a side character. Just a way to see outside of the main character to try and build our own timeline. We weren't able to access the whole situation which led to some moments of .... okay and that matters, why? Then you find out those very FEW mentions were important.
Too much emphasis on specific details while other scenes lacked detail all around. With a heavier hand in editing this story could have been so much better.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for providing an eARC
Trying to keep up with an unreliable main character was difficult, but not impossible. I would have preferred to have an alternating point of view from a side character. Just a way to see outside of the main character to try and build our own timeline. We weren't able to access the whole situation which led to some moments of .... okay and that matters, why? Then you find out those very FEW mentions were important.
Too much emphasis on specific details while other scenes lacked detail all around. With a heavier hand in editing this story could have been so much better.
Thank you netgalley and publisher for providing an eARC
laelyn's review against another edition
2.0
First of all, I should note that I didn't find out until after reading this book that it is the second book in the "Jane Anonymous" series. I did not read the first book, though I can't say whether that would've changed my opinion on "The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep".
This is a clever little mystery story about a girl that was taken and trapped in a well for four days before she managed to escape. Unfortunately, noone seems to believe that this actually happened to her, which makes her eager to prove them wrong. This is an interesting albeit not entirely new premise that initiatlly got me hooked and I devoured the first two dozen pages or so. The story is well written and the author knows how to draw readers in. The idea of Jane Anonymous, a website for survivors of crimes to chat and bond, is a really interesting one and I generally liked how the chats were incorporated into the story.
In the end, though, "The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep" didn't manage to really keep me interested for long.
For one, I didn't find the protagonist very intriguing and couldn't connect with her at all. I really liked how Stolarz focused on her struggles with both PTSD and the fact that noone believes her trauma actually happened, but beyond that I found her characterization rather lacking. I couldn't really tell you anything about Terra as a person beyond her trauma and her quest for truth. She's also a very unreliable narrator due to her skipping her medication which, for me, just seemed unnecessary for the plot itself and left a bad taste in my mouth due to the insinuation that she cannot be believed because of her mental illness. Unreliable narrators can add a lot of tension and mystery to a story if done well. In this case it didn't work at all for me.
Certain plot twists were rather predictable too and I was annoyed by Terra who later on actively ignores the truth because she's so set on her own version of events. I did interpret this as part of her trauma, of not wanting to accept certain hard truths that once again might shatter her view of the world, but it didn't have an emotional impact on me as it was more written in a way that made her seem incredibly naive.
The final plot twist and reveal of the Bad Guy fell flat for me as well because I didn't feel like this character had as much focus on him during the plot as would have been necessary for this reveal to really pack a punch. The motive was generally interesting and something I haven't read before. It sadly didn't make much sense to me, probably due to the aforementioned lack of focus on the Bad Guy. I felt it was, in the end, a weird motive for the kind of crimes the Bad Guy committed - but it's definitely a creative and promising motive.
"The Last Secrets You'll Ever Keep" can't count me among its fans, but it is still a wortwhile quick read for young mystery lovers. It probably just wasn't the book for me personally.
many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the arc!
This is a clever little mystery story about a girl that was taken and trapped in a well for four days before she managed to escape. Unfortunately, noone seems to believe that this actually happened to her, which makes her eager to prove them wrong. This is an interesting albeit not entirely new premise that initiatlly got me hooked and I devoured the first two dozen pages or so. The story is well written and the author knows how to draw readers in. The idea of Jane Anonymous, a website for survivors of crimes to chat and bond, is a really interesting one and I generally liked how the chats were incorporated into the story.
In the end, though, "The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep" didn't manage to really keep me interested for long.
For one, I didn't find the protagonist very intriguing and couldn't connect with her at all. I really liked how Stolarz focused on her struggles with both PTSD and the fact that noone believes her trauma actually happened, but beyond that I found her characterization rather lacking. I couldn't really tell you anything about Terra as a person beyond her trauma and her quest for truth. She's also a very unreliable narrator due to her skipping her medication which, for me, just seemed unnecessary for the plot itself and left a bad taste in my mouth due to the insinuation that she cannot be believed because of her mental illness. Unreliable narrators can add a lot of tension and mystery to a story if done well. In this case it didn't work at all for me.
Certain plot twists were rather predictable too and I was annoyed by Terra who later on actively ignores the truth because she's so set on her own version of events. I did interpret this as part of her trauma, of not wanting to accept certain hard truths that once again might shatter her view of the world, but it didn't have an emotional impact on me as it was more written in a way that made her seem incredibly naive.
The final plot twist and reveal of the Bad Guy fell flat for me as well because I didn't feel like this character had as much focus on him during the plot as would have been necessary for this reveal to really pack a punch. The motive was generally interesting and something I haven't read before. It sadly didn't make much sense to me, probably due to the aforementioned lack of focus on the Bad Guy. I felt it was, in the end, a weird motive for the kind of crimes the Bad Guy committed - but it's definitely a creative and promising motive.
"The Last Secrets You'll Ever Keep" can't count me among its fans, but it is still a wortwhile quick read for young mystery lovers. It probably just wasn't the book for me personally.
many thanks to St. Martin's Press/Wednesday Books for the arc!
ambeesbookishpages's review
4.0
The full review + more can be found at The Book Bratz
When I learned that this was set in the same world as Jane Anonymous I was really excited to see how the two were going to have to do with each other, but I really love how Stolarz brought up the familiar elements of Jane Anonymous with a whole new story.
This book is full of twist and turns, things you never saw coming and things that make you second guess yourself over and over again. Terra's story is told in the present and the before. Before being when she was abducted. Throughout the entire story everything that we learn and see Terra do makes you question if she is a reliable character or not (I am not spoiling anything, I am going to leave that up to you to find out!)
But overall this was one of my favorite books of 2020 and I am excited to see what everyone else is going to think of it and if there will be more novels set in the Jane Anonymous world.
When I learned that this was set in the same world as Jane Anonymous I was really excited to see how the two were going to have to do with each other, but I really love how Stolarz brought up the familiar elements of Jane Anonymous with a whole new story.
This book is full of twist and turns, things you never saw coming and things that make you second guess yourself over and over again. Terra's story is told in the present and the before. Before being when she was abducted. Throughout the entire story everything that we learn and see Terra do makes you question if she is a reliable character or not (I am not spoiling anything, I am going to leave that up to you to find out!)
But overall this was one of my favorite books of 2020 and I am excited to see what everyone else is going to think of it and if there will be more novels set in the Jane Anonymous world.
ameserole's review
4.0
I have received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep was a book that I enjoyed for the most part but gave me a character that was frustrating at times. Enter Terra. She's 18 years old and has definitely gone through some stuff. Whether it's her dad teaching her how to protect herself, losing both of her parents to an unfortunate and untimely accident, or to not being believed when she tells someone something very important.
Honestly, so much happens in this book that you might have to take a breather or two just to digest it all. Each page went by faster and faster because I had no idea where this book was going to take me next. The one thing I didn't like was how no one believed her. It's like she was crying wolf or anything and it just frustrated me beyond belief.
Then again, Terra did make some weird decisions and was vague about a lot of things to the people who loved her. So.. not sure how that was going to help with anything but eventually things all worked out. I am so happy that she had one person on her side the entire time and everyone else sucked in my eyes.
In the end, we live in a world with some creepy people and we all deserve our own Garrett.
The Last Secret You'll Ever Keep was a book that I enjoyed for the most part but gave me a character that was frustrating at times. Enter Terra. She's 18 years old and has definitely gone through some stuff. Whether it's her dad teaching her how to protect herself, losing both of her parents to an unfortunate and untimely accident, or to not being believed when she tells someone something very important.
Honestly, so much happens in this book that you might have to take a breather or two just to digest it all. Each page went by faster and faster because I had no idea where this book was going to take me next. The one thing I didn't like was how no one believed her. It's like she was crying wolf or anything and it just frustrated me beyond belief.
Then again, Terra did make some weird decisions and was vague about a lot of things to the people who loved her. So.. not sure how that was going to help with anything but eventually things all worked out. I am so happy that she had one person on her side the entire time and everyone else sucked in my eyes.
In the end, we live in a world with some creepy people and we all deserve our own Garrett.
drinb's review
3.0
This wasn’t a bad read! It was easy to get through and I liked most of the plot, some of the characterization felt bland but overall I would probably reread once I forget the content of the book!
alongreader's review
4.0
Terra is still trying to get over a tragedy that happened a few years ago when she is kidnapped from her bed and imprisoned in a dry well. When she finally manages to drag herself out, four days later - no one has noticed she's missing. And, with a history of occasionally vanishing for a day or two, no one believes her when she describes her captivity. No one except the anonymous people in her support chatroom, and the boy who didn't walk her home when she went missing.
First of all; yes, in theory this is a sequel to another novel by the same author, Jane Anonymous. However, the actual crossover is very, very faint; I didn't even pick up on it until I read someone else's review, so don't worry if you haven't read that one. You won't miss anything.
Secondly. I have rarely felt so mixed up about a novel on this level. Terra is one of the most unreliable narrators I've met in a long time; I lost count of the times the narration described something and Terra questioned whether she'd done it or when she'd done it. While she was being held she worried about being off her meds for so long, but several months later she seemed to skip them far more often than take them. No doubt that was adding to the unreliability problem, but still. I found it hard to read simply because I had so little idea what was going on; it nearly made me feel nauseous.
I didn't like Terra's aunt too much, either. Working through her own things or not, I felt she was very unsympathetic to Terra - although, of course, there's the unreliable narrator thing again; maybe she was actually very supportive and nice and we just don't know!
Overall, I do recommend this, and it wrapped up nicely, but be ready to be totally confused as you read.
First of all; yes, in theory this is a sequel to another novel by the same author, Jane Anonymous. However, the actual crossover is very, very faint; I didn't even pick up on it until I read someone else's review, so don't worry if you haven't read that one. You won't miss anything.
Secondly. I have rarely felt so mixed up about a novel on this level. Terra is one of the most unreliable narrators I've met in a long time; I lost count of the times the narration described something and Terra questioned whether she'd done it or when she'd done it. While she was being held she worried about being off her meds for so long, but several months later she seemed to skip them far more often than take them. No doubt that was adding to the unreliability problem, but still. I found it hard to read simply because I had so little idea what was going on; it nearly made me feel nauseous.
I didn't like Terra's aunt too much, either. Working through her own things or not, I felt she was very unsympathetic to Terra - although, of course, there's the unreliable narrator thing again; maybe she was actually very supportive and nice and we just don't know!
Overall, I do recommend this, and it wrapped up nicely, but be ready to be totally confused as you read.
hitbooksnotgirlz's review
5.0
I definitely enjoyed the first book more than this one, but it was still quite good. I always like when the sequel introduces all new characters and a fresh new situation, but is still tied to the first book in some way. I also LOVE an unreliable narrator, so that aspect of the story made me like it even more.
lookingforamandaa's review
3.0
I loved Jane Anonymous, so when I saw this one was a companion I immediately requested. I didn't like this as much as I did Jane Anonymous, but it was still an interesting story. I liked the unreliable narrator aspect. It's unclear whether Terra is actually seeing things or making this all up in her head. But her emotions and feelings came across really well and made me want to believe her even though as the story progressed it seemed like she deteriorated. What I really liked about this book was despite the fact that we had an unreliable narrator we still got a satisfying ending with answers to almost all of our questions.
bookloversofi's review
4.0
I want to thank NetGalley & Wednesday Books very much for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review
This is certainly a difficult story to read at times because it focuses much on an extremely traumatic event where the main character is the survivor who escapes from her captor. I enjoyed the plot a lot, due to how it's told and from what point of view it is played, and also I find it extremely intriguing, although heartbreaking, to see how the veracity of the victim's kidnapping story is questioned a lot to the point of humiliating and treating her as a liar. Of course, all this makes it a hard-hitting book, but you still can't stop reading because there are many unknowns things to which you want to know the answers.
3.5/4 ⭐⭐⭐