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3.5 AVERAGE
3.5 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved this ghosty type story. It's short and quick and to the point. The background of the story is interwoven into the modern tale and it's done so artfully that I had no issue with catching up one way or another. Really wonderfully written, a really great read. The only reason it's not 5 stars is because it sort of scared me a lot and made me really sad and upset about how Del, which is probably a lousy reason not to give it a 5, but hey, it's my rating system.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was a quick easy read. Could be considered a good young adult book, nothing to graphic.
This book was SO good. I seriously couldn't put it down. The story was very intriguing and I really liked how all the characters tied together. It was a real page turner and I'd recommend it to everyone. Definitely a book I plan on purchasing so I can read it again.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Loved this book! I had a very hard time putting it down in the time that I had to read it. It's a very dark and disturbing read that makes you want to keep turning the pages! Definitely high on my favorites list and one that I will recommend when people ask what to read next!!!
Pretty good story. It was sort of confusing the back and forth between then and now, but I finally got the rhythm.
Promise Not To Tell was great! I’m a huge fan of the author and I love how her books are full of secrets, small towns, and otherworldly aspects that add in just the right amount of weirdness. The combination makes for an exciting book because there are just as many human motives for things and it could easily be a story just about secrets, but the added mystery of whatever otherworldly element throws enough of a curve into the story that you don’t quite know what to expect. In Promise Not To Tell, the strange happenings in the small town have to do with ghosts. More importantly, the ghost is that of Kate’s friend from her childhood, Del.
Del was the Potato Girl. She was bullied, weird, hated, and had a complicated life. Kate was her friend, but pretended not to be in order to not commit social suicide. She felt a lot of guilt as an adult about the way she treated Del and I was anxious to watch that story unfold throughout the book. I wanted to know what exactly happened to Del and what Kate’s role in her death or her embarrassment that day was. In the present, Kate’s mom, who still lived in the same town, was losing her memories. Kate came back to her hometown to help her mother and find a good place for long term care. But going back to her hometown opened up a can of worms as people and memories started flooding in. Another girl was hurt, extra secrets were uncovered, and something very weird was happening. People kept blaming the ghost of the Potato Girl, but everyone should know better, right?
I’m not going to give anything away, but I loved the characters and the plot of the book. I enjoyed seeing everything unfold. I didn’t know who the true killer was, if the same person who killed Del was responsible for the death of Opal’s friend, or if there was really any ghost stuff happening. the conclusion left me satisfied and it was one I really didn’t see coming. I bounced back and forth between who I thought was the killer in the present day and the past multiple times, which was kind of fun. I hate predictable mystery novels and I loved that Promise Not To Tell kept me guessing.
I highly recommend Promise Not To Tell and other books by Jennifer McMahon. This one isn’t my favorite, but it’s not my least favorite of hers, either. If you like mysteries, small towns, legends, ghost stories, and secrets, you can’t go wrong with any of McMahon’s books.
Del was the Potato Girl. She was bullied, weird, hated, and had a complicated life. Kate was her friend, but pretended not to be in order to not commit social suicide. She felt a lot of guilt as an adult about the way she treated Del and I was anxious to watch that story unfold throughout the book. I wanted to know what exactly happened to Del and what Kate’s role in her death or her embarrassment that day was. In the present, Kate’s mom, who still lived in the same town, was losing her memories. Kate came back to her hometown to help her mother and find a good place for long term care. But going back to her hometown opened up a can of worms as people and memories started flooding in. Another girl was hurt, extra secrets were uncovered, and something very weird was happening. People kept blaming the ghost of the Potato Girl, but everyone should know better, right?
I’m not going to give anything away, but I loved the characters and the plot of the book. I enjoyed seeing everything unfold. I didn’t know who the true killer was, if the same person who killed Del was responsible for the death of Opal’s friend, or if there was really any ghost stuff happening. the conclusion left me satisfied and it was one I really didn’t see coming. I bounced back and forth between who I thought was the killer in the present day and the past multiple times, which was kind of fun. I hate predictable mystery novels and I loved that Promise Not To Tell kept me guessing.
I highly recommend Promise Not To Tell and other books by Jennifer McMahon. This one isn’t my favorite, but it’s not my least favorite of hers, either. If you like mysteries, small towns, legends, ghost stories, and secrets, you can’t go wrong with any of McMahon’s books.