Every Single Secret is about Daphne and Heath an engaged couple with many secrets in their pasts that NEVER speak about. They go on a couples retreat to sort out Healths past, and their secrets start spilling out and they are not what you would expect! A CREEPY, fast paced thriller that had me dreaming about sneaking around the retreat house looking for answers!!!!

A complex psychological thriller with a gothic flavor!

I was intrigued from the start and had a hard time putting this one down. The way the characters were being "watched" gave me a very eerie and unsettling feeling. I think it was the atmospheric setting and the creepy house.

The story revolves around a couple who are engaged, Daphne and Heath. I liked the chemistry between them and was pulling for them to get past the skeletons that were dancing around in both their closets. I was absolutely fascinated by the couple's retreat house they checked into for some "therapy". Hmm....I couldn't help but wonder if they would be checking out (singing Hotel California now...)

Throw in some twists and gasps with secrets spilling out and you have a page turning conclusion. Though the end did feel a bit rushed and somewhat muddled because of so many revelations and quite a bit of action (hope I didn't miss anything). Overall, I enjoyed this creepy thriller (even if I was hoping for a different end)!

If you enjoy flawed characters and lots of skeletons in closets (dark secrets), this one is sure to entertain you!

Thanks to Netgalley for my ARC. Review will also post on my blog ...https://dressedtoread.com/

Daphne and Heath were soul mates. At least Daphne thought so and she really, really believed that Heath was of like mind. So why did he want to take a week off to go to an obscure, remote part of the country to see a psychotherapist - one whose work though not questionable was a bit suspicious. Why did Heath have these terrible nightmares which made him so different to the person whom he was normally

This is a book which keeps you on edge. You are taken along to this remote mansion, three couples only in residence all seeking therapy. No communication is supposed to take place, no cell phones, no ipads. You need to focus on your therapy or so it seems. Daphne is not someone who is going to take these orders lying down. For starters she has refused the therapy involved in couples therapy so its Heath going it alone. For a second, she is suspicious throughout of the Doctor involved and despite his very pleasant attitude and conversation with her she is on guard.

Of course the end is completely unexpected - I did not expect it to turn out quite like it did and it just proves that one really does not know a person very well despite having a relationship and thinking that you do understand everything there is to know about someone.

This was a creepy psychological thriller - but it did keep one going where you just had to know what was going to happen to Daphne and Heath and then the good Doctor!

This was my first book I have read by author Emily Carpenter. I was so impressed! This book pulled me in from the very beginning and kept my interest throughout. It leaves you with many questions and as you read the answers are revealed.

Heath and Daphne are in a whirlwind romance, they both have secrets in their past but have agreed to not talk about them - with anyone, including each other. This seems to work for them both, until one night Heath begins have nightmares and begins saying strange things in his sleep, and doing things that he cannot remember the next morning when he wakes up. Daphne is left wondering what the heck is going on, and what secrets is he hiding.

When Heath suggests they attend a couple retreat together, Daphne is reluctant to go. She wants to go and support Heath so he can receive help for his troubled past, but she does not want to take part in the retreat herself. So she agrees to go to support Heath. The secrets that are exposed there are gripping! As you learn about both of their paths and the secrets they are hiding, many answers to your questions are slowly revealed.

This was a book that had be reading into the late hours of the night not wanting to put the book down. I was always wanting to read more to find out what would happen next. Many twists and turns along the way and every twists and surprises until the very end. I love these types of books.

This is a must read for any suspense or thriller fan! A truly fantastic read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I didn't see that coming! Seriously, did anyone see that coming???????

Daphne and Heath appear to be the perfect couple. But appearance can be deceiving. They have secrets - both of them. Daphne doesn't like to talk about her past neither does Heath. They have this in common. Both live in the present while making plans for their future together. However, Health is having nightmares - nightmares which are getting worse. One day Health suggests they go on a seven-day retreat with Dr. Matthew Cerny, a psychologist who Health feels can help him (and Daphne if she wishes to participate). Daphne is reluctant to attend the retreat but agrees to go to support Health. The retreat is in a remote location and they are asked to turn over their cell phones and not speak to the other couples at the retreat. They are instructed that the rules are in place to help retreat participants focus on the work they will be doing at the retreat with the psychologist, Dr. Cerny.

This is one of those books where I thought I had it figured out. I thought how clever am I? I know how this is going to play out! How wrong I was! BTW, I love when I am wrong about the plot or shall I say the BIG reveal. I love when an Author can weave a tale which surprises me. Emily Carpenter definitely surprised me with this book. It is safe to say that she is the clever one!

The setting of this book was perfect - remote location, no phones, isolation, etc. You just know that this book is going to have a creepy- something is not right- vibe from the setting alone. What secrets do these two people have? That is the question which keeps the pages turning. I love how the plot unfolded and secrets were revealed. This book has layers. I really appreciated how the reader is shown a scene early in the book, one which will come back and into play later in the book. Again, I thought "I did not see that coming!"

This was a dark and intriguing read. I would not call it scary as much as it is dark and has that creepy, something-is-not-right-vibe to it. Whether you like the characters or not, they are all interesting and deliver what they need to deliver to keep this book interesting. Emily Carpenter pulled off all the twists and turns in this book brilliantly.

Emily Carpenter stated that this book was her love letter to another Author. I won’t say who that other Author is, as I do not want to give away any spoilers, or have readers draw conclusions as to how this story will play out based upon the Author who inspired this book!

4.5 stars

I received a copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Every Single Secret is a psychological thriller that makes you think hard about the relevance of your past and how someone else's past has affected their state of mind. Ask! Don't assume! Secrets are not always best kept private. A great read from beginning to end.

If your looking for an intense story full of twists, I highly recommend this one.

It seems that after I requested this from Netgalley, I completely forgot what it was about. Which ended up being a good thing. I started it late last night and stayed up till I finished. I actually had read half even before I knew I was that far ahead. The pages just turning....that's the mark of a good book.

Daphne's fiancé suggests they go to a couple's retreat with counseling for a week. Mostly to help with his nightmares that are/can be frightening. Daphne doesn't believe in therapy, even though she has a secret of her own, but she goes to support Heath. After they arrive, strange things begin to happen in this isolated area. Only Daphne seems to see all of this while Heath is busy with therapy. I won't go into details because that would spoil the whole fun. It will keep you engaged the whole time. I do wish that there had been just a little something extra at the end--a WTF moment. However, I did really enjoy this book.

*Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was an odd, twisted psychological story that will keep you guessing until the end!
Daphne thinks the world of her fiancé, Heath, but the relationship is strained and in need of a boost. They go on a 7-day retreat that is meant to strengthen couples through psychological therapy and exercises. Daphne gets more than she bargains for as she gets closer and closer to learning the truth about her "perfect" fiancé.
I generally try and figure out mysteries in the beginning of the story, and while this one was fairly predictable in some ways, I tried to let go and be surprised and I was! It was a thrill ride of a novel.
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Emily Carpenter and NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

Overall, it was a good read for those who like twisty never-can-tell-who's-actually-good-and-who's-bad kind of stories. I can't say I didn't guess what's going on early on - it's rather simple to figure out just from that first chapter (plus, prologue) knowing what the synopsis says. And the rest was just details to what you already sort of suspect.

I read it somewhere a long time ago that the best mysteries are not those we can't figure out what's going to happen, but rather HOW it's going to happen. And I tend to agree. This is exactly where this book falls flat. I wasn't bothered about its predictability but about my lack of interest in how everything's going to go down or come out or whatever.

I found the constant jumps in narrative absolutely annoying and semi-confusing and started quickly disliking the writing style because of it.

Thank you Netgalley for this copy in exchange for my honest review. I wasn't as much in awe as I'd hoped to be, but I'll certainly look out for more from Emily Carpenter.

Another 4am read. I wasn't trying to read the whole book, but I did. It was a very good psychological play all the way through. The clinic from the outset is suspicious but you really don't put your finger on it until the last part of the book. While I'm sorry (a little) about how Heath ended up I also realize that Daphne would never have been safe without it. I've dated a sociopath and that was bad enough so I can't imagine dealing with a psychopath. The book was suspenseful, peaked my curiosity throughout, and an enjoyable read. Characters were developed enough that you could really feel the large emotional block inside Daphne's head and her confusion at Heath wanting to break what was a shared experience.

You can find my reviews here https://yayareadslotsofbooks.wordpres...

Daphne Amos has been searching for someone, a someone who understands her, a someone who cares about her, a someone who loves her and she thinks that she has found that very someone in Heath. They both have secrets, things that do not reveal to one another, things that might just keep them apart. But then there is a week away at a retreat working with a famous doctor, Dr Cerney, who just might help Health for poor Heath has terrible nightmares, ones that seem to shatter him and take their toll on Daphne as well. What is it about breaking a mirror that seems to be such a part of these nightmares?

The retreat is isolated and the rules are strange, no interaction with the other couples , meals served in one's rooms and cameras watching one's every move. Cell phones are taken and there is no internet so that guests are cut off from the outside world. Daphne is unsettled, unsure, and perhaps a bit frightened of this but she loves Heath and will do what is necessary to help him. Daphne has to "remind herself to breathe-almost having to remind my heart to beat" (Wuthering Heights). She is caught in something she does not understand, traveling a pathway that seems quite off kilter, and wondering if she will ever find out about the past and in that find out about her Heath.

This was a wonderful psychological thriller with allusions to Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights, which is my favorite Victorian novel. For to Daphne, “He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same.” ...or are they?

Will their love survive the secrets that each holds within? Will their revelations be the end of their love or will they be forever together come what may? Will they like Cathy and Heathcliff find the path to love fraught with many thorns perhaps even death?

Thank you to Emily Carpenter, Lake Union Publishing, and NetGalley for a copy of this book. It kept me up late reading and not wanting to put it down. Just one more chapter....

Every Single Secret had me on the edge of my seat. From start to end, I was deeply engrossed in this thrilling mystery. Daphne, who has secrets she wishes to keep hidden, reluctantly agrees to attend a couples retreat with her fiance Heath. After arriving at the remote mountain home, Daphne starts to notice that things are not what they seem. She soon comes to learn that she isn't the only one hiding a secret.
I enjoyed this very much and still keep thinking about it.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy of the book, the opinions are my own.

Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter

Daphne Amos is determined to keep her past buried deep, but soon finds herself going to a couples retreat with her fiancé, Heath Beck. The retreat is meant to strengthen couple relationships through therapy exercises. However, there is more than meets the eye to this retreat. Daphne quickly learns more about herself, her fiancé, and the retreat than she bargained.

This book was honestly a little slow and discombobulating at the beginning. There was a constant shift from past, present, and future. The quick shift left me confused in trying to sort out the timeline. I finally got into the book about half way through. I did feel that there were some reactions from Daphne that seemed a little unnatural There was also the fact that the biggest reason for Daphne going along to the retreat with Heath was his nightmares, and the reasoning behind them went unresolved. However, I did enjoy unraveling the truth of Heath and Daphne’s storyline.

I stumbled upon Emily Carpenter when I came across “Burying the Honeysuckle Girls” as a free download. I really enjoyed that book. It was far from predictable and pretty twisted and twisty. I was pretty excited to find this one next.

Although I didn’t enjoy it as much, it was still a rather good psychological mystery. I thought it was predictable and I just could not connect with the main character, Daphne Amos.

Daphne and Heath go to a couples retreat to get to the root of Heath’s nightmares. Neither has divulged their pasts and that’s the way they want to keep it.... Until Heath tells Daphne that he must confront his demons and his past.

What follows is an odd, yet twisted psychological thriller that just seemed to predictable yet I just wanted to yell at Daphne for how stupid she was.

Minor spoiler, maybe? <spoiler>The barn is chained and locked. Glenys comes out of the barn. That’s weird, I’ll follow her. 10 hours later: Glenys came out of the barn! It’s unlocked! ::rushes to barn to finally look around:: Ughhh.... you dummy!</spoiler>

Every Single Secret is about the engaged couple Daphne and Heath hiding secrets from a past that they don’t want to discuss except Heath wants to come clean because his nightmares are putting a strain on their relationship. He insists they need to attend a seven day couples retreat to strengthen their relationship before getting married. While at this retreat some strange and unsettling things start to concern Daphne. With Dr. Cerny’s policy and strict rules Daphne feels too isolated and agitated.

The story uses a variety of timelines going back one week, then a few months, and then to the present. However, I couldn’t maintain a good flow with the information being dissected this way. I just think if this story had been delivered differently without the three different timelines it might have progressed better.
The story’s told from Daphne’s point of view. Even though Heath chose to attend the sessions for himself it’s Daphne’s story that gets threaded into his. Daphne was reluctant to talk about her past with a therapist yet she joined Heath at this retreat for support.

I’m unsure of what is waiting at the end of these days after the countdown. I’m unsure whose story has the sinister secrets. Both characters have a dark past that they rather keep hidden. There’s a lot of information to process. Almost too much information. I’m not sure what’s relevant. Sadly, I’m sifting through the paragraphs skimming information because it’s not very interesting. Some stuff seams promising, but most is confusing. I’m determined to reach the end just to satisfy my curiosity about Heath’s dark past.

There are two main characters yet the story is character driven from characters in the past and the present. These minor characters haven’t added anything substantial to the story other than create a craziness to the processing of information. I’m not finding this book as tantalizing as I had hoped. I wanted a suspenseful page turning thriller, but it’s lacking.

Once the secrets were disclosed I felt like this story had the potential of being amazing had this secret not been a secret and shared from the beginning. I think it would have been better to receive this information early on rather than hold until the end.

Can you say suspenseful thriller! I truly enjoyed this novel by Ms. Carpenter I look forward to reading more of her work. Daphne & Heath find themselves what would you do, how far would you go for love. This novel is intense and leaves you with a feeling of Whoa what exactly did I just experience, it may take a few days to truly consume the experience.

Two people meet, fall in love, soul mates, one sees something in the other that makes sense, similar thought. So it is with Daphne and Heath, they get engaged, look forward to the future, believe their pasts don't matter, doesn't need to be talked about, put it behind them. Which is a good thing in the beginning as they both have some disquieting pasts. This works until Heath starts having nightmares, screaming dreams. Now he wants Daphne to spend a week with a noted psychiatrist who specializes in the task of aligning past with present.

A puzzle mystery, one has no idea what is going on in this old weather worn Victorian where they now find themselves. Parts creepy, parts unbelievable, but entertaining as well. Some secrets are much worse than others, easy to find oneselves in over their heads. Will be an unforgettable week, one hard to forget.

Love the cover, I harbor a passion for colorful birdhouses, though the reason behind the cover is not a happy one, to say the least. This was a sisters read, we all agreed on the entertaining factor, but a few of us, including myself, found it less than credible. Still, an original storyline, and as I said entertaining, quick paced and a fast read, so worth reading. I do believe most will get hooked on the story, trying to figure out where it is going. Which I didn't, and I enjoyed the twistiness of the plot, just not the credibility factor.

ARC from Netgalley.

3 Stars.

When Daphne and Heath meet, its instantaneous. Their connection. After a few months, they just know: soul-mates. And yet, both have secrets. Secrets, they have never shared with each other - and I’m not talking about the small stuff. As it turns out, their pasts - well, they are anything but ordinary. And they’ve kept every last detail from the other.

Though Daphne would like to keep it that way, Heath has something else in mind. He would like to bear all to his beloved and he has found the perfect place to do so: a therapy based retreat center for couples. Once there, Heath seems right at home with the Dr., and the other guests. Daphne, however is immediately suspicious: of everything, including being filmed for twenty-two hours a day, and, of the Dr.

Moving at breakneck speed, it is hard to keep up the pace. It is only when multiple storylines are told, that a few of the chapters become somewhat frantic. And then.. you’re reading and all of a sudden - you’re like What?! As if! For me, it stretched the confines of believability as I couldn’t quite wrap my head around what in heck was going on. Yet, from a pure entertainment standpoint, well, it got me.

I read this with several of my Traveling Sisters and all of them loved this entertaining read. For Full Traveling Sister Group Reviews, please see, Brenda and Norma’s Blog: https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com

Thank you to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

Published on NetGalley and Goodreads on 5.18.18.

Norma and I were lost in a coulee reading Every Single Secret with five of our Traveling Sisters and we ended up in a coulee we have never been in before. I will get to that a little bit later. We were split into two different coulees with most of us in one and two sisters in another with some things just not working for them enough to suspend disbelief to enjoy this one.

Every Single Secret was such a stand out for some of us. It’s an exciting, fun and entertaining yet dark and disturbing read that left us thinking are we reading a thriller or is a horror movie playing out in our head. It had that feeling of tension like you get when you are watching a horror movie.

Our main characters Daphne and Heath start off keeping every single one of their secrets a secret and that had us questioning them and a bit frustrated at times in the dynamics of their relationship. Allowing the suspense to increase and creating the right amount of tension that had us glued to the pages.

We loved the setting of the creepy house that was represented as a retreat. Well, the creepy retreat I won’t say anything more about that to you. The description of the retreat left us intrigued and with the feeling of creepiness all at the same time.

Emily Carpenter caught our attention right away, had us questioning many things, with some of us figuring out some things along the way, then took a twist that had us reading as fast as we could till we got to the end. We were speechless and wondering did we really like this one.

Great job Emily Carpenter you have thrown some of us Traveling Sisters in this group off our game and into a coulee we have not been in before. You stunned us, left us speechless, wondering what we just read and asking ourselves did we like this story. That isn’t something that has happened to most of us before. You made this group read a very unique and interesting one. So for throwing us into the tongue tied Coulee, Every Single Secret gets all the stars from me.

We highly recommend giving this one a go and see if Emily Carpenter can leave you feeling like most of us did.

Published May 1, 2018

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for the opportunity to read and review this title.

Traveling Sisters GR Reading Group Review posted on our themed book blog Two Sisters Lost In A Coulee Reading.
https://twosisterslostinacoulee.com
Coulee: a term applied rather loosely to different landforms, all of which refer to a kind of valley

A spine-tinglingly creepy, completely absorbing thriller that kept me guessing! Among the best kinds of books, to me, are the ones with a storyline and characters that seem to burrow into your brain and pop up in your thoughts when you aren’t reading – while sitting in traffic, taking a walk, waiting in line. This is one of those! The remote setting, the artful way the story is constructed, the chapter breaks, the choice of words, the hints and clues along the way, and the cover itself (especially when its significance is revealed) all work together to create this effect. What an incredible reading experience! I absolutely loved it!