This was a fine mystery. I was invested, and I definitely enjoyed the twist at the end. However, I felt like I wanted to see more consequences for everyone’s actions. How had she not turned in Noah? I guess I’m not as forgiving as Savannah.

I will hand it to fans of mysteries, especially if they’re interested in ones that take place in nature, like ones by Ashley Elston. Not super original, but not boring.

This book was very easy to get through — the action starts right away, and from there the story is very fast paced. The mystery is generally well-developed, and the plot unravels quite naturally, though some of the conclusions that the characters jump to seem a bit exaggerated or forced in context.

It took me a while to pinpoint what it was exactly about the main character’s investigation that didn’t quite do it for me, but a third into the book I finally realized: everything that the protagonist discovers is told to her by other characters. As in, she doesn’t really find any evidence for her theories, she just gets versions or pieces of the story from other people and draws her own conclusions.

Overall, it was a fine YA thriller, though I would probably only recommend it to people looking for a light read.

I read a lot of thrillers and this one just felt pretty predictable. I do enjoy a YA book from time to time, which is why I was interested, but it was pretty basic. I think generally, most will enjoy it and I appreciate the opportunity to give it some attention.

Ichaso's book has twist after twist - I could not stop reading until I found out what happened to Piper. I enjoyed the character development in this book, which doesn't always happen with YA thrillers.

<b> is it okay for a book to be written as of by a teen just because it has young main characters?? </b>
Now, to be clear, i didn't read the synopsis before requesting the book, which in hindsight is one of the dumbest decision I've taken this year... yay me!!!
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the writing style was my main issue throughout the book, not only was it so basic, it was actually really irritating, the author wanted to give the main character the role of an unreliable narrator which is totally okay with me ,but the result was an unreliable narrator who also happens to be super moody, dumbly aggressive and downright unlikeable..
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i dearly wished for a mysterious or gripping edge to the novel, but it felt like reading a manuscript of a failed disney teen movie, the conversations between the characters were so cringe worthy, the author's main goal was to make you suspect every character and then gives you reasons why that specific character is actually innocent, it was like playing cat and mouse with the reader through the whole book which in my opinion was kind of lame.
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The other problem with the book was the unoriginality of it, when you say teen thriller you think of :One of us is lying or A Good Girl's Guide to Murder, these were some good thrillers who kept me hooked from the beginning, had characters worth reading about and most importantly, a good plot!
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but at the end for the sake of sounding not too salty, i liked the cover.
*i received an ARC of this book in exchange of an honest review through netgalley and the publisher*

Savannah is thrown into the mystery of her sister, Piper's death. While the police and everyone else in town thinks it was a suicide, Savannah is convinced something more sinister happened. The novel follows Savannah through her timeline of investigations.

I flew through the book which was about 200 pages. I wish there was more backstory to get to know the characters. I was intrigued by the plot and think it has a good base but fell short with details. I can say the twist at the end did surprise me, so that was a plus!

Overall, a decent-short read that I would recommend to YA readers who want to dip their toes into mystery or suspense novels.

I had a lot of excitement and high hopes for this as the premise sounded interesting and I love a good mystery thriller.

Sadly for me the ending felt kind of flat from such a big build up as I kinda worked out what was going to happen in the end and had a suspicions about that character. Although the ending fell flat for me, the story would be a great read for anyone looking for a simple mystery, who done it, who can I trust?

Savannah did get on my nerves at one point. She was accusing everyone, and weirdly everyone did has a connection to her sister, Piper, but then it would be like nah they’re innocent, okay next person with a wild build up and accusations then the same thing, which would work out if the accusations were less and more detailed and filled in my opinion, rather than many accusations and people which got confusing at one point and felt rushed.

Despite this it was an okay read and would recommend it to people looking for a not too heavy mystery thriller read.

First of all, I'll say I know I'm probably not the targeted audience for this book, so keep that in mind while reading this. That said though, I don't think that was the main reason I didn't enjoy this book.

I was hoping to find a fun, Good Girl's Guide to Murder/Pretty Little Liar vibes YA thriller book and while I think at its core it was trying to get there, it didn't quite meet the requirements.

I will say one good thing though and that is that it is very easy to read, so if you're looking for a novel that doesn't require a lot of thinking/concentration and just want to pass the time, maybe give it a go if it sounds like you might enjoy it.

Now onto the things I didn't like. Mild spoilers ahead:

I found the plot to be quite basic and almost non-existent, every twist was quite predictable and lacked a lot of substance.

The main character was annoyingly stupid about how to handle the whole "investigation", pretty much just telling everyone every single thought that went through her brain. She would just go to the person of interest and be like, "Hey, did you try to kill my sister?". The reactions the rest of the characters had were not very natural either. Apart from that, every single character was a different stereotype of a high school student and they were all very much one-dimensional.
The writing was, again, too plain and basic and the solution to the mystery was not only predictable but also very anticlimactic.

The title is also misleading, no one is actually dead and there aren't a lot of secrets to tell anyways. It is a bit clickbaity for my taste.

To sum up, I did not expect great things from this novel and I was still disappointed.

This was fun! It wasn't what I wanted it to be, but that's my own issue. This is a quick read, and it super engaging - it's honestly so hard to put down, which works because it isn't incredibly long or convoluted. I HATED so many of the choices that characters made in this, but it worked and felt realistic to the characters Ichaso created. I cannot recommend this enough if you want something interesting, funny, and quick to read.

I read this book in record speed bcs it was un-putdown-able. Fast paced, dark and thrilling, everyone seems to have a motive/reason to kill, angsty teenage drama... It was such a ride! My only little setback is I wish the climax-toward-ending (the moment they were discovering who is really responsible and how they were handled) was somehow a bit stronger? Like it pales at the end of such thrilling ride. But overall, I enjoyed it a lot!

< Review copy received via Netgalley in exchange with an honest review >

Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets is such an amazing book, it helped me out of a book funk I've been in for weeks now. I finished this magnificent book in less than a day and it did not disappoint. It is such an attention grabber and there was not one second or part in the entire book where I got bored or lost interest. This book is filled with such great imagery and shocking plot twists, just when you think you know who is responsible, it whips you back to the drawing board in the most incredible way. The ending left me with my jaw to the floor as well as with tears in my eyes. I was more than content with this book and I can't wait to purchase this next year. Thank you Chelsea Ichaso and NetGalley for the opportunity to read the ARC of Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets.

*Thank you Netgalley and Sourcebooks for the free e-arc in exchange for an honest review*

Now this is what I call a fast-paced thriller!
This book wasted no time. It got straight into the story and added background story in between chapters.
I felt a bit strange about it at first, because I thought the pacing was way too fast. But, the backstory was well done and I did end up enjoying it. Lately young adult thrillers aren't really fast paced as advertised, so seeing this was refreshing.

There were twists after twists so even when you think you've figured it out, you haven't. And while at times I felt it might be a bit too much, and the mc, Savannah, made some rushed/questionable choices, it kept me on edge and turning pages. I wanted to know who dun it!
I also liked the conclusion and the way things ended and I really enjoy Chelsea Ichaso's writing style.

All in all, it was a fun quick thrilling read and I liked it just as much as Little Creeping Things. Chelsea's def in my auto-buy authors' list! Can't wait to see what's next!

I love a great ya mystery thriller. I crave the twists and the mystery. However this one was a bit to predictable and kinda fell flat for me.

This one gave me a lot of mixed feelings. First, I love the cover. I think it is definitely appealing along with the title itself. I did like that Savannah, the narrator, wasn't perfect or an ideal student/teen. There was conflict in her family; she had definitely made some bad moral choices as a sister, daughter, friend, and person, but I think that helps teens relate to characters. I think students will either relate to her or have strong feelings about her actions; either way, those feelings will keep them reading. I think the mystery itself is well done with Piper and the clues and happenings, but sometimes Savannah and her actions had me feeling a little....skeptical. She accuses/suspects literally every character and is sure it is them each time. Then, even after saying she needs to be careful and keep this a secret as she looks into her sister's accident, she confronts every suspect about what "evidence" she found and then once they say, "it wasn't me" tells literally all of them about her plan and what she has found. It just felt like it was a storyline connecting the dots and not like genuine event or encounters would go. Maybe that is just me. I do think that teen readers will enjoy it, and I would buy it and recommend it to my students.

Thank you, NetGalley, for the ARC. This is an intriguing, quick read, and honestly I would’ve given it 4 stars or more if not for the main character Savannah. I really struggled with continuing reading because I disliked her so much. Perhaps a younger reader might not have found her as off putting as I did-she just seemed like a whiny, untrustworthy brat to me, and completely unlikable.

That said, the story itself is intriguing, and I especially liked the flashbacks, which gave the backstory leading up to Piper’s alleged suicide attempt. She is definitely a likable character, and one I’d read more about (if this book leads to another). I will definitely pick up more books by this author in the future.

**Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review**

It took me a while to get into this one but I came to really enjoy it. I liked that the storyline was split between the present day and things that happened in the run up to Piper's "fall". There were lots of twists and turns and several red herrings that lead me to make all kinds of conclusions before the truth was revealed.

I admit, I was expecting something darker, heavier, reminiscent of Karen McManus when I picked up this book—but it ended up being a slightly more lighter-topic, fun page-turner.

First off, Ichaso’s writing is pretty phenomenal. Savannah’s voice rolls right off the page; her character is distinct, the hints and tension in the beginning were expertly teased, and the concept was pretty intriguing: a sister who attempted suicide, and more people lying than you can count. And there are some moments of true suspense.

But unfortunately, after the characters depart for their hiking trip, the story becomes underwhelming. I found the reveals to be disappointing, and the motives/lies to be shallow.

I think this would qualify as younger YA, despite the protagonists being seniors/juniors (and the premise being a girl who attempted suicide), but if I had read it as younger YA I think I would’ve enjoyed it more straight-off. As it was, I kept expecting something the big reveal, some earth-shattering soul-searching or dark conspiracy.

What it ended up being was a fun romp, a delightful mystery with some good tension and excellent voice, that was a quick, page-turning read. 3.5 stars.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

-A

the pacing of this book really threw me off - the beginning felt super haphazard and shaky
but it smoothed out by the end
the amount of twists in this book began to feel gratuitous after a while and savannah was SO STUPID oml like girl you can't just go around accusing every single breathing creature of murdering your sister and hoping to get somewhere because it won't work (unless ofc you're in this book and it does, in fact, work)
final reveal felt super anticlimactic
there just wasn't a ton that i enjoyed about this book other than the fact that it flew by

Savannah's sister, Piper, has been in a coma for a month. Everyone believes that it was a suicide attempt on Piper's part, but Savannah isn't ready to swallow that information, especially because she would feel guilty if it were suicide.

Savannah decides to join the Survival Club, her sister's latest extra curricular, to find out what really happened. She uncovers potential threats against Piper and then decides to spend a weekend camping with the club.. to find out who tried to murder her sister.

This was definitely a quick read, but Savannah was hard to root for because she made some dumb decisions. And then there were A LOT of coincidences and everyone was THE suspect at one point. Just really annoying. I think it could have been better crafted without all the twists and turns. It seemed like when one potential suspect was revealed, Savannah would confront them, and then it would be found out that they were innocent.. the next page. Overall, just a little silly.

Dead Girls Can't Tell Secrets was ok. The story was interesting enough to keep me reading, but I felt like the narrator didn't do much actual investigating--she mostly just stumbled onto evidence, and reacted to what was happening. I also found it weird that she started out wanting to keep her investigation secret, but almost immediately started accusing everyone she came across of being the culprit. There were so many red herrings that the final reveal felt very anticlimactic; almost any of the other possible solutions would have been more interesting than what the solution ultimately turned out to be. Overall, I don't regret reading this book, but it's not one I would reread, either.