A year ago Cleo and her friends went on a rafting trip that lead to the death of her boyfriend, Declan. For the past year she has felt guilty about how it went down. On the day of her birthday Cleo gets out of the shower to find mysterious gift on the sink that she first assumes is a prank from her friend Hope. This gift turns out to be a scavenger hunt that will lead both Cleo and Hope to the person that set it up. But who is it and will this scavenger hunt have dire consequences if she fails to complete it.

This fast pace thriller talks about domestic violence and how it effects everyone it touches, not just the person being abused.

Thank you to Netgalley for the early release.

Pretty predictable but ultimately a fun ride, I was hooked from the very beginning. I loved the whole creepy scavenger hunt bit. Is this a thing? I need more books about creepy scavenger hunts. The characters were pretty one-dimensional, defined mostly by their "dirty secrets" but it was fast-paced and (I know I said this already but I feel the need to reiterate) it was just good, un-wholesome, thrillery fun! I loved it.

📖BOOK REVIEW📖 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Publishes Nov 16, 2021 ~ 8 hrs 49 min

It’s been a year since Cleo’s BF drowned during a group rafting trip. Now it’s her 18th birthday and she’s received a mysterious gift. This story takes us through the scavenger hunt that starts when she opens the gift.

Cyrus’s death was a tragedy, but Cleo is grateful to be rid of her abusive BF. Her home life and backstory of how her relationship with Cyrus began is awful. Her life has extremely improved in the past year. Her new BF is kind. She’s aiming to start university for Forensics. But once she starts following the clues, she realizes that someone knows more than they should about what happened on the trip. She needs to figure out who is behind this sick game before time runs out.

Sincere thanks to Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this advance review copy. I am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

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This was a fun read-- fairly suspenseful and impactful. I enjoyed navigating guilt and obligation with the main character and analyzing the choices of the rest of the group for intent.
While the plot takes some expected turns, the journey was worth it and the prose style is solid. For fans of YA mystery-thriller, this is a great recommendation.

A mystery surrounding a missing person only causes more mysteries. Cleo wakes up on her birthday to find her day turning into a scavenger hunt. Someone is trying to scare her and reveal all her secrets.
This had a great story line and Natasha Soudek narrated it and did a great job.
The things that bothered me were the YA drama. Such as, her second guessing herself every second and almost every thing else being way over the top. If the author could of toned it down a little this would of been a 5 star.
But I still think that a younger audience would really enjoy this.
Thanks Dreamscape Media via Netgalley.

3.5 stars

What a twisted and deranged book. I don't think there was one character that didn't have something wrong with them. That definitely helps when you are listening/reading a mystery/thriller book.

I love a good scavenger hunt plotline and I find it entertaining trying to figure them out. There were some moments when I was a little annoyed with the MC Cleo. She was just a little too naive for me, but that is a typical character trait in most YA books. There were several times that this book was written for a YA reader.

I will say, if a trigger for you is domestic abuse, I don't recommend this book. This book is very well written to make you feel what Cleo is feeling. I definitely felt her fear and rage.

Thanks Netgalley and Dreamscape Media for this audiobook!

First, this narrator is by FAR my favorite. Her voice is so soothing and almost rugged and it makes for an eerie thriller. I love listening to audio books narrated by her! I’m convinced she can make any book sound amazing.

This story however, didn’t need an amazing narrator. It was great all on its own. I’ll admit, I had my suspicions at first, but then it seemed like it could have been anyone. The ending was definitely a twist! I loved the concept of a scavenger hunt to find out who was behind it & why. It isn’t done often, so it felt very new and refreshing.

I would definitely recommend this book or audio book to anyone! Super thrilling and entertaining. It made driving to and from more bearable! Don’t hesitate!

I received this book as an eARC audiobook from Netgalley. All opinions are my own!
TW: abusive relationship

When Cleo, a budding forensic scientist, gets an invitation to a scavenger hunt on her birthday, she could never dream where it would actually lead her. All the clues are related to her dead boyfriend, Declan. Someone knows her secrets, someone is watching her. And someone wants her and her friends to pay.

I have to say that I found myself drawn into this book almost immediately! I devoured the majority of it in one sitting, and I simply needed to know what was going to happen. I had many theories throughout the book, but I can definitely say that I never predicted exactly what was going to happen.

I really enjoyed watching Cleo grow through this story and really come into herself. Even though it wasn't a coming-of-age story, she still learned and grew throughout the book. As she was learning about the clues, she seemed to be learning about herself as well. Though I will say that I didn't particularly find myself attached to most of the other characters.

There were tons of twists and turns, and this book was definitely a nice creepy one as well. I would definitely recommend it for any mystery lover!

Genre: YA thriller

In one sentence: Cleo receives an invitation to a scavenger hunt - but it's definitely not a fun game....

This is a quick listen, fast-paced YA mystery. Richards does a great job building the tension in the scavenger hunt. I really felt for Cleo as a character - her relationship with Declan was not the pretty picture that it appeared. In fact, she dealt with physical and emotional abuse, and Richards handled the subject in a sensitive manner. Narrator Natasha Soudek did a great job bringing the story to life - her narrator kept me immersed in Cleo's world

The action really ramped up in the story at around 75% and ended with a major twist. I did not guess the ending (not even close!), so that's a major plus. You might enjoy this one if you liked One of Us is Lying and other teen thrillers.

Thank you to Dreamscape Media for providing my ALC of Seven Dirty Secrets in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars, decent YA mystery, very engaging.

This is the third book I've read by this author and her plots are gripping and so full of action and adventure. This one centers around a creepy scavenger hunt, which captured my attention from the beginning and propelled the plot forward until the end. Overall it's not too difficult to figure out the identity of the person behind the hunt, but the reasons why don't become clear until the end.

Exactly one year ago, Cleo and her group of friends went on a rafting trip and one of them ended up dead. She feels an extreme amount of guilt surrounding the incident, and has worked to move forward toward her dream goal of attending college to get a degree in forensics. She and her best friend Hope are huge mystery and escape room buffs. When a mysterious package appears on the day of her 18th birthday, she assumes that it is Hope playing a prank or giving her a gift, yet Hope claims to know nothing and the box contains a clue to a scavenger hunt, one that will have dire consequences for Cleo if she fails to participate. Who set this up and why?

Although this is a fast-paced thriller on the surface, there are also some deeper themes about domestic violence and how insidious it is in the lives of everyone it touches, not just the person suffering from the abuse. I viscerally felt each of the incidents as they were described, and they felt extremely realistic, especially with regards to the denial, how victims find it difficult to break away from their abusers, and how friends and family members often struggle to know how to intervene. This element elevated the book for me.

As with many YA books, the characters' actions do border on the reckless and, at times, stupid. There are some choices they make that no sane person would (especially at the end), and the perceived power that this villain had seemed to trump common sense throughout. However, if you are looking for an engaging YA thriller, Richards is the author to choose.

I listened to part of this as an audiobook, which kept me thoroughly enthralled. Natasha Soudek does an excellent job giving voice to Cleo complete with her guilt and growing fear as the hunt progresses.

Thank you Net Galley for an audiobook ARC of Seven Dirty Secrets by Natalie D Richards. This was a thriller that keeps you on your toes while the characters go on a scavenger hunt for revenge.

I devoured this book in one sitting. What a great edge of your seat mystery. on the morning of her birthday, Cleo is set on a scavenger Hunt that seems to be tied to the death of her ex boyfriend, 1year ago.

This book hooks you from its first lines. It kept be guessing until the end. It’s not just a suspense thriller, but also a tribute to sibling connection, and the lengths we go through for the ones we love.

Absolutely loved this one

***Thanks to NetGalley for providing me a complimentary audio copy of SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS by Natalie D Richards in exchange for my honest review.***

I’ve been a fan of Natalie D Richards since her debut and was excited to receive an audio ARC of her upcoming release. SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS did not disappoint.

With pitch perfect narration of Cleo’s voice, I was immediately drawn in to her story as the one year anniversary of her abusive boyfriend’s death nears, she’s being stalked by someone who says he knows what really happened on that fateful canoe trip where Declan died. Cleo and five surviving friends know the truth. Is one of her Cleo’s friends the stalker or did someone else see what happened.

Richards does a masterful job creating a compelling mystery that had me awake all night, wondering what happened next. I recommend mystery and thriller lovers as well as readers interested in dating violence grab SEVEN DIRTY SECRETS and to prepare themselves for a bumpy ride, in the best possible way.

Scavenger hunts are so much fun that it’s impossible not to love a story about a secret and dark one. Cleo wants to be a forensic analyst, so she cannot, under any circumstances, get in trouble with the law. But she’s hiding a very dark secret about her dead boyfriend. On her birthday, and the anniversary of the death, she starts receiving clues that seem extremely familiar. Only a small group of people would know their significance, so Cleo needs to solve the riddles while trying to figure out who’s behind them. In retrospect, a future law enforcement scientist should have seen it coming, but I still enjoyed the twists and turns, as well as the very suspenseful last part. Since this is a YA novel, I was expecting the characters to be shallow, but I ended up liking most of them (Hope can be my bestie any day!). Natasha Soudek offers a very rounded performance. Her villain sounds a little too creepy, which actually works, but the rest of the characters are distinctive and natural. Grown ups will also enjoy the ride.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/#Dreamscape Media!