4.25 stars
Another atmospheric read, spooky, gothic and features an unreliable narrator and also unreliable setting. There are a lot of murky details that normally would take away from the book for me but only added to the vibes of the book. There are secrets to be uncovered, people with obvious secrets kept, it’s a thriller mystery with paranormal aspects to it with the setting that seems like it is also alive. An element that I love when it is done well.

Like many other reviewers have said, this book wasn’t nearly as good as Dark and Shallow Lies (which had a fantastic atmosphere, btw). But still, it was a decent read.

I liked the summer camp setting and the fact that it was on the ocean. The pacing was rather slow for most of the book, but the little snippets we got here and there were enough to keep me interested. The audiobook narrator was pretty good, which also helped with the pacing issues.

I wish I had been able to connect to the characters more. They were all pretty dull to me, so I didn’t care about any of them. I didn’t care about the romance either (unfortunate considering it’s the main focus of the book in the middle), which I felt moved too quickly and lacked chemistry. I outright hated the play scenes where Avril and Cole were acting out basically their exact romance in play form. Those scenes were awful to me and I just wanted to skip them. I found the play scenes to be completely dull and pointless, View Spoiler » However, I did really appreciate the platonic relationship between Avril and Lex. It’s not very often you see a M/F relationship that is strictly platonic, it was refreshing!

There is an interesting twist at the end! I was starting to suspect who the killer was, but it was a good reveal. I have a lot of negative things to say, but this book wasn’t bad by any means. It was good while I was reading it, it just won’t make a lasting impression on me and was overall kind of underwhelming. I also got pretty annoyed with the constant use of the word ‘fuck.’ I curse like a sailor sometimes, but it was overused to the point it felt unnecessary.

Rating: 3.5/5 ⭐️
TW: mental illness, mentions of suicide, drowning, fire, and hallucinations

“There are pieces of the past buried all over Whisper Cove. It’s easy to get tripped up.”

Twelve years ago, Avril’s mother drowned at Whisper Cove theater, just off the rocky Connecticut coastline. Local legend claims that the women in the waves—ghosts from old whaling stories—called her mother into the ocean with their whispering. Because, as they say at Whisper Cove, what the sea wants, the sea will have. She’s spent the past twelve years trying to make sense of the strange bits and pieces she does remember from the night she lost her mother. Now, at seventeen, she’s returning to Whisper Cove for the first time, and she might finally unravel the mystery of what really happened. As Avril becomes more involved with camp director Willa and her mysterious son Cole, Whisper Cove reveals itself to her. And Avril keeps meeting herself—and her dead mother—late at night, at the edge of the ocean.

Starting off pretty slow, I was pretty back and forth on this novel. A tad predictable with a little too much romance for my taste, it was also quite nostalgic as a former theater kid and ended up being a beautifully haunting story. Every character focused, I really enjoyed the complexity and realness they offered. I enjoyed the overall mystery but my absolute favorite part had to be the atmosphere!! Suspenseful, beautiful, and strange Whispering Cove was the perfect setting for this paranormal mystery!

I recommend this one to all my present/former theater kids, fans of “The Depths” and “Dead of Sunmer,” and anyone looking for a not too creepy paranormal mystery for this spooky season!!

I’m kind of annoyed with myself that I took the time to SLOWLY read this instead of DNF’ing it. I started Secrets so Deep early October for a “spooky season” read and it’s now November and I just finally finished it! To be fair, I read my eARCs slower but this book just had so much filler, it was a lot to get through. Also the epilogue?? Can someone message me to explain what happened by the end of the book because I just feel very confused by it lol.

Secrets so Deep wasn’t so bad, I was definitely curious which is why I continued it and finished it but I did guess extremely early on who the killer was, I just wasn’t sure why and wasn’t sure about the finer details. I also did love Cole, Lex, Val and Jude but the main character fell flat for me. Also, the hallucinations and the fog and all were just a bit much for me? I think the author was going for spooky and atmospheric but it was all honestly just so.. strange.

Overall, not a terrible book, but also not my favorite.

Avril is a theater buff with two goals for her summer: to attend a theatre camp under the famous Willa Culver and to get answers about why her mother drowned at this camp years ago.

**Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review**

The author does a fantastic job of painting a picture and showing the character’s emotions. The writing was very emotive and eerie.

I was drawn in by the idea behind this paranormal thriller but it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. It’s hard to put my finger on what was amiss. The pacing was pretty slow and because of that it took me a lot longer to finish.

The characters could have been a bit more developed, I didn’t feel a huge attachment to them. And while there was misdirection and plot twists they just didn’t hit very hard because I wasn’t as invested.

While this story wasn’t quite for me but it did have a haunting feel to it and is a nice intro into YA thrillers.

Avril hasn't been back to Whisper Cove since the night her mother drowned there. Avril was only a toddler that summer, but she knows something isn't quite right about the story she's been told. Now at 17, she's back in the seaside town for the summer, ready to unravel the truth about what happened to her mother, whether it was an accident, or something much more sinister. After all, the town's local legend is an entire village of women being called into the sea by whispering voices in the middle of the night.

I found this book a bit slow at the start, as we mostly focus on Avril's summer at theater camp, and her budding romance with the director's son, Cole. We get to watch scenes of the play the camp is working on that summer, and I found those to be a bit lackluster and contrived. Some spooky things happen here and there, but they are mostly brushed aside and unexplored until the back half of the book. It was definitely not as immersive of a setting or story as Dark and Shallow Lies, which I loved. However, once the mystery/thriller aspects picked up, I was on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened, and if Avril would uncover the truth about Whisper Cove, and what role it played in her mother's death. Avril's relationships with several of the other characters became very intriguing and complicated, and the latter half of the book was a wild ride.
Overall, it was an enjoyable read, but I'd categorize it as being just alright.

Thank you to PenguinTeen for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Secrets So Deep a haunted mystery with good pacing. The right book to read in October. Enjoyed all the characters and the friendships.

Secrets So Deep is underwhelming attempt at crafting a YA thriller. The reveals and the mystery were incredibly disappointing given the length of this novel. Secrets So Deep is truly a missed opportunity.

Well-plotted, maybe a bit too slow at times, but it was the characters that really made this book for me. I felt truly immersed in the main character and that's always an indicator of a good book. Perfect for Halloween season as well.

<b>Quick Stats</b>
Age Rating: 14+
Over All: 3.75 stars
Plot: 3/5
Characters: 4.5/5
Setting: 4
Writing: 3.5

<i>Special thanks to Penguin Teen and NetGalley for an eARC of this book! All thoughts and opinions reflected in this review are my own.</i>

Ginny Meyer’s Sain’s debut Dark and Shallow Lies was one of the best paranormal thrillers I’ve read, so I had impossibly high expectations for this one. Even though I didn’t love it as much as DASL, it was a solid read.
The angst between Avril and Cole was *chef’s kiss* amazing. I really loved Avril discover her past and connect with the memory of her mother.
All of the “big reveals” were pretty obvious to me, and the mystery aspect of the plot really seemed to drag on and on. The paranormal aspect of the story was very unique and interesting at first, but after a while it started to get repetitive.
I think the real selling point of this book were the characters and the interpersonal relationships and interactions between the campers.
Over all, despite the fact that it was slow at points, I did enjoy this book and would recommend it.

Thank you Penguin Teen Canada for an eARC via NetGalley.

CWs: drowning, death of a parent, mentions of suicide

This was a really interesting read. I liked it, but I also feel like I need to reread it to fully understand exactly what happened. Some parts were pretty confusing, however it was deliberate because our narrator, Avril, isn’t sure what’s actually happened either. So we experience her confusion and it’s done really well. Avril also has a hint of unreliable narrator because of the confusion and the gaps in her memory. This made it more interesting for me as I searched for the truth in the story.
I really liked Avril and Cole’s relationship. It was fast, passionate, and I totally believed it. Two teenagers who feel so deeply clinging to each other amidst the confusion of Whisper Cove was realistic and well written. I liked how parts of it seemed to mirror the relationship of Eden and Orion in the play that the characters are putting on in the book.
I thought the pacing was good, and things moved along well. The ending happened quickly and it was really intense. That last sentence before the epilogue drives me nuts because I want the full clarity of knowing exactly what was said, but I also feel like it fit the tone of the story. That said, I felt that the epilogue was trying a bit too hard. It seemed unnecessary to me even though it was trying to bring the story full circle back to the very beginning.
If you’re looking for a book with spooky elements, big feelings, and uncertainty and confusion about memories and a creepy fog, then I’d highly recommend this book.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for this book!! This book was so fun! I love this time of year for a good thriller and this was just that! Love the title and how the story unfolded!,

"𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘥. 𝘐𝘵'𝘭𝘭 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘧 𝘐 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘵. 𝘉𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘪𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘦𝘥𝘨𝘦𝘴. 𝘕𝘰𝘵 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩. 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘦."⁣
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#SecretsSoDeep is the second novel by #GinnyMyersSain and the cover is just as enticing. I try not to judge a book by its cover, but I admit I often fail. The book definitely lives up to its cover's creepy, foggy, chilly, nighttime, secretive vibes. While not quite as creepy and engaging as Dark and Shallow Lies, I still had a hard time putting this book down. I was really busy with work this month so couldn't read as often as I liked, causing this book to live in my thoughts for days on end. I loved finally getting the answers to the questions I've been curious about for weeks. Ginny Myers Sain writes very realistic characters in extremely atmospheric settings. I really could feel Whisper Cove in my bones. I can't wait to see what the author comes up with next. ⁣
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𝟒 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝟓 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐬 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣
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#bookreview #bookaddict #books #explorepage #bookstagram #reading #cozy #photography #creepy #camp #theater #bibliophile #libro

This book.

It did start a tad slow, and I figured out the major plot twist well before the end, but it was SO beautifully written, and had so much heart and soul I had to love it.

Avril is returning to Whisper Cove for a five week theater intensive with Tony award-winning playwright Willa Culver. And even though Avril doesn’t have memories of Whisper Cover, she has been there before. The summer she was five she spent the summer there with her mom. That was the summer they both drown.

“The memory ghosts have vanished.

But I know they’re still here. Even if I can’t see them. Because I’m beginning to understand that nobody ever really leaves Whisper Cove.

It’s hard enough for the dead to escape. But it’s even harder for the living.”

Just like in her previous book, Dark and Shallow Lies, Myers Sain creates this magical, mysterious, isolated place that is both appealing and haunted. And her writing is just as gorgeous and haunting.

With a title like this, you know it’s going to be a thrill! Definitely kept me guessing from the very beginning and ended with a bang! The writing was fantastic and I really enjoyed the way the characters were portrayed.

Secrets So Deep is a potently ambient book that sits comfortably in its intense, edgy environment to convey this spell-binding mystery.

Ginny Myers Sain is an expert at weighing her books down in a thick and smoky environment that pulls you in until you cannot escape. Dark and Shallow Lies was the type of book that you just cannot get out of your head. It was an incredibly bingeable, brilliant book that thrives on its atmosphere of dread, darkness and death. Secrets So Deep plays on that same vein of choking, intense and claustrophobic settings, encircling with secrets and the hint of death. This book is so, so atmospheric and it is so easy to just get lost in the fog. That slowly steeped atmosphere is just impeccable and allows time to slow around you while you read.

This is a really psychological story, centering ghosts, hauntings and buried secrets. I liked how ghosts here became mirrors and glimpses into the past, echoes of moments long vanished. The way Myers Sain plays with realism and the whisper of something beyond our comprehension is superb and so entertaining to read about. Yet again, this is a very layered and well-constructed story. Not everything is as it first seems and there are plenty of twists to discover. The complex web of threads—secrets and lies—that characterise this space is a wonder to unpick and offers some intriguing moral dilemmas, as well as questions that linger long after the final page. This is also a book heavily concerned with trauma and grief. Myers Sain uses the ongoing impacts of traumatic experiences to obscure and fracture the narrative through non linear moments and hallucinations. That trauma becomes deeply entwined with the reliability and realism of the story, emphasising the effects of PTSD and traumatic flashbacks. The past is at times a deeply ominous presence in the book and definitely its own character. Those echoes in the form of ghosts are both comforting and deeply disturbing at times.

At the heart of the book, we have Avril. She was a brilliant protagonist, marked by her past and the heavy weight of grief still sitting on her shoulders. Her natural ability and skill to fully merge into her characters speaks to her shifting social cues, always trying to fit the perfect image of what she thinks people want. That deep-rooted hurt and sense of abandonment has defined her, but I really enjoyed how Myers Sain elevated her character and developed her beyond that. Her trauma has had a significant effect on her, but it does not totally define her and I massively appreciated that.

Also, I loved how theatrical this book and how visually stunning it was. A lot of the book hinges on deceptive appearances and the ever blurring distinction between reality and fantasy. Obscurity makes you question everything you think and feel. There is a spectacular meditation of the pretence of acting and the way the self can dissolve in the pursuit of the character. Theatre can truly allow you to escape and lose yourself in a story completely, though that disappearance is a double edged sword. Obsession and the pursuit of perfection are often hallmarks of talented actors and that is something explored in an original and fascinating way here. Clearly, this is also a love letter to the found family and community created within theatrical spaces. It celebrates the joy, colour and love of the spectacle and the simple pleasures of creativity.

Secrets So Deep sneaks up and utterly consumes you in its murky tides. This is a book made of smoke, impossible to pin down and difficult to forget.

I could not get into this story. The first issue I had was that I did not like the main character at all. I also didn't like the love interest, which made reading about their romance uninteresting. For me the book dragged and I just wasn't invested at all. This book just wasn't a good fit for me.

This book is AMAZING and I absolutely loved it! It was the
perfect read for Halloween.
The mystery aspect was absolutely perfect. This is one of
those books that you get lost in and don't even realize
your reading. I kept thinking about this book all the time
while reading and never felt that I had to force myself to
finish.
The characters were amazing and I loved them!! I loved
her boy best friend the most. I also didn't know that there
was going to be any romance sub plot in this book but it
made it even better and kept me very interested. Cole
and Avril are everything.
The mystery of her mother and her drowning was very
good and paced out really well. Nothing was rushed or
too slow. I loved the ending and was very shocked and
surprised too.
Read if you like:
-YA
- mystery
-thriller
-suspense
-romance
Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for sending me
an ARC in exchange for an honest review!!

RAH. I have SO many mixed feels about this one!

On the one hand, I live for childhood-friends-to-lovers, and was HERE for all the angst and depth of the main ship. I loved how they both felt like individual people, with struggles and messiness the other tried to help with but also couldn’t just fix. This book made me FEEL, and that is rare for a book to do. The haunted vibes were off the scale and meshed perfectly with the theater-backdrop. The reveals were timed perfectly, and while I saw some of them coming, I didn’t see all of them.

On the other, the beginning had a rough start, and I honestly wasn’t convinced of how some of the friendships started + the main ship escalated super fast, even for childhood friends. There is a LOT of repetition with Avril’s flashbacks—many many chapters repeated the same imagery, which was a bit frustrating. We didn’t get answers to several big questions, and at about 80% Cole drifted into creeper territory. The most abrasive though was the strong leftist agenda apparent with a couple of Avril’s friends, and then in one of the main spoilers, which came out of nowhere. I’d have loved to know that was going to be a bigger part of the story before picking it up.

I don’t know how to rate this! Maybe 3.5 stars, rounding up. I would definitely read this author again, and loved a lot of Secrets So Deep..

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this arc!

-A

This started of creepy and stayed that way. I was so intrigued by the theater camp setting and found it really original and intriguing. This cast of characters was amazing and Ginny Myers Sain did such a great job at bringing out their individual personalities. Loved how Avril’s memories oh so slowly started changing as the book progressed and how unpredictable everything was. The plot twists in this made my head spin, and while there was definitely a lot going on, I thought it was executed really well. So wonderfully creepy and mysterious, and full of amazing characters and an intriguing story. Kept me on my toes from start to finish! *I received an ARC in exchange for my honest review.