I’m so excited to be part of the TBR & Beyond tour for this book. Find the full tour schedule here.
About the book
We’ll Never Tell by Wendy Heard
Genre: Young Adult Mystery Thriller
Publishing Date: May 16, 2023
Synopsis:
An ambitious and juicy whodunit doused in Hollywood lore, perfect for readers of sexy summer thrillers like The Twin by Natasha Preston and The Agathas by Kathleen Glasgow and Liz Lawson.
No one at Hollywood High knows who’s behind We’ll Never Tell—a viral YouTube channel where the anonymous creators trespass behind the scenes of LA’s most intriguing locales. The team includes CASEY, quiet researcher and trivia champ; JACOB, voice narrator and video editor, who is secretly dating EDDIE, aspiring filmmaker; and ZOE, coder and breaking-and-entering extraordinaire.
Now senior year is winding down, and with their lives heading in different directions, the YouTubers vow to go out with a bang. Their last episode will be filmed at the infamous Valentini “murder house,” which has been left abandoned, bloodstained, and untouched since a shocking murder/suicide in 1972. When the teens break in, they capture epic footage. But someone trips an alarm, and it’s a mad dash to get out before the police arrive—at which point they realize only three of them escaped instead of four. Jacob is still inside, slain and bleeding out. Is his attack connected to the historic murder, or is one of their crew responsible?
A week of suspicions and cover-ups unfolds as Casey and her remaining friends try to stay alive long enough to solve murder mysteries past and present. If they do, their friendship may not survive. If they don’t, the house will claim more victims.
Book Review
A group of teens with an anonymous YouTube channel decide to break into one last abandoned house before they all head off to college. But when one of them is stabbed, suddenly everyone is a suspect.
This book has some great Old Hollywood vibes, as the house they break into was the house of two of the hottest film stars of their day. One of the teens stumbles across a treasure trove of letters from them, giving us insight into their glamorous and gritty lives.
Casey, the main narrator, was an interesting character, as she’s dealing with a lot of feelings about her mom’s murder and her relationship with her grandma. She’s also feeling a little out-of-place in her group of friends and even accuses them of being the stabber.
The mystery was well-done. This book had some great twists and lots of potential villains to keep the reader guessing. The YouTube angle was interesting, as it had the teens lying about what really happened to keep their record clean. This makes everyone look suspicious.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and TBR & Beyond Tours for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
About the author
Wendy Heard is the author of suspense and thrillers for adults and teens, including THE KILL CLUB, SHE’S TOO PRETTY TO BURN, and DEAD END GIRLS. Wendy has spent most of her life in Los Angeles, California, which is on fire more than she would honestly prefer, and can often be found haunting local hiking trails and bookstores. She loves all things vintage and has a collection of thrillers and adventure books from the 80s.
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