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Fear Street #38
The Confession
A group of teens protect the killer among them in this chilling young adult thriller from Goosebumps author R.L. Stine.
When their classmate Al dies, Julie and her friends aren’t exactly broken up about it. They couldn’t stand him and even found themselves wishing he were dead more than once. But no matter what everyone else seems to suspect, Julie knows her friends, and there’s no way any of them actually did anything about their shared hatred of Al. Her friends aren’t killers.
But then one of them confesses to the group.
It’s a terrible shock, but Julie and the others aren’t going to turn on one of their own just like that—Al was terrible, after all. They make a pact to keep the killer’s secret. It had to have been a one-time thing…right?
When their classmate Al dies, Julie and her friends aren’t exactly broken up about it. They couldn’t stand him and even found themselves wishing he were dead more than once. But no matter what everyone else seems to suspect, Julie knows her friends, and there’s no way any of them actually did anything about their shared hatred of Al. Her friends aren’t killers.
But then one of them confesses to the group.
It’s a terrible shock, but Julie and the others aren’t going to turn on one of their own just like that—Al was terrible, after all. They make a pact to keep the killer’s secret. It had to have been a one-time thing…right?
160 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 1, 1996
61 people are currently reading
2425 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,734 books18.8k followersRobert Lawrence Stine known as R. L. Stine and Jovial Bob Stine, is an American novelist and writer, well known for targeting younger audiences. Stine, who is often called the Stephen King of children's literature, is the author of dozens of popular horror fiction novellas, including the books in the Goosebumps, Rotten School, Mostly Ghostly, The Nightmare Room and Fear Street series.
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
R. L. Stine began his writing career when he was nine years old, and today he has achieved the position of the bestselling children's author in history. In the early 1990s, Stine was catapulted to fame when he wrote the unprecedented, bestselling Goosebumps® series, which sold more than 250 million copies and became a worldwide multimedia phenomenon. His other major series, Fear Street, has over 80 million copies sold.
Stine has received numerous awards of recognition, including several Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards and Disney Adventures Kids' Choice Awards, and he has been selected by kids as one of their favorite authors in the NEA's Read Across America program. He lives in New York, NY.
http://us.macmillan.com/itsthefirstda...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 160 reviews
April 13, 2021
Con este libro entendí que conozco tanto la pluma de Stine, que me resulta imposible no descubrir los giros en la trama. Y a pesar de todo, lo disfruto como si fuera la primera vez que leo al autor. La historia es buena, pero para cualquiera que haya leído a Stine, se imaginará todo lo que pasa. Está bien desarrollado, bastante original.
May 5, 2023
It's great to see Fear Street having a bit of a resurgence.
This 90's teen horror series holds plenty of nostalgia, though these editions will appeal to a new audience who've watched the Netflix trilogy as some of the text has been updated - vaping instead of smoking etc...
In a way this was formulaic like many in the series, with high school hijinks and murder in abundance.
The story is narrated through Julie who straight from the opening chapter reveals that one of her friends admits to killing Al.
Al used to be part of their friendship group but fell out with them after hanging around a different group who had a negative impact from him.
The first half sees how the friendship fractured and why most of Julie's mates would have a motive.
Whilst not the strongest in the series, their were plenty of twists and reveals that makes it a fun quick read.
This 90's teen horror series holds plenty of nostalgia, though these editions will appeal to a new audience who've watched the Netflix trilogy as some of the text has been updated - vaping instead of smoking etc...
In a way this was formulaic like many in the series, with high school hijinks and murder in abundance.
The story is narrated through Julie who straight from the opening chapter reveals that one of her friends admits to killing Al.
Al used to be part of their friendship group but fell out with them after hanging around a different group who had a negative impact from him.
The first half sees how the friendship fractured and why most of Julie's mates would have a motive.
Whilst not the strongest in the series, their were plenty of twists and reveals that makes it a fun quick read.
July 6, 2017
Sorry but this one was just lame.
These characters were idiots and annoying.
It all started with a jerk named Al. He's a huge jerk and he's blackmailing everyone for money for beer, and to use their vehicles. Instead of telling him off, or standing up to him someone kills him.
Of course after kills Al, they go and tell all of their friends. Why in the world would you tell anybody? Let alone, all of your friends? It isn't something to brag about. <
b>If you're crazy enough to kill, be smart enough to get away with it.
So of course we have people who are scared thinking the killer will kill them next, we have paranoid people everywhere, we have some protecting the killer, and some thinking they should go to the cops. It's a cluster-fuck, and of course it is. What did they expect? Oh, yeah? Thanks for killing our problem! Now we can live happy and free whoohoo!
And than the only other thing that happens, is the killer gets
The ending was also super lame. "I have a confession to make", the main character freaks thinking Oh, no, not again, but of course the guy says something lame to her and the end.
This is by far my least favorite Fear Street book.
These characters were idiots and annoying.
It all started with a jerk named Al. He's a huge jerk and he's blackmailing everyone for money for beer, and to use their vehicles. Instead of telling him off, or standing up to him someone kills him.
Of course after kills Al, they go and tell all of their friends. Why in the world would you tell anybody? Let alone, all of your friends? It isn't something to brag about. <
b>If you're crazy enough to kill, be smart enough to get away with it.
So of course we have people who are scared thinking the killer will kill them next, we have paranoid people everywhere, we have some protecting the killer, and some thinking they should go to the cops. It's a cluster-fuck, and of course it is. What did they expect? Oh, yeah? Thanks for killing our problem! Now we can live happy and free whoohoo!
And than the only other thing that happens, is the killer gets
The ending was also super lame. "I have a confession to make", the main character freaks thinking Oh, no, not again, but of course the guy says something lame to her and the end.
This is by far my least favorite Fear Street book.
October 29, 2014
This is the first book I have read in the Fear Street series. I didn't really know what to expect but this book turned out to be better than I thought. Let me start with horror isn't my favorite genre but RL Stine made it easy to read. The characters seemed pretty realistic and I even didn't care for Al the bully. I did appreciate the mystery and suspense of the murder and what the group of friends where going through was terrible. I am glad I read this book and think I will give the rest of the series a shot.
May 11, 2021
بهتر از جلدای دیگه بود به نظرم😑
حداقل کوبیده نشد به دیوار:|||||||||
حداقل کوبیده نشد به دیوار:|||||||||
January 17, 2016
Posted originally on my blog:
The Writer's Inkwell
This was an okay book. It definitely isn’t one of the better ones in the series. Especially in regards to the narration. Unlike most of the books that are narrated in third person, there’s some slippage of first person into this book. Perhaps if Julie was a better developed character, this kind of narration would have worked. But as with all of these books, the stories are far too short for those kind of characters.
I was annoyed by Julie constantly going back and forth on whether Al was her friend or not. I’m not talking about an internal debate about it. That I could have dealt with and appreciated well enough. What I’m referring to is the moments when she calls him her friend and then two pages later claims her was no longer her friend. This kind of mistake would be common if the friendship had just recently ended, but she claimed it had been over a year and the guy was blackmailing her and all of her friends… doesn’t sound like friendship to me.
This is probably one of the first times I’ve noticed a huge inconsistency about Shadyside. Stine writes that it’s a small quaint town and doesn’t have much to do. Yet, there’s plenty to do and plenty of places to go, if you read all of the books. Also, I might add, small towns don’t have graduating classes of over 300 students. That’s a lot of kids in one grade. I’ve lived in small towns. Ones that had 180 seniors and ones that had 20. Based on everything I know about the town from this series, I would hardly call this a small town.
I suppose I should talk about the plot, but basically what you see, in the description, is what you get. One of Julie’s friends claims to have killed Al. The twist to the story is really obvious, in my opinion and honestly, Julie kind of annoyed me. Thus, blah, blah, blah… it’s another Fear Street book. One that doesn’t even mention the street until one of the final chapters when you discover Julie lives on Fear Street. Ta da! Now it all fits, right? Wrong.
The Writer's Inkwell
This was an okay book. It definitely isn’t one of the better ones in the series. Especially in regards to the narration. Unlike most of the books that are narrated in third person, there’s some slippage of first person into this book. Perhaps if Julie was a better developed character, this kind of narration would have worked. But as with all of these books, the stories are far too short for those kind of characters.
I was annoyed by Julie constantly going back and forth on whether Al was her friend or not. I’m not talking about an internal debate about it. That I could have dealt with and appreciated well enough. What I’m referring to is the moments when she calls him her friend and then two pages later claims her was no longer her friend. This kind of mistake would be common if the friendship had just recently ended, but she claimed it had been over a year and the guy was blackmailing her and all of her friends… doesn’t sound like friendship to me.
This is probably one of the first times I’ve noticed a huge inconsistency about Shadyside. Stine writes that it’s a small quaint town and doesn’t have much to do. Yet, there’s plenty to do and plenty of places to go, if you read all of the books. Also, I might add, small towns don’t have graduating classes of over 300 students. That’s a lot of kids in one grade. I’ve lived in small towns. Ones that had 180 seniors and ones that had 20. Based on everything I know about the town from this series, I would hardly call this a small town.
I suppose I should talk about the plot, but basically what you see, in the description, is what you get. One of Julie’s friends claims to have killed Al. The twist to the story is really obvious, in my opinion and honestly, Julie kind of annoyed me. Thus, blah, blah, blah… it’s another Fear Street book. One that doesn’t even mention the street until one of the final chapters when you discover Julie lives on Fear Street. Ta da! Now it all fits, right? Wrong.
October 14, 2024
Badly written nonsense.
The nadir for me (character name redacted to avoid spoilers) was when a chapter ended:
““You know I’m not a killer,” Character X repeated. “You know I’ll never kill again. Right? Right?”
A week later, Character X killed again.”
And then the next chapter began.
“Character X killed again. But this time it was in a dream I had.”
Piss off Stine.
I have put up with a lot of pathetic chapter cliffhangers from you across your many, many awful books. But you’re not even trying now.
The nadir for me (character name redacted to avoid spoilers) was when a chapter ended:
““You know I’m not a killer,” Character X repeated. “You know I’ll never kill again. Right? Right?”
A week later, Character X killed again.”
And then the next chapter began.
“Character X killed again. But this time it was in a dream I had.”
Piss off Stine.
I have put up with a lot of pathetic chapter cliffhangers from you across your many, many awful books. But you’re not even trying now.
June 9, 2024
#FearStreet
#TheConfession
عدد الصفحات: ١٦٧
التصنيف: جريمة - غموض
نبذة:
تحصل حالة صدمة على (جولي) و أصدقائها (ڤينسينت، هيلاري و تايلور) عندما يكتشفون موت زميلهم (آل).. زميلهم (آل) الذي كان صديقهم ثمّ تغيّر وتحول لشخص سيء معهم.. لقد كانوا يتمنون لو أنه يختفي عن الوجود لكن هذا لا يعني أن أحدًا منهم قتله، (جولي) تعرف بأن اصدقائها أبرياء بالرغم من أن (آل) دمرهم نفسيًا إلّا أنهم لم يستطيعوا قتله... ثم يعترف أحدهم..
رأيي:
رواية خفيفة ومليئة بالغموض و الإثارة، هي واحدة من الروايات التي تشدّك لتكملتها للنهاية، يتكون الكتاب من ٣ فصول وفي كل فصل تزداد الإثارة والتشويق و تجعلك تترقب و تريد أن تعرف ماذا سوف يحصل الآن؟ ما هي المفاجأة التي تنتظرني في الصفحة القادمة؟؟، أنصح بالرواية لإحتوائها على عناصر التشويق والغموض بحيث أن القارئ لا يمل من القصة.
•
قراءة ماتعة 🌹
•
“كل المراجعات تعبر عن ذوقي في القراءة و الناس أذواق” 🌹
#البنّاي_يقرأ
#TheConfession
عدد الصفحات: ١٦٧
التصنيف: جريمة - غموض
نبذة:
تحصل حالة صدمة على (جولي) و أصدقائها (ڤينسينت، هيلاري و تايلور) عندما يكتشفون موت زميلهم (آل).. زميلهم (آل) الذي كان صديقهم ثمّ تغيّر وتحول لشخص سيء معهم.. لقد كانوا يتمنون لو أنه يختفي عن الوجود لكن هذا لا يعني أن أحدًا منهم قتله، (جولي) تعرف بأن اصدقائها أبرياء بالرغم من أن (آل) دمرهم نفسيًا إلّا أنهم لم يستطيعوا قتله... ثم يعترف أحدهم..
رأيي:
رواية خفيفة ومليئة بالغموض و الإثارة، هي واحدة من الروايات التي تشدّك لتكملتها للنهاية، يتكون الكتاب من ٣ فصول وفي كل فصل تزداد الإثارة والتشويق و تجعلك تترقب و تريد أن تعرف ماذا سوف يحصل الآن؟ ما هي المفاجأة التي تنتظرني في الصفحة القادمة؟؟، أنصح بالرواية لإحتوائها على عناصر التشويق والغموض بحيث أن القارئ لا يمل من القصة.
•
قراءة ماتعة 🌹
•
“كل المراجعات تعبر عن ذوقي في القراءة و الناس أذواق” 🌹
#البنّاي_يقرأ
March 18, 2022
Julie and her friends used to like Al. But that was before he stayed drinking, hanging out with bad kids and hounding Julie's group for money.
One of Julie's friends even hates Al enough to kill him.
This was my first time reading this one and I wasn't the biggest fan for a few reasons.
The larger group made it hard to really get to know or connect with the MC's. It was also a bit slower and didn't have as much mystery or excitement as other Fear Street books.
The ending seemed a bit too rushed along for my liking as well.
March 17, 2022
"What would you do if one of your best friends took you aside and said he had a confession to make?"
Julie Carlson asks us the readers that very question as she recounts to us a tale that is our book. On a nice spring day, Julie and her girl friends Hillary Walker and Taylor Snook *stifled laugh* were just hanging out and talking when Al Freed showed up at Julie's door. He use to be a part of their little group of friends but has started acting like a jerk, hanging out with some tough dudes from Waynesbridge, drinking beer, smoking, selling answers to tests and just being a creep.
He comes in and harasses the girls into giving him money as he tosses a can of beer into the kitchen sink and gets cigarette ash all over the place and Julie's mom hates smoking after catching Julie smoking freshman year.
Hillary ends up giving Al $20 to keep him from telling her parents that she bought answers for a Chemistry test from him and jeopardize her getting into college. When Julie's mom gets home, Al beats a hasty retreat and Julie's mom discovers the beer can and the still lit cigarette on the floor to which she grounds Julie making her miss a major party at Reva Dalby's home.
So even though it was all Al's fault for the mess, Julie suffers missing the party and hears Hillary telling her all about how Sandy Miller followed Taylor around like a little lapdog while she flirted with every other guy there.
Julie thinks maybe Hillary is jealous of Taylor's looks I'm not sure but I know that Hillary has purple nails, wears large earrings and white-rimmed glasses as Julie describes her and Taylor is blonde, almost platinum with green eyes, and red lips. When the two girls get to Sandy's, he tells them that Al has been suspended for fighting.
For a minute nothing goes on except Julie gushing to us how much of a crush she has on Vincent Freedman and how he just treats like a friend until Al shows up on Sandy's porch, drunk and banging on the door. Against better judgement, Sandy lets him in and Al begins to give him a hard time and embarrass him in front of Taylor that the two boys start fighting and then Hillary gets involved with the fighting.
It's not really exactly fighting just Al trying to push her down but Hillary doesn't budge literally until Al leaves, complaining how he just wanted one lousy beer. Several days later, Julie heads over to Vincent's in a cute outfit to do their chemistry project and she finds him stressing out in the driveway.
Julie asks him what's wrong and he says he let Al take out his mom's car but not willingly. You see Vincent got a speeding ticket and Al just happened to see it happen. He told Vincent not to worry and tore up the ticket and well Al now has his own way to blackmail Vincent whenever he needs something just as he did to Hillary.
Al brings the car back and it is completely totaled with the hood, fender, bumper and driver's side door mangled! Vincent loses his cool and Al just runs off as Julie tries to calm down Vincent who is ready to draw blood.
So Vincent is now permanently grounded all summer by his parents that he won't be able to do a camp counselor job he got and work in his dad's shop to pay for the damages. Julie learns this after asking Vince to go rollerblading with the group at the skating rink so she goes with Sandy, Taylor and Hillary and let's them in on the bad news.
Soon, Julie is at the rink alone as Sandy and Taylor slink off to make out and Hillary leaves to go to a party in Waynesbridge but when she finally leaves...Julie makes the gruesome discovery of Al's body in the back alley. Strangled to death with the laces of a pair of rollerblades, one shoved hard into his mouth that it is standing up!
Julie tells the police she didn't kill Al and when Officer Reed asks if Al had any enemies Julie mentions the new friends of his from Waynesbridge and can't help but confess that all of her own friends had enough reason to hate Al, herself included, but none of them would ever do such a horrible thing.
Poor Julie, so naïve because at Sandy's house after the funeral he has a confession of his own...he killed Al. The others are shocked, Taylor hysterically so, but Hillary is more angry at Sandy for telling his friends and now they know and are in it just as deep. Sandy can't understand...he did it for all of them because Al was ruining their lives...his friends should be happy!
Now that all of them know what Sandy has done, Taylor's staying by his side but Hillary wants to go to the police and Julie and Vincent are caught in the middle...what will they do? Sandy's harmless and Al was a bully there's no way he could possibly kill again...right?
The Confession has a promising start but you know that Al is going to die and you have to learn half-way through the book who did it. Everything after that is basically fallout and paranoia which leads to more of an anti-climax IMHO.
The twist is said to be obvious by the character who figures it out and I'm thinking more "No not really" unless you think really hard about what happens before that. Also, the ending tries to be weird but is more hilarious in my opinion but not in a good way.
The description of Al's body is pretty good and memorable but the second half of the book falls flat... you can read it but you may be disappointed.
Julie Carlson asks us the readers that very question as she recounts to us a tale that is our book. On a nice spring day, Julie and her girl friends Hillary Walker and Taylor Snook *stifled laugh* were just hanging out and talking when Al Freed showed up at Julie's door. He use to be a part of their little group of friends but has started acting like a jerk, hanging out with some tough dudes from Waynesbridge, drinking beer, smoking, selling answers to tests and just being a creep.
He comes in and harasses the girls into giving him money as he tosses a can of beer into the kitchen sink and gets cigarette ash all over the place and Julie's mom hates smoking after catching Julie smoking freshman year.
Hillary ends up giving Al $20 to keep him from telling her parents that she bought answers for a Chemistry test from him and jeopardize her getting into college. When Julie's mom gets home, Al beats a hasty retreat and Julie's mom discovers the beer can and the still lit cigarette on the floor to which she grounds Julie making her miss a major party at Reva Dalby's home.
So even though it was all Al's fault for the mess, Julie suffers missing the party and hears Hillary telling her all about how Sandy Miller followed Taylor around like a little lapdog while she flirted with every other guy there.
Julie thinks maybe Hillary is jealous of Taylor's looks I'm not sure but I know that Hillary has purple nails, wears large earrings and white-rimmed glasses as Julie describes her and Taylor is blonde, almost platinum with green eyes, and red lips. When the two girls get to Sandy's, he tells them that Al has been suspended for fighting.
For a minute nothing goes on except Julie gushing to us how much of a crush she has on Vincent Freedman and how he just treats like a friend until Al shows up on Sandy's porch, drunk and banging on the door. Against better judgement, Sandy lets him in and Al begins to give him a hard time and embarrass him in front of Taylor that the two boys start fighting and then Hillary gets involved with the fighting.
It's not really exactly fighting just Al trying to push her down but Hillary doesn't budge literally until Al leaves, complaining how he just wanted one lousy beer. Several days later, Julie heads over to Vincent's in a cute outfit to do their chemistry project and she finds him stressing out in the driveway.
Julie asks him what's wrong and he says he let Al take out his mom's car but not willingly. You see Vincent got a speeding ticket and Al just happened to see it happen. He told Vincent not to worry and tore up the ticket and well Al now has his own way to blackmail Vincent whenever he needs something just as he did to Hillary.
Al brings the car back and it is completely totaled with the hood, fender, bumper and driver's side door mangled! Vincent loses his cool and Al just runs off as Julie tries to calm down Vincent who is ready to draw blood.
So Vincent is now permanently grounded all summer by his parents that he won't be able to do a camp counselor job he got and work in his dad's shop to pay for the damages. Julie learns this after asking Vince to go rollerblading with the group at the skating rink so she goes with Sandy, Taylor and Hillary and let's them in on the bad news.
Soon, Julie is at the rink alone as Sandy and Taylor slink off to make out and Hillary leaves to go to a party in Waynesbridge but when she finally leaves...Julie makes the gruesome discovery of Al's body in the back alley. Strangled to death with the laces of a pair of rollerblades, one shoved hard into his mouth that it is standing up!
Julie tells the police she didn't kill Al and when Officer Reed asks if Al had any enemies Julie mentions the new friends of his from Waynesbridge and can't help but confess that all of her own friends had enough reason to hate Al, herself included, but none of them would ever do such a horrible thing.
Poor Julie, so naïve because at Sandy's house after the funeral he has a confession of his own...he killed Al. The others are shocked, Taylor hysterically so, but Hillary is more angry at Sandy for telling his friends and now they know and are in it just as deep. Sandy can't understand...he did it for all of them because Al was ruining their lives...his friends should be happy!
Now that all of them know what Sandy has done, Taylor's staying by his side but Hillary wants to go to the police and Julie and Vincent are caught in the middle...what will they do? Sandy's harmless and Al was a bully there's no way he could possibly kill again...right?
The Confession has a promising start but you know that Al is going to die and you have to learn half-way through the book who did it. Everything after that is basically fallout and paranoia which leads to more of an anti-climax IMHO.
The twist is said to be obvious by the character who figures it out and I'm thinking more "No not really" unless you think really hard about what happens before that. Also, the ending tries to be weird but is more hilarious in my opinion but not in a good way.
The description of Al's body is pretty good and memorable but the second half of the book falls flat... you can read it but you may be disappointed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 14, 2019
The story was okay but it was the ENDING that’s what got to me. All these conversations was just a little too much especially the last one. For a teen thriller this was a fun read. I was on the edge for a few scenes I enjoyed reading this.
November 26, 2014
I just finished The Confession and it was really good. The concept was original, the characters (particularly Julie and Hillary) were very well-developed, and the internal conflict Julie and the other main characters face is very realistic. My main problem is that the book focuses so much on internal conflict that there's barely any real suspense or scares here. Sure, Al's murder is pretty gruesome and there are some tense moments like , but moments like these are very few and far between. Also, I could see the plot twist coming from miles away. But despite these issues, it was a very nice Fear Street book that I recommend you check out.
Plot Synopsis: All of Julie's friends hated Al. He was such a jerk and he was always blackmailing them to make them do what he wanted. In fact, Julie and her friends all wished Al was dead. Then, Al is found dead...and one of them confesses to the murder. Wanting to protect the killer, Julie and her friends vow to keep the secret. They're sure that their friend won't kill again. But is that true?
To be completely honest, I feel Al got what he deserved. He was a very unlikable character, but I assume he's supposed to be that way. The internal conflict the main characters experience by keeping the secret and their fears for their murderer friend are very realistic. But again, R.L. Stine spends so much time on that that there's very little frightening moments. And I could sense the twist coming about halfway through the book. But the twist that came AFTER that was pretty unexpected for me. Plus, the ending was pretty cute, which is a rare treat for a Fear Street book. Anyway, this is a pretty good Fear Street story and I recommend you check it out.
Pros: The internal conflict, the original premise, the well-developed characters, the tense moments, the unexpected 2nd twist, and the cute ending.
Cons: The obvious 1st twist and the lack of scares or shocks.
Plot Synopsis: All of Julie's friends hated Al. He was such a jerk and he was always blackmailing them to make them do what he wanted. In fact, Julie and her friends all wished Al was dead. Then, Al is found dead...and one of them confesses to the murder. Wanting to protect the killer, Julie and her friends vow to keep the secret. They're sure that their friend won't kill again. But is that true?
To be completely honest, I feel Al got what he deserved. He was a very unlikable character, but I assume he's supposed to be that way. The internal conflict the main characters experience by keeping the secret and their fears for their murderer friend are very realistic. But again, R.L. Stine spends so much time on that that there's very little frightening moments. And I could sense the twist coming about halfway through the book. But the twist that came AFTER that was pretty unexpected for me. Plus, the ending was pretty cute, which is a rare treat for a Fear Street book. Anyway, this is a pretty good Fear Street story and I recommend you check it out.
Pros: The internal conflict, the original premise, the well-developed characters, the tense moments, the unexpected 2nd twist, and the cute ending.
Cons: The obvious 1st twist and the lack of scares or shocks.
September 22, 2011
Today I read and finished this amazing book. It only took me about an hour to finish so it was that amazing. I suggest that you all read this spine tingling book!
In this book the main character Julie is faced with a mystery. Who killed her old/ex friend Al? Julie and her group of friends are all suspects. Sandy, Taylor, Hillary, and Vincent. Julie has all the pressure on her after finding Al's dead body with roller-skate laces choking him in an alley on the way home from skating one night.
Al had been blackmailing Julie and her friends to give him money and let him take their cars. He used to be their friends until he became friends with some bad people who turned Al into a really bad guy. So now everybody hates him.
Taylor is very new to the group of friends and she is Sandy's girlfriend. Sandy is head over heels for her and he will do anteing for her, although Taylor doesn't exactly feel the same way. She cheats on Sandy will Al and then does something...unspeakable.
At the end of the book, all the secrets and confessions come out. I highly recommend this book. i couldn't tear myself away from it!
In this book the main character Julie is faced with a mystery. Who killed her old/ex friend Al? Julie and her group of friends are all suspects. Sandy, Taylor, Hillary, and Vincent. Julie has all the pressure on her after finding Al's dead body with roller-skate laces choking him in an alley on the way home from skating one night.
Al had been blackmailing Julie and her friends to give him money and let him take their cars. He used to be their friends until he became friends with some bad people who turned Al into a really bad guy. So now everybody hates him.
Taylor is very new to the group of friends and she is Sandy's girlfriend. Sandy is head over heels for her and he will do anteing for her, although Taylor doesn't exactly feel the same way. She cheats on Sandy will Al and then does something...unspeakable.
At the end of the book, all the secrets and confessions come out. I highly recommend this book. i couldn't tear myself away from it!
November 21, 2016
- This is one of the Fear Street books that I think more characterization could have been done with. There was a larger group than I would have liked. I think by narrowing it down, we could have gotten more out of each one.
- I really don't think Al should have been killed. Sure, he was a jerk, but jeez.
- The double surprise ending. Okay, I saw the first one coming. I thought, "Come on, Stine. You can do better than this. But then the second part happened. That was pretty good.
September 6, 2016
Our library doesn't have many R.L. Stine books, so when I saw this + a few more Fear Street books, I was beyond excited.
Anyway, back to the book. It was very well written! Then again to me, everything R.L. Stine writes is truly amazing. ♥
That twist caught me off guard for sure and the end, I just kinda sat there like "seriously?" haha I could see it all in my head. Awesome 5 stars!
Anyway, back to the book. It was very well written! Then again to me, everything R.L. Stine writes is truly amazing. ♥
That twist caught me off guard for sure and the end, I just kinda sat there like "seriously?" haha I could see it all in my head. Awesome 5 stars!
September 8, 2019
My daughter asked me to read this book after she had read it. I read a lot of RL Stine books when I was younger. I can’t remember if I read any of the Fear Street ones. I thought the story was pretty good. It kept me wanting to know who the killer was. I did find it hard to relate to the characters. They were all bland. Other than that, I thought it was a good read for a 6th grader.
November 15, 2014
I thought this book was awesome. It is my favorite Fear Street book I've read so far. I really loved the ending because there were so many twists. I recommend this book to anyone who likes horror and mystery.
May 5, 2018
I lost it when Hillary confessed that she killed Sandy but she actually set the whole thing up for her good friend to confess a murder that she commit. I always said that RL Stine is the best and he still the best teenage thriller writer that I have ever read
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 8, 2023
This book had an incredibly unsatisfying ending paired with a predictable plot, unlikable characters, cliff hangers for the sake of cliffhangers, and many more bothersome things. I wouldn't recommend this novel to anyone.
October 2, 2025
This book pissed me off. Legit one of the worst written books I’ve ever read in my life. Everything about this was stupid and a waste of time. Whatever ghostwriter is responsible for this one should be ashamed of themselves
June 12, 2023
bobo book
April 18, 2023
I wanted to do another random Fear Street read to vet review options so here we are again. May do more than usual this year when I feel like it, again mostly to vet review options. This is a later one I have been interested in so I'm glad the wheel gave it to me.
Sadly it's one I likely won't blog review. It comes close but there isn't quite enough big desire on my part. And even for this review there isn't a ton to say. It follows Julie as she and her friends are being harresed and blackmailed by this jerk Al. One day he is killed and it turns out of her friends did it. They confess, saying they did it for their own good and wants them o promise not to tell. Of course, this eats at them and the confessor doesn't quite want the secret out.
It's Good but in a light way. There isn't too much hugely wrong, just nothing too special. You can tell it's a later one in that way, better than average in some regards, just not a classic. The characters do have good chemistry as there are some fun moments with them. Julie is a standard but likable lead with a decent monologue.
Of the friends, Hilary is the main one who is a minority alert, being a black character who proves to be smart and doesn't die. Whoa, progress. She's the most interesting with how Al has wronged her, I kinda wish she was the protagonist. Of the others, Sandy is a big simp for Taylor whose main thing is being a flirt. Vincent seems importantly early on with Julie simping for hm but he ends up being the superfluous clay, who doesn't do much.
Al works as this big looming threat, who controls their lives even after he dies. While there are some clear other bad guys here, even they only do what to do out of desperation due to Al. It feels a bit more complex than usual .The situation in general carries, as it flows well and has enough tension to it.
It does drag its feet at times, not horribly so but there are some notably annoying fake outs here. The reveal of the cultprit does make sense and is decently done. It's a bit obvious but not as horribly so as others, it'll be more clear to people like me than more casual readers.
The climax is fine with a smart misdirect but the ending is super abrupt. There's no big wrap up aside from one bit about Vincent that is just weird. Another minor issue is the repetition, mostly in terms of writing. It's not the most horrible case, but the writing likes to repeat things a bit too much so those more sensitive to his lesser writing need not apply here.
Otherwise, it's fine. Unique in some regards and is fun and quick, but doesn't rise to anything crazy. It's a light recommend but there's more notable ones out there, even at this point. A light Good if there ever was one.
BODY COUNT: 1
POP CULTURE/PRODUCT/CELEB WATCH: Demi Moore, Coke, Mountain Dew, Stephen King, Keanu Reeves.
RED-HEAD WATCH: Artie Matthews.
CONTINUITY WATCH: There’s a Reva Dalby party they are hyped about. This is after 2 so shouldn’t she be in college? We don’t see the party but we hear that Taylor flirted with our pal Bobby Newkirk (Double Date). Corky of Cheerleaders is mentioned. We “Ricky Shore” from New Years Party, my doc goes into that mess. And Deena and Jade of course get their mention.
STINE-ISMS: swallowing hard, sour, dryly.
FAKE-OUT COUNT: 5
FAT SHAMING WATCH: Mild but we’re reminded that Sandy is chubby at one point for no reason.
GAY SUBTEXT WATCH: Yes, it’s warranted. Julie goes on about how hot she thinks Taylor is a few times, going from just the neutral “pretty” to going on about her current look being “Very hot and sexy”.
REPRINT WATCH:
There’s the usual 2000’s reprint as well as a 2022 one. I don’t have full access to the latter beyond the preview chapters on amazon so I can only know what is changed in those. I did check to find they removed a mention of Brad Pitt which is odd, they kept in the 2000’s. They change a bit about smoking to be vaping, I find that funny for some reason. There’s a whole bit of him threatening to burn the counter a bit with it for Juile’s mom to see and the latter reprint changes it to him threatening to scratch it with a knife.
2000’s reprint changes Keanu Reeves to Jude Law. That's about it for that...
But there’s one especially notable change that is a bit awkward. See, Hilary is established as black by saying “Hilary Walker is an African-American”. And that’s it. That’s the worst it gets but it does feel awkward. This is after she quips about she already has enough of a tan. The first reprint changes it to “Hilary is African American and has dark brown skin”. The 2000s reprint hardly ever changed iffy stuff so this is notable.
The 2022 one changes it further by removing the tan comment and “African American” part and adds a mention of dark brown skin to her description from the previous paragraph. Just find it interesting how that one small bit was seen as change worthy twice over, wild. I prefer the most current version I'd say.
Anyway, that's about it. As always don't know what is next, probably something in the truly random camp, we'll see. See ya then.
Sadly it's one I likely won't blog review. It comes close but there isn't quite enough big desire on my part. And even for this review there isn't a ton to say. It follows Julie as she and her friends are being harresed and blackmailed by this jerk Al. One day he is killed and it turns out of her friends did it. They confess, saying they did it for their own good and wants them o promise not to tell. Of course, this eats at them and the confessor doesn't quite want the secret out.
It's Good but in a light way. There isn't too much hugely wrong, just nothing too special. You can tell it's a later one in that way, better than average in some regards, just not a classic. The characters do have good chemistry as there are some fun moments with them. Julie is a standard but likable lead with a decent monologue.
Of the friends, Hilary is the main one who is a minority alert, being a black character who proves to be smart and doesn't die. Whoa, progress. She's the most interesting with how Al has wronged her, I kinda wish she was the protagonist. Of the others, Sandy is a big simp for Taylor whose main thing is being a flirt. Vincent seems importantly early on with Julie simping for hm but he ends up being the superfluous clay, who doesn't do much.
Al works as this big looming threat, who controls their lives even after he dies. While there are some clear other bad guys here, even they only do what to do out of desperation due to Al. It feels a bit more complex than usual .The situation in general carries, as it flows well and has enough tension to it.
It does drag its feet at times, not horribly so but there are some notably annoying fake outs here. The reveal of the cultprit does make sense and is decently done. It's a bit obvious but not as horribly so as others, it'll be more clear to people like me than more casual readers.
The climax is fine with a smart misdirect but the ending is super abrupt. There's no big wrap up aside from one bit about Vincent that is just weird. Another minor issue is the repetition, mostly in terms of writing. It's not the most horrible case, but the writing likes to repeat things a bit too much so those more sensitive to his lesser writing need not apply here.
Otherwise, it's fine. Unique in some regards and is fun and quick, but doesn't rise to anything crazy. It's a light recommend but there's more notable ones out there, even at this point. A light Good if there ever was one.
BODY COUNT: 1
POP CULTURE/PRODUCT/CELEB WATCH: Demi Moore, Coke, Mountain Dew, Stephen King, Keanu Reeves.
RED-HEAD WATCH: Artie Matthews.
CONTINUITY WATCH: There’s a Reva Dalby party they are hyped about. This is after 2 so shouldn’t she be in college? We don’t see the party but we hear that Taylor flirted with our pal Bobby Newkirk (Double Date). Corky of Cheerleaders is mentioned. We “Ricky Shore” from New Years Party, my doc goes into that mess. And Deena and Jade of course get their mention.
STINE-ISMS: swallowing hard, sour, dryly.
FAKE-OUT COUNT: 5
FAT SHAMING WATCH: Mild but we’re reminded that Sandy is chubby at one point for no reason.
GAY SUBTEXT WATCH: Yes, it’s warranted. Julie goes on about how hot she thinks Taylor is a few times, going from just the neutral “pretty” to going on about her current look being “Very hot and sexy”.
REPRINT WATCH:
There’s the usual 2000’s reprint as well as a 2022 one. I don’t have full access to the latter beyond the preview chapters on amazon so I can only know what is changed in those. I did check to find they removed a mention of Brad Pitt which is odd, they kept in the 2000’s. They change a bit about smoking to be vaping, I find that funny for some reason. There’s a whole bit of him threatening to burn the counter a bit with it for Juile’s mom to see and the latter reprint changes it to him threatening to scratch it with a knife.
2000’s reprint changes Keanu Reeves to Jude Law. That's about it for that...
But there’s one especially notable change that is a bit awkward. See, Hilary is established as black by saying “Hilary Walker is an African-American”. And that’s it. That’s the worst it gets but it does feel awkward. This is after she quips about she already has enough of a tan. The first reprint changes it to “Hilary is African American and has dark brown skin”. The 2000s reprint hardly ever changed iffy stuff so this is notable.
The 2022 one changes it further by removing the tan comment and “African American” part and adds a mention of dark brown skin to her description from the previous paragraph. Just find it interesting how that one small bit was seen as change worthy twice over, wild. I prefer the most current version I'd say.
Anyway, that's about it. As always don't know what is next, probably something in the truly random camp, we'll see. See ya then.
February 14, 2020
Reviewed on Lili Lost in a Book
I loved the beginning of this book:
I mean, yikes! Is that not intriguing, or what? But man, was this guy who made the confession an idiot...
It’s true! Why would they do this? Especially because this person may kill again to keep things quiet 😬 Ooof. But here’s the thing, there were a lot of fake outs, and it was annoying. Usually I can gauge them pretty well and anticipate which ones will be fake just so I don’t get my hopes up, but these for some reason just got me. And it was not cool! I don’t know why it bugged me so much in this one! BUT there was one scene that wasn’t a fake out and there was lots of spurting blood and it was super gross and I super liked it 😏😉
Some mentions in this book: there was a party at Reva Dalby’s house (from Silent Night )! Bobby Newkirk (the asshole from Double Date ) was mentioned, as was Corky Corcoran ( Fear Street Cheerleaders ), Deena Martinson ( The Wrong Number ), and we also see Ricky Shore being Ricky Shore ( The Overnight and Halloween Party ).
Overall, I thought this was an okay book. I liked the premise and the mystery was intriguing. But I had things figured out pretty early on and the fake outs were annoying! Anyway, it was fine 🤷♀️
The Fear Street connection: Julie lives on Fear Street.
Yeahhh... you keep telling yourself that 😂
I loved the beginning of this book:
What would you do if one of your best friends took you aside and said he had a confession to make?
What if your friend confessed to you that he killed someone? And he begged you not to tell anyone. He begged you to keep his horrible secret.
What would you do?
I mean, yikes! Is that not intriguing, or what? But man, was this guy who made the confession an idiot...
“You don’t kill someone just because he’s annoying you,” Hillary said, speaking slowly, saying each word clearly and distinctly. “And then you don’t confess. You don’t tell what you did to a roomful of people.”
It’s true! Why would they do this? Especially because this person may kill again to keep things quiet 😬 Ooof. But here’s the thing, there were a lot of fake outs, and it was annoying. Usually I can gauge them pretty well and anticipate which ones will be fake just so I don’t get my hopes up, but these for some reason just got me. And it was not cool! I don’t know why it bugged me so much in this one! BUT there was one scene that wasn’t a fake out and there was lots of spurting blood and it was super gross and I super liked it 😏😉
Some mentions in this book: there was a party at Reva Dalby’s house (from Silent Night )! Bobby Newkirk (the asshole from Double Date ) was mentioned, as was Corky Corcoran ( Fear Street Cheerleaders ), Deena Martinson ( The Wrong Number ), and we also see Ricky Shore being Ricky Shore ( The Overnight and Halloween Party ).
Overall, I thought this was an okay book. I liked the premise and the mystery was intriguing. But I had things figured out pretty early on and the fake outs were annoying! Anyway, it was fine 🤷♀️
The Fear Street connection: Julie lives on Fear Street.
My friends all teased me about it. Everyone tells horrifying stories about Fear Street and the frightening things that supposedly happened there.
I don’t think it’s scary. It’s just darker than everywhere else because of all the old trees.
Yeahhh... you keep telling yourself that 😂
June 12, 2025
I would barely give this book 3 stars. We follow a group of friends that include Julie, her best friend Hillary, her crush Vincent, chubby nerd Sandy, and his girlfriend the slutty Taylor. Also in the mix is their old friend the douchey drunk goth Al, who is blackmailing them for some lame reasons, like smoking cigarettes occasionally, cheating on a test, and taking their parents car out with out permission. Omg!! So like the back of the book states he has to die!! The rest of the book drags, Spoilers Sandy confesses to the group he killed Al and the rest of the book is about the others except Taylor being creeped out and wanting to turn Sandy in. It’s so boring and predictable and the last twist is dumb as fuck.
June 30, 2017
Tinggal di Fear Street adalah bencana,
Ya!,setelah membaca belasan/puluhan buku Fear Street,
siapa sih yang mau tinggal di lingkungan ini,mungkin tempatnya
indah dan klasik,tapi selalu terjadi sesuatu yang aneh,entah itu berhubungan
dengan hantu,pembunuhan,mimpi aneh, dll,
dan R.L. Stine mungkin pelaku utamanya hehe.
Julie dan "Gengnya" sangat kesal dengan ULAH Al yang menggila,selalu memeras
uang mereka,dan selalu menyulitkan mereka,sampai mereka ingin membunuhnya
dan ternyata kemudian Al mati terbunuh,dan menyedihkannya lagi temannya mengaku telah
membunuhnya dan menyuruh mereka agar menjaga rahasia,ia janji hanya akan
membunuh sekali saja,atau akan terjadi pembunuhan lagi?.
Ya!,setelah membaca belasan/puluhan buku Fear Street,
siapa sih yang mau tinggal di lingkungan ini,mungkin tempatnya
indah dan klasik,tapi selalu terjadi sesuatu yang aneh,entah itu berhubungan
dengan hantu,pembunuhan,mimpi aneh, dll,
dan R.L. Stine mungkin pelaku utamanya hehe.
Julie dan "Gengnya" sangat kesal dengan ULAH Al yang menggila,selalu memeras
uang mereka,dan selalu menyulitkan mereka,sampai mereka ingin membunuhnya
dan ternyata kemudian Al mati terbunuh,dan menyedihkannya lagi temannya mengaku telah
membunuhnya dan menyuruh mereka agar menjaga rahasia,ia janji hanya akan
membunuh sekali saja,atau akan terjadi pembunuhan lagi?.
November 18, 2020
Novela juvenil de suspense de 160 páginas editada en 1996 por este escritor norteamericano, autor de la colección Goosebumps. La mayoría de sus libros tienen como protagonista a un niño o adolescente. Como en esta novela donde cuatro amigos del instituto intentan descubrir un misterioso asesinato.
La novela es de muy amena lectura y la trama es muy sencilla, pero con un buen final. Se puede leer en dos días y no requiere de un esfuerzo por entender nada complejo. Por lo tanto, se trata de una lectura fresca, con algo de misterio y nada de terror, como anuncia la portada. Sin embargo, recomendada para una sola lectura.
La novela es de muy amena lectura y la trama es muy sencilla, pero con un buen final. Se puede leer en dos días y no requiere de un esfuerzo por entender nada complejo. Por lo tanto, se trata de una lectura fresca, con algo de misterio y nada de terror, como anuncia la portada. Sin embargo, recomendada para una sola lectura.
January 23, 2022
My personal opinion about this book is when I read the book until the middle of the story, I notice that Julie and her friends doesn't care about their classmate (Al), then I started to continue reading this book, now I notice that they care about their classmate all of a sudden. The key point about this book is when Julie's friends wished that AI was dead because they couldn't stand for AI. I like about this book is when Julie thinks that her friend kills their classmate al because of their hatred and she wasn't there for him. I like the characters of this story because both Julie and her friends were shocked that her friends betrayed her by telling her that she killed Ali, not knowing that her friends killed Al. The writing style is pretty good other than her friends blaming her about her classmate. Overall, I like this this book and people show read this book because it is fun to read.
March 31, 2024
One guy that 3 high school girls couldn’t stand and wanted to kill. All the names can be a little confusing at first and it does take some time for the story to settle. But, after a while, you kind of get into it.
Two weeks later, the guy they all hate was found dead at the skating rink. Dead by skate. Ouch! They all had reason to kill him. But none of them were murderer…right? Then one of them confesses to the murder and asks the group to keep it a secret. Keeping this secret had really put Julie on edge. With all these “secrets,” Julie was juggling more than she could handle.
How will this all end? A good read!
Two weeks later, the guy they all hate was found dead at the skating rink. Dead by skate. Ouch! They all had reason to kill him. But none of them were murderer…right? Then one of them confesses to the murder and asks the group to keep it a secret. Keeping this secret had really put Julie on edge. With all these “secrets,” Julie was juggling more than she could handle.
How will this all end? A good read!
February 7, 2023
the confession follows Julie and her friend group. one of their old friends, Al, annoys and blackmails them until one day he is found dead. Al has been murdered and the entire town wonders who did it. Julie’s friend group is the only one that knows the truth as one of them confesses to have committed the crime.
I love reading R.L. Stine’s books as they are very short, easy reads that I can read in one sitting. they also always leave me invested in the mystery and how it’s going to turn out in the end, as most of the time there are multiple plot twists during the last few chapters.
this book was really entertaining and I loved how I got to read about the personality and how each of the characters in the friend group were before and after the murder. usually when a story is focused around a small friend group, there’s a lot of details about one of the characters and the others are sort of forgotten but not in this book. this book shows you how each character is and thus making them more realistic.
I was in for a ride with this book and the moment I thought I finally knew what was going on and what was going to happen then, a plot twist showed up and threw me off. the way everything comes together in the end was really interesting to read but definitely brought up a few questions as to why some characters acted the way they did.
I definitely recommend this book and any other books in the Fear Street collection if you are a fan of some fun and short mystery books.
I love reading R.L. Stine’s books as they are very short, easy reads that I can read in one sitting. they also always leave me invested in the mystery and how it’s going to turn out in the end, as most of the time there are multiple plot twists during the last few chapters.
this book was really entertaining and I loved how I got to read about the personality and how each of the characters in the friend group were before and after the murder. usually when a story is focused around a small friend group, there’s a lot of details about one of the characters and the others are sort of forgotten but not in this book. this book shows you how each character is and thus making them more realistic.
I was in for a ride with this book and the moment I thought I finally knew what was going on and what was going to happen then, a plot twist showed up and threw me off. the way everything comes together in the end was really interesting to read but definitely brought up a few questions as to why some characters acted the way they did.
I definitely recommend this book and any other books in the Fear Street collection if you are a fan of some fun and short mystery books.
Read
October 9, 2025I thought this book was really cool because I like when one of the friends said that they killed someone and said to their friends not to tell any one about it and all promised.I would recommend this book to my friends and family cause I like how thrilling it was and exciting how the book was.
SPOILERS
There is this friend group with Sammy and two girls sorry I forgot their names.Sammy told his friends that he needs to tell them something and they listened to him and sammy told them that he killed their bully Al.
SPOILERS
There is this friend group with Sammy and two girls sorry I forgot their names.Sammy told his friends that he needs to tell them something and they listened to him and sammy told them that he killed their bully Al.
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