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Fear Street Relaunch #4
Can You Keep a Secret?
How many nightmares begin in the Fear Street Woods?
Eddie and Emmy are high school sweethearts from the wrong side of the tracks. Looking for an escape from their dreary lives, they embark on an overnight camping trip with four friends in the Fear Street Woods.
As Eddie carves a heart in a tree, he and Emma make a shocking discovery. It’s a discovery that will lead to the end of friendships—and to murder.
Meanwhile, Emmy is having strange, terrifying dreams about wolves. Are her dreams connected somehow to the real wolf attacks that plague the town of Shadyside?
Emmy, it seems, is about to make a horrifying discovery about herself…
Eddie and Emmy are high school sweethearts from the wrong side of the tracks. Looking for an escape from their dreary lives, they embark on an overnight camping trip with four friends in the Fear Street Woods.
As Eddie carves a heart in a tree, he and Emma make a shocking discovery. It’s a discovery that will lead to the end of friendships—and to murder.
Meanwhile, Emmy is having strange, terrifying dreams about wolves. Are her dreams connected somehow to the real wolf attacks that plague the town of Shadyside?
Emmy, it seems, is about to make a horrifying discovery about herself…
264 pages, Hardcover
First published April 12, 2016
113 people are currently reading
2929 people want to read
About the author
R.L. Stine
1,679 books18.6k 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 279 reviews
February 22, 2016
MY BLOG: Melissa Martin's Reading List
Okay, so I love R.L. Stine books. I loved part of this book a lot, the other was a little meh. You have Emmy who has dreams about a black, blue-eyed wolf and then in the dreams she seems to turn into the wolf. She is so disturbed by these dreams she thinks she's a wolf or she's going crazy. The only person she has told of these dreams is her little sister Sophie. Their mom tells Emmy that she was bitten by a dog when she was little while visiting her aunt in another country. Dog.. right!
The the story takes off on the main story where Emmy, her boyfriend Eddie and several of their friends are going to stay the night in the Fear Street woods. Well here I am thinking, this is going to be a great creepy camp out, no! Emmy and Eddie end up finding some money in a briefcase stuffed in a tree and that ends that little party when all of the friends go off to hide it in the cemetery where Eddie works until they make sure it's not on the news. <---- IDIOTS. After a little bit I knew who the person was that stole the money in the first place and I figured out about the wolf stuff. Ha, okay, it's a kids book, it's supposed to be easy!
So, the crew are out running around trying to keep this money hidden while the wolf is out killing things and people. I have to admit I wanted to smack a good portion of teens in this book b/c they are teens and they do stupid things. I know I did!
Anyhoo....
This person starts following Emmy around and finally trap Emmy and Eddie and make them take the person to the money, but the money isn't there... it was stolen.. AGAIN! Emmy figures out who she thinks did it and she was right on the money.. <---- no pun intended... and that person gets in a world of hurt when they ALL run into the wolf!
It was a fun book for me because I really loved the wolf part and the two sisters. I wish they could have had some big creepy camp out in the woods for a period of time and crazy stuff happened, but I digress.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
Okay, so I love R.L. Stine books. I loved part of this book a lot, the other was a little meh. You have Emmy who has dreams about a black, blue-eyed wolf and then in the dreams she seems to turn into the wolf. She is so disturbed by these dreams she thinks she's a wolf or she's going crazy. The only person she has told of these dreams is her little sister Sophie. Their mom tells Emmy that she was bitten by a dog when she was little while visiting her aunt in another country. Dog.. right!
The the story takes off on the main story where Emmy, her boyfriend Eddie and several of their friends are going to stay the night in the Fear Street woods. Well here I am thinking, this is going to be a great creepy camp out, no! Emmy and Eddie end up finding some money in a briefcase stuffed in a tree and that ends that little party when all of the friends go off to hide it in the cemetery where Eddie works until they make sure it's not on the news. <---- IDIOTS. After a little bit I knew who the person was that stole the money in the first place and I figured out about the wolf stuff. Ha, okay, it's a kids book, it's supposed to be easy!
So, the crew are out running around trying to keep this money hidden while the wolf is out killing things and people. I have to admit I wanted to smack a good portion of teens in this book b/c they are teens and they do stupid things. I know I did!
Anyhoo....
This person starts following Emmy around and finally trap Emmy and Eddie and make them take the person to the money, but the money isn't there... it was stolen.. AGAIN! Emmy figures out who she thinks did it and she was right on the money.. <---- no pun intended... and that person gets in a world of hurt when they ALL run into the wolf!
It was a fun book for me because I really loved the wolf part and the two sisters. I wish they could have had some big creepy camp out in the woods for a period of time and crazy stuff happened, but I digress.
*I would like to thank Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.*
April 7, 2016
Emmy has suffered from nightmarish dreams of a wolf and finds that a real wolf has been spotted near her home so her imagination begins to run wild. She and her friends, along with boyfriend Eddie had planned to spend a night in the Fear Street Woods. When Eddie and Emmy sneak off they find a briefcase full of cash. When the others see the money the group decides to hide the cash until they can investigate where it might have come from.
When I first finished this book I thought it was an alright read and was going to go with three stars even with the flaws I had in mind. But the more I’ve thought about it I’ve decided it’s really ended up a two star read for me.
First, the book synopsis is really far off the story I finished reading. There are several errors including the main character’s name. They do find cash but from there the details are different in the story.
But regardless of that, I just can’t figure out who this is even supposed to be marketed to. It reads more like a middle grade novel but the characters are older teens more in the YA market range. The situations the kids are getting into really don’t need to be in something sold to a younger audience either, sneaking off, drinking beer, using a gun…. not exactly a story I can recommend to middle grade audience but the actions and plot are not one I’d think the YA market will enjoy.
Then, the other thought I had reading this was the story just seems to be structured with two different things going on with Emmy’s dreams and the money. The two things really don’t seem to mesh well until it ends up being wrapped up at the same time in the end.
Overall, fun for me as an adult to bring back memories but a few too many flaws to rate very high.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
When I first finished this book I thought it was an alright read and was going to go with three stars even with the flaws I had in mind. But the more I’ve thought about it I’ve decided it’s really ended up a two star read for me.
First, the book synopsis is really far off the story I finished reading. There are several errors including the main character’s name. They do find cash but from there the details are different in the story.
But regardless of that, I just can’t figure out who this is even supposed to be marketed to. It reads more like a middle grade novel but the characters are older teens more in the YA market range. The situations the kids are getting into really don’t need to be in something sold to a younger audience either, sneaking off, drinking beer, using a gun…. not exactly a story I can recommend to middle grade audience but the actions and plot are not one I’d think the YA market will enjoy.
Then, the other thought I had reading this was the story just seems to be structured with two different things going on with Emmy’s dreams and the money. The two things really don’t seem to mesh well until it ends up being wrapped up at the same time in the end.
Overall, fun for me as an adult to bring back memories but a few too many flaws to rate very high.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....
March 29, 2017
GIGANTIC HUGE SPOILER WARNING FOR THE ONE AND ONLY THING I WANT TO SAY RIGHT NOW:
May 27, 2016
I won this through a Goodreads giveaway. Thank you very much! =)
It's refreshing to see R.L. Stine hasn't lost his cheesy touch.
I guess the last time I read a book by Stine was probably in my teens.
The only difference in this book versus previous ones are cell phones and computers are added.
His books will always have a special place in my heart.
It's refreshing to see R.L. Stine hasn't lost his cheesy touch.
I guess the last time I read a book by Stine was probably in my teens.
The only difference in this book versus previous ones are cell phones and computers are added.
His books will always have a special place in my heart.
August 3, 2022
Όχι, όχι, όχι.
Το έχω ξαναπεί για τον R.L. Stine. Τον συμπαθώ, τον αγαπώ, δεν περιμένω τίποτα εξωπραγματικό από τα δικά του βιβλία, αλλά πάντα υπάρχει κι αυτή η λεπτή γραμμή ανάμεσα στο "υποφερτό" και το "κακό". Και αυτό το τοποθετώ στη δεύτερη κατηγορία. Καθόλου πιστευτή ιστορία, υπερβολική με τρόπο που καταντά εντελώς ψεύτικη, 'τρόμος' πιο fake κι από κοστούμι Αποκριάς κι ένα στόρυ που μπάζει κενά.
Επιπλέον, το ότι το αγόρι της ηρωίδας δουλεύει σε νεκροταφείο ζώων απλά μου θύμισε το ΕΠΟΣ του Stephen King και με έκανε να θέλω να τελειώσω ετούτο εδώ μια ώρα αρχύτερα και να τρέξω να το ξαναδιαβάσω. Το ΕΠΟΣ, όχι αυτό!
Το έχω ξαναπεί για τον R.L. Stine. Τον συμπαθώ, τον αγαπώ, δεν περιμένω τίποτα εξωπραγματικό από τα δικά του βιβλία, αλλά πάντα υπάρχει κι αυτή η λεπτή γραμμή ανάμεσα στο "υποφερτό" και το "κακό". Και αυτό το τοποθετώ στη δεύτερη κατηγορία. Καθόλου πιστευτή ιστορία, υπερβολική με τρόπο που καταντά εντελώς ψεύτικη, 'τρόμος' πιο fake κι από κοστούμι Αποκριάς κι ένα στόρυ που μπάζει κενά.
Επιπλέον, το ότι το αγόρι της ηρωίδας δουλεύει σε νεκροταφείο ζώων απλά μου θύμισε το ΕΠΟΣ του Stephen King και με έκανε να θέλω να τελειώσω ετούτο εδώ μια ώρα αρχύτερα και να τρέξω να το ξαναδιαβάσω. Το ΕΠΟΣ, όχι αυτό!
May 25, 2024
It wasn't too interesting
December 8, 2015
I'm an over-30 adult who still loves RL Stine's Goosebumps/Fear Street books. My own children have grown up reading both series as well.
I was thrilled to win an advanced reader copy of Can You Keep a Secret, and I was not disappointed in it at all. I know that it's geared towards a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it. There was mystery, drama, fear and it kept me guessing until the end. I give this book 5 stars!
I was thrilled to win an advanced reader copy of Can You Keep a Secret, and I was not disappointed in it at all. I know that it's geared towards a younger audience, but I still enjoyed it. There was mystery, drama, fear and it kept me guessing until the end. I give this book 5 stars!
May 9, 2017
Can you keep a secret ? I had really low expectations before starting it.The plot sounded stupid and the same as one of his original Fear Street books.The two story lines had nothing to do with each other but were connected in an interesting way.I didn't expected few of the things but some of them were predictable.I am giving the book 4 stars because of the disgusting pet cemetery chapters and how it all came together in the end.
January 29, 2016
Source: I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, via netgalley, in exchange for an honest review, with thanks to St. Martin's Griffin and Netgalley.
Cost: Free
Title: Can You Keep A Secret?
Series: Fear Street Relaunch #4
Author: RL Stine
Overall Rating: 5 stars
Full review: http://sunstormsandthunderclouds.blog...
Of course I loved it, let's not beat around the bush here.
I am a massive fan of RL Stine's books, I've read the whole Goosebumps series, I've read most of the Point Horror books he's written, I'm planning on read spin offs and the main Fear Street series this year...So it's only natural that I'm obsessing over this relaunch series! Every time I see a new one on Netgalley, I am hands down going to request it.
Stine's books are so fast paced, and short enough to read in one sitting. They're intriguing and will always keep you enchanted. I'm a fan of these relaunch books solely because they're for my generation now. Things don't seem as outdated as some of the older books do, they read so well and the character building is excellent.
Another thing that I enjoy about these books is that every story is individual in it's own right, you don't need to read the previous books in the series to read this one.
I still haven't got my hands on Books one and two in the Relaunch *hint hint to the book gods*
This book had two stories running through it, which made it slightly different to some Stine books, on one story, it was reading like a paranormal book, and on the other, it was reading as a crime story. Two genres that I love. And at the end they tie together in a brilliantly unique way.
Cost: Free
Title: Can You Keep A Secret?
Series: Fear Street Relaunch #4
Author: RL Stine
Overall Rating: 5 stars
Full review: http://sunstormsandthunderclouds.blog...
Of course I loved it, let's not beat around the bush here.
I am a massive fan of RL Stine's books, I've read the whole Goosebumps series, I've read most of the Point Horror books he's written, I'm planning on read spin offs and the main Fear Street series this year...So it's only natural that I'm obsessing over this relaunch series! Every time I see a new one on Netgalley, I am hands down going to request it.
Stine's books are so fast paced, and short enough to read in one sitting. They're intriguing and will always keep you enchanted. I'm a fan of these relaunch books solely because they're for my generation now. Things don't seem as outdated as some of the older books do, they read so well and the character building is excellent.
Another thing that I enjoy about these books is that every story is individual in it's own right, you don't need to read the previous books in the series to read this one.
I still haven't got my hands on Books one and two in the Relaunch *hint hint to the book gods*
This book had two stories running through it, which made it slightly different to some Stine books, on one story, it was reading like a paranormal book, and on the other, it was reading as a crime story. Two genres that I love. And at the end they tie together in a brilliantly unique way.
August 21, 2018
I still enjoy reading old Goosebumps and a Fear Street books, but this one did have the same magic as many of the others. It felt predictable to me. That being said, it will still have some appeal to many fans so I'll neither recommend nor not recommend it.
Unbiased rating based upon a copy won through the Goodreads First Reads program.
Unbiased rating based upon a copy won through the Goodreads First Reads program.
June 12, 2017
This was a ridiculously stupid book and I hated Emmy and Eddy's relationship. This is not how people should treat each other.
June 18, 2022
Διαβάστε το review στο site μας:
https://www.culture21century.gr/2022/...
Ο R.L. Stine είναι ένας συγγραφέας που αγαπούσα από παιδί. Μάλιστα, τα βιβλία του, όπως ξαναπεί και στο παρελθόν, είναι από τα πρώτα που διάβασα ποτέ, όταν έκανα τα πρώτα μου αναγνωστικά βήματα, τα οποία μου έχουν χαρίσει πολύ όμορφες στιγμές και αναμνήσεις και πάντα επιστρέφω σε αυτά έχοντας βαθιά συναισθήματα αγάπης στην καρδιά μου. Ο Stine γνωρίζει πολύ καλά να χειρίζεται τους φόβους του νεαρού αναγνωστικού του κοινού και να παίζει μαζί τους, κάτι, άλλωστε, που τον κατέστησε τόσο δημοφιλή στο είδος του και έναν απ' τους πιο επιτυχημένους συγγραφείς του κόσμου. Η σειρά του "Fear Street Relaunch", που όπως λέει ξεκάθαρα και ο τίτλος της επαναφέρει τη δημοφιλή σειρά του "Fear Street" των 90's σε μια πιο σύγχρονη εποχή, με μια πιο μοντέρνα διάθεση, απευθύνεται σε λίγο μεγαλύτερο ηλικιακά κοινό και αυτό είναι ίσως και το στοιχείο που της δίνει μια διαφορετική αίσθηση απ' τις "Ανατριχίλες" π.χ., και μια άλλη θριλερίστικη διάθεση.
Ο Έντι και η Έμι προέρχονται από εντελώς διαφορετικούς κόσμους, αλλά αυτό δεν φαίνεται να μπορεί να σταθεί αρκετό να τους εμποδίσει να ζήσουν τον έρωτά τους. Η ζωή τους είναι μονότονη και βαρετή, και σε μια προσπάθεια να το αλλάξουν αυτό έστω και για λίγο, κανονίζουν μαζί με άλλους τέσσερις φίλους τους να κατασκηνώσουν στο δάσος της Φίαρ Στριτ και να περάσουν εκεί μια νύχτα. Η ιδέα φαντάζει περιπετειώδης και πράγματι έτσι θ' αποδειχθεί, αλλά με τρόπου που κανείς δεν περίμενε. Το ζεύγος βρίσκει μια τσάντα με χιλιάδες χαρτονομίσματα κρυμμένη σε έναν κορμό και η απόφασή τους να την πάρουν από εκεί και να την κρύψουν στο νεκροταφείο ζώων που εργάζεται ο Έντι, μέχρι να βεβαιωθούν πως είναι ασφαλές να πάρουν τα χρήματα στα χέρια τους, δεν θα είναι η σοφότερη επιλογή που θα μπορούσαν να κάνουν. Την ίδια ώρα, η Έμι βλέπει παράξενα όνειρα, με έναν λύκο ν' αποτελεί τον πρωταγωνιστή αυτών και πολύ σύντομα, όχι μόνο...
Θα μπορούσαμε να πούμε πως το βιβλίο είναι μοιρασμένο σε δύο αφηγηματικά μέρη. Το ένα εξ αυτών αφορά την ιστορία με τα κλεμμένα χρήματα και το που τελικά αυτά θα καταλήξουν και υπό ποιος συνθήκες, ενώ το άλλο αφορά την ιστορία του λύκου και όλα όσα συμβαίνουν στα όνειρα της Έμι, που μοιάζουν να συνδέονται μεταξύ τους αλλά χωρίς να γνωρίζει το πως και το γιατί. Το κάθε μέρος χωριστά παρουσιάζει αρκετά μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον, αλλά για να είμαστε απόλυτα ειλικρινής, συνδυαστικά δεν δουλεύουν τόσο τέλεια όσο θα μπορούσαν. Δίνουν περισσότερο την αίσθηση δύο τυχαίων περιστατικών που απλά εξελίσσονται σε χρόνους παράλληλους, χωρίς όμως να έχουν κάποιο πραγματικό και ουσιαστικό σημείο επαφής. Αυτό διαταράσσει κάπως τη συλλογικότητα της αφήγησης, χωρίς όμως να μας βγάζει έξω απ' τα νερά μας και να μας μπερδεύει, αφού τα βασικά στοιχεία της δομής είναι πολύ ξεκάθαρα, ακόμα και ασύνδετα.
Σε ό,τι αφορά τους χαρακτήρες, ο Stine χρησιμοποιεί εκείνους με τους οποίους οι νεαρότεροι αναγνώστες θα μπορέσουν να ταυτιστούν σε αρκετά σημεία, πράγμα που αποτελεί μια αρκετά έξυπνη κι ασφαλή παράλληλα επιλογή, γιατί ομάδα που κερδίζει δεν την αλλάζεις και η τόσων χρόνων εμπειρία του τού το έχει αποδείξει αυτό πάμπολλες φορές. Βέβαια, οι χαρακτήρες αυτοί ακροβατούν στα όρια της παραβατικότητας, αλλά το κάνουν με μια τόσο 80's διάθεση που δεν μας προκαταβάλει αρνητικά απέναντί τους, αλλά αντίθετα μας θυμίζει τα εφηβικά βήματα ανεξαρτησίας κι επανάστασης -ή έτσι όπως τουλάχιστον εκείνοι πίστευαν- μιας άλλης εποχής, κάτι προσδίδει στο βιβλίο νοσταλγικές νότες που "μιλάνε" στην καρδιά μας.
Παρά τα όσα ανέφερα παραπάνω, όσο πλησιάζουμε προς το τέλος της ιστορίας, τα δύο διαφορετικά μέρη της αρχίζουν να πλησιάζουν το ένα το άλλο και τελικά να βρίσκουν κοινά σημεία επαφής, οδηγώντας μας σε μια κορύφωση που φαντάζει λογική και που έρχεται αβίαστα για ν' απαντήσει σε όλα τα τυχόν ερωτήματά μας και να κλείσει όλες τις θεματικές μυστηρίου που έχει ανοίξει κατά τη διάρκεια της εξέλιξής της. Κατά τ' άλλα, η ροή της αφήγησης είναι γρήγορη, κλιμακωτή, έχει κάποιες έντονες στιγμές που ανεβάζουν την ένταση, χωρίς να καταφεύγει σε υπερβολές, προσφέροντάς μας, στο τέλος της ημέρας, ένα διασκεδαστικό ανάγνωσμα, που σίγουρα ως έφηβοι θα κρίναμε λιγότερο αυστηρά στις λεπτομέρειες εκείνες που αν δεν μας βάραινε η ενήλικη ζωή, θα προσπερνούσαμε πιο εύκολα.
https://www.culture21century.gr/2022/...
Ο R.L. Stine είναι ένας συγγραφέας που αγαπούσα από παιδί. Μάλιστα, τα βιβλία του, όπως ξαναπεί και στο παρελθόν, είναι από τα πρώτα που διάβασα ποτέ, όταν έκανα τα πρώτα μου αναγνωστικά βήματα, τα οποία μου έχουν χαρίσει πολύ όμορφες στιγμές και αναμνήσεις και πάντα επιστρέφω σε αυτά έχοντας βαθιά συναισθήματα αγάπης στην καρδιά μου. Ο Stine γνωρίζει πολύ καλά να χειρίζεται τους φόβους του νεαρού αναγνωστικού του κοινού και να παίζει μαζί τους, κάτι, άλλωστε, που τον κατέστησε τόσο δημοφιλή στο είδος του και έναν απ' τους πιο επιτυχημένους συγγραφείς του κόσμου. Η σειρά του "Fear Street Relaunch", που όπως λέει ξεκάθαρα και ο τίτλος της επαναφέρει τη δημοφιλή σειρά του "Fear Street" των 90's σε μια πιο σύγχρονη εποχή, με μια πιο μοντέρνα διάθεση, απευθύνεται σε λίγο μεγαλύτερο ηλικιακά κοινό και αυτό είναι ίσως και το στοιχείο που της δίνει μια διαφορετική αίσθηση απ' τις "Ανατριχίλες" π.χ., και μια άλλη θριλερίστικη διάθεση.
Ο Έντι και η Έμι προέρχονται από εντελώς διαφορετικούς κόσμους, αλλά αυτό δεν φαίνεται να μπορεί να σταθεί αρκετό να τους εμποδίσει να ζήσουν τον έρωτά τους. Η ζωή τους είναι μονότονη και βαρετή, και σε μια προσπάθεια να το αλλάξουν αυτό έστω και για λίγο, κανονίζουν μαζί με άλλους τέσσερις φίλους τους να κατασκηνώσουν στο δάσος της Φίαρ Στριτ και να περάσουν εκεί μια νύχτα. Η ιδέα φαντάζει περιπετειώδης και πράγματι έτσι θ' αποδειχθεί, αλλά με τρόπου που κανείς δεν περίμενε. Το ζεύγος βρίσκει μια τσάντα με χιλιάδες χαρτονομίσματα κρυμμένη σε έναν κορμό και η απόφασή τους να την πάρουν από εκεί και να την κρύψουν στο νεκροταφείο ζώων που εργάζεται ο Έντι, μέχρι να βεβαιωθούν πως είναι ασφαλές να πάρουν τα χρήματα στα χέρια τους, δεν θα είναι η σοφότερη επιλογή που θα μπορούσαν να κάνουν. Την ίδια ώρα, η Έμι βλέπει παράξενα όνειρα, με έναν λύκο ν' αποτελεί τον πρωταγωνιστή αυτών και πολύ σύντομα, όχι μόνο...
Θα μπορούσαμε να πούμε πως το βιβλίο είναι μοιρασμένο σε δύο αφηγηματικά μέρη. Το ένα εξ αυτών αφορά την ιστορία με τα κλεμμένα χρήματα και το που τελικά αυτά θα καταλήξουν και υπό ποιος συνθήκες, ενώ το άλλο αφορά την ιστορία του λύκου και όλα όσα συμβαίνουν στα όνειρα της Έμι, που μοιάζουν να συνδέονται μεταξύ τους αλλά χωρίς να γνωρίζει το πως και το γιατί. Το κάθε μέρος χωριστά παρουσιάζει αρκετά μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον, αλλά για να είμαστε απόλυτα ειλικρινής, συνδυαστικά δεν δουλεύουν τόσο τέλεια όσο θα μπορούσαν. Δίνουν περισσότερο την αίσθηση δύο τυχαίων περιστατικών που απλά εξελίσσονται σε χρόνους παράλληλους, χωρίς όμως να έχουν κάποιο πραγματικό και ουσιαστικό σημείο επαφής. Αυτό διαταράσσει κάπως τη συλλογικότητα της αφήγησης, χωρίς όμως να μας βγάζει έξω απ' τα νερά μας και να μας μπερδεύει, αφού τα βασικά στοιχεία της δομής είναι πολύ ξεκάθαρα, ακόμα και ασύνδετα.
Σε ό,τι αφορά τους χαρακτήρες, ο Stine χρησιμοποιεί εκείνους με τους οποίους οι νεαρότεροι αναγνώστες θα μπορέσουν να ταυτιστούν σε αρκετά σημεία, πράγμα που αποτελεί μια αρκετά έξυπνη κι ασφαλή παράλληλα επιλογή, γιατί ομάδα που κερδίζει δεν την αλλάζεις και η τόσων χρόνων εμπειρία του τού το έχει αποδείξει αυτό πάμπολλες φορές. Βέβαια, οι χαρακτήρες αυτοί ακροβατούν στα όρια της παραβατικότητας, αλλά το κάνουν με μια τόσο 80's διάθεση που δεν μας προκαταβάλει αρνητικά απέναντί τους, αλλά αντίθετα μας θυμίζει τα εφηβικά βήματα ανεξαρτησίας κι επανάστασης -ή έτσι όπως τουλάχιστον εκείνοι πίστευαν- μιας άλλης εποχής, κάτι προσδίδει στο βιβλίο νοσταλγικές νότες που "μιλάνε" στην καρδιά μας.
Παρά τα όσα ανέφερα παραπάνω, όσο πλησιάζουμε προς το τέλος της ιστορίας, τα δύο διαφορετικά μέρη της αρχίζουν να πλησιάζουν το ένα το άλλο και τελικά να βρίσκουν κοινά σημεία επαφής, οδηγώντας μας σε μια κορύφωση που φαντάζει λογική και που έρχεται αβίαστα για ν' απαντήσει σε όλα τα τυχόν ερωτήματά μας και να κλείσει όλες τις θεματικές μυστηρίου που έχει ανοίξει κατά τη διάρκεια της εξέλιξής της. Κατά τ' άλλα, η ροή της αφήγησης είναι γρήγορη, κλιμακωτή, έχει κάποιες έντονες στιγμές που ανεβάζουν την ένταση, χωρίς να καταφεύγει σε υπερβολές, προσφέροντάς μας, στο τέλος της ημέρας, ένα διασκεδαστικό ανάγνωσμα, που σίγουρα ως έφηβοι θα κρίναμε λιγότερο αυστηρά στις λεπτομέρειες εκείνες που αν δεν μας βάραινε η ενήλικη ζωή, θα προσπερνούσαμε πιο εύκολα.
September 15, 2021
Awe, some good ol' Fear Street again. I do love going back down memory lane but this one definitely felt more appropriate for middle grade/very early High school. Even though it's updated, there are still a lot of things that feel dated.
But the story is still great - nice and gory and odd. It has great jump scare type story-telling and I love that it doesn't dumb down the mystery or the horror for younger readers without doing too much. I wasn't a huge fan of the MC and the guy was waving red flags all over the place, but I still appreciated it for its entertainment value and I will definitely keep reading the series, even out of order!
But the story is still great - nice and gory and odd. It has great jump scare type story-telling and I love that it doesn't dumb down the mystery or the horror for younger readers without doing too much. I wasn't a huge fan of the MC and the guy was waving red flags all over the place, but I still appreciated it for its entertainment value and I will definitely keep reading the series, even out of order!
February 4, 2021
Vroeger als tiener verslond ik de boekjes over Fear Street op mijn vakanties. Toen ging ik weer eens even zoeken naar de boekjes en kwam ik erachter dat R.L. Stine gewoon nog steeds nieuwe boekjes over Fear Street schrijft.
Het was net zoals vroeger. Elke drie hoofdstukken een horrormomentje. De nostalgie bracht me tot 2 sterren, want goed zijn de boeken niet echt te noemen. Wel genoten uiteindelijk.
Het was net zoals vroeger. Elke drie hoofdstukken een horrormomentje. De nostalgie bracht me tot 2 sterren, want goed zijn de boeken niet echt te noemen. Wel genoten uiteindelijk.
October 17, 2017
Well, this was disappointing. I picked this book out because it's by a horror author, for teenagers. I know most of his books are for kids, but this is for young adults, so I was expecting a bit of creepiness. I got virtually nothing. It's hard to even talk about this. It's just really bland.
Characters. Eh. Not absolutely terrible like the Twilight characters, but they were so bland. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. Their interactions were wooden.
Worldbuilding. Not sure if this even applies. There's a bit of stuff to be built, but it's just normal generic horror stuff. I wasn't interested in any of it at all.
Plot. There were two plot lines that converged at the end. They were terribly paced and not the least bit scary. One was completely out of left field and the other one was so predictable I had it figured out from near the beginning. I didn't particularly care about either.
I think the biggest issue is the fact that there WERE two plot lines. Either one would be better on its own, but together they didn't work. I find that horror works better when there are multiple plot lines (like the video game Until Dawn) that converge at the end. However, in this book, the plot lines were completely unrelated except for a thread that connects them at the end that is... not satisfying at all.
Writing. The writing as a narration by the main character was fine. She had a good voice. That's what makes this book two stars instead of one. However, the writing was incredibly basic, boring, and not tense or scary at all. The dialogue was wooden and clunky, and the characters reacting with dialogue to scary things absolutely vaporized any possible tension. Not to mention the basic typing errors. Punctuation was missing or in places it shouldn't have been. There were multiple instances of this.
Overall spookiness. None. There was one mildly creepy part but it was completely ruined by character dialogue. I wasn't expecting grade A scariness, since YA horror typically suffers from being neutered of some scary factors, but it wasn't scary at all. I wasn't expecting amazing characters or plot, but I expected at least some mild scariness. That was not delivered.
So, overall, this was just disappointing. I didn't hate this book, I'm just incredibly indifferent. It didn't accomplish the one pal I had, which was being at least a little creepy. I feel like I wasted my time.
Characters. Eh. Not absolutely terrible like the Twilight characters, but they were so bland. I couldn't bring myself to care about any of them. Their interactions were wooden.
Worldbuilding. Not sure if this even applies. There's a bit of stuff to be built, but it's just normal generic horror stuff. I wasn't interested in any of it at all.
Plot. There were two plot lines that converged at the end. They were terribly paced and not the least bit scary. One was completely out of left field and the other one was so predictable I had it figured out from near the beginning. I didn't particularly care about either.
I think the biggest issue is the fact that there WERE two plot lines. Either one would be better on its own, but together they didn't work. I find that horror works better when there are multiple plot lines (like the video game Until Dawn) that converge at the end. However, in this book, the plot lines were completely unrelated except for a thread that connects them at the end that is... not satisfying at all.
Writing. The writing as a narration by the main character was fine. She had a good voice. That's what makes this book two stars instead of one. However, the writing was incredibly basic, boring, and not tense or scary at all. The dialogue was wooden and clunky, and the characters reacting with dialogue to scary things absolutely vaporized any possible tension. Not to mention the basic typing errors. Punctuation was missing or in places it shouldn't have been. There were multiple instances of this.
Overall spookiness. None. There was one mildly creepy part but it was completely ruined by character dialogue. I wasn't expecting grade A scariness, since YA horror typically suffers from being neutered of some scary factors, but it wasn't scary at all. I wasn't expecting amazing characters or plot, but I expected at least some mild scariness. That was not delivered.
So, overall, this was just disappointing. I didn't hate this book, I'm just incredibly indifferent. It didn't accomplish the one pal I had, which was being at least a little creepy. I feel like I wasted my time.
June 3, 2024
The “Can You Keep A Secret” question has nothing to do with the main storyline, It's mentioned in some little game the characters did in the story and one quote at the end but it has very barely nothing to do with the story.
Plotwise, it's kinda weird how there's two storylines as they don't connect well. one is about the main character thinking she's a werewolf which almost has nothing to do except to motivate or just thoughts to drive her forward to the story and the other one being about her friends finding a bag of money in their camping in the woods and the rest of the book focus on the consequences of the money they found, few okay twists shows up while the werewolf can show up that's kinda interesting but it's just sidelined to the resolution of the novel which is kinda cool how it happened but the built up surrounding the other reveals just don't intertwine the best.
Overall, I enjoyed some aspects of this, it's not that bad, it's some relationships and logic of the two plot forcing to be together just didn't work well. end result, it's just a fine experience that could have been better, normally, these Fear Street relaunch titles mainly falls apart for longer than what they could be, but considering this book has two main storylines, I think the length works better in this book, I just thought some pacing and writing could he better atleast.
Plotwise, it's kinda weird how there's two storylines as they don't connect well. one is about the main character thinking she's a werewolf which almost has nothing to do except to motivate or just thoughts to drive her forward to the story and the other one being about her friends finding a bag of money in their camping in the woods and the rest of the book focus on the consequences of the money they found, few okay twists shows up while the werewolf can show up that's kinda interesting but it's just sidelined to the resolution of the novel which is kinda cool how it happened but the built up surrounding the other reveals just don't intertwine the best.
Overall, I enjoyed some aspects of this, it's not that bad, it's some relationships and logic of the two plot forcing to be together just didn't work well. end result, it's just a fine experience that could have been better, normally, these Fear Street relaunch titles mainly falls apart for longer than what they could be, but considering this book has two main storylines, I think the length works better in this book, I just thought some pacing and writing could he better atleast.
April 13, 2016
Read this review and more at The Bohemian Housewife Blog
Can You Keep A Secret? is another excellent read from the Fear Street Relaunch. From page one I was immersed in the story. I was kept on my toes with every twist and turn. I'm not normally a fan of twists around every corner but, as always, R.L. Stine pulls it off. I'm a big scaredy-cat and need to learn not to read these books right before bed.
Emma's confusion really added to the story. She even had me second guessing what was going to happen during the book. R.L. Stine is one of the only male authors I know that can pinpoint teenage girls when writing a book; He really has that down. The ending wasn't what I expected, but I loved it. This book just shows that you're never too old for R.L. Stine. I take any chance I can to read his books when they come out. Yet again, I was lucky enough to snatch up an ARC. I haven't read many books by him, but The Fear Street relaunch has been fantastic. I'm missing two of the relaunch books(1&2), but I read 'The Lost Girl' a few months ago. If you're an R.L. Stine fan, you won't want to miss them. I'm sad I didn't start reading them sooner.
I agreed to read this book in exchange of an honest review.
Can You Keep A Secret? is another excellent read from the Fear Street Relaunch. From page one I was immersed in the story. I was kept on my toes with every twist and turn. I'm not normally a fan of twists around every corner but, as always, R.L. Stine pulls it off. I'm a big scaredy-cat and need to learn not to read these books right before bed.
Emma's confusion really added to the story. She even had me second guessing what was going to happen during the book. R.L. Stine is one of the only male authors I know that can pinpoint teenage girls when writing a book; He really has that down. The ending wasn't what I expected, but I loved it. This book just shows that you're never too old for R.L. Stine. I take any chance I can to read his books when they come out. Yet again, I was lucky enough to snatch up an ARC. I haven't read many books by him, but The Fear Street relaunch has been fantastic. I'm missing two of the relaunch books(1&2), but I read 'The Lost Girl' a few months ago. If you're an R.L. Stine fan, you won't want to miss them. I'm sad I didn't start reading them sooner.
I agreed to read this book in exchange of an honest review.
September 10, 2017
R.L. Stine was a staple of my childhood. I've read more of his Goosebumps and Fear Street books than I can count. There were a plenty of nights where his monsters and maniacs would keep me from sleep and my head buzzing with my own writing ideas. We had a good run, R.L, but I've grown up and your stories can't scare me anymore.
Even going back and reading the Fear Street novels as an adult, some of Stine's twists were actually able to surprise me. There are times where the killer is the last person I suspected. This was not one of those times. The twist is painfully obvious right out of the gate. It's like Stine didn't even try with this one. Fear Street was always meant for his teen readership but this reads like one of his less creative Goosebumps stories with blood and guts sprinkled in.
I'll always admire Stine for the sheer size of his prolific work...but it's no surprise to me that he's finally running out of things to say.
Even going back and reading the Fear Street novels as an adult, some of Stine's twists were actually able to surprise me. There are times where the killer is the last person I suspected. This was not one of those times. The twist is painfully obvious right out of the gate. It's like Stine didn't even try with this one. Fear Street was always meant for his teen readership but this reads like one of his less creative Goosebumps stories with blood and guts sprinkled in.
I'll always admire Stine for the sheer size of his prolific work...but it's no surprise to me that he's finally running out of things to say.
September 16, 2018
I wanted to like this book so much, but it seemed to suffer from multiple personality disorder. The description indicated that it would be about camping in the fear street woods. I was excited about that. But they didn't stay in the woods for more than an hour. There was also a werewolf plot and a robbery plot and lots of family drama. At a certain point, there are simply too many plot lines! I love the Fear Street books and was super jazzed about the re-release. But these plots seem a bit stale. Two of the four I've read have been good while two have been awful. At a certain point, is it possible that Stine has simply written all his ideas? This one felt like he taped plot ideas to a dart board, threw a few darts, and wrote it all together.
October 31, 2023
I guess it's 3 to 3 for quality.
After the somewhat madness of The Lost Girl, there was a start of a thrill but then it began to dwindle as Can You Keep A Secret? crept on for me.
There were a few elements that seemed recycled from The Rich Girl in the original Fear Street run with a twist thrown in that there was something more unnatural and strange involved.
It is thrown at us with the main character, Emmy Tyler, having dreams about wolves. There is the fact that she was bitten by a "dog" when she was a small child visiting relatives in Prague I mean...come on...
Emmy is in a relationship with Eddie Kovacs and he's the "not good enough" boyfriend from her parents' POV but they are in love. His stepdad is a police officer who has been suspended for having a bit of a temper and beating up a suspect so his pay is not coming in and the family is already poor.
Eddie has to take a job digging graves in a pet cemetery for his uncle Mac to get any kind of pay but his boss is still a cheapskate who can't be bothered to give Eddie more than $10 bucks when he has a wallet full of cash.
As if that weren't enough with her mom looking down her nose at Eddie, Emmy's sister Sophie is always whining how her sister never spends time with her. They are two years apart in age and Emmy is the more popular one with a boyfriend and all Sophie seems to care about is playing soccer.
The only thing that makes you feel sorry for Sophie is that their parents seem a little too busy to go to her games while Emmy attempts to go and offer her sister support. They also don't seem too involved to care about anything Sophie does but worry about Emmy constantly.
Emmy's dreams about a black wolf with the same blue eyes as her own escalate into her waking up with her bedsheets clawed and torn. Then there is the news report that a man's dog was attacked and killed in the park by a wolf and Emmy finds Eddie having to bury the body when she visits him at work.
The bag rips and she gets to see what's left and it isn't pretty...
The couple are planning to go camping in the Fear Street Woods with their friends but Emmy lied to her parents about staying over at Rachel Martin's and the others giving similar excuses. Sophie knows Emmy isn't telling the truth and is a little salty that she wasn't invited to go and hang out with big sis.
Emmy's ex boyfriend and Eddie's BFF Danny is going with his new girlfriend, new girl at school Callie, and they will be joined by football player Riley and his girlfriend Roxie. Eddie "borrows" one of his stepdad's guns as protection from the wolf and the others aren't too keen with having a weapon or the fact that they just learned there is a wolf roaming around.
Eddie goes off with Emmy to have some private time in a place he found and carves their names into a tree with a little heart...so sweet. The back of the tree or the front is hollow as Eddie checks it out and within is a leather briefcase filled with thousands of hundred dollar bills.
It is like a jackpot for Eddie's family but Emmy knows that money hidden in a tree has to be stolen or drug money. Eddie wants to take the money and run with Emmy but the others come looking for them and Danny and Riley want them to divide the money equally just because they are there.
Callie and Emmy want to take it to the police but Roxie sides with Danny and Riley about an even split and of course, Eddie just wants it all so majority rules. They decide to wait and see if the money is reported as stolen just to be safe, to Danny's protests, so Eddie buries it in an already dug grave at the pet cemetery as a safe place.
When Emmy and Eddie learn that an armored truck bringing money to the mall was held-up through his stepdad, they go to get the money. You see if the thief goes back to get his loot, he'll find it missing and the couple's names carved into the tree.
Names that were not there when he hid it...
Too bad that when they go back to the pet cemetery, the briefcase with the cash is gone, gone, gone and the question is which one of the only people who know the secret of the money took it?
Soon, none of them can trust each other and tempers flare out of greed. Then one of the group is killed in a gruesome fashion similar to the attack on the dog...skinned by the wolf.
Emmy's horror can only grow because she believes that she is the one because her wolf-filled dreams are only growing even more violent and she is starting to get dizzy spells where she can't think clearly as if...blacking out.
We aren't even left a chance to guess or speculate the "werewolf" aspect because it is confirmed and basically slammed into our faces. Even then, it takes more of a backseat to the whole money plot.
There are a few twists that were kind of unexpected but they were by no means thrilling and only the atmosphere of having a supernatural beast roaming about Shadyside gave it any kind of terror.
Most of the characters in the book were not awful human beings but they had degrees of being annoying or just too serious. Again, some of that may have to do with being told from first-person narration by Emmy and reading things off her own opinions but IDK...
The ending also seemed to leave some loose ends but it had potential to be really good before we get one last little swerve that gears it toward an ambiguously cheesy one instead.
Can You Keep A Secret? isn't the worst of these Fear Street relaunch books but it lacks the punch of the really good ones IMHO yet it has a good mystery-thriller vibe with just enough horror to satisfy any reader on a rainy day.
After the somewhat madness of The Lost Girl, there was a start of a thrill but then it began to dwindle as Can You Keep A Secret? crept on for me.
There were a few elements that seemed recycled from The Rich Girl in the original Fear Street run with a twist thrown in that there was something more unnatural and strange involved.
It is thrown at us with the main character, Emmy Tyler, having dreams about wolves. There is the fact that she was bitten by a "dog" when she was a small child visiting relatives in Prague I mean...come on...
Emmy is in a relationship with Eddie Kovacs and he's the "not good enough" boyfriend from her parents' POV but they are in love. His stepdad is a police officer who has been suspended for having a bit of a temper and beating up a suspect so his pay is not coming in and the family is already poor.
Eddie has to take a job digging graves in a pet cemetery for his uncle Mac to get any kind of pay but his boss is still a cheapskate who can't be bothered to give Eddie more than $10 bucks when he has a wallet full of cash.
As if that weren't enough with her mom looking down her nose at Eddie, Emmy's sister Sophie is always whining how her sister never spends time with her. They are two years apart in age and Emmy is the more popular one with a boyfriend and all Sophie seems to care about is playing soccer.
The only thing that makes you feel sorry for Sophie is that their parents seem a little too busy to go to her games while Emmy attempts to go and offer her sister support. They also don't seem too involved to care about anything Sophie does but worry about Emmy constantly.
Emmy's dreams about a black wolf with the same blue eyes as her own escalate into her waking up with her bedsheets clawed and torn. Then there is the news report that a man's dog was attacked and killed in the park by a wolf and Emmy finds Eddie having to bury the body when she visits him at work.
The bag rips and she gets to see what's left and it isn't pretty...
The couple are planning to go camping in the Fear Street Woods with their friends but Emmy lied to her parents about staying over at Rachel Martin's and the others giving similar excuses. Sophie knows Emmy isn't telling the truth and is a little salty that she wasn't invited to go and hang out with big sis.
Emmy's ex boyfriend and Eddie's BFF Danny is going with his new girlfriend, new girl at school Callie, and they will be joined by football player Riley and his girlfriend Roxie. Eddie "borrows" one of his stepdad's guns as protection from the wolf and the others aren't too keen with having a weapon or the fact that they just learned there is a wolf roaming around.
Eddie goes off with Emmy to have some private time in a place he found and carves their names into a tree with a little heart...so sweet. The back of the tree or the front is hollow as Eddie checks it out and within is a leather briefcase filled with thousands of hundred dollar bills.
It is like a jackpot for Eddie's family but Emmy knows that money hidden in a tree has to be stolen or drug money. Eddie wants to take the money and run with Emmy but the others come looking for them and Danny and Riley want them to divide the money equally just because they are there.
Callie and Emmy want to take it to the police but Roxie sides with Danny and Riley about an even split and of course, Eddie just wants it all so majority rules. They decide to wait and see if the money is reported as stolen just to be safe, to Danny's protests, so Eddie buries it in an already dug grave at the pet cemetery as a safe place.
When Emmy and Eddie learn that an armored truck bringing money to the mall was held-up through his stepdad, they go to get the money. You see if the thief goes back to get his loot, he'll find it missing and the couple's names carved into the tree.
Names that were not there when he hid it...
Too bad that when they go back to the pet cemetery, the briefcase with the cash is gone, gone, gone and the question is which one of the only people who know the secret of the money took it?
Soon, none of them can trust each other and tempers flare out of greed. Then one of the group is killed in a gruesome fashion similar to the attack on the dog...skinned by the wolf.
Emmy's horror can only grow because she believes that she is the one because her wolf-filled dreams are only growing even more violent and she is starting to get dizzy spells where she can't think clearly as if...blacking out.
We aren't even left a chance to guess or speculate the "werewolf" aspect because it is confirmed and basically slammed into our faces. Even then, it takes more of a backseat to the whole money plot.
There are a few twists that were kind of unexpected but they were by no means thrilling and only the atmosphere of having a supernatural beast roaming about Shadyside gave it any kind of terror.
Most of the characters in the book were not awful human beings but they had degrees of being annoying or just too serious. Again, some of that may have to do with being told from first-person narration by Emmy and reading things off her own opinions but IDK...
The ending also seemed to leave some loose ends but it had potential to be really good before we get one last little swerve that gears it toward an ambiguously cheesy one instead.
Can You Keep A Secret? isn't the worst of these Fear Street relaunch books but it lacks the punch of the really good ones IMHO yet it has a good mystery-thriller vibe with just enough horror to satisfy any reader on a rainy day.
December 14, 2015
Maybe it was nostalgia, maybe it was the quick suspense, maybe it was something else…but all I know is that I loved every second of reading this book. So much in fact that I didn’t put it down. I read it through (all 327 pages) in one sitting. Granted the text was pretty big, but still. I love being able to revisit Fear Street and the Woods with R.L. Stine. In the story itself, we learn about Emmy and the secret she is hiding. This one comes out in 2016 and I highly recommend picking up a copy. I was given a free copy through Good Reads, but in no way did this change my opinion.
March 10, 2020
I don't know what they were thinking with this one. What a mess.
Like two mismatched plots crammed into one hot mess of a book...Emmy and Eddie find some money hidden in a hollow tree and their friends get crazy about splitting it up despite it probably being from a robbery and Eddie's dad being a cop. Then Emmy also thinks she might be transforming into a wolf because why not? Everyone was actually at fault in this one is some convoluted way...it was so jarring with the twists that didn't really add up. Disappointing mess really.
Like two mismatched plots crammed into one hot mess of a book...Emmy and Eddie find some money hidden in a hollow tree and their friends get crazy about splitting it up despite it probably being from a robbery and Eddie's dad being a cop. Then Emmy also thinks she might be transforming into a wolf because why not? Everyone was actually at fault in this one is some convoluted way...it was so jarring with the twists that didn't really add up. Disappointing mess really.
March 18, 2018
I am a big fan of the Fear Street series and decided to have a blast from the past and read a newer book. I forced myself to read the whole thing. It had a lot of potential, but this book fell short. The ending left me very annoyed because I felt it was just a random bow to wrap it up. Still love R.L Stine and Fear Street. I am now going to read "Party Games" (also a newer Fear Street book).
August 6, 2016
I feel like I was reading this forever. It was okay. I used to love these when I was a teen. This one would likely not have been a favorite. It's suspenseful, but certainly not scary. I like the ones that keep you up at night thinking the boogeyman is coming to get you.
February 24, 2016
Classic RL Stine! I love it! These books are the perfect balance of story and creepiness for older kids!
Want to read
January 29, 2016Expected publication: April 12th 2016 by St. Martin's Griffin
June 17, 2024
I'm not sure what to rate this story. Either a 2.5 stars out of five? Or a solid three? I'm not entirely sure yet, but what I do know is that I didn't enjoy this story as much as I hoped for. :/
This is totally a "It's-Not-You-It's-Me" problem. This story didn't grant me the "nostalgic-wow-factor" from growing up with the Fear Street books. And again, it's totally a me-problem. I'm in no wrong to say that because I recently discovered that R.L Stine has a new series of Goosebumps books. Slappy's World? They were a series my parents recently purchased for me at Christmas, and when I read a few of them, they definitely didn't live up to the original Goosebumps books. They were good, but not as good as the originals. The original Goosebumps are classics. Just like the original Fear Street novels are classics. These new modern Fear Street books? Maybe I should turn down my hopes. When reading 'Can You Keep a Secret', there were parts I did enjoy, such as the pet cemetery to add to the creepiness of the story, and of course the grand finale, WEREWOLVES!!! I'm such a sucker for werewolf stories. Owoooooooo!
But sadly, this story fell a bit flat for me. Again, totally a me-problem.
R.L Stine is my most favorite author from my childhood. His stories have a special place in my heart and cannot be replaced. He will always be my master of horror. And lets be honest here, I'm a scardy cat and his stories is as close to "scary" as I like to get lol. With that being said, I'm not sure if this story was truly written by him or if it was written by just an average ghostwriter...?
The writing did not read like R.L Stine's. I've read better Goosebumps books than this, and this story did not live up to be one of his best works. However, I'm still happy that Mom picked this one out for us both to read together. This was our first book for our mother-and-daughter book club. She enjoyed it more than I did (except for the gruesome animal deaths), and even though this story fell flat for me, I'm happy to have bonded with my Mom over R.L Stine's stories. ♡ This is a memory that won't be forgotten.
This is totally a "It's-Not-You-It's-Me" problem. This story didn't grant me the "nostalgic-wow-factor" from growing up with the Fear Street books. And again, it's totally a me-problem. I'm in no wrong to say that because I recently discovered that R.L Stine has a new series of Goosebumps books. Slappy's World? They were a series my parents recently purchased for me at Christmas, and when I read a few of them, they definitely didn't live up to the original Goosebumps books. They were good, but not as good as the originals. The original Goosebumps are classics. Just like the original Fear Street novels are classics. These new modern Fear Street books? Maybe I should turn down my hopes. When reading 'Can You Keep a Secret', there were parts I did enjoy, such as the pet cemetery to add to the creepiness of the story, and of course the grand finale, WEREWOLVES!!! I'm such a sucker for werewolf stories. Owoooooooo!
But sadly, this story fell a bit flat for me. Again, totally a me-problem.
R.L Stine is my most favorite author from my childhood. His stories have a special place in my heart and cannot be replaced. He will always be my master of horror. And lets be honest here, I'm a scardy cat and his stories is as close to "scary" as I like to get lol. With that being said, I'm not sure if this story was truly written by him or if it was written by just an average ghostwriter...?
The writing did not read like R.L Stine's. I've read better Goosebumps books than this, and this story did not live up to be one of his best works. However, I'm still happy that Mom picked this one out for us both to read together. This was our first book for our mother-and-daughter book club. She enjoyed it more than I did (except for the gruesome animal deaths), and even though this story fell flat for me, I'm happy to have bonded with my Mom over R.L Stine's stories. ♡ This is a memory that won't be forgotten.
July 31, 2018
Can You Keep a Secret is everything you came to love from R.L. Stine's Fear Street books back in the 90s. I was an avid Fear Street reader in my early teens and this relaunch is pure nostalgia.
In this Fear Street novel we have 2 story lines that merge together in, what can only be described as, a "Stiney way". Emmy and her friends go out one night to camp in the Fear Street Woods (cause all good ideas happen in the woods). They encounter a tree with a bag hidden inside of it that is full of cash. They decide to take it, but whose money is this and will they be tracked down? Meanwhile, Emmy has been having dreams about a black, blue-eyed wolf and now there is a wolf attacking animals and people. What is going on? How are her dreams connected to these attacks?
To me these books are just quick, fun reads. They're not going to blow you away but hopefully they provide some easy entertainment.
In this Fear Street novel we have 2 story lines that merge together in, what can only be described as, a "Stiney way". Emmy and her friends go out one night to camp in the Fear Street Woods (cause all good ideas happen in the woods). They encounter a tree with a bag hidden inside of it that is full of cash. They decide to take it, but whose money is this and will they be tracked down? Meanwhile, Emmy has been having dreams about a black, blue-eyed wolf and now there is a wolf attacking animals and people. What is going on? How are her dreams connected to these attacks?
To me these books are just quick, fun reads. They're not going to blow you away but hopefully they provide some easy entertainment.
Read
January 27, 2022Can You Keep a Secret? by R.L. Stine starts off by telling the story about a girl named Emmy and her boyfriend Eddie going to Fear Street Woods at night along with some other friends. While Emmy and Eddie walk into the woods, they find a briefcase full of money; however, this discovery is going to lead to murder and a huge secret revealed at the end. Recently, Emmy has been having dreams that she was a real life werewolf, this might seem insane but a few nights after these dreams occurred, news spread in town about a wolf attack. Then, a week after the group of friends hid the briefcase, it vanished. Eddie assumed it was one of the friends but before he could get the friend to confess if he took the case, the friend was found dead the next morning.. by a werewolf. It was a very suspenseful ending but you should definitely read the book if you want to find out who stole the briefcase and who actually killed the friend. I loved this book, it was more suspenseful rather than a horror genre and it was full of shocking moments. Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in solving mysteries and loves fiction stories about creatures such as werewolves. - AS
April 12, 2019
Oh boy, what do I tell you? Well thanks to R.L.Stein for introducing me to books when I was in 5th standard and to make me a reader since then. Goosebumps were the first ever novels I read and started admiring the art of writing. i read a lots of goosebumps which were for kids but I never got about reading his Fear street series which were for teenagers. This was my first fear street novel. As an adult which have read a lot of trillers I’d say this book was pretty predictable. I knew where it was going and yet I wanted to read it because R.L.Stein novels will always have a special place in my heart. Though I really which I’d read this book in my early teens, it would’ve been such an amaze back then.
So yeah for an early teen it’s go go. For an adult it’s a meh.
So yeah for an early teen it’s go go. For an adult it’s a meh.
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