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Don't Tell a Soul
Stay up all night with this modern day Rebecca! Perfect for fans of Truly Devious--a haunting story about a new girl in an old town filled with dark secrets . . . that might just kill her.
People say the house is cursed. It preys on the weakest, and young women are its favorite victims. In Louth, they're called the Dead Girls.
All Bram wanted was to disappear--from her old life, her family's past, and from the scandal that continues to haunt her. The only place left to go is Louth, the tiny town on the Hudson River where her uncle, James, has been renovating an old mansion.
But James is haunted by his own ghosts. Months earlier, his beloved wife died in a fire that people say was set by her daughter. The tragedy left James a shell of the man Bram knew--and destroyed half the house he'd so lovingly restored.
The manor is creepy, and so are the locals. The people of Louth don't want outsiders like Bram in their town, and with each passing day she's discovering that the rumors they spread are just as disturbing as the secrets they hide. Most frightening of all are the legends they tell about the Dead Girls. Girls whose lives were cut short in the very house Bram now calls home.
The terrifying reality is that the Dead Girls may have never left the manor. And if Bram looks too hard into the town's haunted past, she might not either.
People say the house is cursed. It preys on the weakest, and young women are its favorite victims. In Louth, they're called the Dead Girls.
All Bram wanted was to disappear--from her old life, her family's past, and from the scandal that continues to haunt her. The only place left to go is Louth, the tiny town on the Hudson River where her uncle, James, has been renovating an old mansion.
But James is haunted by his own ghosts. Months earlier, his beloved wife died in a fire that people say was set by her daughter. The tragedy left James a shell of the man Bram knew--and destroyed half the house he'd so lovingly restored.
The manor is creepy, and so are the locals. The people of Louth don't want outsiders like Bram in their town, and with each passing day she's discovering that the rumors they spread are just as disturbing as the secrets they hide. Most frightening of all are the legends they tell about the Dead Girls. Girls whose lives were cut short in the very house Bram now calls home.
The terrifying reality is that the Dead Girls may have never left the manor. And if Bram looks too hard into the town's haunted past, she might not either.
384 pages, Paperback
First published January 26, 2021
112 people are currently reading
9775 people want to read
About the author
Kirsten Miller
30 books3,304 followersKirsten Miller grew up in a small town in the mountains of North Carolina. At seventeen, she left for college in New York City, where she lives to this day. Kirsten's latest novel, Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books, is a side-splitting satire that takes on some of the most controversial issues of our day. Her first adult novel, The Change, was a Good Morning America Book Club pick for May 2022. Kirsten is also the author of over a dozen middle grade and YA novels, including the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, (which tell the tale of the delinquent girl geniuses who keep Manhattan safe), and How to Lead a Life of Crime. She is not the Kirsten Miller who wrote All That Is Left, but she assumes that Kirsten is lovely and talented. Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 549 reviews
February 18, 2025
Ghosts lurking around the gothic mansion where three women from different eras had died because the place haunts the weakest young women by taking their souls.
And another troubled young girl named Bram, outcast, forced to leave NY because of accusations against her, estranged with her own mother who denies to believe her moves to uncle James’ eerie mansion located in Louth: a tiny town on the Hudson River to live with him temporarily!
But the permanent spiritual night time visitors of the house and local people are hostile to the outsiders don’t let her spend some quality time at her new place peacefully. Caretaker Miriam and her son Sam get worried about Bram who keeps seeing a girl in white dress stepping around the rooms, looking exactly like one of the girls rumored to be died at the mansion nearly 100 years ago.
And her uncle James still suffers from grief to lose his wife at the fire nearly destroyed the mansion. He still thinks his step daughter Lark who is institutionalized at the mental hospital may be the reason of the fire. But Bram thinks otherwise and as she starts to dig further, she realizes there’s something more threatening about this place! If she wants to survive, she’d better run without looking back!
This is smart, riveting, twisty, exciting, unputdownable gothic story! Bram is survivor, fighter, brave girl even though she suffers from so many tragic experiences. Most of the women characters including Lark, Maisie were troubled but strong, clever girls who are determined to survive against their dysfunctional families and the shittiest life hands they were dealt!
I couldn’t stop reading and the conclusion was more satisfying than I can imagine! This book is not only a horrifying, dark, gothic dark mansion story, it’s also about the young women who shouldn’t be afraid of standing for themselves. It’s truly inspiring and earned my five gazillion haunted, up all night, nightmarish, traumatic stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this incredible digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
And another troubled young girl named Bram, outcast, forced to leave NY because of accusations against her, estranged with her own mother who denies to believe her moves to uncle James’ eerie mansion located in Louth: a tiny town on the Hudson River to live with him temporarily!
But the permanent spiritual night time visitors of the house and local people are hostile to the outsiders don’t let her spend some quality time at her new place peacefully. Caretaker Miriam and her son Sam get worried about Bram who keeps seeing a girl in white dress stepping around the rooms, looking exactly like one of the girls rumored to be died at the mansion nearly 100 years ago.
And her uncle James still suffers from grief to lose his wife at the fire nearly destroyed the mansion. He still thinks his step daughter Lark who is institutionalized at the mental hospital may be the reason of the fire. But Bram thinks otherwise and as she starts to dig further, she realizes there’s something more threatening about this place! If she wants to survive, she’d better run without looking back!
This is smart, riveting, twisty, exciting, unputdownable gothic story! Bram is survivor, fighter, brave girl even though she suffers from so many tragic experiences. Most of the women characters including Lark, Maisie were troubled but strong, clever girls who are determined to survive against their dysfunctional families and the shittiest life hands they were dealt!
I couldn’t stop reading and the conclusion was more satisfying than I can imagine! This book is not only a horrifying, dark, gothic dark mansion story, it’s also about the young women who shouldn’t be afraid of standing for themselves. It’s truly inspiring and earned my five gazillion haunted, up all night, nightmarish, traumatic stars!
Special thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s / Delacorte Press for sharing this incredible digital reviewer copy with me in exchange my honest thoughts.
December 29, 2020
"In the dark, it made no difference if my eyes were open or shut."
Do you enjoy YA novels that lean more toward the mature side of writing, ones that are dark and eerie yet beautifully written with a powerful message? Then Don't Tell a Soul is the gothic novel for you! There are subtle similarities between this book and Rebecca, but more so via appreciative retelling rather than anything malicious like outright plagiarism. The plot feels two-fold; there's a focus on the mystery behind her family's tragic loss, and the local legend of the Dead Girls, the victims who have fallen prey to the haunted nature of "the house". I enjoyed unraveling the mystery on both ends, and I loved even more how this book had a huge sense of female empowerment, and even taking that sense back after the unimaginable happens. While this book may be too dark and graphic for some YA readers, I think it's an important read for those who can manage to open the pages and still turn out the light at the end of the night.
CW:
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
Do you enjoy YA novels that lean more toward the mature side of writing, ones that are dark and eerie yet beautifully written with a powerful message? Then Don't Tell a Soul is the gothic novel for you! There are subtle similarities between this book and Rebecca, but more so via appreciative retelling rather than anything malicious like outright plagiarism. The plot feels two-fold; there's a focus on the mystery behind her family's tragic loss, and the local legend of the Dead Girls, the victims who have fallen prey to the haunted nature of "the house". I enjoyed unraveling the mystery on both ends, and I loved even more how this book had a huge sense of female empowerment, and even taking that sense back after the unimaginable happens. While this book may be too dark and graphic for some YA readers, I think it's an important read for those who can manage to open the pages and still turn out the light at the end of the night.
CW:
*Many thanks to the publisher for providing my review copy.
April 3, 2021
Girls make the best ghosts.
I loved the hell out of this book!! I loved the main character, Bram. I loved all of the supporting characters and the storyline wasn’t what I was expecting at all. The book isn’t horror per se, but it has its ghostly moments 😏😉
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
August 25, 2022
⭐️2.5
Um, I meeeean I enjoyed it but I read it 5 days ago and already can't tell you that much about it. So......🤷🏻♀️
Um, I meeeean I enjoyed it but I read it 5 days ago and already can't tell you that much about it. So......🤷🏻♀️
January 20, 2021
Bram moves to a creepy manor that is supposedly cursed. Not a new concept but still one of my favorites to read. This reminded me of a lot of Riley Sager’s Home Before Dark which I absolutely loved but I thought there were a little bit too many similarities. Comparing those similarities would be spoilers so I won’t go into those but if you’ve read both books you will know what I’m talking about.
I really liked that even though this is targeted as a young adult book, there are themes of female empowerment and seeking justice. I liked that the women in the book all helped and supported each other and that there were some people you could actually trust. Some of the men were even helpful and I thought it was refreshing that our main character had help rather than having to do everything on her own. There was also no romance which is a plus for me.
Described as a modern day Rebecca, I’m now interested in reading that book this year. I enjoyed this and the cover is absolutely incredible.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Delacorte Press for an advanced copy of this book!
----------------------------------------
When Netgalley approves you for an ARC you really wanted!! Best feeling ever.
I really liked that even though this is targeted as a young adult book, there are themes of female empowerment and seeking justice. I liked that the women in the book all helped and supported each other and that there were some people you could actually trust. Some of the men were even helpful and I thought it was refreshing that our main character had help rather than having to do everything on her own. There was also no romance which is a plus for me.
Described as a modern day Rebecca, I’m now interested in reading that book this year. I enjoyed this and the cover is absolutely incredible.
Thank you to Netgalley and to Delacorte Press for an advanced copy of this book!
----------------------------------------
When Netgalley approves you for an ARC you really wanted!! Best feeling ever.
June 27, 2021
Thank you to Netgalley and Delacorte Press for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I haven't read a good mystery-horror book in a while, and this was exactly what I needed.
After not being allowed to return to Manhatten by her mother following a scandal she was involved in, Bram decides to stay with her uncle James, in his manor in Louth, a small town, where girls are known to have gone missing. Bram isn't scared of ghosts, but there's no denying that foul play's at work, and as she uncovers more of the truth behind the disappearances, it's clear that Bram herself is in danger as well.
The book was, admittedly, quite slow to get into at first. I wasn't completely taken by the premise of the novel, but found that the cover was interesting enough to grab my attention and give the book a chance.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the not-like-other-girls trope. I find it irritating and demeaning, and usually end up disliking characters who are built around the trope. Bram, at first, seemed to be this way, and I was worried that even if the book was good, I wouldn't like it because of the main character. Things, however, got better, and Bram's character grew as well.
The plot was convoluted, to say the least, but that's what really kept me interested. Reveals are made and lies are exposed. There were a fair number of plot twists, some of which were easily built up, while others were absolutely unpredictable. You can't really trust what anyone is saying, least of all what other people are saying about them, because at its heart, this book is a mystery, with some thriller and paranormal aspects thrown in as well. It all makes for an interesting experience.
A problem that plagued most of the first quarter of the book was probably all of the info-dumps. Things are described in such painstaking detail that it slows down the plot and made it quite hard for me to get into. However, as the plot starts to pick up the pace, the info-dumps (mostly) go away.
Overall, this book expressed a lot of important themes alongside its entertaining and suspenseful narrative. I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a good YA mystery novel with likeable characters and an enjoyable plot, as it was much better than I was expecting it to be.
I haven't read a good mystery-horror book in a while, and this was exactly what I needed.
After not being allowed to return to Manhatten by her mother following a scandal she was involved in, Bram decides to stay with her uncle James, in his manor in Louth, a small town, where girls are known to have gone missing. Bram isn't scared of ghosts, but there's no denying that foul play's at work, and as she uncovers more of the truth behind the disappearances, it's clear that Bram herself is in danger as well.
The book was, admittedly, quite slow to get into at first. I wasn't completely taken by the premise of the novel, but found that the cover was interesting enough to grab my attention and give the book a chance.
One of my biggest pet peeves is the not-like-other-girls trope. I find it irritating and demeaning, and usually end up disliking characters who are built around the trope. Bram, at first, seemed to be this way, and I was worried that even if the book was good, I wouldn't like it because of the main character. Things, however, got better, and Bram's character grew as well.
The plot was convoluted, to say the least, but that's what really kept me interested. Reveals are made and lies are exposed. There were a fair number of plot twists, some of which were easily built up, while others were absolutely unpredictable. You can't really trust what anyone is saying, least of all what other people are saying about them, because at its heart, this book is a mystery, with some thriller and paranormal aspects thrown in as well. It all makes for an interesting experience.
A problem that plagued most of the first quarter of the book was probably all of the info-dumps. Things are described in such painstaking detail that it slows down the plot and made it quite hard for me to get into. However, as the plot starts to pick up the pace, the info-dumps (mostly) go away.
Overall, this book expressed a lot of important themes alongside its entertaining and suspenseful narrative. I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking for a good YA mystery novel with likeable characters and an enjoyable plot, as it was much better than I was expecting it to be.
August 24, 2020
Delicious and dark, this is a gothic haunting for the modern age. It sank its teeth deep. I will be haunted by the Dead Girls of Louth for a long time to come.
November 8, 2020
Don't Tell a Soul by Kirsten Miller is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. As I read this book I truly forgot I was reading and not actually experiencing this story! The author presented the world so complete that I felt, heard, and experienced everything that the main character was going through. Terrific job!
Wonderful, well developed characters and plenty of tension, plus unpredictable situations and possible outcomes kept me entranced!
Our gal is sent to live with her uncle after an incident at her home. Life with her mother didn't sound pleasant anyway. Her uncle's manor has a history of death, a curse, and hauntings. What our gal Bram eventually finds is even worse!
Wonderful, well developed characters and plenty of tension, plus unpredictable situations and possible outcomes kept me entranced!
Our gal is sent to live with her uncle after an incident at her home. Life with her mother didn't sound pleasant anyway. Her uncle's manor has a history of death, a curse, and hauntings. What our gal Bram eventually finds is even worse!
February 22, 2023
"Ghosts lived in people’s heads, not in their houses. My own skull was full of them. Now it felt like one of them had broken free."
My life has always been full of ghosts. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been making themselves known to me. They are in my mind, walking around the grocery store, and even in my house. It certainly makes life more interesting. Stories about ghosts are ones I love to read about because I know that I’m not alone.
"What am I supposed to be afraid of?
I don’t know yet."
I thought this book was going to be about a haunting, turns out it was something a lot scarier. Men with a lot of money will always scare me more than the walking dead.
This was very enjoyable and something I can see myself reading again.
My life has always been full of ghosts. For as long as I can remember, they’ve been making themselves known to me. They are in my mind, walking around the grocery store, and even in my house. It certainly makes life more interesting. Stories about ghosts are ones I love to read about because I know that I’m not alone.
"What am I supposed to be afraid of?
I don’t know yet."
I thought this book was going to be about a haunting, turns out it was something a lot scarier. Men with a lot of money will always scare me more than the walking dead.
This was very enjoyable and something I can see myself reading again.
June 22, 2025
[this is me, bringing attention to one of my most underrated faves]
Main Character in her reputation era, small town secrets, old haunted house and immeasurable amounts of hatred for men. One could say this book was pretty much written ~for~ me.
Kristen, bestie, thank you so much 🥰🥰🥰
Main Character in her reputation era, small town secrets, old haunted house and immeasurable amounts of hatred for men. One could say this book was pretty much written ~for~ me.
Kristen, bestie, thank you so much 🥰🥰🥰
June 17, 2021
This was actually a 3.5 for me
August 6, 2024
It was mediocre. The characters, plot and atmosphere were interesting enough to keep reading but it fell pretty flat.
Wouldn't recommend.
Wouldn't recommend.
July 3, 2023
Not the most unique storyline, but it was entertaining and held my attention!
I think I would consider this more of mystery over horror, but the atmosphere was great and really creepy.
The ending wasn’t my favorite, but it was still a solid YA overall.
I think I would consider this more of mystery over horror, but the atmosphere was great and really creepy.
The ending wasn’t my favorite, but it was still a solid YA overall.
October 10, 2021
i enjoyed it a lot, even despite its flaws. it was really my type of novel with a creepy atmosphere and a dark mystery. the characters were a strong point of the novel for me, i honestly didn't know who should or shouldn't be trusted, so that was fun. i loved the audiobook's narrator's performance too, it fit the main character and even the story perfectly. some things along the way bugged me, but it was always minor stuff. i wish the ending and the given closure were more... developed? cause it felt a bit rushed, and i wouldn't have minded spending some more time with the book at all. but overall a positive experience and i'll be looking out for this author (and the audiobook narrator too) in the future
January 27, 2021
I was expecting a creepy thriller but this was just MEH.
May 27, 2021
3.5 stars
RTC
RTC
February 26, 2021
THIS BOOK SCARED THE HECK OUTTA ME
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars!
Don't Tell a Soul lends itself as part ghost story, part suspense, and as an avid reader of both I was *highly* satisfied.
Here we follow Bram, a troubled teen with a spotty past, one parent in the grave, and a terrible reputation in her wake. When her mother sends her away from the city to live her with her estranged uncle in the Manor where a fire previously took his own wife and sickened her daughter. But the town of Louth is full of secrets, and Bram is drawn to the stories of Dead Girls surrounding the manor she now lives in. Will she be able to uncover the truth before someone — or something — gets to her first?
tw: addiction/drug abuse, attempted sexual assault, mentions of suicide, murder
I love being scared. Blood and gore? Eh, not my style. But there is something to be said for the ability to create a tone of unease that carries throughout a book and Kirsten Miller definitely did that for me. There were moments where I was questioning myself reading this thing in the dark. I am a very visual reader, and there were instances where all it took were a few choice words and I was terrified out of my wits at the image alone. That made this a winner for me!
There was also a quickness to the prose that launched the story along so nicely. We were given tons of information and backstory as we went, mixtures of legends and Bram's own thoughts. We know from the beginning that Bram has been through something horrible, but as she pieces it back together so do we, and she is a fiercely determined heroine that I think everyone wants to root for in the end. She tempers her aloofness with a natural kindness and a curiosity that won't quit. The supporting cast here was also phenomenal and you really don't know right up until the end who you can trust — but that made it all the more fun.
The half a star down rating was because the ending propelled itself a little too quickly for my tastes and I found myself turning back the pages to make sure I hadn't skipped ahead. I think it could have done with a little more breathing room before jumping into the epilogue but despite that I found this a highly enjoyable, creepy, and satisfying read!
Don't Tell A Soul will be out in three days! And if you love a good creep factor, this one is a winner.
*My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for granting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5 Stars!
Don't Tell a Soul lends itself as part ghost story, part suspense, and as an avid reader of both I was *highly* satisfied.
Here we follow Bram, a troubled teen with a spotty past, one parent in the grave, and a terrible reputation in her wake. When her mother sends her away from the city to live her with her estranged uncle in the Manor where a fire previously took his own wife and sickened her daughter. But the town of Louth is full of secrets, and Bram is drawn to the stories of Dead Girls surrounding the manor she now lives in. Will she be able to uncover the truth before someone — or something — gets to her first?
tw: addiction/drug abuse, attempted sexual assault, mentions of suicide, murder
I love being scared. Blood and gore? Eh, not my style. But there is something to be said for the ability to create a tone of unease that carries throughout a book and Kirsten Miller definitely did that for me. There were moments where I was questioning myself reading this thing in the dark. I am a very visual reader, and there were instances where all it took were a few choice words and I was terrified out of my wits at the image alone. That made this a winner for me!
There was also a quickness to the prose that launched the story along so nicely. We were given tons of information and backstory as we went, mixtures of legends and Bram's own thoughts. We know from the beginning that Bram has been through something horrible, but as she pieces it back together so do we, and she is a fiercely determined heroine that I think everyone wants to root for in the end. She tempers her aloofness with a natural kindness and a curiosity that won't quit. The supporting cast here was also phenomenal and you really don't know right up until the end who you can trust — but that made it all the more fun.
The half a star down rating was because the ending propelled itself a little too quickly for my tastes and I found myself turning back the pages to make sure I hadn't skipped ahead. I think it could have done with a little more breathing room before jumping into the epilogue but despite that I found this a highly enjoyable, creepy, and satisfying read!
Don't Tell A Soul will be out in three days! And if you love a good creep factor, this one is a winner.
*My thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for granting me an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
February 7, 2021
"Nothing will change if we stay quiet."
Bram is forced out of New York City. Escaping her mother, Bram's only choice is her Uncle James.
Years before, James bought the old manor in Louth, NY - a very small community on the Hudson.
The manor is shrouded in legend - Grace Louth's suicide, missing young women- the Dead Girls.
A few months prior, James' step daughter Lark sents fire to a wing, placed in a hospital for mental health issues.
Bram knows Lark doesn't have issues- though she has never met her. Bram also hears the footsteps in the house, sees a young woman in a white wedding dress, feels the Dead Girls in the house.
Excellent story. I read it in one day - amazing writing, great characters and chilling reality for women.
Bram is forced out of New York City. Escaping her mother, Bram's only choice is her Uncle James.
Years before, James bought the old manor in Louth, NY - a very small community on the Hudson.
The manor is shrouded in legend - Grace Louth's suicide, missing young women- the Dead Girls.
A few months prior, James' step daughter Lark sents fire to a wing, placed in a hospital for mental health issues.
Bram knows Lark doesn't have issues- though she has never met her. Bram also hears the footsteps in the house, sees a young woman in a white wedding dress, feels the Dead Girls in the house.
Excellent story. I read it in one day - amazing writing, great characters and chilling reality for women.
May 22, 2021
"The truth always got buried along with the girls."
This wasn't the ghostly haunted manor story I was hoping for. It's a pretty good mystery but the first half of the book was incredibly repetitive and Miller took too long to get to the heart of things. This meant that when it came to all the big reveals at the end, there wasn't enough time to really enjoy and absorb the truths about everything, especially Lark. I did like the commentary on believing girls and listening to their stories but the clumsy structure of the plot doesn't let that theme shine through as effectively as it could have.
Warnings: gaslighting, emotional abuse, murder, attempted sexual assault, references to drug abuse, suicide and arson.
July 6, 2021
Wow! I completely binge read this book today and there is no shame. I could not put this book down.
It was not scary/horror which is what I was hoping for. It was a mystery thriller though and it was well done.
Bram is forced to live away from her Mom due to a scandal that happened a year before. The only family she has is her uncle James who lives in dilpidated mansion in a small town called Lough.
I don't want to say more because it's better to go in not knowing. But, man the story had me in it's clutches and refused to let me go. This was the best way to spend an evening and I highly recommend this book! So good!!
It was not scary/horror which is what I was hoping for. It was a mystery thriller though and it was well done.
Bram is forced to live away from her Mom due to a scandal that happened a year before. The only family she has is her uncle James who lives in dilpidated mansion in a small town called Lough.
I don't want to say more because it's better to go in not knowing. But, man the story had me in it's clutches and refused to let me go. This was the best way to spend an evening and I highly recommend this book! So good!!
January 1, 2023
Overview:
🆗 Feminist story
🆗 Fierce angry girls
👍 Small town mystery
😬 Secrets revealed
This wave of YA feels like riding the waves of feminist lit themes, but in a surface-level, girl power type of way. Don't Tell A Soul isn't a bad book by any means, but it feels like many books of this nature- a hamfisted theme without a lot built around it.
Don't Tell a Soul follows Bram, a troubled teen sent to live with her uncle in a small, creepy town. She starts seeing strange things within the manor she is staying in and uncovering secrets about the many girls have that died there.
The characters are the book's highlight- I was pretty impressed with the main and side characters in this case. Sometimes thrillers and horror will focus very heavily on the leads without any effort into the aide characters. The author crammed as much as she could for character development into this standalone and I think it paid off. Between the hired help at the manor, the teens around town, and Bram's family, you get a pretty good picture of the people in her life.
The mystery was what I found lacking. Some parts were extremely interesting, but there is a storytelling bait and switch that isn't very well thought out. The final reveal was very cool. but this books marketing does not match up with the story that we actually got. This is really vague, but revealing it would be a spoiler so I won't.
Finally, I think I am just getting tired of edgy feminist thriller/horror in YA. A lot of them are playing with the same themes and ideas with nothing new to bring to the table. I think if you are going to tackle serious issues, you should have a unique perspective on those issues. Don't Tell a Soul is very much a paint-by-the-numbers story about girls. Its fine. Its okay. If you like YA thrillers I would recommend it, but don't expect brilliance.
🆗 Feminist story
🆗 Fierce angry girls
👍 Small town mystery
😬 Secrets revealed
This wave of YA feels like riding the waves of feminist lit themes, but in a surface-level, girl power type of way. Don't Tell A Soul isn't a bad book by any means, but it feels like many books of this nature- a hamfisted theme without a lot built around it.
Don't Tell a Soul follows Bram, a troubled teen sent to live with her uncle in a small, creepy town. She starts seeing strange things within the manor she is staying in and uncovering secrets about the many girls have that died there.
The characters are the book's highlight- I was pretty impressed with the main and side characters in this case. Sometimes thrillers and horror will focus very heavily on the leads without any effort into the aide characters. The author crammed as much as she could for character development into this standalone and I think it paid off. Between the hired help at the manor, the teens around town, and Bram's family, you get a pretty good picture of the people in her life.
The mystery was what I found lacking. Some parts were extremely interesting, but there is a storytelling bait and switch that isn't very well thought out. The final reveal was very cool. but this books marketing does not match up with the story that we actually got. This is really vague, but revealing it would be a spoiler so I won't.
Finally, I think I am just getting tired of edgy feminist thriller/horror in YA. A lot of them are playing with the same themes and ideas with nothing new to bring to the table. I think if you are going to tackle serious issues, you should have a unique perspective on those issues. Don't Tell a Soul is very much a paint-by-the-numbers story about girls. Its fine. Its okay. If you like YA thrillers I would recommend it, but don't expect brilliance.
April 10, 2021
If you liked this you should read Horrid by Katrina Leno (and vise versa)
October 14, 2022
*Overdrive app *
I didn't see this as horror personally, some horrifying elements but to me it came across as more of a thriller.
Entertaining story, had a very hard time putting it down in between working. Wanted to drop kick a few people in here.
Had some good twists in it, kept me guessing on a few things 👍.
3.5 stars 🌟 🤩
Narration was good but some voices didn't sound much different from the others but I was never confused who was speaking
I didn't see this as horror personally, some horrifying elements but to me it came across as more of a thriller.
Entertaining story, had a very hard time putting it down in between working. Wanted to drop kick a few people in here.
Had some good twists in it, kept me guessing on a few things 👍.
3.5 stars 🌟 🤩
Narration was good but some voices didn't sound much different from the others but I was never confused who was speaking
July 11, 2023
*4.5
This book is definitely one of my favorite books! It's really good and I love the plot and it wasn't what I was expecting at all and I love how much detail the author put into all the characters!
This book is definitely one of my favorite books! It's really good and I love the plot and it wasn't what I was expecting at all and I love how much detail the author put into all the characters!
November 12, 2020
wow that was so freaking good omg???? i gotta get my thoughts together and write a proper review because i LOVED this
April 8, 2023
Sadly, this story wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. It was good, but not something I would read again. I was expecting something way different than what I got. It held my interest all the way up till about halfway through, then I just wanted to get it finished because I was already so far into it. I got a little bored through it because there really didn't seem to be anything very interesting happening. Still, though, it was an okay read.
February 18, 2021
TOO MUCH GOING ON. Also the trope of The Plot Only Exists Because the Characters Are Keeping Secrets. And every question/mystery seems like a rumor or lie so you can't believe one way or the other.
Bram leaves her mom's house to move in with her uncle who bought a creepy manor. (Q #1 why did she move? Why doesn't her mom trust her? Well you don't find out for 150 pages... when she just plain tells you.)
The manor caught fire. (Q #2 how was the fire set/by whom?), and it's rumored that the manor is haunted. (Q #3 is it really haunted?)
Then you find out Bram's dad and aunt Sarah died, on the same day. It's mentioned early on. (Q #4 How did they die? If it was murder, who and why?)
Then Bram starts trying to figure out more about the ghost, Grace Louth. (Q #5 Did the mural in her bedroom predict Grace's death?)
There's bad-boy Nolan, who local girl Maisie says is dangerous, who everyone hates because he supposedly ran a girl out of town. (Q #6 Is he really dangerous? What happened to the girl?)
James, Bram's uncle, lost his first wife Sarah, and then his second wife Dahlia dies in the fire- again, mentioned early on. (Q #7 was Dahlia a target? Why do his wives keep dying?)
Lark, James's step-daughter, Dahlia's daughter, is said to be insane (Q #8 is she?), and she is sent to live with her father, who is also said to be insane. (Q #9 Why would they send her to live with him if he's crazy? Why are so many characters crazy?) Then the fire happens.
James says her dad and Sarah, Jame's first wife were having an affair (Q #10 were they?)
Maisie's mom is an unstable drunk who got pregnant young... ok... Some guys throw rocks at Nolan's house while Bram is inside... ok...
Sam and his mom Miriam are like housekeepers. (Q #11 do they know more than they're letting on?)
And then once you DO get answers to all this, there are more at the end that would be too spoilery to say... stuff about Lark's behavior. I used 6 different colored tabs to keep track of all the side plots. It was just too much and not necessary. All loose ends are tied up ALL AT ONCE in the form of Bram just asking her uncle and him telling her. The only Q I still have is why there were 4 locked doors in the manor.
It IS a good book, don't get me wrong. But if you read just for fun and don't really like a million things to have to remember and keep track of, you might not enjoy this one fully.
Bram leaves her mom's house to move in with her uncle who bought a creepy manor. (Q #1 why did she move? Why doesn't her mom trust her? Well you don't find out for 150 pages... when she just plain tells you.)
The manor caught fire. (Q #2 how was the fire set/by whom?), and it's rumored that the manor is haunted. (Q #3 is it really haunted?)
Then you find out Bram's dad and aunt Sarah died, on the same day. It's mentioned early on. (Q #4 How did they die? If it was murder, who and why?)
Then Bram starts trying to figure out more about the ghost, Grace Louth. (Q #5 Did the mural in her bedroom predict Grace's death?)
There's bad-boy Nolan, who local girl Maisie says is dangerous, who everyone hates because he supposedly ran a girl out of town. (Q #6 Is he really dangerous? What happened to the girl?)
James, Bram's uncle, lost his first wife Sarah, and then his second wife Dahlia dies in the fire- again, mentioned early on. (Q #7 was Dahlia a target? Why do his wives keep dying?)
Lark, James's step-daughter, Dahlia's daughter, is said to be insane (Q #8 is she?), and she is sent to live with her father, who is also said to be insane. (Q #9 Why would they send her to live with him if he's crazy? Why are so many characters crazy?) Then the fire happens.
James says her dad and Sarah, Jame's first wife were having an affair (Q #10 were they?)
Maisie's mom is an unstable drunk who got pregnant young... ok... Some guys throw rocks at Nolan's house while Bram is inside... ok...
Sam and his mom Miriam are like housekeepers. (Q #11 do they know more than they're letting on?)
And then once you DO get answers to all this, there are more at the end that would be too spoilery to say... stuff about Lark's behavior. I used 6 different colored tabs to keep track of all the side plots. It was just too much and not necessary. All loose ends are tied up ALL AT ONCE in the form of Bram just asking her uncle and him telling her. The only Q I still have is why there were 4 locked doors in the manor.
It IS a good book, don't get me wrong. But if you read just for fun and don't really like a million things to have to remember and keep track of, you might not enjoy this one fully.
March 25, 2021
I wanted to like, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I found it to be boring and Bram to be naive and slightly whiny. I didn't think it was that twisty or creepy (although I did skim a lot of it). I could not care less about this book, despite the creepy cover.
May 29, 2021
Okay so this book was weird I thought it was a horror book but then it felt more like a thiller to me im conflicted Bram was a interesting character just confused with this one
March 1, 2021
3.8
Recommend me a book that can get you back into reading or a book that can get you out of your reading slump. I’ll start first.
- Don’t Tell A Soul is a kind of book that made me forget I was actually reading it. With a simple use of language driven by a riveting multi-layered story, it’s easy for me to get absorbed into the story and have a TV playing inside my head. I finished this book within a day and I’m ready to recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading a horror book (beginner) with less inclination towards romance. This book instead is full of riddles, mystery, and something that you can’t get enough of – the chilling vibe exuded by the ghosts inside this story.
“All the best ghosts are girls.”
Bram Howland is forced to be sent to a desolate countryside of New York, burying her dark pasts behind by living in her Uncle’s manor. In Louth, it’s a small town whereby everyone practically knows everyone. It’s a typical story about a newcomer moving into a new place and feels unwelcomed by its locals. However, it’s in a different font because I felt betrayed at the end when things that I’d guessed and predicted came out all wrong.
The manor she’s living in is rumoured to be haunted and the locals acknowledge that its existence is a curse to young girls - someone who scream trouble at the same time seemed as an easy prey; someone like her. Having a two-faced Uncle and a suspicious housekeeper along with her brusque son doesn’t help accommodating her stay. What would be more unsettling when the room she’d lived in contains stories of dead girls and worse, the sightings of them that keep appearing in her sight?
I found myself shaking head so often when Bram always puts herself in situations that most people would probably stay out; like going alone into the basement or wandering alone in a dark hallway. She’s built different I guess, but it doesn’t irk me because I have some hots for independent and intelligent women. The main theme in this story would be women empowerment as I’ve witnessed girls helping out each other in upholding the truth of their miseries – and that’s a pleasant thing to see!
I was also awed by the revelation in the final part of the story as there’s quite a sum of red herrings left by the author and thought that this book is quite a fitting read for young adult horror fiction. On a side note, if I’m going to review this book on a level of scrutiny, there’ll be issues of info dumps at the final part, how some characters felt uncanny and some plot holes that make your questions or doubts left unanswered and unfulfilled. But I’m not going to do that here since I don’t want to discourage anyone from picking up this book as I still think it’s a quite decent horror read for the targeted audience. It’s a clean read by the way!
cw: drug abuse, sexual assault.
Thank you @timesread and @putrifariza for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out in all good bookstores.
Recommend me a book that can get you back into reading or a book that can get you out of your reading slump. I’ll start first.
- Don’t Tell A Soul is a kind of book that made me forget I was actually reading it. With a simple use of language driven by a riveting multi-layered story, it’s easy for me to get absorbed into the story and have a TV playing inside my head. I finished this book within a day and I’m ready to recommend this book to anyone who wants to start reading a horror book (beginner) with less inclination towards romance. This book instead is full of riddles, mystery, and something that you can’t get enough of – the chilling vibe exuded by the ghosts inside this story.
“All the best ghosts are girls.”
Bram Howland is forced to be sent to a desolate countryside of New York, burying her dark pasts behind by living in her Uncle’s manor. In Louth, it’s a small town whereby everyone practically knows everyone. It’s a typical story about a newcomer moving into a new place and feels unwelcomed by its locals. However, it’s in a different font because I felt betrayed at the end when things that I’d guessed and predicted came out all wrong.
The manor she’s living in is rumoured to be haunted and the locals acknowledge that its existence is a curse to young girls - someone who scream trouble at the same time seemed as an easy prey; someone like her. Having a two-faced Uncle and a suspicious housekeeper along with her brusque son doesn’t help accommodating her stay. What would be more unsettling when the room she’d lived in contains stories of dead girls and worse, the sightings of them that keep appearing in her sight?
I found myself shaking head so often when Bram always puts herself in situations that most people would probably stay out; like going alone into the basement or wandering alone in a dark hallway. She’s built different I guess, but it doesn’t irk me because I have some hots for independent and intelligent women. The main theme in this story would be women empowerment as I’ve witnessed girls helping out each other in upholding the truth of their miseries – and that’s a pleasant thing to see!
I was also awed by the revelation in the final part of the story as there’s quite a sum of red herrings left by the author and thought that this book is quite a fitting read for young adult horror fiction. On a side note, if I’m going to review this book on a level of scrutiny, there’ll be issues of info dumps at the final part, how some characters felt uncanny and some plot holes that make your questions or doubts left unanswered and unfulfilled. But I’m not going to do that here since I don’t want to discourage anyone from picking up this book as I still think it’s a quite decent horror read for the targeted audience. It’s a clean read by the way!
cw: drug abuse, sexual assault.
Thank you @timesread and @putrifariza for sending me a review copy in exchange for an honest review. This book is out in all good bookstores.
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