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We’ll Never Tell
A whodunit doused in Hollywood lore.
No one at Hollywood High knows who’s behind We'll Never Tell—a viral YouTube channel where the anonymous creators trespass behind the scenes of LA's most intriguing locales. The team includes CASEY, quiet researcher and trivia champ; JACOB, voice narrator and video editor, who is secretly dating EDDIE, aspiring filmmaker; and ZOE, coder and breaking-and-entering extraordinaire.
Now senior year is winding down, and with their lives heading in different directions, the YouTubers vow to go out with a bang. Their last episode will be filmed at the infamous Valentini “murder house,” which has been left abandoned, bloodstained, and untouched since a shocking murder/suicide in 1972. When the teens break in, they capture epic footage. But someone trips an alarm, and it’s a mad dash to get out before the police arrive—at which point they realize only three of them escaped instead of four. Jacob is still inside, slain and bleeding out. Is his attack connected to the historic murder, or is one of their crew responsible?
A week of suspicions and cover-ups unfolds as Casey and her remaining friends try to stay alive long enough to solve murder mysteries past and present. If they do, their friendship may not survive. If they don't, the house will claim more victims.
No one at Hollywood High knows who’s behind We'll Never Tell—a viral YouTube channel where the anonymous creators trespass behind the scenes of LA's most intriguing locales. The team includes CASEY, quiet researcher and trivia champ; JACOB, voice narrator and video editor, who is secretly dating EDDIE, aspiring filmmaker; and ZOE, coder and breaking-and-entering extraordinaire.
Now senior year is winding down, and with their lives heading in different directions, the YouTubers vow to go out with a bang. Their last episode will be filmed at the infamous Valentini “murder house,” which has been left abandoned, bloodstained, and untouched since a shocking murder/suicide in 1972. When the teens break in, they capture epic footage. But someone trips an alarm, and it’s a mad dash to get out before the police arrive—at which point they realize only three of them escaped instead of four. Jacob is still inside, slain and bleeding out. Is his attack connected to the historic murder, or is one of their crew responsible?
A week of suspicions and cover-ups unfolds as Casey and her remaining friends try to stay alive long enough to solve murder mysteries past and present. If they do, their friendship may not survive. If they don't, the house will claim more victims.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 16, 2023
68 people are currently reading
10676 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Heard
10 books1,101 followersWendy Heard is the author of books for adults and teens, including You Can Trust Me and She's Too Pretty To Burn. Wendy lives in Los Angeles, her hometown, and she enjoys haunting local bookstores and spending time with her little rescue dogs. You can hear more from Wendy through her newsletter at www.wendyheard.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 300 reviews
February 19, 2025
Even though Wendy Heard and I have had a bit of a tumultuous relationship, after reading the synopsis for We'll Never Tell, I knew I would have to read this one.
With a plot that sounded right up my alley, I decided on a whim to pick it up via audio from my local library. I'm so happy that I did. Not only is it fitting for this Spooky Season, it was also fast-paced and highly engaging.
This YA-story, set in Hollywood, California, follows a group of teens whose viral YouTube channel, We'll Never Tell, features them trespassing into some of Hollywood's most notorious locales.
The group of four, Casey, Zoe, Jacob and Eddie, run their channel anonymously and they each bring their own special skills to the table. Their videos are a bit dangerous, but they're all passionate about it and their channel's popularity is skyrocketing.
With their Senior year coming to a close, and everyone heading in different directions, they decide to end their journey together with one final banger of a video.
Their last video will feature their exploration of the infamous Valentini Murder House, home to a tragic murder/suicide in 1972.
As the teens are exploring, they're getting some great footage, when suddenly the alarm is tripped. Knowing the police will be on their way, the teens flee as fast as they can, but unfortunately only three make it out.
Jacob is found in the home, having been stabbed numerous times. Jacob is in rough shape, barely clinging to life and he is rushed to the hospital.
The other three, concerned with getting into trouble if the police know they were there, decide to lie to everyone and tell them that Jacob must have gone there by himself.
The story follows the three remaining teens as they investigate what happened that night, as well as if it could be connected to the crimes of the past. There's a lot of scrambling, lies and cover-ups, but feeling they have no choice, they plod on as best as they can.
I thought this was quite entertaining. I was hooked by the initial set-up and loved the Hollywood setting. That's not generally something I would gravitate towards, but I feel like Heard did it so well and brought some of the mystery of old Hollywood glamour to the page.
The characters are highly dramatic and they make terrible decisions, but actually, it was pretty believable. I know I made some dumbass choices as a high school Senior. Don't tell my parents...
Anyway, yeah. I got invested in this quickly. The mystery was fun. I wasn't sure who I could trust, including our main girl, Casey. I also really loved the overall is it supernatural, is it not supernatural vibe Heard brought to the page.
I also enjoyed the use of mixed media. It's not too heavy, but there were some newspaper articles, interviews, etc., that helped build up the intrigue and sense of reality.
The audiobook was fantastically narrated as well, and I would definitely recommend that format for anyone who has easy access to audiobooks. This story plays out quite well in that medium, helping to bring the characters to life.
I definitely would recommend this one to fans of YA Thrillers focusing on a tight-knit friend group and featuring local lore/mysteries. If you love those things, I don't think this one will let you down!
With a plot that sounded right up my alley, I decided on a whim to pick it up via audio from my local library. I'm so happy that I did. Not only is it fitting for this Spooky Season, it was also fast-paced and highly engaging.
This YA-story, set in Hollywood, California, follows a group of teens whose viral YouTube channel, We'll Never Tell, features them trespassing into some of Hollywood's most notorious locales.
The group of four, Casey, Zoe, Jacob and Eddie, run their channel anonymously and they each bring their own special skills to the table. Their videos are a bit dangerous, but they're all passionate about it and their channel's popularity is skyrocketing.
With their Senior year coming to a close, and everyone heading in different directions, they decide to end their journey together with one final banger of a video.
Their last video will feature their exploration of the infamous Valentini Murder House, home to a tragic murder/suicide in 1972.
As the teens are exploring, they're getting some great footage, when suddenly the alarm is tripped. Knowing the police will be on their way, the teens flee as fast as they can, but unfortunately only three make it out.
Jacob is found in the home, having been stabbed numerous times. Jacob is in rough shape, barely clinging to life and he is rushed to the hospital.
The other three, concerned with getting into trouble if the police know they were there, decide to lie to everyone and tell them that Jacob must have gone there by himself.
The story follows the three remaining teens as they investigate what happened that night, as well as if it could be connected to the crimes of the past. There's a lot of scrambling, lies and cover-ups, but feeling they have no choice, they plod on as best as they can.
I thought this was quite entertaining. I was hooked by the initial set-up and loved the Hollywood setting. That's not generally something I would gravitate towards, but I feel like Heard did it so well and brought some of the mystery of old Hollywood glamour to the page.
The characters are highly dramatic and they make terrible decisions, but actually, it was pretty believable. I know I made some dumbass choices as a high school Senior. Don't tell my parents...
Anyway, yeah. I got invested in this quickly. The mystery was fun. I wasn't sure who I could trust, including our main girl, Casey. I also really loved the overall is it supernatural, is it not supernatural vibe Heard brought to the page.
I also enjoyed the use of mixed media. It's not too heavy, but there were some newspaper articles, interviews, etc., that helped build up the intrigue and sense of reality.
The audiobook was fantastically narrated as well, and I would definitely recommend that format for anyone who has easy access to audiobooks. This story plays out quite well in that medium, helping to bring the characters to life.
I definitely would recommend this one to fans of YA Thrillers focusing on a tight-knit friend group and featuring local lore/mysteries. If you love those things, I don't think this one will let you down!
June 6, 2023
✰ 3.5 stars ✰
“A breeze swishes past me, raising my hair off my neck and sending a chill through my veins. Maybe ghosts are real.
I don’t buy it. Humans are worse than anything we dream up.”
Nothing like a good YA thriller to keep your heart pumping, and I'm happy to say that Wendy Heard delivered famously with We'll Never Tell. The allure of solving a old Hollywood murder mystery certainly sounds very appealing, but when the kids behind the podcast We'll Never Tell go to investigate the scene of the crime, things go horribly wrong, leaving one of them horribly injured. With no evidence as to who the culprit might be or the next intended victim, it's a precarious moment in their high school lives, as loyalties are tested, motives are questioned, horrors are revisited, and unsuspecting feelings arise that test the very foundation of their close-knit friendship.
“They’ve been caught up in the novelty of breaking into such a famous location and the romance of the murder itself: a crime of passion, of jealousy, of possession.
But in reality, there’s no romance in a crime of passion. There’s just the ending of a life, small and quiet, and the broken people who get left behind.”
I love how well it was able to balance the past Hollywood narratives against the present day thoughts and emotions of Jacob and Casey - and the magic of how the past and present scenes inadvertently connected with one another was also a treat to read. There was an undercurrent of sadness and intrigue in those chapters, which transported you back to the magical era of dazzle and glamor.
And then, it would be as if there was a drop in temperature, as we entered the minds of Casey, as she attempted to piece together evidence for what really happened to her friend, whilst also trying to understand a bit about herself. All the while, Jacob was also struggling to find some semblance of his own place in this world - in the eyes of the boy he cared about, and also, figuring out what his connection was to the house they had come to investigate.
The writing was very solid - no choppy wording, very understandable with clear-cut dialogue and very smooth transitions between the two alternating perspectives that offered very different and interesting distinctions to both of them. ✨ The bond the podcast friends shared was so very strong and intact, that even when they were doubting each other and facing challenges that they never expected to come between them, there was still the hint of camaraderie and understanding that made them easy to let go of their differences and find a way out of the mystery.
My one and only pet peeve whenever it comes to mystery thrillers that if the author isn't going to introduce enough characters, it's going to be very easy to narrow down the suspect. Hence, it was no surprise when the culprit was revealed, and in a predictable but exciting show-down, Wendy Heard nicely wrapped up all the loose threads to the past and present story-lines; which I also appreciated. 😊
“Since the moment we set foot on that property, I’ve wondered—is it possible to commit a crime so heinous that it leaves a spiritual mark on a place? If you tear the house down, does it wipe the slate clean? Or does that darkness live on in the ground, a scar reaching down to the core of the earth?”
This may have been a quick and easy-read, but it was a very entertaining one - one that benefited from a strong story, well-layered characters that actually had presence and essence to their personalities and an interesting premise of combining paranormal intrigue with an age-old unsolved mystery. I really enjoyed my time with this one and would be curious to check out more of the author's work in the future. 👍🏻💝
“A breeze swishes past me, raising my hair off my neck and sending a chill through my veins. Maybe ghosts are real.
I don’t buy it. Humans are worse than anything we dream up.”
Nothing like a good YA thriller to keep your heart pumping, and I'm happy to say that Wendy Heard delivered famously with We'll Never Tell. The allure of solving a old Hollywood murder mystery certainly sounds very appealing, but when the kids behind the podcast We'll Never Tell go to investigate the scene of the crime, things go horribly wrong, leaving one of them horribly injured. With no evidence as to who the culprit might be or the next intended victim, it's a precarious moment in their high school lives, as loyalties are tested, motives are questioned, horrors are revisited, and unsuspecting feelings arise that test the very foundation of their close-knit friendship.
“They’ve been caught up in the novelty of breaking into such a famous location and the romance of the murder itself: a crime of passion, of jealousy, of possession.
But in reality, there’s no romance in a crime of passion. There’s just the ending of a life, small and quiet, and the broken people who get left behind.”
I love how well it was able to balance the past Hollywood narratives against the present day thoughts and emotions of Jacob and Casey - and the magic of how the past and present scenes inadvertently connected with one another was also a treat to read. There was an undercurrent of sadness and intrigue in those chapters, which transported you back to the magical era of dazzle and glamor.
And then, it would be as if there was a drop in temperature, as we entered the minds of Casey, as she attempted to piece together evidence for what really happened to her friend, whilst also trying to understand a bit about herself. All the while, Jacob was also struggling to find some semblance of his own place in this world - in the eyes of the boy he cared about, and also, figuring out what his connection was to the house they had come to investigate.
The writing was very solid - no choppy wording, very understandable with clear-cut dialogue and very smooth transitions between the two alternating perspectives that offered very different and interesting distinctions to both of them. ✨ The bond the podcast friends shared was so very strong and intact, that even when they were doubting each other and facing challenges that they never expected to come between them, there was still the hint of camaraderie and understanding that made them easy to let go of their differences and find a way out of the mystery.
My one and only pet peeve whenever it comes to mystery thrillers that if the author isn't going to introduce enough characters, it's going to be very easy to narrow down the suspect. Hence, it was no surprise when the culprit was revealed, and in a predictable but exciting show-down, Wendy Heard nicely wrapped up all the loose threads to the past and present story-lines; which I also appreciated. 😊
“Since the moment we set foot on that property, I’ve wondered—is it possible to commit a crime so heinous that it leaves a spiritual mark on a place? If you tear the house down, does it wipe the slate clean? Or does that darkness live on in the ground, a scar reaching down to the core of the earth?”
This may have been a quick and easy-read, but it was a very entertaining one - one that benefited from a strong story, well-layered characters that actually had presence and essence to their personalities and an interesting premise of combining paranormal intrigue with an age-old unsolved mystery. I really enjoyed my time with this one and would be curious to check out more of the author's work in the future. 👍🏻💝
June 5, 2023
It's YA, so of course "old Hollywood" is used to describe a murdered starlet who was working in the early 1970s. Seriously, one stiff breeze and my old bones will blow to dust. Ahem, anyway - I loved the world-building and the setting of this story, part shiny glitz but mostly dark underbelly. I also thought the author captured the realities of living in LA well (some of the characters are wealthy, some of them most definitely are not).
I also thought the author captured the heightened emotions of her teenage characters well (Lord, I do not miss those days - when everything is such a big deal, full of Drama Llama and hormones running amok) and the mystery here is solid.
The ending got a bit precious for me in the end and the ending drags out a bit - but a solid read all around.
I also thought the author captured the heightened emotions of her teenage characters well (Lord, I do not miss those days - when everything is such a big deal, full of Drama Llama and hormones running amok) and the mystery here is solid.
The ending got a bit precious for me in the end and the ending drags out a bit - but a solid read all around.
June 28, 2024
This had such an interesting concept. Four teenagers with a viral YouTube channel exploring abandoned places, a murder mystery surrounding Hollywood stars from the 1970’s, and a potential serial killer on the loose. I was honestly expecting this to be at least a four star rating, if not at least bumped up to three and a half, but it was just very “meh”.
We follow the story with four high school seniors who run an anonymous YouTube channel with content of them trespassing onto LA’s intriguing locales. On the verge of their senior year and graduation just around the corner, they decide to end their YouTube career with one more video going out with a bang. Their last video will feature the infamous Valentini house, also known as the “murder house”. The house has been left abandoned since the murder/suicide that occurred in 1972 between famous actress and her husband.
During their trip to the murder house, they’re able to capture some footage before an alarm is tripped and it’s a rush to leave before the police show up. Unfortunately, only three of them make it out. Jacob is found at the scene, having been stabbed and in critical condition. The others fear with getting into trouble and risking their future careers if the police knew that they were there with Jacob (an concerned that they may be prime suspects into their friend’s stabbing). So they decide to lie to the police and claim that Jacob must have ventured to the house all by himself.
Because none of them could have obviously done this to Jacob. Right?
For this book to be split between multiple points of view, we only get to hear from two out of four of the main characters. We don’t even hear from Jacob as much as we do Casey, and what we do hear from him is moments before or leading up to the incident.
I know that this is an opinion of my own, but while reading I had to remind myself that these characters were eighteen or soon to be eighteen-year-olds in their senior year of high school and going off to college soon. These teenagers seemed to be a lot younger than they were. And I don’t mean that they were immature, even though there were times that they were, because they ARE teenagers. I don’t know if it was due to the lack of talking about colleges or graduating or high school scenes in general, but my brain kept forgetting that they were soon to be college students.
We’ll Never Tell had a lot of telling instead of showing. It’s described to us many times that the characters are residents of Hollywood, California, but we never actually get to see Hollywood. I was expecting at least some references or even a short description of a celebrity, aside from the ones from the 1970’s, or even a movie in the process of being filmed but there was none of that. I know that wasn’t the main premise of the story-line, but come on, it’s freaking Hollywood!
⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆
• 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 •
✰ 3 ✰ Average read. The story/characters were nice, but I’ll most likely forget about it in a month.
━━━━━━━━━━☽✰☾━━━━━━━━━━
We follow the story with four high school seniors who run an anonymous YouTube channel with content of them trespassing onto LA’s intriguing locales. On the verge of their senior year and graduation just around the corner, they decide to end their YouTube career with one more video going out with a bang. Their last video will feature the infamous Valentini house, also known as the “murder house”. The house has been left abandoned since the murder/suicide that occurred in 1972 between famous actress and her husband.
During their trip to the murder house, they’re able to capture some footage before an alarm is tripped and it’s a rush to leave before the police show up. Unfortunately, only three of them make it out. Jacob is found at the scene, having been stabbed and in critical condition. The others fear with getting into trouble and risking their future careers if the police knew that they were there with Jacob (an concerned that they may be prime suspects into their friend’s stabbing). So they decide to lie to the police and claim that Jacob must have ventured to the house all by himself.
Because none of them could have obviously done this to Jacob. Right?
For this book to be split between multiple points of view, we only get to hear from two out of four of the main characters. We don’t even hear from Jacob as much as we do Casey, and what we do hear from him is moments before or leading up to the incident.
I know that this is an opinion of my own, but while reading I had to remind myself that these characters were eighteen or soon to be eighteen-year-olds in their senior year of high school and going off to college soon. These teenagers seemed to be a lot younger than they were. And I don’t mean that they were immature, even though there were times that they were, because they ARE teenagers. I don’t know if it was due to the lack of talking about colleges or graduating or high school scenes in general, but my brain kept forgetting that they were soon to be college students.
We’ll Never Tell had a lot of telling instead of showing. It’s described to us many times that the characters are residents of Hollywood, California, but we never actually get to see Hollywood. I was expecting at least some references or even a short description of a celebrity, aside from the ones from the 1970’s, or even a movie in the process of being filmed but there was none of that. I know that wasn’t the main premise of the story-line, but come on, it’s freaking Hollywood!
⋆⁺₊⋆⁺₊⋆
• 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐢 𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐬 •
✰ 3 ✰ Average read. The story/characters were nice, but I’ll most likely forget about it in a month.
━━━━━━━━━━☽✰☾━━━━━━━━━━
July 26, 2023
3.8 stars
“How many tears can one place contain?”
What an enjoyable surprise!
From time to time, I open my library app and scroll down the book list, randomly picking one. I don’t check its Goodreads ratings, don’t read reviews, don’t research the author.
I just dive in.
And, oh, how happy I am this lottery game led me to this book!
It was a bingeable read—characters were interesting and the story was perfectly spooky.
I did figure out the “bad guy”, but I couldn’t guess their motive, so I’d say the mystery part was well-executed.
“How many tears can one place contain?”
What an enjoyable surprise!
From time to time, I open my library app and scroll down the book list, randomly picking one. I don’t check its Goodreads ratings, don’t read reviews, don’t research the author.
I just dive in.
And, oh, how happy I am this lottery game led me to this book!
It was a bingeable read—characters were interesting and the story was perfectly spooky.
I did figure out the “bad guy”, but I couldn’t guess their motive, so I’d say the mystery part was well-executed.
June 13, 2023
What the actual fuck. Heard’s books are always impossible to put down, but, oh my god, this one was glued to my hands. We’ll Never Tell is a masterpiece, and if you don’t have it on your tbr, I don’t know what you’re doing with your life.
August 7, 2023
3.5⭐️
July 19, 2023
When I was researching the Valentinis, I listened to a true crime podcast that unpacked the original crime. The host lives in LA, and when she described the house she said, “I’m not one for vibes and auras—that’s the opposite of evidence—but this house has seriously dark energy.”
Casey and her three best friends -- Zoe, Eddie, and Jacob -- anonymously run the urban exploration channel WE'LL NEVER TELL where the four of them film themselves exploring the creepiest abandoned places in the LA area. When they decide to explore the infamous murder house, scene of a 1970 Hollywood murder suicide, things take a dark twist on their channel that none of the three of them could have expected.
This book was a ton of fun to read, maybe partially because I believe that the house they explored seemed like it was loosely inspired by a real life Los Angeles murder mansion that was kept entirely in-tact for decades, a historic site that I used to be fascinated by and was sad to learn was sold, cleaned up, and eventually demolished. Sad.
Although I expected more of the book to be focused on their YouTube channel, I wasn't really disappointed by the fact that it wasn't much of a feature of the book. The book started with them going into the house to explore, but tragedy struck during their filming night and things were immediately set into action as the group tries to avoid trouble and figure out what happened in the house that night. It wasn't what I expected, but in a good way.
I liked that there was really casual LGBT representation -- both the main character and two of her friends are queer -- but I did feel like the romantic storyline between Jacob and Eddie was kind of out of place and the drama surrounding it was put in in a very disjointed way that did nothing for the rest of the story. I kept expecting it to be part of the largery mystery, but it never really was, minus a few red herrings.
A lot of the twists in this story were predictable or convenient, but they were written in a way that was still a lot of fun to read even though I definitely saw some of it coming or felt like it was way too convenient. My main complaint was that some of the red herrings were introduced, then resolved way too quickly and they did not add much twist to the mystery of what happened. I liked that Casey had a personal connection to another unsolved murder, so she had conflicting feelings toward true crime, but I felt like the fact that she felt conflicted about the murder house and the mystery surrounding it came and went and weren't very consistent.
July 9, 2023
It was such an amazingly written book with great characters and lots of action and suspense. The mystery was a very good one, so good that I couldn’t figure it out!!! Five stars.
May 17, 2023
"About a group of teens who stumble into a vintage Hollywood murder mystery. One of them is stabbed at the scene of a homicide from the 1970s, leaving the others to solve crimes old and new… or die trying."
ARC'D! God please let this be as good as Dead End Girls 🙏
Merged review:
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: knife violence, murder by spouse, referenced dead mother, strangulation, drugging, suicide (hanging), fire/arson
4
This was fun, as you'd expect a paranormal-adjacent mystery gang to be. I seem to be comparing a lot of things to Scooby Doo lately, but, well, if the Scooby Snack fits...
I really enjoyed the Hollywood murder aspect of this, with all the articles and notes, and I also loved the concept of the "urban exploring" channel. You get a lot of the aesthetic directly from those things, and they really carry the plot.
While I didn't always love the way the POV changes were included, I did think the friend group drama unexpectedly helped the story. It added tension by way of unreliable narration. I also jut enjoy a messy friend group, and while this one isn't too bad, it crosses just enough lines to be compelling.
Personally, my favorite thing probably came from the meticulous planning. The inclusion of the steps and precise carefulness really brought me along on the trip. It also made the stakes tower above you, and kept the tension gripping you the whole time. I felt like I was going to get caught right with them.
The downsides for me were mainly that the side plots- mostly brought about with the extra POVs, though also the unsolved murder- felt thing, and that it was pretty easy to guess the villain. This isn't a layered, dense mystery, so it doesn't feel like a grand puzzle or one you can sink into. But not all stories have to be that.
If you like investigative teens, girls solving crimes to save their own skin, and the possible haunting energy of a good Scooby Doo mystery (but with blood), definitely give this a try!
ARC'D! God please let this be as good as Dead End Girls 🙏
Merged review:
I received an ARC from Edelweiss
TW: knife violence, murder by spouse, referenced dead mother, strangulation, drugging, suicide (hanging), fire/arson
4
This was fun, as you'd expect a paranormal-adjacent mystery gang to be. I seem to be comparing a lot of things to Scooby Doo lately, but, well, if the Scooby Snack fits...
I really enjoyed the Hollywood murder aspect of this, with all the articles and notes, and I also loved the concept of the "urban exploring" channel. You get a lot of the aesthetic directly from those things, and they really carry the plot.
While I didn't always love the way the POV changes were included, I did think the friend group drama unexpectedly helped the story. It added tension by way of unreliable narration. I also jut enjoy a messy friend group, and while this one isn't too bad, it crosses just enough lines to be compelling.
Personally, my favorite thing probably came from the meticulous planning. The inclusion of the steps and precise carefulness really brought me along on the trip. It also made the stakes tower above you, and kept the tension gripping you the whole time. I felt like I was going to get caught right with them.
The downsides for me were mainly that the side plots- mostly brought about with the extra POVs, though also the unsolved murder- felt thing, and that it was pretty easy to guess the villain. This isn't a layered, dense mystery, so it doesn't feel like a grand puzzle or one you can sink into. But not all stories have to be that.
If you like investigative teens, girls solving crimes to save their own skin, and the possible haunting energy of a good Scooby Doo mystery (but with blood), definitely give this a try!
June 5, 2023
This book was actually surprisingly good. The main character was actually pretty smart and the book left some ambiguity at the end which was really good but the book still had closure. I was able to guess one of the major plot points though pretty easily
June 7, 2023
Well this was an interesting, spooky YA thriller. It had some twists that I did not see coming and it had queer characters that I was not aware of before going into it, what a nice surprise 💚
January 13, 2024
The minute I read the premise for this book I knew I had to read it immediately.
This reminded me of Urbex Predator in a way that is only because they are both about what can go wrong when Urban Exploring. As someone who used to do it when I was younger, I know it can be great fun but guys, please don’t do it 😭
Casey was such a fantastic main protagonist. She was three-dimensional and I thought she brought so much to the story. She was also the only character that I knew I could trust from the very beginning. Everything about her screamed believable and likeable to me. I would’ve loved for her to have gotten closure with what happened with her mum though!
I’ll be honest that for once, I didn’t see the ending coming until last minute before it actually happened. It was executed perfectly and tied altogether when everything was revealed.
I personally would love to revisit these characters again in a new book especially since they expressed their want to travel together at the end of the book.
This reminded me of Urbex Predator in a way that is only because they are both about what can go wrong when Urban Exploring. As someone who used to do it when I was younger, I know it can be great fun but guys, please don’t do it 😭
Casey was such a fantastic main protagonist. She was three-dimensional and I thought she brought so much to the story. She was also the only character that I knew I could trust from the very beginning. Everything about her screamed believable and likeable to me. I would’ve loved for her to have gotten closure with what happened with her mum though!
I’ll be honest that for once, I didn’t see the ending coming until last minute before it actually happened. It was executed perfectly and tied altogether when everything was revealed.
I personally would love to revisit these characters again in a new book especially since they expressed their want to travel together at the end of the book.
May 30, 2023
I thoroughly enjoyed this murder mystery! More to come.
June 5, 2023
When a group of four teenage friends decide to break into an abandoned haunted property where a movie star was murdered, things don’t ever go as expected.
Even though I’m not a huge fan of ya, I love all things haunted especially houses!
This was a super fast popcorn ya thriller read I would recommend.
Even though I’m not a huge fan of ya, I love all things haunted especially houses!
This was a super fast popcorn ya thriller read I would recommend.
April 27, 2023
A few years ago, I read my first book by Wendy Heard and was hooked (She's Too Pretty to Burn, highly recommend). I now will read anything she writes. When I saw We'll Never Tell was available on Netgalley, you better believe I 1-clicked that request button so fast. YA thrillers mystery are my jam and Ms Heard always creates creative stories with characters that I can't help but like and she has LGBTQ representation this is always well done and flows easily into the story.
We'll Never Tell is the story of 4 teenagers looking to break into a famous "murder house" in Hollywood that has some major history. These teens have a YouTube channel where they break into some of the most popular spots of the area, investigate and film to produce for their shows. They decide to end their senior year on the biggest story of all. The Valentini murder house that has gone unchanged since 1972. While these 4 friends are in the house capturing as much as they can separately on film, Casey and Zoe hear a noise, but can't connect with Jacob and Eddie and then the alarm is tripped and they have to get out of there before they are caught. Unfortunately one of them is injured and this is where all their decision making goes awry and makes for one heck of a YA thriller.
As Wendy Heard says in her acknowledgments, this story is inspired by the Los Feliz Murder House which as a Washingtonian, I wasn't too familiar with. I have done a little search now and am even more intrigued. But the fact that this story has 4 characters that all work together seamlessly to uncover cursed locations was appealing and had me glued to the pages from the beginning. I love a mystery and the way the characters all played off one another made this story more enjoyable. I liked how Ms Heard wove the history of the Valentini House and the occupants of the past with the present to work our way up to how everything connected with all the characters. When more characters are introduced, it was in a way that made sense and built onto the mystery. With the shorter chapters and something exciting happening in each one, this made for an easy to read book that I couldn't get enough of.
If you like thrillers, this is a must read. The fact that it is YA makes it even better in my opinion. The setting in LA was perfection and I loved the history we were given of the murder house. Casey, Zoe, Eddie and Jacob's friendship in the midst of tragedy combined with the mystery played out very well, but it was a relationship between 2 characters that pulled at my heartstrings. Let's just say that Wendy Heard knows how to include a little bit of a love story while also giving us a pulse pounding mystery. Definitely put this one on your TBR!!
We'll Never Tell is the story of 4 teenagers looking to break into a famous "murder house" in Hollywood that has some major history. These teens have a YouTube channel where they break into some of the most popular spots of the area, investigate and film to produce for their shows. They decide to end their senior year on the biggest story of all. The Valentini murder house that has gone unchanged since 1972. While these 4 friends are in the house capturing as much as they can separately on film, Casey and Zoe hear a noise, but can't connect with Jacob and Eddie and then the alarm is tripped and they have to get out of there before they are caught. Unfortunately one of them is injured and this is where all their decision making goes awry and makes for one heck of a YA thriller.
As Wendy Heard says in her acknowledgments, this story is inspired by the Los Feliz Murder House which as a Washingtonian, I wasn't too familiar with. I have done a little search now and am even more intrigued. But the fact that this story has 4 characters that all work together seamlessly to uncover cursed locations was appealing and had me glued to the pages from the beginning. I love a mystery and the way the characters all played off one another made this story more enjoyable. I liked how Ms Heard wove the history of the Valentini House and the occupants of the past with the present to work our way up to how everything connected with all the characters. When more characters are introduced, it was in a way that made sense and built onto the mystery. With the shorter chapters and something exciting happening in each one, this made for an easy to read book that I couldn't get enough of.
If you like thrillers, this is a must read. The fact that it is YA makes it even better in my opinion. The setting in LA was perfection and I loved the history we were given of the murder house. Casey, Zoe, Eddie and Jacob's friendship in the midst of tragedy combined with the mystery played out very well, but it was a relationship between 2 characters that pulled at my heartstrings. Let's just say that Wendy Heard knows how to include a little bit of a love story while also giving us a pulse pounding mystery. Definitely put this one on your TBR!!
May 28, 2023
bookstagram tour post is up here :)
October 20, 2023
Decades ago, a double murder shook Hollywood. It was never solved, but Casey and her friends think they've scored a coup for their YouTube channel—they'll break into the mansion in which it happened, do some filming, leave; it'll send their channel out with a bang before they split ways for college.
Things...do not go to plan.
I love a good abandoned-mansion book—I'm still waiting for a cozy series in which the heroine inherits a crumbling, rambling mansion or castle and spends a good ten books exploring its nooks and crannies (plus of course solves some mysteries on the side). Never mind cottage core; I want some castle core! Unfortunately We'll Never Tell doesn't quite do it for me in that regard. The group's break-in comes early on in the book, and after things go down there's very little more time spent on the premises, thus dashing my (unfounded) hopes and dreams. I can't hold the book accountable, but...it would have been nice.
Casey is not always the brightest bulb in the box—she's quick to trust—but she has reasons to be invested in, and also to be wary of, this particular case. I didn't need the infighting (I think in this case it would have been more alarming, and more interesting, if they'd been solidly banding together and afraid that something external was out to get them), and I won't be returning to the book, but it was a quick and fun read.
Things...do not go to plan.
I love a good abandoned-mansion book—I'm still waiting for a cozy series in which the heroine inherits a crumbling, rambling mansion or castle and spends a good ten books exploring its nooks and crannies (plus of course solves some mysteries on the side). Never mind cottage core; I want some castle core! Unfortunately We'll Never Tell doesn't quite do it for me in that regard. The group's break-in comes early on in the book, and after things go down there's very little more time spent on the premises, thus dashing my (unfounded) hopes and dreams. I can't hold the book accountable, but...it would have been nice.
Casey is not always the brightest bulb in the box—she's quick to trust—but she has reasons to be invested in, and also to be wary of, this particular case. I didn't need the infighting (I think in this case it would have been more alarming, and more interesting, if they'd been solidly banding together and afraid that something external was out to get them), and I won't be returning to the book, but it was a quick and fun read.
May 22, 2023
WE’LL NEVER TELL combines 2 things that I absolutely love — murder mysteries and spooky places. The story revolves around 4 teens who anonymously run a YouTube show aptly named We’ll Never Tell, where they tour various places where crimes and other spooky things have occurred. Their latest venture takes them to a place known locally as Murder House, the site where a young couple was murdered several decades ago. Things don’t exactly go as planned when they encounter something they certainly weren’t prepared for.
An exciting mystery with plenty of twists and turns, this book had me guessing until the very end. I’m a huge fan of true crime and I loved that this story was based on true crime, albeit fictional true crime. Untrue true crime. Or at least true to the folks of this fictional version of Hollywood. I also really loved the touches of supernatural that were thrown in, they really made the story a bit more chilling and certainly more fun.
All told, a fun and fast-paced page turner from start to finish. This is my first book by Wendy Heard, but it most certainly won’t be my last. 4 stars.
An exciting mystery with plenty of twists and turns, this book had me guessing until the very end. I’m a huge fan of true crime and I loved that this story was based on true crime, albeit fictional true crime. Untrue true crime. Or at least true to the folks of this fictional version of Hollywood. I also really loved the touches of supernatural that were thrown in, they really made the story a bit more chilling and certainly more fun.
All told, a fun and fast-paced page turner from start to finish. This is my first book by Wendy Heard, but it most certainly won’t be my last. 4 stars.
August 1, 2023
We'll NEVER TELL
Wendy Heard
I haven't read anything by this author before, but this was fairly solid as YA goes. It was one of the more equally balanced books I have read, the Lgbt aspects were present but not overdone. I liked the plot and the group of characters was well done.
Four teens work together to enter and report on unusual places on their podcast. But when things go wrong at one location, one ends up in the hospital, one is brokenhearted and two are suspicious of everyone. The investigation into what really happened is the whole book.
3.8 stars
Happy Reading!
Wendy Heard
I haven't read anything by this author before, but this was fairly solid as YA goes. It was one of the more equally balanced books I have read, the Lgbt aspects were present but not overdone. I liked the plot and the group of characters was well done.
Four teens work together to enter and report on unusual places on their podcast. But when things go wrong at one location, one ends up in the hospital, one is brokenhearted and two are suspicious of everyone. The investigation into what really happened is the whole book.
3.8 stars
Happy Reading!
Read
November 23, 2023
Trigger & Content Warnings
Suicide by hanging
Drugging
Hospitalisation
Coma
Death of a mother mentioned
Murder
Knife violence
Strangulation
Fire (arson)
Suicide by hanging
Drugging
Hospitalisation
Coma
Death of a mother mentioned
Murder
Knife violence
Strangulation
Fire (arson)
May 27, 2023
Between a 3.75 and 4 Star Rating.
Sleep has been acquired so I am ready to review now. First and foremost. The only reason this is not a full five stars is maybe one of the most narcissistic reasons in the history of reasons to take away stars. I am fully self aware of this. I had theories. I liked mine better. No, I'm not salty that I didn't correctly guess. That isn't it whatsoever. I just really believe if it had went the way I had theorized then it would have been an even better story. And I can't be certain that it isn't because I had one idea and when it wasn't correct the ending became a little jarring TO ME. I emphasize the "TO ME" part because this is not an ending out of left field or abrupt. It makes total and complete sense and I appreciate that and if I had just read this without putting too much thought into it then it would have really flowed perfectly. This is just my unique reading experience. I want people to read this book! I thought it was fantastic! Reading the synopsis months ago, I have kept my eye on this consistently. But as YA Thrillers go, pub date comes along and reviews start rolling in and those stars start drying up real quick. I checked on this early an often after the pub dated and the high rating was holding strong so I ordered my copy and something that use to be out of character for me but that seems to be trending this year, I had to dive in immediately. I am talking Gary (yes, me and my UPS man are on first name basis, he has my number and I have his and he will bring my books in while I am getting a hair cut or picked up items in a Dollar Tree. 😂 I live in a small town and make no mistake, the man is happily married so don't go getting ideas. Think of him as my supplier for an addiction.) put the book in my hands, I ripped into it after crossing my bedroom threshold and got to it.
This book is following 4 best friends. Casey, Zoe, Eddie, and Jacob. Their senior year is coming to a close and the 4 of them have secrets. They're all heading in their own directions after graduation but they want one more secret before they go. Playing into current trends, they have a YouTube channel where they break into places you shouldn't be at night give the world a look at something different. They aren't delinquents so it's not like they're hurting anyone or destroying anything. They still take care to keep total anonymity because these kids have futures on this line. I won't go into each specific character because the author does an amazing job of letting you get to know each of them. For their last episode, they have agrees to an infamous murder house in town. LA to be exact, where they're all from. Back in the 70s an up and coming actress was found dead in her home along with her husband's body and he was also in the entertainment industry. There's an official story but the case has never been officially closed either. So our Scooby gang (the cover gives Scooby to me) go in and things do no go as planned. One of them is attacked. I am not telling you anything that you won't find out pretty quickly after starting this because bless the author, there's no waiting around for things to get good.
So that's it. In the world of abundant YA Thrillers, I think this one stands out. I will be looking for future publications from this author and I would read more in this world or something adjacent to it. If you're looking for something to hook you fast and keep your attention while also giving you a quick and satisfying read then I suggest this one.
Merged review:
Between a 3.75 and 4 Star Rating. Sleep has been acquired so I am ready to review now. First and foremost. The only reason this is not a full five stars is maybe one of the most narcissistic reasons in the history of reasons to take away stars. I am fully self aware of this. I had theories. I liked mine better. No, I'm not salty that I didn't correctly guess. That isn't it whatsoever. I just really believe if it had went the way I had theorized then it would have been an even better story. And I can't be certain that it isn't because I had one idea and when it wasn't correct the ending became a little jarring TO ME. I emphasize the "TO ME" part because this is not an ending out of left field or abrupt. It makes total and complete sense and I appreciate that and if I had just read this without putting too much thought into it then it would have really flowed perfectly. This is just my unique reading experience. I want people to read this book! I thought it was fantastic! Reading the synopsis months ago, I have kept my eye on this consistently. But as YA Thrillers go, pub date comes along and reviews start rolling in and those stars start drying up real quick. I checked on this early an often after the pub dated and the high rating was holding strong so I ordered my copy and something that use to be out of character for me but that seems to be trending this year, I had to dive in immediately. I am talking Gary (yes, me and my UPS man are on first name basis, he has my number and I have his and he will bring my books in while I am getting a hair cut or picked up items in a Dollar Tree. 😂 I live in a small town and make no mistake, the man is happily married so don't go getting ideas. Think of him as my supplier for an addiction.) put the book in my hands, I ripped into it after crossing my bedroom threshold and got to it.
This book is following 4 best friends. Casey, Zoe, Eddie, and Jacob. Their senior year is coming to a close and the 4 of them have secrets. They're all heading in their own directions after graduation but they want one more secret before they go. Playing into current trends, they have a YouTube channel where they break into places you shouldn't be at night give the world a look at something different. They aren't delinquents so it's not like they're hurting anyone or destroying anything. They still take care to keep total anonymity because these kids have futures on this line. I won't go into each specific character because the author does an amazing job of letting you get to know each of them. For their last episode, they have agrees to an infamous murder house in town. LA to be exact, where they're all from. Back in the 70s an up and coming actress was found dead in her home along with her husband's body and he was also in the entertainment industry. There's an official story but the case has never been officially closed either. So our Scooby gang (the cover gives Scooby to me) go in and things do no go as planned. One of them is attacked. I am not telling you anything that you won't find out pretty quickly after starting this because bless the author, there's no waiting around for things to get good.
So that's it. In the world of abundant YA Thrillers, I think this one stands out. I will be looking for future publications from this author and I would read more in this world or something adjacent to it. If you're looking for something to hook you fast and keep your attention while also giving you a quick and satisfying read then I suggest this one.
Sleep has been acquired so I am ready to review now. First and foremost. The only reason this is not a full five stars is maybe one of the most narcissistic reasons in the history of reasons to take away stars. I am fully self aware of this. I had theories. I liked mine better. No, I'm not salty that I didn't correctly guess. That isn't it whatsoever. I just really believe if it had went the way I had theorized then it would have been an even better story. And I can't be certain that it isn't because I had one idea and when it wasn't correct the ending became a little jarring TO ME. I emphasize the "TO ME" part because this is not an ending out of left field or abrupt. It makes total and complete sense and I appreciate that and if I had just read this without putting too much thought into it then it would have really flowed perfectly. This is just my unique reading experience. I want people to read this book! I thought it was fantastic! Reading the synopsis months ago, I have kept my eye on this consistently. But as YA Thrillers go, pub date comes along and reviews start rolling in and those stars start drying up real quick. I checked on this early an often after the pub dated and the high rating was holding strong so I ordered my copy and something that use to be out of character for me but that seems to be trending this year, I had to dive in immediately. I am talking Gary (yes, me and my UPS man are on first name basis, he has my number and I have his and he will bring my books in while I am getting a hair cut or picked up items in a Dollar Tree. 😂 I live in a small town and make no mistake, the man is happily married so don't go getting ideas. Think of him as my supplier for an addiction.) put the book in my hands, I ripped into it after crossing my bedroom threshold and got to it.
This book is following 4 best friends. Casey, Zoe, Eddie, and Jacob. Their senior year is coming to a close and the 4 of them have secrets. They're all heading in their own directions after graduation but they want one more secret before they go. Playing into current trends, they have a YouTube channel where they break into places you shouldn't be at night give the world a look at something different. They aren't delinquents so it's not like they're hurting anyone or destroying anything. They still take care to keep total anonymity because these kids have futures on this line. I won't go into each specific character because the author does an amazing job of letting you get to know each of them. For their last episode, they have agrees to an infamous murder house in town. LA to be exact, where they're all from. Back in the 70s an up and coming actress was found dead in her home along with her husband's body and he was also in the entertainment industry. There's an official story but the case has never been officially closed either. So our Scooby gang (the cover gives Scooby to me) go in and things do no go as planned. One of them is attacked. I am not telling you anything that you won't find out pretty quickly after starting this because bless the author, there's no waiting around for things to get good.
So that's it. In the world of abundant YA Thrillers, I think this one stands out. I will be looking for future publications from this author and I would read more in this world or something adjacent to it. If you're looking for something to hook you fast and keep your attention while also giving you a quick and satisfying read then I suggest this one.
Merged review:
Between a 3.75 and 4 Star Rating. Sleep has been acquired so I am ready to review now. First and foremost. The only reason this is not a full five stars is maybe one of the most narcissistic reasons in the history of reasons to take away stars. I am fully self aware of this. I had theories. I liked mine better. No, I'm not salty that I didn't correctly guess. That isn't it whatsoever. I just really believe if it had went the way I had theorized then it would have been an even better story. And I can't be certain that it isn't because I had one idea and when it wasn't correct the ending became a little jarring TO ME. I emphasize the "TO ME" part because this is not an ending out of left field or abrupt. It makes total and complete sense and I appreciate that and if I had just read this without putting too much thought into it then it would have really flowed perfectly. This is just my unique reading experience. I want people to read this book! I thought it was fantastic! Reading the synopsis months ago, I have kept my eye on this consistently. But as YA Thrillers go, pub date comes along and reviews start rolling in and those stars start drying up real quick. I checked on this early an often after the pub dated and the high rating was holding strong so I ordered my copy and something that use to be out of character for me but that seems to be trending this year, I had to dive in immediately. I am talking Gary (yes, me and my UPS man are on first name basis, he has my number and I have his and he will bring my books in while I am getting a hair cut or picked up items in a Dollar Tree. 😂 I live in a small town and make no mistake, the man is happily married so don't go getting ideas. Think of him as my supplier for an addiction.) put the book in my hands, I ripped into it after crossing my bedroom threshold and got to it.
This book is following 4 best friends. Casey, Zoe, Eddie, and Jacob. Their senior year is coming to a close and the 4 of them have secrets. They're all heading in their own directions after graduation but they want one more secret before they go. Playing into current trends, they have a YouTube channel where they break into places you shouldn't be at night give the world a look at something different. They aren't delinquents so it's not like they're hurting anyone or destroying anything. They still take care to keep total anonymity because these kids have futures on this line. I won't go into each specific character because the author does an amazing job of letting you get to know each of them. For their last episode, they have agrees to an infamous murder house in town. LA to be exact, where they're all from. Back in the 70s an up and coming actress was found dead in her home along with her husband's body and he was also in the entertainment industry. There's an official story but the case has never been officially closed either. So our Scooby gang (the cover gives Scooby to me) go in and things do no go as planned. One of them is attacked. I am not telling you anything that you won't find out pretty quickly after starting this because bless the author, there's no waiting around for things to get good.
So that's it. In the world of abundant YA Thrillers, I think this one stands out. I will be looking for future publications from this author and I would read more in this world or something adjacent to it. If you're looking for something to hook you fast and keep your attention while also giving you a quick and satisfying read then I suggest this one.
June 26, 2023
What happens when 4 friends sneak into the Murder House to film for their YouTube channel? They become a part of their own mystery.
This book has somewhat of a classic premise, but with more unique characters. All of the kids had their own unique thing going on, but were good friends.
I liked that parallels were drawn with the original victim in the house. Snippets were given along the way to bring those details out more. I definitely could see a sequel in this band of friends sneaking into somewhere new (maybe a bit more legal next time) to film again. Hollywood has a lot of creepy mysteries.
Thank you to Little Brown Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
This book has somewhat of a classic premise, but with more unique characters. All of the kids had their own unique thing going on, but were good friends.
I liked that parallels were drawn with the original victim in the house. Snippets were given along the way to bring those details out more. I definitely could see a sequel in this band of friends sneaking into somewhere new (maybe a bit more legal next time) to film again. Hollywood has a lot of creepy mysteries.
Thank you to Little Brown Books and Netgalley for providing me a copy of this ARC for my honest review.
May 20, 2023
Wendy heard is an expert at her craft. She drops you into an era and a location, usually if not always Los Angeles, and she makes you feel like you're a kid again in that time in that place. She introduces the first act's initial dilemma with nothing less than mastery. I felt like I was with these teenagers in this murder house filming In the dark wearing a ski mask. And when all went wrong I was right there with those kids, heart pounding, pulse racing, breath shallow. This was an incredible mystery with a great ending and compelling characters to keep me reading. Thank you to the publisher and the author and Netgalley for the advanced copy.
June 13, 2023
A great read, I finished it in less then a day. Definitely an original story line and I was hooked from the very beginning. Wendy Heard's books are fantastic, if you haven't read any yet.. here's the sign you were waiting for to begin now! Even though it's technically considered a "teen book", it had almost an adult aesthetic to it so can definitely be read by anyone, not just teens. The ending was somewhat predictable, but the storyline along the way was definitely one hell of a journey!
March 21, 2025
I knew that whatever book I read right after Sunrise on the Reaping would be a letdown, but this was next level. I couldn’t get behind any part of it. The watered-down “paranormal” attempt was really cringey and I saw the ending coming from a mile away.
October 19, 2023
Casey, Zoe, Jacob and Eddie have a secret: they are the four teenagers behind a famous YouTube channel called "We'll Never Tell". For a while, they have been sneaking inside places at night, recording it and posting them. For their great finale -after school they will part ways, so it is logical to end the series- they decide to get into the Valentini Mansion, a place where a heinous crime was committed in the 70's.
The night they decide to get into the house, four get in, but only three get out. What happened? Is one of them responsible for the attack?
The night they decide to get into the house, four get in, but only three get out. What happened? Is one of them responsible for the attack?
May 2, 2023
Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an eARC of this novel!
I had really high expectations for this book given that I really loved SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN, Wendy Heard's previous YA thriller novel. I loved the aesthetic, I loved the tone, I loved the way that it burned slowly and then very bright. So when I saw that she had a new YA thriller called WE'LL NEVER TELL coming out I was very excited and very ready for it, and while some aspects of it worked for me, other aspects weren't as strong. THe strong things were pretty dang strong. I really liked the L.A. setting and the feel that we had for the city. I think that Heard really knows how to capture the atmosphere of L.A. with both the glamorous aspects of the history of the city and culture, but also the darker and seedier aspects. I also really loved that the Valentini Murder House is so clearly inspired by the Los Feliz Murder Mansion, a notorious bit of Los Angeles lore that still intrigues people to this day. And I LOVED the epistolary parts of this book that gave us clues to the Valentini murder as well as some of the fallout. I just adore well done found footage/material devices in thrillers, and this one was great for that. That said, I had a very hard time connecting with our protagonist Casey, as she had a lot of aspects to her character that felt more like tragic background trying to make up for character development. I just didn't find her as interesting as I wanted her to be. And the mystery about what happened to Jason and what was going on with the Valentini house wasn't very hard to figure out, and while I'm usually fine with easy to guess solutions in my thrillers, that is usually only if the characters are awesome or the journey is enjoyable on its own, and neither of those things really quite got to the levels needed.
I'm definitely going to read more books by Wendy Heard as time goes on, I just didn't connect to this one as much as I had hoped.
I had really high expectations for this book given that I really loved SHE'S TOO PRETTY TO BURN, Wendy Heard's previous YA thriller novel. I loved the aesthetic, I loved the tone, I loved the way that it burned slowly and then very bright. So when I saw that she had a new YA thriller called WE'LL NEVER TELL coming out I was very excited and very ready for it, and while some aspects of it worked for me, other aspects weren't as strong. THe strong things were pretty dang strong. I really liked the L.A. setting and the feel that we had for the city. I think that Heard really knows how to capture the atmosphere of L.A. with both the glamorous aspects of the history of the city and culture, but also the darker and seedier aspects. I also really loved that the Valentini Murder House is so clearly inspired by the Los Feliz Murder Mansion, a notorious bit of Los Angeles lore that still intrigues people to this day. And I LOVED the epistolary parts of this book that gave us clues to the Valentini murder as well as some of the fallout. I just adore well done found footage/material devices in thrillers, and this one was great for that. That said, I had a very hard time connecting with our protagonist Casey, as she had a lot of aspects to her character that felt more like tragic background trying to make up for character development. I just didn't find her as interesting as I wanted her to be. And the mystery about what happened to Jason and what was going on with the Valentini house wasn't very hard to figure out, and while I'm usually fine with easy to guess solutions in my thrillers, that is usually only if the characters are awesome or the journey is enjoyable on its own, and neither of those things really quite got to the levels needed.
I'm definitely going to read more books by Wendy Heard as time goes on, I just didn't connect to this one as much as I had hoped.
May 15, 2024
I'm disappointed. The characters fell flat, the plot was so predictable it was unpredictable, and the pacing meandered. It felt like a Diana Urban book but worse, because at least her characters feel like real people, the flashbacks in her books matter, and her books are actually entertaining.
The red herring in this book was a better twist than the actual twist.
The red herring in this book was a better twist than the actual twist.
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