bea_reads_books's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Alcoholism
Moderate: Confinement, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, Murder, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Addiction, Sexual harassment, Mental illness, Misogyny, and Sexism
Minor: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Animal death, Alcohol, and Suicide
elwirax's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
"Nothing will change if we stay quiet"
I'm a sucker for close knit communities and the small town vibes in this book were great. I liked that although this is a Young Adult novel there was a strong sense of female impowerment and girls supporting eachother while also leaning towards the more mature side, dealing with issues such as drug addiction and sexual assault. There was no romance in this books which I always greatly appreciate as well as the fact that there were reliable male characters who weren't all "villains".
However, I think this would appeal more to people who are new to the mystery/ thriller genre and don't know which tropes to expect. It didn't have the thrill factor I usually look for and everything seemed to be resolved too quickly by the end of the book.
Overall, "Don't Tell a Soul" wasn't a bad read by any means. There were definitely aspects which were interesting, I was just expecting a little more.
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Mental illness
Minor: Forced institutionalization
catgirl_luna's review against another edition
Minor: Drug use, Addiction, Death of parent, Rape, Drug abuse, Forced institutionalization, Kidnapping, Mental illness, and Stalking
Spoiler
I didn't like that Bram was shamed for having a drug addiction after seeing her father and aunt dead. Too much shaming of a child who went through a serious problem and then was treated terribly for the rest of the time by family. I know this is fiction but there had to be at LEAST 1 person from her past that would have cared or at least gave one care about her that wasn't in Louth.horsecube's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The story starts with Bram arriving in Louth, New York after a very long journey from Manhattan. She's come to stay with her uncle at a large manor house he's remodeling. There's a blizzard outside and she doesn't she feels like she's been forgotten. Eventually, she's picked up by a man her uncle hired to pick her up, which puts her on edge even though she's armed herself with a newly bought box cutter and bear repellant. She states vaguely that she's come to Louth in search of answers, but it also is hinted at that something or someone has chased her away from New York and there's something or someone preventing her from returning.
I was hooked from the first chapter. I didn't know which characters to trust, and I didn't know how they were all tied into the mystery. I didn't know what the past and three dead girls had to do with the present. I didn't know (but had suspicions) about what had happened to Bram to make her distrust people so much, especially men. I didn't know why she was in Louth, and what had happened in NYC to force her there. I loved her resourcefulness, drive, and determination. I loved the sleepy, wintery, slightly gothic atmosphere.
Spoiler
I loved that because it's a Kirsten Miller book I knew women would save the day (and my prediction wasn't wrong).Spoiler
Miller did use addiction as Bram's flaw though, a reason why she couldn't be believed or trusted no matter what she said or saw. I'm lukewarm on this because I love that it's clearly a limit to what the character can do (you can't just tell everyone that your uncle killed your aunt and dad if you were once an addict APPARENTLY because everyone will think you were just high I GUESS and then your uncle will kill you once he knows you know) and I love those kinds of confines that keep characters from going to the police or trusting others, but also it feels slightly icky for some reason. At this time my mixed feelings are hard to describe, but maybe I'll be able to articulate as I read more mysteries and thrillers.Don't Tell A Soul is one of those YA books that are YA because of the main character's age and less so because of the content: there was some dark, enraging stuff going on. I haven't read many mysteries or thrillers but this one has your typical mystery-thriller trigger warnings, detailed in the content warning section.
Spoiler
Female empowerment, reclaiming your life, and serving justice when assholes try to discredit you because you're "troubled" or "broken",Graphic: Drug abuse and Sexual assault
Moderate: Addiction and Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, and Forced institutionalization