A review by sockspamslibrary
Dead Girls Never Talk, by S.J. Sylvis

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Dead Girls Never Talk
By SJ Sylvis
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️4
🌶🌶2.5

*I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review*

Dead Girls Never Talk is a stand-alone read, however, you may read Bad Boys Never Fall and Good Girls Never Rise for background information on some of the characters. 

Journey Smith. Journey was such a fun FMC to read about, her life has been full of trials, abandonment and overall let downs. The prologue had me pulled in from the get-go. She went through such a traumatic experience and I loved that as the reader we knew more than anyone else, this made me immediately want to protect and fight for Journey. Journey deserved friendship, love and a sense of home and it was so amazing to watch her grow and allow herself all of those things as the story progressed. 

“I hated that I didn’t know what safety was until it was ripped away from me.”

Cade Walker. Cade our “bad boy” MMC that you couldn’t help but fall for. Although Cade is initially painted as the “bad boy” the more we read the more we really learn how caring Cade is for the people he loves. Not only with Journey but with his Rebels as well. I love to see a MMC be vulnerable and actually get to see his emotions shine through and we definitely got to see Cade be vulnerable. It was so thrilling to see Cade be over protective and possessive over Journey while also allowing her to be independent. 
“I would rather split open my chest and pull out my own heart than ever let someone touch you.”

The overall plot was easy to follow and very entertaining. Although I did totally predict Bain’s role in the book I still loved the ending and the overall reveal of the plot and how everything played out. I liked that we kept getting more and more clues as Journey and Cade took more trips into her past. Not only did I like the clues but I liked how it offered a sort of closure for Journey. The little tidbits of the next couple's book had me smiling from ear to ear and the glimpses into Isaiah and Gemma’s relationship had my heart soaring. 

The smut was definitely not a main element but was still present, as much as I love smut I love a good plot where the smut doesn’t take over. The spicy scenes we did get were enough to fuel me into the next chapter. I loved getting those intimate moments with the couple. (the armoire *wink*)

Overall, I really did enjoy this book and would recommend it to people who enjoy a little mafia, mystery, and love when each friend in a friend group gets a story. It did take me a little bit to connect to this book which is why it isn’t a 5-star. But once I did connect I could not put it down. I cannot wait for the rest of the Rebels to find love and to read more of SJ’s work!

More reviews and book art on my instagram @sockpamslibrary
DGNT IS MATURE CONTENT AND LABELED AS DARK (18+)
POSSIBLE TRIGGER WARNINGS: Suicide, Kidnapping, Rape.
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