And Don’t Look Back by Rebecca Barrow
It’s quite rare for me to rate a thriller-mystery five stars, and for a lot of this book I wasn’t expecting to. However, the twists near the end just blew me away. They were probably some of the most shocking plot twists I’d read at that point, hence giving it such a high rating. Looking back, I was probably being a little over the top with my rating but I did have a really good time reading this.
It has the usual ‘teen makes terrible decisions’ that you find in YA thrillers, but these decisions are detrimental to the outcome of this story. Harlow’s trusting nature is something that makes her likeable but it does become her downfall in the end. I won’t spoil what happens, because what’s the point in that? I want you to actually read this for yourself so you can experience just how wild this story is.
I found it very easy to get invested in this story, its characters and the mysteries surrounding them. There’s more to this book than just solving a problem, it has an interesting family dynamic and complex female characters – which are always a win if you ask me.
Synopsis: After her mother’s death, a teen pieces together the truth of her family’s past and what her mom was hiding from in this thriller that’s perfect for fans of Courtney Summers and Tiffany D. Jackson.
Harlow Ford has spent her entire life running, caught in her mother’s wake as they flit from town to town, hiding from a presence that Harlow isn’t even sure is real. In each new place, Harlow takes on a new name and personality, and each time they run, she leaves another piece of herself behind.
When Harlow and her mom set off on yet another 3 a.m. escape, they are involved in a car accident that leaves Harlow’s mother fatally wounded. Before she dies, she tells Harlow two things: where to find the key to a safety deposit box and to never stop running. In the box, Harlow finds thirty grand in cash, life insurance documents, and several fake IDs for both herself and her mom—an on-the-run essentials kit. But Harlow also finds a photograph of her mom as a teenager with two other girls, the deed to a house in a town she’s never heard of, and a handful of newspaper clippings discussing the disappearance of a woman named Eve Kennedy, Harlow’s grandmother…relics of a part of Harlow’s life she never knew existed.
With these tantalizing clues about her mother’s secrets and the power to choose her own future for the first time, Harlow realizes she has two choices: keep fleeing her mom’s ghosts or face down the nebulous threat that’s been hanging over her for her entire life.
Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen M. McManus
This was one of the first mystery-thriller audiobooks I listened to and it definitely developed my love for them. I would say this one sits more on the side of ‘mystery’ rather than ‘thriller’ but it’s still very good. I actually didn’t figure out what was going on and I often pride myself on figuring out at least some parts of the mystery.
Just like One Of Us Is Lying, this is very much a teen read. So do be warned of that if you’re more a fan of gritty, dark thrillers. Annoyingly, I never reviewed this as I don’t think I was reviewing everything I read back when I listened to this, so I can’t remember my exact thoughts on what happened. I do remember the twist being quite shocking and that this book is overall a good read.
Synopsis: Echo Ridge is small-town America. Ellery’s never been there, but she’s heard all about it. Her aunt went missing there at age seventeen. And only five years ago, a homecoming queen put the town on the map when she was killed. Now Ellery has to move there to live with a grandmother she barely knows.
The town is picture-perfect, but it’s hiding secrets. And before school even begins for Ellery, someone’s declared open season on homecoming, promising to make it as dangerous as it was five years ago. Then, almost as if to prove it, another girl goes missing.
Ellery knows all about secrets. Her mother has them; her grandmother does too. And the longer she’s in Echo Ridge, the clearer it becomes that everyone there is hiding something. The thing is, secrets are dangerous–and most people aren’t good at keeping them. Which is why in Echo Ridge, it’s safest to keep your secrets to yourself.
Check out Young Creative Press on all socials
You can also check out my StoryGraph here
Like this post? Why not read this one too: Graphic Novel Review: The Girl and the Glim by India Swift & Michael Doig
[…] Like this post? Why not read this one too: The Best Of: Unforgettable Thrillers & Mysteries #6 […]