I was asked by Liz of Sourcebooks Landmark, to be a part of the blog tour… I was thrilled to bits to receive such a kind offer and in a blink, I accepted. I thank both the author, Kaela Coble and the publisher Sourcebooks Landmark for this honour. And here I go…

My review
I wanted a book which would take me away from my real life and allow me to immerse myself totally into its story and I proudly declare that this book accomplished that. After reading all the heartwarming books about friends in the last few days, I was so very ready to read about characters on the other end of spectrum. The not-so-good ones, the grey characters who are slightly good but largely bad. I feel such characters add spice to the story and make an interesting read.

Danny appeared to be one such character, who was wicked enough to get his friends gathered around. Post his funeral, he had a letter for each of them. We get a shock this was planed, Danny did not die of an overdose accident, he committed suicide, and the letters each have a secret about these friends. The first opened was of Danny himself, he killed his step father…

What will the other letters contain? What are the secrets these so called best friends seem to be hiding? How do these secrets affect all of them? How did Danny know about all these secrets? The biggest of all why did Danny commit suicide? The whole book was like can opened, worms everywhere…

This is Kaela Coble’s debut book, and what a fabulous job she has done. By her words, she pulled me deep into the story layer by layer. Each secret is revealed in turns, and the suspense is built till it reaches a crescendo. Kaela has done a fabulous write up of the group of best friends, the crew, who were supposed to be always there for each other at all times, but each one is the first to run away. The dynamics of this ever changing group was fun to watch.

The story is written in different POVs and in the then and the now time line. And Danny is an active force in both. In the then time era, he is in the background but yet makes his presence felt. In the now era, he is the ghost, the voice from the beyond keeping us hooked to the story.

This book is not a whodunit, though it has an atmosphere similar to that. But it is a whydunit, because the secrets hold the key, and the author Kaela has seen to it that the role of the characters unfold in such a way, that the reader can’t help but be pinned to the book. Initially, I played detective and tried guessing the secrets, but I gave up halfway through and just enjoyed the book for the pure fun and suspense imbibed into its pages

Kaela has structured each of her characters around the secret, so that when revealed, it shows the layers and the depth of the character. A clever bit of writing. Kaela has seen to it that each secret brings its own thrills and contrivances. The book, written as a thriller, also has a surprising depth in the feelings. I thought I ‘knew’ this book from the blurb, but Kaela proved me wrong, the book had a surprising sentimental depth to it too. Quite a different read…

The only niggle, I had was that the book was a bit slow in parts, and I wanted things happening from the get-go. And at 368 pages, it was quite a long book to read it in one sitting.

But in truth, this book was a race against time… I raced against time and against all my other work, to get to the last page to get to the TRUTH. Only the truth can set you free and in this book, that was true both for the characters and for me. I couldn’t leave the book till I finished it. A Fantabulous read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and publisher Sourcebooks Landmark and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating : 4 stars

About the Author

Kaela Coble lives in Burlington, Vermont, and is a member of the League of Vermont Writers and a graduate of the WoMentoring Project. This is her first novel.

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Book blurb

To all my old friends:

So here you all are. Nice to see you can show up for a person once he’s dead.

When Ruby St. James returns to her hometown, it is to the grave of her old friend Danny, a member of a group that was, ten years ago, Ruby’s whole world. The crew made a pact back then: stay together, stay loyal, and stay honest. But that was before all of the lies. Because even friends keep secrets. They just don’t stay secret for long.

Now Danny has left behind a letter for each of them, issuing one final ultimatum: share your darkest betrayal to the group, or risk it coming out in a trap he has created. When past mistakes resurface, the lines of friendship blurb, and four old friends are left trying to understand what it means to lie to the ones you love best.

Product Details

Publication date : 6th February 2018

Publisher : SOURCEBOOKS Landmark

Language : English

Available on Amazon