Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I received an ARC of this book thanks to NetGalley and publisher Penguin Random House Children’s UK in exchange for an honest review.

Lock the Doors is a bit of a hard book to categorise. It is a mix somewhere between a thriller and a drama, and it skews on the younger side of YA fiction. It tells the story of Tom, a young teenager who moves into a new home and gets creeped out when he sees the remnants of locks on the outside of the bedroom doors. When a new girl starts at his school and he realises she used to live in his house, he becomes determined to get answers from her.

I did enjoy this book a lot. I think the plot is interesting and unpredictable, and that really packs a punch in terms of the thriller aspect. The characters were likeable (if a little basic) and I was mostly engaged throughout.

There were however a few issues. Firstly, the writing was a little simplistic at times. I get that it is meant to mimic the writing of children but I felt some of the tension was lost. I also had mild problems with the pacing, with the last section in particular feeling like the book had overstayed its welcome a little bit. This definitely wasn't a huge issue but it was a bit of a shame as I feel like the ending of a book like this should be snappy and fast-paced.

Overall, this is an interesting story and I'm sure if I was the target demographic, the issues I pointed out wouldn't bother me at all. I really like that it was unpredictable and I think the direction it went in resulted in a great story. Some of the emotions are conveyed really well here. It does cover quite a lot of difficult topics so just bear that in mind.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5 stars

A brilliant read with twists and turns and an unnerving atmosphere throughout. A great YA read which I would recommend to lots of teenage readers.

Tom has moved to a new house with his mother, stepfather and stepsister. After a traumatic childhood, it's thought the house will finally be the loving family home that Tom has always dreamed of. Until he finds holes on the doors. Holes for locks to keep people in.

I liked the set up for this. It's atmospheric and creep, with twists and turns that I wasn't expecting. But the writing style just wasn't for me. It's quite 'young', and while I know this is aimed at a YA audience I just found it jarring with the content, which included grief and domestic abuse. I also couldn't really gel with protagonist Tom. He's quite guarded as a character, closed off emotionally, and that it makes it difficult to form an attachment. Switching to Amy's POV was an interesting move. It certainly keeps the pace and intrigue going, but it further devalues Tom's point of view.

Interesting story, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it.

A fast paced and thrilling read. I liked the dual narrators and how the story was pieced together with clues. A little predictable but a good quick read.

Having never actually have heard of this author, I was a bit skeptical as I tend to stick to authors I know because I know what I am getting but I was really surprised with this one and I will definitely be reading more from them!

This was a great young adult thriller. I’d previously read ‘are you watching’ by this author and thoroughly enjoyed it and this was no different. It had a very intriguing plot and there was a great twist when the POV changed suddenly which I definitely wasn’t expecting but kept it exciting. There are several issues looked at throughout the book which are handled well and respectfully. Would definitely recommend.

I found the start and the violence depicted too upsetting to continue with the book and had to stop reading it unfortunately

3.5 stars

'Lock The Doors' is an addictive young adult thriller that had me hooked from the first chapter. I had no idea what I was going into when I started this book and I couldn't put it down until I finished it as I needed to know what was going to happen.

'Lock The Doors' follows Tom, who has moved into a new house with his mother, stepfather and stepsister, Nia. But when Tom finds strange messages on his bedroom wall and holes in his and Nia's bedroom doors, he begins to become suspicious of the family across the street (who used to live in his new house). Tom makes it his mission to try and solve the mystery and to save Amy, the girl across the street.

I really liked how short the chapters of this book were (they were all like a page or two long) which made the book so fast paced and I felt like I was flying through this book so quickly because of it.

I didn't guess the plot twist which is something that normally happens with young adult thrillers as I normally find them very predictable, but with this book I was enjoying just reading the book and not trying really hard to guess what was happening.

I think this was a solid young adult thriller, which you should definitely pick up if you are intrigued by it because once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down until the last page. Now, I need to go and pick up Vincent Ralph's other book 'Are You Watching?' which I have had on my tbr for a while now.

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children's UK for providing me with an advance copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

TW for child abuse, domestic violence, emotional abuse, child abduction, death of a loved one.

Tom's mother has remarried and now their new family are moving into a new home together. It seems like the perfect fresh start for everyone, especially after the horrors Tom and his mother have had to endure. He doesn't want to spoil her hard-won peace but something about their current surroundings is off-putting, for Tom. It begins with the discovery of small holes drilled into the bedroom doors, that signal locks previously placed on the outside of them. It ends with far more shocking discoveries, that lead to the lives of more than just his own family put at stake. Tom will do anything to protect the ones he cares about, and this is about to be put to the ultimate test.

This was such an intense read, with chilling discoveries consistently made. These ensured the reader remained both engaged in the proceedings and unable to decipher the next alteration in the twisted path to the just as twisted conclusion. Even when, about half-way through the novel, the major mystery seemed to have been solved, more followed that further proved the unguessable nature of what evolved here.

Despite the shocks delivered, this was also an emotional novel, focusing on mental illness, OCD, PTSD, the long-lasting effects of grief, domestic abuse, and a whole host of other topics that I thought were sensitively handled and well-delivered.

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

Tw: domestic abuse, mental illness, child death, kidnapping, physical abuse, grief

Tom and his mom have finally found peace after a turbulent past and they move into their dream house with Mom's new partner and his daughter. Everything seems perfect until Tom notices strange messages written on the walls and locks on the outside of the bedroom rooms. He starts investigating the previous owners, a seemingly perfect family who moved across the street. Their daughter, Amy, is Tom's new classmate and she's charismatic and intriguing and Tom is sure she has something to hide and won't stop until he uncovers her secrets.

I really enjoyed the characters and I could emphatize with Tom and Amy, even though the dual perspective sometimes made it hard to create well-rounded and complex characters.

The atmosphere was so creepy and I found myself holding my breath and flying through the pages to find out what would happen next. I found the writing style very fluid and intriguing and the chapters were only two-three pages long, which is my ideal length, so I was able to read for longer than I usually do.

I highly recommend this to thrillers lovers and to anyone who's looking for a spooky and compelling read!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an early copy!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Children’s UK and Netgalley for providing me with an e-ARC of Lock the Doors.

Following Tom as he moves into his mother's new house, meets the previous owner in the beautiful, enigmatic Amy and delves into the mystery of just why there are locks on the outside of the bedroom doors, Lock The Doors is a young adult mystery with a lot of promise.

Unfortunately, it fails to deliver and a plot which has potential is let down by the characters. Tom is an intriguing young man, with a background which includes some heavy topics such as mental health issues and domestic abuse, but the switch in POV limits how much of a character arc he is able to have and we are left unsatisfied with his story. Amy also offered possibilities, yet we see no real depth from her, in a way which is jarring and takes the reader out of the mystery.

Tom's family move to their dream home - but why do some of the bedroom doors have holes indicating someone had put a lock on the OUTSIDE of them? Amy used to live there and has moved across the road, as well as moved schools to Tom's from the local Grammar school, requesting him to be her 'buddy' as she is a new starter.

Tom clearly suffers with OCD, judging by his nightly rituals before he can go to sleep, and this follows him throughout the book and I got the impression is why his family didn't believe him when he first voiced his concerns about what might have happened in their house.

I found it very unusually constructed, with most 'Chapters' being only 1 page and it took some time for this to feel right, as I found the flow of the story felt disjointed until I got used to it. The story is also split into 4 parts with all bar Part 3 being told from Tom's point of view. Part 3 is told from Amy's viewpoint and is characterised with 'gates' to mark which chapter you are on rather than numbers, which was clever.

I won't reveal any of the story as it would spoil it for you, but suffice it to say, there IS a big mystery to discover, which I found shocking, not so much the mystery itself but how the characters handled the fallout.

A really well crafted story ideal for a young adult audience - although I am definitely not in the author's target age range....!!

This was so addictive , I couldn't put it down!It has a compelling story, it's twisted and fast paced. Once you started , you will not stop until you finish it.

There were moments I thought I knew where the story was going and then I was just shocked with what really was happening.

The mystery was good and there were moments it felt creepy and I find it atmospheric!

We start by meeting Tom, a teenager with a complicated family history. He stayed with his mother when his parents got divorced, and for many years he witnessed the toxic relationships in which his mother was in, which was quite complicated for the family dynamics and caused him some emotional damage. Everything changed when his mother met Jay, with whom she currently has a stable and healthy relationship.
Tom could finally see his mother's happiness when they found a new home and moved there with Jay and his daughter, Nia.

Everything was going well until Tom noticed certain details in his new home that put his paranoia running high. At the same time, a new student arrives at his school. That's how Tom finds out that Amy, the new girl and also his neighbor, used to live in the house his family just moved into. Strange, to say the least. With everything he has been discovering at his house, Tom starts suspecting that something very strange happened before they moved in, and when he starts investigating it, he can't stop.

What secrets do you find on the walls and locks? What does Amy and her family hide?
What will he discover?

...

The twists we have in the story are quite interesting and well accomplished. The mystery was surely something that remained throughout the whole reading! I liked that at some point, when we finally start to get some answers, the author surprises us and takes us to an even more intricate drama and into much more obscure secrets.

One of my favourite parts of this story was, without a doubt, watching the dynamics of Tom's family and, especially, seeing how his relationship with his step-sister Nia evolved.

As for the writing, I really liked it! We have this engaging narrative that runs on a fast pace, which makes this an easy and quick reading. Also, the short chapters help a lot with that!

I would also like to mention that the themes in this book are really interesting and SO relevant to bring to the younger audience, with an emphasis on the psychological abuse and the consequences that arise from it.

I believe this is a mystery book way more suitable for teenagers than young adults, yet it is still a good bet! I really enjoyed it!! The overall plot was well thought out and well built for the type of book and its audience. I would definitely recommend this!

Thank you so much to the publisher and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

As soon as I saw that Vincent Ralph was releasing another book I was excited. I read his debut novel Are You Watching? back in 2019 and it is still a book I think about regularly because of how gripping it was. This one seemed to be more mysterious just from the synopsis and upon reading managed to grip me even more!

Vincent Ralph manages to keep up suspense for the reader from the first page right till the last page. Every time I tried to put the book down I had to pick it right back up because I wanted to work out even just one of the mysteries.

I enjoyed the variety of characters in this book. Each of them has their own mysteries and brings something new to the story. Tom, the main character, has OCD. This is portrayed in a realistic way and is never forgotten about throughout the book. Even when the book gets very intense and hard for Tom, his OCD isn’t forgotten about and continues being part of the story. The author also does an excellent job of giving Tom that he needs for his OCD from his family and friends.

The way that the author portrays the family dynamics of a blended family and step-sibling relationships in this book is excellent. I appreciated that the relationship was a positive one and not the usual negative one we tend to see in YA. I loved that everyone tried their best to bond with each other but nothing was forced. Also, the friendship that Tom has with Zach was so lovely and just felt incredibly refreshing.

Lock the Doors tackles some hard-hitting issues throughout the story. Please check trigger warnings before reading this book. Some of the issues are domestic abuse, mental health issues and OCD, alongside others. They are all handled realistically and sensitively. Going back to the discussion of OCD, it is accepted as part of Tom by his family and it is lovely to see it normalised and not a big issue in the story.

This book is packed full of suspense and moments that will have you on the edge of your seat. Alongside the suspense that is present throughout the book, Vincent Ralph has also created a number of terrifying situations and creepy characters who are dangerous and people you would not want to mess with. The pacing of this book is excellent and kept me hooked right the way through the book. I didn’t expect a lot of the things that happen in this book which made the story even more captivating for me.

Overall, Lock the Doors by Vincent Ralph is a creepy and mysterious book that grips you from start to finish. I can see so many people reading this one in one sitting because I would have done that had I had the chance. It is well worth the read, just make sure you have the lights on whilst you do so!

Trigger Warnings: Kidnapping, child death, physical abuse, emotional abuse, domestic abuse, grief, divorce.

I read Vincent Ralph’s debut YA Thriller Are You Watching? early last year and loved it, and knew that I’d found a new writer of YA Thrillers that I want to read more work from. So, I was full of enthusiasm when I found out about his second YA novel, Lock The Doors. I couldn’t wait to sink my teeth into it and feel the heart-racing tension that I had with Ralph’s first novel.

Tom’s family have moved into their dream home, after years of terror for himself and his mum at the hands of her old boyfriend. Things are different now, or so he thinks. In the new house, Tom starts to notice strange things, such as secret messages written on the walls and locks on the outside of the bedroom doors. Tom soon meets the new girl at school, Amy, who’s family used to live in his house and have moved right across the road. Amy is gorgeous but mysterious and Tom is soon wondering if she is hiding something. He starts to investigate and will stop at nothing to reveal the mystery behind the locked doors in his supposedly dream home.

Well, this was an intense, heart-stopping, gripping read that I struggled to put down. I was utterly engrossed in this thrilling tale and honestly, I didn’t want it to end. Ralph keeps you on your toes throughout the story and you never know what’s going to happen next. When I read some YA thrillers or mysteries I do usually get a sense of where the story is going, but with Lock The Doors I had no clue, and that is one of the main reasons why I was addicted to it.

The plot and overall story leaves you guessing and whenever something is revealed you get a sense of shock through you, this certainly happened to me when I was reading it. You end up becoming quite exhausted come to the end of the story, but in a way that isn’t tiresome. The way that Ralph focuses on the topic of long term grief in regards to both mental and physical health, was another thing that kept me intrigued throughout the book. It’s handled sensitively and you do start to understand what these people are going through, even if it’s not in the most conventional way. A few other topics are handled delicately throughout the book such as domestic abuse and its effects on the persons affected. Ralph does have a way of getting you to think about these issues, and realise that you don’t truly know what goes on behind closed doors.

Tom was a very complex character, who you learn more about as the story progresses. From the outside, you see him as just a normal teenage boy who wants to fit in at school and find his place in the world, but you soon see layers of him start to emerge and you realise he has a lot of psychological trauma to deal with. The family dynamic that you see between Tom, his mum, his stepdad Jay, and stepsister Nia is refreshing to see and makes you feel like there is hope for families out there who have had incredibly tough times. The way that they come together over time did bring something positive to this story. Amy, as a character is similar to Tom in a way that you learn more about her as the story goes on, and you come to realise that the way she acts is also linked to the trauma she has faced, so it was fascinating to see similarities between Tom and Amy, and this is why I think they fitted so well together.

Lock The Doors was an incredible, gripping, riveting read that I couldn’t get enough of. Vincent Ralph has done it again, and I will be waiting impatiently for his next book to drop, whenever that may be.

Loved this! Tom moves into his parents' dream home, but is disturbed by the marks on the outside of the bedroom doors - that perfectly fit a lock. He's sure that bad things happened here, and when he discovers that the previous owners have moved across the street, he gets close to Amy and is sure she has something to hide. This book has an intriguing premise and captured by attention from the first pages. The characters are well drawn and I couldn't imagine what the central mystery would turn out to be. A PAGE TURNER.

This book was so intriguing! I could not put it down.
I feel quite bad for Tom as everyone just thought he was paranoid but it's his digging that saved the day in the end.
I hope that one day Amy and Tom can reunite.
Amy's mum Jane needs serious professional help, that woman is not well.
This story was so gripping and well written. I definitely need to check out this author's other books!
I was in disbelief throughout this book but it's sad to think that this is some people's reality.

Let me start off by saying I wasn't expecting that plot twist. When I started reading this book I have to say that I wasn't very into the story at the beginning. It starts off a little slow but I decided to give it a chance and continue reading (which was a great decision). We follow Tom as his family move into a new house and he starts discovering that some pretty creepy things have happened there.

This book really took off, I would say around 150 pages into the story, and the plot of the story really started sounding intriguing. This is a pretty good YA thriller/mystery.