No One Keeps a Secret by Denise Brown is a tense, fast-paced YA mystery that immediately grabs your attention. The story kicks off with the shocking discovery of a body at a theme park—a setting that feels both familiar and unsettling—which instantly raises the stakes and sets the tone for everything that follows. Brown does a fantastic job of capturing the voice of teens caught in a web of secrets, guilt, and shifting loyalties. The characters are layered and realistic, each one carrying pieces of the puzzle that slowly come together in surprising ways.

What makes this book stand out is how it balances suspense with relatable teen dynamics—friendships, fears, and the pressure of hiding truths you don’t fully understand. The pacing is sharp, the atmosphere charged with unease, and the mystery kept me guessing until the end. Brown’s writing is accessible and engaging, perfect for young adult readers who enjoy thrillers with real emotional impact.

Overall, No One Keeps a Secret is an addictive YA mystery that combines a chilling premise with authentic characters. It’s gripping, dramatic, and the kind of story you’ll want to talk about as soon as you finish. A must-read for YA thriller fans.

I think I expected something else from this book than what I ended up getting. I tend to love a YA mystery, but I think that this one fell a bit short and struggled to keep my attention like others have done in the past. I didn't hate it, don't get me wrong, I just didn't end up loving it. I still managed to finish it without putting it down for a long period of time, which is a good thing, but other than that, not much stuck out for me in the end.

Mind Officially BLOWN! I thought I had this mystery figured out and all was well, little did I know small packages are capable of big things! This book is a scooby doo gang murder mystery! I loved the scottish roots and the alternating chapters between characters. Wolfie shines bright in this book and thanks to my Chihuahua, I understood perfectly the barking and snapping aspects! The book follows three friends Haigh, Cherry and Sunshine as they scope the town to solve who is a murderer. This book has a host of supporting characters and I enjoyed every moment.

Thank you Netgalley and Hashtag Press for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Set against the eerie backdrop of an abandoned theme park, “No One Keeps a Secret” is a YA murder mystery packed with small-town secrets, gossiping grannies, and enough red herrings to keep even seasoned whodunnit fans guessing. Denise Brown’s tale kicks off with Haigh and Cherry—two lifelong friends—chasing a chihuahua, only to stumble across a dead body: Oz, Haigh’s stepdad and an all-around unpleasant man. The duo quickly becomes a trio when they befriend Sunrise, and together they plunge headfirst into solving the crime.

The premise is delicious: Scottish summer days, dense forests, missing poppies, homemade cakes, and a shady victim who seems to have made enemies everywhere. The “everyone’s a suspect” energy runs high, with twists and fake-outs at every turn. I suspected nearly every character and still got blindsided by the ending. There’s a definite Agatha Christie meets Scooby-Doo vibe here, with a dash of coming-of-age awkwardness and found-family warmth.

The heart of the book lies in its characters, especially Haigh, whose ADHD is woven into his narration and perspective. There are hints of autism representation as well, though they’re left ambiguous. While the representation could have been explored more deeply, it’s refreshing to see neurodivergent teens front and center in a mystery. Cherry and Sunrise are equally memorable: fierce, smart, and unwilling to back down, even when their sleuthing puts them in real danger.

That said, the pacing can be a double-edged sword. The fast, almost breathless tempo made it feel like the story sometimes skims over moments that deserved more emotional weight or detail. The protagonists are written as sixteen-year-olds but often come across younger, which may pull older YA readers out of the story. And while the fake-outs keep the suspense alive, a few twists feel abrupt or underdeveloped, leaving questions about motives or missing backstory.

Still, for all its rough edges, “No One Keeps a Secret” is compulsively readable. The setting crackles with atmosphere with the ghost train, the empty rides, the claustrophobic small-town gossip mill, and the central friendship is both heartfelt and funny. The ending is a jaw-dropper that will leave you begging for a sequel.

Overall, this is a story that is atmospheric, twisty whodunnit that’s messy in places but undeniably fun. Perfect for readers who love small-town murder mysteries, imperfect but lovable teen sleuths, and stories where danger lurks behind the cotton-candy sweetness of summer.

This isn’t just a mystery. It’s a reflection on how secrets rot relationships, how youth sometimes sees truth more clearly than adults do… and how trust, once stung, is never quite the same.

It was a fun and short read. I absolutely love the setting of theme park, the mysterious plot was keeping me wondering where this would go. Amazing!

A well written story that kept me hooked from the very beginning.
The characters draw you in and keeps you flipping the pages.
They are realistic and very well developed.
I really enjoyed the writing style. I found myself hooked, turning the pages.

No One Keeps a Secret tells the story of 3 teenagers, Haigh, Cherry, and Sunrise, who find a dead body in an abandoned theme park. The victim: Oz, Haigh’s stepdad and an all-around shady guy. In the process of trying to figure out what happened to him, they discover secrets that involve most of the town. The title is correct; no one can truly keep a secret with gossiping old ladies around.

This was a somewhat confusing review to write. At the beginning of the book, I was a bit annoyed at the characters’ narration. It felt as if Haigh and Cherry were pre-teens, and I was very surprised to find out they were supposed to be sixteen.

Afterwards, though, I became invested in the story. There were a lot of plot points, characters, and interpersonal conflicts, and I was very curious to see how it would all come together. While I found some of the plot twists a bit cheap (I’m looking at you, Isaac), I was happy that I ended up being correct after all.

The reason I am not giving this book a higher rating is because of the amount of fake outs. There are multiple dead ends, and the initial pieces of evidence discovered do not particularly contribute to the solution to the mystery, although they do lead to explaining how some of the characters relate to each other. I did however, wish we got to explore the killer’s motive a bit more. While I did guess it, it was more circumstantial than by following specific evidence threads or character behavior.

I know many readers find it difficult to engage with a mystery if they are not sympathetic to the victim. Luckily that is not an issue I share, since Oz is a very unlikeble character. For me, starting off by knowing he was not a good person made it easier to assume the worst from all the rumors going around and did not distract from the story, but I know not all will agree.

Thank you to NetGalley, Denise Brown, and Hashtag Press for the advanced copy. This review is left voluntarily and honestly.

I love a YA Mystery & Thriller. Usually. This did not work at all for me. The characters read like middle grade characters instead of young adults. They felt so young, and that completely took me out. The plot was also quite messy and the pace felt off. I found it hard to care about who murdered the victim cause he sucked. Actually, I didn't really like any of the characters, except, maybe, Sunrise and Cherry. I just found it hard to care about any of it and so much felt far fetched. I was excited about the Scotland setting but even that let me down. It could have been set anywhere.
The plot was so out there to me. From the main characters fucking up the crime scene to them hiding evidence and never even questioning that. I just didn't believe it or got into it at all.
I also want to talk about the rhetoric of the main boy character, who read like he was 13, and kept saying he was now the man of the house. The man of the house. In 2025. He had to take care of his grown ass mother for some reason. That drove me mad. This rhetoric was also approved by the grandfather. Everyone acted like women couldn't take care of themselves. It annoyed me.
So yeah, this one really didn't work for me and I was very happy when it ended (despite the end being even more ??? than the rest of the book).

The characters were interesting and the storyline kept me guessing along the way. The setting of an abandoned theme park adds to the creep factor and helped to separate this book from other YA novels. I enjoyed the different point of views in this book and how you get the whole story through the different points of view while the characters don't. Haigh's character was quirky and inquisitive, an honest representation of a child with a disability.

I was very intrigued by this one and unfortunately I just couldn't get into it. It just didn't hook me or grab me like I wanted it to. The mystery wasn't that great and I wasn't able to continue.

This was . . . Okay. I wish I liked it more!

Haigh, along with his best friend Cherry and a new girl they’ve just met, Sunshine, find the murdered body of Haigh’s stepfather at an abandoned theme park in the search for a missing chihuahua. And there the mystery begins. . . Or does it?

It’s not a very good mystery and there’s not a lot of very good solving. Everything sort of unravelled unremarkably…except not a lot unravelled at all, because it’s revealed in the final few beats of the book, that all known ‘truths’ were wrong. Which wasn’t really a surprise when the reveal didn’t make any sense anyways! There’s quite a bit of the timeline of the book that didn’t make sense.

Unfortunately all the characters began to blur together, and I often found myself getting mixed up in the perspectives of our main characters as they felt similar. If it wasn’t for the subheadings I would’ve been extra lost. I also really struggled because the kids seemed different ages, at first I thought Cherry was way older than Haigh, and for a lot of the book she seems it too.

I did respect Brown treating the kids as kids in this though, which is why their investigating wasn’t very good, but when the whole point of the book is for them to investigate and we have no perspective from an adult investigator it all felt a little boring.

All in all, this is why their book was just okay. There were some good moments of drama and I think the book had a lot of potential, it just fell flat on it.

A search for a lost dog leads three teenagers to an abandoned Scottish theme park where they find not only the missing dog but also the body of someone who should have been far away working in London. Haigh and Cherry join forces with visitor Sunrise to investigate this brutal murder in an otherwise quiet tourist town.
I liked the mystery element of the story. Small town secrets are uncovered and as often happens in small towns, everyone is somehow interconnected which leads to multiple suspects for the murder of someone with a shaky reputation. The autism traits shown by Haigh and the complexities of his family add interest to the dynamics between the main characters as their investigation moves at a rapid pace. This book will have appeal for whodunnit-loving teenagers.

No One Keeps a Secret is like Nancy Drew meets Stranger Things. I felt like the book's atmosphere worked really well with its misty forests and half-crumbling fairgrounds. However, the story itself occasionally stumbles, and for me personally, I felt like it came at the expense of depth. Key plot points flicker by, leaving emotional beats a bit undercooked. That said, it was nice to see some neurodiverse characters, but some aspects of that could have been explored with more clarity and care.

Overall, No One Keeps a Secret is a compelling mystery if you're willing to overlook a few narrative shortcuts.

No One Keeps A Secret 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
by @DeniseBrownauthor
Pub Date: Aug 01, 2025
Hashtag Press
Mystery & Thrillers | Teens & YA
#NoOneKeepsASecret #NetGalley

Description:
“Fans of Holly Jackson, Faridah Abike-Iyimide, Kathleen Glasgow, and Kit Frick, will love this new YA murder mystery set in Scotland, from the brilliant Denise Brown.”

When three teens track down a missing chihuahua to an abandoned theme park, they stumble upon a chilling discovery: a corpse, strangled by his own camera strap. The victim was meant to be 400 miles away in London, where he'd promised a lot of people a lot of money. But every one of them has a solid alibi. As Haigh, Cherry, and Sunrise get pulled into the murder investigation, they uncover mafia connections, a still-operating ghost train, and gossiping grannies, revealing their quiet village is far more dangerous than they ever imagined.

“Full of secrecy and suspicion – intense and immediate.” – Barbara Henderson

Thank you NetGalley and @hashtagpress.co.uk 💖

My thoughts :
Guess what? My first book of July is an absolute blast! No One Keeps A Secret had me hooked word for word—this murder mystery is brilliantly written and captivating from start to finish. Denise Brown nailed it!

The eerie atmosphere of an abandoned theme park, a murderer on the loose, and three brave teens taking matters into their own hands it’s intense, suspenseful, and unforgettable. Cherry, Haigh, Sunrise… and of course, Wolfie! Every character is so well developed, but these four absolutely stole my heart. Their bond, their bravery, and the way they pushed through fear made me love them even more.

I suspected every single character but still couldn’t guess the real villain. It gave me serious Agatha Christie vibes! The twists, the turns, the secrets… everything unraveled at the perfect pace.

Haigh’s story especially broke my heart. That poor boy went through so much because of the adults around him. His pain, his silence, his courage I'm really sad for him. And Sunrise and Cherry? Easily two of the bravest girls I've ever read. Smart, fierce, and unstoppable.

The town, the gossiping grannies, the cakes, the ghost train… I fell in love with their world. These little detectives risked it all almost got murdered and still didn’t stop. And that ending?? I’m still in shock. My eyes are wide, my jaw's dropped, and all I can say is author, whyyyyy?! 😭

I need a sequel. I need justice. Please, don’t leave us with that ending!

This is a must-read, and I highly, highly recommend it. I loved every bit of it.

Best friends Haigh and Cherry are just trying to track down a missing chihuahua when they stumble across something far more sinister: the body of Haigh’s mom’s boyfriend, Oz, strangled and left in an abandoned amusement park. Everyone thought Oz was headed to London, making good on shady promises, but clearly something went very wrong. As Haigh and Cherry dig deeper—soon joined by new friend Sunrise—they find themselves tangled in a web of small-town secrets, half-truths, and a surprise visit from Oz’s eerily identical brother, who’s determined to get to the bottom of it all.
THOUGHTS: This murder mystery balances humor, heart, and suspense with a cast of endearing teen detectives. The story gently weaves in autism representation through Haigh’s character while exploring how the familiarity of small-town life can quietly mask long-held secrets. Readers will enjoy the quirky character interactions, unexpected twists, and the emotional depth that emerges as the truth comes to light.

Went into this one so intrigued, the idea of a walk near an abandoned theme park turning into a full-blown murder mystery? Yes please. Throw in a missing poppy, small town secrets, Scottish summer vibes, baked goods, and forests? I was sold.

But... yeah, this one just didn’t work for me.

The premise is super solid, and I can totally see what it was going for, but the execution felt off. It reminded me a bit of <i>We Were Liars</i> (if ykyk, that book gave me a headache and a stomachache). fast-paced in a way that felt rushed rather than gripping. So many potentially important moments or details were skimmed over, and it left the whole thing feeling kind of surface-level.

I did appreciate the ADHD rep, and maybe there was some autism representation in there too? (Though it wasn’t really made clear, which was a bit frustrating.)

Overall: cool concept, but it just didn’t land for me.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Hashtag Press for the ARC.</i>
#noonekeepsasecret #ya #mysteryandthriller

I think this is my third YA thriller that takes place at a theme park and I'm here for it. I have enjoyed that setting so much and I have no idea why (I used to work for Disney so that could be part of it). This was a well executed whodunnit with a great cast of characters. I loved the characters names. Haigh, Cherry, and Sunrise find a dead body after taking a stroll together. I really loved the ADHD/Autism representation in this book. There was a decent amount of suspense but I feel like i still have questions. I'm gonna read the authors book It All Started With a Lie and see if maybe this one leaves me with questions. It may just be the way the author writes. Overall i did enjoy the book.

Thank you Hashtag Press and Netgalley for this eARC, these opinions are my own. A thrilling read! Haigh, Cherry, and there new friend Sunrise are on the hunt for a missing dog this leads them to an abandoned theme park where they stumble upon a dead body. The victim wasn’t supposed to be there but was supposed to be far away in London. The thing is a lot of people would have wanted him dead but they all seem to have solid alibis. Soon Haigh, Cherry, and Sunrise are pulled into the murder investigation. What will the three of them find? And will looking just lead them into more danger? One thing is for certain they’re about to find that the place they call home is a lot more dangerous then they ever could have imagined. A fast paced whodunnit that kept me guessing! I was enthralled until the very end with all the twists! An intriguing mystery that is unputdownable and will have you on the edge of your seat till the very end!

When two friends start summer break the last thing, they would expect is to make a new friend and find a dead body. Well, make a new friend? Maybe, but find a dead body? Definitely not.

Haigh, Cherry and new friend Sunrise set out to solve a murder on their own and boy was this not cut and dry. I was kept guessing and speculating throughout the whole story even until the very end. This was a true “who done it” story and I found myself reading this in one sitting because I needed to know just who done it. With twists and turns and “everyone is a suspect” to me, how could I put it down?

I found the characters to be quite intriguing, especially Haigh. He is described as having ADHD; however, I had considered the possibility that he might exhibit traits associated with autism. Nevertheless, I found him to be enjoyable and fascinating along with Cherry and Sunrise.

I would say No One Keeps a Secret wrapped up nicely, but I was left with questions or more like one question. Overall, a pleasant mysterious read.

*Thank you Denise Brown, Hashtag Press and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*