Here Lie the Secrets by Emma Young || Book Review

I was happy to come across a book from the young adult genre that didn’t use all the predictable tropes you come to expect.

The concept of the book was interesting and the title stood out to me, but sadly the title didn’t really have much to do with the plot and more to do with the character. It was interesting to understand the reason behind it, the book could’ve used a better title.

DISCLAIMER: This review could contain possible spoilers based on my opinions. All opinions and views are my own.

Book review: Here Lie the Secrets by Emma Young #bookreview #emmayoung #paranormalbooks #youngadultbooks #booktwt #bookaddict #booktwitter
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Originally published: 2020

Pages: 384
Format: Paperback

Plot from GoodReads:

Mia’s best friend Holly died when they were thirteen. But years later, Holly still hasn’t left her.

Spending the summer in New York, Mia is hoping to escape the visions of Holly that haunt her life at home. There she meets Rav, a parapsychology student, who convinces her to take part in a study into why some people see ghosts. Soon she is caught up in the investigation of Halcyon House, which is reputed to be haunted by a poltergeist. As Mia confronts her fears, what she learns about the house and herself will change her life forever.

Thoughts:

I expected there to be more focus on the paranormal aspects in the book but it felt that Mia’s grief received more attention instead of worked into the plot. There was also so much excitement build on the summer job aspect but it didn’t get much showtime in the plot.

It’s pretty clear that the author spent some time on research on methods that paranormal investigators use. The arguments used in the book were also believable to the cause.

The paranormal aspects in the book and the whole showdown that went down wasn’t terrifying. Nowhere did I get any chills or feels of terror while reading and it felt under played. The scenes weren’t written with enough suspense. The ghost hunting was interesting and I was waiting for the crazy to start up but the author needed to explore a little more with ideas to add to the plot.

One good thing though – no predictable love interests in a young adult novel!