Published: 2021
Series: N/A
Author: Eva V. Gibson
Illustrator: N/A
Genres: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary, Romance, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Teen, Suspense, LGBTQ
Audience (Grade Levels): Grades 9-12
Number of Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Goodreads Link: Where Secrets Lie
Triggers / Content Warnings: Assault, infidelity, murder
Review By: Lisa McPherson
Publisher’s Summary:
Told in two interwoven timelines—the summer when everything changed, and the summer that changes everything—Where Secrets Lie is a seductive thriller as dark as it is enthralling.
Amy Larsen has spent every summer with her cousin Ben and their best friend Teddy in River Run, Kentucky, loving country life and welcoming the break from her intensive ambitions and overbearing mother—until the summer she and Teddy confront the changing feelings and simmering sexual tension growing between them, destroying the threesome’s friendship in a dramatic face-off.
One year later, Amy returns to River Run dreading what she might find. But when Teddy’s sister disappears, Amy, Ben and Teddy agree to put aside their differences to search for her. As they dig deeper into the dark history of their small town, all three friends must unearth the truths that tie their families to tragedy, cope with their own toxic upbringings and beliefs, and atone for the damage done to each other and themselves.
Review:
Told through the POV of Amy, the main character, the book is a true suspense novel, dealing with some big issues for teens. The story weaves back and forth from present to the preceding summer, where “something” happened between this trio of friends which has shaken their long-standing summer bond. The book is a testament to true friendship, showing that no matter what happens, when our friends need us the most, we will be there for them. The disparity between the teens socioeconomically is highlighted by the similarities in which they are all disadvantaged in their various home lives. It delves into issues about family, authority, friendship, sexuality and mental health. At times, I wanted more information about Amy and maybe seeing her from another character’s POV would have helped. Overall, it was a quick and addictive read and I would recommend this book.
Classroom & Curricular Connections:
- ELA (English Language Arts): A phenomenal mentor text for studying non-linear plotting and dual-timeline structures. Students can analyze how the author builds dramatic irony by withholding key information from the previous summer.
- Social Studies / Human Geography: Connects to units examining rural socioeconomic structures, exploring how regional geography and class disparity influence the opportunities and domestic lives of small-town youth.
- SEL (Social-Emotional Learning): Offers heavy, vital pathways for discussing toxic family dynamics, processing grief, navigating changing boundaries within friend groups, and exploring healthy sexual development.
- Extension Activity / Library Application: Perfect for use in a high school library book club or literature circle. Librarians can coordinate a “Timeline & Clue Mapping” workshop. As students read the mystery, they can construct a comparative, two-sided timeline tracking the clues discovered in the present alongside the emotional catalysts unfolding in the flashbacks.
- Diversity & Representation: The text offers meaningful representation by accurately depicting intersectional teenage vulnerabilities. By exploring LGBTQ+ themes alongside the heavy realities of socioeconomic disparity and mental health struggles, it provides a gritty, realistic mirror for students from diverse economic backgrounds or fragmented home environments, showing their capacity to fight for justice and maintain agency.
