‘All Your Twisted Secrets’ is a YA Thriller That Will Have You on the Edge of Your Seat – Book Review
What do you get when you have a group of students trapped inside a room with a bomb that’s about to go off and a syringe full of poison? Well, that is exactly the story that unfolds in Diana Urban’s All Your Twisted Secrets. With a crew of misfits, that don’t really fit together (think The Breakfast Club) comprised of the class valedictorian, the queen bee, the stoner, the musical geek, the star athlete and the loner, the stakes are high as the high schoolers have to fight to stay alive after a trap is set for them.
While the unlikely faction is in attendance to what they believe to be a scholarship dinner, they learn the unfortunate truth that it is all a ploy. While they don’t know who is behind the life and death situation they now find themselves in, they do know that there will be dire consequences if they do not choose someone from the group to kill within an hour. If they cannot come to a decision, the bomb will go off and they’ll all be done for. With Amber determined to get them all out alive, the crew tries to retrace their steps and see what they have in common, and who could possibly want them all dead.
However, trying to figure that out may be easier said than done. But with time not on their side, will they choose to die together, or will it be death by poison for one? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out.
All Your Twisted Secrets seems to draw some inspiration from The Breakfast Club (as mentioned above), but it meets extremely high stakes a la horror films such as Escape Room. It’s been a while since I’ve read a YA book that wasn’t entrenched in sci-fi and fantasy, so All Your Twisted Secrets was a breath of fresh air for me. While there are a plethora of lead characters in the story, it’s likely that you will find yourself relating to one or more of them. It was interesting to see their tones shift when they learn they won’t be fighting for a scholarship and will actually be fighting for their lives. It’s one of these unbelievable situations that one could never see themselves in, however Urban’s writing makes it all work.
The six teenagers all have their own ticking time bombs of sorts as you learn that they’re all hiding some dark secrets of their own – which may very well be the reasons that they’re now trapped in this explosive-laden room with a clock counting down the time to their potential demise. There is so much more I’d like to say, but All Your Twisted Secrets is the kind of novel that you don’t ever want to spoil for others. So, I am trying to give you the best review with the most minute details. The book is an easy read and one that shouldn’t take you too long to get through.
There were many twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and I couldn’t wait to see what happened next with each chapter. If you enjoy a good book that would fall into the thriller and even murder-mystery genres, you will have a lot of fun reading this debut novel from Urban. All Your Twisted Secrets surprised me in the best ways and with an ending like that, I cannot wait to see what Urban has up her sleeve next!
All Your Twisted Secrets is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indigo. It is also available in digital format. Be sure to give it a read!
