Book Review
Title: I Know Your Secret by Daphne Benedis-Grab
Genre: Middle Grade, Mystery
Rating: 4.25 Stars
I Know Your Secret is pitched as One of Us is Lying and Pretty Little Liars for middle grade readers so I genuinely didn’t know what to expect as those books stray into some dark places at times. I am not saying middle grade can’t be dark and can’t do dark well, it is just unusual given these books are often aimed at pre-teens so I was reasonably surprised by what it actually delivered. We are following four students who all receive the same mysterious text blackmailing them in order to keep their secrets safe which was intriguing from the very beginning. Each student is given a very specific set of instructions to follow in order to escape their fate. When the students realise they have gotten the same message the band together despite not really bothering with each other under normal circumstances.
The secrets each student is trying to keep aren’t that shocking in comparison to young adult or adult mystery novels but that was to be expected given the target audience but they were completely believable under these circumstances. I also liked the fact that the kids are able to sneak around the school doing their investigating without some weird excuse but there is an Explorer’s Day going on at the school meaning they don’t have regular classes and it lessens the likelihood of them being caught for strange reasons that I sometimes see in middle grade fiction which is one of the reasons I don’t read middle grade often. The kids follow all the instructions they are given no matter how strange the tasks seem at the time as they try to figure out who is blackmailing them and why. They also learn a lot about each other and their secrets along the way forming some friendships between them which was nice to see.
I can’t talk much about the plot without giving things away so I am trying to keep this review on the shorter side. The book itself read a lot like a suspense movie with some great tension surrounding the texts and the tasks they are assigned and the mystery of who was behind it builds really well throughout the novel. As I mentioned the secrets are believable and sufficiently shocking enough for middle grade reader without being over the top stupid or just plain horrible. The character dynamics and the way they worked together felt natural and not forced at all which made the book easy and quick to read. However, the fact the students aren’t really checked on even without regular classes going on was a little unrealistic considering they speak openly about what is going on in public spaces. I also wasn’t a huge fan of the reveal at the end about who was behind the blackmail and at some points I was very concerned about one of the characters about something that wasn’t really touched upon at all.
Overall, I think Benedis-Grab created a well written and realistic mystery novel for a younger audience but I think if it had been a young adult book rather than middle grade some of the themes or issues could have been expanded upon more especially in Gemma’s case. I definitely think this is something younger people will enjoy as well as older people who enjoy middle grade fiction, I just personally had issues with adjusting my adult logic for a children’s novel which made me a little frustrated at time with the characters and their actions. I will definitely be reading more from Daphne Benedis-Grab especially if she branches out in young adult or adult novels where she can expand on her themes and delve deeper into the character’s mindsets but overall a solid read.
Buy it here:
Paperback/Hardcover: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
Kindle Edition: amazon.co.uk amazon.com
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