all her little secrets | part three

[Lala, owner]

That's it, you completed the book!
Full spoilers welcome and encouraged!

Is there any questions you still have upon finishing the book?
Did you find it satisfying?
Were you able to predict certain things? What surprised you?
What's your final rating?
Would you read from this author again?

[Paige]

The themes of family, protecting yourself and your own, and forgetting the past are powerful. The theme of forgetting being shown through dementia and repression is an amazing touch that is both in your face and subtle at the same time.

Overall I loved this book. I listened to the audiobook and it was beautifully narrated. Then again Susan Dalian could read the McDonalds menu and I would be intrigued.

I did guess the big twist about halfway through because I’m always suspect of anyone who is too nice but it was still an amazing journey. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lea]

I enjoyed reading this book. I wasn't shocked but all the twists were realistic. The most gutwrenching thing was Sam's fate. I rated the book 4 stars. I'll read more from this author for sure.

[Becca]

Wow I loved this! I was not surprised to learn that it wasn’t who she assumed it was, but I was surprised to find who it was! I really enjoyed this and did not feel like I needed any more from the story. I just looked up the author and it seems her next book is about the aunts past! I’m so excited to read from this author again

[Jordyn]

4 stars for me! This was a very engaging story. I listened to the audio and it was great. The racist group storyline was predictable, but that wasn't a bad thing as it could be realistic in the setting. I would read from this author again!

[Lisette]

I enjoyed the book a lot, however I did not like the ending at all. The plot twist and revelation about her past was too predictable.
I would consider reading 'anywhere you run'. because I would like to know a bit more about violet.

[Lake]

I enjoyed the book! It was a 5 star for me. I loved the writing and the pace of it. I didn't expect the ending and part of me feels like there could of been more added to it. Would definitely read another book from Wanda & would love to see a second book made!! :D

[Melissa]

I enjoyed the book but i was hoping for something surprising to happen and it didn’t. It did get a little slow for me after the first part but i still enjoyed it. I would read another book from this author.

[Rachel]

Really enjoyed the book! Probably a 4 or 4.25/5 rating. I listened to the audiobook and flew through it. I loved how connected I got to the characters. Was I super surprised? No. Was I satisfied? Absolutely. I got everything I wanted out of this: intriguing plot, strong characters, and the constant question of “how is she gonna get out of this?” I would definitely read from this author again.

[Leigh]

The book was great! I really liked Ellice as a main character and I loved how the author brought forth so many topics in one story.

I didn’t like Hardy from the beginning. I wasn’t overly surprised at the twist, the ending did seem kinda fast and summed up too quickly.

All in all this was a great read, not one of my absolute favourites, but one I enjoyed and I would definitely read from this author again!

[kailyn]

Awesome book! I enjoyed this ride! I’m definitely rating this 4.5 stars for me. I think I’m partial between 4 and 5 stars so 4.5. I think the twist of who it was stopped me from fully going to 5… idk, I kinda wanted it to be Johnathan haha (hated that guy and Max tbh). Butttt it was good and I thought it was very thought provoking and definitely holds a lot of water with race relations in the south. I mean the author nailed it on the head with how funeral homes run especially in small towns in the south. In my hometown there are different funeral homes for the white ppl and black ppl still… I definitely see a lot of the things she brought up in this book. I definitely loved this book.

[Lauren]

I gave this a 3. I enjoyed the writing and I would probably read more from this author. I was engaged with the story for about the 1st half or so, but towards the end of Part 1, I could start to guess where we were going & it got a little over the top for me with the story going in too many different directions. Overall it was still enjoyable, hence the 3.

[morgan]

JUICEEEEE
I'm gonna give this a 4. I really like the writing and POV character, Ellice. The pace throughout was fast and engaging, but the end did feel abrupt and predictable. Happy to have read this and look forward to more from the author!

[L.J.]

I gave this a 4. I was conflicted between 3 or 3.5 but ended up deciding on a 4. What an awesome debut novel.

What I loved: the great pacing, the engaging plot, and the lovable main character, Ellice. Surprisingly, the parts that I was really engaged with were the flashbacks to her past. I found the secrets that she had were the most compelling thing of the novel.

What I didn't like: the fact that Ellice was described as being super smart but her decisions and actions proved otherwise. It was a tad frustrating at times. I was wishing for her to suddenly bust out her big brain to combat Houghton and the Brethren. She did it in the end but it still wasn't enough to convince me that she was this super smart lawyer. But this is just me.

[Shauna]

Maybe I'm just dense but I didn't see the ending coming. I really like thrillers that leave breadcrumbs so if I go back and read it again I feel like I could theoretically put the pieces together myself (though I literally never do on a first read... again, maybe I'm just dumb/gullible) and this hit that on the nose for me. Rated it 4 stars because it did have some slow bits and there was a bit of repetition but I'd absolutely read this author again.

As a side note, I listened to the audio book rather than reading it traditionally and I wonder if maybe I'd have picked up on more if I had chosen to read rather than listen. I did really like the reader on the version I got through the library though and it really felt like I was seeing a human's point of view - I put that mostly to the writing but also in the way it was told in the audio medium.

[Lisa]

I agree with Lauren Duff. My problem was I just couldn't fathom an Ivy League educated lawyer making the choices she did. plus, she is 14 in 1979 and 50 in 2021??? Maths don't work.. but that's just me.

[Levinia]

I definitely skipped right over part 2 discussion lol I couldn’t stop reading. I give the book 4 stars. I loved it! It had me feeling all types of ways

[emperorcupcake]

This was a 4 star read for me, I found it very engaging and emotional. It was more of a page turner in the sense that I cared about the characters and wanted to know what was going to happen than it was super twisty or surprising. I wasn't really surprised by anything, but I felt really involved in the story and didn't want to put it down. I loved the ending.

Will definitely read Wanda M. Morris' next book about Vera/Violet, who was my favourite character!

[Renee]

This was like a low 3 star read for me. I liked the beginning, it was filled with dread and felt like it could get really weird. Then the middle happened, and it was pretty slow, the twists were predictable, and the inner monologue was very repetitive. Then we have the ending, which did wrap it up mostly well, and I was happy to see the growth in Ellice.

The strength of this novel was definitely the flashbacks and the interpersonal relationships. The weakness was for sure the thriller elements. I'm not sure I'd pick up a thriller from this author again, but I would pick up something else by her.

[Angie]

I enjoyed this book so much. Hubby picked it up from the hold area in our local library Saturday at 2 pm. I literally was hooked by the first 3 pages. I finished the book around 10:30 that night.

Wanda is a fantastic storyteller. Ellice is a complex and lovable character. Her backstory was heartbreaking. It was a great blend of the present and the past. It was a story about secrets. Secrets from the past, secret clubs, secrets about who we are.

I gave this a 5/5. And I would love seeing another book with Ellice and how her life evolves since her secrets have been revealed or does she have anymore.

[Sandra]

Read this super fast, I liked the story and enjoyed it.

[Shani]

I enjoyed this a lot more than I expected. I thought I wouldn't like the main character at first but after a while, I grew to love her and I felt really sorry for her and everything she went through both in the past and the present. I was also really sad when Sam died, I wished they could have mended their relationship. Though not the most ground-breaking, I was still surprised by the final plot twist of finding out it was Hardy behind it all. I had a hard time getting into the book at first (though that might just be because I was preoccupied with other things in my life) but after about two-thirds, to the halfway point I was intrigued and invested in the story. I think overall, I will give this one 4/5 stars. It's not the best thriller I've ever read but it was a good time. I am so glad I finally liked a book club pick after not liking two and dnfing one. I will probably pick up this author's new books too, I'm already excited for the next one about Vera's past.

[Nina]

I listened to the audiobook which I really enjoyed, so I got through it pretty fast, even though I thought the pace slowed down a lot towards the middle. I was waiting for something exciting to happen, but it never came and I wasn't really surprised by anything. That said, I did enjoy the glimpses into Ellice's childhood that we got and the discussion of family. Overall it was a 3 or 3.5 star read for me. Nice, but nothing mind blowing. I'd be open to picking up another book by the author.

[Justin]

I ended up giving it 3.5 stars — it's very readable and thematically strong, but not quite onboard with they way the plot played out:

Why would a company play the long and risky game to groom / blackmail Ellice to comply to their money laundering / white supremacist agenda, when they can simply hire someone who's already believing in the same principle?

I couldn't quite find a justification for this, so the book kind of falls apart for me in the end.

[Mandy]

This one wasn’t for me.

I really don’t know what to rate it. 2.5-3, so I’ll go with a 3.

There were engaging parts. I love a strong heroine. I love that she’s described as smart, but Ellice didn’t act smart.

Who on earth would get into a car with a man after her brother is killed? That whole scene with Juice was just so bothersome. I know it turned out okay, but I was screaming at the book.

Ellice acted so many ways in which a smart woman who has had to be cautious and guarded her whole would never act.

It didn’t work for me.

I also agree that there’s no way a company would spend this much time grooming an employee like this.

The one thing that did work for me was the strong family/found family bonds. That was great to see. I loved the fierce protectiveness these people had for Ellice even though she pushed them away. That’s why I struggle with a low rating.

As this is a debut, I will definitely read from this author again. She writes fantastic characters and she’ll iron out her issues in books to come. I’m sure of it, because she weaved some fantastic pieces throughout (hello chicken and dumplings!)

[Tiffany]

3-3.5 Stars- Physical book- It was fine. Pretty entertaining, but I just wanted to get a little bit more out of it. Every time I put it down, I was not super compelled to pick it back up again, and just wanted to get it done with at the end.

My mistake though because this does tend to read like a traditional mystery book and not like the faster paced thrillers that I am used to. Heaps of potential there though, and the writing was really good... it's just that slower self-reflecting mystery pacing that really fails to capture me sometimes. Curious to hear what others have to say.

Anyone else find it a little strange that she didn't mourn her brother a bit more when she found out he was murdered?... she kept going to work like normal (more worried about her colleagues finding out she lied about having a brother), and investigating under the radar (but not in an avenging sort of way)?

[Melanie]

I enjoyed the pacing and I liked Ellice as a protagonist. Besides that the ending wasn't too shocking.
I can't explain it but this wasn't really a mystery to me. More of a thriller. The mystery wasn't really there. We pretty much knew that the people she worked with were involved from the beginning.
I did have fun while reading though so that's why I've decided on a 3 star rather than a 2.

[Lee]

I am rating this book a 2. This book is not for me. I won't be reading anymore books by this author.

[Stavroula]

2,5-3 stars. I liked the characters and the family bond, but generally this book wasn't for me. I prefer faster paced books, but this one was well writen that's why I would read from this author again.

[Emily]

I agree with a lot of the comments above and rated this book a 2 star. That being said, I might try this author in the future because there was some promise in the writing but Ellice was so aggravating sometimes. Her emotional response to what was going on felt so off to me and that was my main issue. As a lawyer I felt like she handled the whole situation wrong and was way too nonchalant about Michael and Sam's deaths. The pacing was way too slow for me and it felt like the story took so long to unfold. I'm hoping May's selection will hit different for me.