YouTube baking sensation April Masterson knows the secret to the perfect gooey brownies. Or how to make key lime squares that will melt in your mouth. But if you keep watching her offline, you may find out some other secrets about April. Secrets she’d rather you didn’t know.
Like where did her son go when he snuck out of the house? What was she doing with the local soccer coach behind fogged windows? And what’s buried in her backyard?
Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others. April’s secrets are enough to destroy her.
#1 New York Times, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, Publisher's Weekly, and Amazon Charts bestselling author Freida McFadden is a practicing physician specializing in brain injury who has penned multiple Kindle bestselling psychological thrillers and medical humor novels. She lives with her family and possessed cat in a centuries-old three-story home overlooking the ocean, with staircases that creak and moan with each step, and nobody could hear you if you scream. Unless you scream really loudly, maybe.
Note that I am maxed out on friends, so I apologize in advance that I can't friend anyone back!
McFadden is the queen of suspense. She manages to keep you on your toes, grabbing your attention whether you want to or not. Her characters might sometimes be a bit more fleshed out, but with short psychological thrillers I don’t mind that you get right down to it. I didn’t like the final twist, it wasn’t necessary in my opinion and a bit far-fetched. But other than that I liked the twist and turns.
The first Freida book that I correctly predicted the end… This is a quick read and still super entertaining! I would still recommend it to some readers depending on who asks!
2.5 stars, and round up. This book had all the potential in the world! I was following the story closely and it really drew me in, until getting about 60% through the book. I hate books that are told from a person’s point of view and then BAM it’s all a lie! This means the person is essentially lying to themselves. It’s strange. Then the end of the book she says “oh you want to know the truth”? Huh?!?! You were lying to yourself the whole time and now want to tell yourself the truth? For instance the kiss was only a peck she says from her point of view. Then you find out later it was an entire affair. Not to mention, she herself began suspecting Maria killed the neighbor (even said is that how badly she wanted to live next door) only to find out she (April) killed the neighbor. Also… she kept mentioning Maria looked familiar but it never got to that part. It’s almost like the book meant to take a direction but didn’t.
To me the “twist” wasn’t even a real twist. There was no jaw drop, just head scratching. I agree with others that rated this 3 stars or less. The book had no likeable characters. It sucks because it had a “who done it” feel but it just didn’t deliver.
And I won’t even get to the epilogue. Let’s just say the cop said that whoever killed Brianna had to use a lot of force and couldn’t have been April. Well then it turns out to be a frail old lady doped up on psych meds. The epilogue was AWFUL.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
WANT TO KNOW A SECRET? is a psychological thriller by bestselling author Freida McFadden. This is the seventh book I have read from this author, and having loved her novels, I was eager to start reading Want To Know A Secret? As an avid reader of psychological thrillers, I can only say, treat yourself and read all of her books! Her books are so good!
Her Standalone Books Include: Baby City (2015) The Surrogate Mother (2018) (Read) The Ex (2019) (Read) The Perfect Son (2019) (Read) The Wife Upstairs (2020) (Read) One By One (2020) (Read) Want to Know a Secret? (2021) (Read) The Locked Door (2021) Do Not Disturb (2021) Do You Remember? (2022) The Housemaid (2022) (Read) The Inmate (2022) Never Lie (2022)
This is my review of Want to Know a Secret?
April Masterson lives in a rich neighborhood with her husband, Elliot, and seven-year-old son, Bobby. The neighbors are all snobby, out to impress, typical wealthy housewives, until Maria and her family move in next door and change the dynamics.
April Masterson is a YouTube baking star of YouTube's 'April's Sweet Secrets' but has secrets she needs to keep hidden…secrets she’d rather you didn’t know.
Everyone has secrets. Some are worse than others. April’s secrets are enough to destroy her.
But where does Maria fit into their world. The beginning is a little slow, but halfway through, the suspense level rise drastically and the story takes off. The ending shocked me and had me on the edge of my seat.
the story was interesting and fun but the ending angered me. it felt like a quick way to try to make a twist w no explanation at all. 😀 and the epilogue??? goodbye.
I recently read Freida McFadden's book, The Teacher and could not put it down. I rated it five stars. So then I placed quite a few McFadden books on my TBR.
Want to Know a Secret? was okay but not great. It wasn't riveting but I kept hanging in there hoping it would get better. The main protagonist, April, receives creepy text messages about her son, her husband, and herself.
My main dislike of the book was that it felt like catty, mean women doing spiteful things to each other. There were antics around PTA meetings, children's playground fights, and shoplifting as well as more serious situations like extramarital affairs and murder.
I thought that this book started very well and I enjoyed the writing, but the development of the story is very slow. I don’t mind unlikeable or unreliable characters, as long as I feel engaged and not being lied to. Unfortunately this one was a nosedive. It became predictable and very repetitive, especially after adding a second POV. I don’t like when authors change a character’s personality just for the sake of causing a shock. The twists here did not impress me and felt unrealistic. That ending was so shocking, and not in a good way. It was like a desperate decision because there was a deadline to be met. This was my 10th book by this author, within the same month. Yes, I have to agree that she is addictive. And I’m rating it 3 stars because I felt entertained, otherwise 2 stars would be fair.
Paperback: 397 pages (57 chapters)
Audiobook narrated by Alyson Krawchuk: 8h26min (great narration but low sound quality)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I got through half of this book and literally wanted to throw it against the wall! Wtf is up with these reviews?
The POV in the book is a YouTube sensation baking star who is a married mother of one son, Bobby. She lives for baking and throughout the book continues to try to shove baked goods down your throat to make you like her. When you don’t give her the attention she feels she deserves she cries and can’t figure out that everyone in her life doesn’t even want her around including her husband. Inside she’s an insecure little girl who keeps going back to people promising this or that just to like her and it’s nauseating. The way she begs her husband’s employees to let her talk to her husband is a whole other level.
From the start of the book she starts to get these omnibus text messages that are slightly threatening but in April fashion of rainbows and unicorns she blows them off. She even gets a rock thrown through her window and does NOTHING. The a text comes and says if she mentions the text she’ll release the secret that is SO terrible. The “Want to Know A Secret” part is so juvenile too I just can’t deal with reading another word. She shared a kiss with the soccer coach and not to mention whomever is sending her these text messages JUST HAPPENED TO BE THERE TO TAKE A PICTURE?! Yeah, RIGHT.
Omg, if anyone can get though more than 50% then my hats off to you.
EDIT:
Now that I forced myself to finish I’m even more baffled at how this book has the reviews it does. April turning out to be a psycho who murders people are somehow is able to put her mentally sound mother in a home for dementia was a surprise but not a good one considering the reality of it being absolutely insanity and could most likely never happen.
Then a supposed dementia patient (her mother) just happens to escape the nursing home and kills and innocent woman thinking it’s her daughter? Come on.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
I have read many McFadden books and have rated all 5 stars. This one just didn’t come through like all the rest. It seemed to go on and on. Even the twist at the end didn’t make me feel better about the book. By the end, I was just exhausted and ready to be done.
"Want to Know a Secret" is a "popcorn thriller" with a very, very, very slow start, an enticing book cover, many unreliable narrators, and a surprise twist ending.
As soon as this book reached the 50% mark, the book magically transformed itself into an unputdownable page-turner and really started to move.
Author Freida McFadden is a gifted storyteller who has mastered the art of misdirection and, as a result, I did not guess the ending.
I did feel that the book had too many eye-rolling moments and this negatively impacted my rating.
I listened to the audiobook and narrator Alyson Krawchuk did a fabulous job with the narration.
I am a Freida McFadden fan and I look forward to listening to her future titles.
I had to stop reading - and I honestly never do that. The main character is so self-absorbed and unlikable, and I couldn’t stand reading another page. I found myself rolling my eyes numerous times - particularly when another “sweet secret” was given. Unfortunately, a year supply of April’s cookies that “no one says no to” couldn’t get me to finish this book. I rarely leave negative reviews - and I always try to get to the finish especially after investing time in hopes that it will somehow surprise me - but this one was just not for me.
5/5 🌟 for that twist at the end alone!! Granny for the win! 🤣🤣🤣!! Once again McFadden has amped up my anxiety and made my stomach knot up. This is why I love her books 💖💖.
On the surface April appears to be a well put together lady with a handsome, successful husband, Elliott, and son, Bobby, about to start second grade. She has a YouTube channel devoted to baking and her special secrets in the recipe. She has tons of followers and is considered a local celebrity. She’s on the PTA and in a book club. Everything seems to be going well for her until Maria moves into the neighborhood.
At first Maria and April become fast friends. April notices that Maria’s husband, Sean, is extremely hot. They have an adorable little boy named Owen that will also be in second grade when school starts again in August. He will be in her own son, Bobby’s class. Both boys play soccer and love it. Sean volunteers to help Bobby improve when Bobby who used to be considered good, isn’t any longer thanks to Owens’s arrival and his best friend Leo. Bobby has some anger management issues that he may or may not have inherited from his mother. Maria confides in April about not being able to bear children and that Owen is from Sean’s previous marriage. His former wife had passed away. Maria adopted Owen when he was very young and for that reason he thinks Maria is his biological mother.
April’s best friend is former DA Liz Braswell. Liz is the community group leader for their street and the president of the PTA. Her son Leo is also about to start second grade and plays soccer. He’s the best on the team because his parents paid for him to receive coaching from a professional. Liz misses being in the courtroom and doesn’t really care for being a housewife but she’s good at that too. She secretly hates her husband. She runs 5 miles a day and kickboxes.
Below the surface April has had to put her mom Janet in a nursing facility for early onset dementia where her doctor keeps her over medicated at April’s request. Her husband Elliott has cheated on her again for a second time. Both times were with his assistant/secretary and both times the assistant has turned up dead. The second assistant Breanna was pregnant with Elliott’s baby. April has also dallied with the possibility of an affair with one of the ladies from PTA & Book Club’s husband, Marc.
It seems that things start to fall apart for April when she gets a text from someone texting her from an unknown number telling her her son isn’t where she thinks he is while she’s filming a new video for her channel. Things only get worse from there when she gets a photo sent to her of her and Marc kissing. The kiss is all that happened because April pushed him away and told him she can’t go further that she doesn’t feel right about it. The older lady who lives across the street calls her a whore and several days later, Liz finds her dead when she goes to check on her because she hasn’t seen her getting her mail. One day April notices that Maria has a burner phone. Then things start to come together in April’s head. Maria is trying to set her up for several things. The least of which is stealing from the PTA funds after their fundraiser and silent auction that Maria and April worked on together. She then gets framed for theft at Helena’s a boutique that Maria is the manager of. April has secrets she can’t let become public. It’ll ruin her reputation and her YouTube channel.
So who’s behind the 3 deaths? Who’s framing her and setting her up. Who’s making fake Facebook accounts under her name and posting lies? Will her marriage survive? What is Maria’s motive for setting her up?
⚠️⛔️TRIGGERS⛔️⚠️
Drugs Murder Forced death by overdose Death during pregnancy Affairs/Infidelity Gaslighting Harassment Threatening/Blackmail Theft Bullying Stalking Sneaking into other’s homes Possible kidnapping or luring a child Lies and deception by adults and children Intentional harm from one child to another
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Back to the norm with a brilliant twisty and suspenseful Fredia McFadden book! I only have four more to read until she releases new ones (I have decided to stick to her thriller writing only)…….. there is going to be a Freida sized hole in my life within a few weeks 😂
I saw this coming. I was really hoping McFadden would not do this "literary trick" once again. The whole lying to the reader thing for the first half of the book then switching to another character who gives another perspective/view of the first character was good the first 5 times, but now its like okay been there done that. It makes reading these types of books frustrating because for the last 1/2 of the book you have to pretty much re-read what we read in the first half, just from the other characters point of view.
This particular attempt by McFadden was really laborous. April is a YouTube baking star who seems as sweet as her treats, but a new neighbor moves to the neighborhood. Upon Maria's arrival, April's friendship with the other women becomes strained, people start blaming her for things and her marriage becomes unwound.
The book kept my interest enough for me to finish it, but I guess after having read a few of this authors books I could anticipate what was going to happen. -Cheating husbands -Using birth control to fake infertility -Unreliable narrator -Unrealistic Murderer (*The epilogue was just so far out there, that POV was so frustrating, it was like she wanted to throw in a twist, but I am not buying it--since when can a frail woman kill a young woman, escape from a prison of a nursing home (I have worked in a LTC and they change the codes daily on the doors, have double locking system, cameras everywhere) kill person, escape and yet make it back in like what 10 min I think is what she said..... Yup sorry McFadden I guess you had a deadline to meet and couldn't think of something else??
I think I will tap the breaks on reading another book by this author for a while. I am pretty mad I wasted my time and hoopla credit on this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
2.75 I think the ending could have been longer so we get more of the fmc. Also I wanted closure in the ending, but I never got that. It was also kind of obvious that the fmc had done some “things” and what those “things” were (I know it sounds vague but I just don’t want to spoil it). Also STFU about those damn desserts! And the beginning was very repetitive. But overall it wasn’t the worse thing I have ever read. It did keep my attention…for the most part.
First, I did not like most of the characters who were portraits of spoiled rich Moms. Things took a turn but the whole thing was so improbable that I was glad for the ending, which I could not believe either. It was like it was thrown together using a minimum amount of words.
This book was a huge letdown. It had potential, but the characters were stupid and the whole story was too far fetched. I’m proud of myself for finishing the book (when multiple times I swore I couldn’t handle another page), but I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone. Not this author’s best.
All of the women in this book were very unlikeable and did bad things. The first half of the book was from the perspective of one of the women and the last half another. All were conniving and untruthful. The main character had a cooking show and was constantly foisting her baked goods on friends. Reason enough to avoid her. There was a twist in the end but not particularly satisfying. I don’t recommend this book.
This is one of the strangest books I’ve ever read but in a very good way! The first 3/4 of the book is from April’s POV. Then Freida says let’s confuse the reader and switch it up and switch it over to Julie’s POV. Same scenarios but different details. Holy cow!!! This left me saying WHAT???? Freida is a genius! Loved this book from the very first page and could not put it down. The ending is the twistiest one yet and she is the Queen of Twisty Endings! Always!!!!! Loved it!