YES A REVIEW: Please Don't Tell

Title: Please Don't Tell
Author: Laura Tims
Number of Pages: 352 (HB)
Publication Date: May 24, 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins

Synopsis

Joy killed Adam Gordon—at least, that’s what she thinks. The night of the party is hazy at best. But she knows what Adam did to her twin sister, Grace, and she knows he had to pay for it.
What Joy doesn’t expect is that someone else saw what happened. And one night a note is shoved through her open window, threatening Joy that all will be revealed. Now the anonymous blackmailer starts using Joy to expose the secrets of their placid hometown. And as the demands escalate, Joy must somehow uncover the blackmailer’s identity before Joy is forced to make a terrible choice.
In this darkly compelling narrative, debut author Laura Tims explores the complicated relationship between two sisters, and what one will do for the other. It’s a story that will keep readers turning pages and questioning their own sense of right and wrong.

Review

To be honest, at first I had minor troubles grasping the over-arching tone of Please Don’t Tell during the first few chapters, considering how complex the story was to begin with. I gradually eased myself into the writing, and of course, relished it by the end. I agree with some blurbs about how this book was “darkly compelling”. Please Don’t Tell is surely one book with a massive gravity that will suck you right in.

She peeks out from under the blanket. "Just because someone's dead doesn't make them gone."

The story follows twins, Joy and Grace Morris, who loved each other in that special way twins do. It’s quite interesting for me to read about them, because that was the first time I’ve encountered twins as protagonists. These two girls were caught up in a tragic Summer, leading to Adam Gordon’s death. And of course, everyone’s feeling guilty and all, but the twins and some friends hate Adam so much that they don’t even bat an eye. For me, that’s not inhumane, but rather engaging in a way that made me want to read further and discover why they hated him so much.

It is notable to mention that the book is filled with metaphorical statements that complement the double POVs happening. Joy’s POV is set in the present and describes how they’re all dealing with the death, while Grace’s POV is quite complicated—it tells the story of everything before the twins even got acquainted with Adam right up to the moment he died. I think that these two points complement each other perfectly, without subsuming the other one. By the end, all cleared up and I was gripping my seat up to the last page.

I'm so tired of having to reassure people that what happened to me wasn't their fault. Maybe it was their fucking fault. Maybe they should have been looking. No one ever looked at me before all this. Now they look and they still can't see.

The final act was really engaging and dark, and I feel that I have to tell you guys that I kind of expected the ending, but it still hit me like a punch. This is probably because of the weight of the emotions the characters are expressing, but then again, that’s just my opinion. The writing and the overall mood and tone might also contribute to this horrific ending!

And this [is] how it is, sometimes. With nothing feeling good. With all your worst fears confirmed, every nightmare coming true, and the last time you saw the only boy who ever made you smile when you didn't want to, he was sobbing because of you.

At the end of the day, Please Don’t Tell is a relevant book about today’s societal problems, especially mental health. I hope that this book makes the impact that it’s bound to make, and gets all the praise it deserves. I’m giving intense kudos to miss Laura Tims for giving me a wonderful book to devour! And with all of these being said, I’m rating Please Don’t Tell with 4 out of 5 grenades!

About the Author

Laura Tims is the author of PLEASE DON'T TELL, coming Fall 2015 from HarperCollins.

She's a mental health advocate, a cancer, and a reasonably cute organism. She likes Tumblr, anime, Neko Atsume, Homestuck, Steven Universe, and Undertale. She likes you even more.

She writes books about strange relationships, pain, and people who are scared but good. She loves to talk and if you also love to talk, find her on Twitter @laura_tims

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