“A compulsive page-turner with shades of Donna Tartt’s The Secret History peopled by a new generation.”—Catherine Steadman, New York Times bestselling author of Something in the Water NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY GOOD HOUSEKEEPING In her first weeks at Hawthorne College, Malin is swept up into a tight-knit circle that will stick together through all four years. There’s Gemma, an … stick together through all four years. There’s Gemma, an insecure theater major from London; John, a tall, handsome, wealthy New Englander; Max, John’s cousin, a shy pre-med major; Khaled, a wisecracking prince from Abu Dhabi; and Ruby, a beautiful art history major. But Malin isn’t like the rest of her friends. She’s an expert at hiding her troubled past. She acts as if she shares the preoccupations of those around her—dating, partying—all while using her extraordinary insight to detect their deepest vulnerabilities and weaknesses.
By Senior Day, on the cusp of graduation, Malin’s secrets—and those of her friends—are revealed. While she scrambles to maintain her artfully curated image, her missteps set in motion a devastating chain of events that ends in a murder. And as fragile relationships hang in the balance and close alliances shift, Malin must test the limits of what she’s capable of to stop the truth from coming out.
In a mesmerizing novel that peels back the innumerable layers of a seductive protagonist, debut author Cambria Brockman brings to life an entrancing story of friendship, heartbreak, and betrayal.
Praise for Tell Me Everything
“Gripping . . . Brockman paints an unnerving portrait of the power people hold over one another—especially as they blur the line between protective and obsessive.”—Time
“At once a complex thriller and antihero origin story, Cambria Brockman’s riveting debut is a true page-turner.”—Lisa Lutz, New York Times bestselling author of the Spellman series and The Passenger
“Cambria Brockman’s dark and twisty Tell Me Everything is an impressive debut, a complicated and compelling novel of psychological suspense that deftly explores the questions of how well we know our friends and of whom we can trust.”—Karen Dionne, author of the international bestseller The Marsh King’s Daughter
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This book primarily takes place at a prestigious college in New England, where 6 students meet at freshman orientation and become friends. The story follows Malin, Ruby, and Gemma – the females – and John, Max, and Khaled – the males.
It also has a back story about Malin, who has a brother, Liam, that died in front of her when she was 8 years old. Malin tries to keep her past private, and also keeps her feelings to herself.
The story follows the 6 as their friendship solidifies over classes, parties, and relationships over the 4 years, culminating in Senior Day. Senior Day is a day of traditions for the senior class. Sadly, one of the seniors dies on Senior Day, and the life on campus is not the same.
Malin’s story is shrouded in secrecy, until it all breaks open at the end.
This is a poignant story of caring too deeply, hiding tendencies and feelings, and secrecy around mental illness.
I really enjoyed this book and I look forward to more from this author. It was a quick and engrossing read. I am struggling with how I feel about the ending of the book – and it will make me think about it for a while.
#TellMeEverything #CambriaBrockman
What a great debut novel by Cambria Brockman! She throws in a twist at the end which I didn’t see coming. It was a very good storyline and one that stays with you after finishing!
Cambria Brockman’s dark and twisty TELL ME EVERYTHING is an impressive debut, a complicated and compelling psychological suspense that deftly explores the questions of how well we know our friends, and of whom we can trust. With its university setting and flawed yet relatable characters, readers who appreciate the nuances and perils of college-age friendships will adore this book!
Malin is in her first year at a remote Maine college and she’s finally making friends. It isn’t easy when she isn’t much of a social butterfly, but she’s doing her best. The group of 6 friends has grown close over their college career, and this story is told in the present, starting with the Freshman year, and the past, with them in their final year of college. We also get a timeline of Malin growing up, and while that isn’t consistent throughout the book, it’s definitely a very revealing timeline. Revealed in tiny increments, you feel the tension building, and you know Malin is keeping a big secret from the others.
The only drawback in the book was the level of depth to the characters. I would have liked to see more of Max. He is Malin’s best friend, but he doesn’t come out of his shell until senior year, and even those interactions with her are minimal at best. I think with the amount of time spent on Malin, John, and Ruby, some of that time could have been more devoted to the rest of the group.
I have to be fairly vague with my review because I don’t want to spoil things. While I had a good idea of what was going on well before the reveal, it didn’t detract from how good the book is. The murder that is mentioned in the blurb doesn’t happen until we’re practically done with the book, but the tension leading up to it is really good, the writing is excellent. While the book is told in Malin’s point of view, she’s a bit of an unreliable narrator. While she prides herself on her ability to read people (and we do learn just how sneaky she is), things aren’t always as she sees them. This turned into a super fun read that was hard to put down.
The book is a good suspense read. I didn’t care for the ending, and found it hard to believe that every character was so screwed up. But overall, enjoyed it.
Very intriguing mystery set in college. It was fast paced and enjoyable. So many characters involved, it really kept me on my toes!
Oh so good! Cambria Brockman’s debut novel is one that shows off her numerous writing skills while keeping the reader enthralled.
From the very first chapter, we know that someone is going to die, but who, how, and why come to us in bits and pieces of understanding portioned out by Ms. Brockman. The setting is the elite Hawthorne College in rural Edelton, Maine. A group of six students meet during their Freshman year and remain friends through graduation. There are three boys, (John, the rich, good-looking one whose personality isn’t as nice as his physical features; Matt, his quiet cousin who is studying pre-med, and Khaled, a prince from Abu Dubai) and three girls (Gemma, an insecure theater major from London looking to fit-in, Ruth, an art-history major who is beautiful and kind, and Malin, a girl from Texas who is more at ease watching from the sidelines yet who finds herself drawn more and more into the lives of the others).
The story is told from Malin’s point of view, and alternates between Freshman year, Texas 1997 and Senior year. Watching the interactions of the six characters, and their relationships both among and outside of the group allows us to become familiar with the multi-faceted personalities of each. Brockman employs Malin to be the gatherer and keeper of secrets while showing little of her true self to the others. Suspense builds throughout until it is at a perfect pitch and high intensity on Senior Day.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I look forward to Cambria Brockman’s future efforts. I rate this four stars, and highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for allowing me the privilege of reading an ARC of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.