Don't Breathe a Word by Jordyn Taylor

Published on December 16, 2021

Don't Breath a Word Book Cover

Reviewed by Jayde Valosin

Past and present converge in this new mystery by Jordyn Taylor (author of The Paper Girls of Paris). The story begins in present day where Eva Storm is beginning eleventh grade at a new school, the elite Hardwick Preparatory Academy. She is having a tough time making friends until she and Jenny skip class, which turns into the opportunity to join The Fives. The Fives are a secret society on campus where members’ loyalty is repaid in amazing social and professional opportunities. 

Flashback to 1962, where Connie and her friends worry about the possibility of nuclear war. When she is offered the opportunity to test Hardwick Prep’s new fallout shelter, and learn some real survival skills, she isn’t thrilled to participate but she knows that her safety (and her chance to get closer to her crush) might depend on it. Only four make it out of the shelter, and it’s up to present day Eva to figure out what really happened down there, all those years ago. 

Don’t Breathe a Word’s use of the alternating timelines and voices of Connie and Eva, as well as it’s inclusion of the nuclear panic many people had in the 60’s, gives some familiar plot ideas new interest. I found myself reading quickly through Connie’s story, unable to put the book down as secrets from that timeline were revealed and her story unfolded. Eva’s parts of the book tend to move a bit slower, but her romantic subplot and focus on forging her own path will have you rooting for her all the way through. The two timelines eventually do meet up in present day, leading to the book’s explosive ending.  

 

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