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Seven for a Secret

Author Mary E. Roach
Hardcover
$18.99 US
Disney Publishing Group | Disney Hyperion
5.73"W x 8.55"H x 1.1"D  
On sale Sep 30, 2025 | 320 Pages | 9781368114608
Grade 7 & Up
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One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thrillers of 2025

Sadie meets The Female of the Species in this YA thriller starring Nev, one of eight missing girls from a group home called Sister's Place—and the only one who returned.

In the town of Avan Island, there was a group home called Sister’s Place. It housed girls no one cared about, girls who had nothing and no one but each other. Over the course of six months, eight girls from the home seemingly disappeared, never to return. 

But one girl did. 

Nev is the girl who returned. The girl who survived. She's done her best to leave what happened in the forest on Avan Island behind her, but now, five years later, the men in charge of Sister’s Place, the men who brushed the missing girls off as “runaways,” are turning up dead. And Nev realizes that confronting the town that was all too happy to forget her may be her only chance to get answers about what happened to her sisters.

As Nev is pulled deeper into Avan's secrets—and as more bodies pile up—she must unravel the mysteries locked in her own mind as she hunts down a killer who is willing to do anything to make sure the past stays buried.

Lost sisters, female rage, and the determination to survive drive Nev on her propulsive journey to find answers and peace—and maybe revenge.
Mary E. Roach is a former teacher who now writes across genres and age categories, most recently thrillers and romance. When she is not writing stories for powerful girls, Mary enjoys running, teaching martial arts, and disappearing into the wilderness. Mary lives in St. Paul with her fiancée and their very disagreeable cat, Lulu. She can be found on Instagram @MaryERoachAuthor or online at maryeroach.com
Mary E. Roach View titles by Mary E. Roach
Praise for Seven for a Secret:
One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thriller Books of 2025

“At once a gentle love letter to forgotten girls and a vicious indictment of the culture that pushes them to the fringes—just as wrathful as it is satisfying, like a furious scream that demands to be heard.”
—Codie Crowley, author of Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch

"An unflinching portrait of lost innocence, as well as a heartbreaking exploration of sisterhood and survival, Roach’s sophomore thriller is one not to be missed."
—MK Pagano, author of Girls Who Burn

★ "Luminously written."
—Donna Scanlon, Booklist (starred review)

"Roach carefully draws out the suspense, and her strong pacing allows the details fall into place, pulling readers into this story of vulnerable young women and the impact on their lives of powerful men with status in their community. A grimly atmospheric and unsettling mystery."
—Kirkus

Praise for Better Left Buried:
"Propulsive and smart, Better Left Buried is a groundbreaking thriller that is as heart pounding as it is heartfelt. No one writes like Mary E. Roach. Fan for life."
—J. Elle, New York Times bestselling author of House of Marionne

"Roach's sapphic characters are messy, complex, and intensely readable in this page turning thriller!"
—Meryl Wilsner, USA Today bestselling author

“Intense and darkly romantic, Better Left Buried kept me turning the pages late into the night. A beautiful and empowering thriller. Roach is must-read talent.”
—Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author

★ "[An] expertly paced debut thriller."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An intriguing and quick-moving thrill ride of a whodunit with a fledging amateur detective driving the tension."
—Kirkus

"The pace and plot are intense and tightly wound. Roach is off to a great start with her debut mystery."
—Donna Scanlon, Booklist

About

One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thrillers of 2025

Sadie meets The Female of the Species in this YA thriller starring Nev, one of eight missing girls from a group home called Sister's Place—and the only one who returned.

In the town of Avan Island, there was a group home called Sister’s Place. It housed girls no one cared about, girls who had nothing and no one but each other. Over the course of six months, eight girls from the home seemingly disappeared, never to return. 

But one girl did. 

Nev is the girl who returned. The girl who survived. She's done her best to leave what happened in the forest on Avan Island behind her, but now, five years later, the men in charge of Sister’s Place, the men who brushed the missing girls off as “runaways,” are turning up dead. And Nev realizes that confronting the town that was all too happy to forget her may be her only chance to get answers about what happened to her sisters.

As Nev is pulled deeper into Avan's secrets—and as more bodies pile up—she must unravel the mysteries locked in her own mind as she hunts down a killer who is willing to do anything to make sure the past stays buried.

Lost sisters, female rage, and the determination to survive drive Nev on her propulsive journey to find answers and peace—and maybe revenge.

Author

Mary E. Roach is a former teacher who now writes across genres and age categories, most recently thrillers and romance. When she is not writing stories for powerful girls, Mary enjoys running, teaching martial arts, and disappearing into the wilderness. Mary lives in St. Paul with her fiancée and their very disagreeable cat, Lulu. She can be found on Instagram @MaryERoachAuthor or online at maryeroach.com
Mary E. Roach View titles by Mary E. Roach

Praise

Praise for Seven for a Secret:
One of Marie Claire's 18 Most-Anticipated Mystery-Thriller Books of 2025

“At once a gentle love letter to forgotten girls and a vicious indictment of the culture that pushes them to the fringes—just as wrathful as it is satisfying, like a furious scream that demands to be heard.”
—Codie Crowley, author of Here Lies a Vengeful Bitch

"An unflinching portrait of lost innocence, as well as a heartbreaking exploration of sisterhood and survival, Roach’s sophomore thriller is one not to be missed."
—MK Pagano, author of Girls Who Burn

★ "Luminously written."
—Donna Scanlon, Booklist (starred review)

"Roach carefully draws out the suspense, and her strong pacing allows the details fall into place, pulling readers into this story of vulnerable young women and the impact on their lives of powerful men with status in their community. A grimly atmospheric and unsettling mystery."
—Kirkus

Praise for Better Left Buried:
"Propulsive and smart, Better Left Buried is a groundbreaking thriller that is as heart pounding as it is heartfelt. No one writes like Mary E. Roach. Fan for life."
—J. Elle, New York Times bestselling author of House of Marionne

"Roach's sapphic characters are messy, complex, and intensely readable in this page turning thriller!"
—Meryl Wilsner, USA Today bestselling author

“Intense and darkly romantic, Better Left Buried kept me turning the pages late into the night. A beautiful and empowering thriller. Roach is must-read talent.”
—Ashley Herring Blake, USA Today bestselling author

★ "[An] expertly paced debut thriller."
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"An intriguing and quick-moving thrill ride of a whodunit with a fledging amateur detective driving the tension."
—Kirkus

"The pace and plot are intense and tightly wound. Roach is off to a great start with her debut mystery."
—Donna Scanlon, Booklist

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