Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no on... read full description
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no on... read full description
reviews
Aug 15, 2010
Zosia
rated it: 
My main thought about this book was, “Do teenagers really have this much sex?!”
I loved the premise of this story, but there was something a little off about it. Colt (from ‘the wrong side of the tracks, or - in this case - the wrong end of the mountain) spent the year he was sixteen having a secret relationship with rich girl Julia. Then Julia died in a car accident and Colt has to watch all her acknowledged friends and family grieve while he suffers on his own. Julia’s brother figur More...
I loved the premise of this story, but there was something a little off about it. Colt (from ‘the wrong side of the tracks, or - in this case - the wrong end of the mountain) spent the year he was sixteen having a secret relationship with rich girl Julia. Then Julia died in a car accident and Colt has to watch all her acknowledged friends and family grieve while he suffers on his own. Julia’s brother figur More...
30 comments
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(24 people liked it)
Nov 15, 2011
Annalisa
rated it: 
The premise of this book was intriguing. After a year in a secret relationship, Julia dies leaving Colt to mourn her in silence. With all that bottled up grief, it could have been good, but nothing in the book is explored. Hubbard brushes past those first critical six weeks after Julia's death in a few chapters and then continues to skim from scene to scene without delving into anything. The whole book is tell, tell, tell. Even in the last chapter, Colt is summarizing tidbits of his relationship
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9 comments
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(9 people liked it)
Aug 16, 2010
McKenzie
rated it:
Colt and Julia were together, but no one else knew. Colt lived in the poor area of town, while Julia lived on Black Mountain with the rest of the rich kids. To top it off, Julia already had a boyfriend. One night, Julia is killed in a car accident. Her brother finds her journal and gives it to Colt. Colt must now try to get over Julia and get on with the rest of his life.
My overall impression of this book was blah. I'd heard so many great reviews, raving about the book and all of its More...
My overall impression of this book was blah. I'd heard so many great reviews, raving about the book and all of its More...
0 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Feb 09, 2011
Kristy
rated it:
What is with these weird depressing books I keep reading lately. Geez. I knew going into it that the girl Julia died and Colt, the guy, is trying to cope with her death after having a secret relationship with her. Throughout the whole book I just felt bad for him. He had so many questions he would never get answers to and raw feelings he could never really express. I thought the ending was terrible! I don't feel like anything got any better for him. Yes he realized that he needed to stop
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Dec 13, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
I was really excited to read The Secret Year, but unfortunately, it just wasn't the book for me. I found it quite difficult to get through, and struggled to form any kind of attachment to the characters. The premise is fantastic, and I can't fault that at all. It's unusual and intriguing, and is the reason I bought the book in the first place. To live with any kind of secret is difficult, but to have a whole year that essentially only exists to two people is unimaginable.
Hubbard defi More...
Hubbard defi More...
3 comments
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(5 people liked it)
Feb 27, 2011
Three words; 2010 is awesome!
If this is any indication on how awesome the debut authors for 2010 are going to be, we are all in for a very big treat. This is the first official debut novel I've read for 2010, and I could not put it down!
I can't even explain the range of emotions that you are sure to experience while reading this novel. Colt is such an intense character, and you can't help but feel his desperation, his confusion, his frustration. It's strangely addicting. More...
If this is any indication on how awesome the debut authors for 2010 are going to be, we are all in for a very big treat. This is the first official debut novel I've read for 2010, and I could not put it down!
I can't even explain the range of emotions that you are sure to experience while reading this novel. Colt is such an intense character, and you can't help but feel his desperation, his confusion, his frustration. It's strangely addicting. More...
Feb 15, 2011
Jillian -always aspiring-
rated it: 
(Actual rating: 3.5 stars)
Julia was killed on Labor Day on her way home from a party. I didn't get to see her that night. I used to meet her on Friday nights, but I was never invited to the parties that she was invited to. We'd meet on the banks of the river, clutch at each other in the backseat of her car, steam up her windows and write messages and jokes to each other in the fog on the glass, and argue about whether to turn on the A/C. Sometimes we swam in the river late at nig More...
Julia was killed on Labor Day on her way home from a party. I didn't get to see her that night. I used to meet her on Friday nights, but I was never invited to the parties that she was invited to. We'd meet on the banks of the river, clutch at each other in the backseat of her car, steam up her windows and write messages and jokes to each other in the fog on the glass, and argue about whether to turn on the A/C. Sometimes we swam in the river late at nig More...
3 comments
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(8 people liked it)
Jan 17, 2011
TinasBookReviews
rated it:
Perhaps a more fitting title to this novel would have been "The Secret Year I had Sex...and more sex and more sex and more sex....."
Romeo and Juliet meet the Outsiders.....? That's a very misleading tagline....The Outsiders maybe due to the culture/status thing but as far as the romance in this story, it was causal, no strings attached sneaky sex. There was no tragic love or even a real commitment, Julia and Colts relationship was built on lies, deceit and sneaking around. More...
Romeo and Juliet meet the Outsiders.....? That's a very misleading tagline....The Outsiders maybe due to the culture/status thing but as far as the romance in this story, it was causal, no strings attached sneaky sex. There was no tragic love or even a real commitment, Julia and Colts relationship was built on lies, deceit and sneaking around. More...
Jan 23, 2010
Aileen
rated it:
This book was good, it had situations that many people want while at the same time they think they want but really don't. When you begin this book Colt had been dating a girl named Julia for a year and she had just died, then it goes on to explain how he felt about her, what she felt about him, tons of other things, mainly about his trying to sort out not only his feelings he still had for this dead girl but feelings for others around him, especially when her younger brother gives him her journa
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Jan 11, 2012
Donna
rated it: 
This book is -awesome- I couldn't put it down, I practically had to put toothpicks in my eyes because I didn't want to sleep! I am actually kind of sad that I am done reading it, I might have to read it again!.... =).
The book was very 'drawing' and actually funny...I loved Colt's humor! and I loved that it was told from him. All the romance type books I read are always told from the women's perspective! Ironically I was just thinking about how I wanted to read a book from a male POV, then More...
The book was very 'drawing' and actually funny...I loved Colt's humor! and I loved that it was told from him. All the romance type books I read are always told from the women's perspective! Ironically I was just thinking about how I wanted to read a book from a male POV, then More...
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Jan 08, 2012
Alexa
rated it:
Colt and Julia were secretly dating. Colt and Julia came from very different parts of the neighborhood, but went to the same school. They were happy, and in love with each other, but they never told anyone. That was because of two main reasons. The first was that they came from different lives, and where they come from, things like that don’t happen. The second is that Julia was dating the popular boy, Austin, and also cheating on him by dating Colt. Then one night after a party, Julia gets into
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Aug 14, 2011
Kristen
rated it:
5 star book. I appsolutely loved it. I wanted so much more after I finished the book. It did get a little adult to me or you could say like more for someone a little older than me, but I still loved it. If you have not read this book or do not own this book go buy it or borrow it from a library it is a must read to me. The back of the book says: "How do you get over someoner who was never really yours to begin with? Julia and Colt were together for a year, but nobody knew of their secret l
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Jul 10, 2011
Camila
rated it:
Julia dies in a car crash after she gets into the car drunk, with her drunk friend Pam. Pam Survives but Julia doesn't. She lived with the rich kids on Black Mountain. Her official boyfriend was Austin Chadwick.
Colt lives in the flats, with the poor kids, with a drunk father and a hostile mother. His only brother, Tom, is at college. Colt had no official girlfriend, but he un-officially was seeing Julia for a year.
Mostly they would hook up in the back of her car, but even with the su More...
Colt lives in the flats, with the poor kids, with a drunk father and a hostile mother. His only brother, Tom, is at college. Colt had no official girlfriend, but he un-officially was seeing Julia for a year.
Mostly they would hook up in the back of her car, but even with the su More...
Jul 02, 2011
Maggie
rated it: 
The first half of this book, I was unsure. By the end, this searing, nuanced, and haunting novel had (almost) completely won me over. Everything about the characters and setting rang true, even if the plot was a little weak in places - and, all in all, the time I spent in this world was time well spent.
Colt and Julia, especially Colt, were a pleasure to watch as their characters unfolded, revealing imperfect people that you could nevertheless relate to. Syd and Michael were also int More...
Colt and Julia, especially Colt, were a pleasure to watch as their characters unfolded, revealing imperfect people that you could nevertheless relate to. Syd and Michael were also int More...
Jun 15, 2011
I love this book.... I mean I nver really read but I really like this book.. Its about this girl Julia and she is rich but she falls in love with this not so rich boy so they are dating buty they keep it a scret so nobody will know but when they see each other in school they pass each other like they dont know each other so people dont know they are in love so julia is dating this one boy nameed Austin while she is dating the not so rich boy and they meet under the bridgelike every night and she
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Apr 16, 2011
Novel
rated it:
There’s something magical about a book that has the ability to transport you away from your world and into its very own. That’s exactly what happened in the short time it took me to read The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard.
The book follows the story of Colt Morrissey, in the aftermath of his ill-fated secret romance with the lovely Julia Vernon. Colt and Julia came from different worlds, but they fell in love and for an entire year had a secret romance, unbeknownst to their friend More...
The book follows the story of Colt Morrissey, in the aftermath of his ill-fated secret romance with the lovely Julia Vernon. Colt and Julia came from different worlds, but they fell in love and for an entire year had a secret romance, unbeknownst to their friend More...
Mar 15, 2011
Alissa
rated it:
Blown away by Colt's insight.
When I'm introduced to a male main character and point of view, I expect wry humor and blunt sexual encounters. But this is not the case in The Secret Year. Colt isn't a dark, brooding teenager. He's not a nerd or a freak. He is simply a boy, and I love that about him - that there's nothing special, that he's typical. It makes him all the more real.
The plot focuses less on Julia's letters and more on Colt coming to terms with her passing More...
When I'm introduced to a male main character and point of view, I expect wry humor and blunt sexual encounters. But this is not the case in The Secret Year. Colt isn't a dark, brooding teenager. He's not a nerd or a freak. He is simply a boy, and I love that about him - that there's nothing special, that he's typical. It makes him all the more real.
The plot focuses less on Julia's letters and more on Colt coming to terms with her passing More...
Nov 29, 2010
Hope
rated it:
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Oct 06, 2010
Cornmaven
rated it:
Rich girl goes after poor boy, and makes demand that their 'relationship' stay secret - just sex and secret meetings - and all will be well. Boy, with raging teenage hormones, goes along. Girl gets killed in a car accident, and now boy can't grieve publicly.
That's about the premise. The boy spends the entire time, with the girl's diary, trying to figure out what the 'relationship' was all about. I kept trying to figure out why he couldn't figure it out earlier, while it was going o More...
That's about the premise. The boy spends the entire time, with the girl's diary, trying to figure out what the 'relationship' was all about. I kept trying to figure out why he couldn't figure it out earlier, while it was going o More...
Mar 21, 2010
Christina (Reading Extensively)
rated it:
Colt Morrissey had a year long relationship with Julia Vernon that ended with her tragic death in a car accident. Now he mourns her loss in secret because nobody knew that he was seeing Julia. She was one of the popular rich kids who lived on Black Mountain and she had a boyfriend. Colt lives in the poor area known as the flats. Even though he and Julia came from such different backgrounds, they had a passionate relationship that Julia detailed in her journal through letters and poems she wrote
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(1 person liked it)
Mar 21, 2010
Leslie
rated it:
This little book really surprised me, in a good way. The premise is in the style of West Side story but the twist is that the heroine is dead when the book begins. We get to know her through her own words, written in her journal, and through the memories of the hero, Colt. We get to see how he deals with her death in secret, just like their relationship. For a teen to have to lose someone they care about is hard but to have to grieve in quiet solitude must be even harder, causing pain and confus
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Feb 08, 2010
Jenny
rated it:
Disclaimer: Just because I won this book, had it personally signed to me, and have spoken personally with the author and her agent does not mean that I've adjusted my review in any way.
The really good stuff: the main character is not a teen-angsty kinda guy. Colt feels real and has real emotions, which is refreshing to find among the teen novels of today. He responds with all the questions and anxiety that teens experience when faced with difficult situations.
For example- More...
The really good stuff: the main character is not a teen-angsty kinda guy. Colt feels real and has real emotions, which is refreshing to find among the teen novels of today. He responds with all the questions and anxiety that teens experience when faced with difficult situations.
For example- More...
Feb 04, 2010
L.J.
rated it:
Product Description from amazon:
Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia’s boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in More...
Take Romeo and Juliet. Add The Outsiders. Mix thoroughly.
Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia’s boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in More...
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Jan 31, 2010
Clementine
rated it:
In Colt Morrissey's world, things are pretty black and white. The rich kids who live up on Black Mountain stick to themselves and don't associate with the poor, trashy kids who reside on the Flats. As one of the kids from the Flats, Colt doesn't really question the status quo. Then he begins a secret affair with Julia, a beautiful girl from one of Black Mountain's wealthiest families.
Even though Julia already has a boyfriend, and friends, and a whole separate life, the two of the More...
Even though Julia already has a boyfriend, and friends, and a whole separate life, the two of the More...
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(3 people liked it)
Jan 31, 2010
Rachael
rated it:
For a year, Colt was with Julia, but no one knew but themselves. How could they tell anyone? Colt and Julia were from completely separate worlds. She lived in a mansion on Black Mountain Road, and his entire house on the flats could probably fit in her living room. Besides, Julia already had a boyfriend from the right neighborhood. Nobody would understand why the two continued to secretly meet up at night; sometimes, Cold wasn’t sure he did either. When Julia suddenly dies in a car accident, his
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Jan 24, 2010
Jasmyn9
rated it:
The secret year is a story about living in the past. For a year, Colt and Julia were having a secret affair. She was from a rich family, had rich friends, and they all tended to look down on the people that lived in the area Colt lived in. Until a chance meeting down at the river changed everything. Now Julia is dead and Colt finds himself unable to publicly mourn her, because no one has any idea that they even knew each other. To top it all off, Colt feels that he is partly responsible for the
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Jan 19, 2010
fennie
rated it:
the main storyline of this book is what attracted me to it - colten, a guy from the the poor, 'flats' of town is having an affair with julia, a girl from the top of black mountain (the locations of where they live is quite cliche), and yes, it's an affair since she does have a black mountain boyfriend. and while this is already interesting in itself, it is taken a step further: julia is suddenly dead and colten doesn't know how to properly grieve since no one knew about them. his only window int
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Dec 28, 2009
Andrea
rated it:
When I first saw that this was a story told from a male point-of-view, I wasn't sure if I was going to like it--I tend to not like emotional stories told from guys. But The Secret Year was a pleasant surprise.
There were two main characters in the story--Colten, who is the narrator, and Julia, who we learn more about and read from the pages of the diary. Their secret romance is very Romeo-and-Juliet-like. And while I felt that Colt was down-to-earth and real, I found myself disliki More...
There were two main characters in the story--Colten, who is the narrator, and Julia, who we learn more about and read from the pages of the diary. Their secret romance is very Romeo-and-Juliet-like. And while I felt that Colt was down-to-earth and real, I found myself disliki More...
4 comments
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(2 people liked it)
Dec 30, 2011
~*~Princess Nhya~*~
rated it:
I LOVE THIS BOOK! It captured the very essence of that time when you are a teenager. Coming into your own. But it blended very well with a very much "grown up" topic and unthinkable tragedy. The fact that it's told through first person, and it's a young man Colt, who is telling his story, the fact that it's so heartfelt and open, just blew me away. Rarely have I read a book set with this tone, in a first person male POV. And I am pleasantly surprised.
This is definitely a bi More...
This is definitely a bi More...
Aug 02, 2011
Jennifer
rated it:
Colt was with julia for a year, but nobody else knew about it. Julia lived on Black Mountain Road in a mansion with servents and had a country club boyfriend to compleat the package. Colt definitely didn't come from Black Mountain, and no one would have understood why they were togeather. But it never mattered to them. Untill Julia dies in a accident right before her senior year, and Colt is suddenly the only one who knows their secret. He tries to pretend that his life is the same as ever, but
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