Tell Me a Secret: A Review by Eva Márquez

Title: Tell Me a Secret

Author: Holly Cupala

Publication: April 2010

Pages: 304

Genre: Young Adult

Publisher: HarperCollins

ISBN: 0061766666

Price: $8.99 (eBook)

 

Synopsis

It’s tough living in the shadow of a dead girl. . . .

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams–a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all–Miranda has a secret all her own.

When two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears, Miranda is stripped of her former life. She must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

My thoughts

I absolutely love when I pick up a book and am intrigued and absorbed by its content. Tell Me a Secret certainly had that engaging element, although I felt that the secret revealed was not as significant as I was expecting. No need to spoil plots here, but I will say that since the main character is a teen, I can see how she could let the perception of some hidden secret snowball into something huge and then, of course, when that secret is revealed still think it’s huge. As an adult woman reading this, I did not find the secret that incredibly significant, although it was a surprise and certainly a bit jarring. The story line that Cupala develops is an honest one, and one that I believe many, many teens face today. I’m glad to see that Cupala did not shy away from the topic of unexpected teenage pregnancy, especially since I somewhat expected Miranda not to be pregnant, and for the plot to be driven by her fear/worry of pregnancy. The story is 100% believable and narrated in the perspective of a confused teen. Tell Me a Secret is not a neat and tidy story, by any means, but for those who love contemporary YA romance (me, me me!), this is an enjoyable read.

Regarding my rating, I must say that I save the 5 stars (or abstract flower icons) for those books that leave a lasting impact. Although I very much enjoyed Tell Me a Secret and would highly recommend it to folks who like to read in this genre, it was not a book that left a lasting impact, nor was it a book that I myself felt involved in (as in, experiencing the moment-to-moment emotions of the main character and having crystal clear imagery of the story lines and characters). I believe this key element in a story, experiencing the story as it is narrated, is what sets great books apart from good ones.

My favorite passage

“I could only go forward. The threads of time weren’t unraveling but weaving into a tapestry – a future, and a hope. The only way to discover was to step into it.” - Page 294

My Rating