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Your Secret Admirer
Originally published by Scholastic in 1980, Laymon's young adult novel visits Janice, a sophomore in high school who has received a letter in the mail from an unknown secret admirer.Is it her secret crush, Mike? The creepy guy from marching band, Glen? A hobo from the park? In any case, her best friend Susan thinks the guy is nuts. Or, is Susan playing a prank?Even before the internet, perverts always found a way...
108 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 1, 1980
22 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
December 20, 2016
Richard Laymon doing YA fiction under a pseudonym! How exciting! Even though this is supposed to be a romance (I think), it still feels very rapey! (Basically, it's not much of a stretch to believe Richard Laymon wrote it). It was quite suspenseful, even if the ending was a bit strange.
January 12, 2017
Take the usual Laymon novel and remove all sex, violence, gore and cursing and this is the result. Excellent for what it is. Good writing. For any fan of Laymon this is a must read.
August 2, 2023
Lame-mon more like. This weird alternative universe Laymon novel is a YA dispenser with a crap ending and no sex or violence.
May 16, 2025
«Дорогая, ты не знаешь меня, но я тебя знаю. Я все о тебе знаю: Твое имя – Дженис, О Нил. Ты пятнадцатилетняя ученица десятого класса средней школы Томаса Джефферсона. Я знаю твой адрес. Твой вес – сто пять фунтов, рост – пять футов два дюйма, это хороший рост для девушки. Кроме того, у тебя привлекательная фигура. Я не люблю высоких или низких девушек. Мне нравятся девушки среднего роста. Твои глаза как небо – а волосы золотистые, веснушки на носу коричневые как песок.
У тебя есть лучшая подруга Сьюзен Анцио – она живет на улице Вязов с братом по имени Майк. Ты же единственный ребенок, поэтому тебе иногда бывает очень одиноко. Мне тоже было одиноко, во всяком случае, до прошлой недели, пока я не увидел тебя в парке….»
Получив письмо за подписью «Твой тайный поклонник», школьница Дженис О’Нил первым делом рассказала про него своей подруге Сьюзан. Письмо безусловно было криповым, но в какой из вариантов проще поверить, что его автор - сорокалетний волосатый дальнобойщик с потёкшей крышей или это дурацкая шутка кого-то из одноклассников-пранкеров. Девчонки выбирают второй вариант, но брат Сьюзан решает тайно проследить за ними.
Если ты знаешь имя писателя Ричарда Лаймона и уже заметил в письме Поклонника «улицу Вязов», то в безобидные пранки ты вряд ли поверишь. Просто будешь сидеть и терпеливо ждать, когда детские кишки потекут по асфальту. Когда до конца повести останется 20 процентов (15 процентов, 10 процентов) ты начнешь подозревать, что пранкуют здесь все же тебя.
И не ошибешься. Не потекут. «Твой тайный поклонник» - одна из первых книг 30-летнего Ричарда, когда он еще пытался пробиться в «серьезную» (то есть в самую-самую бульварную) литературу и писал скромные подростковые триллеры для издательства Scholastic под не шибко оригинальным псевдонимом «Карл Лаймон». Второй псевдоним у него, кстати, был еще менее оригинальным - «Карла Лаймон». С воображением у нашего кумира всегда было, честно скажем, не очень.
Но книга симпатичная, даже скорее - ностальгически комфортная. С приятным неглупым твистом в финале.
У тебя есть лучшая подруга Сьюзен Анцио – она живет на улице Вязов с братом по имени Майк. Ты же единственный ребенок, поэтому тебе иногда бывает очень одиноко. Мне тоже было одиноко, во всяком случае, до прошлой недели, пока я не увидел тебя в парке….»
Получив письмо за подписью «Твой тайный поклонник», школьница Дженис О’Нил первым делом рассказала про него своей подруге Сьюзан. Письмо безусловно было криповым, но в какой из вариантов проще поверить, что его автор - сорокалетний волосатый дальнобойщик с потёкшей крышей или это дурацкая шутка кого-то из одноклассников-пранкеров. Девчонки выбирают второй вариант, но брат Сьюзан решает тайно проследить за ними.
Если ты знаешь имя писателя Ричарда Лаймона и уже заметил в письме Поклонника «улицу Вязов», то в безобидные пранки ты вряд ли поверишь. Просто будешь сидеть и терпеливо ждать, когда детские кишки потекут по асфальту. Когда до конца повести останется 20 процентов (15 процентов, 10 процентов) ты начнешь подозревать, что пранкуют здесь все же тебя.
И не ошибешься. Не потекут. «Твой тайный поклонник» - одна из первых книг 30-летнего Ричарда, когда он еще пытался пробиться в «серьезную» (то есть в самую-самую бульварную) литературу и писал скромные подростковые триллеры для издательства Scholastic под не шибко оригинальным псевдонимом «Карл Лаймон». Второй псевдоним у него, кстати, был еще менее оригинальным - «Карла Лаймон». С воображением у нашего кумира всегда было, честно скажем, не очень.
Но книга симпатичная, даже скорее - ностальгически комфортная. С приятным неглупым твистом в финале.
February 9, 2012
Cheesy, yet I can't help liking it. It was one of my faves growing up, and I still find it entertaining today.
August 26, 2018
This was OK. It probably was more like a 2.5 star but I'm rounding up as it is one of Laymon's first books and maybe hadn't hit his stride yet.
There were parts I enjoyed and I did like who the admirer ended up being, but at the same time there were some very problematic elements. And overall, I just wasn't very invested in the story.
There were parts I enjoyed and I did like who the admirer ended up being, but at the same time there were some very problematic elements. And overall, I just wasn't very invested in the story.
November 3, 2022
This was very much a YA book but written in the slightly greasy style of Richard Laymon's other novels. I am pretty sure this was his first book and I have to say he started out strong.
3.5/5
3.5/5
October 6, 2025
Richard Laymon’s first book was a slightly creepy teen romance for Scholastic Books? I had to check it out.
June 28, 2016
When you think Laymon, you probably think blood, sex, unexpected twists, and a big gory showdown at the end. Yeah, this book has none of those things.
The book is difficult to find and has little to no information about its content so I bought it expecting the typical Laymon experience, and boy oh boy was I disappointed. I kept waiting for the main character to find her mother's decapitated head in the fridge or receive one of her boyfriend's body parts in the mail, but alas, no. I see now that Richard (working under his pen name of course) was attempting to produce a more family friendly type of read in order to make a few extra bucks and the end result was what is basically an episode of Seventh Heaven. I give it two stars because it is fairly well written and I honestly did not see the ending coming, but all in all it was just to soft core for me to enjoy. If you collect Laymon and absolutely must have this then so be it but just be warned from one Laymon fan to another that this is a young adult novel, NOT a horror novel.
The book is difficult to find and has little to no information about its content so I bought it expecting the typical Laymon experience, and boy oh boy was I disappointed. I kept waiting for the main character to find her mother's decapitated head in the fridge or receive one of her boyfriend's body parts in the mail, but alas, no. I see now that Richard (working under his pen name of course) was attempting to produce a more family friendly type of read in order to make a few extra bucks and the end result was what is basically an episode of Seventh Heaven. I give it two stars because it is fairly well written and I honestly did not see the ending coming, but all in all it was just to soft core for me to enjoy. If you collect Laymon and absolutely must have this then so be it but just be warned from one Laymon fan to another that this is a young adult novel, NOT a horror novel.
September 2, 2014
I enjoyed this story much more than I thought I would. I read it only because it was a Richard Laymon tale. It was written for young girls so I am not the target audience.
The story is basic. A young girl gets a letter for a Secret Admirer. She tries to find out who it is.
The execution is pure Laymon. The admirer's letters are creepy. The boys that hit on her at school are creepy. The tone here is actually quite intense. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the creeps. I enjoyed the story.
The story is basic. A young girl gets a letter for a Secret Admirer. She tries to find out who it is.
The execution is pure Laymon. The admirer's letters are creepy. The boys that hit on her at school are creepy. The tone here is actually quite intense. I enjoyed the characters, I enjoyed the creeps. I enjoyed the story.
April 18, 2018
My mother picked this up in a garage sale when I was in junior high. I read it back then and enjoyed it. I decided to reread it as an adult and I was surprised at the content. The premise is a 15 year old high school sophomore writes love letters to herself, pretending to be a secret admirer, all in hopes of attracting the eye of her best friend's older brother. Throw in an abusive fellow student, lying to your best friend and her brother, and pretending to be someone you're not, this book left me wanting to leave it in the past.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 11, 2016
If you're a fan of Laymon's sick, twisted almost perverse style you will not enjoy this. I wish I'd read reviews before reading this as I thought it would be the usual Laymon style book. This however is a dull, teen read. Disappointing :(
March 18, 2018
Although the target of this book is a teen readership, it does deliver its share of shivers even to an older person like myself. However, if you're looking for gore, you'll be disappointed.
November 18, 2020
I know you're asking yourself why I'm reading a cheesy young adult novel but more importantly why am I reviewing it? The answer is simple. Your Secret Admirer was written by none other than the late Richard Laymon and I wonder how he felt about this novel when he started gaining a cult following. Did he know that fans like me would actually track it down just to show them off in their collection? It's funny to see Night In The Lonesome October, Funland and Bite standing next to a book called Your Secret Admirer. There's really no comparison between this and his later novels which is kind of the point. What's great about it is that Laymon gets right to the mystery which is who the secret admirer could be. I remember reading a few young adult horror novels and some of them were great. R.L. Stine really raised the bar on how great YA horror could be, but Laymon also adds something as well. While it's a novel aimed at teens it's interesting enough to be read by adults despite the cheese that oozes from the pages.
Reading it now, the story does feel dated, but it doesn't detract from the story at all. One of the Laymon trademarks has found its way here and that's at it how well it's written. Right in the first few pages you know what the story's about, but we don't know who this person is. The letters become even odder and to make matters worse we're introduced to Glenn a creepy kid that tries to force Janice into dating him. It's a Laymon trademark to include two plots and Glenn is the type of villian that is just so creepy, and even dangerous. Laymon has always created the best villians. These are villians who are deeply disturbed. When you meet Glenn you instantly know that this is Richard Laymon and even for a YA novel he makes certain parts of the book dark and even a little creepy.
Another interesting thin is the Easter Egg that he places inside the novel. Eagle eyed Laymon fans will instantly pick up on it and it's interesting to see the nod to his more mature work. This was Laymon's only book written for Scholastic and it's unfortunate, but also a relief. While Your Secret Admirer is a decent, well rounded YA book, it's the over the top horror that he is most known for and the early novels written under different pen names are mostly sought out by fans who are completists. Even reading this as an adult, I liked it despite the fact that it's dated and does follow the tropes of young adult novels of this era.
It's not exactly horror, but it's pretty close. The ending was a bit jarring and everything came together as it should, but there was a lot of room to grow and even expand the story. This is a novel for kids so the length is to be expected and it doesn't take away from the story at all. Even if Laymon was doing this simply for the paycheck he still manages to craft a solid story with the right amount of twists to keep it interesting. It's gives fans a glimpse of Laymon we've never seen before and if I had read this as a teen I would have reread it a million times. It was certainly worth seeking out and allowed me to see Richard Laymon from a different perspective.
Reading it now, the story does feel dated, but it doesn't detract from the story at all. One of the Laymon trademarks has found its way here and that's at it how well it's written. Right in the first few pages you know what the story's about, but we don't know who this person is. The letters become even odder and to make matters worse we're introduced to Glenn a creepy kid that tries to force Janice into dating him. It's a Laymon trademark to include two plots and Glenn is the type of villian that is just so creepy, and even dangerous. Laymon has always created the best villians. These are villians who are deeply disturbed. When you meet Glenn you instantly know that this is Richard Laymon and even for a YA novel he makes certain parts of the book dark and even a little creepy.
Another interesting thin is the Easter Egg that he places inside the novel. Eagle eyed Laymon fans will instantly pick up on it and it's interesting to see the nod to his more mature work. This was Laymon's only book written for Scholastic and it's unfortunate, but also a relief. While Your Secret Admirer is a decent, well rounded YA book, it's the over the top horror that he is most known for and the early novels written under different pen names are mostly sought out by fans who are completists. Even reading this as an adult, I liked it despite the fact that it's dated and does follow the tropes of young adult novels of this era.
It's not exactly horror, but it's pretty close. The ending was a bit jarring and everything came together as it should, but there was a lot of room to grow and even expand the story. This is a novel for kids so the length is to be expected and it doesn't take away from the story at all. Even if Laymon was doing this simply for the paycheck he still manages to craft a solid story with the right amount of twists to keep it interesting. It's gives fans a glimpse of Laymon we've never seen before and if I had read this as a teen I would have reread it a million times. It was certainly worth seeking out and allowed me to see Richard Laymon from a different perspective.
January 29, 2023
Richard Laymon early on in his career definitely seemed to experiment a lot with the kinds of stories he was telling. He wrote a romance novel, two horror novels for teens, and a western but in the end, he found his strength in the splatterpunk genre. He used a number of pseudonyms during this period as he tried to find his strengths as a writer, in the same way, Koontz did this as well early on in his own career. I managed to pick up a copy of Your Secret Admirer and couldn't wait to give it a go.
Janice is receiving a series of letters from a mysterious secret admirer, who not only worries her but her friends as well. Mike who she has a crush on but also her best friend's brother, wants to help find out who he is. However, things soon turn for the worst when a mean but dangerous bully tries to force her to go out with him. It seems to escape this situation she'll need the help of her secret admirer.
Considering this is one of Laymon's earliest novels, his second in fact, it's actually really good. Not amazing sure, but it's a really engaging horror novella written for young adults with a good grasp of atmosphere and likable characters. I'll also admit this has one of Laymon's best endings, the twist that occurs in the last couple of pages took me by surprise but made so much sense when thinking back to what had happened prior.
Overall: It's a really engaging horror novella that definitely feels like it was written by Laymon, despite being heavily toned down for its target audience. But considering how rapey and violent his books usually get, this was a nice break from it all. 8/10
Janice is receiving a series of letters from a mysterious secret admirer, who not only worries her but her friends as well. Mike who she has a crush on but also her best friend's brother, wants to help find out who he is. However, things soon turn for the worst when a mean but dangerous bully tries to force her to go out with him. It seems to escape this situation she'll need the help of her secret admirer.
Considering this is one of Laymon's earliest novels, his second in fact, it's actually really good. Not amazing sure, but it's a really engaging horror novella written for young adults with a good grasp of atmosphere and likable characters. I'll also admit this has one of Laymon's best endings, the twist that occurs in the last couple of pages took me by surprise but made so much sense when thinking back to what had happened prior.
Overall: It's a really engaging horror novella that definitely feels like it was written by Laymon, despite being heavily toned down for its target audience. But considering how rapey and violent his books usually get, this was a nice break from it all. 8/10
April 27, 2024
A very cool different side to Laymon that I think might be exclusive to this book. It feels just like his adult books but without the sex and ultra violence. - It still has those horrible 'forceful' characters that just won't take no for an answer. And, also the couple that fall in love at first sight, like in all his books.
It definaely fits in with his other works and is one every Laymon fan needs to read at least once.
For a YA book I really enjoyed this one.
I kind of figured out the 'twist' ending a mile off, but was still a fun read.
I would give this a solid 3.5 stars!
It definaely fits in with his other works and is one every Laymon fan needs to read at least once.
For a YA book I really enjoyed this one.
I kind of figured out the 'twist' ending a mile off, but was still a fun read.
I would give this a solid 3.5 stars!
January 5, 2019
The person who loved you from afar.
This book is worth reading. It's not a long story but it is packed with suspense and excitement. If you like Richard Laymen you will really enjoy this book. Excellent!!!
This book is worth reading. It's not a long story but it is packed with suspense and excitement. If you like Richard Laymen you will really enjoy this book. Excellent!!!
January 4, 2020
Likeable enough
I love laymon, and this was a cute story very similar to the point horror books I love and grew up with. Unfortunately when reading these books as an adult the plot holes huge, and there are many of them. Definitely would have loved this as a teenager.
I love laymon, and this was a cute story very similar to the point horror books I love and grew up with. Unfortunately when reading these books as an adult the plot holes huge, and there are many of them. Definitely would have loved this as a teenager.
January 6, 2026
Craziest and most unexpected ending to a short book I've ever read. I was going to rate this like 3 stars for the book not focusing that much on the secret admirer until THE LAST PAGE that changed my mind completely. Now everything makes sense and this book is 5 starts 👍⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
April 16, 2019
Not secret
Not quite what I expected having read Richard laymon before. Not as much a page Turner as his other horror novels..
Not quite what I expected having read Richard laymon before. Not as much a page Turner as his other horror novels..
July 24, 2012
It is a good read for an afternoon if you want to kill some time.
June 3, 2016
My mom gave me her copy of this book year's ago and I've read it so many times the cover is missing.
September 22, 2016
Not your "typical" Laymon horror, but I still really enjoyed it. He never disappoints!! I love his books!!!!
April 24, 2017
Only for a Laymon Fan
This book is really a short story and although it is good it is somewhat deceptive to package it like a novel. It is an early work by Richard Laymon and although there are hints of the world of Laymon, it is relatively innocent. I recommend this short story for a true Laymon fanatic which I am. For those who have not discovered this author I recommend something written in the early-1990's up until his death in the early 2000's to start off and if your lucky you will be pulled into a very unique world.
This book is really a short story and although it is good it is somewhat deceptive to package it like a novel. It is an early work by Richard Laymon and although there are hints of the world of Laymon, it is relatively innocent. I recommend this short story for a true Laymon fanatic which I am. For those who have not discovered this author I recommend something written in the early-1990's up until his death in the early 2000's to start off and if your lucky you will be pulled into a very unique world.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews