Winter has the best friend you could ask for. Ally is always there for her. Winter makes a terrible mistake and is pressured to admit it and hurt those she loves. She desperately seeks out the Secret Keeper for help. But there are rules, caveats. Winter walks away knowing her next secret she will never be able to tell.
Little did she know the next secret would be so life altering that it would destroy her world. And she can’t even say one word. Winter spirals and then is confronted over and over again with the magnitude of the secret she’s incapable of telling…a secret that could cost her her own life, and the lives of everyone she loves.
Herber is a small town where not much happens. That also means it can be a hotbed for the rumor mill, no matter how much or little truth there is to the gossip.
And that is exactly what Winter is trying to avoid after realizing the ramifications of her great big giant mistake. In honesty, I think if she had actually fessed up to those she needed to, as she was being pressured to do by someone else, it wouldn’t have been as bad as what she thought it would be…because, well, it wasn’t that bad.
Winter is convinced she only has two options: be forced to reveal her secret, or have the Secret Keeper erase it like it never happened. She thinks she can handle the terms of the agreement with the Secret Keeper, who lives in a dilapidated house on the worst street in town. The Secret Keeper has distinguishable qualities that are definitely hair-raising.
During Winter’s dealings with the Secret Keeper, I kept thinking about Ariel’s dealings with Ursula in The Little Mermaid. We all know you don’t make a deal with the devil, but when you think you have no other choice…
The plot moves on from there, and spirals out of control. If Winter thought her first secret was bad, her second one – the one she can’t tell anyone – is earth-shattering. Something that could definitely drive a person to insanity, especially not being able to tell anyone. Winter does her best to give all the signs she can to help others figure out her secret.
I was impressed with Winter’s attempts to point everyone she can in the direction of the one person central to her secret, given all the things happening. I don’t think I could have done as well if I were in her position. The entire premise of the book is based on secrets, and unfortunately Winter learns someone else’s secrets. Terrible secrets that can cost lives.
The ending is a slight cliffhanger, leaving readers open to ask many questions about what will come next as Winter moves forward in life. It was not quite what I was expecting, and definitely a turn upside down for Winter. Overall, this was a quick very quick read that’s a nice change. It opens the door for readers to question their own secrets.