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Deadly Little Secret
(Touch #1)
by
Some secrets shouldn't be kept...
Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.
Rumored ...more
Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia's life becomes anything but ordinary.
Rumored ...more
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Hardcover, 252 pages
Published
December 23rd 2008
by Hyperion
(first published December 8th 2008)
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Paige Sheffield
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Start your review of Deadly Little Secret (Touch, #1)

Two stars might be just a little too generous, but that's me, all heart.
At the beginning of the summer, Camelia almost got hit by a car, but a mysterious boy pushed her out of the way and then disappeared without a trace. Camellia spent three months wondering about the boy, wanting to thank him for saving her life. When the new school year started, he was suddenly there, but so were the rumors that he killed his girlfriend and was exonerated due to lack of evidence. What’s worse, when Camelia t ...more
At the beginning of the summer, Camelia almost got hit by a car, but a mysterious boy pushed her out of the way and then disappeared without a trace. Camellia spent three months wondering about the boy, wanting to thank him for saving her life. When the new school year started, he was suddenly there, but so were the rumors that he killed his girlfriend and was exonerated due to lack of evidence. What’s worse, when Camelia t ...more

Spoiler-ish:
So the beginning half of this was way too reminescent of Twilight. How you say???? well...
1. It starts off with a near death accident... involving a car
2. guess who comes in to save our girl Camelia? You got it, our creepy guy Ben that she has never met until that moment
3. The have a science lab class together, where Ben acts as if Camelia is repulsvie.
4. Everyone at school thinks Ben is creepy and Camelia shouldn't be hanging around him
5. Ben has a secret.... but he tells Camelia af ...more
So the beginning half of this was way too reminescent of Twilight. How you say???? well...
1. It starts off with a near death accident... involving a car
2. guess who comes in to save our girl Camelia? You got it, our creepy guy Ben that she has never met until that moment
3. The have a science lab class together, where Ben acts as if Camelia is repulsvie.
4. Everyone at school thinks Ben is creepy and Camelia shouldn't be hanging around him
5. Ben has a secret.... but he tells Camelia af ...more

2.5/5 stars.
When I read about this book I thought it genuinely sounded unique and interesting. I do still feel it was a unique story, but I still felt a bit disappointed by it. The story didn't have much going on at all. What was there flowed quickly and the whole book was read in a few hours so that was one good thing.
Camelia meets Ben when he saves her life. This part and the whole scene as partners at school felt a bit too Twilightish...There were quite a few similarities in the plot as well ...more
When I read about this book I thought it genuinely sounded unique and interesting. I do still feel it was a unique story, but I still felt a bit disappointed by it. The story didn't have much going on at all. What was there flowed quickly and the whole book was read in a few hours so that was one good thing.
Camelia meets Ben when he saves her life. This part and the whole scene as partners at school felt a bit too Twilightish...There were quite a few similarities in the plot as well ...more

To be fair, my 2-star review comes from the viewpoint of an adult reading a novel meant for kids in their early teens. My 12 year old self would have loved Deadly Little Secret and given it at least 4-stars.
What I didn't enjoy about this book was the lack of depth. I kept feeling that I was reading a book that *really* wants to be a made-for-tv movie. It has a lot of dialouge ~ while it is interesting and keeps the book moving, there is nothing behind it. Camila is not very reflective, and we ...more
What I didn't enjoy about this book was the lack of depth. I kept feeling that I was reading a book that *really* wants to be a made-for-tv movie. It has a lot of dialouge ~ while it is interesting and keeps the book moving, there is nothing behind it. Camila is not very reflective, and we ...more

Reviewed by May A. for TeensReadToo.com
Three months ago, Camelia's life was saved by a mysterious boy. She doesn't see him again, until the first day of her junior year. His name is Ben Carter and everybody in school claims that he killed his girlfriend. Camelia doesn't know who or what to believe, but she does know one thing -- she is irresistibly drawn to him and his touch.
But shortly after Ben's sudden appearance in her life, Camelia begins receiving chilling phone calls, various packages, a ...more
Three months ago, Camelia's life was saved by a mysterious boy. She doesn't see him again, until the first day of her junior year. His name is Ben Carter and everybody in school claims that he killed his girlfriend. Camelia doesn't know who or what to believe, but she does know one thing -- she is irresistibly drawn to him and his touch.
But shortly after Ben's sudden appearance in her life, Camelia begins receiving chilling phone calls, various packages, a ...more

Deadly Little Secret surpassed my expectations. It was suspenful, thrilling, and intriguing all in one book. From the cover you get the impression of ghost, mystery, and a combination between paranormal and romantic. Which, is all this book is about. I am so happy I read it!
One gloomy day as Camelia walked, something unexpected happened, she almost got run over by a car, a mysterious guy reached out and saved her life. She felt his touch and it thrilled he she felt it all over her body, even tho ...more
One gloomy day as Camelia walked, something unexpected happened, she almost got run over by a car, a mysterious guy reached out and saved her life. She felt his touch and it thrilled he she felt it all over her body, even tho ...more

So smug I guessed the stalker hehe!
Feel like Nancy Drew ;D
At first I had a lot of suspects but then I finally limited them down to one and I was right!
'She just won’t listen. And so I’ve started a plan. I just hope she appreciates all my efforts—all my work to make her happy. Once and for all.'
God he's crazy!
This book was making me crazy, I needed to find out who it was and therefore I could not put this down.
She was out in front of school this morning, looking for attention. Like a total ...more
Feel like Nancy Drew ;D
At first I had a lot of suspects but then I finally limited them down to one and I was right!
'She just won’t listen. And so I’ve started a plan. I just hope she appreciates all my efforts—all my work to make her happy. Once and for all.'
God he's crazy!
This book was making me crazy, I needed to find out who it was and therefore I could not put this down.
She was out in front of school this morning, looking for attention. Like a total ...more

Camelia Hammond is starting her last year of school, but instead of looking forward she can't help but look back, to three months ago at the end of the last school year when her life was saved by a beautiful boy who then disappeared. She still tingles from where he touched her.
Yet when, on the first day of school, she sees him, Ben Carter, the new boy with a bad reputation and an even darker history, he pretends he doesn't recognise her and insists he never saved her life. He avoids her until on ...more
Yet when, on the first day of school, she sees him, Ben Carter, the new boy with a bad reputation and an even darker history, he pretends he doesn't recognise her and insists he never saved her life. He avoids her until on ...more

This is definitely a suspense novel and it totally delivers on that front. I actually don't gravitate toward this genre (but I am more and more as of late.) For the most part I'm pretty bad at reading them cause I just can't take it! I'll flip to the end and see the outcome like a naughty reader, but I forced myself not to do it this time. I'm glad I did because it would have ruined the story.
Camelia is a normal girl for the most part, but an event happens that changes everything. A guy named Be ...more
Camelia is a normal girl for the most part, but an event happens that changes everything. A guy named Be ...more

Camelia (sounds like Chameleon) almost died three months ago, when she bent down to pick up her earring in the parking lot and nearly got hit by a car. Before she knew what was happening, a mysterious hot guy had shoved her out of the way, saving her life, before running off when she tried to thank him.
She is, of course, determined to find out more about Ben, the mystery guy. But when she confronts him in the hall and tries to thank him, he pretends he doesn't know what she's talking about.
Camel ...more
She is, of course, determined to find out more about Ben, the mystery guy. But when she confronts him in the hall and tries to thank him, he pretends he doesn't know what she's talking about.
Camel ...more

So I absolutely love Laurie faria stolarz. She is an amazing writer and is my favorite author. This book I read in a total of like 4 hours. I seriously was to enthralled to put it down!!! I definitely didn't see the end coming! this is a must read! Go to thebookhangovercast.wordpress.com for the full review!
...more

This was an awesome book. I really liked this book. It had me guessing every little thing, putting everyone as suspects. I thought this was a really cool read. I am really ready to reach onto the next book to see what holds. The role that Ben plays is unique, I would not have guessed that would be the issue of what was going on until later.
- Camelia
Camelia was a strong character. It's nice to know there a few people who don't care about what others think and what they think of others. She was r ...more
- Camelia
Camelia was a strong character. It's nice to know there a few people who don't care about what others think and what they think of others. She was r ...more

Originally posted @
The YA Bookworm
i have seen a lot of reviews that this one is very twilight-ish, i didn't believe it cause does the title Deadly Little Secret sound twilight in the making to you??? i don't think so.
but then this is the first scene of the book
the very famous car saving scene in twilight, so i was still in denial that this one is twilight in the making kind of book. but then the resemblance are piling up like:
camelia and ben became LAB PARTNERS. and Ben has this "co ...more
i have seen a lot of reviews that this one is very twilight-ish, i didn't believe it cause does the title Deadly Little Secret sound twilight in the making to you??? i don't think so.
but then this is the first scene of the book

the very famous car saving scene in twilight, so i was still in denial that this one is twilight in the making kind of book. but then the resemblance are piling up like:

camelia and ben became LAB PARTNERS. and Ben has this "co ...more

So sixteen year old Camelia feels a little like an old lady. She likes things planned out and organized and she doesn't go out much except to work where she creates pottery. This all changes when she meets Ben. Ben is a new transfer student with a history. He was a suspect in his ex-girlfriend's murder and even though he wasn't convicted, in most people's eyes he's good as guilty. He gets harassed at school and no one makes friends with him except Camelia. They've met before when Ben saved Camel
...more

2.5 stars... I felt rather irritated with the main character throughout this book. The beginning starts in a Twilightesque scenario where she is saved from being hit by a car when the "new guy" in school pushes her out of the way. As she is lying there, he touches her stomach for some strange reason, and what with the weird moment of touching and his saving her life, she is drawn to him despite the rumors floating around school that he killed his girlfriend. At the same time, Camelia begins to g
...more

For me this book was about 2.5 stars. I wasn't extremely excited that the first half of the book was so much like twilight. I know authors are inspired by books but they should make it their own and the first half was very similar - to similar.
I also didn't like when Camelia's best friends, Kimmie and Wes, were in the dialog. They were very immature and annoying. Wes didn't have a male's point of view and Kimmie sounded like a ten year old.
I also didn't understand how every guy that Camelia tal ...more
I also didn't like when Camelia's best friends, Kimmie and Wes, were in the dialog. They were very immature and annoying. Wes didn't have a male's point of view and Kimmie sounded like a ten year old.
I also didn't understand how every guy that Camelia tal ...more

Ok, so I picked up this book because I am going to get to the meet the author and I wanted to make sure I had read at least one of the books she wrote. I wasn't sure what to expect at all. I didn't know if I would like to story line, and boy was I pleasantly surprised!
Blurb from Goodreads:
Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown ...more
Blurb from Goodreads:
Until three months ago, everything about sixteen-year-old Camelia's life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at an art studio downtown ...more

(This review does have some unmarked spoilers, but these are about general events and do no concern the conclusion of the mystery)
First the heroine was in a near fatal car crash, saved only by a mysterious gorgeous stranger who quickly vanished. Then, said brooding stranger became her reluctant lab partner, who refused to speak to her. Then there were long conversations about how the young couple’s extraordinary chemistry might cause the 'hero' to lose control, resulting in her tragic death.
Wow. ...more
First the heroine was in a near fatal car crash, saved only by a mysterious gorgeous stranger who quickly vanished. Then, said brooding stranger became her reluctant lab partner, who refused to speak to her. Then there were long conversations about how the young couple’s extraordinary chemistry might cause the 'hero' to lose control, resulting in her tragic death.
Wow. ...more

The Deadly Little Series is a string of novels following the life of sixteen-year old Camelia who falls in love with the mysterious Ben, despite rumors of him being responsible for his girlfriend's death. As the story advances, Camelia learns the reason for his strange behavior, and what really happened that fateful day at the cliff. Ben is gifted with a supernatural power, psychometry, the power to 'see' things through touch or interaction with a person or object. When Camelia is targeted by a
...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Until three months ago, Camelia’s life has been pretty ordinary: two best friends, an okay relationship with her parents, a cool job at the pottery store downtown. But when she’s saved by a mysterious boy who leaves without a name or explanation, all she wants is to see him again for some closure, to say “thanks”.
She actually does see him again- Ben Carter, who, rumor has it, murdered his ex-girlfriend. He becomes the scapegoat to everyone but Camelia, even when her friends tell her to be caref ...more
She actually does see him again- Ben Carter, who, rumor has it, murdered his ex-girlfriend. He becomes the scapegoat to everyone but Camelia, even when her friends tell her to be caref ...more

Nov 01, 2011
Rabbit {Paint me like one of your 19th century gothic heroines!}
rated it
it was ok
Recommends it for:
no one, but maybe masochists.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.

Good concept, awful writing style.
First of all, the one liners are awful. The first 50 pages were like a stupid disney sitcom and I was cringing the whole time.
Next, there's the fact that this whole thing is a wannabe Twilight. The guy is like a sad, annoying version of Edward and the girl is just dumb.
Then theres the instalove ohmygodddd. He walks in the room and I know I'm in love with him. Literally they're in love within two seconds and she acts as if its the biggest deal in the world whe ...more
First of all, the one liners are awful. The first 50 pages were like a stupid disney sitcom and I was cringing the whole time.
Next, there's the fact that this whole thing is a wannabe Twilight. The guy is like a sad, annoying version of Edward and the girl is just dumb.
Then theres the instalove ohmygodddd. He walks in the room and I know I'm in love with him. Literally they're in love within two seconds and she acts as if its the biggest deal in the world whe ...more

From what I'm reading, I was not the only one who though this was eerily similar to Twilight. Handsome stranger magically appears just in time to save your life? Drawn to his touch and his odd colored eyes? He insists that he's too much of a danger to you and needs to stay away? Yup, I think I've heard it before.
However, I really did enjoy Deadly Little Secrets. I've never been one for suspense novels, but I was very intrigued by this one. The passages written by Camelia's stalker had me shiveri ...more
However, I really did enjoy Deadly Little Secrets. I've never been one for suspense novels, but I was very intrigued by this one. The passages written by Camelia's stalker had me shiveri ...more

Never ever read this if you're alone or you're easily creeped out.
This book hold the record for scarying me out of my wits while reading it. I was reading it at my dorm alone and I can tell you that, that is very conducive for "hyper-brain" activity. The only time that I could relax was when my dormmates were there. It's not a ghost story. It's more like Pretty Little Liars but creepier.
For me it's new. It's not about vampires, fairies, or sorcerers. The only reason I gave it a 4-star is becau ...more
This book hold the record for scarying me out of my wits while reading it. I was reading it at my dorm alone and I can tell you that, that is very conducive for "hyper-brain" activity. The only time that I could relax was when my dormmates were there. It's not a ghost story. It's more like Pretty Little Liars but creepier.
For me it's new. It's not about vampires, fairies, or sorcerers. The only reason I gave it a 4-star is becau ...more

This was my first time reading a Laurie Stolarz novel and I’m excited about the 2nd book titled Deadly Little Lies which is due out November 2009. It's full of suspense and it kept me guessing throughout the book. This was a real page turner and I ended up reading this book in one sitting. I love Laurie's writing style and I can't wait to read more of her books. She has a series called Blue is for Nightmares that I can’t wait to start reading.
...more

Okay, so it's more of a 4 1/2 stars but I still can't figure out how to do the half thingy. I loved this book. It's not so much that it was amazing just that it was a quick, easy, fun read with a dash of romance, a splash of mystery, and a smidgen of suspense.
...more

Chemistry! No, not between the main characters. I mean chemistry class! Or science class in general, if you're like me and haven't taken chemistry yet.
So Camelia and Ben met in chemistry class. Most of the Twilight wannabes, this being one of many, begin in biology class so this was an interesting twist with the possibility of chemical explosions. Why not math class? Picture it, the girl gets called up to the chalkboard to write down the answer to an equation, work included. She doesn't know the ...more
So Camelia and Ben met in chemistry class. Most of the Twilight wannabes, this being one of many, begin in biology class so this was an interesting twist with the possibility of chemical explosions. Why not math class? Picture it, the girl gets called up to the chalkboard to write down the answer to an equation, work included. She doesn't know the ...more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
---|---|---|---|---|
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Girl uses pottery to find missing girls. [s] | 10 | 774 | Jun 16, 2020 06:24PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. YA, Mystery/Romance/Thriller-ish involving a girl (through multiple books) gets notes from stalkers (each book has a new one) and she struggles to find out each one before they hurt her. [s] | 4 | 32 | Sep 11, 2018 11:25AM | |
Does the next one get better? | 1 | 1 | Aug 04, 2016 03:41AM | |
Crazy for Young A...: Deadly Little Secret (Touch #1) by Laurie Faria Stolarz → Start Date: June 26, 2015 | 9 | 20 | Jun 27, 2015 06:16PM | |
Crazy for Young A...: Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz → Start Date: January 28, 2014 | 41 | 32 | Jan 31, 2014 01:12AM | |
David Estes Fans ...: January 2014 Book of the Month - Deadly Little Secret | 11 | 17 | Jan 28, 2014 08:30PM |
Laurie Faria Stolarz grew up in Salem, MA, attended Merrimack College, and received an MFA in Creative Writing from Emerson College in Boston.
Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels, best known for her Blue is for Nightmares series. Her works, which feature teenage protagonists, blend elements found in mystery and romance novels.
Stolarz found sales success with he ...more
Laurie Faria Stolarz is an American author of young adult fiction novels, best known for her Blue is for Nightmares series. Her works, which feature teenage protagonists, blend elements found in mystery and romance novels.
Stolarz found sales success with he ...more
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Touch
(5 books)
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