The Secret Year

by Jennifer Hubbard
192 pages

From Goodreads:

Seventeen-year-old Colt has been sneaking out at night to meet Julia, a girl from an upper-class neighborhood unlike his own. They’ve never told anyone else about their relationship: not their family or friends, and especially not Julia’s boyfriend.When Julia dies suddenly, Colt tries to cope with her death while pretending that he never even knew her. He discovers a journal she left behind. But he is not prepared for the truths he discovers about their intense relationship, nor to pay the price for the secrets he’s kept.

It seems like there is an abundance of YA novels lately that deal with death. Especially the death of a significant other. Yet, The Secret Year managed to be both original and entertaining.

Originally the plot seemed like a wanna be 50's movie, with the rich kids on the mountain and the poor kids down in the valley ready to rumble at the drop of a hat. But it held my attention and as it progressed I found it to be more legitimate.

While a little far-fetched, I thought the struggle that Colt goes through (wanting to share his feeling about Julia, but then wondering if her feelings were ever really true) touching and honest. It was interesting to see how Colt reacted when other people found out about his and Julia's relationship.

The relationship itself somewhat baffled me. I didn't see too much of a connection (aside from physical) between the two. To me Julia was mostly attracted to Colt because in her world it was considered wrong, and not just because he was from the wrong side of the mountain. Julia had the "perfect life" with money, looks and a popular boyfriend. I think the thrill of knowing she could loose everything really made the relationship with Colt that much better. One of the reasons I enjoyed this book is because in all actuallity Julia was very far from perfect. She lied to almost everyone she cared about, including Colt. We are also told that she was not always a nice person, and some of her actions and remarks showed that she also acted as though she were entitled to certain things. Julia's faults are one of the things I like most about the story. She is a normal person who screws up and is not always nice, but we saw where she tried to better herself.

This is another really quick read (under 200 pages)and enjoyable.

The verdict is: This one will not stay secret for too long.

The Bride's Farewell

by Meg Rosoff

Adventure and love come in the most unlikely of places

From Goodreads:
A young woman in 1850s rural England runs away from home on horseback the day she’s to marry her childhood sweetheart. Pell is from a poor preacher’s family and she’s watched her mother suffer for years under the burden of caring for an ever-increasing number of children. Pell yearns to escape the inevitable repetition of such a life.

She understands horses better than people and sets off for Salisbury Fair, where horse trading takes place, in the hope of finding work and buying herself some time. But as she rides farther away from home, Pell’s feelings for her parents, her siblings, and her fiancé surprise her with their strength and alter the course of her travels. And her journey leads her to find love where she least expects it.


Meg Rosoff is such a lovely writer. Maybe it was because I listened to this and I loved the British narrator, but I think it is more of Rosoff's ability to turn the simplest of stories into something engrossing.

Pell's is a basic story, but it holds your attention from start to finish. Rosoff tells you just enough about the character, but there is always a sense of mystery. I love how she doesn't see the need to spell things out. Her characters remind me of something out of a story book, they are not over described, and while you sympathize with them they don't all together seem real. One last thing that I loved about this book was that it was not longer than it needed to be. Very different from How I Live Now, but just as intriguing.



The verdict is: Short and sweet!

The Hate List

by Jennifer Brown
416 pages

From Goodreads:

Five months ago, Valerie Leftman's boyfriend, Nick, opened fire on their school cafeteria. Shot trying to stop him, Valerie inadvertently saved the life of a classmate, but was implicated in the shootings because of the list she helped create. A list of people and things she and Nick hated. The list he used to pick his targets.

Now, after a summer of seclusion, Val is forced to confront her guilt as she returns to school to complete her senior year. Haunted by the memory of the boyfriend she still loves and navigating rocky relationships with her family, former friends and the girl whose life she saved, Val must come to grips with the tragedy that took place and her role in it, in order to make amends and move on with her life.

I have read several books about school shootings and the aftermath for the survivors, yet this was an original and moving voice. Even after the terrible act her boyfriend committed, Val still struggled with her feelings for him. Most of her was angry and sad for what he did and for leaving her, but another part of her missed and still loved the person she knew.

Valerie's story is different from many of the other books about school shootings, because she plays many different roles. She is a survivor, victim, hero, and to many a co-conspiritor. You see the tension of these roles play out throughout the book. Most students avoid her like the plague, while others cry out for her removal from school. The teachers aren't much better, even though the school formally recognized as a hero. Even her parents don't know how to treat her. While they are scared she is going to hurt herself, they also don't know how to treat her.

This is a story of survival and healing, like many of the other books in this genre, but it still managed to be fresh and original.

If you are interested in reading other books on this topic try, The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, and Give A Boy A Gun by Tod Strasser

The verdict is:A great discussion book for teens and adults.