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.