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Stolen Kiss #2
The Secrets Between You and Me
4 wheels on a rusty truck * 2 gray eyes * 1 secret that could ruin everything...
All Hannah wanted was a summer break from being “perfect Hannah Cohen” and a chance to forget about the devastating family secret that could ruin her seemingly perfect life. So when she takes off for her eccentric aunt’s house in the mountains of North Carolina and everyone makes one big (wrong) assumption about her past, Hannah figures that it’s easier to live a lie than have to face the truth.
She never expected to make any real friends, like the hilarious and spontaneous Kate and Ashton, who drag her to late night bonfires and ice cream marathons. And she especially never counted on meeting Jude Westmore, the brooding bad boy next door with gray eyes and permanent oil smudges on his fingers, or that he would ever take an interest in her.
Between moonlit movie nights in the bed of Jude’s truck and nearly romantic Ferris Wheel rides, Hannah’s old life seems father away then ever, but can she keep her secret, or is the truth worth the risk of losing everything, including Jude?
The Secrets Between You and Me is a companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief and the second book in Shana Norris’s Stolen Kiss series.
All Hannah wanted was a summer break from being “perfect Hannah Cohen” and a chance to forget about the devastating family secret that could ruin her seemingly perfect life. So when she takes off for her eccentric aunt’s house in the mountains of North Carolina and everyone makes one big (wrong) assumption about her past, Hannah figures that it’s easier to live a lie than have to face the truth.
She never expected to make any real friends, like the hilarious and spontaneous Kate and Ashton, who drag her to late night bonfires and ice cream marathons. And she especially never counted on meeting Jude Westmore, the brooding bad boy next door with gray eyes and permanent oil smudges on his fingers, or that he would ever take an interest in her.
Between moonlit movie nights in the bed of Jude’s truck and nearly romantic Ferris Wheel rides, Hannah’s old life seems father away then ever, but can she keep her secret, or is the truth worth the risk of losing everything, including Jude?
The Secrets Between You and Me is a companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief and the second book in Shana Norris’s Stolen Kiss series.
247 pages, ebook
First published February 10, 2015
4 people are currently reading
805 people want to read
About the author
Shana Norris
16 books318 followersI write young adult books from a tiny town in eastern North Carolina, where I live with my husband and our zoo of animals. I am the author of SOMETHING TO BLOG ABOUT and TROY HIGH, both available from Abrams/Amulet Books, and THE BOYFRIEND THIEF and SURFACING, both available in ebook format for all ereaders.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 72 reviews
June 23, 2013
*I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review*
Rule #1: Never lose control. Maintain the image of perfection.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Rule #8: If reality isn’t the way you want it to be, create your own.
Rule #12: Never let yourself be surprised. Always have the upper hand.
Imagine this for a second, you’re sixteen again. Your father is a corporate banker with a prescription pill problem and your mother is one of those women you’d expect to find on any of the shows entitled The Real Housewives of….
For as long as you can remember, your mother’s rules related to maintaining the familial façade of perfection have been drilled into your head and your father, when he’s been present, has been pushing you to win more and more accolades because, you know, being class president, valedictorian, math club president, fund raiser organizer extraordinaire, these things aren’t enough. You need to be better. More.
Then one night it all comes crashing down around you. Your father ends up in rehab, your mother flees to Paris with her latest BFF to avoid the impending scandal and you opt to go stay with your aunt Lydia to escape them both. You even lie to your friends because, like your mother, you believe that as long as you pretend everything is perfect, it is.
This is Hannah, our MC. In the beginning of the book she knows that she can’t keep living the way she has been. Her mother’s rules are suffocating her, the pressure from her father to be The Best is crushing her and the wall she’s built around herself to keep her elevated from her peers is alienating her.
So you can understand her need to escape from it all to stay with her aunt near the mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina for the summer, where she tries to figure out just who she is outside of being her parents' perfect Yale-bound daughter.
Enter one Jude Westmore. With a brother recently killed by an IED in Afghanistan, an alcoholic mother who can’t hold a job and a sometimes unstable temper, he’s just as lost as Hannah.
Together, they help each other come to terms with their pasts, push the boundaries of their comfort zones, break the chains made from the rules that have bound them and even create some better ones to live by.
Sounds swell right? Well, it’s not as easy as that. These characters read like real people, with real problems. I loved the fact that it took them time to work through their issues and that they had setbacks and on occasion even reverted into previous behavior patterns because it felt safer than admitting hard truths.
This is not some fairy tale insta-love, drama for drama’s sake, story. This is a realistic look at a difficult time in most teenagers’ lives. The bottom line is if you’re under the age of 19, you should read this book and take its advice. If you’re over the age of 19, but still enjoy Young Adult books, you should read this book and take its advice.
Rule #1: Be honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid of reality.
Rule #1: Never lose control. Maintain the image of perfection.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Rule #8: If reality isn’t the way you want it to be, create your own.
Rule #12: Never let yourself be surprised. Always have the upper hand.
Imagine this for a second, you’re sixteen again. Your father is a corporate banker with a prescription pill problem and your mother is one of those women you’d expect to find on any of the shows entitled The Real Housewives of….
For as long as you can remember, your mother’s rules related to maintaining the familial façade of perfection have been drilled into your head and your father, when he’s been present, has been pushing you to win more and more accolades because, you know, being class president, valedictorian, math club president, fund raiser organizer extraordinaire, these things aren’t enough. You need to be better. More.
Then one night it all comes crashing down around you. Your father ends up in rehab, your mother flees to Paris with her latest BFF to avoid the impending scandal and you opt to go stay with your aunt Lydia to escape them both. You even lie to your friends because, like your mother, you believe that as long as you pretend everything is perfect, it is.
This is Hannah, our MC. In the beginning of the book she knows that she can’t keep living the way she has been. Her mother’s rules are suffocating her, the pressure from her father to be The Best is crushing her and the wall she’s built around herself to keep her elevated from her peers is alienating her.
So you can understand her need to escape from it all to stay with her aunt near the mountains outside of Asheville, North Carolina for the summer, where she tries to figure out just who she is outside of being her parents' perfect Yale-bound daughter.
Enter one Jude Westmore. With a brother recently killed by an IED in Afghanistan, an alcoholic mother who can’t hold a job and a sometimes unstable temper, he’s just as lost as Hannah.
Together, they help each other come to terms with their pasts, push the boundaries of their comfort zones, break the chains made from the rules that have bound them and even create some better ones to live by.
Sounds swell right? Well, it’s not as easy as that. These characters read like real people, with real problems. I loved the fact that it took them time to work through their issues and that they had setbacks and on occasion even reverted into previous behavior patterns because it felt safer than admitting hard truths.
This is not some fairy tale insta-love, drama for drama’s sake, story. This is a realistic look at a difficult time in most teenagers’ lives. The bottom line is if you’re under the age of 19, you should read this book and take its advice. If you’re over the age of 19, but still enjoy Young Adult books, you should read this book and take its advice.
Rule #1: Be honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid of reality.
June 25, 2013
Three and a half stars: A summer filled with growing up and making new rules.
Hannah is happy to escape the pressures of her everyday life, especially after her father's drug overdose. She is opting to spend the summer with her Aunt instead of going to Paris with her mother. Hannah is nearly suffocating from the expectations and rules of her parents. She doesn't expect to meet someone who will help her break free of those rules. Can Hannah find a new beginning for herself and set her own rules?
What I Liked:
*I picked this one up expecting a light, fluffy, summery romance, but what I got was a book all about finding yourself and learning to let go of the past. While I was a tiny bit disappointed that this wasn't all feel good and easy reading, I was happy to see that it tackled some important issues such as: drug and alcohol abuse, loss, growing up, deciding your own future and healing. This book doesn't stray too far into the overly dramatic and gut wrenching fare that is so popular right now. I think this towed the line perfectly as it carried a nice balance between dramatic and fun. If you are a fan of the popular New Adult books, but want something that won't tear your heart out, this would be a good pick.
*The romance in this one is slow and subtle. Two people meet, and the first meeting isn't exactly all sparkles and butterflies, neither is the second. Over time, Hannah ends up forming a friendship with Jude, a troubled young man who just recently lost in brother in Afghanistan. The pair are complete opposites, Hannah is the good girl, straight A student who adheres to a set of complex rules. Jude is a bit of a bad boy and a rebel, especially since the death of his brother. Over the summer, a shirt flapping from a tree, a broken truck, and a mountain will bring the two together and through it all they form a strong friendship that eventually turns into something a bit more. This romance builds very slowly, and in fact it takes the entire book to get there, but I am a fan of romances that take their sweet time and are formed out of friendship. I thought the romance in this one was just right.
*I am a fan of character growth, and this book excels at character transformation. Hannah with Jude's help, learns to let go over the ridiculously stringent rules set by her parents. During the summer, she sets her own new rules to live by, and in the process, she learns a few things about herself, finds the courage to live as she wants by not adhering to other's expectations, she lets go and even does a few things that scare her the most. Jude also transforms. He is carrying a lot of baggage from his brother's death and he has not been able to break free. His friendship with Hannah helps him to finally bury his brother and move toward a new future. I thoroughly enjoyed the maturation of both characters.
*I enjoyed the writing in this one. Ms. Norris gives us plenty of sage advice on living, loving and more. There are some notable quotes and good advice to take to heart.
And The Not So Much:
*I felt like I was missing something as far as Hannah's backstory. She is fresh off a breakup with her boyfriend Zac. I got the impression that there was more to the story, and after I finished the book I learned that this was the companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief, and I am guessing the details of Hannah and Zac's relationship are chronicled in that book. This is not an issue because Hannah's story with Zac is in the past, but there are a couple of references to it. I am eager to go back and read The Boyfriend Thief now.
*I never felt like I had a firm grasp on Aunt Lydia's character. She seems aloof and rather mysterious for most of the book. She doesn't come across as particularly warm and fuzzy, but in contrast to Hannah's parents she is a far better role model. I finally got some answer toward the end of the book, but I found that I wanted to understand her a bit more. I would like to have more details on the relationship between Lydia and Hannah's mother.
*At the end, Hannah and her parents are working toward healing their relationship. I hated the way Hannah's mother treated Hannah and did not like her actions. I was hoping for a bit more admission of guilt and a little more resolution in regards to the mother daughter relationship, but it was realistic, and I know that in real life this is often the way things go.
*There were a few unanswered issues for Jude. For instance: I wanted to know what happened with Jude's mother. Did he get her to clean up her act? Did they make up? Will they be okay? What really happened with the missing money from Jude's former job? I really wished that the issue with the stolen money was resolved.
The Rules of You and Me is a book that will take you through the trials and tribulations of leaving behind childhood and moving toward an adult. There are always some difficult choices, and the question is will you learn to let go of the past and choose the path that will make you the most happy or will you adhere to the tight expectations of others?
Favorite Quotations:
"Be yourself, but be the you that you could be, not the you that everyone else wants you to be."
"The rules you think you should follow in life aren't always the right rules for you."
"I know the guy your parents don't like is exactly the kind of guy you think you want. But the idea of the bad boy is sometimes better than the reality of him."
"I wish I had the courage to not be the person everyone expects me to be."
"She loves the person she wants me to be. I'm not sure that she really loves me as I am."
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
Hannah is happy to escape the pressures of her everyday life, especially after her father's drug overdose. She is opting to spend the summer with her Aunt instead of going to Paris with her mother. Hannah is nearly suffocating from the expectations and rules of her parents. She doesn't expect to meet someone who will help her break free of those rules. Can Hannah find a new beginning for herself and set her own rules?
What I Liked:
*I picked this one up expecting a light, fluffy, summery romance, but what I got was a book all about finding yourself and learning to let go of the past. While I was a tiny bit disappointed that this wasn't all feel good and easy reading, I was happy to see that it tackled some important issues such as: drug and alcohol abuse, loss, growing up, deciding your own future and healing. This book doesn't stray too far into the overly dramatic and gut wrenching fare that is so popular right now. I think this towed the line perfectly as it carried a nice balance between dramatic and fun. If you are a fan of the popular New Adult books, but want something that won't tear your heart out, this would be a good pick.
*The romance in this one is slow and subtle. Two people meet, and the first meeting isn't exactly all sparkles and butterflies, neither is the second. Over time, Hannah ends up forming a friendship with Jude, a troubled young man who just recently lost in brother in Afghanistan. The pair are complete opposites, Hannah is the good girl, straight A student who adheres to a set of complex rules. Jude is a bit of a bad boy and a rebel, especially since the death of his brother. Over the summer, a shirt flapping from a tree, a broken truck, and a mountain will bring the two together and through it all they form a strong friendship that eventually turns into something a bit more. This romance builds very slowly, and in fact it takes the entire book to get there, but I am a fan of romances that take their sweet time and are formed out of friendship. I thought the romance in this one was just right.
*I am a fan of character growth, and this book excels at character transformation. Hannah with Jude's help, learns to let go over the ridiculously stringent rules set by her parents. During the summer, she sets her own new rules to live by, and in the process, she learns a few things about herself, finds the courage to live as she wants by not adhering to other's expectations, she lets go and even does a few things that scare her the most. Jude also transforms. He is carrying a lot of baggage from his brother's death and he has not been able to break free. His friendship with Hannah helps him to finally bury his brother and move toward a new future. I thoroughly enjoyed the maturation of both characters.
*I enjoyed the writing in this one. Ms. Norris gives us plenty of sage advice on living, loving and more. There are some notable quotes and good advice to take to heart.
And The Not So Much:
*I felt like I was missing something as far as Hannah's backstory. She is fresh off a breakup with her boyfriend Zac. I got the impression that there was more to the story, and after I finished the book I learned that this was the companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief, and I am guessing the details of Hannah and Zac's relationship are chronicled in that book. This is not an issue because Hannah's story with Zac is in the past, but there are a couple of references to it. I am eager to go back and read The Boyfriend Thief now.
*I never felt like I had a firm grasp on Aunt Lydia's character. She seems aloof and rather mysterious for most of the book. She doesn't come across as particularly warm and fuzzy, but in contrast to Hannah's parents she is a far better role model. I finally got some answer toward the end of the book, but I found that I wanted to understand her a bit more. I would like to have more details on the relationship between Lydia and Hannah's mother.
*At the end, Hannah and her parents are working toward healing their relationship. I hated the way Hannah's mother treated Hannah and did not like her actions. I was hoping for a bit more admission of guilt and a little more resolution in regards to the mother daughter relationship, but it was realistic, and I know that in real life this is often the way things go.
*There were a few unanswered issues for Jude. For instance: I wanted to know what happened with Jude's mother. Did he get her to clean up her act? Did they make up? Will they be okay? What really happened with the missing money from Jude's former job? I really wished that the issue with the stolen money was resolved.
The Rules of You and Me is a book that will take you through the trials and tribulations of leaving behind childhood and moving toward an adult. There are always some difficult choices, and the question is will you learn to let go of the past and choose the path that will make you the most happy or will you adhere to the tight expectations of others?
Favorite Quotations:
"Be yourself, but be the you that you could be, not the you that everyone else wants you to be."
"The rules you think you should follow in life aren't always the right rules for you."
"I know the guy your parents don't like is exactly the kind of guy you think you want. But the idea of the bad boy is sometimes better than the reality of him."
"I wish I had the courage to not be the person everyone expects me to be."
"She loves the person she wants me to be. I'm not sure that she really loves me as I am."
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and I was not compensated for this review.
Posted@Rainy Day Ramblings.
March 29, 2015
3.5 Stars
This book was given via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I didn't have many expectations when starting The Secrets Between You and Me. I did not read the other book before this one and don't think I needed to. This story was very complete with out reading the first book in this series.
The Secrets Between You and Me is about Hannah Cohen who is 16, almost 17 and has turned down a trip to Paris with her mom to go spend the summer in Asheville with her aunt. Hannah is the type of girl, who from the outside, seems to have it all together. She is student body president, a candidate for Valedictorian, she is applying to Yale, on top of that her family is very wealthy. It seems like she shouldn't have a care in the world. However, things are definitely not as they seem.
Hannah is spending the summer in Asheville because her dad almost died from an overdose and is now in rehab. Her mom is a self-absorbed socialite who refuses to face reality. Hahah has a lot of baggage. She lives her life on the rules her parents have drilled into her head for her entire life. Rules like.... she must always keep up appearances. Never owe anyone. Everyone always wants something from you. However, Hannah decides this summer will be different. She is on a journey of self-discovery. Hannah wants to find out who she is..... not who she has always been told she has to be.
Hannah's journey is a bumpy one, but one that is most definitely worth taking. Hannah makes some amazing friends, and one special friend Jude.
The Secrets is a great book about growth and self-discovery. It was an interesting and quick read. It wasn't a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but it is a great light and interesting summer read.
This book was given via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
I didn't have many expectations when starting The Secrets Between You and Me. I did not read the other book before this one and don't think I needed to. This story was very complete with out reading the first book in this series.
The Secrets Between You and Me is about Hannah Cohen who is 16, almost 17 and has turned down a trip to Paris with her mom to go spend the summer in Asheville with her aunt. Hannah is the type of girl, who from the outside, seems to have it all together. She is student body president, a candidate for Valedictorian, she is applying to Yale, on top of that her family is very wealthy. It seems like she shouldn't have a care in the world. However, things are definitely not as they seem.
Hannah is spending the summer in Asheville because her dad almost died from an overdose and is now in rehab. Her mom is a self-absorbed socialite who refuses to face reality. Hahah has a lot of baggage. She lives her life on the rules her parents have drilled into her head for her entire life. Rules like.... she must always keep up appearances. Never owe anyone. Everyone always wants something from you. However, Hannah decides this summer will be different. She is on a journey of self-discovery. Hannah wants to find out who she is..... not who she has always been told she has to be.
Hannah's journey is a bumpy one, but one that is most definitely worth taking. Hannah makes some amazing friends, and one special friend Jude.
The Secrets is a great book about growth and self-discovery. It was an interesting and quick read. It wasn't a story that will keep you on the edge of your seat, but it is a great light and interesting summer read.
February 9, 2015
Hannah's life is falling apart. Her dad is in rehab for a pill addiction, her mom can't face reality and took off for Paris and Hannah has gone to stay with her aunt. Her best friend thinks she's in Paris when she's really 5 hours away staying at her aunts house. While at her aunts, she makes some friends but keeps her family situation a secret. Jude suffered an awful loss almost a year ago and Hanna is the first person in a long time that he has opened up to. I really liked a couple things about this story: I liked the way Hannah's character grew up during this story, I liked Jude - a lot, and I liked Hannah's aunt and friends she made while staying with her aunt. I did have a few small issues with this story, in particular Jude's relationship with his mother and the things she said to him when Hannah was with him and I really needed an epilogue for this story. Overall, I really did like this one and recommend it to anyone who loves a good YA story.
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
**ARC provided in exchange for an honest review**
January 4, 2015
Meh. Just an OK read. Nothing extraordinary. I can't even remember the characters names. I'm so unaffected by this book, I don't remember what it was about and I just finished it. A quick read, with reasonably good writing, it falls flat because the story just isn't compelling. I don't care about the characters, what happens to them, or why their lives are so in disarray. It seemed fairly realistic as far as teenage behavior goes, but I wasn't impressed.
I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and the publisher for an honest review.
December 3, 2013
Normally I give DNF (at 63%) books a 1-star rating. I'm conflicted here though. Objectively I know this is worth more. The writing is good, the characterizations are well done, and the relationship has potential.
But I'm just not engaged. I'm not interested, and I really couldn't care less what happens to any of these people.
For a review that tells you why you will probably like this book, check out Litchick's review ;)
But I'm just not engaged. I'm not interested, and I really couldn't care less what happens to any of these people.
For a review that tells you why you will probably like this book, check out Litchick's review ;)
September 21, 2015
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for a chance to read this book in exchange for an honest review!
My review can also be found on our blog Paein and Ms4Tune
'Sometimes you have to get away to find what you really want.' Loc 1751
A ridiculously cute and fluffy young-adult romance which is perfect for a summer evenings read. It's fast paced with a writing style that has an easy flowing feel and has a lovely coming of age message.
Hannah Cohen is trying to follow the advice of her life-couch and is on a mission to discover who she really is. But really she's just running away from all the problems at home. With an alcoholic mother who demands perfection (because how you are perceived is more important than being happy, obviously) and a father who is in rehab for popping pills, it's no wonder that Hannah would rather forget for one summer. While staying with her aunt, Hannah meets Jude who is a troubled and reserved young man. Their friendship could be the solutions to their happiness but will the secrets destroy everything they have?
Hannah wasn't always the most likeable main character as she was quite selfish at times and constantly felt sorry for herself but she developed slowly giving this coming of age story real believability and in the end was a great character. I loved her aunt, especially when she started having a go at Hannah's mum (her sister), I just love a protective relative.
'How could anyone know who they really were with all of this outside pressure to be what others expected?' Loc 889
Hannah's mum was really really hate-able! She put so much pressure on Hannah to be something she wasn't. Setting the standards so high that she couldn't possibly meet them. I found it easy to imagine her as a real mother and it was sad to think that people do live with women like her. And when Hannah really needed her, she just collapsed in on herself and denied all responsibility. Hating her helped reinforce my feelings or sympathy and camaraderie with Hannah which are thing I find really important in a contemporary romance.
'Some people don't care about the image they project to the rest of the world. Aren't you glad we know better? Loc 225
I only had a few problems character wise, and that was with Natalie and Jude. Natalie was nasty and spiteful during the story but at the end she seemed to just roll over and that was it. I know its nice to have all the ends tied up but it would have been more realistic to leave that friendship as a lost cause. Where as Jude was a little too perfect for me in the end, as he seemed to be the perfect gentlemen and put real effort into making sure that Hannah was happy however we were supposed to believe that he was a bad boy, who wasn't on talking terms with anyone else in the town because of his misdemeanors, and his moodiness. It just didn't seem to fit. It didn't really matter in the end though because he was just so adorable and I fell in love with him.
The romance itself was so sweet and tender and was built up slowly - No insta-love here people! Even the angsty problems (which were inevitable - it is a YA Romance after all) had a good lead up to and didn't feel forced or unnecessarily dramatic.
Overall this was a great story as it's believable with real issues and real responses. If you are looking for something short and easy going, then I would definitely recommend it.
'...it reminded me that there was beauty in imperfection. Art didn't have to be traditional methods, and life didn't have to follow traditional paths.' Loc 2969
And I'm so excited to say that book #1 of Shana Norris's A Stolen Kiss series is currently free to download from Amazon. I will definitely be purchasing that! as at the 23rd of August 2015
My review can also be found on our blog Paein and Ms4Tune
'Sometimes you have to get away to find what you really want.' Loc 1751
A ridiculously cute and fluffy young-adult romance which is perfect for a summer evenings read. It's fast paced with a writing style that has an easy flowing feel and has a lovely coming of age message.
Hannah Cohen is trying to follow the advice of her life-couch and is on a mission to discover who she really is. But really she's just running away from all the problems at home. With an alcoholic mother who demands perfection (because how you are perceived is more important than being happy, obviously) and a father who is in rehab for popping pills, it's no wonder that Hannah would rather forget for one summer. While staying with her aunt, Hannah meets Jude who is a troubled and reserved young man. Their friendship could be the solutions to their happiness but will the secrets destroy everything they have?
Hannah wasn't always the most likeable main character as she was quite selfish at times and constantly felt sorry for herself but she developed slowly giving this coming of age story real believability and in the end was a great character. I loved her aunt, especially when she started having a go at Hannah's mum (her sister), I just love a protective relative.
'How could anyone know who they really were with all of this outside pressure to be what others expected?' Loc 889
Hannah's mum was really really hate-able! She put so much pressure on Hannah to be something she wasn't. Setting the standards so high that she couldn't possibly meet them. I found it easy to imagine her as a real mother and it was sad to think that people do live with women like her. And when Hannah really needed her, she just collapsed in on herself and denied all responsibility. Hating her helped reinforce my feelings or sympathy and camaraderie with Hannah which are thing I find really important in a contemporary romance.
'Some people don't care about the image they project to the rest of the world. Aren't you glad we know better? Loc 225
I only had a few problems character wise, and that was with Natalie and Jude. Natalie was nasty and spiteful during the story but at the end she seemed to just roll over and that was it. I know its nice to have all the ends tied up but it would have been more realistic to leave that friendship as a lost cause. Where as Jude was a little too perfect for me in the end, as he seemed to be the perfect gentlemen and put real effort into making sure that Hannah was happy however we were supposed to believe that he was a bad boy, who wasn't on talking terms with anyone else in the town because of his misdemeanors, and his moodiness. It just didn't seem to fit. It didn't really matter in the end though because he was just so adorable and I fell in love with him.
The romance itself was so sweet and tender and was built up slowly - No insta-love here people! Even the angsty problems (which were inevitable - it is a YA Romance after all) had a good lead up to and didn't feel forced or unnecessarily dramatic.
Overall this was a great story as it's believable with real issues and real responses. If you are looking for something short and easy going, then I would definitely recommend it.
'...it reminded me that there was beauty in imperfection. Art didn't have to be traditional methods, and life didn't have to follow traditional paths.' Loc 2969
And I'm so excited to say that book #1 of Shana Norris's A Stolen Kiss series is currently free to download from Amazon. I will definitely be purchasing that! as at the 23rd of August 2015
January 27, 2015
ARC kindly provided by Vook and Netgalley for an honest review.
I was kind of expecting more since the synopsis persuaded me with a read that was fast, adorable and full of adventure but it was more of a dull version of that with slower pacing.
Hannah's sick of the trends and rules her parents have thrust upon her to be perfect. They both expect her to be faultless but this summer she aims to be the opposite to what they want. So with Hannah's father in rehab for a pill problem and alcoholic mother off to Paris for the summer, Hannah goes to visit her artistic aunt 5 hours away. There she meets new friends like Ashton and Kate who help push her out of her comfort zone and Jude, who she tells most- but not all -of her secrets to.
Jude helps Hannah create her own rules in life that cater to herself. He decides to live by these rules too after spending too long trying to get over his brother's death. I love stories where the two main characters save each other, there's no damsel in distress, it's just two people discovering themselves with each other's support and encouragement.
I wasn't aware that this was a sequel/companion novel when I requested for review but apparently the first book The Boyfriend Thief came out a while ago. I read the synopsis prior to beginning this book and it was obviously not my thing since it seemed like a dramatical teenage book. The Secrets Between You and Me however is a coming-of-age story about a girl who finds herself after being controlled with every aspect of her life for a while. It's about meeting someone who makes you feel alive enough to tell them the secrets you've hidden deep inside forever.
One of my biggest irritants that occurs in mainly young adult contemporary novels is that the female main characters are ignorant and push away from a guy and don't tell them the truth. In this case, Hannah is tells herself - and is told by other people - that she should trust Jude with her secrets but she always refuses. Which is understandable since she has a fairly tough family and home life, but Jude always talks about his brother and what they were like initially. I just felt that it was unfair for him to take confidence in her while she never corrects him on the whereabouts of her father and speaks the whole truth. Despite that, it was really my only complaint about the entire book.
I was kind of expecting more since the synopsis persuaded me with a read that was fast, adorable and full of adventure but it was more of a dull version of that with slower pacing.
Hannah's sick of the trends and rules her parents have thrust upon her to be perfect. They both expect her to be faultless but this summer she aims to be the opposite to what they want. So with Hannah's father in rehab for a pill problem and alcoholic mother off to Paris for the summer, Hannah goes to visit her artistic aunt 5 hours away. There she meets new friends like Ashton and Kate who help push her out of her comfort zone and Jude, who she tells most- but not all -of her secrets to.
Jude helps Hannah create her own rules in life that cater to herself. He decides to live by these rules too after spending too long trying to get over his brother's death. I love stories where the two main characters save each other, there's no damsel in distress, it's just two people discovering themselves with each other's support and encouragement.
I wasn't aware that this was a sequel/companion novel when I requested for review but apparently the first book The Boyfriend Thief came out a while ago. I read the synopsis prior to beginning this book and it was obviously not my thing since it seemed like a dramatical teenage book. The Secrets Between You and Me however is a coming-of-age story about a girl who finds herself after being controlled with every aspect of her life for a while. It's about meeting someone who makes you feel alive enough to tell them the secrets you've hidden deep inside forever.
One of my biggest irritants that occurs in mainly young adult contemporary novels is that the female main characters are ignorant and push away from a guy and don't tell them the truth. In this case, Hannah is tells herself - and is told by other people - that she should trust Jude with her secrets but she always refuses. Which is understandable since she has a fairly tough family and home life, but Jude always talks about his brother and what they were like initially. I just felt that it was unfair for him to take confidence in her while she never corrects him on the whereabouts of her father and speaks the whole truth. Despite that, it was really my only complaint about the entire book.
June 25, 2013
(Source: I received a digital copy of this book for free on a read-to-review basis. Thanks to Fiction Addiction and Netgalley.)
16-year-old Hannah is going to stay with her aunt for the summer while her mother goes off to vacation in Paris with a friend, and her father is in rehab.
Whilst she’s there Hannah meets Jude – a guy who’s still grieving over his older brother’s recent death.
Together Hannah and Jude try to show each other that there’s more to life than following the rules, and that it’s okay to not do what people expect from you at times.
This was a good YA contemporary romance, that also had some inspiring messages about doing what you really want to do in life, and not letting other people’s thoughts and feelings influence who you are.
Hannah was a girl who was trying to work out who she was, and what she wanted to do with her life. She was angry and disappointed with her father who had ended up in rehab, and her mother who didn’t seem to care about anything other than upholding a perfect public image.
I liked Jude, even though he had problems of his own, and I could totally see why he’d have problems getting over his brother’s death.
I liked the storyline in this book, and I liked how Jude and Hannah pushed each other to move on with their lives. I liked how Hannah tried to overcome her mother’s strict rules, and how Jude tried to come out of his shell a bit. I thought that the soft romance between the two of them was sweet, but they actually got so much more out of their relationship than romance.
I thought the ending was good, and fitting, although I did have worries about the direction Jude had decided on for his future. Most of all I liked Hannah’s new rules though:
Rule 1 – be honest, don’t complicate things.
Rule 2 – do what scares you the most
Rule 3 – always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule 4 – don’t be afraid of reality.
Overall; a good YA contemporary romance with some inspirational messages.
7 out of 10.
16-year-old Hannah is going to stay with her aunt for the summer while her mother goes off to vacation in Paris with a friend, and her father is in rehab.
Whilst she’s there Hannah meets Jude – a guy who’s still grieving over his older brother’s recent death.
Together Hannah and Jude try to show each other that there’s more to life than following the rules, and that it’s okay to not do what people expect from you at times.
This was a good YA contemporary romance, that also had some inspiring messages about doing what you really want to do in life, and not letting other people’s thoughts and feelings influence who you are.
Hannah was a girl who was trying to work out who she was, and what she wanted to do with her life. She was angry and disappointed with her father who had ended up in rehab, and her mother who didn’t seem to care about anything other than upholding a perfect public image.
I liked Jude, even though he had problems of his own, and I could totally see why he’d have problems getting over his brother’s death.
I liked the storyline in this book, and I liked how Jude and Hannah pushed each other to move on with their lives. I liked how Hannah tried to overcome her mother’s strict rules, and how Jude tried to come out of his shell a bit. I thought that the soft romance between the two of them was sweet, but they actually got so much more out of their relationship than romance.
I thought the ending was good, and fitting, although I did have worries about the direction Jude had decided on for his future. Most of all I liked Hannah’s new rules though:
Rule 1 – be honest, don’t complicate things.
Rule 2 – do what scares you the most
Rule 3 – always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule 4 – don’t be afraid of reality.
Overall; a good YA contemporary romance with some inspirational messages.
7 out of 10.
May 22, 2013
I gave Norris' other books 3-4 stars, and I thought this book was cute enough, but it was just okay.
First of all, this story did NOT go with the plot in The Boyfriend Thief - not really anyway. Honestly, I totally forgot about Zac and Avery until I went back just now. And without having read the first book, you might have thought that Avery stole her best friend's boyfriend. NOT the case. I mean, in hindsight, I GUESS it works, but it's iffy.
I couldn't connect with Hannah. I spent a good deal of the first part assuming she was rich but not understanding why. I had no clue what her father did of if her mother worked or was a stay-at-home trophy wife. And I couldn't really tell if her hometown was big or small, and once I did, I couldn't tell if it was a close-knit Hampton like community. And the book told us Hannah had a strict life with the image of perfection, but I didn't really felt any sympathy for her.
As for the rest of the book, it was just a little bit too cliche for me. Rich, snobby girl (oh wait, she really isn't) in a small country town. She meets the bad boy from the trashy, broken family that has a history that everyone in town doesn't trust. Of course, she finds out who her real friends are and that the people she had dismissed (pre- and post-trip) were more valuable than she gave them credit for.
I think the background behind her mother, her aunt and her friends were great stories, but unfortunately, I felt like the book rushed to explain everything at the end.
Like I said, the book was cute enough - though there were no incredibly memorable scenes - though I thought Norris' earlier works were definitely better.
First of all, this story did NOT go with the plot in The Boyfriend Thief - not really anyway. Honestly, I totally forgot about Zac and Avery until I went back just now. And without having read the first book, you might have thought that Avery stole her best friend's boyfriend. NOT the case. I mean, in hindsight, I GUESS it works, but it's iffy.
I couldn't connect with Hannah. I spent a good deal of the first part assuming she was rich but not understanding why. I had no clue what her father did of if her mother worked or was a stay-at-home trophy wife. And I couldn't really tell if her hometown was big or small, and once I did, I couldn't tell if it was a close-knit Hampton like community. And the book told us Hannah had a strict life with the image of perfection, but I didn't really felt any sympathy for her.
As for the rest of the book, it was just a little bit too cliche for me. Rich, snobby girl (oh wait, she really isn't) in a small country town. She meets the bad boy from the trashy, broken family that has a history that everyone in town doesn't trust. Of course, she finds out who her real friends are and that the people she had dismissed (pre- and post-trip) were more valuable than she gave them credit for.
I think the background behind her mother, her aunt and her friends were great stories, but unfortunately, I felt like the book rushed to explain everything at the end.
Like I said, the book was cute enough - though there were no incredibly memorable scenes - though I thought Norris' earlier works were definitely better.
June 14, 2013
I enjoy a good fluff read every now and then, it is one of my many guilty pleasures and even though I knew the main protagonist Hannah was all about the rules, I really was expecting a light, feel good read and yes, parts of that were in here but not all, turns out, I got more than what I was expecting, which is never a bad thing.
There are actually some very deep issues in this one. Addiction, death, running away from your problems, and yes, Hannah's rules of always trying to be perfect. And even though there are some very serious, real issues in this story, there are also some very sweet and tender moments as well.
This really isn't a fluff read and it really isn't all that light, although it isn't dark either, not by a long shot. The characters felt very much alive and real to me. I loved Hannah and how strong she was and how determined she was to figure out who she really wanted to be and to not let the opinion of others, especially her parents, determine what she does and who she becomes. I loved Jude and his struggles as well. Nothing in this book came easy to the characters. There was no love at first sight, there wasn't even an attraction at first sight and for a change, that was really nice. Nothing was sugar coated or glossed over and I love that the author did that. That she didn't feel she had to make everything hearts and rainbows but at the same time keeping the story from being too heavy or depressing.
I was actually pretty impressed with how much I enjoyed this and how much I look forward to reading other books by this author in the future.
There are actually some very deep issues in this one. Addiction, death, running away from your problems, and yes, Hannah's rules of always trying to be perfect. And even though there are some very serious, real issues in this story, there are also some very sweet and tender moments as well.
This really isn't a fluff read and it really isn't all that light, although it isn't dark either, not by a long shot. The characters felt very much alive and real to me. I loved Hannah and how strong she was and how determined she was to figure out who she really wanted to be and to not let the opinion of others, especially her parents, determine what she does and who she becomes. I loved Jude and his struggles as well. Nothing in this book came easy to the characters. There was no love at first sight, there wasn't even an attraction at first sight and for a change, that was really nice. Nothing was sugar coated or glossed over and I love that the author did that. That she didn't feel she had to make everything hearts and rainbows but at the same time keeping the story from being too heavy or depressing.
I was actually pretty impressed with how much I enjoyed this and how much I look forward to reading other books by this author in the future.
December 9, 2023
Calificación: ⭐⭐✨ (2.3/5)
Review:
¡Ah, la maravillosa historia de "The Secrets Between You and Me", donde los secretos parecen tan ocultos como la fórmula de la Coca-Cola y tan emocionantes como ver crecer el césped! 📚💤
Conocemos a Hannah, una adolescente de 17 años, cuyo mundo se cae a pedazos mientras descubre que su padre no es el superhéroe que ella imaginaba y su madre prefiere las vacaciones en el extranjero que lidiar con la realidad.
En un giro que nunca hemos visto en la literatura juvenil (sarcasmo, modo activado), Hannah decide rebelarse y pasar sus vacaciones con una tía que la abandonó cuando más la necesitaba. ¡Qué emocionante y original! 🎭 Además, ¿qué sería de un libro juvenil sin un chico "problemático" que necesita ser arreglado? ¡Presentamos a Jude, el cliché andante! 🤦♂️💔
Las interacciones entre Hannah y Jude, aunque bien escritas, no logran salvar la trama predecible y las respuestas a las preguntas clave sobre el pasado de Jude son tan claras como el agua del grifo. 🚿🙄 La madre de Hannah, tras actuar como una antagonista insufrible durante toda la historia, tiene un cambio de personalidad tan sorprendente como el sabor del agua mineral. ¡Bravo por ese desarrollo de personajes! 👏😒
En resumen, "The Secrets Between You and Me" es como una telenovela aburrida que se desarrolla en un pueblo donde ni siquiera los secretos logran mantener el interés. Si buscas emoción y originalidad, te recomendaría buscar en otro estante de la biblioteca. ���😴
Review:
¡Ah, la maravillosa historia de "The Secrets Between You and Me", donde los secretos parecen tan ocultos como la fórmula de la Coca-Cola y tan emocionantes como ver crecer el césped! 📚💤
Conocemos a Hannah, una adolescente de 17 años, cuyo mundo se cae a pedazos mientras descubre que su padre no es el superhéroe que ella imaginaba y su madre prefiere las vacaciones en el extranjero que lidiar con la realidad.
En un giro que nunca hemos visto en la literatura juvenil (sarcasmo, modo activado), Hannah decide rebelarse y pasar sus vacaciones con una tía que la abandonó cuando más la necesitaba. ¡Qué emocionante y original! 🎭 Además, ¿qué sería de un libro juvenil sin un chico "problemático" que necesita ser arreglado? ¡Presentamos a Jude, el cliché andante! 🤦♂️💔
Las interacciones entre Hannah y Jude, aunque bien escritas, no logran salvar la trama predecible y las respuestas a las preguntas clave sobre el pasado de Jude son tan claras como el agua del grifo. 🚿🙄 La madre de Hannah, tras actuar como una antagonista insufrible durante toda la historia, tiene un cambio de personalidad tan sorprendente como el sabor del agua mineral. ¡Bravo por ese desarrollo de personajes! 👏😒
En resumen, "The Secrets Between You and Me" es como una telenovela aburrida que se desarrolla en un pueblo donde ni siquiera los secretos logran mantener el interés. Si buscas emoción y originalidad, te recomendaría buscar en otro estante de la biblioteca. ���😴
August 18, 2013
http://addictedtonovels.blogspot.ca/
The Rules of You and Me was a really light, quick read but I really enjoyed it. It was very simple yet it still got me wrapped up in the characters and their stories. Even though I haven't read The Boyfriend Thief yet and wasn't familiar with the characters, I didn't feel like I missed anything by not reading the other book. The Rules of You and Me is actually a spin-off type sequel though, just like Katie McGarry's books.
Hannah started out as an uptight, never-break-the-rules kind of girl, but by the end, she had grown a lot as a person. Especially after meeting Jude, who lost his brother in the Army. Hannah had all these rules her mother drilled into her ever since she can remember, to try and mold Hannah into the exact person she wanted. Hannah pretty much let this happen because she didn't know any different. That is, until she visited her Aunt for the summer and everything slowly changed.
Jude also came out of his shell a lot and grew as a person. I love how both characters seemed to kind of grow together also, and it was so gradual that it was very believable. Some parts of the book were sad, others were heartwarming and there was one or two parts near the end that were totally heart-wrenching!
The Rules of You and Me was a really light, quick read but I really enjoyed it. It was very simple yet it still got me wrapped up in the characters and their stories. Even though I haven't read The Boyfriend Thief yet and wasn't familiar with the characters, I didn't feel like I missed anything by not reading the other book. The Rules of You and Me is actually a spin-off type sequel though, just like Katie McGarry's books.
Hannah started out as an uptight, never-break-the-rules kind of girl, but by the end, she had grown a lot as a person. Especially after meeting Jude, who lost his brother in the Army. Hannah had all these rules her mother drilled into her ever since she can remember, to try and mold Hannah into the exact person she wanted. Hannah pretty much let this happen because she didn't know any different. That is, until she visited her Aunt for the summer and everything slowly changed.
Jude also came out of his shell a lot and grew as a person. I love how both characters seemed to kind of grow together also, and it was so gradual that it was very believable. Some parts of the book were sad, others were heartwarming and there was one or two parts near the end that were totally heart-wrenching!
January 27, 2015
The Secrets Between You and Me was just ok. I was never really drawn in by either the characters or the story. Both were just sort of mediocre.
I know that the main character, Hannah was supposed to be stiff and picture perfect in the beginning so that we could see her growth throughout the story, but it just made her unlikable. I thought it was unbelievable that other people would want to be around her.
This book had the same elements that many other young adult books have; absent parents, new girl, quiet brooding boy, and bff's that are so over the top they were almost cartoon-ish.
I enjoy young adult stories, this one included, but it just never moved beyond, "Well, that was nice."
I know that the main character, Hannah was supposed to be stiff and picture perfect in the beginning so that we could see her growth throughout the story, but it just made her unlikable. I thought it was unbelievable that other people would want to be around her.
This book had the same elements that many other young adult books have; absent parents, new girl, quiet brooding boy, and bff's that are so over the top they were almost cartoon-ish.
I enjoy young adult stories, this one included, but it just never moved beyond, "Well, that was nice."
September 6, 2015
Fun and serious. A great read for realizing what's important in life.
Every time someone said "Hey Jude," I thought of the Beatles song. lol
Every time someone said "Hey Jude," I thought of the Beatles song. lol
February 1, 2015
(2.5/5 Cupcakes)
*The quotes that have been used are from the ARC and are subject to change*
When I saw this on Netgalley I thought it sounded sweet and charming, a summer read that would whisk me away to the lands of never-ending sunshine, ice creams and the glowing possibility of summer romance, but, unfortunately this book didn't live up to my heightened expectations. I don't know why my expectations were even heightened because the reviews for this book weren't all too good and I've never read books by the author before, but hey, at least I'm embracing my inner optimist.
The Secrets Between You and Me is a story that has a plot similar to books I've read before and the author didn't really bring anything original to the story, although the blurb made it seem as if the story would have charming qualities.
We have Hannah Cohen, a rich girl with a seemingly perfect life who secretly has quite a few troubles. She then goes to live in a more rural area where she hopes to discover inner happiness. While she's there she attracts the attention of the town's "bad boy" - who isn't really a bad boy - and they fall in love but then said people do stupid things and there's a lot of teen angst. I was hoping the author would bring something original to the story but she didn't unfortunately, so this book was a kind of miss for me.
This book, to be honest, bored me. I was very bored and when I'm reading a book, I like to be on the edge of my seat, flying through the pages and not being able to think of anything but said book. But while reading TSBYaM, I would read about 4 pages and then I'd go on Youtube, or I'd read a couple of chapters and then go play with my dogs, there was nothing to sustain my interest. I was this close to DNFing, but I forced myself to push through in hopes that it would get better - which it didn't, not really. It's a fairly short book, less than 300 pages, and it took me 3 or 4 days to read it. I generally read 600+ books in that amount of time - it really felt like a chore to get through it.
The characters weren't all that likable. I'm not sure if it's because I was in a semi-reading slump or what but none of the characters felt authentic to me. By the time I'd finished the book, I didn't feel as if I knew them, but merely as if I'd just been told random things about them instead. However, this is the companion novel, so perhaps if I'd read the first book first then it would've been easier for me to understand the situation? I'm not sure. Hannah just wasn't a very likable character to me. She would act as if she was better than everyone but then she'd talk about what a mess she is, even though technically she wasn't the mess but her parents were her. I wanted to feel sorry for her but the author didn't write the book in a way that I could connect all that well to the characters and the story. Although there was said depth, I didn't feel it. I didn't feel Hannah's tough time or how she felt about her parents. It felt as if the author was merely telling and not showing. I also didn't really like her from the beginning because of this (after a guy stopped and helped her change her car's tire):
'"You don't owe me anything. Just doing my good deed for the day."
"You've got to want something."
"You've already said thank you, that's enough." He pulled the truck's driver side door open, which squeaked in protest.
"I'm not looking for a boyfriend,"I said.
He wrinkled his nose. "Neither am I."
My neck flushed hot. "I mean, I'm not going out with you for changing my tire. Just so you know."
"That's a little presumptuous," he said.'
Yes I agree, that is very presumptuous. Now, I understand it's because she was raised to believe that people always did something in exchange for something else, but still. It irked me. Another thing I didn't like about her was she lied. A lot. I felt really sorry for Jude as he'd experienced such tragedy and heartbreak in his life due to his brother dying, but then freaking Hannah makes out as if her father died when he was in actual fact alive.
I don't know why she did that, but it was wrong. I understand how painful it must have been for her to say that her father, the prestigious owner of America's top bank, was actually a *spoiler**spoiler* but that's far better than leading people on to believe that her father was dead. I mean the way she phrased it made people think he was dead, and when they said something like "I'm so sorry for your loss" she could've said "No, he isn't dead but I'd rather not talk about it." and then change the subject. I also thought it was really bad of her saying something like that when she knew Jude had actually experienced the death of a close family member. You just don't do something like that.
I did like Jude, he was the one character that I (mainly) liked. He was funny:
"Do you love being difficult?" I asked.
"It's my specialty," he said with a grin.
and
'"Are there any other secrets I should know about you?"
Jude tilted his head to the side, thinking for a moment.
"I don't like carrots."
I elbowed him hard in the side.'
He was sweet, although he did use the "L" word too soon but still, he was sweet without being too cheesy and I appreciate that he respected her enough to not push her to do things she didn't want to do, and that he said to her that he'd rather be friends with her than a couple, instead of not being anything at all. Although there was this one time where they were trying to be just friends and he tried holding her hand and Hannah was like "no touchy" - not those exact words, but you get what I mean.
But otherwise, I really liked Jude's character and he seemed to become more confident and happier which was a pleasant change to see!
The other characters were fine, they weren't all that interesting and none of them stood out particularly. There were Kate and Ashton, the two girls her age who she befriended. And there was her Aunt Lydia, her mom and her dad. I didn't really like any of them that much and none of them seemed particularly real to me. Kate and Ashton were nice though and they were wonderful friends to Hannah and were very supportive, which was a great thing to see! Her Aunt was quite nice. Her mom was terrible: extremely conceited, narcissistic and obnoxious - well done to Hannah for trying to break away from that! And her dad was alright, despite the turmoil he'd put his family through.
The plot was also average. It quite bored me at times as it often felt like nothing actually happened. Basic, average day stuff occurred (which is what happens in contemporaries) but the author didn't write it in a way that made me excited or that made me want to keep reading, which was a pity as it could've been a really cute, heart-warming novel!
My main problem with this book though is that I don't feel as if we got to see anything deeper than what was shown on the surface. I felt like I was a bird, desperately pecking at the icy ground but unable to get the worm. HA, that's quite a good analogy, right?
...
No? Okay, then. But that's what it feels like. It's like I can see there's more things beneath the surface that I really want to know and I want to understand, things just beyond my reach which would contribute to making the story seem real. I really wanted to connect with this book but I just couldn't. I didn't ever feel properly involved in the story, I felt like I was supposed to feel a certain way for the characters but I could never muster enough sympathy for them as they weren't particularly likable nor fleshed out.
Overall, The Secrets Between You and Me was a novel that fell short of my expectations. I loved the idea of it and it sounded like a contemporary that would bring me great pleasure but unfortunately it brought me boredom. The characters were one dimensional - although I did like Jude - and they did things that irked me. The pacing of the story was quite slow and I often found myself putting the book down and then dreading to pick it back up again. However, one positive element of the story is that the author had a smooth way of writing. She didn't prattle on and her sentences weren't halted. I will give this author another try as she does have potential and there were some quote-worthy sentences incorporated throughout The Secrets Between You and Me. Such as:
'It was what life did, it kept moving on even when you couldn't.'
'...there was beauty in imperfection. Art didn't have to be made from traditional methods, and life didn't have to follow traditional paths.'
The Secrets Between You and Me had potential, but I felt as if there wasn't any true depth to the novel. I do quite like the author's writing style though, so I shall try her other books in the future!
I give it: 2.5/5 Cupcakes!
*The quotes that have been used are from the ARC and are subject to change*
When I saw this on Netgalley I thought it sounded sweet and charming, a summer read that would whisk me away to the lands of never-ending sunshine, ice creams and the glowing possibility of summer romance, but, unfortunately this book didn't live up to my heightened expectations. I don't know why my expectations were even heightened because the reviews for this book weren't all too good and I've never read books by the author before, but hey, at least I'm embracing my inner optimist.
The Secrets Between You and Me is a story that has a plot similar to books I've read before and the author didn't really bring anything original to the story, although the blurb made it seem as if the story would have charming qualities.
We have Hannah Cohen, a rich girl with a seemingly perfect life who secretly has quite a few troubles. She then goes to live in a more rural area where she hopes to discover inner happiness. While she's there she attracts the attention of the town's "bad boy" - who isn't really a bad boy - and they fall in love but then said people do stupid things and there's a lot of teen angst. I was hoping the author would bring something original to the story but she didn't unfortunately, so this book was a kind of miss for me.
This book, to be honest, bored me. I was very bored and when I'm reading a book, I like to be on the edge of my seat, flying through the pages and not being able to think of anything but said book. But while reading TSBYaM, I would read about 4 pages and then I'd go on Youtube, or I'd read a couple of chapters and then go play with my dogs, there was nothing to sustain my interest. I was this close to DNFing, but I forced myself to push through in hopes that it would get better - which it didn't, not really. It's a fairly short book, less than 300 pages, and it took me 3 or 4 days to read it. I generally read 600+ books in that amount of time - it really felt like a chore to get through it.
The characters weren't all that likable. I'm not sure if it's because I was in a semi-reading slump or what but none of the characters felt authentic to me. By the time I'd finished the book, I didn't feel as if I knew them, but merely as if I'd just been told random things about them instead. However, this is the companion novel, so perhaps if I'd read the first book first then it would've been easier for me to understand the situation? I'm not sure. Hannah just wasn't a very likable character to me. She would act as if she was better than everyone but then she'd talk about what a mess she is, even though technically she wasn't the mess but her parents were her. I wanted to feel sorry for her but the author didn't write the book in a way that I could connect all that well to the characters and the story. Although there was said depth, I didn't feel it. I didn't feel Hannah's tough time or how she felt about her parents. It felt as if the author was merely telling and not showing. I also didn't really like her from the beginning because of this (after a guy stopped and helped her change her car's tire):
'"You don't owe me anything. Just doing my good deed for the day."
"You've got to want something."
"You've already said thank you, that's enough." He pulled the truck's driver side door open, which squeaked in protest.
"I'm not looking for a boyfriend,"I said.
He wrinkled his nose. "Neither am I."
My neck flushed hot. "I mean, I'm not going out with you for changing my tire. Just so you know."
"That's a little presumptuous," he said.'
Yes I agree, that is very presumptuous. Now, I understand it's because she was raised to believe that people always did something in exchange for something else, but still. It irked me. Another thing I didn't like about her was she lied. A lot. I felt really sorry for Jude as he'd experienced such tragedy and heartbreak in his life due to his brother dying, but then freaking Hannah makes out as if her father died when he was in actual fact alive.
I don't know why she did that, but it was wrong. I understand how painful it must have been for her to say that her father, the prestigious owner of America's top bank, was actually a *spoiler**spoiler* but that's far better than leading people on to believe that her father was dead. I mean the way she phrased it made people think he was dead, and when they said something like "I'm so sorry for your loss" she could've said "No, he isn't dead but I'd rather not talk about it." and then change the subject. I also thought it was really bad of her saying something like that when she knew Jude had actually experienced the death of a close family member. You just don't do something like that.
I did like Jude, he was the one character that I (mainly) liked. He was funny:
"Do you love being difficult?" I asked.
"It's my specialty," he said with a grin.
and
'"Are there any other secrets I should know about you?"
Jude tilted his head to the side, thinking for a moment.
"I don't like carrots."
I elbowed him hard in the side.'
He was sweet, although he did use the "L" word too soon but still, he was sweet without being too cheesy and I appreciate that he respected her enough to not push her to do things she didn't want to do, and that he said to her that he'd rather be friends with her than a couple, instead of not being anything at all. Although there was this one time where they were trying to be just friends and he tried holding her hand and Hannah was like "no touchy" - not those exact words, but you get what I mean.
But otherwise, I really liked Jude's character and he seemed to become more confident and happier which was a pleasant change to see!
The other characters were fine, they weren't all that interesting and none of them stood out particularly. There were Kate and Ashton, the two girls her age who she befriended. And there was her Aunt Lydia, her mom and her dad. I didn't really like any of them that much and none of them seemed particularly real to me. Kate and Ashton were nice though and they were wonderful friends to Hannah and were very supportive, which was a great thing to see! Her Aunt was quite nice. Her mom was terrible: extremely conceited, narcissistic and obnoxious - well done to Hannah for trying to break away from that! And her dad was alright, despite the turmoil he'd put his family through.
The plot was also average. It quite bored me at times as it often felt like nothing actually happened. Basic, average day stuff occurred (which is what happens in contemporaries) but the author didn't write it in a way that made me excited or that made me want to keep reading, which was a pity as it could've been a really cute, heart-warming novel!
My main problem with this book though is that I don't feel as if we got to see anything deeper than what was shown on the surface. I felt like I was a bird, desperately pecking at the icy ground but unable to get the worm. HA, that's quite a good analogy, right?
...
No? Okay, then. But that's what it feels like. It's like I can see there's more things beneath the surface that I really want to know and I want to understand, things just beyond my reach which would contribute to making the story seem real. I really wanted to connect with this book but I just couldn't. I didn't ever feel properly involved in the story, I felt like I was supposed to feel a certain way for the characters but I could never muster enough sympathy for them as they weren't particularly likable nor fleshed out.
Overall, The Secrets Between You and Me was a novel that fell short of my expectations. I loved the idea of it and it sounded like a contemporary that would bring me great pleasure but unfortunately it brought me boredom. The characters were one dimensional - although I did like Jude - and they did things that irked me. The pacing of the story was quite slow and I often found myself putting the book down and then dreading to pick it back up again. However, one positive element of the story is that the author had a smooth way of writing. She didn't prattle on and her sentences weren't halted. I will give this author another try as she does have potential and there were some quote-worthy sentences incorporated throughout The Secrets Between You and Me. Such as:
'It was what life did, it kept moving on even when you couldn't.'
'...there was beauty in imperfection. Art didn't have to be made from traditional methods, and life didn't have to follow traditional paths.'
The Secrets Between You and Me had potential, but I felt as if there wasn't any true depth to the novel. I do quite like the author's writing style though, so I shall try her other books in the future!
I give it: 2.5/5 Cupcakes!
February 10, 2015
'The Secrets Between You and Me' is the endearing second novel in a young adult contemporary romance series. The story follows our leading lady, Hannah, as her life all but crumbles around her. Her picture perfect life is definitely not what it seems and Hannah can't take it anymore. She decides to spend the summer with her crazy aunt in North Carolina, hoping that it will help. Hannah never expects to find true friends or romance over the summer, but it just kind of happens. She meets Ashton and Kate, who drag her to bonfires and have ice cream marathons - and they prove to be real friends - not the fake ones she pretends to have back home. Enter Jude - the gorgeous, mysterious bad boy next door. She meets him on her way into town and they don't exactly get off on the right foot. But Hannah keeps seeing Jude - with the oil smudges on his hands and his beautiful gray eyes - and develops a huge crush. She didn't come to her aunt's house to find a boyfriend - and there's no way that a guy like Jude would ever be interested in someone like her - or so she thinks. The summer continues on - complete with rides on a Ferris Wheel and movie nights in the bed of Jude's truck, along with her friendship with Kate and Ashton growing stronger and her relationship with Jude become deeper. Hannah feels like her old life is a million miles away - and she wishes it could stay that way. But secrets have a way of getting out and she's finding it harder to lie to these important people in her life. Should she try to keep her secret as long as she can - or does she tell everyone the truth and risk losing everything?
I found this to be a pretty typical YA contemporary romance that had the same basic outline as many others in the genre. A "good girl" main character mysteriously falls for the gorgeous "bad boy" and so on. However, the author did a great job creating the characters as well as putting a sweet spin on the story, which I think makes it stand out from others in the same genre. I liked Hannah as a main character for a lot of different reasons. She was incredibly easy to relate to right from the beginning. Who hasn't had secrets about their life, family, themselves - that they didn't want anyone else knowing about? Hannah certainly does, so she puts on a mask and pretends like everything is great - like most other people do in those situations. Everyone reaches a breaking point though, which takes place when Hannah goes to stay with her aunt for the summer. Hannah was a strong female lead with intelligence, inner strength, perseverance, and kindness. She's easy for almost any reader to relate to, which makes it easier to slip inside her world. I loved watching Hannah's character grow throughout the book. She starts off with all these secrets she's keeping inside - all while wearing a mask that makes it seem like everything is fine. Once she gets to North Carolina and is finally able to go back to being just herself - we see a wholly different person. The reader gets to meet the real Hannah - with her hopes, fears, dreams, thoughts - everything. Hannah keeps shedding her fake self as her stay in North Carolina continues and she ends up making true friends that she can count on and trust - and meets someone she never thought would look twice at her, and even falls in love. Her character becomes so much more open and free throughout the book that she's barely the same person she was in the beginning. The secrets are definitely eating her up inside, but she's so afraid that her new friends and Jude will judge her and want nothing to do with her if they find out the truth. She doesn't want to lie to them about anything and she's sick of keeping the secrets, but she's terrified of losing these people who have come to mean so much to her. By the end of the book, Hannah's character has gone through a major transformation as well as maturation and a sense of self knowledge and peace. It was incredible to watch it happening during the story. I also loved watching Jude and Hannah get to know one another and open up a little bit at a time throughout the book, all while their feelings and relationship is growing and changing.
The parts of the book that really set it apart from others like it was, in my opinion, Hannah's detailed character growth throughout the story - along with her relationship with others, like Kate, Ashton, and mainly Jude. I felt the book was almost more of a character study of Hannah than anything else, with the secrets, challenges, and various relationships during the story only enhancing our understanding of Hannah and the growth she undertakes. It's a sweet and emotional story that reads easily and quickly. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. There's a variety of feelings and emotions in the story - from happiness and laughter to desperation, depression, and anxiety - and then even trust, heartbreak, and love. I definitely recommend this book to fans of the YA contemporary genre, as well as readers who are looking for a good contemporary YA novel that focuses more on the main character and her journey with some romance thrown into the mix.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
I found this to be a pretty typical YA contemporary romance that had the same basic outline as many others in the genre. A "good girl" main character mysteriously falls for the gorgeous "bad boy" and so on. However, the author did a great job creating the characters as well as putting a sweet spin on the story, which I think makes it stand out from others in the same genre. I liked Hannah as a main character for a lot of different reasons. She was incredibly easy to relate to right from the beginning. Who hasn't had secrets about their life, family, themselves - that they didn't want anyone else knowing about? Hannah certainly does, so she puts on a mask and pretends like everything is great - like most other people do in those situations. Everyone reaches a breaking point though, which takes place when Hannah goes to stay with her aunt for the summer. Hannah was a strong female lead with intelligence, inner strength, perseverance, and kindness. She's easy for almost any reader to relate to, which makes it easier to slip inside her world. I loved watching Hannah's character grow throughout the book. She starts off with all these secrets she's keeping inside - all while wearing a mask that makes it seem like everything is fine. Once she gets to North Carolina and is finally able to go back to being just herself - we see a wholly different person. The reader gets to meet the real Hannah - with her hopes, fears, dreams, thoughts - everything. Hannah keeps shedding her fake self as her stay in North Carolina continues and she ends up making true friends that she can count on and trust - and meets someone she never thought would look twice at her, and even falls in love. Her character becomes so much more open and free throughout the book that she's barely the same person she was in the beginning. The secrets are definitely eating her up inside, but she's so afraid that her new friends and Jude will judge her and want nothing to do with her if they find out the truth. She doesn't want to lie to them about anything and she's sick of keeping the secrets, but she's terrified of losing these people who have come to mean so much to her. By the end of the book, Hannah's character has gone through a major transformation as well as maturation and a sense of self knowledge and peace. It was incredible to watch it happening during the story. I also loved watching Jude and Hannah get to know one another and open up a little bit at a time throughout the book, all while their feelings and relationship is growing and changing.
The parts of the book that really set it apart from others like it was, in my opinion, Hannah's detailed character growth throughout the story - along with her relationship with others, like Kate, Ashton, and mainly Jude. I felt the book was almost more of a character study of Hannah than anything else, with the secrets, challenges, and various relationships during the story only enhancing our understanding of Hannah and the growth she undertakes. It's a sweet and emotional story that reads easily and quickly. I ended up reading the entire book in one sitting. There's a variety of feelings and emotions in the story - from happiness and laughter to desperation, depression, and anxiety - and then even trust, heartbreak, and love. I definitely recommend this book to fans of the YA contemporary genre, as well as readers who are looking for a good contemporary YA novel that focuses more on the main character and her journey with some romance thrown into the mix.
Disclosure: I received a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.
September 14, 2015
On the surface, Hannah Cohen's life is pretty perfect. She's smart. She's popular. Her parents have more money than they know what to do with. She has her whole life figured out. But if you take the time to dig a little deeper, you'll find that Hannah is slowly drowning.
"The rules are everything my parents have ever taught me."
Hannah's entire life has been dictated by thirty-two rules set by her mother. Thirty-two rules intended to make Hannah a successful, poised, perfect young woman. And Hannah has followed them to the letter.
Rule #1: Maintain the image of perfection.
Hannah is so focused on following all of the rules, on maintaining her image of perfection, that she can't even process everything that's going wrong in her life. Her father is in rehab after nearly dying of a prescription drug overdose. Her mother makes a habit of drinking a few too many cocktails with dinner. She can't talk to her friends about it, because that would mean admitting weakness. And Hannah doesn't trust anyone enough to break the rules and show weakness.
Rule #8: If reality wasn't the way you wanted it to be, create your own.
So Hannah pretends that she doesn't notice her mom's drinking. She plays along with her mother's lie that her dad is away at a "resort," not detoxing at a local rehab facility. She pretends that everything's okay, because that's what the rules taught her to do. And when her mom jets off to Paris to dodge the impending scandal, Hannah pretends that she's gone with her. Because she doesn't want her friends to know that she's really staying with her aunt in a small town a few hours away.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
As luck would have it, Hannah's car gets a flat tire as she's driving through the North Carolina mountains on the way to her Aunt Lydia's house. It's then that she meets Jude Westmore, a seemingly friendly enough guy who asks if she needs help. The rules say that Hannah can't ask for help, but her cell phone has no signal, she has no idea how to change a tire, and there are no repair shops around.
Rule #21: Even the score as soon as possible.
With no choice but to ask Jude to help her change the tire, Hannah finds herself in an awkward situation. Her parents taught her never to be indebted to someone, even someone she'd never see again. So she whips out her checkbook, ready to offer to pay Jude for his time. The problem, of course, is that Jude is a gentleman, just helping her out of the kindness of his heart. Hannah's insistence on paying Jude offends him, and she leaves the situation feeling like a jerk.
"You rely too much on your rules, Hannah. You've let these rules control everything you do in your life."
For the first time in her life, Hannah is totally separate from her parents, and realizes that maybe the rules she was raised to follow have flaws. And without her parents to constantly criticize her mistakes, she is finally able to become her own person. With the help of her Aunt Lydia and her new friends, Hannah creates her own list of rules:
Rule #1: Be honest. Don't overcomplicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule #4: Don't be afraid to face reality.
I really enjoyed The Secrets Between You and Me. The only criticism I have is that while the writing overall was very nice, the dialogue was a little stilted. But the characters seemed real, and the conflicts felt like things that could actually happen in a teenager's life. I flew through this book, reading it over the course of just a couple hours. There's just a touch of romance, but it doesn't come on too quickly -- there's no instalove here. Same with the angst -- just a touch, not too much.
The Secrets Between You and Me is the companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief. I haven't read The Boyfriend Thief, but didn't feel like I was missing much of the backstory. The only thing I can say is that at the beginning of the book, Hannah has recently gotten out of a relationship, and while the whole situation has clearly had a strong effect on her, there really aren't very many details about what happened. This is where I assume The Boyfriend Thief comes into play, but again, I don't think it's necessary to read it to understand The Secrets Between You and Me.
In the end, I'd give The Secrets Between You and Me a strong 3.5/5, and highly recommend it to fans of realistic young adult books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!
[see all my reviews at the bibliophagist]
"The rules are everything my parents have ever taught me."
Hannah's entire life has been dictated by thirty-two rules set by her mother. Thirty-two rules intended to make Hannah a successful, poised, perfect young woman. And Hannah has followed them to the letter.
Rule #1: Maintain the image of perfection.
Hannah is so focused on following all of the rules, on maintaining her image of perfection, that she can't even process everything that's going wrong in her life. Her father is in rehab after nearly dying of a prescription drug overdose. Her mother makes a habit of drinking a few too many cocktails with dinner. She can't talk to her friends about it, because that would mean admitting weakness. And Hannah doesn't trust anyone enough to break the rules and show weakness.
Rule #8: If reality wasn't the way you wanted it to be, create your own.
So Hannah pretends that she doesn't notice her mom's drinking. She plays along with her mother's lie that her dad is away at a "resort," not detoxing at a local rehab facility. She pretends that everything's okay, because that's what the rules taught her to do. And when her mom jets off to Paris to dodge the impending scandal, Hannah pretends that she's gone with her. Because she doesn't want her friends to know that she's really staying with her aunt in a small town a few hours away.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
As luck would have it, Hannah's car gets a flat tire as she's driving through the North Carolina mountains on the way to her Aunt Lydia's house. It's then that she meets Jude Westmore, a seemingly friendly enough guy who asks if she needs help. The rules say that Hannah can't ask for help, but her cell phone has no signal, she has no idea how to change a tire, and there are no repair shops around.
Rule #21: Even the score as soon as possible.
With no choice but to ask Jude to help her change the tire, Hannah finds herself in an awkward situation. Her parents taught her never to be indebted to someone, even someone she'd never see again. So she whips out her checkbook, ready to offer to pay Jude for his time. The problem, of course, is that Jude is a gentleman, just helping her out of the kindness of his heart. Hannah's insistence on paying Jude offends him, and she leaves the situation feeling like a jerk.
"You rely too much on your rules, Hannah. You've let these rules control everything you do in your life."
For the first time in her life, Hannah is totally separate from her parents, and realizes that maybe the rules she was raised to follow have flaws. And without her parents to constantly criticize her mistakes, she is finally able to become her own person. With the help of her Aunt Lydia and her new friends, Hannah creates her own list of rules:
Rule #1: Be honest. Don't overcomplicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule #4: Don't be afraid to face reality.
I really enjoyed The Secrets Between You and Me. The only criticism I have is that while the writing overall was very nice, the dialogue was a little stilted. But the characters seemed real, and the conflicts felt like things that could actually happen in a teenager's life. I flew through this book, reading it over the course of just a couple hours. There's just a touch of romance, but it doesn't come on too quickly -- there's no instalove here. Same with the angst -- just a touch, not too much.
The Secrets Between You and Me is the companion novel to The Boyfriend Thief. I haven't read The Boyfriend Thief, but didn't feel like I was missing much of the backstory. The only thing I can say is that at the beginning of the book, Hannah has recently gotten out of a relationship, and while the whole situation has clearly had a strong effect on her, there really aren't very many details about what happened. This is where I assume The Boyfriend Thief comes into play, but again, I don't think it's necessary to read it to understand The Secrets Between You and Me.
In the end, I'd give The Secrets Between You and Me a strong 3.5/5, and highly recommend it to fans of realistic young adult books.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the free copy!
[see all my reviews at the bibliophagist]
February 18, 2015
*4.5 Rating
Review Posted on Reading Lark 2/18/15: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2015/...
I was slightly hesitant about reading this one originally. While I thought the first book, The Boyfriend Thief, was cute, it wasn't the sort of read that had me anxiously awaiting the next installment. The fact that The Secrets Between You and Me is not a direct sequel, but rather a companion novel, eased my apprehension a bit. (Note: These two novels can be read independently of one another.) My second largest worry was Hannah. She was one of my least favorite characters in The Boyfriend Thief. I was hoping that she was just misunderstood and not a total witch. I was willing to give her the chance to redeem herself in my eyes. My reason for laying all of this out for you, dear reader, is that you can understand my intense shock at how much I loved Hannah this time around. I understood her on a deeper level and found that she was a character I enjoyed. First impressions do not always hold true.
In The Boyfriend Thief, I found Hannah to be shady and snobby. Her intense need to be the best at everything was annoying and didn't conjure any feelings of sympathy from me. The Secrets Between You and Me allows the reader to get inside of Hannah's world. I finally understood her actions and motivations. She wasn't the mean girl anymore, but rather just a teen who is dealing with some serious emotional baggage. By the end of this one, I found myself thinking that Hannah and I could have been great friends back in my teen years. She is the sort of girl I would have wanted around.
In addition to Hannah, I loved Jude. He is the perfect sort of book boyfriend - broody, handsome, and tinged with a bad reputation. Underneath it all, Jude is intensely lonely and waiting for someone to truly see him. Hannah's summer with Jude was sweet and endearing. I also loved that these two form a strong friendship bond. That is often the best way to form a foundation for something stronger in the future. I enjoyed their moments together and how they worked through all their frustrations and disappointments.
Romance aside, there are also some great friendships in this novel - particularly among girls. I could have done without Natalie, but it was nice to see Hannah making the sort of friends who were supportive. I also loved that any issues between the girls in this novel had some substance and weren't about a guy or something equally as petty.
Another aspect of this one that I loved was the setting. Asheville, North Carolina is one of my favorite places. I attended college in the area and have so many fond memories of my days there. I was excited to watch Hannah discover the joys of Asheville. I saw many of my favorite locales pop up throughout the story, but I also know have a new activity for my wishlist. I want to climb Chimney Rock. I've heard about it my whole life, but it never seemed like something that would interest me before. I now want to experience it and see it the way Hannah and Jude would have.
I found this novel to be better than the first one in many ways. First, I was able to connect with the characters this time around. I liked Zac, but Avery never made me truly care about her. I found it was easy to become emotionally invested in Hannah and Jude. Second, I liked that the novel focused on Hannah's attempt to forge her own path - even when it was in opposition to the current of her parents' wishes and goals for her. Self discovery plays a huge part in this plot. Third, I feel like Norris' writing was stronger. The first novel was good, but this one veered onto my favorites shelf. This companion novel style series makes me harken back to Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oak series, which I adore. It's nice to see old characters while letting new ones drive the story.
My one tiny complaint was the beginning. It felt a little slow.
Overall, I highly recommend this one to those who like a good contemporary romance. It was nice to shake off winter's chill was this clean summery tale.
One Last Gripe: I hate the cover. It doesn't match the book at all.
Favorite Thing About This Book: Hannah's character development
First Sentence: My mother was imagining things again.
Favorite Character: Hannah
Least Favorite Character: Natalie
Review Posted on Reading Lark 2/18/15: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2015/...
I was slightly hesitant about reading this one originally. While I thought the first book, The Boyfriend Thief, was cute, it wasn't the sort of read that had me anxiously awaiting the next installment. The fact that The Secrets Between You and Me is not a direct sequel, but rather a companion novel, eased my apprehension a bit. (Note: These two novels can be read independently of one another.) My second largest worry was Hannah. She was one of my least favorite characters in The Boyfriend Thief. I was hoping that she was just misunderstood and not a total witch. I was willing to give her the chance to redeem herself in my eyes. My reason for laying all of this out for you, dear reader, is that you can understand my intense shock at how much I loved Hannah this time around. I understood her on a deeper level and found that she was a character I enjoyed. First impressions do not always hold true.
In The Boyfriend Thief, I found Hannah to be shady and snobby. Her intense need to be the best at everything was annoying and didn't conjure any feelings of sympathy from me. The Secrets Between You and Me allows the reader to get inside of Hannah's world. I finally understood her actions and motivations. She wasn't the mean girl anymore, but rather just a teen who is dealing with some serious emotional baggage. By the end of this one, I found myself thinking that Hannah and I could have been great friends back in my teen years. She is the sort of girl I would have wanted around.
In addition to Hannah, I loved Jude. He is the perfect sort of book boyfriend - broody, handsome, and tinged with a bad reputation. Underneath it all, Jude is intensely lonely and waiting for someone to truly see him. Hannah's summer with Jude was sweet and endearing. I also loved that these two form a strong friendship bond. That is often the best way to form a foundation for something stronger in the future. I enjoyed their moments together and how they worked through all their frustrations and disappointments.
Romance aside, there are also some great friendships in this novel - particularly among girls. I could have done without Natalie, but it was nice to see Hannah making the sort of friends who were supportive. I also loved that any issues between the girls in this novel had some substance and weren't about a guy or something equally as petty.
Another aspect of this one that I loved was the setting. Asheville, North Carolina is one of my favorite places. I attended college in the area and have so many fond memories of my days there. I was excited to watch Hannah discover the joys of Asheville. I saw many of my favorite locales pop up throughout the story, but I also know have a new activity for my wishlist. I want to climb Chimney Rock. I've heard about it my whole life, but it never seemed like something that would interest me before. I now want to experience it and see it the way Hannah and Jude would have.
I found this novel to be better than the first one in many ways. First, I was able to connect with the characters this time around. I liked Zac, but Avery never made me truly care about her. I found it was easy to become emotionally invested in Hannah and Jude. Second, I liked that the novel focused on Hannah's attempt to forge her own path - even when it was in opposition to the current of her parents' wishes and goals for her. Self discovery plays a huge part in this plot. Third, I feel like Norris' writing was stronger. The first novel was good, but this one veered onto my favorites shelf. This companion novel style series makes me harken back to Miranda Kenneally's Hundred Oak series, which I adore. It's nice to see old characters while letting new ones drive the story.
My one tiny complaint was the beginning. It felt a little slow.
Overall, I highly recommend this one to those who like a good contemporary romance. It was nice to shake off winter's chill was this clean summery tale.
One Last Gripe: I hate the cover. It doesn't match the book at all.
Favorite Thing About This Book: Hannah's character development
First Sentence: My mother was imagining things again.
Favorite Character: Hannah
Least Favorite Character: Natalie
January 2, 2016
2-1/2 stars.
A modified version of this review is posted on Swoony Boys Podcast.
I didn't read The Boyfriend Thief, which is the first book in this series. In fact, I forgot that there even was a first book, and after seeing who it's about, I'm definitely going to check it out. The Secrets Between You and Me is totally standalone, but I wish I had read it first. More on that in a sec.
The summer before her senior year, Hannah Cohen's world feels totally fake--she questions everything in her life: her friendships, where she wants to go to college, what she wants to do with her life, and whether the secret her family's keeping would actually jeopardize everything in her seemingly-perfect world. Instead of spending the summer in Paris with her rigid mother, she flees to the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina, to stay with her aunt Lydia. Nothing goes as planned, beginning with the flat tire she gets on her way there. Luckily, a helpful (and hot) guy stops to assist her. Jude seems to keep showing up all over the place, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite the fact that they come from completely different worlds, Jude shares a lot with Hannah and helps her conquer some of her greatest fears, and their relationship turns to more than just friends. They quickly toss out all the rules Hannah's lived her life by and make up new rules for themselves. But she doesn't tell him the truth about the reason she's actually spending the summer with her aunt and pretty soon, she can hardly keep up with all the lies. Will she be ready for the fallout when her secrets come crashing down around her?
There were things that I liked about this book, beginning with the setting. I'm from North Carolina, and I really felt like Norris captured the feeling of a small town and the general friendliness there. I loved the places that Jude and Hannah visited and felt like their experiences were authentic. I also loved the cover. Hannah newfound friends, Ashton and Kate, were fun, and I really liked them.
I also liked the way Norris captured that feeling of first-time love jitters.
Of course, I didn't like some things. Overall, I felt pretty underwhelmed by Hannah. She was bratty at times and totally fake for most of the book. Though I understood some of her actions, I didn't understand her reasoning for continuing to keep up her lies when it would have been easy for her to come clean on a number of occasions. Because of that, I questioned her authenticity for most of the book. I liked Jude a lot, but I felt like his character could have been explored a little more. I just wanted more of him and more about them.
I found the impromptu trips toward the end unrealistic, and something else I didn't like is kind of spoilery:
As I mentioned, I didn't read the first book in the series, and that might have helped change my mind about the way I felt about Hannah. I just think that there's probably some stuff that happens in The Boyfriend Thief that explains some of Hannah's thoughts and actions and the need for the big red bow that happens toward the end, which I didn't like.
The Secrets Between You and Me is a story about finding who you really are when everything around you, including yourself, is totally fake. The message to be yourself is a good one, even if the rest of the book falls a little flat.
A modified version of this review is posted on Swoony Boys Podcast.
I didn't read The Boyfriend Thief, which is the first book in this series. In fact, I forgot that there even was a first book, and after seeing who it's about, I'm definitely going to check it out. The Secrets Between You and Me is totally standalone, but I wish I had read it first. More on that in a sec.
The summer before her senior year, Hannah Cohen's world feels totally fake--she questions everything in her life: her friendships, where she wants to go to college, what she wants to do with her life, and whether the secret her family's keeping would actually jeopardize everything in her seemingly-perfect world. Instead of spending the summer in Paris with her rigid mother, she flees to the outskirts of Asheville, North Carolina, to stay with her aunt Lydia. Nothing goes as planned, beginning with the flat tire she gets on her way there. Luckily, a helpful (and hot) guy stops to assist her. Jude seems to keep showing up all over the place, and they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite the fact that they come from completely different worlds, Jude shares a lot with Hannah and helps her conquer some of her greatest fears, and their relationship turns to more than just friends. They quickly toss out all the rules Hannah's lived her life by and make up new rules for themselves. But she doesn't tell him the truth about the reason she's actually spending the summer with her aunt and pretty soon, she can hardly keep up with all the lies. Will she be ready for the fallout when her secrets come crashing down around her?
There were things that I liked about this book, beginning with the setting. I'm from North Carolina, and I really felt like Norris captured the feeling of a small town and the general friendliness there. I loved the places that Jude and Hannah visited and felt like their experiences were authentic. I also loved the cover. Hannah newfound friends, Ashton and Kate, were fun, and I really liked them.
I also liked the way Norris captured that feeling of first-time love jitters.
But every time I closed my eyes, I remembered the taste of his lips on mine and the smell of his soft skin pressed close to me. I remembered the way his strong hands on my back spread warmth along my body but made me shiver at the same time.
Of course, I didn't like some things. Overall, I felt pretty underwhelmed by Hannah. She was bratty at times and totally fake for most of the book. Though I understood some of her actions, I didn't understand her reasoning for continuing to keep up her lies when it would have been easy for her to come clean on a number of occasions. Because of that, I questioned her authenticity for most of the book. I liked Jude a lot, but I felt like his character could have been explored a little more. I just wanted more of him and more about them.
I found the impromptu trips toward the end unrealistic, and something else I didn't like is kind of spoilery:
As I mentioned, I didn't read the first book in the series, and that might have helped change my mind about the way I felt about Hannah. I just think that there's probably some stuff that happens in The Boyfriend Thief that explains some of Hannah's thoughts and actions and the need for the big red bow that happens toward the end, which I didn't like.
The Secrets Between You and Me is a story about finding who you really are when everything around you, including yourself, is totally fake. The message to be yourself is a good one, even if the rest of the book falls a little flat.
February 25, 2015
That was bittersweet!! I didn’t want the story to end! This novel was so much more than a romance. It was about becoming your own person and dealing with things that you want to run away from. This story was set in the little country town of Asheville, North Carolina and left you feeling like you were a part of the family in the end.
Hannah Cohen is taking a cue from her mom and hiding away. After a big bomb is dropped on her family, Hannah doesn’t know what to do or how to act anymore. This summer at her Aunt Lydia’s will make her walk the path of confronting her fears, becoming her own person, and facing reality. But she could have never imagined that someone would help her do all those things. Someone so vastly different but at the same time completely the same.
Jude Westmore is stuck. Unable to move on from the tragedy that struck his family a year ago, he pulled away from any and every one. Only to realize that being alone is worse than getting the pitying looks and stares. Then Hannah drives into his life. The first person that doesn’t judge him or know anything about his life. The person that is going to turn his world on its head and help him move on.
This story had a romantic element but it took a backseat to the struggles of growing up and being your own person. I loved that Hannah and Jude were friends for the majority of the story. They helped pick each other up and patch up the holes in each other’s hearts. They understood each other in a way that nobody else could understand. It was just sweet. :) But that’s not to say there wasn’t some type of drama/tension. There was drama but that was more to do with Hannah’s family than frivolous catty girl drama.
Some of the issues that were presented were a little heavy but it just made the story that much better. It showed that the rich façade that Hannah’s family had built was hiding a family that was just like the rest of the world: not perfect. The story showed that even if you have less than perfect circumstances you don’t have to let them keep you down or make you into someone you’re not.
I only had a couple of issues with the novel. I really wanted Jude and Hannah to have more time together as a couple. I wanted them to really develop their relationship and show what they were going to be like in the future. And it didn’t have an epilogue so I was kind of frustrated with that. I felt like that would’ve been the perfect opportunity to show their deserved happily ever after years down the road. Also I would have loved to have had Jude’s point of view. It was all from Hannah’s first person point of view and having Jude’s could have really helped me connect with him. All in all if you want a sweet light romance with young adults growing up and finding their way I’d say come and find out their secrets! :)
You can find this review and many more here: http://butterfly-o-meter.com/
Hannah Cohen is taking a cue from her mom and hiding away. After a big bomb is dropped on her family, Hannah doesn’t know what to do or how to act anymore. This summer at her Aunt Lydia’s will make her walk the path of confronting her fears, becoming her own person, and facing reality. But she could have never imagined that someone would help her do all those things. Someone so vastly different but at the same time completely the same.
Jude Westmore is stuck. Unable to move on from the tragedy that struck his family a year ago, he pulled away from any and every one. Only to realize that being alone is worse than getting the pitying looks and stares. Then Hannah drives into his life. The first person that doesn’t judge him or know anything about his life. The person that is going to turn his world on its head and help him move on.
This story had a romantic element but it took a backseat to the struggles of growing up and being your own person. I loved that Hannah and Jude were friends for the majority of the story. They helped pick each other up and patch up the holes in each other’s hearts. They understood each other in a way that nobody else could understand. It was just sweet. :) But that’s not to say there wasn’t some type of drama/tension. There was drama but that was more to do with Hannah’s family than frivolous catty girl drama.
Some of the issues that were presented were a little heavy but it just made the story that much better. It showed that the rich façade that Hannah’s family had built was hiding a family that was just like the rest of the world: not perfect. The story showed that even if you have less than perfect circumstances you don’t have to let them keep you down or make you into someone you’re not.
I only had a couple of issues with the novel. I really wanted Jude and Hannah to have more time together as a couple. I wanted them to really develop their relationship and show what they were going to be like in the future. And it didn’t have an epilogue so I was kind of frustrated with that. I felt like that would’ve been the perfect opportunity to show their deserved happily ever after years down the road. Also I would have loved to have had Jude’s point of view. It was all from Hannah’s first person point of view and having Jude’s could have really helped me connect with him. All in all if you want a sweet light romance with young adults growing up and finding their way I’d say come and find out their secrets! :)
You can find this review and many more here: http://butterfly-o-meter.com/
May 23, 2013
3.5 stars...
Hannah has had a rough year… she’s always lived her life by a set rules in order to maintain the perfection that her family depends on. They just don’t seem to be working as well as she thought and so she decides to skip out of the summer trip to Paris with her mom and heads to North Carolina to spend time with her Aunt hoping that the secrets won’t come to light.
On her way into town, bad luck has her meeting Jude Westmore… and making a horrible first impression. But once chance meeting leads to two and three and a friendship starts between the two.
Jude has his own issues. The loss of his brother has wreaked havoc on his life. Liam was loved, not only by his family, but most of the town they grew up in. His death has made Jude question anything and everything he thought he wanted and with that, trouble arose. Accused of things he didn’t do, and a reputation for causing trouble have quickly been applied to his name and because of that he has pushed everyone away becoming a bit of a loner.
The friendship that is developed between Jude and Hannah was wonderful to see. They are kindred spirits in a way, searching for the person they are meant to be. What I would have liked to see more of though, is why Jude reached out to Hannah. I had a hard time understanding why after almost a year of pushing everyone away and not confiding in anyone, why he would bond with Hannah, a complete stranger who horribly offended him the first time they met. Why suddenly change for her? I felt like I didn’t understand why he picked her. I really loved their interactions though… the way they opened up to each other and learned to trust and confide.
Jude is the first person Hannah confides in about her family. With her parents both wrapped up in their own issues, and her fear that their secrets will ruin her, she’s determined to hide behind this fake perfection. She has trust issues that much is true and her outlook on life at the age of 17 definitely made me sad.
I had learned my lesson. Don’t let anyone get too close and they won’t have anything they can use to hurt you.
Hannah has had ‘friends’ in her life… but no one she could depend on like she should have. In fact, I dare say, until she came to Asheville, she hadn’t really had any true friends… People that knew her for her (despite any imperfections) and still loved and cared for her.
Jude and Hannah of course don’t have an easy time of it, though I felt that at one point a certain issue that arises was a bit forced.
Overall I thought this was a good story. A quick read that hits on some heavy topics in a not so heavy way. If you’re looking for coming of age story in the YA genre that really focuses on teens trying to determine who they are in life then definitely pick this one up. This book is listed as a companion story to The Boyfriend Thief, but it’s absolutely not necessary to read that before this one if you don’t want to.
Thank you to Netgalley and Shana Norris for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
Hannah has had a rough year… she’s always lived her life by a set rules in order to maintain the perfection that her family depends on. They just don’t seem to be working as well as she thought and so she decides to skip out of the summer trip to Paris with her mom and heads to North Carolina to spend time with her Aunt hoping that the secrets won’t come to light.
On her way into town, bad luck has her meeting Jude Westmore… and making a horrible first impression. But once chance meeting leads to two and three and a friendship starts between the two.
Jude has his own issues. The loss of his brother has wreaked havoc on his life. Liam was loved, not only by his family, but most of the town they grew up in. His death has made Jude question anything and everything he thought he wanted and with that, trouble arose. Accused of things he didn’t do, and a reputation for causing trouble have quickly been applied to his name and because of that he has pushed everyone away becoming a bit of a loner.
The friendship that is developed between Jude and Hannah was wonderful to see. They are kindred spirits in a way, searching for the person they are meant to be. What I would have liked to see more of though, is why Jude reached out to Hannah. I had a hard time understanding why after almost a year of pushing everyone away and not confiding in anyone, why he would bond with Hannah, a complete stranger who horribly offended him the first time they met. Why suddenly change for her? I felt like I didn’t understand why he picked her. I really loved their interactions though… the way they opened up to each other and learned to trust and confide.
Jude is the first person Hannah confides in about her family. With her parents both wrapped up in their own issues, and her fear that their secrets will ruin her, she’s determined to hide behind this fake perfection. She has trust issues that much is true and her outlook on life at the age of 17 definitely made me sad.
I had learned my lesson. Don’t let anyone get too close and they won’t have anything they can use to hurt you.
Hannah has had ‘friends’ in her life… but no one she could depend on like she should have. In fact, I dare say, until she came to Asheville, she hadn’t really had any true friends… People that knew her for her (despite any imperfections) and still loved and cared for her.
Jude and Hannah of course don’t have an easy time of it, though I felt that at one point a certain issue that arises was a bit forced.
Overall I thought this was a good story. A quick read that hits on some heavy topics in a not so heavy way. If you’re looking for coming of age story in the YA genre that really focuses on teens trying to determine who they are in life then definitely pick this one up. This book is listed as a companion story to The Boyfriend Thief, but it’s absolutely not necessary to read that before this one if you don’t want to.
Thank you to Netgalley and Shana Norris for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.
This review can be found on my blog, Fic Fare:
June 18, 2016
Review posted here
The Rules of You and Me
1. Be honest. Don't complicate things.
2. Do what scares you the most.
3. Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
4. Don't be afraid of reality.
Hannah Cohen has always been about rules. Her parents' rules. All her life she's lived by them. For the summer though, she has only one rule to follow (given to her by her therapi- err, life coach): to push herself outside her limits and try everything. That's exactly what she plans to do as she visits her aunt in Asheville. And then she meets Jude Westmore. Maybe rules weren't so bad after all, as long as they were the right rules for you.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this book. I had read Shana Norris's The Boyfriend Thief (Btw, I advise you to read it before delving into The Rules of You and Me. You'll like Hannah so much better here if you saw how she was before.) and it was a nice quick read but it wasn't the type of book that made me reflect and realize things about life. The Rules of You and me, however, did that.
Hannah Cohen- top of her class, popular, rich and priveleged, obedient daughter but scared of heights, has no real friends, confused about her future and not happy. Yep, that's Hannah for you. In The Boyfriend Thief and at the early chapters of The Rules of You and me, Hannah comes off as obnoxious and snobby. As the story unravels though, you get to see different parts of her and you start to understand why Hannah acts the way she does. Also, as the story develops, you like her better because you'll be able to relate to her feelings and emotions. There were times I got annoyed with her, like when she lied, when she pulled away from Jude, when she kept blaming her Aunt Lydia, but still, I rooted for her. Hannah has a lot to deal with in this book, like discovering her true self and also fixing her family problems. Shana Norris put some really heavy issues here: alcoholism, pills, death, pressure. You'd think with those heavy topics, surely the story would be too angsty. But no it wasn't. I think it was the way the story and the characters were expertly written, enough to awaken some feelings but not too much to make you go on emotional overdrive.
Aside from Hannah, most of the characters were really good. I liked Jude- he was kind enough to help a stranger, determined enough to persist that Hannah get on top of Chimney rock, sweet and charming enough to make you swoon. And he has his own insecurities and issues so yeah, his imperfection made him realistic enough too. I really liked how Jude and Hannah first developed a friendship before they turned into something more. After Jude, there's Aunt Lydia who's great (that wishbone necklace gift was awesome), then there's Kate and Ashton who develops a real friendship with Hannah while she was in Asheville. I was really happy for Hannah that she had found true friends. I also liked Ashton and Carter together! It was cute and funny how Ashton was too afraid to admit how much she liked Carter. There's also Avery and Zac, from The Boyfriend Thief, who appear here too. It was nice to see them again.
The Rules of You and Me was a really good read. It's a very quotable and memorable book and it will surely be a satisfaction to YA lovers out there.
Thank you so much for the advance copy, Netgalley and Victory Editing! :)
The Rules of You and Me
1. Be honest. Don't complicate things.
2. Do what scares you the most.
3. Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
4. Don't be afraid of reality.
Hannah Cohen has always been about rules. Her parents' rules. All her life she's lived by them. For the summer though, she has only one rule to follow (given to her by her therapi- err, life coach): to push herself outside her limits and try everything. That's exactly what she plans to do as she visits her aunt in Asheville. And then she meets Jude Westmore. Maybe rules weren't so bad after all, as long as they were the right rules for you.
To be honest, I wasn't expecting much from this book. I had read Shana Norris's The Boyfriend Thief (Btw, I advise you to read it before delving into The Rules of You and Me. You'll like Hannah so much better here if you saw how she was before.) and it was a nice quick read but it wasn't the type of book that made me reflect and realize things about life. The Rules of You and me, however, did that.
Hannah Cohen- top of her class, popular, rich and priveleged, obedient daughter but scared of heights, has no real friends, confused about her future and not happy. Yep, that's Hannah for you. In The Boyfriend Thief and at the early chapters of The Rules of You and me, Hannah comes off as obnoxious and snobby. As the story unravels though, you get to see different parts of her and you start to understand why Hannah acts the way she does. Also, as the story develops, you like her better because you'll be able to relate to her feelings and emotions. There were times I got annoyed with her, like when she lied, when she pulled away from Jude, when she kept blaming her Aunt Lydia, but still, I rooted for her. Hannah has a lot to deal with in this book, like discovering her true self and also fixing her family problems. Shana Norris put some really heavy issues here: alcoholism, pills, death, pressure. You'd think with those heavy topics, surely the story would be too angsty. But no it wasn't. I think it was the way the story and the characters were expertly written, enough to awaken some feelings but not too much to make you go on emotional overdrive.
Aside from Hannah, most of the characters were really good. I liked Jude- he was kind enough to help a stranger, determined enough to persist that Hannah get on top of Chimney rock, sweet and charming enough to make you swoon. And he has his own insecurities and issues so yeah, his imperfection made him realistic enough too. I really liked how Jude and Hannah first developed a friendship before they turned into something more. After Jude, there's Aunt Lydia who's great (that wishbone necklace gift was awesome), then there's Kate and Ashton who develops a real friendship with Hannah while she was in Asheville. I was really happy for Hannah that she had found true friends. I also liked Ashton and Carter together! It was cute and funny how Ashton was too afraid to admit how much she liked Carter. There's also Avery and Zac, from The Boyfriend Thief, who appear here too. It was nice to see them again.
The Rules of You and Me was a really good read. It's a very quotable and memorable book and it will surely be a satisfaction to YA lovers out there.
Thank you so much for the advance copy, Netgalley and Victory Editing! :)
April 8, 2015
I received a copy from Netgalley.
I didn't really know what to expect when I started this title, I saw it on Netgalley and thought it looked like a fun easy summer romance. I was really surprised at how much I loved it. Hannah is normally the sort of picture perfect over achiever I can't stand, however, I really admired her character. Her dad has been sent to rehab and her nightmare of a mother has taken off to Paris rather than dealing with things leaving Hannah alone for the summer to be shipped off to an eccentric aunt.
Hannah is less than enthused. She’s had it grained into her for all her life a certain set of rules from both parents on how to be basically perfect and do the right thing in their eyes. She’s class president, super smart, president of half a dozen or more clubs in school, a perfect teen in any parent’s eyes. Internally she’s screaming.
Hannah’s inner struggle with The Rules and What’s Expected of her is gut-wrenching. She wants to be free to make her own choices in life. But doesn’t know how to do it. The parental dynamic in this was really fascinating. Granted, these are some of the worst parents I have come across in YA fiction. But their influence over Hannah is shown constantly as she flits back and forth between what she wants to do and thinking well Mom would so not approve.
The parental relationship with her mom goes from bad to worse throughout the book but is very realistic and resolved in a realistic way as well. Hannah is also mortified by the fact her dad is in rehab and it’s a big influence on pretend everything is okay and normal.
This is played out over the novel and there’s a bit of drama involved as well. But again, it seems to be very well done and was believable. The Dad is a much more sympathetic character than the mother. While the aunt is the more “care free” adult in the story, she’s also a sensible woman with a good mind and a good voice of reason for Hannah.
A lot of the things that were bothering Hannah about the problems with her parents were actually addressed and things taken on board which was great to see. Everything didn’t get resolved overnight and it looks like there’s a lot of work for everyone here but at least its being dealt with rather than ignored.
In the small town where she’s staying with her Aunt she finds herself making friends she wouldn’t normally consider and a love interest with as much inner guilt and struggle as her own. Jude was a wonderful character, as was Hannah with a very fleshed out personality and not an insta love summer interest. The romance was swoon worthy and both Jude and Hannah brought out the best in each other. Through their own insecurities they were able to come together and bring out parts of each other that had been either ignored or forgotten about.
Beautifully written, so easy to picture and I just loved the people in it. A little dramatic in parts, but when everything seems to be going well, something is going to go hideously wrong, and like everything else, its realistically handled. I loved the resolve and wrap up. I pretty much loved everything about this book.
I'm also going to use this book for my Spring 2015 Book BingoChallenge for the square Strong Parental Relantionships.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Paper Lantern Lit for approving my request to view the title.
I didn't really know what to expect when I started this title, I saw it on Netgalley and thought it looked like a fun easy summer romance. I was really surprised at how much I loved it. Hannah is normally the sort of picture perfect over achiever I can't stand, however, I really admired her character. Her dad has been sent to rehab and her nightmare of a mother has taken off to Paris rather than dealing with things leaving Hannah alone for the summer to be shipped off to an eccentric aunt.
Hannah is less than enthused. She’s had it grained into her for all her life a certain set of rules from both parents on how to be basically perfect and do the right thing in their eyes. She’s class president, super smart, president of half a dozen or more clubs in school, a perfect teen in any parent’s eyes. Internally she’s screaming.
Hannah’s inner struggle with The Rules and What’s Expected of her is gut-wrenching. She wants to be free to make her own choices in life. But doesn’t know how to do it. The parental dynamic in this was really fascinating. Granted, these are some of the worst parents I have come across in YA fiction. But their influence over Hannah is shown constantly as she flits back and forth between what she wants to do and thinking well Mom would so not approve.
The parental relationship with her mom goes from bad to worse throughout the book but is very realistic and resolved in a realistic way as well. Hannah is also mortified by the fact her dad is in rehab and it’s a big influence on pretend everything is okay and normal.
This is played out over the novel and there’s a bit of drama involved as well. But again, it seems to be very well done and was believable. The Dad is a much more sympathetic character than the mother. While the aunt is the more “care free” adult in the story, she’s also a sensible woman with a good mind and a good voice of reason for Hannah.
A lot of the things that were bothering Hannah about the problems with her parents were actually addressed and things taken on board which was great to see. Everything didn’t get resolved overnight and it looks like there’s a lot of work for everyone here but at least its being dealt with rather than ignored.
In the small town where she’s staying with her Aunt she finds herself making friends she wouldn’t normally consider and a love interest with as much inner guilt and struggle as her own. Jude was a wonderful character, as was Hannah with a very fleshed out personality and not an insta love summer interest. The romance was swoon worthy and both Jude and Hannah brought out the best in each other. Through their own insecurities they were able to come together and bring out parts of each other that had been either ignored or forgotten about.
Beautifully written, so easy to picture and I just loved the people in it. A little dramatic in parts, but when everything seems to be going well, something is going to go hideously wrong, and like everything else, its realistically handled. I loved the resolve and wrap up. I pretty much loved everything about this book.
I'm also going to use this book for my Spring 2015 Book BingoChallenge for the square Strong Parental Relantionships.
Huge thanks to Netgalley and Paper Lantern Lit for approving my request to view the title.
May 16, 2013
I received this book as an ARC from Netgalley.
Let me first say this, if you haven't read The Boyfriend Thief, I would suggest you do so before reading this book. While this one is listed as a companion to The Boyfriend Thief, you see Hannah in a different light and I think it adds something to her character. You can see her for what people see her as and then in this book you can get to know the real her. It also talks about things that happen in the Boyfriend Thief that could ruin it for you!
Hannah always follows the rules. Not even the rules of society, rules her parents have drilled in to her since her dad got his bank up and running and everything changed. Appearances started mattering more and being a family started mattering less. She has to be the best, at any cost. It seems like the cost has become more then she can handle. She's stressed to the max and has started seeing a life coach, and the only reason its a life coach is because if she was going to a therapist it would look bad on her family. Things have steadily gone down hill for her family though, dad's in rehab and her mom is on vacation in Paris. She was supposed to go with her mom, but she just needed space. Time away from the rules and the pressure so she went to her aunts in Asheville.
What Hannah notices right away is that she can't seem to break away from the rules. While looking for her Aunt Lydia's house her car gets a flat and she has no cell. This is where we meet Jude. Jude stops to help her and she is instantly on the defense. People just don't do things for others without having some sort of payment expected.
"My dad had always taught me to never be indebted to someone. Rule #21: Even the score as soon as possible."
Jude has his own issues, his brother was in the army and died. Leaving Jude to deal with the pain and his moms pain. Jude was always in the background, his brother Liam was the one everyone was friends with. They all liked Jude as a result of being friends with Liam. Jude and Hannah just sort of fall in to a friendship. He helps her make new rules that help her step out of her comfort zone and she helps him come back in to the real world. He is mysterious to everyone, they don't understand how Hannah gets him to talk to her, seeing that he's not talked to anyone in the ten months since Liam died.
I really enjoyed her new friends Kate, Aston and Carter. They seemed like true friends, not what she had at home. They celebrated her birthday and helped her be a teenager.
Hannah started the summer pressured and feeling like she had to be perfect. The summer ended with her realizing that she can only be what she wants to be. No one else can live her life and no one can tell her what she has to do to make herself happy. She finally tells her parents what shes thinking and starts living for Hannah.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Hannah let her hair down, figuratively and literally. She helps Jude just as much as he helps her. Their relationship wasn't typical but it was a sweet time to watch. He was just what she needed at the time. I seriously enjoyed Jude, he just struck a note with me. I loved his character.
"I wanted to give you a reminder," Aunt Lydia said, "to never stop wishing. Your parents have their wishes for you and I have mine, but what matters most is what you wish for yourself."
Let me first say this, if you haven't read The Boyfriend Thief, I would suggest you do so before reading this book. While this one is listed as a companion to The Boyfriend Thief, you see Hannah in a different light and I think it adds something to her character. You can see her for what people see her as and then in this book you can get to know the real her. It also talks about things that happen in the Boyfriend Thief that could ruin it for you!
Hannah always follows the rules. Not even the rules of society, rules her parents have drilled in to her since her dad got his bank up and running and everything changed. Appearances started mattering more and being a family started mattering less. She has to be the best, at any cost. It seems like the cost has become more then she can handle. She's stressed to the max and has started seeing a life coach, and the only reason its a life coach is because if she was going to a therapist it would look bad on her family. Things have steadily gone down hill for her family though, dad's in rehab and her mom is on vacation in Paris. She was supposed to go with her mom, but she just needed space. Time away from the rules and the pressure so she went to her aunts in Asheville.
What Hannah notices right away is that she can't seem to break away from the rules. While looking for her Aunt Lydia's house her car gets a flat and she has no cell. This is where we meet Jude. Jude stops to help her and she is instantly on the defense. People just don't do things for others without having some sort of payment expected.
"My dad had always taught me to never be indebted to someone. Rule #21: Even the score as soon as possible."
Jude has his own issues, his brother was in the army and died. Leaving Jude to deal with the pain and his moms pain. Jude was always in the background, his brother Liam was the one everyone was friends with. They all liked Jude as a result of being friends with Liam. Jude and Hannah just sort of fall in to a friendship. He helps her make new rules that help her step out of her comfort zone and she helps him come back in to the real world. He is mysterious to everyone, they don't understand how Hannah gets him to talk to her, seeing that he's not talked to anyone in the ten months since Liam died.
I really enjoyed her new friends Kate, Aston and Carter. They seemed like true friends, not what she had at home. They celebrated her birthday and helped her be a teenager.
Hannah started the summer pressured and feeling like she had to be perfect. The summer ended with her realizing that she can only be what she wants to be. No one else can live her life and no one can tell her what she has to do to make herself happy. She finally tells her parents what shes thinking and starts living for Hannah.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching Hannah let her hair down, figuratively and literally. She helps Jude just as much as he helps her. Their relationship wasn't typical but it was a sweet time to watch. He was just what she needed at the time. I seriously enjoyed Jude, he just struck a note with me. I loved his character.
"I wanted to give you a reminder," Aunt Lydia said, "to never stop wishing. Your parents have their wishes for you and I have mine, but what matters most is what you wish for yourself."
January 7, 2017
If you are looking for something not too deep but not too fluffy that this is the book for you. It's a nice coming of age type story with a cute romance mixed in.
Ok, so first thing I HAVE to mention with this book is how bad I felt for Hannah. She has grown up with such d-bag parents who tell her all these stupid rules to live by and all the things they expect her to be and wow I would totally just want to curl up in bed and cry if I was living with that much pressure in my life! I don't know if I liked her, or if I just felt bad for her, but either way I was rooting for her to sort her life out. Which is why it was slightly frustrating when she refused to trust any of her awesome new friends or Jude with her past!
Rule #1: Never lose control. Maintain the image of perfection.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Rule #8: If reality isn’t the way you want it to be, create your own.
Rule #12: Never let yourself be surprised. Always have the upper hand.
This book is not just a romance. It's a healing, coming of age, self discovery, letting go of the past type story. Hannah and Jude both have issues they need to deal with, but it isn't until they meet each other that they have the confidence to do it. Jude gives Hannah the push she needs to break her parents rules and make her own, and Hannah's friendship helps Jude to finally start to move on from his brothers death and live his life again.
“Be yourself, but be the you that you could be, not the you that everyone else wants you to be.”
The romance in this book is slow and subtle and this makes it feel totally realistic. I hate insta-love and so this story is great because it is one of those loves that comes from friendship. There are some really cute swoon-worthy moments between Hannah and Jude, as well as some totally funny ones, and it was a nice romance to follow. I really like the new set of rules Jude and Hannah created, and it got me thinking about what rules I should chose for my own life.
“The rules you think you should follow in life aren't always the right rules for you.”
There is no drama purely for drama sake and Shana does a great job of dealing with the important topics. However for me I need intensity and with topics like these I need something that it going to leave me speechless or totally emotionally unstable. I didn't quite get that with this book, at times it just felt a bit safe and in doing so missed out out on the opportunities to make this book emotionally epic.
"I wish I had the courage to not be the person everyone expects me to be."
One VERY irritating thing with this book was the unanswered questions we were left with. Who stole the money that Jude was accused of stealing? What happened with Jude and his mum? Did they make up? It also took me until the end of the book to realise that there was a previous book which made me feel slightly better because things kept being mentioned and I had no idea what they were taking about and I totally thought I was going nutso!
Rule #1: Be honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid of reality.
You can find more of my reviews at Broc's Bookcase
Ok, so first thing I HAVE to mention with this book is how bad I felt for Hannah. She has grown up with such d-bag parents who tell her all these stupid rules to live by and all the things they expect her to be and wow I would totally just want to curl up in bed and cry if I was living with that much pressure in my life! I don't know if I liked her, or if I just felt bad for her, but either way I was rooting for her to sort her life out. Which is why it was slightly frustrating when she refused to trust any of her awesome new friends or Jude with her past!
Rule #1: Never lose control. Maintain the image of perfection.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Rule #8: If reality isn’t the way you want it to be, create your own.
Rule #12: Never let yourself be surprised. Always have the upper hand.
This book is not just a romance. It's a healing, coming of age, self discovery, letting go of the past type story. Hannah and Jude both have issues they need to deal with, but it isn't until they meet each other that they have the confidence to do it. Jude gives Hannah the push she needs to break her parents rules and make her own, and Hannah's friendship helps Jude to finally start to move on from his brothers death and live his life again.
“Be yourself, but be the you that you could be, not the you that everyone else wants you to be.”
The romance in this book is slow and subtle and this makes it feel totally realistic. I hate insta-love and so this story is great because it is one of those loves that comes from friendship. There are some really cute swoon-worthy moments between Hannah and Jude, as well as some totally funny ones, and it was a nice romance to follow. I really like the new set of rules Jude and Hannah created, and it got me thinking about what rules I should chose for my own life.
“The rules you think you should follow in life aren't always the right rules for you.”
There is no drama purely for drama sake and Shana does a great job of dealing with the important topics. However for me I need intensity and with topics like these I need something that it going to leave me speechless or totally emotionally unstable. I didn't quite get that with this book, at times it just felt a bit safe and in doing so missed out out on the opportunities to make this book emotionally epic.
"I wish I had the courage to not be the person everyone expects me to be."
One VERY irritating thing with this book was the unanswered questions we were left with. Who stole the money that Jude was accused of stealing? What happened with Jude and his mum? Did they make up? It also took me until the end of the book to realise that there was a previous book which made me feel slightly better because things kept being mentioned and I had no idea what they were taking about and I totally thought I was going nutso!
Rule #1: Be honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested.
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid of reality.
You can find more of my reviews at Broc's Bookcase
March 23, 2015
Find mor reviews and bookish things at Angel Reads
I received a copy of The Secrets Between You and Me by Shana Norris through Net Galley, this has in no way influenced my opinion on the book.
I read this on a whim, I was going through Net Galley and The Secrets Between You and Me. I did not realise that it was a companion to another novel but it in no way hindered my thoughts or confused me in any way.
Hannah is the protagonist of The Secrets Between You and Me and sometimes in contemporary novels I don’t have a nice relationship with the female protagonist but Hannah, my heart broke for her.
She puts on this façade that protects her, but she doesn’t always want to be this ‘perfect’ human that everyone makes her out to me. She holds a devastating family secret that is haunting her. All she wants to do is forget all this.
So when she goes away to her aunts for the summer, where everyone makes an incorrect assumption about her past, she goes along with it.
Hannah never thought that she would make real friends and I think that is in most teen girl’s heads. They think that the will ‘fit in’ but like Hannah finds out that is not always the case. It’s nice sometimes to read contemporary, because it’s real.
Even though I liked the plot of The Secrets Between You and Me I didn’t love Shana Norris writing. It was good don’t get me wrong, but I was just waiting for more.
Kate and Ashton are two spontaneous and quite enjoyable characters that befriend Hannah on her summer journey. They added something to the story that put a big, fat smile on my face.
Then there is Jude and let me tell you, I want this man in my life, he is incredible. He has this tough exterior that masks his hurt, and that he does need someone to help him.
His and Hannah’s relationship is adorable and cute and heartbreaking, it’s real.
The Secrets Between You and Me is not just about love and friendship but about family and that sometimes families are not perfect like they are in movies, most are broken and Hannah’s is no different. They all old their secrets and it’s tearing the family into tiny specks of dust.
Even though I didn’t like Shana Norris’ writing all that much, she does know how to capture emotions. I felt everything that Hannah felt, everything that Jude felt. It was uplifting at times and tragic at others, but at a whole the emotions evoked by Norris are captivating.
Yes I may have not liked the writing style, but I did love the plot, characters and emotions of The Secrets Between You and Me. Yes the story line may be clique but it was done well in my opinion. But I won’t be reading the companion simply because the story lines makes me want to cry and not for a good reason.
To finish on a good note, The Secrets Between You and Me is an enjoyable read, that will hook you by the plot. It’s emotional from start to finish.
I received a copy of The Secrets Between You and Me by Shana Norris through Net Galley, this has in no way influenced my opinion on the book.
I read this on a whim, I was going through Net Galley and The Secrets Between You and Me. I did not realise that it was a companion to another novel but it in no way hindered my thoughts or confused me in any way.
Hannah is the protagonist of The Secrets Between You and Me and sometimes in contemporary novels I don’t have a nice relationship with the female protagonist but Hannah, my heart broke for her.
She puts on this façade that protects her, but she doesn’t always want to be this ‘perfect’ human that everyone makes her out to me. She holds a devastating family secret that is haunting her. All she wants to do is forget all this.
So when she goes away to her aunts for the summer, where everyone makes an incorrect assumption about her past, she goes along with it.
Hannah never thought that she would make real friends and I think that is in most teen girl’s heads. They think that the will ‘fit in’ but like Hannah finds out that is not always the case. It’s nice sometimes to read contemporary, because it’s real.
Even though I liked the plot of The Secrets Between You and Me I didn’t love Shana Norris writing. It was good don’t get me wrong, but I was just waiting for more.
Kate and Ashton are two spontaneous and quite enjoyable characters that befriend Hannah on her summer journey. They added something to the story that put a big, fat smile on my face.
Then there is Jude and let me tell you, I want this man in my life, he is incredible. He has this tough exterior that masks his hurt, and that he does need someone to help him.
His and Hannah’s relationship is adorable and cute and heartbreaking, it’s real.
The Secrets Between You and Me is not just about love and friendship but about family and that sometimes families are not perfect like they are in movies, most are broken and Hannah’s is no different. They all old their secrets and it’s tearing the family into tiny specks of dust.
Even though I didn’t like Shana Norris’ writing all that much, she does know how to capture emotions. I felt everything that Hannah felt, everything that Jude felt. It was uplifting at times and tragic at others, but at a whole the emotions evoked by Norris are captivating.
Yes I may have not liked the writing style, but I did love the plot, characters and emotions of The Secrets Between You and Me. Yes the story line may be clique but it was done well in my opinion. But I won’t be reading the companion simply because the story lines makes me want to cry and not for a good reason.
To finish on a good note, The Secrets Between You and Me is an enjoyable read, that will hook you by the plot. It’s emotional from start to finish.
May 21, 2013
An ARC of this book was provided through NetGalley
Although this book is a light read, it really gets you thinking about your way of life and future.
Hannah Cohen has been living all her life based on rules her parents implanted in her head through the years. The summer prior to her senior year, Hannah goes to Asheville to stay with her aunt instead of going to Paris with her mother. At first Hannah gives the reader an impression that she has a plastic heart, and even though she's trying to change that she's not doing such a good job. I appreciated the fact that Hannah actually tries to step out of her comfort zone. She actually wants to change. To not be perfect. And as the story progresses she becomes more of a character you can emphasize with and I found it easier to warm up to her. She has her good and bad moments, which makes her a more believable character.
We get to meet Jude Westmore really early in the book. You might or might not presume that he'll have a large role in the book, but he ultimately does. What I liked him was her realistic characteristics. He's grieving for his dead older brother and his mother doesn't make it easier. Although he seems brooding at the beginning, he warms and loosens up with Hannah and we get to see a teasing and funny side to him that I adored. I call it the 'Swoon Side'.
Ashton, Kate and Carter's characters are beautifully written. How they treat Hannah is really nice and they make her feel like she belongs somewhere.
Lydia-Hannah's aunt-is also a great character but I really wanted to see her spend more time with Hannah, and to get to see them talk through things without Hannah accusing Lidya of abandoning her.
The parents of this book are terrible, really. Each of them not wanting to deal with life so they decide to escape reality in less than healthy ways. Hannah's parents redeemed themselves but I really wanted to know how life turned out for Jude's mother.
Hannah and Jude's relationship went through many phases. I loved them together, they brought out the best in each other. But I really wanted to know what's next for them. Plus, I really loved their rules. Especially number 3.
I loved the setting. I felt like I was really in Asheville and when I finished the book I was faced with the bitter reality that I wasn't actually there.
I loved the main plot, subplots, twists and ending. My favourite subplots were climbing Chimney Rock and Ashton and Carter's relationship. I really wish I knew how the latter turned out. And while I loved the ending I really wish there was an epilogue to see how thing turned out in the future.
3.5 Stars
Review and Guest Post on The Booklicker!
Although this book is a light read, it really gets you thinking about your way of life and future.
Hannah Cohen has been living all her life based on rules her parents implanted in her head through the years. The summer prior to her senior year, Hannah goes to Asheville to stay with her aunt instead of going to Paris with her mother. At first Hannah gives the reader an impression that she has a plastic heart, and even though she's trying to change that she's not doing such a good job. I appreciated the fact that Hannah actually tries to step out of her comfort zone. She actually wants to change. To not be perfect. And as the story progresses she becomes more of a character you can emphasize with and I found it easier to warm up to her. She has her good and bad moments, which makes her a more believable character.
We get to meet Jude Westmore really early in the book. You might or might not presume that he'll have a large role in the book, but he ultimately does. What I liked him was her realistic characteristics. He's grieving for his dead older brother and his mother doesn't make it easier. Although he seems brooding at the beginning, he warms and loosens up with Hannah and we get to see a teasing and funny side to him that I adored. I call it the 'Swoon Side'.
Ashton, Kate and Carter's characters are beautifully written. How they treat Hannah is really nice and they make her feel like she belongs somewhere.
Lydia-Hannah's aunt-is also a great character but I really wanted to see her spend more time with Hannah, and to get to see them talk through things without Hannah accusing Lidya of abandoning her.
The parents of this book are terrible, really. Each of them not wanting to deal with life so they decide to escape reality in less than healthy ways. Hannah's parents redeemed themselves but I really wanted to know how life turned out for Jude's mother.
Hannah and Jude's relationship went through many phases. I loved them together, they brought out the best in each other. But I really wanted to know what's next for them. Plus, I really loved their rules. Especially number 3.
I loved the setting. I felt like I was really in Asheville and when I finished the book I was faced with the bitter reality that I wasn't actually there.
I loved the main plot, subplots, twists and ending. My favourite subplots were climbing Chimney Rock and Ashton and Carter's relationship. I really wish I knew how the latter turned out. And while I loved the ending I really wish there was an epilogue to see how thing turned out in the future.
3.5 Stars
Review and Guest Post on The Booklicker!
February 16, 2015
Rule #1: Never lose control. Maintain the image of perfection.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Hannah lives by the rules her parents drilled in to her head. Maintaining the perfect image and becoming some big-shot like her parents is everything they want for her, but is it what she wants?
Hannah’s word crumbles. And it all began when her father overdoes with prescription pills and nearly died. Now he's recovering in a rehabilitation center and her mother is an alcoholic in denial, abandoning her responsibilities to prance around in Paris for the summer while Hannah is visiting the aunt she hasn’t seen in 4 years.
It’s no secret that Hannah is a lost soul. She’s only seventeen but forced to make these huge life decisions which are heavily influenced by her parents. She’s completely lost to as of which direction she wants to take her life in. Visiting her aunt was the best decision she could have made. She meets some awesome friends, and Jude, and the confusion in her mind slowly begins to clear and the real Hannah unfolds in front of our eyes into this strong, independent character who’s making up her own rules.
Rule #1: Be Honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid to face reality.
Replacing one set of rules for the other; Hannah stuck to them and evolved into a person every parent would be proud of. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if Hannah was trying all these new things because she wanted to, or if because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, like an act of rebellion, but then I realised it was neither. Her mother’s influence was so heavy on her that in everything Hannah did her mother lingered in the back of her head.
Soon into the novel Hannah meets Jude, the guy described as a loner. They were perfect for each other, and I’m not just talking about romantically. Hannah didn’t deal with what her father done, and she certainly hadn’t dealt with her mother, and it’s all building up in her, waiting to bubble over. Jude isn’t much better. Last year his brother died, and he took a part of Jude with him. His mother is a no-good alcoholic who can’t maintain a job for very long and his life isn’t far from disaster, too. Hannah and Jude help each other a lot. They offer friendship in a way neither has had before, and in a way, they help fix each other some.
Jude and Hannah were lost people. The Secrets Between You and Me is them finding themselves and each other.
NOTE: This is a second installment in the Stolen Kisses series, however, you do not need to read book 1 in order to fully understand this book. I didn't know of book 1, The Boyfriend Thief, until I'd already read The Secrets Between You and Me and I understood it perfectly. - Shannon (UK)
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Hannah lives by the rules her parents drilled in to her head. Maintaining the perfect image and becoming some big-shot like her parents is everything they want for her, but is it what she wants?
Hannah’s word crumbles. And it all began when her father overdoes with prescription pills and nearly died. Now he's recovering in a rehabilitation center and her mother is an alcoholic in denial, abandoning her responsibilities to prance around in Paris for the summer while Hannah is visiting the aunt she hasn’t seen in 4 years.
It’s no secret that Hannah is a lost soul. She’s only seventeen but forced to make these huge life decisions which are heavily influenced by her parents. She’s completely lost to as of which direction she wants to take her life in. Visiting her aunt was the best decision she could have made. She meets some awesome friends, and Jude, and the confusion in her mind slowly begins to clear and the real Hannah unfolds in front of our eyes into this strong, independent character who’s making up her own rules.
Rule #1: Be Honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid to face reality.
Replacing one set of rules for the other; Hannah stuck to them and evolved into a person every parent would be proud of. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if Hannah was trying all these new things because she wanted to, or if because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, like an act of rebellion, but then I realised it was neither. Her mother’s influence was so heavy on her that in everything Hannah did her mother lingered in the back of her head.
Soon into the novel Hannah meets Jude, the guy described as a loner. They were perfect for each other, and I’m not just talking about romantically. Hannah didn’t deal with what her father done, and she certainly hadn’t dealt with her mother, and it’s all building up in her, waiting to bubble over. Jude isn’t much better. Last year his brother died, and he took a part of Jude with him. His mother is a no-good alcoholic who can’t maintain a job for very long and his life isn’t far from disaster, too. Hannah and Jude help each other a lot. They offer friendship in a way neither has had before, and in a way, they help fix each other some.
Jude and Hannah were lost people. The Secrets Between You and Me is them finding themselves and each other.
NOTE: This is a second installment in the Stolen Kisses series, however, you do not need to read book 1 in order to fully understand this book. I didn't know of book 1, The Boyfriend Thief, until I'd already read The Secrets Between You and Me and I understood it perfectly. - Shannon (UK)
January 21, 2015
Rule #1: Never lose control. Maintain the image of perfection.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Hannah lives by the rules her parents drilled in to her head. Maintaining the perfect image and becoming some big-shot like her parents is everything they want for her, but is it what she wants?
Hannah’s word crumbles. And it all began when her father overdoes with prescription pills and nearly died. Now he's recovering in a rehabilitation center and her mother is an alcoholic in denial, abandoning her responsibilities to prance around in Paris for the summer while Hannah is visiting the aunt she hasn’t seen in 4 years.
It’s no secret that Hannah is a lost soul. She’s only seventeen but forced to make these huge life decisions which are heavily influenced by her parents. She’s completely lost to as of which direction she wants to take her life in. Visiting her aunt was the best decision she could have made. She meets some awesome friends, and Jude, and the confusion in her mind slowly begins to clear and the real Hannah unfolds in front of our eyes into this strong, independent character who’s making up her own rules.
Rule #1: Be Honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid to face reality.
Replacing one set of rules for the other; Hannah stuck to them and evolved into a person every parent would be proud of. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if Hannah was trying all these new things because she wanted to, or if because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, like an act of rebellion, but then I realised it was neither. Her mother’s influence was so heavy on her that in everything Hannah did her mother lingered in the back of her head.
Soon into the novel Hannah meets Jude, the guy described as a loner. They were perfect for each other, and I’m not just talking about romantically. Hannah didn’t deal with what her father done, and she certainly hasn’t dealt with her mother, and it’s all building up in her, waiting to bubble over. Jude isn’t much better. Last year his brother died, and he took a part of Jude with him. His mother is a no-good alcoholic who can’t maintain a job for very long and his life isn’t far from disaster, too. Hannah and Jude help each other a lot. They offer friendship in a way neither has had before, and in a way, they help fix each other some.
Jude and Hannah were lost people. The Secrets Between You and Me is them finding themselves and each other.
Rule #4: Never ask for help.
Hannah lives by the rules her parents drilled in to her head. Maintaining the perfect image and becoming some big-shot like her parents is everything they want for her, but is it what she wants?
Hannah’s word crumbles. And it all began when her father overdoes with prescription pills and nearly died. Now he's recovering in a rehabilitation center and her mother is an alcoholic in denial, abandoning her responsibilities to prance around in Paris for the summer while Hannah is visiting the aunt she hasn’t seen in 4 years.
It’s no secret that Hannah is a lost soul. She’s only seventeen but forced to make these huge life decisions which are heavily influenced by her parents. She’s completely lost to as of which direction she wants to take her life in. Visiting her aunt was the best decision she could have made. She meets some awesome friends, and Jude, and the confusion in her mind slowly begins to clear and the real Hannah unfolds in front of our eyes into this strong, independent character who’s making up her own rules.
Rule #1: Be Honest. Don’t complicate things.
Rule #2: Do what scares you the most.
Rule #3: Always do the thing that could get you arrested
Rule #4: Don’t be afraid to face reality.
Replacing one set of rules for the other; Hannah stuck to them and evolved into a person every parent would be proud of. Sometimes I wasn’t sure if Hannah was trying all these new things because she wanted to, or if because she knew her mother wouldn’t approve, like an act of rebellion, but then I realised it was neither. Her mother’s influence was so heavy on her that in everything Hannah did her mother lingered in the back of her head.
Soon into the novel Hannah meets Jude, the guy described as a loner. They were perfect for each other, and I’m not just talking about romantically. Hannah didn’t deal with what her father done, and she certainly hasn’t dealt with her mother, and it’s all building up in her, waiting to bubble over. Jude isn’t much better. Last year his brother died, and he took a part of Jude with him. His mother is a no-good alcoholic who can’t maintain a job for very long and his life isn’t far from disaster, too. Hannah and Jude help each other a lot. They offer friendship in a way neither has had before, and in a way, they help fix each other some.
Jude and Hannah were lost people. The Secrets Between You and Me is them finding themselves and each other.
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