Charlie's Secret: Inspired by a True Story

Samantha Mallon #1

by C.L. Heckman

After years of torture, a mentally and physically abused daughter finally stands up to her abusers, her own mother and brother, in an attempt to save her life at the risk of losing the only family she's ever known.

Inspired by a true story of abuse

As a little girl, Sam had no idea that her life was different than anyone else's. Her days consisted of playing in a nearby pond, banished to the forest until supper by her mother. Thankfully, she wasn't alone out in the woods... her brother, Charlie, was always there to guide and protect her from anything that may bring harm -- however, who was going to protect her from him?

Now a teenager, the bruises from Charlie are becoming harder to hide. Camouflaging them behind hairstyles and long-sleeved shirts aren't enough anymore, and Sam can feel the burn of the teacher's eyes as they struggle to figure out what's happening behind closed doors. Torn between two realities, she's terrified of what would happen if someone found out what Charlie's angry outbursts look like, and terrified of what will happen if they don't.

After a momentary lapse in judgment, Sam waits for her punishment from her brother. Bolting to her room and slamming the door behind her, she struggles to twist the tiny lock on the knob with sweaty hands. Crawling backwards on her palms and feet, she slides under the bed, curled up in the darkness. The position brings fear, as she knows all-too-well what's coming. Staring at the crack in the door, she listens to the wood floor creak underneath his 200lb body while he inches closer, taunting her. Charlie’s fist bangs on the wood breaking the silence; each pound separates it slightly more from the frame, and she’s praying that it can withstand him for just a few more moments. Closing her eyes and waiting to feel the warmth of his hands around her throat, she comes to a haunting realization... this might be the end.

Genres: Nonfiction, Abuse, True Crime, Drama

214 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 9, 2014

About the author

You would think that writers would be good at writing a biography about themselves.. wrong.

I'm an introvert by nature, which I believe most writers are. We live in the made-up world inside our heads while dodging the reality that exists right outside our doorstep.

As a kid, I didn't know what love was. My parents were two incredibly broken people who didn't know how to raise kids, and didn't bother to learn. I was on a tree branch, swinging all alone. Sure, there were other branches there, and we all grew from the same root ball, but we didn't help one another. If my branch broke, I was going to fall, and I did many times. But, no matter how many times it happened, and how many branches broke, I would climb back up and find another one.

Eventually, I fell for the last time, dusted my pants off and walked away from the tree.

Writing was my sanctuary. I used it as therapy to battle and make sense of the memories in my head. Sometimes, readers say they don't believe that my books are inspired by my life. I used to get mad about it, and hurt by the fact that they didn't believe me, but now I admire the fact that they don't believe something awful like that could happen. It's beautiful that people have lived a life without hurt.

In 2013, I published my first book, Charlie's Secret:Inspired by a True Story. It was the most terrifying thing I've done, business wise up until that point. I had no idea how people would react, how my friends and family would react, and how I would react to their reactions.

However, I pushed foreward. I loved to write and I wasn't going to let anyone else destroy my dreams. Over the past ten years, I have published ten books, and have more on the way. I'm thankful for everyone who has read them, even if they weren't fans after finishing.

Hopefully, my books will help someone break the branch, and walk away from the tree.

Tiktok: @cl_heckman
instagram: c.l._heckman

Reviews

[Olly · Rating 1 out of 5]

What…the…fuck.

This book is the worst book I have ever read. Li-ter-al-ly.

I find myself in the end, questioning the sanity of the people authoring the reviews that convinced me to buy it in the first place. Please, listen to the voice of reason here and read this entire review.

Let me list each and every thing that made this book a complete waste of my time. I will do you a favor and not make the dick move of not warning you that it will spoil likely everything in the book, and I will hide it in a spoiler link but for the love of all that is right in the world, view the fucking spoiler and SAVE YOUR GODDAMN MONEY!

1. The entire first 30% of the book is backstory and setup. Not one other character comes into play until this point. It's just Sam, Charlie, and their fucking mother.

2. There is zero character development. There is nothing personal to any character. Ever. No quirks. No separate interests. No nothing. Nothing that makes you see a spirit getting beaten down. Nothing that connects you to anyone.

3. The blurb is so unbelievably misleading. First off, Jill turns out to be such a bitch who only approaches Sam because she's pretty and totally forgets she exists the next minute. She says she doesn't like her cousin Bailey because she smells weird? Really? Grow up. Also, this is in no way a love story or romance. Jake is a fucking idiot. First he asks her to go steady with her. Like literally uses those words. Then he tells her he loves her and makes her love him. Then she says she's ready to have sex with him, then backs out. I'm not saying that's wrong. If you're ready, you're ready. If you're not, fuck anyone that disputes that. But he walks away from her, ditches her at a party, doesn't speak to her for a week, then sleeps with the girl she hates most.

4. To add to that, the fucking idiot that Sam is, sits in court ready to testify against her brother and sees Jake in the back of the room. She says in that moment that she still loves him and even though he cheated on her, she still trusts him and somehow this gives her the strength she needed to testify against her brother. Then when the trial is over, she fucking runs to Jake and lets him comfort her. This whole book is apparently about her becoming her own person and finding her strength but she goes from one kind of abuse right along to another. But it doesn't even matter because THEY DO NOT END UP TOGETHER IN THE END!!!

5. She never describes the betrayal or hurt that she feels from her brother beating her for most of her life. All we see is it happens, she hides, he leaves, then it's another day. No emotion behind it at all. She even fucking rolls her eyes at her mother after she hits her in the face. As if she just casually and benignly insulted her instead of physically abusing her child. It almost seems like Sam is, for most of the book anyway, totally comfortable in her environment. Like she couldn't care less.

6. It is never explained as to the change that occurred in her family to cause it to go from happy as a child, to completely and relentlessly abusive. She says that as a child, she had a perfect life, then one day her mother and brother start beating the shit out of her with zero remorse and the dad is totally comfortable being absent or just watching it happen. It is never explained as to the catalyst for this change, the father's complacence, or the mother's preference for Charlie over Sam.

7. Sam says how she's scared of Charlie but trusts him to protect her? I just don't get that. It makes no fucking sense!

8. No contractions. The writing itself was horrible and so unrealistic. People, teenagers especially, do not fucking talk the way these kids do. It's ridiculous. This writer has no concept of common interaction.

9. Sam is abused most of her life but she's never forced to live under a fucking rock. She reads, she interacts with people, she goes to school, she watches TV. How the fuck can she end up so clueless as to think that any girl with brothers is automatically getting abused by them? That whole scene at Jill's house when she first goes over there is ridiculous and I didn't buy it for a second. Her older brother comes in and Sam jumps in the way of him to protect Sam and then is puzzled as all hell when Jill doesn't thank her for saving her. She literally can't comprehend that the abuse in her life is not commonplace. Most kids that don't speak up don't because they are scared or they think they deserve it. This girl is literally so blind that she can't see that what's happening is wrong. She thinks this happens in every family. It's so far-fetched and unreal.

10. So many things go unexplained. Or, more accurately, unresolved. This encompasses several things, including everything previously mentioned. Entire relationships just end and start without any resolution or pretense respectively.

11. Descriptors were inconsistent. Sam apparently has a really attractive and curvy body that fits someone who works out and takes care of herself but Sam is basically sedentary. She doesn't do any sports and she doesn't work out and she eats like fucking crazy yet somehow she comes out with this crazy hot body and on top of it all, she's completely unaware of her apparent beauty which is supposed to make her endearing? Not so much. She also is described several times as being no more than 100 pounds, both in 7th grade and as a high school senior, which, again, does not match her lifestyle or reality. Her body keeps changing to fit the situation. When there's danger she's meek, fragile, and unhealthily skinny but when Jake's around or a guy is trying to flirt with her she's curvy and hot. And Charlie is supposed to only be two years older than her but when she's in 7th grade (which would put him at around 15 years old) he's this towering figure that's ripped and a foot taller than her which, again, makes no sense.

12. I don't exactly feel sorry for Sam further because she seems a little crazy herself, maybe even slightly sociopathic. For example, when she's a teenager, a girl at school breaks her nose by shoving her to the floor. The teacher the next day goes out of her way to make the girl nervous in class because she sympathizes with Sam. Sam sees this and thinks to herself, "That's right. Squeal, piggy. Squeal." I'm like, I get it. I would wish someone would get a dose of karma too if they did that to me but saying it like that sounds more sadistic than wounded.

13. Then there is the fact that there is apparently no time throughout Sam's life that an adult gets involved. She shows up to school with bloody noses, bruises, cuts on her face, etc. and apparently goes unnoticed. That's bullshit. Somewhere down the line someone would get involved. No family with that level of abuse would just casually fly under the radar for nearly two decades.

14. The beatings Sam sustains are bullshit. The actual occurrences describe her as literally getting the shit beaten out of her. Then she wakes up and only has minor injuries. The scene where she leaves home, for example. Her mother literally punches her face in repeatedly for minutes on end. Not only does her father sit in the doorway and watch this doing nothing, which makes no fucking sense, but when she finally comes to in the morning, she has nothing more than a fat lip and some bruised ribs. Again. Bullshit.

15. On the whole, there was almost zero characterization, no scene development, no relationship development. It was all so incredibly...shallow. Not in a superficial way, but more literally. This entire book scratched the surface OF the surface, that's how little there was to it, and that's including the whole story, along with the first 30%. Nothing was ever described. Nothing ever put me in the story with the characters.

16. Sam is about to kill herself and a knock on the door snaps her out of it? I could have seen her sitting there, contemplating suicide, but actively about to go through with it and all it takes is a knock on the door? Again. BULLSHIT! Another sensitive subject treated flippantly and done zero justice.

17. Sam just up and gets a job as a bartender one day. Seriously? This girl not only has no experience working in a restaurant OR a bar, but she has no work experience PERIOD. And I have a fair few friends who are bartenders and that is not as easy a job to get as one might think. No employer in their right mind would employ a clearly clueless kid with no work experience to handle expensive alcohol. Not to mention the fact that she's underage and that shit just would not happen.

18. So Sam testifies against Charlie and as they're taking him away, he looks back at her and gives sad smile and mouths that he's sorry. Then he's released due to overcrowding and first chance he gets, he chokes her to the point of losing consciousness. What the fuck? I don't understand that. And it's never described that it's a mind game or anything. It literally just makes zero sense. Things like this happened on almost every page. When Sam goes to visit Charlie in jail in the end, there is another couple there. A woman has a baby in her arms and she's glaring at the man walking to the table. He asks if it's his little angel and then she says yes but says it as she's crying. There is no transition here. It literally sounds like, as it's described, she's glaring one second and crying the next. No, "then she broke down and started crying." No. She's glaring. Then she's crying, as if the author forgot that she had the woman glaring one sentence prior. Just another example of the horrible writing on almost every page.

19. There is never any confrontation between Sam and her family for their neglect and abuse. Even though Charlie ends up in jail, it still is written in a way that they got away with it completely. Then, in the last paragraph, I do…not…even…know…what…the…fuck…happened. She's caught up in her grief and says she doesn't see the headlights swerving toward her. Then it's over. There is no indication that she got hit but also none that she didn't get hit either. I just hope to all that is holy that it doesn't mean there will be a second book. I know I would never read it but just knowing others will spend their money is enough to make me want to rip my hair out because this is some of the worst writing I have ever seen.


This book was a lame attempt at a grave subject matter which frankly pisses me off. This author exploited a terrible situation and she didn't even seem like she tried to write a good story. That's the one problem with self-published authors. Put in a few good reviews and a compelling blurb, and it all becomes about the money.

All in all, I won't read this again. In fact, I'm sorry I read it at all. It read like something that could be picked apart by a fiction workshop and thrown out. I'm so tired of uninvested writing that I can literally feel the lack of effort put into it.

[J. Schlenker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book punches you in the heart right from the start. Punch is a trite pun considering the book is about growing up in an abusive family. It comes at you in a straight forward, no nonsense manner and is written that way throughout from the point of a teenage girl. Still your eyes will water or maybe you will outright cry.

Written from Sam's, short for Samantha) point of view she relates her relationship with her mother and her brother from her first memories. She clings as best she can to the good one, one she had with her brother Charlie at a pond. Her relationship has ups and downs, mostly downs. The ups bordered just enough on a normal family to keep the family intact and still (non) functioning until the downs finally overtook the ups to bring it all out to the surface. It is from this point Sam has to make the decision of which road to take, the same one, or a new one.

The father, yes there was one, was literally silent in the book. The father's story could be another book. I'm sure there is some deep psychologically reason for both his actions and his non action.

This is one of those books that you won't soon forget.

[Jan Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is Samantha’s story. It is moving, gripping and horrifying. What do you do when you grow up in a dysfunctional family and don’t know anything different? C.L. Heckman has brought Sam alive and whether you had a family that was like hers or not, you relate to her pain, because somewhere, at some point in your life, you have felt some of the pain. The agonizing part is that underneath all the anger and pain, she still loves her family and just wants to be loved back. She wants that moment by Charlie’s Pond again.

Right through the book, every time she sees the good in Charlie, you hope that this is it. This is when Charlie changes, and this is when it all gets better. The character of Sam and her feelings have been written with such insight that you feel her. You want to reach out and hug her and give her the strength to say Stop! And walk away. An amazing book, Chris and an incredible experience! I thank you!

[Jana Petken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sam and Charlie, Charlie and Sam. A complex, sad, nice, sad and abusive relationship, which still manages to inflict pity and hope that there can be a happy resolution.
This author is a very gifted storyteller who captivated me right from the start with a personal, well developed, and descriptive writing style that left me in no doubt how Sam felt on every page. Her abusive brother and unlikeable mother to her friendships at school were filled with detailed feelings, thoughts, and heartfelt emotions dictated by Sam herself, and because of the honesty of the story,courage of the protagonist who allowed us into her complex world, I am giving this book and author 5*****

I loved Sam's picture perfect musings throughout, even down to the tiniest details. This is another reason why it gets top marks and why I'll be following this author in the future..

[Lydia Morrow · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huge disappointment to what the description says. To categorize this as a book that looks into the heartbreaking reality of abuse is false advertisement on the authors part... It merely follows a girl with self esteem issues, much like a high school girls journal when she's mad at her parents or boyfriend. No real storyline, just a bunch of 'happenings' and statements as though the author didnt know what to write about so threw in an underlying message of abuse to hold interest.... But even that was too inconsistent and unbelievable if you're a true survivor.

[Christoph Fischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Charlie's Pond" by C.L. Heckman is a powerful and impressive novel about a young woman whose life is ruled by fear and guilt. Samantha looks up to her brother and can't imagine a life without him, while feeling continuously put down by her mother, and feeling like an outsider at school.
Then, one day, things between them turn for the worse.

Heckman is very good at describing the fear and anxiety that Samantha suffers from, it was heart breaking but also eye opening how deep such emotional scars can run. It was disturbing to see her relationship to her older brother, Charlie, deteriorate and to live with Samantha through this new suffering.

Fear, abuse and such emotional pain should not be part of our experience when we grow up. It hits Samantha especially hard in this book, as it comes at a time when she just opens her wings to fly.

When Charlie gets into trouble with the police Samantha has also a moral dilemma to work out and decide what she will do with her life.

A great coming of age story, dramatic and powerful, that will stay with you for some time. A great read.

[Brenda Perlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie’s Pond moved me and grabbed hold from the very start. This wonderful story is well-written and done in a heartfelt way. There was so much realness to this character, Samantha and her tale of abuse. The guilt this young girl feels is like a cancer spreading and reels you in.

I found it to be very emotional and enthralling at the same time. I wanted to know when or if the destruction would ever end. This was a fast read that I gobbled up in one sitting. I loved the authors natural writing style. This is a story of inspiration and survival that pulls on your heartstrings. I was hoping for a happy ending and got caught up in dramatic storyline.
I would highly recommend Charley’s Pond and I look forward to reading more books by this author.


"Pink unicorns from Jill's little sisters' nightlight illuminate the ceiling as I think about the way my family gets along and how different it is from Jill's. The crickets play their music through the screen as the fan circulates the cool October air throughout the room. My eyes beg for sleep, but my mind is churning too fast to allow it."

[Joey Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie's Pond is a heart-wrenching tale about a young girl who is faced with abuse from her family. While it never goes into much detail about the reasons for the abuse, it is a unique tale of a girl called Sam, who struggles to move on with her life with her brother and mother abusing her physically. Sam is beautifully portrayed as a young girl who knows no different, into a young adult who make excuses and allowances for her brother's temper.

When she finally manages to get away from the abuse, she has to learn to move past what her brother had done to her and allow herself to grow into the beautiful young woman she has become. It is a tale of betrayal, of friendships lost and created and of first love. A page-turner that makes you want to finish the whole story in one go. Highly recommended to those who will enjoy this kind of book.

[Eric Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie's Pond was a well-crafted look into the life of an abused young woman. The author does a very good job making you feel like you know the main character Sam. The tone of the book and the dialog were intentionally written so that readers could better identify with Samantha's state of mind and feelings.

The book was relatively short, so it was a quick but satisfying read. A very solid effort for a debut novel from an up and coming author. I'll be looking for the next book that comes out.

[James Chalk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hang on to your heart!
This is a fast and captivating read that will squeeze your heart tight. You get a glimpse inside the mind of an abused young lady. The relationship between the young woman Sam and her brother Charlie, unfortunately, feels grippingly real. The entire story is rather disturbing as you step deeply into the complex feelings experienced by this young adolescent. The author’s descriptive powers are very good and the central character’s voice is both consistent and believable. I recommend the book, but hang on to your heart!

[Hunter Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who doesn't love a book inspired by a true story? Knowing that Sam existed on some level in real life, helped me form a connection to her. There were parts in the story that I found disturbing, due to the torture of a young girl. My heart ached for Sam throughout every struggle. I cheered for her in the end as she finally found the courage to stare fear right in the eye. This book was sensational, and I will recommend it to everyone I know. I look forward to seeing what else this author has to bring us in the future.

[John Butcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Charlie's Pond is a unique and captivating book. It combines psychology, action, violence and pain in a unique way. I enjoyed the excellent plot, full of unexpected twists and turns. Samantha is a truely convincing character. Highly recommended!

[Traceylee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why

I liked how it told how this girl Sam had to learn to deal with life in this abusing relationship with her family. it makes you realize how hard some people have it

[Teresa Teaford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking

Another book I couldn’t put down. Heartbreaking to know kids go through life like this. Makes me appreciate the family and love I have.

[Megan Mueller · Rating 2 out of 5]

I decided to read this because of my own personal past with my brother and mother. While this story was certainly sad, it was poorly pieced together and I found myself noting several errors in the text to Kindle (many errors were found in this book, from spelling to grammar). The setting is never clearly explained, for all I knew this took place on Mars. Even the title has changed (on Kindle it says Charlie's Secret, on good reads its Charlie's Pond?). There was no build up, no character development, no real insight as to what she felt when she was being harmed. Honestly it felt like a 5th grader wrote this book. But at least it was a quick and simple read, another book to add to my reading goal.

[Portia Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 ⭐️
This book was pretty good overall - but was constantly on the line of entertaining and poorly written. I found it very fast paced, and I feel like it left out very important information and I didn’t really feel a connection with any of the characters. One review mentioned there was very little character development, which I definitely agree with. If you want a quick read that you can finish in a day or two that doesn’t require much thinking but still has some depth and meaning to it, then this is perfect. I don’t hate the book, but I doubt I’ll read the others in the series.

[Theresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

First I would like to say, I could not believe that they let that first review stay there as they swore through out their review. Went on & on. I really think someone should take that down.

Charlies Pond, Is the kind of book you can not put down once you start reading it. I like when I get a book like this. I felt so sad as too all that Sam went through in her life. Her Brother was so close to her when she was little & said he would always protect her then changed like night & day. There are so many family's that are like this. Sad but true. I hope she is doing good now. I like it when they are true stories. Thanks for a good book.

[Selina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly believe this book can bring a lot of comfort to a lot of people. It had me captivated from the first paged and sobbing by page 100 the latest.. It's moving and thrilling, alarming and emotional. This book and the author deserve so much more attention, so much more people should read it. I hope she never stops writing and I hope she started to heal from her past, just like Sam did.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I think this is a very good first novel for C.L. Heckman! It really tapped into my emotions; it gets pretty intense. I was genuinely upset by the time I finished it, which I think is a good thing for a book to be able to do. Family violence is such a hard topic, and I think C.L. did a fantastic job of describing the complexities of the relationships that come from situations like this.

There are just a few things I wasn't thrilled with, and these are spoilers, so stop reading now if you haven't read the book yet! Firstly, how the book jumps forward in time: I found it was kind of disconcerting, and broke up the flow of the book a bit. Every time the story jumped forward I had to re-read parts of it, just to make sure I was following where the story was and where we were going. Secondly, the tidbit that Sam's friend's family didn't have enough food. I felt it was unnecessary, and I was frustrated a bit because I kept waiting for it to become relevant to the story but it never did.

All in all though, I really enjoyed this book! Sam's story is a great one (although heartbreaking!), and I look forward to reading more from C.L. Heckman!

[Linda Watkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I have the words to describe how much this novel moved me. I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down. Immediately, I was reminded of other classic tales depicting abuse: "The Glass Castle", "White Oleander", and Angelica Huston's deeply moving film "Bastard Out of Carolina". This is not a book for the faint of heart - it tells the story of a young girl subjected to physical and emotional abuse from a disturbed mother and, almost more terrifying, from a passively abusive father. But worst of all is her brother - once so loved and thought of as a protector - who ultimately becomes her worst nightmare.

We follow this child through life - at school, identifying herself as a victim, she becomes the object of brutal bullying. Trust and friendship come hard for her for experience tells her that the axe will soon fall - fear is her constant companion. How she grows and learns to begin to trust is the crux of this novel.

I defy anyone to read this without tears. Mine are still falling as I write this. Ms. Heckman's novel is nothing short of a masterpiece. You will not regret reading it.

[Marisa Oldham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw Emotions

I love a book where the author doesn't try to make their characters perfect. I love it when a writer purposely writes in human flaw. I think it allows all of us to connect with a piece of work like Charlie's Pond, in a raw, emotional way.

There were so many things I liked about this book in addition to the powerful, emotional roller-coaster it takes you on, there are the surprising events that add to the drama and heartache you experience while reading this book. The author leads you to believe that Sam will finally have some good luck and then pulls the rug out from under you. To me, that is what makes a good book. Emotion. Surprise. Empathy for the characters. All of that was in Charlie's Pond.

**I received a free copy of this book from the author, in exchange for my honest review.**

[Jennifer Loiske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes I wish I could wrap my arms around some character and just hug them forever. That is what happened with Sam. This was a very emotional story that made me both want to scream and cry. Sure, families can be tough, but this…oh, man. Sam struggles to get free from her abusive family, the hard grip of her brother Charlie. But it is hard to pretend to be a normal teenager when the life around you is pure hell.

This story was so vivid, that at parts I felt as if living the life of Sam’s. And that really made me appreciate what I have in real life. Yeah, I will never whine about some insignificant matter, as truly, things could be so much worse. So, yes, the subject is difficult but important and I can totally recommend this book to all adult readers. You never know what happens behind the closed doors of your neighbor.

[Jalpa Williby · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heartbreaking story. I was immediately attached to the main character, Sam. Some scenes are so disturbing, that I literally would cringe from disgust. Many times in the story, I found myself crying.

The author is easily able to bring out the emotions from her readers. This story not only makes you think, but it’s also about finding the strength to pick up the pieces and moving on.

The story makes you think, and you can’t help but feel for all of the victims out there. Kudos to the author for attacking such a sensitive subject. Her descriptions in each scene really bring out the psychological effect of the abuse.

This story is not for the weak minded- it's real and it faces the problems head on. Strongly recommend it.

[Robert Jr. · Rating 5 out of 5]

INTO THE WORLD OF ABUSE, April 22, 2014
By Robert

This review is from: Charlie's Pond (Kindle Edition)
review by Robert K. Swisher Jr.

Abuse has in all probability gone on since the beginning of time, maybe it is only in the last fifty or so years that it has come into the light - who knows?It is a strange thing to think about and even stranger to comprehend. CHARLIE'S POND jumps into the topic with both feet. It is a well written novel, sad, heartbreaking, but also warming. The story is well written, the pace does not drag, and the author's writing craft is excellent. If you are looking for a story of a person't ability to pull themselves out of the dark and find a better life you will enjoy this short, thoughtful, and endearing book.
See your r

[Rin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave me so many feels. You know this book is good when you cry, get angry, or be happy with the characters in the book.
Sam is really heartbreaking when the author describes her. It's sort of depressing but it lets you see how she is broken. I feel like I'm her friend, the author describes her THAT well.
I would read another one of Christina Heckman's books! Thanks for the opportunity to read this (:

[michelle vincent · Rating 5 out of 5]

You'll need tissue....

I'm sitting here tears pouring down my face....I just finished this book. I'm so moved right now it's hard to find the words to express the courage and strength it must have taken to write this book. I know that it is definitely worth reading and I'm sure there are more people out there like me who will relate to the story.

[Mallory · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was sensational. I really liked how you got to hear Sam's thoughts throughout the story and her insecurities.

[Aaron Saylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compelling and compassionate story. Well-drawn characters keep the story moving forward and make it easy to recommend!

[Sandy Altman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Poorly done

[VIRGINIA DACOSTA · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gritty reality by Charlie's sister

It is not so much Charlie's Secret as it is Sam's story of a loveless childhood. An ineffectual father, deeply disturbed bipolar mother and an older brother who has fallen prey to his mother's manipulations. The author relates a life full of pain and betrayal that is both physical and emotional. Sam's journey and her wish for love is never fulfilled yet she keeps yearning for it hoping to recapture the bond she once had with her brother. At the end, the family's deep secret is revealed giving Sam a small bit of closure. Like much of real life, there is no happily ever after but a continued struggle to work on Sam and Charlie's anger and grief. Well written and powerful.