The Secrets We Keep

by Trisha Leaver

A girl takes over her twin sister's identity in this emotionally charged page-turner about the complicated bond between sisters.

Ella and Maddy Lawton are identical twins. Ella has spent her high school years living in popular Maddy's shadows, but she has never been envious of Maddy. In fact, she's chosen the quiet, safe confines of her sketchbook over the constant battle for attention that has defined Maddy's world.

When—after a heated argument—Maddy and Ella get into a tragic accident that leaves her sister dead, Ella wakes up in the hospital surrounded by loved ones who believe she is Maddy. Feeling responsible for Maddy's death and everyone's grief, Ella makes a split-second decision to pretend to be Maddy. Soon, Ella realizes that Maddy's life was full of secrets. Caught in a web of lies, Ella is faced with two options—confess her deception or live her sister's life.

Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Mystery, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Romance, Thriller

294 pages, Hardcover

First published April 28, 2015

About the author

Trisha Leaver lives on Cape Cod with her husband, three children, and one rather disobedient black lab. She is a chronic daydreamer who prefers the cozy confines of her own imagination to the mundane routine of everyday life. She writes Young Adult Contemporary Fiction, Psychological Horror and Science Fiction and is published with FSG/ Macmillan, Flux/Llewellyn and Merit Press. To find out more about her, please visit her website at www.trishaleaver.com

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about a girl who decides to take her twin sister's identity after her sister dies in a car accident, and it is seriously so fucking dumb. Her brilliant reason to do it:

She’d get the life she deserved. She’d grow up, go to college, and have a family. I’d make sure she had everything she ever wanted or die trying. I’d make this up to her, to my parents, to Alex. I’d bury myself and give Maddy my life in return.

To which my reaction was: WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK? How does that make anything fucking better? She's still dead! You're living a lie! It doesn't make any fucking difference to make it up to your sister because she's fucking DEAD, STUPID!

Ok, first things first. This book's synopsis hooked me bad. One of the surefire ways to get me to read a book is to feature identical twins in the story. When you whisper the word "twins" in my ears, without fail, I will whip my head around, shout "WHAT? WHERE?!" and proceed to run rapidly in that general direction.

Can you blame me? Twins are fascinating, come on. Identical appearance, some so similar their own parents can't tell them apart. Numerous scientific studies have been done on twins, what best way to test the effect of something vs. the lack thereof than people with identical DNA and the same upbringing?

Still, having being genetically identical does not ensure the same personalities by any stretch of the imagination. Like any siblings, really. Still, such differences are so much more interesting because we still tend to focus on the similarity of twins' appearance. Hence, my fascination.

The damn book didn't make any fucking sense. The twins' personalities are taken straight out of Generic Teenagers 101, Ella the narrator, is the awkward, unpopular twin who likes weird things like animé and art. Her twin Maddy is the enormously popular wild-child who's the despair of their parents---yet retains the ability to twist them around her fingers anyway.

In short: THE TWINS COULDN'T BE ANY MORE DIFFERENT. GASP. SHOCK. HORROR. Such a pair of twins have never occurred before in the annals of teen fiction. I am thrilled with fascination. Not.

Here's the thing: the twins don't get along. Ella and Maddy are almost completely estranged by the time the book starts. They're ARGUING as the accident happens. They're not best friends. Ella isn't attached to the hips to Maddy. She's not envious of her life or her friends. I couldn't tell that there was any kind of deep love between them. There was no sense of guilt when, early on in the book, they're involved in a car accident that killed Maddy.

So then WHY THE FUCK DID ELLA TRY TO PRETEND TO BE MADDY? IT MADE NO SENSE. She wakes up in the hospital, barely conscious, people are calling her fucking Maddy. Who the hell has the forethought and the deep thinking during such a moment to tell them anything but dude, you got the wrong fucking twin.

“Everything is fine, Maddy. Your mother and I promise you that everything is going to be fine.”
I winced at his words, the name Maddy tearing through me with such fury that I forgot to breathe. I would’ve gladly stayed that way, let the last breath of air leave my body as I withered away from the guilt that plagued me. A guilt I didn’t understand. “Where’s my sister?”

Just fucking tell them you're Ella. It's not so damn hard. This situation and this scene was so tremendously unrealistic. There was no explanation whatsoever in that moment and that chapter as to Ella's train of thought as to why she didn't just fucking tell them she was Ella. I was gritting my teeth in frustration waiting for it. It never came. We only got an explanation in the form of I'LL SACRIFICE MY LIFE TO MAKE HERS BETTER. Which, again, DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE BECAUSE DEAD SISTER IS STILL DEAD.

I'm sure that Maddy is all up there in heaven, observing blissfully as her sister takes her life, her boyfriend, her friend, maintains the love of her parents, thinking "gee, whiz, I'm so happy that my sister is living MY life for ME while I'm dead as a doornail." Yeah, how about no? If I were Maddy, I'd be thinking "You stupid bitch, you stole my life.

She did a shit poor job of pretending to be Ella, too. Frankly, if I stuffed my ass and my tits, I could do a better job of pretending to be Kim Kardashian than she was at convincing people she was her twin. This was a fucking terrible, unconvincing, disappointing book.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know why exactly, but stories that involve twins always intrigue me. The whole growing up with a lookalike deal sounds just really cool to me. Though I imagine it has its ups and downs >.< But this is what initially caught my attention with this book. Then the whole taking-over-her-sister's-identity plot line is what sold it. It does have its flaws, but I was overall pleasantly surprised with the depth this novel reached. I also found the characterization fantastic - yes, the main character can be selfish at times with a frustrating lack of self esteem, but her character was realistic and her voice, compelling.

In short, Ella and her twin sister get into an accident, her sister dies, and from the guilt of having taken her life she decides her sister is the one who is going to live. Meaning she takes over her identity. Though this was completely unintentional at first. Due to shock, confusion, and a few innocent misunderstandings, people assumed she was Maddy and she just kept up the facade. Since her and her sister were very different personality-wise, and ran is very different circles, it was kind of fascinating to see her try to be someone she was not. There are a lot more cons than there are pros, she soon realizes. And while she's living her sister's life she also learns some dark secrets and guilt she never knew her sister was haboring. It's en effortless read with tons of entertainment value. It also touches on some dark topics like death, obviously, but also guilt, self-esteem, and accepting that who you are is who you're meant to be even if it's not on the top of the mountain, you know.

Still, the journey to get Ella to realize this is a hard climb. One full of frustrations and longing on our part. While you come to understand the reason why Ella thinks she needs to do this for Maddy, and in a way it's her way of dealing with the guilt and grief, she's completely blind to who she's hurting in the process. Ella was not a nobody. She had people who loved her deeply, and she grossly underestimated how much she meant to those around her. This is where her selfishness peeps out. Why would she care more about not hurting Maddy's boyfriend than her own best friend who's obviously in love with her (everyone knows it, dude!)? I didn't get why she didn't consider Josh at all. I was also irritated when we find out why her parents give her so much breathing room. It's far from being because Maddy is their favorite and she should have known this. I mean, duh! You asked for it. Le sigh. In hindsight, these complaints did not ave that much of an effect on my enjoyment of the book. They were simply a part of her character and personality. People who have low self esteem issues really do have a warped perspective of things just like Ella did, so really this only made her more human to me. More sympathetic, even, because she was so much more than she let herself believe.

Highly character driven and rife with social and emotional undercurrents, The Secrets We Keep is both engaging and thought provoking. Its characters are flawed, a tad unlikeable, even, yet genuine, and its easy writing style keeps you glued to its pages.

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Paula M · Rating 4 out of 5]

 

"...this was our secret... a secrets sister would keep"

This book make me ache all over and I can feel it everywhere. The Secrets we keep is so raw and powerful. Truly something that you will never forget anytime soon. It will leave a mark, it will make you think and it will absolutely make you feel. Trisha Leaver words just seeps into you.

I don't have a sister and everyday I wish I have one. Don't get me wrong, living with 4 teenage boys is surely.. interesting, but it's still nice to have someone I can fully relate with. Someone I can gossip with and dress up with. Having a sister, and in this case, a twin sister, is something that some people wishes to have. Madison and Ella, though they're not as close as they were before, still loved each other even if they belong in different groups in highschool.. You can feel it through the pages. The way Ella talked about their bond. Their past escapades. Their secrets. Thr realness is there.

Ella really moved me by her thoughts and actions. She is so scared, full of fears but her actions? Her decisions? It tells a different thing. She's brave. I mean, what she did... it's so hard to imagine if you're in her shoes. There was a scene in where Ella needed to make a decision about her and Maddy's position. And I was literally screaming to my Kindle.. saying 'NOOOOO. PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS TO YOURSELF.' But people who crazy love someone tends to do crazy and unbelievable things. I hurt. I hurt for every characters in here. The book is only on one POV but every single characters are alive and can be felt.

Then there's Josh and Alex. Both of them are in love. And they're both hurting too and I can't help but be filled with this emotion and NEED to just-- hug them and tell them that it's it' going to be okay. That's what Trisha Leaver does.. attaches you to her characters and make their emotions yours. I'm not sure if I should be thankful for that or not but one thing is for sure, she needs to be praised.

The Secrets We Keep will floor you with it's depth and incredible storyline. The writing is beautiful and the characters are raw. Trisha Leaver wonderfully explores friendships, relationships and family ties. Are you willing to lose yourself so that someone you love can live? 

[Jen Ryland (jenrylandreviews & yaallday)]

I really love twin books and books about impersonators and books about twins who impersonate one another. I've loved this trope since The Parent Trap and all those cheesy soaps I was watching instead of doing my homework, in which everyone seemed to have an evil, interfering twin who impersonates them, sleeps with their boyfriend, and creates general mayhem.

Sometimes these twin switch plots are just for kicks, but in this case, as the synopsis suggests, it's because one sister is dead and the other feels responsible for her death and, in a sort of strange twist, decides to pretend to be her dead sister out of guilt. (Of course, lying to her parents and Maddy's boyfriend and her own best friend also makes her feel a new and different guilt..)

I liked the writing in this book and felt empathy for Ella. But overall, I felt this was a book trying to do too many things. It's a switching places book and a guilt/grief book and a sisters book and a romance and then there was also a bit of mystery thrown in -- not about Maddy's death, which I think could have improved the story, but about some things that Maddy had been up to. For me, this overload of issues prevented this book from being as suspenseful and/or emotional and/or romantic as it could have been. On the plus side, the book skillfully avoids messy love geometry, as can happen in these kind of stories.

Some of the Twin/Clone Impersonator Books I Have Read

The Lying Game by Sara Shepard (twins decide to switch places, one dies and the other is stuck in her place. The show, which doesn't kill off one twin, was better.)
Being Sloan Jacobs by Lauren Morrill (two girls who happen to look alike and decide to switch places. Huge plausibility issues.)
Ghost Flower by Michelle Jaffe (girl is asked to impersonate a dead heiress and try to get her inheritance)
Impostor by Susanne Winnick (girl is asked to impersonate a murder victim to try to solve her murder)
Tandem by Anna Jarzab (parallel universe life swapping)
Pawn by Aimee Carter (girl is surgically transformed so she can take the place of another girl)
Dualed by Elsie Chapman (clone battle)
The Originals by Cat Patrick (triplets have to pretend to be one person)
The Lost Girl by Sangu Mandanna (clone has to take the place of her original)

The best book about impersonation I can think of is The Likeness by Tana French. The impersonation is totally implausible (a police detective just happens to look like a murder victim?) but when Cassie takes the place of the murdered girl, and starts convincing the girl's friends that she's the dead Lexie, she really starts to lose herself in a way that's both fascinating and creepy.

TV/Movies with the Twin Swap Trope: Parent Trap, every single Olsen twins movie ever, She's the Man (gender bending too)...

Read more of my reviews on YA Romantics or follow me on Bloglovin

Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!

[Sam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huge thank you to Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers & Netgalley for this ARC!

I have to admit something -- I can't remember the last time a book really made me legitimately angry while reading it, but here we are with The Secrets We Keep. It's about twins! One twin dies! The other decides to take on her life because she was more popular and well liked! Chaos... doesn't actually ensure, and that's really the issue with this book. The plot hole is so large and flimsy that the book doesn't have a foot to stand on.

First off, and this drove me nuts while reading the book -- even though the twins are identical, every identical twin has a distinguishing feature that allows people to tell the difference, especially if you interact with them it's often clearer who is who. It baffled me that everyone just rolled with it that Ella was Maddie. Even the parents! The parents who SHOULD have been able to see physical or key differences and nope, they got smacked with the stupid stick. Alex as a character was no better -- for someone who was so in love with Maddie, he should have easily clued in just through Ella's gestures that Ella was deceiving him.

I understand feeling guilt about an accident, and I understand that Ella was not popular and kind of hated by everyone, and taking Maddie's identity meant that she could live her sister's legacy in her honour, but let's be realistic here -- it felt so hollow. Ella talks about how easy it is, everyone blames it on "trauma" but I struggle to buy how easy all of this deception was. The novel makes it so simple in fact that it takes the last thirty pages for everyone to realize that she isn't who she says she is, meanwhile it's way too obvious considering her interactions with those who are in Maddie's clique.

Furthermore, I don't understand how the adults were just so accepting of it either. I mean, I am sorry but even if someone says their name, what medical professional wouldn't check further to ensure that the truth was being told. I get that these mistakes are possible, but again every resolution in this book is just so simply wrapped in a bow and pushed aside. Even when Josh discovers the truth, instead of trying to get Ella to confess, he just scolds her and that's kind of it and then when she finally accepts herself as Ella again, everyone in the story isn't even MAD about it. They are just "Oh, okay."

HOW IS THAT OKAY?

The level of disbelief suspension in this book was just too much. There's nothing realistic about this novel and while this concept should have been interesting and better developed, The Secrets We Keep is perfectly okay with taking the easy road and making every conflict seem so little. While I felt for Ella in some ways, particularly where she admits at Maddie's grave that she's not doing a great job being her, I still found myself wanting to just toss the book because again, it's simple. The ending left me completely infuriated, again because it's so easy and simple, and no, it's not. It's never that easy.

For those who can suspense their disbelief and suspend it hard, perhaps you'll like this book. The glaring inconsistencies and plot holes just left me baffled. This book treats the reader like they are stupid, but everything is written so obviously that I kept scratching my head as to how everyone was so oblivious to "Maddie's new personality." Unfortunately, I cannot recommend The Secret We Keep, because for me, there was simply nothing redeeming about the book.

[Karen Rock · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I begin with such an incredible YA contemporary novel by the ever-so-talented novelist, Trisha Leaver? Emotional honesty, I suppose. It abounds in every raw, evocative and gripping scene that adds up to a page-turning story that brims with shoes about to drop and questions that make teens consider if the person they show the world, and themselves, is their truest self.

In this poised, yet visceral book, identical twins Maddy and Ella have reached their senior year and are no longer close and, worse, not even friends. Before high school, they’d been inseparable, but cracks in their united front appeared when Maddy valued popularity over her “quiet and quirky” artist sister, Ella. Through the years, Maddy had gone on to become the school’s Queen B, dating the handsome star athlete, Alex, and leading a mean girl posse of frenemies as eager to take the Alpha spot from her as they are to trade biting put-downs that even include Ella.

Ella, on the other hand, has grown comfortable living in her sister’s shadow. She doesn’t want the spotlight anyway. She only wishes she had her sister back and their old relationship. Since Maddy is determined to only associate with her ‘D-List’ sister when she needs her for rides or homework help, Ella turns to a long-time best friend and fellow artist, Josh. He’s become a surrogate sibling in a sense. They are so inseparable that they’ve even planned to go to art college together.

Yet all of that changes one traumatic night when a puzzlingly emotional Maddy begs Ella to pick her up from a party. During the car ride, they argue and Ella loses control of the car. Lights out. When she wakes, her head injury prevents her from recalling why she’s strapped to a gurney and surrounded by flashing lights. All she knows to do is to call out the name Maddy, not even sure who it belongs to. In the hospital, she’s mistakenly identified as her sister, an impression she can’t, at first correct, because she doesn’t know herself. As memory returns, however, comes the horrifying certainty that they’re wrong. But how to correct the impression when the waiting room is packed with Maddy’s worried friends who are relieved she lived, Maddy’s loving boyfriend hasn’t left Ella’s side, and her parents, who’ve always seemed to favor her outgoing, vivacious sister, cry with relief that their Maddy has been spared. No one really seems to care that “Ella” is gone except Josh, who has a girlfriend to comfort him. Ella feels she must squash her budding, romantic feelings for Josh and make the ultimate sacrifice for her sister, give her the life that Ella feels responsible for taking.

I adored how Leaver took an unflinching look at the politics of popularity, how those that try to achieve it are constantly balancing on a knife point. It’s less bonfire parties and homecoming float rides and more whispered judgments in bathroom stalls and alliances formed in power plays that threaten your position in the group. When Ella assumes Maddy’s life, she learns this world is far more complicated, and filled with dark secrets, than she’d ever imagined. Navigating it is treacherous, painful, and way out of Ella’s depth. Yet she can’t let go of a sister she has no choice but to impersonate, no matter how much it hurts.

Ella’s journey to discover her sister’s true self, and her own, is haunting and moving. Leaver’s writing conveys teenage quandaries with all of the intended consequences. This story speaks to the universal experience of struggling to find your unique spot in the world and the courage it takes to change when you’ve gone astray. I strongly recommend that The Secrets We Keep finds a space on your shelf, the place you’ve marked as “keepers”. It holds the kind of beautiful, poignant truths that we should never let go or forget.

[Shannon Miz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been basically bugging everyone to read this book for a long time. I read it more than six months ago, but it still is with me today, which says a lot, because I often forget books weeks later, nevermind months. I plan on buying this book when it comes out for sure, because I really enjoyed it, and quite honestly want to reread it!

I was SO fascinated by this whole concept! I had friends in high school and college who are twins, and they used to switch places ALL the time (like, if one didn't want to take a math test or something- because honestly, who ever wants to take a math test?) but I found it amusing, because I could always tell them apart! I think in this case, there wasn't a reason to doubt that it was Maddy, and in the aftermath and the grief... it just became so. PLUS, real Maddy wasn't around to compare Ella to. It just worked in the situation, believably.

Let's start with the believability piece, because I know that was one of my worries when I started the book. But there was no need, because it felt very authentic. Ella really believes that everyone would be happier if Maddy were the one who'd made it out alive, and since they think she had, she goes with it. How sad, in so many ways. Obviously, it's incredibly heartbreaking that Maddy is gone, and that Ella has lost her twin, but what an awful feeling to really and wholeheartedly think that everyone you know would prefer your sister to be alive.

I sobbed for a good, long time. Most of the book, in fact. Ella was struggling on so many levels. She'd lost her twin, and I loved how the "sisterly bond" thing was brought into play, because it is very real. But then while she was grieving for her sister, she was also grieving for her own life, the one she'd willingly abandoned in that split-second decision. It was very hard to read, but that was because it was so well done you couldn't help but feel for Ella.

Taking on Maddy's life was not the picnic Ella assumed it was either. Maddy's friends were so.... drama. And not in a good way, in a Mean Girls-esque kind of way. Yes, Maddy was popular, but at what price? Jenna, the best friend, was the worst of the bunch. Of course, Ella wasn't in love with Maddy's boyfriend Alex either, but she went on pretending. Maddy was keeping her share of secrets too, of which Ella had to decipher.
The relationships in this book are very strong. Ella's best friend Josh has to grapple with the loss of Ella, which is so hard for her to watch. And she begins to realize that things with her parents weren't as cut and dry as she'd thought. It really helps Ella to see a very different perspective on not only her life, but Maddy's as well, and the relationships they both had.

Bottom Line: The Secrets We Keep not only had me feeling things for Ella and Maddy and their loved ones, but also made me think a lot about my own life, how perhaps the way we perceive ourselves isn't really accurate- and how maybe, it's a self-fulfilling prophecy. It's a beautifully written book that deals with loss, grief, finding oneself, and holding onto hope. It explores relationships with family, friends, and yes, romantic interests in a way that is quite unique, as it is from a perspective that few of us would ever encounter.
This review was originally posted on It Starts at Midnight

[Jaime Arkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

As identical twins, Ella and Maddy were as close as you can get, but when they entered high school, things drastically changed… Maddy drifted to the popular crowd and didn’t exactly welcome Ella to join her. Ella was okay with this, and instead focused on her art and her close friendships instead.

But over the years, the differences between them seem insurmountable and Ella fears they’ll never overcome them. And an argument coming home from a party leaves Maddy dead… and Ella decides in a split second to pretend to be the twin that everyone loved and admired. But that choice has Ella realizing that Maddy’s life wasn’t as easy as she may have thought and uncovering secrets that she never would have guessed Maddy had buried.

I’m obsessed with twin books… I’m sure you all know why. As a twin, it’s interesting to see how people interpret the relationship between twins and all that entails.

What made this story so incredibly interesting to me was that Ella and Maddy weren’t close… they barely knew each other at the time of the accident and as someone who has an incredibly close relationship with her twin sister it was so hard to grasp… yet in ways, I could understand it.

I completely understood that desire to be one … to not look exactly like someone else, to want to be independent and live your own life, but it did hurt to experience it from Ella’s point of view, the be the one who’s pushed away and left behind in so many ways.

The aftermath of the accident was so hard to grasp. To know that a part of yourself… because that’s essentially what an identical twin is… is gone forever. That you’ll never have that other person in your life, even if they were for the most part estranged… it’s hard to comprehend.

I really thought Leaver did an amazing job of showing Ella’s struggle… the choice to become Maddy, thinking it would make up for the accident, giving her parents the twin she thought they were most proud of, and everyone at school the friend they wouldn’t know how to handle losing, and forever giving up herself, her art, and her friends in the process.

It was also really wonderful for Ella to come to the realization that she was loved just as much as Maddy was… it may not have been quite as showy but she definitely had people who were mourning her loss and I think that was something she had to see in order to believe having lived in Maddy’s shadow for so long.

What didn’t work for me though, was that her parents and “boyfriend” and friends couldn’t tell who she was. We’re led to believe that both Maddy and Ella had very distinct personalities, and I just feel like if these people really knew both Maddy and Ella they would have realized who they were with even if they looked exactly alike. I say this as someone with a twin… we look alike, but there are tells, personality differences, gestures, expressions… everyone has something, and I was surprised that at the very least their parents couldn’t tell who was who.

That said, I really enjoyed the bit of mystery that was unravelling. I liked that Ella wasn’t giving up on finding out what the secrets were and was determined to set things right as well. I also really enjoyed Leaver’s interpretation of popularity and how it isn’t as amazing as one might think, instead once you’re at the top there seems to be a constant need for validation and avoiding anything that might lead to gossip that could have you tumbling to the bottom rung on the high school social ladder.

If you’re looking for a character driven, thought-provoking story with an interesting premise… characters who are flawed but for the most part redeemable and heartbreaking story of finding where you belong and accepting who you are you’re definitely going to want to grab The Secrets We Keep when it arrives.

Thank you to Macmillan for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

[Anna Kay]

DNF. Full Review to come about why I quit reading this one (as it seems to be quite popularly loved by its readers, with me as the exception to the rule).

FULL (DNF) REVIEW

The premise of this kind of reminds me of a true story from a few years back, about two girls that were close friends and looked like sisters (I don't remember their names). They were in an accident, and one of them died. The other lost the ability to speak for awhile and was gravely injured, so she spent months being cared for by the other family, while her own family assumed she was dead. All because she had no way to communicate her own name to them. Probably my biggest problem with this book, is that the reasons Ella keeps the secret of who survived is ultimately selfish and to ease her own guilt. The author makes a point to say that Ella in no way envies Maddy's popularity or "perfect" life. But I believe on some level she must have, to be so willing to take on the mantle of that life for herself. At first it wasn't so bad, because she legitimately didn't quite know who she was when she first woke up. Everything was still fuzzy, which is understandable after a major car accident.

What about the people that love her, Ella? You have to be pretty mentally damaged and without self-esteem to believe that it's better to assume another identity and for people to think you're dead, than to tell the truth about the situation! It's not like no one cares about Ella - her family and her friend Josh grieve for her fairly obviously. Yet Ella, for some odd reason, has it in her head that just because everyone's relieved Maddy is alive, it means they're glad she was the one that was killed - that she's expendable, because she's unpopular. WTF???!!! That is why I had to DNF this book. I sympathized with Ella's grief over losing her sister but had ZERO tolerance for/ability to emapthize with the predicament she gets herself in by assuming its easier to lie and "be" Maddy then it is to tell the truth. In my opinion, she deserved every problem she got. The grass is always greener and all that. But what a selfish thing to do, by depriving everyone of their grief and taking advantage of the situation, so that she didn't have to deal with her own survivor's guilt. What about when the truth comes out, as it always does? How will anyone even be able to stand her then? Just disgusted by the main character's weak willed nature. Oh yeah, she's so brave for stealing her twin's identity. SURE. The true bravery comes from confronting your grief head on, and taking that bitch down.

VERDICT: Did Not Finish Reading

***I reviewed this book as part of Around the World ARC Tours, run by the lovely Princess Bookie. No money or favors were exchanged for this review. This book's expected publication date is April 28th, 2015.*

[K.R. Conway · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I do not have a sister, the idea of giving up one’s whole existence for the sake of another is both poignant and painful to absorb. In The Secrets We Keep, readers travel through Ella Lawton’s life – that of a semi-outcast whose popular twin sister, Maddy, has cast her aside for the sake of the “in-crowd.” It is a shunning that Ella finds horrifically painful, but she deals with it by shutting out many people, her parents included.

The one friend she has is Josh, a fellow art-addict and equal misfit.

All Ella wants is to leave the cliques of high school life behind with Josh at her side and reinvent herself at Rhode Island School of Design. That’s their plan . . . until one night on an ice-covered road leaves Maddy dead and Ella devastated. Mistaken for Maddy, Ella takes everyone’s relief and joy that MADDY is alive as a sign that maybe she should leave herself dead, and take over Maddy’s flawless life. She believes everyone will be better off if she buries herself and her dreams, but she quickly learns that Maddy’s perfect life was built on lies and insecurities . . . and staying dead may not be possible for long, especially when Josh begins to suspect that his beloved Ella is not really six-feet-under after all.

Great story with fabulous characters who walk off the page. A sister story unlike anything I have ever read and guaranteed to grab onto teen readers and keep them turning pages late into the night! My 13-year-old daughter would devour this!

[Allison · Rating 1 out of 5]

For such a short book, this took me forever to read. Partly because it was just so two dimensional in every single way. Great idea for a novel, but very poor execution.

I didn't connect with any of it. I didn't feel sad when Maddy and Ella get into the accident. I didn't feel sad when Maddy dies and Ella decides to take over her identity. I didn't feel anything at all when Ella struggles with her decision. I didn't hate any of the bad guys. I wasn't overly absorbed in the story. Nothin'. The author failed to draw me in and make me care.

The novel basically has no plot. The plot is: Ella and Maddy get into accident. Ella takes over Maddy's identity. Maddy did something bad. Ella doesn't want to be Maddy anymore. Even the mystery surrounding the bad thing Maddy did before she died is painfully boring. There's no giant conspiracy. Ella basically just asks someone what happened and is told. I was expecting this book to at some point have some interesting sub plots- Ella starts dating her old best friend as Maddy and has to come clean OR the bad thing Maddy did before dying has major consequences for Ella OR Maddy's relationship with her boyfriend was actually abusive or SOMETHING. But it was just Ella grieving in self-destructive ways and nothing exciting ever coming from it.

I was bored the entire novel. So incredibly bored.

[jasmine · Rating 1 out of 5]

just kidding, my review is here:

[KKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a great Book!! Very unique!

[Roxanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Thank you to Macmillan Children's Publishing Group via Netgalley for the free review copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Did I like this book?

Meh. I didn't love this book, or even like it as much as I expected to. The main character, Ella, fully got under my skin, and not in a good way. I'd compare her to a splinter, but really she's more like an underground zit that you can feel building pressure - it friggen hurts but you can't do anything about it because you can barely see it, and you just have to wait until the right time to make it explode. Then again, sometimes those are the ones that cause you pain and anguish and then simply disappear without the satisfaction of a monumental eruption.

Ella happens to be the latter, unfortunately. She irritated and bothered me, and at times I didn't even realize what the problem was - why don't I like this girl, I'd think to myself - and then the book fizzled to a close and I was left completely underwhelmed. Probably my main problem with Ella is that we are supposed to believe that she is intelligent, but everything she says, does, and thinks contradicts that. Why would anyone with half a brain believe that her identical twin was "the pretty one"? Ella doesn't say that Madison was better dressed, or more outgoing, but that she was always "the pretty one". Hello, you are identical twins! That means you look exactly the same, so how can one be prettier than the other?

Ella thinks everyone is against her. In her mind, her sister's friends all hate her, her parents love her sister more, and even her best friend's girlfriend is jealous of her. This "woe is me" attitude got really tiring, especially when it wasn't even warranted.

The other characters were a bit underdeveloped. Alex, Madison's boyfriend, was like a cardboard cutout boy. Ella couldn't stand Alex before the accident, but once Ella took over Maddy's identity, he was a perfect gentleman. He was so nice, it was almost sickening! Then Jenna - she was the stereotypical mean girl, but she was so awful that it wasn't believable. Ella's parents didn't seem authentic to me, either. They kept telling Ella that the accident wasn't her fault, but I kept thinking, yeah, it kind of is her fault. Ella was the one driving the car, and Ella was the one who crashed the car into a tree, so even though she didn't mean for it to happen, it was still her fault. How could her parents not feel just the least bit angry, or resentful? Never once did I feel like I was reading about real people, and so I was never really drawn into Ella's plight. Josh was probably my favourite character, and the only one who was remotely likeable, but even he wasn't enough to save this book for me.

I did, however, feel drawn in enough by the plot to keep reading until the end, so in that respect, the author was successful. I really wanted to find out what Maddy had gotten into, why she was so upset on the night of her death. While this plot point was resolved, it seemed a little lackluster for me.


Will you like this book?

I'm tempted to say skip this one. There are so many good contemporary YA books out there combining mystery and suspense, but this isn't one of the top ones I've read.

Will I read more by this author?

At this point, I'd say it's doubtful. The writing felt mediocre, and that combined with characters I felt next to nothing for is not enough for me to want to try again.

[Just a person · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wanted to read The Secrets We Keep because I was intrigued about the twin aspect, and how they switched places in life, and what made one sister decide to be the sister who died when she wakes up. The complexities as well as the different lives of two girls with identical DNA appeals to me. I also wanted to know the things Ella discovered while pretending to step into the life of Maddie, and what has happened in her life since they stopped being as close.

Its interesting to see the differences between Maddie and Ella. They're identical twins so you would think that would make them more similar than different but since high school has started Maddie's kinda moved on to being different than she used to. She's a popular kid she has tons of friends and a new best friend that Ella never really understood.

Ella was really upset because they lost that close bond that used to have and Maddie all the sudden wanted to hang out with new people and kind of shoved Ella to the side or at least that's what she felt like.

I connect with Ella better because I am more of the quiet person with a smaller but overall closer group of friends. Before the car accident, we got to see some of the dynamics between the two girls. Maddie was always asking for Ella's help and get in trouble and Ella would help cover for her with the parents as well as even doing her school work or taking her tests for her.

Ella was strong and beautiful and loved. She just didn't see it as much because she focused on how everyone adored Maddie and when you have two different personalities like that sometimes I guess it's hard to realize that people love you when you compare to how it looks when the other lets people in more and you think that is the only way that it looks to be loved. Ella was certainly more independent and she didn't let people help her as much, so she compared to how Maddie let everyone help her and was more out in the open.

Ella had a best friend named Josh and I love their dynamics they watch anime together and they were both applying for the same art school. They had a really deep connection and I really liked him. But when Ella woke up in the hospital all that she saw was Maddie's friends, Maddie's boyfriend and her parents thinking she was Maddie and telling her so they were so glad that she was alive. She did have some amnesia right after the car accident and when they told her that she was Maddie so she believed it because her mind was so confused. But she pretty quickly realized that she was really Ella but since she felt like what everyone really wanted was for Maddie to be the one that survived, she decided that through her guilt she was going to give everyone Maddie-- that she was going to give Maddie the life that Ella thought she deserved.

Ella was angry during the accident and she was trying to pull over and lost control of the car so she felt like it was her fault that Maddie died. She couldn't reconcile the guilt that she felt because her sister was the one who died and she felt like it was her fault and then she couldn't get over that she was angry at her when she was dying beside her in the car. Also that their last words to each other weren't kind but treating one another apart.

Ella tries to fit into the life that Maddie had but it was really hard on her. Not only did they have the different personalities, different interests, different circles of friends, she soon realizes that Alex wasn't quite what he had seemed and that there were a lot of secrets that Maddie was keeping and balancing, Since Ella stepping into this life without really knowing anything about the secrets or what happened at the party when Maddie was so upset and wanted to come and get her. So there were some confusing relationships that she didn't quite know how to navigate.

She had a really hard time also trying to fit into the perfectly dressed and made up and hair fixed girl who everyone expected her to be. She was still the comfotable girl who preferred to be off the radar to everyone except for Josh and Maddie. People overlooked the out of character responses because obviously they see a girl who's just lost their sister, a girl who was driving the car and they don't expect it to be Ella because she says that she's Maddie. But Josh, Ella's best friend, who Ella wanted more with, but didn't realize he loved her back, is one of the first to suspect or at least voice his opinion that she wasn't really Maddie, but Ella pretending or so confused. But he had been pushed away at the hospital because everyone though Ella was the one who died, and Ella didn't see the ones who were grieving for her through the Maddie haze and her pain.

I was very caught up in the story and while I can understand why Ella wanted to pretend to be Maddie at it was frustrating at times because I knew that she was living a lie and she was having a very very hard time with it. I didn't know how I wanted this story to play out because there was no way that Maddie was really going to come back to life and it really seem like there was no way that Ella was going to be happy trying to fit into the life of a dead girl who while was her twin also is very different from her and had a different kind of relationship with the people around her.

Once Ella figured out some of her sister's dark secrets and saw some of the web of guilt, lies, and deception that Maddie was involved in, that finally gave her an incentive to act. She figured out a lot of about Maddie's regrets. I liked how the ending finally played out and the decisions that were made. The epilogue was especially sweet and gave the ending that I realized I craved for her. Nothing was perfect, but there was a balance.

Bottom Line: Emotional story of a twin with guilt over her sisters death, and who steps in to fill her shoes, but it is more than she could have imagined.

[Kitkat · Rating 4 out of 5]

How much Ella sacrifices to be Maddy was devastating. I felt horrible how she feels less loved than Maddy to her parent. Maddy was a terrible person drugging Molly. God I loved the romance between Ella and Josh. Josh knew immediately that it was Ella was heartwarming. The emotions I had during this book was beautiful. I loved how Molly and Ella become best friend. This sort of reminded me of Don't Look Back and I loved it. I loved how the parents hugged her and wasn't angry. I felt so happy that Ella felt like she was worthy of her parent's love. I loved the characters and I liked how it moved along quickly. There wasn't any slow moments which I loved because I hate when books do that.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to thank the publisher Farrar, Straus and Giroux for providing me with a copy of this book to read and give an honest review. Receiving this book for free has in no way altered my opinion or review.

I have to say that I'm not much for reading blurbs, but when I was given the chance to possibly be on the blog tour for this book I jumped in to see what it was about. I've never read a twin book and this one really intrigued me. My biggest question, of course, was how on earth was this girl going to pull off fooling everyone into thinking she was her sister?

Twins Ella and Maddy could not be more different. Maddy, popular girl with perfect boyfriend and what seems like a perfect life. And Ella, the introvert and sister shunned. The two run in different circles, Ella having been pushed out of her sister's life once Maddy realized what she needed to do to become popular. But being popular wasn't what it looked like from the outside. So many secrets and lies hidden beneath it all. And this is something Ella never expected to take on when stepping into Maddy's shoes.

At first, the plot it believable. Maddy seems different to everyone. But Ella has worked hard for many years perfecting herself as Maddy (from sitting in on her tests and classes in school). Most chock the difference up to the fact that Maddy's gone through a horrible tragedy when her sister dies in a car crash and Maddy was driving. But slowly Ella's world unravels before her eyes as she realizes Maddy's world was not all it looked to be. And that being Maddy is harder than she could have ever thought it would be.

Ella slowly learns that Maddy was good at keeping secrets. And that, often, such things came along with the price of popularity and staying on top. All the while she's still trying to figure out exactly who she is. She has a hard time coping with the fact that she no longer has her other half. And that she loved her sister despite the rift that had formed between them.

I enjoyed the build between Josh and Ella. It was nice to see Josh take on the friendship with Maddy. It was also sad to watch as Josh mourned the loss of Ella. Mourned what he may have had with her had she not died.

I loved Leaver's writing. She was able to distinctly show the differences in the twins and also fleshed out the other characters very well. And the plot flowed very well. Each new experience Ella has building on the last until finally things come to a head.

What I found hard to believe about this book was that everyone seemed to be fooled by Ella. Even though she has experience acting as her sister, I can't see her being able to live her life all day long for days in this manner without giving herself away somehow to those who were so close to her. I also had some trouble with how things were resolved in the end. It was a bit too easy for me. I was hoping for a bit more conflict.

Overall I really enjoyed this book. I enjoyed how the story unraveled and how much Ella truly struggled with her sister's death and keeping her sister's memory alive. I would definitely like to read more from this author.

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Secrets We Keep is such a thought provoking and heartbreaking story. The writing is so flawless and the story flows so perfectly that it's impossible not to get sucked into Ella and Maddy's story. You feel everything from the gut wrenching pain, to the all consuming guilt, and that's what makes this book so amazing.

Ella and Maddy may be twins, but they are the furthest thing from similar. Ella is the quiet one who is always drawing, and Maddy is the popular one. It hasn't always been that way though, they used to be inseperable, and even though Maddy isn't the best sister to Ella, Ella would still do anything for her. But when tragedy strikes, and Ella wakes up to everyone calling her Maddy, and she realizes that her sister is dead, she makes a split second decision to make sure that Maddy has the life that she should have had. But it isn't long until Ella realizes that Maddy's life isn't what she thought and Maddy has been keeping secrets.

It was so easy to form a connection with Ella, her grief was so raw and real that I felt like I was right there with her (as evidenced by all my tears). Ella and Maddy's parents were wonderful, even though they were grieving for one of the daughters, they still made an effort to try and be there for the other, and I can't imagine how hard that would be.

I really didn't like Maddy's set of friends, especially Jenna. She was so deceiving, back stabbing, and flat out mean. I know everyone tried to make excuses for the way she was, but I wasn't buying it. There is no good reason to treat people, specifically one you call your best friend, the way she did.

The Secrets We Keep is an emotional, gripping and gut wrenching story about grief, loss, guilt and finding yourself.

[Jennifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ella and Maddie are twins but very different. Ella is a shy, reserved artist with really only Josh for a friend. Maddie lives the popular life. She and her boyfriend Alex work hard at staying at the top. Ella wakes up after a car accident and everyone thinks she is Maddie.

Sad and interesting. I was kind of hoping for something more exciting and mysterious going on in her sisters life. Mostly she took it over because of confusion and grief. Ella feels guilt over the accident and like everyone would prefer that popular Maddie lived. Except Ella forgot about Josh. I loved Josh and Alex. I felt bad for both of them and understood where they were both coming from.

Maddie did a lot to stay popular that Ella soon discovers. Maddie's life is just not what Ella wants. So many mean girls like Maddie's BFF Jenna. It wasn't as shocking of a discovering as I was expecting from the synopsis but still a good story. I wish there was more resolution with Jenna. I felt the ending could have resolved some of the other characters a bit more but I liked how things worked out.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was different than most that I read. Two identical twin sisters, one popular and cares about her appearance to a fault the other more concerned about school and is the quiet one. Except for them being twins they're completely different. But Ella will do anything for Maddy. When Maddy calls crying Ella runs to her. There's an accident and popular Maddy dies. Ella tries to become her.

I felt so bad for Ella throughout this book. She never felt good enough. She figured everyone would be devastated by Maddys death but only one person, aside from mom and dad, would care if it'd been Ella who had died. Then Ella starts to see that her sisters life wasn't so perfect or amazing. She has been keeping secrets. Terrible ones.

I was completely addicted to this story! I couldn't wait to see what would happen next. The ending was exactly how I was hoping it would be. I definitely recommend reading it!

[Michelle Madow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I couldn't put The Secrets We Keep down! It's so unique, and definitely a stand-out. I love books about people taking over lives that aren't their own, so I tore through this story, needing to know what happened next. I also love that it's a standalone, and that it tied up neatly at the end. It's now an all-time favorite of mine. Definitely recommend!

[Tonyalee · Rating 4 out of 5]

See this review and more on my blog, Lilybloombooks

I've seen The Secrets We Keep frequently popping up for the past couple of weeks. The consensus among readers is that it's a must read. And yet.... there was that nagging voice telling me to tread with caution.

The Secrets We Keep is a very fast paced, compelling story that literally grips you from the beginning. (Most) of the characters were beautifully written and flawed, adding authenticity and making me feel something for each one. Be it hatred, empathy, love or heartbreak.

It's a very emotional read - one I think was more emotional for me listening to on audio verses reading the book. Kate Rudd is an amazing narrator and she did an amazing job portraying the deep, raw emotions from Ella. I also loved how she changed her voice to differentiate between Ella and Maddy.

Leaver weaved together a story not just about love, but guilt, self-worth and forgiveness too. But it was a bit much and overwhelming for me. It was A LOT to take in and there was heavy emphasis on some elements while others were left way out in left field. There was no balance.

One aspect of Ella's character that was hard to understand is her utter lack of self-esteem and the blindness to the impact she had on those that loved her. This was ultimately why she made the decision to become Maddy; because she thought that everyone would have been happier to have Maddy survive. I could not, for the life of me, even begin to comprehend how devastating it would be to feel that. Yet at the same time, I felt her priorities were twisted and her constant selfish actions were a hard pill to swallow. Especially since she wanted to bail at the first sight of trouble. I have never felt so conflicted about a character.

The "mystery" aspect of the plot had an intense build up - but the revelation and resolution just didn't hit the nail on the head. I was also very bothered about how indifferent everyone was about "Ella's" death. Maddy was just supposed to move on after a month and run for this Snow Ball Queen? She was supposed to just let things "go back to normal?" What the actual _ _ _ _ ?! Show some damn compassion, people.

The romance. In one hand, I loved it because the love that was expressed is raw and deep, it made my heart break for Ella and said love interest. I also find it ironic that he was the only one to figure things out, but that's not here nor there. But I can't help but wonder if the profession of love hadn't happened, if it would have changed the outcome.

I did enjoy The Secrets We Keep. The emotional impact was high but I just couldn't love everything about this one. Still, many readers loved this book to pieces and I do recommend it if you are looking for an emotional read.

*I received a copy of this book from in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.*

[Gisbelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)

------------------------------------------------------------------
Point of View: Single (Ella)
Writing: First Person | Past Tense
Setting: Rhode Island
Genre: Young Adult | Contemporary/Mystery
------------------------------------------------------------------

It's still a surprise to me that this book had made me cry. Twice. Clearly, I didn't see that coming. Both times were when Josh and Ella talked about her trying to replace her dead sister's life. I couldn't help myself because it was that touching.

Needless to say, I adore the cover. With a wonderfully written story to boot, this book has made it on my to-buy list.

I loved the thrilling storyline this book has to offer. I couldn't stop reading once I started. I still want to kick myself for leaving it untouched for this long.

Frankly, I was able to guess (and I was right!) most of the story, but it didn't prevent me from enjoying every second I spent reading the book.

Let's pause right here and talk about Josh. Oh my gosh, Josh (hey it rhymes) was a perfect character. He wasn't even the main character; heck, he didn't even appear in that many scenes. However, I adored the crap out of this boy. He was sweet, charming, and nerdy. What a great combination!

Anyway, I loved other characters too. Each of them was a wonderful addition to the story.

The ending was better than I expected because half way through I was wondering how she was going to untangled herself from all the mess she had created. It was a beautiful and believable ending.

Like I mentioned above, I loved this book. A lot. This book is a winner if you are looking for a book with a nice flowing writing, and just the right amount of drama and suspense.

[Molly · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huge thank you to the publisher for letting me read an ARC of this

Man I wanted to like this book more than I did. I thought it was going to be mysterious and emotional and it just felt so flat to me. We all know that it's about a twin who's twin dies and how she takes over the twin's life. That sounded twisty! It was not. There was no depth in this book. I never felt like anyone was really grieving (well, the mother because we're told she is, but it didn't really seem like it for quite a bit of the time). Ella-as-Maddy spends so much time trying to convince herself that nobody cares about Ella and everyone loves Maddy and how Maddy deserved to live and blah blah blah, it was just so annoying. I also didn't like how Ella basically thought that her own twin sister would just... move on with life and not even act differently after her own twin DIES. Ugh, the whole 'I must be Maddy' thing just didn't work ever for me.

I guess I really didn't like how nobody gave Ella-as-Maddy any slack. The boyfriend is all 'keep it together, why are you acting strange, you aren't acting like yourself'... um HER TWIN SISTER JUST DIED. Jesus.

And then the whole ~Mystery of Maddy's Life'~ was just not as mind blowing as I had expected it to be. We get a glimpse that something is going down and Ella has to try to figure it out, and she does, and it's just... idk.

And the love interest. Never felt it. Ever.

Sigh. I really wanted so much more emotion from this.

[Paige Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the type of book that has a catchy blurb but when you finished reading it, it was just an okay book. Nothing memorable.

What this book needs is a cliffhanger or a heartbreaking ending to be interesting..

[Ari]

Oh my, another book coming out on my birthday! And it sounds so interesting... Yeeei!

I think I'll have the best birthdays ever, with all these books coming out on my magical day :)

[Siqahiqa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay for me. It was not the best, but it was not disappointed too.

The story was about Ella who decides to take her sister’s life, Maddy after they had been in an accident with a result of Maddy dead.

I didn’t like Ella’s character at first but I understand her throughout the story. She has her own reasons to be Maddy in the first place. But still, you shouldn’t do what you did.

My crush in this book is Josh, Ella’s best friend. I was okay with the ending. Not bad actually.

For those who like to read the unexpected storyline, this book is not for you. There’s no plot twist in here.

[Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

To say this book was a disappointment would be the understatement of the century. I expected a lot from this – I love the idea of a thriller based around one twin taking on the identity of her sister. But instead, I got a lot of angst, casual misogyny, and the least interesting big reveal/climax basically ever.

To its credit, The Secrets We Keep was quite fast-paced. Even though not much was happening with regards to plot, the pages just flew by. For someone who’s been in a reading slump for quite a while, it’s a lot to say that I read this book in a day. Ella’s voice was engaging, and of course, I wanted to know how everyone would react when the truth came out. The “mystery” was just enough to keep me reading. I mean, I guessed early on what happened (and I believe you will, too) but that didn’t stop me from reading because I truly believed it’d be juicy. But honestly, the quick pacing and the engaging voice were the only things that kept me moving, truly, because most of the rest of this book was lackluster at best.

Ella is an asshole. She’s one of those people who stick to the sidelines, staying guarded and not letting anyone in. Which is totally fine, and I’m okay with reading that kind of character generally. But she was also the kind of person who looked down upon the people who did choose to get involved with their peers, who took their classmates’ interactions seriously. She was constantly judging everyone, most especially her dead twin sister. Maddy is a stereotypical mean girl who never really gets to defend herself against those accusations because she dies early in the book. However, Maddy was also the only one who called Ella on her shit (which only happens once, and it’s not nearly as satisfying as it sounds.) I just can’t stand this type of character that Ella embodies – the judgmental, better-than-you attitude, while insisting you are not jealous, but you clearly are. It’s not my thing, I don’t like it.

The way Ella talked about her sister, especially early on (even after death) really bugged me. There were a few lines that stuck out more than others. For instance. “Nobody messed with anything that belonged to Alex Furey. And my sister definitely belonged to him.” Of course, this casual grossness wasn’t reserved for just Ella’s inner monologues. It was all over the place: Alex pressuring Ella (who was pretending to be Maddy) into having sex with him just a couple weeks after the crash that killed her sister and left her with various physical injuries. Or Jenna, Maddy’s “friend” who cornered Ella/Maddy to tell her that Alex wouldn’t stick around if Maddy didn’t have sex with him soon. It was this disgusting view on young women and sex, along with Ella’s constant body/beauty/sex shaming of nearly every girl around her that left a bitter taste in my mouth.

Now, given all these things, I probably could have looked past them enough to enjoy the basic plot if it had been interesting. But it wasn’t. We’re promised a house of cards style mystery, where one wrong breath and it all comes tumbling down, but what we really got was petty jealousy and some angst. A few instances of bullying that are mostly glossed over and ultimately forgiven without any real remorse or apology from the perpetrators. I honestly cannot believe how mundane the Big Bag Thing was. Snooze. The way the characters were acting made it seem like something much bigger than it was. I mean, what they did was heinous and really, really fucked up, but it wasn’t interesting.

Finally, the romance. The romance that was completely unnecessary and felt tacked on. I didn’t for one second believe these characters actually had feelings for one another. There was no indication of it until well past the 200 page mark. What really upset me was that the feelings of the love interest were put before the feelings of Ella’s PARENTS. The boy’s grief was worse than the grief of these parents who lost a child? Unbelievable. Once again, a boy is put before all, and they don’t even have chemistry! And let’s not even talk about the fact that he has a girlfriend for the entirety of the book, including when Ella and he get together!

I’m not sure who I’d recommend this one too. There are better thrillers out there than The Secrets We Keep - in fact, I hesitate to even call this a thriller. I can think of a handful of books that have better mysteries surrounding identical twins. If you have it on hand, I’d encourage you to read it if you were stuck in a slump. It is fast paced and easy to read (though the dialogue was wayy over the top sometimes.) Ultimately, though, if you’re looking for an edge of your seat thriller, or even a contemporary dealing with grief and loose ends after a tragic loss, I’d look elsewhere.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Secrets We Keep is such a great read. It's not an entirely original concept - twin sisters, identity struggles, loss of a family member and the emotional and psychological damage that follows - we've seen all of this before. And yet, Trisha Leaver managed to put together a fascinating, completely unputdownable story. A story of losing yourself in order to truly find yourself for the first time. A story of lies, secrets, rejection, guilt and grief.

I devoured this book in just one evening. The pages really flew by and once I stared reading I knew there would be no putting this book down and going to sleep until I have finished. Trisha Leaver's writing style is pretty straight-forward and easy to absorb, and yet it is charged with incredible energy. Her writing really pulls you in and the way she navigates the events, slowly revealing all the dark secrets and the character's complex emotions and motivations, it is just so masterful, you can't resists it, you're drawn to this story like a moth to a flame.

There is something utterly mesmerizing about the idea of one twin assuming the identity of the other - a deceased one, in this particular case. It shows love, dedication, the pain of losing someone so incredibly close, and yet I think it also shows deeply buried envy, the feelings of guilt and the longing to be someone else entirely. It's both moving and incredibly creepy.

Maddy was always the popular one - the one who did everything to fit in with the popular crowd. She dressed up, put tons of makeup on, attended all the important social events, dated a popular boy and hung out with the mean girls. Her sister? She is the exact opposite of Maddy. Ella is said to be shy and socially impaired, but in truth she just isn't interested in impressing anyone, she prefers jeans and t-shirts over pretty dresses and high heels. Maddy pretty much shut Ella out of her life. Their relationship was strained. Maddy would only reach out to Ella when she needed her help - a cover story, help with school, a ride back home from a party. But as much as Ella would like to act like she didn't care about all that, she did. Deep inside,she felt hurt and betrayed and used by Maddy.

It was only after Maddy died that Ella began to truly get to know her own sister.. And herself.

I loved this book. It really pulled on my heartstrings. I felt bad for Maddy from the very beginning, her hurt and pain was so obvious, I can't believe no one else noticed it - not her sister, not her parents, not her friend, sometimes not even herself. She always felt like she wasn't good enough, like she wasn't the one who deserved to survive, like she wasn't the one OTHER PEOPLE wanted to see survive. That resulted in the decision to become her twin sister - a decision that couldn't have been easy. It was emotionally riveting to witness Maddy struggle through all these events and deal with the loss of her sister.

[Andi (Andi's ABCs) · Rating 4 out of 5]

The review was originally posted on Andi's ABCs

Twins seem to be a theme in a lot of books coming out in 2015, well twins or siblings. Personally I've always been interested by twins/siblings as I'm an only child so I was pretty excited to see the theme. And I was extra excited to see The Secrets We Keep as is took the plot to a different level. And I'm happy to report that The Secrets We Keep was utterly fascinating. It was a really sold debut and I'm happy to have read it.

The Secrets We Keep is about Ella and Maddy, identical twins that couldn't be any different. Ella is the quiet, shy artist while Maddy is the popular prom queen. Up until they reached high school the girls were very close but that all changed the more popular Maddy got and the more closed off Ella became. One night after a huge argument both girls get into an accident which changes everything. Maddy dies and Ella is left to pick up the pieces. When ever one assumes she's Maddy and not Ella, she makes the decision to take on Maddy's identity thinking it would be better if Ella was the one gone. Too bad taking over Maddy's life isn't as easy as Ella thinks. What seemed like the perfect world is a world built on secrets. As Ella uncovers them she starts to wonder if her happiness is worth taking it from everyone else.

In theory this is a hard idea to wrap your head around. I mean taking over someone's life to make other people happy? It seems like an implausible thing to happen. But as I read the book and saw the circumstances involved I actually understood why Ella did what she did. Leaver made me believe what Ella believed and feel the way she was feeling. I actually understood why she did what she did. I think that was really important in a story like this because if it didn't work I could see myself finding Ella selfish over selfless. She just thought she was doing the right thing based on assumptions she made and that was portrayed very clearly. I really liked the side characters too. Alex, Josh, Molly and even Ella and Maddy's parents, and Maddy's memory were all a great fit for this book. Each character brought out different parts of Ella and made her who she is, even when she was being Maddy.

All in all I really thought The Secrets We Keep was a great thought provoking read. I wish it was longer just to iron out a few things and tweak a couple of minor things, but really the book was excellent. It was different and it kept me riveted and I was dying to see what would happen. I may have even teared up at the end, I definitely recommend this one.