The Secret Girl

Adamson All-Boys Academy #1

by C.M. Stunich

Shh, I have a secret.

The sinfully gorgeous members of the Student Council—Church, Ranger, Spencer, Micah and Tobias—can't ever find out.

I already get picked on because my father's the headmaster.

I don't need them to know I’m the only girl, too; I’d rather dress like a boy.

Adamson All-Boys Academy now has its only female student, but I'm not about to be their guinea pig.

Not when there's a secret at this school nobody is talking about. Not when the last female student here ended up dead.


***THE SECRET GIRL is a 90,000 word lighthearted reverse harem/high school bully romance novel with a mystery/suspense twist. This is book one of three in the series. Contains foul language and sexual scenes; any sex featured is consensual.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, High School, New Adult, Mystery, Why Choose, Enemies To Lovers

422 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 24, 2019

About the author

C.M. Stunich is a self-admitted bibliophile with a love for exotic teas and a whole host of characters who live full time inside the strange, swirling vortex of her thoughts. Some folks might call this crazy, but Caitlin Morgan doesn't mind - especially considering she has to write biographies in the third person. Oh, and half the host of characters in her head are searing hot bad boys with dirty mouths and skillful hands (among other things). If being crazy means hanging out with them everyday, C.M. has decided to have herself committed.

She hates tapioca pudding, loves to binge on cheesy horror movies, and is a slave to many cats. When she's not vacuuming fur off of her couch, C.M. can be found with her nose buried in a book or her eyes glued to a computer screen. She's the author of over thirty novels - romance, new adult, fantasy, and young adult included. Please, come and join her inside her crazy. There's a heck of a lot to do there.

Oh, and Caitlin loves to chat (incessantly), so feel free to e-mail her, send her a Facebook message, or put up smoke signals. She's already looking forward to it.

Stalk me, please!
www.cmstunich.com
www.facebook.com/cmstunichauthor
www.twitter.com/CMStunich

I'm also on Goodreads, Spotify, Google +, Instagram, and Pinterest.

Reviews

[Helen 2.0 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah, I loved this book. Yeah, I know it's a bully romance. Yeah, I'm gonna give it four stars anyway.

In defense of both this book and my love for it, The Secret Girl definitely doesn't feel like a bully romance. Charlotte is forced to move away from her friends and boyfriend to start school as the only female student at the Adamson All-Boys Academy. She's really pissed about this move, so she dresses as a boy ("Chuck") to avoid standing out and, more importantly, she makes it her mission to make all the other students just as miserable as she is. Seriously, Chuck may not have a dick, but she sure acts like one. She won't talk to people who try to get to know her, she actively insults powerful people, she even chucks the Student Council president's files in a pond and refuses to help him recover his work.
So that's why I say this book doesn't feel like bully romance: our female MC started the whole fight. Everything the Adamson boys do to her is in retaliation to her actions. Other bully romances piss me off because there's a palpable power imbalance between the woman and the men, which is such a red flag for an abusive relationship. But here? Everyone's antagonizing everyone, and it's one hell of a fun ride.

I love Chuck. So much.

Yeah, she's a raging asshole and a brat, but it's refreshing to find that characteristic in a leading female role rather than from the alpha male love interest. Besides it's a great starting point for her character to grow from. Already by the end of book one, we see her become more mature and more kind. Also, her flaws are fitting for a teenager, especially a popular surfer girl, and she is punished for them. The thought that Stunich put into developing her character shows that she's grown a lot as an author.

SO. The guys. The Adamson boys.

Let's line them up:
- Church: Student Council president, charming, hardworking, possibly a sociopath psychopath
- Ranger: gruff, sensitive, over-protective, obsessed with baking
- Spencer: sarcastic, deviant, way too horny for his own good
- Micah: 1/2 of the twins, hot-headed, devious, hates being confused for his brother
- Tobias: other 1/2 of the twins, kind, friendly, a little too in-sync with his brother
So, obviously Spencer is my favorite, because he's so horny for Chuck that he questions his sexuality for a full year. He's a hormonal mess and it's hilarious and endearing to watch him rip out his hair over his attraction to what he believes is a guy. I also love that he's confident enough not to get angsty or angry over it, but is honest and open about his feelings.

Okay so if you've seen Ouran High School Host Club, then I know what you're thinking: this book, these characters, it's all just OHSHC in book form. And yeah, you're right. It is.

If you're looking for an original story, this ain't it chief. But if you're looking for a story that's entertaining, funny, and honest, this is it right here.

[chan ☆ · Rating 1 out of 5]

realizing my previous review of this book was inaccurate but i stand by my initial poor feelings toward this book

having a girl dress up as a boy isn't necessarily problematic in and of itself but the way that the other characters react TOWARD the girl dressing up as a boy rubbed me the wrong way. i am not trans so i cannot speak to whether or not the dressing up in this book could be seen as transphobic but it just... didn't sit right at the very least.

[Namera [The Literary Invertebrate] · Rating 3 out of 5]

VERDICT: Not perfect, but six million times better than Filthy Rich Boys.

Never let it be said that I'm not willing to give authors second (or tenth) chances... After the nightmare which was her last boarding school/reverse harem/bully series, it definitely took a leap of faith for me to read The Secret Girl. But I'm a total sucker for the crossdressing-girl trope, so here I am. Warning: as usual, there will be slight spoilers. More warnings: I will be making lots of comparisons to FRB, which I hated with the fire of a thousand suns.

Premise

16-year-old Charlotte (aka Chuck) joins the prestigious Adamson All-Boys Academy as a junior when her father becomes its headmaster. The administration is considering integrating girls into the school, so with their permission she disguises herself as a boy and enters classes. Her standoffishness makes her widely disliked and leads to bullying from the members of the Student Council - twins Micah and Tobias, Church, Spencer, and Ranger. It quickly transpires that hooded figures are trying to murder Charlotte, just as Ranger's sister was murdered on the Adamson grounds a decade ago.

The Good

✔️ There was a relatively believable premise for the bullying. Charlotte, in an effort not to draw attention to herself, avoids all the boys at the beginning of the book and accidentally injures them when running away. It offends them and that's what leads to the bullying. Unlike FRB, the bullying didn't come out of nowhere, and it wasn't nearly as bad as it is in FRB either.

✔️ The best thing about this book is that Charlotte is sassy and gets some pretty good one-liners. Marnye, the FRB heroine, didn't have enough wit to keep herself warm at night; Charlotte, on the other hand, is sarcastic and occasionally even has a brain in her head. She's never at a loss for words and I found it to be a pleasant surprise.

✔️ The heroes aren't really that bad, in terms of the bullying. Yeah, they're fairly mean at the beginning, but they don't physically hurt her (even when they think she's a boy) and they get very invested in keeping her safe. They're actually quite protective of her.

✔️ NO MILLIONS OF OW, THANK THE LORD. It's fairly obvious that at least some of the boys aren't virgins, while as usual Charlotte is, but the fact that it's an all-boys school meant that unlike FRB we weren't treated to constant OW drama and jealousy. Yes, when girls did show up Charlotte was jealous, but it wasn't a permanent thing.

The Bad

❌ Charlotte is not the brightest crayon in the drawer. She gets threatening notes from some stalker, and SHE DOESN'T TELL HER DAD BECAUSE SHE DOESN'T WANT TO HAVE TO LIVE WITH HIM. Babe, living with your father - however much he annoys you - is better than being DEAD. She also keeps dressing up as a girl when she shouldn't be. Like bitch, do you actually want to give your secret away? You do, don't you?

❌ Speaking of her dad, he seems weirdly unconcerned about the fact that his daughter is literally being assaulted constantly while on school property. Her life is actually in danger, but he doesn't call the police, or anything like that. Stunich seems to have a habit of writing unrealistically two-dimensional father figures who don't give a damn about their children, because Marnye's dad is nearly as bad. He doesn't even install locks on Charlotte's door - one of the heroes does that! Quite incredible.

❌ Stunich also has a pretty intolerable habit of using her heroines as mouthpieces for her own opinions. The chief problem is that her heroines have no existence outside the heroes. What are Charlotte's hobbies? What the f*ck does she do all day? It's a total mystery to me. It's a total mystery to Stunich too, so she tries to give Charlotte hobbies like READING STUNICH'S OWN BOOKS. That's right: Charlotte loves reading reverse harem romance novels, one of her favourite authors is Tate James, and she references a book by Violet Blaze (one of Stunich's pennames). Bloody hell. It seriously made me cringe to come across these references, because there's a difference between a cute little bit of metaliterature and stuffing your heroine with your own hobbies/opinions.

❌ Another example of this: there's a brief, didactic paragraph where Charlotte tells the reader that adults shouldn't try to control teenagers' sex lives, just give them love and understanding or whatever. Charlotte did not sound like a teenager when she said this, she sounded like an adult woman pretending to be a teenager and using her characters to convey her own opinions.

❌ For the love of God, someone please tell Stunich the correct way to use 'imply' and 'infer.' This must be the tenth time she's made this mistake. She has beta readers, and an ARC team, and a PA, and a huge fan base - has nobody seriously told her to stop saying 'infer' when she means 'imply'?

❌ This was also a huge problem in FRB, but her attempts to give the heroes distinct smells were laughable as always. This time we got Church smelling of rosemary and lavender, while Spencer smells of cedar and hyssop. Yeah, those are super-common teenage boy smells. Stunich heroines always seem to have noses better than experienced French parfumiers. In fact, they all ought to go into the perfume industry, because they'd make a killing with their ability to identify the subtle scents of coconut milk or whatever.

The suspense part of the plot was pretty thin (random men in hoodies keep appearing out of nowhere to attack Charlotte before melting away again) but we got no answers in this book, so I'm willing to continue.

[Blog] - [Bookstagram]

[Marguerite (M) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did you ever regret Haruhi ending up only with Tamaki, with the other hosts twins on the sideline? Your biggest fangirl dream finally came true in the form of this little baby. Ouran High School Host Club meets Wild Child? Hell yes.



The first book of Adamson All-Boys Academy was hilarious; the book was full of cliches from chick-flicks, dramas, manga and owned it well. Charlotte, Chuck, was a refreshing heroine and the guys had some real build-up.



The Secret Girl did have scenes of bullying -some quite horrifying and cruel- but it was very far from a bully romance. It was not about guys picking on a girl for no reason at all or about said guys redeeming themselves, nor it was about fucked-up rich brats brutalizing the commoner because they had massive issues for them to only fall for their victim. The Secret Girl was about characters that cannot stand each other teaming up, building friendship, learning from each other, and trying to solve a mystery while not getting killed. And in the end, the bullying part was quite the unnecessary aspect of the story and I wonder why the book was confined to this trope.


Any lover of Gender Bender and RH should absolutely try out this book. It ends with the biggest cliffhanger of the cliffhanger universe but, seriously, it's worth it.

PS: I hate the dad
PPS: My favorite part was probably the very obvious reference to Ouran High School Host Club and Haruhi being able to differentiate Hikaru and Kaoru every single time
PPPS: I'm calling dibs on Ranger.



booked.unicorn

[G · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bully romance isn't usually my thing, but I enjoyed how this book was written. While there is a bit of humiliation, it isn't malicious. I love a good enemies to lovers as much as the next reader and I think this book encapsulates this trope well. An Academy RH with a plot....
The 'bullies' were comprised of the Student Council, which I think is a great way to differentiate this story from others in this genre. I loved that 'Chuck' matched the guys banter and insults. The ending though... was completely blown away by it. Did not expect that cliffhanger whatsoever! I immediately bought the next book.
Excited to see what's next as Chuck and the guys uncover the mysteries of Adamson All Boys Academy. Highly recommend

[★Me Myshelf and I★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Edit I am upping this from 4 to 5 stars because after just finishing Filthy Rich Boys and giving it a 4 I decided this deserves to be higher rated.
Also I think I’m in love with Spencer.
For real



I surprised myself with how much I floved this bully romance. This was the first time I’ve dipped my toe into this pond. It’s getting bigger and nearly as popular as Academy is right now so how can I not try it to see what the hype is about?

I picked this one not only because I heard it compared to one of my favourite Anime of all time "Ouran Highschool Host Club" but also because it’s described as a lighthearted bully romance.
What is a bully romance I hear you ask? Well Stunich herself answers that question in a brilliant Authors notes at the beginning of the book. It really put my fears to rest and explains some things to hesitant readers.

"This book in no way condones bullying, nor does it romanticise it”.

The bullying comes before the romance and it’s really just a different name for “enemies to lovers” in a contemporary huh school setting. At least in this book it is.

So how did I find it? Honestly the bullying was a little cringe and I was annoyed at the beginning. However .. and that’s a big however, the unique situation we find here does soften the blow. Charlotte the girl aka Chuck the boy is hiding her identity in an all boys school.



Her dad has just become the headmaster and she’s being used a guinea pig for introducing co-ed. Now she’s not pleased with that and only wants to move back to California, so decides to hide as a boy, keep her head down and move back to California as soon as she can. She a brat to cut a long story short and gets on the wrong side of the whole school population very quickly.

”Do I really think the five of them might beat me up if I stay standing here? Yes, yes, I do. They think I'm a boy. The spoiled, rotten son of the headmaster. I haven't made a very good impression, now have I?”

She has her reasons but they don’t know that. So they treat her like they would any boy, by bullying and practical jokes that go a little too far sometimes . Would it not also be sexist to say they would have treated her different if they knew she was a girl from the start?

“Maybe this is a lesson that violence isn't acceptable against anyone, regardless of gender?”

So I can forgive a lot because she’s provokes a lot and by the end it’s not prevalent.



She draws the attention of the student council (who really did remind me of Ouran Highschool Host Club) and they take it upon themselves to torture the loner boy who is rude to everyone.

“You were a weird, introverted jerk who shunned any offers of friendship or good will. You refused to help Church fix a mistake that you made, and now your fate is sealed. You're the resident pariah. Just be glad that we, as the compassionate, good-hearted Student Council, have decided to take your punishment on ourselves.”

Those punishments include things like a royal flush, spiders, ice cubes down your back... those kinds of things. I feel sorry for her but her attitude sucked so I also wanted to slap her too.

The student council was made up of 5 really interesting and complicated guys.


Church - Principle of the student council. Psychopath. Scary in an “i’ll smile while I cut your heart out way” way and addicted to coffee.

Ranger - Vice President. Dark & standoffish with a fetish for frilly aprons.

Spencer - Council security. My favourite. Silver haired with a swagger. Sexually confused by being attracted to Chuck his storyline is by far the thing I enjoyed the most.

The twins - the re headed pranksters, but also the ones who came through for her when she needed them.


It’s not all about the bullying. We get a “She’s the Man” type genderbender which I always enjoy and it was done brilliantly. It had everything I expect from a girl hiding as boy and more.



There’s a murder mystery and Charlotte's in danger until she solves the mystery. It’s also funny and has the beginnings of some hot scenes which we know Stunich always does well. These characters are complicated and the romance is not smooth, as you’d image from a bully situation- it wouldn’t be believable if it was plain sailing. There’s no instalove here but defiantly a lot of I hate him but I’m still attracted to him ..on both sides.

It doesn’t all wrap up by the end and we get a really big cliffy. I’ve seen Stunich promise book 2 by July 3rd and I for one can’t wait!

Am I ready for Filthy Rich Boys, honestly I’m not sure. This was a nice intro to the genre but I don’t know if I can cope with heavier bullying than this. But I was so surprised by liking this so I might have to give it a try and see? If you’re unsure of this type of romance then this is the place to start.



All these gifs are giving me a mighty need to watch that movie and Anime again..*sigh* or maybe if I could get my hands on book 2 that would also do the trick

[⋆☆☽ Kriss ☾☆⋆]

On January 15th, the author made a post officially announcing the continuation crossover novel for Rich Boys of Burberry Prep and Adamson All Boys Academy. Currently the author is tentatively predicting late March or early April, but doesn't want anyone to presume this is a concrete time frame. She also isn't sure if it'll be a pre-order or live release.

As the author states:
- It's a 50/50 split POV between Marnye and Charlotte
- It will be a requirement for readers to have read both series fully
- All the guys will be featured




I'm screaming because Rich Boys of Burberry Prep isn't even a complete series yet and the author is already working on a new series in the same vein set to release May 12th.

I'M SO EXCITED. I HOPE THIS SERIES IS JUST AS THRILLING!

[Rebecca ellis · Rating 5 out of 5]

How. Dare. You

I swear, to all that is holy and unholy, if that is my sweet Spencer then I am going to hurt someone.

CM Stunich has done it again and completely gotten me obsessed with her books. I dont know if I can read her writing anymore lol.

It pulls me in and then slaps me stupid.

I dont want to give too much away but if I keep writing I will 100% ruin this book for anyone that hasn't read it yet.

This is my FAVORITE C.M. Stunich book yet...and I've read A LOT of her writing.

Just read this book and please dont hate me when you get to the end. ❤

[Paige ♠ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Between yesterday and today I kind of binge read this entire series 😮 So I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t good… but at the same time I can’t say I loved it. This review is short but basically covers the entire series (don’t worry, it’s spoiler free).

✅ Slow burn reverse harem
❌ I really really wanted to punch Charlotte
✅ The boys were all adorable
❌ The constant self-references to rh 🙄
🆗 Very juvenile setting and characters
🆗 Could have been spicier or more creative 🌶
✅ The mystery was fun and kept me interested

I think the best way to describe this series is reverse harem *lite*. If you’re looking for an entry into the genre then I think this is a good one. The sex and alpha-ness isn’t over the top, it’s a slow build up and it has an interesting mystery to keep the story going.

Overall, the setting and characters seemed a bit juvenile to me, but if you’re younger (for reference I am in my late 20s) then I think this would probably be better for you.

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was good but had potential to be better.

The Secret Girl is kind of like She's the Man but it's an all boys private school that wants to change it's ways and add girls to it. Ya know - like a normal school. Well, I was all in it for this book because the characters seemed interesting. Pricks and assholes - but interesting.

Now in this, you will meet Charlotte but she goes by Chuck at this school. She doesn't want anyone to treat her differently or know that she's actually a girl in disguise - so she tries her best to be incognito. It works.. for about a week maybe? Okay for real probably a couple of months but the guys she keeps running into have some suspicions.

It doesn't take long for them to notice that she's a girl though. Which I was surprised it took as long as it did. It also sucks that she found out her bestfriend and boyfriend were sleeping around her back before she even left for this school. Predictable af but I felt bad for her.

Besides the romance and secrets coming out into the open, there's a bit of a mystery at this school. For some odd reason, someone doesn't want girls to ever show up here. The first one, many years ago, died on campus - but everything was kind of shoved under the bed. No one ever looked into it and everyone around this school deems it safe. So I have a ton of questions on who is trying to kill and who possibly killed someone else.

Other than that, I don't accept the ending for what it was. I hate cliffhangers and I just can't accept a death. I hope it's like someone fake and not who they think it is. Ugh, I need the next book STAT because I need answers!!

[kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hits different when you just watched She’s the Man

[Lia Strange · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARTE ARTE ARTE

no en serio es un libro que no se porque me gusto tanto. vivan las historias que son simples y estúpidas

[Amara · Rating 3 out of 5]

...

Great start to the series. At first, I thought the guys were going to be cookie cutter copies and interchangeable. Especially the twins. But it just took some time to reveal which was good.

The story is about Charlotte, the only girl attending an all boys school. There's a mystery involved as to the suicide or murder of the only other female student about ten years ago. That girl is sister to one of the main make characters.

As far as bullying, most of it was rather mild considering some of the bully romance books I have read. But Charlotte aka Chuck does get bullied a bit. As Chuck, she pretends to be one of the guys. The boys from the student council slowly figure out she's a girl, except one which she eventually tells...but only after he has been questioning his sexuality for weeks or months because of how he feels about her she started her period and he was trying to get her to the nurse.

There are some hilarious things going on and some stalkerish or murdery things happening too. She gets some creepy notes to her addressing her to Eve from Adam. The school and police aren't taking anything serious that is happening now. And there's a sealed case regarding Jenica, Ranger's sisters' death. Not to mention Chuck's dad is the DEAN of the school and fearing for her safety wants to send her to the same all girls school that Jenica transferred to from for bullying. The student council has her back though.

We have Spencer, Church, Micah, Tobias, and Ranger, and Ross, plus Chuck in or at least affiliated with the student council and culinary club.

Church is the president of stud council. She keeps wondering if he is actually a psychopath or a sociopath.

Then there's Ranger which with just a touch she gets a little jolt or sparks.

With Spencer, there's undeniable chemistry there and he didnt care if she is a boy or a girl, he just liked her. But he doesn't like to be lied to and he was the last to know.

Micah is a little more dark and devious than his twin. Tobias is sweeter and more friendly I think. Together they are in sync to the point of gets creepy and almost mechanical with then saying things together when they talk. They are more the jokers.

Last there's Ross, the gay kid that seems the most fun but obviously not a love interest for Chuck.

I think now all of the guys except maybe Church like Charlotte. Maybe she will get her harem afterall.

[Ella Heart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ok - Clearing basis first - This book was awsome, well written, able to juggle 5 guys and 1 girl and giving you a chance to relieve your weird otaku face of ouran high school host club. It ticked all my feminine bits without being over the top, and for that I love it!

Now then~

OML, this book send me into a whirlwind with just a simple sentence

.....loved The Royal Trials series by Tate James

And I was like - THERE ARE OTHER BOOKS LIKE THIS!

Since then I've read 3 incomplete series of reverse harem romance with 5 books in them😭😭. Literally every book that I've read till now has been Big ole INCOMPLETE

If any of you know a good reverse series it would be awsome.

Kindly help!!!

[myo ⋆｡˚ ❀ * · Rating 5 out of 5]

at first, going into this i was hella nervous because it could’ve ended up being super problematic but i decided to give it a try since it reminded me of the movie She’s the Man. ya know, with the great Amanda Bynes. This book actually really did remind me of that but also with like.. dark academia. I really liked the mystery aspect of it. i think that her secretly being a guy was handled well.. i mean it wasn’t the best and could’ve been better but it still wasn’t problematic like i expected. also, i think that the friendships they formed in the end once they all figured out the truth really made me love it more. lastly, THAT ENDING THO

[Sophie Y · Rating 2 out of 5]

Of course the guys have perfect muscular bodies.
Because which decent 17-year-old teenager from a good rh book doesn't?

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. That ending though!

[omega’s rights activist · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.2! Ouran host club but an rh

[Amanda Marie]

DNF @ 10%

[Bridgette Cauthen · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG!!!

Oh my God! I can't even form words about how I feel right now. I've never been so stunned at the end of a book before. I thought CM's other book I Was Born Ruined had the craziest cliff hanger ever, but this one takes the cake. I'm not sure I could have gone on with my life if I hadn't seen the blurb for the beginning of the next book online.

I loved this book. Like neglecting my family and sleep to finish it 4 hours later loved it. I'm not sure how CM manages to write so many books that keep changing my mind about what her best book ever is, but she does it every time she publishes a new book. Needless to say, I need to know what happens. Surely that's not Spencer. I love him the most. Well maybe I love Church the most. Or Tobias. Or Micah. Or Ranger. I need them all! I'll add the next book in this series to the list of books I can't freaking wait for CM to publish!!!! Read this book.

[Maike Jensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

The plot is laughable at times. Pretty much none of the actions of any of the characters really makes sense. I'm not condoning bullying, but Charlotte is terrible in the beginning, I understand why nobody likes her (him). To be fair though, the author does warn us that she's immature and annoying to start with. The author also uses Charlotte to express her own opinions about a variety of different (political) subjects. Just very strange to read. I might read the second book, just because I'm curious about how the reletionships develop, but this really was not my cup of tea. I'm stunned at the amount of 4 and 5 star reviews.

[Andrea C. *andreasbookishlife* · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an entertaining read that I finished it very quickly. I was swept into the romance, drama, and mystery element of this book very quickly. I couldn’t stop reading! I also enjoyed reading about the school setting. I cant wait to pick up books 2 and 3!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I knew it was cliffhanger but have to take one star away because I hate them....hate waiting and forgetting how scared I was....

[Lindsey Iler · Rating 5 out of 5]

What the actual fuck, fuck, fuckity fuck! I can’t! THIS IS WHY I LOVE TO READ! Books like this one that have me up until the wee hours of the night, wishing time to pass so I can dive back in! This is my first book by CM Stunich and let me tell you, I’m officially fan girling over her!
The Secret Girl is my first RH & to say I’m ready to binge everything in the genre is an understatement and I have CM to blame for it! In this book, I found everything I love! All the angst, sexual tension, and so much mystery and suspense! I was on the edge of my seat.
AND DO NOT GET ME STARTED WITH THAT ENDING! I’m stunned. I’m intrigued. I want more.
CM Stunich.... You have a fan in me!

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

ReRead 2/20 liked this better the second time around! Five stars! ************It’s official. I’ve lost my god damned mind. I’ve switched my rating from 4 to 5 stars and back again... All. Day. Long. Sorry to my GR friends who keep getting the annoying AF updates. I just can’t stop thinking about this book. So I guess I’m gonna have to settle on 5. Or is it 4. No, it’s 5. Definitely 5. Probably. ;p

[Carolina · Rating 3 out of 5]

—𝐒𝐮 𝐢𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞 𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐩𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐣𝐨 𝐄𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐥 𝐧𝐨 𝐞𝐬𝐭á 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐨 𝐩𝐨𝐫 á𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐬 —𝐝𝐢𝐠𝐨, 𝐝á𝐧𝐝𝐨𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐠𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐬 𝐮𝐧𝐚 𝐦𝐢𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐚 𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐚𝐧 𝐜𝐨𝐧 𝐮𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫 𝐝𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐬.
—𝐌á𝐬 𝐛𝐢𝐞𝐧 𝐞𝐬𝐭á 𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐬

[potato reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

3'5

Voy a intentar ser rápida porque tengo muchas ganas de empezar el tercer libro de Havoc xd.

Vamos a ver, me ha gustado pero no tanto. Le he puesto la misma nota que Filtry Rich Boys porque mientras que este libro ha sido un poco más aburrido que FRB, sí ha tenido un punto más realista a pesar de que he encontrado algunos gazapos de manual.

-Como ya he dicho, me ha parecido un poco más aburrido que FRB.

+Voy a decir que encuentro la situación más realista que FRB porque mientras que en ese libro, buleaban a la prota porque sí y sin un gran motivo aparente, en este puedo llegar a ver el motivo y es que Chuck/Charlotte se comporta como una gran hija de puta desde el principio, negándose a ayudar a un compañero con un trabajo cuando ella tiene la culpa de haberlo jodido y básicamente haberlo tirado a la basura (y encima se niega a darle ni un lo siento).

~Aunque Marnye (FRB) me pareció muy sosa (estoy hablando del primer libro siempre, por supuesto, no puedo comparar este libro con toda la saga de FRB porque sería injusto) y un poco tonta, Chuck no es que me caiga muy bien la verdad, me parece una borde sin justificación alguna, lo dice una borde como yo JJSJAJ, no ahora en serio, no tenía ninguna justificación.

-La autora justifica que Chuck quiera ser un hombre en vez de una mujer con un asesinato que hubo hace tiempo y bueno, me parece más o menos razonable pero CM no te lo hace sentir así durante la novela, creo que ella se viste de hombre para ir en contra de su padre más que otra cosa.

-El gazapo de manual. Chuck quiere pasar desaprecibida, de hecho lo dice: que si quiere irse a una esquina y no lo vean y blablabla. Pero es que en ningún momento se molesta por parecer invisible, joder. No sé, tirar el trabajo del delegado por las escaleras y no disculparte, contestar siempre mal al comité de estudiantes y básicamente insultar sin decir (y a veces, muchas veces, decir) "que os follen"... Pues hija, eso según mi manual no es ser discreta. No sé muy bien lo que quería CM pero lo he sentido todo muy confuso.

-Ahora hablemos del padre porque tela. Básicamente este señor me ha caido peor que el padre de Marnye, cosa dificil la verdá. No hace nada por proteger a su hija, no se interesa y todo el rato intenta imponer y manejarla y cuando ella se niega a algo no tiene los huevos de decir: hija que eso no es seguro para ti o te van a descubrir. Es que joder eh. En ningún momento mira por la seguridad de su hija y por el secreto de que en realidad es una mujer, nooooo, en cambio la pone con otras personas para que así sea más invisible (sarcasmo obviamente xd).

+Sí que es cierto que la segunda parte mejora y se vuelve más ágil pero es que la primera fue muy aburrida.

+La trama de la muerte de la chica me parece muy interesante y le d aun toque de thriller que engancha, la pena es que se le da más protagonismo en la segunda mitad y no en la primera.

En resumen, me ha gustado, sí, pero no es de los mejores de CM, seguiré leyendo porque la trama me mantiene intrigada.

[Mirai · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5

This book was so much more than I expected! The book focused more in the mystery plot (which btw is really good and kept me hooked until the end) and character development (what is a little unusual in RH books). I was hopping for more hot stuff since, well, it's a RH book, but even thought much didn't happen I was happy, bc the female lead (or should I say male lead? Lol) was starting to know all of the guys better.

For a shoujo anime/manga lover as I am, the book REALLY reminded me of OHSHC (mainly Tobias and Micah) and I loved them!

I still don't get Church, he is confusing to me. Also, Ranger was someone in the first half of the book and another in the second (first a real hottie bad boy with earcufs and piercings and after a cutie that likes to bake and cares a lot for Charlotte Chuck). Spencer always made my heart beat faster bc he was always so open about his feelings and I was hoping so much for the hot stuff between them *sniff* . And the twins omg, just like OHSHC, one of them (Tobias) really has feelings for the FL and the other (Micah) loves his brother very very much.

As for all the mystery and the cliffhanger in the f*cking LAST PAGE of the book I don't have any idea of who is behind everything, there are so many possibilities. I'm really looking forward to the next book!!!

[rosa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh. Three stars is probably a bit generous - it's mainly for the mystery elements that I enjoyed, and the ending wasn't too bad either.

I really found the central premise of Charlotte going undercover as a boy in an all-boys school to be unbelievable. Her reasoning was that she didn't want to be a social experiment for the academy but that just didn't seem enough for me - this teenage girl cut off all her hair, but then when she got to the school, she didn't really seem to be trying that hard to fool anyone.

Also, on the opening page, she talks about her nipples to her dad, and I didn't like that at all.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading her "Rich boys of Burberry prep" series, naturally, I picked up the first book in her other Bully Romance series. I'm giving it 3 stars just like Filthy Rich Boys but I don't have the same reasons. In The Secret Girl, I felt like the bullying was a bit more lightweight (except for the spiders). It took me a little while to get into the book but I ended up liking it and I really want to see the murder mystery resolved. Also, I have no idea what motives could these people have for trying to kill Charlotte. I mean, I know she's annoying as hell for a good part of the book and I hated her attitude but still.

This book leaves us on a huge cliffhanger but I'm pretty sure it's not how it looks like so I'm not panicking. I'm glad the next book is out though! I would have hated to wait to find out. By the end of the book, I'm liking the boys more and more.