Tell Me a Secret by Holly Cupala

Publication date: 6/22/10, Harperteen

FTC: received arc from publisher

Rating: 5 purrs!

Summary:

Tell me a secret, and I'll tell you one…

In the five years since her bad-girl sister Xanda’s death, Miranda Mathison has wondered about the secret her sister took to the grave, and what really happened the night she died. Now, just as Miranda is on the cusp of her dreams—a best friend to unlock her sister’s world, a ticket to art school, and a boyfriend to fly her away from it all—Miranda has a secret all her own.

Then two lines on a pregnancy test confirm her worst fears. Stripped of her former life, Miranda must make a choice with tremendous consequences and finally face her sister’s demons and her own.

Thoughts:

Have you ever read a book that made you want to leap into its pages and throw cats at the characters? No, well I guarantee that Tell Me A Secret will change that. I can't remember the last time a book pissed me off so much. I don't mean this in a negative way. Sometimes it is good when a book pisses you off. I gave Tell Me a Secret 5 purrs because I cannot remember the last time I became so emotionally invested in a book. I experienced anger, sadness, and happiness at different periods throughout the book. I even found myself getting a little teary eyed a couple of times (actually cried like a baby shhh...).

Miranda is such a well written character that you cannot help but react emotionally. The loss of her sister Xanda leads her to make some very stupid choices. One of which is ditching a long-time friend to become besties with the ultimate mean girl. Looking for a replacement for her sister, Miranda instead winds up pregnant and friendless. There were time when I wanted to throw a cat at Miranda for being so stupid, but alas I loved her too much to stay mad at her. Miranda was impossible for me now to like because she was so strong. I don't think I could have handled her situation as well as she did.

It also doesn't help Miranda that her family is completely dysfunctional. Miranda basically has no one to help her through her pregnancy until she meets a new friend at work. I thought that the issue of teen pregnancy was handled rather well in Tell Me a Secret. Miranda considers her baby to be a replacement on sorts for his dead sister, but the author never shies away from the negatives of being a teen mom. Miranda's pregnancy is never romanticized nor glamorized.

Miranda's relationship with her family is very complex. Her mother is a judgmental bitch and her father is emotionally distant. However, as Miranda's pregnancy progresses her relationship with her family changes drastically. By the end of the story they come to an understanding of sorts. Though I honestly don't know how Miranda could ever forgive her mother for some of the things she did.

I could go on and on about how amazing this book was, but I don't want to bore you all. Tell Me a Secret was a real page turner. The pacing and format of it was perfect. I was never bored or confused by anything that was happening. I pretty much picked Tell Me a Secret up and didn't put it down again until I was finished.

I enjoyed Tell Me a Secret so much, that I have decided to host an international contest for my arc.

Rules:

All you have to do is leave a comment below telling me about a literary character that pissed you off. It can be from any type of book and not just young adult. Must leave your email address.

The fine print:

contest open worldwide until 4/3/10

leave email address in comments

winner has 48 hours to contact me or I pick someone new

must follow the rules or your entry won't count

extra entries:

+2 tweeting

+3 followers old and new

+2 sidebar or blog post