Book Review: The Secrets Between You and Me by Shana Norris

The Secrets Between You and Me by Shana Norris

Pages:247 (ebook)
Publish date: Feburay 10th 2015
Publisher: The Studio, a Paper Lantern Lit imprint
ISBN: 9780988450936
Purchase: Amazon UK – Amazon US – Amazon AU

4 wheels on a rusty truck * 2 gray eyes * 1 secret that could ruin everything…

All Hannah wanted was a summer break from being “perfect Hannah Cohen” and a chance to forget about the devastating family secret that could ruin her seemingly perfect life. So when she takes off for her eccentric aunt’s house in the mountains of North Carolina and everyone makes one big (wrong) assumption about her past, Hannah figures that it’s easier to live a lie than have to face the truth.

She never expected to make any real friends, like the hilarious and spontaneous Kate and Ashton, who drag her to late night bonfires and ice cream marathons. And she especially never counted on meeting Jude Westmore, the brooding bad boy next door with gray eyes and permanent oil smudges on his fingers, or that he would ever take an interest in her.

Between moonlit movie nights in the bed of Jude’s truck and nearly romantic Ferris Wheel rides, Hannah’s old life seems father away then ever, but can she keep her secret, or is the truth worth the risk of losing everything, including Jude?

The Secrets Between You and Me

I received a copy of The Secrets Between You and Me by Shana Norris through Net Galley, this has in no way influenced my opinion on the book.

I read this on a whim, I was going through Net Galley and The Secrets Between You and Me. I did not realise that it was a companion to another novel but it in no way hindered my thoughts or confused me in any way.

Hannah is the protagonist of The Secrets Between You and Me and sometimes in contemporary novels I don’t have a nice relationship with the female protagonist but Hannah, my heart broke for her.

She puts on this façade that protects her, but she doesn’t always want to be this ‘perfect’ human that everyone makes her out to me. She holds a devastating family secret that is haunting her. All she wants to do is forget all this.

So when she goes away to her aunts for the summer, where everyone makes an incorrect assumption about her past, she goes along with it.

Hannah never thought that she would make real friends and I think that is in most teen girl’s heads. They think that the will ‘fit in’ but like Hannah finds out that is not always the case. It’s nice sometimes to read contemporary, because it’s real.

Even though I liked the plot of The Secrets Between You and Me I didn’t love Shana Norris writing. It was good don’t get me wrong, but I was just waiting for more.

Kate and Ashton are two spontaneous and quite enjoyable characters that befriend Hannah on her summer journey. They added something to the story that put a big, fat smile on my face.

Then there is Jude and let me tell you, I want this man in my life, he is incredible. He has this tough exterior that masks his hurt, and that he does need someone to help him.

His and Hannah’s relationship is adorable and cute and heartbreaking, it’s real.

The Secrets Between You and Me is not just about love and friendship but about family and that sometimes families are not perfect like they are in movies, most are broken and Hannah’s is no different. They all old their secrets and it’s tearing the family into tiny specks of dust.

Even though I didn’t like Shana Norris’ writing all that much, she does know how to capture emotions. I felt everything that Hannah felt, everything that Jude felt. It was uplifting at times and tragic at others, but at a whole the emotions evoked by Norris are captivating.

Yes I may have not liked the writing style, but I did love the plot, characters and emotions of The Secrets Between You and Me. Yes the story line may be clique but it was done well in my opinion. But I won’t be reading the companion simply because the story lines makes me want to cry and not for a good reason.

To finish on a good note, The Secrets Between You and Me is an enjoyable read, that will hook you by the plot. It’s emotional from start to finish.

Have you read The Secrets Between You and Me? Are you going to read it?