The Secrets We Keep
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers · Hardcover · November 8, 2022
“Visceral…a vital, heart-wrenching account of one teen’s harrowing experience.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) In the vein of The Way I Used to Be and Kelly Loy Gilbert’s Conviction, this “exceedingly well-written, powerful, and suspenseful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) young adult novel follows a girl’s struggle to reconcile friendship, sexual abuse, and the secrets we bury deep down inside to survive.
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- Who it’s for
- A suspenseful, emotionally difficult read about loyalty, survival, and truths that refuse to stay buried.
- Genres
- Surviving Sexual Abuse, Mental Illness for Teens, YA Mysteries
- Published
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, November 8, 2022
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For younger readers: Caprice
For older readers: The Last Good Girl, These Things Hidden
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Start with this bookAbout this book
“Visceral…a vital, heart-wrenching account of one teen’s harrowing experience.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review) In the vein of The Way I Used to Be and Kelly Loy Gilbert’s Conviction, this “exceedingly well-written, powerful, and suspenseful” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) young adult novel follows a girl’s struggle to reconcile friendship, sexual abuse, and the secrets we bury deep down inside to survive.
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High school freshman Emma Clark harbors a secret—a secret so vile it could implode her whole world, a secret she’s managed to keep buried…until the day her best friend, Hannah, accuses Emma’s father of a heinous crime. Following her father’s arrest and torn between loyalty to Hannah and to her family, Emma is devastated to learn she must testify against Hannah’s word in order to keep her family together. As Emma wrestles with this impossible decision, her fractured past begins to resurface piece by painful piece—causing the line to blur between her present-day reality and the dark fairy tales she writes to survive, all of which threaten to expose Emma’s long-buried truths. The Secrets We Keep explores the complex, powerful bonds of friendship and family, asking the difficult question: At what point does Emma’s loyalty to another become a betrayal of herself? And perhaps the toughest question of all: Can Emma find the strength to finally unbury her secret?
When Secrets Surface
A suspenseful, emotionally difficult read about loyalty, survival, and truths that refuse to stay buried.
Come here for
- A tense YA story about friendship, family loyalty, and buried truths
- The uneasy overlap of painful memories and dark fairy tales
Expect
- A fractured perspective shaped by past pain and present uncertainty
- Close attention to the bonds between friends and family
Where it sits
| Surviving Sexual Abuse | 95% |
|---|---|
| YA Mysteries | 50% |
| Mental Illness for Teens | 43% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Emotions & Feelings for Teens
- Abuse & Trauma for Teens
- Surviving Sexual Abuse
- Authors
- Cassie Gustafson
- Publisher
- Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
- Published
- November 8, 2022
- Format
- Hardcover
- Reading lane
- Emotions & Feelings for Teens