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Hazel (1853 KP) rated This Secret We're Keeping in Books
May 25, 2017
Well-Written
I received this book for free through Goodreads First Reads.
A pupil and a teacher. Is it ever right to break the rules? This is the dilemma which debut author Rebecca Done basis her novel on. This Secret We’re Keeping is set seventeen years after a maths teacher began an inappropriate relationship with a schoolgirl; but did he really deserve what happened to him, after all he loved her and she loved him?
Jess has never got over her love for the teacher she ran away with when she was fifteen. Although she has got her life together: living in Norfolk, freelance catering business, a rich boyfriend; she cannot help but think back to way Mr. Landley, Matthew, made her feel. Suddenly, after a chance encounter, Matthew is back in her life with a new name, Will, and a girlfriend and daughter. Delighted to see each other again, it is not long before they fall back into their illicit affair, however the potential consequences are almost as bad as the previous time.
This Secret We’re Keeping causes the reader to question strong personal beliefs, primarily whether a teacher-student relationship is as wrong as it sounds. If certain events in this novel were to be made public through the media, the majority would instantly hate Matthew, deem him a paedophile, and be satisfied with his punishment. However on reading the situation from his point of view, initial opinions begin to crumble. It appears he genuinely loved Jess, and she him; there were no abusive occurrences, and it was Jess that instigated the relationship in the first place. Did Matthew truly deserve to go to prison for something that would have been legal in a year’s time?
Matthew/Will’s narrative helps to show that it is virtually impossible to pinpoint a single moment that changes a life forever. At which point did he know that he had stepped over the line from right to wrong? In hindsight it is fairly obvious, but at the time the warning signs are not so clear.
Due to the challenging of preset judgments, This Secret We’re Keeping can often be difficult to read. Whilst on the one hand logic will be screaming, “This is wrong!” Done plays with her readers’ sentimentalities to consider the other side of the argument. As the novel progresses it becomes easier to fall in line with Jess and Matthew/Will’s viewpoints, however a brief interaction towards the end forces readers to temporarily reconsider their forgone conclusion. After all, how much can a first person narrative really be trusted?
Having read the blurb I admit I was a bit wary about reading this book. For one, it falls under the genre of Chick Lit, which I am not all that fond of, but secondly the book’s theme appeared rather controversial. On the whole, This Secret We’re Keeping was much better than I was anticipating, however I began to lose interest towards the end as nothing much had changed throughout the present day chapters, and it was already obvious how the past narrative would pan out. The ending is also frustratingly ambiguous, as we never find out whether either of the key characters gets a “happy ever after.”
If you are someone who enjoys Chick Lit, do not let the themes of the book put you off. This Secret We’re Keeping is essentially a romance story, one that is written remarkably well for a first time author. Rebecca Done will be a name to look out for in the world of contemporary literature.
A pupil and a teacher. Is it ever right to break the rules? This is the dilemma which debut author Rebecca Done basis her novel on. This Secret We’re Keeping is set seventeen years after a maths teacher began an inappropriate relationship with a schoolgirl; but did he really deserve what happened to him, after all he loved her and she loved him?
Jess has never got over her love for the teacher she ran away with when she was fifteen. Although she has got her life together: living in Norfolk, freelance catering business, a rich boyfriend; she cannot help but think back to way Mr. Landley, Matthew, made her feel. Suddenly, after a chance encounter, Matthew is back in her life with a new name, Will, and a girlfriend and daughter. Delighted to see each other again, it is not long before they fall back into their illicit affair, however the potential consequences are almost as bad as the previous time.
This Secret We’re Keeping causes the reader to question strong personal beliefs, primarily whether a teacher-student relationship is as wrong as it sounds. If certain events in this novel were to be made public through the media, the majority would instantly hate Matthew, deem him a paedophile, and be satisfied with his punishment. However on reading the situation from his point of view, initial opinions begin to crumble. It appears he genuinely loved Jess, and she him; there were no abusive occurrences, and it was Jess that instigated the relationship in the first place. Did Matthew truly deserve to go to prison for something that would have been legal in a year’s time?
Matthew/Will’s narrative helps to show that it is virtually impossible to pinpoint a single moment that changes a life forever. At which point did he know that he had stepped over the line from right to wrong? In hindsight it is fairly obvious, but at the time the warning signs are not so clear.
Due to the challenging of preset judgments, This Secret We’re Keeping can often be difficult to read. Whilst on the one hand logic will be screaming, “This is wrong!” Done plays with her readers’ sentimentalities to consider the other side of the argument. As the novel progresses it becomes easier to fall in line with Jess and Matthew/Will’s viewpoints, however a brief interaction towards the end forces readers to temporarily reconsider their forgone conclusion. After all, how much can a first person narrative really be trusted?
Having read the blurb I admit I was a bit wary about reading this book. For one, it falls under the genre of Chick Lit, which I am not all that fond of, but secondly the book’s theme appeared rather controversial. On the whole, This Secret We’re Keeping was much better than I was anticipating, however I began to lose interest towards the end as nothing much had changed throughout the present day chapters, and it was already obvious how the past narrative would pan out. The ending is also frustratingly ambiguous, as we never find out whether either of the key characters gets a “happy ever after.”
If you are someone who enjoys Chick Lit, do not let the themes of the book put you off. This Secret We’re Keeping is essentially a romance story, one that is written remarkably well for a first time author. Rebecca Done will be a name to look out for in the world of contemporary literature.
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Merissa (12934 KP) rated The First Secret (Hidden Portals Trilogy #2) in Books
May 24, 2019
The First Secret (Hidden Portals Trilogy #2) by Maya Daniels
The First Secret is the second book in the Hidden Portals Trilogy, and there is no second-book-slump with this little beauty.
This is Fern and Iris' story, and we are able to catch up with Raphael and Artemis too. I love Iris, and have done from book one. She is sassy, has an attitude, and isn't afraid to stand up for herself against 'others'. Fern fights his attraction to Iris, fearing her to be the same as Lazarus. It takes a while, and some 'advice' from others, plus a near death experience before he realises he is an ass. And don't we all love it when that happens?!
Once again, this story is complete by itself, but it does lead you nicely to the next book. As with all Maya Daniels books, there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. I love her world-building, and the characters are just amazing. I am loving this series, and have no hesitation in recommending both the book and the series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
This is Fern and Iris' story, and we are able to catch up with Raphael and Artemis too. I love Iris, and have done from book one. She is sassy, has an attitude, and isn't afraid to stand up for herself against 'others'. Fern fights his attraction to Iris, fearing her to be the same as Lazarus. It takes a while, and some 'advice' from others, plus a near death experience before he realises he is an ass. And don't we all love it when that happens?!
Once again, this story is complete by itself, but it does lead you nicely to the next book. As with all Maya Daniels books, there were no editing or grammatical errors that disrupted my reading. I love her world-building, and the characters are just amazing. I am loving this series, and have no hesitation in recommending both the book and the series.
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Vegas (725 KP) rated Buffy The Vampire Slayer in TV
Oct 26, 2019
The cast (4 more)
The story
The humour
Spike
Giles
Holds up well for it's age.
Returning to watch Buffy after quite a few years, fully expecting the nostalgic feeling I had towards it to be ruined by it not aging well. I actually found it still held the same appeal and could easily have been made a couple of years ago, the humour, action and cast chemistry make it a joy to watch, even now.
The idea (for those who don't know) is one girl, being the chosen one, The Slayer who fights the forces of darkness, secretly, with the aid of a mentor "The Watcher" brilliantly played by Anthony Head. Except, Buffy is a bit different from other previous Slayers... She has a life, friends, relationship issues and so the "secret" part of the the task at hand isn't quite so secret... With help and hindrance in almost equal measure from humans, vampires, daemons, military, and witches to name but a few...
The 2 main watchers we encounter during the series are superbly played and could almost be clones of each other and Spike is still one of the best characters of all time on TV...
If you haven't seen it, it is really worth a go and if you haven't seen it for some time, spare a little time for a classic...
The idea (for those who don't know) is one girl, being the chosen one, The Slayer who fights the forces of darkness, secretly, with the aid of a mentor "The Watcher" brilliantly played by Anthony Head. Except, Buffy is a bit different from other previous Slayers... She has a life, friends, relationship issues and so the "secret" part of the the task at hand isn't quite so secret... With help and hindrance in almost equal measure from humans, vampires, daemons, military, and witches to name but a few...
The 2 main watchers we encounter during the series are superbly played and could almost be clones of each other and Spike is still one of the best characters of all time on TV...
If you haven't seen it, it is really worth a go and if you haven't seen it for some time, spare a little time for a classic...
Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Secret Garden in Books
Jul 1, 2019
A childrens classic
I'm ashamed to admit that I've never read or seen The Secret Garden. It passed me by as a child and I can understand why as i don't think the book lends itself to a younger reader with the language used. But as an adult, I thoroughly enjoyed this - all thanks to my Smashbomb secret Santa (book exchange).
This is one of the few stories with a child protagonist that I really enjoyed. Mainly because the child starts off as the usual stubborn stroppy brat, but the whole point of this story is to detail Mary's change in character. And boy does she change, and not only her but her cousin too. The character development in this book is brilliant, and whilst the plot itself is fairly basic but enjoyable, it's the characters that make this book. The writing itself is very good although not as good for younger readers as you'd expect. My only criticism is the Yorkshire characters. Whilst I'm used to the Yorkshire accent in reality, trying to read it in a book proves to be very trying and gets a little bit irritating after a while. Although it definitely does sound Yorkshire when you read it out!
Altogether a very good enjoyable and heartwarming read, that's also just about the right length for the plot.
This is one of the few stories with a child protagonist that I really enjoyed. Mainly because the child starts off as the usual stubborn stroppy brat, but the whole point of this story is to detail Mary's change in character. And boy does she change, and not only her but her cousin too. The character development in this book is brilliant, and whilst the plot itself is fairly basic but enjoyable, it's the characters that make this book. The writing itself is very good although not as good for younger readers as you'd expect. My only criticism is the Yorkshire characters. Whilst I'm used to the Yorkshire accent in reality, trying to read it in a book proves to be very trying and gets a little bit irritating after a while. Although it definitely does sound Yorkshire when you read it out!
Altogether a very good enjoyable and heartwarming read, that's also just about the right length for the plot.
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