Wow. Justwow. An unassuming concept for a story glows in the talented hands of Holly Cupala, who captured my attention on the very first page.
Mirandas narration is easy on the eyes and mind. Through her, problems that couldve been easily overdramatized become painfully real expressions of emotions that anyone can relate to: grief, fear, desire, and more. While there is never much physical movement throughout the story, the emotional arc is so poignant that, towards the end, I found myself bursting into tears at certain lines or gripping the book with shaking hands as I rushed to find out what would happen, if things will turn out alright.
Miranda herself is definitely a quiet protagonist, so those who like their female main characters snappier and wittier will not find that here. Still, there is a way about Miranda that endears her to readers, that draws us into her problems and concerns and misconceptions.
TELL ME A SECRET is a heartwrenchingly good contemporary YA read. Holly Cupala proves herself to be a powerful writing force with this one, and I cant wait to see what Holly will write next.
Mirandas narration is easy on the eyes and mind. Through her, problems that couldve been easily overdramatized become painfully real expressions of emotions that anyone can relate to: grief, fear, desire, and more. While there is never much physical movement throughout the story, the emotional arc is so poignant that, towards the end, I found myself bursting into tears at certain lines or gripping the book with shaking hands as I rushed to find out what would happen, if things will turn out alright.
Miranda herself is definitely a quiet protagonist, so those who like their female main characters snappier and wittier will not find that here. Still, there is a way about Miranda that endears her to readers, that draws us into her problems and concerns and misconceptions.
TELL ME A SECRET is a heartwrenchingly good contemporary YA read. Holly Cupala proves herself to be a powerful writing force with this one, and I cant wait to see what Holly will write next.
This was such a heart-wrenching story. Rand is such a fantastic character. She swept me into her world and wouldn't let me go until I devoured every last page. She's strong and vulnerable at the same time. She's not sure who she truly is, trying to act like her dead sister in order to feel closer to her, she begins to lose the parts of herself that make her, her. When she finds out that she's pregnant, she tries to deny it, until it gets to the point where that becomes impossible. She finally tells 2 friends in confidence, only to be overheard, and before she has a chance to break the news to her boyfriend or her parents, someone else has done it for her. Everyone is in a rage after finding out the way they did, and poor Rand is left to deal with it all on her own.
This story was really touching for me, teen pregnancy is a tough subject to broach and Holly Cupala did this with such grace and style. I myself was pregnant at 17, I wasn't treated as harshly as Rand was, but it's a tough thing to go through. I felt her pain and mine all over again as I watched her friends suddenly abandon her. I cried like a baby through some of the more emotional scenes. This was just a story that ate it's way right through to my heart.
There was also alot of great supporting characters, Xanda, the sister who died, felt like a real character as you learn the secrets of what really happened to her. Rand's Dad, who can never stand up to her Mom, and blames himself for his daughters death. Rand's Mom, who is harsh and judgmental. The boyfriend, who's confused and scared, and is getting fed alot of false information. The friends, Delaney, who turns out to not really be a friend at all. Essense, who was the former best friend, but turns out to be a better friend than she expected. And my favorite character of all, Shelly, who is Rand's boss at work, and really takes her under her wing. The situations that Shelly has been through reminded me alot of a friend I had when I was pregnant. We were pregnant at the same time, and experienced all of the crazy firsts that go along with that at about the same time. What happens to Shelly happened to her as well, and I was so touched by her character and strength.
I just have to thank Holly Cupala for such a wonderful story that I will be thinking of for a long time to come. I recommend this read to anyone and everyone!!
This story was really touching for me, teen pregnancy is a tough subject to broach and Holly Cupala did this with such grace and style. I myself was pregnant at 17, I wasn't treated as harshly as Rand was, but it's a tough thing to go through. I felt her pain and mine all over again as I watched her friends suddenly abandon her. I cried like a baby through some of the more emotional scenes. This was just a story that ate it's way right through to my heart.
There was also alot of great supporting characters, Xanda, the sister who died, felt like a real character as you learn the secrets of what really happened to her. Rand's Dad, who can never stand up to her Mom, and blames himself for his daughters death. Rand's Mom, who is harsh and judgmental. The boyfriend, who's confused and scared, and is getting fed alot of false information. The friends, Delaney, who turns out to not really be a friend at all. Essense, who was the former best friend, but turns out to be a better friend than she expected. And my favorite character of all, Shelly, who is Rand's boss at work, and really takes her under her wing. The situations that Shelly has been through reminded me alot of a friend I had when I was pregnant. We were pregnant at the same time, and experienced all of the crazy firsts that go along with that at about the same time. What happens to Shelly happened to her as well, and I was so touched by her character and strength.
I just have to thank Holly Cupala for such a wonderful story that I will be thinking of for a long time to come. I recommend this read to anyone and everyone!!
Reviewed by Jaglvr for TeensReadToo.com
"Tell me a secret" are some of the last words that Miranda (aka Rand) will hear from her older sister, Xanda (Alexandra).
Rand's sister was killed in a car accident. Rand has always been told that Xanda's boyfriend, Andre, was at fault. Like everything in Rand's life, she accepts that at face value and is the good daughter. Xanda was the wild one, running around and dressing provocatively.
Things change for Rand when Delaney enters her life. Delaney livens things up for Rand and the two are soon inseparable. Rand meets Kamran Ziyal and has her first boyfriend. She also starts to distance herself from her long-time friend, Essence...mainly because Delaney doesn't like Essence and constantly puts her down.
The summer before senior year is when everything changes. Delaney was supposed to go to Amsterdam. Kamran was to be working two jobs and taking classes to help him get into a good school. And Miranda is off to be a counselor at a church camp. When Rand gets home, she can tell something isn't quite right.
And to make matters worse, once she gets home from camp, she can no longer put off the frightening fact that she is pregnant. As Miranda tries to get time alone with Karman to discuss the situation, Delaney is constantly there. Through this difficult time, Rand finds herself running into Andre. Now, not only does she have to face the pregnancy, she has to face the truth of Xanda's death.
TELL ME A SECRET is a difficult story about falling in love, being betrayed, and facing hard truths. Ms. Cupala writes a brutally honest story that can frustrate and anger the reader, making them side with Miranda through it all and hoping that she manages to come out okay in the end.
"Tell me a secret" are some of the last words that Miranda (aka Rand) will hear from her older sister, Xanda (Alexandra).
Rand's sister was killed in a car accident. Rand has always been told that Xanda's boyfriend, Andre, was at fault. Like everything in Rand's life, she accepts that at face value and is the good daughter. Xanda was the wild one, running around and dressing provocatively.
Things change for Rand when Delaney enters her life. Delaney livens things up for Rand and the two are soon inseparable. Rand meets Kamran Ziyal and has her first boyfriend. She also starts to distance herself from her long-time friend, Essence...mainly because Delaney doesn't like Essence and constantly puts her down.
The summer before senior year is when everything changes. Delaney was supposed to go to Amsterdam. Kamran was to be working two jobs and taking classes to help him get into a good school. And Miranda is off to be a counselor at a church camp. When Rand gets home, she can tell something isn't quite right.
And to make matters worse, once she gets home from camp, she can no longer put off the frightening fact that she is pregnant. As Miranda tries to get time alone with Karman to discuss the situation, Delaney is constantly there. Through this difficult time, Rand finds herself running into Andre. Now, not only does she have to face the pregnancy, she has to face the truth of Xanda's death.
TELL ME A SECRET is a difficult story about falling in love, being betrayed, and facing hard truths. Ms. Cupala writes a brutally honest story that can frustrate and anger the reader, making them side with Miranda through it all and hoping that she manages to come out okay in the end.
What a disorganized mess. I don't want to rip into this book too much, but I do want to share a few thoughts.
The main character was petulant and selfish, which I guess is probably true to how most teens are these days. But that doesn't make for interesting reading. Neither do off-the-wall names, like Xanda, Rand, Delaney, and ESSENCE. Sorry, you can't fool me. I'm not going to think a character is interesting just because she has a bizarre name. And I'm definitely not going to connect with any of these characters either, since most of them had personality changes at the flip of a page.
A very uneven read that could've been a 3 star book with a few more edits and changes. Adds nothing new or interesting to the "teen pregnancy" genre. A few issues were left unresolved (sure, that's life, but this is fiction), and none of it felt important enough to care about.
The main character was petulant and selfish, which I guess is probably true to how most teens are these days. But that doesn't make for interesting reading. Neither do off-the-wall names, like Xanda, Rand, Delaney, and ESSENCE. Sorry, you can't fool me. I'm not going to think a character is interesting just because she has a bizarre name. And I'm definitely not going to connect with any of these characters either, since most of them had personality changes at the flip of a page.
A very uneven read that could've been a 3 star book with a few more edits and changes. Adds nothing new or interesting to the "teen pregnancy" genre. A few issues were left unresolved (sure, that's life, but this is fiction), and none of it felt important enough to care about.
