4 Stars: A Great Read
Series: Touch #1
Hardback: 252 Pages
Publication: December 23, 2008 by Disney-Hyperion
Some secrets shouldn’t be kept…
Up until three months ago, everything in sixteen-year-old Camelia’s life had been fairly ordinary: decent grades; an okay relationship with her parents; and a pretty cool part-time job at the art studio downtown. But when Ben, the mysterious new guy, starts junior year at her high school, Camelia’s life becomes anything but ordinary.
Rumored to be somehow responsible for his ex-girlfriend’s accidental death, Ben is immediately ostracized by everyone on campus. Except for Camelia. She’s reluctant to believe the rumors, even when her friends try to convince her otherwise. She’s inexplicably drawn to Ben…and to his touch. But soon, Camelia is receiving eerie phone calls and strange packages with threatening notes. Ben insists she is in danger, and that he can help–but can he be trusted? She knows he’s hiding something… but he’s not the only one with a secret.
From the best-selling author of Blue is for Nightmares comes a story of paranormal romance that’s sure to be a thrilling and chilling teen favorite
Deadly Little Secret is a mystery novel with a paranormal element to it. First, Camelia is saved by a new guy, but when she finds him again, Ben denies that he’s met her before. Next, Camelia finds that she has a stalker. When Ben tries to warn her that she’s in danger, it’s no wonder that Camelia finds it hard to trust him, especially when he’s keeping secrets.
I liked Ben, despite his strange behavior, and didn’t want him to be the stalker. Unfortunately, everyone else blamed him because of the rumors circulating around that he killed his ex-girlfriend. His antisocial behavior didn’t win him any fans either. Only Camelia expresses interest in him, and then her stalker makes a move. I was as wary as Camelia of everything around her and just as fearful the times that she finds herself alone. I even began suspecting Ben a little.
As if there weren’t enough suspense, several chapters are told from the stalker’s perspective. With each one, the stalker becomes more and more insistent that Camelia is out to drive him crazy. Worst of all, there were easily five guys who could have fit into the stalker’s role, as the stalker never narrates anything that could give his identity away or rule out a suspect.
I’ve read some past reviews. Quite a few compare this book to Twilight–and not in a good way. This has happened quite a bit and not only against Twilight. Perfectly good books in their own right are torn to pieces just because of a couple similarities to some other previously published book. With so many books out there, many are guaranteed to have similarities to each other. What matters is how the story is told and if it’s good. And Deadly Little Secrets is a brilliant novel. Honestly, I don’t see what’s to compare to Twilight other than the fact that the girl is attracted to a hot guy who wants to avoid people.
I recommend this for paranormal fans who want to reach something a little different from the norm and to fans of The Body Finder series who haven’t read this book already.
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A copy was provided by the publisher for review purposes
Author: Crystal
A story girl at heart, Crystal is a bibliophile who can easily spend the day immersed in a good read. She writes under the name Kristy Wang. You can follow her writing adventures on X and Instagram @_kristywang.
Anonymous says
I absoultley love this series!!! Read the whole series in 3 weeks and wish there was more! Im trying to get all of my friends to read!
Crystal says
It depends on what you define as inappropriate. There is a psycho stalker and a kidnapping, but there aren't any sex scenes. To really know if you're okay with letting your daughter read the book, it's always best to read it yourself first. There may be content that you wouldn't want your daughter to see while a reviewer was okay with it.
tss818 says
The Amazon.com website rates this book appropriate for ages 18 and up. Is there material in this book that would be inappropriate for my 14 year old daughter? She bought it at a used book store, but I'm hesitant about letting her read it without knowing more.
Crystal says
@Giselle: Me too. I haven't read enough suspense/mystery recently.
@Ashley: I've only read book one so far, so I have a lot more catching up to do if I'm going to read the series!
Ashley Prince says
I love this series! Sadly I am two books behind, but I absolutely love it.
And I really hate when people compare books to Twilight, whether in a good or bad way. =/
Giselle says
Ooh I love the idea of the stalker having a POV. I love books like these with suspense and mystery. Great review!
Giselle
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