The Secrets We Keep (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781665906944)

"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.

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?

Author: Cassie Gustafson
ISBN-10: 1665906944
ISBN-13: 9781665906944
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Language: English
Published: 11/08/2022
Pages: 352
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 8.30h x 5.90w x 1.10d

Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 09/01/2022
Publishers Weekly 10/03/2022
School Library Journal 12/01/2022 pg. 92
Hornbook Guide to Children 01/01/2023 - Superior,Well Above Average