The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard

Synopsis:
Take Romeo and Juliet . Add The Outsiders . Mix thoroughly. Colt and Julia were secretly together for an entire year, and no one—not even Julia’s boyfriend— knew. They had nothing in common, with Julia in her country club world on Black Mountain and Colt from down on the flats, but it never mattered. Until Julia dies in a car accident, and Colt learns the price of secrecy. He can’t mourn Julia openly, and he’s tormented that he might have played a part in her death. When Julia’s journal ends up in his hands, Colt relives their year together at the same time that he’s desperately trying to forget her. But how do you get over someone who was never yours in the first place?

My Review:
You know, I expected this book to be more depressing than it was considering the subject matter. It is after all about a guy named Colt, who had a relationship with a girl named Julia for a year and he had never told a soul until she was killed in a car accident. It was a shorter book than what I am used to reading but the author did so much with less than 200 pages. I never felt like there were cheesy moments or clichés weaved into the dialogue which drives me crazy. It touched on issues such as class and how big of a role that plays in our lives and the decisions we make.

I liked this story because everything about it felt real to me-the places, the people, how they spoke to each other, and their reactions to certain situations. Colt was human first and foremost and said stupid things that he regretted later and made mistakes and that’s what I liked about him-that despite the tragic situation he had to deal with, he did the best he could. The way in which it was told was fitting as well since it was told in such a way that the story did not try to be more than what it was which was an occurrence in someone’s life. Yes it was both tragic and significant to Colt and affected the people around him but it was not overly dramatized. I think if this author puts out any other books I would be interested to read them.