Review: My Secret to Tell by Natalie D. Richards

My Secret to Tell

by Natalie D. Richards

October 6, 2015

320 pages

Goodreads  Indigo

Goodreads Summary:

There was blood on his hands. Where was the guilt in his eyes?

Emmie's had a crush on her best friend's brother forever. Deacon is the town bad boy who's always in trouble, but she sees his soft side when he volunteers with her at the local animal shelter. She doesn't think he's dangerous…until he shows up in her bedroom with blood on his hands.

Deacon's father has been violently assaulted and Deacon is suspect number one. Emmie's smart enough to know how this looks, but she also knows Deacon's biggest secret—he's paralyzed by the sight of blood. She's sure he didn't do this. Or did he? Because even Deacon's own sister thinks he's guilty…

 

Review
 

The moment I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read My Secret to Tell. Being a big mystery fan I predicted some elements but I was not disappointed by the story. I loved getting the clues and using them to decipher the motives and solve the 'whodunit'.

I enjoyed My Secret to Tell. The guessing and the waiting were all great fun. The writing style wasn't my favourite though. There were short clipped lines that I found hard to absorb. The pacing was decent with helpful flashbacks to their pasts. It was heartwarming to see how much the characters were a part of each other's every day - being there for each other with encouragements.

Emmie's an endearing character. Her tendency to clean was adorkable although her inability to tell her parents what she wanted vexed me. She should not be paying for her brother's mistake. Live for yourself! Go for the boy you've always wanted! Those were a couple of the things I wanted to shout at her. Emmie's a smart girl, I'll give her that. She had some very sound and rational theories regarding Deacon's father's assault. She was on the right track but the whole thing was just a whole lotta bigger than her or Deacon could've imagined.

Chelsea and Deacon didn't win any points with their behaviours. The way they treated Emmie for granted didn't sit well with me. Chelsea's biting words out of nowhere were hurtful and cruel. Even more so because they've been best friends since childhood. It was also unfair of Deacon to drag Emmie into the drama no matter how much he didn't mean to. She helps people. It's in her nature. Emmie could never stay away from him. At least out of the whole mess, they were able to acknowledge their mutual attraction. The forbidden moment they shared were sweet.

The mystery kept me on edge. I was just flipping page after page dying to know the truth. I had to know if the person I suspected was involved. All the while I just kept thinking, it couldn't have been that simple, could it? Then bingo! I kind of predicted that last big shocker but it did not lessen the blow. The criminals were a bit convenient but nonetheless the story was movie-worthy.

As a huge mystery fan, I'm thrilled I got the chance to read My Secret to Tell. The puzzles kept me wrapped up in the story and the romance induced sighs from me. Definitely give this book a shot if you're a big mystery fan.
 

*I received an ARC of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinion are my own and not affected in any way.