maryam162424's review against another edition
4.0
For some reason, this book just hooked me in. Ella's voice and perspective was so captivating that I read this in one sitting. I loved the way Ella thought of her sister, I wished we either saw more before the accident or had more flashbacks of the two together. The main conflict was a bit of a letdown I guess, but the reason I'm giving this 4 is because I was just totally hooked. I can't even say why, I just really liked it.
jang's review against another edition
3.0
Idk, idk. I want to like this book so bad because the premise is really good but there are a lot of scenarios that I just find hard to believe. I know it's FICTION ffs, but even fictional YAs ought to be realistic, right? Idk.
Maybe my issue with the book is a bit personal because my whole college life I had classes with this smart girl who has a twin sister. Her twin sister studied in another university but I saw them together a lot and they're identical twins but even then, I can tell them apart. That's the thing. IMO, if a random girl like me can tell super alike identical twins apart, what more for parents of identical twins?
The plot is fast-paced and even though I was having a lot issues with most of the narrative, I cried at the tender moments in the book. I cried when Josh admitted that he loves faux-Maddy Ella and when he told her he would've chosen her. I cried when Ella found out that she meant a lot to her parents and sister. I cried at some of Ella's most gut-wrenching, breakdown scenes. I connected to the story, it was really just a tad unrealistic for me to like it.
The ending is also very abrupt, like suddenly the resolution is all over the place and she's okay and she's forgiven. I want a happy ending but things don't happen that easy in real life. No matter how much you're grieving, your parents will still add to your grief because of your mistakes. I was thinking maybe Ella has mommy issues but no, it was just her cray, stubborn self. Which is also weird because her character is pegged to be uncaring about people's opinions yet she continuously shows her insecurities. So yeah.
Maybe my issue with the book is a bit personal because my whole college life I had classes with this smart girl who has a twin sister. Her twin sister studied in another university but I saw them together a lot and they're identical twins but even then, I can tell them apart. That's the thing. IMO, if a random girl like me can tell super alike identical twins apart, what more for parents of identical twins?
The plot is fast-paced and even though I was having a lot issues with most of the narrative, I cried at the tender moments in the book. I cried when Josh admitted that he loves faux-Maddy Ella and when he told her he would've chosen her. I cried when Ella found out that she meant a lot to her parents and sister. I cried at some of Ella's most gut-wrenching, breakdown scenes. I connected to the story, it was really just a tad unrealistic for me to like it.
The ending is also very abrupt, like suddenly the resolution is all over the place and she's okay and she's forgiven. I want a happy ending but things don't happen that easy in real life. No matter how much you're grieving, your parents will still add to your grief because of your mistakes. I was thinking maybe Ella has mommy issues but no, it was just her cray, stubborn self. Which is also weird because her character is pegged to be uncaring about people's opinions yet she continuously shows her insecurities. So yeah.
katleap's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the idea but don't love the outcome. I didn't believe that Ella would actually take her twin's place.
emilynsopp's review against another edition
3.0
I was so sad just thinking the whole time, what if you killed your sister in a car accident, and everyone liked her better so you pretended to be her? I love books/tv about twins, not really sure why. I liked this book, but i don't think that the solution is effective. How do you tell people that you are really not your sister and she is the one that is dead? Ella had some self-esteem issues, thinking that no one would miss her if she died. I liked how Ella got to know Maddie better by pretending to be her. It seemed like a good send off to her sister.
msethna's review against another edition
4.0
While some reviewers found this book to be predictable and simplistic, I was actually engaged right from the beginning of the story. I found the relationship between the two sisters to be realistic and they reminded me of my own two children who love each other, yet struggle to get along. I can only imagine the guilt that Ella felt throughout this whole story: when her sister was killed in a car accident while she was driving, waking up to everyone thinking she is Maddy, pretending to be Maddy, and finally learning about Maddy's deep dark secret. In the end, I took comfort in knowing that Ella's story ended on a happier note.
More than anything, I think this book gives teens some moral questions to think about. How far will you go to get what you want? What is the importance of telling the truth? How do you continue to live and move forward after dealing with the death of a loved one? Who are your true friends and how do you know?
If you are interested in a book about the power of a sister's love, check out The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver.
More than anything, I think this book gives teens some moral questions to think about. How far will you go to get what you want? What is the importance of telling the truth? How do you continue to live and move forward after dealing with the death of a loved one? Who are your true friends and how do you know?
If you are interested in a book about the power of a sister's love, check out The Secrets We Keep by Trisha Leaver.
missprint_'s review against another edition
2.0
"But no matter what I did or how far I went for her, she'd keep me on the outside, five safe steps away from her and her inner circle."
Identical twins Ella and Maddy used to be inseparable until Maddy started to care more about field hockey and the popular crowd than she did about her quiet, artsy sister.
Ella still always come when Maddy calls. Even if it means sneaking out of her room and away from her art school portfolio in the middle of the night to pick Maddy up.
Instead of a quick drive and a painless trip with both of them home in half an hour, Ella's car goes off the road in the midst of a bitter argument.
After, Ella is in the hospital, battered and with little memory of the accident. Maddy is dead.
Surrounded by friends and family who believe she is Maddy--convinced Maddy will be missed more than she ever will and filled with guilt over the accident--Ella makes a choice. She will become Maddy. She'll live the life Maddy deserved. She'll make things right.
Ella soon realizes that her sister's life is filled with secrets which Ella will have to understand while she tries to keep them. As Ella tries to make sense of the sister she barely knew she will also have to decide if she can continue living a lie or finally step out of her sister's shadow in The Secrets We Keep (2015) by Trisha Leaver.
The Secrets We Keep is a story about family and grieving but also a mystery as Ella tries to understand what Maddy had done that left her crying and desperate for Ella to pick her up on the night of the accident.
Leaver begins the story with a prologue telling readers exactly what Ella has done and why she feels so strongly that she has to pretend to be Maddy (along with numerous circumstances stacking up to lead to Ella's initial mis-identification as Maddy). The book then backs up to the night of the accident as readers learn more about the sisters' estrangement and currently strained relationship.
There is no way to get around the fact that Maddy is a stereotypically mean popular girl before her death. An identifier which she never gets to transcend because she dies and instead it is Ella left picking up the pieces.
Unfortunately shifting the start of the novel to before the accident (and before Ella truly makes her choice as she is swept up in the post-accident confusion at the hospital) neutralizes a lot of the initial urgency. For the first seventy-five pages of the novel, readers know know exactly what happens after the accident which means that readers also know more than Ella herself.
Within The Secrets We Keep, Ella's decision to become her sister makes perfect sense as the motivations stem from a deep sense of guilt combined with grief. But the premise begins to wear thin as the plot progresses and Ella's secret begins to unravel.
Elements of romance and mystery move the story forward but never integrate perfectly with the main plot of Ella making peace with her sister's death. The addition of an awkward love triangle between Ella, her best friend Josh and Josh's two-years-younger girlfriend (who Ella strongly dislikes--and maybe feels threatened by--while refusing to acknowledge possibly having romantic feelings for Josh herself) further dilutes the core elements of the story which had so much promise.
Despite having all of the right pieces, including a great heroine and strong premise, The Secrets We Keep fails to meet its potential and instead becomes very familiar as the plot moves in directions previously handled more notably by Zevin and Oliver among others.
The Secrets We Keep blends several genres to deliver elements of romance and suspense within a story about loss and grieving that will appeal to readers looking for more of the same.
Possible Pairings: I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell, Fracture by Megan Miranda, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle, Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
*An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
Identical twins Ella and Maddy used to be inseparable until Maddy started to care more about field hockey and the popular crowd than she did about her quiet, artsy sister.
Ella still always come when Maddy calls. Even if it means sneaking out of her room and away from her art school portfolio in the middle of the night to pick Maddy up.
Instead of a quick drive and a painless trip with both of them home in half an hour, Ella's car goes off the road in the midst of a bitter argument.
After, Ella is in the hospital, battered and with little memory of the accident. Maddy is dead.
Surrounded by friends and family who believe she is Maddy--convinced Maddy will be missed more than she ever will and filled with guilt over the accident--Ella makes a choice. She will become Maddy. She'll live the life Maddy deserved. She'll make things right.
Ella soon realizes that her sister's life is filled with secrets which Ella will have to understand while she tries to keep them. As Ella tries to make sense of the sister she barely knew she will also have to decide if she can continue living a lie or finally step out of her sister's shadow in The Secrets We Keep (2015) by Trisha Leaver.
The Secrets We Keep is a story about family and grieving but also a mystery as Ella tries to understand what Maddy had done that left her crying and desperate for Ella to pick her up on the night of the accident.
Leaver begins the story with a prologue telling readers exactly what Ella has done and why she feels so strongly that she has to pretend to be Maddy (along with numerous circumstances stacking up to lead to Ella's initial mis-identification as Maddy). The book then backs up to the night of the accident as readers learn more about the sisters' estrangement and currently strained relationship.
There is no way to get around the fact that Maddy is a stereotypically mean popular girl before her death. An identifier which she never gets to transcend because she dies and instead it is Ella left picking up the pieces.
Unfortunately shifting the start of the novel to before the accident (and before Ella truly makes her choice as she is swept up in the post-accident confusion at the hospital) neutralizes a lot of the initial urgency. For the first seventy-five pages of the novel, readers know know exactly what happens after the accident which means that readers also know more than Ella herself.
Within The Secrets We Keep, Ella's decision to become her sister makes perfect sense as the motivations stem from a deep sense of guilt combined with grief. But the premise begins to wear thin as the plot progresses and Ella's secret begins to unravel.
Elements of romance and mystery move the story forward but never integrate perfectly with the main plot of Ella making peace with her sister's death. The addition of an awkward love triangle between Ella, her best friend Josh and Josh's two-years-younger girlfriend (who Ella strongly dislikes--and maybe feels threatened by--while refusing to acknowledge possibly having romantic feelings for Josh herself) further dilutes the core elements of the story which had so much promise.
Despite having all of the right pieces, including a great heroine and strong premise, The Secrets We Keep fails to meet its potential and instead becomes very familiar as the plot moves in directions previously handled more notably by Zevin and Oliver among others.
The Secrets We Keep blends several genres to deliver elements of romance and suspense within a story about loss and grieving that will appeal to readers looking for more of the same.
Possible Pairings: I Remember You by Cathleen Davitt Bell, Fracture by Megan Miranda, Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver, We Are the Goldens by Dana Reinhardt, Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, A Map of the Known World by Lisa Ann Sandell, The Edge of Falling by Rebecca Serle, Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin, Falling into Place by Amy Zhang
*An advance copy of this book was provided by the publisher for review consideration*
michelle_pink_polka_dot's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 Stars
Ella and Maddy are identical twins that couldn't be more different. At one time they were inseparable, but that was before Maddy traded their relationship for popularity and a boyfriend. Ella might not have been the popular twin, but she was perfectly happy with her low-key life. She had a passion for drawing and big plans for her future.
Then there is a terrible accident, and only one twin survives. When Ella wakes up in the hospital, everybody thinks she's Maddy... and everyone seems relieved that she's the one who survived. Rather than crush her parents, and also because she feels responsible for Maddy's life being over, she decides to become Maddy. Now Maddy will get to live the life that was taken from her so suddenly.
My Thoughts:
I was middle of the road the whole way through this book. Part of me was totally addicted and couldn't put it down, part of me wasn't buying the things that were going on. I think the idea of one twin becoming the other is a really cool one, but I just think it's hard to pull off 100%.
So Ella takes Maddy's place. She's her identical twin, but she doesn't know very much about Maddy's life. And then there's Josh. He was the friend that Maddy pushed Ella off on when she began her social climb. Ella and Josh formed this really strong friendship. Of course there was some sexual tension between them, but Josh has a girlfriend, so they're just kind of at a stand-still. Josh knows right away that something is up with Maddy/Ella. He knows his best friend. Even when she does her best to try to convince him, deep down he knows. I loved that. I loved Josh the whole way through the book, and felt he was the character who felt the most genuine.
There was a lot of emotional moments in this book, and I felt really connected at times to those feelings. I felt so bad for Ella that she mistook people being happy that Maddy lived- for them being happy that Maddy was the ONE who lived. Those are two very different things. What kind of state of mind do you have to have to believe that your parents would be happier with you being dead over your sibling?? It was a little heart-wrenching. It also broke my heart when there were flashbacks to how Maddy callously walked away from her twin sister and their life together. They went from 14 years of being everything to each other to a clean break, where Maddy only seemed to bother with Ella when she needed her help. So sad!!
Things I didn't like so much: I never felt that Ella tried all that hard to be Maddy. She wore her clothes and hung out with her friends, but she never tried very hard to act the way Maddy did. I know she was grieving, but if you are serious enough to allow your name to be engraved on the gravestone, put some effort into convincing people. I also didn't like seeing the same old stereotype of the popular kids being the backstabbing-evil types. And they're always "trying so hard to keep it all together". Not all popular kids have deep dark secrets that they have to hold in.
The ending was also BLAH. It wrapped up way too neatly and this quote is spoilery, so if you want to see it, it's your choice
OVERALL: A good try at a really hard premise. I loved the emotional moments that I had while reading it and the way I felt the NEED to keep reading, but it didn't make up for how this book felt too much like many other mediocre Ya books I've read.
My Blog:
Ella and Maddy are identical twins that couldn't be more different. At one time they were inseparable, but that was before Maddy traded their relationship for popularity and a boyfriend. Ella might not have been the popular twin, but she was perfectly happy with her low-key life. She had a passion for drawing and big plans for her future.
Then there is a terrible accident, and only one twin survives. When Ella wakes up in the hospital, everybody thinks she's Maddy... and everyone seems relieved that she's the one who survived. Rather than crush her parents, and also because she feels responsible for Maddy's life being over, she decides to become Maddy. Now Maddy will get to live the life that was taken from her so suddenly.
My Thoughts:
I was middle of the road the whole way through this book. Part of me was totally addicted and couldn't put it down, part of me wasn't buying the things that were going on. I think the idea of one twin becoming the other is a really cool one, but I just think it's hard to pull off 100%.
So Ella takes Maddy's place. She's her identical twin, but she doesn't know very much about Maddy's life. And then there's Josh. He was the friend that Maddy pushed Ella off on when she began her social climb. Ella and Josh formed this really strong friendship. Of course there was some sexual tension between them, but Josh has a girlfriend, so they're just kind of at a stand-still. Josh knows right away that something is up with Maddy/Ella. He knows his best friend. Even when she does her best to try to convince him, deep down he knows. I loved that. I loved Josh the whole way through the book, and felt he was the character who felt the most genuine.
There was a lot of emotional moments in this book, and I felt really connected at times to those feelings. I felt so bad for Ella that she mistook people being happy that Maddy lived- for them being happy that Maddy was the ONE who lived. Those are two very different things. What kind of state of mind do you have to have to believe that your parents would be happier with you being dead over your sibling?? It was a little heart-wrenching. It also broke my heart when there were flashbacks to how Maddy callously walked away from her twin sister and their life together. They went from 14 years of being everything to each other to a clean break, where Maddy only seemed to bother with Ella when she needed her help. So sad!!
Things I didn't like so much: I never felt that Ella tried all that hard to be Maddy. She wore her clothes and hung out with her friends, but she never tried very hard to act the way Maddy did. I know she was grieving, but if you are serious enough to allow your name to be engraved on the gravestone, put some effort into convincing people. I also didn't like seeing the same old stereotype of the popular kids being the backstabbing-evil types. And they're always "trying so hard to keep it all together". Not all popular kids have deep dark secrets that they have to hold in.
The ending was also BLAH. It wrapped up way too neatly and this quote is spoilery, so if you want to see it, it's your choice
Spoiler
"As long as I had Josh then somehow everything- the accident, Maddy's death- was going to be okay." No having a boyfriend does not make the fact that your TWIN sister died okay. Nothing will.OVERALL: A good try at a really hard premise. I loved the emotional moments that I had while reading it and the way I felt the NEED to keep reading, but it didn't make up for how this book felt too much like many other mediocre Ya books I've read.
My Blog:
blburslem's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. I didn't connect to Ella because I didn't understand the reasoning or thinking behind her actions and I expected more of a mystery/intrigue.
mrs_a_is_a_book_nerd's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent pacing and suspense. I enjoyed this one a lot. Read it in a day!
read_plan_laundry's review against another edition
2.0
The book description really intrigued me but I was disappointed. It was really superficial and it felt like she was just pretending to be her sister to validate herself. She didn't feel loved and needed everyone to tell her how much she was really loved so she could stop pretending to be her sister. The ending was very anticlimactic. I think its a huge deal for everyone fo be mourning a death that wasn't real and when they had the reveal... it was just ok life goes on. Gave it a 3 but after writing this review gave if a 2. Maybe it's a 2.5.