A review by jaslyn_
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura

4.0

this book was so fucking trashy I have no idea whether I'm biased or...FUCK. At least it's not forgettable.

This clings onto the YA trope of spewing way too many plot points and issues and tangling them up into a massive pinch 20% before completion

Also if the first kiss comes less than 40% of the way through you know things are gonna get fucked up

Very annoying switching to other languages. The mother's broken english was a blast

There are some thematic qualities I liked

1) Grey Morality from all characters. Especially the protagonist (GOD SO MUCH CASUAL RACISM). I am very, very annoyed with how Jamie's arc played out and that bitch is sus as fuck
2) Truths and untruths and words unsaid
3) I liked the narrative about the perspectives of race and class

Also I liked the part at the start where she joins track and talks about a pain she can understand vs a pain she cannot. That bit was good and gave me enough false hope to finish this story

In all I hated the fucking protagonist but there were some redeeming qualities where it mattered. Romance was meh.