A review by impybelle
Deadly Little Secret by Laurie Faria Stolarz
3.0
Like so many of LFS's other books, I wanted to like Deadly Little Secret more than I actually did. The premise is interesting: Camelia's life is saved before the book starts by a mysterious boy whose very touch makes her weak in the knees. On the flipside, touching Camelia makes Ben, her hero, see that she's in further danger.
Sounds like a match made in heaven, until Ben's past follows him to school. Turns out his last girlfriend, Julie, happened to just fall off a cliff when she was alone with him. While Ben was found innocent after being charged with murder, little details like that won't stop the highschool rumor mill. Even Camelia's friends wish she'd keep her distance and instead hook up with any other guy that's been showing an interest as of late.
All of this comes down squarely on the good side of the storyline. As does the list of possible guys for the part of Camelia's stalker whose mind we're given a glimpse into every couple of chapters or so.
The bad? While we're told, repeatedly, that Camelia's mother is dealing with other things and is a bit... fluffy at times, it never fully makes sense for Camelia to not tell her parents she's being stalked once it becomes obvious that the stalking isn't merely a secret admirer. She's got proof, physical proof, and never once tells them, preferring instead to deal with it on her own.
So when she inevitably is snatched by her stalker, you kind of wish a clue-by-four would drop on her head.
I liked so much about Deadly Little Secret, but it never fully gelled or managed to make a complete liftoff for me. It's a good book and a solid start for a series.
Sounds like a match made in heaven, until Ben's past follows him to school. Turns out his last girlfriend, Julie, happened to just fall off a cliff when she was alone with him. While Ben was found innocent after being charged with murder, little details like that won't stop the highschool rumor mill. Even Camelia's friends wish she'd keep her distance and instead hook up with any other guy that's been showing an interest as of late.
All of this comes down squarely on the good side of the storyline. As does the list of possible guys for the part of Camelia's stalker whose mind we're given a glimpse into every couple of chapters or so.
The bad? While we're told, repeatedly, that Camelia's mother is dealing with other things and is a bit... fluffy at times, it never fully makes sense for Camelia to not tell her parents she's being stalked once it becomes obvious that the stalking isn't merely a secret admirer. She's got proof, physical proof, and never once tells them, preferring instead to deal with it on her own.
So when she inevitably is snatched by her stalker, you kind of wish a clue-by-four would drop on her head.
I liked so much about Deadly Little Secret, but it never fully gelled or managed to make a complete liftoff for me. It's a good book and a solid start for a series.