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A review by ttucker
The Truth About Keeping Secrets by Savannah Brown
5.0
So I went into this book expecting a quick and fun murder mystery type of story. Turns out, I'd blindly managed to pick a book that depicted the exact same terror I've been experiencing the past year. On its face, this is a book about a girl who has lost her father and thinks there might be something more sinister behind it. Really, it's a raw story about grief and dealing with the fear of death.
I've never quite related to a character so much, and that's probably why this book left me a crying mess multiple times and on the brink of an existential crisis that I hadn't planned for a Tuesday night. Sydney's internal monologue and her reluctance to accept the love offered to her, and the frustration when you struggle to grasp any real 'why' for things... it all felt so genuine.
It wasn't all sadness and pain, don't get me wrong. This book was Funny. If I wasn't tearing up and getting my heart ripped out, I was laughing along with the banter between the characters and Sydney's blunt humour.
I absolutely adored the amount of time we got to spend with Sydney and June, building their connection. I think I could probably have read 500 pages of them just talking. Seeing Sydney in this place of absolute darkness and then finding someone who makes all of it a little bit better, and seeing how she started to rely on that little moment each day. That feeling of desperately grasping for someone just to keep yourself in place. Ugh. I'm just rambling now but man... Been There. All of the characters in this book popped to life, really. They felt real and flawed and like people you have known.
Other than Sydney's bond with June, her stories with Olivia and Leo also hit me hard. The best friend who you no longer know is in your life for any reason other than you've known each other forever, and the slow acceptance of letting go. The complete and utter joy of meeting a new friend who fits with the person you've become and reminds you that you're not as alone as you might have thought.
Anyway, I think this book was just a perfect mix of everything I needed to read right now. So thank you, Savannah Brown, for making me feel a little bit less insane for spending my nights googling what comes after death.
(teats are not forever)
I've never quite related to a character so much, and that's probably why this book left me a crying mess multiple times and on the brink of an existential crisis that I hadn't planned for a Tuesday night. Sydney's internal monologue and her reluctance to accept the love offered to her, and the frustration when you struggle to grasp any real 'why' for things... it all felt so genuine.
It wasn't all sadness and pain, don't get me wrong. This book was Funny. If I wasn't tearing up and getting my heart ripped out, I was laughing along with the banter between the characters and Sydney's blunt humour.
I absolutely adored the amount of time we got to spend with Sydney and June, building their connection. I think I could probably have read 500 pages of them just talking. Seeing Sydney in this place of absolute darkness and then finding someone who makes all of it a little bit better, and seeing how she started to rely on that little moment each day. That feeling of desperately grasping for someone just to keep yourself in place. Ugh. I'm just rambling now but man... Been There. All of the characters in this book popped to life, really. They felt real and flawed and like people you have known.
Other than Sydney's bond with June, her stories with Olivia and Leo also hit me hard. The best friend who you no longer know is in your life for any reason other than you've known each other forever, and the slow acceptance of letting go. The complete and utter joy of meeting a new friend who fits with the person you've become and reminds you that you're not as alone as you might have thought.
Anyway, I think this book was just a perfect mix of everything I needed to read right now. So thank you, Savannah Brown, for making me feel a little bit less insane for spending my nights googling what comes after death.
(teats are not forever)