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A review by other_worlds_than_these
It's Not Like It's a Secret by Misa Sugiura
5.0
4.5/5
I loved this!! This was so cute but it also dealt with so many deep topics exceptionally well!
I loved Sana as a character; she was headstrong and independent but also naive and ignorant and her character development was on point.
The friendships were complex and felt very real as high school friendships. The only small problem I had was the fatphobia and homophobia mainly from Elaine got brushed away and not talked about.
I loved Jaime and Sana’s relationship; it felt so real with how it starts off so cute and innocent and in a bubble and then it evolves and people make mistakes but they actually talk about those mistakes and they both grow. Cheating doesn’t bother me and I felt it was handled as expected, especially since it deals with teenagers but also cultural differences.
I loved how the author incorporated both Japanese and Mexican culture and that the characters don’t just speak English, especially with their parents.
I loved the poetry elements; I thought that was a unique way of illustrating Sana’s thoughts and feelings.
One other thing I didn’t like was Caleb; he felt like he was just there; he didn’t really contribute to the story other than as a plot device but also his racism got brushed over at the beginning which was annoying.
And this is being nit-picky but when Sana first meets Jamie, she thinks she’s a “stupid, useless store clerk..” when she and her mom are interrupted and I know it’s just a spur of the moment thought but as a retail worker it’s annoys me when people characterize us as useless
I loved this!! This was so cute but it also dealt with so many deep topics exceptionally well!
I loved Sana as a character; she was headstrong and independent but also naive and ignorant and her character development was on point.
The friendships were complex and felt very real as high school friendships. The only small problem I had was the fatphobia and homophobia mainly from Elaine got brushed away and not talked about.
I loved Jaime and Sana’s relationship; it felt so real with how it starts off so cute and innocent and in a bubble and then it evolves and people make mistakes but they actually talk about those mistakes and they both grow. Cheating doesn’t bother me and I felt it was handled as expected, especially since it deals with teenagers but also cultural differences.
I loved how the author incorporated both Japanese and Mexican culture and that the characters don’t just speak English, especially with their parents.
I loved the poetry elements; I thought that was a unique way of illustrating Sana’s thoughts and feelings.
One other thing I didn’t like was Caleb; he felt like he was just there; he didn’t really contribute to the story other than as a plot device but also his racism got brushed over at the beginning which was annoying.
And this is being nit-picky but when Sana first meets Jamie, she thinks she’s a “stupid, useless store clerk..” when she and her mom are interrupted and I know it’s just a spur of the moment thought but as a retail worker it’s annoys me when people characterize us as useless