Hope you enjoy today's post featuring Keeping Her Secret by Sarah Nicolas!
I recently read and reviewed (see below) this book and I loved it!
Keep reading to learn more about this YA summer romance and to enter the giveaway!
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My Review...
Author: Sarah Nicolas
Format: Digital ARC
Source: NetGalley
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I am not sure that words can express how much I enjoyed this book, but since I have to write a review I am going to have to try.
First, a confession…I always wanted to go to Summer camp. From the moment I first saw Hayley Mills (yes, I am going old school) randomly bumping into her long-lost twin in the Parent Trap, I wanted that…friendship, fun, arts & crafts, prank wars. TV, movies, and books make it look like so much fun and Keeping Her Secrets made me wish I had had a chance to experience it (although, to be completely honest in my little confession here, I probably would have been miserable…I was an indoorsy bookworm).
Anyway, this second entry in the Endless Summer series finds us back at Camp Pine Ridge where there’s plenty of relationship drama mixed into the arts & crafts. Oh, and don’t worry if you haven’t read the first book (Daring the Bad Boy by Monica Murphy), this one is a standalone with different characters and by a different author so you’ll have no problem following the antics of the teenage campers. I read them out of order and had no problem.
Keeping Her Secret was such a good summer romance about two girls falling in love…that is so hard to find! Eager to enjoy her last free summer at Camp Pine Ridge before committing herself to her parents’ plan for her future, Courtney gets an unexpected surprise when her childhood best friend and crush, Riya, shows up at the camp. Riya is just as surprised. When her parents convinced her to go to camp, she never expected to see the girl she fell in love with as a kid. As both girls adjust to the presence of the other, it stirs up old feelings and leads to all kinds of mixed emotions, secrets, introspection and more.
Courtney and Riya were such an interesting pairing. Almost complete opposites and from completely different backgrounds, one a girl scared to express her sexuality and another openly bisexual with a great support system. Courtney has what she sees as an inescapable future already planned out for her by her controlling parents, a future that definitely doesn’t include a girlfriend. Meanwhile, Riya tries her best to protect herself from being hurt as she focuses on her own future. All of this leads to pain and confusion and misunderstandings and…well, you can’t help but hope that they learn to understand and accept not only each other but also themselves. Courtney’s internal struggle with doing and being what is expected of her is heartbreaking and serves as a reminder that you never truly know what people are going through just by looking at them. Both grow a lot during the Summer and it was so nice to join them on their journey as they finally discovered who they were meant to be and learned to face their fears.
Their fellow campers help them quite bit on this journey. While there is a lot of emotion and drama in the book, it isn’t all teenage romance and angst…there is plenty of fun camp antics with prank wars, volleyball games, and other camp activities. Moments that make you long for carefree summers with your friends. I loved their circle of friends, which included Courtney’s twin, Colt and Riya’s new camp bestie, Dee…they are the support system and sounding boards for Courtney and Riya…and I wouldn’t mind reading more about them.
But this was Courtney and Riya’s story…a story I am glad I had a chance to read. To me, Keeping Her Secret is a wonderful summer romance about not only about falling in love, but also learning to accept yourself.
My Rating: 4 ½ Stars
*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*
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And now here's a little bit more about the book and its author...
Book Title: Keeping Her Secret (Endless Summer series)
Author: Sarah Nicholas
Release Date: August 22, 2016
Genre: YA Contemporary F/F Romance
Two girls. One kiss.
The last person Riya Johnson expected to run into at her new summer camp is Courtney Chastain—her childhood best friend and the girl who broke her heart after a secret, mind-blowing, life-altering kiss. She definitely didn’t expect to be sharing a bunk bed with her for four long weeks.
Courtney has what every girl wants—she’s beautiful, rich, and the object of every boy’s desire at Camp Pine Ridge. Too bad none of them make her feel an iota of what Riya’s kiss did all those years ago. But Courtney needs to uphold appearances at all costs—even if it means instigating an all-out prank war with Riya as her main target.
Neither girl can stop thinking about the other...but that doesn’t mean they can give up past hurts and take a chance on a future together.
Disclaimer: This Entangled Teen Crush book contains drinking, sexual situations, and a fairy-tale romance sure to make your heart melt.
Purchase:
About the Author:
Sarah is a 31-year-old YA author who currently lives in Orlando, FL. She believes that some boys are worth trusting, all girls have power, and dragons are people too.
She's a proud member of the Gator Nation and has a BS in Mechanical Engineering, but has switched careers entirely. She now works as an Event Coordinator for a County Library. She also blogs at YAtopia.
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One (1) lucky winner will receive a $50 B&N gift card!
Enter the rafflecopter below!
Hope you all enjoyed my review and will check out this great book!
And be sure to check out the rest of the Keeping Her Secret Blog Tour!
Thank you so much for hosting me! I'm so glad you enjoyed the book!
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