The idea of the main character being someone with a disability is a rare idea in a writer's mind, but Joelson brought something new to the table and ran with it! Jemma is an amazing portrait of what people with disabilities really can do and understand in the world around them.
CP is a very tricky disability that has a wide variety of differences. Jemma is just one of those. Reading from her point of you, man, it really sheds light on those around us I read this book in one sitting with no intention of stopping. It keeps your hold as you wonder what will happen next, with small surprises here and there. It is a little fast pace compared to other
suspense novels I've read, but definitely a good read

I Have No Secrets is the first book I have read by this author and although it had potential I just could not find it as interesting as I had hoped.

The story does bring to light adoption, fostering, etc but everything is explained in such detail that it became a bit monotonous.

I Have No Secrets is unfortunately not for me. I had tried this book and set it down in hopes of one day coming back to it, but now it is time to mark as DNF.

This was a very interesting read. I read the authors newer book and it was a 3.5 star read for me and this book is a 3 star read for me. I will see if the author has any new books in the future and try one ore but it’s looking like this is just an okay author for me.

DNF. Thank you NetGalley and Publisher for this early copy! I decided to not keep reading this one, it was not for me. Thanks!

Jemma's older foster sister Sarah has gone missing and so has her best friend next-door neighbor Ryan. Neither has been seen for a while and no-one but Jemma knows the truth. The thing though is that Jemma can't tell anyone as she can't talk, she has cerebral palsy which is why the killer confided in her as he knew his secret was safe. During I Have No Secrets, Jemma also is getting to know her twin sister who was also adopted out but unlike Jemma - Jodie wasn't born with a disability and she reminds Jemma what she could have been if she was born normal. The girls have a rocky start but once Jodie comes around the girls start to bond. I really felt for Jemma in this case as it was like everyone she cared about was abandoning her. Jemma's new family also recently fostered Olivia who has been stealing and threatening Jemma if she tells. What will happen though when Jemma is given a once in a lifetime opportunity to try out a new machine which will be able to become her voice? Soon none of the secrets she has been keeping is safe and Jemma finds herself in danger as no-one wants their truths to be revealed. This was a good YA mystery but also shone a light on fostering, adoption and disabilities.

This was a book I was hoping to love more than I did. I didn't find this one particularly thrilling or compelling. I almost DNFed this one multiple times and wasn't really hooked until over halfway through.

I think one of the detriments to this book is that everything was overexplained to an annoying degree. If this was a middle-grade book, I wouldn't mind it as much, but as a book for the older YA demographic this book just talked down to the reader.

Honestly, the synopsis was just a bit misleading and overall the reading experience was just not enjoyable.

That being said, having a main character with a physical disability was something I was intrigued to see and I did like learning more about the technology that Jemma was testing, though I feel like a feel-good contemporary may have been a better way to inform the reader about this tech.

I knew right from the synopsis that I had to read this book! It’s mysterious and intriguing, and had me dying to get my hands on it. The fact that Jemma couldn’t speak all the secrets we knew she knew had me on the edge of my seat.

The was the first book I read where the main character has cerebral palsy, and I was so happy to see that wasn’t the whole focus of the book (except the fact that she can’t speak). I love that we learn so much back story on Jemma, it really makes the story come full circle. Having the story narrated by Jemma was great, I loved hearing her thoughts on everything and how everyone just told her everything.

Overall I got just what I wanted out of this book, mystery, thrills and intrigue. Hearing all Jemma’s inside thought on all the storylines made this one a quick, interesting read. I will definitely be picking up more books by this author.

Thank you NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for an advanced copy. I voluntarily reviewed this book. All opinions expressed are my own

I Have No Secrets
By: Penny Joelson

*REVIEW*
Imagine someone casually telling you they committed murder because they know you won't tell anyone else. This is Jemma's situation in I Have No Secrets. Jemma is 16 with severe cerebral palsy. Although at a normal intelligence level, she cannot move or speak. This makes her the perfect sounding board for any and all confessions. People tell Jemma their deep dark secrets with confidence because, who is she going to tell? Exactly. Jemma, however, desperately needs to communicate the identity of a murderer. Fortunately, technology becomes accessible that will allow her to speak. Will the killer silence Jemma forever, or will she tell the devastating truth? This is such a unique and profound idea to build a story upon, and I was completely absorbed in the story. Jemma is an excellent character. She is smart and intuitive and trapped inside her own body. It's a terrible reality to even contemplate. Jemma's disability doesn't make her less of a person, just a different kind of person, and she is vastly underestimated. This is an important story, and I'm glad to have read it.

A book like this could go wrong so easily, good thing it didn't. The main character can't move or talk. She can't do anything by herself, but she can hear. No secret is safe. I read this book in one afternoon, unable to put it down. The suspense was perfect, the pacing was great and the ending was nicely done. I really enjoyed this read.

This was a really interesting story to dive into. 

The main character is very unique in that she suffers from cerebral palsy causing her to totally dependent on others to help her with the simplest tasks. And since she is unable to move on her own, this means her ability to talk to others nonexistent.

So what do people do? Tell her their deepest secrets knowing that she has no way to spread them around. 

But when something comes about that allows her to communicate, everything is at stake, including the identity of the killer wrecking havoc in their town. 

So this diverse read turns into a murder mystery/thriller, and I couldn't help but become engrossed in it! 

There are despicable characters surrounding her, and I couldn't help but wish that could run away from it all. It brings a ton of feels, and you're hooked all the way from page one to the end. 

I gave this one 5 out of 5 stars, and I highly recommend it to readers who love crime/mystery novels, YA contemporaries, or just characters who fight against all odds

Creepy, compelling, and a quick read. I was initially concerned about the disability rep in the book, but Jemma is a strong main character and readers will relate to her. Good for teens wanting a heart-pounding thriller!

Reminiscent of "Stuck in Neutral" in that we have the exploration of the internal life of a person who cannot communicate, the tendency of others to confide in a nonverbal person. Apart from that, it's actually a pretty standard teen murder mystery It's weak in the clues, building mostly on gut instinct and vague suspicions.

This book is the first book I have read by this author. I have never read anything quite like it, and I really enjoyed the storyline. I have an aunt who has Cerebral Palsy and multiple other issues that confine her to a wheelchair, although she is able to talk, and boy does she love to do it!! I can't imagine her not being able to say what her feelings are, so I struggled with Jemma in the beginning, being essentially stuck in her body.
The book follows Jemma who is a teenager with CP that is so severe she can't move or speak, although her intelligence is matching to a normal person in her age group. She knows so much information, and can't tell anyone, and at one point it becomes extremely important that she does communicate in regards to a murder and kidnapping. Then she finally has a way, a new machine with technology that allows her to communicate through sniffing. Thank goodness, because she can get help just in time.
This was an easy read with an important message. We need to support people with these disabilities. The machine Jemma uses is based on a real machine developed in Israel. We need to get this technology to be available to people here. No one should feel trapped in their body!

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Fire for sending me a free advanced reader copy of this book for an honest review. A quick note that I’m a bit confused about the publication date of this book. As far as I can tell it was originally published in 2017 and is being re-released. NetGalley says the new edition came out September 1st, while Goodreads says it comes out November 15th. So basically you can buy a copy of this book right now, but I’m not exactly sure which edition you’ll receive. I also don’t know if the 2017 text differs in any way from the 2019 edition.

The premise of this book hooked me immediately: Jemma, a sixteen-year-old girl with severe cerebral palsy who cannot speak or move, learns the identity of a killer—from the killer himself. When her health aid goes missing, it’s up to Jemma to alert people to the culprit’s identity, despite the punishing limitations of her disability.

The language of this book is very simple and straightforward. If you are looking for a lyrical read, this is not it. However, there is a poignancy to this book; you cannot help but root for Jemma, who has little to no communication with any of her family members. Not only does she have a killer to wrangle with, but she is also a teenage girl dealing with a health condition that can cause those around her to treat her as if she is of less than a clear mind. It will be a long time before I forget the humiliating scene where her new carer treats Jemma like a toddler, rather than the clear-headed teenager that she is.

I also really enjoyed reading about Jemma’s family members. She has a unique family—Jemma’s two sibling are both foster children dealing with their own problems. I enjoyed the way her parents were written; her mom and dad are very supportive of Jemma, and they have their own personalities and flaws.

If the language of the book were a bit more lyrical, this likely would have been a five-star book. I found this book quite riveting, reading it in little more than a day. I knew next to nothing about cerebral palsy, and I think this quick thriller is a great way to gain some insight into the condition.

Everyone underestimates Jemma. She's a 14 year old with cerebal palsy who is unable to speak but that doesn't mean she doesn't listen. Boy does she listen. Her carer Sarah, who she very much likes, has been seeing two men- Richard and Dan. When one is killed and then Sarah goes missing, Jemma knows something because one of the creeps has whispered his secret to her. The mystery here is less interesting than Jemma's daily life. She lives with a foster family and two foster siblings, as well as Sarah. Joelson has portrayed her in a mature, sympathetic and unflinching way. This has been marketed for the YA market and it's certainly perfect for that but I enjoyed it very much. Thanks to net galley for the ARC. An excellent read that will make you think next time you see someone like Jemma.

I'm not really one to read thrillers, but the fact that the main character has cerebral palsy and witnessed a murder but is unable to communicate it to anyone had me intrigued on what was going to happen. It was a very good read, and I actually plan on reading more YA thrillers because I enjoyed this one so much.

Jemma is a young teen who has a severe form of cerebral palsy. She has loving adoptive parents, two foster siblings and a kind caretaker, Sarah. Unfortunately, she is wheelchair bound and has no way to communicate with anyone. As Jemma narrates, "I have no secrets" because she needs help doing everything.

While Jemma may not have secrets herself, others share their secrets with her. Sarah admits to cheating on her boyfriend. Jemma's sister, Olivia, shares that she has been picked on at school for being in foster care. And Sarah's boyfriend, Dan, admits that he killed a teenage neighbor one year ago.

So, when Sarah disappears, Jemma has nowhere to turn and fears for the worst. Did Dan hurt her? Will Dan be caught for killing the neighbor? How can she share what she knows?

This YA mystery-suspense book is a treat - it is complex, unique, and utterly gripping. It is compelling to have a non-traditional narrator - Jemma's disability is simultaneously a key factor in the novel and an aspect of her character that makes her a compelling storyteller. There are times when the teen voice can get a bit whiny, but overall, I Have No Secrets is a great read - especially for people seeking a novel voice in YA mystery.

This was excellent. It's refreshing to see a character with a disability represented so fully as a main character. I particularly liked that the book makes it clear that this main character, while nonverbal, is incredibly alert, intelligent, and observant--lots of misconceptions and assumptions are addressed here, and it was awesome! The mystery itself is also pretty good. I've already recommended it to one of my sweet regular patrons who, like the main character, also has cerebral palsy, and she was SO STOKED to see a book where the main character isn't only just like her, but is also a total badass who finds a way to fix the problem in the story.

I couldn't put this book down! I loved Jemma and could feel her frustration at not being able to communicate and her fear at being essentially powerless. Dan (her aide's boyfriend) is such a creep and he fooled everyone but Jemma. (Of course, you can't be fooled when he's only obviously evil when he's alone with you.)

But even besides the two mysteries (will Dan ever get caught? And the other mystery not mentioned in the synopsis), I loved everything about this book. I loved Jemma's relationship with her parents and her siblings (foster parents and foster siblings, but she thinks of them as actual family), but also with her aide and really everyone around her. People treat her various ways (usually there's a lot of staring from strangers and people who don't know her tend to assume she's basically a giant toddler) but she has a really strong sense of self, and that really comes through.

I loved this book and am excited to read more from Penny Joelson. I hope this is the first of many. Highly recommended.