Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Children’s Publishing group and Swoon Read for the advance reader copy, If You Only Knew, by Prerna Pickett in exchange for an honest review. What a great, thrilling slow burn romantic read! I loved both Corey and Tessa; they both have secrets that stop them from being the people they know they can and should be. Corey broke my heart; his life in the “gang” (plus his year in jail) with X and Vance has totally dominated and torn his life apart. He fears daily for his mother and brother because X and Vance have threatened Corey’s family with harm if he does not continue to carry out their dubious plans. But there is so much more to Corey; he has a soft side, a joking side, and a protective side. Tessa is lucky but plucky; she has a Dad who cares, no money problems (like Corey) and lots of friends. It is the ache of losing her erratic mother years ago that pushed her into destructive behavior and an angry relationship with ex, Jared. I could not stop turning the pages, the many twists and turns kept me riveted as I rooted for Tessa and Corey. Teens will love their adventures; the motorcycle, the race, their date, and the chemistry of their attraction; highly recommended for those who love Katie McGarry and Jennifer L. Armentrout romances. This book will be a hit with teens!

Brilliant story, completely blew me away and stole my heart! I absolutely loved the main characters, Tessa and Corey. Tessa is the daughter of the prosecutor and Corey is a member of a gang who has just been released from jail. Corey is persuaded by his gang to vandalize Tessa’s home. By accident, Tessa sees him. Corey comes to the house and confesses to her dad that he was the culprit. Her dad wants to give Corey another chance and he agrees that Corey can come and help clean the mess. Tessa is guilt ridden about a crime she committed and feels that Corey being given a second chance helps to right her wrong. Corey is not really a bad boy, he just made some bad choices. His dad, now dead, had worked for the mysterious Mr X who was involved in drug dealing, and other criminal activities. Corey opted to work for Mr X in order to help his family. Corey did draw the line at drug dealing though. He was forced to stay in the gang to keep his mom and brother safe. A great story with twists that were unexpected. I loved it and it is on my list of ‘best ever’ books.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Didn't love this book. Typical bad boy meets good girl, good girl's father is local law enforcement. There were some dark secrets and the story moved at a nice pace, but I would not recommend this or read it again.

In this fantastic YA book, Prerna Pickett drops you right into the action and never lets go. Fascinating and flawed-but-real characters propel the story that will have young readers asking for more. They will love Tessa and Corey’s journey with all its twists and surprises. Highly recommend.