Thank you Netgalley.com for a free copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all opinions are mine.

A great book about a tough topic. No one in High School thinks they will die or thinks anyone they know will die but in an unfortunate accident Julie does die, leaving behind a boyfriend she planned on breaking up with and a diary full of letters to her secret boyfriend.

This book is very readable as Colt grapples with grief that he can't share since no one knew about the relationship. He also lives in a town where the lines are very clearly drawn. The kids on Black Mountain are the haves and the kids in the Flats the have nots. The two don't mix. But Julia was from the Mountain and Colt from the Flats.

Beautifully written you could feel the struggle Colt has with his relationship with Julia, her death and how everything seems so big in their little world but he knows that things are different outside of Black Mountain. How do you let go of something that you aren't sure was yours in the first place? How do you move forward when you struggle to forgive yourself.

I was immediately drawn in to this book and couldn't put it down. There is a lot to this little book that will leave me thinking about it for a while.

When this showed up on NetGalley, I didn't realize it was because it's about to be published in paperback after being originally released in 2010. This book about a forbidden teenage romance was pretty bad and filled with cliches. I'm giving it 2 stars instead of just 1 because it might appeal to some teens who otherwise might not read a book.

4.5 stars.

The Secret Year by Jennifer R. Hubbard is a captivating young adult novel.

Colt Morrissey is stunned by the death of Julia Vernon. They were in a secret relationship for a year and he is mourning by himself after she dies. When he receives a notebook of letters written to him by Julia, he is grateful for the opportunity to learn more about her.

Colt is a well-developed character who is well-rounded. He is even-tempered and enjoys the outdoors. Colt understands his place in the social hierarchy of school and the town. He harbors some resentment at Julia’s refusal to dump the boyfriend she always complains about. Colt harbors guilt over her death that might be misplaced.

The Secret Year is an angst-free young adult novel. Colt is a sympathetic character and easy to like. The secondary characters are interesting and their inclusion adds depth to the story. The storyline is engaging and fast-paced. Jennifer R. Hubbard brings the novel to a bit of an abrupt conclusion that is mostly satisfying.

The premise of this book is interesting. I wanted a little more from it than it gave. The Secret Year explores the differences in societal class and a secret love. It also explores the topic of grief which was done quite well. The ending did get more emotional for me, but that's what I was looking for during the entirety of the book. Overall an enjoyable read addressing some important topics.

Thanks to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book was really interesting, I thought we were reading about adults, completely passing by the age that’s stated in the synopsis lol, until I started to read the book and these are teenage kids. Colt is from a more poor part of the neighborhood and Julia is from a richer part, these kids don’t even talk to each other but they bumped into each other on a river that divides them and there they started their one little affair, for a whole year. No one knows, but after she dies and he is given a journal where she writes about them and even creates poetry, and I was loving it and then also taken aback by how graphic is adult it was for a YA book. Their love story was confusing, emotions were all over the place, typical teens, and I felt more confused about everything going on towards the end, maybe this book was not for me.

This was a very quick read that was clearly trying to be like the outsiders and Romeo and Juliet, but I really don’t think it succeeded at either. I know it was YA but it still felt very young and while the diary part was interesting it wasn’t enough to hold my interest

This was a really well crafted Young Adult novel that tackles some really sensitive and tough topics. The author describes the challenges of being a teenager along with some with pretty tough issues: sex, drugs, violence, and tragic death. She touches on the subjects without too much graphic detail.

The main character Colton is struggling with the tragic death of a girl that he loves. Julia died in a tragic car accident. Colton is struggling with grieving because nobody knows about his relationship with Julia. She is privileged and lives in a wealthy neighbourhood. Plus, she also has a boyfriend. After her death, Julia’s brother uncovers their secret and gives Julia’s diary to Colton the diary is full of her inner thoughts, in the form of letters written to Colton. Colton struggles with his grief and moving on. Maybe, the letters can bring him some peace.

I highly recommend this book. Check the triggers and see if it’s a good fit for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC Copy.

I thought this was a sweet story. There aren’t a lot of love stories told with a male teen protagonist, and I think Colt shared what he could. I think it’s fine there wasn’t more *drama* because Colt isn’t a dramatic guy who wears his heart on his sleeve. He is a regular guy who had an odd year and then has to figure out how to deal with what comes next. To me, he was very relatable and I enjoyed watching him find his way.

This book was very much a YA book. Told entirely from Colt’s point of view and conveniently through a journal of letters written (but not given) to him until after Julia’s death. Yes it’s reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, but isn’t that also a very normal young adult way of thinking? Maybe it’s just me, but I could understand where Colt was coming from and his thoughts.

While this book deals with an accident and death and violence, it is not overly dramatic or emotional. Colt doesn’t seemed bothered by the usual teen angsty drama of eating alone in the lunchroom or being embarrassed by having to bus tables for the rich kids while they throw food at him. Interesting.

This book was a quick read. It didn’t put me to sleep and I was interested in reading to the end. I was a little surprised that it ended so quickly but I guess there is no need to draw things out and overthink them. I wonder how Colt is faring as an adult.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers Group and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.

This was a super fast read that deals with tough situations. I don’t think that it scratched the surface of what it could’ve been though, as it didn’t make any sort of impact on me as a reader. I think that it tries to be an updated version of The Outsiders, but it doesn’t quite make it.
Julia and Colt are high schoolers who are in s secret relationship after meeting up at the river accidentally one night. They are from opposite sides of the economic spectrum and therefor Julia can’t tell her friends about him, not to mention that she also has a boyfriend and Colt can’t tell his friends about her because they wouldn’t believe him. Then Julia dies in a drunken car wreck and Colt is left to deal with his feelings and the loss by himself. That made the book standout for me because we don’t get a lot of stories told from just the make POV when dealing with tough subjects. One day Julia’s brother Michael gives him Julia’s notebook that he finds in her room and it’s full of poems and letters she wrote to Colt but never gave him. Can he bring himself to read the notes and finally bring closure to the most intense year and the biggest loss of his life?
I was hoping for a roller coaster of emotions but sadly that never happened. The characters were kind of flat and despite it being a fairly short story, it started to fizzle about mid way through. That being said, it’s one you can read in a sitting, so it has that going for it. I don’t mean to say that it’s not good by any stretch, but it’s nothing memorable.
Thanks to Viking Juvenile for this eArc in exchange for my review.

I read this book years ago. Saw it was being republished. I forgot I already read this. I didn't like it the first time so I did not reread it again.

Romeo and Juliet retelling. It sounded so intriguing and I thought i would love it. Alas, it was a big miss for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

Thank you to PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group | Viking Books for Young Readers and NetGalley for an advanced readers copy of this novel.

Colt, a high schooler, is reeling from the unexpected death of his secret hookup partner Julia of a year. Colt is from a working class family from the wrong side of the tracks, while Julia is from the country club world of Black Mountain and has an upper class boyfriend to match. Julia's brother discovers letters and poems that Julia wrote to a "CM" and figures out that it's Colt. Armed with her writings, Colt reads them to try and figure out what happened with their relationship.

The Secret Year by Jennifer Hubbard is an interesting novel about class and grief. It had many Outsiders tone to me, and even though it was set in today's time period, the class wars kind of seemed dated to me. It's nice to see a book written from a male teenager's point of view. I think it was detached retelling on purpose because it's hard for teenagers to actually deconstruct their feelings. .

Two teenagers fall in love; a secret relationship since they are from 2 different sides of town. But then Julia dies suddenly. Colt is devastated but can't let anyone know why. He discovers the truth about their relationship through a journal Julia left behind.

I enjoyed the story; it was a quick read overall. However, since it was so short it didn't pull me in emotionally like other romance books often do.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this book.

This book would be a great book group read. I would love to discuss it in a group setting with other readers.

It is thought provoking and has stayed with me for days.

The story line and characters are so good. I have already recommend it to several friends a pre-ordered a hard copy for my library.

Five stars. Recommend.

'The Secret Year' by Jennifer Hubbard is a YA book that quietly tugs at your heartstrings. Reading a story like this from a male perspective felt refreshing—I’m so used to these types of first-person narratives being told from a female point of view. It added a layer of uniqueness that pulled me in right from the start.

What stood out to me was how linear and straightforward the storytelling was. There wasn’t any fluff to wade through, which made it easy to follow and kept me hooked from the very first sentence. The simplicity of the writing was definitely a strength, but I also found myself craving more depth.

Since the story revolves so heavily around Colt and Julia’s secret relationship, I wished there had been more flashbacks to their real-time interactions. That would have helped me feel their connection even more deeply. The same goes for Julia’s diary entries—I wanted more of those, too. Colt’s silent grief over her death was palpable, but I felt like a bit more insight into their relationship could have elevated the emotional weight of the story.

Overall, 'The Secret Year' is a great, bittersweet read. It’s quick and compelling, though I found myself wanting more layers and complexity in the characters. Perhaps that’s part of what made it so easy to breeze through, though!

Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for providing the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I'm afraid I didn't connect with this book. It felt very light on plot. I kept expecting something big to happen - some shocking twist or revelation - but it never really did. The story remained a flatline for me. And although it's mostly told via Colt's first-person POV, I always felt held at a clinical distance. I was told how Colt feels/felt but never truly FELT anything. An example of the distance with which this story's told is when Colt's brother Tom announces he's gay at Thanksgiving. It's handled capriciously, almost with a shrug, with none of the truly emotional impact, positive and/or negative, that this type of vulnerable moment generally brings about. Julia's diary feels chatty and inconsequential. Similarly, when Colt's secret is finally revealed in front of everyone at his school...the fallout is ultimately pretty minimal.

I'm sure there are some readers who will connect with Colt's story. Alas, I just wasn't one of them.

I really wanted to like this one but had a hard time feeling connected with any of the characters. The storyline had great potential, but the lack of character development in this book kept me from being very invested in any of the characters' fates. I do think YA readers may enjoy this as a lighthearted, simple read, but they won't find much depth as far as characterization goes. Had there been more detail, this would have had much more potential. Thanks for the ARC!

In the synopsis of the book, the characters Romeo and Juliet serve as comparative figures to Colt and Julia, denoting the latter pair as reflections of the former's romantic dynamic. However, upon examination, the depth and complexity attributed to Romeo and Juliet's relationship appear to surpass those presented in Colt and Julia's story. The portrayal of their love as forbidden and extraordinary lacks the novel essence and emotional depth that might engage the reader more profoundly with the characters. Additionally, while the narrative navigates teenage heartbreak with an appreciable underlying message, the overall plot and character development may benefit from additional elaboration to enhance the story's depth and engagement. The consideration of extending the narrative to include more detailed exploration of themes and character dynamics might address these concerns, potentially enriching the reader's experience.

Book:
THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer Hubbard
Thank you Netgalley and PenguinTeen for the earc (Jan 7)
Review:
2⭐
I'm not sure how I felt about this one. Did I love it? Hate it? Honestly, it was just eh. I liked the idea of the book: a secret romance torn apart by death, grief overtaking the one who lived---it was a nice premise. The execution felt off. Almost like the story was incomplete. It needed more heartbreak and description---maybe a scene from Julia's pov to add to what she was feeling right before she died to allow a glimpse into her grief. Especially with the comparison to Laura Nowlins work. I don't know. It just needed more...